Everything Is Too Expensive To Keep Living Normal (The Math Doesn't Work)

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]I can't afford this apartment anymore, so this is day five with no job at 32.

[00:00:04]>> You know how everyone's telling us like >> [snorts] >> don't you just need therapy like you're depressed and it's like no, we're broke.

[00:00:12]>> [snorts] >> And everything has gone expensive. Gas expensive, food expensive, hair expensive, makeup expensive, clothes.

[00:00:20]How [music] is everyone affording life?

[00:00:22]Real question. How are you guys doing it? Because my daycare costs the same as our mortgage. I pulled up to the pump today and saw $4.99 a gallon and my soul left my body right there in the dang front seat. I need you guys to do something for me real quick, okay?

[00:00:36]Pull up your bank account, look at what came in this month.

[00:00:40]Now look at what went out. Right? I'm talking about rent, car payment, insurance, um utilities, groceries, gas, phone bill, and probably any debt that you are carrying as well. Maybe child care, maybe student loans, maybe a medical bill you've been chipping away at for about 2 years now.

[00:01:03]Now after all of that, right?

[00:01:05]Now you see what's left. For millions of Americans, the answer to that question is honestly nothing at all. You'd be lucky to be in like double figures after you paid all your bills. These people aren't broke because they don't work hard enough, okay? They are broke because everything, I'm talking about like every single thing required to live a normal life in this country >> [music] >> has become too expensive to afford on what normal job pays nowadays. That's not a personal problem, okay? Th- This is a national emergency. [music] Let's talk about what the word normal actually costs people right now. The average rent for one-bedroom apartment in the United States is sitting around $1,500 a month.

[00:01:49]In most major cities, it's significantly higher. That is before utilities, before renter's insurance, before the parking lot that somehow costs extra. Groceries for a family of four could go anywhere from, let's say, $800 to $1,200 a month depending on where you live at, of course.

[00:02:09]>> [music] >> And that's not like steak or lobster, okay? That's like rotisserie chicken, pasta, produce, and whatever's on sale.

[00:02:17]Basic food, like like your basic needs when it comes to food. I'm talking about the stuff that you need to keep people alive and fed, okay? [music] Car insurance has gone up 50% in the last 3 years in most states, okay, guys?

[00:02:30]Health insurance premiums keep climbing while coverage keeps on shrinking.

[00:02:35]Child care in most cities costs more than a mortgage.

[00:02:39]A single emergency room visit without good insurance can run you thousands of dollars before you've done anything like except take your blood pressure and make you wait, [music] right? That's why I understand when people start running away from the ambulance. If you add all that up, guys, just the basics, just the bare minimum of what it costs to exist in America for most working Americans, that floor is already higher than their ceiling. And the [music] crazy part about this is that wages didn't even keep up with all this. While the cost of a house, while the cost of housing has doubled, while the cost of food has climbed, while insurance and health care and child care have all went through the roof, wages moved very slowly and like like it honestly hasn't moved at all in ways that look good on a press release or on paper, but they really mean nothing when you're standing at a grocery store trying to decide what to put back. The math has been broken for years, for years, guys, and most Americans know about this. They've felt it every time they swipe their card, every time they have a conversation that they don't want to have about money, and every time they say yes to overtime they don't really want to work because they don't really have a choice. But nobody in in power wanted to say out loud because saying out loud means that you are admitting that the system has failed. Admitting the system failed means that someone has to be accountable for this.

[00:04:09]So instead they give us talking points about job numbers and GDP growth and inflation cooling down.

[00:04:17]Meanwhile, you're buying the store [music] brand of everything and calling it a budget. A generation of Americans have had to quietly downsize their entire vision of what their life was supposed to look like. Not because they dreamed too big, but because everything got too expensive to dream normally.

[00:04:36]That is not a footnote. That is the defining crisis of our time. If you were doing everything right out here and you were still coming up short every month, I need you to hear this, okay?

