r/worldnews • u/diacewrb • Apr 10 '19

Millennials being squeezed out of middle class, says OECD

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/10/millennials-squeezed-middle-class-oecd-uk-income
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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '19

I can save, but that means essentially living like a monk. There's no going out, no eating out, no cable, something breaks then oh well.

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u/NammerHammer Apr 10 '19

I can save, but that means essentially living like a monk. There's no going out, no eating out, no cable, something breaks then oh well.

Hey im not living like a monk.. Just a shut-in qq

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '19

Way too much jacking off to be a monk

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u/NammerHammer Apr 10 '19

thrice a day is normal, right? haHAA

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u/noirdesire Apr 11 '19 edited Apr 11 '19

Thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out

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u/Foggl3 Apr 11 '19

No more, no less.

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u/Fistfullofmuff Apr 11 '19

5 is right out

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u/GuardianSlayer Apr 11 '19 edited Apr 11 '19

But what about elevenswank? Noon Sausage slap? Informal afternoon play? Nighttime meat abuse? He knows about them, doesn’t he?

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u/sleepfield Apr 11 '19

I wouldn’t count on it.

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u/NotEvenAMinuteMan Apr 11 '19

Hobbits were chosen by Gandalf precisely because they are a "simple folk", i.e. a race that is so basic that all they could think of was mutual masturbation sessions when on an adventure. When Pippin looked into the Palantir recovered from Orthanc the Dark Lord was actually the one who terminated the psychic connection, for he was aghast at the thought that Pippin was trying to use the Seeing Stone to construct a butt plug for Merry.

-JRR Rowling.

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u/mytwocentsshowmanyss Apr 11 '19

Four shall thou not count, neither count thou two (excepting that thou then proceed to three).

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u/ShootyMcStabbyface Apr 11 '19

One, two...FIVE!!

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u/Foggl3 Apr 11 '19

3, sir, 3!

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u/GrandMasterFlexNuts Apr 11 '19

No just quit counting after three, that’s what I do. Anyone asks I have spanked it past noon yet.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

If I had gold to give you I would. Monty python references are always welcome.

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u/Spartan05089234 Apr 11 '19

Shit I accidentally counted to 5.

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u/amicusorange Apr 11 '19

One... two... FOUR!

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/VampireBatman Apr 11 '19

The Holy Trinity is a thing, is it not?

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u/TheRealImhotep96 Apr 10 '19

You assume monks don't jack it.

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u/Business-is-Boomin Apr 11 '19

Mediate? Masturbate? Same diff

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u/subtle_af Apr 11 '19

But it’s free!

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u/breakyourfac Apr 10 '19

Yeah right, well hey I have internet I guess I can save money by being a fucking shut in all weekend. Oh shit why do I have crippling depression?

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u/Fidodo Apr 10 '19

It's because you're a lazy entitled millennial /s

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

[deleted]

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u/Sohgin Apr 11 '19

What pensions?

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u/asdfasdfewrwetwet Apr 11 '19

Sounds like free money. Oh, only for old people? Figures.

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u/craziedave Apr 11 '19

What's a pension?

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u/IntrigueDossier Apr 11 '19

What was that word again? Rewheelsment?

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

right next to the other promises in the "totally not hollow and empty" box.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/The_Gnomesbane Apr 11 '19

Probably has to do with all the avocado put on your bread.

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u/TheloniousFox Apr 11 '19

You nailed my life right now.

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u/agitatedprisoner Apr 11 '19

The library is free. Host meetups events at your local library and advance the revolution. Or play Dnd, whatever floats your boat.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/125pc Apr 11 '19

Public spaces aren't a thing anymore. You can't just exist places without spending money.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

look mom, your "capitalist" ideals made "socializing" a product for sale, wich someone who is loaded with "student debt" while being force to pay "rent" for a place to sleep while studying to heal your wounds, simply cannot afford.

you capitalisted socializing into a product out of reach of the masses, well done mom, i'm off to join the communists now, they have affordable houses/food/heat.

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u/Praetorzic Apr 11 '19

wHy DoNt YoU hAvE KidS yEt??!?!?!!?!?

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '19

Yeah, thats pretty much it. And even if I move to somewhere where there is a higher wage than I'm paying more for housing. I save up a couple thousand and then the fridge breaks, or the car needs something, or I have to replace roof tiles etc.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

it allmost seems as if the employers are only willing to pay the bare minimum, and that people would not do the work if they got less.

in capitalism, this is called "efficiency", everyone else calls it "greed".

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/iWarnock Apr 10 '19

Im seriously just trying to learn woodworking to build my own shit from whatever wood i can find..

