600 a month rent is what I'm paying, splitting a large rental house with 3 other people in Santa Clara, so definitely doable.
I agree that the food is really high. If you are really trying, the one time cost of a rice cooker and a 10 lb bag of Basmati rice from Costco will go a long way, as will bag lunches instead of going out. If you try, food can really cost very little.
i have found more opportunity working in a cafe, and going out, than i have by working in an enclosed space. I figure
2-3$ for breakfast (egg, cereal, organic milk)
lunch will cost (12$) at any reasonable panera, etc... and if i get something else cheap for the day, that means another day i can invite someone to lunch for a networking opportunity.
that leaves me with ($10-$20) for dinner. eating just noodles does not work for me, i need to get some sort of carnivorous delight for a meal at least once a day, fish is like 6$ a pound and then you have veggies on top of that if you cook at home, or a sushi tray is like 8$-12$ for a small one.
At 28, I can not live like a freshman college student any more. I just can't think on 1800 calories of carbs. I need a more well balanced diet.
Am i wack for thinking this? I know the average age of YC is 25, and on our team we are all 27/28, with a few younger and a few older helping on the side lines.
> I have found more opportunity working in a cafe, and going out,
That may be true, but are you really lacking in opportunity if you're in a decent startup?
>i can invite someone to lunch for a networking opportunity
Is this "networking" for the startup, you, or is it a euphemism for a social life?
Let me suggest a test. Networking involves enough pre-meeting prep to enable a non-trivial agenda. Post-networking, there will be a debriefing to evaluate whether you achieved your goals and possibly what to do about it. You may not achieve said agenda every time, but if you do, that will often result in work that you have to do for the startup. If it rarely does, then either you're not very good at networking or you're not networking for the startup.
So, let's hear more about the value of this networking to the startup.
I guess now that I am in the bay area, Networking is a whole different beast. Everyone is doing something, so its more about something in detail and with an agenda, than it is about just finding people in general.
sometimes those deliverables are true, and sometimes i do it more casually than maybe i should. in milwaukee its about real relationships, in the valley i would think more people understand simple networking.
Where (specifically) are you getting a $3 breakfast and networking? (I know that you're not talking about Il Fornaio, Buck's, Hobee's, Late for the Train, Flea Street Cafe, etc.) Or, were you just winging it?
Is this essential networking or is it talking to someone else while being away from work? (No, the waitron doesn't count.)
How many outside networking meals do you think you should have per person-week? (The answer probably depends on the team-member, but it's never 21 because some of those meals should be with other team-members and for some team-members the number is probably around 2.)
As far as your diet "requirements", are they really different from those of a grad student?
BTW - If you're paying for every networking meal, you're doing it wrong.
If you are on a budget, one of the first things to cut is extraneous expenses. By cooking for yourself, you can have the possibility of better tasting and more nutritious meals, lowering your food budget, and saving time.
Why spend $12 on panera when you can make a chicken breast sandwich for $4?
I think the food expense is pretty high too. At the very least get a brita filter or something and carry around bottled water to drink. Some people do eat a lot more though.
And it's worth noting that cooking for yourself doesn't always save time. After you consider preparation and cleanup, sometimes it consumes more.
It can also be stressful if you don't have a nice kitchen, or if you have to share your kitchen with others. Although probably one of the benefits of having founders living together is optimizing your kitchen.
Cooking for yourself definitely saves time. Are you counting travel time and time spent waiting in line? But it does take slightly more effort, and require the right tools.
You can always stick to the basics.
Ramen takes ~10 minutes for boiling water and clean up.
Chicken breast takes 2 minutes to season, 14 minutes to cook and clean. Tuna takes no effort right out of the can.
Boil or steam vegetables for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Rice or oatmeal are cheap sources for carbs.
With these ingredients, you can eat well for under $10 / day where I live (Providence, RI). Just make sure you invest in a good spice rack.
my point was not about food cost alone, but opportunity cost?
how much do you loose by not meeting new people?
I go out to talk to people while i work, most of our team does not, they are introverts, but I need to be the extrovert for the group, plus if these guys are bringing their wives or traveling back and forth, they can spend some of the food budget.
I agree, meat is a must. =) But you can get frozen chicken at Costco for very cheap, along with Cajun sausages and frozen meatballs which are also quite reasonable. A large meal that you cook at home can be done with 15 minutes of prep and only cost a dollar or two.
I agree that the food is really high. If you are really trying, the one time cost of a rice cooker and a 10 lb bag of Basmati rice from Costco will go a long way, as will bag lunches instead of going out. If you try, food can really cost very little.