Let's talk being 'Car Poor'.

Overpriced and overrated? 🚗 || Try Rocket Money for free: https://RocketMoney.com/cara ✏️ Check out my new newsletter, The Pop Finance Report: https://thepopfinancereport.substack.... !! Making money make sense—through media and pop culture. 🎥 More about this video: Let’s talk about being car poor. 🚗 In this video, we’re breaking down why so many people are stuck with car payments they can’t really afford—and how car culture, clever marketing, and social pressure trick us into overspending. From sky-high interest rates to flashy features we don’t need, here’s why your car might be keeping you broke (and what to do instead). Want more videos on money, media, society, and intentional living? Be sure to subscribe for more video essays! 🔍 Resources mentioned: Average car payments: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/lo.... Washington Post on car loans: https://www.washingtonpost.com/busine... New Car Prices: https://money.com/new-car-price-almos... Car price hikes: https://www.newsweek.com/americans-ca... Smithsonian history of cars and urban design: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova... Vox on paradox of cars: https://www.vox.com/23753949/cars-cos... 💌 Want to support the channel? Here are a few ways!: One-time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cara.nicole Join my Patreon: patreon.com/caranicole My Etsy (budget spreadsheets!): https://www.etsy.com/shop/FinancialFr... Subscribe to my newsletter: https://thepopfinancereport.substack.... 🎥 Check out some of my other videos! 🎥 'Let's talk being 'House Poor''.:    • Let's talk being 'House Poor'.   'Fake Rich Flexing': Cybertrucks Edition!    • Fake Rich Flexing: CYBERTRUCKS   Let’s talk the Golden Handcuffs Trap:    • Let's talk the 'Golden Handcuffs' Trap.   Time Stamps: 00:00 the car commercial trope 02:35 what is car poor?? 06:31 why are we falling for it? 09:37 financing a car = OOF 10:59 car price hikes & insane marketing 13:17 they've made us NEED cars 15:22 a smarter way to buy cars? Keywords for some sweet, sweet metadata: Personal finance, money management, deinfluence, deinfluencing, budgeting, budget, credit card, debt, culture, hauls, video essay, video analysis, social media, tiktok, instagram, Pinterest, materialism, overconsumption, consumerism, climate change, shopping, spending money, viral, influencers, cara nicole, money mistakes, investing, investments, retirement, savings, car ownership, car poor, renting, buying a car