jkjk is right about the need for government to intervene when recessions or depressions are looming. The way I see it, depressions happen when people don't have enough money to pay for the things they need. Although jkjk has the right idea when he talks about the government providing jobs to construction workers, I think there is a quicker and more direct way the government can help. It can have a massive stimulus plan by printing lots of money for us. We could each get a $10 million stimulus check from the Treasury. Then we'd all have the money we need to buy the things that we couldn't before. That should put off a depression for a long time and make us the richest country again. Obama '08!
We had a guest lecture from a health inspector at uni, he recommended always ask for no ice and no lemon/lime, as these harboured the highest levels of bacteria. He also told us to try and forget much of the rest of his talk in order for us to ever be able to eat out anywhere, ever again!
I found your website in search of information and/or confirmation that mint is a contributor to acid reflux. Last year, after years of intermittent bouts with acid reflux, I discovered that I only suffered from heartburn hours after using Listerine mint flavored mouthwash. I immediately stopped using it and the heartburn ended. Until recently, I thought it was the alcohol in the mouthwash, not the mint, that caused the problem. Last week, at my dental hygenist's request, I began using toothpaste containing peroxide and baking soda to help whiten my teeth. Several days later, I began having heartburn again, thinking it was something I ate. To my surprising, when I checked the toothpaste, it contain mint. I went back to my normal non mint toothpaste, and the heartburn disappeared. How many people are suffering from mint related heartburn and don't know it? Thanks for the confirmation.
Sort of a tangent to what you've said. I remember my mom saying once, "we live like rich people only without money". What she meant was (because my dad was a sculptor) we had opportunities people had to pay for. My dad taught at summer arts camps and we went along for free, we went to spiffy exhibition openings, we knew other artists, we lived with art work all over our house, my dad did what he passionately loved to do. It's good for me to rethink our present situation in that light. To be grateful. To see the progress. To enjoy the present. Another thing that's helpful is to realize you don't actually have to own something to enjoy using it. Sculptures got sold, books returned. As long as you can fill your senses with it and remember, it's your's to enjoy.
a few cases of seriously bad tum that I've had after eating the same meal as my friends. I often ask for the lemon, they don't. Blergh. Not everything that's free and tasty is worth it.
Ignorance was bliss. I always get limes with my water, margarita, pacificos etc. I am sure they are just as bad as the lemons. Ignorance in this case was bliss :(
"If you are swayed by the maintenance issue or simply don't need a lot of space, you should compare your rental costs with the cost of owning an equivalent condo, not a 4-br, 2.5 ba single-family home."
Hey Kathryn,
The fact is that I am comparing to an equivalent condo. I live in a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo a bit over 1000 square foot and I pay about 1600 excluding utilities. Here's a similar unit for sale:
The listing shows a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath condo for $660,000, and that's about the middle of the range. There were some new ones for sale near my workplace that were 700k+. Totally not worth it. A 4 bedroom house is anywhere from 1 to 10 million here. I am not even going into that range.
This is a 1100 square foot single family for $874,900. Can we afford 5000 a month in mortgage? Yes, but why should we when we can save 3k+ a month into our retirement instead?
I watched a documentary on a blind man who couldn't walk, his attitude was wonderful, better then most people I know who have all their abilities and good health, yet are miserable because they don't have what they think they deserve. In his own words: "I'm blind and can't walk. So what? You work with what you've got."
Yes, be grateful for what you have, even if it's not much. Your attitude makes a big difference in how you experience life.
High Danish taxes are leaving them in a labor shortage, masked partially by Muslim immigration. Be interesting to see how happy the Danes are twenty years from now.
We get a lot of "When are you buying your bigger house?" With 4 kids, everyone else seems to think a 5 bedroom McMansion is absolutely necessary. We intend to stay put in our 3 bedroom ranch (with some plans to re-purpose a basement room into a Greg Brady cool bedroom for the eldest at home teen in waiting when its time- like in 5 years). When you get right down to it- in 10 to 14 years, we'd be looking to downsize again. What would the point be?
mentioned another factor he thought contributed--the high level of freedom in Denmark: Free speech, free press, no censorship on TV, no heavy-handed control of behavior.
