u/Careless_Air9148

My iPhone 12 honestly still does everything I need it to do. It’s not slow, and Apple hasn’t made a feature I’ve cared about in years. For normal everyday stuff, it still works fine. The problem is that the phone itself is just worn out at this point. My battery health is down to 68%, the back glass is broken, and the charging port needs to be cleaned because charging has gotten more inconsistent. I know I could technically spend around $110 on a battery replacement, but that doesn’t really solve the whole problem. I’d still be putting money into a phone from 2020 with broken glass, an aging charging port, older hardware, and several more years of wear already on it. By the time I fix the battery and start fixing everything else, I’m spending more money just to keep an old phone alive. I’ve already had it for about five years, and the battery is starting to inconvenience me a lot.

The main problem, though, is that the timing for buying a new iPhone is ass 😭. I need a phone pretty much immediately, but at the same time, I really don’t want to spend flagship money on the newest iPhone when the iPhone 18 generation is right around the corner. Regardless of whether I can afford it, I’d personally feel like I made a bad purchase knowing I just spent close to $1,000 on a phone and then a newer generation comes out soon after.

Then there’s the 20th generation after that. Obviously nobody knows exactly what Apple is going to do yet, but if there’s going to be a major redesign or bigger generational change, I’d much rather save the flagship-level money for something that actually feels worth it. So I’m kind of stuck in the middle. My current phone is too beat up for me to realistically keep using for another year, but I also don’t think right now is the time for me to buy a $900–$1,200 flagship. I’m not really looking for my next phone to completely change the experience I already have with my iPhone 12. My iPhone 12 already does everything I need. I just want a brand-new, reliable version of that experience that isn’t falling apart and constantly dying on me.

The biggest thing I care about BY FAR is battery life. That’s probably 90% of this decision for me. Going from an iPhone 12 sitting at 68% battery health to a completely new 16e with genuinely strong battery life would probably be a bigger quality-of-life upgrade for me than having a better zoom camera, Dynamic Island, MagSafe, or a bunch of other features I probably wouldn’t use much anyway.
I don’t really care about MagSafe. Dynamic Island is cool, but it’s definitely not something I’m paying an extra couple hundred dollars for. I’m not a huge phone photographer, I don’t need the best camera Apple makes, and I don’t care about having the most premium-looking iPhone just because it’s the newest one.

My main thing is waking up with a phone I know is going to work, having enough battery to comfortably make it through my day, and knowing I can keep the phone for years without constantly thinking about upgrading again. I literally need my phone to get through my gate and into my home once I get off work. Before somebody says, “Just get a key” 🥴, I don’t have one, nor can I keep one. I’ve been locked out of my home multiple times at this point. My iPhone 12, which I hardly even use at work, can barely survive a 7-hour shift and a 10-minute commute when I start the day at around 80% battery.

The 16e still gives me a much newer chip and hardware, a better main camera, great battery life, and enough performance headroom that I don’t see myself having a problem using it for another 5–7 years, which is how long I need whatever phone I buy to last anyway. Physically, it’s also basically the same size as my iPhone 12, which I actually like.
I also don’t see the point in paying hundreds more for a regular 16 or an older Pro model just because it technically has more features. Once I start getting into the $700, $800, or $900 range, I’m right back in the situation I’m specifically trying to avoid. At that point, I might as well just buy the newest generation, and I don’t think that makes sense for me right now.

TL;DR: My iPhone 12 still does everything I need, but at 68% battery health with broken back glass and charging issues, it’s time to replace it. I need a phone now, but I don’t want to spend flagship money right before the iPhone 18 and the possible 20th-anniversary redesign. Battery life is by far my biggest priority, so the 16e seems like the best balance of price, longevity, and reliability.

It is currently priced at $489 USD for a brand new unlocked IPhone 16e at Best Buy.

I’ve been working at TJ Maxx for about three months, and it was a huge change for me after not working for almost a year. Before this job, I was in a depressive state and felt like I wasn’t doing much with my life. Working helped me get better at handling stress, talking to people, and being more confident. After about a month and a half, I was trained in basically everything except jewelry, and the job became almost automatic for me. I liked being able to come in, work, and go home without thinking too much about it. I was sometimes working 12 to 14 hour shifts and close to 40 hours a week, and it proved to me that I have a strong work ethic. I made enough to afford my entire setup and reached my money goal three months earlier than I expected.

