House costs here are not that fricking high
Posted By: Lana on 2007-06-17
In Reply to: With the prices of homes and property taxes today, just about everyone is house poor. - SM
We bought a new home, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, stucco, lovely wooded area behind us for about 220,000 about 3 years ago. It is a wonderful neighborhood with tennis courts, 3 swimming pools and loverly! I know the prices of homes in California really high and watch HGTV and I, for the life of me, cannot see what is figured into those prices because what you get is certainly not what we got for a third of the prices there. Husband believes in paying the monthlys in advance so our mortgage is coming down really fast. We are still able, thank goodness, to enjoy all the extras such as dinners out, theater and the like. It is really sad to be in a place where the housing market is so far above what it should be that people are unable to have decent housing.
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costs $30-$40,000 per year to house each
The jails are overflowing here.....and it costs anywhere from $30-$40,000 annually to house EACH individual inmate...that the taxpayers pay for....
something to think about.....
Costs -- sm
Business class internet (for website hosting and management mostly): Roadrunner - $104.00
Cable and digital phone with unlimited long distance: Roadrunner - $112.00 all including tax and fees, etc. Looks like a lot, I guess.
My costs are:
High-speed Internet: $60/month
Vonage: $19/month 500 minutes anywhere in USA
TV: Whatever comes over the air for "free."
Ability to work out of the home nekked if one so chooses: Priceless.
My costs....
Phone $45 a month, 2 phone lines, 1 for fax machine
Internet $50 a month, unlimited, billed every 3 months
DirectTV $70 a month, with HBO channels, east coast feeds (I live on the west coast) and local stations. Will not give up Sopranos or being able to watch any other shows on east coast time for anything!
college costs
DD just got accepted to the Pratt Institute, an art and design college in NY. Cost for first year including room, board, fees, books, etc., $48,000. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Seems like a lot money to learn how to paint and make collages.
There's more to college costs than just
the tuition. Parents have a responsibility to their children to see to it that they are educated in a manner that prepares them for a career, not flipping burgers. I know that that wasn't always the norm and that college was a privilege, but now it is a necessity. You can't make it in the world without some kind of degree and not helping your children with their education is selfish.
That's not to say that the child shouldn't bear some responsibility in this. He/she can certainly get a part-time job to help with books, living expenses, etc. I see nothing wrong with the child taking out the standard student loan either, but dumping them out the door at 18 with nothing more than a high school education is not being a responsible parent. Perhaps that's the problem today. So many parents don't have time or are too selfish worrying about themselves to make sure their children are set. It's not about money, it's about responsibility.
Judging by your responses, I'd say your husband's divorce was quite bitter and perhaps the animosity you feel should be directed toward his ex-wife and not the children. They obviously had no control over that money that was given to their mother. While my children aren't ready for college yet, one thing I have learned already is that you never stop being a parent.
Why it costs 400 bucks
They make custom trays for you, which last pretty much forever or until your teeth move significantly, whichever comes first. Then you just buy the tubes of bleaching gel, which is not that expensive. The custom trays are wonderful. They are held on tightly by the gel. My dentist charged $300 and the gel was $35 a box, which is 4 tubes, which is a LOT of gel.
I would not have the trays made right away if she has just gotten her braces off, as from what I hear her teeth are likely to shift somewhat.
This medicine is not OTC, rather it costs
1300.00 per month! Can you believe that? It is for HIV so it is something she really needs to get. My pharmacist told me Medicaid might be able to pick up what her insurance co does not pay (they will pay 400) so actually the cost per month is a whopping 1700. My pharmacist also told her to push hard while speaking with her own ins place that they should cover the cost. Maybe she just was not forceful enough. Bottom line, I was just seeing if others faced similar situation.
CLASSMATES ya have to register costs zero
very easy at classmates.com, except for their ads (ignore them) - find the state, the school, the year you're interested in, then scroll away for the people's names. Most marrieds put up their maiden names at classmates.com.
Sounds like a scam. Crap like that costs the rest of us
Ridiculous.
Visited Asheville, NC and loved it. Seattle costs $, but
xx
I've noticed the rising costs of groceries lately
I believe the cost is partly to blame for the obesity in this nation. It is so much more expensive to try to eat healthier. I can make pizza for my husband and 3 kids for under $10. Yet, when we have chicken, potatoes, a vegetable and bread -- it's closer to $20. Of course when I serve the "full course" meal, my kids expect dessert, too. Is there no end?
I actually found myself stocking up last week on eggs because they were on sale and I knew I'd be making deviled eggs for T-day. I bought 6 dozen eggs. I have never bought that many eggs at once before in my life. But I saved 75 cents a dozen.
crazy stuff! Who buys this? My mascara costs $ 4.-- to $ 8.--.nm
nm
I have been making my own laundry soap. It only costs me about $10 for a 6-month supply. nm
xx
Is that over the counter. I checked on Zovirax ointment and it costs $180 for a teeny tube. That
is crazy and the insurance wont pay a penny.
