Near end of 2025, many feel priced out: wages lag while housing, rent, cars, food, daycare, clothes, and insurance soar. People double up in multigenerational homes, juggle multiple jobs, and take on credit-card debt for necessities. Receipts and menu “updates” reveal price hikes and shrinkflation; streaming and extras get cut. 1995 vs 2025 budgets flip from small surplus to big deficit. Bleak overall, but some hope: thrift, paid-off cars, DIY, and Gen Z investing.
Cost of Living Crisis is WORSE Than You Think in 2025
