6 "Necessities" I No Longer Need Since Moving To Europe | Making it Work
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- In this video essay, one woman shows us how moving to Europe made her reevaluate the "necessities" she was constantly spending money on, and American spending priorities in general. Here are more insane American money habits: • 7 Insane Ways American... .
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Through weekly video essays, "Making It Work" showcases how real people have upgraded their personal or financial lives in some meaningful way. Making your life work for you doesn't mean getting rich just for the sake of it. It means making the most of what you have to build a life you love, both in your present and in your future. And while managing money is a crucial life skill for everyone, there's no one "right way" to go about it - you have to figure out what works best for you, full stop.
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Video by Grace Lee
/ whatssogreataboutthat
/ whatssograce
Based on an essay by Jessica Hator
Read the original essay here:
thefinancialdiet.com/7-necess...
ng-to-europe/
Video narration by Natalie Van Sistine
The Financial Diet site:
www.thefinancialdiet.com
Facebook: / thefinancialdiet
Twitter: / tfdiet
Tumblr: / thefinancialdiet - Навчання та стиль
Find out what money habits you should avoid based on your personality type: ua-cam.com/video/8mW1r0a9zyk/v-deo.html
As a “European” (German) I find it kind of funny how people from the US refer to Europe like it’s a country with one and the same culture. Like, Italy is vastly different from the Netherlands , for eg.
They do the same with ‘Africa’
Actually, Americans are very different as well. Southerners are different from New Yorkers and California is nothing like Washington D.C.
I don’t think Americans are confusing the cultures. Western Europe is very small comparatively and it’s much easier and certainly much cheaper to travel between countries than it is state to state in the US.
Exactly what i thought. It is so diverse it's kind of funny people think of it as one big country with one culture
I live in Europe (the Netherlands) and if i drive 1 hour from my house i can go to 2 other countries were they speaking a different language, have different traditions and a different culture. Even in the country i live in you can drive 30 minutes and the dialect changes so much its hard to understand them.
As an Australian I find America's obsession with climate control strange. We have AC here, but in Summer we only turn it on a few days a week when it gets over 30-35c ish. That's how I thought everyone used AC, waited till it was really hot then turned it on. But I've travelled to the USA twice now and was surprised that every house I visited seem to have some form of climate control running 24 hours, 7 days a week all year round. That's crazy to me, here we limit our AC and heating use to prevent high power and gas bills, but there they seem to just be running them all the time.
NotCroutons same. The only time it ever makes sense to me is for heating during the winter months in places where it gets absurdly cold. I’m Australian too (South East Queensland) and I don’t even have an air conditioner. Too expensive to purchase/install/run, they f with my sinus system and like ... fans exist for a reason
I’m American, and we never grew up with AC you usually have to be pretty wealthy to have AC. I remember when I was young and visiting people’s houses with AC thinking that they were rich.
It gets up to 46 C where I live in the states and stays at 36 C for close to two months. On top of that anything over 30-ish C I start having asthma flares depending on the humidity, which is also consistently high because of the Gulf of Mexico. It's a health thing for me. People need to stop assuming different places and people have the same climates and ability to deal with the heat. They really don't.
Not for the poor, at least for most families where I live. We just crack the door open. And I live in Florida, where it can be 89-103.
Where in America? That makes a big difference. In Texas people die from heat.
"I basically moved to Europe (Spain) to gain some common, practical sense."
Oh yeah Spain with some of the highest levels of unemployment and corruption. My family is from there. Hope that sense works for you
lol
@@rc9272 Like US is not corrupted and governments aren't taking account of big corporations' interests, like *cough* military industries...
Buen Perro Depende
@@rc9272 America has the highest employment since the 60s and our productivity is DOWN. Do you know how badly you have to manage things to accomplish that? This administration is the worst thing to happen to America.
So apparently France and Spain is the whole of Europe. People, just say the country's name, Europe is not a country!!!
YES!
Exactly hahah
Well Europe is so diverse
That's true, but the things said in the video are true for the most countries and areas in europe
E6le well Europe is a monoculture where they all have the same culture and values but made up a bunch of different languages and the metric system to confuse Americans for leaving in 1776. Europe is basically the same culture though
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se No... it is not the same culture in all of Europe. It's that when we colonised the Americas, there was so much more land to build houses and cities on, so that's why it's so big in the USA, and why it is so wasteful.
i do like this channel and feel like i’ve learned a lot, but i wish we could get more of the lower class perspective on here. someone who came from truly desperate situations and worked to find their own financial success. that would be a lot more helpful to people like me. sometimes i watch your videos about “things to stop spending on” or this one, and i can’t learn much at all because the things you guys have frivolously spent on are things that are obvious luxuries to me and that i have never been able to have.
It would be nice to get a lower class perspective. But that’s unlikely to happen. Most lower class people in America stay poor their whole life. The myth of “just work hard and get rich” is a fairytale that middle class people tell themselves to justify looking down on people with less than them. Hence the “poor ppl are all lazy” stereotype.
You can’t get a high paying job or even a job that just pays everyday expenses unless your family can afford to send you to an overpriced college and then pay your rent while you take unpaid internships to get enough experience to gain an entry level job.
This makes it damn near impossible for lower class people to improve their financial situation without working around the clock to the detriment of their health and sanity.
Isn’t being poor in America fun?
@@brabbit330 I am immigrant, didn't go to an expensive college in the US. Been living here for 15 years and I got a good job. The US is the land of opportunities, unlike my home country.
Also, I came with $900 and a bag, so not rich
@@brabbit330 I was able to get a master's degree and a good job with zero financial support from anyone. I worked full time and went to school full time for 7 years, but I did it. I have some student loans but all in all, I see myself growing from this point so I am not too worried about it. I'm just saying, you can do it. It's not easy, but you can!
Martina Sandoval Which country did you come from?
“Just take public transit” is great in theory, but many American cities don’t have the infrastructure for that. I live in a large metropolitan area and have a 15 minute drive to work, but there is no bus route connecting my home and work. When I search on our transit app it just says “not possible”, which is something I have yet to run into while traveling in European countries.
Then you haven't been in European suburbs.
Labas Labas right you are! I’ve spent very little time in suburbs in Europe. I do remember there being a surprising number of bus stops in the middle of nowhere in the Scottish highlands, but I don’t think service is frequent enough to be super useful.
Then build the infrastructure im America. If everybody just keeps saying "ohh that's just not possible in America" it will never change.
That is happening in many large American cities (and certainly some smaller ones). While infrastructure is being built and citizens advocate for their needs, there is still a present lack of ability to use public transit for many commuters.
We don’t have the population to sustain public transit to that degree.
✨i wish i knew growing up poor in america that i was just living a "european" lifestyle...probably would have raised my self-esteem a tad...✨
Clorox Tree Certainty true for too many but the fast food thing is actually something you guys do something about. We have a massive indoor outdoor farmers market now that started off for food stamp recipients but now it caters to everyone and working poor benefits from it more. Fast food places haven’t closed shop but having options have made a huge difference.
fr -.-
The europoors have it worse if it makes u feel better
I lived that lifestyle in Nebraska during high school and college
🤣🤣🤣
This video should be titled "Common Sense" instead of this nonsense.
vsenan TFD has become garbage
@@pugjudy7868 I wouldn't call it poorer. Most europeans, especially in the countries she lived are definetely not poor and can afford the "American way of life" (exept the suburbs, we are too many people for that and it really wouldn't suit us). More makeup, meat and air conditioning really wouldn't be a problem for the majority of us. We also usually own a car and the whole "ordering you food" is something we also could do (and which we often do). It just is that we choose to not have those things. Also, less makeup, really isn't a bad thing.