Need help with ideas for remodeling house and decorating. We bought a house
in fair condition about 10 years ago, got into some medical problems, and have just now paid off the mortgage. Hubby and I agreed we would do nothing to the house for remodeling because we wanted to pay it off first, then the medical bills. I need to know of some websites/magazines/books to start researching for how to go about this. These will be major repairs - roof, septic, basement, windows, pretty much everything except wiring. Where do we start? Maybe hire a general contractor just to do an evaluation and give us recommendations? Hubby is a handyman but cant seem to get a handle on where to begin. We would like to do as much of the work ourselves as possible - labor of love and all that...
Thanks for any and all kind suggestions!
Wow! That's a high
deductible for such a high premium. If she doesn't go to the dentist very often, I would drop that because that would be a waste of money. I have insurance through State Farm and is around $200 a month with a $2,000 deductible. I rarely go to the doctor and have used my insurance once in the past 4 years but it still goes up every 6 months. If I had my way, I wouldn't even have health insurance but hubby insists I have it. If I were you, I would be checking around. Don't know who your insurance company is but I have State Farm and my hubby has American Family. His is pretty comparable rate wise with mine but I don't think he has a deductible. I get a healthy discount with mine since I don't have health problems. Good luck!
High cholesterol
Join the club. I, too, have high cholesterol. I was over 500 last year. I started Weight Watchers in Jan. of 06 and lost 40# pretty quick. I am now down to 20# within goal weight and my cholesterol is 160. I also do oatmeal for breakfast every day, take fish oil pills, garlique, and Cholesterol medication from Dr. I also have been walking (1-4 miles) at least 4 times a week since starting all of this. I feel much better. Last week, though, I had a checkup and I am back up to 358.  I guess you cannot always choose your parents!! lol More meds and more exercise.  
60 does some too high.. I pay 60 for shampoo,
nm
Correction......seem too high
xx
That's kind of on the high end where I am at. Do
you live in an area with a higher cost of living?
That's awesome you've found someone you are happy with though. I'm still searching! :)
Are you guys high?!
So I've got this thingy set up to "alert" me whenever my "handle" comes up or the name of the company I work for--and it shows this wacked thread!
I'd love to see a woman in the White House as well, but definitely not the one currently running. There's something about her that just rubs me. Oh yeah, the fact that she's still married to that dickhead for starters.
I'd vote for Ellen DeGeneres...female, gay (really frost the republicans behinds!)...and most important....A FRIGGIN RIOT! I'd love to believe that the world's problems could be solved with humor. It'd be fun to see her give it a shot though. Jon Stewart would make a great vice president.
If I were president, the White House would have a petting zoo, the rose garden would also have petunias in it, macaroni and cheese would occupy at least 1/4 of the food pyramid. Camp David would be open to the general public. All UFO information would be declassified. Political correctness would be outlawed and greenbud would be legal. Lastly, public schools would have classes on manners, school uniforms, and corporal punishment...but I guess that goes back to my pervy private fantasies again....
High Fever
Have you tried cool compresses along with the Tylenol? Maybe that'll help. I hope she feels better soon. I have a four year old and it's awful when she's sick. Also, does she have any other symptoms. When my older daughter was young she spiked high fevers a lot and they were always viral infections and you just had to wait it out and give Tylenol or Motrin every six hours to break the fever.
high school
You're in the Catskills!.....We raised our boys in the valley, Ravena...next to Coxsackie on the Hudson River...I worked at Albany Med in vasc surg....It's a small world after all.....
High school - sm
We were both in JROTC and I ended up being his information officer one year. That was in 1979. Been together ever since! 
Lower it - 21 is too high
1. Three years is not a huge difference.
2. Most kids are drinking earlier than 21 anyway and nobody is enforcing the law when they get caught drinking under age.
3. It was 18 when I was 18 and there was not a high incidence of drunk driving or whatever reason they have for a drinking age.
4. Germany there is no drinking age and they do not have a high rate of drunk drivers (they have one of the lowest rates of any country).
5. If they are not going to lower the drinking age they should then raise the age of joining the military. Someone tell me that it makes sense that they can't drink til their 21, but at 18 years old in the military they are given guns and can use them.
Some kids will be responsible and some kids won't. I know a lot of people who are in their 20s and 30s and older who are very irresponsible when it comes to drinking - btw, I am 48 years old, not 18, 19, or 20 (and just want the age lowered) :-)
The only sure thing about having a High IQ
is that you can score high on an IQ test. My mother had an IQ of 150 and she was a data entry clerk all of her life.
None of my high schools because sm
I don't have a clue where any of them are, haven't gone to a reunion, although this year is 30 years and I STILL won't go!
My life took a very different track from many of them. I was and am the Earth Mother, vegetarian, animal lover, big family gal and they were money-oriented yuppie types. NOTHING in common.
I recently connected with a friend from elementary school. We were not really friends then, but we are now. The other 2 friends I had from elementary school also went on different paths. One married and had a career, and her real full time job was managing the doofus she married AND the kids they had. The other never married, never had children and has been a bartender for 25 years at a couple of bars her brothers own. Again, nothing in common.
