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Here's an alternate reason why Americans "have" to work longer hours and borrow more:
The average home size has tripled since the 1950's
It's standard and expected for new autos to all have all the bells and whistles (power everything, AC, CD player, ect).
Consumerism has saturated every aspect of our lives; it's nearly impossible to go anywhere without someone trying to sell you something by convincing you that you "need" it and should buy it NOW, on easy credit.
Movies and TV regularly portray people living in circumstances that would be impossble in real life (Think under and unemployed young adults living in a giant NYC loft apartment in "Friends", for example)
All are motivators and symptoms a society where what constitutes "success" is artificially inflated. With few exceptons we can still raise a family with a single 40 hour per week income, stay at home mom and a full belly.... if we lived in 900 sq foot 1950s suburban houses with 1 stripped down Buick, 1 B&W TV, (plastic pink flamingos are optional).
Thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself.
The house I own now is a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom townhouse (950 sqft). People keep asking me when I am going to get a bigger place. I tell them that it is just me, my girlfriend and my dog, and that we would have no idea what to do with any more space. Unless someone is visiting, we don't even use the second bedroom as it is. Still, most people assume I have to NEED more space.
Personally, I think 300sqft per person is enough for a family to be happy. People in their 20's now have the lifestyle that you historically couldn't expect until your 30s or 40s
Personally, I think 300sqft per person is enough for a family to be happy. People in their 20's now have the lifestyle that you historically couldn't expect until your 30s or 40s
I do think a lot of young people make the mistake of expecting to live just like their parents do now, without realizing it probably took their parents 20-30 years to achieve a "well off" lifestyle.
i think everyone feels entitled to have the latest gadgets, a fancy car, designer clothes, etc. etc. i also see people who make a good living feeling the need to show it by getting more expensive things that even that better income affords them. you have both parents working often because the wife cares more about designer purses than raising her children.
Same with apartments. I just want a small, basic apartment for a decent rent ($500-$600/month), but that is pretty hard to come buy unless you literally want to live in ghetto.
I agree, but it also depends on that state. CT apts. are not cheap at all, unless you live in a bad area. I'm lucky to pay cheap rent and while I'm not directly in the ghetto, it's pretty darn close.
Rent rates are based in the ability (and willingness) of the people that constitute the nearby market to pay their way. Other factors can and often will apply --like condition, amenities and specific location-- but these pale in significance relative to that cash threshold.
If the folks don't have the cash... they'll be going somewhere else.
There really isn't a lot more to it beyond that.
Most wages have flatlined or dipped in the past few decades while inflation and stagflation have taken their tolls and many people become obsessed with one of the nation's most popular religions, consumerism.
Exactly. I'll feel sorry for the overworked 'little guy' when I see him actually being sensible with his money.
It blows me away what people deem 'necessities' in this day and age.
Instant gratification married with a lack of proper priorities = recipe for disaster.
There are plenty of those small houses still in existence, but most are in neighborhoods that are now subject to drive-by shootings or next-door meth lab explosions. (And we act surprised that "those people" have dropped out of our culture of consumption.) On Ebay, you can find houses in Michigan and Ohio, free and clear, for $3-5,000, that look quite nice in their photos, but probably would need some refurbishing.
Sadly, many that were built to last have disappeared, to make way for freeways and parking lots.
Our employer discontinued giving pay raises several years ago but really stuck to us on our health care this year with Kaiser. So, the last few months I was at Kaiser I heard their people bragging about their big pay increases and fabulous retirement packages, which we don't have of course but we get to pay for theirs. Any gains we may have made by refinancing our condo last fall has now been taken away to pay for Kaiser's benefit package. Of course Kaiser will just use this for a basis for more increases next year. Oh, am I being greedy? Housing costs aren't the only problem today.
Am I the only person I know who wishes they still made smaller homes? I've always wanted a "normal" 1950's house - cape, ranch, split-level, etc. - not a huge one.
But I'll add that even finding smaller homes, like Capes, they are still quite expensive.
I do. I think that if they would make smaller houses with some of the "extras" that people like in bigger homes, more people would want to stay in the smaller houses. I have noticed that around here, builders don't make the smaller homes as nice looking at the big houses.
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