As a Generation X'er, here's some unsolicited advice for the younger generations. Want to buy a house? Stop saying it's impossible for your generation.
There have always been lazy people who complain that houses cost too much. People say the Greatest generation bought their homes for $12,000 after fighting 4 years in WWII. Their children, the Baby Boom generation bought homes for $75,000. Well, their children, Generation X'ers bought their homes for $200,000 by EARNING and WORKING for $3.35 and hour. Let that sink in! THREE DOLLARS and THIRTY FIVE CENTS an hour. Gen X earned $21.44 AFTER TAXES per day for a full 8 hours work plus 1 hour lunch. 9 hours at work plus commute for $21. That's $107.20 per week and $428.80 per month and $5,145.60 per year. Gen X NEVER ate out, never spent a dime on anything. Lived at home working from ages 16 to 28 years old, buying a $200,000 home with $20,000 down. They invested every penny in secure stocks others invested in more risky stocks, so that the money they earned, earned money. Gen X had the same lazy, bitter and slack-jawed idiots that would always talk about how it was impossible to buy a home and when their Gen X friends bought their first homes, their lazy friends looked at them like they were insane, saying "ha ha, now you're STUCK in that location and can never move anywhere else until you're free of this house." Then as years went on, the lazy people had kids, who they raised to be bitter, believing that they can't buy a home either. All this talk about not being able to buy a house is coming from the same losers that have been in every generation. I still work minimum wage jobs, and it's a blessing how much they pay now! $16.50 an hour is $105.60 AFTER TAXES. Investing wisely and saving every penny gets you into a house. In my minimum wage jobs, 90% of the employees in their early 20's are all buying a coffee in the morning, buying snacks and a drink from the liquor store during their break, buying fast food for lunch, buying another snack for their second break and then buying fast food for dinner, INSANELY STUPID. I tried to help a couple youngsters with advice but no one asked any of the older people for advice, they thought WE were losers working at this job at our age, not realizing we have homes and the money from this job was all extra, all gravy. These "kids" are woking jobs they hate just to spend it all on snacks, crap, drinks, fast food, rent, leasing a new car, the best weed and partying. That's the poor mindset. When I was a kid, I asked EVERY ADULT I would encounter for advice on saving and on life in general. Talking to the butcher at the market, the repair men, and EVERY GRANDPARENT of every friend I'd meet. Not because I wanted to be rich, but because I knew there was something interesting about them that I could learn and many gave great advice on investing. Generation X LOVES the Baby Boom generation because they were so kind in answering all of our questions for advice. This younger generation has constant contempt for the Baby Boom generation because they never asked them questions for advice and never got to know them from a place of respect. This young generation walks around with a SMUG expression thinking that everybody's an idiot except them because they’re “so good” with COMPUTERS. My generation made the mistake by trying to build these younger generation’s self-esteem by saying "You're SO good with computers, I could never do that." Instead of building a little self-esteem, it created CONTEMPT in their hearts for my generation and an inflated sense of ability. STOP COMPLAINING about how much stuff costs, and smarten up! Work 2 jobs and SACRIFICE for 10-15 years starting at age 16 or 18 all the way to age 30. Then, at 30, you’ll hear everybody complaining while you’ll be grateful and in a good position to buy a home. And you'll always APPRECIATE everything you earn rather than build a growing resentment for your boss. You'll be grateful for your boss. Young people who don't RESPECT their ELDERS are the worst people on earth and they have a horrible, rude awakening coming as they realize that they've made stupid decisions throughout their lives and no one will want to help them because people can sense their lack of respect. Smarten up, work hard, ask questions and get grateful!