Mom's viral TikTok sums up modern middle-class struggle; 'We're all one financial crisis away from disaster'

Mackenzie Moan and her husband live in a dual-income household. They work four jobs between the two of them: two full-time jobs and two side hustles, each. 

And they live paycheck to paycheck.

"I feel like my husband and I are doing everything right. We both have good jobs. I'm a registered nurse who works full-time. He works full time," the Pennsylvania mom of two said tearfully in a video she posted to TikTok.

"We just got paid this past Friday, right? We paid the mortgage, bought some groceries, put some gas in the car. Guys, it is Tuesday, and we have like $200 or $300 to last us until next Friday."

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In the video captioned, "normal people are struggling. something has to change," Moan detailed how her husband, Steve, works overtime every week while she works full time and is also a full-time student. She said they live in a small three-bedroom, one-bathroom ranch, and don't live beyond their means.

"I don't know what to do," she said in the video. "I'm so stressed out."

When she initially posted the video, Moan was just hoping to work through her own frustrations.

"I thought maybe my 30-some followers on TikTok might resonate," said Moan.

But to Moan's surprise, she was not alone.

Moan's video amassed 1.5 million views and counting in the days since she posted to the social media app.

Her struggle is one shared by thousands, if not millions, of families across the country. For Moan, this is indicative of the United States' current economy; one plagued by rising inflation paired with a shrinking middle-class. 

The result: Americans, like Moan, struggling to make ends meet.

"Middle-class America is feeling the financial pressure right now," said Moan. 

In addition to their full-time jobs, Moan and her husband also clean office buildings once a week together. Her husband also works as a personal trainer.

But for the couple and their two kids, Moan's not sure what the holidays will look like this year.

Moan says her TikTok's overwhelming response did not give her hope, but it did offer her support: a comfort in knowing she was not alone.

For Moan, managing finances right now is a "balancing act," one that she takes "one day at a time."

"If our furnace were to go out right now, we'd have no way to fix it. If our car died right now, we'd have no way to fix it," said Moan. "My family, and millions of other families, are one financial crisis away from disaster."