General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump World: Nearly 1 in 3 American workers run out of money before payday--
Nearly 1 in 3 American workers run out of money before paydayeven those earning over $100,000
Published Wed, Feb 12 20208:01 AM ESTUpdated Wed, Feb 12 20209:42 AM EST
Megan Leonhardt
@Megan_Leonhardt
Going extra light at the grocery store. Cutting down on medical supplies. Buying clothing and household supplies secondhand.
These are just some of the many ways many Americans are making it work when money is tight. For about a third of Americans, this is a regular financial stress, with 32% running out of money before their next paycheck hits, according to a new survey fielded by Salary Finance of over 2,700 U.S. adults working at companies with over 500 employees.
Amy,* 36, is intimately familiar with running short on cash and using these workarounds, especially during tax season. Thats in spite of the fact that she and her husband make about $50,000 a year, just short of the average household income in the U.S.
Tax time hurts for us because we dont get a refund, we get a bill, she tells CNBC Make It. Her husband, the primary earner, works for a company in a different state, so state income taxes arent taken out, she says. While they typically get a federal refund, they end up owing the state more than the federal refund.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/11/32-percent-of-workers-run-out-of-cash-before-payday.html
Turbineguy
(37,364 posts)That's why we elect the GOP (OK plus they cheat)! We love living in a shit-hole country!
Well, at least some do.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)We must repeat over and over again how Trump has set in motion pure horse shit for evidence that anyone but the wealthy have benefited from his policies.
ansible
(1,718 posts)It's a lot more than what Trump and the republicans do. It's what scumbags in power who do their best to keep increasing rent and making it impossible to even afford the basic necessities of living now.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)Sounds like we have a very sound, booming economy that is working well for most Americans, huh? I am really sick of winning at this point, considering the new meaning it has.
What was with rubbing it in at the end of the article? I mean, some people who can should save what they can, but that does not account for the people who can never save because THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAVE. The article contradicted itself by almost using moralizing advice that I felt was really out of context by way of implication.
No, having a cushion of savings is not the primary resolution this problem, based on what the article is conveying. For those who do manage to squeeze something into a savings account plan, all they need is one medical emergency, etc., and that's gone. So, along with paycheck-to-paycheck, we also live from emergency-to-emergency.
Them that HAS gets, as the old saying used to go, and they can and do manage to save realistic amounts that can tide them over during an emergency. For the poorer among us, even small things become a string of emergencies that can be devastating. We are very vulnerable and not saving is not the issue here.
BigmanPigman
(51,625 posts)I belong to the group who must watch every cent of my fixed income and have for a long, long time. I haven't seen more than 1 movie a year, no trips in 14 years, no eating out ever, etc. Every penny must be saved in case one of my diseases finally causes me to have necessary surgery. I have the ACA with tax credits but that could be gone in a flash thanks to the courts and GOP.
I asked someone I know two weeks ago why she thinks the economy is good and she said "I have a job" (she is self employed cleaning houses, house and pet sitting, etc). I asked her why she had a tooth removed last month instead of a root canal, why didn't her dental insur. cover it? She has no health or dental insur. Of course this didn't make her begin to think that this is NOT a good economy since she is brainwashed by the MSM and doesn't desire to gain info on her own.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)Too true here on the ground.
I don't tend to whine about, but from personal experience, I have had my little nests of savings wiped out several times in life. It was good to have it there for emergencies, but that's all it ended-up being for and emergencies can be very, very expensive these days. Who can afford them these days? It was rinse and repeat. It happened to my Grandparents in even bigger ways, (medical expenses).
And that's another difference with the gap. If you have enough wealth, one of life's inevitable upsets can be nothing more than an inconvenience, financially. As I said, very little things can wipe many of us out. That's not stability and you can't have a stable country that way, either.
Now? I am squeaky clean of everything with moths living in my pockets. It's a simple life, though.