It seems possible that the Yahoo news link (Comment 10) refers to non-Vikings residing in the Copenhagen suburbs who respond to such freedom not with happiness or satisfaction but with discontent.
@Sean -- it is an interesting, entertaining book as Robert shows how to be a Rich Idiot (rather than Right side Up and Broke, a RUB), making it an easy and fun read. For this post, I focused on the spiritual side (with my observations), which may or may not appeal to everyone and is not necessarily the main part of the book. There are some good practical tips that I will share soon.
@Myscha -- I am not sure I could conjure up gratefulness in the cold and odd bathing situations but this did make me realize that I can definitely be more grateful, and that does help me move forward and solve problems rather than just feeling bad about certain situations. I took the photo on a trip to the mountains about an hour or so away from me.
We went to Honduras over the holidays. We have a minimum wage that needs to be raised, but at least it's more than $300 a month. Which is what the Honduran minimum wage is. Even with a reduced cost of living, that is what most of the country makes. They have no regulations. The hospitals are HORRIBLE in the city. I was horrified by the level of care these people receive. We met a man who had his leg amputated because of diabetes related complications. Do you think he received disability? Absolutely not. He wasn't even employable on any level. And you know what? Honduras is wealthy compared to other even poorer countries. I am so so grateful for what I have.
I spent most of my early career being broke in an expensive area with a lousy paying job and yes, student loan debt.
In the end though, it broke down to two choices for me. I could stay in a similar position and struggle until some undetermined amount of time, working myself into an early grave with multiple jobs and multiple bosses. Or, I could go overseas, live tax free, have my living expenses paid and have myself on track in just a few years. Oh, and I could have a quality of life while I was doing it.
There are definitely sacrifices that have to be made, and yes it can be hard to find the time to research options when all your free time is spent at a second job just to make ends come together. But in the end I could spend sleepless nights worrying about a solution that would never come within my current situation, or I could be sleepless yet in control if I used that wake time to figure out what my options might be to get out of the debt (money and time) that I was in.
You also mention health, and I'm sorry you're burdened with issues in that regard. Feeling great is a huge asset when it comes to solving these types of problems. While overseas job options and living aren't for everybody, have you considered the option? Many places have free health care as well.
In the end, you may find you still want to come back home to the states (it sounds like that's where you are, so I'm just making the assumption - my bad if I'm wrong). I definitely wanted closer access to family as they age. So I made that one of my financial goals to be stable enough to function in a stateside economy. Its more expensive here, to be sure.
Anyway, I'm not trying to be judgemental here. Just offering some perspective. I hope things work out for you.
As a serial home owner, I have been following the rent vs. own conversations with great interest. I think that you have done a great job of appropriately analyzing this choices available in your particularly situation. Your advice is very helpful, as usual!
In just a few weeks my wife and I will be moving into a townhouse near the beach. The rent is just amazing. Everyone around us is wondering why we are renting instead of buying, what with the interest rate being so low. My response is simple but seems to escape their understanding. Low interest on an overpriced home is not something I am interested in. In our neck of the woods homes are still anywhere from $40,000 to $75,000 overpriced. Renting in this real estate market is just fine by us.
I like your idea, it seem's as though it would be a great way to escape from reality.
Eeeeeew.
jkjk is right about the need for government to intervene when recessions or depressions are looming. The way I see it, depressions happen when people don't have enough money to pay for the things they need. Although jkjk has the right idea when he talks about the government providing jobs to construction workers, I think there is a quicker and more direct way the government can help. It can have a massive stimulus plan by printing lots of money for us. We could each get a $10 million stimulus check from the Treasury. Then we'd all have the money we need to buy the things that we couldn't before. That should put off a depression for a long time and make us the richest country again. Obama '08!
