Now more than ever, people are feeling the pressures of rising prices everywhere, from gas to groceries, and are living paycheck to paycheck. One man in Washington, DC, went on TikTok to share that even he, who makes decent money in healthcare, is feeling the effects, and his video went viral.
TikTok user Itsvalentinojefferson, Valentino, shared the video after he was inspired by another content creator. He makes it clear from the start that he wasn’t making the video to compare his situation with others’, but to share his struggles, too.
Even though his apartment is in a “pretty decent” part of D.C. and is $1250, he says it’s nothing fancy. Once his bills are factored in—insurance, federal taxes, state taxes, retirement—he’s lucky if he keeps half his paycheck. He claims he’s not the only one, stating that “a lot of people” (including him) make above minimum wage yet still live “paycheck to paycheck.”
Part of the problem, Valentino argues, is that many Americans, including himself, don’t have the best “financial literacy.” But the biggest issue of all: the cost of living. “I see why people crash out,” Valentino says in his TikTok video. Not only dealing with the “frustrations” of going to work, but then the “overwhelmingly majority” of paychecks goes towards bills. He shares a few of his own, like unpaid tickets, back taxes, and credit card debt (and many can barely make monthly payments).
But Valentino argues that despite all that, it doesn’t mean the cost of living needs to feel this impossible. “At the end of the day, they still have systems in place to keep you down, even if you make good money,” Valentino says, and calls the U.S. a “broken system” that needs to be addressed.
People Online React to Valentino’s TikTok Video
Hundreds of comments on Valentino’s video echoed the same struggles he was pointing to. Among the top comments read, “I feel like we’re overtaxed.” This had numerous commenters chime in, agreeing and sharing their situations. “I’m single with no kids and I’m taxed 27%.”
Another who commented in the same thread stated, “And some people are way undertaxed.” Not to mention several companies in the U.S. avoiding billions in taxes, specifically Facebook, Amazon, Tesla, and Alphabet.
Apparently, even doctors are struggling, according to one TikTok viewer. “The doctor I work for starting to complain about her bills I said oh hell no 😩.”
It’s videos like Valentino’s that expose the struggles of working Americans and put faces to the data. And even with a good job, people can barely put food on the table, even less so with millions in Washington, DC, losing SNAP benefits. How is anyone supposed to live?
