Do you feel like a sucker if you grew up Middle Class and your family obeyed all of the rules...

[Anonymous]

Do you feel like a sucker if you grew up middle class...your family obeyed all of the rules...worked the proverbial "9-5" and had nothing to show for it? I feel like we were suckers to work so heard and then couldn't even afford to go out (ever) nor go on vacations. I suspect most Americans are like this and only the uMC/rich get to enjoy the perks/profits off the backs of the MC

[Anonymous]

No, OP. That was normal. Now avocado toast is normal. It's all relative, but don't judge your childhood by today's standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you feel like a sucker if you grew up middle class...your family obeyed all of the rules...worked the proverbial "9-5" and had nothing to show for it? I feel like we were suckers to work so heard and then couldn't even afford to go out (ever) nor go on vacations. I suspect most Americans are like this and only the uMC/rich get to enjoy the perks/profits off the backs of the MC

Did both parents work? That's the key difference. With both parents working you can live like royalty in most of America minus the mega cities on the coasts

200k HHI is very high most places

[Anonymous]

Op - are you the same poster who posts over-and-over again?

[Anonymous]

Our generation is getting screwed every which way. Our parents had reasonably priced healthcare, mostly reasonable college costs, company provided pensions.

We both work and can’t afford much past the house and daycare. Since his family isn’t local, all our vacation time and funds are spent on family visits rather than proper vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our generation is getting screwed every which way. Our parents had reasonably priced healthcare, mostly reasonable college costs, company provided pensions.

We both work and can’t afford much past the house and daycare. Since his family isn’t local, all our vacation time and funds are spent on family visits rather than proper vacations.

Why are you living in one of the top 5 most expensive metros in the US???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our generation is getting screwed every which way. Our parents had reasonably priced healthcare, mostly reasonable college costs, company provided pensions.

We both work and can’t afford much past the house and daycare. Since his family isn’t local, all our vacation time and funds are spent on family visits rather than proper vacations.

I think you are idealizing the past. The standard of living has risen in that people have more stuff. A middle class existence then would be considered living LMC now.

My family was solidly middle class then and we did not take "proper vacations"! We visited family or we went camping. Always driving, no flights. We hardly went out to eat -- that was a special occasion. Kids shared rooms and bathrooms. One telephone line. One tv with 3 channels.

Now homes have expanded, people think every kid must have their own room, plus a car, and screens are everywhere. Plus taking proper vacations of course.

I agree that healthcare and education costs have gotten out of hand, but a middle class life was much simpler a few decades ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you feel like a sucker if you grew up middle class...your family obeyed all of the rules...worked the proverbial "9-5" and had nothing to show for it? I feel like we were suckers to work so heard and then couldn't even afford to go out (ever) nor go on vacations. I suspect most Americans are like this and only the uMC/rich get to enjoy the perks/profits off the backs of the MC

Did both parents work? That's the key difference. With both parents working you can live like royalty in most of America minus the mega cities on the coasts

200k HHI is very high most places

Royalty?

Me thinks you do not understand how royalty lives...

[Anonymous]

I didn't used to feel that way, but listening to the news about the Panama Papers and what those documents show about how the uber-wealthy abuse, bend, and break laws in order to gain substantial financial advantages -- all while telling the rest of us that we're just making dumb choices -- certainly makes me wonder if the main thing we did wrong was not storing our money in offshore accounts.

[Anonymous]

So my parents live very well on their retirement. My father was career military and then was a government service worker. My mom never worked. My grandfather also was career military. They have unbelievable pensions and my father even more so. Whereas my husband and I who are way better educated will never retire.

[Anonymous]

Sort of the opposite. I grew up (upper?) middle class because my blue collar parents had the good judgement to be born in the 50s in Silicon Valley. They profited off the 80s economy and the dot com real estate prices. They have made some really poor financial decisions and are still so much better off than their parents it's unbelievable. I am doing fine but not as well as them when you look at spending money, vacations, real estate, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So my parents live very well on their retirement. My father was career military and then was a government service worker. My mom never worked. My grandfather also was career military. They have unbelievable pensions and my father even more so. Whereas my husband and I who are way better educated will never retire.

My husband's retired military and his retirement check is minimal. That only applies for officers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sort of the opposite. I grew up (upper?) middle class because my blue collar parents had the good judgement to be born in the 50s in Silicon Valley. They profited off the 80s economy and the dot com real estate prices. They have made some really poor financial decisions and are still so much better off than their parents it's unbelievable. I am doing fine but not as well as them when you look at spending money, vacations, real estate, etc.

I think you mean good fortune.

[Anonymous]

Not to get deep into this, but there is some argument that there was a post WWII period which provided more economic advantage for more people than had ever been known. . . and since then things have gone back to a kind of normal (inequality, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, OP. That was normal. Now avocado toast is normal. It's all relative, but don't judge your childhood by today's standards.

+1

Exactly this. It is exactly why some people who grew up her are bitter - they compare current day D.C. area to 1970's D.C. area. Things are different now, all around - no comparison. No one is "owed" anything.