About two weeks ago, that changed. I had finished pushing merchandise and had some trash left over. Before taking it out, I asked one of the BRCs what she wanted me to work on next so I could immediately start afterward. She asked if I had taken the trash out, I said no and explained why, and then she grabbed my wrist and slapped my hand. It made me extremely angry and affected me for days afterward. I was starting to move past it when my store manager was helping me at the register. I had my hands in my pockets, she told me not to, grabbed my hand, and pulled it out. Then she did it again. That brought everything back. This isn’t about the job being stressful or me not wanting to work. I can deal with difficult tasks and things I don’t like doing. The problem is people putting their hands on me. That is one boundary I really don’t like being crossed. I tried to ignore it and move past it, but I couldn’t. At first I didn’t want to tell management because I didn’t want to affect anyone else’s job, but when they asked why I was leaving, I told them what happened, so it has been reported.

Now I’m trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I have a morning shift in a few hours. I could not show up and basically quit right now, show up and stay until I find another job, change my availability so I only work closing shifts and see if that makes things easier, or somehow stay another four months until I turn 18 in December. I don’t technically need the money anymore because I already reached my goal, but I like having my own income and the freedom that comes with it. I’m going into my last year of high school and I leave for basic training in about a year, so part of me also wants to enjoy this last year without a job affecting me this much. I know I’m not staying at this store long-term. I just don’t know whether I should be done now, cut my hours and work closings, or stay long enough to find something else.

I was supposed to be at work at 6:00 a.m. today, but I slept through my alarm and woke up at 6:45. I called them as soon as I woke up and let them know I was on my way, but I’m going to be about an hour late. I’m planning to stay later to make up the time, assuming my manager is okay with that. I definitely learned my lesson, and I’m going to make sure this never happens again. I still feel really bad and embarrassed about it, though. This is not something Ive ever done before. Should I expect a write-up, or will it probably just be a warning?

I keep inhaling dust from the clothes, either when I’m on the register or doing up-and-unders. Usually it just clogs up my throat, but now my sinuses are really, really bothering me. I’ve had a massive headache for the last two days, my throat is constantly dry, and going to work keeps making everything worse.

I don’t particularly like this job, and I think next week, once I’m able to afford the monitor I want, I’m going to quit and look for work somewhere else. It just sucks because I’m getting good hours, I like everybody there, and the work itself has honestly been fine aside from asking for cards and having to push four buckets in 20 minutes. It’s just been depressing trying to get through this week, and I’m worried that since I’ve been closing, my sinuses are only going to keep getting worse.

I’m 17, work retail, and don’t have any expenses. I’m just trying to finish buying my gaming setup before I leave for the Air Force. I already have most of it, but I’m wondering whether I should get the Gigabyte MO27Q28GR, a 27-inch 1440p 280Hz Primary RGB Tandem WOLED monitor, or save for a couple more weeks and get the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCWM. I game on a PlayStation 5 Pro and a laptop with an RTX 5070 Ti.

I’m 17 years old working a retail job and I make pretty decent money for my age. Right now I have about $1,500 to my name, and I don’t really have bills or anything like that. No rent, no car payment, no major responsibilities. The only stuff I really spend money on is random food or going to the movies every now and then. The thing is, I have three big things I want right now. I want a PS5 Pro so I can be ready for GTA 6, I want the new iPhone Pro Max when it comes out in September, and I also want to have a couple thousand dollars saved before I go to the Air Force after high school.

My current phone is an iPhone 12 with 69% battery health, so it’s honestly getting kind of rough. I know I’m going to want to upgrade when the new phone comes out, and based on how much I work, I should have enough money again by then. So the phone isn’t really the thing stressing me out the most.

The main thing is the PS5 Pro. I have enough money to buy the PS5 Pro, GTA 6, and PS Plus right now, but the total is around $950 and that just sounds crazy to me. My old base PS5 was only like $500, so spending almost $1,000 on a console feels insane even though I technically can afford it. I know I don’t have any real bills right now, so part of me feels like this is the best time to buy stuff I actually want while I still can. But another part of me feels like I’m about to spend a huge chunk of my savings on something that I don’t technically need, especially when I’m also trying to save money before I leave for the Air Force(next year)

To be fair, this game has gotten to a point where you can score in a bunch of different ways, and I’ll give 2K credit for that. But having your skill level decided by the color of a banner, then only being matched with people around that same banner, is egregiously stupid and a massive waste of time. Banner color does not actually prove who’s good and who’s bad. It doesn’t account for builds, teammates, squads, solo players, people dashboarding to save their record, or people just abusing the easiest meta possible. Then once you get into these “higher skill” lobbies, everybody plays and scores the exact same way anyway. Same screens, same post fades, same KD go-to shots, same dribble spam, same desperate record-protecting nonsense every game.

