re: Today’s cost of living

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Gen Z and younger generations have gotten absolutely fricked

Their economic outlook, as a whole, is bleak

Inflation, astronomical college prices, wage stagnation, and competing with a global job candidate pool is going to turn them into a bitter class of serfs if something doesn’t change soon.

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Gen Beta will be fighting that War in three or four decades when people really have had enough.

They should drop the damn Netflix too

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cost of living always goes up slightly, but so does salary, equity in homes ect.

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Life actually gets cheaper via technology and productivity improvements but we don’t receive those benefits because of debasement.

It ain't even got bad yet. These outrageous diesel prices have yet to make their full impact on the consumer.

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homes are getting bigger and nobody is building small houses because of fixed costs.

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Major Home Builders Constructing 1,500 Sq Ft Homes

D.R. Horton: The largest volume builder in the U.S., widely known for affordable entry-level and starter-series communities with 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom layouts around 1,500 sq ft.

Lennar: Offers affordable "Everything's Included" production homes, frequently featuring efficient single-story or compact two-story designs in suburban master-planned communities.

PulteGroup (Centex brand): Focuses heavily on first-time buyers and value-engineered neighborhoods with optimized footprints.

KB Home: Allows buyers to personalize structural options and finishes on smaller production floor plans designed for affordability.

Ryan Homes: Dominates the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest markets with entry-level townhomes and single-family detached homes near the 1,500 sq ft mark.

LINK

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My boomer mom bought her first house in the mid 80s at 11% interest

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I grew up in a trailer on 20 acres. I was a 17 before my parents built their first house in 1999 my senior year of high school.

My dad who raised me was 37 and my mom was 46 before she got her first house that wasn’t a trailer.

People just need to get some age on them and keep progressing in their careers. Shits going to keep going up like it always has.

One thing I will say on the “people need to be more frugal” side of the argument is that people’s expectations for how nice their car should be are out of control.

We are shopping for a car now, and there’s at least a $10k difference between the trim we want (which is still nice, leather seats, etc) and the trim I see most commonly.

This tells me that most people are agreeing to pay an extra $200 a month for six years basically so their car will have the right “Limited” badge on it. So how tight can their finances really be?

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Govnt says inflation is 2-3%.

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I am skimming this thread to look for the idiots that argue prices are not high. They came out in a different thread with this argument a few months ago.

Only an idiot would believe inflation is under 3%. Maybe Trump TV will report accurate news...lol.

I've been fortunate overall, but still not cash flowing to my liking. Bought my first house in 2012 for $50k. Sold it in 2020 for $110k, which was honestly too cheap. Bought current home for $225k with a 3% interest rate. Have a stable job and make solid money for my location and age. I'm in rural north Alabama in my mid-30's. Have a decent savings (nothing to brag about), Roth IRA with about $18k-$20k, and a 401k with just over $200k. However, my truck is 8 years old and paid off and I eat breakfast, and lunch (most days), at home. Single income household with a child. Things cost too much and wages have not kept up, but people spend so much on foolishness. Credit card debt and BNPL (buy now, pay later) companies such as Klarna are reeking havoc on American households.

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but a starter house now means your arse needs to drive a little further.

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with gas prices over $4/gallon, how much money are you really saving doing that while also spending 10 hours of your week commuting to and from work?