this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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Compared to previous generations, most of the luxuries you are describing are a much lower percentage of our overall expenses, while 3 big things: housing, healthcare, and education have outpaced wages dramatically and are a MUCH larger percentage of our expenses compared to previous generations. Yes, you can save a lot of money by being thrifty, but home cost, healthcare, and education are hard if downright impossible for many people to mitigate.
All that being said yes, you could live a much simpler life, but I think the issue is people seeing an expected standing of living that many western countries used to have, slipping away while a very small percentage of people at the top are consolidating phenomenal wealth. So saying to them “hey it’s your fault for not lowering your expectations” comes off as well, ridiculous.
I hope I’m not triggering anti-capitalists here because I know how implacable they can be. Pointing out how you can make your own life a little bit better is, in my mind, not at odds with all the very valid complaints about 2025 American capitalism.
Many of the folks in r/simpleliving are wealthy enough to afford whatever they need, but that doesn’t automatically make your life simple and leisurely either. You actually have to go after simplicity intentionally no matter what.