So now I either have to try my absolute hardest every possession against dudes who teleport all of the court, or the game throws me into something brain-dead easy with no in-between. Does this game not realize CASUALS WILL STILL BE BAD AND HAVE FUN ANYWAYS?!? Just because 2K doesn’t want me playing against them doesn’t mean I should have to wait 20 minutes to play against another 6’8 post-fader cheesing the same move all game. 2K can be fun in a lot of ways, and I’d even say 2K26 was, for the most part, a decent product, but this cartoony forced-comp stuff is so tedious, mate. If you want strict SBMM, put it in a real ranked mode with actual rewards…like PROVING GROUNDS🤦🏽‍♂️. Let casual modes actually feel casual instead of turning every park, theater, and rec game into a sweaty copy-paste matchup.

I’m 17 years old, living in GA. School has ended, so this is outside of school hours.

There are two shifts: 6:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.–10:15 p.m.

I’m scheduled for the second one, but the first one is open.

I’m 17 years old, living in GA. School has ended, so this is outside of school hours.

There are two shifts: 6:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.–10:15 p.m.

I’m scheduled for the second one, but the first one is open.

So basically I kind of suck at my job. I don’t get any cards because I don’t feel like it’s morally the right thing to do. I constantly scan people’s items more than once to the point where they have to come back and complain to my manager about me, and I also take forever to bag things. I’m new, so I haven’t been trained on the back room stuff yet, but I do need a new phone and a couple thousand dollars by August next year. At this rate I’m making like $300 a month 😭(and this is with me having an entirely open availability) and I feel sooo bad because my managers are nice and like me, but I feel like I hold everyone back and I don’t wanna get fired, so I might quit. But I’m trying to give myself grace because I can’t do that every time something like this happens in my life. It’s just sooo demoralizing.

I used to work at Publix from like 14–16, and 14-year-old me messed up a lot and learned a lot throughout those 2 years. I was actually pretty good at my job when I became a cashier. They weren’t hiring when I moved, so I ended up here, but this feels so different. I’m kind of learning. I can take all the tags off, I can put stuff back since it’s easier to find things than in grocery, but I constantly need help, and at this rate I feel like they’re going to find someone else. I feel even worse about quitting because it’s gonna suck if all of this feels like a waste of time when it was already so hard to find a job anyway.

So basically I kind of suck at my job. I don’t get any cards because I don’t feel like it’s morally the right thing to do. I constantly scan people’s items more than once to the point where they have to come back and complain to my manager about me, and I also take forever to bag things. I’m new, so I haven’t been trained on the back room stuff yet, but I do need a new phone and a couple thousand dollars by August next year. At this rate I’m making like $300 a month 😭(and this is with me having an entirely open availability) and I feel sooo bad because my managers are nice and like me, but I feel like I hold everyone back and I don’t wanna get fired, so I might quit. But I’m trying to give myself grace because I can’t do that every time something like this happens in my life. It’s just sooo demoralizing.

I used to work at Publix from like 14–16, and 14-year-old me messed up a lot and learned a lot throughout those 2 years. I was actually pretty good at my job when I became a cashier. They weren’t hiring when I moved, so I ended up here, but this feels so different. I’m kind of learning. I can take all the tags off, I can put stuff back since it’s easier to find things than in grocery, but I constantly need help, and at this rate I feel like they’re going to find someone else. I feel even worse about quitting because it’s gonna suck if all of this feels like a waste of time when it was already so hard to find a job anyway.

So basically I’m not the smartest, and I don’t have a lot of money. I do desire a career in the military and can see myself using the skills to translate into a career in the civilian world, but I also desperately want to be an officer. I am a junior in high school with kinda bad grades (2.9 GPA), not enough to where I can get a scholarship to pay for school or go to a military college, and I do not want anything from my parents. I do feel like the discipline taught in the military would suit me at 18, then help me at 22–24 years old by allowing me to save money as a young adult. The GI Bill would also alleviate any financial problems college tuition might bring.

At the same time, I want to serve at least 4–8 years as an officer in the military, so what’s the best path, considering my situation, to achieve both goals?

i start orientation next week but the things i hear on here im kinda worried🫪