Ill start, I never used a check. The only way I can get a house is waiting for my parents to die.
I know the manager of my bank branch by name.
I have a silver certificate.
I used to have to go deposit my weekly pay in cash at the bank, as a teen.
I bought a graphic hoodie off the Internet by mailing a paper cheque to a PO Box.
Bonus round:
My music collection included CDs, but also cassette tapes and vinyl.The optimistic nature of the 90's were the best times that ever were. Economically or otherwise. Then this asshole crashed some planes. Then this other asshole officially ended the 90's by declaring War On Assholes™ in 2001.
My first proper career (as opposed to just having a job) started in 2008, which made me nervous. While I somehow ended up on the better side of everything, the developments of macroeconomics kept me perpetually nervous about my personal finances.
My career (as opposed to jobs) started in 2009 when a “job” opened the possibility of interviewing for a career position and I managed to nail it. I truly didn’t think I’d ever have a career due to lack of credentials (higher ed completion). Luckily, you can be self-taught in my industry and boy am I.
Old enough to have used a cheque, pay with credit cards and a carbon copy click-clack machine, pay for tuition and getting paid pocket money in coins.
I'm young enough to be unlikely to ever own my own home, unable to officially retire until age 67 and likely unable to live on a pension by the time I'm eligible.
There is no cash usage. All my transactions are monitored by the bank, a massive corporation who sells my data to other massive corporations, and the government. My insurance is adjusted based on my spending habits. My social credit will soon be adjusted based on my digital currency usage (within my lifetime).
I've received checks three or four times in my life. I've never written one. As a kid I had a physical paper booklet for the savings account I put my birthday money into. The only way I can get to own a house is by winning the lottery. I remember when small shops had manual credit card machines that would transfer your account details to a slip of paper. I also remember when local stores would give credit to people from the community. I get low-key annoyed when I have to use cash instead of digital payments. My retirement plan is not to retire.
I have used a check. I'm more likely to be able to get a mortgage and buy a house than to be accepted for a rental again, though I'll likely die before paying it off. I still keep a fair amount of actual cash at home "just in case".
Will be interested to hear your guesses.
When my friends and I walked home from school, we'd always check the bushes behind the church for empty bottles. The refund from one glass bottle was enough to buy 4-10 pieces of candy from the pick'n'mix jars at the grocery store.
I had a friend beg me for my family's recycling so he can get "points".
I once paid for gasoline after I finished filling up, with a personal check for $18 and I remember thinking "Damn, this is expensive."
Have used maybe 2 cheques, bought a condo share but a house is a whole other matter. That said I don't think it's impossible, the main issue is just stability, if I had a partner who earnt as much then it would still be tough but not impossible.
But you can absolutely own your residence OP - just look for smaller places, in cheaper areas, and jobs that would offer a good salary : cost of living ratio. You'll probably have to start with a condo in a HOA, etc. but that's better than renting.
