5 ms·

Saving up $5000 is simply not feasible for a lot of people.

by fletchowns 14y ago

rdouble 14y ago
He's going to have to save up about that much to move pretty much anywhere that has better jobs, though.
- fletchowns 14y ago
  So now you understand his mindset of feeling like he is trapped in the town he currently lives in.
  - rdouble 14y ago
    Yes, but one can save up $5000 in a summer working full time in food service. I did it as a prep cook when I was 19.
    - scarmig 14y ago
      $5000 in three months working in food service? Doing that in a year or even six months is plausible, depending on how lucky his circumstances are, but three months strikes me as a bit of a stretch. At $10/hr * 40 hr/week * 12 week = $4800, ignoring rent, food, incidentals, and taxes.
      - rdouble 14y ago
        I worked 10am to midnight 6 days a week.
        zpconn 14y ago
        Based on my friends' experiences, you often have to fight tooth and nail to actually get overtime at some retail or fast food places. In other words, simply working more is not always an option. If that were to become an obstacle, one solution may be to get a second job. And yet the OP writes that he's having trouble getting even one of these jobs. It may be hard to believe, but some small towns have a vast, vast excess of people wanting these jobs.
        rdouble 14y ago
        I can believe it. I'm from somewhere which is in many ways worse off than Yakima. That's just the best idea I have. If he can't make any money at all, I don't know what to suggest other than join the military. But I'm not a military guy, so I wouldn't feel comfortable suggesting that. I could also suggest he goes off to western north dakota to work in the oil field, but I don't know if that's such a great idea. I have some friends that have done that. It sounds horrible, and they look like they are about 15 years older than they actually are. Plus you need the money to get there, and need a car, all of which is probably $5K+ anyway.
    - ryanSrich 14y ago
      No you can't. 40 * 8/hour = 320 @ 4 weeks (3) = $3,840. How in the world could anyone save $5,000 in a summer when they're not even pulling in that amount? EDIT: Even working 80 per week only brings in $7,680. Factor in bills and you're still not hitting 5k, guy.
      - rdouble 14y ago
        Hacker News definitely attracts geniuses these days. You have to work more than 40 hours a week. Edit: What bills does he have? Food is free, because you work in food service. Rent in a place like Yakima is < $400/m. Summer starts in May. Also, after 40 hours a week you get overtime.
        taybin 14y ago
        One of the problems the poor have is shifting schedules that keep them from working multiple part-time jobs to get to 40 hours a week. I've never heard of a food server job that hired fulltime workers or allowed those reaching 40 hours to go beyond that.
      - kd0amg 14y ago
        Assuming, of course, that you can actually get 40 hours...
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
fnbr 14y ago
What would you have him do then?
bdcravens 14y ago
For some, yes. A single mom with 3 mouths to feed perhaps. A kid with no real responsibilities? As I see it, he (presuming here, I know) has as much as 100 hours of free time per week. As much as he dislikes home, if you're living there rent free (which is a luxury if you're over 18, IMO) then work is pure gravy. You're not entitled to free time to entertain yourself. If you want it, freaking work for it. Or spend your time whining on HN and Reddit about how you have no time. I'm a developer today, and do ok by industry standards (not great, just okay, for now). However, I grew up in a less than trailer trash home, my dad was a janitor, my mom was nuts (I used to watch her talk to invisible people in a roach infested kitchen), my siblings were sucked into the poverty mindset. I was born with a serious medical condition. I've had some other crap go down that I'll barely tell my close friends, let alone an Internet of strangers, but trust me when I said I've had to rebuild areas of my life more than once. So what. I won't tell I have it all figured out, but I will tell you I will not be defeated. And I have little sympathy for those who tell me the horrible hand they've been dealt. I realize that we live in a world where only the kids of the rich get to succeed, and the only way to start up your own business is to join an incubator. If you believe that, then you will be taken advantage of. Either push to be successful, or be the kind of person that the successful use to get there. They're more than happy to take your money and your spirit.
- shadowrunner 14y ago
  Thanks for sharing your story. I have massive respect for people like you. Keep going brother.

