r/Millennials • u/BirdCultureDickMove • Sep 05 '26
Discussion Give me some clean bed sheets and I’m probably never getting back up again…
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u/Ariliescbk Sep 05 '26
I took a 2 week stay-cation recently. It was fantastic.
Some prick at work criticised me "you can only take that long off if you're going somewhere"
Like, mf that time is mine.
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u/cataholicsanonymous Sep 05 '26
I call that "practicing retirement" 😆
My grandpa, whenever asked where he was going or what his plans were, would always say, "I'm going to see a man about a dog." Which was his way of saying, none of your damn business.
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u/fatgirlballet 1989 Sep 05 '26
My grandpa always says that too. But for some reason it's always a horse.
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u/55d5 Sep 05 '26
I’m going to see a horse about a dog.
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u/skippy_smooth Sep 05 '26
Gonna see a man about some horse
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u/atmoose Sep 05 '26
He's going to see a horse about a man.
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u/Ok_Engineer_5334 Sep 05 '26
Horse is going to see a man about a dog.
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u/permaculture Sep 05 '26
A fence lasts for 3 years, a dog for 3 fences, a horse for 3 dogs, and a man lasts for three horses.
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u/disposablepie Sep 05 '26
The reason is the saying is (most likely) originally from betting hahah… depends if you’re going to the horse races or the dog track. But then it just became a euphemism for doing something that isn’t anyone’s business (usually going to the bathroom, when I’ve heard it).
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u/StopReadingMyUser Sep 05 '26
There are so many people at my job that act like high-schoolers trying to get up in your business.
It's fine to be interested in someone's life, but they never askin cuz they interested, they askin cuz they nosey...lmao
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u/ChocolateRough5917 Sep 05 '26
Here I thought it was code for going to the bathroom.
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u/ryanvango Sep 05 '26
My seniors said it too, but when they were gonna make stink mud
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u/Bionic_Bromando Sep 05 '26
Excuse me I've got to go return some video tapes
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u/imahumanbeinggoddamn Sep 05 '26
I keep using this line and it only gets funnier the further away we get from the time when that actually was a reasonable excuse to be leaving some place.
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u/DasJester Millennial Sep 05 '26
100% your PTO to spend how you please.
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u/OnceMoreAndAgain Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
Around age 30 I stopped caring what other people think of me and this staycation thing is an example of where that applies. Who fucking cares what others think about what you do with your vacation, right?
I still catch myself at times defending myself but the main difference these days is that I stopped allowing other people's opinions of me affect the decisions I make.
I think most people experience that change in mindset at some point. I wouldn't even consider that to be a part of "maturity", but rather I think it is a natural byproduct of becoming increasingly independent. When you are less and less reliant on other people financially and emotionally then it becomes easy to not care what others think since there is far less risk.
Probably the age where I cared most what others thought was college then in my 20s it started to wane. The desire to conform to the crowd's expectations is very strong in teenage years and early 20s, but that feeling dies off. Very common experience I'd wager, but it's not something people tend to talk about in so many words.
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u/soareyousaying Sep 05 '26
It gets better when you reach 40 and older. No, people don't talk about it because that's what it exactly is. We stop caring about validation. So we don't have the urge to talk about it.
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u/OnceMoreAndAgain Sep 05 '26
There are reasons to talk about it besides validation. In my case, I think it's fun to talk about how human behavior tends to change in certain ways as people get older. As a 16 year old I would've struggled to empathize with how a 30 year old feels, which is why sharing anecdotes can be interesting.
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u/XanderArtimus Sep 05 '26
I usually do that with my PTO too. I get back and people will ask me the same thing.
I'm like, uuhh I stayed home lol
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u/Imrahil_II Millennial Sep 05 '26
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u/ABHOR_pod Sep 05 '26
One of the reasons why I love winter more than summer is that nobody tries to guilt me for staying inside being cozy.
All summer long: "What are your plans for the weekend?"
Nothing. I'm going to do nothing. It's going to be amazing.
"What? But it's supposed to be so nice outside."
