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Comment by icedchai | Hacker News Reader

You know the average American is incapable of saving even 5% of their income, right? That's why this is so unbelievable to some.

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Strangely, the average Indian (vastly poorer than even poor Americans) manages to save 20%.

Lets distinguish "incapable of saving" from "unwilling to reduce consumption".

Am I merely "unwilling to reduce consumption" if I refuse to save money by not paying for internet or a cellphone plan?

Are those really the only optional expenses you have? I would find that very surprising.

I think "consumption" is baked into American culture. Most people are not going to save, period.

I'm not saying that everyone should have the luxury to leave their job if they aren't happy, and if you don't then there is something wrong with you. I'm saying that the implication that if someone does have that luxury it's because they're rich (trust fund) kids is ridiculous.

It's not like she said "I quit my job on a whim and am going to go travel through Europe for a year to find myself". She's clearly a talented person with a sought-after skill and she probably knows she'll be able to find another job, this one just wasn't working out.

"You know the average American..." - She's not an average American. She worked at Dropbox. She is a tech-industry professional that has worked at some highly successful companies for a number of years.

By "Average American" I meant a person with typical (bad) personal finance skills who doesn't save. They simply spend everything they make. And usually then some, getting into CC debt.

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