I take digital pictures instead of making photocopies. No trees killed, and it's easier to store. :-)
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/lemon.asp
there's fecal matter on everything, even (and probably especially) the stuff you prepare at home. relax, not a big deal.
I took the statistic straight from the video. But that is 3 out of 4. I'll change it pronto.
Since when did 77% become 2 out of 3. In my book that is 3 out of 4.
We had a guest lecture from a health inspector at uni, he recommended always ask for no ice and no lemon/lime, as these harboured the highest levels of bacteria. He also told us to try and forget much of the rest of his talk in order for us to ever be able to eat out anywhere, ever again!
I found your website in search of information and/or confirmation that mint is a contributor to acid reflux. Last year, after years of intermittent bouts with acid reflux, I discovered that I only suffered from heartburn hours after using Listerine mint flavored mouthwash. I immediately stopped using it and the heartburn ended. Until recently, I thought it was the alcohol in the mouthwash, not the mint, that caused the problem. Last week, at my dental hygenist's request, I began using toothpaste containing peroxide and baking soda to help whiten my teeth. Several days later, I began having heartburn again, thinking it was something I ate. To my surprising, when I checked the toothpaste, it contain mint. I went back to my normal non mint toothpaste, and the heartburn disappeared. How many people are suffering from mint related heartburn and don't know it? Thanks for the confirmation.
Sort of a tangent to what you've said. I remember my mom saying once, "we live like rich people only without money". What she meant was (because my dad was a sculptor) we had opportunities people had to pay for. My dad taught at summer arts camps and we went along for free, we went to spiffy exhibition openings, we knew other artists, we lived with art work all over our house, my dad did what he passionately loved to do. It's good for me to rethink our present situation in that light. To be grateful. To see the progress. To enjoy the present. Another thing that's helpful is to realize you don't actually have to own something to enjoy using it. Sculptures got sold, books returned. As long as you can fill your senses with it and remember, it's your's to enjoy.
a few cases of seriously bad tum that I've had after eating the same meal as my friends. I often ask for the lemon, they don't. Blergh. Not everything that's free and tasty is worth it.
Ignorance was bliss. I always get limes with my water, margarita, pacificos etc. I am sure they are just as bad as the lemons. Ignorance in this case was bliss :(
"If you are swayed by the maintenance issue or simply don't need a lot of space, you should compare your rental costs with the cost of owning an equivalent condo, not a 4-br, 2.5 ba single-family home."
Hey Kathryn,
The fact is that I am comparing to an equivalent condo. I live in a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo a bit over 1000 square foot and I pay about 1600 excluding utilities. Here's a similar unit for sale:
http://redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=1467349
The listing shows a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath condo for $660,000, and that's about the middle of the range. There were some new ones for sale near my workplace that were 700k+. Totally not worth it. A 4 bedroom house is anywhere from 1 to 10 million here. I am not even going into that range.
Here is a similar sized house near where we live:
http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=1486892
This is a 1100 square foot single family for $874,900. Can we afford 5000 a month in mortgage? Yes, but why should we when we can save 3k+ a month into our retirement instead?
ewww..that's freaking scary. my friend is pregnant and she always asks for lemon with her water. I need to tell her this.
@Minimum Wage--
I watched a documentary on a blind man who couldn't walk, his attitude was wonderful, better then most people I know who have all their abilities and good health, yet are miserable because they don't have what they think they deserve. In his own words: "I'm blind and can't walk. So what? You work with what you've got."
Yes, be grateful for what you have, even if it's not much. Your attitude makes a big difference in how you experience life.
Things could always be much worse.
High Danish taxes are leaving them in a labor shortage, masked partially by Muslim immigration. Be interesting to see how happy the Danes are twenty years from now.
