I am supporting a four-person household on less than $80K a year, and our lovely landlady who was charging very modest rent passed away early this year. We don't know what the future holds, so we pinch pennies every day. We are inchworming —
— toward our goals while trying to dodge high-speed traffic.
I can't pay off my student loans, and I can't buy a house, which means I'm not going to start a family. ... I had a great childhood in the '90s, and I don't want to have a kid whose life is less full than mine was, and all that costs money.
I don't own a home. I am in significant medical debt. I pay more for day care than I do for rent every month. Economic success for me would just be making it to net zero. ... I have a master's degree for crying out loud!! I did what I was supposed to.
The fact that I’m thousands of dollars deep in student loan debt has debilitated me from moving out [of my parents' house]. ... I make more than minimum wage and still find it difficult to afford a basic lifestyle. ... I cannot imagine —
— having a child to raise. It seems that decision has already been made for me.
I have finally secured a job that I absolutely love, [that] I feel so much passion for, but it doesn't allow me to pay the bills, so I feel like my passion for it is dying too.
I recently started a new job that’s 45 [minutes away]. ... I’m making that commute in a 20-year-old Honda with over 250K miles on it. It would be nice to upgrade, but even used cars are priced out of reach these days. Who wants to take out —
— a loan to buy a 10-year-old car with 150K on the odometer?
With the costs of mortgages and child care, it seems like we'd have to choose one [or] the other.