"I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel" — US cost of living has skyrocketed since 2020 ( boingboing.net )

filister , 7 months ago

Sadly it is pretty much everywhere in the world where living costs are skyrocketing, along with rents. Almost 50% of my salary now goes to rent and utility bills, and recently the food also got pretty expensive, it feels almost like 50-60% up, so I am spending a very big chunk of my salary to have a roof over my head and also to survive.

ares35 , 7 months ago

my rent went from just under 30% of my gross, to two-thirds of it--and that's with a modest raise mixed in there. it was stable for twenty years (3 building owners during that time) before this new landlord. utility bill is about the same--with reduced consumption on my part helping that, but i can't really go 'down' any more. cable (internet) is up. phone is up. groceries are at least double--and for less of it, as i hit the food pantry more frequently. it cost more than double for each trip to the laundry. the once or twice (at most) a week i get a little fast food or kwik trip is about the same--but that's only because i just get less (i stick to my modest budget for that regardless of how much it buys).

filister , 7 months ago

I feel you, it really sucks how much more squeezed we are after Corona. This pandemic screwed us over big time.

mke_geek , 7 months ago

Everything went up for everyone. Insurance, property taxes, contractor labor, materials, utilities, etc.

ares35 , 7 months ago

my landlord's labor? hasn't done shit in three years except slap on some paneling, lay down cheap carpet, and triple the rent on a couple 'newly remodeled' units. property taxes are down due to lower valuation on the property. utility bills (common areas, which are unheated) are stable, probably lower because of a perpetual vacancy and a couple tenants now being part-timers (less hot water use, lower gas bill for the building's hot water heater).