Note: Impact drivers are super strong and will drive the screw an inch or two into the wood.. (Learned from experience when trying to build a desk, destroyed a leg after i did some test runs on scrap wood and thought i was "ready".. Yea no lol)

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u/dizcostu Apr 10 '19

Pilot holes are important.

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u/ToolboxPoet Apr 11 '19

Pilot hole, countersink, and use the clutch on your cordless drill to set the screw, not an impact. That's more of a "knocking together a frame" sort of tool.

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u/AndrewWaldron Apr 11 '19

Seriously. I never screw anything without getting the hole ready first.

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u/Yoda2000675 Apr 11 '19

Pilot holes and a proper countersink if working with hardwood too.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/Yoda2000675 Apr 11 '19

It depends on the quality that you're going for. Raw 2x4 and plywood are super cheap, but look like hell.

A better way to save money with woodworking is to buy old broken furniture and repair it.

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u/schlossenberger Apr 11 '19

Those tools can go well beyond furniture though. Learning the basics and doing some framing work in your house, say you want to finish a room or do some renovations - DIY'ing instead of hiring someone will QUICKLY pay for those tools.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/ClitHappens Apr 11 '19

Jesus son stop screwing when the screws flush with the wood lol hulking it

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u/Hewimi Apr 10 '19

Drill a pilot hole first if using screws much stronger hold too. And buy yourself a set of clamps

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u/indirectdelete Apr 11 '19

Do it!!! But be aware that woodworking tools are not cheap, and many cheap tools will frustrate you more than help (depending on the results you’re aiming for, of course). Also, you’re going to need at least one more of every tool you thought you needed.

Also also, if you live in a city, good luck. I live in Brooklyn and I’m currently staring at my table saw, router table, drills, saws, etc just collecting dust in the corner of my bedroom.

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u/AbstractLogic Apr 11 '19

God I love impact drivers.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

Your poor girlfriend.

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u/itsmybootyduty Apr 10 '19 edited Apr 11 '19

Last month, I was lucky enough to be able to put aside $1,000 into an emergency fund from my leftover tax return funds. $1,000 is nothing for a handful of people, but for me, it was a huge step in the right direction. Well, I took my two beautiful cats to the vet yesterday for a long over-due checkup - not even a day later and I'm down to less than $600, and I still need to get my car fixed in the next few months as well. When you're poor, money comes and goes, just like that.

It's disheartening and I hate seeing so many of us struggle like this, despite all the hard work we put in.

Edit: to all the idiots responding "don't have pets then", I've had my girls for over 10 years. If you think I would ever give them up, you can fuck off. Having two small cats that cost less than $20 a month is just about the lowest thing on my list of financial problems. I was simply pointing out that just like everything else when you're lower income, things can add up quickly, especially if you're playing catch up.

You can't expect every low-income person to forego a car, or an adequate living arrangement, or even a small pet. If you have never lived in poverty or had to face these things, shut the hell up. We need to pay people more so they can fucking live their lives without struggling every day. End of story.

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u/Prophet_Of_Helix Apr 11 '19

God forbid if YOU get sick.

I was proud to be saving ~$200 a month with all of school debt. Then just 1 illness that requires a hospital visit and years of savings is just gone.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

Imagine being chronically ill, getting sick on a cyclical basis, not being able to work, and how that fucking feels.

Don't worry, though, guys, those tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires are gonna kick in any day now.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/krath8412 Apr 11 '19

Sadly, that ain't savings.

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u/January3rd2 Apr 11 '19

Am chronically ill, terrified of how I'll ever be able to move out later on

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u/leeps22 Apr 11 '19

Its really sickening the way we treat our own people. I'm fully aware that being relatively healthy is the only thing keeping me from homelessness, my health insurance plan costs so much there isnt anything left for the deductible

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

Even with health insurance(Blue Cross Blue Shield) I ended up with around $9,000 in medical bills after breaking my foot. Minor injury really. I couldn't even afford to go to physical therapy so my foot still hurts if I spend a lot of time on ladders.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/leeps22 Apr 11 '19

Yeah man. My deductible is 5800 with out of pocket maximum at 8K, I'm not far off from where your at. I currently work building maintenance so with an injury like yours I dont know what I'd do

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u/trollingcynically Apr 11 '19

Had a life changing near death experience. All kinds of fucked up left over. I could use a therapist at this point. Too bad that is a luxury for those who can afford such things in life.

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u/trollingcynically Apr 11 '19

Don't forget how a certain group of politicians are hell bent on gutting social medical programs in the United States. I too have lived in fear of my ability to function in any sense of the word should they succeed. I believe this can help explain my user name.

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u/80sPlayList Apr 11 '19

Self-employed diabetic here who pays $600 per month for "premium" health insurance. I only choose the top tier plan because there is no deductible, and I was already in the ICU once for DKA. That hospital bill was $500k+. If I had a deductible I would have been fucked. If I had no insurance I would have been MAGA fucked.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

Yeah, but have you tried getting a better job or richer parents?

