One can also go broke just trying to fly to North america...****..I need to invent brooms that can fly at 35000 ft..
:D
c
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One can also go broke just trying to fly to North america...****..I need to invent brooms that can fly at 35000 ft..
:D
c
>>Did you really mean a wedding that costs 100,000 dollars???<<
For that much plus another 10k she could have my 3 BR/3 BA house with 1.5 acres in town with a 1200 sq ft workshop, a separate 1 car garage and a 20x12 studio.
Of course, she'd have to live in Arkansas. ;)
Karen
Just think how many bikes you could get for that....:cool: :rolleyes:
when I lived in Dallas, the newspaper reported Ross Perot drove a Chevy Caprice. most truly rich folks(as in monetary wealth) that I have know have had very plain cars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Silver
personally , I'm jealous of my Brother and my SIL. they just bought a 60 year old two bedroom house for $50K. Of course, it is in Missouri.
Good article - especially the fact that the notion of NOT HAVING a car was not only mentioned, but first on the list - even if it was a "long shot." Wow. The times they *are* a-changin'.
My mortgage is under $700 and I toss an extra "premium payment" in most months. I've been lucky enough to be able to buy my vehicles outright (that first truck needed a short term loan from little sister at savings account interest rates). No cable, no land line, no internet at the house ;) Every time I get the blurb from Insight saying "Only $70/month for internet and phone!" I think "Wow!! I'm saving $70 each month!!"
My cab driving brother is going to need a car soon and mine fits the bill. I had already gotten to the point where "If lightning strikes it, I'll take the insurance and take my time replacing it." I didn't start out this aversive to driving - but I've gradually expanded my "acceptable conditions."
Big however - I am out here in a college town in the central midwest! I was reminded how easy the learning curve has been tonight because both of my left-hand turns had the people behind me anticipating that I'd be turning left and giving me lots of room to get across (the first time the guy just wouldn't pass me and I figured out the driver must have recognized my bicycle). Then you realize the truth behind all that stuff the vehicular cyclists say about acting like a vehicle and being treated like one.... knowing that's a whole lot more likely to happen here, where there really is enough room and time to get to work on time.
But I get inspired by thinking of the profound and horrible impacts that our dependence on vehicles cause.
our mortgage is $1400 a month but it will be paid off in 9 years (we got a 15 year refinanced mortgage) It's hard to compare to people living in Arkansas and Illinois and Missouri, but we compare very well with people who live in large urban centers.
We DO sometimes have car payments, but after the car is paid off we make those payments to ourselves, so when we are ready to buy the next car, we have a considerable start. This year might end up a little different because of all the bikes coming into the family (ack, cough, choke :eek: :D :p ) but this is the way we've managed for the most of our marriage. We also don't have credit card debt. (yet!)
Just curious Mimi, what are property taxes like in Seattle?Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
Here on a small house (900 sq ft like my old one) they're about $1800 a year, for a typical 1400 sq ft 3/2 house they'd run around $2600-$2900 a year.
Interesting, my property taxes are about 1800 dollars. my house is worth about $300,000 if you can believe that. the house is about 2000 square feet
I just noticed that there are stars at the bottom for "ranking" the article. (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...ke.aspx?page=1 )
if you click on it, they'll know people are reading it :)
Our taxes here have gotten ridiculous, I have a friend who bought a new 1200 sq ft house in a small "bedroom" community about 10 miles away from town, she paid $114,000 for it three years ago. Her taxes are up to $3000 a year now and she lives in a town with no professional police force or fire dept.! I can't figure out what they're spending the money on???Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
Thanks for pointing that out, if we let mainsteam media know that writing about bikes matters...maybe they'll write more?Quote:
Originally Posted by Geonz
hmm.. i've got 3 cars... i dunno why but growing up i always liked cars. i wanted one for every season.
that being said. i don't have a car payment.
my 4rnr is going on 20 yrs old. still love it. it's my baby and my old trusty
my miata is going on 10 yrs old. bought used. paid off.
