4 ms·

There's snarkiness and then there's honest to goodness questions about whether one can afford to get into Y Combinator. (if you can get that far, of course) I

There's snarkiness and then there's honest to goodness questions about whether one can afford to get into Y Combinator. (if you can get that far, of course) I personally would need to save up for a while & pay down some debt before even trying to apply. But I would never knock the idea of cutting ramen-noodle checks to YC founders. It's at the very least much better (for the probably outcome of the business) than cutting filet-mignon checks.

DanielBMarkham 19y ago
Since in my job I have to quote hourly and daily rates to people, I always keep in the back of my mind a rate for "barely living", a rate for "swimming", and a rate for "comfortable living". I'm always aware of the amount of money it takes to pay the mortgage, lights, car payment, etc. That's the thing about getting married and having kids: it makes your life a lot more complicated. Personally I don't mind living out of an apartment and eating noodles for 3 or 4 months. I could even skip a couple months on the mortgage if I had to. But when they start taking away things your family needs to survive, like a house, then that's not eating steaks, that's starving. While I have no problem gambling my family's assets on my business, I don't feel it is morally right to actually lose everything they have. Now if it was just me, that's a different story. At one point in my life, due to a fire when I was in my 20s, I lost everything I had. In a way, it's a totally liberating experience. Most people really don't need all that crap they surround themselves with every day. That's why I replied to the article. I can see both sides of the story. Most young single guys don't need a lot of money (especially with Web applications) to make a go of it. The numbers get bigger with a wife, and they get even bigger with kids. That's not wanting Filet Mignons, that's just life.
- sbraford 19y ago
  While I totally hear you... there's not much YC should do about it. I've got myself into sticky situations befre re: money, and have had to get out of them myself. All of the money-managing books & articles I've ever read say that one of the most important decisions you'll ever make re: your financial future is the spouse you get married to. The right one could be a net positive (moral support, financial support, etc), while the wrong one could lead to disaster in your financial life. Kids? Now that's a whole different story...!

DanielBMarkham 19y ago

Since in my job I have to quote hourly and daily rates to people, I always keep in the back of my mind a rate for "barely living", a rate for "swimming", and a rate for "comfortable living". I'm always aware of the amount of money it takes to pay the mortgage, lights, car payment, etc. That's the thing about getting married and having kids: it makes your life a lot more complicated. Personally I don't mind living out of an apartment and eating noodles for 3 or 4 months. I could even skip a couple months on the mortgage if I had to. But when they start taking away things your family needs to survive, like a house, then that's not eating steaks, that's starving. While I have no problem gambling my family's assets on my business, I don't feel it is morally right to actually lose everything they have. Now if it was just me, that's a different story. At one point in my life, due to a fire when I was in my 20s, I lost everything I had. In a way, it's a totally liberating experience. Most people really don't need all that crap they surround themselves with every day. That's why I replied to the article. I can see both sides of the story. Most young single guys don't need a lot of money (especially with Web applications) to make a go of it. The numbers get bigger with a wife, and they get even bigger with kids. That's not wanting Filet Mignons, that's just life.

sbraford 19y ago
While I totally hear you... there's not much YC should do about it. I've got myself into sticky situations befre re: money, and have had to get out of them myself. All of the money-managing books & articles I've ever read say that one of the most important decisions you'll ever make re: your financial future is the spouse you get married to. The right one could be a net positive (moral support, financial support, etc), while the wrong one could lead to disaster in your financial life. Kids? Now that's a whole different story...!