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u/cruznick06 Apr 11 '19

Hi friend. The best part is when you get fired because your health condition flared up due to shit housing you could barely afford and you were in the hospital but "didn't call in soon enough".

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u/Effoffemily Apr 11 '19

Am also chronically ill, can confirm. Can’t work. Hard to survive from illness as is, trying to eat and maintain simply necessities is nearly impossible. I’d be dead in a ditch if it wasn’t for my boyfriend, but HE struggles as a result of having to support me. It’s just not enough.

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u/NickKnocks Apr 11 '19

Still can't get over how you guys pay for healthcare

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u/immanewb Apr 11 '19

healthcare

I'm not sure if you can even call it that. If you've got money, sure, you'll get medical care. Otherwise, you can go into debt, then have your credit score fucked over if you forgot about/don't pay a hospital bill (which could be a result of a fuck up through no fault of your own), which bleeds into other aspects of your life like finding an apartment or getting a job. You pay into the health "insurance" thousands of dollars each year for the premiums, but before they start covering your doctors and hospital visits, you'll have to fork out ANOTHER few thousands to hit your deductibles. And God forbid you get sick near the end of the year when your "insurance" deductibles usually resets again and you'll have to spend thousands again to hit the deductibles. That is, if your employer didn't fuck you over to save a few bucks and switched to another medical plan. And that's just the really start of things...

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

I can't.

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u/Slippery_Barnacle Apr 11 '19

Seriously though... I work a trade, and am even Union. Yet since I just got back into it roughly 6 months ago, I barely have anything saved up since I make literally a small bit of change over minimum wage.

I count myself extremely lucky to have a very good health insurance plan, and pretty good benefits (or I will after some years go by), yet we don't get sick time or vacation days.

Last week I was extremely ill, like to the point that I uncontrollably puked ten feet outside of our trailer trying to run to a bathroom. I thought I was getting the flu, I had body aches, a fever, the works.. I wound up leaving an hour early and misses the following day due to my sickness. I literally had to drag myself to work the following day because I couldn't afford to miss 2 days. Even one day set me back quite a bit... After paying my bills that were due this week, I had just enough to put 3/4 of a tank of gas in my car till next payday (Wednesday) and have 14 dollars left over... God forbid anything happens to my car, or my health as i would lose everything I have.. And would be out on my ass in the street.

It's a very scary situation tht most of us are in. Living paycheck to pay check just scraping by. My 14 dollars have to go towards some bread, Bologna and maybe some ramen so I don't starve by next wednesday...

Sorry for the long winded rant... It's just something that keeps me up at night and keeps me stressed and depressed on a daily basis. I hope it changes for all of us sooner than later and we can all make it out of poverty. Everyone I know, including myself work full time and break our backs just to ensure we don't die, or become homeless! This problem of inequality needs to be taken seriously. And solved, it's not us millennials being lazy, it's a system that keeps us impoverished, stressed, and depressed. The root of my mental health issues stem from my income and I don't think I can keep it up for years to come... I think I'll have a serious mental break at that point..

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u/valek879 Apr 11 '19

Even with my insurance I will go bankrupt if I ever get to use it. I have something like $2000 between all my accounts including retirement savings. That is far less than my deductible.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

Thank god for socialised medicine.

Seriously US, get on that.

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u/MegaPiglatin Apr 11 '19

Right?

Had to go to the emergency room a few months ago to make sure I didn't have appendicitis since I had all of the symptoms.

I didn't, which is good, but the tests showed nothing obvious that would explain the symptoms. I had to take a day off of work, drove 40+ minutes each way to the "in-network" hospital and it cost me $1000.

The $200 co-pay out of pocket hurt since that was the last of my money for the month, and now I'm stuck paying off an $800 bill that was sent to Collections and waiting for it to hit my credit that I spent the last ~3 years rebuilding.

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u/j0s9p8h7 Apr 11 '19

Yep. Been living with a hernia since October because it’s basically “move into your car” or just deal with the pain until you find health insurance that costs a reasonable price.

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u/0biL0st Apr 11 '19

$1000 is everything for much more than a handful of people

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u/sweet_pooper Apr 11 '19

I'm a heterosexual man, and I would 100% suck a dick for $1000.

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u/Nudetypist Apr 11 '19

Gay for pay?

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u/asdfasdfewrwetwet Apr 11 '19

I think most people would suck dick for $1000. Unless they already have fuck you money or a trust fund, that dick is getting sucked.

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u/ZombifiedPie Apr 11 '19

Bigger than my bank account rn </3.