@@pugjudy7868 Well, not every place in Europe is cold. And for how up north Europe is, it is surprisingly warm. And I do agree with you, cycling in the winter is a bad idea. But public transport is an ok alternative for the cities. And while Americans do pay less in taxes, their taxes cover less things and so they have to spend their money there(generally, there are obviously exeptions). Also, it is important to remember that Europe has a higher poppulation density than the US, which is lart of the reason regarding suburbs being rare and renting more expensive.
@@pugjudy7868 choosing public transport because you don't have to worry about parking, and because it's more eco-friendly, or biking because it's also more healthy, adapting to the weather unless it's actually cold enough to require heating or hot enough to require ac, those things are just being aware and not mindlessly wasting time and natural resources. I have a car and when I go to a place where 30 more people are going, I'd rather we all go in one vehicle, than having 31 cars wasting and pulluting.
It's not that any European country is the epitome of eco-friendliness, but definitely, the "American way" seems just reckless to me.
This seems more like suburb life vs. city life than America vs. Europe. I’m American and
1. Go without makeup all the time
2. Have never owned a car (29)
3. Window A/C units only in a room I am in
4. Not much meat
5. Can get to a farmers market somewhere in town every day of the week
6. No house aspirations
In USA it's muuuch more common to see people with makeup than in there parts of the world, that doesn't mean that everybody feel the need to wear it, but that is something that call your attention at the beginning.
You are right, but the states is more likely to be a suburban society.
Exactly she just needed to move from suburban Maryland to nyc to learn this.
I agree 100%. How she lived in MD is how Europeans live in rural areas and how she lives in Europe is how people in cities in the US live as well.
"window a/c units only in a room I am in" lol so you still use a/c
I moved to Spain 8 years ago. I discovered meat steaks, bought my first Air Con, fast fashion (Zara), started to put on makeup and became a owner. 😂 Just the opposite! Yes I am originally from China.
Ummmmmm I live in europe and these are just personal life choices like they have nothing to do with the fact you're in europe.
Yes, but living like she did perviously is less common in europe. Most people commit to the lifestyle and life choices like she does now here in europe, since it's a more common way of living here. Culture and life choices are more intertwined than you could think.
And in the intro she also said she was used to drinking bottled water. In some parts of the US you just have to, whereas everywhere in Europe I have been tap water was at least drinkable, although abroad often not up to the standard I'm used to in the Netherlands.
Petra Koelewijn tap water is drinkable in most places in America but bottled water is for on the go. Like if your going somewhere like a road trip or a day trip you buy a 36 pack of water from Costco and put it in the back of the SUV for if you get thirsty. Also in Europe they don't have free water at restaurants so I don't get why you guys don't use more bottled water than us
@@LucasFernandez-fk8seMy main point of reference for water quality is Flint, so that probably skewed my perceptions a bit. But when we're going on trips we just put tap water in bottles. And in the video she said they always had bottled water in the house didn't she?
Lucas Fernandez water is free at all restaurants in Europe - you ask for tap water. You have the option of paying for bottled water but most people ask for a jug of tap water that the table share.
You've just described life as a lower income person in America.
Beverly Button - Don’t women below the poverty line still wear makeup everyday? It seems that way since you’re judged otherwise.
Beverly Button She mentions the middle class thing in the video. But mainly, depending on where you live in America, public transit isn’t a widely viable option. I could never make it to my job reliably if I didn’t have a car because of the way my city is set up.
I was looking for this comment. She basically described our life as lower-middle class Americans. One income teacher salary for 5 people.
@@thisismylovehandle it is a healthy way of life. Long lasting research conducted over 30 years followed a number of children growing up in different classes. The ones that, as adults, coped with life problems in a best way were people who grew up in low-midlle social settings. Poor and rich families children came out predominantly emotionally unstable.
@@thisismylovehandle it is not entirely the same. If spending is similar, there are big differences:
In Europe are health and higher education included, as it is social housing and longer financial support if neaded.
Low-midlle class population in usa doesn't seem to have those as a rights.
You didn't have to go to Europe to realize this!
Yeah just go to a lower class area in the USA
How else is she going to let us know that she has the privilege to move to Europe and learn a basic lesson?
lisa young But it is all more enjoyable in Europe than in life draining violent USA.
The point is that these things are the norm in most of Europe, and not in the US. She's trying to spread the word, because americans clearly need it!
Did it even cross your mind that she saved up to move to Europe. I dunno about Americans, but saving up is common for many people in Europe if they want to achieve something. So stop judging her for moving to a different continent because you're jealous that you can't. That's all this is, jealousy and it's frankly rediculous. If you're not happy with your life and you're jealous of someone else's, maybe you should look at how to improve your life and not critizise someone because they supposedly have a beter life than you. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. You don't know what she struggles with, so you cannot judge her based on her moving to a different continent. Just like you can't judge me because you don't know me.
So please just stop these rediculous mean comments.
What you just discovered is REALITY.
At least for more than 80% of people on earth. Welcome.
Thanks smart ass
I’m not even American and even I’m like “okay lady calm down that’s a stretch” it’s called growing up.There are people in the U.S who took it even further than you.Some do not buy any products packaged with plastic and are working on reducing the need for plastic.
I wouldn’t say this is the European way. It’s about her own change.
I was expecting something like "I don't use a drier anymore" since they're less common in European countries, "My place has a bidet so I used it for the first time and it was fun" or even "I'm getting into the mediterranean diet and I love it" but it seems like I was very wrong xD
imagine thinking you have to move to a whole nother country just to live like this
0 she didn't really need to cut back on necessities at all. and yes these are necessities, car, house, AC, etc. and before you go "it's not needed" people in 3rd world countries technically survive without much food and without clean drinking water and vaccines so by your own logic those aren't needs either? Europe is just a second world nation and that's why they don't realize they need this stuff yet
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se Ah yes, the "You don't need a house to survive" argument... If everything you need is in walking distance you don't need a car as it just costs extra money, If the climate is rather balanced you don't need an AC as the temperatures are always on a good level. And why do you need your own house? When living in a city it is way cheaper to own a flat in europe than buying a house. Houses are way more expensive in europe than in the US. Also, If we are a 2nd world continent then why do we have higher standarts of living than the US?
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se if Europe is the second world then USA is the third.
“I was a privileged American and I moved to a place where my American privileges weren’t common”
Aka "I moved to a poorer place".
@@canaldofred2366 France and Spain in general aren't poor
@@finthechat5257 Poorer than America in terms of GDP per capita and buying power.
@@canaldofred2366 have you ever been outside of the US?
@@ScheveSneeuwSchuifSchep I'm using data instead of my personal opinion.
This is pretty much exactly how we live in Brooklyn, you could have just moved from suburbs to the City and have the same experience, no need to fly across the ocean...
This is basically what anyone who lives in a city by the time they're 30 has discovered. It's also one of the small reasons I think everyone should live differently from how they grew up, especially those of us from the suburbs or a rural area.
