Average wages are far above what most people earn. Median income is lower and closer to realistic … then one can cut it down further by median income for people aged 25-35. Then look at that bracket alongside cost of living in the geographical location of those same wages - if that’s in the first world, odds are the cost of living is above the available wages.
If it’s in a developing country, then food and shelter security itself may be in doubt.
And of course, that doesn’t take unemployment into account.
To be honest, your reply makes you sound like you’ve never faced any sort of financial hardship in your life … which would put you in the minority of people on the planet.
Oh I’ve been homeless, couch-surfed and unemployed with clinical depression that recurs even today, driving those periods of my life.
But I’ve found my footing each time with a bit of resolve and bad enough situation to eventually accrue and warrant the resolve. And luckily, friends and empathetic strangers.
But I live in the 1st world and have also had a family to help and overall safe and helpful society to fall back on, even when I’ve fucking lost the map, not even able to kill myself due to my cowardice, no place to stay, ashamed to ask for help for months at end.
So I know a little, the hard way, about not having a home. Not even the one the op has with their parents.
But I also know, the hard way here too, that it’s only about surviving long enough to accumulate enough resolve to figure things out. If you outlast the call of the void and the shame and despair and the uncertainty of even things like where to sleep this night, can I manage something to eat, etc. then it ultimately works out, with enough resolve.
And when it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter anymore. Losing the resolve is either answering the void or giving up and accepting the bleak situation, until you one day either retry with resolve, or join eternity.
Stop undervaluing what was the single most important part of your experience. Not everyone has friends, family, or access to people who don’t want to fuck them or fuck them over.
Wasn’t my intent to undervalue it. Just noting that the strangers for example, could’ve happened to anyone, those times it just happened to be me. I am privileged in that alone, but the privilege isn’t or wasn’t inherent or special to me, just pure chance.
Which is to say, it could and can happen to anyone. Which is the point I wanted to raise, I think. Life and world is chaotic. Nobody’s excluded or fully shielded from good luck. Nor bad shit. Some might have more things going for them one way or the other, but nothing in this chaos entirely discounts anyone, ever.
But these were weird ramblings from me, I tried (and failed) to make a point and be coherent. I’m not an authority to listen to here, not really sure where the confidence came to present myself as such in these comments.
Median is a type of average, tbh both mean and median wages are plenty in most developed countries - if you actually get that much. Which half or more than half of people don’t get, depending on which one you are using.
Not sure I agree, given how disproportionate housing costs are in many first world countries.
As an example, my brother makes well above the median income in the UK, but lives in an old camper van during weekdays because he can’t afford rent in the area where he works.
I also live in the UK and bought a house on minimum wage. Cheaper part of the south east but still costs a bit more than where I grew up in the south west.
How on earth did you get a deposit while on minimum wage?
When minimum wage came in in the UK my legit income more than doubled, but was still only enough to cover food, a decent 125 scooter, and about half my rent. To make up the rent I depended on other forms of income.
The most modest house I could find last time I looked (about 8 years ago) was £200k and they wanted a deposit of £80k because my income was only the national average.
No life, because if you were saving £10k a year on minimum wage then at the current rate you’d have about £10k/year after tax to cover all bills … remove car & insurance (or public transport costs), a single rented room including utilities at the normal rate of about £500/month, plus tax etc, and you wouldn’t have much money left over.
Average wages are far above what most people earn. Median income is lower and closer to realistic … then one can cut it down further by median income for people aged 25-35. Then look at that bracket alongside cost of living in the geographical location of those same wages - if that’s in the first world, odds are the cost of living is above the available wages.
If it’s in a developing country, then food and shelter security itself may be in doubt.
And of course, that doesn’t take unemployment into account.
To be honest, your reply makes you sound like you’ve never faced any sort of financial hardship in your life … which would put you in the minority of people on the planet.
Oh I’ve been homeless, couch-surfed and unemployed with clinical depression that recurs even today, driving those periods of my life.
But I’ve found my footing each time with a bit of resolve and bad enough situation to eventually accrue and warrant the resolve. And luckily, friends and empathetic strangers.
But I live in the 1st world and have also had a family to help and overall safe and helpful society to fall back on, even when I’ve fucking lost the map, not even able to kill myself due to my cowardice, no place to stay, ashamed to ask for help for months at end.
So I know a little, the hard way, about not having a home. Not even the one the op has with their parents.
But I also know, the hard way here too, that it’s only about surviving long enough to accumulate enough resolve to figure things out. If you outlast the call of the void and the shame and despair and the uncertainty of even things like where to sleep this night, can I manage something to eat, etc. then it ultimately works out, with enough resolve.
And when it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter anymore. Losing the resolve is either answering the void or giving up and accepting the bleak situation, until you one day either retry with resolve, or join eternity.
My dude.
Stop undervaluing what was the single most important part of your experience. Not everyone has friends, family, or access to people who don’t want to fuck them or fuck them over.
Wasn’t my intent to undervalue it. Just noting that the strangers for example, could’ve happened to anyone, those times it just happened to be me. I am privileged in that alone, but the privilege isn’t or wasn’t inherent or special to me, just pure chance.
Which is to say, it could and can happen to anyone. Which is the point I wanted to raise, I think. Life and world is chaotic. Nobody’s excluded or fully shielded from good luck. Nor bad shit. Some might have more things going for them one way or the other, but nothing in this chaos entirely discounts anyone, ever.
But these were weird ramblings from me, I tried (and failed) to make a point and be coherent. I’m not an authority to listen to here, not really sure where the confidence came to present myself as such in these comments.
All fair and valid. Your heart is in the right place and nothing else really matters. I hope your day is a good one.
Median is a type of average, tbh both mean and median wages are plenty in most developed countries - if you actually get that much. Which half or more than half of people don’t get, depending on which one you are using.
Not sure I agree, given how disproportionate housing costs are in many first world countries.
As an example, my brother makes well above the median income in the UK, but lives in an old camper van during weekdays because he can’t afford rent in the area where he works.
I also live in the UK and bought a house on minimum wage. Cheaper part of the south east but still costs a bit more than where I grew up in the south west.
How on earth did you get a deposit while on minimum wage?
When minimum wage came in in the UK my legit income more than doubled, but was still only enough to cover food, a decent 125 scooter, and about half my rent. To make up the rent I depended on other forms of income.
And housing has gone up faster than minimum wage.
Renting a bedroom, after rent I didn’t really spend much else, food was only like £10-15 a week, was saving £5-10k a year.
So, it only took you 10 - 20 years of having no life to get a deposit together?
In my darkest days I was spending about £12 on food per week in total, but that was in the 90s
20 years of that would pretty much buy an entire house, not just a deposit. Not sure how it’s having no life either.
5x20=100
The most modest house I could find last time I looked (about 8 years ago) was £200k and they wanted a deposit of £80k because my income was only the national average.
No life, because if you were saving £10k a year on minimum wage then at the current rate you’d have about £10k/year after tax to cover all bills … remove car & insurance (or public transport costs), a single rented room including utilities at the normal rate of about £500/month, plus tax etc, and you wouldn’t have much money left over.