money, money, money, money,

money!

can you even believe that the avg household doesn’t have $10,000 in savings? i can’t. apparently, the “goal” is 6 months worth in liquid (cash). what the heck?! how will the children survive?

there’s this super funny meme out there from a tweeting hippo with dialogue: 
A: how was work? 
“socrates”: i asked a lot of questions.
A: plz get a real job. the kids are starving.
B: i’d rather die.

SO FUNNY, but like.. life is no joke. &like bana says, “there is half truth in jokes.”

we’re all taught to “follow our dreams” &yet only a few of us turn out to be a Steph Curry or “Socrates.” what kind of paycheck are you looking to bring home with that major? 


why DO we spend all our earnings? we think it won’t run out? we spend like our government? &it’s just something we don’t talk about. 
it’s the “secret shame of middle class americans.”


more numbers: 
71% of people are concerned about having enough money to cover everyday expenses
25 % of people could not “come up with” $2000 in 30 days.. &19% would have to borrow
1/4 of households making $100k to $150k/year claim they couldn’t get $2k a month.
credit card debt per household in 2015: $6k 
47% of people would have to take out loan to cover $400 emergency expense 

while banks may “push credit,” “people nonetheless chose to run up debt/save too little”
“if you want to have financial security, it is 100 % on you”

“we all make those sorts of choices, and they obviously affect, even determine, our bottom line. but without getting too metaphysical about it, these are the choices that define who we are.”

the frivolous expenditures; all the luxurious conveniences we have at our disposal. this is what capitalism affords us. So many options. Too many options? You see how much freedom actually costs you when you make the wrong decisions for your life. in the movie “the giver,” the fascist in charge is played by Meryl streep who defends her reign over the masses by saying, “people choose wrong every single time.” so, do you want to make your own choices &face consequences or have your decisions made for you (because you lack the self-control)? catch-22, huh?

when i told penelope a financial goal of mine, she looked to the Dunkin Donuts coffee on my desk &said “don’t buy this anymore.” BOOM (truth bomb explodes). “It adds up.”
ALRIGHTY THEN.

this kid i know of, he’s always “broke,” & yet he can afford a $180 “life of pablo” tee. thrift; it’s an antiquated concept in our narcissistic culture. the “shame” felt is cause deep down, we know our desires get 1st dibs. hungry? food. thirsty? drink. tired? coffee. the supply meets my demand 24/7 (hi @711). we are not taught self-control. how dare u tell me no? 


before the article goes into the writer’s poor money choices, it hints at this idea of the money just disappearing. like his income is so low, he can’t afford his expenses. 


(&i want to cite this article about how “the average american is richer than john d rockefeller” without going too far into this idea of wages diminishing. if you consider the longer life span, or air conditioning on a train, or 1 day travel &1 day shipping…or THE COMPUTER CALLED MY PHONE THAT FITS IN MY HAND.. we are all more rich than he!)



dave ramsey HATES DEBT &describes the person who spends before he has as the kid in the checkout line at the grocery store screaming bc Ma won’t let him have the candy.


choices writer made (who is 1 of the 47% who can’t afford $400 emergency expense):
occupation: writer 
married with 2 children
buys a place in brooklyn 
private > public high school for children
moved to east hampton to rent house 
doesn’t/couldn’t sell co-op in bk (carries 2 mortgages for years)
wife quits job to stay with kids
finally sells bk apt for “steep loss” (“wanted to cover (at least) what owed the bank”)
wife out of work for so long, she is no longer skilled enough as film exec
kids must go to “brand name” universities

“basically, i screwed up, royally”
“and so the hole was dug. and it was deep. and we may  never claw our way out of it”


NO WONDER EVERYONE is SO dang TIRED ALL dang day. HOW DO U SLEEP?

"I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart” e.e cummings