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How I live and how I work

63 points by alex-warren 13y ago

GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
I also practically live as I did when I was a student. The main difference is I have a mobile phone a Spotify subscription. Living like this is easy, convincing your gf to isn't...
jumblesale 13y ago
This is a little condescending. I live frugally but have spent the money I've saved on a house for my family to live in. I've contracted the last year to be able to afford to travel around the world next month. "You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." True, I don't need a house or to go travelling but my life would be poorer had I not invested in that shit.
- hyphyphyph 13y ago
  You want condescending? 'cause his blog post wasn't. Look, like if you're fucking happy right now, great! But if you have a reaction to his post that makes you feel attacked, belittled, then there very well might be a good reason for that. And boy, it ain't nothin' on the author.
shawabawa3 13y ago
> When I started working, I didn’t start spending. I'm exactly the same. I see so many people living paycheck to paycheck, and for me there is nothing more depressing. I've only been working for around a year and a half and I already have the economic freedom to be unemployed for a year. Also, I don't really feel like I live frugally. I go out as much as I want to, I go on holidays, I buy a few luxuries that I really want. I really don't understand how people manage to spend so much
- icebraining 13y ago
  I really don't understand how people manage to spend so much Maybe they just earn less than you?
  - dirktheman 13y ago
    Could be, but I have coworkers that make about the same amount of money as me, yet they're not able to save money. They spend it mostly on clothes, restaurants and bars. Some of them don't even have kids yet they manage to consume their whole paycheck within the month.
    - hyphyphyph 13y ago
      There's a lot of shit that adds up. Booze is a serious killer. Cigarettes are goddamn expensive. Clothes pile up in cost...
- dagw 13y ago
  My first couple of years on a full time job I spent all the money i earned, barely making it from paycheck to paycheck (almost always carrying a few hundred dollars in debt), saving nothing, and it was freaking awesome. No room mate, lived in the middle of town, buy any thing I wanted, go out to any place I wanted. I could afford to fly to the States for a week (or even a long weekend) and stay in a nice hotel on a whim just because someone said, "hey come on over we're having a party". Honestly it was some of the best times of my life, and I'm really glad a I took the chance when I had the chance. Looking back I can only say thank god these sorts of blog posts weren't popular when I was 20 or those years might have been much more dull.
pinaceae 13y ago
...and another one simply living single, with no outside responsibilities and lucky to be healthy, claiming this lifestyle as somehow superior (others complain!) but not realizing that there is nothing special about it. nobody dependent on you? no kids, no employees, no sick parents? you not dependent on anyone? no accidents, no clients not paying, no disease or disablement? living in a safe, rich, area of the world? oh how awesome you are.
- wellboy 13y ago
  He's not looking down on anyone or comparing himself with people who are disabled, he's looking at people who have the same responsibilites as him, but rather go for short term gratification than for creating their own freedom. Growing up doesn't mean getting a job and saving money, but getting out there all by yourself and doing awesome shit. I wrote about that more in detail http://appreneur-diaries.com/its-time-to-grow-up-fuck-no http://appreneur-diaries.com/its-time-to-grow-up-fuck-no
  - pmelendez 13y ago
    > "but rather go for short term gratification than for creating their own freedom." How come starting a family is a "short" term gratification?
    - mfieldhouse 13y ago
      I've often seen the choice of having kids or getting married being used as a 'quick fix'. Usually for a failing relationship, insecurities or poor financial choices (benefits++). It's not always, but it can be.
      - Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
        Anyone having children to patch up a dodgy relationship is an idiot. "Things aren't great between us are they?" "No, what should we do?" "I know let's try something that will leave us exhausted, financially worse off and with no time to ourselves, that will DEFINITELY help."
wellboy 13y ago
Well you're a creator and being in the hamster wheel of having a job just doesn't logically make sense to you. You seek freedom to create thing with nothing except from your own neurons. That's why you'll be a millionaire very soon, but you won't buy things from it, you'll just keep hacking. A true entrepreneur. :)
- bowietrousers 13y ago
  What, hoarding profits is the right thing to do? If everyone acted like that there wouldn't be an economy.
  - wellboy 13y ago