You know where it's nicer? In my apartment where I have so much delicious food and books and video games and my girlfriend.
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u/eienmau Sep 05 '26
I'm heat-sensitive so for me summer is not 'nice outside'. Sir/Ma'am it is 95+ degrees outside, I am staying inside where I will not melt into a puddle.
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u/speedy_delivery Sep 05 '26
Or you could lie to them. No one needs to know what you do on your time.
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u/jumpsinfire2020 Sep 05 '26
Sometimes I ask people about vacation plans just to make polite conversation. Since all I do is work or do work around the house, vacation plans are my go-to.
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u/flanman1991 Sep 05 '26
Im taking all of December off and doing nothing but hanging out with my daughter and wife
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u/merryjoanna Sep 05 '26
My boyfriend used to take 2 weeks off from his main job and go work at the blueberry factory for the 2 weeks. I told him that sounds like he's a little crazy. He already works 40 hours plus overtime at his regular job and 8 hours on Saturday at his second job. He's not even in debt and has a retirement and a house with a small mortgage payment and no kids. It's great to have good work ethic but you can't go like that forever. I think I have him convinced to just take some time off this time. I really hope I do anyway. He really just works too damn hard.
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u/ChuckMcMuck Sep 05 '26
Staycations are great in theory, but I find that this just winds up with me getting caught up on a lot of chores on maintaining the house instead of actually relaxing like I ought to.
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u/TazBaz Sep 05 '26
Except getting caught up on chores/maintenance is paying future dividends. It's removing the stress those pending tasks puts on you.
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u/noirdevoir Sep 06 '26
I agree completely. I just took off last week and spent the time deep cleaning my house and decorating for fall (in addition to watching a lot of movies and just relaxing). My house looks better than it has in a long while and it’s now at a baseline that I can maintain easily going forward. Time well spent. It feels like a weight has been lifted.
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u/Dependent_Suspect_74 Sep 06 '26
Feels nice to sit down and know you can enjoy your house... that's only way I can describe it.
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u/Dependent_Suspect_74 Sep 05 '26
I'm exactly the same way... my days off are spent doing the basics like laundry, mowing the grass... so PTO is time to clean out the fridge and bake a cake, enjoy a little more wine and not have the anxiety of knowing I have work the next day.
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u/avast_ye_scoundrels Sep 05 '26
Yeah what a weird dick. PTO*
*Terms and conditions apply
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u/darsparx Sep 05 '26
The fact in the US this is a thing about us using pto and sick time is so dumb. Like you give it to us ofc we're gonna use it.....or try anyways despite how these bosses see people who actually use it. Not my fault that them and corporate run things on skeleton crews and pay next to nothing 🤣
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u/mightyanonymaus Sep 05 '26
You went somewhere though, your bed and maybe the kitchen and the couch. Imo time well spent tbh.
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u/wampwampwampus Sep 05 '26
As a pattern, I think it's a troubling recession and burnout indicator, but that's not a you-problem. (And if it was neither for you, spend your time how you want)
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u/Coraline1599 Sep 05 '26
Watching my aunt bully my “healthy” (no chronic illness or anything) cousin for sleeping to 4pm on Saturdays and going on and on about “when me and your father were your age I was up at 6am no matter what” was tough, I had been through the same thing with my parents and their same “standards”, but seeing it as an outsider, I saw sleeping until 4pm is not rest, it’s full collapse of someone who pushes all week long.
I thought back to my aunt and uncles life when they were younger, she was a SAHM, my uncle had his own small business and he always worked 9-5. My cousin travels 50% of the time and works 14 hour days weekly. She answers emails at all hours and half the weekends she has at least one more work thing to do.
No wonder she is exhausted.
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u/Lucky_Development359 Sep 05 '26
Even if I went on the most lavish, incredible, far flung, world tour of a vacation I would still say I stayed home.
"But you're so tan..."
"Yeah had a lot of yardwork"
Then people would begin discussing various yardwork woes and one lady would say it keeps her young and then I'd just fade into the background and go back to work.
