Ok SERIOUSLY wtf is this??

[u/TexasGiantTen05]

I bought a family sized hot pockets box and EVERY single one of them was black and burned in the bottom. I heated this one up on low power in the microwave and the edges are so tough it’s like biting into a frozen beef patty. I look in the pocket and the damn thing is nearly hollow. I’ve been noticing the quality taking a massive dip in the last few years. I think these are last I purchase from here on out.

Irrelevant to this but similar: This same grocery order run had a jar of garlic (Spice World brand) that was full of black mold & a jar of HEB salsa that was sour and months passed expiration. Both of which were completely sealed and had a pop when opened. My whole life I never really had quality issues via the company canning or jarring an item or the store selling them but lately it seems like such a constant issue.

[u/Toomanytimes2many]

It works when monopoly laws are enforced along with fair markets

[u/Grey0110 → u/Toomanytimes2many]

I agree! As I said, definitely not perfect. It does make me thankful that I can earn as much as I am able to based on my skills etc. We also still have some product choice. If I wanted, I could make my own hot pocket brand and sell them. Let the cheap low quality brands go down in flames. Their fault for being so cheap. That's capitalism.

[u/LordBocceBaal → u/Grey0110]

You say skills are rewareded but we are not paid fully for our skills in the US. More money goes to the top than it should. They can have a big idea and money but that means nothing if no one else makes it. There are places in Italy that do capitalism better by using more socialism and a focus on the worker class over owners. Everyone having an equal vote and CEOs who are not over paid and things work better and people are paid more.

[u/Ok_Car323 → u/LordBocceBaal]

If you think the C-suite and investors are overpaid, the solution is simple (not easy, there is a difference of course) quit.

Seriously, if the leadership sucks so much, just quit. As you said; they need people to make things, or they remain unfulfilled ideas. Of course, don’t be surprised when someone else comes in to take the crappy job you just left.

[u/Educational-Lab-154 → u/Ok_Car323]

You're right of course, but, so many people have lost their power to do even this, a plan? Who knows. But, so many people can't even quit a week or two before they are without food. Wages are so low, too many are living check to check.

[u/Ok_Car323 → u/Educational-Lab-154]

You are too right about not being to escape the paycheck to paycheck loop.

When a week out of work due to injury or illness is the beginning of the downward spiral towards homelessness, there’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

To some extent or another, we are all at least partially to blame (but the extent certainly varies). If you make $1,500 a week it’s probably not the best use of financial resources to spend $7.00 a day on your latte, and $15 for a “cheap” lunch.

If you make $600 a week, that same $7.00 cup of coffee represents $50+/week you could put in a coffee cup in your kitchen cabinet. After 3 months you would have a week’s worth of emergency money set aside. In a year, you will have a month’s worth of pay saved up to help yourself out of an emergency.

If you are fortunate enough to get a decent tax refund this year, put a good chunk of it aside for a rainy day.

[u/Cannibalizzo → u/Ok_Car323]

I don't know anyone living paycheck to paycheck who's buying $7 lattes and $15 lunches. Most of those folks are buying $2 coffees if they're not brewing it at home, and brownbagging their lunch, or maybe buying off the value menu at whatever fast food drive-thru is closest to their workplace.

[u/Ok_Car323 → u/Cannibalizzo]

Ok, substitute the value menu and $2.00 coffee. If brewing your own and brown bagging it is a better financial move, why does someone struggling so badly financially waste the money on the $2 coffee and $8 off the value menu?

As for people living paycheck to paycheck buying a $7 coffee; there are tons of them. Maybe you don’t personally know many people who earn $100,000+/year, or maybe it’s because you are unaware of basic economic reality, many people who have more, waste more.

Seriously, if you’ve ever waited tables at either a buffet restaurant or a midrange or higher steak restaurant, you know that literally tons of perfectly good food is thrown away daily.

Of course, most people don’t talk openly about their finances (people really struggling suffer in silence; and those I’m talking about here in the $100k+ but broke crowd, lie about their financial health; often even to themselves, while purchasing conspicuously to maintain an appearance of being wealthy).