[00:04:47]Th- You are truly trying your best. I I I truly believe that, right? You're not really failing at life. Life has just been made too expensive for the income most people have access [music] to. You truly deserve to live, not to survive, not to scrape by, not choosing [music] between necessities. I truly want you to live with some breathing room out here, okay? I really I really want people to have a shot out here, you know? I want some people with some ability to handle the unexpected without destroying everything that they have built along with it. Everything is too expensive to keep living normal out here, and it's time we stopped whispering about it and started [music] saying it at full volume. I can't afford this apartment anymore, so this is day five with no job at 32. The last time I felt this lost was when I had no money in college. [music] I even had to sell a pair of Jordans that my cousin got me for my birthday, and I genuinely felt so bad about it. But I needed to pay my student loans. And at that age, I told myself I would never feel that ashamed again. I didn't want to. But what's heartbreaking is that I might have to do it again. Like I'm looking at what I can sell just so I can have enough to pay rent, deciding what I can say goodbye to. But when you're unemployed, sometimes that's the best you can do.

[00:05:57][music] You do what you have to, but it's all perspective. If selling these things helped me find [music] my path and figure out what I want to do in life, then it will all be worth it.

[00:06:06]Because maybe I'm not losing things.

[00:06:08]Maybe I'm making space for what's next.

[00:06:10]Follow to see my life after quitting my job. Want to know how I knew the economy was in pure shambles?

[00:06:16]This is the exact instance. It wasn't when everybody was saying, "Oh, inflation is going up when gas was so high." Nope.

[00:06:23]My friend and me were sitting down having a gentle conversation. I had $20 in my pocket. I said, "Hey, you want to go to Dollar Tree?" He said, "Yeah." We go to Dollar Tree. We grab I grab 20 items. I grab 10, he grabs 10. So, naturally, I'm thinking we're going to walk out with 20 items.

[00:06:38]They ring me up for like $27. I'm confused. I say, "What happened?

[00:06:43]I only got 20 items."

[00:06:45]She says, at the cash register, she she says, "Oh, everything's a $1.25." At that exact moment, that exact moment I knew that the economy was in shatters.

[00:06:57]Dollar Tree hasn't been a staple for so long that everything cost a dollar. I didn't care about $5 footlong. I didn't care about a dollar drink from McDonald's. I didn't care about a dollar McChicken. I didn't care about none of that. I didn't care about a lick of that. I didn't care that the dollar menu from Taco Bell sucks now. That was unimportant. But when Dollar Tree, the place that's known for everything costing a dollar increases price by 25 cents, that is a drastic increase on every item in that store. You're probably thinking to yourself, "It's not that serious." It is that serious.

[00:07:28]If If any other store increased the price of something by 25%, you I would be flabbergasted. I'd be like, "Oh my what is going on?" That's a large jump. And sure, it happened with other stores. It happened with McDonald's. Sure, it was slow creep with McDonald's. The Big Mac started costing more money, cheeseburger started costing more, but that was gradual. That was okay. I didn't care about that.

[00:07:52]The Dollar Tree fiasco, cuz I shopped at Dollar Tree. Shop Dollar Tree is where I got my dish soap, where I got my brooms, where I got my lint rollers, where I got my toothpaste, toothbrushes. That 25 cent increase, that turns $5 from four items or $5 and five items into four items, $10 and eight items, $15 into 12 items.

[00:08:18]Yeah, 12 items. Yeah, I'm doing the math right. It's insane. They just keep increasing the price. I was like, "Man, this is this is crazy.

[00:08:27]I'm so I'm so baffled." And we walked out with only like 13 items because we didn't we didn't only have a $20 bill.

[00:08:34]It's a it's a big jump to lose that many items.

[00:08:38]We lost so much. The economy is in tatters right now. I am I am so upset how everything's costing more, we're getting paid less just for existing. It's getting weird, man. It's getting really weird. You know how everyone's telling us like >> [snorts] >> don't you just need therapy like you're depressed and it's like no, we're broke.

[00:08:58]>> [snorts] >> Because why why is everything so [ __ ] expensive?

