Middle Class Americans Are Starting to Panic About the Cost of Living Crisis

追加: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Can somebody please help me understand how in the world did we get to where we are right now?

[00:00:15]I spent in 3 days a total of $200 in fuel.

[00:00:24]$200.

[00:00:27]That is just insane. It's insane. I mean, I'm basically working to pay for fuel and bills. That is it. I mean, if I don't put fuel, I can't get to work. And if I don't work, I don't have money. But I mean, who in the world is going to be able to afford I mean, honestly, we're not even we're not living. We are not living right now. We are surviving. I mean, we are in survival mode right now with the way everything is.

[00:01:09]I mean, that's $200 that I had to take away from maybe groceries or I don't know. It It's insane. Insane. I mean, somebody please help me understand.

[00:01:29]How did we get to this? It's just crazy.

[00:01:32]It's crazy. Everything is getting so expensive so quickly and things that we used to take for granted. The ability to be able to go and buy groceries, whatever we pretty much want, being able to afford rent, being able to afford gas, these things are just going up so much. It's breaking everybody's budget and people are really starting to think that maybe there's something wrong with them, that maybe, you know, they're not working hard enough, that they're not doing a good enough job to save. But in reality, it's this system that's crumbling right now because everything is going up and we cannot simply keep up anymore with our wages. How are you making it on one income? I am a 45-year-old mom who got the degree, got the job, got the steady paycheck. My husband finally, for the first time in all of our years of marriage, has a steady job, a steady paycheck, but we still weren't making ends meet. How are you doing it? How are you doing it without a side hustle? Because I legit want to know. Gas, groceries, insurance, utilities, everything is up. How are you doing it and doing anything extra without bringing in an extra income? Unless you have some six figure highpaying job as a normal family, how are you making ends meet? Tell me, how are you making it on one income? I am a 45-year-old mom who got the degree, got the job, got the steady paycheck. My husband finally, for the first time in all of our years of marriage, has a steady job, a steady paycheck, but we still weren't making ends meet. How are you doing it? How are you doing it without a side hustle?

[00:03:09]Because I legit want to know, gas, groceries, insurance, utilities, everything is up. How are you doing it and doing anything extra without bringing in an extra income unless you have some six figure highpaying job as a normal family? How are you making ends meet?

[00:03:28]>> It's hard to explain this to a parent, but like I just got off FaceTime with my dad and I was trying to express to him that like I'm happy and healthy and very blessed, but that doesn't mean I'm not extremely worried and confused about what the future holds. And I feel like these are obviously normal like growing pains, but mine aren't growing pains because of like things I'm going through. minor growing pains because of the literal circumstances of the society that we live in and it just feels like what are we working towards a lot of the times or pretty much all the time these days um with like AI and you know the dating situation where like there are no men out there for any women so like families are not going to be like I don't know I won't get into all that but like it just feels like nothing right now like the way that our parents grew up and they had this like you know future planned for them as long as they took those steps Like obviously we just don't have that anymore. And I don't know sometimes I get off FaceTime and I was like should I have held back a little? Should I have just said, "Oh, I'm good." I don't It's hard to explain this to a parent, but like I just got off FaceTime with my dad and I was trying to express to him that like I'm happy and healthy and very blessed, but that doesn't mean I'm not extremely worried and confused about what the future holds. And I feel like these are obviously normal like growing pains, but mine aren't growing pains because of like things I'm going through. Mine are growing pains because of the literal circumstances of the society that we live in. And it just feels like what are we working towards a lot of the times or pretty much all the time these days um with like AI and you know the dating situation where like there are no men out there for any women so like families are not going to be like I don't know I won't get into all that but like it just feels like nothing right now like the way that our parents grew up and they had this like you know future planned for them as long as they took those steps like obviously we just don't have that anymore and I don't know sometimes I get off FaceTime and I was Should I have held back a little? Should I have just said, "Oh, I'm good." I don't know.

[00:05:16]So, I just feel like with the price of everything right now, especially the rent prices, I was just looking at this post of a guy who was paying 900. No, I think it was he was paying like 800 or 900 for a wood bedroom in 2019.

[00:05:39]And that same one-bedroom apartment is now uh $1,700.

[00:05:49]And I just think that's ridiculous. And I'm trying to figure out what is the end goal here, especially with AI.

[00:05:56]Uh what is the end goal? Are things just going to keep increasing till people cannot afford anything?

[00:06:03]Is it going to be time for some sort of uprising? some sort of fight against this. I don't know. Just interesting.

[00:06:12]>> Have you been grocery shopping lately?

[00:06:14]Have you gone to Walmart lately?

[00:06:17]Walmart is just joining the gang bang and their prices are exorbitant and they practice all of the things, the tricks against we the people that everybody else is doing.

[00:06:33]small packages, less for the same, if not more. Um, I don't shop Walmart and I'm not going to tell you not to shop Walmart. That's up to you.

