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Help is on the way

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Yawn, Apr 25, 2008.

  1. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    I made a few changes to the Dr. Housing Bubble calculation based on the suggestions made here.

    Housing expenses are shown as $250 a month or $3,000 a year, which seems high at first, even if you replace a roof every 15 years. But there is no line item for furniture, tvs, refrigerator, computers, so it must go here. That stuff adds up. Still, lets take a $50 reduction per month, or $600 per year.

    BTE is right, entertainment is too high - if your entertainment consists of a family of four going to Chili's for dinner on a saturday night ($90, including tip) and a movie ($40). That's $130, twice a month, or $260. No concerts or sporting events for our typical family. Take off $240 a month, or $2,880.

    I didn't take BTE's 20% haircut on other items, simply because they don't seem too far out of line, and if they do, current inflation will catch up.

    I don't understand Yawn's comment about $50 cell phone bill being out of line. We have the cheapest-ass cell phone plan around, and my 14 y-o daughter's cell phone is two years old, (an embarrassment in a world of sidekicks and whatever else is out there) and we pay $50. Maybe he is saying it's too small. I don't know. We will keep as is.

    Buckweaver commented about $125 a month in work lunches. That's $60 a week. If the dude is making $100,000 maybe he works with professionals who don't always bring a ham sandwich in a baggie, and go to a Houston's for lunch twice a week. Kind of a not-mandatory, mandatory work lunch. Two or three a week would make that up. Or heaven forbid the guy gets a Ben & Jerry's a couple times a week. Lets take $15 a week off that, or $780 a year.

    And while this typical family has been ripped for their dry cleaning and entertainment expenses, this family of four is spending $3000 a year on a vacation. They aren't exactly jetting the family to Europe.


    Making all those changes above lowered monthly expenses by $305, which still runs a deficit of $771. A smart family could find other ways to reduce it to a break even. Vacation is now camping at a state park. That kind of thing. I guess the kids aren't going to college.
     
  2. Yawn

    Yawn New Member

    A cell phone bill can be cheaper - if you never use it. Mine is 70 bucks just for single use. We're talking about an entire family in this scenario.
     
  3. KYSportsWriter

    KYSportsWriter Well-Known Member

    the money will be put in my checking account one day and gone in a few days.
     
  4. Yawn

    Yawn New Member

    How many of you have a combined family income of (take home pay) $1,200 a week? Trying to make that stretch is tough. I look at these median income statements and yeah, they make sense only with the welfare rolls, teen-age workers and seniors factored in, which yes, they have to be. And yet even then it seems a stretch to call that "median."
     
  5. Monday Morning Sportswriter

    Monday Morning Sportswriter Well-Known Member

    My dad passed along this e-mail forward today:

    If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
    If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs.
    If we purchase a computer it will go to India.
    If we purchase fruits and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
    If we purchase a good car it will go to Japan.
    If we purchase useless stuff it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.
    We need to keep that money here in America.
    The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it at yard sales...
    since those are the only businesses still in the United States!

    I'd argue that beer, tobacco and strippers are also All-American.
     
  6. Pancamo

    Pancamo Active Member

    A lot of strippers are Russian.
     
  7. Lugnuts

    Lugnuts Well-Known Member

    Mr. Lugs is saying ours might go toward paying down our mortgage or into Baby Lugs college fund.

    Stimulating or not?
     
  8. Monday Morning Sportswriter

    Monday Morning Sportswriter Well-Known Member

    Mine actually is going back to Uncle Sam. I owe him a little money from a slip up a few years ago.
     
  9. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    odd. when i lived in the midwest, i kept my themo on 72 year around. my bill every month ranged from $140 to $200 with the most expensive months coming in dec., jan., july and aug. on average it was $165.
     
  10. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    My average bill in the winter is $45. My average bill in the summer is $140.
     
  11. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    sf?
     
  12. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    and i'm so glad i didn't miss this post. solid. damn solid.
     
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