You all thought I was a nerd! A NERD! But who is laughing now, internets?! Shoon she shall ALL live in our parents basement! Bwahahahaha!

Wow. And I thought it was bad that I'm 25 and had to move back in with Mum and Dad.

When I'm 50 my Dad will be 90. That should be a laugh.

I am 41, sadly I don't have such a safety net.

Anna Maggiore, 27, lost her job as a publicist in Los Angeles about three years ago and moved into her parents' house in Los Alamos, N.M.

She tried to find jobs, but nothing stuck, so she enrolled full-time at the College of Santa Fe to finish her bachelor's degree in business.

She figures her parents spend about $1,000 a month on her, including a car payment, car and health insurance, school and other costs. Her father is a retired nuclear physicist and her mother, a guidance counselor, will retire this spring. Now Maggiore is looking for work so she can supplement their income.

"It's kind of hitting me finally that I need to get out there and find a job," she said. "Even if it's just part-time just to help out however I can."

There's a word for this type of person, and it has nothing to do with a slumping economy.

Wow. The only 50 plus woman I know who moved back home is my mother-in-law's cousin, and that was because her mother died and she moved back home to care for her father (she also kept her house, which became a place to stay for out of town relatives, particularly her children and grandchildren).

I'm 52, and both of my parents have passed on, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

AirForceVet: I'm 52, and both of my parents have passed on, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

I'm in the same boat, however, I'm "only" 46.

A client from my office (mid 50's) is moving back home. Her parents need some help and refuse to move (Dad was born in the house). She's divorced and is rather well off so she doesn't have to work. The parents sold her the house, she sunk a bunch of money into renovations, and the three of them will be living together.

My sister lived with her oldest daughter and son-in-law for about 1-1/2 years - not so much for economic considerations, but her house sold quicker than she thought and the new houses that were close enough to her office were a bit out of her reach.

My parents are on dial-up and my mom watches Jeopardy and The Weather Channel (whenever Jeopardy isn't on) with the volume turned up to 11.

Not planning on moving in any time soon.

From TFA: "It's kind of hitting me finally that I need to get out there and find a job," she said. "Even if it's just part-time just to help out however I can."

Pocket Ninja:
There's a word for this type of person, and it has nothing to do with a slumping economy.

Precious snowflake?

This year's hot new trend: Underground bunker communes!

How was she able to make it this far?

/Do they still cut her steak?

loser_death_spiral: From TFA: "It's kind of hitting me finally that I need to get out there and find a job," she said. "Even if it's just part-time just to help out however I can."

Pocket Ninja:
There's a word for this type of person, and it has nothing to do with a slumping economy.

Precious snowflake?

The word "bum" comes to mind.

If this is indeed a trend, I think this has less to do with the economy and more to do with the general absence of intestinal fortitude that we baby-boomers seem to be so proud of.

...her parents spend about $1,000 a month on her, including a car payment, car and health insurance, school and other costs...

Okay, I can accept that during a very rough patch, it might be necessary to move back in to your old room. While there, I can also see that your folks would feed you, after all, cooking for three is almost as easy and cheap as cooking for three. However, having your elderly parents also pay for your car, health insurance, and "other costs" is just ripping the piss.

They raised you and gave you pocket money forty years ago - they've done their part. Get a job, get out of their house, and get a life! Let your folks get on with planning their retirement and enjoying their golden years!

This is one reason why I still have a room at my Mom's place. I don't want to have to move to back in, but, it's nice to have a backup plan in case I get laid off of burn a bridge or two at work...I also recently upgraded her cable internet service(dvr and wifi). It makes it much more pleasant to visit.

loser_death_spiral: From TFA: "It's kind of hitting me finally that I need to get out there and find a job," she said. "Even if it's just part-time just to help out however I can."

You are kidding me. I had to move home for a bit when I was in my 20's, I worked full-time at a grocery store during that time saving money so that I could move out to finish college, paid for my own car (okay, my dad bought me a junker and I paid him back every cent), helped out around the house, and occasionally bought food. The only thing my parents paid for was the extra electricity that was used when I accidentally forgot to turn off the light in my room.

That was over ten years ago and while I can certainly see a series of circumstances occurring that might end up with me moving in with my parents (actually, I'm more concerned that my parents, who haven't planned very well for retirement, might end up asking to move in with me), I would certainly pull my weight if I did have to move back home.

Welcome to Chicago in the 1950s.

Many ethnic neighborhoods would have grandparents on the top floor of a three-flat with mom & dad on the 2nd floor and the kids on the first floor.

What I never understood is why the grandparents, who owned the building but were the most frail, got the three-floor walk up?

I'll take "Who is a loser?" for $500, Alex.