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u/trolldoll26 Sep 05 '26
I used to feel that way in my 20s and would hardly ever take time off. Now I don’t really care.
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u/Particular_Chapter80 Sep 05 '26
Absolutely. I’ve taken a day or two just to sleep after long work weeks. That’s my “me time.”
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u/EgoistHedonist Sep 05 '26
As a Finn with over a month-long summer vacation, that comment sounds hilariously ignorant and out of touch with what life is supposed to be :D
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u/kummerspect Older Millennial Sep 05 '26
I'm guessing that's from someone who has bought into the idea that your only worth is in your work, so you should only take time off if you absolutely have to. Those are the people who die soon after they retire because they feel like they have nothing to live for. It's sad. I get that some jobs are so intrinsically fulfilling you can do them for your entire life, but most are not. Most are just a means to make money so you can keep surviving in a capitalist society.
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u/notwhoyouthinkmaybe Sep 05 '26
"hey Bill, what does the P in PTO stand for?
...
Yeah now shut the fuck up."
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u/Taydatz Sep 05 '26
Fuck whoever said that to you. Like they can have any say in what you do with your time 🙄 It’s as you said, that is YOUR time!
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u/Toddythebody_ Sep 05 '26
I don't have money to travel. I have time to stay in bed though.
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u/JorVetsby Sep 05 '26
Exactly. And my PTO goes away if I don't use it so...
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u/CruisingForDownVotes Sep 05 '26
Wait until you get fired for using all of your PTO
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u/Toddythebody_ Sep 05 '26
"You may not eat your cake. It's only for show. We can display it as alternative generosity when you ask for a raise."
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u/Free-Stinkbug Sep 05 '26
Yeah when I worked retail at Lowe's when I was younger, we were explicitly told we would be fired if we tried to use ANY of our PTO lol.
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u/lFightForTheUsers Sep 05 '26
Sounds like a shitty retail manager which are unfortunately very common. I don't get along with mine a lot but at least ours straight up gave me a heads up at the end of year like hey, its use it or lose it you might as well take it.
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u/kaleidopanda Sep 05 '26
I have 217 hours of PTO and 430 hours of sick leave built up. I've gotta figure out time to use all that. On top of that, I have 480 hours I can use for FMLA... sigh...
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u/tspike Older Millennial 85 Sep 05 '26
Jesus. I'm at -8 hours and stare at the balance every time it ticks upward
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u/kaleidopanda Sep 05 '26
My coworkers (who all get paid more than me) all travel overseas often. Me... no money to go anywhere and too much work on my desk to take time off. When I do take off, it is only cause my kid is out of school too. (Solo parent) So time off is spent cleaning the house.
But one of these days I'm just gonna be like, "I'm taking a week off. Byeeeee!" Come back for a week and then... "I'm taking another week! Deuces!"
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u/DefiThrowaway Sep 05 '26
Wait until your company goes fucking berserk over offering 'Unlimited PTO' and then you never get approved.
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u/lesmax Xennial Sep 05 '26
I had a job that did this. Encouraged everyone to take an annual minimum of PTO. My team was small, though, and exceptionally busy.
I got sick and was out for a week. Like, in the hospital sick.
First day back in office and I get a mid-year review with a PIP, highlighting my need to be more reliable and my emails were too long.
Exactly 90 days later they let me go. I felt relieved when I walked out the door. What a nightmare that job was.
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u/pfannkuchen89 Sep 05 '26
I get 8 days of PTO a year. However, the restrictions are so bad that in the past 5 years I haven’t gotten to use a single day of it. Plus, it doesn’t roll over and we don’t get paid out for unused time. They could at least be honest about it like my previous employer and just not say they offer PTO.
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u/DefiThrowaway Sep 05 '26
You might have a legitimate employment law issue depending on your state then.
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u/mynumberistwentynine Sep 05 '26
Same. Also, I find travel stressful. The last thing I want to do on my off time is be stressed.