We get a lot of "When are you buying your bigger house?" With 4 kids, everyone else seems to think a 5 bedroom McMansion is absolutely necessary. We intend to stay put in our 3 bedroom ranch (with some plans to re-purpose a basement room into a Greg Brady cool bedroom for the eldest at home teen in waiting when its time- like in 5 years). When you get right down to it- in 10 to 14 years, we'd be looking to downsize again. What would the point be?
A blogger commenting on Danish happiness
http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001767.htm
mentioned another factor he thought contributed--the high level of freedom in Denmark: Free speech, free press, no censorship on TV, no heavy-handed control of behavior.
It seems possible that the Yahoo news link (Comment 10) refers to non-Vikings residing in the Copenhagen suburbs who respond to such freedom not with happiness or satisfaction but with discontent.
@Sean -- it is an interesting, entertaining book as Robert shows how to be a Rich Idiot (rather than Right side Up and Broke, a RUB), making it an easy and fun read. For this post, I focused on the spiritual side (with my observations), which may or may not appeal to everyone and is not necessarily the main part of the book. There are some good practical tips that I will share soon.
@Myscha -- I am not sure I could conjure up gratefulness in the cold and odd bathing situations but this did make me realize that I can definitely be more grateful, and that does help me move forward and solve problems rather than just feeling bad about certain situations. I took the photo on a trip to the mountains about an hour or so away from me.
@Rebekah -- Thanks for sharing!
Papa Murphy's did well. Very well. I've always been a fan and they've been fairly speedy in central OH (even during busy times like the Super Bowl).
We went to Honduras over the holidays. We have a minimum wage that needs to be raised, but at least it's more than $300 a month. Which is what the Honduran minimum wage is. Even with a reduced cost of living, that is what most of the country makes. They have no regulations. The hospitals are HORRIBLE in the city. I was horrified by the level of care these people receive. We met a man who had his leg amputated because of diabetes related complications. Do you think he received disability? Absolutely not. He wasn't even employable on any level. And you know what? Honduras is wealthy compared to other even poorer countries. I am so so grateful for what I have.
I spent most of my early career being broke in an expensive area with a lousy paying job and yes, student loan debt.
In the end though, it broke down to two choices for me. I could stay in a similar position and struggle until some undetermined amount of time, working myself into an early grave with multiple jobs and multiple bosses. Or, I could go overseas, live tax free, have my living expenses paid and have myself on track in just a few years. Oh, and I could have a quality of life while I was doing it.
There are definitely sacrifices that have to be made, and yes it can be hard to find the time to research options when all your free time is spent at a second job just to make ends come together. But in the end I could spend sleepless nights worrying about a solution that would never come within my current situation, or I could be sleepless yet in control if I used that wake time to figure out what my options might be to get out of the debt (money and time) that I was in.
You also mention health, and I'm sorry you're burdened with issues in that regard. Feeling great is a huge asset when it comes to solving these types of problems. While overseas job options and living aren't for everybody, have you considered the option? Many places have free health care as well.
In the end, you may find you still want to come back home to the states (it sounds like that's where you are, so I'm just making the assumption - my bad if I'm wrong). I definitely wanted closer access to family as they age. So I made that one of my financial goals to be stable enough to function in a stateside economy. Its more expensive here, to be sure.
Anyway, I'm not trying to be judgemental here. Just offering some perspective. I hope things work out for you.
As a serial home owner, I have been following the rent vs. own conversations with great interest. I think that you have done a great job of appropriately analyzing this choices available in your particularly situation. Your advice is very helpful, as usual!
In just a few weeks my wife and I will be moving into a townhouse near the beach. The rent is just amazing. Everyone around us is wondering why we are renting instead of buying, what with the interest rate being so low. My response is simple but seems to escape their understanding. Low interest on an overpriced home is not something I am interested in. In our neck of the woods homes are still anywhere from $40,000 to $75,000 overpriced. Renting in this real estate market is just fine by us.
Great article!