Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. <\/p>\n
A millennial and their husband are both college-educated, employed and don’t have children. Yet their budget has become so tight that beans and rice are regular fixtures on the dinner table. <\/p>\n
“We know inflation is being underreported\u2026 and job loss and unemployment is underreported,” the millennial wrote in a recent Reddit<\/a> post, arguing that official numbers don’t reflect what they see happening to household budgets. “Everything is just insanely expensive.” <\/p>\n They wanted to know how other millennials were coping, especially those dealing with job losses, childcare or medical bills. <\/p>\n Don’t Miss:<\/strong> <\/p>\n Cutting Costs Anywhere They Can <\/p>\n The couple isn’t just skipping restaurants or canceling streaming services<\/a>. They’ve changed how they live. <\/p>\n “We are literally making renditions of beans and rice<\/a>,” the poster wrote, adding that food is “one of the only ways we can save money.” They’re growing a garden and making some toiletries and beauty products at home. They also cut both partners’ hair. <\/p>\n Neither grew up particularly handy, but they’ve learned to tackle repairs themselves. They’ve fixed their water heater and shower piping and replaced part of their deck. Vacations now mean camping. <\/p>\n “We are doing all this but we are both still employed AND we don’t have kids,” they wrote. “I just don’t understand what people are doing that lose a job and have to pay for childcare.” <\/p>\n Their story also has another layer, as the poster added they had cancer in 2019 and the couple had to sell their house to cover medical debt<\/a>. <\/p>\n “Cancer took away capital we had,” they wrote. They lived in a trailer afterward to save money, became debt-free and have been “clawing” their way back to normalcy. <\/p>\n Trending: Still Wondering Where Your Money Goes Each Month? <\/strong>See Why More People Are Linking Their Bank Accounts With Albert.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n That kind of setback can make rebuilding especially complicated when housing, health care and everyday expenses are all competing for the same paycheck. <\/p>\n For people trying to decide whether to prioritize debt, savings, housing or retirement, Advisor.com<\/strong><\/a> offers a way to connect with a fiduciary who fits their financial needs. Its roughly five-minute matching quiz pairs you with vetted professionals who can help with budgeting, taxes, estate planning and more. Once you find the right fit, you can book services right away. <\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n A Cheap Mortgage Can Change Everything <\/p>\n One theme overwhelmed the replies. Millennials who bought homes years ago often feel like they’re living in a completely different economy. <\/p>\n “Honestly, having bought a house 12 years ago is saving us right now,” one person wrote. <\/p>\n Another bought a home in 2016 for $149,900 and said similar starter homes in the neighborhood now sell from the high $300,000s to nearly $500,000. “I would never have been able to do a house now,” they wrote. “My pay hasn’t gone up enough for that.” <\/p>\n “Weird to not be able to afford the house you live in if you had to buy it again,” another highlighted what a weird position many found themselves in. <\/p>\n See Also: AI Needs More Power Than The Grid Can Easily Provide. <\/strong>This Startup Is Taking A Different Approach To Energy Storage.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n But cheap mortgages<\/a> weren’t the only answer. People described multigenerational households splitting housing costs, living in RVs, relying on parents, eating meals at work, driving old paid-off cars and taking side jobs. <\/p>\n Others gave a much shorter answer: debt. <\/p>\n Several mentioned credit cards, medical debt, personal loans and bankruptcy. One household said health insurance alone costs $1,400 a month, despite having a $1,700 mortgage and no car or student loan payments. <\/p>\n For the original poster, the discussion eventually came back to what survived the financial upheaval. <\/p>\n “Comparison is the thief of joy but despite our hardships, I feel rich with my partner,” they wrote. <\/p>\n Read Next: Peter Thiel Helped Bring Attention To Self-Directed IRAs. <\/strong>Here’s What They Actually Allow Investors To Do.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market<\/strong> <\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. <\/p>\n Arrived<\/strong> <\/p>\n Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can <\/a>buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100<\/strong><\/a>. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly. <\/p>\n FarmTogether<\/strong> <\/p>\n Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, <\/a>FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 fully managed, with no landlord headaches. <\/p>\n Fundrise<\/strong> <\/p>\n Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. <\/a>Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth. <\/p>\n Qnetic<\/strong> <\/p>\n As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important. <\/a>Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage<\/strong><\/a>,<\/a> offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid. <\/p>\n EquityMultiple<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/p>\n For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000<\/strong><\/a>,<\/a> with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process. <\/p>\n Image: Shutterstock<\/strong> <\/p>\n This article ‘We Know Inflation Is Being Underreported,’ Millennial Couple Says. They’re Both College Educated and Living on Beans and Rice<\/a> originally appeared on Benzinga.com<\/a> <\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. 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