• stinky613@lemmy.sdf.org
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    11 months ago

    Speaking anecdotally, I’ve always heard “living paycheck-to-paycheck” to mean having insufficient savings to cover a missed paycheck

    I.e. if you don’t get an expected paycheck then you cannot pay your monthly debts/utilities/rent and still have enough money to feed.yourself and your dependents

    • meco03211@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Which is why I’m worried it’s not adequately defined. I’m definitely not paycheck to paycheck. But they could word the questions in such a way that I’d be included.

      • stinky613@lemmy.sdf.org
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        11 months ago

        Oh, absolutely. If you click through to the Quicken press release they have a small section defining their methodology but don’t list the specific questions

        I wish more people appreciated the lengths that Pew et al. go through to both minimize and recognize sources of bias, confusion, etc

        • vxx@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          “We asked a group of gambling addicts if they run out of money regularily” /s

    • DogMuffins@discuss.tchncs.de
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      11 months ago

      I think that’s the point though. It’s subjective.

      Many people think the phrase applies to them because paycheck to paycheck is their budget cycle. They’re not living hand to mouth.