A Canadian woman who earns almost $100,000 a year has claimed she was better off financially when she earned the minimum wage in 2012.
Sam Breezie, 32, from Langley, British Columbia, has more than 110,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares stories about her life.
The content creator, who uses the handle @sam.breeziewent viral this week after comparing her salary and cost of living more than a decade ago to today.
“The cost of living in 2023 is so bad that I’m pretty sure I would have been better off financially making minimum wage in 2012 than making almost $100,000 today,” she said at the start of the video.
Sam Breezie, 32, from British Columbia, went viral on TikTok after claiming she was better off financially when she earned minimum wage over a decade ago
Sam said she makes almost $100,000 a year, but the cost of living has increased exponentially
Sam explained that 11 years ago she lived with a roommate in a two-bedroom apartment that cost $700 a month.
They each paid $350 for rent and another $100 for utilities. She also spent about $100 to $150 a month on groceries.
She estimated that her minimum wage job earned her somewhere between $1,300 and $1,400.
“After all my expenses and necessities, I had so much money left over. I mean, not like a lot of money, but like a few hundred dollars left,” she recalled.
‘I was able to eat out several times a week. I mean, nothing major, but I was still able to go out,” she clarified. ‘I could go shopping. I really enjoyed buying make-up and clothes and I was able to do that too.’
She noted in the text on the screen that she could also use her extra money to partially pay for her studies.
“Now, in 2023, I’m paying $3,300 a month in rent in British Columbia, obviously split in half, so I’m paying $1,650 of that,” she said.
Sam explained that she pays $200 to $300 a month for utilities and also has student loans that amount to “several hundred dollars.”
Sam explained that 11 years ago she was making about $1,400 a month, but she had so much more disposable income
In just over a decade, her rent has risen from $700 a month to $3,300, and she also has higher utility bills and higher student debt.
“I had to move out of town, so now I need a car,” she continued. ‘Gas prices are ridiculous. Car insurance in British Columbia… That’s right, and of course I make a decent salary.
“I can afford it, but I really feel like I had a lot more disposable income in 2012 when I was making minimum wage.”
“If I had known 10 years ago that this is what 2023 would look like, I would have dropped out of school and just bought a house,” she added.
Sam’s video has racked up over 150,000 views and hundreds of comments in just a few days.
Many people recognized and remembered how much less they paid for rent and utilities in their younger years.
‘This! Just ten years ago we were comfortable,” one person replied.
Someone else added: ‘In 2011 I earned €34,000, had my own apartment in the city, went shopping all the time for fun and went on holiday three times that year…’
Sam pushed back on accusations that she had “lifestyle creep” in a follow-up video, saying the problem is that things are “quadruple” what they were a decade ago
Sam noted that she’s “in a much better position than a lot of Canadians,” but the point she was making is that “it doesn’t take an almost six-figure salary to just exist.”
‘My friend and I were just talking about this!!! Back in 2012/2013/2014 I was making half of what I make now and I had expensive hobbies and grocery shopping,” another agreed.
Others claimed her problems were due to ‘lifestyle creep’ – a phenomenon where making more money leads to more spending.
Sam hit back at the accusations in a follow-up video, saying the problem is that things are “quadruple” as expensive as they were ten years ago.
She also argued that people shouldn’t shame her for taking out student loans to go to college because everyone told her to do so.
‘And you know what? It worked. I took out student loans, I got a degree, I have a job, and my job pays me what I knew ten years ago would be a good salary. But now that salary is no longer what it takes to live comfortably,” she explained.
‘If I had earned the salary I earn today ten years ago, I could have bought a house. I could have lived a very, very, beautiful lifestyle,” she continued. “But now it’s just enough money to pay my bills, get by and not really do much extra.”
Sam noted that she’s “in a much better position than a lot of Canadians” and she’s “very grateful,” but the point she was making is that “it doesn’t take an almost six-figure salary to just be able to work.” to exist.’