The American dream is drying up fast.
Thousands of U.S. residents have seen life get much more expensive. All this, despite reports that inflation has cooled off.
Purchases that were once a lifestyle necessity. People now consider them as options because of higher costs and tip requests. The group most affected are millennials and Gen Zs who are moving back in with others. They also have to change where they shop, their eating habits, and their self-care routines.
The younger population is not the only one feeling it. In 2019 and 2020, homelessness increased by 2%. But it jumped by 3.1% between 2020 and 2022 for single people; in general, the hike was 16%.
TikTok user Tara (@taraglennburnett) said she paid $30.73 for three items. The receipt listed an RXBAR, a cleanser, and a deodorant stick. Bri Barte (@bribarte) cried while saying her rent increased by $545 in less than 2 years. Meanwhile, TikTok user @thecollectivecluck criticized someone's $85 Whole Foods grocery bill complaint. They bought steaks, eggs, a pineapple, blueberries, and bacon.
Bri is a Michigan-based grad student, her boyfriend has a full-time job. The apartment allegedly has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. A tearful Bri Barte explained that her rent increased from $1,640 to $2,225 from August 2021 to January 2023.
Bri claims the cost will increase again. She and her boyfriend also received a backdated lease for three months' rent. Bri said there was a time she had five roommates. She does not want to return to such housing arrangements.
A Business Insider article said, "when dating, earning less than $30,000 is a deal breaker."
AZCentral cites that more Americans worry about declining [living] standards. Nearly half of all [national survey] respondents, 46%, complained that it's more difficult now to achieve a good standard of living compared to their parents. In addition, 54% expressed doubt that today's youth will have improved upward mobility and equal opportunities, according to the survey by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Feedback
Replies sympathized with Bri Barte and shared similar experiences.
"My rent for my three bedroom 1 bath apartment in southern Oregon, went from 680 to 1610 in one year," one user claimed. "Soon [after] our governor passed a rent control bill."
"I know in Massachusetts a landlord can’t go up more than $100 in a year, another wrote." "I would check the tenant rights in your state."
Other comments included, "My apt raised the rent by $1K when the lease ended. We are a country of nomads now - you’re not alone." "Untill we come together and stand up it'll just get worse & worse! Trust me, I know. I'm sleeping in my 05 pt cruiser and I have a good job. We must wakeup." "Unfortunately all Michigan cities are feeding off the inflation con."
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