https://www.nytimes.com/2019/0...thing-furniture.html

A new world where ownership is meh; subscriptions and rentals rule.

I wonder how much money they’re saving for retirement.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I wonder how much money they’re saving for retirement.

Indeed! The economics of constantly renting multiple small items ($50 here, $40 there, every month forever...) Not smart, to my mind.

When we got our car, we were absolutely against the option of leasing, and I can remember that the car salesmen and even some of our friends were like, why wouldn't you want to lease? Well, we paid it off as fast as we could, and we haven't had a car payment in about 4 years. Guess what we did with that car payment money? Put it in the bank, and gee, we were able to put together a down payment and buy this house. (Ok, I know, these folks don't want to buy a house...)

Anyway, back to the topic at hand... To me, this renter-ism actually seems like consumerism ramped up to the max, sort of the opposite of what you would think with an anti-ownership mentality. "I always want something new. I don't know if I will like it in a few months or a year from now."

Wow. Don't buy ultra trendy crap, you can keep it forever.

Now get off my lawn!

[/Nina]

I also think it allows you to live in a nicer place, lease a nicer car, etc., than you would be able to afford to buy. It seems very short-sighted to me. It also helps that I don't really care at all about having fancy brands.

Reminds me of the woman who turned our plates over to check the brand.

quote:

Originally posted by CHAS:
Reminds me of the woman who turned our plates over to check the brand.

My ex-mother-in-law did that when she went with me as a guest to the home of one of my best friends.

Plates have brands?

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna:

quote:

Originally posted by CHAS:
Reminds me of the woman who turned our plates over to check the brand.

My ex-mother-in-law did that when she went with me as a guest to the home of one of my best friends.

Haha Glad she achieved X status.

quote:

Originally posted by CHAS:
Reminds me of the woman who turned our plates over to check the brand.

Ownership, all the way.

Think this has most to do with the upwardly mobile (or those who wish to be) who choose to leave themselves fancy-free and not tied down for maximal job flexibility.

Most of my Computer engr son's friends seem to be renters (California) who move with jobs frequently. (The most so, are those who work on contract). Don't know how any of them can plan on getting married much less having families.

Reminds me of the dilemma long faced by professional academics (both spouses getting PhDs and intending to teach). One brother lived for decades apart from his second spouse - only visiting occasionally - until finally retiring to Tokyo while his wife completes her last years before retiring. (They expect to stay in Japan then both because of cultural preference and her aging parents. )

My best friend also had a commuting marriage in California, while she taught in San Diego and he taught North of LA and before that, two different locations in PA, preceded by only reuniting with their only child when he was ten years old. (He, one of the "only allowed children", was looked after by relatives in Beijing, also for practical reasons.)

The academic conundrum remains rough, especially now when tenure is fading out, though a two-tenure couple was always a rare phenomenon.

I can't remember the exact term used in job applications but it references candidates who do/don't have a spouse who needs to be accommodated in the employment. Naturally, the teaching spouse needs to be VERY in demand to get their spouse employed in the move and as for commuting issues (not even for the moment considering children) - dread!

So hard to prioritize values in decision-making about jobs, marriage, child-rearing.

Remembering that other recent thread about home-buying today - seems to be almost exclusively facilitated by a combination of economic factors. This article re-asks the question about who CAN afford to buy a home, not only in terms of getting a leg up from family, but what fits with their professional trajectory.

I own stuff. But still I can see the rationale to lease/subscribe/rent. A lot of those interviewed "renters" talk about the fact that they are not sure where they will stay or move to a new place even within the short term. Renting makes sense in that situation.

quote:

Originally posted by CHAS:

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna:

quote:

Originally posted by CHAS:
Reminds me of the woman who turned our plates over to check the brand.

My ex-mother-in-law did that when she went with me as a guest to the home of one of my best friends.

Haha Glad she achieved X status.

My friend and I had a big laugh, because she had a few place settings of a really fine brand of china. Once, while we were out antique shopping, we found a huge set of a lesser brand--I mean, like twelve place settings--and it looked almost identical to the good stuff.

She was throwing a really big Christmas Eve dinner, so she was using all of both sets. I saw my mother-in-law pull the plate maneuver, so I sidled up to my friend and said, "Which was it?" She grinned and said, "It was the good stuff."

So my status-conscious mother-in-law spent the evening thinking she was surrounded by a fortune in china.

quote:

A lot of those interviewed "renters" talk about the fact that they are not sure where they will stay or move to a new place even within the short term. Renting makes sense in that situation.

I agree, but only when the person truly is going to be moving soon. It doesn't take very long to tip the balance in favor of owning to renting, especially items like furniture etc.

MA, that's hysterical!

BTW, it occurs to me that there's a connection between the favorable attitude toward renting and Apple's getting rid of iTunes. Ok, I know it's a stretch, but stick with me. They are moving to streaming and a subscription platform. So, not only "don't own your furniture" but also "don't own your music."

Yuck.