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It’s not just ‘doom spending.’ There is next to nothing to do without spending money anymore. Pretty much the only free things anymore are city parks in good weather and libraries all year around. I have a 13-year-old. She’s constantly looking for things to do. There’s so little for her to do for free. She’s in online school, so sometimes it’s nice to get out of the house and go to a cafe to do her schoolwork. $15 minimum every time.
Public schools have plenty of extracurriculars for free or cheap. It sounds like online school is holding back your child from the kind of experiences she’s looking for.
You apparently have no current connection to public schools. All of the extracurricular activities cost money since the districts lost funding for them. Band? Uniform fee and instrument rental. Sports? Uniform and equipment fees. Dance, cheerleading, theater, etc. gotta pay since the school no longer has a budget.
Oh, no, that’s the worst part - oftentimes the schools have the budget for it. But why spend on subsidizing the poors and losing an income stream when you can blow that money on a new stadium instead?
“Every dollar you set aside will compound.”
Out of touch as fuck. If the fees don’t take it, the inflation will.
It compounds their profits as they make more from the deposit than you! That’s what he really means.
Use a brokerage like Fidelity as your bank instead of these fuckers at Chase and BofA who don’t respect you despite you giving them your money.
Doesn’t have to be Fidelity, but in the current day if you’re not getting the following from your bank you’re getting fucked:
- $0 minimum balance, $0 in account fees
- No overdraft fees
- Minimum 4% APY on savings, minimum 2% APY on checking
- ATM fee reimbursement
- Instant transfers between your own accounts
- Access to direct deposits even while they’re still pending
It’s basic Econ 101. People buy more in high inflation periods because they know the same goods will cost more in the future.
You make a good point about people who are informed or educated enough to actually recognize that. Ignoring the future vs present worth of money aspect.
There are a shit ton of folks out there who don’t know what inflation actually is. I’d say they probably fall into the doom spending category.
From the article (saved you a click):
KEY POINTS
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Nearly all Americans are concerned about the current state of the economy.
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Still, many continue to spend more and save less.
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“Doom spending” may be one way to cope with stress as economic fears mount, however, it comes at the expense of your financial well-being.
Still, many continue to spend more and save less.
That’s what happens when literally everything costs more than it used to.
That may be part of it but isn’t a full explanation. For instance black Friday spending increased by 7.5% compared to last year, whereas inflation increased 3.2% over the last year.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/28/black-friday-weekend-shopping-turnout-soars-to-a-record.html
I think there’s a real argument to be made in favor of the doomspending hypothesis, particularly with younger millenials and housing. If you accept that you’re simply not going to be buying a house any time remotely soon, the temptation grows to just say fuck it and go buy some nice stuff or go on a trip.
Speaking with an n of 1, I’ve certainly noticed I tend to spend more impulsively when stressed. Definitely a theory.
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And places additional pressure on the very systems one could fear collapsing.
Not doom spending, doomed spending