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Started By
Message
Today’s cost of living
Posted on 9/23/26 at 1:53 pm
Posted on 9/23/26 at 1:53 pm
Something has to give. Wife and I got lucky coming out of school during the COVID craze with inflation rates low and got a nice house with a great rate. We have both changed jobs since then and started looking at moving across town in Birmingham to be closer to work daycare etc. we make over 100k more than we did in 2021 and yet when I look at mortgage rates now and approximate payment we honestly would struggle to buy the exact same house we have right now much less anything nicer. I know it’s a first world problem and we do have 2 young kids that everything is expensive for but we are both pretty frugal in general and take maybe 1 beach vacation a year.
All this makes me really think of people who don’t have great jobs and how in the heck they can afford to scrape by if they have kids. I honestly don’t know how they do it.
All this makes me really think of people who don’t have great jobs and how in the heck they can afford to scrape by if they have kids. I honestly don’t know how they do it.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 1:55 pm to AUVet21
None of us matter in their eyes.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 1:57 pm to AUVet21
I completely understand where you’re coming from. But use caution about bringing your logic to this board. You’re going to get hit with some arbitrary and wide ranging opinions.
Definitely don’t bring this topic to the political board. This “affordability crisis” is a bunch of BS for a lot of people.
Definitely don’t bring this topic to the political board. This “affordability crisis” is a bunch of BS for a lot of people.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:00 pm to AUVet21
Something something Avacado toast and Starbucks something something something….
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:01 pm to AUVet21
You have to own something if you want to escape the grind
Whether by creating something or investing in something
Whether by creating something or investing in something
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:01 pm to AUVet21
Look on the bright side you now have equity in your current house.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:04 pm to AUVet21
Here before the boomers tell you to stop bitching, they had it harder, and to pull your bootstraps up 
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:04 pm to AUVet21
Our kids are grown and on their own. Two are married and have babies. The third is single and has a good job that doesn’t pay a ton but somehow manages.
Fortunately they grew up and remain reasonable and not high maintenance and spend money mostly wisely. They’re all (as far as I know) doing well with planning for their futures.
I still worry about each of them.
Fortunately they grew up and remain reasonable and not high maintenance and spend money mostly wisely. They’re all (as far as I know) doing well with planning for their futures.
I still worry about each of them.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:04 pm to AUVet21
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:04 pm to AUVet21
My wife and I are in the same boat. If we financed the same amount at today's average rate that we did in 2020 it'd be almost 1k more a month just from the interest. The same house would cost about 100k more than what we paid in 2020.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:09 pm to AUVet21
A lot of factors. People need to say no and stop buying shite. That’s the number one driver in prices coming down.
On the other hand, we pay our engineering interns $24/hour. I made $23.54/hour as an intern in 1999.
My best offer out of college in 2000 was $65k/year. Had 9 offers. I haven’t been involved in hiring an entry level EE in prob 6-7 years, but last one was $72k/year in ~ 2019.
That’s where your biggest issue is. Again tho, people need to stop buying overpriced shite with alien options they never use or didn’t even want to begin with.
On the other hand, we pay our engineering interns $24/hour. I made $23.54/hour as an intern in 1999.
My best offer out of college in 2000 was $65k/year. Had 9 offers. I haven’t been involved in hiring an entry level EE in prob 6-7 years, but last one was $72k/year in ~ 2019.
That’s where your biggest issue is. Again tho, people need to stop buying overpriced shite with alien options they never use or didn’t even want to begin with.
This post was edited on 9/23/26 at 2:19 pm
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:10 pm to AUVet21
Birmingham is unaffordable. The prices there are obscene. Who is spending $600k to live in Hoover?
I’ll stick to Nola, thanks
I’ll stick to Nola, thanks
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:11 pm to AUVet21
Affordability is a hoax
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:11 pm to AUVet21
My household income is high. Like you I bought my house a decade ago but couldn’t dare move even though we make $100k more than we did 10 years ago.
My teenagers friends have parents with regular jobs. Seems like most of them just don’t do the things that my wife and I include into the basics and they have a ton of debt. I don’t want to, but I promise you we could cut a ton out if we really had to if something changed in our income.
My teenagers friends have parents with regular jobs. Seems like most of them just don’t do the things that my wife and I include into the basics and they have a ton of debt. I don’t want to, but I promise you we could cut a ton out if we really had to if something changed in our income.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:11 pm to Loup
Yea that’s the exact scenario I am talking about. Makes 0 sense. And we do put a decent bit of money into investing for our retirement as well as college for the kids so I know we could make adjustments if we had to but dangit everything is so expensive.
I’m one who keeps a monthly budget of what we are spending and I have since graduation. And on average we are spending over $1000 a month more living the exact same way we did this time last year. I am not exaggerating. It’s unreal.
I’m one who keeps a monthly budget of what we are spending and I have since graduation. And on average we are spending over $1000 a month more living the exact same way we did this time last year. I am not exaggerating. It’s unreal.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:15 pm to AUVet21
It is insane. I’m so glad I’m not raising kids these days anymore even if it means I’m on the other end of the life cycle. I’ve just decided I don’t care and will just focus on living my life and leave as much as o can to my kids and grands. The USA is gone and our gov is evil and vile, and it will get worse.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:16 pm to AUVet21
quote:
I’m one who keeps a monthly budget of what we are spending and I have since graduation. And on average we are spending over $1000 a month more living the exact same way we did this time last year. I am not exaggerating. It’s unreal.
Yup. Same here. The 20% raise I got last year feels more like a COL adjustment. Insurance, property tax, etc keep going up as well. I'll be paying about $700 a month more for health insurance when my daughter is born in addition to daycare and shite. I feel like I was more comfortable in 2016 making 36k/year than I am now making 4x that. My lifestyle hasn't really changed. Sh*t just keeps going up. I'm not struggling but I feel like I'm never able to save as much as I should be considering my wife and I's income.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:17 pm to Dixie2023
quote:
The USA is gone and our gov is evil and vile, and it will get worse.
Meh
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:18 pm to AUVet21
quote:
Something has to give
Our government spent $7 Trillion dollars last year. That might have something to do with it.
Local governments are complicit, too. I sold a house to a couple about ten years ago for $375k. The county now values it at close to $800k, which means they went from paying about $7500 a year in property taxes to about $24,000.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 2:18 pm to AUVet21
Interest rates are much closer to historic lows than to historic highs. If you're expecting sub 3% mortgages to ever happen again you are gonna be sorely disappointed. Those who lucked out during those 3, or so, years grabbed a one time ever rate. So I'd suggest looking at something a lot less expensive if you need to keep your payments similar. We had planned to move by now but with our rate we may end up just staying here forever. Wasnt our original plan but I'm not leaving this rate easily.
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