[00:09:03]>> [snorts] >> Like I moved to a different city.

[00:09:06]My auto insurance went up like $20. I don't know why. I called them and I was like, "Why why did this go up?" And she was trying to figure it out and I was like, "I also need to update my address because I just moved."

[00:09:20]>> [snorts] >> And she goes, "Okay, with your address updated, [laughter] you live in a a higher risk area now.

[00:09:27]Surprise! Um so she said it's going up $120 a month."

[00:09:35]I was going to figure out why it went up $20 and then she made it go up more. And I said, [snorts] "Please don't do that.

[00:09:42]I can't afford it." And she said, "I can't change it."

[00:09:45]And we're not depressed, we're broke.

[00:09:47]We're broke.

[00:09:50]Hey TikTok. Um I'm just on here wondering if anybody's feeling the same way I'm feeling.

[00:09:57]I'm from Illinois and I feel like the gas prices and the electric bills and the prices of food is just so overwhelming anymore.

[00:10:08]Like, I'm wondering if anybody else is feeling like they're drowning and they can't get out.

[00:10:15]I work overtime and I cannot get above water.

[00:10:21]I mean, I literally have no gas for next week.

[00:10:25]It was either that or get a few groceries to get by.

[00:10:30]I hit my local food pantries.

[00:10:33]I'm just wondering if anybody else feels like they're drowning.

[00:10:44]But, anyway, I hope everybody has a great day. [clears throat] I pulled up to the pump today and saw $4.99 a gallon. My soul left my body right there in the dang front seat. Full panic mode. I'm sweating bullets like the car is already on fire. How is this legal? I'm having a full heart attack just reading the sign. My hand shakes so bad I almost pumped gas into my own shoe. How am I supposed to afford this madness? Rent is choking me. Groceries are robbing me. Now gas is straight up mugging me and what is left. We are out here making choices like do I eat ramen for dinner or do I just eat the disappointment? It is so frustrating.

[00:11:20]Prices keep skyrocketing and we can't do a single thing about it. We are all just standing here getting robbed in broad daylight while smiling at the cashier like thanks for the trauma. Every morning I wake up in panic like will it be $5 today? $6 next week? My car is basically sipping my entire future through a tiny straw. We are all feeling this same chaos. Budgets exploded. Road trips were canceled. I'm out here dating my couch because who can afford to drive anywhere? Plans destroyed. Joy murdered.

[00:11:50]All because the tank is a bottomless money pit with no mercy. It is exhausting. We cannot fight back. We cannot boycott. We just pay up and drive away with that dead inside stare like yeah, take away my last $20 you greedy monster. Stay strong gas gang. We are all panicking and broke together. Like this if your wallet is filing for bankruptcy, too. Share this if you can't afford $4.99 a gallon.

[00:12:16]And everything has gone expensive. Gas expensive, food expensive, hair expensive, makeup expensive, clothes, rent, shoes, insurance. Like, is there anything left for us that's affordable?

[00:12:33]Anything?

[00:12:34]And please, don't say health care cuz y'all going to make me laugh.

[00:12:40]Like, our generation has like nothing left that's affordable. Like, it's actually sad.

[00:12:46]Like, the only way you can have something affordable is if you move to Iowa and none of us are doing that.

[00:12:53]So, I guess we got to thug it out.

[00:12:59]How is everyone affording life?

[00:13:01]Real question. How are you guys doing it? Because my daycare costs the same as our mortgage, which is just wild to me.

[00:13:07]And I had a crash out earlier today just about how like really expensive everything really truly is and I just don't know how you guys are doing it.

[00:13:14]So, I have a corporate six-figure job. I should be able to afford life. We're not doing anything wrong. Just life is expensive.

