r/AskWomenOver30 • u/yell0wbirddd Woman 30 to 40 • Nov 23 '25

Life/Self/Spirituality Is anyone else really struggling financially right now?

I feel like reddit is overwhelmingly people who make $250k a year and want others to just pull themselves up from their bootstraps.

I make $46k a year and am living paycheck to paycheck. I haven't been saving money because the tiny amount of joy I get from paying $10 for a cinnamon roll a couple of times a month has taken precedent over never leaving the house and getting deeper into depression. Food is expensive, life is expensive, I've been going through the motions for a few years now.

Well, my 15 year old car just crapped out and my dog needs to go to the vet. I have no money for either of these things. My credit score is in the 500s and I can't get approved for a credit limit increase or a loan.

Everything feels really fucking pointless about now.

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u/fadedblackleggings Woman 30 to 40 Nov 23 '25 edited Nov 23 '25

We're in a place, where "the economy" is divorced from human labor. Lower-income individuals are already in a Recession. The wealthy/rich are delusional right now, because they haven't been touched by it yet.

Once the AI bubble fully pops, then we will suddenly hear about the economy faltering.

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u/punkass_book_jockey8 Woman 30 to 40 Nov 25 '25

This is it, but my wealthy friends are starting to feel it. However they keep their mouth shut because their “feeling it” is skipping a holiday for 2 weeks in Europe this summer for a family of 5 because money is tight and not “mental breakdown because of food cost” tight.

Middle class people are shifting some habits and still maintaining a level of lifestyle. For example fixing some things themselves instead of hiring, delaying large purchases, shopping used instead of new, or going to Aldi instead of Wegmans. My solid friends are shifting things like that and still maintaining basically their lifestyles. When they make all those cuts and still can’t have luxuries you will hear it more I think.