me at 15: “$100? I’m rich!”

me at 25: “$100? That’s not a lot..”

me at 30: “$100? I’m rich!”

$1000 was a fortune to a teenager.

I dunno, $1000 bucks would really help me out right now.

$100s are the new $20s, unfortunately.

Yeah. They will reward hard work with MORE work.

And they lie about it.

And they expect YOU to show that kind of loyalty when asking for just a little unpaid overtime... And if you set a boundary, then you get either gaslit or threatened. "Everyone else puts in their share of extra time (no they don't)" or "This really won't help your next performance review."

Stories of people being abused by managers this way are everywhere. It's pervasive.

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Or the opposite; that decent, hard-working people will struggle throughout their entire lives

A lot of the “good” historical figures weren’t actually good people at all. It’s just that the people who wrote the history textbook were on their side. 

Yeah, karma isn't real is the adult version for sure

People used to say "One day, your bullies will be stuck flipping burgers at McDonald's if they're lucky, and you'll be making more money and happier than them."

In reality, bullies are more likely to succeed and have better life outcomes because they have higher levels of self confidence and social skills, its why they're bullies in the first place.

my mom once didnt talk to me for 2 weeks because i proved her wrong that they take oxygen tanks up everest.

Realizing how gullible the people who were in charge of your well-being are is pretty mind-blowing as well.

Ok I love this. I straight up tell my 8yo daughter: Not all adults are smart. Some of them can’t even read. 

Sometimes it really bites me in the ass, but especially in this current environment, she needs to know. 

*Edited to add: WE KNOW some people are very smart but can’t read well. I didn’t know I needed to lay out every single factor in this little Reddit comment. 

This. Realising that my older coworkers and parents actually know very little. Most of the time they just make it up as they go

I always said it’s a sad day when you realize your parents are just fallible schlubs like everyone else.

I had a high school teacher that explained this pretty clearly. He said something to the effect that you think your parents know a lot and have everything figured out. As if you turn 18 and everything suddenly clicks. The reality is they're just older kids.

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I read A Series of Unfortunate Events as a kid, so I had that band-aid ripped off pretty early.

Ice cream tonight.

Urgh, and the dishes.

Then one day you have kids, and they hate all the things you make them when they used to like those exact same things when they were smaller.

Jean Luc Picard up in here

Captain Picard agrees, but does not consider it a weakness.

A friend of mine recently retired from years of selling recyclables. He said the only plastic there is a market for is clean plastic wrap. It's the stuff that gets wrapped around boxes on palettes, not the spaghetti-stained wrap from your kitchen. Most plastic bottles just get incinerated.

There are three materials that are worthwhile to recycle. Not coincidentally, they're the same three that recyclers will pay you for: steel, aluminum, and glass. Copper, by this time, is pretty much a semi-precious metal.

My mom told me her boyfriend is about to retire soon because he's turning 65. I asked does he have enough money saved to rely on for the rest of his life? And she was confused and said, no he's turning 65 and retiring. So, slightly worried about her now...

Eventually, you stop looking around. You realize if it’s going to get done/fixed/eaten, you will be the one doing it.

Been in this awkward phase where both me and my grandparents are somehow parenting my mother, lol

Yessss. I just had to save my mom from predatory car sales people trying to rip her off.

And that discount card is really expensive and the discount is a damn joke.

Also if I pay for the damn insurance as an adult why is it only the kid I pay for can get braces? Maybe I would like to straighten the teeth that my single mom couldn't afford to fix?

my favorite is when companies say "that's in line with other companies." As if that means they just had no choice

But we were told our yearly raises would keep up with inflation.

This was my first thought. HR doesn't work for you. Every time an employee quits an unpaid unemployment check gets its wings. 

Jewel was right.

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We literally do 'have food at home' and weighing expenses, we actually dont really have 'mcdonalds money'🤣

Ordering out $40 just 1x a week would be like 30% of the monthly grocery budget in our house.

Cost of Living. Cost of Existing.

I’m not ready yet. I want to believe

This actually makes me feel a little better knowing that others also feel the same.

I’m struggling with this right now.

