this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2023

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What is the worst case of keeping up with the Joneses that you have seen? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 11 months ago by ohlaph to c/asklemmy

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[–] AFKBRBChocolate 191 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When our daughter was little, we had neighbors with a daughter about the same age, and sometimes the girls would play. Our daughter had been really good all the way around, getting straight A's in school, being kind, never asking for anything significant, etc., so that year we decided to splurge and get her an American Girl doll for her birthday. If you don't know, those were dolls that were stupidly expensive and were all the rage in the early 2000s. We weren't wealthy but it felt like she deserved the splurge and we knew she'd take care of it and have it forever like all her toys (she's 26 and still has it in great shape).

She loved it and everything was great until the neighbor came over the next day, absolutely livid. He wanted to know why the hell we had to get our daughter an American Girl doll. I was just totally confused, trying to understand what the issue was. He angrily said, "Now we have to buy our daughter one, and we just can't afford it!" I didn't know what to say. Were we supposed to ask them what they could afford and only buy our daughter those things?

They bought their daughter two of them so she'd have more than ours did. Ours was really happy that her friend got two of them, and it didn't even seem to occur to her to want a second one - she liked the one she got.

People are weird.

[–] ohlaph 37 points 11 months ago

That is absolutely wild.

[–] farcaster 117 points 11 months ago (8 children)

Middle-class suburban streets, miles away from farm or forest, full of sparkly clean gargantuan pickup trucks

[–] residentmarchant 41 points 11 months ago (1 children)

And they only put groceries in the back seat because the truck bed is "too dirty"

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[–] Usernameblankface 41 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Far too many people drive 200% of a truck when they really only need 10% of a truck.

Not talking work trucks or weekend warrior trucks, but specifically trucks that have never seen more off road than the lawn, never hauled a load that took up the whole bed, never towed anything near their rating.

Far far too often, it's about keeping up with the neighbors truck.

[–] Burninator05 29 points 11 months ago

Don't forget that these owners will be first in line to complain about high gas prices.

[–] Everythingispenguins 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have no idea why this is fun for people. I have one of those giant trucks for pulling my horse trailer. The truck is so fucking hard drive around in traffic. I hate having to commute in it. It is impossible to park at the store. I would never own it if I didn't have to.

[–] Usernameblankface 14 points 11 months ago

I've seen it discussed before and worked with one guy who had a bro dozer. It's all about image. They complain about high gas prices and expensive repairs, but make any suggestions about downsizing their truck and all of a sudden they defend the truck as a way of life or say the noise is "raw power" or talk about how they'll someday tow something with it to see what it can do.

They put up with the difficulties in order to look cool.

[–] shalafi 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Mine's a 2004 F150 and looks like trash. :) I like it that way.

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[–] d00phy 15 points 11 months ago

There was a Miller High Life commercial I used to love. It showed a guy’s hand holding a hose and watering his lawn the “old fashioned way.” Then it showed the neighbor’s brand new SUV in the driveway, and said, “The only ‘off-road action’ this $50,000 monstrosity will ever see if is its owner accidentally backs over a flowed bed,”

Wish I could find that commercial somewhere. Makes me laugh to this day when I see the glorified grocery getters in all their perfectly detailed glory!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

I've started seeing US pick up trucks here in the UK in a city and they really are rediculous. Really large (comically so) and the truck bit is open to the elements although I have never ever seen anyone using the truck bit for anything whatsoever. Rediculous waste of space and I'm surprised they're ever legal here.

[–] grue 8 points 11 months ago

An even better example: the suburbs in general. Every aspect of them.

[–] nucleative 8 points 11 months ago

Hey, maybe they need to be ready to haul full sheets of plywood at any moment

[–] Kiernian 6 points 11 months ago

That reads like a Joni Mitchell lyric.

I mean that in a good way.

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[–] Pyroglyph 55 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (19 children)

I'm going to go with a slightly unorthodox answer. Phones.

You don't need a new phone every year. You don't need a new phone every two years. You don't even need a phone every three years. Your old Galaxy S7 or iPhone 6 still works. Don't waste your money keeping up with the latest phone. So what if it has a slightly better camera? What are you taking pictures of? What does it really do that your old phone doesn't?
Once you properly consider everything you realise that you only really need to upgrade your phone every 4-5 years minimum. Many will last much longer.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (7 children)

Regarding the camera, I do a lot of backpacking and my phone is my only camera. Upgrading to appreciably better camera tech is something I will do. Example (Pixel 6 phone):

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[–] Clent 19 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This is lacking a target. It's not an example of keeping up with the Jones, it's just an opinion. A rather wild one in which you judge other's motivations as invalid.

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[–] RememberTheApollo 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I wait until the battery is no longer useful. Unfortunately, the iPhone makes it difficult at best to DIY a battery change, at worst expensive to have it done officially. Taking care of a battery gets it to about 4 years, and then you’re looking at Apple ending support not too long after that. Decent enough time to switch out phones.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

With all my phones the battery and system just start going weird around the 3 year mark. That’s usually when I get a new one.

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[–] AuntieFreeze 51 points 11 months ago

Girlfriend's sister and her husband were essentially homeless. Buying computer equipment and streaming gear they couldn't afford while living in her parents basement.

Their close friends had a child. Girlfriend's sister and her husband had a kid to be like their friends. Total disregard that they were living in her parents basement, not to save money or to buy a house, but because they lose their jobs so often they had no other choice.

[–] paddirn 46 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My mistress insists on having as nice a house as my wife, like wtf?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago

Move her in!

[–] Doolbs 38 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Apple products.

