The cost of a normal life. Rent, paychecks, healthcare & the numbers behind “just budget better.”
Zurich, Switzerland
Joined January 2025
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Just figured out the new student loan strategy.
Take out the full $14,200 a semester.
Live on $800 of it.
Put the other $13,400 into a high-yield savings account at 4.1%.
Graduate with $56,800 in loans and $53,600 sitting in the bank.
Use the interest you earned to make the minimum payments for the first two years.
Then when they finally resume collection, declare the whole thing unaffordable and hop on an income-driven plan that never ends.
The loans are basically free money if you just never plan on paying them back.
Worked for my roommate. He’s 29 and still “in school.”
Leon retweeted
My younger brother opened a checking account when he started his first job.
Everything was fine until he had to take three weeks off after an injury.
His balance dropped to $38.
Then the bank charged him a $12 monthly maintenance fee.
Why?
Because he didn't maintain the required $1,500 minimum balance.
He called to ask whether they could reverse it.
They told him he could avoid the fee by keeping more money in the account.
Which is an incredible solution.
You don't have enough money?
Simply have more money.
People with $20,000 sitting in their checking accounts get the fee waived.
People with $38 get charged for the privilege of being broke.
I wonder how much money banks make every year from customers who literally don't have enough money to avoid paying them.
Leon retweeted
My aunt has been a public school teacher for 16 years.
She makes $56,000.
At the beginning of the school year, she bought:
Classroom notebooks: $84
Pencils and markers: $67
Storage bins: $45
Tissues and cleaning supplies: $61
Books for students: $118
Total: $375.
Out of her own pocket.
She told me she does this almost every year because otherwise some of her students wouldn't have what they need.
Meanwhile, the school district sends emails thanking teachers for their dedication.
I asked her whether she'd be reimbursed.
She laughed.
We require teachers to have degrees, certifications, training, and years of experience.
Then expect them to personally subsidize the basic equipment needed to do their jobs.
Imagine telling an accountant to bring his own office printer because the company couldn't afford one.
People would think you were joking.
1991 – My dad’s first real job.
$24,800 a year.
Apartment: $410 a month.
New car: $9,200.
He paid the car off in 18 months and still had money left.
2026 – Same job title at the same company. $61,400 a year.
Same style apartment: $1,890 a month.
Same class of car: $36,800.
My cousin is on a 72-month loan at 8.1%.
My dad still drives past the old apartment sometimes.
He says the building looks smaller than he remembers.
My cousin just renewed his lease.
He said the only thing that got smaller was the leftover money.
Leon retweeted
Aunt: Just saw a house down the street sold for $485k. Crazy.
Uncle: We paid $68k for ours in ’88. You kids need to stop waiting.
Me: That $68k was 2.4x your salary then. $485k is 7.1x mine now.
Uncle: Interest rates were higher back then.
Me: 10.4% on a $68k loan is still cheaper than 6.8% on $485k.
Aunt: You just have to be willing to live in a smaller place.
Me: The smaller place is $2,100 a month.
Uncle: Well I don’t know what to tell you.
Me: That’s fine. Neither do I.
Chat has been quiet for three days.
Leon retweeted
1986 – My uncle buys a 3-bed house. $61,000.
1987 – Payment is $412 a month. His take-home is $1,640.
1994 – House is paid off. He is 34.
2024 – Same house lists for $548,000.
2025 – My cousin (same job title, same company) gets approved for $3,180 a month.
His take-home is $4,920.
He runs the numbers.
After payment, taxes, insurance, and utilities he has $640 left.
My uncle texted him: “Just get in while you can.”
My cousin stared at the message for a full minute.
Then he locked his phone and went back to work.
Leon retweeted
My dad: “When I started out I was making $6.25 an hour and I still managed to save.”
What I almost said:
In 1981 that $6.25 was roughly $22 in today’s money.
Your rent was $280.
Gas was $1.12.
A new car was $7,800.
I’m at $21.40 an hour.
My rent is $1,980.
Gas is $3.89.
The same car is $34,200.
I save $140 a month if nothing breaks.
Instead I said: “Yeah, times were different.”
He nodded like that settled it.
I kept doing the math in my head the rest of dinner.
Leon retweeted
Just figured out the new student loan strategy.
Take out the full $14,200 a semester.
Live on $800 of it.
Put the other $13,400 into a high-yield savings account at 4.1%.
Graduate with $56,800 in loans and $53,600 sitting in the bank.
Use the interest you earned to make the minimum payments for the first two years.
Then when they finally resume collection, declare the whole thing unaffordable and hop on an income-driven plan that never ends.
The loans are basically free money if you just never plan on paying them back.
Worked for my roommate. He’s 29 and still “in school.”
Leon retweeted
My sister needed a $19 replacement part for her vacuum.
The website charged $8.95 for shipping.
But orders over $50 qualified for FREE shipping.
So she added a $17 storage container.
Still needed another $14.
Added cleaning supplies for $16.
Final subtotal: $52.
Shipping: FREE.
She spent $33 more to avoid paying $8.95.
The checkout page congratulated her for unlocking free shipping.
She almost placed the order before realizing what she'd done.
A company convinced her that spending $52 was financially smarter than spending $27.95.
And the most impressive part?
