Instead of buying a home, 22-year-old spends life savings on a chunk of raw Colombian jungle

Why fight traffic when you can live with the monkey and harvest avocados?

There comes a time in every young person's life where you find yourself facing down the path laid out for you. All the things you're "supposed" to do: get a college education, land a good job, make enough money so you can save up and eventually reach the mountaintop of buying your own home.

The problem is that settling down and buying property has become ridiculously, ludicrously out of reach for a lot of young people. Price-to-income ratios are the highest they've ever been in the history of the United States, and many of the new generation of adults who have achieved the dream of owning their own home have found it to be... a trap! Yes, there are a lot of amazing benefits to being a homeowner, but it can also be a massive drain on your finances, your time, and your freedom.

One Gen Z man is documenting his attempt at doing things a little differently. Instead of investing in his first house, he spent his life savings on 7.5 acres of undeveloped jungle in Colombia.

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🌊 Calling all LA friends! See you at the beach on July 13th for a good cause

Let’s take Upworthy offline and give back to the community.

We’re teaming up with Ocean Wise and GOT BAG to host a beach cleanup at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey, CA on Sunday, July 13th to make some waves for the environment. And you’re invited!

We’re excited to show appreciation and care for our natural world, and to have a reason to gather the Upworthy family IRL. More info and RSVP at our event page here. Can’t wait to see you there!

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🍴 Europeans playfully roast an American woman for her 'primitive' fork and knife skills

She was trying to do it the "European way" and failed disastrously.

While American Amy Gordy was traveling abroad, she noticed that, among many cultural differences, folks across the pond go about using their fork and knife differently.

As opposed to using the dominant hand to cut food with a knife, then switch the fork over to said dominant hand (the way she was taught), the fork is always in the left hand, turned down, and the knife is always in the right.

If this is the first you’re hearing of the “European way” to use silverware, you're not alone. Gordy also had no idea, but she thought it couldn’t possibly feel that different from her "American" way of eating, so she figured she’d give it a try. How hard could it be?

Quite hard…apparently.

Comedian Laura Clery gets candid about setting boundaries while co-parenting with an addict

Here's what she absolutely won't put up with.

Editor's Note: This story discusses addiction and its impact on families. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, the SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 1-800-662-HELP(4357) for assistance.

Coparenting after a breakup or divorce can be hard, especially if the relationship didn't end on good terms. But sometimes, it's not just the relationship ending that causes coparenting to be difficult. Sometimes it's something that directly impacts the wellbeing of the children you have together: substance abuse. Major cultural differences and parenting styles can be hard to overcome, but substance use can affect the mental and physical safety of the children you both love.

Comedian and actor Laura Clery has been open about her own previous struggle with addiction, and has remained sober for more than a decade. The YouTuber got married, welcomed two children, and has since gotten divorced since then, maintaining her sobriety the entire time. But her ex-husband, Stephen Hilton, has had very public relapses since their divorce and, in a recent joint podcast, they shared that one of his relapses contributed to the breakdown of their marriage, leaving Clery on the rollercoaster of coparenting with someone in active addiction.