My Dad Has a Tiresome Gripe About How I Spend My Money. I Need to Shut This Down Once and for All.

"He invited me to live with him for a year (or more!) to save some money and get settled, and it's been great for our relationship so far. We have a weekly movie night together, and he encourages me to invite new friends over for meals, it's really nice. But four months in, we have one frequent disagreement about money that I need help with."

"My dad thinks of everything in terms of the annual cost, a classic kind of Boomer "daily Starbucks and avocado toast" catastrophizing. I don't think about money this way at all. I look at my income and expenses each month and think about whether I can afford things based on that. I learned, from both my parents early on, to pay myself first, so I do save, but I also spend money on things that make my life better."

A 30-year-old moved to a city to accept a job and currently lives with their father to save money and get settled. The cohabitation has improved their relationship, with shared weekly movie nights and social dinners. A recurring conflict arises because the father evaluates expenditures by annualized costs and vocalizes disapproval of specific purchases. The adult budgets monthly, saves first, and chooses lifestyle expenses intentionally. Specific disputed items include music streaming, preferred granola, organic produce, and a monthly cleaner, with the father urging investment in alternatives and repeatedly citing yearly totals.

Read at Slate Magazine