Author Topic: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"  (Read 6105 times)

StPeteStache

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 2
"I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« on: July 17, 2019, 09:30:45 AM »
I'm still laughing at this article. Oh the poor millennial, who lives at home in destitution with both the time to watch Netflix and the money to eat out for lunch everyday.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/the-grim-reality-of-millennials-who-rely-on-their-parents-for-money-i-pay-for-lunch-at-work-and-i-pay-for-my-netflix-account/ar-AAEpmAO?li=BBnbfcN



DadJokes

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2360
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2019, 09:41:58 AM »
But at least living with her parents has allowed her to go back to journalism school part-time...

A journalism degree is about a step above underwater basket weaving in terms of leading to a livable income.

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6720
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2019, 10:00:19 AM »
Continuing to live as a family unit does give junior extra time to save up money and get started in life. Better than prematurely being pushed out into the world to struggle for a decade. On the other hand if this extended period with Mom and Dad becomes a low responsibility continuation of their teen years they'll get nothing out of it.

I'm for anything that keeps a happy family together rather than becoming acquaintances that occasionally visit over the course of a year. 

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2019, 03:10:00 AM »
A journalism degree is about a step above underwater basket weaving in terms of leading to a livable income.

Definitely not true, and it's a shame you feel that way.

The world needs good journalism more than ever these days, and good journalists are worth every dollar.

Subscribe to your favourite rag and help them out.

DadJokes

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2360
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2019, 06:08:33 AM »
There are plenty of good journalists, but there are a lot more journalists than the market has the capacity to support. It's part of why the internet is full of junky click-bait articles that provide no useful substance. Because the market is flooded with more workers than it can support, the pay is not very good. That's why I wouldn't recommend someone get a journalism degree in today's market.

runbikerun

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 539
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2019, 06:44:11 AM »
Underwater basket weaving always struck me as an odd choice of hyperbolic unemployability as far as degrees go. If I were running a graduate hiring program, and came across someone who had learned to produce top-quality artisan baskets while underwater, I'd immediately be impressed by their dedication to accuracy and their ability to work under (extremely literal) pressure...

kimmarg

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 750
  • Location: Northern New England
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2019, 07:02:36 AM »
Underwater basket weaving always struck me as an odd choice of hyperbolic unemployability as far as degrees go. If I were running a graduate hiring program, and came across someone who had learned to produce top-quality artisan baskets while underwater, I'd immediately be impressed by their dedication to accuracy and their ability to work under (extremely literal) pressure...

I mean most standard ash basket materials need to be soaked to be bent enough to weave, so really weaving it underwater isn't that much of a stretch. Can just the basket be underwater or does the weaver need to be too? Clearly I need the degree as I have much to learn.

EngagedToFIRE

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 422
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2019, 07:55:40 AM »
There are plenty of good journalists, but there are a lot more journalists than the market has the capacity to support. It's part of why the internet is full of junky click-bait articles that provide no useful substance. Because the market is flooded with more workers than it can support, the pay is not very good. That's why I wouldn't recommend someone get a journalism degree in today's market.

Probably because you shouldn't need a degree to write stories.

Davnasty

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2793
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2019, 09:14:47 AM »
Underwater basket weaving always struck me as an odd choice of hyperbolic unemployability as far as degrees go. If I were running a graduate hiring program, and came across someone who had learned to produce top-quality artisan baskets while underwater, I'd immediately be impressed by their dedication to accuracy and their ability to work under (extremely literal) pressure...

I mean most standard ash basket materials need to be soaked to be bent enough to weave, so really weaving it underwater isn't that much of a stretch. Can just the basket be underwater or does the weaver need to be too? Clearly I need the degree as I have much to learn.

Only the basket need be underwater but water refraction would make it difficult to see what you're doing. Probably better to get some goggles and a hose to breathe with and go all in.

I was going to comment that pruny fingers might be a drawback, but it seems that might actually be more of an advantage. Pruny fingers improve gripping of wet objects by acting similarly to the treads on a tire in the rain, channeling away water and increasing surface area contact.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-our-fingers-and-toes-wrinkle-during-a-bath/

Davnasty

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2793
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2019, 09:17:54 AM »
This article has a very different definition of "Financially Independent" than we do

Quote
over 90% of parents surveyed expect their kids to be financially independent by the age of 25.

As in, they can start paying their own way with their own income.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2019, 02:14:37 PM »
There are plenty of good journalists, but there are a lot more journalists than the market has the capacity to support. It's part of why the internet is full of junky click-bait articles that provide no useful substance. Because the market is flooded with more workers than it can support, the pay is not very good. That's why I wouldn't recommend someone get a journalism degree in today's market.

Probably because you shouldn't need a degree to write stories.
Uh, journalism is a lot more than writing stories?  If you read anything (or a wide variety of articles), you'd know that.

