u/Bright_Bug6399

It's just a observation but why are the prices for housing everywhere (even in my rural hometown) so damn expensive, nowadays, that it requires the so called necessity for a large down-payment, last but not least, a 30 year fixed mortgage when there is not much reilable work available anymore and soon to be mass unemploymemt with the advent of AI? The other half of the tragedy is the divorce rate is about 50/50 and in some places, it's even higher. When times get tough, people just don't stick together anymore. So much has changed in the last 40 years or so.

My home town was mostly de-industrialized around 1980s, thanks in part to Reaganomics and even back then there were some noticeable wealth gaps still in the late 1990s.

Around 2000s, it got much worse when everything got outsourced, thanks in part to NAFTA, etc. Occasionally there would be a couple food banks but now they're everywhere.

I left my hometown in 2008 and never bothered to come back. My Boomer ex-landlord was not very happy about young people leaving the area but I already saw the writing was on the wall as I watched my hometown's economic decline sink further, as it seemed absolutely inevitable with no end in sight. Homelessness. Crime. Addiction. A shrinking middle class and inflation.

Most good paying careers nowadays on the West Coast are stuck in Silicon Valley. A place where the price of basic housing for an ordinary family is completely unaffordable for the average Joe, unless you're a high flying, high paying magic guru that's exceptionally talented in the tech arena.

Is it my imagination or are the only people that can afford to get into a wayhalf decent housing is only with the generous helping hand of the bank of Mom and Dad via some kind of a family loan, gift, dowery or inheritance, further exacerbating the large wealth gap in the United States and throughout the western world?

Hello, I am buying a gift for a friend and I'm just trying to find out which music CDs are 'clean' lyrical versions. For example, Short N' Sweet, there's different album covers, I just want to make sure I order the correct version (without cuss words🤬 ), so if any of you have hints or suggestions (like UPC codes) I would appreciate it. Thank you 💐✨️

Update: I found out on Discogs that 'NOW' CDs uses radio/edited (clean) versions of tracks rather than explicit album cuts. Can anyone confirm this? I found 3 of her songs on NOW 118 / 119 UK versions from 2024. 🤗

Hallo zusammen, Ich bin eine großer Simpsons-fan. Mein lieblings Playstation 2 spiel, Simpsons Hit and Run! (2003) und 'Simpsons the Game'. Darf ich bitte fragen, wo kann ich das finden? Ich versuche online aus Ebay und Kleinanzeige, und ich hab das gefunden aber es kostet 30 euro 🤔👀 😕 für ein altes klassische PC spiel aus 2003 🙄🤪

Hallo zusammen, ich liebe die Simpsons-Serie. 📺 Bart Simpson ist sehr lustig und Lisa ist immer klug und clever 🤓. Homer Simpson's lieblings essen ist immer ein Donut. Haha. 🤪🍩 Ja. Ich habe kein Ahnung aber ich leibe dieser TV serien, 20 jahre lang. Ich bin ein großer Simpsons fan, und ich versuche dieser Spiel und DVD serien fur mein Playstation und Laptop, das ist mein Hobby, aber es ist so schwierig zu finden, dieser spiel heißt, 'Simpson Hit and Run' und ich kann die erste Staffel nicht finden. Vielleicht ich kann findet das auf Ebay oder Kleinanzeige? Keine ahnung. Ich glaube, es ist nicht hoffnungslos🙄😉 Dieser problem ist es kostet ein bisschen zu viel, z.B, 30 euro für ein altes computer spiel aus 2003 🤔. Was meinst du dazu? 🤗

Hi all, what would you guys recommend for someone just starting a new game collection? It could be from PAL (Europe) or NTSC (North America). It doesn't matter! What are the best things to look out for? Any suggestions or recommendations would be really cool, thanks 😊

This just a general question. I am curious why some people become expats and what it is about expat life that is most appealing to you? 🤔

Hi all, I am curious how other people live and work as cross border communters. What is your personal experience? Which side of the border do you live on and why? What is your cost of living like? How about shopping, where and what do you buy on a daily basis? What types of insurance do you need? Please feel free to share your personal life experiences.

There's been a lot of changes in the last decade or so. Technology keeps advancing. Computers. Fast pace internet. Smart phones. Tablets. Handhelds.

How about shopping malls, do you still visit them or is everybody just ordering everything online now? Remember when GameStop sold games and Kmart had food courts?

