Man explains how budgeting falls short in solving the challenges of high cost of living

The economy has been rapidly changing in the post-pandemic era and it has become really hard to sustain oneself even after making good enough money at our jobs. Even if we forget about luxury hobbies and items, affording basic necessities has been challenging as well. Every expense feels like it is costing a fortune and a man named Uzo—who goes by @uzoiswho on TikTok—has decided to voice his concerns about this alarming issue through a video.

Uzo rants about the rising prices of goods and services in his short video that quickly went viral. “I do not need to budget. Prices either need to go down or my pay needs to go up,” Uzo, who is also a music producer, said. "I think I’m someone who’s fairly reasonable with my spending. I pay my bills, I take care of my needs first and foremost, and I take care of my wants within a reasonable parameter. I don’t spend exorbitant amounts of money to the point where I need to track down how much I’m spending because money’s just flying out of my ears."

 They concluded their video by stating how "things simply cost too much these days." He added, "So again, either prices need to go down, or my pay needs to go up." People couldn't help but agree with his words, explaining how they don't want a fancy life like celebrities, they just want to be able to afford basic necessities without worrying too much. @cloudless_skye wrote: "And I’m not getting in a second job because why should I run myself into the ground to pay for regular life necessities?"

@nayeliromero105 commented: "Agreed. The Starbucks drink that I get x3 a week is not what’s making me broke. It’s the $500 I’m spending on groceries for 10 items." @capri.bee complained: "I don’t want to be rich. I just want to be able to live comfortably with the job I have now, without a side hustle!" @jillianallen14 added: "No for real. Like all I buy is some books for myself and a little coffee when I go out. I’m not out here spending insane amounts of money and I should be able to."

Many TikTok creators have been coming up with money-saving hacks and tips to help the young generation save as much as they can because things are not going to get any better from this point on and people are afraid that the cost of goods and services will continue to rise. There has been a rise in the trend of old-school "cash stuffing" practices among Gen Z where they are being a lot more mindful about their money and how they spend it.

Assembling under the #cashstuffing hashtag on TikTok, the new generation is sharing their effective budgeting hacks and showing their audiences how they end up saving a lot of money even after paying for necessities and bills. Basically, people divide their income for the month and sort them out into cash envelopes with different categories marked on them and spend only what is marked on each envelope. Leftover cash becomes a part of a person's savings. So we can either try our best to save as much as we can or hold onto the hope that prices of goods and services might fall someday.