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ITT: tell me stories of UMC bondage
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Date: March 14th, 2026 9:22 PM Author: Flickering temple Insane mortgages, out of control debts, horrible jobs.
My sense is that most "respectable" Millennials with jobs as professionals or executives are maintaining their lifestyles through exorbitant debts. |
Date: March 14th, 2026 9:27 PM Author: shivering church building partner I think a lot of UMC people tell themselves "it's ok to live paycheck to paycheck, I contribute to my 401k" and some such shit. At a certain point, they take a sort of "in for a penny, in for a pound" approach to spending. They have the $7k a month mortgage...why not splurge for the X7 M50i. What's another $1,800 a month? I might one day have kids that I need to bring to baseball practice.
Add in the fact that they tell themselves "everyone's doing it, I deserve to do this, I work hard" and you end up with people who are treading water financially. |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 10:07 PM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station Yep. And they seem to think that income only ever goes up. No move in-house; no GFC/ITE/Covid/AI layoffs could hit them or spouse; no chance someone might want to stay home with kids or at least downshift; no chance they’ll have to support parents or deadbeat sibling in some form; no shift to non-peer firm or dip when they make “partner”; etc. It makes me lol when I see first-/second-year associates (particularly those married to/living with another first year associate or highly-paid young professional) with way nicer clothes, cars, vacations, watch, hair, etc. than I have - they think they make a lot, and forget that most of them maybe make it 3 years. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744432) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 10:18 PM Author: shivering church building partner Yes 100%. People seem to think they'll never tire of the grind, either. And only a small subset of people really figure out how to make money without grinding.
People shit on Dave Ramsey here, but a lot of UMC people think they're above his advice when they really aren't at all. |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:55 PM Author: Walnut jewess (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744643) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:38 AM Author: razzmatazz metal nibblets 97% of overeducated umc wage earners would benefit from doing what Dave Ramsey tells them. Maybe more. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745067) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:00 PM Author: shivering church building partner "But actually I get lots of points that I use to travel. So what I do makes sense. You don't get it." -- UMC travel shrew who relies on a bonus to pay down their credit card debts. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745373) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:21 PM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745279) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:09 AM Author: big dull brethren way nicer clothes . . . hair, etc. than I have - (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744707) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 4:12 AM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station I’m largely (but not exclusively) speaking about women. I heard some of our juniors talking about their $500 balayage haircuts that apparently take 3-4 hours. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744797) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 11:58 AM Author: big dull brethren women are 180 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745227) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:18 PM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745271) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:03 AM Author: Wonderful people who are hurt hominid The jobs are easy. The reality is a lawyer, accountant or doctor that is mid career is never going to be unemployed for more than 5 minutes. And you realize in your 40s that you will die and there is little reason not to splurge. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745006) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 9:28 PM Author: vivacious tattoo place of business i'm going to kill myself to escape the grind (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744350) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 9:29 PM Author: Flickering temple Don't do that bro. Move to Are Country Nd open a solo practice. Make 200k with basically 0 cost of living. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744352) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:16 PM Author: chartreuse kitchen (Guy who knows what time Krispy Kreme puts the day's unsold donuts in the dumpster) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744591) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:18 PM Author: vivacious tattoo place of business it's too late for me (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744594) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 9:29 PM Author: pearl titillating toaster Summon: disco tits (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744351) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 10:10 PM Author: passionate hell 4100/month in child support. Just lost my main source of income. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744440) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 10:22 PM Author: Glittery dilemma holy shit. how many kids/how much did you make? can you get a modification since you got laid off or are the nightmare stories about child support true (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744466) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:07 PM Author: Flickering temple People on XO fuck themselves in so many different ways. If he lived in Are Country the local Wilford Brimley lookalike judge that he knew from the Rotary Club would do something reasonable. But instead he probably lives in a blue shithole where Judge Shaniqua will be like Aw Hellll naw! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744558) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 7:20 AM Author: diverse mildly autistic menage twinkling uncleanness (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744857) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 10:25 PM Author: effete supple haunted graveyard shit (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744470) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:18 PM Author: chartreuse kitchen That's rough. What happened? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744595) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:11 PM Author: Flickering temple So what happens to these people? Does the day of judgement ever come where they just run out of money? They have an incredible knack for getting by. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744569) |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:34 PM Author: chartreuse kitchen 1. One of my friends went to law school after several years in the workforce, paying full freight at a good school. He went to a top, prestigious firm. Even as a mid level associate, he said his rent + childcare costs + loan payments + other expenses exceeded his income. His wife was a sahm, studying to change career directions. I don't know how he did it, other than more debt or catching up via his bonus each year. He lived pretty modestly as far as i could tell. And he really did not like biglol and would get stuck on deals he hated.
