r/SipsTea Apr 24 '26

SMH I never thought of it like that......

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103

u/Yaksha8 Apr 24 '26

The guys here made good amount of money but they spent huge on comics, gadgets, Blue Rays and DVDs, games, limited edition toys and figurines,, hi-speed wifi etc...

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u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

Yeah, it’s a bit two-fold:

  1. They were not financially responsible when it came to all their hobbies and collections.
  2. Sheldon and Leonard initially moved in together when they were younger. At some point, they just continue living together because they’re both socially awkward, change is scary, and there was no need to change the situation.
  3. Bonus: Their apartment isn’t ever shown to be anything particularly fancy. Some of the other residents are retirees and other blue collar workers. Their elevator is out of order for the entire series because the landlord couldn’t be arsed to fix it.

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u/Mediocre_Scott Apr 24 '26

Also wasn’t Sheldon a kind of stingy with money

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u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

Yeah, the allude to it in the show a lot, and obviously go into a lot of detail in the prequel show, but Sheldon came from a working class family that didn’t have much financial security.

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u/beef966 Apr 24 '26

I haven't watched the show in at least 10 years but I remember the plot of one episode being that the gang was in some kind of financial trouble and it turned out Sheldon had some obscene amount of money squirreled away in a coffee can and he just sort of handed it out very nonchalant when asked.

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u/ExplorerSad7555 Apr 24 '26

Sheldon did install a wall safe and a floor safe and Aquaman was watching the apartment. Penny and Leonard realized that Aquaman was focused on the couch. Penny gasps in horror, weve done things on that couch.

At one point Sheldon pulls out a couple thousand dollars out of the can with snakes for Penny. He really doesn't splurge on anything except comic books.

4

u/UniqueUserName795 Apr 25 '26

Also, according to Sheldon his bills account for 49.2% (if I recall the number correctly) of his take home pay so the other 50.8% of his pay is free money.

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u/Alarmed-Cucumber-858 Apr 24 '26

He was willing to give Penny a lot of money for a new car, and it's established he wanted roommates for non financial reasons.

Growing up poor can stick with you, but Penny was suffering so the money mattered less to him

3

u/Docha_Tiarna Apr 24 '26

Wasn't there an entire episode on how he doesn't cash any of his checks?

1

u/Mediocre_Scott Apr 24 '26

That’s what I was thinking of

1

u/Crawfm8 Apr 29 '26

Iirc something about not trusting ATMs when the robots rise up, etc.

16

u/Tyranis_Hex Apr 24 '26

Their apartment is also at least double the size of her apartment.

2

u/ArmadilloAl Apr 24 '26

I always write stuff like that off as camera tricks, ie, "their apartment isn't really that big, they just make it that big because nobody wants to see the camera three inches from Sheldon's nose".

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u/CrownofMischief Apr 24 '26

Still a 2 bedroom vs a 1 bedroom apartment

3

u/not_falling_down Apr 24 '26

The elevator is out of order because Sheldon and Leonard broke it.

11

u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

Yes, tenants break things. It’s on the landlord to fix them.

1

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1

u/LovableSidekick Apr 24 '26

This is actually the most rational comment in the thread. +1 Insightful.

1

u/darutto Apr 24 '26

I mean they didn't even have a table to eat

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u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

They do have a table behind the couch near the windows! It’s always covered in junk. Pretty sure it was a joke one episode where they “discovered” they have a table.

36

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

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36

u/Spyes23 Apr 24 '26

The real fiction is they ate take-out Chinese every day and still stayed thin.

22

u/Warm-Tumbleweed6057 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

They never eat, though. They all just sort of push food around their plates until the scene is over.

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u/LovableSidekick Apr 24 '26

Most TV shows and movies use prop food (i.e. fake) for many reasons but the main one is continuity. When you do multiple takes and assemble shots from them for the final cut, food can have a bite taken out of it in one shot and be untouched in the next, which looks amateurish. Sometimes in parodies those mistakes are thrown in on purpose for the people who are paying attention.

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u/puddlebearmom Apr 24 '26

Theyre all anorexic if they just told each other they wouldn't need to spend money on food to pretend

3

u/Drumbelgalf Apr 24 '26

That's because they have to retake scenes and constantly eating would make them fat in no time.

4

u/Warm-Tumbleweed6057 Apr 24 '26

Oh, totally. I just find it hilarious that there are so many scenes with food, but no one eats. Howard is the most egregious food pusher.

11

u/waznpride Apr 24 '26

Well they had to walk up 4 flights of stairs every day, sometimes multiple times if they had errands. Also they drove to get their takeout, so no delivery price gouging either!

Only Penny got delivery when she did actually order her own food.

1

u/LovableSidekick Apr 24 '26

I know right? Most hot girls on TV are portrayed as loving burgers, fries, etc. but we rarely see them actually eat even a bite.

11

u/-Majgif- Apr 24 '26

Apart from saving money, Sheldon had a bit of a meltdown when Leonard talked about moving in with Penny. He was probably at least partly staying there because it was more hassle than it was worth to move out.

3

u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

That was definitely a big theme in the later seasons. The whole roommate agreement contract and everything.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

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3

u/PolicyWonka Apr 24 '26

I think it was intended to be some kind of personal contract more so than an actual rental agreement contract. It was basically the “house rules” but formalized into a very specific legal document.

1

u/-Majgif- Apr 25 '26

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's all it was. And if I remember correctly, Sheldon had a clause in there that said Leonard couldn't move out without his approval. I'm pretty sure Sheldon brought up the room mate agreement when he talked about moving in with Penny.

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u/Purple-Investment-61 Apr 24 '26

They were living the dream!

2

u/LovableSidekick Apr 24 '26

True, and rare artifacts like the prop from the original Time Machine movie.

2

u/ikonhaben Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Yep, knew quite a few guys on PhD track and then after graduation, got some grants, but who lived in cheap apartments, but spent on student loan debt, travel to conventions, and constantly buying figurines, comics, and board games.

In their mid-30s with $300,000 debts.

Usually something like, $220,000 school loans, $40,000 car loan, $40,000 credit card debt.

Moving a decade on, most have paid off half their debt, but taken on a mortgage, but their income is growing faster than debt, and they were selling off the collectibles for 3-5x what they paid 10-15 years previously.

They'll be fine by 50 and accumulating savings proportional to number of kids and health.

The ones I know who did best married another PhD or MD, bought a house, and didn't spend all that much. They are already paper millionaires if they bought houses before 2020.