I'm an engineer and haven't taken any kind of writing class since high school, but I certainly appreciate good journalists!

merula

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1612
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2019, 02:30:23 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

DadJokes

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2360
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2019, 02:37:54 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17383
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2019, 02:51:32 PM »
I've actually done underwater basket weaving...

solon

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2359
  • Age: 1823
  • Location: OH
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2019, 02:58:48 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

It's more like, "... let's see, I think one of the numbers was 15. I'll just put in 15 and come back later with the real numbers..."

And then the dog got sick.

DadJokes

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2360
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #15 on: July 18, 2019, 03:04:32 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

It's more like, "... let's see, I think one of the numbers was 15. I'll just put in 15 and come back later with the real numbers..."

And then the dog got sick.

Further proof that there are too many journalists out there. When I write audit reports without all of the data, I highlight numbers that need to be updated later, so I don't forget about them.

zolotiyeruki

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5603
  • Location: State: Denial
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #16 on: July 18, 2019, 03:07:38 PM »
Underwater basket weaving always struck me as an odd choice of hyperbolic unemployability as far as degrees go. If I were running a graduate hiring program, and came across someone who had learned to produce top-quality artisan baskets while underwater, I'd immediately be impressed by their dedication to accuracy and their ability to work under (extremely literal) pressure...

I mean most standard ash basket materials need to be soaked to be bent enough to weave, so really weaving it underwater isn't that much of a stretch. Can just the basket be underwater or does the weaver need to be too? Clearly I need the degree as I have much to learn.
Or, perhaps, it's the weaving of baskets which will be used underwater at some later time, in which case neither the student nor the materials need to be submerged until the product is finished!

Ah, isn't the English language fun?!

MonkeyJenga

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8894
  • Location: the woods
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #17 on: July 18, 2019, 03:21:40 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

It's more like, "... let's see, I think one of the numbers was 15. I'll just put in 15 and come back later with the real numbers..."

And then the dog got sick.

Further proof that there are too many journalists out there. When I write audit reports without all of the data, I highlight numbers that need to be updated later, so I don't forget about them.

Or it's proof that independent journalism should be better funded so people with high-level skills want to pursue it, existing journalists don't need to scramble to write for news mills, and news outlets can afford editors.

HPstache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2858
  • Age: 37
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #18 on: July 18, 2019, 06:12:54 PM »
Underwater basket weaving always struck me as an odd choice of hyperbolic unemployability as far as degrees go. If I were running a graduate hiring program, and came across someone who had learned to produce top-quality artisan baskets while underwater, I'd immediately be impressed by their dedication to accuracy and their ability to work under (extremely literal) pressure...

I mean most standard ash basket materials need to be soaked to be bent enough to weave, so really weaving it underwater isn't that much of a stretch. Can just the basket be underwater or does the weaver need to be too? Clearly I need the degree as I have much to learn.
Or, perhaps, it's the weaving of baskets which will be used underwater at some later time, in which case neither the student nor the materials need to be submerged until the product is finished!

Ah, isn't the English language fun?!

Or possibly, it is the weaving of baskets which carry loans in excess of what the baskets are worth on the market?

LilyFleur

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 54
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #19 on: July 18, 2019, 08:02:13 PM »
But at least living with her parents has allowed her to go back to journalism school part-time...

A journalism degree is about a step above underwater basket weaving in terms of leading to a livable income.
My journalism degree gave me years of interesting employment and $1 million in a 401k. It all depends. I worked for a Fortune 500 company in their public relations department, and it was my matching stock that gave me the 401k.

martyconlonontherun

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 367
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #20 on: July 18, 2019, 08:17:46 PM »
I don't think DadJokes comment was related to the nobility of the profession, just that expected earnings are likely less than with other degrees/professions. A large (or even medium) wage in this profession in NYC, where the competition is likely ferocious, is going to be a tough climb.

But more on topic, I always wonder when they say things like "living at home helps me save money" if they really mean "save money" or they mean "helps me transfer my spending to my parents". In this case, I suspect it's the latter.

When I lived at home I was able to save a ton of money with transferring my spending to my parents. The bedroom was empty, utilities were essentially the same, etc. No way in hell were they moving and still there ten years later. Yeah I had small additions to grocery bills and other stuff, but the key was access to a nice kitchen to cook my own meals and living twenty min from a bar so I didn't waste money on booze and late night food.

Bloop Bloop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2139
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #21 on: July 18, 2019, 09:08:10 PM »
The quality of journalism has definitely gone down, which probably reflects the diminished advertising revenue and therefore the diminished ability of newspapers (and online "news sources") to pay their writers a decent wage. Other than a few papers like the NYT, most online writing I see is clearly written under time or budgetary constraints, and a lot of the writing is scarcely one notch above Mashable/Buzzfeed.