Saving up $5000 is simply not feasible for a lot of people.

rdouble 14y ago

He's going to have to save up about that much to move pretty much anywhere that has better jobs, though.

fletchowns 14y ago
So now you understand his mindset of feeling like he is trapped in the town he currently lives in.
- rdouble 14y ago
  Yes, but one can save up $5000 in a summer working full time in food service. I did it as a prep cook when I was 19.
  - scarmig 14y ago
    $5000 in three months working in food service? Doing that in a year or even six months is plausible, depending on how lucky his circumstances are, but three months strikes me as a bit of a stretch. At $10/hr * 40 hr/week * 12 week = $4800, ignoring rent, food, incidentals, and taxes.
    - rdouble 14y ago
      I worked 10am to midnight 6 days a week.
      - zpconn 14y ago
        Based on my friends' experiences, you often have to fight tooth and nail to actually get overtime at some retail or fast food places. In other words, simply working more is not always an option. If that were to become an obstacle, one solution may be to get a second job. And yet the OP writes that he's having trouble getting even one of these jobs. It may be hard to believe, but some small towns have a vast, vast excess of people wanting these jobs.
        rdouble 14y ago
        I can believe it. I'm from somewhere which is in many ways worse off than Yakima. That's just the best idea I have. If he can't make any money at all, I don't know what to suggest other than join the military. But I'm not a military guy, so I wouldn't feel comfortable suggesting that. I could also suggest he goes off to western north dakota to work in the oil field, but I don't know if that's such a great idea. I have some friends that have done that. It sounds horrible, and they look like they are about 15 years older than they actually are. Plus you need the money to get there, and need a car, all of which is probably $5K+ anyway.
  - ryanSrich 14y ago
    No you can't. 40 * 8/hour = 320 @ 4 weeks (3) = $3,840. How in the world could anyone save $5,000 in a summer when they're not even pulling in that amount? EDIT: Even working 80 per week only brings in $7,680. Factor in bills and you're still not hitting 5k, guy.
    - rdouble 14y ago
      Hacker News definitely attracts geniuses these days. You have to work more than 40 hours a week. Edit: What bills does he have? Food is free, because you work in food service. Rent in a place like Yakima is < $400/m. Summer starts in May. Also, after 40 hours a week you get overtime.
      - taybin 14y ago
        One of the problems the poor have is shifting schedules that keep them from working multiple part-time jobs to get to 40 hours a week. I've never heard of a food server job that hired fulltime workers or allowed those reaching 40 hours to go beyond that.
    - kd0amg 14y ago
      Assuming, of course, that you can actually get 40 hours...
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

fnbr 14y ago

What would you have him do then?

bdcravens 14y ago

For some, yes. A single mom with 3 mouths to feed perhaps. A kid with no real responsibilities? As I see it, he (presuming here, I know) has as much as 100 hours of free time per week. As much as he dislikes home, if you're living there rent free (which is a luxury if you're over 18, IMO) then work is pure gravy. You're not entitled to free time to entertain yourself. If you want it, freaking work for it. Or spend your time whining on HN and Reddit about how you have no time. I'm a developer today, and do ok by industry standards (not great, just okay, for now). However, I grew up in a less than trailer trash home, my dad was a janitor, my mom was nuts (I used to watch her talk to invisible people in a roach infested kitchen), my siblings were sucked into the poverty mindset. I was born with a serious medical condition. I've had some other crap go down that I'll barely tell my close friends, let alone an Internet of strangers, but trust me when I said I've had to rebuild areas of my life more than once. So what. I won't tell I have it all figured out, but I will tell you I will not be defeated. And I have little sympathy for those who tell me the horrible hand they've been dealt. I realize that we live in a world where only the kids of the rich get to succeed, and the only way to start up your own business is to join an incubator. If you believe that, then you will be taken advantage of. Either push to be successful, or be the kind of person that the successful use to get there. They're more than happy to take your money and your spirit.

shadowrunner 14y ago
Thanks for sharing your story. I have massive respect for people like you. Keep going brother.