29th Aug 2018, 05:16
It's not that I'm not interested in cars. The dollar today doesn't go as far and I can't afford it. None of us "millenials" can. You used to be able to buy a Big Mac, fries, and a drink for less than a dollar. Today, that same meal costs over $9.
I earned my Bachelor's degree in IT from a Big 10 University, completed three internships, served as the student body president, and it was still 20 months before I found a job, and not even in my field. No one would look at me without a master's degree. Fast food places wouldn't even hire me because I was "overqualified." It's not like I sought degree in history or weaving baskets, either. I went for IT and computer engineering.
Try earning a master's degree, earning $12/hour after you're done, having to be connected to work email 24/7 because your boss watches your every move, having to volunteer to meet people and network, and needing five years of experience for an entry-level role. Then you can moan about no one being interested in cars.
Let me break it down: I take home $800 every two weeks ($1600/month, or $19,200 annually after taxes). Actually, it's less than that but let's use round numbers. Right off the bat, $400 goes toward a car payment, $200 goes toward car insurance, and another $300 goes toward rent (because I still live in my parents' house, usually that number is closer to $600). That's more than half my income right there, for a car that's a decade old with 130,000 miles. Student loan repayments are $300 each month, and don't get me started on health insurance. So, that's about $400 left over for sewer/water bill, garbage service, car maintenance, electric, clothes, gas, business expenses, volunteer expenses, and other necessities.
Sure, I'd love to own a Corvette, Mercedes roadster, or even a Supra. But, I literally cannot afford to have cars as a hobby. Let me say that again: I literally cannot afford to have a vehicle as a hobby. I literally cannot afford to have a Corvette sitting next to my Corolla in the driveway. So, don't you dare blame me for being on my phone; I'm likely reading large newspapers and financial journals to figure out just how to live. Or I'm using a calculator because schools don't teach you how to subtract or balance a checkbook anymore. I'm putting my most prized outfits and possessions on Craigslist and Ebay just trying to make a buck. I'm not sending pictures of my junk to girls or playing Pokemon Go. My couch is four milk crates with a bath towel over them. I only bathe once a week because I can't afford it. For you to think I'm chatting with my friends constantly through all hours of the night, you're dead wrong. Dead wrong. I'm writing comments like this to you and to the rest of the world about how millennials got cheated in life because of YOU.
Between needing to pick up extra hours just to afford my generic prescriptions, make ends meet, more car insurance for a second car, saving for a one-room apartment, and trying to retire before Social Security is sucked to a pulp by the baby boomers, I'm left trying to figure out if I can buy two pounds of deli turkey this paycheck or just one.
And, here's a tip for you: one pound of turkey for two weeks isn't a whole lot of food. Just a thought.
27th Aug 2018, 11:24
I grew up in a different time. Simple. You had a home, 6 channels of TV, a stereo with maybe 12 or so records. However you had some of the most desirable autos ever made affordable to the middle class. The cars that once graced our driveway were amazing. Driving through my neighborhood are vehicles fairly indistinguishable from one home to the next. Most I cannot tell the make or manufacturer. Til I see the L on the back of the crossovers. Lexus. It’s almost like you need one to live in the community. Ultra conservative types, but there are a few like us with some hot machinery inside. I have zero regrets growing up. I would sit and talk with my dad and grandfather, handing them tools in their garages Grew a great appreciation without cell phone interruptions, checking social media etc. That’s quality time you cannot really get with family. My kids Facebook and send texts etc as their days are so busy. We didn’t miss any of that as it wasn’t a reality. We were having fun driving our 6 year old GTO Convertible to drive ins instead of texting one another til midnight.