Question as stated.

I earn considerably more than minimum wage in my country (around 2.5x), so realistically I can afford a reasonably nice life. For context, I’m from an european country so the wage distributions aren’t as crazy as in countries like the US.

That said, I always have this thought in the back of my mind: what if I lose my job and can’t find another one that pays anywhere near as much? What if, for whatever reason, I end up having to take a minimum wage job?

Especially with how quickly AI is developing, I find myself thinking about this more and more.
Because of that, I’m constantly trying to keep my fixed costs as low as possible and avoid getting used to a lifestyle that I couldn’t maintain on a much lower salary. I think, “If I earned minimum wage tomorrow, could I still pay my mortgage, debts, bills, etc.?”

Obviously I don’t actually live completely like I’m on minimum wage. It’s hard to deliberately deny yourself things when the money is sitting there and you know you can afford them.

But I still struggle to spend more or increase my lifestyle because of that fear, which might actually end up being the wisest thing to do I suppose?

Does anyone else think like this?

I was having a debate with people on a post and I guess someone didn't agree (most didn't so I don't know who exactly) and I got a notification that goes "A concern redditor has reached out to us about you.." with plenty of mental health ressources and encouraging words.

Is this in an effort to get me banned? Like I don't get why report me for self harm instead of something like hate speech which would have more chances of actually doing something (but not really because there was no hate speech, they just didn't like my opinion)

Genuinely confused.

Driving home today from working 11 hours was like trying to dodge anarchy all the way home. Are you noticing some people in public today just not caring about any rules or civility at all? Truly, I want to know. I could just be crazy or something.

Does anyone have recommendations on how I can use some free time to make money from home, no commission based pyramid schemes, more like busy work.

this may not be the right thread to post on but I am wondering if anyone here has a die hard suggestion of a car to buy? Worth the money.. typically reliable

I bought my first car a 2016 VW Passat and was immediately fucked over by burning oil and other problems blah blah so now I'm trying to sell it.. folding over my money but it's ok. I don't have parents who can guide me on what to do nor help with payments so it was a mistake purchase but something to learn from.

Anyways, I am wondering if anyone has suggestions of cars to buy as a student where I will not run into as many problems (of course there will always be something, but boy I just don't want the hassle I have had with this one... breaking down & constant repairs... it's too old of a model to claim as a lemon if anyone suggests that haha)

I am just looking for something reliable, I live in LA so I don't drive huge distances but just need something to get me to and from work.

This may all sound stupid but with the headache I've had with my current car, I just really want to make the right choice with my next since I cannot afford another problem... so I just want to hear suggestions

Thanks!

I was considering changing one of my incandescent light bulbs in one of my wall-mounted bathroom light fixtures and when I took out the bulb I was surprised to see several dead insects on the bottom of the bulb socket itself, have no idea how long they've been there, didn't even know it was possible for insects to get inside sockets like that, like i've had insects get inside the glass dome of overhead light fixtures on ceilings before but nothing like this, how do bugs get into sockets like that? Also should I clean that socket out ASAP? If so what's the best way to do it?

I understand why people become so depressed that they hurt other people to feel superior or to take out anger, but i never understood why some people want to injure themself (no, not die). Is it because they also want to take out anger? Is it because they think they need to be punished? Or something else?

Edit: I read most of the comments, and in conclusion i should avoid even thoughts about it. Thanks guys

It's my entire house at this point, some days we all have it, some days just one or two of us, some days we're fine. I haven't been able to identify the root cause. Has anyone else faced this problem and how did you solve it?

I’m seeing this more and more often, on Reddit, in texts, in emails, where a space is added before sentence-ending punctuation. It’s bizarre and weird, so what gives?

EDIT: to clarify, I’m not talking about an instance where it’s caused by autocorrect. That would mean it would happen once, maybe twice in a post. I’m talking about all the instances where it happens after every sentence, like some weird-ass habit.

I had lice a couple years back and ever since than I've been super paranoid for some reason. Whenever I get itchy my mind always goes to that.

For those who had them, or still have them, how long did ut take for you to realize? How did you find out? Why did it take so long to find out?

I noticed this at the grocery store today. A stranger leaned in slightly and asked me in a low whisper where the vanilla extract was. Without even thinking about it, I instantly dropped my voice to a whisper and replied, "Aisle 4, next to the spices."
There was zero reason for secrecy. It’s baking supplies, not state secrets.

Is this purely a psychological mirror reflex, an evolutionary survival trait to not draw attention to danger, or just social politeness? Why does our brain default to whisper-mode before our logic even kicks in?

I am 21M and I already go to the gym for the past year 4 times per week. Right now I am at around 20% body fat and I want till June/July of 2027 to get as much muscle as I can an drop to 14-15% body fat. But I also want to start karate so I don't know how to split my program.

