Thanks for helping to get the word out about this. The candidates pushing this proposal are pandering to venal greed and hoping nobody will think too deeply about it - not that you even have to think that deeply to see what a sorry idea this is.
And of course, let's not forget to contact our Congresscritters directly when this comes to a vote.
I agree with guest about signing the petition they do not work. I also read in the Investor Business Daily editorial that this proposal would save consmuners billions of dollars.
It's true ... I have a 6,400 sq. foot McMansion and we spend $130 a week having it cleaned (But, we did make $7 million in 7 years, so I guess it's all relative).
The KEY is to determine how much house you can AFFORD:
regarding the petition: though it may not be "valid," it still gets the message across that the gas tax holiday is bad and maybe we should think further about its implications
We are six in a 1200 sq foot home. Two daughters (ages 9 and 3) share a bedroom and our sons (ages 6 and 1) have their room. There is a small (main) bathroom between their rooms and our master bedroom has its own bathroom.
We finished an area of the basement but the space typically is not counted as "living space" because of the way deeds are written. One area is the kids playroom, the other is my crafting room. Our intention is to finish off a bathroom in the basement and have an emergency exit added so my eldest can have some privacy in her teen year. I have a 7 year difference between my sister and myself- I know my eldest-- she will need the privacy from a sister 6 years younger. She will have the room until college then the elder boy will move in thru his high school years. When eldest daughter comes hoem from college, she can bunk in the main playroom area (which will be a family room by then).
Having a small house means planning its evolutions and knowing your family's needs. And weeding out junk frequently.
I'm impressed that Barack has stood his ground on this issue, even though it may cost him some votes.
However, I do find it sad that politics is at a point where we feel the need to give credit for something as basic as standing up for what you think is right.
We have had everything from 2500 sq ft homes to 700 sq ft (plus sort of finished basement). It really has more to do with how the space is used. Our current place is just under 2000 sq feet but it feels much larger because the space is used better.
I see so many McCastle houses where people have huge rooms with nothing in them or totally empty finished basements. They can barely afford the house and can't even afford to furnish it all.
Just a note on the online petition. These have absolutely no credibility with any governmental body and are mostly discarded. To be valid, a petition must be hand-signed with the signer's signature, and must include a legitimate home address. Most entities want to be able to check that the signer is over 18 and/or a registered voter in their district. Don't waste your time distributing this silly document.
360 sq feet, for several years I had a roommate (me in the living room, them in the bedroom, no common area other than the kitchen), which essentially meant I was living in a 9x12 room. In that room I had: Queen bed, floor lamp, end table, couch, 2 bookcases, 1 small entertainment center thing and a small standing armoire (sp?).
Now I live with my gf in the same apartment, having a living room again is glorious!
Great post - I've thought about this topic a lot recently. As a Professional Organizer I discovered that generally the more space people had the more disorganized they were. Our stuff expands to fill space, so if we have rooms we don't use much, they become dumping grounds for things. Having the space allows us to become lazy about sorting through it.
I used to live in a 1000 sq ft house and sometimes thought it was too small for me alone.
Now I live in a 200sq ft apartment with my boyfriend and the only downside is the poorly designed kitchen. I would like one more room for guests and books, but for all the money we save on the smaller space, it's worth the inconvenience.
Because our cost of living expenses are so low with this small space, I'm able to work only a few hours a week which allows me to focus on my writing. A larger house would me having to work more and follow my dreams less.
It's always been my dream to open a sanctuary for elephants. There's one in the US right now, but I definitively think more is needed. This would be a place for zoo and circus elephants to retire in peace and have the life that was stolen from them years ago. I'd definitively be involved in the day-to-day care and managing of the sanctuary, so it's not like I'm proposing just paying for it and then flying off to sunbathe in the Caribbean.
It's not the square footage--it's the layout and storage space that really matters. I have lived in a trailer with a huge amount of storage, and big houses with much less. Life in the trailer was actually easier. I like my 1100 square foot house now because it has a bedroom and bath at one end of the house and my bedroom and bath at the other end. That way, when people come to stay, we don't trip over each other. I recently visited my daughter, who lives in a 3300 square foot home with her husband and child; it seemed to me that their space was less functional than mine.
Well said! Many of the environmental and economical issues our country faces right now can find their way back to the demand for oversized living spaces.
The first home we owned was a boat; not one of those fancy floating homes you see, but a boat. A very old boat. I'd estimate our living space was no more than 60 sqft. Two burner propane stove, undercounter fridge, the head -well thank goodness we aren't tall! The shower was on the back deck enclosed in canvas. Three of us (2 adults & a baby) lived there. We now proudly own a 1000 sqft house that at its peak has been home to 4 humans, 3 dogs, 5 cats, and several goldfish. Two bedrooms, one bath. Plenty big for us, luxurious compared to the boat!
