LogFAQs > #979521722

Cuticrusader09 posted...

I mean the houses in the thumbnail are not what the american dream houses were in the 1960s. Houses were small ranches 1000-1400 sq ft. A bath, kitchen, living room and 2-3 bedrooms. New houses now can be three times that size.

Small detached homes (not condos) are just not being built anymore.

Part of the problem with the American dream is people are trying to achieve a 1950s dream while living in the 21st century. Back then homes were cheaper and most people didn't even go to college, but what often gets unmentioned is all the other stuff like having one car for the entire household, fixing and mending everything yourself, always buying used and doing hand-me-downs, not having cable, not having internet, not having a smartphone, no subscription services, etc. When my parents were little it was like one gift for Christmas and a big night on the town was driving to the local flea market and getting fresh soft pretzels. Nobody had their own bedroom. They had to share it with at least one other person because there just weren't enough rooms in the house.

It feels a little bit like we've lost the thread in terms of what living back then was really like in order to keep costs down to make part of that dream affordable, and I don't know that any amount of tweaking tuition prices or building more homes is going to make that life achievable with the monthly expenses that the average person has today.