A woman said financial stress made her want to leave America, saying ‘They take all your money. You don’t even see your money’

A woman’s video describing the financial pressure of paying bills has drawn widespread attention on X, with the creator saying the stress has made her consider leaving the United States entirely, as reported by the Daily Dot. The clip shows her explaining how much of her day, even during vacation, is spent thinking about bills.

She describes waking up and going to sleep with bills on her mind constantly. “Is this life?” she asks at one point, seeming genuinely confused that this is the standard she is expected to live by. She said the constant financial pressure makes her feel like she is working for the government rather than for herself. “They take all your money. You don’t even see your money,” she said, appearing to reference taxes.

She explained that once she has saved enough, she plans to return to Senegal to finish building her house and complete a business she has been working on there. She listed the jobs she has worked in the United States, saying they have taken everything out of her. “Braiding, home health aide, everything,” she said. “I work hard in America and every day is stress.”

Working multiple jobs isn’t unique to her story

Working multiple jobs to keep up with expenses has become increasingly common in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.3 million Americans reported holding more than one job in November 2025, the highest figure recorded since the agency began tracking the number in 1994. Financial burnout tied to the cost of living has become a recurring topic online, including a man who described standing at noon debating whether to eat lunch despite earning more money than at any point in his career.

Her video sparked significant backlash. Many commenters argued she was overlooking specific advantages of living in the United States, though the clip itself provides limited detail about her personal financial situation, making it hard to weigh her circumstances against the alternative in Senegal. Some viewers argued the benefits of staying in the U.S. outweigh what she would find back home, while others said her frustrations reflected a broader economic reality shared by many working multiple jobs.

Senegal, the West African country she referenced wanting to return to, has a population of roughly 19.4 million people, and its capital, Dakar, sits on the Atlantic coast. The country’s economy has grown steadily in recent years, driven in part by agriculture, fishing, and a developing services sector, though the cost of living and average incomes remain significantly lower than in the United States.

The conversation that followed covered similar territory: taxes, cost of living, and whether work-life balance is realistically achievable. Commenters remained divided on whether her situation pointed to a systemic issue or reflected her own circumstances. The circumstances she described, along with whether she ultimately returned to Senegal, could not be independently verified.