This video is really told from the perspective of a privileged, middle-class American suburbanite and it doesn’t represent the majority of Americans. Many of us never ate meat with every meal and we grew up cooking home-cooked meals with wholesome ingredients. A lot of us didn’t have the luxury of the things that the narrator mentions in this video. Also, having a car in most American cities and towns is a necessity, not a luxury. I grew up my entire life without a car and it was hell because American cities towns, and neighborhoods (ahem, cul-de-sacs) were built with the car owner in mind. This is why we have to wring the arms of government officials to get any kind of reform for public transportation even in our largest cities. I’ve only ever lived in cities and the public transportation still sucks so yeah, it is a necessity.
I live in Europe,
And for me cars have never been a necessity,
So I suppose that's one of the few things the video got right.
That’s why she said: middle to upper middle income. She’s very much on point.
And how did Europe have anything to do with these changes. This sounds to me like a simple move from suburbia to any city.
Well thing is most American "cities" except for like NYC are really just a common commerical area and not much else. They are still dominated by cars and usually are not walkable at all except in VERY specific areas. Then businesses big and small whine for bailouts and gov't help because nobody can afford to pay more for brick and mortar AND the money/time for transit (cars) to get there. It's not logical if places now can just deliver. Where as malls and even small businesses likely do FAR better elsewhere in the world because they intercept people at transit hubs so it's more likely people will stop and shop. Those places ALSO deliver too and WAY before Covid 19. Simple logic that I largely blame American government on both sides for being too stupid and lobbied to ever understand even though a middle schooler could get it.
@@elliotw4606 Everything in American was built after the car became ubiquitous. So of course everything was built around it...the tactical response is to do just that. It doesn't make any sense _now_ but it certainly did in the 50's and 60's. Just leaving North America you will enter cities that were built long before the automobile. So they just make more sense in general because of that.
@@callmeswivelhips8229 Not an excuse. The US could easily make use of so many roads and highways and privatize buses to operate more like airlines whether within cities/towns or between then. If this would happen (and yes it can be profitable if a classic business idiot isn't in charge), wed see wasted taxes to public transit gone therefore more willingness to spend. Additionally rural areas would stop paying for transit they dont want/need while areas that need it would get hit and actually use it. This could not only create jobs but more spending means more likeliness to buy American. Im really sick of the excuses to be made for cars. Its fine to keep it an option and Id never demand it not to be. But thats the thing. A true free market would make having a car an option not mandatory as it is now. I remember many businesses refusing to hire me due to lack of a car upon leaving hugh school. I ended up with a hard labor job I had to walk a good 20 minutes to get to. A friend of mine said he had to walk hours to get to his job and back. I know other people who had to do the same even getting near stranded sometimes or risking getting fired because their car broke down, was delayed on getting fixed, got in an accident, was unaffordable (especially since specifically young unmarried men sre discriminated against for insurance), etc. Free market my ass. No country has a free market. The right and left are worthless idiots on this issue. Bush. Obama. Trump. Biden. All complete brainless asshats on transportation. So are fans of any of then.
Travel broadens the mind -hopefully
@@jims1812 I like traveling! I hope to do it more in the future, only long style. As in, stay in one country or region for at least 6 months at a time.
This video should be titled "Things I learned in my 30s, that didn't seem obvious before". This way everyone can relate to this 6 minute ad for your product.
As someone from the UK (which you may not realise is part of Europe), apart from Air con which we don't need (as it's only hot about once a year) we do everything else on this list. I think you are confusing changing your life choices to being 'European' which probably sounds exotic to people in the US, but it's really not!
Jilly C: EXACTLY!
Jilly C I am from the US and I agree with you. I am apparently European according to the person so made this video.
So your comment is you are European and you fit the list, as the video said? I don't get the criticism.
@@Zzmora she has given up everything on the list as they are not European...
@@JillyC5 Ah, I thought you meant you did the "new things" instead of the "old ones". My bad.
Your old perspective, as others have mentioned, seems quite privileged.
Well she was and she is not hiding it.
So she is supposed to hide the fact😳
She clearly states her perspective is a middle to upper-middle class one, so this isn’t any secret.
She mentions that. And I don’t think it makes her advice any less relevant or valid
@Luís Andrade not all of us. Only the middle and rich class people are glamorized
Having a yard does not have to mean lawn. Having a garden is a great way to have fresh food at your fingertips.
As someone who’s lived in Maryland and Spain, the humidity in Spain in summer is nothing like the swamp Maryland is
All those changes can be made while living in the US also this only applies to a specific situation in what I think is a relatively big city in Spain, try to only bike when you live in rural Sweden....
Thats the reason cars are so prevelant in the US...places are spread apart and its usually too far to bike and public transport in most of the country is non existant or trash. Only those in big cities can really get away with this in the US.
Lucille M she also never said “move to Europe and live like this!!!”
She just had to change her living standards to something new from her past notions of what quality life was.
or L.A.
Ahh, yes! The mighty nation of Europe!
As a bulgarian i can`t wait to visit the majestic country of Europe americans talk so much about :)
This is a two way street. People say America or USA as though people from NY are the same as those from Georgia, or Texas, or California.
But there are commonalities between all States as there are between countries in Europe. Especially when looked at in contrast to other parts of the world.
Kristine Stocker but the US is one country. Europe is not. Simple fact.
@@NiamhLauren I am aware of that. But it doesn't change my point. And the video spoke of living in France and Spain. Both are in Europe. Also a fact :)
@@kristinestocker FFS. Stop thinking your country is so "diverse" and so much diverse than several countries are to each other. It's not. To us, you're all Americans because that's what you are. You may think you're sooo different than someone who lives in another state but that's just narcissism. You're not. You speak the same language, with the same cultural references, the same tv, the same movies, the same culture, the same food. So what someone from NY lives slightly differently than someone from LA? that's the same in every country you know. You still share a whole culture and citizenship. Seriously, you're not that special.
You had to travel across the Atlantic ocean to realize things that everyone else pretty much already understands.
Actual title: "Woman becomes an adult and has to manage her money"
It goes beyond that.
I agree with the op
“6 random things i wanna say just to mention that i lived in Europe “
Totally because walking and using public transport is just as feasible for the average american as it is for the average european...
@@Soff1859
Hmmm...yeah, not so much. Just how many years did you live in there?
Having spent most of my adult life overseas, (including Europe, the U.K., and parts of Asia) there is still NO COMPARING the wide spread availability of mass transit there vs in the U.S. Trying to is laughable. And frustrating.
@@misterman3789 i was being sarcastic ;) i'm swiss, but have been to the US many times and spent some time living in china, germany and the UK. So of course i know americans cant walk or use public transport to get anywhere unless they are in one of a handful very unique cities. Whereas in most european countries those are actually feasible means of transport in most cities and even rural areas.
@KNOWLEDGE JUICE
Do try to live up to your handle. Perhaps you have some positive, meaningful knowledge you'd like to share regarding the subject of the video?
Or perhaps your random snarkiness is an indication of some unresolved issue(s) going on in your own life? If so, you have my SINCERE hope of a healthy resolution, be it of your own making, or, perhaps, from a professional source.
In the meantime, striking out serves no intellegent purpose, as I'm certain you already know.
Please, take GOOD care of yourself.
@@Soff1859
Unfortunately, sarcasm doesn't "translate" well in written word.
Perhaps employ upper case/lower case lettering to make it abundantly clear to gEnIuS bRaInS lIkE mE? 🙄
Please, before reading my comments know that I'm a fan and long time subscriber. I'm struggling more and more to enjoy these videos marketed as personal finance, as they are all targeting a wage bracket much higher than most viewers.
