As the cost of living continues to rise, even people who work multiple jobs and make the most of their schedules are struggling to make ends meet.
However, some sociopaths believe that there is a simple solution to this problem. People just need to go out and try harder.
But people who struggle to buy groceries or pay rent aren’t to blame for a lack of hard work. A combination of economic challenges has many Americans scrambling to save money.
One woman ventured to call a man who believed that people who were in financial trouble must not be working hard enough.
The woman pointed out that despite how hard people are working, inflation is rising and many are struggling to make ends meet.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed nearly 200,000 times, Blair Allison She recalled a time when a man told her that the economy was “booming” and the only reason people were struggling was “because they weren’t working hard enough.”
But Allison pointed out that work ethic has nothing to do with financial success, especially in today’s economic climate. “There are people who are making $30,000 to $50,000 a year more today than they were three to five years ago, and they’re struggling even more now than they were three to five years ago,” Allison said.
Much of this is due to soaring prices of essential goods such as food and clothing. “Has this guy ever walked in a grocery store? Has he seen the price of chips? Has he seen the price of grain? Has he seen the price of something? Have you ever?” Allison wondered aloud.
And she’s right. The US Department of Agriculture predicted In 2024, food prices are expected to increase by 2.9% and grocery prices by 1.6%. As a result, more and more families are struggling to put food on the table, no matter how hard they work.
It’s not just families who are struggling. All generations are affected by the prohibitively high cost of living.
Even people who plan to retire continue to work because once they retire, they won’t be able to afford the necessities of life. “Does this person know that there are seniors who still have to work at Walmart at age 80 to put food on the table?” Allison asked.
“People in their 30s and 40s who have jobs and have good careers are living with their parents because they can’t afford to pay rent and now they can’t buy a house. Interest rates are very high. housing prices are very high,” she added.
The price of a home also includes home insurance and property taxes, both of which are becoming nearly impossible to maintain.
“It’s not as simple as, ‘Find a better job,’ or ‘Find a second job,'” Allison said. There are many people, myself included, who work full-time while supporting their families and are physically unable to hold multiple jobs.
In fact, your financial situation may only worsen as you will no longer be able to care for your child yourself and will have to pay for additional child care.
Mr Allison encouraged everyone to better recognize this financial crisis in the hope that it will improve in the future.
“There are a lot of people in this country and in this world who are suffering. The answer is not to bury our heads in the sand and act like nothing has happened,” she said. “Don’t say the economy is booming. The economy is not booming when people are suffering like they are right now.”
Even people with great educations, multiple degrees, stable careers, and two-income households are not immune to rising costs of living.
According to the Household Pulse Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost 40% of working adults in America The number of people reporting struggling to make ends meet each month is up from 34.4% in 2022. Additionally, prices for rent, utilities, and services are rising. All soared to 40-year highs.
No matter how many hours you work, no matter how many promotions you get, no matter how many jobs you have, it seems very difficult to live comfortably.
The relationship between hard work and economic success is complex, and there is certainly no direct correlation, at least in today’s economy. Hard work is important, but larger social and economic factors need to be addressed to create a more equitable environment in which everyone has a fair chance of economic success.
Megan Quinn is a writer for YourTango, covering entertainment and news, self, love and relationships.