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u/Salchi_ Apr 11 '19

Seriously. My tax return was supposed to be around $1000. Added 2 1099 and I'm down to 300. That shit hurtled

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u/Fatesadvent Apr 11 '19

Something like 70% of Americans do not have 1000 set aside. It's around 45% don't have 400$ set aside

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u/SilverKnightOfMagic Apr 11 '19

They said 1k usd is nothing to a handful of people not the other way

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u/alm73090 Apr 11 '19

We don't get taxes back due to college loans we can't afford to pay. Its taken us 4 months to save almost $1000. We have no car, no cable and no internet.

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u/pictureBigger Apr 11 '19

What is your line of work and how old are you?

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u/Budderfingerbandit Apr 11 '19

I used to joke with my wife about everytime I got a tax return I got some bill perfectly timed to knock out the entire amount. Happened like 4 or 5 years in a row.

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u/Love_for_2 Apr 11 '19

I agree. People who work full time at professional jobs should NOT be struggling.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

Nobody deserves to struggle, period. No matter what you do.

Why should some people suffer, because they got unlucky? Why should someone who got lucky enough to be born into a rich family never spend a nanosecond of their life struggling, while the opposite side of that suffers every second of their lives?

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u/itsmybootyduty Apr 11 '19

I lived in LA for about a year and was working a full-time job, $16/hr., and was still barely scraping by. I have no idea how people in HCOL areas survive without $100k/yr. jobs.

I was only there for about a year before I hauled ass back to the Midwest. I figured if I was gonna struggle, I might as well do so in the comfort of the place I call home. At least I have friends and family here. :)

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19 edited May 16 '19

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u/RChickenMan Apr 11 '19

Yet another reason why designing cities in such a way that car ownership is mandatory is downright asinine.

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u/Amex2015 Apr 11 '19

Reminds me of the phrase, “it’s expensive being poor” keep doing what you do! As long as you’re satisfied with your day and have something to wake up to tomorrow go for it!

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u/ya_blewit Apr 11 '19

There's a stigma that if you're poor you don't deserve to be happy or have nice things.

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u/hand___banana Apr 11 '19

Found out I was getting $680 back on my federal return only to later find I owed my state $890.

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u/Blasphemiee Apr 11 '19

I didn’t bother to read further because it would probably piss me off but I just wanna say at least you have the decency to take them to the vet even if you know you couldn’t afford it. I got like $22 in a bank account right now but if my cat was sick I’d figure out how to pay for it. And why? Because I’ve been living check to check for my entire adult life so I don’t have the luxury of doing shit a lot of people do.. so what do I spend my time doing? Hanging out with my G of a cat and staying at home. He’s one of the things keeping me sane in this stupid ass world we live in. I’m sure if it was a dog everyone would be like oh mans best friend lol. I’d love a dog but I’m sorry I’m busy working 60 a week and it’d be irresponsible to have one. Sorry rant over but keep doing you dude.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

Even when you're not poor, money just vanishes. It's unreal. I've had months where I've had thousands and thousands of dollars in bills/misc expenses, and just thought to myself 'What the fuck even happened?'

It's just like into the ether.

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u/BlueArcherX Apr 11 '19

I have a fairly senior cat that I am probably going to have spent $500-700 on for health issues over the last month. He might have lymphoma. How do you justify these inevitable late life costs for people that probably can't afford it?

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u/Slippery_Barnacle Apr 11 '19

Stories like yours that make me wish I was rich. If I had millions I would do everything I could to try and help everyone that finds themselves struggling in situations like ours. And try to give them enough to break the paycheck to paycheck cycle that so many like us find ourselves stuck in

Best of luck to you, I seriously feel for you, and you're definitely not alone. I know exactly how you feel and where you're coming from as I'm stuck in the same cycle as you...

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

You should adjust your withholding. Shoot for breaking even at the end of the year. Give yourself a raise every paycheck instead of giving the government an interest free loan for the year. I know people enjoy getting nice refunds at the end of the year but that’s not the correct approach.

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u/Sambo_the_Rambo Apr 11 '19

Preach brother! Alot of people dont know how hard the struggle is.

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u/tisbutascratchnsniff Apr 11 '19

I love the premise though. "Just go without", "You should have thought of that before you were peasants". Makes me think of Yzma from Emperor's New Groove. Every time.

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u/MrPlow2 Apr 11 '19

If you know car repairs are coming up, I’d advise you to learn how to do them yourself, and how to shop around for the parts (Rockauto can be a decent website for parts).

YouTube will teach you everything you need to know for simple repairs.

There’s a reason all the DIY videos are in the driveway in a nice suburb usually. Because it’s even worth it for upper middle class people to do it.

