Woman Making $150K A Year Admits She Lives Paycheck To Paycheck & Has No Savings — ‘Budgeting Feels Controlling To Me’
Her story is one of strength and sacrifice.
fizkes | Canva Pro According to data from 2024, the average median income in the U.S. is $59,384. Between a struggling job market, inflation, and the economy, a salary below $60K per year is certainly a struggle to live on.
There are some incomes people only dream of making. For many, anything above six figures would be a windfall, allowing them a modicum of freedom from the stress of daily living expenses and maybe even a tiny bit to add to savings.
However, one woman found herself in that normally fortunate situation, pulling in $150K in salary, and she still barely had enough to make ends meet.
A woman who makes $150,000 each year said she lives paycheck to paycheck.
TikTok content creator @essentiallydeva shares snippets of her life on the app. Most are focused on her financial situation and effort to pay off debt.
As Deva shared in one video, she actually makes what most people would consider plenty to have a comfortable lifestyle.
“I make $150,000 a year as a single-income earner,” she said. “I live paycheck to paycheck. I have no retirement, I have no savings, and it sucks.”
“I’m in massive debt,” she explained. “And it was not overnight. It happened over an 11-year span.”
The woman explained how her six-figure salary does not afford her a comfortable lifestyle because she struggles with budgeting.
“This is why budgeting is so important,” she stated. “I was in an abusive relationship for many years, and I was controlled. Budgeting feels very controlling to me.”
Deva made multiple videos addressing different comments TikTokers left for her. One person asked if she could simply live a less expensive lifestyle.
“Oh, the million-dollar question,” Deva said. “I actually live very cheap.”
She admitted that she understood why some people would be confused about why she isn’t able to live comfortably.
“I don’t know how you couldn’t live comfortably on what I make now. I won’t make as much when I get out because I don’t plan on doing grocery delivery 24/7 once I’m out of debt,” she admitted.
To top things off, Deva is actually concerned about making too much money. She said her take-home pay from her traditional job is approximately $100,500. Then, she makes $25,000 to $30,000 from her side hustles, like grocery delivery.
“I’m a little bit scared that this year it might be more than that, especially with the TikTok income,” she said. “I haven’t looked at the tax brackets, but I’m hoping I’m not in a new tax bracket.”
In one of her most personal videos, the woman shared why she is so deeply in debt.
One curious TikTok user asked Deva how she got into so much debt, and what exactly she had to show for it. Deva said that 50% of the debt she was keeping to herself, but she didn’t mind talking about the other half.
Deva explained that, for years, she was trapped in an abusive marriage. “About 13 years into our marriage, I had had enough,” she said.
Deva said the only good thing to come out of her marriage was her daughter, who she went into debt for as she fought for custody of her and as she got both of them the counseling they needed.
“So I literally started over,” she said. “I didn’t care what it cost me financially.”
The woman was a victim of financial abuse.
According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, “Research indicates that financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases.”
This follows much of what Deva said about her husband wanting her to work so he could have the money and demanding money in their split.
Like many others, in addition to emotional and physical abuse, Deva experienced financial abuse. No one can blame her for that.
It may be easy to look at Deva’s situation and judge her. One could wonder how someone could possibly be struggling with such a high salary. But she has been through things many can only imagine.
Deva is perfectly justified in her circumstances and will hopefully one day break free from the debt holding her back.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or the threat of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or go to www.thehotline.org
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.