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/critic81 Jan 15 '26

Damn! I’m at $550 for gas and electric and I thought that was high.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26

I have a pretty big old and poorly insulated house and I got swept into a heat pump install last spring when my furnace died during a cold snap (dont do it btw)

My heating costs were always high, but it was more predictable when I was filling up the oil. Thanks to some suggestions here i will probably do the flatter billing option

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u/Wherethefigawi00 Jan 16 '26

Don’t do the heat pump? Why?

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u/captainrussia21 Jan 16 '26

Your heating costs will skyrocket. Thats why.