Lounge Lizards / Misfits / Free Thinkers / Bohemians & the Forgotten :: Young at Heart Only

[LovesButtercups]

Hi, Lizards!

We are back from the beach…getting up early is so much better when you can look out over the ocean while you have your morning coffee! There was lots of rain, but we managed to get some beach time. The big, choppy waves were a lot of fun to play in, even if Hubs did almost lose his swimming trunks a time or two We booked a condo through Vrbo, which was a first for us. It went smoothly, and the condo was awesome. It felt much more “homey” than a hotel room. That was a good thing since we had to spend more time indoors than I had wanted to.

I am still trying to get used to the new format but so far, so good. I think it looks good, just have to get used to things being in different places. I’ll get there eventually lol.

I am taking mom to town this morning to run a couple of errands and get her hair cut. Afterwards I will mow her yard, and hope that I don’t completely give out after being lazy all week.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

 

[MikeE3]

Good morning folks.

 

[rosesense]

Good morning, sort of, I have a dental appt this morning.

 

[FranC]

Good morning to the young at heart

 

[DavidOck]

Morning, all.

Claim is we're out of the oven for a bit, with temps to be about normal - for us, this time of year, that's mid 70s. Alas, still no rain.

Hope the rest of the glitches get smoothed out soon...

 

[Janet H]

Good morning. It's 75 and muggy outside, going up to 90. Sure hope the T-storm comes in later today. We could use the rain.

Our home inspection came back great. The buyer only wants a credit toward a new breaker box. Now we're just waiting on the radon results. Those things look like little land mines. The guy laughed when I told him that and said some military guys doh't much like how they look.

We're going to go look at a house tomorrow morning. Mike and I are torn between getting a single house or a condo in a 55+ community. It sure would be nice to find a place so we know where we're going. It's make it a lot easier to know what to get rid of here and what we'll need to get for there. It's really unsettling having things up in the air.

@LovesButtercups so sorry your vacation is over. The last time we took one I insisted on renting a house for 2 weeks with our kids. It seems like I need the 1st week to settle down so we can enjoy the 2nd week. Then covid came and now with the move we haven't had a vacation since then. Even if you can only manage 1 week it's still nice to have the memories.

@rosesense I feel for ya! I just had my dental appt. All turned out ok so it's a relief that I won't have to go for another 6 months.

@Uncle Willie Totally agree with you about paying one's college debts. It's not like they didn't know the cost of what they were signing up for. I think it's a mindset that "someone else" should pay for their hardships. That student debit doesn't disappear-someone still has to pay it. We did without to pay for both college degrees for our kids. I insisted they pay us back $5k at least so they had some responsibility for the cost. Both kids are still grateful to us, and never once thought anyone else should pay their debts. What ever happened to the idea of dropping out for awhile and working to pay off debts?

 

[Nermal]

We're going to go look at a house tomorrow morning. Mike and I are torn between getting a single house or a condo in a 55+ community. It sure would be nice to find a place so we know where we're going. It's make it a lot easier to know what to get rid of here and what we'll need to get for there. It's really unsettling having things up in the air.

Let me share my ill informed feelings on condos and communities. Find out all the rules that apply. If the seller or association can't document this, I would keep looking. Of course, I do tend to look on the dark side.

 

[Uncle Willie]

Mike and I are torn between getting a single house or a condo in a 55+ community.

Hola ..

My opinion counts for squat .. yet, that never stopped me from offering it up .. there are any number of considerations ..

Neighborhood .. ??
Neighbors .. ??
Single story or stairs .. ??
Gated .. ??
Proximity of amenities .. ??
Lot size if single family .. ??
Association Fees .. ??

And, many others .. after the Housing Meltdown of the Bush Administration, I have given serious consideration twice on moving .. and when I was seriously looking, I would go so far as to attempt to quiz residents if I looked at a home that I really liked just to get an on the ground feel of the 'hood ..

And, to me, that's the bottom line .. how do you feel about a place .. ?? Feng Shui is perhaps the top of my list ..

You're making a downgrade, and, perhaps it will be your last dwelling .. thus, although there will never be perfection, don't be too hasty ..

