u/RhubarbBusy7122

I recently heard about Girls Trip co and it seems like a good idea, but the price and length of the trip seem difficult to accommodate. But I want to learn idk how I can if that makes sense or to confirm that even if I can, I shouldn’t ever unless I get a higher income.

The international trip fees are usually $2500 not including flights, meals, and what you do in spare time. That’s at least 55% of my monthly take-home pay.

Just wondering if there’s some budgeting involved or if people that go on these trips are just making 100k+ a year. And when you go on these, is it usually once a year? If you’re a remote worker, have you tried going on these without taking days off?

If you think a different subreddit would better suit this question, please lmk.

 I’m 24, located in GA and my income is around 75k for context.

I’m currently on my parents’ health insurance but will be aging out of it soon, so I’m trying to understand the plans offered through my job (UHC Plus PPO).

I’m choosing between two plans: a Silver plan with about a $2,000 deductible, and the Surest plan with no deductible. In general, I use healthcare moderately. I see a primary care doctor and sometimes go to specialists.

My assumption is that with the Silver plan, I would have to pay the full cost of appointments until I hit the $2,000 deductible. Doubtful if I'd ever hit it. But I’m not sure what “full cost” means. For example, if a visit costs $200, would I actually pay $200 until I hit the deductible? Or is that price already discounted through insurance?

Can we get really specific on what visit cost means here? Is it the price of the service? Is it the amount sent to bills? Is it the negotiated price between the doctor and the insurance company? Is it what the insurance pays afterward? Is it what I pay afterward?

By comparison, the Surest plan seems to show fixed prices for visits (for example something like $40–$150 depending on the provider). That makes it seem easier to predict costs, and those numbers look lower than what I might pay under the deductible plan if I never actually reach the deductible.

I’m leaning toward the Surest plan, but it almost feels too straightforward. Any tips?

I recently logged into my insurance portal and saw that a doctor’s visit was billed to insurance for about $500, which surprised me.

This was just a regular sick visit where I asked about a cyst I had, whether my skin was healing, and some jaw pain. The doctor briefly looked at those things and also gave me a referral for physical therapy. There were no tests, procedures, or imaging.

I assumed that the amount sent to claims is based on how extensive the appointment was and what was discussed or evaluated during the visit. But even with that assumption, the $500 billed amount still seems high for what felt like a fairly simple appointment. After insurance, I only had to pay $67, which seems reasonable, but the pre-insurance number stood out.

Is it normal for sick visits like this to be billed around $500–$1000+ before insurance adjustments? And if someone didn’t have insurance, would they actually be expected to pay something close to that amount?

I had seen someone get billed $500 for asking two simple questions about their health and getting a vague recommendation in return. I mean, I’m glad they had insurance.

$500 for that little sounds crazy. Is this just what self pay ranges are or is this on the higher end for even that?

hey everyone, i need a reality check because i’m kind of spiraling and panicking.

i got a job despite having abysmal stats from college and tbh it was really looking like i might have to be homeless or something. it’s full time work for a tech vendor company . i get placed to projects based on availability. i’m getting money.

the biggest hang up in my recent life was the 1yr unemployment post grad. that’s cleared. now i make money and naturally i think of next steps like moving out, finally living, making life feel worth it before i die. because i haven’t been doing that.

everyone says it’s a death trap to move out rn tho. employed people struggle too. no one is an expert. maybe everyone is hustling.

the problems of my life appear to be a blackbox

“you’re in a hole until you’re not in a hole”

and ofc when i see some light cuz i have money now, i naturally want to spend time in it before it gets dark again. i’d ideally like to prevent darkness.

i have a source of income now but i don’t see my future. i should be doing something so that i have one. getting a job was hard enough, it feels impossible to do it again

i went about my week as usual. my phone has notifs off bc it gives me anxiety. i have an intl friend (i'm in US, they are in Asia) that has my number and calls me whenever they wanna talk bc they prefer face calls.

i just today end of the week opened the app where i talk to that friend. i saw 2 missed calls and a video they sent me so i replied to the video and then went about my day.

then i opened the app again and my friend was like 'i appreciated ur reply to the video but sooner or later im gonna make u apologize....u saw my missed calls even after doing you ...u didn't call me asap'

and it's like....i'm not sure why i have to call u back. can't i just live. can't i just have other things to do in a day. like i replied to ur video positively and they were mad that i responded that way ....bc in their eyes i should be more distressed and have called them asap out of worry i missed something important and therefore i should not have responded so warmly to the video as if ntng had happened

I saw another post today that asked something relationships related which made me think of this. I figure most people meet in person so would love to hear your stories <3

I know I feel better when I socialize and am outside in sunny weather around people. These days, I’m struggling to justify driving to the city (though I want to) because I don’t have friends to meet there.

