Random Thoughts Thread

[the King]

Yeah, when I first moved to Seattle for graduate school my rent nearly doubled and my income was nearly cut in half. It was tough and I relied on student loans, even though I had tuition covered and a stipend. Things are far worse for people here now.

It's not like people are being forced outside their free will to move to Seattle. Obviously it is desirable to live there. Simple supply and demand. My sister and her husband lived in Hawaii for close to 2 years and rented an apartment that was previously a hotel room, no kitchen area, pretty much like a dorm room, but you could see the ocean. They paid more per month in rent than my mortgage on a 4 bedroom house. It is what it is. Same with my cousin who lives in New York City in a studio apartment about the size of my living room. I'm currently looking at property in the county I live in now and it's on average about 25% higher than the county over, but the schools are better, shopping more convenient, etc and less land available. So, if this is where I want to live, gotta pay for it.

[AppleQueso]

gentrification is a thing

it's not just that poor people are barred entry, the poor people who already live there are forced into worse and worse neighborhoods with worse and worse conditions

whether it's abiding by the rules of capitalism or not I honestly don't care

[Ack]

gentrification is a thing

it's not just that poor people are barred entry, the poor people who already live there are forced into worse and worse neighborhoods with worse and worse conditions

whether it's abiding by the rules of capitalism or not I honestly don't care

At the same time, it lowers crime rates and allows areas where it occurs to flourish. The neighborhood around my previous apartment has been gentrifying for several years. This Thanksgiving was the first they have had in two decades where a car was not stolen. Crime has been slowly decreasing as construction continues, new restaurants spring up, new public transportation is built in, and so on. While I am happy to move away(I stopped a carjacker a few months back. I'd prefer living somewhere where I don't have to pull a gun to get folks to stop stealing shit out of people's cars a foot away from my bedroom window), the neighborhood was steadily becoming safer, cleaner, and overall nicer.

[mjmjr25]

I'm currently looking at property in the county I live in now and it's on average about 25% higher than the county over, but the schools are better, shopping more convenient, etc and less land available. So, if this is where I want to live, gotta pay for it.

Right.

There are a lot of things that go into it.

School and land were our number 1 priorities when looking last time.

If we wanted school, land, and sewer...that was more than we could afford.
school, land, and city water...that was more than we could afford.
school, land, and [insert any of the above: closer shopping, gas station, higher speed internet, closer to school, more square footage, HVAC, etc] put it out of our price range.

We are in the best school in the state and have a good amount of land.

We also use well water which can be unreliable and requires maintenance and testing. We installed a very expensive (and unplanned) septic system. We have dreadfully slow internet. The house by many would be considered "too small" for a family of 6. We have zero HVAC due (use baseboard heat and wood fireplace, no forced air for heat or cold). There is one restaurant. Getting milk or butter late at night is a 40 minute round-trip endeavor - during the day time it's 20 minutes.

It's what you can afford and prioritizing what's important to you.

[Ack]

Mjmjr, you forgot that where you live is quiet, with no nosy neighbors to call the cops on Racket Man.

[Jmustang1968]

I could definitely see some benefits to living on some land. Some close family friends bought some land and built a beautiful house and workshop on it. Great place to go when they hist parties and for entertaining and I enjoy being there.

Right now 2 things prevent me from doing something similar, which is an even longer commute and shitty internet.

[mjmjr25]

Mjmjr, you forgot that where you live is quiet, with no nosy neighbors to call the cops on Racket Man.

You don't call the cops on Racket Man. The neighbors call Racket Man on the cops.

[mjmjr25]

Right now 2 things prevent me from doing something similar, which is an even longer commute and shitty internet.

I have a horrid commute. 25 minutes, blech.

...yes, I know, that's not much. But in this area anything over 10 minutes we give each other empathy

Slow internet. meh. You get used to it - really. When we moved we lost fast internet and yeah, it sorta stunk at first, but first world and all that - you adjust pretty quick. We voluntarily got rid of cable and it was quite literally one of the best things we've done. I know you like your sports - but as your daughter (and more?) get older you'll find you'd much rather go throw a ball with them, than watch people who are being paid to do it. John, I kid you not - I don't think there was a bigger fan of NFL football in this country than myself 10 years ago. I couldn't sleep Friday night, let alone Saturday night before the games. I just quit it all cold turkey and have been so blessed to have done so. My hobbies and time to do them has grown exponentially and I spend so much more time doing things that are more meaningful.

(sorry for long reply...sorta went tangential and this become essentially a public PM )

[Ack]

25 minutes? Ha...hahahahahahaha.

When I first started working in Atlanta, I had an hour and a half commute one way. I spent 3 hours in the car every day, Monday through Friday. 25 minutes is a cakewalk.

[Jmustang1968]

Yeah my drive as it stands is 25 with no traffic, so 5 am or after 7-730 pm. Normally it is 1-1.5 hrs.

I cant see myself ever stop being a sports fan, it is ingrained in me. I also dont do Sunday church activities, so that opens the day up more for that. Not having fast internet kills me. Ive been places where it is spotty, and I dont like it. I also do a lot of online gaming, downloading, streaming etc. I pay for the 105 mbps service right now. Until they support more rural areas with good broadband, it will prevent me from doing such a move.