    Once you made your first million, you become an Angel investor of course, hacking the startup ecosysstem. :) But you don't spend on cars or shit like that's just baggage. For every new item you own, you have to think of it, you have to worry about insurance, maintenance, cleaning cringe
    - hyphyphyph 13y ago
      That's why you buy a car; to put the baggage in the trunk.
    - hyphyphyph 13y ago
      Also, dead bodies.
tzaman 13y ago
excellent point... if you want to live like a flower. Some of us prefer going to places, trying new things, meeting new people, having a family and hobbies. And all those things cost money. When I'm old I'd rather say I'm broke because I lived my life to the fullest than I lived conservatively so I can afford to be a stressless elder with savings (hopefully I wont be downvoted because I beg to differ)
- johnmw 13y ago
  Interesting. Maybe different people have different priorities? The OP saved up to live working on things he loved. I mostly save up to travel and try new things. Some people save up to buy a shiny new red sports car. When you are old, you are going to decide if you have lived life to the fullest.
- isxek 13y ago
  > When I'm old I'd rather say I'm broke because I lived my life to the fullest That's probably where people differ - how they understand what "living life to the fullest" means. To the OP, it means spending less on what he does not need and working on the things he likes. To others, it's travel, meeting other people. There's no shame spending your money the way you want. Just don't live beyond your means. Know your (financial) limits.
- roderick3427 13y ago
  I think it's a matter of comfort. Some people can live life flying by the seat of their pants. In my opinion, those types of people are comfortable with moving fast, breaking and fixing things, and trying new adventures. They can look back at their lives and tell their grand kids how they'd lived to the fullest. But, on the other side of the spectrum. We have people who feel comfortable living very conservative lives way beneath their means. I think it provides them a sense of security and empowerment. They may come from backgrounds where they never had much growing up that could've contributed to that behavior, maybe. I'm sure my denfintion of a wholeheartedly lived life would be different from yours and a lot of other people. I don't necessary think your definition or anyone else is wrong. I just know at the end of the day we come from different backgrounds. Our desires from life have been shaped by different lives lived in different times or places. If it's comfortable for you to do and you're still happy about life afterwards with no regrets, I see no problem calling it "living life to fullest".
tonylemesmer 13y ago
If everyone lived like the OP would the economy still work? Maybe the economy would shift. I only buy second hand cars because I hate paying too much depreciation but someone, somewhere is buying the new ones, which I can then take advantage of. I try and live as frugally as possible but my idea of frugality is probably way different to everyone elses, as is his.
- wellboy 13y ago
  Then everybody would have their own startup. Awesome. :)
dagw 13y ago
"You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." But it's the shit I don't need that ads to the enjoyment of my life.
- wellboy 13y ago
  In the short run, but for every dollar you spend, you give a bit more of your own freedom away.
  - russgray 13y ago
    That's an entirely reasonable trade-off. Freedom may be the destination but there's no reason that the journey has to suck.
dirktheman 13y ago
I found that most people I know spend their money according to their paycheck. If you don't save money as soon as your paycheck comes in, it'll be gone by the end of the month. No matter hwo much you make. However, when you've come to the point of finding someone you love and want to spend the rest of your life with, living the frugal student life isn't going to cut it. You'll want to move to a bigger place, have kids (trust me, they're expensive!), need a bigger car, etcetera. For us, this was a conscious choice. We choose to spend money on our house, our kids, holidays, hobbies. We do save quite a lot, but I think there is a nice middle ground between spending next to nothing and living from paycheck to paycheck.
- jlangenauer 13y ago
  I go one better than this: I have my monthly salary paid directly into my savings account, then I "pay" myself weekly into a current account the amount of money I actually live off. Your savings can accrue surprisingly fast like this.
  - dirktheman 13y ago
    Nice! How does that work, though? Do you set budgets for things like food, rent/mortgage, insurances? How do you avoid overspending?
  - oinkgrr 13y ago
    I'm liking that idea. Anything that's not spent builds up nicely in the savings account. It's normal to save a set amount each month and whatever is left you just leave sitting in your current account. But that turns it on it's head, leaving any surplus in the savings account. And paying yourself a budget every week helps you manage the money.
