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I wrote a paper last week about upper classes in Nigeria and how they all rely on huge generators because the power grid is so bad. But these generators create a reliance and make them less likely to support major upgrades to the grid. I can see the same thing at work here.
i say swears online fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Dec 21, 2014 |
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Dec 21, 2014 17:40
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Jastiger posted:I really like the idea of strong public transit, and I know its "bad with money", but I don't think the convenience of being able to go where I want WHEN I want is a huge draw for me and most Americans. I don't have a vehicle as a status symbol, I have a vehicle because I don't want to be late by 40 minutes instead of 4 if I miss a certain time when the bus comes by. I want to be able to go to get food when/where I want to if the nerve strikes. I feel safer driving my kiddo around in a LATCHed in Carseat than on a bus seat. I am not sure I can really attach a solid dollar amount to that. americans like cars because they're poo poo at planning, obsessed with instant gratification, and drastically overvalue the illusion of safety? yup, sounds about right
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Dec 21, 2014 19:08
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I've pretty much ridden 95% of my trips via bus in the last 9 years and i've never once been in an accident. Bus drivers have a massive incentive to drive safely and defensively. They will lose their job even if someone else hits them and it wasn't even their fault. Meanwhile the average Seattlite will be in an accident in their cars at least once every 7 years (according to insurance companies so probably more from the unreported accidents). Most people I know who drive daily have been in more.
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Dec 21, 2014 19:46
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Dangit Ronpaul posted:americans like cars because they're poo poo at planning, obsessed with instant gratification, and drastically overvalue the illusion of safety? yup, sounds about right Say all you want about planning and delayed gratification, I have no fondness for my time living carless in rural America, where the bus schedule made every grocery store trip a 4-5 hour adventure. Or if you only have an hour to kill you can walk to the nearby gas station and get a sandwich. Big improvement when I moved a few miles away to near the rail trails, where you can bike in safety. Huge improvement to move into a city with functional public transit.
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Dec 21, 2014 19:49
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Tigntink posted:I've pretty much ridden 95% of my trips via bus in the last 9 years and i've never once been in an accident. Bus drivers have a massive incentive to drive safely and defensively. They will lose their job even if someone else hits them and it wasn't even their fault. Meanwhile the average Seattlite will be in an accident in their cars at least once every 7 years (according to insurance companies so probably more from the unreported accidents). Most people I know who drive daily have been in more. As a native New Yorker, lol if you don't fear for your life every time you get on a bus. Our bus drivers are crazier than our cops, let me tell you.
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Dec 21, 2014 19:54
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Renegret posted:As a native New Yorker, lol if you don't fear for your life every time you get on a bus. Ya, but to truly be a risk of injury, the bus has to hit something that can hit back with similar force. So you're looking at accidents with other buses, trucks, trains and big structures. The kind of accidents that result in a serious injury (more than scrapes and bruises) are staggeringly rare.
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Dec 21, 2014 20:08
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A CHILD is safer in a car seat than in a bus seat if there is a serious accident simply because the amount of force required to gently caress up my 1 year old is far less than an adult. SO yeah, a fender bender in a bus can gently caress up a kiddo vs one being in a car seat.Dangit Ronpaul posted:americans like cars because they're poo poo at planning, obsessed with instant gratification, and drastically overvalue the illusion of safety? yup, sounds about right This is what I mean. Yes, truly the goons who enjoy their cars are the ones who planned the places they live in. You have to adapt to the economy man, and if you do'nt have a car you're not likely to do well in any kind of professional capacity outside of major metro areas. You just aren't. You can't go in to cover that shift, you can't work OT because you don't have your own wheels, you have to bum rides to go to company functions etc. Its just not doable outside of major urban centers for most people. But as has been established earlier, living in major urban centers IS ALREADY BAD WITH MONEY so I'm not talking about that when I talk about car ownership being better with money than previously thought (BWMTPT).
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Dec 21, 2014 20:28
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Jastiger posted:You have to adapt to the economy man, and if you do'nt have a car you're not likely to do well in any kind of professional capacity outside of major metro areas. You just aren't. You can't go in to cover that shift, you can't work OT because you don't have your own wheels, you have to bum rides to go to company functions etc. Its just not doable outside of major urban centers for most people. If there was a serious movement towards taking public transport seriously then this would be less of an issue. More people using PT would mean that services would be able to run more regularly and go to more places outside of urban centres. You wouldn't have to wait 40 minutes if you miss your bus because they would be able to afford to run every 15 or whatever. I mean I get your points; I play music (which is it's own spectacular brand of bad with money) and without a car I would seriously struggle to move my gear around, but I also recognise that most of the issues people have with PT would not be an issue in a culture where it was the norm. The services would be better funded, able to cover more areas, there would be less traffic on the roads and people would probably be more accepting of you being ten minutes late because they get on the bus same as you do and it happens sometimes. There's no reason to think that if PT was the majority form of transport it would still be clunky greyhounds and trains only on the hour.
