For you guys who still live at home.....

[Abbott]

Have you considered inflation? DeathDealer is saying the truth here. I don't know the exact numbers but I do know that the buying power of minimum wage has been going down.

Yes, you are correct that the actual literal amount of money paid per hour today would be more than what would've been paid in the past (in 1930 when minimum wage was introduced it was $.30/hour). However, the amount of stuff that you can buy with that money is less now than it was before, so for all practical purposes minimum wage has gotten worse, mainly because it hasn't been keeping pace with inflation. In 1968, I've heard that the minimum wage then, if adjusted for inflation, would be about $8.45/hour (2003 dollars), which is 64% higher than todays minimum wage of $5.15 (I heard that minimum wage will rise to $6.15 on January 1st, 2005, so the difference would be 37%).

Also, I've heard that during the 1990s, executive salaries rose by a huge margin. Duh! But what's interesting is that if minimum wage increased at a rate similar to the rate executive salaries increased, it would now be about $25/hour, or 385% more. That's also $52,000 a year, which is MORE than the average household income of 2001 ($42,228/year). Sickening, really.


I don't believe that DeathDealer was trying to appeal to laziness. Just that he was trying to say that times are different and some things ARE harder to do now than they were before (only he didn't have as many figures as I have here). Honestly, I don't favor laziness either, but I do know that it IS harder now.

Minimum wage is bad, and college is now practically mandatory. In addition, federal grant money for tuition isn't as good as it used to be, combined with skyrocketing tuition costs. The result? Many students have obscene amounts of debt and negative net worth. This smashes their credit which makes it hard to get a mortgage for a house (because with all the student loan debt it'll be too hard to just buy the house in a reasonable amount of time).

If anyone can read this and not be completely infuriated, then you, my friend are either stupid or heartless.

Ben

 

[Oxide]

All i hear is a bunch of long bullsh1t from you underachievers.. yeah im looking at you.. what do you fools have to say for yourself? What excuse do you want me to break?


"I dont have a credit rating" - oh, you poor thing.. you want one? Here is how ****ing simple this is.. go to khols or target.. get a card there.. buy some stuff, pay for it.. keep the card laying around.. Now go to the bank and apply for a credit card.. i got a platinum visa card with $5000 limit.. at 19.. Do you still think you need to be flipping real estate to get a credit rating?


"I dont care about social stigmas" - Good for you, but the girl most certanly will appericate the comfort of knowing your mom isnt gonna walk on you to.. She would much rather scream her lungs out while you are doing her on your small bed then not being able to enjoy it becuase of your parents next door...


"I dont have the money" - Ever heard of working son? You can start working at 15.. by the time you have to move out you will have plenty of rent money.. Let me see.. if you arent going to college..and dont have a 10k+ car.. what the fukk did you do with all your money? Trust me guys.. when you go out a lot (And i do) money flies.. so watch what you are spending it on.. fast food everyday? COOK. Movies every week? BORROW DVD's.


Trust me, your parents will gladly help you with your bills if you show them that you are responsible enough to try and make it on your own.. they want nothing more than you trying to make them feel as if they raised a son they can be proud of.

ASk them to pay for the phone bill or insurance..and you will cover the rent...

ANd if nothing else.. there are always loans. at 21 you can take 10k in loans.. i'd hope.. so go and buy yourself something to live in.



Time to move....

 

[SELF-MASTERY]

I think staying at home until you have built a substantial nest egg is the best thing a person could do. My goal is to leave my parents home and move into a HOUSE. Why would anyone want to pay RENT Its just giving a way your money to make some other guy rich. When you BUY a house you have ownership, which is power. Don't throw away your money on things that don't increase in value

My mom told me not to hastefully leave home, be able to leave without having to come back and that's my goal.

I see it as 4 years of pain for a lifetime of pleasure.....

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Originally posted by Oxide
All i hear is a bunch of long bullsh1t from you underachievers.. yeah im looking at you.. what do you fools have to say for yourself? What excuse do you want me to break?


"I dont have a credit rating" - oh, you poor thing.. you want one? Here is how ****ing simple this is.. go to khols or target.. get a card there.. buy some stuff, pay for it.. keep the card laying around.. Now go to the bank and apply for a credit card.. i got a platinum visa card with $5000 limit.. at 19.. Do you still think you need to be flipping real estate to get a credit rating?


"I dont care about social stigmas" - Good for you, but the girl most certanly will appericate the comfort of knowing your mom isnt gonna walk on you to.. She would much rather scream her lungs out while you are doing her on your small bed then not being able to enjoy it becuase of your parents next door...


"I dont have the money" - Ever heard of working son? You can start working at 15.. by the time you have to move out you will have plenty of rent money.. Let me see.. if you arent going to college..and dont have a 10k+ car.. what the fukk did you do with all your money? Trust me guys.. when you go out a lot (And i do) money flies.. so watch what you are spending it on.. fast food everyday? COOK. Movies every week? BORROW DVD's.


