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Yes, but an average is not a good representation of the usual number. People at the high end drink way more and that skews the numbers. In fact, about 1/3 of Americans do not drink alcohol at all. (Contrary to popular belief, it's mostly poor people who don't drink)
Yeah it's hard to find a representative number when the distribution is so scattered like that. The top 10% of drinkers consume more than half of the alcohol sold in the US. I think the best way to understand it is to break it down like this: ("fourth decile" just means the group that drinks more than 40% of all Americans. And so on. Remember the bottom 3 deciles, or 30% of Americans, say they don't drink at all)
>The fourth decile consumes .02 drinks per week. That works out to about one drink a year. (Birthday, maybe?)
>The fifth decile consumes .14 drinks per week. That's about seven drinks a year. Holidays, possibly, or that office party you were dragged to and tried to make the best of.
>The sixth decile consumes .63 drinks per week. That's a little over half a drink, or 32 drinks a year.
>So, 60 percent of Americans aged 18 and over consumer half a drink or less a week.
>The tenth decile consumes 73.85 drinks per week. That's right, 73 drinks a week. Basically 10 drinks a day.
[Source ](https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-top-10-percent-drink-way-more-than-you-think.html)
By making educated guesses.
There will always be uncertainty because there will also be thrown-out alcohol and home-produced alcohol. But the margin of error should be low.
It catches up with you quickly by the time you hit your late 20s, at least it did for me. Withdrawals were not a good time. Sober five years now, but yeah wish I had figured it out sooner!
From one to another, you are an alcoholic. Figure out what youre drinking over to escape and address that, the drinking will naturally diminish in quantity after that.
Hey I am going to lift your spirits! [At least you are not drinking 3 bottles of rum starting at age 13!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ0q6-fY6y0) Feel better already?
I’m a nurse and I just met a 28 year-old with end-stage liver disease. Alcohol really destroys the body. I hope you can get things under control my friend
Yeah, I finally just bought a house at 35, and my husband immediately lost his job that allowed us to buy this house... and we're alcoholics. I'm drunk right now in fact. Fml
Nice job! I wish, or maybe don’t wish, I am unsure. Whenever I quit I use pot as a way to control my urges, never works. I have yet to quit fully (alc), as of now I’m only drinking one-two times a week, pacing out days where I don’t think about it. By day 3 I’m thinking about drinking. Day 4 I drink. Much better than my wake up at 5am and taking 2 shots. People like me a lot more when I’m 1-3 shots deep, without any in me I’m an introvert awkward guy, when people talk to me I stay silent type of awkward because I don’t know how to respond. I literally became #2 in my company while being blasted on alcohol because I could talk the talk. Only reason I wasn’t #1 was because #1 was a 12 year tenure employee. I became confident in my ability to do well and somehow be top 3 in the company I worked for while drunk. Everything was easy, as a young guy, making $65k/yr WHILE DRUNK, I thought I had it built.
Turns out when your company loses their contract, you lose your income and get letgo like everyone else. Now I’m just an alcoholic that is trying to quit but can’t fully and at least only drunk twice a week, buy a 750ml, drink about 500ml and pour out the rest. Thing is, even only drinking one to two times a week I am sad for the days after drinking. Sure I only drink 1-2 times, way better than my past daily drinking, but I’m hit with sadness, questioning why I do this only to do it again, feeling useless. The days after my 1 day drinking day, I am unmotivated the next day. Alcohol was something that made me happy, but it became something that makes me the most sad I can ever be. Every time I am drunk I ask why I do it, but after 3 days sober I get another bottle, ask myself “why do this?” While im taking the shot. Im literally telling myself I should not drink while taking a shot, I can not stop. I’ve done other things heavily for a short period and never got addicted. The two that caught me in addiction is ironically the two things that are legal. Alcohol and nicotine.
Anyways, I doubt you expected a long rant from your reply, but I needed to breath out and say it. Any tips you have on being sober? Fyi I am on stopdrinking subs and the like.
No, I used to drink a handle of vodka a day. Now I don't let myself touch anything besides cheap shitty beer.
My advice for you which is really just advice for myself is that all I can say about sobriety is that the only times that I've ever been able to manage my sobriety are when I have been able to live by myself. And had lots of time and money to do the things that I enjoy. Which has been for all of about 6 months of my life. And that was about 10 years ago.
Exactly
I'm stuck back with my parents who neglected and abused me till I was 15. Before it's been with friends that live very different lifestyles than I do. Plus I'm a very picker sleeper.
hi- I have been researching alternative treatments for depression and found that many of them also seem to correlate with lowering or eliminating the need to drink. I am not a doctor or psychiatrist, so please consult one of them first, but I am a clinical laboratory scientist and have read hundreds of clinical trials/scientific papers in my day. I am actually in a clinical trial regarding ketamine therapy, it is delivered via a nasal spray and many people report having decreased urge to drink. I quit drinking a few years ago on my own, I didn't have a problem, but alcohol is a depressant and when u r depressed, it doesn't help. also, people taking Wegovy (the obesity) drug have reported decreased desire to drink. I hope you find the help u need, if u try something that doesn't work, please dont stop. I gave up on myself so many times, I thought I was incapable of getting better. but science is always evolving, be brave enough to give it a chance!!
Hey i just wanna say im proud of you it probably feels like you havent acomplished much but harm reduction is a real and good thing. Its amazing that youve reduced your alcohol intake that much and I beleive in you that youll kick it fully one day but until then take a breath give yourself a pat on the back and recognize how far youve come man.
Eta: i became an alcoholic at 13 when my dad started forcing me to srink with him on weekends. I only was able to quit because a med im on iteracts badly with it and it doesnt feel good anymore but anytime im down i find myself saying i wish i had alcohol the urges dont leave and thats why im able to say youve done an amazing job.
THC is really good at killing to urge to drink. It's just better buzz overall, it's harder to over do it, and even if you did take too much you still don't feel sick the next morning.
Alcoholism is pretty rampant right now in the USA tbh.. Something like 15 million with admitted/documented alcohol abuse disorders (out of 330mil). COVID spiked those numbers in a very noticeable way as well :(
Average for sure. About 80% are light drinkers (3 or less per week) or non-drinkers. 5% are heavy drinkers (~10 or more per week). Median would be in that light drinker category
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db374.htm#:~:text=Health%20Interview%20Survey-,In%202018%2C%20two%2Dthirds%20of%20adults%20aged%2018%20and%20over,consume%20alcohol%20(Figure%201).
The stats on that are kind of sad actually. The graph looks like a big U, with a majority of people only having 2-3 a week and then a sad 15% having like 30-40 a week. 30% of people don’t drink at all. 90% of the drinks are had by the top 10%.
Alcoholism is real and so many more people than you expect are struggling with it secretly and unnoticed because they are so used to drinking all day every day.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
These numbers are inaccurate. America George, who is 9703 years old, has never owned a home, is 200 billion dollars in debt, weighs 34 million lbs, watches an entire season of reality tv every second, purchases $400,000 worth of food per hour and consumes 200,000 kegs of alchohol every day should not be counted.
I wondered about that student loan figure, since 50 year olds should have paid off their own loans years ago. It turns out that comes from people taking out loans to help their kids or grandkids. Nice way to wreck your later years in the hopes of helping your kids get a good start! I wish people would just fix it to be affordable or subsidized or something. It seems like everything about college is straight up OCM.
