Random Thoughts....

People also see "mortage" and think that's the all-in cost, when you also have to factor in property tax, which can be thousands every year. Some states offset that with lower income or sales tax, but not all.

(Edit: to clarify, I mean outside of all of the other costs youxd have, whether you rent or own, like utilities, and insurance).
 
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NecroJoe said:
People also see "mortage" and think that's the all-in cost, when you also have to factor in property tax, which can be thousands every year.
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A mortgage is equivalent to what we call "cold rent" here in Germany.
Power, water, heating, garbage collection, insurance, upkeep reserve, taxes, and some other stuff come on top. The yearly "auxiliary cost bill" I get from my landlord consists of easily a dozen positions, probably more. And some of the cost a landlord has cannot be pushed on to the tenants like that, so as a tenant you never see those, but they are included in your rent.
 
Yeah, my parents were like "lol the property tax is part of the mortgage....i was like..you've been in FL for years now ...are you sure about that?" PA also has expensive school taxes depending on what neighborhood you're in - i have no qualms with paying school taxes, but it's something to consider as far as how much house I can afford.

The only advantage I see with owning, is having space for cars and car repairs. But I can look for apartments that offer garages - some have townhomes with built in garage space, others let you add on a detached garage elsewhere in the development. Even the ones that have neither typically allow for two cars per apartment.

I'm also unclear if I want to settle down here in central PA - once some loose ends in my tertiary family life are tied up and i get a few raises under my belt to offset higher costs of living elsewhere, I may be more keen to move.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Yeah, my parents were like "lol the property tax is part of the mortgage....i was like..you've been in FL for years now ...are you sure about that?" PA also has expensive school taxes depending on what neighborhood you're in - i have no qualms with paying school taxes, but it's something to consider as far as how much house I can afford.

The only advantage I see with owning, is having space for cars and car repairs. But I can look for apartments that offer garages - some have townhomes with built in garage space, others let you add on a detached garage elsewhere in the development. Even the ones that have neither typically allow for two cars per apartment.

I'm also unclear if I want to settle down here in central PA - once some loose ends in my tertiary family life are tied up and i get a few raises under my belt to offset higher costs of living elsewhere, I may be more keen to move.
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This is the biggest issue in the Chicago suburbs. My parents live on in a cookie cutter subdivision with their square lot with some grass in the front, some in the back. They're farther west than me but not by much and they pay in the range of $7,000 a year in property tax alone. Where I live which to me is a much more convienent place if you prefer public transport to Chicago or just more options to get to Chicago, I'm around $5200/yr.

Admittedly their house is a big more space inside, 1 extra bedroom, and two sitting rooms, but I have a bigger yard and better garage. We are within 15-20 minutes drive of each other, it varies quite a bit in this area.

I also escrow my property tax with the homeowners insurance and such to keep the amount of places I have to remember to pay down to a minimum.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Yeah, my parents were like "lol the property tax is part of the mortgage....i was like..you've been in FL for years now ...are you sure about that?" PA also has expensive school taxes depending on what neighborhood you're in - i have no qualms with paying school taxes, but it's something to consider as far as how much house I can afford.

The only advantage I see with owning, is having space for cars and car repairs. But I can look for apartments that offer garages - some have townhomes with built in garage space, others let you add on a detached garage elsewhere in the development. Even the ones that have neither typically allow for two cars per apartment.

I'm also unclear if I want to settle down here in central PA - once some loose ends in my tertiary family life are tied up and i get a few raises under my belt to offset higher costs of living elsewhere, I may be more keen to move.
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Automotive repairs may be verboten in an apartment complex, garage or not. Hell, if you buy a house in the wrong HOA, they may forbid repairs. Just make sure you ask questions, and then YOU, or a lawyer look over the contract before you sign on the dotted line.
 
Photo of one of the fires I took as I drove.