It may just be me and my friends but we were literally discussing this the other day - of the four of us, all employed and in our 20s, only one lived even close to the wage bracket where they might even rent an apartment on their own, where they might be worrying about things like throw cushions and framed pictures. This video, although good to hear, is about a rich middle class (upper really) person living a little more within their means - which is a good thing - but it doesn't feel practical or relevant. I didn't learn anything from watching, just heard about a rich person spending a bit less, and I'm pleased for her.
I think there is the potential to continue videos like this, but only alongside videos dealing with more immediate concerns of living with a significantly lower income - perhaps have three streams of videos low/middle/upper common wage brackets and make a mini series? All I know is I finished watching this video, felt patronised and excluded from this community and then silently considered unsubscribing before realising I really should say something.
Take care, and please please do continue making videos, personal finance is really important, and valuable - you're doing a very significant job.
Couldn't agree more. A lot of these videos are about learning to live "comfortably" rather than learning how to survive and I think the survival aspect for a lot of people is so important
This lifestyle is just middle class. You're just poor.
the irony is we four are not her ideal market of prospects - so that is why she caters to rich people that think they are poor; they will pay for a membership.
The main self help gig is to get paid to teach people about hot air topics like this. People buy in yet they will never as a while make practical money from this
Welcome to Normal. Enjoy your stay :)
Goran A. This is an extremely abnormal and horrible lifestyle. No car 🚗, no house 🏡, not even AC ❄️. It sounds terrible tbh
Lucas Fernandez why does it sound terrible?
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se she has a duplex she's not living on the streets
Ahahahahaha nice one!
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se If you don't need those why have those? If everything you need is in walking distance and the climate isn't to extreme and the flat is affordable then that sound perfect to me. No car I have to pay for, no unneccecary electricity consumption and an area where everything you need is near you. I don't know what is bad about that.
‘Move to Europe’ yeah you know every country is different and saying ‘moving to europe’ is just as weird as ‘moving to asia’ and then live in China.
@Robby Dey it's not really about that... it's more about respect. It's like as if I would refer to the Us, Mexico and Canada as one country. People don't like to be called "European" especially when you usually only refer to the UK, France, Germany and Spain. It just seems rude and ignorant to us. Each country has such different language, foods, traditions and history that's special to itself that it just feels so wrong to be labelled as one thing.
@Robby Dey Duplicate facilities?
Each state has the same facilities as the one next to it,
So why is it weird when Europe does it?
Not to mention that the living conditions or quality of life can vary from one country to another in Europe.
@Robby Dey that's all fine and dandy,
But none of your states have a bi-lingual rate that comes even close to the Netherlands,
None of your states have public transport that is anywhere near as streamlined as the Parisian Metro.
None of your states have traditions that have evolved and survived for over a thousand years.
None of your states had to rebrand a supermarket chain, because of the cultural differences between neighbouring states.
To just lump Europe together,
That's the same as saying Latin-America is part of the United States, because both are America.
So unless you truly believe your founding fathers were all Russians who only spoke French and ate Gouda Cheese,
Don't you even dare imply Europe and the US are on the same level of diversity.
@@BramLastname preach!!! 🙌🙌🙌
You know what's a luxury? Moving to Europe
How? Life in most European countries is less expensive because the social benefits are much higher than in the US
Moving is expensive
@@deltanebula8622 Then it has nothing to do with Europe.
This video is meant to be from the perspective of a frugal American. Many of the things she mentions here really are not feasible in the United States, so the other option to "be frugal" is to move, which makes absolutely no sense.
@@deltanebula8622 what???? I don't think you understood the video at all
Wow, you had to move to Europe to learn that.
Autologist Z this woman’s just materialistic and privileged
She acts like the peppy Rich crap she grew up with is almost standard. .-.
Surely this is just basic common sense, it's almost infantile in its presentation, why didn't you already know this?
She’s living life the way a lot of people, that aren’t in middle class. It rubs me the wrong way because of it, asking people to cut off things in their life that are already a luxury.
I’m from Spain and I moved to America for my senior year and the make-up thing blew my mind. Everyone thought I was a freshman because I didn’t wear (and I didn’t know how to apply) that more “grown-up” senior make-up look that my classmates were wearing. Everyone can do whatever they feel best with but it was crazy for me, since in Spain wearing more than some mascara and eyeliner to school is deemed as extra and even frowned-upon by some people
Seems like a lot of these are personal lifestyle choices and not cultural(?)
Sometimes it can be very hard to split the two. You could say Americans live in suburbs predominantly, as a personal choice, they like big houses, quiet empty streets and wide lawns. But you could also say it’s a cultural choice, many Americans live in suburbs because that’s all they know (at least since the 1950s) and they are so used to living that way, that they forget it’s possible to live in a different manner.
@@toddlithgow Um.... No
Culture is not much more than a shared lifestyle.
I wouldn’t say cultural, but more societal.
@@toddlithgow I have to say, the addiction to AC and cars is pretty cultural. Lived in Balkans, Eastern Europe and USA (New England). Would've never considered a car back at home or in college as everything was a walking/biking distance, otherwise regular and reliable public transportation was an option. Now, my tiny town doesn't even have sidewalks on most streets, and there 2! (6am and 2pm) buses out of town to nearby places. Love it here, lived here for almost 10 years, but some things still just puzzle me.
As someone who lives in Arizona, can confirm that A/C is in fact a necessity for some people.
No it isn't
@@AnitaB79 It is for some. My husband has Multiple Sclerosis and the heat makes it a lot worse. On a hot day, it can exhaust him just walking from the car into a store. Once inside the store with a/c, he starts to feel better.
There are plenty of things that make it essential to have ac in the summer. Me. Hi. I have really bad asthma. I can't breath if it is too hot.
@@AnitaB79 maybe not for you. I live in Texas, we have people die every summer from the heat.
In Texas also. Deaths every summer, especially if your elderly. We have centers set up for people to cool off during the day time.
The A/C part is so true. Coming from Russia to US on a trip I felt like I was going to freeze to death in some lobby before I get back home :)
TFW you grew up poor and all these things have never been considered necessities anyways LOL. I also grew up in MD. I guess we had different experiences.
“6 things I started to spend money on, since I moved to US from Europe”
Zoltan 9mm ammunition, Hennessy, condoms and frozen chicken nuggets
Don't forget six figure loans for education and healthcare.
Also, truck with 7L V8, because fuel economy is for pussies.
"How summer is supposed to feel like" Ya never been to Bakersfield in the Summer, have you?
I lived in Spain for years. I never got used to being hot in the summer. Especially at night. Sleeping on a sweaty wet bed sucks.
These all seem like common things to do where I'm from... the speaker in this video sounds very privileged ... would love more of these stories to be more relatable..
I think that’s why every story is necessary. Things that sounds reasonable to one can be alien to others.
Everyone tries to do what they think everyone else’s doing and seemingly irrational behaviour is often slow&sneaky.
I'm from Canada and these things are stuff i couldn't imagine going without
Ice watched a number of videos from this channel and yes they all sound privileged and entitled to a degree. On one video they actually said it is hard to get up daily and make your own coffee rather than stopping by a coffee shop daily.
jsale2000 I don’t know if I should laugh or cry
Visually and through the tone and pacing of the voice-over, the entire video seemed like and ad. From start to finish it felt like I was getting pitched, which made the content completely inauthentic. And in the end, the fact that the main focus of the video flowed so seamlessly into the actual promo of a company, cemented this assessment for good.
