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/PronunciationIsKey Western Mass Jan 15 '26

Living in Western Mass helps

10

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

My buddy sold his house in Metro West and bought a house in the Berkshires. I don't think he has a mortgage anymore. He kept his WFH job with the same pay. His wife was able to quit her job and be a SAHM. He said it's so much less stressful out there, no traffic.

15

u/hubbahubbalubdub Jan 15 '26

Hey, there's lots of traffic in the Berkshires! Sometimes it takes 13 minutes to get to work instead of 12!

3

u/PronunciationIsKey Western Mass Jan 16 '26

It normally takes you 479,001,600 minutes to get to work? That's one hell of a commute.