Husband?

So a two income household.

Banking ?

Yeah that’s a corp job.

“Worked construction and did house cleaning and bought a big house”.

That’s not something most people with those two jobs could do. Even in a dual income household.

Unless perhaps you failed to mention he owned a construction business.?

Maybe 30 years ago. Sure. Not now.

I think you are unaware of a few things that have changed.

The cost of education has went up so much in 30 years.

Even my associates degree I paid $13000 for in 2008-2012 is easily now a $25,000 degree. At a community college.

As I said. Going to the next level , a state college, will be at minimum, $30k a year. (60k for associates, $120k for bachelor’s).

Also , if you have kids or disabled, you are eligible for “free” money for college.

I did not qualify for any free money.

30 years ago , heck even 20 years ago, you could buy a house with only 8 or 9k down. And the house payments would be ~700 a month.

That’s not how it is anymore.

Those same Homes are half a million now.

And the down payments needed are 30-50k.

This is why boomers are very much out of touch with the reality of American life now.

It’s not how it was in the 80s, or 90s.

College is so expensive that when you graduate you owe so much, that the interest will rise faster than you can pay it off. Meaning you will just keep owing more money.

Also as far as credentials. Every place that isn’t base like minimum wage jobs , requires a degree of some kind. With the exception of hard manual labor jobs. Like working in factories and warehouses. Hard labor. Hard on your body. And usually men work those jobs because of the physical demands being high. Destroying their bodies by 40.

And also. I never could afford health insurance at any job I ever had until I got a job working for the health insurance company.

There is no way anyone on minimum wage could possibly afford health insurance premiums.

I recall working at Pizza Hut 2006 before I got my corp job. $6 an hour.

After taxes I made about 700 a month.

Insurance premium was $250. For a young healthy 20 year old.

It’s way more than that now. ~$500-700 per month.

And anyway. Doesn’t matter. Couldn’t afford deductable or copays. So pointless to have.