Yeah, if only I quit eating avocado toast and healthy meals, I could save $300,000 with a 50k salary to cover the closing costs of a house.

I was a super saver. At some point, I was ahead of everyone else, then PPP money was given to any trust fund kid with an LLC from a trust fund kid president. I went from being able to buy land or a condo at least, to interest rates and prices increasing at the same time making housing quadruple out of reach for the sake of welfare for people who already had money during the pandemic. They took the PPP money and thought to themselves, "Now is the time to buy a vacation home in Reader's town."

Before the PPP stimulus, because I could buy a trashy condo outright, I felt like I retired and was playing tournament paintball, riding a motorcycle offroad in the jungles on the outskirts of the city, driving 100 miles to the rock climbing gym after work in my high mpg car, surfing, kayaking, and freediving. Now I am pretty much trapped in the county, but as I invest to save for a house the dividends are coming in: and they are very close to paying for a minimum wage job. It's hilarious that you could save that much and still not have enough to cover the fucking closing costs of a house and make it to the next paycheck.

I live in a shack, don't have to pay for electricity, and share a laundry machine in a barn. I do not have a stove or a dishwasher. My sink is about the size of a laptop and it is all stinky well water. I have been living like this for a decade saving money, but housing keeps increasing more than I can possibly save. This place that I loved, has become a place for the ultra rich New Yorkers. I received a bonus and a 4% raise. I bought nothing extra, it all went into the stock market. Still can't afford a house.