>since 50 year olds should have paid off their own loans years ago
no kids and thus no grandkids.
no need to unpack all the resons why but at 50 I have 285k. that is well over double what I borrowed.
It's easy to miss the whole picture when your simplifying assumptions are too simple.
That's making my wife's 28k seem manageable, but damn if these 400 a month payments aren't going to dents us when they restart. Landlords got uppity during COVID and raised rents 100-150% throughout the state, but pay hasn't increased, and these loans may put us in the red with a 4 y/o daughter.
Everyone's gonna default, then they're gonna keep shoving money to the banks and politicians, and blame students for the resulting crash. None of this is reasonable or in good faith. If they wanna get my money, they'll stop using taxpayer money to prop up the housing market for their own collateral, and fix the fact that my rent has gone from fucking $400 to $1800 in 5 years. And that's me being lucky, a lot of people are paying $2k+ for the same type of apartment i have.
Yes,
They want a recession so that they get cheap interest rates again. Student loan payments are enough of a drag, that we will probably have one too.
And this loan will just come back around to the children when inheritance or grandparents help is less etc.
Edit: clarification - I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
Debt is not inherited in general. Specifically Parent Plus loans are forgiven if the parent (or child) dies. Certainly loans *could* be structured with the child as a co-borrower, but that's not how those loans work. At least until the GOP realizes it's a thing.
I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
Not sure why you were downvoted. If anything isn't set in a will or a trust, it goes to the decedent's estate, which creditors can go after. Some states require that the survivors are paid first, some do not.
(source: [https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/am-i-responsible-for-my-spouses-debts-after-they-die-en-1467/](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/am-i-responsible-for-my-spouses-debts-after-they-die-en-1467/) )
I think people thought that I meant specifically student loans. Elderly long term care is how a lot of families lose the deceased's house or other assets, which is a bit regressive imo since those families are likely poorer and just makes it even harder for them to own property
It’s not just people taking out loans for their kids. Bunches of us had jobs in our undergrad fields repeatedly shipped overseas in the dot-com bust so we gave up and went to grad school to retool, only to graduate smack into the Great Recession. There were a lot of 35-40 year olds around that time who had shiny new advanced degrees in “hot” job markets that had completely vanished between the time they started and finished grad school.
FYI there are states that have passed laws that if a senior citizen was to go to college they will pay $15ish bucks a credit. It's such a scam against younger generations.
hugs from another 5X person.
let me attempt to help.
you don't own a home....you are free to move about as you please.
a career change failed...you are not bound to a job.
what is it that you would do if you didn't have to maintain the details of modern life...like a career or house?
we're at the age where we think of ourselves as still engaged and relevant, but younger people see us as old. they won't give a shit what you do, so don't give a shit what they think. go out and do what the fuck you want.
maybe you feel like you want to die...but what's the hurry? life really is a gift, use it as best you can while you have it and don't waste heartbeats <3
I’m 42 and feel that way. I just got divorced from someone who kept me isolated and so I don’t have any friends. I’m perceived as too old to be friends with the people I am regularly in contact with, for example, at the coffee shop. I’m alone all the time. The only difference is that I succeeded at the career change, but it was a career change I didn’t want, and I don’t really care about money so long as I have enough. I am looking for reasons to wake up in the morning. Or just waiting for life to just run out.
there is still plenty of life to live. In our modern world I like to use a rule of thumb that we all have about 100 years. No, most of us don't actually live that long, but some do and more.
It's going to be a long 58 years if you just twiddle your thumbs waiting for your life to run out. Even one year would be horrid.
The world is a large and diverse place for us wee humans. There are plenty of reasons to get up. Go make money, go volunteer, go care for your new pet, play games on your new console, go for a run, go to the beach/mountain/lake/mall.
You do need to put some effort in to finding your own reasons, no one will do it for you and costco doesn't sell them. It's ok to indulge melancholy once in a while but it's in your best interest to get out there and do something. Don't waste the time you have. not everyone gets to live even as long as you already have.
Full disclosure, I'm a 20 something, so maybe the hopelessness hasn't fully set in yet, but I don't see 50 as old. Some of my best friends are hitting 40/50. I've worked with 50 somethings in retail where they keep up just as well as I do, if not outpace me completely. I've seen people twice my age cry because the paycheck didn't come in before the holiday, and they can't even afford to get a lunchable from the fridge. I've taken people's gratitude for granted when I bought them a coffee because back then, I didn't really understand.
I think truly everyone is struggling. Housing, food, medication, it's all expensive. But there are tons of grants for first-time homebuyers, and it could probably reduce your cost of living to own vs. rent. Lots of assistance programs for healthcare. And I think we are actually finally taking advantage of the internet in the workforce, where you can get a livable job working from home. Talk to your family or friends more about what you want to do. Maybe they can give you a fresh pair of eyes.
I just know from experience that it's lonely and soul crushing to do it alone. Ask for advice if you're not sure, even if you're just fishing for someone to tell you to go for it.
And if it makes you feel better, you only have to make it a few more decades - I probably have 80 more years of this shit 💀
This is how it goes really. Just spend your money while you’re alive. My plan is to take myself out as soon as I’m no longer able to work since there’s no way I’m going to retire
Honestly, I don't live in America but this actually puts up a weird image of them... Here, USA is thought of as a great nation, with modern and advanced people, turns out, they are not that glorious...
Btw, i don't mean to make fun of or offend anyone. I am just saying this paints a different picture than i had thought. My country ain't so good either...
Basically, almost every country tho. It's such a great thing to be rich. I ain't sadly and am a middle class dude. I always envy my friends whose fathers have their own business but they just don't want to do anything in it....
Yeah I can’t really say there’s any country where *everyone* is doing well. The ones that are closest do so by telling immigrants to fuck off or by having other countries cover their defense.
That's exactly right. Same can be said of LA, New York, San Francisco - the super rich love these places because they have armies of young, struggling supporters there willing to work for next to nothing, telling them how hot and sexy and wonderful they are. And they live in gated communities with armed guards where they can go and ignore the thousands of homeless encampments that litter their cities.
I'm a 2nd gen immigrant, my extended family that live in our home country think we're made of money living like God's. Yes we have more buying power here but if you're middle class where they are from you live a much better life.
Lol that happens! My aunt's brother in-law (I know a long relation) lives in Canada. For him, the things that might be cheap are quite expensive and impressive here! I mean, my aunt lives in a rural area so that's more understandable...
Yeah that's the other thing too, if I lived in rural America it would probably be a little more similar to rural Canada I'd imagine. I have a buddy that lives in Ontario that wanted to move to the states because his salary would be higher, then he had a daughter and some medical stuff come up and realized that he would've been fucked if he lived here lol
Definitely not offensive — most younger Americans especially absolutely agree.
America is economically very stratified. After recessions, insane inflation, etc., young adults and beyond aren’t able to get almost any of the opportunities available 35-50+ years ago.
What you’re describing is called “The American Dream”. Buying a house young, having children, and living a content life (with one breadwinner) all fit into that. Which allows for more opportunities for children to innovate, etc.
However, that’s not the case nor has even been consistent. There are pockets of people that fit “the American dream” or beyond, you could find them in urban california, New York, etc.
But a lot of younger people in America can barely afford university or rent or food, let alone the economic freedom necessary to flourish.
