From personal experience and what I’ve seen with others, there’s this common denominator of only being able to afford what is absolutely necessary, if that.
Some examples:
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not being able to afford meals when at work
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not being able to afford shoes/clothes other than work clothes that you need
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not having taken a vacation or time off in years (very common)
- not being able to care for yourself by exercising, going to the doctor, or purchasing healthy food bc it’s too expensive
Literally the only thing is work and more work. Thankfully I’m in a position that after years of struggling to juggle school and work and after accumulating 6-figures in debt, I’ll be starting a new job that will be paying me very well.
Literally when people ask me what I want most out of life, my first and immediate thought is stability. It’s something I’ve been chasing for as long as I can remember. Not having to worry about bills, credit card debt, my car breaking down and not being able to fix it, whether I can afford to buy a small meal when I’m out.
I remember one time I was at work, starving, didn’t have a credit card, less than 50 cents in my checking, and had to look for change that fell under the seats in my car to be able to get something off the dollar menu at McDonald’s…
It’s sad to think about and there’s so many that are worse off than I am.