this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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[–] damnedfurry@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

Speaking of "paycheck to paycheck":

I certainly have compassion for people who live paycheck to paycheck because they're struggling to make ends meet, but not those living "paycheck to paycheck" who have the ability to save, but choose not to. And, despite popular belief, the majority of people in the "living paycheck to paycheck" category are actually the latter. But it's easy to assume the former meaning (it's more intuitive, after all), so those two 'subsets' are almost always (basically everywhere other than within the depths of the methodology of the research that yields the figures) conflated, and so "living paycheck to paycheck" is often used to great effect in rhetoric as a result.

The fact is, on average, Americans have more of an overspending problem, than an underearning one. Did you know that 48% of consumers earning over $100,000 a year, and over a third earning over $200,000 are "living paycheck to paycheck"? Meanwhile, 25% of those earning less than $50k aren't living paycheck to paycheck (a demo I was part of until I eclipsed $50k a few years ago)—maybe it's time to more closely examine what those people are doing, and follow their example.

It's absurd that anyone making less than $50k a year is saving more money than someone making $200k.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

It's absurd that anyone making less than $50k a year is saving more money than someone making $200k.

If they arent buying assets they arent actually saving, they are just building a buffer against drowning.

Also to simplify your percentages there of people living paycheck to paychecks.

  • 75% under 50k a year
  • 48% of people making 100k a year (only 21% of people are above this line)
  • 33% of people making 200k+ a year

Seems like increasing pay does reduce that issue even if there is an issue of spending to your max budget in america but I'd actually rather have currency in circulation than sitting in accounts for the sake of collecting.