On Thanksgiving, a Reddit post on r/Millennials sparked a discussion: what if life were simpler? What if you skipped the high-stress job, mortgage payments, and societal expectations and instead lived at home with your parents, worked a minimum wage job, and embraced a low-consumption lifestyle?
When Success Feels Like A Trap
The original post came from a millennial who recounted a conversation with his sister, a successful homeowner and management consultant. Despite having what many would call an ideal adult life, she confessed to fantasizing about a quieter alternative.
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“She started talking about how she wishes she didn’t go to college, worked some menial minimum wage job, and continued to live at home,” the original poster wrote. But he quickly added, “Our parents are immigrants who worked very hard… they would have been very disappointed if she opted out of those opportunities to do something like that.”
This sparked a flood of responses from people either living that life now, having done it before, or adamantly warning against it.
The Fantasy And The Reality
Many admitted that the idea of a low-key life is tempting, especially in a world where burnout feels constant. “Honestly, I think a lot of us have daydreamed about just coasting at home with zero responsibilities,” one commenter wrote.
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But the dream often clashes with reality. “I promise you, you are romanticizing living at home. It's not that great once you are older and want privacy,” another said. Others noted the emotional cost of returning to a childhood home. “Even when you’re close to your parents, you can drive each other nuts,” one person wrote.
For those who have actually done it, the message was that it's complicated. “It is not a vacation, and it is wildly discouraging,” one person said. Another shared, “I lived with my mom in my early 20s… there is no way I think I could ever go back unless I absolutely had no choice.”
Some, however, described good arrangements. “I live with my parents and the trick is not to be a burden,” one commenter explained. “I split groceries and pay my fair share of the bills. At some point it has to become a mutually beneficial arrangement rather than an exploitive one.”
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Minimum-Wage Work Isn’t Peaceful
Others pushed back against the idea that minimum wage work would somehow reduce stress. “Anyone who fantasizes about working a menial minimum wage job is out of touch with the reality of that lifestyle,” one wrote. “It is not relaxing, it is often stressful and degrading.”
One person who worked such jobs after being laid off from a six-figure role put it bluntly: “Your sister is nuts. Naive at a minimum. It was mind-numbing.”
Another added, “Minimum wage jobs are not fun or low stress most of the time. It’s just as bad or worse than a corporate job and you get paid horribly on top of it.”
Some highlighted that living with parents is completely normal in many parts of the world. “In Latin America many people live like that and it’s normal… You help at home, buy groceries, help with bills,” one person explained. “It’s just a different culture.”
Ultimately, many saw the fantasy not as laziness but as a reaction to overwhelming pressure. “If your sister is tired of her lifestyle stressors she can make changes to live a simpler life,” one person wrote.
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