How do you really feel about streaming vs physical media? Remember Blockbuster and Hollywood Video? Does anyone still collect CDs, DVDs, Blurays? How does it feel? I often visit thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets to find whatever I can. I love physical media and its my hobby.

I'm thinking about redecorating my bedroom. Has anyone considered making your own little Shangri-la for retro tech or going for sweet 90s nostalgia? Does anyone still own a VRC and collect VHS cassette tapes or am I the odd one out?

Hi everyone, My situation is a bit unusual. My journey began in 2008. I moved to Western Europe, prior to Brexit. I obtained a small inheritance which was useful in relocating and obtaining Permanent Residency (PR) status and secure cost-effective housing in an EU member state.

Now, in my late 30s, I am finalizing my European residency portfolio by pursuing German citizenship through parental lineage, completing what I consider the final piece of my European puzzle. A few months I expect to receive a German passport, so it will be a lot easier to move around in Europe.

I am single. I am not married. I have no pets and no children. I'm thinking about going back to university to finish my bachelor's degree, I am also seriously thinking about traveling for half a year and possibly relocate near the Swiss border. I can speak German, I am bilingual, however I feel I am standing at a crossroads in my life.

The problem is some of my relatives back in the states don't seem emotionally supportive and seem a bit envious of my odd set of circumstances, which is unfortunately causing some rift between us.

I believe, if I decide to have a family of my own one day, the safest option is probably Switzerland. However I am disturbed by the lack of encouragement from some of my relatives. It seems they've changed, they are no longer interested in my future whatsoever as they seem more preoccupied with chasing money and securing their own retirement plans.

I’m looking for advice on: 1) Is Swiss border lifestyle realistic? 2) How do others handle family expat 'envy' back home?

Edit: I would like to add I am a person of modest financial means, and by no means wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

I still listen to all my favorites from 2000s and 2010s. I don't care what others think, I love my music. It makes me happy. It brings me so much joy, collecting music CDs from local thrift shops, yard sales, online auctions, watching music videos on Youtube or DVD and keeping a good music playlist of all my favorites from Radio Disney back in the day. Selena Gomez. One Direction. Britney Spears. Nsync. Katy Perry. Lady Gaga. Backstreet Boys. I say enjoy your music and preserve it. Do whatever makes you happy 😊

Hi all, I was born in the late 80s and I remember growing up in the 1990s, I would say my childhood was fairly normal. Not luxurious by any means but at least stable. I grew up in safe neighborhood and we lived in an apartment complex because my parents could not afford a house (at that time). We only owned 1 *used car. However we could at least afford to go to the movies, once in a while go to the shopping mall, visit a restaurant. I remember eating at Pizza Hut, drinking Pepsi and listening to Michael Jackson in the background. That was a real treat! Everything just felt calmer. Every Saturday we would often go visit Blockbusters.

We owned a small television and we had a VRC. We would go to Blockbusters and it felt like a lot of fun. I remember watching Jumanji. I owned a couple of Disney VHS tapes but we mostly rented. Later I remember going to visit our friend from school and we saw they owned a DVD player. We thought it was so cool. The first DVD movie I watched was Gladiator. It felt so magical. I was just a teenager. Life was not perfect but it seems people were just a bit happier than they are now.

Things have gotten so weird now. People don't seem to trust each other anymore. Everyone is so addicted to technology but there are no more Blockbusters. Go visit to your local electronics store (whatever it is) and you'll see very limited physical media for sale. As for gaming goes, I only purchase the game cartridges or discs (not those pesky digital download codes!)

Nowadays, you have to buy everything online, wait for it to be delivered or invest in an online streaming service, paying subscriptions forever.

Own nothing, pay forever? I would rather invest in old media rather than new. At least I know my physical media library is accessible and simple to use. I can reach out and grab it. If the internet goes down or if a hard drive crashes, it doesn't matter. I own my DVD/Bluray collection! I own my music CDs, I have my entire media collection in a portable aluminum box.

I can (legally) back up my own digital media library on my PC, I can go offline. I don't need to depend on purchasing digital codes and using online streaming services or digital cloud subscription services.

However I feel like I am in a minority here, why do so many people seem convinced that owning physical media is somehow inconvenient and should be a thing of the past?

I say OWN it and be HAPPY.