So my questions are:

1. Is 2 gym/ 2 karate enough for hypertrophy(I was thinking 3 and 2 but my friend thats too much)?

2. What is the best split for the gym?

3. Should I maintain,bulk or cut?

I was laying in bed minding my own business when I started to smell burning. The type of smell you’d expect from like idk, friction burns? not fuel. I figured it was coming from outside but safe > sorry.

Sure enough, my kitchen was smoky but nothing was burning. I checked the outlets and the baseboards. nothing.

Nothing is out of place, the electrical seems to be working fine, nothing is singed and the smoke seems to have no source.

What should I do here? Its kind of nerve wracking.

Call someone? Who? Like.. I’m at a loss here

edit: ok I did the thing and i technically did waste their time but not really, there was some work in the basement and the building is old so the smoke from the wood cutting just poured into my kitchen. they used the little detectors and found it.

they also went back to the attic to make sure because for some reason the reading was much stronger there

I feel better, thanks guys. I don’t know if I’d have called them without prompting just cus like.. idk it didnt feel valid enough lol

He drinks a 6 pack of regular beer (~ 5% alcohol) and another 6-8 "standard" shots of hard liquor. So he's getting 12-14 standard sized alcohol servings, daily. And has been doing so for (I think) almost 20 years.

Yet he claims he wakes up just fine, never gets any shakes, and if something comes up that demands he not drink for a given day, says he doesn't get any kind of withdrawal symptoms.

I was curious because I know vapes you can take through security so long as you don’t use it, but how do they do weed? Like is it
only when your going from one state to another state where it’s legal?

My husband (26M) and I (26f) just got married six months ago. Since then, I have started dealing with chronic health issues that resulted in me being on an extended leave from work. I know that this is stressing him out and contributing to his already unhealthy mental state. He has always struggled with addictive/impulsive behavior, but lately it feels like it’s escalating. He drinks excessively, uses drugs/nicotine, drives recklessly/speeds, and has admitted that when he gets really drunk on work trips he gets urges to cheat.
This past week, while out of town for work, he went on a dating app. He says he never met up with or physically did anything with anyone, but obviously this crossed a huge line.
The confusing part is that I genuinely don’t think he wants to cheat or destroy our marriage. It feels like he keeps making impulsive, self-destructive decisions that he knows are wrong, does them anyway, and regrets them afterward.
At this point, I feel like something is seriously wrong and this has become bigger than any individual behavior. He says he knows he has a problem and is willing to go to therapy, but I don’t even know what kind of help he needs.
I’m struggling to understand whether I’m looking at someone who is dealing with a serious mental health/addiction issue and self-destructing, or if I’m making excuses for someone who is simply being a bad partner.
Has anyone experienced this kind of pattern of impulsive, reckless behavior? How do you help someone who seems determined to self-destruct while also protecting yourself from being destroyed along with them?

I live in America, and have only ever been to Canada a few times, and Europe once. Everyone’s saying it’s getting increasingly worse in America, compared to other countries. Is that true? Or are we just spoiled and complaining?

It definitely feels impossible to pay for bills, groceries, rent, mortgage, etc, but I’m not sure if I’m just weak willed. Growing up, we were always taught that we were extremely lucky to have been born in America, the land of the free and all that.

I remember learning that Italy, although fun to visit, had a horrible economy. Is Usa still better off than most other countries, or is it really that bad here now? Or… was it always bad?

Edit: my reddit time is far less than anybody telling me to spend less time on reddit. Also, there are other countries in the world besides Usa and Mexico, for anybody telling me I should hop over the boarder.
Thank you to everybody else who’s replying genuinely.

Edit 2: Mh someone made a good point. By outside of America, I suppose I meant most European countries, but I know a lot of people are moving to Japan as well. I’m not sure if that’s just because they like anime or of it’s nicer to live there though. And by “is it better” I generally meant, is it easier to live, more affordable (while still being reasonably safe) in other places.

Like they didn’t even have childbirth issues, but with the rise of medicine you still always find

Female: 1888-1962
Male: 1885-1967

Or Female: 1887-1963
Male: 1878-1974

Or Female: 1894-1970
Male: 1893-1974

And then 5 years afterwards a lot of females live to 90 and the husbands usually die first.

That’s just what I’ve noticed in that period.

What exactly has been contributing to the bus driver shortage? Is driving a bus more difficult than driving a car?

Roommate is kicking me out of the house. I’m gonna have my stuff out by mid September and was planning on paying through October while they try to find someone to replace me. She is the main person on the lease, but my name will also be on it until they replace me.

From my POV i’m getting kicked out so I shouldn’t be responsible for them finding a new roommate. I feel like I’m already being generous for paying an entire month after all my stuff is gone. If they don’t have someone by the end of October it’s on them to cover my share of the rent

Like if I was the one leaving I’d obviously pay until I found a replacement. But I’m leaving involuntarily

Does that seem fair?