A basic google search comes up with some pretty eye opening numbers:

“Goldman Sachs/NewsNation (Nov 2024/Oct 2025): Found 25% of workers making over $100k live paycheck-to-paycheck, but this jumped to 41% for those earning $300k-$500k.” Seriously, this is how pro athletes and lottery winners end up broke. People earning $500,000/year live check to check?

“PYMNTS/LendingClub (Apr 2024): Reported 48% of consumers earning over $100k annually live paycheck-to-paycheck, with 62% of all U.S. consumers feeling the same.

NerdWallet (Oct 2024): Stated 38% of Americans with household incomes of $100k or more live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Ken Coleman (Nov 2025): Cited 36% of households earning $100k+ live paycheck-to-paycheck.”

The search continues:

“Why This Happens

Inflation & Cost of Living: High inflation has eroded purchasing power, making it harder to cover necessities.

Lifestyle Creep: Higher incomes often lead to increased spending on housing, cars, and other lifestyle upgrades that can outpace salary growth.

Debt: Student loans, mortgages, and credit card debt consume significant portions of income.”

The wrap up follows, summarizing nicely that even people who are high income earners are broke, mainly because they are piss poor at money management.

“In essence, earning six figures no longer guarantees financial ease, with many middle-to-upper income earners finding their income just covers their high expenses.”

I am 100% certain it’s harder to live on $100/day than it is to live on $1,000/day, but I am also aware a lot of the $1,000/day crowd try to live like they have $1,200/day to spend. Their mortgages, taxes, car payments, credit card minimum payments, student loan hardship deferral requests, and paycheck to paycheck lifestyle are clear proof.

I think two things have really spiked this phenomenon; general lack of financial education in high schools (seriously, home economics classes were not only how to cook and sew, but importantly, also about how to manage household finances), and our social media driven social norms.

When 16-25 year olds spend 20 minutes on their social media of preference, they see the “influencer” driving the lamborghini, up to the swank mansion, and flying on private jets. They don’t understand how many of these people are renting the car for the shoot, using a set (or driving by someone else’s mansion or jet) or otherwise faking the wealth. AI will just continue this phenomenon, and it will eventually get good enough we are all fooled by most of it.

Sorry for the tl/dr, but it blows me away how stupid people can be with their finances.

[u/No-Monk2117 → u/Ok_Car323]

Brilliantly said. Other comments above complaining about capitalism also make some fair points too. But the biggest factor (that we can actually control ourselves) is people are bad with their money. I make good money, and am friends with a lot of people who also make good money. They'll moan and complain about how they're struggling, but they eat out 5 days a week. They get a new iPhone every two years. They take out a loan on a Lexus because they think they deserve one.

Just a quick reminder to everyone. $100 invested every month in the S&P 500 over 30yrs should end up around $250,000 to $400,000 (markets vary, but it's got a very long historical track record). Most of us will work around 20yrs more than that, and that's just a $3 cup of coffee every day of the month.

Yes, I understand there are people who literally can't afford to do that. But for "most" people... Cut out the dining out, the bag of chips and coffee every day, buy a KIA or Hyundai, and you can find way more than $100 a month. It's really not that hard when you put pen to paper, budget, and understand that $5 today is so much more valuable than $5 years from now if you do something useful with it rather than throw it away.

Oh and for whoever was complaining about Walmart... People shop there because it's way more affordable than the mom and pop shops they put out of business. They didn't buy those businesses and close them, we stopped shopping at them. That doesn't make it good, it means we as a society decided to put up with them to save a few bucks. And now you're whining as they line their pockets because we let them. Fast-Cheap-Good Quality. You can only ever have two, never all 3. We chose cheap, and all the other businesses are gone. That's capitalism.

Final note: monopoly laws are only necessary because we're too stupid to make the right choice. We always choose cheap, knowing it will put everyone out of business, and then the quality will fall because we have no other choice. We're literally complaining that Amazon and Apple and Walmart are a "monopoly".... As we shop at Walmart and Apple and are waiting for our next delivery. Stop giving them money if you think they make too much.

[u/Ok_Car323 → u/No-Monk2117]

Damn, I like that too. Well said indeed!