I hate all these videos talking about how we can save money when the problem isn't us not being able to save, its the terrible economy. Maybe people like her can save because they have money, but most of us have already pinched our pennies.
This is, the Writer should have first checked the legality of this kind of advertisement pitch, product placement etc. in spain, as place of residence while contributing to the video, before releasing.
I know this bs is some kind of normal for Americans, so normal it might be taken for granted.
Yet, here in the civilised world, I know for sure this one is not compliant at least with German and UK Law.
Absolutely! TFD had better content earlier!
@@katiedelcourt3521 Terribile economy? What terribile economy?
We actually live in a great economy Omfg.
Eerrr...you can do all of that stuff in the U.S too y'know.
Good luck getting around with public transportation in the Southwest. Even in the big cities public transportation is near worthless. You’re forced to live in very exact neighborhoods and work in very exact districts. Which wouldn’t be terrible in and of itself, but being stuck with the poorest folks means crime is much more prevalent, which is something I don’t want to be around when I can help it.
@@curts7801 come here to Tokyo. The public transport in here is EXCELLENT.
This video was not about what you can and cannot do
Sumida Ryogoku it’s obviously depends on where you live. Where I’m at, a small city with neighboring cities, big and/or small. Public transportation seems nonexistent. Everyone just have a car 🚗
The video isn’t things that she can do in Europe, it’s what living in Europe has made her think
Eat meat „only“ 4 times a week😂
Right? It's still quite abit.
Also no mention of fish. C'mon, you live in Spain, you could be stuffing your face with delicious seafood all the time!
@@TulilaSalome Madrid is, like, 200 miles from the sea so they're not really known for their seafood.
Though you can get fish anywhere these days, I suppose
Poodychulak as the capital city, Madrid actually has great seafood options, it’s prioritised for seafood transport and you can get all the fish you want there.
I laughed at that too. I'm not a vegetarian but I eat meat maybe only once or twice a week. Meat is expensive and is a luxury not an every day item
Recipe-based shopping is for people who don’t know how to manage their kitchens or genuinely cook. That’s about maturation, not location.
aldralee How judgmental are you?
I love using recipes, that's how I learned how to cook. I usually pick a recipe based on what I currently have but sometimes I'll shop based on a recipe I want to try.
@@cyantulip
I don't think this person is judgemental... he/she said something that's true
With age,maturation and practise you learn to manage your kitchen and everything you have in it. I usually do the recipe based shopping because I'm a 15 year old child and experiment with food rather than actual cook
I actually saved money by switching to recipe based cooking. Before, I would buy a bunch of ingredients that looked good, but I never ended up using. A lot of food went to waste.
Now, I never buy anything unless I know what I want to cook with it. I haven't thrown out any food in a long time.
@@sierrasouthwell9237 That's really interesting! I'm glad you found a system that works for you.
I lived in Europe (italy) until I graduated. Now I live and work in the US. I retained all these "european" habits and can save a ton. I hear all the time Americans that make most likely more than me and yet have no savings and are always broke and in debt. That is something unheard of, in Europe. I would also suggest the following habits, which I find more common in Europe and can save a ton of money:
1) No TV and no fancy electronics
2) Bare minimum furniture
3) A car can last decades, keep it maintained and clean and it will not show its age. Gas efficiency is a primary criteria when choosing a car, far before what's trendy or looks cool
4) It is perfectly normal and ok not to want to have kids, even if you are happily married
5) Get a few drying racks and forget about the laundry drier (less cost for electricity, machine itself or coins, and clothes last for much longer)
6) Buy nothing you cannot pay cash for
Can't agree more with all of what you said. Specifically, points 3, 5 and 6 are gold 👌👌👌. The idea of spending money one doesn't have especially on things that aren't a necessity is so strange. Debt can be so expensive. Also, when you spend your own money and not a lender's money you spend more conservatively. When I see folks spending upwards of 500k on a house where most of the space isn't used it's so strange to see.
The other points might be decent hints, but not having children is outright folly. This lack of social investment will cost you dear at the end of your life.
@@flierfy If you have kids just so that they can take care of you when you are old, you may be sorely disappointed, when they are not able or willing to do so. They may want or need to move far away or have their own life issues to deal with. A kid is not an insurance policy for old age. And I hate to state the obvious, but there are 8+ billion people on the planet. Just because your favorite politician tells you that you should procreate so that someone can pay pensions, it does not mean that is sustainable on a ecological and global scale. Not having kids is a perfectly legitimate choice if someone feels that way.
@@HugDealer It is only a legitimate choice when you can bear the consequences of hardship and misery in the final third of your life.
Whether your children look after you depends on their up-bringing. Look after them when they are young and they will very likely look after you when you are old.
You won't stop the overpopulation of this planet by mortifying your own bloodline, by the way. You just make way for those who breed recklessly.
@@HugDealer I totally agree. My grandmother had 8 children and only one is willing to take care of her and that is a challenge.
Um...I follow the same principles here in Alabama. 🤔 I didn’t have to go to a different country to learn how to cut back 🤷🏾♀️
Yet on your profile picture you appear to be in the driver seat of a car 🧐
Then don’t wtf is an Alabama lol
Can you mention some of your non meat meals?
the title could be changed to “from privileged to real world”
Europe is not the "real world". The concept of reality changes depending on where you are. When an european moves to Africa, that would also be called "moving to the real world". There is always a worse place to be. Its not because life is better in America that it isnt reality.
@@canaldofred2366 Europe is not a worse place to be
life in America is not better, my comment has nothing to do with better or worse
but about things some perceive as necessities which they don’t actually need
@@FruityHachi you said like America isnt the real world, but it is for more than 300 million people. Europeans also have things that they dont need.
@@canaldofred2366 i didn't say America isn't the real world, you're assuming things, filling out blanks yourself
i said from privileged to the real world
300 million people in America are not privileged
Africans also have things they don't need since not all of them live like monks, but that was not my point
@@FruityHachi none of the things she pointed in the video are not reachable by most americans. Most americans have cars, have ACs and live in the suburbs. This IS reality in America.
ok if you are gonna do this, please get non- middle to upper-class people. I'm sorry but the financial diet is supposed to be practical money advice right? well, no offence to middle-class people meant, but that's no basis for actual advice. Please start looking at financial advice from working class/ poverty line level, that's actually useful.
As someone who has lived my whole life on that level and moved from the US to the UK on that level, here my version of the above video, condensed. Keep in mind I gave up my US citizenship. 1. Health care - no more paying astronomical (or at all) for medical. 2 birth control is FREE and abortion isn't demonized (as much) so get yourself checked! 3. museums, libraries and cultural attractions are cheap or free( tickets tend to be max £20 for special events) 4. University is encouraged and tuition fees have accessible loans (but this is for UK residents!) 5. I do spend money on a bus pass/ public transport but it's not always easy(intercity travel is usually extra ) 6. Clothes and fast fashion is cheaper and there are more thrift stores.
There are other differences to how I live my life that have very little to do with money and more to do with culture, opportunity and weather. but honestly, I've been saying this for a while on this channel, you guys are very America focused, and that limits your perspectives a lot. america is generally a financially unhealthy country. Its attitudes towards money and life are just warped. you need to start looking outside of middle-class America if you are going to actually talk about money. otherwise, you are just gonna keep saying 'eat less meat' and 'you don't need that designer item'. and while thats great for spoiled rich kids, that doesn't actually help the majority of people, who are already not buying designer bags because they know they are not worthwhile.