insuffi 13y ago
I completely agree with the OP. Let's be honest - you don't NEED a 100 k car right after graduation, even if you're earning a 100 k a year(I've seen this happen). What he's trying to say is that there's a huge difference between NEED and WANT that people often mis-perceive. If you only buy shit you NEED, you can save up, then quit your job and do things that you WANT to do, without having to worry about job security, next paycheck et cetera. But people feel entitled. They DESERVE the car, they NEED the house. The economy would die if everyone was frugal lol
- Stranger2013 13y ago
  What if that car is a real chick-magnet though?
  - insuffi 13y ago
    Do you really want a chick that is attracted to your car instead of being attracted to you?
    - digitalsushi 13y ago
      Maybe if you're dropping 100k on a car to get girls, you don't care what they really think of you as long as they act a certain way. And maybe that's just fine. Just a consideration.
    - dagw 13y ago
      You've got to start somewhere. My mom admits that the first thing she noticed about my dad was his cool car, and they've been happily married for over 35 years.
wellboy 13y ago
It's funny how many people are still offended by others discovering entrepreneurship. even on hackernews. Anybody an idea why?
- hyphyphyph 13y ago
  Because most of the people in the startup community are uninspired wannabe dreamers filled with shallow ambitions of the social acceptance they know, deep down, they don't particularly deserve of their own personal merit. It's our club and you're not cool enough. That's what I'm thinking, anyway.
jgeerts 13y ago
"I live differently to everybody else I know." Then I expected a great story about an alternative lifestyle. This just sounds boring as hell. To me this story sounded like "I live in a basement, almost never come out or buy things for myself, but I got time on my hand, so I'm living the life right here". It doesn't sound that good to me to be honest. On the other hand, a story I liked to read was Mr. Money Moustache about how he managed to retire on the age of 30 with a NORMAL lifestyle.
- hyphyphyph 13y ago
  Jesus fucking fuck fuck. Fucking what?? Just an example that if you swear, things are never boring. Fuck.
bowietrousers 13y ago
I know a few people who, if not live exactly like this, certainly think like it. Walling yourself off from all dependencies (physical, financial, emotional) in order to grow your brain and Just Write Code might seem like a smart thing to do, and the purism of it will appeal to some. If the OP genuinely obtains no enjoyment at all from anything else, then that's fine - that's what it sounds like. But it's the pay-off that stings, the 'shit you don't need' attitude, which is ultimately judging everyone else as inferior for not making the same choice, or having the (immensely privileged?) ability to 'make your work your life'. I love and value my family & my friends, and spending money to spend time with them enriches my life. Not everyone wants to be an island.
- Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
  Exactly. I moan about work sometimes but I like work - I like the social interaction, social interaction needs people, people are sometimes dicks, dicks are something I moan about BUT overall I'm happier because I work despite occasional downsides.
gozmike 13y ago
Bingo. I lived a similar situation (minus the post-education debt - yay Canada!) My lifestyle today isn't much different than what it was when I was a student other than the addition of a mortgage I can easily afford. I'm happy. I travel. I live. I just don't show off, nor do I get things for the sake of having them. By surrounding yourself with family and good friends, you can find happiness in so many other things than the material. EDIT: I forgot to mention, when I spend to live I won't spend on things, but I will on experience. I'll happily forgo the latest iGadget and a car that matches my socio-economic status and opt for an experience that will enrich my life in some way.
nileshtrivedi 13y ago
Someone gave me this financial advice once: "Keep your lifestyle 3 to 5 years behind your growing income." I followed it and have had a similar experience. Since my first job, I went and got an MBA, paid off the student loan, bought a house and at 31, I still have enough savings to last me 3-4 years at my family's current lifestyle. Frugality is powerful.
- Stranger2013 13y ago
  "bought" a house or taken a loan?
  - nileshtrivedi 13y ago
    Bought. I didn't need a loan.
spacec0wb0y 13y ago
This was surprisingly uninspiring.
- hyphyphyph 13y ago
  Go take speed.
kjjw 13y ago
The removal of all responsibility from my life would leave me dissatisfied. For me a rich life involves interconnectedness with other people - families, kids, friends, colleagues. That interconnectedness gives rise to responsibility. And that's the way I like it.
Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
