Weekends after Thanksgiving are hit or miss lately. The hustle to be in line for the latest deals has transitioned into anxious scrolling through various apps. Discovering a price low enough to share on social media is the culture now, it seems. One could ask, is this our way as millennials and Gen Z because we have seen the majority of our income squandered by bills and student loans? Then again, who’s really asking this question when we’re so busy?
I have made a few definitive calls on items I have had in my cart (for quite some time). Finding a way to squeeze new expenses into a tight budget has found me making Marie Kondo-like decisions: Will the item or does the item bring me joy? I can justify and execute my budget once I have sifted through the possible outcomes and can no longer feel guilty. But why do I feel guilty, one could ask. And I say again, who’s really asking when we are all so busy?
Why are we so busy, you ask? Well, rent for one-bedroom apartments in major cities is well over $2,000 or even $3,000. In order to pay said rent, one needs an income that at least hits the mark, times three. Job wage ratios fail to properly compensate for the 40 hour work week in which we are expected to fulfill not only our job description, but that of our supervisors. The average millennial has massive student loan debt, even as groceries become more and more expensive. We haven’t even touched insurance.
Millennials are known to be workaholics, juggling two or more jobs and still living paycheck to paycheck. It’s such a shame EGOT recipient Whoopi Goldberg believes we need to work harder in order to reach some form of the “American Dream.” Earlier this month on The View, Goldberg remarked that millennials and Gen Z cannot reach stability and afford housing because they “only want to work four hours” and don’t want to “bust their behinds” like the boomer generation. In short, we are lazy. Let’s pet this elephant. Back in her day, the cost of living was way more affordable. Gen X and Boomers saw lower costs for tuition and buying homes. We simply cannot save money as rent prices continue to skyrocket and as wage increases get eaten by inflation. Entertainment, childcare, transportation, health insurance are all basic needs, and millennials pay more for them than our parents and grandparents did.
Whoopi has a platform to be vocal and there are many ways to advocate for younger generations. My question for you is, “What is an EGOT with a silent “T”? Whoop there it is! And it’s pretty loud too.
