I guess with some exceptions. In the last couple of years, my wife and I finally started to live very comfortable lives for the first time in about 15 years of struggles. We were even able to afford to move to Japan, where with our income life is even better and safer.

Everytime i manage to save a few thousand and think im adding to my savings, suddenly we need a root canal, i blow a tire, doctor wants an MRI because he felt something odd… and poof, all my savings are gone.

Everyone except the already very wealthy yes.

Elect Republicans, get republican policies.

The country still hadnt really recovered from Reagan, then we got Bush, then we got Trump.

Obama and Biden could only do so much to stop the dumpster fire, and Nazis are famously bad for the economy.

I’m not struggling, but I’m not that far off considering the salary I’m paid. I should be doing very well, but instead, I’m merely managing. I’m grateful for that, but also I know if I’m scraping by, how the fuck is everyone else doing…?

Meh. Close but annoyed more than anything but I fully admit I am an outlier making > $200k CAD a year.

I feel for everyone who is struggling and I’m sure to always tell my kids they have more in common with the homeless man in the park than they do with Elon Musk.

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I think people answering need to state where they are. I know some people are doing badly around here, southern BC, but most are doing the same as they were. Everyone is nervous about how Trump is going to fuck things up next. Rich are still rich. Impoverished are still impoverished and the in-between still run a spectrum of how they are doing. Not everyone is honest. One family member alternately crows about how well his stocks are doing, while saying everything is going to hell, while vacationing (expensively) for 6 months of the year. An Albertan relative is complaining of being in the poor house although he just drove his family all around Western Canada in a 350 pulling a big trailer - that was $1000s in fuel alone. Meanwhile a recently divorced friend thinks she’s living the life on $70K income because she no longer has to support deadbeat alcoholic husband. My kids are Millenials and they and their friends are getting married, having kids, buying townhouses or sometimes even houses. How people are doing is very subjective. How they feel they are doing is often a measure of how anxious they are about their future. However the median of the population isn’t getting better. Incomes are only rising for a small percentage. Remember that in the good old days big businesses and their owners - not mom and pop operations - paid taxes that contributed to society’s needs. Since Reagan this has disappeared, not just in the US but also Canada in order to compete. The average person’s income has paid the price. All to create the billionaire class who see all workers as an expense to get rid of. I’m all right financially, not rich but not poor, but I worry alot about how others are going to make it through.

Yep. I moved to rural Japan because my company was fine with remote anywhere in Japan. Started my small farm and my life here. They assured me it wouldn’t be a barrier for advancement as well.

Now, the same company is trying to get everyone fulltime back in the office, over 4 hours each way from my house. They won’t pay the cost of even one day. I will likely lose my job. I don’t think I live through this.

I’m okay since I don’t need much, but my “fucksgiving” is gone. I used to be very altruistic. Now, I’ve been enjoying watching businesses fall apart because I don’t care to justify my cost to repair things. Schadenfreude. I’d rather cut my spending. This is just reverberation towards people that took advantage of me.

No, I gotta say we are doing pretty well, but our household combined higher education time is about 20 years, and it’s not art history (sorry art history).

I do feel bad though that people are having a hard time and, while I don’t have a second house or a boat, I’m trying to give back wherever and whenever I can.

I am. Laid off along with 90% of my colleagues from my previous job & replaced with AI. A few months have gone by hunting for a new job.

Is it great? No, but I’m above water and not having to cut back. Couldn’t afford kids though

Yes but I have a safety net for now.

Edit: I just found out that there’s going to be a data center built less than a mile away from where I live. Life is about to turn to hell.

Yes. I stopped thinking I can pay it all off. Hopefully when I die, my debt dies with me.