I'm trying to put my finger on why people (including myself) find this piece a little (unintentionally I suspect) disrespectful and I think it's that there's something in the tone, and specifically in this phrase: "You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." That suggests that those who follow a more conventional route are in some way stumbling along dissatisfied with life and trying to fill the gaping void with gaudy trinkets and baubles only to find that it's not working. Maybe it's just me but I enjoy the holidays, I enjoy working every day with smart people, I enjoy my family, I enjoy the security of owning my own home and so on. There's definitely something in what he's doing - prioritising what's important to him and making that his goal rather than what might be more conventionally expect of him - but, there's something in the tone that, for me at least, doesn't make this point as well as it might.
locofacetwice 13y ago
Looks like a story about fat ginger who lives in his basement and never leaves. Thanks but no thanks.
justanother 13y ago
Somewhat surprised at all the revulsion to this post. I live pretty similarly to this fellow, but it isn't the least bit boring. When I finally saw the right bicycle, I spent about $450 on it, then rode 100 miles on it. It was a life-changing adventure. When I finally saw the right sailboat, I spent about $2700 on it (less than many/most HN'ers paychecks), then sailed 100 miles on it with the wife. It was a life-changing adventure. It isn't up to me to say which way of living is best. But I'd lay odds that I'm going to be pretty well satisfied with the one I've chosen, when my last day comes. Incidentally, Alex doesn't appear to be 'hoarding' cash, he just seems to have saved up a couple months' glide path, something everyone is supposed to do, but according to the recent CNN article, almost nobody does. When interest rates go back up, this seems likely to change.
- theorique 13y ago
  Financial advisers suggest that everyone 'should' save up 6-9 months of expenses in an emergency fund in case of job loss, etc. I don't know what percent of people actually do this, though.
- jasallen 13y ago
  I think I'm in more or less the same, uh, boat. I made a very good living for about 15 years more because I was learning a lot from those I was working with than because I was climbing the ladder. A few months ago, my adventure changed. I'm bootstrapping now, and have a reasonable amount of runway. Even still I will occasionally have a night out, and I can afford business investments that make sense. Currently reading Seth Godin's Icarus Deception, and to put it in his terms, I think the idea of having a job and spending >80% of your income on a rolling basis really plays into the industrial machine that wants to keep us as good little cogs.
- hyphyphyph 13y ago
  You deserve a hug.
deepvibrations 13y ago
There seems to be a lot of chat about nothing in these comments...Let me put it simply for everyone: "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." That is the core message and there is a lot of truth behind it...
ndcrandall 13y ago
I'm seeing a trend in the comments here and would just like to add my experience. It is quite similar to the author in that I worked fulltime for a year plus 3 months contracting for the same company. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had good health, no family obligations, and low student loan debt (payed off in within a few months of graduating). With that in mind, I can honestly say that there was a ton of pressure to spend money to "better my life". I would get strange looks and comments from friends and family because I drove a '93 Del Sol, and lived in the same apartment after graduating. The only big purchase I made recently was upgrading to a used car that is only 10 years old. In the end I saved a lot of money. Enough to move back to California, in the Bay Area. I have been living off of savings for 7 months and honestly have about 7 more (conservative numbers). I live comfortably here and I get to work on my own projects on my own time until I make money or run out, in which case I will go find more contract work. My point is that I decided early what I wanted to do and planned accordingly. I know that I'm in a very unique category with little responsibility. I have much respect for those who can't quite do what I do because of other obligations. This makes me happy and I wouldn't have it any other way. No need to feel sorry for me and think I'm not living life to the fullest, because in my mind I am.
- purplelobster 13y ago
  Spending on cars is one of those things that I can't comprehend personally, because for me a car is just a means of transportation. My requirements for a car are that it's not too unsafe, has OK mpg, and doesn't break down too often. That's why I got a 98 Honda Accord, works perfectly. I understand that people can be into nice and expensive cars , but that's gotta be one of the most expensive hobbies out there.
deleted 13y ago
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f4stjack 13y ago
so... how does he work?