0Icky0: My parents are on dial-up and my mom watches Jeopardy and The Weather Channel (whenever Jeopardy isn't on) with the volume turned up to 11.

Not planning on moving in any time soon.

Oh God. I had to stay with my folks for a while. Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Larry King EVERY FARKING NIGHT. And I think their TV goes to 12, actually.

Problem: "Anna Maggiore, 27, lost her job as a publicist in Los Angeles about three years ago and moved into her parents' house in Los Alamos, N.M."

Solution:

I'm not surprised by this article in the least. Both people interviewed (the 52-year-old and the 27-year-old) are single women, and at least one of them doesn't have a college degree.

Too bad the author didn't explore that angle.

This is a two-income economy, unless you have a masters degree and a plum job.

Omnivorous: Welcome to Chicago in the 1950s.

Many ethnic neighborhoods would have grandparents on the top floor of a three-flat with mom & dad on the 2nd floor and the kids on the first floor.

What I never understood is why the grandparents, who owned the building but were the most frail, got the three-floor walk up?

That's because the grandparent were the toughest of the three generations.

I was the youngest kid left at home, and my folks waited till I graduated from high school, found me a cheap apartment, then sold the family house and got themselves a one-bedroom apt. and a condo in Florida. No way were they taking the chance on returning kids. It was sink or swim.

Meh. That's what she gets for being an "events planner." Honestly, why would she have been needed in the first place?

FTFA...


Some of Erickson's clients are giving as much as $50,000 at a time to their kids, many of whom have overextended themselves with big houses or lavish lifestyles. And the sliding economy might threaten their jobs.

Around these parts, we call these people "idiots".

/you really need to grow the fark up sometime before you expire
//your 50's are as good a time as any

Uh-oh, an "events planner" at a "high end resort" got laid off FOUR YEARS ago and a publicist got fired THREE YEARS ago. I guess it really does say something about today's economy that people with retarded professions that lost their jobs more than two years ago can't find a new job with their vast knowledges of answering phones, taking messages and maybe even making sure the ice sculpture is going to be delivered on time.

And woo-hoo, way to go after that business degree. I guess the liberal arts classes were all booked up with our future grocery store cashiers.

I guess I have my cranky pants on this morning...

packrattitude: I was the youngest kid left at home, and my folks waited till I graduated from high school, found me a cheap apartment, then sold the family house and got themselves a one-bedroom apt. and a condo in Florida. No way were they taking the chance on returning kids. It was sink or swim.

Awesome folks.

Question for the subby,

Are you blaming the economy (i.e. the government) or the...

LAZY, IDIOTIC, NO TALENT, BLOODSUCKING, MORANIC, FOOLS THAT DID THIS TO THEMSELVES

or are you just being silly?

/I keed for those that wish to throw stones
//and most of you know what I'm talking about.
///O.K. maybe some of you

at 18-19 I had to move back in for a few months due to a whole lot of crap... (biggest mistake... being a roommate to one of my idiot brothers)

Since then, I went through a lot of crap, and needed help for a few days (when I left my ex) and learned that people you count on, will stick it to you forever after that (and that was my other brother)... so I'd never again rely of people that say that they cared and would help. (even though I helped them so many times). I wish that I would have had a safe place to go.

Anyways, the thing is, my kids are still too young to leave, and I'm not really in a rush to see them go, as I enjoy the family life.

I'd rather have them know this house as the family house, and know that I wouldn't kick them out unless they are ready to face the world, and that they would be ok to come back.

The only rule is... it is MY house, so MY rules. And most are based on respect.

I'd rather have them home than in a back alley.

But as far as those that are in their 50s... I gather some have divorced, or such, or that their parents need help.

I like the concept of the family thing like in the older days I guess. After all, after I go, who gets the house?... probably the kid who'll have proven that they gave a crap the most.

Omnivorous: What I never understood is why the grandparents, who owned the building but were the most frail, got the three-floor walk up?

Because the third floor unit is the quietest.

/has lived in Chicago apartments for 12+ years.

festygrrl: Wow. And I thought it was bad that I'm 25 and had to move back in with Mum and Dad.

wow not one farker invited you to move into their parents basement with them... how rude


/wife wouldnt allow
//lollercoaster

People over 25 or 30 who move back home for reasons that don't include caring for frail and elderly or disabled family members (and don't include things like rent and expenses) are what those families deserve for raising self-centered, irresponsible assholes.

CRY ME A farkIN' RIVER!!!
Borrowing 12 billion dollars a month to kill babies in Iraq certainly doesn't help. That's part of the reason the dollar is so weak. We don't really produce anything in this country that anyone wants except weapons, so more of those dollars are going overseas so we can buy cheap crap at wallmart. You'd think that perhaps we might understand it's time to reassess our federal fiscal policies, but the biggest worry most folks have is that the Dems will raise their taxes. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'm 45 and it's not out of the realm of possibility.

