This times 1000! Lifestyle creep is just as much to blame as anything. Previous generations struggled too. The luxuries and lifestyle of today didn't really exist 30 years ago. People just lived more frugally. Look up how much furniture or TVs cost in the 80s and 90s.
It's not exactly lifestyle creep. The things that are expensive have changed. "Luxury" is cheap - travel, electronics, and specialty goods have never been more accessible. Meanwhile, basic necessities like housing, education, and healthcare have outpaced salaries massively. That's why telling younger people to just live more frugally misses the point. The things actually eating most of their salaries are not things they can afford to cut back on.
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u/jerseyben 14h ago
This times 1000! Lifestyle creep is just as much to blame as anything. Previous generations struggled too. The luxuries and lifestyle of today didn't really exist 30 years ago. People just lived more frugally. Look up how much furniture or TVs cost in the 80s and 90s.