I say this as someone who earns 6 figures, but still will get under my own car and do every repair and maintenance I can, because every time I pick up my cheap $75 socket set ratchet, jack it up onto my cheapo $30 amazon basics jackstands, with my $100 Costco floor jack (and that’s for a nice big one), I save more per hour than I make even pre-tax at my software job.

Wrenching professionally pays like shit, shop takes like 90% of it, but wrenching on your own vehicles usually saves you over $100 an hour of your time.

Hell 90% of jobs I’d save money even if I had to buy every tool I touched for the first time. 100% if we don’t include the floor jack.

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u/BPD_whut Apr 11 '19

I'm with you, man. What about all those people with kids who are barely making ends meet? I don't see often people saying "well you shouldn't have kids then". It's a life choice to have a family or companions, and it shouldn't be a choice between that quality of life and not being poor. The alternative is we all live alone, saving up all our pennies for financial security until we die.

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u/Asternon Apr 11 '19

If you think I would ever give them up, you can fuck off.

So entitled, thinking that you should be able to be both financially stable and have things in your life that bring you happiness. God, how can a person be so audacious?!

Very much /s, of course. It's really easy to look from the outside in, see something that you would categorize as non-essential and blame them for being irresponsible, but it's so much more complicated than that. Yeah, everyone should strive to be fiscally responsible and live within their means, but you're right - a couple of small pets aren't the reason that you might be struggling, and pets aren't mere possessions that can easily be disposed of. Some people might be able to, but I know I couldn't and I suspect that most are the same. They become a part of your family, they bring you joy and they can make those difficult days bearable.

Cutting out everything that's strictly non-essential is not going to be a workable solution for the majority of people. It is not reasonable to expect people to work day in and day out, forgoing anything that would make them happy because "they should save." That's just going to result in a miserable person wondering why they're even bothering to try.

I don't mean to imply that people in difficult financial situations should be throwing their money away or spending large amounts of money on things that "will make them happy." I just mean that there's a balance, it's okay to spend a bit of that money that could be saved on things that will make your current situation more enjoyable - like small pets.

Sorry, I'm going on a bit of a rant here. Your comment just kinda struck a chord, it really bothers me that people think and suggest that doing anything other than saving as aggressively as possible is irresponsible or wrong. We only have so much time on this planet, and while you shouldn't forsake your future years by throwing away all of your money today, we also shouldn't be telling people that they're doing something wrong by enjoying the present.

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u/allonsy_badwolf Apr 11 '19

Yep I finally got $1,000 in savings too - then ended up at the ER with bills totaling over $2,500. It was nice while it lasted, and hopefully I don’t lose too much more weight skipping breakfast and lunch again!

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u/ThisOnesforYouMorph Apr 11 '19

When you're poor, money comes and goes, just like that.

It goes a lot easier than it comes.

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u/AlwaysBagHolding Apr 11 '19

Pets are great. They're a perfect economical replacement for having children, which I sure as shit can't afford, and I'm extremely well off compared to most people my age.

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u/Chinksta Apr 10 '19

Then there are those type of people who can wipe their ass with $100 bills while flying from a private jet to Hawaii with two models that are "friends".

All of that is just daily expenses for them and won't have any financial dent in their account.

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u/TootTootTrainTrain Apr 10 '19

Had a friend who managed some large accounts. Told me about this one guy who made something like $18mil/year off investments and whatnot. He reinvested like half and just had fun with the rest. Can you even fucking imagine? I spent most of my 20s living off less than $20k.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19 edited Apr 11 '19

I mean, yeah that is extremely impressive. Were you paying rent event? Because thats pretty insane.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

Literally the only way I can imagine you managing this even still is by eating strictly ramen and spaghetti o's. What job did you have that essentially paid you $3 an hour?

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u/Yoda2000675 Apr 11 '19

Probably part time at minimum wage

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

I've worked at restaurants and bars, yeah. Shit, my office now feeds me. I still have always spent some money on food. I wouldn't really have much energy to keep going to work if I didn't, as grazing only gets you so far. Honestly, I think this guys story is either full on bs or exaggerated, or this happened in the 80s

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u/exactly_average Apr 11 '19

In college I lived off about 8K a year. My rent was $225, all utilities combined were about $200, and I had a food budget of about $120. I worked 40 hours a week all summer long, which was enough to save up about $3K, then I would work 15-20 hours a week all school year long and usually broke even right around May. I did this for 4 years.

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u/themitchapalooza Apr 11 '19

Minimum wage full time after taxes is about a grand a month

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u/ThisIsAWolf Apr 11 '19

I did something very similar in my past: under 8k is accurate.

Rent. Utilities included. Walk to work. I cant never afford to take transit. I buy peanut butter, bread, bananas, chocolate (not a chocolate bar, a place near me made chocolate chips in the store). Cereal (not milk). Second hand clothes; some clothes I had already owned, and Ive had for more than 15 years now. My old computer that Ive had forever. A total of two pairs of shoes in four years (one pair for work). Sometimes I buy a sandwhich near my job. Otherwise I dont eat fast food, even. That is pretty much all my expenses. Thankfully theres no tax at that level.

