What would $1,500 do for you in today’s America? Depending on where you live and many other factors, it could probably cover your rent for a month, get you a decent refrigerator, a furniture set, or buy a laptop.
While a few thousand dollars can buy you something reasonable, no one in touch with today’s housing realities would expect it to cover the cost of a new home. But tell this to Baby Boomers and watch their eyeballs widen in shock.
This lady’s grandma is a classic example of how the post-war generation continues to view the world through the same lens they used in the late 1900s.
Recently, a TikToker posted about baby boomers and how clueless they seemed to be when it came to the current market rates. The post stated that they are “so out of touch with…the going rate for everything.”
Another TikToker, @andy_astra, posted a video in response with a text overlay that read, “Proof that boomers have no idea about how much everything costs.” The clip has since gone viral.
Andra explained that over the holidays, she visited her parents who she hadn’t seen for 3 years. While having a discussion with them, they told her that in accordance with her grandmother’s wishes, they had to use the money from her inheritance towards a significant life event.
Since her grandmother wanted the money to be used for a very special occasion in her granddaughter’s life, they didn’t know whether to just hand it over to her or keep it till something big and important happened.
Of course, Andra was excited and was already hopeful that the money would be enough to take a significant financial burden off her. Out of curiosity, she asked her parents how much they were talking about. To her surprise, they revealed it was $1,500.
“And guess how much money they were talking about after sitting there debating in front of me whether or not to give it to me, whether or not it was going to help with my eventual purchase of the house,” she asked, “Guess how much money they were talking about, $1,500.”
While Andi appreciated the gift, she knew she had to let her parents know its actual worth in today’s market. So off she went, giving them examples of what the money could buy.
“My plane ticket to visit them cost $1,000. It cost me $300 to ship the Christmas gifts they got me back to my house. And they were debating over giving me $1,500 because it might help me buy a house,” she said in disbelief.
Andi tied the knot during the pandemic, and since then, she and her husband haven’t been able to purchase a home because of how high house prices are. So, it was surprising that they thought $1,500 would help get them sorted.
Of course, commenters are as shocked as she was. One person said, “I was going for 20k not even close $1500 isn’t even a decent down payment for a Honda.” Another wrote, “I guessed 3k, but they cut it in half.”
For people who paid one bill or another back in the day, it’s surprising to realize that they have no idea how expensive the cost of living is today.
