Here's a financial puzzle that sparked a heated Reddit discussion: How does someone earning $70,000 a year in Texas, paying just $800 in rent, still feel perpetually broke?

The answer might be simpler than you think, and it has nothing to do with inflation.

A user on the r/Salary subreddit laid out the situation. The person in question works at a restaurant, juggles multiple duties, picks up extra shifts, and splits rent with two roommates. On paper, they should be doing fine. But according to the poster, money keeps disappearing thanks to weekend splurges, frequent nights out, pricey vacations, and casino stops where costs spiral quickly.

When The Math Doesn't Add Up

Let's look at the numbers. The individual brings in between $70,000 and $75,000 annually and pays roughly $800 in rent. That's a pretty comfortable setup in most parts of Texas. Yet the original poster noted that weekends routinely involve "hundreds of dollars" spent on drinks, while vacations turn expensive because this person tends to "spend like crazy."

The worker's sister jumped into the debate, insisting the financial struggle stems from being "poor." The original poster pushed back hard on that characterization, pointing to their own experience earning the same salary in a pricier city while still managing to save money.

Reddit wasn't buying the poverty argument either. One commenter cut straight to the point: "This subs perception of salary is not realistic. 70k is not poor, especially somewhere where cost of living allows for an 800/mo apartment. Your friend never has money because your friend is bad with money."

Another added with exasperation: "I don't understand how she 'never has money' but appears to have lots of nights out and vacations. Thats where the money is going. Like duh."

What Actually Counts As Poor?

The discussion took an interesting turn when commenters started defining what financial struggle actually looks like. One user pointed out something telling: "Actual poor people would never have 5K in the bank. There's also that stat about how about 60% of Americans do not have $1,000 on hand for an emergency."

That's the disconnect here. Feeling broke because you spent your discretionary income on entertainment is fundamentally different from being unable to cover basic expenses or build any emergency cushion.

Inflation Can't Explain Everything

The original poster acknowledged that inflation has increased "like crazy" since they earned the same salary seven years ago. Fair point. But they still didn't consider $70,000 a poverty-level income in a low-cost Texas market, and the thread largely agreed.

As the conversation expanded, people began examining how context shapes financial reality. One commenter captured the nuance perfectly: "Married or kids on a single income of 70k? Even rural areas would be tight. As a single person? F**k no. There's a very small number of cities where 70k as a single person isn't a comfy living in the US unless you're bad with debt."

And there it is. A single person earning $70,000 in Texas with $800 rent should be building wealth, not wondering where the money went. The answer seems obvious to everyone except the person doing the spending: it went to the bar, the casino, and the vacation destinations where self-control took a holiday too.