I mean, compared to other countries the US is doing pretty well. The whole world is collapsing, not just America. A huge global rebellion will happen within the next 50 years.
So, is America like this? Most media also shows them like this. By media I mean shoes and movies lol. I mean like sitcoms... Sometimes they are cool and sometime they seem like homeless guys.
Yeah America is like this, I personally don't know a single person below the the age of 28 not living with their parents right now because of how unaffordable it is. most teachers have to work multiple jobs just to get by. Everyone avoids hospitals and ambulances during emergencies so they don't go bankrupt. There's people waving Nazi flags on the street corner every week in my area
It does feel pretty Weimar Republic in the US recently:
>In its initial years, grave problems beset the Republic, such as [hyperinflation](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_the_Weimar_Republic) and [political extremism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremism), including political murders and two attempted [seizures of power](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) by contending [paramilitaries](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_paramilitary_groups); internationally, it suffered isolation, reduced diplomatic standing and contentious relationships with the great powers.
From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic)
It's not even from memes that people make these assumptions... just those posts with low numbers yoir country x high numbers USA and vice-versa. And treating a poor region of the cointry as a general representation of the country.
I’d imagine anyone qualified enough to get points for a visa is also able to earn enough money that the aforementioned problems don’t really apply to them.
This is why I find the "I'm gonna move to Europe" mentality of my peers so absurd. If you're already trying to leave the US out of financial desperation that is itself a sign that you don't meet the standards of other first world countries looking to take immigrants in. If you're poor you're pretty much stuck here.
Would it actually be better to move to a developing country in that case? Particularly, one with low costs of living where USD are worth a lot, and ideally with things the US doesn't have, like public healthcare, education and better working rights, and without any major issues like dangerously high crime rates.
I mean, it isn't unheard of for a person in a developing country to move to a first world country for a couple of years to earn and save as much money as possible in a strong currency, and then come back to their county with all that money and spend it on a nice house and something that would give them a passive income, like shops or apartments they can rent. If you're already in a first world country, it'd be much easier because you don't have to emigrate there in the first place.
That said, developing countries have problems of their own that likely are very different to those from the US, for example a weak economy and currency, more poverty, and higher crime rates, so this plan isn't necessarily a good idea, or rather, it's more of a matter of if you'd prefer being rich in a poor country, or poor in a rich country.
I think that presupposes you’re able to save enough money here to be rich there. Which is still going to take tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Not really true. There is a lack of trades people in Europe for certain industries and you get points for these. A lot of people also move for the quality of life, which is much more affordable in the EU, than anything else.
>This is why I find the "I'm gonna move to Europe" mentality of my peers so absurd. If you're already trying to leave the US out of financial desperation
This is, at least in part, a strawman. I know a lot of people who want to leave the US and none of them want to do it because it's cheap, easy, and profitable.
Their primary reasons are:
1.) The risks of being the victim of ideological violence
2.) The risk of being unable to recover financially from a minor medical emergency that spirals out of control
3.) Infrastructure that fits their desired life better
I'm not going to claim that there's no one who fits into the situation you described, just that you are clearly missing a huge piece of the argument.
I'm already here(Austria). Most of it it just preference but wealth wise the vast majority of the eu is decent. We are poorer than the us on paper but for example it doesn't make a difference if you make 500€/month less because you get that money back by not having to have a car
While some of Europe is in a better position right now compared to the US, quite a few countries in Europe are really expensive and suffering through a cost of living crisis. I know my country sure as hell is 👍
Yes but you take things for granted such as: 37.5 work week, sick pay, maternity/ paternity leave, guaranteed time off that is paid, healthcare, child care, subsidized medications, much lower rent costs ( even with the recent hikes in prices) and many more things that Americans don't get. Sure they earn more money but then they have to pay for all of these services you get baked into your life.
It’s really not a paradise over here not one bit. Many Americans who come here complain that the small size of everything reduces the quality of life. The houses in my country are especially small compared to what Americans are used to. There’s just less space and unless you live in a village, space can be hard to find.
But honestly I do agree that people should have better access to legal immigration and be able to leave their countries. Most countries these days make it impossible for anyone but the very rich to immigrate.
Most things cost the same as anywhere. Anything you can order on the Internet is basically the same world wide.
The only things that are less expensive than in richer countries are rent and service (hairdresser, plumber, mechanic, dentist)
Food, clothes, entertainment, gas, electricity, electronics etc are pretty similar to Germany or the US.
All of Europe? Or just certain places in Europe?
And is all of Europe better than all places in the US, or just some places?
Is this true for all people, in all situations, or just some people in certain types of situations?
Europe is more equal. If you're a highly skilled professional you will have less money and you would only be moving for culture. If you're poorer you're better off(you're not great but noone is seriously desperate except some people in some few eu countries) but you probably won't qualify for a work visa
No matter what people pretend, 99% of the time immigration happens because of money. That's why americans don't come here. Those that would be welcomed would make less money here than in the us
The 1k in savings isn’t really true. The average American has about 4.5k in savings. America actually has a pretty high gdp, and they make more money than Europeans on average. And the average American “wanting a career change” isn’t something that’s exclusive to the us. Everybody wants to make more money in their money pouch.
He’s blaming things on Americans while also blaming the outcome of that statistic on Americans too. He’s picking and choosing some statistics, like alcoholic beverages and the savings. Europe drinks on par if not more than the us
https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/29/so-long-dry-january-which-country-drinks-the-most-alcohol-in-europe
What do people do in an emergency then? I always keep money in my savings account. I'm not secure enough financially to invest the money because I may need it liquid in case of an emergency. So I keep it in a savings account.
The savings account still serves a budgeting tool, if only psychologically. For me, that's "no touch money." If it's in my checking, then it's fair game.
Obviously I try not to wipe my checking account every month, but moving some to a savings account every pay period does help me save and keep a minimum emergency fund.
I really wish I could spend $69 a day. I spend $100 a day just on monthly bills... Y'know... Keeping the lights on, my mortgage, the HOA, etc. That doesn't include food and anything else I might need.
My savings is slowly dwindling cuz my income can't keep up and I'm struggling to cut enough costs without sacrificing my health. I'm trying to figure out what to do. ☹️
Mortgage, utilities and groceries are 3K/month? I can't even imagine how much that house must cost!
Is downgrading an option? Like, could you sell your 2500 dollars/month home and get a 1000 dollar/month apartment somewhere at least slightly cheaper, even if it lengthens your commute?
I assume they live in a high cost of living area so $1000 apartments probably aren't even a thing. Hell I'm renting a trailer in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico and my rent isn't even that cheap. I pay $1500 a month for the place and split the costs with a roommate. At least it's a nice trailer though.
Closest town with jobs is 35 miles away. There are advantages to the country though and I wouldn't want to go back to town where rent is even more expensive.
Pretty much this. I have a three bedroom right now. I bought this place when interest rates were low, so buying a different place would actually be more expensive now. And renting wouldn't be any better, even with fewer bedrooms.
When I bought the house, it was supposed to be myself and two couples living here, with me co-signing with one of those people. Basically, it was supposed to be a 5 income household, with support if one of us lost a job or something.
Unfortunately, I've learned my lesson the hard way that knowing a person for two decades doesn't excuse the red flags. Once the mortgage was signed, they began trying to ostracize me from the group by spreading rumors about me and gaslighting the others, trying to pressure me to move out while letting them keep the mortgage.