First, my spouse (of almost 17 years) passed away a couple of weeks ago.
His estate is worth about $1.98 (which I knew), and that alone is tough enough.
My best friend is disabled and we've been taking care of him.

If I can't make things work on one income plus disability, then it might
happen that we have to move in with my parents.

The pre-Gen-X generation hit a sweet spot both economically and socially.
They tended to have life-long jobs at one or only a few companies who
offered things like pensions. They were the generation for whom home
ownership was largely doable and affordable. My dad bought a 7-room
house in 1968 for $15K - about the size of his yearly income at the time
with a $99/month 20-yr mortgage. Today even those houses (in one of
the poorest communities in the state) cost upwards of $200K - more than
3x my yearly income with 30-yr mortgages weighing about $1500/month.

Now, we're accustomed to having to change jobs - or entire careers - several
times in our lives (I'm working on starting career #4), for companies who
have zero interest in retention over the long-term. Pensions have been
replaced with self-savings through 401K plans that are entirely tied to the
market (so you better plan on retiring when the market is GOOD - otherwise
watch your "investment" dwindle before your eyes), and there's no backup
plan.

Let's not even GO to the topic of the change in healthcare prices.

The conservatives are quick to moan that this is due to over-zealous government
spending and blindly believe that so-called "trickle-down" economics will
fix everything despite all indications that all it does is fatten the wallets of the
rich.

Of course at the same time, my family and I get along very well, and there's
something to be said for all of us being there to take care of each other, esp.
as my parents get older. Given current events, I suppose I'm more attuned to
the reality that people won't be around forever and whatever "social stigma"
there is for a grown-up to come back to the nest would be made up by the
pleasure of enjoying whatever time we have left with each other.

Several years ago my mom lost her job and got evicted from her apartment and had to move in with me for a while. I was working 2 full time jobs at the time to save money so I could go back to school because for obvious reasons she couldn't help me out financially. I'm kind of glad that the bar was set low for me to be one of the last people to enjoy the American dream of being better off than my parents. I'm in my mid thirties and I look at some of these 20 somethings that had everything handed to them on a silver platter, parents paid for car, insurance, school and even the down payment of a house and in the end they actually think that THEY have actually accomplished something.

In a way I hope that the economy does turn to complete crap so that we can regain some of the backbone and can do spirit that built this country. There are a few billion Indians and Chinese working their ass off and we have an entire generation that can't imagine sacrifice or delayed gratification.

ursomniac: First, my spouse (of almost 17 years) passed away a couple of weeks ago.
His estate is worth about $1.98 (which I knew), and that alone is tough enough.
My best friend is disabled and we've been taking care of him.

Sorry about your loss.

And I agree with what you said.

Why are we in a society where people frown upon families being together?

Noticed how sitcoms appear to show this more lately?

If families would go back to the respect and commitment to be there for each other, it would be so much better.

Funny how "old school" cultures where they do such things appear to do fine, even better than many other "american dream" culture are.

My family is crap, so I'm trying to "reboot" this with my kids.

ANd it's all about respect... almost an art that's lost on the last couple of generations.

Feldspar Q. Walrustitty: I'll take "Who is a loser?" for $500, Alex.

Categories aren't in the form of a question.

FAIL

chuckles5: CRY ME A farkIN' RIVER!!!
Borrowing 12 billion dollars a month to kill babies in Iraq certainly doesn't help. That's part of the reason the dollar is so weak. We don't really produce anything in this country that anyone wants except weapons, so more of those dollars are going overseas so we can buy cheap crap at wallmart. You'd think that perhaps we might understand it's time to reassess our federal fiscal policies, but the biggest worry most folks have is that the Dems will raise their taxes. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

1/10.
/facepalm

I blame Bush.

The bottom line isn't "the economy right now", but "the economy itself", that forces a lot of this.

There is a major problem with the math.

To start with, universities have what amounts to a monopoly on good paying employment. And unless the typical person goes deeply into debt, they have little chance of getting the degree they need to earn the salary they want.

So let's say you begin your career perhaps $75,000 to $100,000 in the hole.

You get a "starter" job that pays $30,000 a year. 50% of that you have to pay in federal and State taxes. So your net is $15,000.

The cost of even rental housing, depending on location, will rise to about 50% of your net. So you now have $7,500 a year to pay off your debt, get a car, and start saving up for your retirement.

Now adjust this up or down for your local region, and you will quickly see that there is no way in pluperfect HELL that you have any standard of living anywhere near what your parents did. In fact, even adjusted for inflation, you make maybe HALF of what your father did at your age.

