I think millennials get a bad rap.
We’re described as spoiled and lazy, and baby boomers simply cannot fathom why we can’t get our shit together.
Here’s a news flash boomers: our shit is not together because of this shit economy we’re in.
And rather than dwell on the sad fact that many of us won’t be able to retire or purchase a house before our first child is born, we’ve opted to live our life for the now.
Living in the now means spending our money on life experiences and luxury goods which will make our stressful lives that much more easier and enjoyable.
You, boomers bash this and deem it wasteful or fruitless. But, it’s not fruitless. What you don’t realise and for which you never will, is that everything we spend our money on is with the sole purpose of making our lives better.
Sure. We could cut corners with the food we buy, the clothes we need. However, we millennials, have figured out the secret to happiness far sooner than you, our boomer counterparts.
So what if we spend an extra 40 bucks here and there on a really great dinner or a brand new pair of shoes? We need those things, believe it or not.
Have you ever heard of retail therapy??
What does a mere couple of twenties mean to us when the things that we purchase really matter to us and will brighten our days to come?
We couldn’t buy a house anyways even if we penny pinched our whole way through life. There’s no way we could make ends meet.
So why let that money sit in a bank account for years and years to try and accumulate a couple thousand? And that truly is the only amount we’d be able to save. Not tens of thousands. Not even $9,000. We might be able to save a measly maybe two or three thousand every several years, and that’s all.
Is it really worth risking our mental health and overall well-being if we stopped mending the holes in our shirts and stopped eating packs of ramen if we spent a little extra here and there on the things we really need?
No. And that’s why we millennials have opted to forego saving. We are much happier in spending than on saving.
So, Boomers, here’s the truth: we will work far longer than you ever did. We have to. We have no choice.
We’ll do it. We’ll strive to survive, and in the meantime make ourselves happy as we paddle board upriver on an unforgiving current.
And by doing so, I can say with absolute certainty that we’ll be far happier you, the baby boomers, ever did.
Think about that.
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