4 ms·

most people i know do need to work if they dont want to sleep in the streets. i program others wait tables or clean out the garbage. you think somebody does tha

most people i know do need to work if they dont want to sleep in the streets. i program others wait tables or clean out the garbage. you think somebody does that for 'pride'? it does not matter if the country is developed or not you still have to work because real estate is expensive even if food is not. if you dont well congrats but then you (and your buddies) are one of these second generation dandies.

vijayr 11y ago
even if food is not. Good food is not cheap. In NYC, we pay 8$ for a decent sized watermelon - almost all fruits are expensive, and most vegetables too. Only shitty food like chips, soda, candy, fast food etc are cheap.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Watermelon is good food? As far as I know, it's not particularly rich nutritionally, it's mostly expensive sugary water.
  - FooBarWidget 11y ago
    I beg to differ: https://www.google.com/search?q=watermelon+nutrition https://www.google.com/search?q=watermelon+nutrition 1 serving contains 31 daily percent vitamin A and 37 daily percent vitamin C, as well as a good amount of iron, vitamin B-6 and magnesium.
    - plonh 11y ago
      You can get a month supply of these vitamins for $3 by buying a bottle of Flintstones. Protein and healthy fat is where to be concerned about the cost of nutrients.
- dragontamer 11y ago
  Watermelons are out of season dude. They're only cheap in the summer. Its fall, so citrus (ie: oranges, tangerines) and apples are now cheap. Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Oats (Oatmeal), Breakfast Cereal, Cereal Cereal, Onions, Kidney Beans, Green Beans, Milk make a good baseline for a cheap and nutritious meals year round. You grab Broccoli in the Winter, Pineapples and Lettuce in the Spring, Cherries and Watermelons in the Summer, and Apples in the fall. Farms literally can't make Watermelons in the fall or winter, so you're importing those Watermelons from the southern hemisphere. Of course it's expensive. But in the summer, Watermelons are made locally and are probably $2 or $3 a pop. ------------------------------ If you don't know what's in season, here's a little trick. Look at the coupons at your local grocery store. Everything that is on sale is what is in-season. A sampling of my store is $5 for 5lbs of tangerines and $0.88/lb for Gala Apples. Clearly, these are the fruits in season and what I'll be eating. Eventually, as winter sets in... the prices of oranges and apples will increase while Broccoli and Winter Squash will become cheap.
  - ido 11y ago
    Being in NYC probably inflates the prices overall too.
    - dragontamer 11y ago
      Not much compared to my area, which is also one of the highest cost of living spots in the US. In fact, the primary difference is that $8 per fast food meal in NYC. The Milk, Eggs, Bread, Apples, and Potatoes are hit and miss (some cheaper where I live, some cheaper in NYC) At least according to this: www.expatistan.com/
- eachro 11y ago
  Produce from any of the Chinatowns(Manhattan, Flushing, 8th ave) is pretty reasonable.
aianus 11y ago
You could program 5 hours a month remotely and make more than a university graduate working full-time in Vietnam. So yeah, the vast, vast majority of U.S. programmers are ultimately doing it out of reasons other than survival, whether they realize it or not.
- iamcurious 11y ago
  What stops said Vietnamese for working the same 5 hours a month remotely?
  - aianus 11y ago
    Nothing, if they spoke English and had programming skills. But that's not a small if.
    - blazespin 11y ago
      And not just english, but they have to communicate well, be on the right time zone, and understand the culture as well. It's a very very rare find.
  - crpatino 11y ago
    Mostly, that it's not worth your bosses' time to micromanage you if they are going to extract merely 5 hrs/month worth of labor out of you. But nothing prevents you from working 50 hrs/week for one decade and then retire early, move to Vietnam, and live from your savings.
    - aianus 11y ago
      I say 5h/month but you can always do a freelance contract full-time for a month and then chill for four months and repeat. The point stands, if you're an American programmer and think you have to work full-time to literally just survive you're wrong.
blazespin 11y ago
Oh, I dunno. I have friends who live on old boats tied to mooring buoys - free of charge! They fish for a lot of their meals. They do just fine. They work a little bit around the docks, but not that much. I know other folks who live in nice, clean trailer parks. They work a little bit more, but again, not that much. If you're willing to accept a lower standard of living, there are lots of options. I remember this article about a guy living in his van. Why not? All you need is a low crime area and a place to sleep. Didn't some guy at Google live in an RV at the parking lot? When I was 19, I was paying around 50 bux a month in a shared accommodations situation. I did bartending/odd jobs about once a week and just bummed around the rest of the time. When I was 20, I did a part time waiter gig. I ate all my meals for free! Boy, I ate well. I had my own apartment though. It was utterly unnecessary, of course, but I didn't know better. Honestly, if you look around, these people exist. They are on the fringe but they do just fine. We generally call them 'bums', but you know, that's just envy talking.

