Millennial Who Grew Up In The 1990s Says Boomers Don't Understand 'We're Working 3 Times As Hard For A Third Of What They Had At Our Age'

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[ProgressingAmerica]

For many millennials, the economy can feel like a game of musical chairs where previous generations already grabbed the seats, refinanced them at 3% interest and now insist there are still plenty left if younger people would just "budget better." Somewhere along the way, the American dream started feeling less like a finish line and more like one of those carnival games rigged just enough to keep people throwing money at it.

That frustration spilled into Reddit's r/economy subreddit when one millennial who grew up in the 1990s posted a blunt message about the growing disconnect between younger Americans and boomers over money, housing and financial expectations.

"I'm a millennial who grew up in the 90s and what boomers don't understand about us is that we're working three times as hard for a third of what they had at our age," the Redditor wrote. "And the milestones they want us to hit weren't postponed by laziness, they were priced out of reach by the economy they voted for."

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TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: boomers; fakenews; genz; igotminesofyou; illegaltruth; immigranttruth; millennials; softspoiledyouth; waaaaaaa; zeroeffsgiven

[econjack]

First, I doubt the premise that they are working 3x as hard for 1/3 the pay. Second, none of us who went to college majored in Gender Studies or some other no-market major. Like a comedian once said: I majored in History and when I graduated, I discovered all the history factories were closed. Third, those of us who didn’t go to college often learned a skill in the military. Above all, none of us sat in our parents’ basement and cried that we were being treated unfairly.

[lastchance]

By what Boomers have done?

Where can I get some of the largess you claim I should already have? Though I am a later born Boomer and some do not include my age group in that description.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I am thankful that this is not one fault I have to face God with come Judgement.”

I will be PROUD to face God, knowing that we Boomers created a better country for those coming after us. And proud that our work ethic was the last generation to have a positive one. God’s not a fan of sluggards.

[TalBlack]

I was born in ‘58. I remember several monster bumps of inflation. I remember not being able to make the rent on a shared one bedroom without taking a second job. I remember the phase out of one company and a pension. I remember constant layoffs as companies bought and sold one another. I remember not being able to afford a new car or health insurance. No vacations. I remember having to rent houses with four and five others. I don’t recall bitching about it to anyone. You play the hand you’re dealt.Crybabying accomplishes WHAT? Do they think we owe them something now?

[utax]

“I’m a very late boomer.”

Generation Jones

[Georgia Girl 2]

Waaaa! Millennials would turn their noses up at the beater cars we drove and the crappy jobs we worked while trying to scrape up enough money for a down payment on a dumpy starter house they would never consider.

[MeanWestTexan]

““The Boomer generation is typically regarded as one of the greediest the country has ever seen.”

Can you cite a legitimate authority for that or did you just pull it out of your ass?”

I think the key word in that sentence is “regarded”.

I think it is true that is how Boomers are “regarded”.

Is it true that Boomers ARE one of the greediest the country has ever seen? I don’t think so. No more or less than any other generation.

Perception, however, is often almost as bad as reality, in the effect that it has.

[MayflowerMadam]

I do appreciate the entertainment value in observing Ms, Xs, and Zs. They’re a reliable source of amusement.

[Texas Eagle]

Sheeeeeyit. My first job in 1979 paid $3.35 an hour in a warehouse that was freezing cold in the winter and hot and sweaty in the summer. I didn't have a thousand dollar cell phone. My first car didn't have power windows or heated seats. My first video game was a black screen that had a little dot that went back and forth that we tried to hit with little "paddles". Our TV had maybe 10 channels and that didn't include HBO or Showtime because our cable company didn't carry those channels. I couldn't afford to cover my bidy with tattoos or cover my face with piercings. Not tgst I wanted to. Mortgage rates were 15%. As if we could afford to buy a home with a job that paid 3 dollars an hour.

And we call those the good old days.

[Jonty30]

So, when your children and grandchildren are paying 100% taxation just to finance the debt, you will be proud of that if asked by God about it?

The debt is going to collapse the country eventually and all your supposed creations to make a better country are going to go away.

[notdownwidems]

‘led’ not ‘lead’

[50sDad]

The Politics of Envy.

[Justa]

Here is the secret to Boomer Wealth:

Work
Live below your means
Invest in index funds using a self-managed IRA
Sign no contract where the other party has a government-enforced right to half your assets and is awarded a salary for breaking the contract
Repeat for 50 years

Retire a multi-millionaire

[SPDSHDW]

Do a COLA on your 5k a year.

Those 5k dollars were worth way more then 40k a year now.

Fact is the present issue at hand is the government has devalued the dollar so damn much, and wages have been artificially supre5ssed by illegal labor and off shored jobs.

All the shit you stated is indeed part of the issue, but most of it is the above. In 60 years the dollar was worth an ounce of silver. Recently it has been 80-100 dollars for that same ounce. Means a current 2026 dollar is approximately the valve of a 1970s penny.

[TexasGator]

“I was born in ‘58. “

We got a new house. Our family of five were finally leaving our 2BR, 760 sf home that we had lived in for nine years.

For a time there were seven of us living there.

[Uncle Miltie]

BS.

Demonstrably false.

[Poser]

I call BS.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I doubt the premise that they are working 3x as hard for 1/3 the pay.”

“Doubt the premise”? Seriously? I call 100% BS. They work three times as hard?! 😂😆

[notdownwidems]

very similar trajectory, but hats off to you I didn’t start working until age 12

[Westbrook]

My first house cost about one year’s salary.

Decent houses today are 5 and 10 times one year’s salaries, even with husband and wife’s salaries combined.

I bought my first house for about $20,000 in my early 20s in 1970. I already had 2 kids at that time, a car, a good job.

Groceries for a family of 4 back then was $25to $30 a week.
Our mortgage, PIT, was less than a week’s pay.

We weren’t living large, but we could pretty much get what we wanted when we wanted it. We had the wherewithal.

We had a lot more kids over the years. The older ones had it easier than the younger ones, but still not as easy as I had it.

I’m watching my youngest ones struggling. Only three of our kids own their own home. It’s out of reach for the others, no matter how hard they work, no matter that both husband and wife are working. They can barely afford rent, and cannot scrape together the 10 to 20% down payment on a half-a-million dollar house.

My parents were LEGAL immigrants. Came here with nothing but their clothing and the few dollars the government required you to have for immigration. They started businesses and sent their first generation to college, back when college
actually TAUGHT useful subjects.