my acura is 8 yrs old... actually i'm trying to decide whether to keep this one cuz of the insurance payments. the insurance payments were never part of my childhood dream :) this is my dad's car and he just wanted to give it to me if i wanted it..
in fact, that's one of my to do's this morning is call on the insurance quote for it.
it's weird but they're kinda like shoes to me.
if i wanna take the dog or the bike.. i take the 4rnr (kind alike my hiking shoes)
if i wanna be zippy i take the miata (like my riunning shoe.. even tho i hate running)
if i need more than 2 ppl in the car, i'd take the acura (like my keens!)
but i agree with the article. i don't know why people spend so much on their cars. i've always wondered that. where i live, there's an apt complex and when i drive by i see really nice cars parked in there and try to figure out how they can afford the car and live in an apt complex.
but i think it's partly status thing. to look like something else. but for those folks that don't have much.. my theory is, if they can't own a house they can at least own the next big ticket item.. a really nice car. me? people tell me to get rid of my 4rnr cuz it's a pos but i can't cuz it's served me so well and why should i? it runs, it does what i need it to do. why add to the junk pile when it's still going strong?
wow.. i'm looking at your housing prices and am envious. living in the sf bay area.. anything below 400k is amazing. condos go for like 500k around here.
I'm that way ("it's like shoes") about my bicycles. It was an easy transition :) Parade? Get out the Green Racer. SHiney but OLD and elegant. Party? THe Xtra cycle with the blender of course!!! Formal occasion? The Gazelle in all her statuesque glory. Time Trial? that Sunday-go-to-century Trek...
ah, I wish you gals could have heard the talk DH and I had about me buying a new bike.
red= raleighdon orange=mimitabby
You don't need a new bike...
I know
You already have 2.5 bikes
And so will you as soon as your new bike arrives.
Well, okay, but we can't build it up right away
of course not dear.I'm not in a rush
My next bike will be a ...
Having a bike for every occasion will only encourage you to ride often and leave the car parked...so it's a really good thing! :D
ENABLER!!!! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Queen
:D :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Bluetree
Yikes! I live in central Illinois and my house is about 1700 sq. ft. Last year, I paid $3,000 in property taxes. The house is worth between $100,000 and $150,000.Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
Public schools. There is way too much reliance in Illinois on property taxes for school funding.Quote:
Originally Posted by Queen
Property taxes pay for public schools everywhere in the US. It is the responsibility of the states, which give it to the local districts. I know that everyone complains about taxes, but generally, with schools, you get what you pay for. Education won't be equitable until we have an equitable method to fund our schools...
I am shocked that some of you pay $700.00 a month for a mortgage. I am "older" than a lot of you and my first mortgage, 27 years ago, in Chandler, AZ (not an expensive place at that time) was that much! You would faint if you knew what my mortgage was here in New England. I think people make choices on what to spend their $ on. When my kids were younger, I wanted them to have certain opportunities that were a stretch for us at the time. But it was worth it. The only debt I have is my house, but for a long time we lived on the edge. It's just a choice me made and I don't regret it.
hey guys, my house only has 1500 sq feet i just checked with the assessor's office stuff on line.
Wow, our house payment is only $343 a month. Granted it is a fixer upper but it is warm and dry and we are fixing it up. Just saved $6000 on vinyl siding by buying it online versus locally, I live in Oregon. People my husband works with earn the same money and pay $1500 a month for the big houses, and another $500 for the new suv. That doesn't leave a whole lot of take home pay to keep up appearances on. He says it looks like a new car lot where he works, he takes the bus. His Taurus wagon is 20 years old and still runs great, a little tempermental at times--but aren't we all.
A different way of looking at how much it costs to drive is figuring your miles per dollar. My ranger gets 21 miles per gallon and I just filled up for $2.59 a gallon which when you divide mpg by the cost per gallon of gas, comes up to 7.5 miles per dollar.
wow, I'm impressed with your house payment.Quote:
Originally Posted by hikeandbike
I didn't know that you could find houses that inexpensive in Oregon!
by your calculations, i am getting 11 or 12 miles per dollar!
