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Comment by sizzle | Hacker News Reader

How do you pay the bills comfortably and do you support a family?

I have as few bills as possible. Just rent, phone, gas, and health insurance. No Netflix or other entertainment subscriptions, no amazon prime, no mortgage etc. I don’t have the latest phone or clothing, I don’t buy things I don’t absolutely need. Most of my money goes to rent and food and my health insurance.

No I don’t support a family. But keep in mind my parents raised me waiting on tables.

I agree. Less is more. The less you have, the more happier you are -- you spend time more on what counts.

Keep in mind your parents _could_ support you on waiting tables. That is no longer as viable.

I'm sorry, but your whole experience reeks of the annoying kind of self-righteousness that only people with no real obligations have.

I don't see it that way, he found a path that works for him. The path might not be right for everyone, but there might be pieces that everyone could use.

> with no real obligations have.

Because he doesn't have kids?

It is an obligation to take care of oneself, to be self sufficient. What you say is slandering this guy's work.

he's not living at home with his parents paying his rent, he's not living on welfare. He's making his way in the world on his own. "No real obligations"?

That's not right, he has the obligation to care for himself, as every person on this planet does.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you choose to have children, a partner and other "obligations", so how is he the self-righteous one?

As I often see here, you're missing the spirit of the post. (S)He's not saying that having less or being poor is intrinsically a happier existence. They are referring to a freedom from consumerism and the "need" to have things or chase the newest fad.

I struggle too, with resisting consumerist urges; which have been ingrained in me since birth. But really, they are right. Does purchasing Tom Ford apparel make you happy? It's fine if it does, but what happens if you don't? Nothing at all, actually.

We don't need all the things we're so constantly sold, and recognizing that lifts a weight (or anxiety, if you wanna call it that) from the shoulders. There's freedom in not needing things.

Go outside. It's free and fun.

I would say the lack of family for many (men, especially) in their late 20's and beyond is another issue that the media will be slow to acknowledge.

Let's face it - 33% of males aren't going to have families of their own, and probably 66% or so (very rough figures) will end up spending the majority of their lives without their families (due to ez-divorce and custody laws favoring mothers).

Families are more important than we think today. Everyone now is an Ultra Important Individual. And that's great, but you need a home base from which to operate as an individual, and you need secure relationships. Don't have kids if you don't want kids, but find a partner and a dog, and take your partnerships seriously. Go into your serious relationships with the for-life mindset.

The next step in our little social activism pendulum is looking at custody laws for sure. Men are very much at risk here on the topic of loneliness especially.

Life in your 20s can be more about your friends and going out, but life after 40 is really about family (if you're fortunate enough to have one of your own)... If your numbers are right it is a total catastrophe.

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