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u/Toddythebody_ Sep 05 '26
Right? Stand in line everywhere. Hope that customer service is good because they can't afford time off either.
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u/purplepanda5050 Sep 05 '26
I get 15 days of PTO and one personal day. Only a certain amount of PTO rolls over to the next year so I’ve planned out on using some of them but don’t have the money to travel somewhere. Airplane prices have jumped so much. I also don’t have a car and public transportation sucks here so I can’t even go somewhere else for the day.
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u/MadeByTango Sep 05 '26
Yea, this is just more corporate "its a choice!" bullshit about the state of the economy and how fucked things are.
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u/SabrinaEdwina Sep 05 '26
I'm sick of the people who choose to pay me as little as legally possible acting shocked I can't go to Europe for ten days.
You know why. You made me do the work of two for as little as you could get away with. And now you want to micromanage by time off because you think non-vacations don't qualify? Corporations can fuck off with that.
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u/Sweaty_Win1832 Older Millennial Sep 05 '26
Hot shower, fresh clean sheets, fan on high, optional massaging heating pad & I’m RELAXED
Glad it’s a long weekend now
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Sep 05 '26
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u/electlady25 Sep 05 '26
Same I work in tourism and Labor Day + memorial Day are always huge working weekends
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u/dijoncatsup Sep 05 '26
Can you recommend the massaging hearing pad? I need this in my life!
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u/CarelessSeries1596 Sep 05 '26
And for the ladies, the hot shower includes shaving our legs. Soft, smooth legs on clean, crisp sheets - so good.
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u/Ok_Potato9704 Sep 05 '26
I hate how true this is. We're so exhausted that we can't even properly enjoy our PTO.
I'm tired boss.
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u/zombieduck96 Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
It’s also too expensive to travel now. Why would I spend $60 on gas round-trip to drive to the nearest beach to me, $60 on food and drinks while I’m there, $20 for beach entry plus a chair and umbrella… nah man I’m staying in bed and watching videos of crashing waves
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u/weedtrek Sep 05 '26
It's the $100 a night hotel cost on top of still paying my normal rent that kills me. It's $40 to go to the grocery store now, I can spend that on food while traveling and not have to spend it on food back home, but no matter what I pay for a hotel, my landlord still expects his money too.
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u/The-Good-Bad-Place Sep 05 '26
$100 a night for a hotel? Tell me where you’re finding prices like that! 😅
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u/CHODE_a_la_M0DE Sep 05 '26
He has 2 roommates that share the hotel room with him. Most places I see that aren’t fleabag motels are $250-$300 with taxes and fees.
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u/DangerActiveRobots Sep 05 '26
$100? Are you sleeping in a dumpster?
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u/osiris0413 Sep 05 '26
The last dumpster I stayed in was $150, and parking was $20 on top of that, I was pretty pissed about it
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u/theoriginalmtbsteve Sep 05 '26
Uh, where are you finding hotels for $100 per night? If hotels were normally under even $300 per night for places you want to go within a few hours of Boston they would be even more full than they are now. It is the minimum stay of two nights that kills me, quickly turning a quick overnight getaway into a $800-$1k stay by the time fees are rolled in, not counting food and things to do. On top of that, getting away for two nights is difficult when you have kids, lucky to get one night away per year and places ruin it with the minimum. Then again, they are always full and able to charge big bucks so people are willing to pay.
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u/AdSea6127 Older Millennial (1984) Sep 05 '26
That still sounds more reasonable than taking a whole vacation, and honestly $60 on food and drinks here in NYC/tri-state area is unheard of. You won’t get far with that here.
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u/halomender Sep 05 '26
You should watch some of those 50 vs 50 videos on YouTube. Its two dudes who have 50 bucks each and they compete who can get the best three meals in a day in different cities. Most of their videos are in new York. They find some pretty amazing cheap places.
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u/Smorsdoeuvres Sep 05 '26
Are these episodes current?
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u/qbb_beauty Sep 05 '26
Yes. Martinez v Mu, both creators are NY based and also have individual channels.