Yes!!!
... and the UK is quite expensive and badly organized compared to places like Scandinavia, the Netherlands and especially Germany.
@@james64ibm the UK really isn't more expensive than Germany, although I can only speak for Western cities... Plus you have to pay for mandatory health insurance and the TV/Radio fee even if you don't own a TV/Radio (not much, but still...).
Please consider cutting fast fashion out though. It's one of the top polluters globally and pays slave wages to workers, who sometimes must work long hours in unsafe conditions. We will all end up paying for the consequences in the long run.
Thank you! Obviously they didn’t have anyone who didn’t grow up well off look at this.
I’m from Canada and none of these things I ever considered “essentials”...so not necessarily an exclusively “European” lifestyle/mindset
Owning a car is a necessity in the states! Public transportation is not as reliable in the USA(depending on where you live though).
Unless you live in the big cities. NYC for example have metro trains/buses. People living there rely on them heavily to get to/from work and anywhere else.
@@jasonlee6227 you're right, but not all the big cities. In miami, for example, public transportation is not very good.
I didn’t realize how insane we live here in the states until I visited Europe. Now I TRY to not use the dryer and line dry (which is better for clothes anyway) and not run the AC/heater the entire day all year around. It really is insane the things we just take as a given
Aren't most of these difference caused by a difference in wealth?
I am from the Netherlands, a small country next to Germany and I am speaking only on behalf of my experience in my country. Studying in a city that is near the village I am from, I noticed that the international students that are from overseas (the US but also for example China) are often more affluent than the locals. So the lessons they learn from the locals are probably because they are spending time with people that need to make other decisions with their budget.
Yes. I am American and this is how the more affluent Americans view the normalities of the non affluent. This sounds pretty normal to me.
Laura van Loon I could totally see that.
Definitely.... most low income Americans wouldn’t even be able to go Europe in the first place 🤷🏻♀️
I live in the U.S., and I don't represent its entirety at all, but I am very much different from the "character" in this video.
1. I don't wear a "full face" every day, rarely ever, in fact.
2. I could do with or without A.C.
3. I don't eat meat with every meal, and not even most of them.
4. I only recipe base shop if the items are on sale. I will actually look at what's on sale first, and then think of things that I already have to create a recipe from it. Therefore, I do not have a ton of food waste because I will only get what I can use.
5. I do like my car, but the U.S. doesn't have as many public transit options as many places in "Europe". The U.S. is spread out, so sometimes a car is really the best option. I will use public transit or another form of transportation when it does make the most sense. This is especially true when visiting U.S. cities that have good public transit options.
6. I may or may not want a future house, but I will tailor what I want to what I can afford, and what I will use.
Many people in the U.S. are mindful of their lifestyles, but these bullet points are sounding as if everyone here isn't. There are so many countries in Europe. I wouldn't ever compare the U.S. as a whole with Europe as a whole unless it is something that is factual. Many things cannot be said about the whole of Europe or all of the U.S. because both are too large to have many blanket comparisons.
Yup, people are different. Seemed to me that she was sharing her experience not necessarily sterotyping every American's habits.
@@enigmaticbleu Agreed. It would have been nice if she didn't say that these were common/universal for people in middle/upper middle class America.
Besides, what did moving to Europe have to do with no longer wearing so much makeup??
@@PrimateProductions seemed like she felt it was more socially acceptable in the groups she's a part of there than it was in her social circle in USA. I know women who don't leave the house without something on their face and have heard people say if you dont wear makeup you look sick. Lol silly but it happens. It's required at some jobs for women to wear makeup and all have a certain level of clothing hint hint designer labels
I'm glad people are making comments like this! Yeah the only ones I'm "guilty" of are having a window A/C unit (midwest summers are bad), and having a car. I bike or take the bus when I can, but I drive to work, or else it would take 3 buses and over an hour to get there. I wish I could find a closer job!
Yep, the title of this should really be “6 Things I (Wrongly) Thought I Needed because of massive privilege and apparently NO financial education.” OR “How I learned to stop thinking like a teenager.”
European cities are old and designed before the automobile.
Nope. The really old cities are designed for horses and pedestrians. Cars were invented in the 19th century. But a lot of old cities were built as part of the roman empire or in medieval ages - there were no cars.
Which is exactly why the public transport is so much better,
People are aware that some cities simply can't make enough space for a car centric environment.
There are plenty of people in America that do live this way, they didn’t move to another country to do it.
+
But the point is that over here taking public transport, like buses or trains, isn't as seen as something for poor people or as an inferior way of transportation. It's something that everyone accepts, taking buses or trains is just something that is really accepted at a general level. In the US at least in my perception, the way you should do things is be 16, start driving. I'm 26 and I don't even have a driving license, nor do I need one and it doesn't even make any financial sense to me. I live in Portugal. So it's not about, can it be done, it's about, what does society tell you about how you should behave.
Rui Medina that’s to bad to be worried about what someone else thinks .
Exactly.
D&WGagnon Homestead public transportation isn’t seen as a poor people thing so much as a city thing, and it’s not everywhere. We don’t have a good infrastructure set up to allow mass movement between rural and urban communities, and many of our cities’ public transportation are barely functioning. The US has a lot of transportation issues and they’re mainly systemic, so I don’t think it’s a popular opinion issue so much as a government issue.
The hardest part about moving back to the United States from Europe is leaving that minimal-esque lifestyle behind. Although I try to incorporate elements of what I learned there into my life here, it's not easy.
When I went to Florida and the southern States in the summer all I could think of was Air condition! It's really hot and for a very long time. I'm also from denmark so I'm not used to weather being over 28° C
As I’m typing this the temperature in Barcelona Spain is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile in the state of Texas and Arizona, two places I’ve lived it is 93, humid in one and dry in the others. I can only suspect that the narrator Is from a northern place where it snows in the winter. Ma’am you do NOT understand the concept of HOT. 73 degree is winter weather where I’m from.
I think they forget that climate is largely different all over Europe and the US.
in Italy today it is more common to have AC but we never used it at home before, but like in space we have individua units and cool a room, not the whole house and not 24 hours a day that is often the case there.
Amen! I lived in England for 3 years and found the same to be true about most of the things in this video. Now back in the US, I've tried to keep these things and find it difficult sometimes because others around me don't understand and don't live that way.
7. Paying for medical care
Whether you pay out of pocket to the doctor or in high taxes, you pay for medical care in the US or Europe
@@rc9272 I always hear Americans trying to justify not having universal healthcare like this. Now imaging you had to pay from your pocket to build roads and use street lights, we all pay those from our tax money, it would be crazy otherwise, same with healthcare
@@pablo8286 Most people in America have insurance through their employer and are happy with that bc it keeps their taxes lower. The poor and the elderly have govt paid insurance, and social security which are bankrupt so why would we want our government to roll out universal healthcare when it bankrupts programs and to get basically any govt service is a headache. Our culture is different and it's not what ppl want, just a certain political ideology. I lived in a socialist country and while medical care was "free", it was not that good. America is about the individual not the collective.
@R C
I live in the Netherlands and we have one of the best health care systems in the world. Everyone needs to have insurance (that’s a law) but you can choose where you get it, so it isn’t a tax. The american system has too many faults in my opinion. Some people can’t afford meds or treatment if they don’t get insurance from their jobs. There are too many cases in america in which a person didn’t get sufficient healthcare due to lag of funds.