Do you live in CU too?Quote:
Originally Posted by ridethewind
No, I live in Paris. I have aspirations to move to CU one day, but haven't made it yet. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Queen
Paris is a nice small town but I think it would be strange to live where everyone knows your business. CU is just big enough that you get some anonymity.Quote:
Originally Posted by ridethewind
Paris is okay, but I really don't have much connection to the town anymore. I have worked in Danville for the last eleven years. I stayed in Paris because my children were attending school there. They have all graduated now, but I have yet to make the move. I definitely wouldn't mind some anonymity. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Queen
Well, if you decide to make a move to CU, PM me and I can give you some pointers about good v. yucky neighborhoods.Quote:
Originally Posted by ridethewind
okay, i'll bite WHAAT does CU stand for? Chicago University,
Cover Up, Central Utah?
I live in NY state in a beautiful area but things are soooo expensive. Gas is amongst the highest priced in the country, and I drive almost 70 miles a day to work. Of course, that is a short commute compared to most....a lot of people work in NY city, which is much further. Our property and school taxes come to $8000 a year, all for a 2500 sq foot house on one acre. Our mortgage was just paid off last month, thank God, but I still need to save to pay those damn taxes. I would love to bicycle to work, but it just ain't gonna happen. I do need a new dependable car, as my Buick Century is a piece of GM *&^%#, but I hate the thought of another car payment, it is like the kiss of death. It gets depressing, you just never get ahead!
Oh, AND I have three daughters, 23, 21 and 19. I guess I had better save for those $100,000 weddings ha ha. What's wrong with burgers on the grill by the pool?? Or eloping?
Champaign-Urbana Illinois. It's the town I live in (it's actually two towns that are separated by a north/south street).Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by alforfun
Do people who live and work there typically earn six figure salaries (they're pretty uncommon here)?
the last i knew its $4.46/gal here. which was last month, so its probably closer to $5/gal now. seems to be going up exponentially and we have the cr@ppiest gas in the world here.Quote:
Originally Posted by alforfun
Woah, that's amazing. Gas prices are going down here and have been for some time! From a high of $3.19/gal or so after H. Katrina, we just bought gas for $2.05/gal last weekend. And I heard today that the price for a barrel briefly dipped below $50, so prices should continue to fall.Quote:
Originally Posted by chickwhorips
Emily
auto fuel prices go down every else, but never here. they either stay the same or go up. there is a HUGE monopoly here, no competition what so ever. same with the airline.
My property taxes are about $500 a year when I take the homestead credit. My house is 1200 sq ft, and so is my workshop with about another 500 sq ft in other heated space, with an acre and a half of land.
Today I paid $1.94 a gallon for gas. Thirty percent of that was sales tax.
I don't have any income, but my husband does and he pays about $50 a week in state income tax.
We pay at least 8% sales tax on every little thing we buy. Depending on what municipality you happen to be standing in, it can be close to 11%.
We have many people that make six figures up here in NW Arkansas. We have more than our fair share of millionaires. Most of the millionaires got that way from being on the ground floor of Wal-Mart, Tyson, Jones Truck Lines and JB Hunt stock. We don't have any "old money", except the legacy of Winthrop Rockefeller, but he was slumming.
Karen
Alfprfun, is that a 70 mile commute one-way? Yikes. Lots of people here in New England do that, but I had a fit last year when I moved 13.5 miles from work instead of 6.7. Your taxes are the same as mine, so lots of us pay what you do. My house is a little bigger than yours, but we just moved in a year ago, so it will never be paid off. I never expect to pay any house off or live anywhere long enough to do that! I paid my 3 year old car off last month in preparation for quitting work; my husband's car is next in a month or 2. Lots of people thought we were crazy to buy and remodel our house after our kids left; it's bigger than our last one, but we are so much happier here. I couldn't stand my old neighborhood, full of Stepford Wives. I am certainly not ready for the condo...
(No offense to condo dwellers, I mean the "retired" lifestyle. I hope people stop asking me if I will move to Florida. I lived there for 5 years and believe me, that will never happen).