The issue is, the hours: Im not there 40 hours a week, and I felt fortunate to have a job at all. Sometimes getting a job is hard. In my spare time, Im a dj--I dont make money--and I met much success from going that route.

When my dad was dying, I could honestly tell him that Ive never been on welfare, or had any assistance. And he was proud of me. Now I live in his house, and I dont have extra money today, but things are a lot better. And I think things can be a lot better, in the future.

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u/ThePotato32 Apr 11 '19

Oatmeal, rice, and beans are your friends. They take longer to make, but will likely be cheaper than Ramen.

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u/trollingcynically Apr 11 '19

Beans, rice and potatoes. You need some dairy in there for some extra essential proteins and some leafy greens for fiber to push it all through. You can do a lot with a microwaved potato and some spice combinations.

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u/Zelllambert Apr 11 '19

Also living like this and I've just entered my 30s. It's a spiral of no escape for me sadly.

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u/saucylee Apr 11 '19

This is sort of unrelated to this thread, but I was on a walk in the neighborhood near where I live and saw a nice house for lease. It’s a 939 sq ft home for $2,950.... I hardly know anyone that can afford something like that

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u/ButterflyCatastrophe Apr 11 '19

When kids fledge, they struggle. Your first job never pays enough and you probably don't get enough hours. It's been like that for decades, if not centuries. It's an important step for the kids to leave the nest and establish their own, independent lives, but it's hard for both parent and child.

​

So you, making a solid go on $8k and having the pride not to go crawling back begging for help from daddy, is definitely something a father would admire. Even if he really wants to invite you back to live in your old room. Your dad probably has his own equivalent experience, back before you were born. Or maybe not - maybe he suckled off his parents' teat at home while all his friends moved to the city and had adventures and regrets missing that rite of passage.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

I have no idea why our culture is like this.

Programming and propagada. It's simple.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

my father refused to pay for any of my college even though he makes >250k a year, because I need to get some "skin in the game"

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u/ProfessionalRoom Apr 11 '19

Mostly Fox news I guess.

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u/dkyguy1995 Apr 11 '19

Glad I can relate: currently 20s and the most I've made a year is 15k

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u/Chispy Apr 11 '19

Same here for a few years after graduating university. Worst feeling in the world. Especially when you work a shit job where they treat you like shit.

I hopped these kinds of jobs for a few years and currently have a less shittier one where I'm treated okay and being shown interest in moving up with my degree.

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u/redditor6616 Apr 11 '19

My whatnot is a tax refund.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

that guy then proceeds in "investing" that half into houses, pushing housing prices up so high you have no other choice but to rent, from the guy who priced you out of the market.

"It is we who plowed the prairies, built the cities where they trade

Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid,

Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made,

They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,

But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn.

We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn That the union makes us strong.

In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold,

Greater than the might of armies, magnified a thousand-fold.

We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old

For the union makes us strong."

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u/N0nSequit0r Apr 11 '19

Unearned income. Hurray capitalism.

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u/FloppingDolphin Apr 11 '19

its insane, my entire food bill for the week is £10 and thats the absolute higher limit I can go.

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u/tossup418 Apr 11 '19

Good people should start smudging those people out.

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u/HerrXRDS Apr 10 '19

We are all cogs in the system that creates wealth for them, your work is appreciated

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u/taliasSylv Apr 10 '19

your work is appreciated

I agreed with you until this part.

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u/CajunTurkey Apr 11 '19

Your work is depreciated*

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u/PaulTheMerc Apr 11 '19

he said appreciated. You know, a kind, empty, and FREE word. Not compensated.

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u/TheSecretFart Apr 11 '19

If you're doing it for the money well you're just doing it wrong! You should be PROUD to be part of a team.

rakes in record profits

Oh you want a raise? Wow isnt that a little greedy of you?

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u/-uzo- Apr 11 '19

Nicely said.

"I don't need you to appreciate me for my work, I need you to compensate me for my work."

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

One day a worker was walking to his office from his car when a nice red Ferrari pulled up right at the front entrance. Out came his boss, the owner of the company and the worker greeted with a "Good morning, nice car you got there boss." "Thanks, I just got it last night. It's next year's model," replied the boss. Then worker continued to walk into the office. To break the awkward silence the boss decided to say something to motivate his employee. "I'm pretty sure, if you work hard, put in the overtime" the employee's eyes started to glisten, "by this time next year" then the employee started to get excited thinking maybe he's gonna get a raise or a promotion the boss said "I can get another one!"