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u/TheForce_v_Triforce Sep 05 '26
You can get good street food for pretty cheap most places still (although less cheap than before, RIP 99 cent menus). Probably not dining out with servers and drinks though.
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u/aabsentimental Sep 05 '26
In Richmond Virginia this is one food and one drink.. our “meals tax” is 13% about to be 14%
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u/West-Variation1859 Sep 05 '26
I’m sorry, you have to pay to enter your local beaches?! I live in a straight up New England coastal beach town and this is baffling to me
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u/RendertheFatCap Sep 05 '26
New England coastal beaches make you pay too. Just with parking fees or resident only spots.
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u/SillyAlternative420 Sep 05 '26
I wish more cities had public transit .. being able to pack a lunch, go on the train to the beach, toss out a blanket and kick back is huge
Like $5 for the whole family plus whatever's in the fridge.
The car centricisn of most of America is a blight.
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u/RebekkaKat1990 Sep 05 '26
I learned to not feel any guilt using sick days for mental health days. I just call in and say my stomach is upset and probably won’t make it in that day, and then just stay home.
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u/Purplecatty Sep 05 '26
I dont even give them a reason, I just say I need to take a sick day.
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u/RatzGudrun Sep 05 '26
I still feel guilty even when I'm actually sick and it's one of my biggest sources of self hate.
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u/shadow247 Sep 05 '26
I get 23 days a year, but if you take a day or 2 per per month for a doctor appointment, or I catch a cold, or my kid has an event at school... I havent taken 5 days in row in the past 5 years...
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u/Sage_Planter Sep 05 '26
I am overdue for a vacation, and I can gratefully afford to take one (I even have a lot of credit card points saved up!).
But I'm literally so burned out that I cannot even start to think about planning anything right now. It feels too exhausting to figure out where to go so I just end up not going anywhere.
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u/LibertyDochas Sep 05 '26
I took extra days around the extended weekend to do chorin, eating, and sleeping.
I feel pathetic.
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u/mmazing Sep 05 '26
Many business owners metabolize this type of information as
"evidence of laziness and fundamental lack of drive"
instead of
"I'm a piece of shit that overworks my employees."
Things need to fundamentally change.
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u/shmere4 Sep 05 '26
My state made 6 days sick days mandatory and I usually don’t need those. You can use them for mental health days and I absolutely use them to stay home and have a lay about day. It’s the best.
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u/Maguffins Sep 05 '26
Sorry to hear that employee, but we are short staffed today so I’m going to cancel your time off request and have you come in today.
sent via text
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u/CannibalAnn Sep 05 '26
Plus it’s so much work to plan, pay, and engage for a vacation. I can unplug at home AND sleep in my own bed
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u/MJ9426 Sep 05 '26
Sleep is free
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u/OrdnanceTV Sep 05 '26
For now.
They'll find a way to monetize it.
"As of 2033, all mattresses come standard with active cooling technology. For a nominal monthly fee (30% off annual plans*), users can unlock next-level restorative sleep!"
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u/2001ASpaceOatmeal Millennial Sep 05 '26
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u/OrdnanceTV Sep 05 '26
This entire copy gives my frontal lobe nausea. Too realistic. Don't forget the Hibernate Plus™ and Hibernate+ Max™ plans!
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u/Oregon-Pilot Sep 05 '26
Oh and if you don’t pay for the subscription, the software secretly activates a heater at random times throughout the night so that it wakes you up all sweaty.
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u/originalkelly88 Sep 05 '26
I took off Thursday and Friday to get stuff done. On Thursday I dropped my kids off at school and SLEPT until it was time to pick them up. I'm tired boss.
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u/Decent-Statistician8 Sep 05 '26
I’m so ready for back to school for this exact reason. Mine is a teenager but I just want my days off (I work weekends so M/T is my “weekend”) to be spent alone with my cat recharging my batteries and not having anyone need me or judge me. If you have a teen you know they judge the hell out of you.
