We’re DINKs struggling to make ends meet — our 6-figure salaries aren’t enough to support our lifestyle anymore

David Landsel
·3 min read
2.8k
Six-figure earners Natalie Fischer, 25 and husband Keldon, 30 decided to put themselves on a financial diet after struggling to understand where all their money was going.
Six-figure earners Natalie Fischer, 25 and husband Keldon, 30 decided to put themselves on a financial diet after struggling to understand where all their money was going.

Six figures isn’t what it used to be.

One West Coast couple — earning $100,000 apiece — raised eyebrows after revealing that they found themselves struggling to pay their bills in today’s inflated economy, forcing them to ditch little luxuries like pricey gym memberships, vacations to Europe, and trips to local restaurants.

Natalie Fischer, 25, and her partner Keldon thought they had it made after finding good jobs in Seattle’s tech industry.

But after struggling to pull together $20,000 for their wedding not long ago, the lovebirds quickly realized they had no idea where all their money was going.

In a recent viral social media post, Natalie shared openly about how the pair have decided to “downgrade” their lifestyle in 2024 to get their finances under control — an increasing struggle for many younger households due to the steep and sudden rise in the cost of living.

“I consider me and my husband to be middle class,” said Fischer, 25, a content creator.

The couple was paying $208 per month apiece for their gym memberships, which they’ve since canceled. @investwithnat / SWNS
The couple was paying $208 per month apiece for their gym memberships, which they’ve since canceled. @investwithnat / SWNS
Pulling together the necessary cash for their nuptials caused the couple to think twice about their spending.
Pulling together the necessary cash for their nuptials caused the couple to think twice about their spending.
Nights out with friends were a major drain on their finances — since the New Year, they’ve been dining at home. @investwithnat / SWNS
Nights out with friends were a major drain on their finances — since the New Year, they’ve been dining at home. @investwithnat / SWNS

“We live in the greater Seattle area and we both had nine to five jobs in the tech industry. We’re both earning over $100k and as we started to earn more money we treated ourselves a lot more,” she admitted.

“A big reason we have decided to downgrade our lifestyle is because we didn’t know where our money was going.”

“Just five years ago we were broke college students. As we started to earn more money, we treated ourselves more.

“We weren’t too concerned about spending money…I noticed it was getting very hard to track how much we were spending.”

Even though they live in a relatively modest 2-BR apartment in Seattle with a mortgage of $2,378 and don’t own cars, extravagant $208 gym memberships, $100-a-pop manicures and pedicures, $60 dinner checks, and other expenditures drained their bank account far more quickly than they expected.

All that’s gone now, Fischer said.

Since the beginning of the year, they’ve avoided restaurants completely, cooking more at home.

They now run instead of going to the gym and are evaluating their credit cards to get rid of the ones with the worst fees.

“I was living beyond my needs. I want to greatly increase the savings we have and I feel like we spend way too much so I am trying to balance it this year,” Fischer said.

The couple were seen enjoying their honeymoon in Thailand. @investwithnat / SWNS
The couple were seen enjoying their honeymoon in Thailand. @investwithnat / SWNS

What the Fischers spent in 2023

  • Mortgage: $2,378

  • Bills: $1,163

  • Gym membership: $416

  • Food: $524

  • Eating out: $300

  • Clothes shopping: $430

  • Socialising: $105

  • Savings: $0

  • Total: $4,601

What they plan to spend in 2024

  • Mortgage: $2,378

  • Bills: $753

  • Gym membership: $0

  • Food: $227

  • Eating out: $0

  • Clothes shopping: $10

  • Socialising: $0

  • Savings: $400

  • Total: $3,368