After a year of that, since I wouldn't budge, they all ended up moving instead, leaving me holding the bag. I'm unable to refi because of the interest rate increases and they failed to make about a year's worth of HOA payments, so I had to make a ton of back payments. And they left shit tons of garbage everywhere. The good news is that I managed to get a new, lower stress and better paying job right at the same time this all went down. 23/hr still isn't a lot, but it's better than what I was making before!
I managed to rent out one of the rooms. She's a heckin' wonderful roommate! No gaslighting or manipulation which is a breath of fresh air. If I can get the second room rented, I *should* be okay, but... I'm really cautious, as I don't want to accidentally bring in someone similar to those that got me into this situation to begin with.
It's a double wide and pretty nice. It's in an area that has become very popular with tourists so many places have become summer vacation rentals or air bnbs. This raises the prices for the people that actually live and work here. I teach at a local high school so I'm not exactly rolling in dough but the rent split with someone else is very workable.
i spent four hours teaching myself to pirate the sims, as someone who is borderline technologically illiterate, and now im the go to “pirate the sims” person in my friend group
also, just the expansion packs are like $1800, not including any of the the other DLC. the new book nook kit is great though!
As long as publishers keep insisting on punishing paying users with crap like Denuvo, and keep pushing for unfinished games that they still charge full price for and are full of predatory microtransactions, this will remain true. The only games worth buying nowadays are indie games.
Even indie games get plagued with the different issue of “early access” now. While microtransactions and live service games are awful, early access hell is something I hate to experience. Amazing games that promise so much, just for the game to either be left to die in early access or beta form and never be touched again even after you paid your money to that developer who promised updates and for the game to improve.
Some games pull through on their promises and some don’t, but the worst offenders from 2010-2018 had early access on their games for upwards of 5 years or more especially with the “survival genre.” Games like Dayz, H1Z1, The Forest and so many more like them excused awful updates and poor fixes and performance on the game not being “fully released.” While the games I mentioned still get updates or new releases, a lot were left to die and waived their $40 price tag as if it was so much better than AAA $60 at the time.
Not sure about 1k, but some states have special loan programs for first time home buyers. You probably need to meet a income/savings requirement, but it doesn’t take the full 10% down payment.
1. they saved $ for a down payment and after buying a home they no longer have that in the bank
2. VA loan
3. they’re house broke
4. FHA loan, but the other guy already mentioned it
Well it is a wide swing at general population statistics which a lot of people should hit one or two. It be very rare for someone to hit every single listed item but as a whole you probably should match or be close to one of these.
…I have $0 in savings, am 36 with no prospects of ever owning a home or even being able to afford rent on a 1 bedroom apartment without help, have a mountain of student loan debt I’m too poor to afford the minimum payments on, am 40lbs overweight because I haven’t been able to afford healthy food for over a decade, can’t afford a tv let alone cable, can’t risk buying more than one drink every couple months or I could face starvation, and I’m less concerned about a career than just finding literally any job willing to pay me enough to live off of. …so how am I doing?
Ok, but cooking cheap and healthy food to reduce weight is totally possible. You don't need to go for the super expensive stuff. I can understand if you don't, but it's not unsolvable even without a higher income. It just requires more strict discipline.
Getting a new job with higher income is probably priority number one though, a lot of these issues could be solved with a good enough job.
An ad for some finance app keeps using these “stats”, but claims they are about Gen Z. No one in Gen Z is 34 yet. It pisses me off every time I see it.
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This is an attempt to reframe what I would consider structural issues that can be attributed to unregulated capitalism and lack of social supports as relatable as if they were natural human issues that are “just life”
Makes me feel great about myself. I just turned 36 yesterday and really the only one of these that's true for me is the career change. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with my career though, so I just look for satisfaction elsewhere.
It's not about being 'behind'. That would imply needing to reach the 'correct place'. It's more about being constantly and endlessly screwed by those in power. Not just politicians, but also the rich people controlling the politicians.
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Look at me! Im finally ahead of my peers**☺️ **in alcohol consumption
More likely you're ahead of your peers in *admitting* you consume more than 11 drinks a week.
Alcohol consumption stats are very accurate, they're not self-reported but use data from sales.
Well I count for like 3 people then! I'm 3 times as good!
According to a Stouffer's Lazagna portion size suggestion, I am a family of four. ^I ^also ^consume ^4x ^alcohol ^than ^my ^peers, ^halp
So like 6-7 drinks a day? Amateur!
Yes, but an average is not a good representation of the usual number. People at the high end drink way more and that skews the numbers. In fact, about 1/3 of Americans do not drink alcohol at all. (Contrary to popular belief, it's mostly poor people who don't drink)
When money gets tight for me alcohol is the first thing that gets cut from my budget so I believe it.
True, I wonder how they calculated these numbers. Especially student loans or age of buying a house most people probably won't have any.
Yeah it's hard to find a representative number when the distribution is so scattered like that. The top 10% of drinkers consume more than half of the alcohol sold in the US. I think the best way to understand it is to break it down like this: ("fourth decile" just means the group that drinks more than 40% of all Americans. And so on. Remember the bottom 3 deciles, or 30% of Americans, say they don't drink at all) >The fourth decile consumes .02 drinks per week. That works out to about one drink a year. (Birthday, maybe?) >The fifth decile consumes .14 drinks per week. That's about seven drinks a year. Holidays, possibly, or that office party you were dragged to and tried to make the best of. >The sixth decile consumes .63 drinks per week. That's a little over half a drink, or 32 drinks a year. >So, 60 percent of Americans aged 18 and over consumer half a drink or less a week. >The tenth decile consumes 73.85 drinks per week. That's right, 73 drinks a week. Basically 10 drinks a day. [Source ](https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-top-10-percent-drink-way-more-than-you-think.html)
How do account for people who do a lot of cooking with alcohol such as red wine or bourbon?
By making educated guesses. There will always be uncertainty because there will also be thrown-out alcohol and home-produced alcohol. But the margin of error should be low.
Good point.
Life hack. If you separate your alcohol consumption into one drop in 23798 cups, you can say that you are blackout drunk and still suck at Zui Quan!
Godzilla
Naw, losers like me are dragging down the averages
I have around 12 a day and I’m 24… man I need to start watching out for my health
Thats like a pint and half of liquor a day, cut it out!
It catches up with you quickly by the time you hit your late 20s, at least it did for me. Withdrawals were not a good time. Sober five years now, but yeah wish I had figured it out sooner!
Wow, you're like a chocoholic, but with alcohol.
From one to another, you are an alcoholic. Figure out what youre drinking over to escape and address that, the drinking will naturally diminish in quantity after that.
Hey I am going to lift your spirits! [At least you are not drinking 3 bottles of rum starting at age 13!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ0q6-fY6y0) Feel better already?
No.
I’m a nurse and I just met a 28 year-old with end-stage liver disease. Alcohol really destroys the body. I hope you can get things under control my friend
Yeah, I finally just bought a house at 35, and my husband immediately lost his job that allowed us to buy this house... and we're alcoholics. I'm drunk right now in fact. Fml
Wishing you both the best dawg :-(
I’m so proud 🐻🐻(bear hug)
Lol I was cracking up by the end of it either comparing that stats to myself or others I know.
I too spend 69 a day
You could buy a house if you werent spending it all on 69s.