She genuinely felt like she'd saved money for about thirty seconds.
We have entire industries dedicated to making people spend more while showing them a little green number that says SAVINGS.
Honestly, that's a pretty incredible business model.
Leon retweeted
My friend's daughter got offered an internship at a prestigious company in New York.
Her professors said it could change her career.
Only problem?
The internship pays $18 an hour.
Twenty-five hours a week.
That's about $1,950 a month before taxes.
The cheapest room she could find near a reasonable commute was $1,450.
Transportation: $140.
Groceries: $300.
That leaves $60 before taxes or any other expenses.
She's 21.
She doesn't have wealthy parents who can cover the difference.
So she turned it down.
Meanwhile, another student whose family can afford the living expenses gets to accept.
Both have the same qualifications.
Both worked hard.
But only one can afford the opportunity.
Then five years later, companies will talk about hiring the most talented candidates.
Apparently talent works better when your parents can subsidize it.
Leon retweeted
My cousin applied for a job advertising $55,000 to $95,000.
He had six years of experience.
Passed three interviews.
Got an offer.
$57,000.
He called the recruiter.
HIM: "The salary range goes up to $95,000."
RECRUITER: "Correct."
HIM: "I have more experience than your minimum requirement."
RECRUITER: "We believe $57,000 is competitive for your profile."
HIM: "What qualifies someone for $95,000?"
RECRUITER: "That depends on several factors."
HIM: "Which factors?"
RECRUITER: "We evaluate compensation holistically."
He asked for $70,000.
They said the budget wouldn't allow it.
So apparently the company has a $95,000 salary range and a $57,000 budget.
Really makes you wonder what the other $38,000 is doing in the job advertisement.
Moral support?
Leon retweeted
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY GETTING OLDER IS SO EXPENSIVE?
My grandfather is 71.
He finally has time to travel after working most of his life.
But his fixed income means he has to plan everything carefully.
The hotel offers a senior discount.
Saves him $14 a night.
His prescription costs increased by $68 a month.
Homeowners insurance went up $720 a year.
Property taxes increased another $390.
His car insurance renewal added $240.
So the economy found more than $2,000 in additional annual costs.
But congratulations.
He gets $14 off a hotel room.
He spent 45 years being told retirement would be the reward for all that work.
Now he's clipping coupons and comparing prescription prices to make sure he can afford the reward.
Maybe the biggest retirement benefit would be not having every essential bill increase faster than your income.
Aunt: Just saw a house down the street sold for $485k. Crazy.
Uncle: We paid $68k for ours in ’88. You kids need to stop waiting.
Me: That $68k was 2.4x your salary then. $485k is 7.1x mine now.
Uncle: Interest rates were higher back then.
Me: 10.4% on a $68k loan is still cheaper than 6.8% on $485k.
Aunt: You just have to be willing to live in a smaller place.
Me: The smaller place is $2,100 a month.
Uncle: Well I don’t know what to tell you.
Me: That’s fine. Neither do I.
Chat has been quiet for three days.
1986 – My uncle buys a 3-bed house. $61,000.
1987 – Payment is $412 a month. His take-home is $1,640.
1994 – House is paid off. He is 34.
2024 – Same house lists for $548,000.
2025 – My cousin (same job title, same company) gets approved for $3,180 a month.
His take-home is $4,920.
He runs the numbers.
After payment, taxes, insurance, and utilities he has $640 left.
My uncle texted him: “Just get in while you can.”
My cousin stared at the message for a full minute.
Then he locked his phone and went back to work.
My dad: “When I started out I was making $6.25 an hour and I still managed to save.”
What I almost said:
In 1981 that $6.25 was roughly $22 in today’s money.
Your rent was $280.
Gas was $1.12.
A new car was $7,800.
I’m at $21.40 an hour.
My rent is $1,980.
Gas is $3.89.
The same car is $34,200.
I save $140 a month if nothing breaks.
Instead I said: “Yeah, times were different.”
He nodded like that settled it.
I kept doing the math in my head the rest of dinner.
Leon retweeted
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS
My coworker just got a $1,200 bonus for hitting his numbers.
Then the company announced record profits of $4.8 billion.
Then they laid off 340 people in his department two weeks later.
Then the CEO sold $18.4 million in stock the same week.
Then they told the remaining staff there’s “no budget” for raises this year.
He still has the $1,200 bonus sitting in his account.
He also still has the same $2,140 rent and the same $680 car payment.
How does the bonus help when the people who actually generated the profit just got removed?
Leon retweeted
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY COMPANIES MAKE CANCELLING HARDER THAN SIGNING UP?
My brother had a subscription charging him $19.99 every month.
Signing up took about 40 seconds.
Cancelling required logging into a website, finding the billing section, navigating three separate screens, and confirming twice.
He got frustrated and replaced the card linked to the account.
The subscription charged his new card anyway.
His bank explained that card-network account updater services can provide updated payment details to participating merchants.
So the company could potentially keep collecting payments even after the physical card changed.
All perfectly normal financial infrastructure.
Meanwhile, to stop paying $19.99 for something he didn't want, he had to figure out the right cancellation process.
We invented technology that makes it incredibly easy for companies to keep charging customers.
Could we maybe invent some that makes it equally easy to leave?