You know, as a boomer, I'm sure glad to find out that everything was handed to me on a silver platter. Otherwise, I sure would have thought I had worked my ass off all those years working 2 or more jobs for nothing.
Yes, dripping sarcasm.
Dumb ass kids, everything has been a participation trophy in their lives. I wonder how many of them went to work 6 days a week, 10 hours a day at 15 yo, so that they could have clothes to wear? I've worked twice as long as most of them have been alive.
Not only that but blame others for their laziness.
And never compare the cost of a house in the 70's verses the income. And size. I mention the 70's cuz a lot of boomers where just hitting their stride on work, family, houses and cars. That is those that were still alive after Vietnam. When I also served.
The 70's though the mid 80's were high unemployment times and high inflation, and high mortgage interest rates. And when I say high I mean double digit. Is that ever mentioned by those who down boomers? No never. I'm still living in our "starter" home. 2 bedroom, 1 bath and raised two boys. Which is around 1100 total square feet including the non heated areas. The cost was 18,000.00 from a great uncle, and working two jobs, could barely afford the monthly payment, of 250.00. Which was on a balloon payment loan. And the place was a piece of junk when we moved in. Built in the 1930's. Been vacated enough years that we had to cut a tree down to get in the front door. You couldn't even see the place from the road due to undergrowth.
Since then we have done a lot of work ourselves or hired it done.
Sold 30 Pine trees in our front yard. Made enough to rent an old timey stump grinder, ground all the stumps over one weekend.
Paid 350.00 for a bulldozier to come and bury the rest of the undergrowth in the front yard. Which was the money it cost for a 4 hour job.
Went up to my mom and dad's and cut Zoyia grass out of her flower beds and replanted and sprigged out the grass in the front yard. All by hand. Meaning a shovel.
Re- plumbed, and new septic tank, most of the house and took the single pull string light bulb and 100 AMP fuse box, and rewired the house. After some 40 years we re-did the wiring again, with new wire and pug-ins. and a new 200 AMP trip switch fuse box. Paid for the 2nd re-wiring but the plumbing and first were done my me.
The house has no insulation. Although I did remove all the asbestos-cement shingles from the siding and put a 1" Styrofoam siding covered with real Western Cedar. With the Board and batten design all done by me, on my days off, with a box cutter knife, and a skil saw. No table saw, no chop saw, just a hand skil circular saw, and guide. Because all the batten had to be ripped.
The money to do all this came from raising Boxers. As we could barely afford the monthly payments on what I made.
Re roof the out side twice. I did both. The first time was with shingles, and it was 106 degrees. After some 15 years it needed roofing again. And I decided I was tired of this so went with metal. Also done by me, but this time my oldest son helped.
By the time the 2nd re-roofing and re-wiring was needed I had switched jobs to Cooper which started me off with a raise from my other job by 0.50 up to a whopping 9.50 an hour but was also on a swing shift, so a 2nd regular job was out of the question. A lot of the guys I worked with did odd jobs on their days off lawn mowing, handy man etc....
All this while trying to keep one good used car going. SB was a house wife, it was actually cheaper that way, and raising two boys. Sometimes the one good car, didn't work out so good. So would hitch a ride to work, on night shift, and work on the car in the day time.
You should also know that I am NOT a plumber, electrician, carpenter, or mechanic. I just could not afford to pay someone else to do the work.
And my job.... I was either covered over in Carbon black that would get all in your pours, and a good washing/bath didn't effect that any. Only sweating cleaned out your pours. Or working in around 130 degree heat, and within an hour of starting looked like I had taken a shower with my cloths on.
But it paid good, usually ran around 200% while covered up with carbon black. And 180% in the heat. Only ran 180% because that is all they would let me do. No one wanted these jobs because they were nasty. But those jobs paid this house off early, remember it was a balloon payment loan. Bought 3 brand new cars (we keep them a long time. My Jeep is a 2002) The last one we paid cash for, and the previous one which was 13 when we traded, was paid off way early.
My house is paid for because I worked some nasty jobs, and worked hard enough to get bonus' to do it.
My cars are paid for because, I not only worked hard, at jobs no one wanted, but saved, saved, saved. Only went on one vacation which was over the weekend down to the gulf of MS, the whole time the boys lived at home. And have only been on one since they moved out.
With our 50th Anniversary this year and we still save every penny we can, we have a very small nest egg, so are going on 2 vacations this year. Last one was 20 years ago. You only get one 50th.
Never drew food stamps or unemployment. Worked odd jobs to keep from it. Even if it was down in a hole with no air, and a shovel digging around for a backhoe.
So anyone who is not willing to do everything I have done, to get what little we have, which no one ever gave us anything, they need to shut their mouth. Living in your mom's basement because you can't find a job. Shut up. Last month was a record month for jobs.
A few months back
@TFergeson was on a rant crying because he couldn't get a good job or have a big house. Blaming boomers. I gave him a step by step method to made 100,000.00 a year and in 5 years be in that house he wanted. He didn't need a degree or anything other than be willing to work.
Did he take it? Doesn't appear so.
And since then multiple job openings have been posted here on the board. Sure what might be called starter jobs for 20.00 an hour, like starter homes, not where your goal should be, but it's a start. Much better than 9.50 with unemployment at 8%, mortgage rates at 21%, inflation at 14%.
I'll show you what I got from working, and you can show me what you got without it.