Trust me, your parents will gladly help you with your bills if you show them that you are responsible enough to try and make it on your own.. they want nothing more than you trying to make them feel as if they raised a son they can be proud of.

ASk them to pay for the phone bill or insurance..and you will cover the rent...

ANd if nothing else.. there are always loans. at 21 you can take 10k in loans.. i'd hope.. so go and buy yourself something to live in.



Time to move....

Pay attention to this fellas, you'll probably end up working for Oxide some day. There's a definite line between those that know how to make money and those that don't.

 

[dietzcoi]

Gangster, Fransisco, thanks for the good words..

THe kids in college, etc are OK still living at home, as they are working towards something.

To the 23+ year olds, with no education, no jobs, etc...

You need to wake up, shake off the loser identity, and make something of yourselves!

Nobody here should be talking about minimum wage.. nobody! YOu are all smart enough to do something besides b1tch about the economy. Now do it!

Join the fukking coast guard or something!

Dietzcoi

 

[handsomehunk]

WeakMenNeverRise,

Wow, you have a computer science degree from UNC and still looking for a job. I graduated with finance from UNC in 2003, and thought I was in the wrong line due to not finding a job. Kept beating myself up for not doing something technical like computer science or engg. etc. Your story just made me feel a whole lot better.

 

[No Escape]

I was reading through this thread and find some posts rather disturbing.

First off, i wanna say, who the f**k is anyone to ridicule, judge, and make assumptions about others who are still living with their parents?? Pardon me, not everyone is as fortunate as others! Everyone's in different situations that a lot of times they can't control, and whether or not you want to believe that or not, that's your problem. You people that criticize, be lucky you're not in other less fortunate people's shoes! The whole "you shouldn't be living with your parents, get a good job" mentality is much easier said than done! Don't forget, we live in a ruthless capitalistic society. Sure, when people like you have fallen into a good situation by being able to afford an apartment/house and you've lucked out in life, it's pretty easy to run your mouth and poke at others, because you've never faced a rough situation!

Second, i also wanna say, it's no one's f**king business if someone is still living at home! If anyone has to "move on", it's all you folks who ridicule and have got nothing better to do than stick your long noses into other peoples lives. Worry about your own f**king lives, and those still living at home will worry about theirs, and everyone will be on their merri way!

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Listen, hear the violas joining the violins...

 

[No Escape]

Originally posted by Francisco d'Anconia
Listen, hear the violas joining the violins...

Yeah, nice, make fun of people, just hope one day you're not in a bad situation and living at home, wise a**! KARMA's a *****, what goes around comes around!

 

[Oxide]

Are you kidding me, no escape?!

What do you suppose this guy was thinking when creating this thread? That all of us here are going to join paypal and buy him a condo? We are here to offer advice, and some of us say it bluntly and how it actually is, instead of painting bull**** all over it.


I am not criticizing people who are stuck with sick parents, ****ty job and huge bills, i am criticizing people who are TOO LAZY AND AFRAID to change it. I am talking to those who dont get a job becuase they are used to their parents paying for them. TO those who never cook because they moms cook for them. To those who sit on the couch all day and wonder why their life sucks.



And yes i've been in much worse situations.. i've lived in projects, in russia, where 98% of the people live crappy.. so i get your point, but get mine as well..

 

[Broham]

Holy crap that's alot of responses! I hate to sound hypocritical but tonight I finally got a girl to hook up in the car, backseat baby. It was so sweet. We actually played truth or dare, my idea since the pool hall was closed, so we're drivin' around and I go "Ho, I dare you to make out with me" and we pulled over and had a blast. If you guys ever saw the Wayne's world episode with Madonna......just like that, lol.

But it still sucks livin w/ the rents.

 

[Broham]

Oh man, I went off topic. My bad. I know there's a direct relationship to living home post-college and not having a well-paying job. Here's a little background info on ol' Broham:

I graduated Bentley College in 2003 with a BS in Marketing.

I recently left my job in October for various reasons, the major one being that I didn't get the promotion I felt I deserved. I was planning on putting a down payment on a condo near the office (my commute was well over an hour some days), however after the falling-out with the sales director I decided to bounce.

Over the past few months I've been working for my father and uncle part-time. I do not plan on making a career move with either one of them.

I don't want to get a job selling software (which most companies are trying to recruit me for) since I think its boring and not what I want to do for a career.

My Dilemma: I want to get a job in the fitness/nutrition industry or the automotive industry but I have no professional schooling in either area, just knowledge I've obtained by myself.

So I'm kind of in a catch-22 right now, realizing after college that I should've went to school for something else. Therefore, I'm dealing with living at home and sacrificing a monotonous, lackluster but well-paying career in software sales/marketing to figure out my long-term plans while making just enough to pay the bills.

whew. comments, questions?

 

[il_duce]

I think the moral of this thread is that going to college isn't going to guarantee you an easy life. If anything, it's going to make it harder for you, since you'll likely be paying off loans for several years afterwards.