[00:06:45]Um, we've got to knuckle down. We've got to stop buying the [ __ ] Grow our own food indoors and outdoors.

[00:07:01]I'm going to get back into hydroponics.

[00:07:03]Uh it's a challenge.

[00:07:06]It really is. But uh the thing is repeated effort in a challenge makes it something that you succeed at.

[00:07:18]And the same with growing. Um I found uh I discovered two beans, two different types of beans that I want to plant that I've got to find the seeds on.

[00:07:29]And I'm going to add that to what I'm planting this weekend. I'm going to come home and do some planting. I'm petsitting about 20 minutes away this week. They're going to Hawaii. Okay.

[00:07:46]They planned that trip many months ago.

[00:07:49]They're smart with their money.

[00:07:51]They really are good people. People in my life, actually. How do we knuckle down? We buy less.

[00:08:00]We just say, "Fuck you. You can sit on it."

[00:08:05]And we let the store manager maybe have a piece of our mind.

[00:08:11]I'm sure he is overwhelmed with complaints.

[00:08:18]We grow our own food, like I've mentioned.

[00:08:22]We eat at home from scratch.

[00:08:27]We can, which we do. We put things together, make a meal out of it. Believe me, it's not expensive.

[00:08:38]So, come up with a way of not buying as much as you can.

[00:08:48]I just spent $70 filling up my minivan and I feel robbed. Okay, that is a criminal act. $70. I own a minivan and it cost me $70 to fill it up. That is all. I'm in here in Walmart and I cannot believe how much underwear art.

[00:09:09]17 18 17 bucks.

[00:09:13]Are wearing underwear optional anymore?

[00:09:17]My gosh, this is expensive. There's a huge shift in America that's happened and Memorial Day just showed us that proof. We all know what usually happens on Memorial Day weekend. It's a big party. I mean, you see picture after picture. People are having huge barbecues and just wildening out over over Memorial Day weekend. How many DUIs do they normally give out over this weekend? I'll tell you what I saw this morning. I'm looking on my newsfeed and I saw a total of zero videos. Zero pictures of barbecues, nothing. And when I think about the people in my life, I know a total of zero people who had a big barbecue. Very, very, very low-key Memorial Day weekend. Why?

[00:10:04]Okay. Well, when I came home last night, I was on TikTok.

[00:10:08]I watched so many crash videos. And what I mean by crash out is people crashing out about finances.

[00:10:15]The stock market in the United States is doing fantastic, but your average everyday American feels like they're drowning in debt and they can't afford anything. I have seen some statistics recently that say even people people are even buying less groceries. Everybody is drowning and they feel like they can't make it in our economy right now. And for the people who get on here and go, "Oh, see that's Trump's fault." No, no, no. This has been coming for quite some time.

[00:10:44]When you have an economy that's crashing because of economics, it didn't happen in a one-year period. This is something that's gone on for quite a few years.

[00:10:52]And it's just been a rolling effect. And now here we are. And Memorial Day really showed me that people aren't having the big barbecues because people are struggling financially. I don't think it's because people don't want to get together and have the big wild and out party. I think it's because people can't afford the wild and out party.

[00:11:16]What a curious Memorial Day we just had.

[00:11:19]>> I just spent $40 at Costco. I got a half a tank of gas. Yeah, we're in a much better place than we were a few years ago. For sure. You can tell by the way people are driving out there. Nobody's stressed out at all.

[00:11:35]>> Just got there. store ready for $20.

[00:11:41]One strawberry, two strawberries, >> Nutella.

[00:11:48]>> No. Thanks, N.

[00:11:49]>> What?

[00:11:50]>> Oh, perfect.

[00:11:52]>> And we're winning so much. Check this out. You see this cash rounding? That means that because we're not making pennies anymore, they rounded up. So, I actually ended up paying two cents more than I normally would because I paid with cash and I didn't have exact change.

[00:12:11]Okay. Like, I don't even know what to think at this point. I just got gas 2 days ago. I stopped to get it just now.

[00:12:17]I paid 417 2 days ago and now it is $439.

[00:12:21]And uh you know, I don't know how much Americans can sustain this increase every single day. Uh I'm going to give you an example. I just went to the grocery store and I bought this one little pair. One little pair. Guess how much I pay for this pair? $2.49. And you know what's crazy in Virginia Beach? Not only is, you know, a pair $249. Look at the taxes. Um, because I bought rotisserie chicken for my dog, you know, that's considered a prepared food. They charge us 13% tax. So 6% plus 6% plus 1%. I love how they break it down to make it not look so bad.

[00:12:58]there like at what point do you stop voting for politicians? You got to ask yourself that. Unbelievable.

