I give this same advice a lot, and it's always telling to watch people's reaction. Human nature is all about defending what you're currently doing, against all evidence that there's a better way.

So, yeah, it's impossible to get 5%? Are you sure about that? Over a 40-50 year period? You'd have to look pretty hard at old stock charts to find a spot where you could get overall returns that low.

And yes, inflation exists. It's probably still a good idea to save money for retirement though.

And yes, you're young and don't have as much money to spend. But you also are coming off a lifestyle where you shared a room with six guys and ate Costco ramen every meal for 4 years. As soon as anybody starts giving you money, it's money you didn't have before, so you absolutely can find a way to save it.

It's a lousy $1,000 per month. Figure out a way to stuff it into the market, and despite all your rationalizations, the 50 year old version of you will thank the 22 year old you.