“How much was the average 4 year college when you were 18?”
I went to a UC school and tuition PER QUARTER was about $500. Of course, the minimum wage was about $3.35 and I had a job earning a measly $6/hr.
“How much was the average starter home when you got out of college?”
I wouldn’t know since I didn’t buy one but you could have probably bought a home in 1990 for about $140k give or take.
“How many banks/credit institutions specifically marketed to you everyday while you were in High School and College?”
High School? None. But there were credit card tables ALL OVER school giving away crap for signing up. Also, damn near every text book I bought had credit card offers falling out of them and the cashiers made sure to stuff another handful in the bag on your way out the door.
“How many Best Buys, Wal-Marts, Shopping Malls, etc. were located in your neighborhood growing up?”
Malls? Plenty. Best Buy wasn’t around then nor was Wallie World. I grew up in a somewhat rural area in central california so there weren’t big stores anywhere near my house (there still aren’t in the area where I lived). However, Price Club (now Costco) and Sam’s Club (now Walmart) were all over the place in the cities.
What’s your point? I too had debt when I graduated from college and I worked throughout school and got WIDELY available Cal Grants and other scholarships. I only made about $30k/year for a decade after college (throughout the Clinton years, I might add). I never owned a new car, I never bought thousands and thousands of dollars of crap I couldn’t afford and I never blamed my situation on anybody but myself. When I turned 30, I went back to graduate school (which I paid for, BTW) cause I was sick of being poor.
The bottom line is that you are blaming your lot in life on everyone but yourself. My parents were part of the ‘greatest generation’ and taught me to work hard. Your parents are the very baby boomers that you are denouncing and taught you that how you feel is more important than what you do. The results are obvious.
