Incoming rant about boomers criticizing young people...

My parents scoffed at a report on the news about millennials living with their parents after school, saying "that's why you budget" and "ooohhh I don't want to be uncomfortable so I'll live with mom and dad." Well guess what? If I don't want to live in the fucking ghetto, it's gonna cost me at least $2000 a month, and that's a studio with shitty appliances. The average wage in the city I go to school in is $25 and hour, which leaves you with $3992 at months end, before taxes. So you'd be taxed $492 a month by the fed, and $166 by the state, so you're left with $3334 per month after taxes. Subtract $2000 for rent and you've got $1334.

But then you have to work somehow. If you're not within walking distance, you have to take public transit, which costs $72 a month for an urban Compass Card (add more if you plan to travel out of the inner city), or you can drive. Many apartment complexes around here charge around $200 a month for parking. Now you're down to $1034. But wait! You have to put gas in the car! If you drive the average 10,000 miles a year, that's ~834 miles a month, at an average of 24 mpg. If your car has a 15 gallon tank and you drive till the gas light is on at 4 gallons left, that's 264 miles per tank and four fill-ups per month at $55 per fill-up (gas is $3.65 a gallon here). $220 more gone. Now you're at $814. Not to mention you have to insure that car! On average it will cost you $325 a month for halfway decent insurance, so you're left with $489. Guess what though? That car isn't free. More than likely you're making payments on it. The shittiest of shitboxes you can buy (Nissan Versa S) will cost you about $230 a month in car payments. $259 you're left with.

Total utilities (gas and electric, water, sanitation) will cost you $130. If you have to pay for your own internet at the complex, the worst plan you can get from the monopoly in my city is 15mbps and is $40 a month. Now you're left with $90, and internet is an essential that you can't cut out. Nor is phone service, and a crappy $50 for 1GB data plan from T-Mobile reduces your income to just $40.

Oh, yeah, you haven't eaten. A 36 pack of Maruchan Ramen is $18, 10 pounds of beans is $11, and a 20 pound bag of rice is $10. Guess what? You have a single dollar. All you are eating is Ramen, rice, and beans, and you have a single dollar to save.

Fuck, that was such a long rant. Sorry guys. Just had to vent a bit, but I also feel this fits in with this guy's message.