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Dec 21, 2014 21:21
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Major urban centers are where all the money is. Good luck landing a job that allows you to max your retirement accounts in Tillamook. Also lol at people who put their kids on school buses but not public transit.
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Dec 21, 2014 21:21
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Jastiger posted:A CHILD is safer in a car seat than in a bus seat if there is a serious accident simply because the amount of force required to gently caress up my 1 year old is far less than an adult. SO yeah, a fender bender in a bus can gently caress up a kiddo vs one being in a car seat. This is non-sequitur, cars get in way more accidents than busses do, you can't just assume the same rate. I don't have data on hand but I'd wager the expected injury to your child of a given car ride is significantly higher than that of the equivalent bus ride.
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Dec 21, 2014 21:49
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:This is non-sequitur, cars get in way more accidents than busses do, you can't just assume the same rate. I don't have data on hand but I'd wager the expected injury to your child of a given car ride is significantly higher than that of the equivalent bus ride. Even if you assume the same rate of collision, buses are still much safer. The weight of your child doesn't have much bearing on the weight of the overall system. And that's the force that matter, because serious injuries occur when your body experience a sudden acceleration/deceleration. Remember we're full of liquid, and your organs (especially your brain) can destroy themselves by bouncing around INSIDE your body without ever leaving it. So if you assume a bus is involved in a collision at about the same rate as a car, the acceleration of that collision roughly the same ratio as the difference in weight. So a bus that is 15 times heavier than a car is less than 15 times less likely to experience a collision that can cause injury BEFORE any other safety features of the vehicles or seats are engaged. I would say a bus, by pure mass, is about 5- 10 times safer than a car because there are other types of collisions/accidents (rollover, hit a building, etc) in the real world. Here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Seat+Belts/Seat+Belts+on+School+Buses+--+May+2006 (Sweet, NTSB agrees with my estimate. "School buses are about 7 times safer than cars or light trucks." And FYI, school buses usually weigh considerably less than most city buses.) People always seem to lack appreciation for just how much of a difference mass makes in a vehicle collision.
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Dec 21, 2014 22:10
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Folly posted:People always seem to lack appreciation for just how much of a difference mass makes in a vehicle collision. At the same time, gotta buy that 18 MPG megatruck so I can
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Dec 21, 2014 22:15
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Jastiger posted:A CHILD is safer in a car seat than in a bus seat if there is a serious accident simply because the amount of force required to gently caress up my 1 year old is far less than an adult. SO yeah, a fender bender in a bus can gently caress up a kiddo vs one being in a car seat. I think your CHILD is safer in the bus. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811165.pdf Since 1998, 1,564 people have died in school transportation-related crashes— an average of 142 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives in those crashes (72%) were occupants of other vehicles involved. Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 20 percent of the deaths, and occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for 8 percent. I would far rather have a big bus wrapped around my rear end than the biggest of SUVs. Not to mention bus drivers are probably better drivers with better records than most any individual driver.
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Dec 21, 2014 22:48
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Jastiger posted:
No it hasn't. You're super weird with this crap.
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Dec 22, 2014 00:11
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Renegret posted:As a native New Yorker, lol if you don't fear for your life every time you get on a bus. Seattle bus drivers are super nice. I personally know quite a few and honestly have probably only encountered one dickhead driver ever. Our drivers do route rotations every 3 months too so its not like I really see the same folks. I live in the exburbs and ride daily and drat bus drivers are amazing. I've seen people essentially try to suicide by bus and the drivers were able to slam on the brakes with out hurting us folk on the bus and to not hit the rear end in a top hat who walked in front. (U District is notorious for this) Living in a major metro area is good with money imo. Mostly because I grew up in the midwest shithole and would have killed myself if i had to live there, no matter how much money I had. Being able to go out and get delicious ethnic food that's only 2-5 blocks away from my house is worth every penny. My house is as big as a midwest house and I don't have a lovely yard to take care of. Instead I live 2 blocks from a gigantic park and golf course that has a 2 mile run track. Also don't give me poo poo about "oh we have a few great ethnic restaurants" because you don't. Super china buffet isn't good food. Even if you want 1 or 2 truly ethnic good places - I can get thai, korean, japanese, ethiopian, middle eastern all with in a mile from my house. Growing up in TN (where i'm from) is bad with life. And sad. Every time I go back I want to kill myself even after a few days. silicone thrills fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Dec 22, 2014 |
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Dec 22, 2014 00:17
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I'm torn about how good it is with money for me to live in SF Bay. On one hand, my profession doesn't make good money many other places (Top contenders are Bay Area, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and possibly NYC). On the other hand, jesus christ my rent is high. And "good money" in my field is still only $60-80k a year, so in the Bay Area I am competing for apartments with $100k+ per year software developers and Tech Bros. I certainly am not at a point where I am able to max out my contributions despite living in a bustling metro area. BART is pretty cool though, except my job requires me to own a car. Also, I've now TWICE seen someone stabbed on a bus. FYI. A difficult position to be in, but man, gently caress Wisconsin/snow.
