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I think we need to clearly delineate BWM and bootstraps to keep the discussion reasonable. I propose the following guidelines, based on the posts in the last few pages: Getting an art degree - BWM Giving up morning lattes - bootstraps Buying a house - BWM Getting a roommate - bootstraps Living in a high cost of living city - BWM Not moving across the country to a high cost of living city - bootstraps Anything I'm missing?
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Feb 24, 2016 04:03
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BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:Yeah but also for a 29 year old to be like I FOUND A WAY TO SURVIVE ON $168 UNTIL I COULD LIVE MY DREAM OF BEING A WRITER between bartending shifts while living at my parents house for free on their health insurance commuting on a taxpayer subsidized rail system It's a hell of a lot better than "After making a series of poor career/financial decisions, the first step I will take towards bettering my crappy life surely must be to tell my CEO via the internet how this is all his company's fault."
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Feb 24, 2016 04:26
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BWM: Renting a place that's 85% of your post-tax income Not living with a roommate Causing a PR disaster for your company and getting fired Moving across the country to take a literal minimum wage job in the literal most expensive city in the nation Putting your moving expenses on a credit card Throwing away your loving sweet as hell health insurance by causing a PR disaster for your company So far as anyone can tell, not knowing how to budget (see: 85% of post-tax income) GWM: Getting internet strangers to pay your credit card bill Bootstraps: Having a family friend hand you a job Living rent-free with your parents within commuting distance of your job Having health insurance paid for by your mother Living somewhere with public transportation that isn't a shitshow Making a super smug internet post about how all of the above is a result of your clearly superior work ethic They're both dumb, I just think the second one's utter smugness about how she totally worked hard to get that rent-free place in the New York area with health insurance, plus the waitstaff gig, which was totally something she earned and anyone could have done if they'd tried harder is more obnoxious. EDIT: v It was Bulleit (I recognized the shape of the bottle) and I think the last time I saw it at Costco (which does not require you to have a membership to buy alcohol in CA) it was either $26.99 or $36.99. I still have a handle of Maker's that I bought there loving ages ago that's just been hanging out in my filing cabinet at work. Colin Mockery fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 04:45
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I just want to know what brand of bourbon it was
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Feb 24, 2016 04:56
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Success is part work, part talent, and part luck (don't bother arguing the weights of each) Being smart is realizing that spending 85% of your take-home pay on rent hoping to upgrade your call center job to "funny tweet writer" is maybe leaning a little hard on the luck side.
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Feb 24, 2016 05:04
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BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:True, but also an economy structured such that working full time with a college degree yet with a forthright expectation to live with your parents for financial reasons for multiple years kind of sucks There are plenty of jobs out there that allow you to move out at 18. None of them are sexy or fun or creative. But they pay well.
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Feb 24, 2016 05:11
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I think a friend of mine may have just done something that I'm getting the feeling is going to be a boondoggle... He's been majorly into building and repairing classic arcade machines for many, many years. Eventually built up a collection that literally took up entire garages, basements, and bedrooms. Joined an classic gaming group on Facebook, and him and a few of them decided to go and open an arcade. It's a dream of his, always has been, and he does have a ton in talent in building pretty awesome arcade cabinets. The day before opening, the local news did a feature about the place opening and about 900 people RSVP'd to the opening on Facebook. So far, it sounds like things are going well. The arcade opened on the same day as his wife's baby shower...which was both women and men, and had about 60 people show up -- including both of his long ago divorced parents, both of his brothers, all of their friends, and people with personal involvement in the arcade. But the father was nowhere to be seen (This is more bad with life than with money). I did find out a few things though... When he went into business with these guys, he didn't have any money to put down, but he did have the machines. So, basically, they agreed to cut him in on a share of the profits in return for usage of the machines. Sounds OK, I guess. Except, apparently, NONE of this is in writing. In the week before opening, getting stuff for the business, he racked up over $300 in overdraft fees from Wells Fargo on his personal account. Also, the location they chose is in a primarily residential suburban neighborhood on a very minor street with not much parking. They want to stay open until 2AM and have live DJ's...but the chances of getting a liquor license OR being allowed to stay open that late in that hood are pretty much slim to none. Even if they could, I wouldn't recommend it. Did I also mention he quit his day job to do this, and his wife is getting laid off in the next 6 months or less with about 4 months worth of severance from a 50K-ish a year job due to a company restructuring? Also, they don't live in their own house or apartment...they rent a bedroom from his brother. In any case, the plan was to go to the baby shower then, after it was finished, head down to the grand opening of the arcade. Except I had a bit of a cold, so after the shower I passed on the arcade grand opening. Apparently they had a line out the door right at the 4PM opening and most of the night. Today, two days after opening, he posted a picture to Facebook of a completely empty arcade asking people to bring their kids on down. I hope this succeeds and works out. Because they're my friends, and because of the kid on the way. But I'm not feeling optimistic and I don't think I'm wrong.
