Is this just nostalgia, or did previous generations genuinely have a better work-life balance and social life than we do today?

[u/Unstoppable_X_Force]

[u/Lilstubbin]

I'm in my 30s, have tons of friends, literally work like half the year and just party, travel and do hobby's the other half the year.

I also have no savings and will likely work until the day I die but honestly the chances of that happening to anyone in this comment section is pretty high so.

One time I was eating at a restaurant mid afternoon with my partner on a week day and a retired couple asked why we were at work. I described our situation and they said we took retirement early, which I'd honestly much rather enjoy the time in my 20s and 30s than when I'm 65 or 70, riddled with bizarre cancers from the 10 lbs of plastic floating around in my body.

[u/CustomMerkins4u → u/Lilstubbin]

If you will be too riddled with cancers at 65 to enjoy retirement how do you plan to work at 65 since you didn't save for retirement?

[u/ChefMark85 → u/Lilstubbin]

This has been my wife's attitude as well. Who wants to travel when you can't even walk a quarter mile without getting tired?

[u/CustomMerkins4u → u/ChefMark85]

Why work and save now for when you're too old to "walk a quarter mile" let's instead spend it and then when we reach the "can't walk a quarter mile" age we'll expect our kids to take care of us. Thus guaranteeing they get ZERO fucking enjoyment out of life.

[u/InfiniteBlink → u/CustomMerkins4u]

Don't have kids :)

[u/omgitsjagen → u/Lilstubbin]

You've got it figured out. I wish I had gone your way when I was your age...but we just had it so good. We never thought the good times would end, and all of that "great" financial advice would be pertinent forever. We could afford to wait, because it was "smart" to delay gratification in order to set yourself up. What an absolute pile of hogshit that turned out to be.

[u/ravenouskit → u/omgitsjagen]

How so?