 

[cats5365]

Let me share my ill informed feelings on condos and communities. Find out all the rules that apply. If the seller or association can't document this, I would keep looking. Of course, I do tend to look on the dark side.

@Janet H I agree with Nermal on this one. I served on a condo HOA board, but am currently living in a non-HOA house.

HOA's can be with both single family and condo/townhome developments. You should be able to review the HOA rules and financials prior to buying the property. There may be regular dues for property maintenance, but you might have special assessments if the HOA doesn't maintain healthy reserve savings for things like roofs and major repairs to other common property.

If you have hobbies like cars, gardens, bird feeding, etc. you may have issues with an HOA and their rules.

If you are looking for a way to avoid the outdoor maintenance like mowing, snow shoveling, or are wanting to take long trips, the HOA might be the better option if you don't plan to hire your own lawn or maintenance services.

 

[rosesense]

I agree with what others said about HOA and association communities. I was prez of an HOA/townhome for many years and swore I would never live in any again. It is the law that the seller provides you with the by laws prior to the sale so you know what you are/are not getting. Some folks love them and the place we are currently trying to buy has an HOA, we want the house enough to endure it. You can always hire lawn people anywhere so that isn't a factor. Not to be a negative nellie but I see no advantage to living in those communities unless you just want the house/condo and it goes along with it.

Some of them have a ton of restrictions like no street parking. I highly encourage reading the by laws first. Some can raise dues easily without a true vote from residents if enough don't respond. In my case, after I left the position, the new prez raised the monthly dues from 36.00 to 140 overnight without following the process in the by laws. Wasn't worth hiring an attorney so I sold my townhome and got out. The only thing included in the dues was common area maintenance, exterior painting in a color of their choice and water, I was still responsible for mowing etc.

 

[Uncle Willie]

I agree with what others said about HOA and association communities. I was prez of an HOA/townhome for many years and swore I would never live in any again. It is the law that the seller provides you with the by laws prior to the sale so you know what you are/are not getting. Some folks love them and the place we are currently trying to buy has an HOA, we want the house enough to endure it. You can always hire lawn people anywhere so that isn't a factor. Not to be a negative nellie but I see no advantage to living in those communities unless you just want the house/condo and it goes along with it.

Some of them have a ton of restrictions like no street parking. I highly encourage reading the by laws first. Some can raise dues easily without a true vote from residents if enough don't respond. In my case, after I left the position, the new prez raised the monthly dues from 36.00 to 140 overnight without following the process in the by laws. Wasn't worth hiring an attorney so I sold my townhome and got out. The only thing included in the dues was common area maintenance, exterior painting in a color of their choice and water, I was still responsible for mowing etc.

I looked seriously at a townhouse in an er, more Senior community .. it was centrally located within walking distance of a lot of amenities, it was gated, the townhouse itself was very nice / modern, it was upstairs/downstairs, you were allotted two parking spots, there was a communal pool and a good size community building that could be reserved .. I really liked the home itself ..

The turnoff was .. HO fees were $425 a month .. now, that included basic cable and internet, water, exterior maintenance to include yard upkeep, roof, paint .. and, I did look at the by-laws and the HO fee history and it had been going up year in and year out and, clearly, looked to me like the place was badly mismanaged or somebody was skimming a piece of the action ..

In addition, downsides were :: Living under the HO rules, sharing walls with next door people in that the walls were not very soundproofed and I like to crank up the music or movie I may be watching .. that may sound stupid as a downside, but it's important to me ..

And, there seemed an inordinate number of residents that wanted to get in my business .. i.e. Nosey People ..

It's taken me around 35 years to get my home exactly how I want it .. the house and me are One .. no, it's not a Palace, but it's pretty durn nice .. my home reflects my personality and I know each and every idiosyncrasy ..

Which is why, in the heat of the moment, I had unsolicited offers after speaking with a Realtor, for substantially more than I thought the place was worth ..

When I expressed possible interest, she dragged a contract over .. we sat at the dining room table .. I picked up the pen, I looked around, set the pen down and said, no ..