Some people are saying that prices are rising because of excessive speculation in oil and fuel. I'm not sure how that happens, but, there definitely has been a surge in investing in fuel.
Originally when the Gas Tax was introduced it was supposed to go into a Trust Fund for the purpose of Building and Maintaining the Interstate Highways System AND was supposed to grow to a point that the cost of maintaining the roads would be covered by the Trust Fund earnings....in other words eventually become self-sustaining.
Social Security was SUPPOSED to be the same way but our Dear Polititians did to the Highway Trust Fund the exact same thing they did to the Social Security Trust Fund....LOOTED it to balance the budget and pay for their pet projects replacing the money with IOU's.
Suspending the Gas Tax means NOTHING...the lost revenue will just have to be made up in a larger appropriation bill and higher taxes next year...something along the line of "Shrubs" $600 Stimulus Check...Rob Peter To Pay Paul.
How is ending the war in Iraq going to solve the world food crisis? I know because when we leave Iraq the country will fall into chaos,and destablize the whole region, and then oil prices will skyrocket, and then we won't have money to buy groceries because we will be broke from filling up our gas tank to get to work. Then supply and demand will kick in and because we won't be eating as much the world food crisis will be over. Sounds like a good plan.
We really need energy independence.
When the product is fermenting for several days does it smell really bad ?? Just the regular batch, before the distillation I mean.
I ask because I don't have a garage and I would have to do this inside in a room that doesn't have any windows. my wife wouldn't appreciate a strong odor either.
I was wondering if it smelled a lot, if I made a 20L batch
stuff for example (5 gallons)
Also if the room is small, does it matter ?? It used to be a walk-in closet.
We're in a very modest-sized home and find it very sufficient. It's older and smaller than many of our friends' homes, but the advantage we have is that our payments are very low so we have enough money leftover to do lots of fixups. As a result, our house is much nicer inside than you'd ever give it credit for on the outside. Now granted, we might not ever be able to quite recoup these renovation expenses if we sold the house, but then again, we didn't do the upgrades for the sake of resale value - and we have no plans to relocate.
To post 93-
If you can borrow at 4% to pay off a debt at 5.625%, and you don't have to pay anything for the privilege of borrowing at 4% (other then the obvious interest) then you will save some money. However, helocs often have adjustable rates so be careful of that.
Additionally, to optimize your savings you'd probably want to use the 4% (hopefully fixed interest rate) heloc to borrow the entire amount of money you owe on the mortgage and pay your primary mortgage off. Then pay the heloc back at its 4% [this is an example of the principle of paying off the highest interest rate debt first to maximize interest savings].
You may also want to look at refinancing. You may be able to get a lower rate then the 4% from the heloc on a refi. Yes, you might have to pay some closing costs, but if the savings going this route might pay for the closing costs.
My husband and I moved our two kids, two dogs, and two cats into a smaller house two years ago - the deed states that we have 1100 sq feet of living space. We have three small-ish bedrooms, a fourth bedroom that we're using as a weight room, 1 1/2 baths, and an open-floor plan for the kitchen, dining room, and living room. We also have a small laundry room and two crawlspaces, but no basement.
It's been difficult at times to find space for everything, but it is definitely teaching us to use what little available space we have wisely. I no longer feel the urge to stop at a yard sale for that awesome antique bureau, because I know I simply have no place to put it. I recently posted on my blog about this very topic.
I'm grateful for what we have, but I also like having some elbow room. I guess I'll just have to wait until the kids to go to college! :)
Thanks, I was able to snag one of those free 250 GB accounts in time.
Does anyone have a problem of not being able to see all their files on FileDropper? I can only see the first 14, any after that aren't in the viewable area. (I use Safari and Firefox.)
Also, I tried uploading a .zip file this morning. It seemed to upload properly, but gave an error that it wasn't able to display the page when it was done, so it never showed up in my file list.
I moved from a 500ft apartment downtown to a 1700ft house I bought in a close by neighborhood that some of my friends lived in. I do miss my old apartment sometimes. Living so close to restaurants and bars made nightlife easy and fun. I do spend extra on utilities now.
There have been some great benefits moving out to a bigger space though. I now rent a room out to a friend, and now feel much less lonely. It also makes the mortgage payment the same as my old rent payment was. We also have another spare room that friends crash in when they come to visit. We've also rented this out to people we knew who were between places. That's brought in a little more cash too.
The biggest benefit has been throwing parties. That's helped make life a lot more fun.
If I were to move again through I might try to find a smaller place. I do want to live simply. But it's really nice to live with other people.
Thanks for helping to get the word out about this. The candidates pushing this proposal are pandering to venal greed and hoping nobody will think too deeply about it - not that you even have to think that deeply to see what a sorry idea this is.
And of course, let's not forget to contact our Congresscritters directly when this comes to a vote.
