I don't have a side project, but this is basically the approach I take at work. Try to do one useful thing each day. Doesn't even have to be a big useful thing. It adds up.
I guess that's really the whole point of the tortoise and the hare, now that I think of it.
You can only get downvoted on a post to -4, fyi. I stopped caring nearly as much about being agreeable once I learned that.
For what it's worth, congrats on what you did. I'm in a similar position and I completely agree that for the majority of people here it wouldn't take anything beyond stopping making bad choices.
I would guess he is actually getting downvoted because he is pointing out an uncomfortable truth.
The majority of the people that frequent this site are above the median income. Being in the tech field gives you a huge leg up economically.
You can either squander that, or you can use it to stay out of debt and build wealth.
Having someone point out that you maybe don't actually make the best financial decisions is uncomfortable and makes people defensive.
Doesn't make the statement any less true. Most people on a tech salary (even outside the unicorn tech hubs) have the means to be debt free and live quite comfortably besides.
I don't know what it will add to the conversation, but I thought it was worth adding in my two cents.
My family of five is supported by my income (~$100k / year).
I get paid weekly. Every Friday, I go into my bank account amd transfer anything in excess of $2000 into the stock market.
Some weeks that's quite a bit of money, some weeks it's not so much money.
As of a week ago when I did the math, we had $65k more to our names this year than we did one year ago.
Probably half of that was money we saved directly, and half was stock market gains, so I guess from a debt payoff perspective maybe that's closer to $30k.
But I guess my point is, I don't think it's unreasonable to think a two income household in a higher-income metro than where I live could have $80k/yr in excess income to pay down debt with.
Given that the parties are increasingly stratifying along class lines, and the working class is getting redder every year, I'd guess Hispanic immigration will trend in the Republicans favor and outpace upper-middle class migration from the coasts, which favors Democrats.
Of course that would require the Republicans to get out of their own way and stop playing into the Democrats' hand at every turn regarding Identity Politics. So who knows.
> Isn’t having a kid something you do exactly so you have someone to care for and nurture?
Ideally, yes.
In practice, not as often as anyone would hope.
Sometimes out of actual ill intent towards the kids.
Probably most times just due to parents being dealt a raw hand and them not having the wherewithal to give their kids the amount of attention they'd like to.
I guess that's really the whole point of the tortoise and the hare, now that I think of it.