 

[MikeE3]

I looked seriously at a townhouse in an er, more Senior community .. it was centrally located within walking distance of a lot of amenities, it was gated, the townhouse itself was very nice / modern, it was upstairs/downstairs, you were allotted two parking spots, there was a communal pool and a good size community building that could be reserved .. I really liked the home itself ..

The turnoff was .. HO fees were $425 a month .. now, that included basic cable and internet, water, exterior maintenance to include yard upkeep, roof, paint .. and, I did look at the by-laws and the HO fee history and it had been going up year in and year out and, clearly, looked to me like the place was badly mismanaged or somebody was skimming a piece of the action ..

In addition, downsides were :: Living under the HO rules, sharing walls with next door people in that the walls were not very soundproofed and I like to crank up the music or movie I may be watching .. that may sound stupid as a downside, but it's important to me ..

And, there seemed an inordinate number of residents that wanted to get in my business .. i.e. Nosey People ..

It's taken me around 35 years to get my home exactly how I want it .. the house and me are One .. no, it's not a Palace, but it's pretty durn nice .. my home reflects my personality and I know each and every idiosyncrasy ..

Which is why, in the heat of the moment, I had unsolicited offers after speaking with a Realtor, for substantially more than I thought the place was worth ..

When I expressed possible interest, she dragged a contract over .. we sat at the dining room table .. I picked up the pen, I looked around, set the pen down and said, no ..

I feel similar to that about our place. Particularly the yard. It was barren when we moved here. Now it's a bit of green heaven looking out over it.

But I haven't signed a covenant w/ the devil to outlive Janet. And there's no way she can do the up keep on the big house yet alone M&J's Park.

The emotional part of me truly wants to stay ... that damn right side of my brain with some logic and reason left says it's time to leave go and move along.

 

[Uncle Willie]

The emotional part of me truly wants to stay ... that damn right side of my brain with some logic and reason left says it's time to leave go and move along.

Life is a series of choices .. all we can hope for is making the best ones we can and be right at least most of the time ..

The day will always come, to all of us, that sustaining what we have becomes a near impossible chore .. I'll try and let you know when I get there ..

 

[FranC]

I feel similar to that about our place. Particularly the yard. It was barren when we moved here. Now it's a bit of green heaven looking out over it.

But I haven't signed a covenant w/ the devil to outlive Janet. And there's no way she can do the up keep on the big house yet alone M&J's Park.

The emotional part of me truly wants to stay ... that damn right side of my brain with some logic and reason left says it's time to leave go and move along.

 

[MikeE3]

Life is a series of choices .. all we can hope for is making the best ones we can and be right at least most of the time ..

The day will always come, to all of us, that sustaining what we have becomes a near impossible chore .. I'll try and let you know when I get there ..

I was once told ... making a decision is the easy part ... living with it can be the hard part.

 

[rosesense]

It appears we aren't getting the house so will probably just stay where we are.

 

[rosesense]

Life is a series of choices .. all we can hope for is making the best ones we can and be right at least most of the time ..

The day will always come, to all of us, that sustaining what we have becomes a near impossible chore .. I'll try and let you know when I get there ..

Well said. I am already at that point. I sold the 5 acres/home in So GA 2 years ago and moved in with my daughter. Now I can't really continue keeping up with the yard/mowing so will have to hire someone for this place. That was why we were trying to sell/buy a place with less outdoor maintenance.

I have been getting rid of stuff for years now and it is still hard to let go of stuff. I still have way too much vape gear and flavorings. It is such a pain trying to sell for barely over the cost of shipping, if I were smart, I would just dump it in the garbage and move on.

Nobody said getting older was easy, I guess.

 

[FranC]

Good morning to the young at heart.

 

[LovesButtercups]

I am late with my thoughts pertaining to the proposed debt forgiveness, but I’ll have a go anyways…

First, a little background…My parents paid the tuition for my two years at a local community college. I paid for my books and other stuff, and I worked while I went to school. I was attempting to get a degree in computer science, but it turns out that I am horrible at programming, and just hated every minute of it. Instead of choosing another field, I gave up. I started full-time at the bank where I was working, and got married, and college just fell by the wayside. I could kick my own tail for that, but I guess hindsight is always 20/20. Back then, having attended college at all looked good on a resume but today it makes me look bad since I didn’t get a degree.