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Feb 24, 2016 05:40
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Its almost like US labor laws/wages can be hosed up AND this girl can be an entitled, BWM moron at the same time!
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Feb 24, 2016 07:16
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oxsnard posted:Its almost like US labor laws/wages can be hosed up AND this girl can be an entitled, BWM moron at the same time! That sounds like the basis for a nuanced conversation. I don't think we are into that. More bwm arcades.
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Feb 24, 2016 07:39
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BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:Shots fired, wherein a world weary 29 year old bartender who lived the privilege of being functionally unemployed in NYC while living at mom's house after graduating college does some 'splainin to Talia Jane, fired yelp call center employee: It gets very much better. The "world weary 29 year old bartender" preaching against handouts from strangers is living her dream as a writer because her mom contributed a few grand to her kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1599633119/front-of-house-a-web-series/description https://twitter.com/Lubchansky/status/702131697920434177
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Feb 24, 2016 08:15
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blackmet posted:
There was a reason arcades went out of business. It would be fun to go to a classic arcade once. Maybe. It would have been better to try and set up a "history of videogames" style museum with an arcade on the side, or have a videogame themed bar. Opening an arcade in a residential arcade seems very BWM.
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Feb 24, 2016 09:30
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Dr. Eldarion posted:Of course people should be able to afford to live within a reasonable distance from their work. Minimum wage should be raised, CEO pay caps should be put in place, and health care should be completely socialized. The housing situation in the bay area desperately needs to be unfucked. I was a little tongue in cheek earlier in the thread just cashing in on my clever Laissez's Fair username, but I actually legitimately believe that better than CEO paycaps would be corporate taxation as a function of income inequality. If the CEO's compensation is on the same order of magnitude as the lowest paid employee's, give a discount down to ~25% or so. If the CEO's compensation is 300:1 like at CVS then tax the corporate income at 80%. Of course that would presume we had an effectual taxation mechanism that could actually collect taxes from companies that operate in the US.
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Feb 24, 2016 14:54
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GoutPatrol posted:There was a reason arcades went out of business. It would be fun to go to a classic arcade once. Maybe. Every successful arcade themed place these days has free to play machines and makes up for it in beer. If he's hoping for kids to stop in with quarters he's forgetting that the average phone already has 10 frogger rip-offs on it.
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Feb 24, 2016 15:12
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blackmet posted:I hope this succeeds and works out. Because they're my friends, and because of the kid on the way. But I'm not feeling optimistic and I don't think I'm wrong. There's a reason that 99% of arcades went out of business, and it's not that the owners didn't want it to succeed enough. There's gotta be some other kind of hook or that place will be bleeding money. Even all the barcades I know of went under within less than a year.
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Feb 24, 2016 15:14
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There are some successful barcades in Chicago, but it's a very risky venture. There's only the clientele to support so many of those things, even in the biggest cities. I don't think a non-bar arcade where you need to pay for games will ever work again.
