I think learned helplessness is a real problem. We have friends in their late 30's and early 40's who still live with multiple roommates. They're "well educated" but can't seem to hold a job, or stay in a relationship, or pay for anything. They've got subscriptions ticking away that they didn't remember they had, and then they're shocked to learn about an overdraft fee or a big credit card bill. One of them recently…
Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
91–100 of 152 posts
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#92Then you will see 1001 theories about why the population is declining. People in their 30's can't afford a house, let alone raising a family. A whole population inside a certain age group seems completely unable to grasp this basic reasoning.
That makes sense, but it feels to me like the more educated and higher-income young adults are the ones delaying kids / choosing not to have kids. It feels like lower-income young adults are more likely to start families.
Among the pressures here is a lack of support from grandparents, the affordability of daycare, availability of maternity leave (and by extension, the tolerance workplaces will have for it and how often).
It's such that middle-class earners can see a dramatic change in lifestyle if they have more kids, which they don't want to compromise. In poor countries, it doesn't matter: the woman will stay at home, child mortality is high, you won't have contraceptives usually, etc. Another child is another worker (like the old days over here).
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#93I think learned helplessness is a real problem. We have friends in their late 30's and early 40's who still live with multiple roommates. They're "well educated" but can't seem to hold a job, or stay in a relationship, or pay for anything. They've got subscriptions ticking away that they didn't remember they had, and then they're shocked to learn about an overdraft fee or a big credit card bill. One of them recently…
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Ownership” is a spectrum obviously but owning a home still gives you a hell of a lot more control than renting. Source: used to rent, now own
That depends almost entirely on local ordinances and, if you have one, your HOA. The far side of the spectrum where you actually have significant control over your own property is great, I'm just not sure it's very common.
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's true, but jobs outside of metro areas are nearly non-existent, or pay peanuts. Moving out of a metro area typically puts you in, maybe, a bigger home, but the pay is drastically lower. Food costs, internet, phone, vehicle, etc all cost nearly the same (if not more expensive), so you're probably doing even worse moving out of a metro area.
I didn’t say outside of a metro area, I said outside of the West Coast metros. The rest of the country does exist and many of us own homes and have jobs. If you live in San Francisco it’s probably easy to get the impression that everyone who isn’t a multimillionaire either pays $6000 a month to rent a studio apartment or lives in a tent and poops on the sidewalk, but that’s not what the rest of the country is like.
Just stating that this is heavily affecting East Coast non-metro areas, largely due to a fear of change in these communities and a refusal for any local or state governments to take any actions.
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#96I live with my 5 adult sons because here (rural FL) it requires 4 incomes to afford minimal, basic bills - in a debt-free household.
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
You want us to believe any culture has a contingent of 18-year-olds out-earning their 40-something parents?
I was not aware the premise of the comment had anything to do with out-earning parents. The responded to comment was >Some cultures expect children to take care of their parents once they hit 18. This might not be financially, but culturally driven. And the answer is, yes, you are expected to take care of parents as soon as you are able to.
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#98My life is a constant struggle against 'the culture' aka 'the brainwash'. I would live in a tent on some island if it was purely up to me.
My wife had highly expectations, especially when we met so the fact that she is willing to live with me in poverty today is already stretching my persuasive capabilities. Convincing her to live in a tent is outside of my capabilities as she hates camping.
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#99It sounds like Japan since the 90s, but without broad societal acceptance
I really hope hikikomori doesn't become normal
Re: Nearly half of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with their parents
#100I live with my 5 adult sons because here (rural FL) it requires 4 incomes to afford minimal, basic bills - in a debt-free household.
Seems strange for a state with no income tax, that would happen
Are you thinking that an income tax would hugely impact our overall expenses - say by an amount equal to one or two incomes?