Is Covid-19 the wake up call consumerist America needed?

Is Covid-19 the wake up call consumerist America needed?

Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 52 posts · 42 votes

Do you think that anyone will learn a lesson of living beyond their means or paycheck to paycheck will register once they feel the impact of whatever the result will be of this pandemic?

I work in corporate America and have co-workers in their early 30's that are paycheck to paycheck because of their lifestyle choices.  They rent a nice apartment, have a car loan on a nice vehicle, maybe student loans and at best a small amount of money in a savings account that never grows.

One of these co-workers has texted me asking if I think we will see layoffs.  I told her to plan on layoffs this summer after we have reported the next two quarters to Wall st.  My approach is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Is this the wake up call for most of America that living a consumerist lifestyle is not sustainable and that they need to serious change the way they manage money (or lack their of).

They don't use budgets, they think promotions and raises is the answer to finally have a little extra money. 

Or whenever this whole thing is over and people return to work, will they return to their old ways of going out and spending every dollar to keep up with their fake instagram world?

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  • Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
    Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    6y

    @Scott Hibbert absolutely nothing will change. In fact when they get the two checks President Trump described they will blow that too. 

    When it became known that we were being attacked by a deadly virus what did people do? They ran out and bought firearms and ammunition!

    Those of us who save and invest will continue to do that, the rest will continue to spend on the next shiny object.

  • Member since 2020 · 16 posts · 3 votes
    6y

    Sometimes the best teacher is experience. You can tell people how tough times can get - you can even warn them that there may be a day in the future where something like this happens. If things go on much longer at a stand still, maybe even just a few days, there will be some people who have nothing left to eat and no money left to buy food or pay bills because they never planned for a rainy day. If the standstill goes on for a month I fear the outcome may be worse than we'd like to see.

    Hopefully we get things under control and back to work quickly.

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