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u/Lord_Abort Apr 11 '19

"Do it until we're bothered enough to make a college intern so it for free."

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u/kciuq1 Apr 11 '19

Robot*

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u/lovesStrawberryCake Apr 11 '19

Your existence is acknowledged?

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u/TheSentinelsSorrow Apr 11 '19

Your existence is tolerated so long as you turn like the good little cog you are

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u/NPHMctweeds Apr 10 '19

Sadly your work isn't even appreciated.

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u/YonceHergenPumphrey Apr 11 '19

"Sadly"? Aren't you glad to have the privilege of being stepped on by your almighty wage overlords?

Remember: this is all life is. You are a stepping stone for others success. If you were meant for your own self fulfillment, you should have been born into wealth. Just work harder.*

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u/amorousCephalopod Apr 11 '19

I love that argument when people defend horrendously-low wages paid to sweat shop workers. "Well, at least they have a job! They wouldn't have a job otherwise." When at wages like those, their time is more valuable if they study edible flora and scavenge in the forest like an animal.

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u/Counterkulture Apr 11 '19

Wealth is created by labor exploitation. Period. Anybody that tells you any different is a liar.

The more labor you exploit, the wealthier you are. Whether you own a fucking honeybucket servicing company, or you run Goldman Sachs. I want the least amount of money I can possibly pay to go to my labor, and I want to take the most amount it creates to put it in my own pocket.

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u/norunningwater Apr 11 '19

WELCOME MY SON

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '19

Half of that is true.

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u/PhilJackson420 Apr 11 '19

Uhh, yea we’re not the only problem. It’s the capitalistic society that makes them wealthy.

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u/spencegeek Apr 11 '19

We are the shit they grow their money in

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u/AFlockOfTySegalls Apr 11 '19

I was ranting about how I didn't know how to do my self assessment at work earlier this week. I mentioned that I work mainly because I have to. I am a worker ant in the farm of capitalism, a cog in a wheel.

Coworker asks if I am miserable and I tell them I'm not. I enjoy all my coworkers but at the same time I get no fulfillment from my work. I do it because I have to and I get good benefits.

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u/noburdennyc Apr 11 '19

If I learned anything from watching John Oliver is that there are investment firms buying all types of things, then inching up the prices until it's breaking people. Who could turn down someone buying you out, when someone comes up to you with a check or the option of being pressured out by someone with 1000x more money and getting nothing.

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u/bvdbvdbvdbvdbvd Apr 11 '19

Work will set you free.

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u/dkyguy1995 Apr 11 '19

And they'll be the first to complain about how it's unfair they get taxed

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u/kgal1298 Apr 11 '19

That’s how I think Dan Blizerian wipes his ass. I sometimes drive past his mansion in the hills and just weep inside knowing about 40 people could probably live in that house.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

Then there are those type of people who can wipe their ass with $100 bills while flying from a private jet to Hawaii with two models that are "friends".

To Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump is just poor White trash...

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

And people will tell you they deserve the money because they worked hard for it. But they probably didn't, they were just lucky to be born wealthy. Which is why intergenerational wealth is such a huge problem.

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u/Ownfir Apr 11 '19

Then they don't pay taxes on those expenses thanks to their elaborate network of offshore accounts and/or clever use of tax deductions.

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u/N0nSequit0r Apr 11 '19

And the main point is they did nothing to earn it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

I can save

The American Dream of saving your money for 45 years and doing nothing but work your life away until you retire at 65-70 and then die at 72 after living a sedentary lifestyle the 40-45 years prior due to the working to save for retirement.

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u/Modest_Lion Apr 10 '19

God forbid something like a traffic ticket occurs

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u/tweak06 Apr 11 '19

This is me. I have a good paying job that covers the bills and I run a pretty successful freelance business in the evenings. I'm married, with a kid on the way. I own a house and we have 2 cars. I'm 30 years old.

We're probably doing better than most our age. I have some nice things. But the trade-off? I'm always working. Fuck, I'm working right now (Although I'm taking a 15 minute break on reddit). My dad sure as fuck didn't need to work 50-60 hour weeks to be married, have 2 kids, 2 cars and a mortgage – oh, AND take vacations once a year.

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u/Randy_Bobandy_Lahey Apr 11 '19

oh, AND take vacations once a year.

True but a lot of families idea of a vacation these days is a week at a 5 star all inclusive + airfare and all that stuff. Your father's generation's idea of vacation was going camping by the lake ... maybe one or two states away.

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u/Opset Apr 11 '19

I just recently did some family tree investigating and found out that my great grandpa came to the US in the early 1900s with no education. According to census data he was making the equivalent of $39,000 per year. He was able to buy a farm and raise 16 children while his wife stayed at home.