Lotte van Heijst you Europeans talk smack but when it comes to your surgery survival rates yall sure do die a lot more with your "perfect system". Also socialized medicine is communism so we don't want your euro communism we just want to pay for our own care and be able to walk into a hospital without an appointment and get treatment within an hour or 2 (it takes you guys weeks or months for a single appointment)
Gosh, I was thinking the same. Your just experiencing growing up in a different country to the one you were born in. Nothing to do with how Europeans do things differently. Welcome to adulthood!
I'm from France and a lot of things she described "living in america" (or should we say usa because your country is not a continent and it's disrespectful to all south + central America & Canada...) are very weird to me. Like there's things a share of the population here kind of does because of the usa "soft power" strategy (cultural propaganda to assert dominance starting more or less with the marshall plan) like there's a kind of sububan residential neighbourhoods but not in that mac mansion way (although it can get very ugly) and it's more associated to lower middle class. Driving everywhere when you're living in a city is very WTF to me (me and a lot of my friends do not have our licences because why waste time and money on this) there's still a fair share of thé population that have access to an ok transportation system and still choose to drive wich is really selfish and wasteful. But also people quitting having a car in the city because it's hard to find a spot to park it. All of those car issues aren't a matter of social class in the same way that in the usa at all. It still is but in a very different way. I don't think it's a cliché that people from the usa cook less and throw food to the trash it's a statistic... I was "happy" to go to work during the "canicule" (anormally hot summer ? Idk) because there there was an ac but also those are not healthy and they give me nausea/headaches and that's not a common thing to have in our homes here. It makes me think about another thing that drives me crazy in usa movies etc : it can be snowing outside and people are wearing fucking tshirts or shirts inside as if there were no seasons wtf and from what i've read and seen and heard from usa people it kind of reads in their lives too.
Etc, etc, etc
But she's also coming from a very priviledged perspective and actually still living a very priviledged life in spain.
"...it's disrespectful to all south + central America & Canada..." - really??? - in American English, the term "America" means the USA - it's not for you to decide what is "offensive," Frenchie - you'd be speaking German or Russian now if it weren't for your detested "Americans"...
What you described is exactly what growing up in Manhattan was like except for not having AC that's just nuts.
I do all of these in Los Angeles, with the exception of the car, and I still feel poor, lol. I think this is a big city mindset and not necessarily an oversees one.
Dropping the car is probably the biggest cost savings here, by far.
LA was not built for getting around without a car though. They are working on it, so maybe one day it will possible to live carless in large swaths of LA.
You might want to consider adding a daily sunscreen to your daily routine. Skin cancers are on teh rise.
Just make sure it does not have oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate these cause cancer more than the sun
@@b4804514 Ignorance is bliss...now I know I need to buy different moisturizer, but probably what I can't afford right now. 😐
I'm Canadian and see the same thing here. You tend to define the norm as what your family and friends have and compare yourself to them and what they have (especially thorough social media postings).You need to look at what makes you happy and not try to give in to the consumer mentality.I love that many Europeans work to live instead of living to work. They walk, use public transport, drive smaller cars, have smaller homes or flats, buy just enough food for the day/week, and spend quality time with family in the mid day, not letting possessions define them. When I was little in the 70s, we did not have AC, had a small home, treated our car as a luxury and ate from our garden. My parents are Europeans so I learned from them.
#1 is important. I work in the beauty and fashion industry in the US and can't stand that so many regular women don't feel "put together" if they don't have a full makeup look.
Working in beauty, the attitude is even worse.
I live in the US, and here's my take on this:
1. Makeup. I wear make up rarely.
2. I have a small a/c unit in our office at home. Bought from amazon.com for $250. We use it maybe 15-20 days during the summer. Rest of the time we use fans if we get to hot.
3. I don't eat meat at every meal. I plan out out menus for each week, do a LOT of prep cooking/make ahead meals and plan for leftovers. Leftovers go in freezer containers for a meal for another day. I am mindful about how much food-meat or proudce-we use and goes to waste.
4. I love my car. IF I live in a major city, or an area with decent bus/train transportation options- in other words, if I didn't have to wait 30-45 minutes or longer between buses, I would ride more often. If what local public transit we do have didn't take 75-90 minutes to go from west county where I live to east county where I often go and then I didn't have to walk 4 miles to where I'm go (no sidewalk, 40 MPH zone) then 4 miles back, wait anywhere between 50-90 minutes for the next bus back into town, I might ride the bus. My car can get me there in 25-40 minutes, and a parking spot where I only walk maybe 50 feet and when I'm ready to go home, I go home. No hour long wait.
5. Housing. Yes, I want to own my own home some day. I want what I can afford, and I never understood why people feel like they have to own a home to be an official adult. Nor have I never understood why people “need” to buy more home than they need or can even think to afford.
Try living outside of a big city and then tell me how that "no car" stuff worked out.
Even in Europe outside big city centres car is an extremely useful tool.
Still a lot easier than in America
@@t-bone9239 I live in Europe, outside of a big city, and living here without a car is a huge pain. Nearly impossible actually.
Yep. I live in rural Pennsylvania where the nearest grocery store is a 15 minutes drive on one lane winding, hilly roads with no shoulders and there's no public bus. So unless I want to hitch a ride with the Amish or spend half my day walking to and from the grocery store with both my kids (we homeschool), a car is an absolute must. Of course, I could take our tractor but even that would be a longg ride lol
There is public transportation at least 2 times a day even in villages. So I am not sure what you mean.
Saying “In America “ is kinda cringey as it spans Alaska to Argentina 🙄.. wish you would have continued to specify “during My life in the US”
Almost everyone refers to the US as America tf u mean cringey. The only ones who dont are South Americans
I feel like this is more a maturity, coming-of-age understanding then it is specific to Europe
I live in Chicago and most people live like this out of necessity lol...
Yea the author barely just learned common sense after leaving her parents privileged lifestyle
1. Everyday “professional” makeup - now has a more natural morning routine.
2. Air conditioning
3. Meat with every meal
4. Recipe-based shopping - treat kitchen as something to be emptied before it’s refilled.
5. Car - now uses public transportation, bikes, and walks (also allowed her to cut gym membership).
6. A future house
Everything that is done in America by people with less money.
I think that this video/essay missed its mark. It should be more aptly called 6 ways I followed cultural norms and found I was foolish when I moved away. All six of these examples are symptoms of the trendiness disease, where one goes through life following the trends of the people around them without ever examining the real personal and social value of their behaviors. IMO the antidotes to to this pervasive disease are the aforementioned living abroad, as well as travel to foreign places and the often maligned (on TFL) minimalism.
That, and I'm not giving up my lawn lol because I dont irrigate it or use any chemicals on it at all. I just mow it.
My family and I migrated to the US a few years back; And after watching this video, I now wich my parents would stop always being so set on on doing things the "American way" as if it were superior to what we already have. My parents are the type of people that are set on with their dreams and goals, which is good in itself. But then they completely disregard the problems it could create.
Spain obviously have a much more temperate climate than Maryland, so of course you can bike on a regular basis. The weather is just nicer. That's hard to do in parts of the country where you experience real winter. And what if you can't bike because you're heading to an office and have to look professional? I'm sick of everyone saying "just ride a bike". Well I can't if I have a 30 mile commute every day and it's raining up a storm or so humid I'll pass out from my medical issue. Not to mention public transportation is the US pales in comparison to Europe in general except in the large cities. The US infrastructure was literally designed for cars. It's not a fair comparison. And a lot of people can only afford to live in the suburbs because large cities are becoming unaffordable in the US. NYC, DC, LA, etc. I feel there's a certain amount of disconnect in this video from the reality of lower and middle income Americans.