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Dec 22, 2014 00:34
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Mocking Bird posted:I'm torn about how good it is with money for me to live in SF Bay. On one hand, my profession doesn't make good money many other places (Top contenders are Bay Area, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and possibly NYC). On the other hand, jesus christ my rent is high. And "good money" in my field is still only $60-80k a year, so in the Bay Area I am competing for apartments with $100k+ per year software developers and Tech Bros. I certainly am not at a point where I am able to max out my contributions despite living in a bustling metro area. do u enjoy living where you live. If yes, then stay there.
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Dec 22, 2014 00:36
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It's possible to be pretty good with money even living in a major urban center. I think it's almost easier to go off the rails, since there is the aforementioned delicious ethnic food, tons of shopping, and a lot of actually very rich people with which to compare yourself. Not Joneses rich, like 'oh I just bought $2000 shoes, that's what shoes cost' rich. But to be honest, living in NYC taught me how to be good with money- I never had to develop good habits when my rent was $400 a month, but moving here really made me learn to prioritize and break out of the buying things = fun activity pattern. My total transportation costs are under $150 a month, and while most other budget lines are higher than in Kansas, if you put slightly over the bare minimum effort in they approach normal Northeast prices. It is just way easier to spend $250 on a two-person grocery run than in most other places in America. Anyone who says you can't live cheaply in a major city is an rear end in a top hat who ignores the thousands of people who do so regularly and just wants to justify their own spending decisions. (Also yeah it is way less dangerous to ride a bus than drive or ride a bike what the christ people)
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Dec 22, 2014 01:01
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opus111 posted:No it hasn't. You're super weird with this crap. It's almost like he's trying to rationalize his own poor life choices 
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Dec 22, 2014 02:56
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I didn't know that data about buses that's interesting. I assumed a kiddo in a car seat was safer than sitting on a bus seat. Good to know. I still stand by the rest of the auto stuff. You need it in current American culture to get by for most parts of the United States. The point about funding is spot on, but that isn't the reality most people live in. I just tire of the "Americans are dumb and wateful" fo owning cars. It's a requirement for most people. It's not a poor life choice to live in a rapidly developing mid size city with a lower cost of living and none of the hyper expensive bullshit we see in major urban hubs. It's good with money 
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Dec 22, 2014 03:23
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Jastiger posted:It's not a poor life choice to live in a rapidly developing mid size city with a lower cost of living and none of the hyper expensive bullshit we see in major urban hubs. It's good with money Everyone makes trade-offs, but just don't try to rationalize things.
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Dec 22, 2014 04:00
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Delta-Wye posted:It's almost like he's trying to rationalize his own poor life choices I'm getting real loving tired of reading the same stupid derail about "oh the city's so great, I don't know why someone wouldn't want to live in a city, hurr" every 3 goddamn pages. People value different things and not everyone wants to live in an urban center, alright? This isn't a difficult concept to understand. Now for the love of God everyone shut the gently caress up about cities and post more stories about people being dumbasses with money.
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Dec 22, 2014 05:58
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You don't enjoy this thread season's underlying arc that goes along in the background of the A-stories about being bad with money?
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Dec 22, 2014 06:03
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/r/personalfinance posted:Hi r/PF, http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/2q0x3d/20m_parents_looking_to_buy_a_used_car_but_want_to/ Hey guys, should I put a used car on my credit card? Interest? What's that?
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Dec 22, 2014 06:10
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Dirk Diggler posted:I'm getting real loving tired of reading the same stupid derail about "oh the city's so great, I don't know why someone wouldn't want to live in a city, hurr" every 3 goddamn pages. People value different things and not everyone wants to live in an urban center, alright? This isn't a difficult concept to understand.
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Dec 22, 2014 06:37
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i like nice words
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I have a lawn, where's does that put me on the money scale?
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Dec 22, 2014 06:41
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FCKGW posted:I have a lawn, where's does that put me on the money scale? Depends how much money you spend to take care of it.
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Dec 22, 2014 07:34
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How much lawn equity have you built up?
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Dec 22, 2014 08:58
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I witnessed someone finance a new Infiniti at 23% yesterday. I was already miffed at my neighbor for buying one since luxury cars are silly toys, but at least he was paying cash and he wanted me there as backup. The things you can overhear in a high-end dealership are horrifying.
