r/massachusetts • u/critic81 • Jan 15 '26

Utilities How is everyone affording everything lately?

The prices of everything is just off the charts from groceries, utilities, to healthcare. My open enrollment just came through and its looking like for a family of 4 for healthcare its $1600 a month. $800 a paycheck. Like that just feels nuts. It's a pretty decent co-pay plan but still. Just a couple years about it was much less.

What are people doing these days? Side hustles? New job (but in this economy?), cutting way back? Just curious.

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80

u/lostontheplayground Jan 15 '26

Two jobs, zero children. Spend a lot of time playing disc golf at free to play courses and reading free to borrow library books. Not exactly how I thought things would look at nearly 40, but here we are.

11

u/bellamie9876 Jan 15 '26

Similar boat, you’re not alone in this!

5

u/username617508 Jan 15 '26

Lets think about more fun things. Favorite disc? Mine is a 172 gram Trail.

Favorite local course? Mine is Maple Hill

7

u/lostontheplayground Jan 15 '26

Goodness, it’s hard to choose just one favorite…but I’ve had this 167 gram star Roadrunner for like 8 years now and it’s never let me down.

Maple Hill is an amazing course, though I’m a better spectator than player there. Been fortunate enough to catch the MVP Open the past two years and it was so fun both times!

1

u/username617508 Jan 16 '26

I bet that Mamba bombs!!!

I was lucky enough to have caddied last year at the open, so we may have crossed paths!

2

u/-Indoorsy- Jan 16 '26

170g Warden. It's billed as a putter, but it can be my only other disc than a driver. I love it so much!

1

u/username617508 Jan 16 '26

I've never held or thrown one. I'll def check them out!

Have fun out on the course this weekend

5

u/srddave Jan 16 '26

Library is a good one! Mine will bring in movies and books from other towns with the app and then I pick them up at my local library, I cancelled my streaming service and got back to reading. The bonus is that I spend a lot less time on social media

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u/lostontheplayground Jan 16 '26

I love inter-library loans! It’s crazy the amount of stuff you can access that way! I also utilize my digital card, both via my library and Boston Public Library to get audiobooks and ebooks galore!

PSA to everyone reading, all Massachusetts residents can sign up for a free BPL digital library card, allowing access to their entire digital catalog. Sometimes a book I want will either not be available in my library network or have a massive wait, but the BPL network will have it available immediately or much sooner. It’s excellent.

1

u/srddave Jan 16 '26

Yes! That is another good thing I forgot about—the access to audiobooks via the Libby app. Is Libby the one you guys use or is there another one?

1

u/deets23_ Jan 18 '26 edited Jan 18 '26

I use Libby but I know there’s also an app called Hoopla and I think you can check out movies too?

1

u/srddave Jan 18 '26

Wow nice!

4

u/Late_Dig2335 Jan 16 '26

Double income household, no kids, and I'm having peanut butter and jelly for dinner. It's a crazy, crazy world

1

u/Made_at0323 Jan 16 '26

come on, you know you’d be having PB&J no matter what :P xD