My most enduring and treasured friendship is an MT friend I met online in 2001. We have talked nearly daily since, but have never met in person. We will be spending a week together in June, the plans for which dropped into our laps unexpectedly. We had decided we might never meet face to face and that was okay. She is no less dear. We have used a webcam in recent months and connected that way, which was a gas.
High school...
but we didn't ever date until years later, except the prom. I wasn't interested, but he was persistent and I am sure glad now. He sort of just kept showing up in my life every once in awhile until I realized that he was the sweetest man I would ever meet. (He also got better looking with age, which doesn't hurt.)
I am thinking of doing away with my TV and of course the high
cable bill. Has anyone tried it? There is nothing interesting on TV anymore anyway.
When I was in high school............... sm
pregnant girls were not allowed to even come to school. I think they must have had some kind of home school program or something, but most of the unwed pregnancies in our school happened on the Senior Trip, so they were out of school before they knew.
I agree.....school is a very scary place these days. I have 2 kids in school right now and a very good friend who is a teacher at the same school. Oh, the horror stories she can tell....names omitted, of course.
I'm high-strung myself, but your husband needs SM
to let go of his anger. The more people your children have in their lives who love them, the better.
Old hurts must be let go of. He really needs to be the bigger person about this.
I wish you joy in this holiday season.
high of 25, low of 1 tonight, nebraska!
x
Our state isn't high on collecting anything....sm
Do you mind telling me what state you live in? I'd like to check and see through their attorney general's office what they actually do to get their money and the money due to the guardian.
My son competed in his high school
state forensics competition this past weekend. I competed in the "impromptu" area. He walks into a room with 2 judges (and other spectators) and is given a paper with 3 catagories and he has to choose 1. He is given 7 minutes from start to finish. He usually takes about 2 minutes to write down some thoughts then he has to give his speech. He does this 3 different times. On the third speech his topics were "Rudy Guliani, Sanjaya ?last name?, and Tubby Smith. My son does not watch AI and is not a big basketball fan. He had to choose RG becuase he had no idea who the other two were. Just thought I would tell this story since I often see posts on this page about AI. BTW, there were about 8 of us in the room and only one person knew who Sanjaya was, and not a single person knew who Tubby was.
high school boyfriend . . .
Emailed me through classmates.com. We talked on the phone a few times. He sent me pictures of reunions that I never went to. Turns out our lives took very similar paths. A few other classmates Emailed as well.
our high school in a suburb of
Pittsburgh received a bomb threat today. Fortunately, it was uneventful. With so much publicity, kids get ideas.
Ratings are at an all-time high since
Rosie joined the show. I don't think she is being pushed out.
That is still a high $ pole - even at the bottom! nm
x
4-year-old with a very high fever and I
just can't remember what to do to break the fever. The fever is 102.3 now and I have given her a Tylenol chewable tablet this morning and another chewable at 2:00 p.m. Any suggestions...???
My high school boyfriend went on to become a
comic. While he is not famous yet, he has done pretty well and he was on CMT a few weeks ago with a couple of other comedians. So funny you ask this today, my parents are at Grocery Food convention about 7 hours from here and he was actucally the entertainment last night. He goes by Kelly Terranova.
Was that Granada High School in
?
Once to my high school sweetheart and then actually twice
to my husband before we finally got married (broke up one time). Then the story gets a little crazier. My husband and I got married, divorced after almost 2 years of marriage, remarried about 2 months later, stayed married for 7 more years, divorced again, remarried 6 months later, still married. Together almost 30 years now.
If month2month, you could leave him high&dry with
x
To try lamb without the high price,
you might buy the blade chops. The cuts of lamb I've had have been very rich and high in fat, and I highly recommend putting at least rosemary on it. It will smell like something a chef would make.
I went to 2 different high schools and when it came to driving....sm
the 1st high school a lot of the parents gave their kids brand new cars for their 16th birthday and paid for everything. A lot of those kids would wreck their cars and didn't care because they had no true repercussions.
The 2nd high school I went to after we moved was in a more economically depressed area. The kids that did have cars, generally had older used cars, had to work part-time to pay for the expenses of it and rarely got into accidents.
I drove a family car and while I was a senior in high school I took a full load of high school classes, 12 hours of college classes, worked 15 hours a week to pay for gas, insurance, upkeep, and was in marching/concert band, and made straight A's because I was determined to do all of this.
You are a bit high with the "hundreds of thousands."
x
The reason is high gas prices.
All that stuff is transported by truck... they run on gas...
Did you check out the profits the oil companies made last quarter?
Meridian, MS ---today low 3.41 ----high 3.49
xx
Our high schools here all have a no cell
phone policy. First time, the parent comes to pick it up. After that the school keeps it until the end of the year. No reason for them to have cell phones turned on during classes is the way I see it. Before and after school is fine, but not during. My daughter's middle school also has no cell phone policy. Even if they are in their lockers and ring, they are taken away.
One school in a neighboring county was confiscating them and giving them away. The parents there filed a law suit and they now keep them, but the student loses it until the end of the year.
isn't the interest on that pretty high?
:(
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