The problem with our generation is that a lot of us expect that getting a college degree will mean we will get hired and make $50,000 a year off the bat at age 23. Which isn't going to happen. The truth is that more and more of us are living at home because of the expenses of college and what not. Plus, with the job market the way it is, you are lucky to even get hired in a field that you specialized in or studied at school. If you're 3 years out of undergrad and you're still living at home, then you gotta get your **** together, but there is nothing wrong with living at home until you can get a foothold on a career.

It's not as easy as it used to be. My cousin graduated from the University of Chicago with a law degree about 4 years ago (which in case you didn't know is a very prestigious school to get a law degree from), and it took him over a year of looking just to get hired at a firm working as a paralegal (basically a *****). He still doesn't have a stable job yet, but he has the credentials. He still gets financial support from his parents. Then again, he lives in Manhattan, but still. It's damn expensive everywhere.

Really, it's all about making the dough and getting lucky if you want to support yourself 100% before the age of 23/24, at least here in the U.S.

 

[ScrewIt]

It may not guarantee u an easy life, but it definitely will give you a better chance in the job market.
an opportunity is better than none

my bro is 24 and he has a stable job of $25 per hr at Kraft Foods.
depending on how you look at it, he's in debt very much. He was able to get the job thanks to interning there during his college days, they guaranteed him a job upon graduation.

now why is he in debt? He was living in an apartment complex in delaware for about a year, then all of a sudden decided to buy his on freakin house, used bank loans. and borrowed some from my parents. Plus he got his college loans also. Since college till now he's had 3 cars ( the first 2 were used), each sold away upon getting a new one. all those cars were paid by my parents.

He's in so much ****ing debt, i cant even begin to comprehend how his mind is thinking. constantly buying...

even though he's not financially stable, he keeps leeching on my parents for money whenever he's in a rut or wants change in his life.

 

[SeldomSeen]

RE:

DONT feel ashamed if you are 25 and still at home. As long as you are trying to better yourself. I moved out at 26 1/2. YUP 26 and still banged women at home at that time right before I moved out. They had no problem with it. With the way things are these days atleast feel grateful that you have loving enough parents that aren't pressuring you by kicking you out.

I went a found a female roommate and we went half on the rent
$350 each for a nice two bedroom two bath apartment (I live in the midwest/south so its cheaper)

Female roommates are cool because they have (drum roll please) female friends that always swing by. My roommate was like my sister and best friend too so dont ask me dumb questions like why I didnt bang her. Plus her boyfriend was 6'5 240 lbs and played football in college. Another good reason.

Anyway if you're having problems finding a place go in 3 ways with a friend but remember the more roommates you have the more headaches. Find someone clean too. Nothing worse than a dirty roommate.

 

[Julian]

What about those of us who are interested in pursuing more then just the average 9 to 5?

Im stuck wondering if i should stay at home and focus on my music or if i should integrate with every other sucka and go to college.

Im itching to get back out of my parents place because it blows, but the last thing i wanna fall into is the rat race. **** that noise.

 

[ScrewIt]

Altho getting your degree and getting the job which your major's based on you may not even be happy with the same routine for years to come!

the $8 hr job i have in a small company is a graphic designer, which i've been there for a year and honestly im sick of it and many times hesitant to wake up to go.

i think i'd be happier living with a roomate than with my parents. Just cant stand the nagging and *****ing from my mom, so god damn stressful...

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Originally posted by No Escape
Yeah, nice, make fun of people, just hope one day you're not in a bad situation and living at home, wise a**! KARMA's a *****, what goes around comes around!

I bet you're proof of it too because you sound like a bitter @ss SOB. Who the hell did you piss off that karma's kicking your @ss so badly?

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Originally posted by Broham
So I'm kind of in a catch-22 right now, realizing after college that I should've went to school for something else. Therefore, I'm dealing with living at home and sacrificing a monotonous, lackluster but well-paying career in software sales/marketing to figure out my long-term plans while making just enough to pay the bills.

whew. comments, questions?

Read my sig. People make choices that are best for them at that particular moment. What people don't realize is that they aren't condemned to those choices. For you, start making that tangent to the industry you really want to be in. Find a way to use the skills you're using now as an entry into that new field.

What you have going for you is that you are willing to do the work to make that adjustment. Most people just give lip service and so they become stuck in a mire of their own creation. No one said life was easy but it sure as hell ain't futile as these winers are making it out to be.

 

[SeldomSeen]

RE:

NO ESCAPE is just venting at those who think someone at 25 living at home is a loser or a bum and thats not the truth. If you arent trying to do anything in your life or you're freeloading then you are a loser or a bum but if you're busting your butt and still having a hard time then its nothing to be ashamed of. When I was at home at 25 I paid my mother RENT! I bought my own groceries, washed my own laundry etc. Its just at the time I couldnt afford rent and had no one to move in with until a year later.

On the same note (kinda funny) this guy I worked with at this warehouse years ago was 42!!! and lived at home. He didnt have a car and one night asked me to take him home and I said where do you live and I drove him home to his parents house. He was an alcoholic who couldnt keep a job and had 7 DUI's and his drivers license taken away. Needless to say he never got any ass either.