Middle class people reveal what's left after paying bills
The economy is a bit of a struggle for just about everyone lately. Everything seems to be more expensive, from everyday essentials to the cost of housing. It seems there's nothing that inflation hasn't touched and the issue appears to be financially crushing the middle class. Throughout this increase in cost of living some families may be feeling alone in their burden of trying to make ends meet when on paper many are earning more than they ever have.
But as people become more comfortable with sharing salaries and financial status, it's becoming obvious that it's not just a handful of families who are struggling. Recently a social media page called Mid-Continent Funding shared a video of a woman sitting at a computer with text overlay that reads, "just curious how much money everyone had left over each month after paying for all their bills, mortgage and necessities. I've got about $72 and I'm debating on if it should go to retirement, savings or food."
The woman in the video appears to be a mortgage broker bravely sharing that she is also struggling with making ends meet. This theme is something that has become a normal struggle for middle class families. According to a 2024 Bank of America survey nearly 50% of adults report living paycheck to paycheck while 2024 Bankrate surveys report that only 27% of adults say they have an emergency fund.
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"Roughly one in four Americans with credit card debt (24 percent) feel less confident in their ability to get out of credit card debt now than they did at the beginning of 2022. Furthermore, about one in six (17 percent) worry they might not be able to make their minimum credit card payment at some point in the next six months," according to another Bankrate survey completed in 2024.
There's also another factor to consider when looking at the squeeze middle class Americans are feeling, the income of middle class families hasn't risen at the same rates as upper income families according to Pew Research. So while people are earning more than they have previously, their earnings are not increasing as quickly as those in the tax brackets above them. This means post covid inflation is absorbing any extra income they may be bringing home and people are feeling it.
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Viewers of the video asking how much money people have left after paying their bills responded with eye opening results that give a glimpse into how folks are fairing. The revelations also serve as a reminder that people are not alone in their financial struggles.
One person writes, "Left over? We're supposed to have that??"
Another says, "you have left over money? after bills I don't even have enough to cover meds and groceries."
A different person says they only have $11 left to last until the next paycheck while another commenter admits to overdrawing her account every month.
Someone chimes in, "It used to be thousands now I’m always waiting for our paychecks to hit our account," with another person replying to their comment offering solidarity, saying "legit same here. nothing has changed, actually make more than we used to, yet scraping for pennies every check nowadays. idk how people do it."
Saving money for an emergency fund or freeing up money so you'e not living paycheck to paycheck may seem impossible but credit counselor and head of community at Self Financial, Inc. Monique White shares a few tips with NPR that people may find useful. One of the first tips she shares is to contact your creditors to see if they can lower your monthly payments or lower your interest rates to help free up monthly cash.
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First Financial Bank advises people struggling with finances to participate in weekly money saving challenges, use money saving apps, make grocery lists, utilize rebates and shop in bulk. The prospect of looking at your personal finances just may make some people queasy but hopefully a few of these tips can be beneficial to someone's financial situation.
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- 11 old-timey frugal living habits we need to bring back - Upworthy ›
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."