2. One of my friends grew up MC and has a chill job. His wife grew up rich. Her parents have at least 4 houses/condos around the country in expensive locations. They (friend and wife) remodeled their house when they moved in 7 years ago. They're re modeling it again now because wife didn't love the first remodel. She's also talking about moving. I don't know how they do it.
3. Friend escaped big law. His wife told him to get back in. He's gaining weight and hates it. They just went to Disney World, an expensive trip to begin with. Rather than getting $40/person/day cut the line passes, they got premium $350/person/day cut he line passes because his sahm wife wanted them. That was like $7k just on the cut the line passes. On another recent vacation, he said he worked sun up to sun down every day.
4. One from me. Wife and I are thinking of remodeling a bathroom. We had one contractor over for an estimate. We told them what we wanted. Asked how much it would be. They said "what's your budget?" I said lol. |
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Date: March 14th, 2026 11:43 PM Author: vivacious tattoo place of business there's no escaping big law. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744629) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:05 AM Author: chartreuse kitchen I'm genuinely worried about the guy in 3 above. It's really crushing him. And his wife is talking about private school for their 3 young kids despite living in one of the best public school districts in the country. He's a really nice and thoughtful guy.
Also he has no book and is going to keep getting no breakfast. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:35 AM Author: Flickering temple On a human level, I wish 3 the best. He sounds like a victim of circumstance. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744682) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:53 AM Author: Electric mint internal respiration stage feel bad for 3 but he's a victim of himself, not circumstance. wife guy who married a chick because she made him feel good and he assumed the best about her character, turns out she's a pig and he has no resolve to be steadfast before a woman. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744701) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:05 AM Author: Talented Violent Messiness Travel Guidebook Where have I heard this story before… (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745010) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:42 AM Author: razzmatazz metal nibblets Since time immemorial (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745086) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:07 PM Author: chartreuse kitchen (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745247) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:19 PM Author: Brindle hairraiser round eye Is she hot (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745405) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:52 AM Author: snowy nursing home How do you marry someone like 3? Honest question, my wife (SAHM) would never let me kill myself like that. Hope he makes it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744920) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:17 PM Author: chartreuse kitchen I really hope he maeks it too. I told my wife to just shoot me if I didn't manage to extricate myself from biglaw and was still grinding. She was amenable. (Per another recent thread, maybe she could just send me to Canada for MAD.)
He's a nice guy in a rough spot. This morning, I walked by his house on the way to get one of my kids from another neighbor's house. He was sitting on his front porch in gym shorts and a hoodie, sipping on gatorade, staring into the distance. He looked rough.
An answer to your question that applies to him but is not particular to him: It's some combination of the following, overlapping factors: (a) These signs not manifesting themselves clearly enough before marriage and kids. E.g., a $100/person dinner 1x per week and a $3-4k for two people for a mini-luxury long weekend in the carribean every few months when you're an associate with no kids is no problem. (b) Missing the signs that are there, because you're burying your head in the sand or focused on work or don't have a trusted older brother or fellow posters or whoever to tell you. (c) Getting someone more attractive than you otherwise would have. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:18 PM Author: Brindle hairraiser round eye Wtf is this?