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u/beautifulstardust Millennial Sep 05 '26
BRO WE’RE BROKE
https://giphy.com/gifs/3o752azoybhmLVnPy0
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u/Eggmegmuffin Sep 05 '26
Hubby and i send the kids to school, take PTO together, and bed rot with an Uber eats feast once every couple months. It feels like a cheat code and it's glorious.
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u/Decision_Original Sep 05 '26
I love my kids but any time I can spend with just my wife is time well spent.
Taking a day off to have a day date with her is probably the best use of PTO for me.
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u/Decent-Statistician8 Sep 05 '26
My husband and I just spent 7 days kid free for our 10th anniversary and it was definitely what we needed.
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u/Illustrious_Eye_8235 Sep 05 '26
Be careful the school doesnt have teacher in service days at the same time. I tried to do this a few times only for the kiddo to stay home too. Which isn't bad but like, that wasnt part of the plan!
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u/Otherwise_Parsnip640 Sep 05 '26
Are people just figuring this out? I've been taking staycations for years.
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u/JokeMe-Daddy Sep 05 '26
I love taking a week off to just hang out with my dog. If I want to do anything special, like go on a hike or to the beach, we'll jump in the car and drive there.
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u/Exciting-Profession5 Sep 05 '26
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u/uninteresting_blonde Sep 05 '26
Samesies. I just slept for 12 hours straight; now I’m eating cold lasagne (with a spoon) in my sweatpants, on the couch, while enjoying some breakfast wine, and watching movies on Prime. This is my one day off. I am so burnt out I rival coal at this point.
I’m also stealing your meme 💕sending you some restful love stranger.
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u/GumballQuarters Sep 05 '26
Love this, thanks for sharing.
Get some rest when you can. Good vibes going your way!
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u/zeuscap Sep 05 '26
Guilty
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u/icanimaginewhy Sep 05 '26
Same. The only surprising thing to me is that the percentage isn't higher.
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u/RunnerGirlT Sep 05 '26
I definitely use my sick days for mental health breaks a couple times a year to rest when works been crazy.
I’ve not used my vacation time for an extended staycation other than a long weekend in a nice hotel, but that’s fun too. I hoard my vacation time for trips
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u/decisivecat Sep 05 '26
While I completely understand it and advocate using PTO - ALL OF IT - in whatever way you need, it makes me a little sad that people are too exhausted or perhaps even underpaid to afford to travel. :( But do enjoy that staycation!! Recharging is important no matter how you do it. ❤️
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Sep 05 '26
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u/JokeMe-Daddy Sep 05 '26
My sister only uses PTO to travel. She thinks people who don't travel have small minds and perspectives.
I hate flying. Traveling just stresses me out. I want my own bed. And there's enough to do in my city or near it that I can easily head over there for a change in scenery.
And, lastly, my mortgage is outrageous and I'm going to extract every bit of value from it.
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u/ComputerOwl Sep 05 '26
YES! I don't like traveling either, and I hate it when people practically insult me for feeling that way. I've tried. I've really tried. I've done beaches and cities, camping and fancy hotel, close to home and far away. I've tried everything from quick weekend getaways to month-long stays. I've honestly given it my best shot, but I just don't enjoy it. I don't understand why I should spend my hard-earned PTO doing something that drains my bank account and brings me zero joy.
I hate the hassle of getting from point A to point B, and I don't like staying in hotels. It also bugs me how terrible flying is for the environment. On top of all that, basic travel necessities like flights and accommodation cost an arm and a leg. For less than the price of a hotel room, I can have an amazing week at home: visiting spas, going to the cinema or concerts, do (or watch) sports, or even taking a quick day trip if I want to explore somewhere new.
Between university and my first job, I spent three months just listening to podcasts, going to concerts, and playing PlayStation. Nearly a decade later, I still remember how AWESOME that time was. Just let me be me - to each their own.
