Woman explains why a combined income of $160K per year is hardly enough for her family of six

Times have changed. Earning a five-figure annual salary is no longer considered a luxury. In some cities, even a person with a $100K income might find it challenging to make ends meet and several people on the internet rant about how the current economic conditions are driving them up the wall. Maddie–who goes by @mdncyr on TikTok–shared a video revealing how even a $160K income was not enough to run her family of six. Breaking down her monthly expenses, Maddie explained why she and her husband couldn't afford a comfortable lifestyle and it is so relevant.

In a stitch with Blaire Allison (@blaire_allison), who asked the users, "How are people affording life right now? How are people tackling this cost of living on the average American salary?" Maddie, too wondered the same. She said that she lived in Florida with her husband and four kids and that the combined salary of her and her husband came out to $160K. Despite this six-figure income, Maddie, who works as a nurse and her husband who has a "really good job," barely makes ends meet. "Our mortgage is $1700, insurance included so that we can have room for our four kids," she said. "I have a vehicle that I need for work because I'm like a home health nurse. That has to be reliable and also has to be able to hold four kids, two car seats, like, the whole 9."

Maddie then pointed out that her husband owned a 2020-version truck, which was the only luxury item he owned. Though the family lived in a house with enough room for 4 kids, it was 100 years old and didn't have anything "super nice" in it. "I work day in and day out. We live paycheck to paycheck," said Maddie. She mentioned that even eating out had become a luxury that needed some planning. "Groceries for us are 200 to 300 dollars a week for kids. We have a baby that needs special milk and diapers," she said.

What bothered Maddie was that while she was growing up, the combined salary of her parents was just $100K and she lived a comfortable life back then. They took vacations and didn't have to worry about buying whatever they wanted. "Now we're at a point in our lives where if something were to mess up, like our hot water heater or one of our appliances, we would not be able to afford that," said the nurse. Despite working "day in and day out," Maddie pointed out that apart from basic utilities, children's needs and healthcare, they couldn't spend on anything else. Also, daycare costs Maddie $1500 per month and she added, "We have Netflix. We've cut all other apps off. We don't have anything else."

Maddie expressed her disbelief over how people are affording a better lifestyle nowadays and many in the comment section found it so relatable. "Born and raised in Florida, today we made the tough decision to move after finding out our home insurance and car insurance will double, we make 100k," commented @yourstrulycr. "We make $100k. The most we ever made in 16 years of marriage. Our house is $1300. No car payments. We are barely making it," wrote another user, @roseycando. "Me and my husband make 180k combined in California. We wanted a big family but quickly realized we could only afford 1 kid," commented @ntania2174.