How the fuck...

do people my age afford to live the way they do? I work at a bookstore, as I try to figure out the next step in my life, try to save some money to pay off my college loans, all that jazz...and I see people my age with iPhones and coach purses driving around the most expensive cars out there. Don't iphones require a huge monthly fee?

I just kind of assume they're living off mommy and daddy's money, but there area lot of hipsters in this boat too. So does that make me cynical? I'm sure some are independently wealthy and some work their asses off to pay for stuff, but really, I just am flabbergasted by the amount of young people who buy all sorts of expensive shit.

Are we all in debt?
Am I just 'Old man xfinitex' now?

This is random I know, but maybe someone can explain it to me.

Fifty dollar tuggers. And a strong portfolio.

It's exactly as you described it. One of my cousin's friends is a privileged rich kid who always has the newest toys, just because they can. My cousin herself works nearly to death in order to have the same things because she feels she has to keep up. Then there are others in the same social circle who have the same desire, but lack the motivation so they acquire massive debts in order to have the best things.

I'm sure it's not always a competition with everyone but there is always a price to pay for living the high life. Unless you're the rich kid.

I joined the army when I was young instead of going to college and when I got out I became a manager of various companies. So I didn't have debt to pay off, they paid for my school and I was making decent money ($17 hr full time).

People take different paths in life, so it isn't always mom and dad

I'm in the same boat. I don't have all those fancy doodads, nor could I buy them even if I wanted to.

Damn rich bastards. (I mean the ones that don't work for it .)

I took a similar path, and was making about $40k a year as an E-5 in the Navy when I was 20 years old. I didn't understand the meaning of the word "savings", so I spent all my money on useless crap.

The GI bill is putting me through school now, so it's really nice to be able to not worry about student loans and whatnot. I don't have as much expendable income, but going to school makes me feel better about all that money I blew back then.

Cheers to you! I have a buddy that was in the Navy for 4 years with an E-6 pay grade. He did save his money, but he's living with his parents now and using it all to party/not have a job/pursue nothing. I question his intelligence sometimes.

It's pretty easy if the fancy doodads are worthless to you. My cell-phone was the freebie-deal phone, my tv is small (and given to me by my parents because they didn't want it), my car is used, my i-pod is refurbished (and small). When my phone-contract is up, I'll replace my old phone (which is the same phone I got 18 months ago), with another freebie phone.

Life doesn't require expensive shit.

That, too.

At least you have your youth.

I am 35 with 40k in student loans and an assload of new bills since things aren't getting any better around here.

You're 25 (according to your profile) and you work at a bookstore.

At 25 I was making the highest salary I've ever made in my life as a clearance-holding information security analyst (before I quit my job and ran away to California and stuff, but that's another story).

Perhaps the other people you see have careers, while you're just working at a retail job? It's perfectly reasonable to expect that people would have a decent start to a career in their mid-20s, with a decent salary.

I would guess that most people in their mid-20s aren't living off mommy and daddy. I'm guessing they aren't saving much money yet, either, but in the current lending economy I'm guessing they're not racking up the credit card debt, either.

when I was 25 I was making just over 60k by joining the military...now I make a lot more by doing the same thing and when I get back from Afghanistan next year, it will be my new house/bmw fund. I had to join the military, I have absolutely no marketable skills or talents to do anything else. Long story short, i'd be asking people if they could spare some change or if they'd like fries with that.

My husband (he's 28) got into a very well-paying career by chance at 18, so I guess we're kind of well off for our age and where we live. But like I said... it was chance, complete luck, and I do consider myself lucky.

Yeah. I was at my peak earning at 24-25 being a quantitative analyst at a financial research firm. Only problem was I started work at 6 in the morning, got off around 7-8 at night, and regularly worked weekends etc. I had a giant tv, nice car, apartment, electronic gadgets etc.

Now I work 35 hours a week, make a third of what I used to, have a small tv, cheap phone, ride my bike everywhere, and am a million times happier.

Sometimes I'm not sure people realize the hours lawyers and wall street types work to get those insane paychecks. My sister in law when she was trying to make partner at her law firm routinely stuck around the office until 2 in the morning.

I dunno, at 25 I was buying a lot of nice things and traveling a lot and living it up at least 3 nights a week (usually more) and didn't go into debt to do it. I just had a really well-paid job in a city with a relatively low cost-of-living, and no concept of savings or investments.

i give old, rich men blowjobs in airport bathroom stalls.

i've got two iPhones; one for each ear.

Very, very true. And that's why it's silly to judge people the way the original post did. Yes, some people in their mid-20s are living off mom and dad, and yes, some people in their mid-20s have good jobs and are silly with money, and yes, some people in their mid-20s are really responsible with money, and yes, some people in their mid-20s are racking up credit card bills. Just saying, the original poster's "working retail at 25" position isn't exactly a benchmark to which all mid-20s Americans should be held.

but these people are at home not spending money so you wouldn't see them.

There are all drug dealers...

Where?

I suck cock for cash