As you get older, what are you becoming more and more afraid of?

The end of the American middle class.

A median home now costs about 7.5X median houshold income higher than the bubble. The median anual mortgage in 2023 1/3 of median household income. The average anual cost of financing a new car is 16% of median household income. Sending one child to college for 1 year costs over 1/2 of median household income. And the average cost of raising a child is over 1/3 of median household income.

Basically if you want an "average" middle class life, an average house, 2 average newish cars, 2 kids, maybe one is in college... your takehome income after taxes needs to be almost twice the median pretax income. Luxuries like gas, food, cellphones, clothes, will require more.

Home Price to Income Ratio - Updated Chart | Longtermtrends

Historically, an average house in the US cost around 5 times the yearly household income. The ratio in this chart divides the Case-Shiller Home Price Index by the US median annual household income.
www.longtermtrends.net www.longtermtrends.net
finance.yahoo.com

Average monthly mortgage payment

If you get a mortgage, you’ll need to make a monthly loan payment. Here’s a look at the national average.
finance.yahoo.com finance.yahoo.com
www.nytimes.com

How the Costs of Car Ownership Add Up

Pandemic disruptions drove the expenses associated with owning a car through the roof, creating a financial burden that many drivers didn’t bargain for.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
educationdata.org

Average Cost of College [2023]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses

An in-depth analysis of the average cost of college broken down by tuition, living expenses, loans, and lost income.
educationdata.org educationdata.org
www.cbsnews.com

The cost of raising a child is almost $240,000 — and that's before college

Annual tab to bring up a child has surged in recent years. "It's completely understandable that people are scared to death," one expert says.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
 
I'm starting to become afraid of physical altercations.

I never used to be afraid if some asshole at a bar was starting shit.

I'm not a badass or anything but I just felt like I could handle some drunk idiot.

But now I have days where my back is acting up, or my shoulder, or my knee, and I think, "If someone wanted to fight me right now I'd be pretty helpless."
 
I’m not really into crowds of people anymore, more people in one place means more idiots in one place and more potential for something to go wrong . I’m really not into the idea of going to a sporting event because of this , especially when o could just watch it at home and have a 30 second commute to my bed when it’s over
 
Fedorgasm said:
I'm starting to become afraid of physical altercations.

I never used to be afraid if some asshole at a bar was starting shit.

I'm not a badass or anything but I just felt like I could handle some drunk idiot.

But now I have days where my back is acting up, or my shoulder, or my knee, and I think, "If someone wanted to fight me right now I'd be pretty helpless."
Click to expand...
Yeah...there's days when my backs fucked and there's no way I could throw down but thankfully I'm never helpless...But I just hate bars now in general unless its just a little cool dive bar.
 
I used to love horror movies. Like even the low budget horror movies I loved. After like the 3rd Insidious I just couldn't do it anymore. Other then that just of like losing my job and not being able to find a new one and losing everything.
 
Oblivian said:
41 here and still very active with strength training. I run into issues all of the time now. Hip flexor issues are new to me and something that happened 35+. Knee issues I've had for a while. Back strains probably happen once every 3 years. Achilles strains happen almost everytime I get into running.

I will say that I've found a lot of comfort in working around it. Currently have a back strain, but I can still do most lifts where my back is supported (feet up bench, leg press, any arm lifts, etc.). If my achilles is hurt or hip flexors are bothering me, I can still deadlift, bench, etc. Worst case scenario, I can almost always do the stationary bike or walk.
Click to expand...
Agreed, you can find ways to adapt. I tore my pec a year ago and can't go heavy on the flat bench, so I do higher reps and hit the incline heavy. Still a good workout.
 
Fedorgasm said:
I'm starting to become afraid of physical altercations.

I never used to be afraid if some asshole at a bar was starting shit.

I'm not a badass or anything but I just felt like I could handle some drunk idiot.

But now I have days where my back is acting up, or my shoulder, or my knee, and I think, "If someone wanted to fight me right now I'd be pretty helpless."
Click to expand...
Probably this. At 39 I still feel confident and capable but in the back of my mind I'm like I really don't want to throw down with a 25 year old
 
A future where water isn't free that I'll live to see.
 
Goon Dog said:
Agreed, you can find ways to adapt. I tore my pec a year ago and can't go heavy on the flat bench, so I do higher reps and hit the incline heavy. Still a good workout.
Click to expand...

It's funny when I look back on life and what my hobbies have been. If you told me as a skateboarding teen that I'd love lifting this much, I'd have laughed. If you'd tell me as a "hardcore" lifter that I'd end up liking golf, I wouldn't believe you. If you told me as a musician playing in shitty bands in shitty bars that I'd enjoy running at some point, I'd have puked. As you get older, you find out that all of this stuff is just for kicks. Some of it is to chase measurable progress, a feeling of accomplishment, or just something to keep your mind occupied from daily stresses. If you get hurt and can't do one thing, you'll find another.
 
All the funerals I'll have to attend. Aunts and uncles who are alive now but will be dead in the next 10 years.
 
The older I get, the less worried I become. However, I'm single, no family, no kids, and retired. I could lose everything and just start over again. I still have gas in the tank to do that, as I'm 47.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,181
Messages
55,474,471
Members
174,787
Latest member
Biden's Diaper

Share this page

Back
Top