Author Topic: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car  (Read 8181 times)

nnls

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This money diary on refinery29 is pretty mustachian.

Usually on here they are pretty spendy, so its interesting to read the comments on this one which is a lot less consumer driven.

mm1970

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2018, 11:55:59 AM »
This money diary on refinery29 is pretty mustachian.

Usually on here they are pretty spendy, so its interesting to read the comments on this one which is a lot less consumer driven.

Some of that was hard to follow ("my partner").

She likes donuts and cookies and cupcakes way too much.  Trust me, get better eating habits before you hit 30!!

Gosh sometimes I want that kind of job.  A former coworker of mine is now working for Google.  I can't even imagine the free food (he's not at Big G, just a smaller G elsewhere).  Then again, I can't eat wheat anymore, which kind of takes the fun out of free food.  I guess my kids get a lot of free food at school these days.

Alternate living is something that fascinates me.  I think it is a good thing if you want it, but kind of sucks if you don't.  I know many people who have lived in RVs, busses, their trucks or cars, on boats, vans, etc.  Including people doing it now or starting it soon (I guess it comes with the territory living in California).  One friend is moving into a truck and will be saving $2k a month on rent.

kaizen soze

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2018, 12:09:43 PM »
I once traveled to Irvine CA to interview for a job. During one of my interviews, this guy blurts out "the question you're probably asking yourself is 'can I live in Irvine on $125,000 a year?' and the answer is 'apparently'."

I wonder about the logistics and safety of living in your car. Does one park at work? In a different neighborhood each night? Does this mean you are usually just crashing someone's couch?

mm1970

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2018, 02:33:36 PM »
I once traveled to Irvine CA to interview for a job. During one of my interviews, this guy blurts out "the question you're probably asking yourself is 'can I live in Irvine on $125,000 a year?' and the answer is 'apparently'."

I wonder about the logistics and safety of living in your car. Does one park at work? In a different neighborhood each night? Does this mean you are usually just crashing someone's couch?

At work, in the parking lot.  Or on the street in a neighborhood that you are familiar with.

nnls

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2018, 05:13:40 PM »
This money diary on refinery29 is pretty mustachian.

Usually on here they are pretty spendy, so its interesting to read the comments on this one which is a lot less consumer driven.

Some of that was hard to follow ("my partner").

She likes donuts and cookies and cupcakes way too much.  Trust me, get better eating habits before you hit 30!!

Gosh sometimes I want that kind of job.  A former coworker of mine is now working for Google.  I can't even imagine the free food (he's not at Big G, just a smaller G elsewhere).  Then again, I can't eat wheat anymore, which kind of takes the fun out of free food.  I guess my kids get a lot of free food at school these days.

Alternate living is something that fascinates me.  I think it is a good thing if you want it, but kind of sucks if you don't.  I know many people who have lived in RVs, busses, their trucks or cars, on boats, vans, etc.  Including people doing it now or starting it soon (I guess it comes with the territory living in California).  One friend is moving into a truck and will be saving $2k a month on rent.

They are polygamous and non binary and I think their partner/s might be as well so I think that is why they dont use terms like boyfriend/girlfriend and their are multiple partners

mm1970

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 10:37:39 AM »
This money diary on refinery29 is pretty mustachian.

Usually on here they are pretty spendy, so its interesting to read the comments on this one which is a lot less consumer driven.

Some of that was hard to follow ("my partner").

She likes donuts and cookies and cupcakes way too much.  Trust me, get better eating habits before you hit 30!!

Gosh sometimes I want that kind of job.  A former coworker of mine is now working for Google.  I can't even imagine the free food (he's not at Big G, just a smaller G elsewhere).  Then again, I can't eat wheat anymore, which kind of takes the fun out of free food.  I guess my kids get a lot of free food at school these days.