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u/mynameisglaceon Sep 05 '26
Yeah traveling is a pain in the ass and I feel like its only fun in retrospect when you're looking back on it fondly. But during, its not very relaxing at all lol
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u/DrgnFckr Sep 05 '26
I take a Friday off each month that doesn't have holidays, so that I have something to look forward to
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Sep 05 '26
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u/GOD-PORING Sep 05 '26
No kids. I just save up for a few big trips a year. Anything on the weekends is local or I stay in and don’t eat out.
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u/cmpalm Sep 05 '26
Travel miles for me. Haven’t paid for a flight since 2013. Works for hotels too.
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u/NeedleworkerOld4696 Sep 05 '26
I get 4 weeks every year. I am paid "well". I still don't spend the money on traveling.
I invest the money, because I don't trust the pension plan to not implode before I retire.
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u/dragon8733 Sep 05 '26
This baffles me (unless you don't enjoy travel).
I travel as I want to enjoy my money whilst I am still able, I understand that I'll need money when I retire but there needs to be balance, plus my FIL recently died at 63 years old not even reaching retirement and I'm conscious of saving for a day that may never come (morbid, I know!)
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u/isthatadare Millennial Sep 05 '26
Dad worked hard to retire at 50. Overtime, missed family holidays, just focused on being able to retire. Died of a brain aneurysm two weeks after he retired.
While I still invest in my 401(k) I want to do as much as I can with my able body. As we get older traveling will be a different experience accommodating for new aches and pain.
Take the trip, do the things, enjoy people, and eat the damn cake.
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u/ThePecanTrees Sep 05 '26
Same situation, mine busted his ass so he and my mom would have a fat retirement. 2 years into, before they even started planning the nice vacations, etc, he gets diagnosed with terminal cancer and dies 6 months later. And this was a man who LOVED life. He just loved to have fun and laugh, and danced a lot. Now my mom sits in their big home alone, with A LOT of money in the bank but is still so grief stricken that she can barely get out of bed most days and cries at the thought of doing anything fun because she is so sad my dad isn’t here to also enjoy it.
If I have the money to do something now that I want to do, I do it. Of course I save for retirement, but I’m not waiting to live my life anymore.
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u/Awake_b4_Sunrise Sep 05 '26
Why make vacations “exciting”, just to come back home exhausted.. from your vacations..
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u/redmambo_no6 ‘86 Sep 05 '26
We don’t get enough PTO to travel anyway
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u/Artichokiemon Hi-C Ecto Cooler Sep 05 '26
Yup. I only get a week, and I also don't get paid for holidays, so my PTO is entirely for supplementing my income for those days I'm forced to miss
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u/Delonce Sep 05 '26
When most of the country is living paycheck to paycheck, nobody goes anywhere for vacation.
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u/johnsonfromsconsin Sep 05 '26
I don’t stay in bed. But I do take off to do nothing, unplug from all media, catch up on some video games/shows and read more.
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u/ButWhatIfPotato Sep 05 '26
There was a time when I would take days off to play games on launch day, but diablo 3 taught me to never do that again.
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u/Delfonic84 Sep 05 '26
Who said you have to go on vacation with PTO? Sometimes it’s nice to just take a Friday off and do whatever you want. And if that’s nothing, then awesome.
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u/Leut_Aldo_Raine Xennial Sep 05 '26
Depression doesn't look anywhere near as elegant as the picture.
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u/Able_Fishing_6576 Sep 05 '26
Someone please ELI5 why this is so universal for the American millennial?! This is so me and I keep thinking man I’m so depressed, but why are we all so depressed??
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Sep 05 '26
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u/panoramicJukebox Sep 05 '26
I don’t even know if it is “all we can afford” as much as “all we have energy for”. I spend every evening collapsing at home trying to recover enough to last through the next work day. My weekends are resting trying to get back to a place where I won’t totally collapse by the end of the next week.
It takes me 4 days of laying around doing practically nothing (videogames, chores, napping, etc) to start feeling like I want to start doing things for myself.
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u/CraftsBoy2Craftsman Sep 05 '26
i’m not depressed at all, but i also have no interest in traveling. i forget where i heard it but i subscribe to the opinion that home should not be a place you want to escape from. and of course that’s not just what vacation travel is, but it definitely is for some. for the last 10 years we’ve invested a lot of thought, time and money into our home. and that’s where i prefer to be.
