โHave you tried budgeting?โ
Yes. The budget has been budgeted.
The subscriptions are canceled.
The vacations aren't happening.
The car is used.
The apartment is small.
The groceries are generic.
The restaurants are gone.
The clothes aren't new.
And there's still nothing left at the end of the month.
At some point, telling people to budget harder is like telling someone on a sinking ship to organize the deck chairs.
There isn't another expense to cut.
There's a hole in the boat.
Leave Gen Z alone.
They never lived in an America where you could afford to live alone.
Never experienced a job market that hired entry level workers.
Never knew a grocery store where $100 filled a cart.
Never had a realistic path to homeownership.
Never saw a starting salary that covered rent without a roommate.
They didn't get lazy.
They got a different country.
And the people who got the good one keep giving advice about it.
Jury duty letter came addressed to my cat.
Not a mistake. "Felix Martinez" - that's his full name according to his vet records.
My last name. His first name. Somehow he's a registered voter now.
Called the county clerk.
Me: My cat got summoned for jury duty.
Clerk: Is the name correct on the summons?
Me: Yes, but he's a cat.
Clerk: Is Felix Martinez a legal resident of this county?
Me: He's a legal cat.
Clerk: Sir, if the name matches our records, he needs to appear or file an exemption.
Me: He can't file anything. He has paws.
Clerk: You can file on his behalf.
Me: Under what exemption? There's no box for "is a cat."
Clerk: (pause) Check "unable to serve due to medical reasons."
Me: What's the medical reason?
Clerk: He's a cat.
Me: That's not a medical condition.
Clerk: It is if it prevents him from serving.
Sent in the form. Got rejected two weeks later.
"Insufficient documentation. Please provide medical professional's statement."
Took the letter to my vet.
Me: I need you to write that my cat can't do jury duty.
Vet: Why is your cat summoned for jury duty?
Me: Excellent question. No good answer.
Vet: This is the weirdest request I've gotten.
Me: Can you just write that he's medically unfit to serve?
Vet: On what grounds?
Me: He's a cat.
Vet: (started typing) "Patient is unable to serve due to species-related limitations including inability to speak, read, or comprehend legal proceedings."
Me: Perfect.
Sent it in. Got another rejection.
"Summons is mandatory. Failure to appear will result in contempt of court."
My roommate thought this was hilarious.
Roommate: Felix is going to jail.
Me: This is serious.
Roommate: Bring him to court. See what happens.
Decided that was actually the only option left.
Day of jury duty, put Felix in his carrier. Brought the entire paper trail of rejection letters.
Checked in at the courthouse.
Clerk: Name?
Me: Felix Martinez.
Clerk: (looked at the cat carrier) Is that Felix?
Me: Yes.
Clerk: (long stare) He's a cat.
Me: I've been saying that for six weeks.
Clerk: Why didn't you file an exemption?
Me: I filed three. All rejected.
Showed her the letters. She read through them, expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.
Clerk: Someone rejected the veterinary documentation?
Me: Twice.
Clerk: (called her supervisor over) You need to see this.
Supervisor read everything. Looked at Felix. Looked at me.
Supervisor: How did a cat get registered to vote?
Me: You tell me.
Supervisor: This is a data error.
Me: Took you six weeks to figure that out.
They dismissed Felix immediately. Apologized for the inconvenience.
Supervisor: We'll remove him from the voter registry.
Me: Appreciate it.
Supervisor: (pause) Out of curiosity, how would he have voted?
Me: Probably whatever party supports universal treats.
Got a formal apology letter a week later and a voter registration card.
For me this time. Apparently I wasn't registered, but my cat was.
Roommate: Felix committed voter fraud.
Me: Felix committed nothing. He's innocent.
Roommate: That's what they all say.
Felix is sleeping on the jury summons now.
Fitting end to his legal career.
My boomer dad worked one job for 31 years.
Same company. Same desk. Same commute.
Retired with a pension, a paid off house, and enough saved to never worry again.
He told me last Easter that my generation lacks commitment.
Iโve had one job for 4 years.
Theyโve restructured twice.
Froze salaries once.
Changed my benefits package three times.
And just announced theyโre โexploring automation optionsโ in my department.
The commitment was never the issue.
The company stopped deserving it.
Jobless people in 1991:
- Wake up
- Have breakfast
- Chill
- Dad finds you a job
Jobless people in 2001:
- Meet up with friends
- Binge-watch a movie
- Enjoy sunny weekends
- Friends connect you to a job
Jobless people in 2026:
- Apply for 500+ jobs
- Keep refreshing email
- Get called for 2 interviews
- Go through 7 rounds of interviews
- Get rejected
- Society calls you a failure
- You feel guilty even while resting
- You fall into significant debt
- Friends slowly stop calling you
- Depression hits hard