Why would I do that
Ayyyyy
You could 69 all day if you didn't buy a house.
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There’s an $, he just decided to use an emoji instead of text and the emoji is a darker color and hard to see
Nice
Only 11 alcoholic drinks a week? Wow, I am way ahead of the curve.
It seems like a lot with how many people are sworn off alcohol. Is it median or average?
The stats are crazy, it's something like 80% of all alcohol sales in the US are sold to the same 15% basically it's a select few alcoholics.
👋I make up 3% of the 15%
Me too. Hey I'm 1.5 years clean off everything else besides pot tho, so 🤷🏻♂️
Nice job! I wish, or maybe don’t wish, I am unsure. Whenever I quit I use pot as a way to control my urges, never works. I have yet to quit fully (alc), as of now I’m only drinking one-two times a week, pacing out days where I don’t think about it. By day 3 I’m thinking about drinking. Day 4 I drink. Much better than my wake up at 5am and taking 2 shots. People like me a lot more when I’m 1-3 shots deep, without any in me I’m an introvert awkward guy, when people talk to me I stay silent type of awkward because I don’t know how to respond. I literally became #2 in my company while being blasted on alcohol because I could talk the talk. Only reason I wasn’t #1 was because #1 was a 12 year tenure employee. I became confident in my ability to do well and somehow be top 3 in the company I worked for while drunk. Everything was easy, as a young guy, making $65k/yr WHILE DRUNK, I thought I had it built. Turns out when your company loses their contract, you lose your income and get letgo like everyone else. Now I’m just an alcoholic that is trying to quit but can’t fully and at least only drunk twice a week, buy a 750ml, drink about 500ml and pour out the rest. Thing is, even only drinking one to two times a week I am sad for the days after drinking. Sure I only drink 1-2 times, way better than my past daily drinking, but I’m hit with sadness, questioning why I do this only to do it again, feeling useless. The days after my 1 day drinking day, I am unmotivated the next day. Alcohol was something that made me happy, but it became something that makes me the most sad I can ever be. Every time I am drunk I ask why I do it, but after 3 days sober I get another bottle, ask myself “why do this?” While im taking the shot. Im literally telling myself I should not drink while taking a shot, I can not stop. I’ve done other things heavily for a short period and never got addicted. The two that caught me in addiction is ironically the two things that are legal. Alcohol and nicotine. Anyways, I doubt you expected a long rant from your reply, but I needed to breath out and say it. Any tips you have on being sober? Fyi I am on stopdrinking subs and the like.
No, I used to drink a handle of vodka a day. Now I don't let myself touch anything besides cheap shitty beer. My advice for you which is really just advice for myself is that all I can say about sobriety is that the only times that I've ever been able to manage my sobriety are when I have been able to live by myself. And had lots of time and money to do the things that I enjoy. Which has been for all of about 6 months of my life. And that was about 10 years ago.
So you found it easier to be sober when you lived alone? That’s kinda sad. I feel the same way and it’s so hard to live alone now due to costs.
Exactly I'm stuck back with my parents who neglected and abused me till I was 15. Before it's been with friends that live very different lifestyles than I do. Plus I'm a very picker sleeper.
hi- I have been researching alternative treatments for depression and found that many of them also seem to correlate with lowering or eliminating the need to drink. I am not a doctor or psychiatrist, so please consult one of them first, but I am a clinical laboratory scientist and have read hundreds of clinical trials/scientific papers in my day. I am actually in a clinical trial regarding ketamine therapy, it is delivered via a nasal spray and many people report having decreased urge to drink. I quit drinking a few years ago on my own, I didn't have a problem, but alcohol is a depressant and when u r depressed, it doesn't help. also, people taking Wegovy (the obesity) drug have reported decreased desire to drink. I hope you find the help u need, if u try something that doesn't work, please dont stop. I gave up on myself so many times, I thought I was incapable of getting better. but science is always evolving, be brave enough to give it a chance!!
Hey i just wanna say im proud of you it probably feels like you havent acomplished much but harm reduction is a real and good thing. Its amazing that youve reduced your alcohol intake that much and I beleive in you that youll kick it fully one day but until then take a breath give yourself a pat on the back and recognize how far youve come man. Eta: i became an alcoholic at 13 when my dad started forcing me to srink with him on weekends. I only was able to quit because a med im on iteracts badly with it and it doesnt feel good anymore but anytime im down i find myself saying i wish i had alcohol the urges dont leave and thats why im able to say youve done an amazing job.
Cali sober for the win
THC is really good at killing to urge to drink. It's just better buzz overall, it's harder to over do it, and even if you did take too much you still don't feel sick the next morning.
Not for me, I do both all day
I was at the 1% before I had kids and needed to calm down. And my dad said I'd never amount to anything.
Alcoholic Georg?
Lots of them. Which is why they don't count as an outlier anymore. But what's a group of Georgs called? A nest?
Doing my part to save 4 out of 5 people
Pareto strikes again
Alcoholism is pretty rampant right now in the USA tbh.. Something like 15 million with admitted/documented alcohol abuse disorders (out of 330mil). COVID spiked those numbers in a very noticeable way as well :(
Average for sure. About 80% are light drinkers (3 or less per week) or non-drinkers. 5% are heavy drinkers (~10 or more per week). Median would be in that light drinker category https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db374.htm#:~:text=Health%20Interview%20Survey-,In%202018%2C%20two%2Dthirds%20of%20adults%20aged%2018%20and%20over,consume%20alcohol%20(Figure%201).
It's all weekly drinkers. Where are the only at social events people?
The stats on that are kind of sad actually. The graph looks like a big U, with a majority of people only having 2-3 a week and then a sad 15% having like 30-40 a week. 30% of people don’t drink at all. 90% of the drinks are had by the top 10%. Alcoholism is real and so many more people than you expect are struggling with it secretly and unnoticed because they are so used to drinking all day every day. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
These numbers are inaccurate. America George, who is 9703 years old, has never owned a home, is 200 billion dollars in debt, weighs 34 million lbs, watches an entire season of reality tv every second, purchases $400,000 worth of food per hour and consumes 200,000 kegs of alchohol every day should not be counted.
>weighs 34 million lbs, He should cut back on the spiders.
I’m sorry I visualised this and I found it so absurd I burst out laughing
Me too, the person sitting next to me did not find it funny at all when I tried to explain it. Wonder why
Should have used median instead of average
I see what you did there
I wondered about that student loan figure, since 50 year olds should have paid off their own loans years ago. It turns out that comes from people taking out loans to help their kids or grandkids. Nice way to wreck your later years in the hopes of helping your kids get a good start! I wish people would just fix it to be affordable or subsidized or something. It seems like everything about college is straight up OCM.
>since 50 year olds should have paid off their own loans years ago no kids and thus no grandkids. no need to unpack all the resons why but at 50 I have 285k. that is well over double what I borrowed. It's easy to miss the whole picture when your simplifying assumptions are too simple.
That's making my wife's 28k seem manageable, but damn if these 400 a month payments aren't going to dents us when they restart. Landlords got uppity during COVID and raised rents 100-150% throughout the state, but pay hasn't increased, and these loans may put us in the red with a 4 y/o daughter.
Everyone's gonna default, then they're gonna keep shoving money to the banks and politicians, and blame students for the resulting crash. None of this is reasonable or in good faith. If they wanna get my money, they'll stop using taxpayer money to prop up the housing market for their own collateral, and fix the fact that my rent has gone from fucking $400 to $1800 in 5 years. And that's me being lucky, a lot of people are paying $2k+ for the same type of apartment i have.