[–] Sequentialsilence 17 points 11 months ago (3 children)

For most people, yes I agree with you, however apple has done a very good job at creating products for stupid people. If I have someone ask me for advice on phones or computers I always ask them, do you want to have to think to use it? Do you care if you pay more so you can be lazy? If the answer is no to both of those, Apple is not bad. The end user never has to see a file system, everything is drag and drop. My grandmother was able to figure out the Apple UI in about an hour, and that included learning how a mouse and keyboard worked as she had never used a computer before in her life. It’s a little scary how dumb Apple allows you to be.

For that reason and that reason only I think Apple has a place. If you want to get actual work done / don’t want to pay double for the same thing, Apple’s not for you.

[–] fireweed 21 points 11 months ago

I feel like Apple is easier for people who aren't tech-literate, but actually way harder than Windows/Android for those that are.

I'm one of those millennials who grew up with computers and feels pretty comfortable with technology. I had a near breakdown one night in college when I was in the computer lab trying to edit a video for a project that was due the next day (language class, not tech-related). The file wasn't exporting correctly and the help staff had gone home for the day so I had to troubleshoot the issue on my own. I was using an Apple computer despite being way more familiar with Windows because it was the only computer with the video editing software I needed installed. I thought perhaps the problem was there wasn't enough space on the hard drive for the file to export (this was back when all but the most souped-up hard drives had pathetic capacity). It was late at night so there were no help staff available, and I'm about to lose my shit because after twenty minutes of searching I cannot for the life of me figure out how to look up the remaining space available on the hard drive (or any useful info on the hard drive for that matter). Somehow even my typically sharp Google-fu was completely failing me. I don't even know how many times I instinctually tried right-clicking on that stupid Apple mouse just to be like, oh right, Apple doesn't even trust their users to have both a left AND right-click button. A few years later I got an iPhone because Android wasn't a thing yet in the country where I was living (or my provider didn't support it, I don't quite remember). It felt like the same situation: what I had access to was easy, but trying to break past the dummy-proofing to do any advanced customization was basically impossible. Frustratingly the thing also started crapping out on me after less than three years, so I replaced it with an android and never looked back.

Epilogue: I'm now a Linux user

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

In fairness to Apple that is good design. Computers including phones should be intuitive and easy to use, but also accessible to more experienced users.

The keeping up with Jones stuff with apple though is really bad. Like kids going off the university getting premium Mac books when they could save money and get a generic windows lap top. Or the seemingly ubiquitous purchase of earpods - an expensive way to purchase earphones when there are so many cheaper alternatives, not least the dirt cheap 3.5mm wired earphones that phone manufacturers are trying to obliterate.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 11 months ago (2 children)

My personal favorite is the Christmas decoration wars.

[–] ohlaph 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I feel a decoration war would hilariously benefit the neighborhood though.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

The resulting lights display is great, but the carbon footprint and the bad blood between neighbors is not.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have a neighbor that had one of those projecting rotating balls in their yard. It projects Halloween images... it's still running, no xmas decor in their yard. I'm loving it!!

[–] SkippingRelax 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

You might want to go and check in on them?

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (2 children)

People who drive trucks to get groceries, bonus points if the truck is lifted

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please 6 points 11 months ago

Those are called pavement princess trucks. Trucks that are afraid to touch dirt or mud. If you really want to piss the dude off, refer to it supportively as his gender affirming care.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Can someone explain what that slang means?

[–] kiwifoxtrot 38 points 11 months ago

Living beyond your means to try match the lifestyle or possessions of someone else you envy.

[–] Everythingispenguins 19 points 11 months ago

It means when you are trying to look more wealthy/better social status than a neighbor, friend, colleague, ect... Usually though some form of conspicuous consumption.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for asking for all of us. In Quebec, we call that an inflatable neighbour (translated)

[–] AGD4 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Interesting! What is the non-translated French term?

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[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Every single aesthetic feature you see anywhere is the result of this.

It's why we have grass lawns and consider our "fancy" clothes fancy.

Some rich fuck decided to flaunt their wealth and a bunch of dumbass poor people started doing it to

[–] ohlaph 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm not rich, but decided to flex my landscaping muscle and have the greenest lawn by simply mowing twice per week and not picking up the clippings. The clippings breakdown and provide nitrogen, making a green lawn.

My neighbors have light green lawn and pay a landscaping company...

[–] SoleInvictus 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you want to get next level green, plant a nitrogen fixing plant, like clover. It won't directly enrich the soil as it'll only fix as much nitrogen as it can use itself, but when you mow your lawn and the clover bits biodegrade, that'll increase your soil's bioavailable nitrogen content. Decades ago in the UK, it was considered a source of pride to have some clover in your lawn.

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[–] Starkstruck 21 points 11 months ago

Anything to do with iPhones

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I was recently able to take my kids on a big trip to California to visit family and take a trip to Disneyland for the first time, and I could really only afford it thanks to the generous financial support from family, especially since everything ended up costing us at least twice as much as we'd budgeted and saved for.

My brother in-law who's in his 40s recently settled on getting back together with his ex-wife after lots of disastrous relationships (and their relationship was very disastrous too) and he's constantly getting bailed out by his mother on basic household expenses due to constant impressively bad short term financial planning. He works at a factory making decent enough money which he could live off of with some basic budgeting (aka not spending literally all of his income on tattoos, piercings, music and alcohol) and his ex-wife who has her own host of issues works at a fast-food restaurant.

They told us that they're going to take their kids to Disneyland in California next summer, and also tried to test the waters for inviting themselves to stay with my family. I suppose they can't get much worse off financially than they already are so I should be happy for their kids of they manage to pull it off, but holy crap was it an obvious attenpt to one-up us

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