- Show:
- Comments
- Liked Comments
By CleetusVanDamme on What Happens When the Sky Isn't Falling?
While scare-mongering is a definite no-no, there are many legit reasons to be worried about the voracious appetite of our federal, state, and local governments when it comes to how much they spend (and waste). Most folks who raise these points are dismissed as Tea Party-types who hate Obama but are in fact just concerned about the fiscal health of our country going forward. Do we really want to end up as an economic basketcase like many European countries? Spending vast amounts of money we don't have on entitlements we can't afford? Glad to see we are making some effort to tackle these efforts but there is still alot left to do.
1
By ContinuumOfCare on College Unbound
If you go to the correct campus of Podunk U, it's really more like $10,000 a year. Pick a state school in a state with low housing costs. Problem solved.
1
By chic noir on Helaine Olen on "Leaning Into the Past"
I just added this book to my TBR pile via Goodreads a few days ago. The thing women like Olen, who I adore BTW , need to remember is, not every woman desires a corner office or even a cute cubicle.
3
By RocketSurgeon on Financial Aid Practices
I'm not sure how to feel about this. Perhaps somehow I got lucky, or things have changed since I was in school. I'm from West Virginia, and am the child of two small-town school teachers who divorced the week after I graduated from high school. I did well in high school and on my entry exams- great for my peer group, but nothing extraordinary vs the national competition. I went to George Washington in 1998 with most of my tuition covered by the school. The cost of living in dorms, books, etc. was covered by loans. I felt I'd been given a pretty fair package, but am still paying down the original $45K in loans ten years later (though deferred during grad school). I probably could have gone to a state school for cheap/free, but my choice of GW was both a ticket out of WV and a ticket up. I can't say I wouldn't have gotten to where I am without that school and the merit/financial aid, but I think it had a lot to do with it.
1
By Madge on Not All of Us Are Wasteful
people like to paint MMM as some kind of smug self-satisfied bastard who's screaming at everybody telling them they're doing it wrong. but, if you actually read his work, you will see that's not what he's doing at all. he's simply sharing his experience, like so many people on this site do. he's not saying "everyone should be like me" but more something like "hey i figured out some useful shit that may help you reach your goals." the face punches, the swearing, all that stuff is just stylistic. he's actually got quite the moderate, eco-conscious, happiness-creating philosophy. you should read more about it before you dismiss it. and what is up with all the sour grapes in this discussion? as MMM is fond of saying, if he comes across someone who does something way better than him, he's going to TAKE NOTES, not bitch about why he can't possibly do the same thing. the idea is to get inspired and to do what you can, saving money and becoming a more badass and much happier person in the process. yes, we need to be on elizabeth warren's side, working to make financial products more transparent and fair. but we also need to look in the mirror and see how OUR OWN CHOICES impact where we are in life.
5
By sunflowernut on Not Having Children Is Letting Us Have It All
I don’t understand why she compared herself to her parents so much. I mean, having children early is understanably a barrier to being able to focus on a career. But I think the fact that her father was an actor and at some point during her childhood was back in school had a lot more to do with her parent’s income level at the time than anything else. I wasn’t so much a fan of this. I kept expecting her to bring up some deeper realization about what it meant for her to “have it all”, and all she did was go on about being able to go shoppping. I mean, I am going to assume that her version of “having it all” is supposed to be financial stability, not just being able to buy lots of stuff. But that is my good faith guess, since no where does she mention a retirement plan or emergency fund, which are important parts of financially stability, IMHO.
2
By theballgirl on Not Having Children Is Letting Us Have It All
Love this. Mainly because this was me, 3ish years ago; same income levels, just married, and settled into our lovely condo just outside a major city. Although the difference with me is that I was obsessed with having kids. I wanted those chubby little bastards more than anything! And low and behold, I was knocked up a year later (so about 2 years ago). Now we had planned/budgeted for our baby, (altho "not enough" according to the husband who had DAILY anxiety attacks) but the way people talked about it, we expected INSTA-bills to come raining down on us the second he squeaked out his first cry. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our monthly baby-related costs were lower than what we had planned. For sure, our costs will grow in correlation with him (then far far surpass), so we continue to save and strategize for the future. Anyways, just wanted to offer an alternate outcome from a similar starting point. PS – NOT a baby-pusher. Have em/don't have em. Financially he’s not as hard as we thought, but mentally its a thunderdome.
4
By dudeascending on Not Having Children Is Letting Us Have It All
I think this was a really interesting piece, and I applaud the author for doing such a great job blending her sense of self-satisfaction and self-doubt. I think many of us are experiencing the same thing. I do wonder if her "mistakes" have to do with her idea of "having it all" (e.g., a good quality of life) being pretty exclusively bound up in the idea of having greater discretionary income or purchasing power. The comments about buyig her way out of her problems, feeling like she belongs or doesn't belong at a mall, etc., etc. If your sense of accomplishment hinges on what consumer goods you can show off, of course, being DINKs is a huge advantage. But, yeah, does "having it all" really mean "able to buy anything"?
7
By Harper Alexander@facebook on Not Having Children Is Letting Us Have It All
"I make four times (or more) what my parents made when they had me. Yet, I am convinced I couldn’t afford to do the same." Allow me to attempt to convince you -- you're incorrect. "And to be honest, I would probably resent the kid..." Given that you seem like a grounded, normal, thoughtful, family-oriented person, allow me to attempt to convince you again -- you're incorrect.
3
By LHOOQ on No Discounts for Millennials
Senior discounts are simply price targeting. If businesses thought that they would make more money in the long run by doing away with their senior discounts, they would do it.