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Dec 22, 2014 09:01
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My aunt sent me a facebook message asking me to come over last week. It was too complicated to ask about over the messenger, and, as usual, the phone was turned off. Of course, it was to ask for money. Basically, her, my uncle, and my youngest cousin moved back to Colorado about 6 months ago. No money saved, so they lived in a succession of Motel 6's for a while before getting a place though the VA and county housing authority. My aunt has never reliably worked, my uncle used to make good money until he was permanently disabled on the job 5 years ago (the workers comp case is STILL going on), my cousin is 18 and not working. Apparently there's a trailer in CA with everything they own on it. $3000 to get the trailer to Colorado with all the furniture and personal items. My uncle said he was paying on it, but wasn't. They were going to file bankruptcy to get their stuff, but ended up negotiating down to $1500. How a trailer full of stuff is going to fit in a 750 square foot 2 bedroom apartment; I have no idea. There's barely any furniture in the apartment right now. Except for rent to own furniture they're paying on. The only kitchen utensils are ones I bought with her a couple months back at Goodwill (50% off day!). Oh, and my cousin has decided to be a vet tech. Which is cool and all. But she's going to a for profit school for it. $10,000 per year. Located in an area with no reasonable way to get there except car from where they live now. She doesn't drive yet. My aunt does, but the car is always broken down. This will probably be trouble. I don't have much myself right now. Ended up giving a $20 bill so they could get to my cousins court date on the other side of town for, of all things, aggressive dog citation. Which they haven't completed the required training for to make sure my cousin stays away from fines/jail time yet. It's just...ugh.
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Dec 22, 2014 13:12
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Aliquid posted:The things you can overhear in a high-end dealership are horrifying. Such as?
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Dec 22, 2014 14:30
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blackmet posted:My aunt has never reliably worked, my uncle used to make good money until he was permanently disabled on the job 5 years ago (the workers comp case is STILL going on), my cousin is 18 and not working. 'Bad with money' and 'Ain't got no money' is not a good combination. Holy hell that's depressing.
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Dec 22, 2014 15:50
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Why the gently caress has the dog not been euthanized yet?
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Dec 22, 2014 16:01
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Tigntink posted:Depends how much money you spend to take care of it. I'm Hank Hill'n it over here so probably about $40/mo in water costs and around $400/yr in fertilizer and seed. I just love my lawn so got dang much.
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Dec 22, 2014 16:41
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FCKGW posted:I'm Hank Hill'n it over here so probably about $40/mo in water costs and around $400/yr in fertilizer and seed. There is a dude at the end of my parents' street who is literally out on his hands and knees (with a special pad) several times a week weeding or aerating or whatever his lawn. The kicker is it looks no better than any average one in that neighborhood.
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Dec 22, 2014 16:48
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Pompous Rhombus posted:There is a dude at the end of my parents' street who is literally out on his hands and knees (with a special pad) several times a week weeding or aerating or whatever his lawn. It looks as though you have no palate for fine grass. Much like a fine wine, pedestrian tastes such as yours cannot appreciate the nuances that make this lawn truly special. 
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Dec 22, 2014 16:55
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So I think we're getting our 3rd mortgage refinance in 2 years and I guess that's bad with money. We're not taking out any money, but it always resets the mortgage so we're always at a 30 year term, even if our interest rate and payments decrease. Plus that skipped payment isn't doing anything good for our principal. BUT, this time I think we're going for a 20 year mortgage! Since we've been in our house for 10 years, that puts us back on track. So maybe good with money for a change. blackmet posted:aggressive dog trailer park family chat Wait, so were they hoping you'd loan them $3000 and they got $20? Do they think you're the type of person who has $3000 to give away?
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Dec 22, 2014 17:41
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Payments decrease is probably a bad reason to refi, in that if the minimum payment was too high, you bought too much house. For the rate decreases, it can be worth it, if it saves at least that much interest over the course of the loan. But on the other hand, we bought with a 30 year but planning to heavily overpay to pay it off way way way sooner, so my opinion may be that of a weirdo.
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Dec 22, 2014 17:46
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silvergoose posted:Payments decrease is probably a bad reason to refi, in that if the minimum payment was too high, you bought too much house. For the rate decreases, it can be worth it, if it saves at least that much interest over the course of the loan. But on the other hand, we bought with a 30 year but planning to heavily overpay to pay it off way way way sooner, so my opinion may be that of a weirdo. Lower payments give you the opportunity to pay more toward principal. Something I've never done with a house, but have done with cars. So in and of itself it isn't bad with money. Of course, switching to a 20 year actually increases payments. I think it's supposed to save us about 100k, plus whatever extra we will have for the 10 years we'd otherwise be making payments. Which should make a small dent in all the money we lost not paying down the mortgage for the first 10 years. So little lawn equity.
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Dec 22, 2014 18:15
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FCKGW posted:I have a lawn, where's does that put me on the money scale? You should be growing Basil instead.
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Dec 22, 2014 19:01
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