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The only thing I got out of this was that the author needs to learn personal finance skills. If she just got a roommate and sold her car, she could easily affo

The only thing I got out of this was that the author needs to learn personal finance skills. If she just got a roommate and sold her car, she could easily afford to eat and more. I can't imagine how one person who claims to spend a lot of time at work manages to rack up a $120 PG&E bill.

chris11 11y ago
They claim they make $8.15/hr after taxes. That's around $16k/yr. I don't know how well they are budgeting, but I wouldn't want to try to live in the bay area on that salary. This letter might not have been a good idea, but I don't see how she had a decent job.
- bb88 11y ago
  On the other hand, she only had to lose an $8.15/hr job, or $16k/yr to speak her mind. It's different if you were going to lose a $150k/yr job.
skewart 11y ago
Yeah, I know. I wouldn't think of living without roommates in the bay area at her age. It sounds like she moved to the bay area with a fantasy about what her life would be like, and some optimistic ideas about work, and she never stopped to do the math. Hopefully she'll learn from this experience. Everyone has to learn the value of planning and thinking strategically at some point in time - for some it's 14, for others it's 40.
michaelhoney 11y ago
$8.15 an hour after taxes.
stray 11y ago
I am astounded that someone with so little compassion exists.
- dominotw 11y ago
  when all else fails, pull out the appeal to emotion card.
  - stray 11y ago
    Appeal to emotion implies that I want to change the guy's mind. I don't. I was simply commenting on my perception of his value as a human being. That guy was basically saying that she should trade her mobility (sell her car), her privacy (get a roommate), and comfort (she stated that her $120 bill was because she turned on the heat) -- rather than complain. And I seriously doubt he goes without mobility, privacy, or comfort.
    - m4x 11y ago
      If you can't afford mobility, privacy or comfort then you will have to go without or change your situation. It's a sensible and realistic suggestion and hardly dispassionate. And while I can't speak for the above poster, many of us have gone without transport, heat, privacy, food and health care. If you can't afford those things, you have to go without. Do you have another option? Like pulling money out of a magician's hat?
    - nemof 11y ago
      there's a lot of awful stuff in this thread. is it a any wonder that people go on to create yelps and amazons and treat their workers like shit with this huge compassion deficit. horrifying.
    - dsajames 11y ago
      Most of the world goes without luxurious transportation (they walk, ride bikes, and use public transit). They also have privacy by having their own room in a shared apartment. I can assure you that if you are spending $120 because you turned on the heat, you are doing something incredibly wrong. I live here and it never gets that cold.
- thrillgore 11y ago
  Clearly, you haven't lived long enough.
fallinghawks 11y ago
She totally needs roommates. It appears she has $221/mo after paying rent to go to everything else. That's financially suicidal. If she got just one roommate to share that $1245 apartment, she'd almost have the $600 she said she wanted.

chris11 11y ago

They claim they make $8.15/hr after taxes. That's around $16k/yr. I don't know how well they are budgeting, but I wouldn't want to try to live in the bay area on that salary. This letter might not have been a good idea, but I don't see how she had a decent job.

bb88 11y ago
On the other hand, she only had to lose an $8.15/hr job, or $16k/yr to speak her mind. It's different if you were going to lose a $150k/yr job.

skewart 11y ago

Yeah, I know. I wouldn't think of living without roommates in the bay area at her age. It sounds like she moved to the bay area with a fantasy about what her life would be like, and some optimistic ideas about work, and she never stopped to do the math. Hopefully she'll learn from this experience. Everyone has to learn the value of planning and thinking strategically at some point in time - for some it's 14, for others it's 40.

michaelhoney 11y ago

$8.15 an hour after taxes.

stray 11y ago

I am astounded that someone with so little compassion exists.

dominotw 11y ago
when all else fails, pull out the appeal to emotion card.
- stray 11y ago
  Appeal to emotion implies that I want to change the guy's mind. I don't. I was simply commenting on my perception of his value as a human being. That guy was basically saying that she should trade her mobility (sell her car), her privacy (get a roommate), and comfort (she stated that her $120 bill was because she turned on the heat) -- rather than complain. And I seriously doubt he goes without mobility, privacy, or comfort.
  - m4x 11y ago
    If you can't afford mobility, privacy or comfort then you will have to go without or change your situation. It's a sensible and realistic suggestion and hardly dispassionate. And while I can't speak for the above poster, many of us have gone without transport, heat, privacy, food and health care. If you can't afford those things, you have to go without. Do you have another option? Like pulling money out of a magician's hat?
  - nemof 11y ago
    there's a lot of awful stuff in this thread. is it a any wonder that people go on to create yelps and amazons and treat their workers like shit with this huge compassion deficit. horrifying.
  - dsajames 11y ago
    Most of the world goes without luxurious transportation (they walk, ride bikes, and use public transit). They also have privacy by having their own room in a shared apartment. I can assure you that if you are spending $120 because you turned on the heat, you are doing something incredibly wrong. I live here and it never gets that cold.
thrillgore 11y ago
Clearly, you haven't lived long enough.

fallinghawks 11y ago

She totally needs roommates. It appears she has $221/mo after paying rent to go to everything else. That's financially suicidal. If she got just one roommate to share that $1245 apartment, she'd almost have the $600 she said she wanted.