Teacher shares how she's struggling to make ends meet after paying bills on a $3100 monthly salary

Being a teacher is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. While there may or may not be a lot of rewards regarding personal satisfaction or gratitude from the kids, the monetary benefits are just not up to par. In a video posted by a teacher,  Elizabeth Adelaide —who goes by @that_traveling_teacher on TikTok— she breaks down how she spends her monthly salary and how much of it goes towards her necessities and bills. 

She begins the video by saying her teaching job pays her a salary of $3100 a month and that she doesn't have much remaining after paying her bills. She further explains that since she was taking an off when she made the video, it would take about 200 dollars from her paycheck. The reason she took an off was because her car's battery was dead and her policy was dead and hence, she couldn't call for roadside assistance. She then sarcastically says, "It's great. So let's do my bills." 

She begins by rounding off her salary to $3000. She starts by saying, "I have to clean my carpets. So that's going to be about $30." She adds that her battery would cost $100 and rent would be $1200. On top of that, her phone and electric bill would be $100 and $151, respectively. Next up, her storage unit cost $69 while her expenses related to her car cost a total of $622, the total expenses made from the salary to $2307. That meant the only money left with her was already down to a mere $693 for her. She then says she spends about $160 for gas, while her Netflix and Spotify costs $11.99 and $5, respectively. Her Xfinity subscription costs $54.

Her renter's, life and dog insurance cost $13.58, $37.42 and $59.28, respectively. She then mentions how her blog costs about $29, a teaching conference she plans to attend costs $349.30 and her credit cards have $150 to be paid. She also owes $100 to her boyfriend, who has helped her the last month when she needed medical assistance for her dog. She sadly explains how she had no money and that had it not been for her boyfriend, her dog would have probably lost her life. With all these expenses, her balance was down to a negative 306.27 dollars and that too before groceries. She says, "I'm so tired of life happening and not being able to afford it." For these reasons, she plans to leave education and is starting a new job in the next two weeks. Not only is it a well-paying job, but also something that excites Elizabeth.

The comments section was filled with people who had a lot of different opinions. @magical_redhead said, "12 years and a master and I make $2,900 a month. I used to make more, but we had to move due to my husband's job. I only have retirement and taxes taken out." @manmkd said, "I'm in the same boat. I have come to terms with the fact that I can't afford to be a teacher. It's brutal." @tylershumate89 gave some concrete suggestions from personal experiences and said, "What I loved about teaching is being able to have a side hustle pretty easily. This led to me being debt-free at 34. Maybe some room to cut in the budget."