I am so sick of being put on email distribution lists…

Unfortunately most want very cheap clothes and will not pay lots of money for a T-shirt for example. I also think the fashion industry has moved their business to countries where the production costs are way lower - so they can profit more. All we have to do as a consumer is NOT buy too much crappy quality and not be a slave to fashion. It's a simple choice. Even on a small budget you can have a few good pieces of clothing and mix and match.

Also getting a person who speaks clear enough English or your designated language. India service reps take the cake! Sorry!

Oh. First house I ever lived in my parents bought for $38,000 (NZD), and sold in 1990 for $95,000. It is now worth $1.2 million. That's $100,000 for the house and $1.1 MILLION for the land. It's not even a large plot of land. When my parents bought it they subdivided and sold off more than half the land. That was 41 years ago. It's in a pretty cruddy area of Auckland. Kind of place where it was getting unsafe to walk around in daylight hours when I was a kid, but it's 104% worse now than when it was the 90s (we moved out in 1990).

This is still possible, but most people don't like the price and waiting that comes from well-crafted, hand-made furniture. Chat to your local carpenter, they're worth their weight in gold, our coffee table, book shelf, and tv stand were all made by hand over 10 years ago and with a bit of polishing once a month still look brand new.

I do the free streaming. I get lots of old sitcoms, lots of older movies, documentaries, news. I could get sports if I were interested. There are several cat channels for Bouche. We can listen to pretty much any music. If a specific movie is on only one paid stream, well most of them offer free trials. We're both happy with our TV options.

Or doing your own repairs. My dad did repairs on our appliances himself. Nowdays a lot of stuff is made in such a way that repairing it yourself is physically impossible even if you wanted to.

You cannot be expected to be reachable 24/7. If someone says otherwise they are not your friends or not the right fit for work.

Me too. Really hate them!

This is what I miss about living in Germany. If someone posts a video or photo of you online without your consent you can press charges. As a result, it just isn't done there.

I would rather pay the same or a little bit more towards the farmer than to a huge company.

Looking at you Adobe

Flights are more packed but also far cheaper.

Yup, bought a house that was built in 95 and giant built in fridge freezer in kitchen. Refrigerant leak caused it to start to fail, cheapest replacement for same dimensions was 9k+ USD. Did some research and found that R12 refrigerant was outlawed around the same time, so guessing contractors who built house got this massive unit on the cheap. Ended up hiring a commercial firm to do a full sealed system replacement for about $2500. Best decision I could have made I think.

And the mortgage company just raised amount I have to pay. Because of an shortage of escrow from last year.

I was just reading that the inventor of the 401k regrets it. He wanted it to be a supplement to a pension, not a replacement.

Even with two people ,we are barely making it, from paycheck to paycheck.

I used to have penpals so that I'd still get handwritten mail instead of all bills/spam. They all either fizzled out or wanted to email instead of writing because they had no patience for the post.

It would be great if one income would suffice - it should be a choice within the family who wants to work and who wants to stay at home. I know a few men who would be the most amazing SAHD given the chance. Unfortunately 1. That's still looked down on and 2. Until the pay gap is erased most women's salaries are still not enough to pay the bills alone.

How about having holidays off. And stores being closed on holidays. If you didn't fill up or get the ingredients for your recipe before the holiday- you were out of luck.

I use Libre Office. It’s free!

Microsoft Office was never free. Even with Windows 3.1 I think you are thinking of Wordpad.

Google Workspace for me. Anywhere, any pc, any mobile. Free (which means I am the product and pay with my data).

Word is one one the few pieces of software that will still run on newer versions of Windows. If you have the original installer and licence key you can simply install it any new machine you buy, as long as you only use it on one machine at a time.

I hate that SO much.

you know you can buy stand-alone non-subscription versions. I bought MS office for home & student (word, excel, & powerpoint) in 2019. Been using it ever since. No subscription

Libre Office, Open office. There's a bunch of MS office compatible software out there that's free.

no it wasnt. office has always been a package.

It just stopped being free one day, like WTF!

Mixed feelings about that one. The positive part of this is, one does have to buy updates constantly

Mostly USA. Rest of the world always had the kids living at home until they left with new partner… very rare (but not unheard of) to move out on your own.

TL;DR

I can still hear Zuckerberg say that 'privacy is a thing of the past'. What was that guy thinking?

My internet company charged me $1 for a paper bill in the mail and wanted me to “go green”. I finally cancelled with them for other reasons and now they send me ad mailers at least once every two weeks- usually once a week. Infuriating.

Shoe-wise I always buy skechers. They are comfortable, I still have 2 pairs from 2016, they look beatup however they're still comfortabe. Just for the record I work in a warehouse I'm on my feet all day.

This needs to be higher. Opioids have been completely taken off the market here, even codeine.

Australia, free healthcare in emergencies and other problems. Private healthcare though is needed, but costs are significantly reduced.

A trip to target is my vacay.

When minimum wage was created, it was meant for a man to support his family in a home with 2 cars 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. It no longer does this.

I can still ignore my mobile if I'm not feeling like answering and at least now you can see who is calling before deciding whether to answer.

They are ridiculous! I want to go to a concert for $50 a tix but with the all the effing fees, it comes to $150+

We adopted a dog with our teenage son not knowing what a money pit she would be. We adore her, but Trefexis and insurance is about $90 a month, her yearly exam is about $400. She just injured her back playing with the sprinkler and that cost us over a $1000. We live paycheck to paycheck so I understand how tough it can be.

Universal charger and universal accessories required by law. You’re free to buy whatever you want/need from whoever you want. Less waste, better prices.

I'm hung up on the way perception has changed. 30 years ago *incompetent John is promoted to shift lead because he's dating the CEO's daughter* People: "That's disgraceful! Everybody knows Bill was a much better pick for that position, he knows the work and safety procedures by heart and is popular with his co-workers. This is a blatant case of nepotism!" Now *Jack has just finished his BA and is hired as factory manager because he's dating the CEO's daughter, despite never having set foot on the factory floor and having no idea what needs to be done* People: "Now, that's brilliant networking!"

I remember whining to my mom about being bored. She'd threaten to find me something to do.

Debt is not inherently bad if you use it wisely.

Yeah not a thing in most places outside of the US. In the UK we've had to pay for out own driving lessons. I had to stop learning 20 years ago because I couldn't afford them after my parents stopped paying. At 18 I was still in school and my wages from my part time job went on other things like food and clothes.

Depends where you live I guess. Regular GPs haven't done housecalls here in decades. But there are housecall services where a doctor will come to you. It just won't be the GP you normally see. From memory it costs more too. edit: Damned typos. Why can't I spell anymore?

I remember 55 cents a gallon.

Affording groceries

Especially when you had to do an unpaid internship instead of entry level job, and after you get your education and five years of experience—which used to move you from your entry level job (which you went into fresh out of school with zero experience) to a mid level position and wage—-you still end up paid entry level wages, and have to fight tooth and nail to be paid more. Of course, once you’ve made your mark in your field and become established, then you can get the goodies. But that can be a long haul if you or your family are not already well-connected.

If I saved all my free Cash every day till each paycheck i could do this, but i Also work for the scum called Walmart and only make what i do because they're desperate

Plus before 9/11 kids were invited to see the cockpit and talk to pilots.

and have you met fajitas? skirt steak is a poor cut of meat that was dirt cheap. It would get marinaded within an inch of its life and then cut thin against the grain to make it easier to chew... then Mexican food became popular and its price shot up. A lot of 'poor man's food' had this happen to it.

Meals do happen on domestic flights if over 4 hours (usually)

Over 3 thousand in California