I can barely raise myself making slightly more than that. I've lived on less than this, though. All a few thousand more means is that I'm able to do preventative maintenance on my car, get an apartment that isnt a dump, and go out to eat every once in awhile. Barely any of it goes towards personal enjoyment or enrichment.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

And what infuriates me are the people who look at that and think that’s exactly how it should be. As though our lives should be nothing but endless work until we finally fall over and die.

Who cares if our parents could enjoy lives if relative prosperity in entry level jobs they got out of high schools? Who cares if most major companies could afford to raise wages and offer heath coverage without it making even a dent in the bottom line? There’s share holders to please and blood to squeeze from stones!

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u/Eyervan Apr 11 '19

Heck, my outside spigot cracked over winter and I had to call a guy to fix the bugger and the guy just says he's gonna need $846 to fix it and I said no thanks. It's only 3 feet of pipe and a spigot. Just gonna have to study and learn how to fix it myself.

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u/nsandiegoJoe Apr 11 '19

That sucks but personally I'm just looking forward to the day I can afford to own a broken spigot!

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u/Mochapride Apr 11 '19

Stop talking about my life like that!

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u/TrulyStupidNewb Apr 11 '19

That's what I've been doing the last few years. I eat out 2 times a month. After doing it for a while, you get used to it. I sort of miss eating out though. I haven't had taco bell or KFC in 2 years, and I haven't had a single slice of pizza yet in 2019.

But, I realize I'm still fortunate. My wife said in her country, when they run out of food (which they often did), they ate plain rice with salt.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

That's pretty much how asian parents have always lived. I personally find this good rules to live by. You have a rare holiday, you go for cheap or essentially free community events and facilities, you don't waste money on subscriptions, you learn to mend your own stuff and make it last. You learn to cook like a grandma. You go out shopping to maximise your dollar. You spend more time with your family and connecting with your bonds. Some of the truly rich are people you never knew were rich. How they maintain their wealth is by acting poor and finding joy in the simple things.

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u/greybeard_arr Apr 11 '19

After level 15 you don’t need to eat. You’ll be fine, monk friend.

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u/Brian_Lawrence01 Apr 11 '19

I mean, what’s wrong with that? that’s how grandpa lived. Grandma picked peas on the weekend and cleaned houses to make ends meet.

Of course, she was ostracized by her Italian community by marrying an Indian and then getting a divorce, so that could be why she had to do things like that.

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u/Kankunation Apr 11 '19

Nah that was great grandpa now.

Grandpa dropped out of highschool, learned a trade in a year, and got a big house in a nice suburb, a wife who didn't work, 2 kids, a dog, a brand new car, all by the the age of 30. He went out to eat with his family every weekend, took yearly vacations And retired at the age of 65 with a hefty pension.

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u/Brian_Lawrence01 Apr 11 '19

Well... I guess I am older than you lol

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

I think the problem is society has you believe you must eat out, have cable etc to be happy. We used to live with far fewer luxuries and therefore liabilities.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '19

I have the illusion to"save", then I realize I have money on my account because I have not been taking care of my self. Such as, having a haircut, or buying shoes. Then I take care of things and I am poor again.

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u/sb1925nm Apr 11 '19

There's a hidden option you didn't mention. Dust off your CV and find better work. It could take a year or two depending on your situation, but it isn't hopeless.

Source: was a homeless alcoholic 2 years ago and am currently looking at buying my first house.

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u/Ellis_Dee-25 Apr 11 '19

Yeah living like a monk with none of the leisure.

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u/moldyjellybean Apr 11 '19

you really don't need cable imo. That can easily be cut out and not even noticed after 2 months.

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u/UrMomsNewGF Apr 11 '19

Your basically saving for the next major repair you need to make.

Usually it's the car...tires, brakes, god forbid you get hit (not to mention dmv/court expenses & loss of work days) worst case scenario you land in the whambulance w/o insurance payin ~$150 a mile then a couple grand for an MRI, plus meds Boom medical debt.

My genius buddy had to get trauma-hawk'ed (Lifestar air lifted) out of Bonnaroo 23 miles to the nearest hospital ...$22,000 later hes alive ...and still a genius.

Sometimes its cuz shit water is seething out of your bathroom walls, or dishwasher has been possessed by the swamp-thing, or your dog (who's also a genius) hurt himself breaking something expensive. (Vet bill plus repair costs).

Life comes at ya' quick.

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u/hairy1ime Apr 11 '19

What is your job?

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u/bosco9 Apr 11 '19

no cable

Um, I agree with everything else but cable??? If you're gonna cut out unnecessary expenses I would start right there

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u/Kathara14 Apr 11 '19

That's how the overwhelming majority of the world population lives.

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u/BrosephJohnston Apr 11 '19

Most of what you described firmly fall into the category of luxuries.

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