[00:13:25]And I'm the breadwinner in in my household. There's this like constant stress like hanging over my head all the time of you got to make more to provide for your family especially in this day and age. And it's wild because at the same time stuck in these corporate handcuffs and I am going through burnout. I don't want to continue doing this. I have like the mental load you hanging over my head. I'm trying to be a good mom, let alone like a good wife, daughter, sister, friend, which I'm failing at all of those things I feel like. And if you have any tips or tricks of how you're getting through, would love to connect on them because it's wild. Hang in there. Have a good day.

[00:14:01]What are we doing?

[00:14:03]I got paid yesterday. Paid my bills.

[00:14:08]Had about maybe 500 for 2 weeks.

[00:14:14]Went and got groceries today.

[00:14:17]I'm about 100 for the next 2 weeks to cover gas.

[00:14:24]Any groceries that I forgot cuz we all forget what's on our list.

[00:14:31]I just want to know how's everyone doing it?

[00:14:34]I order groceries online like for pick up cuz if I go through the store, I end up buying more than what I actually need.

[00:14:43]And so, I couldn't help it notice today when I was ordering from Aldi, the price of eggs at Aldi went up half.

[00:14:55]It doubled.

[00:14:57]Uh last time that I was shopping for eggs, they were $1.95.

[00:15:04]Today, they were $4.19.

[00:15:10]>> [laughter] >> What's everyone doing?

[00:15:15]What's everyone doing? I was so sick this week that I didn't eat dinner and my kids were fed junk.

[00:15:25]I mean, not junk junk, but you know, mac and cheese, ramen noodles cuz my husband was the one doing the cooking.

[00:15:33]We didn't even have to buy a lot of stuff.

[00:15:41]How are you all surviving?

[00:15:45]Cuz I'm I'm tired.

[00:15:49]I'm tired of prices the way they are.

[00:15:52]I'm tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I'm tired of struggling.

[00:16:00]And you know what? I don't even have to buy eggs. That's not even the point of this video.

[00:16:05]My mother-in-law luckily has chickens and she gives us plenty of eggs.

[00:16:10]The point of this video is everything is going up. Everything.

[00:16:16]Milk is over $3 a gallon.

[00:16:19]I'm buying cheap food for dinners. Our food isn't even good quality anymore.

[00:16:25]Like, what the hell are we paying for?

[00:16:30]Sorry, I'm frustrated.

[00:16:32]I just want to know what everyone's doing to afford the inflation that the government says is not happening.

[00:16:41]Cuz my bank account says otherwise and I'm seeing a lot of people on here saying the same thing.

[00:16:49]Something's got to change.

[00:16:52]Young people don't have any money. So, I work full-time in restaurants and bars.

[00:16:56]I'm a musician and I play in Florida and I see firsthand the crowds that go to these places and I can tell you over the course of the past five or so years, the demographic has shifted entirely from all people of all ages to only people like 55 and up. So much so, I have had to change my set list to all old music, which is fine. There's a lot of good old music, but I used to play stuff like John Mayer, Coldplay, stuff you'd hear on like contemporary top 40 radio. That is all considered too new. If I play a Jack Johnson banana pancakes song, that is too new for everybody. They won't know it. Doesn't matter if I play on the beach, doesn't matter if I play downtown, doesn't matter if I play in a suburban bar somewhere. It is all the same age. And I think the reason for this is nobody younger than that has any money to go out to these restaurants.

[00:17:44]Nobody has the expendable income to be buying a beer at a bar or getting a hamburger at a restaurant. As someone who's been doing this for about 15 years now, I've played over 3,000 gigs. Okay, I have sang Wonderwall over that many times. So, I have been around the block and I can tell you from firsthand experience that it really is only 55 and up is the age that goes out to restaurants. The only young people I see are the people working behind the bar.

[00:18:10]We are seeing the wealth disparity in real time between the generational gap.

[00:18:15]But like, what's going to happen? Are like the 55 and up crowd the only people that are upholding restaurants and keeping them in business? Like, what happens after, you know, like no one can afford after these people aren't going anymore? Like, what happens to restaurants? You know what I mean? But anyway, look at this Florida sunset.

[00:18:31]That's still That's pretty cool. That's timeless.