It seems no matter how dire things get and how many facts are routinely bandied about, some Baby Boomers simply cannot let go of the notion buying a home is as easy nowadays as it was in the 1960s and 70s—or even the 80s or 90s.
Case in point?
A story in the UK's The Times asked Boomers to offer their "advice" for millennials unable to afford a house.
What were the older generation's hot tips? "Cancel Netflix" and stop ordering take-out.
Yes, that is actually the advice they gave, as seen below.
It's become a cliche by now but cliches are cliches for a reason, so say it with us: Okay, Boomer! After all, didn't we *just* have this conversation about the supposed financial evils of avocado toast a couple years ago?
The Boomers definitely missed that whole conversation. As The Times reported:
"More than half of baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, believe that 'luxury' lifestyle choices made by young people are to blame for their inability to save enough money."
What constitutes "'luxury' lifestyle choices," you ask? Get ready to laugh yourself to death.
"Among the lifestyle choices identified by baby boomers in a study by researchers at King’s College London were takeaway coffees and food, mobile phones, Netflix and foreign holidays."
You heard them, millennials--you have no business even having a telephone. That's why you're poor. You're welcome!
Of course, the actual facts paint a different picture.
For starters, the cost of a house has skyrocketed since the Boomers' were out shopping for their idyllic cul-de-sac tract homes in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s--so much so you should get ready to choke on these prices.
The average house cost $17,000 in 1970, $47,200 in 1980 and $79,100 in 1990. LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
But surely when adjusted for inflation those numbers look a lot more normal, right? Ha ha ha, you sweet summer child. In 2022 dollars, those amounts come to roughly $128,000, $167,000 and $177,000 respectively.
And we wish you the best of luck finding a house for that amount because the average home price is currently--wait for it--$507,800 and rising rapidly.
That's approximately 32,782 months of Netflix fees--which incidentally is about 2,732 years. Easy peasy!
As you might guess, The Times' deeply absurd Boomer advice went over like a lead balloon and Twitter has spent the better part of the month dragging everyone involved.
Anyway, it turns out Boomers themselves are the actual reason younger generations can't afford houses. Thanks for the advice, though!
