Monday, April 27, 2015

Digest for misc.consumers.frugal-living@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic

lenona321@yahoo.com: Apr 27 12:40PM -0700

According to MRA Ian Ironwood (not his real name, of course).
 
First of all, this is a guy who doesn't really believe that childfree (as
opposed to childless) women really exist. However, he seems to imply
that even the average childfree woman won't be able to retire without
a husband's financial support. Why? Because since she's female, she will
have made too many stupid spending decisions when she was younger. (Note
the last sentence from the excerpts.) So, even an infirm elderly man can
pay for all his needs because men are ALWAYS smart enough to be rich in
advance, while women never manage to do that? I wonder. Somehow, if
Ironwood's argument were anywhere near true (regarding childfree women,
at least) you'd think it would be in the news by now.
 
To wit:
 
http://theredpillroom.blogspot.com/2012/03/if-women-dont-need-man-these-days-how.html
 
Excerpts:
 
...there is a difference between being able to support yourself at
a subsistence level and actually thriving in our society. As Badger
points out, women tend to do better, personally, in two-income households.
As a single woman in a blue or pink collar job, the cost of basic
living expenses and the "feminine supplies" implicit in being a
girl (cosmetics, health-and-beauty, twice as much underwear, birth
control, feminine hygiene supplies, 8.2 assloads of shoes), there is
precious little left with which to advance either the poor girl's
education and training or her standard of living. Call this the
"Laverne and Shirley" mode. As a young single woman you have a job
that pays for your basement apartment and food, and you work part time
for pizza-and-beer-and-gossip-mags money. This is "subsistence living,
industrial style".
 
Add even a single child to this equation and suddenly you're in poverty.
 
Luckily (for women) there are plenty of service jobs that pay slightly
more than the blue/pink collar jobs out there. As long as a young woman
pays for all of her necessities and is thoughtful and careful about
her spending, she should be able not just support herself, but to
gradually improve her standard of living and/or invest in her education.
 
Of course the number of young women who understand budgeting and saving
and investment - not to mention thoughtful and careful spending - is
so statistically small so that what usually happens (according to a
veteran financial planner friend of mine - I got nerds) is that the young
lady in question racks up a lot of debt early on and ends up using up most
of her expendable income in finance charges...
 
...I know a dude I went to High School with who skipped college, turned
his tech skills into a full-time data management job at a hospital, and by
the time the rest of us were struggling to graduate and living at home, he
had moved out of his shitty apartment and bought a house. At 23. By 25
he cashed in his equity and appreciation and upgraded. I don't know of
a single female peer who showed as much financial initiative. Indeed,
three of my wife's friends from HS had filed for bankruptcy by the time
they were 25.
 
So being a woman who can make her own money is great . . . as long as
she doesn't care about her own future or want children. You go, girl!
 
(snip)
 
 
Sheesh.
 
 
Lenona.
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