5 ms·

I wonder if the confidence OP is detecting from their collegues is more due to unspoken 1, 2 and 3 rather than the explicitly mentioned 4. In our society it's c

by tdeck 4y ago

I wonder if the confidence OP is detecting from their collegues is more due to unspoken 1, 2 and 3 rather than the explicitly mentioned 4. In our society it's considered kind of gauche to say something like "I could take a 100k pay cut and still pay the bills" or "I've got enough savings to go years without a job" but for many software engineers living well below their means these could easily be true. There are lots of people out there making $200k/year and spending less than $40k/year, particularly people without kids.

TylerE 4y ago
Who are these people living on $40k/yr, and what size cardboard box do they live in?
- ilikecakeandpie 4y ago
  With a roommate, a paid off used car, and a not extravagant lifestyle in a smaller city/town, it's not impossible. It ain't as easy as it was ~8 years ago when I was doing that though
  - TylerE 4y ago
    That’s not living if you’re making 200k a year. A roommate? Seriously?
    - rr808 4y ago
      Maybe this is an American thing? I lived with roommates until mid-thirties, was pretty normal in London.
    - tdeck 4y ago
      Have you never lived in the SF bay area? I had multiple friends colleagues who lived with housemates while making six figures in software jobs. It's very normal.
- kthejoker2 4y ago
  40 might be a bit of a stretch with inflation, but even with 4 kids and a dog my yearly expenditures to live in a very nice (3800 sqft) house with 2 (paid for) cars is only about $67k/year. $37k mortgage $15k bills - electric, water, Internet, car insurance, cell phones, etc. $15k - food, gasoline, clothing, haircuts, other "necessities" (many of which are not) Then of course there's vacations, Christmas/birthdays, and unexpected large purchases (e.g. the out of warranty laptop broke), so maybe add on another $10k? But we could also easily tighten the belt a bit and cut those bottom 2 items to $20k with only a little bit of pain. When you're walking home after taxes with $175k/year you definitely get a little flabby on what should be sensible cost cutting (e.g. I'm sure I'm paying a few hundred dollars a year for streaming/subscription services I don't use enough to justify, but it's not worth the hassle.) We are of course extremely privileged to not have any major medical issues, a good support system for child care, 2 work from home parents, and to have somehow avoided most of the crazy tuition hikes of the 21st century.
  - rr808 4y ago
    > only about $67k/year. Which is >100k/year before tax which is well above median household earnings.
    - TylerE 4y ago
      Not to mention I see no mention of healthcare costs. I - a single 30-something with some chronic issues, easily spend $5k on healthcare a year - more if I get hospitalized, which has happened 3 times in the decade. That’s not even counting the portion that comes out of my check.
      - FreakLegion 4y ago
        What kind of answer are you looking for? There are people who live on less than $40k without even meaning to. It's not an outrageous number, but sure, would be harder with chronic health issues and so-so insurance.
    - kthejoker2 4y ago

by tdeck 4y ago

TylerE 4y ago

Who are these people living on $40k/yr, and what size cardboard box do they live in?

ilikecakeandpie 4y ago
With a roommate, a paid off used car, and a not extravagant lifestyle in a smaller city/town, it's not impossible. It ain't as easy as it was ~8 years ago when I was doing that though
- TylerE 4y ago
  That’s not living if you’re making 200k a year. A roommate? Seriously?
  - rr808 4y ago
    Maybe this is an American thing? I lived with roommates until mid-thirties, was pretty normal in London.
  - tdeck 4y ago
    Have you never lived in the SF bay area? I had multiple friends colleagues who lived with housemates while making six figures in software jobs. It's very normal.
kthejoker2 4y ago
40 might be a bit of a stretch with inflation, but even with 4 kids and a dog my yearly expenditures to live in a very nice (3800 sqft) house with 2 (paid for) cars is only about $67k/year. $37k mortgage $15k bills - electric, water, Internet, car insurance, cell phones, etc. $15k - food, gasoline, clothing, haircuts, other "necessities" (many of which are not) Then of course there's vacations, Christmas/birthdays, and unexpected large purchases (e.g. the out of warranty laptop broke), so maybe add on another $10k? But we could also easily tighten the belt a bit and cut those bottom 2 items to $20k with only a little bit of pain. When you're walking home after taxes with $175k/year you definitely get a little flabby on what should be sensible cost cutting (e.g. I'm sure I'm paying a few hundred dollars a year for streaming/subscription services I don't use enough to justify, but it's not worth the hassle.) We are of course extremely privileged to not have any major medical issues, a good support system for child care, 2 work from home parents, and to have somehow avoided most of the crazy tuition hikes of the 21st century.
- rr808 4y ago
  > only about $67k/year. Which is >100k/year before tax which is well above median household earnings.
  - TylerE 4y ago
    Not to mention I see no mention of healthcare costs. I - a single 30-something with some chronic issues, easily spend $5k on healthcare a year - more if I get hospitalized, which has happened 3 times in the decade. That’s not even counting the portion that comes out of my check.
    - FreakLegion 4y ago
      What kind of answer are you looking for? There are people who live on less than $40k without even meaning to. It's not an outrageous number, but sure, would be harder with chronic health issues and so-so insurance.
  - kthejoker2 4y ago