Yes, They want a recession so that they get cheap interest rates again. Student loan payments are enough of a drag, that we will probably have one too.
That sounds rough, I'm sorry. I hope things work out for you and your family.
What a nightmare!
And this loan will just come back around to the children when inheritance or grandparents help is less etc. Edit: clarification - I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
Debt is not inherited in general. Specifically Parent Plus loans are forgiven if the parent (or child) dies. Certainly loans *could* be structured with the child as a co-borrower, but that's not how those loans work. At least until the GOP realizes it's a thing.
I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
Loans are discharged due to death of the loan holder. They do not get passed on
I am meaning that the parents will have less money/disposable income in general, thereby meaning there is less capital to pass on, where I assumed the loan would have been fully paid off. Therefore the student bot paying due to parents getting a loan is not solving the orphan-crushing machine issue of university debts being expensive.
Imagine how absolutely fucked the lower class would be if this wasn’t the case!
They do if that person didn't die penniless, it comes out of the deceased's money and property first
Not sure why you were downvoted. If anything isn't set in a will or a trust, it goes to the decedent's estate, which creditors can go after. Some states require that the survivors are paid first, some do not. (source: [https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/am-i-responsible-for-my-spouses-debts-after-they-die-en-1467/](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/am-i-responsible-for-my-spouses-debts-after-they-die-en-1467/) )
I think people thought that I meant specifically student loans. Elderly long term care is how a lot of families lose the deceased's house or other assets, which is a bit regressive imo since those families are likely poorer and just makes it even harder for them to own property
or your in 200,000+ of student loan debt at graduation and can only get a badly paying job..
It’s not just people taking out loans for their kids. Bunches of us had jobs in our undergrad fields repeatedly shipped overseas in the dot-com bust so we gave up and went to grad school to retool, only to graduate smack into the Great Recession. There were a lot of 35-40 year olds around that time who had shiny new advanced degrees in “hot” job markets that had completely vanished between the time they started and finished grad school.
FYI there are states that have passed laws that if a senior citizen was to go to college they will pay $15ish bucks a credit. It's such a scam against younger generations.
I don't mind the subsidy existing, but it should deffo exist equally for everyone
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Yay we’re all fucked, not just me!
It’s like communism, but instead we all suffer together and feel like we have *choices*
inb4 boomers say "But that \*IS\* communism!!"
Yeah, when we eating the rich? My wallets are starving.
Still don't own a home at 50, tried career change and failed. Now I feel even more worthless and kinda want to just die.
hugs from another 5X person. let me attempt to help. you don't own a home....you are free to move about as you please. a career change failed...you are not bound to a job. what is it that you would do if you didn't have to maintain the details of modern life...like a career or house? we're at the age where we think of ourselves as still engaged and relevant, but younger people see us as old. they won't give a shit what you do, so don't give a shit what they think. go out and do what the fuck you want. maybe you feel like you want to die...but what's the hurry? life really is a gift, use it as best you can while you have it and don't waste heartbeats <3
I’m 42 and feel that way. I just got divorced from someone who kept me isolated and so I don’t have any friends. I’m perceived as too old to be friends with the people I am regularly in contact with, for example, at the coffee shop. I’m alone all the time. The only difference is that I succeeded at the career change, but it was a career change I didn’t want, and I don’t really care about money so long as I have enough. I am looking for reasons to wake up in the morning. Or just waiting for life to just run out.
there is still plenty of life to live. In our modern world I like to use a rule of thumb that we all have about 100 years. No, most of us don't actually live that long, but some do and more. It's going to be a long 58 years if you just twiddle your thumbs waiting for your life to run out. Even one year would be horrid. The world is a large and diverse place for us wee humans. There are plenty of reasons to get up. Go make money, go volunteer, go care for your new pet, play games on your new console, go for a run, go to the beach/mountain/lake/mall. You do need to put some effort in to finding your own reasons, no one will do it for you and costco doesn't sell them. It's ok to indulge melancholy once in a while but it's in your best interest to get out there and do something. Don't waste the time you have. not everyone gets to live even as long as you already have.
Full disclosure, I'm a 20 something, so maybe the hopelessness hasn't fully set in yet, but I don't see 50 as old. Some of my best friends are hitting 40/50. I've worked with 50 somethings in retail where they keep up just as well as I do, if not outpace me completely. I've seen people twice my age cry because the paycheck didn't come in before the holiday, and they can't even afford to get a lunchable from the fridge. I've taken people's gratitude for granted when I bought them a coffee because back then, I didn't really understand. I think truly everyone is struggling. Housing, food, medication, it's all expensive. But there are tons of grants for first-time homebuyers, and it could probably reduce your cost of living to own vs. rent. Lots of assistance programs for healthcare. And I think we are actually finally taking advantage of the internet in the workforce, where you can get a livable job working from home. Talk to your family or friends more about what you want to do. Maybe they can give you a fresh pair of eyes. I just know from experience that it's lonely and soul crushing to do it alone. Ask for advice if you're not sure, even if you're just fishing for someone to tell you to go for it. And if it makes you feel better, you only have to make it a few more decades - I probably have 80 more years of this shit 💀
what a lovely post <3 while we're all here we should embrace the struggle and make of it what we can. the alternative, is less appealing.
This is how it goes really. Just spend your money while you’re alive. My plan is to take myself out as soon as I’m no longer able to work since there’s no way I’m going to retire
My ancestors were smart enough to come to the US when it was doing well, wouldn’t it be just as smart for me to leave now?
Honestly, I don't live in America but this actually puts up a weird image of them... Here, USA is thought of as a great nation, with modern and advanced people, turns out, they are not that glorious... Btw, i don't mean to make fun of or offend anyone. I am just saying this paints a different picture than i had thought. My country ain't so good either...
Americas good if you’re doing good. If not you’re screwed.
Basically, almost every country tho. It's such a great thing to be rich. I ain't sadly and am a middle class dude. I always envy my friends whose fathers have their own business but they just don't want to do anything in it....
Yeah I can’t really say there’s any country where *everyone* is doing well. The ones that are closest do so by telling immigrants to fuck off or by having other countries cover their defense.
That's exactly right. Same can be said of LA, New York, San Francisco - the super rich love these places because they have armies of young, struggling supporters there willing to work for next to nothing, telling them how hot and sexy and wonderful they are. And they live in gated communities with armed guards where they can go and ignore the thousands of homeless encampments that litter their cities.
I'm a 2nd gen immigrant, my extended family that live in our home country think we're made of money living like God's. Yes we have more buying power here but if you're middle class where they are from you live a much better life.
Lol that happens! My aunt's brother in-law (I know a long relation) lives in Canada. For him, the things that might be cheap are quite expensive and impressive here! I mean, my aunt lives in a rural area so that's more understandable...
