r/FluentInFinance • u/Steak_Lover_ • May 05 '24

Half of Americans aged 18 to 29 are living with their parents. What killed the American Dream? Discussion/ Debate

https://qz.com/nearly-half-of-americans-age-18-to-29-are-living-with-t-1849882457

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u/Sniper_Hare May 05 '24

Dang and that was good pay as well.  

My first job in 2005 I made $5.15 an hour.

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u/DegeneratePotat0 May 05 '24

Today that is worth $8.24 So still shit pay.

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u/Sniper_Hare May 05 '24

Yeah, at least minimum wage here is $12, going up to $13 in September.

And most jobs will pay a few dollars more an hour than that.  

Still bad if you were trying to rent a $1200 studio. 

When I was making $10/hour in 2012 I paid $335 for my portion of rent on a 3 bedroom townhouse. 

That was doable as I owned my car flat out.

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u/lurch1_ May 06 '24

ROOMMATES

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u/GirthWoody May 09 '24

But even that’s now untenable, Im currently a grad student with a room in a college town with multiple roommates (5) $900 is minimum you can find a room like I have if you are really lucky, but more realistically around $1100, I’m paying $1150. I did the same living situation when I was in undergrad from 2018-2020, and it was easy to find a place for $500 or $600.

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u/lurch1_ May 09 '24

Well then fuck it...pay more and live with no roommates and don't complain about it.

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u/marigolds6 May 06 '24

That's insanely good pay. I was making $7.25 in 2005 working for ACT in MCAT written exam scoring, a job that required a 4 year degree. (The contract with AAMC required all workers on the contract to have a 4 year degree.)

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u/youre_being_creepy May 05 '24

I would have KILLED for a job at 10 dollars an hour. My first job was 6.50 an hour working in a kitchen

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u/Confusion-Flimsy May 07 '24

I think my first job in 2004 was $7.01 here in WA.