Georgia Families Work 16 Days a Month Just to Pay The Bills

A new survey of households across the country reveals what many already feel in their bones: the money doesn’t stretch like it used to.

💰 Why It Matters: Families in Georgia are spending more than half their monthly income on basic expenses before they can think about saving, investing, or planning for anything beyond next week. The squeeze is real, and it’s reshaping how people eat, spend, and survive.

📊 What’s Happening: Advance America surveyed families nationwide and compared their reported expenses to median household income data. The results show Georgia households must work 16 days each month to cover essentials like housing, food, utilities, childcare, and transportation.

Alabama leads the nation at 26 days of work needed per month. Colorado sits at the opposite end with just 10 days. The gap suggests more than income differences. It points to wildly different costs of living and spending habits state to state.

🔪 First on the Chopping Block: When asked what they’d cut to make $1,000 last longer, nearly half of Georgia families said dining out and takeout would go first. Entertainment subscriptions came second at 26%. Groceries, utilities, and travel were far less likely to be sacrificed.

🛒 What’s Eating the Budget: Grocery costs topped the list of expenses that have risen most over the past year. More than half of respondents, 56%, pointed to food. Utilities followed at 17%, then rent and housing at 15%. Childcare, entertainment, and transportation barely registered.

It’s not the extras weighing families down. It’s the basics.

📉 The Generational Gap: When asked how far $1,000 goes today compared to what their parents experienced at the same age, 44% of respondents said it goes much less far. Another 18% said slightly less far. Just 19% believe it stretches further now.

🚨 Where the Emergency Money Comes From: If they needed $1,000 tomorrow, 51% of Georgia families said they’d pull from savings. But nearly half would have to look elsewhere: 19% would borrow from family or friends, 17% would use credit cards or loans, and 13% would pick up side work or extra hours.

💸 What $1,000 Would Mean: Nearly a quarter of respondents called a sudden $1,000 “life-changing.” The largest share, 41%, said it would be helpful but gone quickly. Another 29% described it as a big help. Just 7% said it would barely make a difference.

🗺️ The Bigger Picture: The survey reveals a country where the cost of living varies wildly, but the pressure is universal. In Alabama, families work more than three weeks each month just to stay current. In Colorado, it’s a week and a half. Georgia sits near the middle, but that still means more than half the month’s labor goes to covering the floor, not building anything on top of it.

The Sources: Advance America.