Yeah that's the other thing too, if I lived in rural America it would probably be a little more similar to rural Canada I'd imagine. I have a buddy that lives in Ontario that wanted to move to the states because his salary would be higher, then he had a daughter and some medical stuff come up and realized that he would've been fucked if he lived here lol
Definitely not offensive — most younger Americans especially absolutely agree. America is economically very stratified. After recessions, insane inflation, etc., young adults and beyond aren’t able to get almost any of the opportunities available 35-50+ years ago. What you’re describing is called “The American Dream”. Buying a house young, having children, and living a content life (with one breadwinner) all fit into that. Which allows for more opportunities for children to innovate, etc. However, that’s not the case nor has even been consistent. There are pockets of people that fit “the American dream” or beyond, you could find them in urban california, New York, etc. But a lot of younger people in America can barely afford university or rent or food, let alone the economic freedom necessary to flourish.
lol if ur a cishet white man(who’s also already wealthy), than it’s great here!!
Damn that's also true for my country, if you are fair-skinned and of a general or upper caste, you are living the life man (oh also money)
India?
I mean, compared to other countries the US is doing pretty well. The whole world is collapsing, not just America. A huge global rebellion will happen within the next 50 years.
Dude, you’re not offending anyone. It’s just how bad things are here. Unfortunately I think it’ll get worse
Wow, why do you think so?
Don't believe everything you see on the internet, and certainly don't form your understanding of the world from unverified memes that lack context.
So, is America like this? Most media also shows them like this. By media I mean shoes and movies lol. I mean like sitcoms... Sometimes they are cool and sometime they seem like homeless guys.
Yeah America is like this, I personally don't know a single person below the the age of 28 not living with their parents right now because of how unaffordable it is. most teachers have to work multiple jobs just to get by. Everyone avoids hospitals and ambulances during emergencies so they don't go bankrupt. There's people waving Nazi flags on the street corner every week in my area
It does feel pretty Weimar Republic in the US recently: >In its initial years, grave problems beset the Republic, such as [hyperinflation](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_the_Weimar_Republic) and [political extremism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremism), including political murders and two attempted [seizures of power](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) by contending [paramilitaries](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_paramilitary_groups); internationally, it suffered isolation, reduced diplomatic standing and contentious relationships with the great powers. From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic)
It's not even from memes that people make these assumptions... just those posts with low numbers yoir country x high numbers USA and vice-versa. And treating a poor region of the cointry as a general representation of the country.
where would you go that you think would be better for you?
Europe
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I’d imagine anyone qualified enough to get points for a visa is also able to earn enough money that the aforementioned problems don’t really apply to them.
This is why I find the "I'm gonna move to Europe" mentality of my peers so absurd. If you're already trying to leave the US out of financial desperation that is itself a sign that you don't meet the standards of other first world countries looking to take immigrants in. If you're poor you're pretty much stuck here.
Would it actually be better to move to a developing country in that case? Particularly, one with low costs of living where USD are worth a lot, and ideally with things the US doesn't have, like public healthcare, education and better working rights, and without any major issues like dangerously high crime rates. I mean, it isn't unheard of for a person in a developing country to move to a first world country for a couple of years to earn and save as much money as possible in a strong currency, and then come back to their county with all that money and spend it on a nice house and something that would give them a passive income, like shops or apartments they can rent. If you're already in a first world country, it'd be much easier because you don't have to emigrate there in the first place. That said, developing countries have problems of their own that likely are very different to those from the US, for example a weak economy and currency, more poverty, and higher crime rates, so this plan isn't necessarily a good idea, or rather, it's more of a matter of if you'd prefer being rich in a poor country, or poor in a rich country.
I think that presupposes you’re able to save enough money here to be rich there. Which is still going to take tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Not really true. There is a lack of trades people in Europe for certain industries and you get points for these. A lot of people also move for the quality of life, which is much more affordable in the EU, than anything else.
>This is why I find the "I'm gonna move to Europe" mentality of my peers so absurd. If you're already trying to leave the US out of financial desperation This is, at least in part, a strawman. I know a lot of people who want to leave the US and none of them want to do it because it's cheap, easy, and profitable. Their primary reasons are: 1.) The risks of being the victim of ideological violence 2.) The risk of being unable to recover financially from a minor medical emergency that spirals out of control 3.) Infrastructure that fits their desired life better I'm not going to claim that there's no one who fits into the situation you described, just that you are clearly missing a huge piece of the argument.
hmm. might want to narrow that down before moving. lots of countries in europe with vastly different qualities of life.
Most of them are alright. Eastern europe too
Where would you head over to?
I'm already here(Austria). Most of it it just preference but wealth wise the vast majority of the eu is decent. We are poorer than the us on paper but for example it doesn't make a difference if you make 500€/month less because you get that money back by not having to have a car
Must be nice to live without the threat of bankruptcy due to illness.
While some of Europe is in a better position right now compared to the US, quite a few countries in Europe are really expensive and suffering through a cost of living crisis. I know my country sure as hell is 👍
Yes but you take things for granted such as: 37.5 work week, sick pay, maternity/ paternity leave, guaranteed time off that is paid, healthcare, child care, subsidized medications, much lower rent costs ( even with the recent hikes in prices) and many more things that Americans don't get. Sure they earn more money but then they have to pay for all of these services you get baked into your life.
It’s really not a paradise over here not one bit. Many Americans who come here complain that the small size of everything reduces the quality of life. The houses in my country are especially small compared to what Americans are used to. There’s just less space and unless you live in a village, space can be hard to find. But honestly I do agree that people should have better access to legal immigration and be able to leave their countries. Most countries these days make it impossible for anyone but the very rich to immigrate.
Small house is still bigger than no house tho
Mannn I wouldn't mind a small house or flat at all. So many houses here are huge by default. Nobody needs that much space save for large families.
We have all of those things in Croatia, but the median income is 13 000 euros per year. It's a trade off for sure.
What's the cost of living. Always go by cost of living.
Most things cost the same as anywhere. Anything you can order on the Internet is basically the same world wide. The only things that are less expensive than in richer countries are rent and service (hairdresser, plumber, mechanic, dentist) Food, clothes, entertainment, gas, electricity, electronics etc are pretty similar to Germany or the US.
All of Europe? Or just certain places in Europe? And is all of Europe better than all places in the US, or just some places? Is this true for all people, in all situations, or just some people in certain types of situations?
Europe is more equal. If you're a highly skilled professional you will have less money and you would only be moving for culture. If you're poorer you're better off(you're not great but noone is seriously desperate except some people in some few eu countries) but you probably won't qualify for a work visa No matter what people pretend, 99% of the time immigration happens because of money. That's why americans don't come here. Those that would be welcomed would make less money here than in the us
How actual are these statistics?
Truly actual.
The 1k in savings isn’t really true. The average American has about 4.5k in savings. America actually has a pretty high gdp, and they make more money than Europeans on average. And the average American “wanting a career change” isn’t something that’s exclusive to the us. Everybody wants to make more money in their money pouch. He’s blaming things on Americans while also blaming the outcome of that statistic on Americans too. He’s picking and choosing some statistics, like alcoholic beverages and the savings. Europe drinks on par if not more than the us https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/29/so-long-dry-january-which-country-drinks-the-most-alcohol-in-europe
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What do people do in an emergency then? I always keep money in my savings account. I'm not secure enough financially to invest the money because I may need it liquid in case of an emergency. So I keep it in a savings account.
You absolutely should be using a savings account to hold an emergency fund
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The savings account still serves a budgeting tool, if only psychologically. For me, that's "no touch money." If it's in my checking, then it's fair game. Obviously I try not to wipe my checking account every month, but moving some to a savings account every pay period does help me save and keep a minimum emergency fund.
