you never know. chill out, i think you’ve made your point clear
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Are you a Russian bot?
No I’m pretty sure I’m on base here, chief. To say it’s extremely easy to succeed in the United States is a ridiculous statement.
You want to know why you’re off base here? Because you genuinely have no idea why someone is struggling. OP, for all you know, could have a six figure salary. But guess what? A six figure salary in a place like San Francisco is still considered poverty level. Now of course, OP could make the decision to leave San Francisco, but are they going to get the job opportunities that are right for their field if they leave? Maybe, maybe not. The point is that we don’t know.
Hardship does not discriminate. I have a friend who works as a doctor and is in his 30s now. Guess what? He still has $200k in student loans and his salary doesn’t cover all of his expenses. Thankfully, he has a partner and so they get by just fine. But if he didn’t? He’d be absolutely screwed.
But according to the propaganda we’re force fed about the “American Dream,” my friend should have no issues succeeding, right? I mean, he’s a doctor, so naturally that means he’s successful, right?
My point: You’re not in any position to judge others. Sit down.
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Rent in the South West is insane, pay, even for decent white collar jobs is stagnating, gas is still way higher than it was a year ago and the electric bill is high. Yes, everyone says voters in CA are getting what they deserve, but no, I did not vote for the clowns who made it this way, it is just that people like me are outnumbered by the people who just vote for whoever promises them free stuff.
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My electricity went from $40 around this time last year to $90, and I’m using less electricity because it hasn’t been super hot where I live and I can have the windows open.
Absolutely ridiculous.
You might also want to keep an eye out for dollar stores. You can buy a limited set of groceries there (mostly canned stuff) but it may be cheaper than a grocery store and help stretch things out a bit.
And definitely – cook. My parents grew up really poor and they used to buy a 50 pound sack of potatoes to feed us five kids with. For a long time I would not touch potatoes. 
There are a lot of recipes to stretch ingredients. Soup is a big one.
Rice is another. Use a base of just rice and put a few things in/ontop, and voila, a meal.
Pasta is also good that way.
Internet will be your friend here. Make friends with the staples, learn to use them.
There’s a reason rice and beans is a staple for so many.
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Yeah, especially tough when they keep insisting on decommissioning natural gas and nuclear power plants and relying on wind and solar, which depend on there being wind and sun (not to mention do not generate enough power reliably for the ever-growing population).
This thread is one wild ride lol.
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It just helped me remember how blessed I am. I’m not rich and I’ve always lived on a budget and what I have is earned not gifted. I’ve never truly struggled though, I’ve never been hungry and I’ve always had a safe place to sleep and stay warm. I can’t imagine what a scary, uncomfortable place it is to truly be without these things and then be shamed by societies with no compassion or empathy. My heart goes out to all of you who have faced it and I’m amazed at those of you who successfully got past those hurdles. <3
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If you haven’t already, you should go see that one about Warcraft Logs. Absolutely bonkers
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Just wanted to add: Consider this an opportunity to learn something new! I know that there is a lot weighing you down right now and I truly understand how hard that place can be.
But for a positive note for you: You can learn new skills (how to stretch the dollars) and expand the cooking.
Cooking (and baking) can be fun, especially if you are a creative sort. And one gets better with practice. It sucks that this is rather forced on you by a mistake, but mistakes are to be learned from. Stick with it, you can do it.
Having rice and a good set of spices can do a LOT. It’s very flexible. Throw in some meats and some seasonings, VOILA. It’s like Hamburger Helper but cheaper.
One cup rice, two cups water, chicken (breasts if you can get a good deal, but canned chicken is fine too for cheaper), and Cream of Mushroom soup (usually about a dollar) in the oven in a pan and baked until the rice is tender and the water is gone is another great cheap struggle meal that will give you lots of servings and fill you up while tasting great. I would get the FANCY rice for like a dollar a box for this one, with the mixed-in longer grains and chewy bits, but a cup of regular plain white rice works great too.
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Yes, rice, beans and potatoes are very versatile staples.
Make vegetable soup. It’s dumb cheap and its a solid meal. I still make that even now because it’s really good lol.
I remember skipping meals pretty frequently during school because I was so broke and had to make sure I could cover tuition lol.
All you say is true, but in 80s someone doing a white collar job would make the equivalent of three to four times more per hour than someone doing that same job today. Not to mention that there is far more competition for each job now due to globalization and work from home jobs that anyone anywhere in the world could do.
For me it is age that is becoming a factor in finding a good job, companies want kids straight out of college who will work for less, are less likely to have a family and need more benefits. Companies are less likely to hire a middle aged person who has a family and needs a certain wage to maintain a decent life even if that middle aged person has decades of experience.
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$7.25 is unlivable in most places.
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Yep. If I was getting paid $7.25 and my rent was $1500 I’d probably just quit because at least then I can be broke while not hating myself for succumbing to such awful wages.
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Yes, even the $15 / hour minimum wage here in SoCal is mostly unlivable. Those low-wage jobs are only intended for someone to work at during a summer or while they go to college, not to live off of.
$7 an hour sounds like starving in a lot of countries. Like, that’ll cover food but I’m not sure what you’re doing for housing at those numbers.
I’d be homeless if I were still making minimum. I live in a college town and there’s nowhere within 100 miles that will rent low enough to be affordable on that.
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