Anyone else feel like a third world citizen by the time they 30?

One thing I’ve found fascinating about becoming more frugal is it’s forced me to ask questions about the societal norms in the US. To me being frugal is just a means to an end. I’m 31 years old, make 60k a year on a fairly generic 9-5 manufacturing job, and live a drastic improvement in quality of life compared to my friends, coworkers, and even some of my wealthy families. I feel like I don’t have to work unless I want to for the rest of my life. But what I’ve found is that the rest of the country is still just barely scraping by. I feel far richer than my friends with private college degrees and high paying jobs. A lot of people who couldn’t fathom living “without” some of the things I’ve cut out of my life. <br><br>Add to that the fact that every time I read something on here, I feel a bit worse. Everyone on here seems to feel like they’re just barely making it, even though they live in the wealthiest country in the world. There’s always a 500 post thread of people talking about how they have to worry about their next meal, how they have to worry about their next paycheck, etc. I have friends on here who make 4-5 times my salary, have 5 figure savings, a solid 401k, and still constantly worry about money. <br><br>Even on other subs, there’s a constant theme of “I don’t know how to afford the basics of life?” How do you get to your mid 30s and still not know how to manage money? How do you still not know how to cook? How do you feel fine with shelling out 1000 bucks for a smartphone, and then complain about how it’s 500 dollar car repairs ruined you for the rest of the month. How do you not know how to plan your finances when you have a stable job with guaranteed hours?<br><br>I don’t have a point, I just find it fascinating how much better your life is when you have a clue on how to manage money. I know I’m privileged, I know I’m better off than most of the world. It’s just weird that I’ve found so many other people in the US who live in similar circumstances and are like these fake martyrs who complain about their lives on the internet, but would never actually change anything about their own lives.