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u/No_Celebration8219 Sep 05 '26
vacation days, sick days, unemployment days, I can't afford to go do anything else. I work, I pay rent, I eat, I sleep. I have maybe $1,000 at the end of the year if I'm lucky. My parents bought two homes, cars, had vacations, raised kids, on half my salary. With only one parent working.
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u/fromthevanishingpt Sep 05 '26
Can't relate. I have never used a vacation day just to rest. I'm not surprised a lot of people do, though. Vacations are rapidly becoming unaffordable and burnout is real.
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u/AdSea6127 Older Millennial (1984) Sep 05 '26
I used to be that person who only used vacation when I was traveling, but as soon as I hit 40 I started doing just that, taking time off just to chill out or run errands and then chill out.
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u/Available-Fig8741 Xennial Sep 05 '26
We take a vacation once a quarter for at least five days. Maybe not an expensive one, but def get away to reduce stress. My husband does not disconnect unless we have no WiFi 😂
We live very frugally and are in our peak earning years, DINKS but always wanted children. Just hasn’t worked out for us.
The millennial cohort is about 15 years. Most of the people my age are in the same boat. Could just be where I live. We really buckled down in our thirties to pay off debt. It was worth it to be able to not have to wait til retirement to do some cool things.
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u/MrHouse-38 Sep 05 '26
Well I feel better for sleeping most of my week off. I’m tired and I don’t want to go fucking hiking every time I have time off. I just want to rest!! And play video games. That’s a perfect week off for me. Even if my brain tells me it’s a waste.. if I go to another country or whatever in my week off I just come back more tired. I enjoy travelling and I will keep doing it of course but it’s fucking exhausting
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u/TheRoyalness Sep 05 '26
It’s $600 to fly anywhere in this country. Maybe that’s why….
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u/VegetableDistance400 Sep 05 '26
PTO - Parent time off. Kids are in school and a time to take time for yourself and get some much needed rest.
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u/RogueModron Sep 05 '26
Honestly I've never understood the appeal of lots of traveling. Like, once in a decade, sure.
But traveling is fucking exhausting and expensive.
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u/TrustsAndDust Sep 05 '26
Is traveling overrated? It’s expensive, exhausting, and communities around the world are rebelling against mass tourism.
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u/Double-Sea998 Sep 05 '26
I certainly don’t relate to this. The very small amount of PTO that I get needs to be used to see family out of state since I only get 5 holiday days off per year. My sick time is also grouped in with my PTO/vacation bucket. I also love traveling/snowboarding/climbing. There unfortunately is no rest for me.
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u/OnTheEveOfWar Sep 05 '26
Sometimes when my kids are in school, my wife and I will take a PTO day together. We will do something like play golf and go to lunch then take a nap. Basically like a staycation. Much cheaper than traveling somewhere but feels like a vacation. A few weeks back we just went to the pool, swam, and took a nap. It’s amazing.
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u/Useful-Plankton8205 Sep 05 '26
But it's like.... so fun! It has all the cool stuff I like within arms reach.
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u/SoonerLax45 Sep 05 '26
Lol I recently took PTO just to get work done around the house that I’ve been neglecting
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u/Unverifiablethoughts Sep 05 '26
I have this fantasy where I just go to a hotel instead of work one day all by myself and take a nap and watch movies all day
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u/fat_kaiju Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
It's not just that it's too expensive -- although it's also that -- it's just too exhausting to travel.
If I have to spend 4 days of my 7-day vacation in a goddamn car/airport then it isn't a fucking vacation at that point.
Hotels also have so little in the way of services and so few staff nowadays that you can't even ask for them to clean your room later so you can sleep in; they just hover outside your door because there's only two of them and there's just too much to do.
They don't have restaurants anymore, they don't have bars and they act flabbergasted if you so much as ask for an extra towel or a can opener as if nobody in the history of ever has needed to dry their hair or open a can.
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