vijayr 11y ago

even if food is not. Good food is not cheap. In NYC, we pay 8$ for a decent sized watermelon - almost all fruits are expensive, and most vegetables too. Only shitty food like chips, soda, candy, fast food etc are cheap.

icebraining 11y ago
Watermelon is good food? As far as I know, it's not particularly rich nutritionally, it's mostly expensive sugary water.
- FooBarWidget 11y ago
  I beg to differ: https://www.google.com/search?q=watermelon+nutrition https://www.google.com/search?q=watermelon+nutrition 1 serving contains 31 daily percent vitamin A and 37 daily percent vitamin C, as well as a good amount of iron, vitamin B-6 and magnesium.
  - plonh 11y ago
    You can get a month supply of these vitamins for $3 by buying a bottle of Flintstones. Protein and healthy fat is where to be concerned about the cost of nutrients.
dragontamer 11y ago
Watermelons are out of season dude. They're only cheap in the summer. Its fall, so citrus (ie: oranges, tangerines) and apples are now cheap. Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Oats (Oatmeal), Breakfast Cereal, Cereal Cereal, Onions, Kidney Beans, Green Beans, Milk make a good baseline for a cheap and nutritious meals year round. You grab Broccoli in the Winter, Pineapples and Lettuce in the Spring, Cherries and Watermelons in the Summer, and Apples in the fall. Farms literally can't make Watermelons in the fall or winter, so you're importing those Watermelons from the southern hemisphere. Of course it's expensive. But in the summer, Watermelons are made locally and are probably $2 or $3 a pop. ------------------------------ If you don't know what's in season, here's a little trick. Look at the coupons at your local grocery store. Everything that is on sale is what is in-season. A sampling of my store is $5 for 5lbs of tangerines and $0.88/lb for Gala Apples. Clearly, these are the fruits in season and what I'll be eating. Eventually, as winter sets in... the prices of oranges and apples will increase while Broccoli and Winter Squash will become cheap.
- ido 11y ago
  Being in NYC probably inflates the prices overall too.
  - dragontamer 11y ago
    Not much compared to my area, which is also one of the highest cost of living spots in the US. In fact, the primary difference is that $8 per fast food meal in NYC. The Milk, Eggs, Bread, Apples, and Potatoes are hit and miss (some cheaper where I live, some cheaper in NYC) At least according to this: www.expatistan.com/
eachro 11y ago
Produce from any of the Chinatowns(Manhattan, Flushing, 8th ave) is pretty reasonable.

aianus 11y ago

You could program 5 hours a month remotely and make more than a university graduate working full-time in Vietnam. So yeah, the vast, vast majority of U.S. programmers are ultimately doing it out of reasons other than survival, whether they realize it or not.

iamcurious 11y ago
What stops said Vietnamese for working the same 5 hours a month remotely?
- aianus 11y ago
  Nothing, if they spoke English and had programming skills. But that's not a small if.
  - blazespin 11y ago
    And not just english, but they have to communicate well, be on the right time zone, and understand the culture as well. It's a very very rare find.
- crpatino 11y ago
  Mostly, that it's not worth your bosses' time to micromanage you if they are going to extract merely 5 hrs/month worth of labor out of you. But nothing prevents you from working 50 hrs/week for one decade and then retire early, move to Vietnam, and live from your savings.
  - aianus 11y ago
    I say 5h/month but you can always do a freelance contract full-time for a month and then chill for four months and repeat. The point stands, if you're an American programmer and think you have to work full-time to literally just survive you're wrong.

blazespin 11y ago

Oh, I dunno. I have friends who live on old boats tied to mooring buoys - free of charge! They fish for a lot of their meals. They do just fine. They work a little bit around the docks, but not that much. I know other folks who live in nice, clean trailer parks. They work a little bit more, but again, not that much. If you're willing to accept a lower standard of living, there are lots of options. I remember this article about a guy living in his van. Why not? All you need is a low crime area and a place to sleep. Didn't some guy at Google live in an RV at the parking lot? When I was 19, I was paying around 50 bux a month in a shared accommodations situation. I did bartending/odd jobs about once a week and just bummed around the rest of the time. When I was 20, I did a part time waiter gig. I ate all my meals for free! Boy, I ate well. I had my own apartment though. It was utterly unnecessary, of course, but I didn't know better. Honestly, if you look around, these people exist. They are on the fringe but they do just fine. We generally call them 'bums', but you know, that's just envy talking.