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Feb 24, 2016 15:23
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How are you smart enough to set up all this cool poo poo that is required to make an arcade and yet dumb enough to not realize why this would be a terrible idea* (*from a financial standpoint. If you're flush with cash and want to make your dream arcade then go nuts. But that's not the story being told here.)
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Feb 24, 2016 15:25
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One of the ongoing themes of this thread is that very smart, very successful people can fool themselves into thinking they are good at everything. Does not always translate well to financial planning.
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Feb 24, 2016 15:30
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I've got a playdate on Sunday at a retro-themed arcade bar. As far as I can tell they're surviving - but I think they're a bar with an interest in video games rather than an arcade with an interest in booze. The booze is the money maker. The video games just help them standout against other bars. I kind of doubt that's enough to keep them in business, though. So I figured I'd go check them out before economics catches up to them. My kid's thrilled though. Even young kids know a quarter a game is a good deal.
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Feb 24, 2016 15:48
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There's an awesome pinball place in downtown Tucson. It's a couple of moneybags aerospace engineers who have been collecting machines for years, and rented a small space in the main bar drag. They open the place on Friday nights and weekends. They really only opened it for fun, to share their hobby with the public. They also didn't quit their day jobs, because they are not crazy. You can look at the kinds of new arcade machines these days to see how healthy the industry is. It's nearly all redemption games, scaled up versions of phone games, or games with big peripherals (driving, rhythm dance games). The "classic" buttons and joystick arcade machine is gone forever.
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Feb 24, 2016 17:30
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canyoneer posted:There's an awesome pinball place in downtown Tucson. It's a couple of moneybags aerospace engineers who have been collecting machines for years, and rented a small space in the main bar drag. They open the place on Friday nights and weekends.
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Feb 24, 2016 18:23
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Gray Matter posted:Name of this place, please? I loving love Ground Kontrol in Portland for their pinball, and I'll be moving back to Tucson area next year. D and D Pinball! http://danddpinball.com/index.php This place kicks rear end. Not a barcade, but close enough to the bars where you can hit it up while pub crawling. Fun to swing by on a weekend afternoon, as well.
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Feb 24, 2016 18:31
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DrBouvenstein posted:Holy poo poo: Holy poo poo. This guy is hyper hosed. I googled his username, and found his deviantArt and youtube channel. I swear to god, it's all DBZ/sonic SFM videos. ALL OF IT. Most computer animators now have a solid foundation in 2D art. Stuff he posted in the last year, as in two years into his degree, looks like it was drawn by a third grader. Even then, maybe he is an animation savant and just doesn't know how to draw... Nope. His shots look awful. His animations jerky and stiff. Totally incompetent work. The only chance this guy has of ever getting hired is through nepotism or sexual favors. It's not even funny. I just feel bad for him because he got robbed.
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Feb 24, 2016 19:38
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Sepherothic posted:Holy poo poo. This guy is hyper hosed. Post those drat links!!
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Feb 24, 2016 20:15
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For all it's worth, I don't think he should do that. I don't think goons have a very good track record for, err, non-interference.
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Feb 24, 2016 20:35
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stopstophesalreadydead.gif
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Feb 24, 2016 20:36
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Welp the best work he has in his DA account belongs to someone else...but just so other people would see it, you understand...sounds like a for-profit art school grad to me. I remember when the AI jerkoff came to my high school art class. The student-made animation they showed us was so bad that a bunch of 17 year olds were embarrassed for the rep who came to visit. They did the whole song and dance where they show a bunch of artwork that is displayed within the school and imply but never explicitly state that it's created by students; it was hilarious when the teacher asked if that was student artwork and the rep had to hem and haw before admitting that it's for "inspiration". Graphic art and design can be taught, but it has to be an actual education instead of just cashing someone's checks. Sure, not everyone has the aptitude for it, but not everyone has the aptitude for STEM either. It's a real shame that instead of actually teaching and honing art skills, every institution just takes money hand over fist and reinvests it in duping more people.
