AUTHOR: bbbobbins on 10/11/2024 FIRST: Ben Rodriguez on 10/11/2024 | RECENT: Billy McKelvy on 10/15/2024
Comments
Problem is eating out for breakfast in US can easily run $20-30 per head plus tip so the value of a free breakfast soon adds up. Plus the convenience of just walking down to the lobby and the all you can eat buffet nature means you can fuel up well for a day on the road or doing active stuff and be away 45 mins earlier.
Difficult to think ultra logically about it given the obvious insanity (and many other things) of the proposition. I guess you could look at behaviour in states that have had resident "dividend" checks like Alaska or the Colorado weed dividend. Alternately some wise people pay down debt shocking the banking industry or put it into funds generating further growth for all.
I've learned from friends that are in the swamp of dating pools that apparently there is a thing that some women are looking for men* with a "provider mindset". Might be more of a younger thing in general. Apparently it's code for buy me nice gifts and take me to expensive places. I'd fail at the first hurdle because I'd be saying "Yeah my provider mindset is rather than buy that rubbish I'd rather put it in index funds for the long term benefit of me and my future life partner". *and I guess vice versa but I'm speculating that's more sugarmomma type stuff.
Keep posting if you need the therapy. More seriously it is pretty much a morally bankrupt overcharging industry all built on some performative ideas of perfection. No wonder many marriages don't go the distance as they show how much one partner is willing to squander from the off.
Maybe they aren't carrying CC debt but just live close to budget because they actually have prepared one and a future social event isn't in this month's budget. OK it's likely that some of them at least are overextending and at least carrying CC debt month to month. But it remains feasible that CC is just used for short term liquidity and is paid off next payday without having surplus cash to prepay other things. Not having cash to prepay a non-essential frivolity like a hen night is not the same as being fiscally irresponsible. Yes there is a high chance that they lack liquidity because of other frivolities but it's not certain. The real test is whether they let such things burden them into family years and then building for their own retirement. Some will escape, some won't. Often it's down to choice of partner, avoiding divorce etc.
Very good. Reminds me a lot of a piece called The Rookie that my now 15 year old niece has crafted to be deployed in various English exams she will face at the end of this school year. She reckons she can bend it into one of many prompts.
Sometimes it's not chasing - it just happens. I'm still trying to train myself out of a student/backpacker spending mentality at times - why take a taxi when it's only 15 mins until a bus sort of thing. The habits that get you there may end up being your life habits if mental health/social anxiety don't enable you to get out and find active opportunities to spend on things that matter.
Maybe they are being fiscally responsible by not leaning on CC debt to fund a social obligation ;) Lifestyle can trap people at any age. I suspect there are plenty of people who are doing fine in progressing in life but don't have the cashflow at particular times of the month to prepay cash. Ultimately they need a promotion or a job move to get cushion. And a hen night would be a poor reason to tap an emergency fund.
The mean average will never be high because of the prevalence of high turnover service sector jobs in the economy e.g. kids flipping burgers. Median is more meaningful - that means 50% of workers have >5 years tenure. Is is reasonable for them to want vested pension schemes? I'd say so.
I presume they are some personal finance adjacent business and thus publishing it stimulates traffic when it gets picked up in news feeds etc. Not everything published is an in-depth Pullitzer worthy peer acclaimed study. I would suspect that the results look similar to any similar study since the passing of the company pension and long job tenure period in US. Like it or not you live in the biggest consumerist society in the world and people spend like they are winners even when they are not (and others have no choice because of the nature of extractive pricing). So up to 40-50% fearing for a comfortable retirement sounds entirely plausible.
Comments
Problem is eating out for breakfast in US can easily run $20-30 per head plus tip so the value of a free breakfast soon adds up. Plus the convenience of just walking down to the lobby and the all you can eat buffet nature means you can fuel up well for a day on the road or doing active stuff and be away 45 mins earlier.
Post: Free Breakfast
Link to comment from September 10, 2026
Difficult to think ultra logically about it given the obvious insanity (and many other things) of the proposition. I guess you could look at behaviour in states that have had resident "dividend" checks like Alaska or the Colorado weed dividend. Alternately some wise people pay down debt shocking the banking industry or put it into funds generating further growth for all.
Post: The $5,000 Thought Experiment
Link to comment from September 10, 2026
I've learned from friends that are in the swamp of dating pools that apparently there is a thing that some women are looking for men* with a "provider mindset". Might be more of a younger thing in general. Apparently it's code for buy me nice gifts and take me to expensive places. I'd fail at the first hurdle because I'd be saying "Yeah my provider mindset is rather than buy that rubbish I'd rather put it in index funds for the long term benefit of me and my future life partner". *and I guess vice versa but I'm speculating that's more sugarmomma type stuff.
Post: A Wedding Too Far
Link to comment from September 9, 2026
Keep posting if you need the therapy. More seriously it is pretty much a morally bankrupt overcharging industry all built on some performative ideas of perfection. No wonder many marriages don't go the distance as they show how much one partner is willing to squander from the off.
Post: A Wedding Too Far
Link to comment from September 7, 2026
Maybe they aren't carrying CC debt but just live close to budget because they actually have prepared one and a future social event isn't in this month's budget. OK it's likely that some of them at least are overextending and at least carrying CC debt month to month. But it remains feasible that CC is just used for short term liquidity and is paid off next payday without having surplus cash to prepay other things. Not having cash to prepay a non-essential frivolity like a hen night is not the same as being fiscally irresponsible. Yes there is a high chance that they lack liquidity because of other frivolities but it's not certain. The real test is whether they let such things burden them into family years and then building for their own retirement. Some will escape, some won't. Often it's down to choice of partner, avoiding divorce etc.
Post: Behind The Finery
Link to comment from September 4, 2026
Very good. Reminds me a lot of a piece called The Rookie that my now 15 year old niece has crafted to be deployed in various English exams she will face at the end of this school year. She reckons she can bend it into one of many prompts.
Post: The Fear by Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from September 4, 2026
Sometimes it's not chasing - it just happens. I'm still trying to train myself out of a student/backpacker spending mentality at times - why take a taxi when it's only 15 mins until a bus sort of thing. The habits that get you there may end up being your life habits if mental health/social anxiety don't enable you to get out and find active opportunities to spend on things that matter.
Post: Behind The Finery
Link to comment from September 4, 2026
Maybe they are being fiscally responsible by not leaning on CC debt to fund a social obligation ;) Lifestyle can trap people at any age. I suspect there are plenty of people who are doing fine in progressing in life but don't have the cashflow at particular times of the month to prepay cash. Ultimately they need a promotion or a job move to get cushion. And a hen night would be a poor reason to tap an emergency fund.
Post: Behind The Finery
Link to comment from September 4, 2026
The mean average will never be high because of the prevalence of high turnover service sector jobs in the economy e.g. kids flipping burgers. Median is more meaningful - that means 50% of workers have >5 years tenure. Is is reasonable for them to want vested pension schemes? I'd say so.
Post: A bleak picture for retirement in the future?
Link to comment from September 3, 2026
I presume they are some personal finance adjacent business and thus publishing it stimulates traffic when it gets picked up in news feeds etc. Not everything published is an in-depth Pullitzer worthy peer acclaimed study. I would suspect that the results look similar to any similar study since the passing of the company pension and long job tenure period in US. Like it or not you live in the biggest consumerist society in the world and people spend like they are winners even when they are not (and others have no choice because of the nature of extractive pricing). So up to 40-50% fearing for a comfortable retirement sounds entirely plausible.
Post: A bleak picture for retirement in the future?
Link to comment from September 3, 2026