Cheers.
I agree with guest about signing the petition they do not work. I also read in the Investor Business Daily editorial that this proposal would save consmuners billions of dollars.
It's true ... I have a 6,400 sq. foot McMansion and we spend $130 a week having it cleaned (But, we did make $7 million in 7 years, so I guess it's all relative).
The KEY is to determine how much house you can AFFORD:
http://7million7years.com/2008/04/11/applying-the-20-rule-part-i-your-ho...
Hope this helps ...
AJC.
regarding the petition: though it may not be "valid," it still gets the message across that the gas tax holiday is bad and maybe we should think further about its implications
We are six in a 1200 sq foot home. Two daughters (ages 9 and 3) share a bedroom and our sons (ages 6 and 1) have their room. There is a small (main) bathroom between their rooms and our master bedroom has its own bathroom.
We finished an area of the basement but the space typically is not counted as "living space" because of the way deeds are written. One area is the kids playroom, the other is my crafting room. Our intention is to finish off a bathroom in the basement and have an emergency exit added so my eldest can have some privacy in her teen year. I have a 7 year difference between my sister and myself- I know my eldest-- she will need the privacy from a sister 6 years younger. She will have the room until college then the elder boy will move in thru his high school years. When eldest daughter comes hoem from college, she can bunk in the main playroom area (which will be a family room by then).
Having a small house means planning its evolutions and knowing your family's needs. And weeding out junk frequently.
I'm impressed that Barack has stood his ground on this issue, even though it may cost him some votes.
However, I do find it sad that politics is at a point where we feel the need to give credit for something as basic as standing up for what you think is right.
We have had everything from 2500 sq ft homes to 700 sq ft (plus sort of finished basement). It really has more to do with how the space is used. Our current place is just under 2000 sq feet but it feels much larger because the space is used better.
I see so many McCastle houses where people have huge rooms with nothing in them or totally empty finished basements. They can barely afford the house and can't even afford to furnish it all.
Just a note on the online petition. These have absolutely no credibility with any governmental body and are mostly discarded. To be valid, a petition must be hand-signed with the signer's signature, and must include a legitimate home address. Most entities want to be able to check that the signer is over 18 and/or a registered voter in their district. Don't waste your time distributing this silly document.
360 sq feet, for several years I had a roommate (me in the living room, them in the bedroom, no common area other than the kitchen), which essentially meant I was living in a 9x12 room. In that room I had: Queen bed, floor lamp, end table, couch, 2 bookcases, 1 small entertainment center thing and a small standing armoire (sp?).
Now I live with my gf in the same apartment, having a living room again is glorious!
I'm very disappointed in Hillary for supporting this ridiculous proposal.
Hello:
Great post - I've thought about this topic a lot recently. As a Professional Organizer I discovered that generally the more space people had the more disorganized they were. Our stuff expands to fill space, so if we have rooms we don't use much, they become dumping grounds for things. Having the space allows us to become lazy about sorting through it.
I used to live in a 1000 sq ft house and sometimes thought it was too small for me alone.
Now I live in a 200sq ft apartment with my boyfriend and the only downside is the poorly designed kitchen. I would like one more room for guests and books, but for all the money we save on the smaller space, it's worth the inconvenience.
Because our cost of living expenses are so low with this small space, I'm able to work only a few hours a week which allows me to focus on my writing. A larger house would me having to work more and follow my dreams less.
Cheers,
Alex
It's always been my dream to open a sanctuary for elephants. There's one in the US right now, but I definitively think more is needed. This would be a place for zoo and circus elephants to retire in peace and have the life that was stolen from them years ago. I'd definitively be involved in the day-to-day care and managing of the sanctuary, so it's not like I'm proposing just paying for it and then flying off to sunbathe in the Caribbean.
I could care less. You are ill informed. Call me discuss please 818-846-6266.
High top house shoes that cover your ankles--yes, you'll look old, but your whole body will be much warmer.
It's not the square footage--it's the layout and storage space that really matters. I have lived in a trailer with a huge amount of storage, and big houses with much less. Life in the trailer was actually easier. I like my 1100 square foot house now because it has a bedroom and bath at one end of the house and my bedroom and bath at the other end. That way, when people come to stay, we don't trip over each other. I recently visited my daughter, who lives in a 3300 square foot home with her husband and child; it seemed to me that their space was less functional than mine.
Well said! Many of the environmental and economical issues our country faces right now can find their way back to the demand for oversized living spaces.
The first home we owned was a boat; not one of those fancy floating homes you see, but a boat. A very old boat. I'd estimate our living space was no more than 60 sqft. Two burner propane stove, undercounter fridge, the head -well thank goodness we aren't tall! The shower was on the back deck enclosed in canvas. Three of us (2 adults & a baby) lived there. We now proudly own a 1000 sqft house that at its peak has been home to 4 humans, 3 dogs, 5 cats, and several goldfish. Two bedrooms, one bath. Plenty big for us, luxurious compared to the boat!