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Perspective

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Earlier in the day

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Night shots

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Some bold people pulled over to take photos. Weird thing I noticed was a bunch of cars abandoned. Like at first I thought "Man what a day to have had car trouble. Can you believe three cars all must have had severe transmission issues right around here” What I hadn't put together is in the evacuation zone all the gas station have their pumps cut off. People were on E and had nowhere to go so they went as far as they could.
 
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Massive wildfires whipped by 100mph winds broke out in Boulder county today. The Front Range (Boulder, Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs basically where Colorado's population is) has been suffering a drought either lightning or a down wire caused a fire. That fire grew from grass fire to a series of grass fires to hundreds of houses.

They evacuated Superior 13,000 then Louisville 21,000 then parts of Broomfield (pop. 67k.) Some 600 homes have gone.
 
So, I don't usually go out on Newyears eve, for good reason, this year I was persuaded to do so...... oh boy, idiots who are only allowed to go out once a year acting obnoxious after 5 beers, check, people who listen to flemish slagers, check, people who have no idea how to behave themselves in public after 10 beers, check.....God I wanna go home.

Edit: don't forget the (older) slags throwing themselves at everything with a penis and some money......


Edit upon edit......don't worry though, beiing ugly still has predictable results.....not that I care..... death to all!
 
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Happy new year, ya filthy animals.

May 2022 bring you inexpensive repair bills and may any breakdowns have favourable weather and scenic views.
 
Matt2000 said:
Happy new year, ya filthy animals.

May 2022 bring you inexpensive repair bills and may any breakdowns have favourable weather and scenic views.
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*images of clarkson out of fuel in the alps*
 
Happy New Year.

 
The way the pizza gushes out of the sausage grinder here is pretty accurate as to what happens whenever I eat pizza:

Also, it's disturbing how well that pizza slides right in. That's........definitely edible, but definitely not good pizza. (Also, their cheese bread is better.)
 
I just needed something to fill 5 minutes, what the buggering flip did I just watch? This is possibly the most insane corner of YouTube I've ever been tricked into visiting. :LOL:

Edit: As if I wasn't giggling already, I just walked into the bathroom and the toiler paper roll has completely unravelled itself onto the floor. Couldn't help but laugh.
 
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Oh, the Ordinary Sausage guy is amazing. I've had him on in the background sausaging various foodstuffs all day, haha.
 
A sidenote from a post from a different thread:
NecroJoe said:
my godmother's husband*

[....]

*(I know that sounds like an odd connection...when my parents picked her as my godmother when I was born, she hadn't met him yet. Eventually became a close family friend, but someone else was already my godfather, so....)
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Is it the usual way to pick a couple as godparents where you live? Over here, it's perfectly normal to pick two unrelated good friends, not even necessarily of different sex. It's basically a way of honouring a close friendship between the parents and the chosen godparents.
 
ninjacoco said:
Oh, the Ordinary Sausage guy is amazing. I've had him on in the background sausaging various foodstuffs all day, haha.
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OK I'm going to have to bill you for these hours next time we meet. I can't stop watching him make sausages.

I've never given it any thought or really known choices of family/friends but I always considered godparents to be a couple in this country.
 
DanRoM said:
A sidenote from a post from a different thread:

Is it the usual way to pick a couple as godparents where you live? Over here, it's perfectly normal to pick two unrelated good friends, not even necessarily of different sex. It's basically a way of honouring a close friendship between the parents and the chosen godparents.
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You know, I think you're probably right. My own extended family, though, the "godparents" were not only supposed to be the ones who'd help guide your path through the various sacraments to adulthood (which is I think what most catholic families did), but we also looked at it as "if anything were to happen to your parents, it'd be who'd take care of you. So most of my 22 cousins have a godmother and godfather as an "aunt and uncle" couple, or family friend couple.
 
Godparents sounds like when a Christian family does a child dedication that basically means you take an offer to the church to support raising your child and there’s a “life verse” usually made by the parents for said child. I never really understood the point because nobody was like “there at your side to help through life if needed” or whatever. These family’s rarely made it to the kids high school age within the church anyways

That said, I don’t think I’ve had a godparent chosen for me yet. Perhaps I could adopt a pair.
 
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