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Maybe it is different in Boston, NYC & Washington DC but those in their 20s seem to be doing great and doing what they are great at as well --- spending money on consumer items.. It is different here in the Boston area because as I have seen unlike NYC where I grew up, many of these recent grads seem to have that silver spoon in their mouth -- think Mitt Romneys children so they have those connections especially from schools like Bentley, BC, and BU which are direct pipelines to the high paying jobs in Boston. I find that I cannot make it into these cliques and not really 'liked' because I am perceived as an outsider -- spending 32 out of 39 years living in NYC makes me a native NYer where there are hardly any in this area.
But 20's being hard puulllleeez... How is it hard paying your share of the rent for that huge house you are renting in Somerville or Cambridge when those in their 30s or 40's may own homes and have to spend $300 + on commuter rail and all of the assorted taxes & fees after mommy & daddy cut us off
I think in your 20s you should travel. A lot, like a year, as cheap as you need to do it. That way, even if the decade is a struggle career-wise you can likely call it a success and have great memories to boot. If in the US and you like nature you don't need to get to another country. There's several years' worth of nature to see in the US.
Sure everyone has an extra $10,000 - $50,000 for 'travel' and do all these yuppie expensive activities like 'white water rafting', fensing or rugby.. Sounds like someone who was born into the top 1% or 2% and only associates with the 'little people' when they have to like at the RMV or when they order lunch
Sure everyone has an extra $10,000 - $50,000 for 'travel' and do all these yuppie expensive activities like 'white water rafting', fensing or rugby.. Sounds like someone who was born into the top 1% or 2% and only associates with the 'little people' when they have to like at the RMV or when they order lunch
You don't need nearly that much money for travel.
I'm touring the western United States for a month this summer with a $1,000 budget. Camping, Couch Surfing, and ride sharing has saved me literally thousands of dollars.
The twenties... Ah yes, Let me see???
Oh yea, That's when you leave home, graduate from school if you're lucky enough to get to go.
Then the transition begins..... Childhood to adulthood....
You get a job and start...
Work, pay rent, pay bills, buy your own food etc.
Rent,
Electric,
Heat,
Water,
Cable,
Phone,
Internet,
Groceries,
Health Insurance,
Life Insurance,
Automobile Insurance,
Car payment,
Auto maintenance,
Student Loans,
hair cuts,
Entertainment,
Hobbies like golf, fishing camping etc all take a backseat to life.
But not to worry, you will get thru it.
Enjoy them while you can....
I got myself into a lot of debt in my 20s..... Car payments, credit cards, student loans, etc. Now, in my very early 30s... I'm eliminated my credit card debt and car payment... so i feel like I spent the entire 2nd half of my 20s working to pay off debt.... never accumulating money and constantly staving off bankruptcy. It was awful...
Financially, things are better now. I actually have extra money and a savings, however personally... things could be better. It kind of switched..... my 20s were a lot of fun socially, lots of friends, girlfriends, good times, and no money....now in my 30s it's the opposite, I have money, but socially.... not much going on.
I'm half way through my 20s and this is just straight awesome. Yeah, I'm broke and underemployed and it hasn't been easy just getting my feet under me, but I grew up poor so me being broke is just me living. But I've met so many people, have had so many experiences, have done things I never dreamed of doing...Life is nothing short of awesome right now.
I'll be turning 30 this year and my 20's have had their crazy ups and downs.
In my early 20's, I went to college in California. I was working 2-3 jobs while in school, had a great group of friends (we all kind of leaned on each other because we were all out of staters), and in general was having a pretty okay time. Could I have had more than $3 in my bank account? Sure. Then my mom got cancer, and then it went away and then it came back after I graduated college. This led me to have to move back home, since it didn't look good for my mom.
I worked dead end jobs and helped my mom in my mid 20s. It was a really trying time for me, as I was dealing with having to move across the country (back to New York), and giving up my life I was attempting to build out in California. I became depressed, resentful and angry. To top it off, no one in my family understood why I was the way I was. I'd get into fights with them and it put me in this awful funk.
My mom passed away when I was 24 and I sort of just did whatever for a year. I really really needed time for myself and to relax; I felt like I was constantly doing things and taking that year was important for me. Then at 25, I met my FH and now at 29, we are about to get married and it feels sort of surreal. I really didn't know where I would be after my mom passed away, 5 years later. I have a stable job, FH and I have a house together, life is starting to fall into place. It's a scary unknown territory, but I guess that is the case with any new decade.
Didn't have time to read all the replies, so someone probably already said this... I think the 20s were easier when people got a career and were expecting to stick with it pretty much until retirement. It might have been harder to get that first job, but after that, it was more or less honing your skills within that company. Now, it's all internships and contract work and looking out for an ideal job without being able to predict the future job market, what skills will be in demand down the line (who can predict technology shifts, international events, etc) - it has a lot of chance and luck involved, even if you're lucky enough to be in a lucrative field you enjoy and have good networks In.
My mid-30s were the worst of my life. Got overextended in debt, had to work 3 jobs to pay everything off, and fortunately got through this period. 40s were better, now 50s are the best times of my life.
I'm half way through my 20s and this is just straight awesome. Yeah, I'm broke and underemployed and it hasn't been easy just getting my feet under me, but I grew up poor so me being broke is just me living. But I've met so many people, have had so many experiences, have done things I never dreamed of doing...Life is nothing short of awesome right now.
That's a great attitude!
I never cared that rich people were rich. Or that someone had something I didn't. I had great friends, lived cheaply, and had the carefree life available only to those with nearly no responsibilities.
One day I decided to move to Texas. Bought a cheap used van, loaded everything up, and lived in the van for a couple of years. Traveled around the country that way.
One thing that people on this forum do is rate their own happiness as a factor of their financial success versus others.
I was equally happy my first real job as a $10/hour programmer, and I'm happy now making many times that.
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