I'm pretty middle America. I make less than $50K per year. I own my home. I have one car. A cat and a dog. I have a good job with benefits.
I'm not making it.
My first thoughts were: How many vegetables can I raise in my backyard next summer, and wouldn't it be great to have chickens.
Then I thought about my heating costs this winter, and there's only one conclusion: I need another job.
My day job pays for my food, my mortgage, and my car payment. Ordinary years, it swings the utilities too. But heating costs are expected to jump 25% or more. My salary certainly hasn't jumped 25%, so I'm looking for extra work.
I have a few extra bills this year because I replaced three windows and the roof. That adds to the financial stress, as does not knowing whether the water heater, furnance, or porch will give the ghost first or hey, maybe they'll all go at once.
So I'm checking in with HR on Tuesday to see if I can work some extra hours. They're unlikely to let me, as 15-20 hours at overtime rates isn't a bargain to them. I'll have to check elsewhere, too. I'm hoping to avoid a job that will require extra commuting, because if it's a wash with the cost of gas to get there, I'm not really moving forward. No, not moving forward, this isn't really about moving forward. It's about breaking even.
I didn't think I'd be in this position. I'm responsible. I don't carry a balance on my credit cards (except on rare occasions). I make every effort to live within my means and up until now I've done so, with savings. I'm well, I'm competent, and I work hard. I save on gas by biking to work when weather permits.
It's not working anymore, and it's making me stressed, afraid, and worried.
It's hit me, which means it's hitting millions of Americans like me who were doing just fine a few years ago. It's hitting the median income group, the ones who aren't used to thinking of themselves as just barely making it.
Though the economists on tv are optimistic, those of us turning down the thermostat and putting on another sweater and a hat are less so.