Forum slow lately

[freebeard]

I figured once I had one parked in the carport, I'd join www.fuvowners.com/. I just took a look,

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Eight subforums, two haven't been updated since 2023. I should at least poke around a bit in there.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Follow me to the https://www.chevybolt.org/ forum. Smart folks there too, perfect moderation, and a more functional forum platform. Plenty of forum categories to talk about whatever you want (including global warming).

Now that I can actually access Ecomodder I can see which Chevy Bolt site you were referring to.

I didn't see anything on that site about living more cheaply. I guess that's kind of my goal in life to live as simply and frugally as possible in order to live where I want and do what I want as opposed to living for the things money can buy.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Now that I can actually access Ecomodder I can see which Chevy Bolt site you were referring to.

I didn't see anything on that site about living more cheaply. I guess that's kind of my goal in life to live as simply and frugally as possible in order to live where I want and do what I want as opposed to living for the things money can buy.

The forum allows endless OT threads so long as it's in an appropriate sub-forum, or in the basement if none are applicable. Smart folks there, and plenty are interested in the topic of efficiency and frugality.

I've been discussing the fact that I don't make fairly trivial purchasing decisions anymore unless I have AI analyze the options with respect to my value hierarchy.

You've got the most important part of managing finances figured out; living within your means. Most people Think they've got an income problem when they mostly have a spending problem.

[freebeard]

I'm glad it's back. For a day and a half I was concerned it might have been due to something I said.

I've lived within my means for some time now, but it's not getting easier. Rent's been going up 8-10% a year, while inflation is only 4%. Rent is (one thing) driving inflation.

OTOH, I have modest holdings in silver. Spot price has gone from $50.14/oz to $56.65/oz in the last week.

[Isaac Zachary]

I must say that it is nice to be virtually debt free.

My only doubt is if my plan for the future is good enough. Rents always go up, whereas mortgages stay the same for the most part (insurance and taxes that go along with them can change) until they are eventually paid off. Do I abandon everything and everyone I've been working for just to secure my retirement?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I must say that it is nice to be virtually debt free.

My only doubt is if my plan for the future is good enough. Rents always go up, whereas mortgages stay the same for the most part (insurance and taxes that go along with them can change) until they are eventually paid off. Do I abandon everything and everyone I've been working for just to secure my retirement?

The rough stages of life are-

Accumulation of debt in gambles of a more prosperous future (school, apprenticeship, longshot pursuits). Youth have no name, and take bigger risks to cultivate one, and more time to recover from failure.

Increasing earnings and repayment of debt. Increased knowledge and wisdom and the building of a name. Less risk tolerant, but recovery from failure is still likely.

Maximum earning and aversion of risk because there is less time to recover from failure. The name is established at this point.

Retirement and residual earnings or drawdown of accumulated wealth.

Those who have spare funds and time enough to lose it all make bigger bets. Those who have spare funds and less time to lose it all make conservative decisions. Those who don't have spare funds are looking to break even at minimum. Those who are spending down accumulated wealth either aren't expecting to live much longer, or are in a dire situation that requires sacrificing the future for the present.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The rough stages of life are-

Accumulation of debt in gambles of a more prosperous future (school, apprenticeship, longshot pursuits). Youth have no name, and take bigger risks to cultivate one, and more time to recover from failure.

Increasing earnings and repayment of debt. Increased knowledge and wisdom and the building of a name. Less risk tolerant, but recovery from failure is still likely.

Maximum earning and aversion of risk because there is less time to recover from failure. The name is established at this point.

Retirement and residual earnings or drawdown of accumulated wealth.

Those who have spare funds and time enough to lose it all make bigger bets. Those who have spare funds and less time to lose it all make conservative decisions. Those who don't have spare funds are looking to break even at minimum. Those who are spending down accumulated wealth either aren't expecting to live much longer, or are in a dire situation that requires sacrificing the future for the present.

I tend to look at things very similarly. We might have somewhat different value hierarchies and perhaps we have different preferred methods of achieving our goals, but I believe we analyze our situations similarly.

I don't buy anything until I've taken some time to project its impact over its life. All purchases have benefits and opportunity cost, and not just monetary. There's the consideration of whether I will need to move it in the future, and how. There is the consideration of the amount of space I have, and what I will choose to sell or donate to make room for it. There's the consideration of the money spent on it and the value it provides, weighed against that money used in some other form (e.g. interest bearing account, investment, other purchase, remaining liquid).

Which is not to say I always do this so formally, or with spreadsheets. I've gotten in the habit of stepping back and looking for the bigger picture, that I can "back of the envelope" most of it, most times.

In the last 3 years I've made a few financial blunders, a few of which were due to short-term thinking, but more of which were due to being in a new environment where I didn't understand the systems well enough, and being conscious of needing to make decisions based on a more limited understanding.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I must say that it is nice to be virtually debt free.

My only doubt is if my plan for the future is good enough. Rents always go up, whereas mortgages stay the same for the most part (insurance and taxes that go along with them can change) until they are eventually paid off. Do I abandon everything and everyone I've been working for just to secure my retirement?

I might've missed the context here, but my next home purchase is something I'm actively sacrificing for, for the very reasons you've highlighted. I'm of the opinion the housing market is likely to stabilize at some point in the not too distant future, as homes can't continue to outgrow incomes without consequences, and it's likely to have regulatory lashback at some point. But, they're not done growing yet, and homes remain a high yield savings account that you just happen to live in, and (generally) have limited access to until you sell them.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I might've missed the context here, but my next home purchase is something I'm actively sacrificing for, for the very reasons you've highlighted. I'm of the opinion the housing market is likely to stabilize at some point in the not too distant future, as homes can't continue to outgrow incomes without consequences, and it's likely to have regulatory lashback at some point. But, they're not done growing yet, and homes remain a high yield savings account that you just happen to live in, and (generally) have limited access to until you sell them.

The context is if I do buy my own home, it's either going to be a condo that will be more than half my paycheck, or I'd have to move far away from my aging parents, my kids, my wife and about everyone and everything else that matters to me.

And at my age, the only two reasons to do so would be to 1) keep rent from increasing, since a 30-year mortgage would be the same payment until I'm 85 years old, and 2) to have equity as an inheritance for my kids.

[Logic]

So I sent off An Email to metrompg on the 13th Nov, pointing him to neptronix's post #24 here.

Site seems much better..?

I wont get 'whats changed' here..?
Spoze I can ask neptronix if he's been contacted.

[redpoint5]

The one thing I'll point out is that Isaac owns the depreciating part of home-ownership (the structure) and not the appreciating part (land).

My houses have appreciated enormously, but between the 2 properties I need to replace a roof, siding, exterior paint, replace all fences, some window replacement, 4 decks/railing/stairs...

Between those expenses and inflation, the appreciation probably breaks even.

Housing prices that exceed inflation are by definition a bubble. Usually markets cool down to allow inflation to catch up, but once in a lifetime bubbles pop and prices drop.