She did mention not biking all the time because of weather. I've seen people looking professional and still bike, run or walk to the office. Changing your clothes is not too difficult
This is so accurate thank you.
Camille do people in Spain really bike 30 miles to work and then change their clothes, wash their faces etc lol because I think people don’t understand how much space there is in rural and suburban America, I know people who commute an hour to work in a car-there’s no way they’d be able to bike there and back.
@@caitieeeee but that's the whole point! That in Europe because it's denser and cities don't sprawl out as much you can! That is exactly the point of the video so I don't see why you're commenting about it, being negative. I was replying to the part "looking professional", which is a B.S. excuse (yes they really wash their faces, I've done it and so did my colleagues who biked or ran most days). Distance on the other hand is different, and that's exactly the point of the video.
@@miyounova Caitie is not being negative, this video is not a very accurate picture of America. Example: I live in Texas, 45 miles from my jobs. It takes me 1 hour to get to work in car so would be much longer on a bike. I have to drive on a busy highway to get there which would be extremely dangerous on a bike. Everything else she mentioned in this video is common in the lives of the non Affluent Americans but they tend to be unaware. Its actually a bit embarrassing.
I lived in Spain and without AC and in the middle of summer, it was really hard to sleep at night it was so muggy, I would sleep with frozen water bottles. In the day I sometimes went to the grocery store or El Corte Inglés store to cool down in the AC. It’s hot in spain in the south at least. In the north in the summer like Pamplona, it felt great, not so hot.
I appreciate this a lot too - making the move from Asia to Europe. People run off their mouth first before questioning why. You will understand if you lived in a highly capitalistic or consumeristic country. When you grow up in this kind of culture or society, then you tend to just do things without asking the whys which is incredibly sad. When I got here, I definitely started shedding off the things which I thought were important. In some cultures, status is such a thing. Status means branded clothes, the newest iphone, coffee from 3rd wave cafes, etc. So I appreciate this a lot and totally get where it's coming from!
LOL I did almost all of these while living in the US. 🤷🏾♀️
I live in a large city in Taiwan and people are surprised that I don’t drive here (albeit scooters is the main choice for drivers). When it’s summer, many people usually spend the day at the mall or cafe so they can be in the AC free, that way they save money from not having to use theirs at home.
Even though the popular make up look in Spain is more natural/subtle, adult women tend to be 'dressed up' (by american standards) at all times, even for casual outings. Athleisure or simply going to the grocery store in your yoga pants is NOT a thing over there. That's why I find that the appearance upkeep is actually MORE costly in time+money living in Spain as opposed to North America.
You're 100% right about the food and recipe ingredients though. Cheaper, fresher, more easily accessible.
I don't know, I just put on jeans and a t-shirt. I have maybe 5 jeans and they last me years, I don't find it so expensive. The difference, maybe, is that we don't mind repeating outfits.
Just because we don't go out in our yoga pants doesn't mean we spend more time or money on our appearances. And American "dressed up" is wayyyyyy more dressed up than most Europeans.
People in all countries are overdressed compared to Americans
@@tsippora9267 You're confusing not going out in yoga pants and being stylish or overdressed.
mm idk i've been to spain and there are plenty of women who will wear leggins or whatever.
i live in europe, and everything she told us can be done anywhere😂😂 wtf have i watched?
The AC thing misses one thing: since houses started being built with it, there are fewer windows and those are usually built so that your windows don't look in on your neighbor's. You can't just throw them open and get that good cross-breeze.
"I treat my kitchen as something to be emptied before it's refilled" -- totally this!!
Home ownership is usually much cheaper than renting in the U.S. 🤷🏻♂️
I rent an 800 sq ft apartment for $750 mo...water and garbage are paid. I have no yard maintenance, use of a free washing machine and stove and fridge are provided...so are drapes. No maintenance costs...I call the landlord if something needs to be fixed.
@@staceykersting705 That sounds like a sweet deal, but not common if you live in a big city. Here in Maryland, I was paying $975 for a studio. Water and utilities not included. And, that was awesome deal for that property. So yes, sometimes depending on where you live, home ownership is cheaper and a better investment than renting.
The only problem is getting that down payment! Trying to pay student loans makes it hard to save... my husband and I (graduated 3 years ago) are paying a LOT each month to get our loans paid in 4 years. But our savings for a house are rather small.
This is interesting because that’s what exactly I’m feeling living in the US after grew up in Japan. I walk and exercise more and care about what I eat now. I feel happy every time I find something small in my daily life.
This is honestly just a comparison between city and suburb. It seems to me as if many Americans believe that European city’s only consist of their old city centers. Like, of course we also have boring suburbs where people own houses and drive more. Just as American city’s like Boston or Chicago have nice town centers too.
I will say, the buses and public transport in the US are subpar. After living in Argentina, I happily bought a Greyhound ticket after traveling all over Argentina via buses, only to realize that the experience in the States leaves a lot to be desired.
If you grew up in suburban Maryland, it's highly unlikely that the local buses would be as easy to use as they are in most European countries. This is part of the reason I live overseas, in an Asian country where the public transport is cheap, clean and far more reliable than in the United States.
Just another example of where infrastructure and societal values matter as much as an individual's choices.
You don’t want to live in “Europe” you want a better social safety net.
most nations in Europe taxes their middle class at about 2x the rate of America and has a 25% VAT on most purchases, so that 'safety net' is government taking people's money and giving it back to them.
@@cerebralcaustic That is just not true as taxes work differently in each country. Those taxes also include your healthcare that you will have almost no out of pocket costs for (whether or not you are employed) as well as a state pension. You don't pay a 24% "sales tax" - VAT works differently - essentially in the US you have also paid taxes along the way on the production of a product and then have to add more tax on at the end - the prices in Europe are the final price.
@@mediterraneanworld Ya you're right. Thanks to levying VAT or GST on every single part of the supply chain, it ends up costing distributors and producers significantly more than ~25% of the goods price. So that price inflation is passed on to the consumer.
I'm 26, I live in Coimbra, Portugal, I don't even have a driving license and when I think about one and having a car it just seems like a huge waste of money. In my city for around 30€ you can get a monthly bus pass, that allows you to take buses and we have pretty good service, even if it isn't a big city or if the service compared to other places in Europe isn't that good. Having a car is so expensive.
I can totally relate, I'm from Germany.
The reason Americans tend to need cars is because the distances they cover are far greater than the ones most Europeans will ever need to cover.
@@64account33 And the public transport in USA is really bad. So you're kind of forced to have a car, or use public transport and uber/taxi.
@@64account33 true. I am in Texas and my job is 45 miles from my home. There is not a transit system in my area.
RUI MEDINA
3% of the USA Landmass is urban and that isn't including its territories(US virgin island, American Samoa, Guam, North Mariana Island.) The urban 3% will drop in further.
This video should have been tittle, my parents cut me off so I had to make a few changes in my spending. Overall I think it's an okay video, she just missed the mark because it's not a American to European thing its a middle class to a struggling college student thing
Not middle class to a struggling student but more like finally growing up.
You don’t need to go to Europe to realize any of these lol 😂