Some people are saying that prices are rising because of excessive speculation in oil and fuel. I'm not sure how that happens, but, there definitely has been a surge in investing in fuel.
Originally when the Gas Tax was introduced it was supposed to go into a Trust Fund for the purpose of Building and Maintaining the Interstate Highways System AND was supposed to grow to a point that the cost of maintaining the roads would be covered by the Trust Fund earnings....in other words eventually become self-sustaining.
Social Security was SUPPOSED to be the same way but our Dear Polititians did to the Highway Trust Fund the exact same thing they did to the Social Security Trust Fund....LOOTED it to balance the budget and pay for their pet projects replacing the money with IOU's.
Suspending the Gas Tax means NOTHING...the lost revenue will just have to be made up in a larger appropriation bill and higher taxes next year...something along the line of "Shrubs" $600 Stimulus Check...Rob Peter To Pay Paul.
~ Roland
How is ending the war in Iraq going to solve the world food crisis? I know because when we leave Iraq the country will fall into chaos,and destablize the whole region, and then oil prices will skyrocket, and then we won't have money to buy groceries because we will be broke from filling up our gas tank to get to work. Then supply and demand will kick in and because we won't be eating as much the world food crisis will be over. Sounds like a good plan.
We really need energy independence.
Interesting idea, I have a question though
When the product is fermenting for several days does it smell really bad ?? Just the regular batch, before the distillation I mean.
I ask because I don't have a garage and I would have to do this inside in a room that doesn't have any windows. my wife wouldn't appreciate a strong odor either.
I was wondering if it smelled a lot, if I made a 20L batch
stuff for example (5 gallons)
Also if the room is small, does it matter ?? It used to be a walk-in closet.
Thanks for the article !
Marc ;-)
We're in a very modest-sized home and find it very sufficient. It's older and smaller than many of our friends' homes, but the advantage we have is that our payments are very low so we have enough money leftover to do lots of fixups. As a result, our house is much nicer inside than you'd ever give it credit for on the outside. Now granted, we might not ever be able to quite recoup these renovation expenses if we sold the house, but then again, we didn't do the upgrades for the sake of resale value - and we have no plans to relocate.
To post 93-
If you can borrow at 4% to pay off a debt at 5.625%, and you don't have to pay anything for the privilege of borrowing at 4% (other then the obvious interest) then you will save some money. However, helocs often have adjustable rates so be careful of that.
Additionally, to optimize your savings you'd probably want to use the 4% (hopefully fixed interest rate) heloc to borrow the entire amount of money you owe on the mortgage and pay your primary mortgage off. Then pay the heloc back at its 4% [this is an example of the principle of paying off the highest interest rate debt first to maximize interest savings].
You may also want to look at refinancing. You may be able to get a lower rate then the 4% from the heloc on a refi. Yes, you might have to pay some closing costs, but if the savings going this route might pay for the closing costs.
My husband and I moved our two kids, two dogs, and two cats into a smaller house two years ago - the deed states that we have 1100 sq feet of living space. We have three small-ish bedrooms, a fourth bedroom that we're using as a weight room, 1 1/2 baths, and an open-floor plan for the kitchen, dining room, and living room. We also have a small laundry room and two crawlspaces, but no basement.
It's been difficult at times to find space for everything, but it is definitely teaching us to use what little available space we have wisely. I no longer feel the urge to stop at a yard sale for that awesome antique bureau, because I know I simply have no place to put it. I recently posted on my blog about this very topic.
I'm grateful for what we have, but I also like having some elbow room. I guess I'll just have to wait until the kids to go to college! :)
Thanks, I was able to snag one of those free 250 GB accounts in time.
Does anyone have a problem of not being able to see all their files on FileDropper? I can only see the first 14, any after that aren't in the viewable area. (I use Safari and Firefox.)
Also, I tried uploading a .zip file this morning. It seemed to upload properly, but gave an error that it wasn't able to display the page when it was done, so it never showed up in my file list.
I moved from a 500ft apartment downtown to a 1700ft house I bought in a close by neighborhood that some of my friends lived in. I do miss my old apartment sometimes. Living so close to restaurants and bars made nightlife easy and fun. I do spend extra on utilities now.
There have been some great benefits moving out to a bigger space though. I now rent a room out to a friend, and now feel much less lonely. It also makes the mortgage payment the same as my old rent payment was. We also have another spare room that friends crash in when they come to visit. We've also rented this out to people we knew who were between places. That's brought in a little more cash too.
The biggest benefit has been throwing parties. That's helped make life a lot more fun.
If I were to move again through I might try to find a smaller place. I do want to live simply. But it's really nice to live with other people.