AmericaEnjoyer

I definitely remember. Dad had an average job, mom didn’t work, and we owned a 2K sq. ft. home. We ate out ~3-4x a week, took vacations, and bought luxury goods without stress. You act like we’re delusional when we simply remember what middle-class life looked like 25 years ago.

it happend right now⌛️ patience is the key

Older generations say “we all struggled in our 20s.” No, you didn’t. You didn’t pay insane rent prices and ridiculous grocery bills. You didn’t graduate into massive student debt and $0 job security. Gen Z isn’t dramatic. They’re drowning.

Dear Gen Z: My mother ate LARD sandwiches when she was a girl. She lived in a dirt floor shack with no electricity or indoor plumbing. She wore dresses made from flour sacks. Fuck you and your whining about the cost of a mocha latte.

For those under 60 who think BOOMERS HAD A EASY LIFE, and are somehow responsible for you not being able to afford to buy a home! We paid our way and struggled just like you. Please read these facts from 1970 in WA state. In 1970, the minimum wage in Washington State was $1.60 per hour. This aligns with the federal minimum wage at the time, as Washington did not have a state-specific minimum wage that deviated from the federal standard until later years. The federal minimum wage increased to $1.60 in February 1968 and remained at that level through 1970, applying to most workers in Washington unless they were in exempt categories or covered by specific industry agreements. As for the average cost of a two-bedroom home in Washington State in 1970, precise statewide data for that specific year and bedroom size is limited. However, broader housing trends can provide an estimate. Nationally, the median home value in 1970 was $17,000, according to U.S. Census data. In Washington State, housing costs were generally in line with or slightly above the national average due to its growing economy and desirable locations, particularly in urban areas like Seattle. A Washington State Planning and Community Affairs report from that era indicates the average monthly cost of homeownership (including mortgage, taxes, and utilities) ranged between $150 and $200 in the 1970s, suggesting annual costs of $1,800 to $2,400. Extrapolating from this and national trends, the average purchase price for a modest two-bedroom home in Washington State in 1970 likely fell in the range of $18,000 to $22,000, depending on location—higher in cities like Seattle and lower in rural areas. These figures are estimates based on available historical data, as exact averages for two-bedroom homes in Washington State from 1970 are not comprehensively documented in a single source. For context, a full-time worker earning the minimum wage of $1.60 per hour, working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, would earn $3,328 annually, meaning a $20,000 home would represent about six times their yearly income—a significant but not uncommon ratio for that era.