Alternate living is something that fascinates me.  I think it is a good thing if you want it, but kind of sucks if you don't.  I know many people who have lived in RVs, busses, their trucks or cars, on boats, vans, etc.  Including people doing it now or starting it soon (I guess it comes with the territory living in California).  One friend is moving into a truck and will be saving $2k a month on rent.

They are polygamous and non binary and I think their partner/s might be as well so I think that is why they dont use terms like boyfriend/girlfriend and their are multiple partners
I think I figured that out about 3/4 of the way through.

Morning Glory

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2018, 04:14:14 PM »
I enjoyed the article for the most part and thought she/he was quite responsible for paying her parents back. That transgender chicken would have been rescued right into my crock pot though. Also I can't help wondering why the employer doesn't build dorms instead of encouraging people to live in the parking lot.

honeybbq

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2018, 11:15:59 AM »
That was mostly about cupcakes as far as I could tell.

Hula Hoop

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2018, 12:28:38 PM »
I'm so jealous about the free food at work and it actually sounds good.  Like vegan pad thai and make our own sandwiches.

Call me old fashioned but I don't get what a "partner" is if you are asexual.  Isn't s/he just a friend in that case?

Bicycle_B

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2018, 12:16:00 PM »

Call me old fashioned but I don't get what a "partner" is if you are asexual.  Isn't s/he just a friend in that case?

Nope!

Not ace myself, so had the same question.  Googled "for asexual people what is the difference between partner and friend"... several hits.

I found FictoVore's reply in the discussion below pretty useful.  Describes several elements of romance and physical connection that are not sex by their definition, but wanted in relation to a partner.

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/101323-what-exactly-is-the-difference-between-friendship-and-romantic-attraction/


joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2018, 12:24:52 PM »
Describes several elements of romance and physical connection that are not sex by their definition, but wanted in relation to a partner.

And even without any romance or physical connection, partnership goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond friendship.

Think of a couple married 47 years, one which happens to have no sex, no more romance, and aren't into touch. They may well still be true partners -completely there for each other, having deep love for each other, prioritizing each other above anyone else, totally reliable to the other, sharing life's costs and trials and challenges and joys, buoying each other spiritually, strengthening each other intellectually, cocreating, perhaps coparenting. To me, that's what partnership is. Romance, touch, sex, monogamy are all just options, like air conditioning in a car :)

A bunch of people are just doing this from the start of their partnership, from youth, etc, instead of doing a bunch of other stuff with their person along the way.

Morning Glory

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2018, 01:34:01 PM »
I would like to see a mustachian version of these money diaries. I might put mine together and post it if I get time.

Zola.

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2018, 07:24:01 AM »
Living in your car? That must be bleak.

She can clearly afford to rent somewhere and still save hard, but I suppose she has a plan.

I'd rather have a comfy bed and retire later than sleep in a car for years.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2018, 07:28:47 AM »
I'm puzzled as to why you'd want to save money by living in your car. The point of FIRE is having a standard of living now that you want to have for the rest of your life. But you can be dead broke and live in your car. Shouldn't she just quit now?

K-12FI

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2018, 08:32:34 AM »
I'm puzzled as to why you'd want to save money by living in your car. The point of FIRE is having a standard of living now that you want to have for the rest of your life. But you can be dead broke and live in your car. Shouldn't she just quit now?

You don't have to stop at 25x current spending. all you need is 25x (give or take of course) your desired annual spending. If lowering your expenses in the moderate 1-5 year term gives you enough value, then go for it.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2018, 09:41:00 AM »
Quote
Living in your car? That must be bleak.

No, not for everyone. Some people make theirs very comfy, and love carliving more than any other shelter option. Lots of great videos and blogs online if you want to see and hear people’s happy experiences :)     And when this is the case, it’s an incredible way to put the money into investments instead.

Forever Wednesday

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #16 on: April 23, 2018, 02:32:23 AM »
As far as I can tell, they only require the car for sleeping. On paper, that's not a bad deal in exchange for paying zero rent.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2018, 02:43:36 AM by Forever Wednesday »

Zola.

