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Comment by IanDrake | Hacker News Reader

If you're going to be featured in an article highlighting your financial difficulty, move the $450 Dyson fan, 65" DLP TV, and overhead projector out of the frame. It begins to erode their footing and make you question their priorities.

I have friends that make much less than these folks. Some can barely make ends meet and sometimes I will help them with their personal finances. Which is when I usually discover why they can't make ends meet. $150/m cable bill, $100/m mobile bill, a car they can't afford, and constant meals out. They're usually living larger than me on 1/4 the income.

It's sad really, and I'd argue that it's probably not their fault. The level of entitlement we feel is out of control at all income levels.

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Question - Why is this down voted? Isn't living within your means a basic idea in major parts of the world?

This is a great question. Those electronics are actually rational purchases, considering their situation.

The total value of the entertainment devices is around $2500. Spread out over 3 years (the length of time they've lived there), this equates to about $70/mo.

These devices offer a lower-cost option than taking the family out to eat twice per month, cable television, or for each of the adults to go out to a tavern once per month.

In other words, $70/mo wouldn't bring great opportunity to them but allows a low-cost way to blow off steam. Gardening, cooking, or athletics would be nice recreational options at similar costs, but they don't have a yard, nor a kitchen, nor do they likely have the time for scheduled athletics if they work varied shifts. Hence, the electronics are by far the most rational choices for entertainment.

I can't agree with you sorry.

No yard? Try a park in town. You can have hours of fun with a $20 soccer ball or basketball or wiffleball or cornhole or horse shoes.

Need entertainment? Read a book from the library. The great thing is you might actually learn something.

You're wrong about the value of $70 a month for someone who takes payday loans. If they banked the $840 per year they could save hundreds in payday loan interest on top of that.

Then after a few years of savings one of them could take night classes and become a welder, a nurse, or learn some other trade that would boost their income.

That is the American dream.

Let's stop pretending their jobs should pay more and start looking at reality. The reality is there are plenty of opportunities out there. Stop dreaming that your current skillset is worth more and start learning one that actually is.

Thanks for the input. I think you either are an extreme autodidact or haven't been exposed to the poverty trap.

Try a park in town? Not at night time you won't. Night time? Yeah, your irregular shifts cause you to have down time at random times. Remember, the Facebook contract isn't their only gig.

I never pretended the job should pay more. I'm remarking about the choice to purchase electronic entertainment being rational.

I actually agree with you that the parents have the choice to commute from East Oakland, Antioch, or Tracy if they want to start saving money. They are clearly making some trade-offs. I think their trade-offs are rational, but they shouldn't blame Zuck

Facebook is heavily pushing employees to transfer to Seattle. They even keep their pay rate!

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