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Yes, Baby Boomers Had it Easier than Millennials

I'm a Millennial and I'm Trying

By Michelle SchultzPublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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Recently, I had a disagreement with my dad. See, we had an agreement back when I started high school that he would either pay for a wedding or for my college tuition. I plan to spend a boatload of my dad's money on a wedding someday so I chose to pay for college myself; a decision that I made when I was 15 and am seriously starting to regret, especially considering I don't think I'm going to get married. Anyway, currently, I'm looking at buying a house and he asked me about my finances and monthly charges and was shocked to find out how much I'm paying in student loans a month. Then all the questions came up; what about your scholarships? Can't you sell your books back for the same price you bought them at? What were you doing in college that your loans are that much? If it cost that much why didn't you work harder to have a perfect GPA? Why would you pay that much interest? Then, my personal favorite statements; You must have done something wrong. I didn't pay that much when I went to college.

Well, dad, a few things have changed. College tuition has gone up by 150% and even more for some universities. I pay that much interest because that was the best loan I could get. I was also straight out of high school and had no idea what anything meant when it came to acquiring my own loan for school. FASFA didn't help me much because according to them, my family makes too much money. And while I didn't do horrible in college, I didn't have a 4.0. Why? Because I was not only going to school full time, but I was also working three jobs, just to pay for rent, food....ya know, things to stay alive.

This argument has been hashed and re-hashed a thousand times. Baby boomers just don't seem to get it. Millennials have it a little harder than they did. Not only with college tuition but let's look at the job market. Most jobs now, you need a college degree for. 61% of Millennials attend college compared to 46% of Baby Boomers. You need a college degree for places to even look at your resume. That wasn't the case when our parents were looking for a career. But now, not only do they want a college degree, they want you to have experience. Unpaid internships over college summer break? You bet! Living off Ramon noodles and dollar store food while sharing a two bedroom apartment with six people? Yup! But it will all be worth it in the end, when you and the other 61% of the population go into apply for that job and all have the exact same resume, right?

Now let's go back to me reviewing my finances with my dad about buying a house. I brought up that I think I'm going to rent to own, instead of straight out buying a house and my dad was confused. This made no sense to him. So let's talk about housing costs. You may have heard about how you used to be able to buy a house with a single person's blue-collar salary. Wouldn't that be swell? But no. Housing prices are up 294%, per the Job Application Center's measures, which means that Millennials need three times the cash that our parents and grandparents did. Given that wages have been stagnant for nearly as long, and Millennials also have huge student loans to pay back, buying a home is often completely out of the question. Or, like me, many consider a rent to own.

Now that you've figured out your living situation (your parent's basement until you're about 35 and have saved enough money) let's talk about regular living expenses. Like food. Let's look at the prices of food, shall we?

  • A dozen eggs for Baby Boomers cost about $0.84 for Millennials it cost about $1.47
  • A half gallon of milk for Baby Boomers cost about $1.60 for Millennials it cost about $1.66 (so not too bad of a change)
  • A pound of bread for Baby Boomers cost about $0.51 for Millennials it cost $1.41
  • A pound of round steak for Baby Boomers cost about $2.72 for Millennials it cost $4.41

Many of you will argue that the price of the dollar has also gone up: inflation. But the stats above account for inflation. We're able to produce much more food with much less effort and yet prices are still rising. So now, there's student loans, rent, and just the regular cost of food. Higher food prices are yet another factor that is making life more difficult for younger generations than it was for previous ones, and there's no indication that that will change soon.

I was told that I should touch on health care. That, because most of us can't seem to get a career, only a job, most of us don't get health care through our work. I'm fortunate enough that I do get health care through work. It's not the best, but it's not horrible. I can't complain. However, I can't count the number of times one of my friends has been sick and refused to go to the doctor because it would cost too much. Or when one of my friends broke his finger and simply taped it to the one next to it so that he wouldn't have to go to the ER. Or the time my boyfriend (at the time) sliced his hand wide open and clearly needed stitches, but instead, super glued his hand back together and wrapped it in duct tape. My generation would rather let themselves stay injured and risk infection than go to the emergency room because it's going to cost them about the same amount as their student loans. How messed up is that?

So as my dad asks me why I'm getting a second job when my first job pays over minimum wage, I must remind him, that currently, in order to be considered middle class in Illinois a single person needs to make $24,282 to $72,846. Minimum wage, working 40 hours a week in Illinois, you only make $17,160 a year, before taxes. I'm not just supporting me, I'm supporting my daughter, alone. I'm paying my student loans. I'm trying to keep a roof over our heads. So, I got a second job.

So please, Baby Boomers, I get that you by no means had it easy. None of us do. But please try to understand that you had it just a little bit easier than us. We (Millennials) are trying, at least most of us are. We're not asking you for money, we're not asking you to take pity on us. Just please, lighten up and realize that the pressure on us is enormous. Realize that no one warned us this was going to happen and our high schools didn't explain credit or credit history to us. I'm a Millennial and I'm trying. Be patient with me.

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About the Creator

Michelle Schultz

I'm mostly an editorial writer. I love to share my opinions and experiences. I don't hold back and I swear so if you take offense easily, my articles probably aren't for you. I'm a single mom just trying to stay sane.

@loreleismom

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