63 points by alex-warren 13y ago

I also practically live as I did when I was a student. The main difference is I have a mobile phone a Spotify subscription. Living like this is easy, convincing your gf to isn't...

jumblesale 13y ago

This is a little condescending. I live frugally but have spent the money I've saved on a house for my family to live in. I've contracted the last year to be able to afford to travel around the world next month. "You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." True, I don't need a house or to go travelling but my life would be poorer had I not invested in that shit.

hyphyphyph 13y ago
You want condescending? 'cause his blog post wasn't. Look, like if you're fucking happy right now, great! But if you have a reaction to his post that makes you feel attacked, belittled, then there very well might be a good reason for that. And boy, it ain't nothin' on the author.

shawabawa3 13y ago

> When I started working, I didn’t start spending. I'm exactly the same. I see so many people living paycheck to paycheck, and for me there is nothing more depressing. I've only been working for around a year and a half and I already have the economic freedom to be unemployed for a year. Also, I don't really feel like I live frugally. I go out as much as I want to, I go on holidays, I buy a few luxuries that I really want. I really don't understand how people manage to spend so much

icebraining 13y ago
I really don't understand how people manage to spend so much Maybe they just earn less than you?
- dirktheman 13y ago
  Could be, but I have coworkers that make about the same amount of money as me, yet they're not able to save money. They spend it mostly on clothes, restaurants and bars. Some of them don't even have kids yet they manage to consume their whole paycheck within the month.
  - hyphyphyph 13y ago
    There's a lot of shit that adds up. Booze is a serious killer. Cigarettes are goddamn expensive. Clothes pile up in cost...
dagw 13y ago
My first couple of years on a full time job I spent all the money i earned, barely making it from paycheck to paycheck (almost always carrying a few hundred dollars in debt), saving nothing, and it was freaking awesome. No room mate, lived in the middle of town, buy any thing I wanted, go out to any place I wanted. I could afford to fly to the States for a week (or even a long weekend) and stay in a nice hotel on a whim just because someone said, "hey come on over we're having a party". Honestly it was some of the best times of my life, and I'm really glad a I took the chance when I had the chance. Looking back I can only say thank god these sorts of blog posts weren't popular when I was 20 or those years might have been much more dull.

pinaceae 13y ago

...and another one simply living single, with no outside responsibilities and lucky to be healthy, claiming this lifestyle as somehow superior (others complain!) but not realizing that there is nothing special about it. nobody dependent on you? no kids, no employees, no sick parents? you not dependent on anyone? no accidents, no clients not paying, no disease or disablement? living in a safe, rich, area of the world? oh how awesome you are.

wellboy 13y ago
He's not looking down on anyone or comparing himself with people who are disabled, he's looking at people who have the same responsibilites as him, but rather go for short term gratification than for creating their own freedom. Growing up doesn't mean getting a job and saving money, but getting out there all by yourself and doing awesome shit. I wrote about that more in detail http://appreneur-diaries.com/its-time-to-grow-up-fuck-no http://appreneur-diaries.com/its-time-to-grow-up-fuck-no
- pmelendez 13y ago
  > "but rather go for short term gratification than for creating their own freedom." How come starting a family is a "short" term gratification?
  - mfieldhouse 13y ago
    I've often seen the choice of having kids or getting married being used as a 'quick fix'. Usually for a failing relationship, insecurities or poor financial choices (benefits++). It's not always, but it can be.
    - Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
      Anyone having children to patch up a dodgy relationship is an idiot. "Things aren't great between us are they?" "No, what should we do?" "I know let's try something that will leave us exhausted, financially worse off and with no time to ourselves, that will DEFINITELY help."

wellboy 13y ago

Well you're a creator and being in the hamster wheel of having a job just doesn't logically make sense to you. You seek freedom to create thing with nothing except from your own neurons. That's why you'll be a millionaire very soon, but you won't buy things from it, you'll just keep hacking. A true entrepreneur. :)

bowietrousers 13y ago
What, hoarding profits is the right thing to do? If everyone acted like that there wouldn't be an economy.
- wellboy 13y ago
  Once you made your first million, you become an Angel investor of course, hacking the startup ecosysstem. :) But you don't spend on cars or shit like that's just baggage. For every new item you own, you have to think of it, you have to worry about insurance, maintenance, cleaning cringe
  - hyphyphyph 13y ago
    That's why you buy a car; to put the baggage in the trunk.
  - hyphyphyph 13y ago
    Also, dead bodies.

