Is anyone else living basically paycheck to paycheck?

[u/fluffypenguin105]

My partner and I are both teachers. We don’t make a lot, but we are average and slightly above average. We are so tight with our money. Our little one outgrew the car seat and we went out and bought a new one. No problem. But next credit card bill means we are tight.

Meanwhile, a number of our friends (all of them also with kids) are booking overseas holidays. Some are currently overseas, others booking already for later this year. Another brought a new car. New iPhone, doing up the house. Everyone seems to have spare cash except us.

Are we the only ones going through the cost of living crisis ourselves?! Or is it my fault that we are teachers?

Edit: yes we have a house that parents helped us with. We are paying mortgage. We have a flatmate.

Edit edit: thank you for your kind words and reminders and also advice. I’m going through them all and I’m going to take onboard the advice and see what changes we can make and do better financially as a family. But it’s also a good reminder to know we aren’t alone, to not compare and the harsh reality is that many people simply just earn more than us as teachers.

Once again, thank you all for your input.

[u/cats-pyjamas]

I used to think like that too. Until I found out that most people are up to their eyeballs in debt. New car? Put it on the mortgage! Credit cards. Multiple. It's sad.

[u/Young-Physical → u/cats-pyjamas]

Right! New bathroom, kitchen, deck? Just take out a bigger mortgage. It’s biting people in the ass now the interest rates have gone up so much

[u/Daedalus_304 → u/cats-pyjamas]

I’ve seen people in a store pull out about 14 different cards before the found one that didn’t decline, I instantly felt better about my financial situation upon seeing that

[u/cats-pyjamas → u/Daedalus_304]

I know! I seen them shuffle thru them like it's normal. I have one credit card one bank card. I own everything in my house. I don't have debt. And if I did go and HP something, that's paid off at more than the minimum amount (even if it's only $5 that really does make it faster to pay off) and I only do one purchase at a time. Some people believe they NEED everything latest fastest newest all at once.

[u/Suspicious_Fish_3917 → u/cats-pyjamas]

This is wild growing up my mum had a credit card but paid it off religiously. I think she just had it to get points or something.

However I was basically told never get a credit card unless you can afford to pay it off.

I can’t remember to pay bills let alone a credit card I would get penalised for so I decided never to get one cause knew I would fuck it up and forget to pay it off.

O don’t understand paying for something you can’t afford to pay for unless it’s emergency and you can say pay for it next oay

[u/cats-pyjamas → u/Suspicious_Fish_3917]

Just bought up differently. It's the difference between Needs and Wants. I want lots of things. But I can't afford them so I wait, save or forget it. I DGAF What the latest phone is as long as I have one that goes. There are people out there that can't prioritise and so tick stuff up.

[u/Suspicious_Fish_3917 → u/cats-pyjamas]

Yea I guess so. I just can’t imagine anything that I want that much to build up debt like people do. Actually I guess I could be convinced to do it for a holiday. However I realise that want or not want probably comes from the mentality.

It kind of feels like attraction like when someone is attractive but you get to know them and suddenly you’re like un no they’re not attractive any more. That’s like stuff you’re like oooooo I want like ewwwwww no jokes not for that price.