That house in the 70s/80s and today's watermelon are the same price
this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2026
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A whole watermelon? Stop showing off!
It was a round one also!!
In 1960 the US minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the average US home was $11,000.00. The tuition at Harvard was $1,525.00
What was the median wage at the time?
So around $2.5 an hour if we are assuming 40 hours.
Tbf most people who seek education before a house/family will have a delay in getting their house. They literally spent an extra 2-4 years not starting their career yet and also now have schooling debt.
I am not saying that the housing market and education system is fine, I'm just saying this specific comparison is flawed.
You forget that you can work and go to school at the same time.
You won't be making nearly the same amount compared to if you were able to work full time. Most people who work throughout school cover their living expenses and still accumulate debt, they don't often have the room in the budget to save up for a down payment.
You won't be making nearly the same amount compared to if you were able to work full time.
People do work full time while going to college?? Also 40 years ago, intuition was much lower. People went to college, work 40 hour jobs, bought a home, finished school with no college debt and started a career.
Their position may not pay as well due to numerous factors that accomadate student employment such as scheduling and entry requirements. They have less time to dedicate to overtime or a side hustle. They have extra expenses to pay like tuition and text books.
No matter how you cut it going to school increases your expenses and reduces the time availble to dedicate to making money. It is intended to be a trade off where you make more money and have more potential later on in your career but may have to put off earlier financial goals like home ownership.
Someone forgot the trades exist.
My father got expelled as a senior in high school for changing his failing grades in the electronic system in 1985 (he was probably going to fail anyway). He got a job at HP in electrical engineering a few years later in his early 20s. My mother barely graduated high school. They both bought a house by 27/25.
If you get a big enough watermelon, you could live in it. 🤷♂️
Watermelon pricing is so weird. Sometimes it's "watermelon, $3 each" and you get so much watermelon you can't eat it. Then the next week it's "watermelon, $3/kg" and it costs you $20 for the same watermelon. I'm convinced they swap between each and per kg to catch people out, because watermelon is so damn heavy.
Nah, my mom is post-graduated and almost got his master's degree if wasn't a small incovenience on her life, a.k.a. my birth
Nah, my mom is post-graduated and almost got his masters if wasn't a small incovenience on her life, a.k.a. my birth
Whose masters. WHOSE MASTERS??
And they didnt have to go in to crippling debt for their education either.