Rather than getting $40/person/day cut the line passes, they got premium $350/person/day cut he line passes because his sahm wife wanted them. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:43 AM Author: Sooty Exciting Area Striped Hyena I know several couples who kept having boys while trying to have a baby girl. This nonsense just absolutely kills them. Now one couple has three kids (girl never arrived) and the other couple has four (sorry middle child boys) in the pursuit of "balance". And they can't afford vacations except to visit grandma in a neighboring state. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744723) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:58 AM Author: Flickering temple Being blessed with four manly sons is not a bad thing. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744729) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:32 AM Author: Offensive cowardly liquid oxygen this is a forum full of lawyers (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744897) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:43 AM Author: razzmatazz metal nibblets Absolutely devastating (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745095) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:53 AM Author: Sooty Exciting Area Striped Hyena Not if you wife didn't want them (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745123) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:03 PM Author: Appetizing point deer antler you and the people in your example clearly are very very azn (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745240) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 11:53 AM Author: godawful juggernaut site except statistically almost assured one will become gay or trannie (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745215) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:01 PM Author: Appetizing point deer antler lol at that being a form of bondage vs. the guys who literally castrate themselves after the second kid because of $ (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745237) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 7:18 AM Author: Very Tactful Antidepressant Drug I like being UMC and being able to afford to live well. You think it's easy being poor? Yes, COLA is high but at end of day we live well. By and large the American UMC has never been as large or prosperous, which itself is what exacerbates the feeling of being trapped in a rat race, working harder to pay for higher cost of living due to all your peers chasing after the same basket of goods. But what is the alternative? What you're feeling is really being time poor with a busy career while raising a family. But if you stick at it, eventually you'll come out on the other side and just cruise to a nice retirement. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744855) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:13 AM Author: impressive geriatric shrine weed whacker you allude to it but the alternative is just not burdening yourself with a family and living an independent life committed to something else. for a normie who has no special talents or higher ambitions in life the pressure to create and support a family is for the better and keeps him from turning into a wasteful or destructive criminal or antifa faggot. and it's noble to raise a family and faggy to be a homebound xbox neet into adulthood. but there are plenty of interesting, capable people for whom a whole host of possibilities of life are closed off by the presumption that it should be everyone’s goal to create a family and commit his energies to doing whatever necessary to support it, and that pleasure is to be found in blowing off steam watching the broncos with neighbor ned flanders over a beer or chitchatting with the inlaws at applebees. for someone of different inclinations “time poverty” is life poverty.
it’s also easy to pursue some non-traditional life and end up looking like a loser if you don’t make anything of it. but is that really any less noble than slipping into a marriage of circumstance that ends in tragedy and sadness because the demoralized man realizes after the fact that umc wagie life and “cruising to retirement” is to him a waste of time on this earth. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:27 AM Author: seedy vibrant sneaky criminal (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744892) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:29 AM Author: Flickering temple There are also other ways to make good money and support a family besides UMC wagecuckery. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744894) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:44 AM Author: impressive geriatric shrine weed whacker there are, and i think the ideal life for the capable, creative man in modern times is to bust your ass building and cashing out of a startup through your mid 20s, and then pursue a life of constructive leisure and family-rearing without the pressures and constraints of wagecuckery. as a practical matter that route is closed off to most, or most people are just not going to make it. i know smart people who attended the iowa writer’s workshop who have produced nothing because they are caught between raising their young families (and all that comes with it) and hustling at their $75k copy-editing jobs. if you have any serious ambitions outside of work and family then chances are normal domestic life (and especially umc life) is going to be a huge detriment to your vocation, if not entirely sink it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744912) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:56 AM Author: snowy nursing home (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744925) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:37 PM Author: shivering church building partner There is a lot of possibility between "UMC grinder job" and singlemo who pursues some odd different path. I think a lot of these discussions get colored by the fact that most people on here are lawyers and often don't like the work. But couldn't imagine pursuing something different where an UMC income isn't more-or-less guaranteed.
I am not a lawyer and have done well. But will also acknowledge that nothing is / was certain and having a wife that legitimately doesn't give a fuck about preftige goes a huge way. I think a lot of people, even those who partake in the scholarship of the law, would probably be happier in their work if they didn't feel like they were constantly keeping up with some shrew's birdbrain demands (kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, other shit that you just don't need to do.) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 1:20 PM Author: impressive geriatric shrine weed whacker strictly speaking you’re not wrong and i’m in a similar situation. but i don’t think it’s fair to say that reasonably lucrative non-umc grinder jobs are easy to find for the caliber of person who might otherwise be a umc grinder. “just do find a chill job that pays well” – it’s not like all biglawyers are there because they’re addicted to the prestige. nor is it necessarily the case that they're too risk averse to jump ship for something very specific and obvious that's beckoning from right outside their windows.
if you mean to say that a umc grinder could take an easier job for less pay that’s also true but you haven’t really escaped the tradeoff matrix. you could pursue a different professional path with kids and just accept that your material standard of living is going to be lower but does that then mean that you’re prepared to live in a shitty school district and send your kid to the local public school? tell your kid who’s into hockey that it’s just too expensive? there’s a fundamental threshold that most people capable of umc status are not going to compromise on once they have kids. that's the essence of the umc trap. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 3:55 PM Author: shivering church building partner I think your entire premise is wrong. "...just accept that your material standard of living is going to be lower." -- says who? lol wut?
