Two full-time jobs aren't cutting it today - we still live paycheck to paycheck

"We have $200 or $300 dollars to last us to next Friday!" the hardworking mum and nurse admits as she breaks down in a devastating viral clip.

The sad reality of the cost of living is being seen over and over again - especially in the lead-up to the holidays. And it's not from a lack of trying. This week, a mother of two has broken down in tears as she shares that her family of four is living paycheck-to-paycheck every month. She says that didn't realise being a registered nurse wouldn't be enough to pay the bills and she'd still need to worry about an empty bank account. 

Mackenzie Moan, took to her TikTok to share her family's financial struggles. She says she's not political, just a mother who doesn't know what else to do, or where else to turn.

In the clip, the healthcare worker sobs as she explains that she and her spouse, Steve, make decent salaries and don't "live above their means," yet they hardly have enough money to get by.

"I feel like my husband and I are doing everything right," she tells the camera as she begins to tear up. 

"We both have good jobs. I'm a registered nurse, I work full-time, he works full-time. 

"We just got paid this past Friday and we paid the mortgage, bought some groceries, put some gas in the car, and guys, it is Tuesday and we have like $200-$300 to last until next Friday."

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Mackenzie Moan, and her family. She went viral after she posted a video to TikTok sharing her frustrations over cost of living. Source: Facebook

"Two full-time jobs just aren't cutting it today"

The mum explains that she and Steve, along with their two sons, reside in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom ranch in Pennsylvania.

"We don't live in a big house," she continues. "Somebody has to do something to change this because I make good money, he makes good money, we don't live above our means but we live paycheck-to-paycheck," she continues as she cries. 

"Two full-time jobs aren't cutting it today - we still live paycheck to paycheck. I work full-time, and he works more than full-time, he works overtime every week. I don't know what to do. I'm so stressed out, this isn't how it's supposed to be."

Mackenzie admits that she was once "a homeless drug addict," but shares that she was able to "turn her life around" when she decided to go to college to study medicine.

She recalls telling herself throughout her schooling, "It will get better after I graduate and start working."

"I thought I'd be able to pay my bills and not have to check my bank account if my kids say, 'Mum, can we go to the movies this weekend?'"

"Go to college, get a degree, work - here we are"

Mackenzie goes even further to question what she can do now, as she thought having gone to college, and having a good job would mean they would be ok. However, they aren't "comfortable and we're not, at all. Growing up we were told - go to college, get a degree, work to support your family - here we are. Did that, now what?"

It's a question many couples and families are asking themselves as they work a minimum of two jobs to make ends meet. But how can they get ahead when the cost of living keeps rising? The registered nurse shares the same sentiment in her five-minute video. 

"I often saw people talking about how out of control prices are online, but that it felt like they didn't have any influence or power to change things," she says.

She encourages her followers to share her video and continue to post about it online in the hopes that if enough people speak out, it might spark some sort of change.

"Maybe somebody who can do something about it will see one of our videos.

"I just wanted to share our struggle and maybe someone else could relate. We just need to support each other until things change. Thanks for watching," she concluded the video. 

Not surprisingly this video went viral with 1.5 million views and over 20,000 comments. Most of the comments were from people who related to what she was going through. 

Mackenzie shows in the video her modest home. Source: TikTok

"$200 between checks is rich"

"We have 98 cents in our savings," someone else shared. "It's so rough out here. We are all depressed and drowning."

"Wages are not keeping up with inflation," another commenter agreed. 

"Honey at this point $200 between checks is rich. It's bad out here," a fourth comment read.

"Our country has failed us," a different user said, while a fifth added, "Overtaxed and underpaid. It's harder every year to survive financially."

Many others thanked Mackenzie for sharing her story and opened up about their own problems, reminding her that she was "not alone."

"This honestly makes me feel so much better," someone else added. "Like the fact that everyone is struggling should say something, this is so sad."

While most were trying to support Mackenzie in their shared experience, there were some negative comments. One of which was encouraging her to sell her artwork on the wall in the video, "those came from Walmart and it was like $30 or $40," Mackenzie writes back. 

Mackenzie also replies to some of the hate comments, stating, "Clearly based off the video, I have enough problems that I am stressed out about in my life.

"I don't need to deal with this. I don't owe anyone an explanation, especially a stranger on the internet. I didn't make that video asking for help or asking for a breakdown of my finances, I didn't ask for sympathy, I didn't ask for anything in that video. The internet is just wild. It's just nuts to me."

She concludes by adding that she was "absolutely blown away" by the kindness that she also received, calling those who shared their own stories in the comments extremely "brave."

Originally published as Two full-time jobs aren't cutting it today - we still live paycheck to paycheck