tzaman 13y ago

excellent point... if you want to live like a flower. Some of us prefer going to places, trying new things, meeting new people, having a family and hobbies. And all those things cost money. When I'm old I'd rather say I'm broke because I lived my life to the fullest than I lived conservatively so I can afford to be a stressless elder with savings (hopefully I wont be downvoted because I beg to differ)

johnmw 13y ago
Interesting. Maybe different people have different priorities? The OP saved up to live working on things he loved. I mostly save up to travel and try new things. Some people save up to buy a shiny new red sports car. When you are old, you are going to decide if you have lived life to the fullest.
isxek 13y ago
> When I'm old I'd rather say I'm broke because I lived my life to the fullest That's probably where people differ - how they understand what "living life to the fullest" means. To the OP, it means spending less on what he does not need and working on the things he likes. To others, it's travel, meeting other people. There's no shame spending your money the way you want. Just don't live beyond your means. Know your (financial) limits.
roderick3427 13y ago
I think it's a matter of comfort. Some people can live life flying by the seat of their pants. In my opinion, those types of people are comfortable with moving fast, breaking and fixing things, and trying new adventures. They can look back at their lives and tell their grand kids how they'd lived to the fullest. But, on the other side of the spectrum. We have people who feel comfortable living very conservative lives way beneath their means. I think it provides them a sense of security and empowerment. They may come from backgrounds where they never had much growing up that could've contributed to that behavior, maybe. I'm sure my denfintion of a wholeheartedly lived life would be different from yours and a lot of other people. I don't necessary think your definition or anyone else is wrong. I just know at the end of the day we come from different backgrounds. Our desires from life have been shaped by different lives lived in different times or places. If it's comfortable for you to do and you're still happy about life afterwards with no regrets, I see no problem calling it "living life to fullest".

tonylemesmer 13y ago

If everyone lived like the OP would the economy still work? Maybe the economy would shift. I only buy second hand cars because I hate paying too much depreciation but someone, somewhere is buying the new ones, which I can then take advantage of. I try and live as frugally as possible but my idea of frugality is probably way different to everyone elses, as is his.

wellboy 13y ago
Then everybody would have their own startup. Awesome. :)

dagw 13y ago

"You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." But it's the shit I don't need that ads to the enjoyment of my life.

wellboy 13y ago
In the short run, but for every dollar you spend, you give a bit more of your own freedom away.
- russgray 13y ago
  That's an entirely reasonable trade-off. Freedom may be the destination but there's no reason that the journey has to suck.

dirktheman 13y ago

I found that most people I know spend their money according to their paycheck. If you don't save money as soon as your paycheck comes in, it'll be gone by the end of the month. No matter hwo much you make. However, when you've come to the point of finding someone you love and want to spend the rest of your life with, living the frugal student life isn't going to cut it. You'll want to move to a bigger place, have kids (trust me, they're expensive!), need a bigger car, etcetera. For us, this was a conscious choice. We choose to spend money on our house, our kids, holidays, hobbies. We do save quite a lot, but I think there is a nice middle ground between spending next to nothing and living from paycheck to paycheck.

jlangenauer 13y ago
I go one better than this: I have my monthly salary paid directly into my savings account, then I "pay" myself weekly into a current account the amount of money I actually live off. Your savings can accrue surprisingly fast like this.
- dirktheman 13y ago
  Nice! How does that work, though? Do you set budgets for things like food, rent/mortgage, insurances? How do you avoid overspending?
- oinkgrr 13y ago
  I'm liking that idea. Anything that's not spent builds up nicely in the savings account. It's normal to save a set amount each month and whatever is left you just leave sitting in your current account. But that turns it on it's head, leaving any surplus in the savings account. And paying yourself a budget every week helps you manage the money.

