👉🏻 https://x.com/tgrammie2/status/2011915331460350348
👉🏻 https://nitter.net/tgrammie2/status/2011915331460350348
I’m worn out hearing people moan, “Our grandparents could buy a house on one paycheck, but now we can’t even afford rent on two!”
Yeah, maybe because Grandma wasn’t dropping half her income on $14 iced lattes and avocado toast shaped like art projects. Back then, if they wanted coffee, they boiled it at home in a dented pot. It tasted like burnt rubber and regret — but it woke you up and cleaned your pipes.
And Grandma wasn’t “out to brunch.” You think she had time for mimosas and hashtags? She was making something called whatever’s left in the fridge and feeding six people with it.
Don’t even start with Uber Eats. You think Grandpa was out here paying $38 to have a burger delivered three blocks away? Please. He grilled mystery meat on a rusted barbecue, and everyone called it dinner.
Now people cry about being broke while sitting in a house full of gadgets. Two SUVs in the driveway, six streaming services, three air fryers, and matching tattoos that cost more than their light bill. You think Grandpa had a tattoo? He did. It said “Korea, 1951,” and it came with trauma, not Instagram likes.
And the kids—Lord help us. “We can’t make ends meet, but Brayden needs the new iPhone!” No, he doesn’t. You’re handing an $1100 device to a child who still eats crayons and forgets to flush.
When we were kids, there was one phone. It hung on the wall like a family relic. The cord stretched just far enough for you to whisper secrets before someone yelled, “Get off, I need to make a call!” And guess what? We lived.
The TV? One. In the living room. With three channels and a dial that clicked like a safe. And if Dad wanted to watch bowling, you were a fan of bowling, end of story.
Now there’s a flat screen in every room, the baby’s got an iPad, the dog’s got a camera, and everyone’s wondering why they can’t afford rent. Because you’re living like rock stars on retail salaries, that’s why.
Grandpa wasn’t leasing Teslas or buying $12 smoothies called “Green Zen Awakening.” He drove a truck that coughed smoke, rattled like a storm, and smelled like oil and hard work.
They lived within their means. Whatever Grandpa brought home on Friday — that’s what they had. They weren’t keeping up with the Joneses; they were keeping the lights on.
So yeah, Grandpa bought a house on one salary. But he also didn’t have a gym membership, three delivery apps, and emotional support crystals on his nightstand. His only support system was Grandma, who told him to quit whining and mow the yard.
Nowadays, everyone’s broke, anxious, and “manifesting abundance” while ordering tacos on DoorDash for the fourth time this week.
It’s not the economy — it’s the lifestyle.
Wake up, turn off your subscriptions, make your own coffee, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll smell the truth.
Credit to original author, unknown
According to these numbers a coffee in 1951 would have been ~0.0027% of the average income and today it is ~0.0076%. To put in perspective to have a daily coffee in 1951 for a year would have cost ~1% of the average income, and to have a daily coffee today (who the hell is going to Starbucks every day anyway?) would cost ~2.8% of the average income.
That coffee costs a lot more today, but it is still just a drop in the bucket compared what is paid in taxes, estimated 34.7% for the average American accounting for federal and state taxes across income, property, sales, and vehicle ownership. In 1951, the average amount paid in taxes was only 15-20%.
Also, in 1951, the average American household spent 20-22% of their total income on food, including groceries and dining. Today the average American household only spends 10-11% of their total income on food, half as much, so blaming the inability to buy a house on coffee and avocado toast seems a bit disingenuous.
The other monthly expenditures that the average American has today that did not exist in 1951 surely do play a role, so some of those criticisms may be more valid. Gramps and Granny back in the day didn't have cable TV, cable internet, or wireless cellphone plans. But economy, inflation, etc. surely are significant factors as well.
Taxes in 1951 were not as high, factor in health care expenditures as well.
An ER visit is damn near a years avg salary. Could be why they are making us sick on purpose to exploit and bankrupt us.
Health care, insurance, rent, debt from school, etc. are all absolutely through the roof.