I'm not saying "just do find a chill job that pays well." I'm arguing instead that people put the cart before the horse. They say "well I want to make a lot of money, so I'll be a lawyer," which is a dumb way to build a career and a good way to create a life that feels like a prison. Rather, most reasonably intelligent people can build great careers outside of the traditional "high paying" professions like law or medicine.
I suppose you might say "well, the guy who is a GM of the widget manufacturer still has to grind." And you might be right...but at least they are building real skills and expertise in an industry that can be transferred to any number of other industries or to real entrepreneurship (versus solo law or some BS app idea or whatever.) Also, the guy who is a GM or VP of Sales at the widget company is not going to grind as hard as a guy making Partner in big law.
The more people try and determine the outcome of their lives in advance, the unhappier they are. Removal of uncertainty may guarantee some level of income (through pure grinding in a profession), but uncertainty is actually where the fun and surprise upside lives. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:17 AM Author: Flickering temple Poast-moniker synergy (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744887) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 8:32 AM Author: Talented Violent Messiness Travel Guidebook I have almost 100k liquid that I never touch. Always a bit left over from every paycheck. I don’t even watch the money go in and out because I know I’m not spending much. Even my indulgent purchases are just moderately expensive toys. The mortgage is the big thing but I’ve never stressed about it so far. And I don’t even consider myself UMC. |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 9:36 AM Author: razzle-dazzle cream locus legal warrant “My Gross Worth is 100,000k” —OYT (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744968) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:00 AM Author: Talented Violent Messiness Travel Guidebook That’s just my liquid treasury champ. Learn to respect your betters. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49744999) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:33 AM Author: razzle-dazzle cream locus legal warrant You should Invest it but you’re Afraid (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745056) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 9:54 AM Author: jet 180 space was hoping for more stories about bondage
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:01 AM Author: Wonderful people who are hurt hominid I bought a Jura Z10 espresso machine for $4400. I want to have sex with this thing and for it to have my babies. That is how much I love my fancy white people coffee making machine. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745003) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:43 AM Author: razzle-dazzle cream locus legal warrant I don’t understand your notation (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745096) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 10:47 AM Author: razzmatazz metal nibblets My wife wants one of those. You have a very womanly perspective on life. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745112) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 6:49 PM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station They are faaaaaaar more cr than faggy pods or some POS Ninja. Only justifiable if it’s replacing an $8/day latte habit, though. If it’s just going to collect dust it’s a waste. I’ve had a superauto for 15 years. Two of the three have been Jura refurbs bought direct from them. Look there. Mother’s Day coming up! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49746321) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 12:28 PM Author: Submissive mad cow disease station I bought a Jura ENA 8 refurb for $1k and am really happy with it; don’t know why I’d spend more. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745286) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 3:17 PM Author: trip field azn I got a Casabrews espresso machine on Amazon for $140 and it has a cool little pressure gauge showing what pressure its being extracted at. I’m gonna maek it (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49745811) |
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Date: March 15th, 2026 6:50 PM Author: Sable hot business firm shitlib (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49746325) |
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Date: March 16th, 2026 2:41 PM Author: Deep Clear Principal's Office Selfie Isn't this the same schtick as the compliance cuck lawyer in Billions? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49748550) |
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Date: March 16th, 2026 2:46 PM Author: Swashbuckling Hunting Ground Tamping your own grounds and steaming your own milk are not that hard. Why superauto over a nice e61 machine? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49748565) |
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Date: March 16th, 2026 3:56 PM Author: Wonderful people who are hurt hominid I dont have 5 minutes at 6am for that shit. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49748776) |
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Date: March 16th, 2026 2:34 PM Author: Brindle hairraiser round eye (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49748508) |
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Date: March 16th, 2026 9:57 PM Author: Swashbuckling Hunting Ground You’ve never truly seen the hollow-eyed desperation of an overlevered UMC dad until you’ve met one with two ZOMGHORSES daughters (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5845722&forum_id=2]#49749762) |