I feel like young people need to understand that nothing is free, and a person has to work for things. Loans have to be repaid, as that’s just how things are. I can remember saying “That’s not fair!” at least a thousand times while I was growing up, and every time, I was met with mom’s standard (yet VERY TRUE) response - “Well, LIFE isn’t fair, so go on and get used to it.”

On the other hand, tuitions are INSANE these days. My tuition in ‘94 was around $3K. Tennessee actually provides two years of community college for free to high school graduates now, but the cost of tuition for four-year colleges have doubled. Some out-of-state tuitions have almost tripled. Even the cost for trade schools have jumped exponentially. Housing costs have skyrocketed, and inflation is rising…it’s hard for a college graduate when they’re saddled with all that debt before they even begin to try and build a life for themselves. It’s not like most graduates can immediately get a job making a six figure salary, so I imagine it’s pretty difficult to make any real progress in paying off loans when you’re struggling just to get by.

To sum it up, I guess I’m torn. I’m all for giving someone a leg up, but not a series of hand-outs. Sometimes the line between the two feels a bit blurry these days.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

I look at the paying off college debt from a different Very Different perspective.

Our country allowed education to slip over the years. It doesn't matter who was responsible for that. I think all can agree our current education system has gotten to the point of unacceptability especially when compared to other countries.

STEM is where it's at. Our country is far behind many other countries (some considered 3rd world) in STEM. That is not acceptable. Especially if, looking forward, our desire is to be a global leader.

Frankly, we are no longer The Global Leader compared to the 40's through the 90's. Sure we are still right up there in many technologies but the rest of the world has either nearly caught up, quickly catching up or surpassed us in some areas.

If we wouldn't have allowed education to slide we might still be considered the preeminent World Leader. But, we certainly are not that today.

Who are we as a country competing with? Ummm, China for one. Many Euro countries, India, Brazil, Japan, S. Korea etc. etc.

In order to compete with those countries, and for the sake of our future, we need to address our education system (and fast). We need to get kids interested in STEM at very young ages. STEM is now and our future.

The high cost of a U.S. college education has many prospective students looking at other countries that offer free college or low-cost programs, including Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, and Denmark.

That ^^^ is from 6 European Countries With Free College Tuition.

Investment in our future will pay off in the long run.

Our students, as of 2019, rank 30th in the world in math!!! That is not acceptable. https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...e3b37c-153d-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html

So, is paying for college educations worth it? IMHO it sure the heck is. I think setting some ground rules would be beneficial and appropriate. Like, we pay for your education then you will be getting a job in that field and for a minimum number of years.

We need to look forward not backwards in time. The past is forever gone and frankly no longer applies in 2022 or going forward (some 'old' lessons, sure).

One solution to pay for college educations, and fixing K-12, would be to take 10% ($77.8 billion) away from the annual DoD budget and reallocate it towards education. That way no new money is needed. And frankly, and IMO, we don't need to spend as much as we do on defense (offensive weapons of war).

According to ExecutiveGov, the country's proposed spending, mainly the Department of Defense budget, reached $778 billion in 2022, which is a 14% increase in military spending compared to 2017. According to the ranks, the second country is China, which has a military budget of $229 billion.

That ^^^ is from US Military Budget 2022: How Much Does the U.S. Spend on Defense? - GovCon Wire

Does the DoD really need $778 billion annually??? I don't think so. I would like to see their budget reduced, significantly. We need those funds to repair our aging infrastructure (that hasn't been maintained). Some of those funds would greatly help to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and at the same time help to reduce global warming (caused by humans per 98% of global scientists). If nothing continues to be done then our world will die a slow death (per scientists).

I'm not for buying people new cars, homes, Nike's or Xboxes!!! Heck no. But, did you know that you and I can get free high speed internet, or credits towards, via the government if we qualify??? Yes, people can. I just received an email from Social Security about that last week. Some of you probably received the same email.

Sorry for the long post and I may have touched a few nerves but that was not my intention nor was I trying to. Just tossing out some thoughts and perhaps possible ideas.

Anyhow, hope y'all enjoy your Saturday!!!