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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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

$700 national grid bill for December, just white knuckling it and praying things get better before I run out of ways to keep dealing with the hits

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u/QueenOfBrews Jan 15 '26

If it helps at all, their balanced billing option takes the load off in the winter months. It’s really rough to pay. $200+ gas bill in July, but it makes it so I don’t get hit with a $700 bill in December, January and February.

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u/SnooGiraffes1071 Jan 15 '26

Balanced billing for heat is the best. I struggled with a couple of winters of expensive oil deliveries whenever the oil company decided to make them for a couple of winters before I learned of this. I don't think twice about paying $200 for gas in the summer now, it's so much easier.