And THIS is why 25% of adults are forced to live with their parents. It is NOT that they aren't willing to work, or have huge expectations. It is that the MONEY-GRUBBING universities, government, and hopelessly inflated housing expenses make it almost impossible for them to get ahead.

Housing is one of the biggest reasons that is plaguing "the economy right now"--housing inflated by perhaps 250% to 500% over its real value. Not just to buy, but rentals as well. They can no longer justify such expensive housing. It is a bubble that is bursting.

ENORMOUS taxes to pay for bloated government doesn't help either. The Bush tax cuts that the Democrats hate *have* to be kept, because without them, a vast number of people will be impoverished, even though they have "good" jobs.

And until employers *refuse* to hire those who admit to having a college degree, the "education racket" is going to continue raping young adults for a scrap of paper that signifies little. Only when students *refuse* to impoverish themselves will these behemoths be forced to slash tuition to something vaguely near reality.

So the "lazy and greedy" children who have to move back in with their parents are not necessarily lazy and greedy themselves, but more likely are *victims* of those who are lazy and greedy.

She figures her parents spend about $1,000 a month on her, including a car payment, car and health insurance, school and other costs.

Honestly, since she is a college student, that's nothing. And her parents aren't paying for room and board.

I estimate that in Manhattan, most of the professionals in their 20s and 30s have their parents pay their rents, food - perhaps even the expensive clothes they "need" for their low-paying glamour jobs in magazines and PR.

Clearly, they are more spoiled than the basement dwellers (even if those basement dwellers work "professional" jobs and diligently save money).

Ah, but you don't mock them, because they're "independent."

The real scary thing about this story is that prior generations are as a whole better off than the more recent.

NotSoCleverNow:
chuckles5: CRY ME A farkIN' RIVER!!!
Borrowing 12 billion dollars a month to kill babies in Iraq certainly doesn't help. That's part of the reason the dollar is so weak. We don't really produce anything in this country that anyone wants except weapons, so more of those dollars are going overseas so we can buy cheap crap at wallmart. You'd think that perhaps we might understand it's time to reassess our federal fiscal policies, but the biggest worry most folks have is that the Dems will raise their taxes. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

1/10.
/facepalm

You mean "True, but expressed in the form of a troll."
/rolleyes

Anyone remember the Waltons? It was long held that your family was ok to live with age/generation be damned. I guess that was before basements.

proteon: Anyone remember the Waltons? It was long held that your family was ok to live with age/generation be damned. I guess that was before basements.

The difference is that your kids are supposed to do something to help around the house, etc. you know, be a family, be part of it...

The basement dwellers do nothing but get their mommies to serve them pizza pockets, don't get a job and spend all their time on the internet or gaming. Then they complain about life not being fair.

Mr. Xhin: A Republican goal is to kill the middle class in America.

And blame it all on their suppsoed lack of Personal Responsibility.

/mission accomplished again

Here, near the LA/OC area of so cal, it's par for the course to have kids living at home until late twenties. unless you make at least fifty grand, it's impossible to live around here and save money at the same time. those who decide to "be mature" and live on their own as soon as they can rent rooms for about $650 a month, and never save a penny. Once everyone is in their thirties, the ones with the houes will be the ones who stayed at home and saved.

It's odd that most people who point fingers at kids who stay at home these days live in the midwest. Try raising a kid where rent for a crappy one-bedroom apartment starts around $1000. And houses start around half-a-million. And where there is no public transportation yet things are spread miles and miles apart.

Mr. Xhin
A Republican goal is to kill the middle class in America.

Mission Accomplished.

Bagelox-99
And blame it all on their suppsoed lack of Personal Responsibility.

/mission accomplished again

They couldn't have done it without the help of millions of middle class "mine, mine, mine, no taxes, no taxes" nimrods who voted them into office.

I'm a big fan of throwing hay makers at the economy under this administration. But the people in the article failed to plan for their lives.

Publicist? That's something that probably pays well when the economy is booming, and when its not well they don't really need you. Or in her case, only retain the ones with degrees or something.

My Uncle taught me to work on cars when I was a kid, because as he said "the economy is unpredictable, but people will always need help with mechanical problems." He sure as hell didn't say "go find that job you like to do and hope to hell no one takes it from you."

Event planner? One of those things that people and companies can do for themselves, except when the economy is booming they hire people to do it for them. See also window washer, and shoe shiner. You chose poorly.

Jobs that only work when the economy is doing well, are dumb.

I'd love to move out now, but I just cant justify paying exorbitant prices to live in a smug, closet-sized apartment. Until then, I'll just go back to school at my own expense and continue helping around the house.