insuffi 13y ago

I completely agree with the OP. Let's be honest - you don't NEED a 100 k car right after graduation, even if you're earning a 100 k a year(I've seen this happen). What he's trying to say is that there's a huge difference between NEED and WANT that people often mis-perceive. If you only buy shit you NEED, you can save up, then quit your job and do things that you WANT to do, without having to worry about job security, next paycheck et cetera. But people feel entitled. They DESERVE the car, they NEED the house. The economy would die if everyone was frugal lol

Stranger2013 13y ago
What if that car is a real chick-magnet though?
- insuffi 13y ago
  Do you really want a chick that is attracted to your car instead of being attracted to you?
  - digitalsushi 13y ago
    Maybe if you're dropping 100k on a car to get girls, you don't care what they really think of you as long as they act a certain way. And maybe that's just fine. Just a consideration.
  - dagw 13y ago
    You've got to start somewhere. My mom admits that the first thing she noticed about my dad was his cool car, and they've been happily married for over 35 years.

wellboy 13y ago

It's funny how many people are still offended by others discovering entrepreneurship. even on hackernews. Anybody an idea why?

hyphyphyph 13y ago
Because most of the people in the startup community are uninspired wannabe dreamers filled with shallow ambitions of the social acceptance they know, deep down, they don't particularly deserve of their own personal merit. It's our club and you're not cool enough. That's what I'm thinking, anyway.

jgeerts 13y ago

"I live differently to everybody else I know." Then I expected a great story about an alternative lifestyle. This just sounds boring as hell. To me this story sounded like "I live in a basement, almost never come out or buy things for myself, but I got time on my hand, so I'm living the life right here". It doesn't sound that good to me to be honest. On the other hand, a story I liked to read was Mr. Money Moustache about how he managed to retire on the age of 30 with a NORMAL lifestyle.

hyphyphyph 13y ago
Jesus fucking fuck fuck. Fucking what?? Just an example that if you swear, things are never boring. Fuck.

bowietrousers 13y ago

I know a few people who, if not live exactly like this, certainly think like it. Walling yourself off from all dependencies (physical, financial, emotional) in order to grow your brain and Just Write Code might seem like a smart thing to do, and the purism of it will appeal to some. If the OP genuinely obtains no enjoyment at all from anything else, then that's fine - that's what it sounds like. But it's the pay-off that stings, the 'shit you don't need' attitude, which is ultimately judging everyone else as inferior for not making the same choice, or having the (immensely privileged?) ability to 'make your work your life'. I love and value my family & my friends, and spending money to spend time with them enriches my life. Not everyone wants to be an island.

Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
Exactly. I moan about work sometimes but I like work - I like the social interaction, social interaction needs people, people are sometimes dicks, dicks are something I moan about BUT overall I'm happier because I work despite occasional downsides.

gozmike 13y ago

Bingo. I lived a similar situation (minus the post-education debt - yay Canada!) My lifestyle today isn't much different than what it was when I was a student other than the addition of a mortgage I can easily afford. I'm happy. I travel. I live. I just don't show off, nor do I get things for the sake of having them. By surrounding yourself with family and good friends, you can find happiness in so many other things than the material. EDIT: I forgot to mention, when I spend to live I won't spend on things, but I will on experience. I'll happily forgo the latest iGadget and a car that matches my socio-economic status and opt for an experience that will enrich my life in some way.

nileshtrivedi 13y ago

Someone gave me this financial advice once: "Keep your lifestyle 3 to 5 years behind your growing income." I followed it and have had a similar experience. Since my first job, I went and got an MBA, paid off the student loan, bought a house and at 31, I still have enough savings to last me 3-4 years at my family's current lifestyle. Frugality is powerful.

Stranger2013 13y ago
"bought" a house or taken a loan?
- nileshtrivedi 13y ago
  Bought. I didn't need a loan.

spacec0wb0y 13y ago

This was surprisingly uninspiring.

hyphyphyph 13y ago
Go take speed.

kjjw 13y ago

The removal of all responsibility from my life would leave me dissatisfied. For me a rich life involves interconnectedness with other people - families, kids, friends, colleagues. That interconnectedness gives rise to responsibility. And that's the way I like it.

