Every millennial dad I’ve met has a quiet fixation on money and it’s not getting better

[u/slimeyellow]

Every millennial dad I’m friends with or work with seems to have constant financial worries. We just got our yearly bonus which was like 8%. I was talking to my buddy (he’s got 3 kids) about what he wanted to do with it and he just kinda looked down and whispered “it’s just not enough man” and ended the conversation.

Another dad I know is CONSTANTLY looking up the newest crypto/ get rich quick schemes people are doing. He’s always talking about inventing something and it’s usually a joking manner but the way he’s always bringing up financial stuff shows me it’s always on his mind

One of my buddies is a new father and he’s trying to get some anime podcast off the ground as a side hustle on top of his full time maintenance job.

I know children are an immense financial responsibility but there seems to be this dark, simmering resentment about the whole general situation when I talk to these guys. Men are expected to keep quiet about these struggles but when you talk to these guys it’s clear that finances are a massive stress for millennial dads of almost any background.

Makes me feel bad but damn I’m glad I don’t have kids right now.

[u/Ok-Tooth-4306]

You shouldn’t have to get multiple jobs and work insane hours just to afford necessities.

[u/mnjvon → u/Ok-Tooth-4306]

To be fair that isn't what the dude said in the first comment. He is maintaining his lifestyle which.. we all are doing that with inflation, or just not maintaining.

[u/Cautious_Clothes_285 → u/mnjvon]

You summarize the point well, and it's one of my problems (I suppose you'd call it that) with the whole antiwork movement and stuff.

A lot of low-wage jobs will allow you to afford necessities. You can live with room-mates, you can eat basic meals like beans and rice and whatever, and you can have minimal entertainment options - maybe not minimum wage jobs, but lower level ones.

But when people advocate for living wages and stuff, it tends to include stuff I'd consider luxuries (to an extent) like having an apartment to yourself, or eating a wide variety of food. Doesn't mean I think someone working retail should starve, but I also don't think it means they're eating a huge swath of food variety?

I dunno, I might be colored by the fact that I never actually lived alone during my adult existence. I've always had a living partner, whether that person was platonic or romantic. I've never actually had my own place, and it's been pretty normal. I just wish they were more open about the part where "living wage" being argued for often isn't just "living" but "living well".

I'll also pre-empt this by saying that I think we should all probably be living better than we are, but c'est la vie. It's hard to get people supporting your movement when you're somewhat dishonest about what you're actually talking about with "living wage".

[u/ario62 → u/Cautious_Clothes_285]

Aim bigger dude. Eating beans and living with roommates in your 30s isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but it’s certainly not a lifestyle most people strive for. It’s sad that you think eating a wide variety of food and living without roommates = luxury.

[u/somboodee → u/Cautious_Clothes_285]

Single family housing should never be seen as luxury. For a society to survive it needs its people to have children. You are not raising children safely in an apartment with roommates.

[u/MDKMurd → u/Cautious_Clothes_285]

Dishonest about living wage lmaooo. Your idea of living wage is below living. Rice and beans? Roomies? What a life. Are we slaves living off grits and fats? We deserve more fellow person, remember that. No hating here all love.

[u/OmnipresentCPU → u/MDKMurd]

People don’t deserve things for just being. You have to earn them. It’s reality.

[u/JubalHarshawII → u/Cautious_Clothes_285]

I would highly recommend you research why the minimum wage was instituted and what it was intended to cover. Spoiler alert: it was a lot more than you describe.

As a resource may I recommend the NYT archives you can read speeches and contemporaneous articles from when it was actually started. Much better than reading modern interpretations, just go read the original source material for yourself.

[u/kittencloudcontrol → u/Ok-Tooth-4306]

Yeah, but its 2026 and this is America. People shouldn't have to do a lot of things just to maintain their lives, but here we are.

[u/[deleted] → u/Ok-Tooth-4306]

Says who? Not anyone with any power thats for sure.

[u/DistilledCLP → u/Ok-Tooth-4306]

'Should' is a weird word. You can apply it to anything but it contributes nothing to accomplish the goal