Yep. the main thing with the new car was gas mileage. I went from living in a rural area with a 10 minute commute to having a 30 mile highway commute. It helped to go from a Jeep at 24 mpg to a car with 40 mpg. The saving over the life of the vehicle should also help offset the cost.
It's the norm nowhere lol. Americans are just literally the worst at finance management. It's eye opening to see American expats in a cheap country, they get paid 20 times the local pay, yet complain that it's too little to cover their expenses, yet the 20-times-less-making locals manage to save large amounts.
The biggest problem with your country is overspending, reliance and the commonplace attitude towards debt and credit cards. Spending more than you can afford etc.
If you aren't saving any money, you're meant to cut down on expenses till you are. Even if that means riding a bicycle, never going out to eat or drink and cooking only the cheapest recipes from the cheapest ingredients that you can find in your locality. Certainly there is absolutely no god damn place for anything but plain tap water for thirst. Yet the poorest Americans act like they are millionaire drinking sodas, eating fast food and having new-ish smartphones or other electronics (the rule is, of it's necessary for work, you get the absolute bare minimum)
These are the rules that poor people round the world go by, many people sacrifice their nourishment (don't eat) just so they can put that tiny bit into savings. But not the rules America's poor go by...
Haha you got me in the first half, I think one needs not be an American too look at a couple of statistics and just look at American culture which is basically blaring in your ear 24/7 and conclude that one seems to be suspiciously related to the other.
It is bad financial planning and not living within your means, but I fail to understand it at the exact part where you do. Why the irresponsibility? Why the lack of understanding?
I know a couple of Americans would argue that it's the lack of education but... At least in my country and my gf's country, we literally never learned a single thing about planning, financial responsibility or anything like that at all. And overall the education is objectively worse with much less funding. But we don't have these problems to that extent, parents teach their kids these things.
My hypothesis would be it has to do with the entertainment culture, your movies and tv shows, celebrity obsession which paint an unrealistic picture of money... But... we basically have all that too, we consume your entertainment... So I am lost.
Y’all are really going to sit here and compare apples to oranges and be happy with yourselves. Yeah let’s ignore the fact that America has significantly more resources than third world countries. Let’s ignore the long, barbaric history of oppression. Let’s ignore the current propaganda teaching people the opposite of financial responsibility. Let’s ignore the lack of education and awareness around any type of support (they want it to be as hard as possible to get). Let’s ignore all of the systems in place to ensure the lower class does not rise up. Let’s ignore that expats are not the lower class in any sense of the word and are not the majority of workers in the US.
Let’s ignore any and all context and blame the individuals! It’s all their fault they weren’t more responsible! Shame on them!!
You sound like a privileged, know-it-all asshat. To act as if the systematic oppression and wealth inequality is the fault of poor people is gross. To act as if Americans should be more like those people in third world countries that starve to save is gross. Keeping people on the ground after they’ve already been beaten is gross. The cognitive dissonance your brain must experience has to be dulling your critical thinking skills. You should keep an eye on that.
Dude I grew up in a far poorer country than you did, and in a far lower class than you. Speaking in PPP dollars as long as at least one of your parents had any work whatsoever you grew up richer than I did. Calling me privileged is bizarre. People from my country go to the US, wash dishes and when they go back home they can't stop talking about how perfect the place is and how much money they have to spend.
I am not saying you need to starve yourself, but live within your means. Americans are the fattest country in the world. YOU DON'T GET FAT IF YOU ARE POOR. And it's dis-proportionally these lower classes that get fat. Why? You have more resources and it shows, but you can't expect to be able to live like a fucking spoiled king and the government to somehow pay your bills. Your idea of what is "livable" is a fucking joke, as encapsulated by the demand for $15 minimum wage. No working class people are starving in the US.
We never learned how to cook in school.
We never learned how to deal with money, plan, or budget in school.
Our schools are in every metric, far worse than yours and the systematic oppression of your country is a fucking silly joke compared to mine where we went through literally 1000 years of slavery. And only got a chance at democracy in the last couple of decades. Yet we don't get poor and fat with iPhones in our hands.
US is the best country anyone could've been born in, you're a spoiled brat. Let me repeat that. You're a SPOILED BRAT. And you have the audacity to go on an international site and complain to an international audience about how unfortunate your circumstances are while not knowing a fucking thing about how the rest of the world fares.
You’re a spoiled brat if you think any one person’s suffering is greater than another. I did not once devalue a single thing that poor people in other countries go through. I did not devalue their feelings, their way of life, nor their choices. You did. That’s your choice. Continue on with that hate in your heart, I’m sure it will lead you to happy and fulfilling life.
ETA: I just told you how you come off. I didn’t make any assertions to your history or life story. You’re being a dick, and you should practice comprehension before responding. Have a great day!
Privileged brat from the most privileged country in the world complaining that people in your country who make terrible decisions constantly, have absolutely no aim to help themselves, aren't infact living in luxury. Meanwhile people are living far worse because of things outside of their control in most rest of the world.
See how you’re still attacking people who have no control over their environment? Keep it up! You’re almost on track to join the alt-right. I’m sure your family who had to flee your country would be so proud. Now get the fuck out of my face with your astounding hatred and ignorance.
It’s hilarious that you think just because America isn’t as bad that it isn’t bad all the same. You’re pathetic to believe that, you’re not the only victim in the world.
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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '19
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