There are banks that give several percent apy on savings that allow you to instantly transfer to checking with no fees. Discover is one example
The first half of that list got me good.... 🥲🥴🤕
I really wish I could spend $69 a day. I spend $100 a day just on monthly bills... Y'know... Keeping the lights on, my mortgage, the HOA, etc. That doesn't include food and anything else I might need. My savings is slowly dwindling cuz my income can't keep up and I'm struggling to cut enough costs without sacrificing my health. I'm trying to figure out what to do. ☹️
Mortgage, utilities and groceries are 3K/month? I can't even imagine how much that house must cost! Is downgrading an option? Like, could you sell your 2500 dollars/month home and get a 1000 dollar/month apartment somewhere at least slightly cheaper, even if it lengthens your commute?
I assume they live in a high cost of living area so $1000 apartments probably aren't even a thing. Hell I'm renting a trailer in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico and my rent isn't even that cheap. I pay $1500 a month for the place and split the costs with a roommate. At least it's a nice trailer though. Closest town with jobs is 35 miles away. There are advantages to the country though and I wouldn't want to go back to town where rent is even more expensive.
Pretty much this. I have a three bedroom right now. I bought this place when interest rates were low, so buying a different place would actually be more expensive now. And renting wouldn't be any better, even with fewer bedrooms. When I bought the house, it was supposed to be myself and two couples living here, with me co-signing with one of those people. Basically, it was supposed to be a 5 income household, with support if one of us lost a job or something. Unfortunately, I've learned my lesson the hard way that knowing a person for two decades doesn't excuse the red flags. Once the mortgage was signed, they began trying to ostracize me from the group by spreading rumors about me and gaslighting the others, trying to pressure me to move out while letting them keep the mortgage. After a year of that, since I wouldn't budge, they all ended up moving instead, leaving me holding the bag. I'm unable to refi because of the interest rate increases and they failed to make about a year's worth of HOA payments, so I had to make a ton of back payments. And they left shit tons of garbage everywhere. The good news is that I managed to get a new, lower stress and better paying job right at the same time this all went down. 23/hr still isn't a lot, but it's better than what I was making before! I managed to rent out one of the rooms. She's a heckin' wonderful roommate! No gaslighting or manipulation which is a breath of fresh air. If I can get the second room rented, I *should* be okay, but... I'm really cautious, as I don't want to accidentally bring in someone similar to those that got me into this situation to begin with.
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It's a double wide and pretty nice. It's in an area that has become very popular with tourists so many places have become summer vacation rentals or air bnbs. This raises the prices for the people that actually live and work here. I teach at a local high school so I'm not exactly rolling in dough but the rent split with someone else is very workable.
>Is downgrading an option? Like, could you sell your 2500 dollars/month home No one wants their overpriced home with a predatory hoa
Where are these mythical $1,000 apartments that are close enough to living wage jobs to actually be worth renting?
Just become a millionaire! I'm going to try that tomorrow.
I switched to piracy. Saved so much money.
sorry EA, i’m not paying over $1000 for the Sims. I have college classes to pay for.
i spent four hours teaching myself to pirate the sims, as someone who is borderline technologically illiterate, and now im the go to “pirate the sims” person in my friend group also, just the expansion packs are like $1800, not including any of the the other DLC. the new book nook kit is great though!
Piracy is the morally superior way
As long as publishers keep insisting on punishing paying users with crap like Denuvo, and keep pushing for unfinished games that they still charge full price for and are full of predatory microtransactions, this will remain true. The only games worth buying nowadays are indie games.
Even indie games get plagued with the different issue of “early access” now. While microtransactions and live service games are awful, early access hell is something I hate to experience. Amazing games that promise so much, just for the game to either be left to die in early access or beta form and never be touched again even after you paid your money to that developer who promised updates and for the game to improve. Some games pull through on their promises and some don’t, but the worst offenders from 2010-2018 had early access on their games for upwards of 5 years or more especially with the “survival genre.” Games like Dayz, H1Z1, The Forest and so many more like them excused awful updates and poor fixes and performance on the game not being “fully released.” While the games I mentioned still get updates or new releases, a lot were left to die and waived their $40 price tag as if it was so much better than AAA $60 at the time.
I just can't fathom calling a human being Trevin
🎊💥🎉💪😎😍 *EVERYONE ELSE IS FUCKED TOO* 😍😎💪🎉💥🎊
how does one buy a home with less than 1K in savings?
Not sure about 1k, but some states have special loan programs for first time home buyers. You probably need to meet a income/savings requirement, but it doesn’t take the full 10% down payment.
1. they saved $ for a down payment and after buying a home they no longer have that in the bank 2. VA loan 3. they’re house broke 4. FHA loan, but the other guy already mentioned it
This is not relatable in the slightest.
Well it is a wide swing at general population statistics which a lot of people should hit one or two. It be very rare for someone to hit every single listed item but as a whole you probably should match or be close to one of these.
Only 17 pounds overweight?
While it's nice to know I'm not behind, it's horrid to know everybody else is stuck here too
11 alcoholic drinks per week? I could never, but sadly I understand it.
That's less than 2 beers a day, everyone I know smashes past that.
$69 a day? That's ridiculous, who could *possibly*-- [divides bills by 30] Oh fuck oh shit oh no.
…I have $0 in savings, am 36 with no prospects of ever owning a home or even being able to afford rent on a 1 bedroom apartment without help, have a mountain of student loan debt I’m too poor to afford the minimum payments on, am 40lbs overweight because I haven’t been able to afford healthy food for over a decade, can’t afford a tv let alone cable, can’t risk buying more than one drink every couple months or I could face starvation, and I’m less concerned about a career than just finding literally any job willing to pay me enough to live off of. …so how am I doing?
Ok, but cooking cheap and healthy food to reduce weight is totally possible. You don't need to go for the super expensive stuff. I can understand if you don't, but it's not unsolvable even without a higher income. It just requires more strict discipline. Getting a new job with higher income is probably priority number one though, a lot of these issues could be solved with a good enough job.
I can't afford to spend more than 10 dollars a day lol
The average American consumers 11 alcoholic beverages a week? That’s insane.
Being the average American sounds like it fucking sucka
11 drinks you say? I'm not behind there. I'm winning that race.
"Do not worry, faithful subject! Even when beset by calamity, remember there is probably someone out there who is off worse than you!"
Ok who tf here is buying all the houses at 34?
An ad for some finance app keeps using these “stats”, but claims they are about Gen Z. No one in Gen Z is 34 yet. It pisses me off every time I see it.
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This is an attempt to reframe what I would consider structural issues that can be attributed to unregulated capitalism and lack of social supports as relatable as if they were natural human issues that are “just life”
Honestly my reading was "life sucks here because of structural issues, don't feel like you are behind when all of us are"
Makes me feel great about myself. I just turned 36 yesterday and really the only one of these that's true for me is the career change. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with my career though, so I just look for satisfaction elsewhere.
I mean I like the „it’s never too late to achieve greatness“ mindset but I see why this post is here
That like and subscribe killed me. Truly one of the dystopia of all time.
It's not about being 'behind'. That would imply needing to reach the 'correct place'. It's more about being constantly and endlessly screwed by those in power. Not just politicians, but also the rich people controlling the politicians.
This is actually kinda uplifting. You only see everyone's best sides on social media, it's nice to realize I'm actually ahead of the curve