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Feb 24, 2016 21:01
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Yeah. Art is work too. Sister in law went to a real university for art (textiles)and was constantly complaining about how the other students were so messy and lazy. She would bust her hump to do stuff that actually won national competitions and thus get constructive feedback from experts at good levels, while half the students would halfass something fast for the grade. For content, a co-worker lives in the apartments across the street from work. Good with money, because she could walk here. They are also brand new, built on the last year. Her dogs chewed up the carpets in one of the rooms, and her lease renewal is coming up. She said she wanted to ask them to put on hardwood floors in her apartment (lol). I said they probably wouldn't want to do that, when they can put on builder grade carpet that matches the other units at like 30 cents per square foot. She said she was going to ask anyway, and offer to pay for the materials and installation. On a place she rents. With 12 month leases.
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Feb 24, 2016 21:45
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NancyPants posted:It's a real shame that instead of actually teaching and honing art skills, every institution just takes money hand over fist and reinvests it in duping more people. Art school isn't about learning art. It's about doing art. Successful illustrators/animators go into college already knowing how to animate/draw/paint. That's why any respectable art school require portfolios during admissions. The best art school are actually incredibly competitive in terms of portfolio submission. Classes at these schools are about honing existing talent under mentorships, not learning fundamentals. However, that doesn't stop lovely schools from taking your money to teach you limp dick basics. And yeah, I didn't post the links because that guys so hosed already I feel about about dog-piling.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:07
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Sepherothic posted:Art school isn't about learning art. It's about doing art. Successful illustrators/animators go into college already knowing how to animate/draw/paint. That's why any respectable art school require portfolios during admissions. The best art school are actually incredibly competitive in terms of portfolio submission. This is how I feel about pretty much all arts programs. 90% of the time, a talented artist/writer/musician is going to succeed whether they go to school or not.* People who just want to go from zero talent to respected artist, and think they can accomplish it just by getting an arts degree. Not usually the case. I use John Mayer as an example. His songs are lame, though apparently he's a solid guitar player. He started going to Berklee but dropped out and went on to success anyway. *I should clarify- chances of succeeding are slim to none, but the ones who do probably would have anyway. Content: My sister is a continuing case of BWM. Single mom, apparently (I guess?) living with her ex-mother in law, took on a high interest rate loan for an SUV with 100k miles, and uses that to drive for Uber. At one point last year, somehow had a credit score in the 400s. Uses Acorns to "put a little something away so I won't spend it" Planning to buy a house because she "doesn't want to waste money renting" I think she's been spending money on real estate courses because she says she'll be licensed soon. I think her plan is something like 3% down. She actually did suggest we sit down and have a talk about investing, but seems to be set in her ways. I mentioned that if she's going to spend around $20,000 in rent and utilities per year, buying a condo or home isn't going to save much. She seems to think the entire $20,000 will be going to equity, ignoring interest, PMI, taxes, condo fees, maintenance, etc etc. That, and she has frequent bouts of unemployment, and who knows if that SUV is going to hold up? I don't want to be all  about it, but I don't want to see her foreclosed on.
