Why I Left America | Hacker News Reader

Why I Left America

sive.rs

28 pointsingve21 comments

> But I always want to learn and grow. To grow intellectually, you need to be surprised. If we’re not surprised, we’re not really learning. We may add new information, but not really update our understanding of the world. No “Wow!” No “Aha!”

That’s the truth

For people with “stable” life with kids and all that adult stuff - do you feel having a house give you that guarantee of safety net? I have thought along the lines of the author and many time felt the urge of exactly doing that especially since I am priced out of the real estate in the areas I live or want to live anyway. Rent forever basically and live as a world citizen. But then I think how terrible life must be to have to move when you are 59 and still looking for a place to rent or even worse have to force your kids abandon their friends so frequently in their childhood days.

People keep wondering why American millennials aren’t having children but it’s very obvious if you are a millennial yourself. My girlfriend and I can’t even think of having children because we can’t be confident about being able to give them a decent life, and it will be that way for as long as our landlord is in charge.

The last time I checked, it cost nearly $20k per year to raise a child in America?

~$270k per child from birth to 18 per USDA, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars.

I make about $35K/year so not an option.

That is such a tragedy, especially as American birth rates are in such a decline.

Buying a house will just replace the landlord with a bank and the government (property tax).

The mortgage ends in 30 years, rent will continue rising until you die.

So will property tax

It's basically nothing compared to rent, which will be adjusted for every property tax hike, but also always goes up regardless of property tax.

And you can’t be evicted at any time with a 60 day notice w/ no explanation! That part is pretty significant.

Which has a fair market value of nothing compared to a house.

I've rented and owned while raising a child. In terms of my lifestyle, I vastly preferred renting. My weekends were totally free to go on adventures with my child. Now that I own a house, at least one of those weekend days is devoted to keeping up with maintenance and cleaning.

There are many other things I like about owning a home, but in terms of quality of my life, I preferred renting. Financially, owning a home feels better in the long run, even when maintenance and other costs are included.

It really all depends on what you value. Finances, freedom to make your space your own, not having to worry about maintenance, etc.

I always thought the main benefit of a house was a little buffer space from my neighbors. Houses are also a lot of work to maintain. We didn’t start in a house I liked. Our first two houses were fixer uppers. I learned to do a lot myself. After 15 years, our third house is finally somewhere I enjoy living. The main thing to pay for when buying a house is location. If it in a good location, even if it isn’t perfect, it will still sell. I guess I also don’t think of life with kids as stable. As much as I love them, their schedules are always changing. I find it rather hectic.

buy rural land, build your own house.

With what income? People need jobs.

I thought everyone could work anywhere these days.

etsy? Hoof trimmer? 'The oldest profession'?

I'm a 23 year old software engineer, and though I want to do this so badly, I struggle with the logistics of having a steady income throughout.

Is the move just to get a remote job in the US and work overnight across the world? Try to get a SWE job in every new country I go to?

Anyone have any advice?

Remote to the US from South America is my goal. Same time zone (pretty much), less natural disasters and pleasant weather.

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