But as I like to say - most people with the writing/analytical skills required to be good journalists are already gainfully employed as consultants and lawyers. Money talks.

2Cent

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 745
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2019, 03:13:26 AM »
I'm still laughing at this article. Oh the poor millennial, who lives at home in destitution with both the time to watch Netflix and the money to eat out for lunch everyday.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/the-grim-reality-of-millennials-who-rely-on-their-parents-for-money-i-pay-for-lunch-at-work-and-i-pay-for-my-netflix-account/ar-AAEpmAO?li=BBnbfcN
Lunch and Netflix would cost 100/month while rent would be 3000/month. I don't see the destitution as a problem, but more the lack of independence. Going towards 30 most people will be looking to start a family. Not impossible, but definitely not helpful to live with parents. Especially for guys as most woman looking to marry will pass up guys who don't even have their own place.

OtherJen

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5267
  • Location: Metro Detroit
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #23 on: July 19, 2019, 08:38:14 AM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

It's more like, "... let's see, I think one of the numbers was 15. I'll just put in 15 and come back later with the real numbers..."

And then the dog got sick.

Further proof that there are too many journalists out there. When I write audit reports without all of the data, I highlight numbers that need to be updated later, so I don't forget about them.

Or it's proof that independent journalism should be better funded so people with high-level skills want to pursue it, existing journalists don't need to scramble to write for news mills, and news outlets can afford editors.

Yep. I’m an editor, and it’s my job to find those typos. Nowadays, there are so many typos in articles from smaller independent publications that the owners can’t possibly be paying for even the most basic copy editing services.

MonkeyJenga

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8894
  • Location: the woods
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #24 on: July 19, 2019, 02:30:44 PM »
Can someone help me understand this quote from the article?
 
(That’s probably just as well: Some 15% of millennials (15%) live with their parents, up from 15% of members of Generation X when they were their age, the Pew Research Center found.)

I assumed it was a typo.

It's more like, "... let's see, I think one of the numbers was 15. I'll just put in 15 and come back later with the real numbers..."

And then the dog got sick.

Further proof that there are too many journalists out there. When I write audit reports without all of the data, I highlight numbers that need to be updated later, so I don't forget about them.

Or it's proof that independent journalism should be better funded so people with high-level skills want to pursue it, existing journalists don't need to scramble to write for news mills, and news outlets can afford editors.

Yep. I’m an editor, and it’s my job to find those typos. Nowadays, there are so many typos in articles from smaller independent publications that the owners can’t possibly be paying for even the most basic copy editing services.

I once considered being a copy editor. Once I saw the salaries and saw that many outlets were cutting editor positions, I decided against it. They're seen as non-essential. But dang, sometimes even Google Docs spell-check would catch the crap that gets through!

LaineyAZ

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1052
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #25 on: July 19, 2019, 02:48:18 PM »
One other aspect of living at home as a young 20-something:  you do not feel the financial need/pressure to couple-up too early.  When you're struggling to pay rent and other bills, it's very tempting have either the bf/gf move in together to save money.  Then this relationship becomes comfortable because it's a relief to not have to pay all of the bills vs. the romance taking its natural course if that financial need wasn't there.

Yes, I know roommates can offset some financial pressure too, but I know of many who jumped into cohabiting early in a relationship with $ savings being the main factor and regretted it.  Another reason why I allowed my own adult son to live in the family home until his mid-20s.  He was in a serious relationship but they had time to develop it while he was saving $ from his job and not pushed out the door at age 18 to cover everything by himself.  He's happily married now to this same woman.  YMMV.

2Cent

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 745
Re: "I pay for lunch at work and I pay for my Netflix account"
« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2019, 02:21:04 AM »
Quote
Lunch and Netflix would cost 100/month while rent would be 3000/month.

Netflix is 13/month - so by your math she's eating out everyday for lunch at work for ~$4/day in NYC. If she has found a way to do that, she's a frugality superstar. And she surely wouldn't pay $3000/mo in rent.

Quote
I don't see the destitution as a problem, but more the lack of independence.

I used "destitution" jokingly, because clearly that's not the case. I think it's one thing to help your kid get on their feet, or through a temporary rough patch, and we should definitely do those things for our friends and family. However, I have friends whose parents helped them avoid the struggle of early adulthood and they're still getting rent support from mom and dad in their 40s. Married with kids and still on the parents payroll - I guess some people can rationalize that but it seems kinda backwards to me.
Netflix cheapest plan is $9. I've not been to New York, but according to google a large pizza slice is $2,75 and a filling sandwich is $4,- But even if she splurges on lunch and spends $150/month instead of renting a room of only $1000 its a big difference. But I get your point. I think we just don't have enough information to form an informed opinion.