Tyrannosaurs 13y ago

I'm trying to put my finger on why people (including myself) find this piece a little (unintentionally I suspect) disrespectful and I think it's that there's something in the tone, and specifically in this phrase: "You can enjoy your life right now. You just need to spend less money on shit that you don’t need." That suggests that those who follow a more conventional route are in some way stumbling along dissatisfied with life and trying to fill the gaping void with gaudy trinkets and baubles only to find that it's not working. Maybe it's just me but I enjoy the holidays, I enjoy working every day with smart people, I enjoy my family, I enjoy the security of owning my own home and so on. There's definitely something in what he's doing - prioritising what's important to him and making that his goal rather than what might be more conventionally expect of him - but, there's something in the tone that, for me at least, doesn't make this point as well as it might.

locofacetwice 13y ago

Looks like a story about fat ginger who lives in his basement and never leaves. Thanks but no thanks.

justanother 13y ago

Somewhat surprised at all the revulsion to this post. I live pretty similarly to this fellow, but it isn't the least bit boring. When I finally saw the right bicycle, I spent about $450 on it, then rode 100 miles on it. It was a life-changing adventure. When I finally saw the right sailboat, I spent about $2700 on it (less than many/most HN'ers paychecks), then sailed 100 miles on it with the wife. It was a life-changing adventure. It isn't up to me to say which way of living is best. But I'd lay odds that I'm going to be pretty well satisfied with the one I've chosen, when my last day comes. Incidentally, Alex doesn't appear to be 'hoarding' cash, he just seems to have saved up a couple months' glide path, something everyone is supposed to do, but according to the recent CNN article, almost nobody does. When interest rates go back up, this seems likely to change.

theorique 13y ago
Financial advisers suggest that everyone 'should' save up 6-9 months of expenses in an emergency fund in case of job loss, etc. I don't know what percent of people actually do this, though.
jasallen 13y ago
I think I'm in more or less the same, uh, boat. I made a very good living for about 15 years more because I was learning a lot from those I was working with than because I was climbing the ladder. A few months ago, my adventure changed. I'm bootstrapping now, and have a reasonable amount of runway. Even still I will occasionally have a night out, and I can afford business investments that make sense. Currently reading Seth Godin's Icarus Deception, and to put it in his terms, I think the idea of having a job and spending >80% of your income on a rolling basis really plays into the industrial machine that wants to keep us as good little cogs.
hyphyphyph 13y ago
You deserve a hug.

deepvibrations 13y ago

There seems to be a lot of chat about nothing in these comments...Let me put it simply for everyone: "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." That is the core message and there is a lot of truth behind it...

ndcrandall 13y ago

I'm seeing a trend in the comments here and would just like to add my experience. It is quite similar to the author in that I worked fulltime for a year plus 3 months contracting for the same company. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had good health, no family obligations, and low student loan debt (payed off in within a few months of graduating). With that in mind, I can honestly say that there was a ton of pressure to spend money to "better my life". I would get strange looks and comments from friends and family because I drove a '93 Del Sol, and lived in the same apartment after graduating. The only big purchase I made recently was upgrading to a used car that is only 10 years old. In the end I saved a lot of money. Enough to move back to California, in the Bay Area. I have been living off of savings for 7 months and honestly have about 7 more (conservative numbers). I live comfortably here and I get to work on my own projects on my own time until I make money or run out, in which case I will go find more contract work. My point is that I decided early what I wanted to do and planned accordingly. I know that I'm in a very unique category with little responsibility. I have much respect for those who can't quite do what I do because of other obligations. This makes me happy and I wouldn't have it any other way. No need to feel sorry for me and think I'm not living life to the fullest, because in my mind I am.

purplelobster 13y ago
Spending on cars is one of those things that I can't comprehend personally, because for me a car is just a means of transportation. My requirements for a car are that it's not too unsafe, has OK mpg, and doesn't break down too often. That's why I got a 98 Honda Accord, works perfectly. I understand that people can be into nice and expensive cars , but that's gotta be one of the most expensive hobbies out there.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

f4stjack 13y ago

so... how does he work?