I’ll wander around for 15 minutes without a real activity, maybe buy something, and then head home, which feels like a waste. And don’t get me wrong, I can spend time alone. I do it alot and in the city too.

Yet being indoors all the time (my job isn’t in office) worsens my mental health.

Most of my hobbies are naturally solo and inexpensive, like renting movies, reading books, or listening to podcasts. Even the hobbies I’d like to get into, like crafts, are things I could easily do at home with the right tools.

I had been thinking about acne lately as mine had mostly went down, but yesterday I noticed what seemed cystic acne on top of existing acne scars.

I did some research and was explaining to my mom what I’d found out about how most acne treatments seek to control acne not eliminate it.

This is something we often do, like a kid that reads about dinosaurs and wants to tell his mom not necessarily because he wants to go to see Jurassic Parks right now.

In that discussion, My Dad happened to be in the room. I had just mentioned that people commonly use birth control to stop acne and was going to keep talking when Dad cut me off to say

“You don’t need any of those acne treatments. Acne goes away after 25.”

I’m 24 btw.

I responded sarcastically to him saying, “Right, so this bump on my face isn’t acne. These two on my chin aren’t either and neither are the ones on my chest and arms” and I was in the middle of saying how I wasn’t even talking to him or telling this information to seek advice when he cut me off again.

“Shut up. You only want to do a monologue, you don’t want conversation. You think you know everything yourself? OK great do it and don’t talk about it.”

I’m just starting my “adulting” journey, and something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is living expenses.

I was excited to get a job offer in this job market because it felt like a lot of money compared to part time summer jobs before. But once I started thinking about living independently, especially in or near Atlanta, it suddenly didn’t feel like that much anymore.

For context, I’ve never really lived in a urban city. I’ve always lived in suburban areas. In the back of my head, I’m thinking, “ok so am i just still too poor? is adulthood basically going to be a constant cycle of saying I can’t afford this/that”??

At the same time, I also wonder if that’s the wrong way to think about it. Even if someone earns more money, people tend to upgrade their lifestyle too. So maybe the goal isn’t just to make more and more money in order to feel secure or happy.

Maybe I should learn to live below my means. Just because I grew up with some things doesn’t mean I need it now :/ But maybe that’s just me trying to cope badly. Idk.

Trying to understand why people go there, thanks

I'm 24, debt-free, limited savings. Only earlier this year did I get my first full-time "adult" job.

I make about $2,700 biweekly after tax in Atlanta, GA (~$4,500/month take-home). My rent budget is $1,200–$1,500, but maybe I'd go for units that cost more than $1500 if I had roommates.

I initially posted asking about apt expectations, but I realized I’m missing a basic understanding of what normal living expenses look like.

I’ve lived with family up to now for personal reasons, so I don’t have experience estimating costs like rent, utilities, transportation, and other monthly expenses. Aside from groceries and household items, I’m not sure what a realistic budget looks like. I don’t want to stay several more years if I can reasonably avoid it.

I also don’t have experience with car-related costs or life logistics, so I’m trying to understand whether my income is:

• too low to live independently right now
• workable if I budget carefully
• or enough but requiring lifestyle adjustments & what will those be

I work in tech currently in the city I was born and raised in. I feel like I would love to move to Chicago. I've been there multiple times and feel the culture would really suit me! However, I don't know how to find a tech job in Chicago, much less one that even wants me.

Job market has my brain thinking more along the lines of, 'Forget where you want to live, you may not even have anywhere to live if you don't have job'. I believe that if you don't plan for things, they won't happen, but idk how I'd plan for this. It feels like a pipe dream.

I have been using Zillow to locate apt complexes, but I notice for some neighborhoods like Summerhill and Doraville, I see very few listings on Zillow. Surely, they have listings, right?

If it is listed less on Zillow, does that mean it is likely a private landlord, converted house, or older building?

-

I’ve been thinking about how Indians move abroad and adapt to the culture of the country they live in. Some people seem to keep most of their habits, social circles, and lifestyle within the Indian community, while others gradually adopt more of the local norms.

Here, I define assimilation: willingness to be involved in the abroad country's culture. It is not necessarily renouncing the culture you grew up with.

Americans are often described as friendly but somewhat distant. In collectivist cultures, social warmth often signals friendship, while in the U.S. it can simply be politeness. So when someone says they “made a friend” in a spontaneous interaction, it may not mean someone they regularly contact.

I tend to connect more with Americans from immigrant backgrounds, which makes me wonder: how do Americans tell when someone actually wants to be friends versus just being social?