[00:13:07]>> I'm having an issue with how expensive things are getting. I went to Target to run errands before my trip. Spent a hundred bucks and I'll show you guys what I got. Loops face mask, MetaCube face mask, Sunoon face mask, three face masks, tanning lotion, keratin. This was a little pricey. Not really. It was like 25 bucks. But I still find that crazy for tanning lotion. Tylenol PM to knock me out of my flight. And last but not least, a mini setting spray. How much was all that? $100. Like I used to enjoy going to Target. Like I was like, "Oh, I can't wait to go to Target and like shop." Now I'm like, why am I spending an arm and a leg for like five things? I dread going now. So, everyone keeps talking about inflation like it's just things getting a little more expensive, but that's not what's really happening here. What's actually happening is the middle class is slowly losing access to things that used to be completely normal. And most people don't even realize it until it's already gone. So, let me say it straight. Number one, home ownership. Not renting, not getting by, actually owning something. There was a time when a steady job and some discipline could get you there. Now, you've got people making decent money getting told they don't even qualify.

[00:14:17]And then they hear just save more. Like there's anything left to save after everything else. Number two, reliable vehicles. Not luxury, just, you know, something you don't have to worry about.

[00:14:30]People aren't avoiding buying new cars because they're trying to be, you know, financially conscious. They're they're they're avoiding them because they can't afford them anymore. So they stretch what they have and hope nothing breaks.

[00:14:43]Number three, vacation. So, you remember when taking time off wasn't a major financial decision? Well, now families are sitting there thinking, do we take a week away or do we stay afloat this month? And that's not poor planning.

[00:14:56]That's pressure. Number four, child care. People are paying what feels like a second mortgage just to be able to go to work, which makes no [ __ ] sense if you actually step back and think about it. Number five, retirement. This is the one nobody wants to say out loud because deep down people already know it. A lot of people are not retiring anymore.

[00:15:16]They're just working longer. You know, not because they want to, but because life didn't give them the same runway. And number six, financial breathing room. Like that feeling that if something goes wrong, you'll be okay. Because right now, for a lot of people, that margin is gone.

[00:15:33]Completely gone. And they're one bad week away from real stress. And number seven, and this, you know, this is the big one, the ability to rely on a single income. one job, one path, one system.

[00:15:46]That used to be enough and it's just not anymore. And this is where people start arguing. People are irresponsible.

[00:15:53]People need discipline. And yeah, look, for some people that applies. But, you know, if you think that explains all of this, you're missing what's actually happening because there are people out here doing everything right and still falling behind. So at some point the conversation has to evolve you know away from blame towards reality because it doesn't matter how you got here. It matters you know what you do next. And waiting for things to get easier is not a plan. Hoping costs go down is not a strategy. And you know relying on one income like it's still 20 years ago isn't going to work anymore. So the real question becomes what are you going to build on top of what you already have?

[00:16:36]not necessarily another job that burns you out, but something that gives you options, something that grows over time, something that, you know, puts you back in the driver's seat. And no, you know, it doesn't start big, but it does start.

[00:16:49]And, you know, if you're starting to see that one path isn't enough anymore.

[00:16:54]There's a free miniourse in my bio that walks you through how people are actually building something on the side, step by step. no hype, you know, just a starting point because this isn't about panic. It's about adapting. And the people who figure out, you know, are the ones the people who figure that out are the ones who really give themselves a shot at getting ahead.

[00:17:18]Again, >> these people that are talking about their current situation, you know, these are people that maybe wouldn't even want to go online and voice their opinion, but they're using it as an outlet because they're not sure what else to do. They want to connect. They want to express what is going on in their life.

[00:17:33]And there are so many people that are struggling around you, around everyone else. And um it's just a really crazy time that we're living in here in the United States, worldwide even. I get so many comments. People say, you know, it's not just the the United States, it's going on here, too, in Europe, in Australia, in just basically all over the world really. And um it just goes to show you how this big global system what's basically happening right now.

[00:18:02]But in America, you know, a lot of people are not used to these rising costs, not being able to keep up. You know, the whole notion of the American dream, be able to come here and work hard, make good decisions, make the right decisions, and thrive later in life. That is changing. There is a changing dynamic here that's happening in the US. If you're feeling that right now, and if you get what's going on, go ahead and leave some comments down below. maybe explain your sentiments, your thoughts. And um I just hope that, you know, for those of you that are watching this uh video that you're able to make some changes in your life some way, somehow if you are struggling that you can, you know, hopefully get on the other side of that, especially now while there's still time before more things come down the pipeline because believe it or not, there's going to be a lot more changes that are going to be happening within the next few years as um 2030 does approach. But let me know your thoughts down below. Thank you for watching. I also have a personal vlog called She Prepares if you're interested in kind of seeing a little bit more about what uh my family um is doing in the in the background basically behind the scenes to uh make some changes and get ahead of everything that's coming down our way.

[00:19:13]Um go ahead and follow there. I'll put the link down um in the description box below or I'll pin a comment or something. But it's uh the Sheep Repairs channel. Anyways, thank you again for being here. I appreciate you. I hope you're having a good day and I'll catch you in the next video.