Moneyball fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 22:18
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Sepherothic posted:Art school isn't about learning art. It's about doing art. Successful illustrators/animators go into college already knowing how to animate/draw/paint. That's why any respectable art school require portfolios during admissions. The best art school are actually incredibly competitive in terms of portfolio submission. Should I have said teaching andor honing art skills? You would have to go to a real art school to get this and admission would be competitive, yes. It is a shame that even otherwise legitimate education institutions have 'art programs' that are designed solely to generate revenue instead of teaching and honing art skills. I don't see why a state school for example would need an art-school-grade portfolio for entry to the art program, but they seem to take it to an extreme and just not teach or grade, because hey, money.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:26
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NancyPants posted:It is a shame that even otherwise legitimate education institutions have 'art programs' that are designed solely to generate revenue instead of teaching and honing art skills. I don't see why a state school for example would need an art-school-grade portfolio for entry to the art program, but they seem to take it to an extreme and just not teach or grade, because hey, money. Yeah, agreed. Most state/private schools are just as bad as the for-profits in terms of creating unrealistic expectations. Hell I've seen thesis films at the supposed "best" specialty art schools that wouldn't net people a reliable career prospects. Art School : BWM.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:34
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blackmet posted:I think a friend of mine may have just done something that I'm getting the feeling is going to be a boondoggle... I'm pretty big into the arcade scene, what's his name? I probably know him.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:37
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Usually I'll put up something about the NZ housing bubble but Australia is so competitive that they always try to out do us. http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/the-charts-that-suggest-the-housing-bubble-is-out-of-control-20160224-gn2b46.html quote:"The Australian housing bubble could not have become as ridiculous as it is without the help of easy financing," he writes.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:11
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So the impression I'm getting is that the housing market in Oceania is basically the same as the US in 2005?
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Feb 24, 2016 23:16
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Sepherothic posted:Yeah, agreed. Most state/private schools are just as bad as the for-profits in terms of creating unrealistic expectations. Went to a fancy art school. They told us day one that only 5% of artists over all ever live off their art earnings. Was an actual good art school and most of my class mates are making a living off their art. One of them even made it on a decently popular TV show recently! A couple are showing at major museums and one has her art on wine bottles. Really good working artist teachers who taught us new skills to apply. Class size - only like 8 people graduated from my painting program and like 12 from my traditional printing program. Every one of us was required to take a dual major for maximum learning. Was hellishly expensive but i'm almost paid off only 6 years after graduation.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:17
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Jmcrofts posted:So the impression I'm getting is that the housing market in Oceania is basically the same as the US in 2005? It looks like Australia has a serious bubble going on. I'm not sure where they are on the scale of 2005-2007 but the only thing keeping this together is the Reserve Bank sitting on an official cash rate of 2%. New Zealand was heading towards this but lending restrictions have been systematically been put in place over the past two years to try to contain the bubble. In Auckland we are seeing a drop in housing prices in areas so the growth in house prices has been somewhat contained. We've seen a halving in the number of houses listed for sale. A lot of commentators are sure why that's happened but I'm seeing people who are unable to secure financing for their next house, so in response they aren't selling their current house. There's still price growth around the rest of the country (seeing investors have to invest outside of Auckland due to lending restrictions). Australia and New Zealand have the same problem with the culture of house buying/investment but different Reserve Bank policies mean that we're diverging in bubble growth rate. Australia seems to be in the region of batshit insane looking at those figures. e: There's also a massive developer oversupply of housing being built in Australia, whereas there are problems with the New Zealand Building Code that is limiting the supply of housing. If the bubble bursts in both countries New Zealand will have a housing shortage and Australian will end up like the savings and loan crisis that I remember hitting Texas. Devian666 fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 23:30
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Devian666 posted:Usually I'll put up something about the NZ housing bubble but Australia is so competitive that they always try to out do us. Holy poo poo 40% of new mortgages are interest-only. I had no idea it was on that level. That is absolute, 100% madness.
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Feb 25, 2016 00:12
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A Bag of Milk posted:Holy poo poo 40% of new mortgages are interest-only. I had no idea it was on that level. That is absolute, 100% madness. Some will be owner-occupiers but a lot will be investors. Not making any principal repayments in a low inflation environment seems crazy to me unless you have a functional, diverse and profitable property empire. Although those tables show that the properties are losing money, so nope.
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Feb 25, 2016 00:45
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Can I short Australian REITs somehow? I'm guessing that's difficult as a US citizen without setting up an Australian corporation or something.
Jeffrey of YOSPOS fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Feb 25, 2016 |
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Feb 25, 2016 02:56
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Dr. Eldarion posted:This is very not true. In particular, look up impostor syndrome.
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Feb 25, 2016 02:57
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