There are several things in this world I’d like to change.
But, if I could change just one thing, I would change how expensive it is to exist.
I’m not talking about vacations, fancy food, extravagant cars, etc. I’m talking about basic everyday life.
I’m talking about the cost of survival. Shelter, food, insurance, bills, etc.
In 2022 the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,098 a month[1]. Then you have to add your utilities, just the basics; water, electric, gas, and trash is $262.72[2]. That does not include your phone, cable, or internet. The numbers are for a single household renting, and in 2022 the price has increased by 10%. If you’re renting you need renters insurance, which can be between $10-30 a month.
Let’s go with groceries — the average single person will spend $348-222 a month on groceries each month[3]. Note, that several people have allergies or food intolerances. Have you looked at the cost of milk substitutes, gluten-free food, or nut-free?
I didn’t ask to be lactose intolerant, why should a container of oat or almond milk be $5-8? Why should hormonon-free milk also be almost $9?! Because people don’t deserve food without additives, fillers, and contents to keep us overweight.
Let’s not even get started on having children. $325-400 a week for a baby in daycare, that price doesn’t go down as they get older, trust me 5 years we paid for daycare. That does not include the summer camp fees, extra classes they guilt you into, and extra food costs. The average child in the US cost to raise a child from birth to age 17 is between $233,610 and – $284,750[4].
I forgot to add in health insurance, don’t forget that dental and vision are separate. Last year the cheapest health insurance I could find was $275 a month, $20 for dental, and $30 for vision; this is just for myself. The worst part is this is very cheap! The average cost for a single person is $622 a month or $7,470 a year[5].
Last year I needed new glasses and contacts, before purchase I needed an exam. Even with the insurance I paid each month, I spent $320, and this did not include my glasses. I purchased those on Zenni so I could afford new glasses. Remind you I had insurance.
For 6-years I did not have dental insurance; it was not something I could afford on my own with the jobs I was working. For about 3 of those years, my back right tooth gave me a lot of pain. I could not eat on the right side of my mouth. When I went to the dentist — the tooth needed a root canal with a cap. The total bill would have been $3,250 with insurance. Obviously, I could not afford this, so I had to have the tooth removed, which only cost me $250.
If you have any medical emergency — with or without insurance — you better be ready to pay an arm and a leg. Several places do not take payment plans, and you are pretty well screwed. You mise well curl up and die. Medical debt is an issue in the US, with 23 million adults who owe over $1,000 in medical debt[6].
The average person in America cannot afford to pay the average cost of living. They go without insurance, skip multiple meals, live with multiple roommates or live at home. Due to this more than 2/3 of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck[8].
Before you say “go get a better job”, “you should move”, “ask your family for help”, or “just make more money”. A number of those factors are not an option for many people.
Before you say “go get a better job”, “you should move”, “ask your family for help”, or “just make more money”. A number of those factors are not an option for many people. Not everyone has a family to hand them money or help them, not everyone has the ability to move to a new location (have you priced moving), and not everyone can find a better job. Many jobs have stopped offering benefits, and several companies require multiple years of experience plus degrees.
I work in an industry where you need several years of experience plus a degree. Unless you work unpaid internships and take low-paying freelance jobs to break into the industry, you will not be able to make it. Several people who start in this industry have families who take care of them for the first 2 to 4 years out of college. I was thankful enough that I worked on freelance projects my last year in college and had helped to move across the country for my first job. Not everyone is that lucky. I’ve had so many friends who’ve had to leave this industry because they can’t afford to work their job and pay even 1/4 of their bills, let alone groceries.
Anyways, a lot of that was a tangent because it pisses me off how expensive it is to be alive. None of us asked to be born, two other people did the deed and were like here survive now.
Click here to see the other 29 days of my 30 Day Blog Challenge.
Resources
- Average Rent by State 2022
- Utility Bills 101: Utilities Tips, Average Costs, Fees, and More
- Average Cost of Groceries Per Month: How Much Should You Be Spending?
- Parenthood 101: How Much Does it Cost to Raise a Child?
- How much does average health insurance cost in the USA?
- The burden of medical debt in the United States
- Cost-of-Living Reality Check
- 2/3 of the U.S. Population Now Lives Paycheck to Paycheck