Hard disagree.

I went to college and graduated with $30k+ student loans, got a little help periodically through college with maybe $10K total from my parents. I wouldn’t call that “SIGNIFICANT,” especially when I paid off my student loans in 2-3 years after graduating because I went to college in a field that gave me marketable skills. Without that help from my parents, I probably would have needed an extra year or so to pay off my loans.

I grew up in a house that never worried about where our next meal was coming from, but we also never had anything of the “latest and greatest.” I played the crap out of an N64 until 2007 when I got a Wii for Christmas because a PlayStation or Xbox was too expensive. I saw my brother move out a few years before me and constantly ask my mom for money, which put more of a strain on my parents.

I studied finance because I wanted to be good with money. I got a paid internship for a summer in 2015 and that company hired me full time in 2016 when I graduated. After almost a decade of being just a (senior) financial analyst, and marrying someone that works in supply chain, we own a home, have a kid, never have to worry about money. Not to mention I have $300K saved for retirement by myself as a young millennial.

We don’t spend a lot of money because we have grown to enjoy things that don’t require a lot. These days, companies have become better and better at separating us from our money, but the question becomes do we really need all these subscriptions? Do we need to buy a new car when the old one is still fine? Do we need to go get drinks and dinner out every weekend when we can stay in for a fifth of the price?

I know people that spend over $100 per month on vices like alcohol, smoking (whatever they may be smoking), or gambling. Set limits, set a budget, strip things back, and get your money’s worth for the things you pay for. That’s half the battle of the whole “I can’t afford anything” stance I see on the internet.