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2018, 02:53:01 AM »
I wouldn't feel particularly safe sleeping in a car, I'd be waiting for someone to smash the window with a brick and trail me out of it whilst asleep!


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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2018, 03:37:30 AM »
I wouldn't feel particularly safe sleeping in a car, I'd be waiting for someone to smash the window with a brick and trail me out of it whilst asleep!

Definitely not recommended if you are living in, say, the rougher locales of London. :)

It also occurred to me that you'd probably need blacked out windows.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2018, 06:16:59 AM »
Yeah, people sleeping in cars have systems for “stealth”, privacy, nonvisibility, safety, darkness for sleep, comfort, etc. When you google sleeping in car safety privacy, lots of great strategies come up.

It would be easier (and quieter) to break into a house to steal a person, so I think people with that intent would focus their efforts there.

bostonjim

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #20 on: June 19, 2018, 01:34:28 PM »
I read that and all I could think was, "Thank God I moved out of Silly-con Valley..."

obstinate

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #21 on: June 19, 2018, 03:19:48 PM »
Prpoper pronoun to use here is “their,”
I'm so jealous about the free food at work and it actually sounds good.  Like vegan pad thai and make our own sandwiches.

Call me old fashioned but I don't get what a "partner" is if you are asexual.  Isn't s/he just a friend in that case?
They are agender, not asexual. Two different axes. To my understanding, agender means you don’t feel like you are anywhere on the man vs. woman continuum. You can be agender and be sexually attracted to men, women, or some other type of people.

JLee

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #22 on: June 19, 2018, 03:27:29 PM »
I'm so jealous about the free food at work and it actually sounds good.  Like vegan pad thai and make our own sandwiches.

Call me old fashioned but I don't get what a "partner" is if you are asexual.  Isn't s/he just a friend in that case?

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/23/asexual-partner_a_22716158/

Prpoper pronoun to use here is “their,”
I'm so jealous about the free food at work and it actually sounds good.  Like vegan pad thai and make our own sandwiches.

Call me old fashioned but I don't get what a "partner" is if you are asexual.  Isn't s/he just a friend in that case?
They are agender, not asexual. Two different axes. To my understanding, agender means you don’t feel like you are anywhere on the man vs. woman continuum. You can be agender and be sexually attracted to men, women, or some other type of people.

The article claims asexual:
Quote
5:15 p.m. — I bike to the Caltrain station to head into the city ($7.70). I'm meeting up with another partner of mine to watch a play called Can I Hold You: An Aromantic Comedy. We're both asexual, so we're excited and hopeful that the play will be good! $7.70

obstinate

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #23 on: July 11, 2018, 11:23:46 AM »
The article claims asexual:
Quote
5:15 p.m. — I bike to the Caltrain station to head into the city ($7.70). I'm meeting up with another partner of mine to watch a play called Can I Hold You: An Aromantic Comedy. We're both asexual, so we're excited and hopeful that the play will be good! $7.70

Ah, my bad. It also says agender, which was my source of confusion:

Quote
Gender Identity: Agender

tralfamadorian

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #24 on: July 11, 2018, 01:20:11 PM »
Also I can't help wondering why the employer doesn't build dorms instead of encouraging people to live in the parking lot.

Supposedly google and other silicone valley employers have been trying to do this for years but have been blocked during the permitting process.

But it looks like they're finally seeing some progress (greased the right wheels?):
https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/12/googles-massive-housing-and-office-plan-poised-for-approval/

obstinate

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Re: Engineer working in tech who makes $122k lives rent free in her car
« Reply #25 on: July 11, 2018, 02:13:53 PM »
(greased the right wheels?):
In the sense that their employees are now a significant fraction of the population in these municipalities, they often agree with their employers (because the employers' housing demands are in their employees' interests) and they are voting, as is their right.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!