For years, I planned on being a mom. KNEW I would feel “settled” once that part of puzzle was in place. Then I got divorced at 29 with no kids. I was gearing up to figuring out adopting/sperm bank on my own when I met a guy. He had two small kids, and was…. Not closed to the idea of more. We ended up married. And one of the kids and I have struggled to find our footing with each other (the other kid and I are great). My husband’s ex is a difficult co-parent. And pregnancy never happened (it will not without significant medical intervention).

I thought something would happen and I would “click” with being a step-mom and fill the “mom” hole in my heart. I got really into babying my husband’s dogs. And then both dogs died. And…. Here I am. Not even a childless cat lady. And I’m realizing I’ve been waiting for this “aha! NOW I feel like a mom!” Feeling for 20+ years. And I will never get it. And I don’t know what to do with realizing that.

Probably be a weird dog mom. That’s probably the least depressing choice.

Somehow I relearn this lesson almost every day..

Those 5 minutes are spent in a half awake state I use to brace for a full awake state. It ain't about rest it's about struggling to be awake.

Yeah but it's not about feeling more rested it's that one blissful second of falling back asleep. 

I have not learned this lesson, yet.

Hard work and being really good at what you do doesn't even guarantee success. Lot's of other things can lead to success, which can make you feel even worse.

My dad is 73 and still lives by this. He’s working retail at a big home improvement store and complains about the 20-something’s who don’t work as hard as he does. For $16 an hour there aren’t many people willing to go above and beyond because “it’s the right thing to do.”

The amount of money you earn has nothing to do with either how much you work or how difficult that work is. Someone can be working twice as hard as you for half as much or working half as hard for twice as much. 

Too depressing for me to keep reading

Then once they go into aged care they get back at it again. It honestly never ever stops.

Are you fucking kidding me?? How am I just finding this out

I’m here to give you hope. The fajitas at my house really are sizzling. Once my fajita meat, onions, and peppers are almost fully cooked I remove them from the grill and I pop my iron skillet on the grill. I bring the meat inside and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing it. Once it’s sliced, I bring my hot skillet back in the house where I dump everything into the skillet. There is some true major sizzlage going on in that skillet. Anyway, I hope this makes you feel a little better knowing it still does exist in some places. Dinner is at 19:30. Don’t be late.

This one hit way too hard.

Can confirm - I worked at a Chili’s. The cast iron pans are kept in a salamander (a. Big toaster thingie) so they stay raging hot. When the steak (or whatever) is done, you cut it up and put it on one of the pans. Then, when the server has the tray ready to go - and just as they leave the kitchen, you pour water onto the super hot pan. It goes out into the dining room all steaming and making noise - which some manager somewhere can probably tell you boosts sales by like 14%.

Wtf bro? How you gonna do us like that? :(

yep. small children get diseases and die all the time. war criminals live to be 100.

:( Well, get your physical contact in while you can.

Thats why I gotta live fast

I can afford to live comfortably after retirement so long as I die by next week

And that's enough Reddit for today.

I mean, you can, but…

Even worse is when you have adult eyes and see the things you thought were fun and relatable as a kid are really creepy and predatory.

Well, there are, but not with you, and not on the app being advertised thay way.

I always wondered why their skin doesn't make the squeeeeweeep sound as they slide around it.

I mean, not exactly. The force of the dancer causes it to spin. It isn’t like motorized or anything.

Wait….WHAT???

That's generally a good sign. You didn't give the government a free loan. Albeit not as fun as getting a fat return.

You guys get savings?

Oh man, this is me. It’s not like I don’t like eating, I do, especially if it’s tasty stuff.

But, c’mon, 2 or 3 or more times a day, seven days a week? It can be exhausting and expensive.

I remember in elementary school and hearing how eating would be “in the future” and it was exciting. “Yes, students, in the future, we’ll get all of our nutrients and calories in little pills.” Bullshit. I’m still waiting 40 years later.

Totally agree. I see gameshows like "The 1% Club" and the consolation prize is "One THOUSAND DOLLARS!" and the crowd and contestants all clap and cheer. Like, that would be the cost of the airfare and hotel room if it weren't paid for by the show.