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I've also heard that in some desperate regions VW was given large tax incentives and money by local and state governments to build factories and plants further complicating a withdrawal from the US. For example if they were to pull out a factory deal in Tennessee they would have to pay back millions in tax incentives given to them by the state to build there.
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Sep 29, 2015 20:37
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I have a feeling that I may soon be a BWM story. I'm in the process of looking at houseboats to buy, dock in a marina, and live on year round. In Minnesota, with winter coming. IF I have done my homework right and I avoid buying a total lemon, steel houseboat I should come out ahead. Really from the research I've done it's all about getting the right boat to begin with. I've already looked at a couple of steel pontoon boats and walked away from them. Aside from trying to get insurance for them almost no one out there will provide a loan for an older steel boat. They just can't be trusted. I'm avoiding fiberglass as well for the most part and really only targeting well maintained aluminum. If I get the right boat, between estimated maintenance costs and monthly slip fees I could be saving over $600 a month in rent. Again, that's assuming I get a boat in good shape that doesnt cause me headaches for the rest of my life. Because this thread loves schadenfreude I will be sure to update you all with my progress. I imagine updates will be slow because I am really trying to take my time and pick the right boat, which could take months. That's on top of the hassle of trying to get a loan for a houseboat to begin with.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:02
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pig slut lisa posted:I don't know anything about houseboats so I'll ask the question many readers are surely thinking, namely: where does the poop go on a houseboat. What do you do w the poop. Thanks. Into a "black water" tank. Basically a water holding tank for all of your waste water. Those tanks then get pumped out on a regular basis. Similar to what RV's use. In my research I've found that a local marina where I plan on docking charges $20 per pump to empty the tank. Most full time live aboards average two empties a month so I'd be looking at $40 a month. There are also compost toilers that can do a pretty remarkable job in eliminating waster. New models that I'm looking at cost around $1200 so it will be one of my first improvements I make. It would allow me to go about a month before the compost bin fills and then I can just throw it in the trash.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:21
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Horking Delight posted:Next question: where do you shower on a houseboat? All of the boats I have looked at so far and plan on looking at have an onboard shower. The clean water from it comes out of your clean water tank and empties into the black water tank. They are not big luxurious showers by any means. The marina I plan on docking at also offers showers and bathrooms on their dock as part of their monthly fee.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:27
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Nail Rat posted:How the much does it cost to heat a houseboat when it's -40 outside? What do you do when it snows 10 feet and you can't get to the dock to go buy food/whale blubber for your lamps? Is it feasible for you to take up piracy as a side gig, and if so, have you thought through the tax implications? Heating and winter maintenance are my biggest concern. Most people will have their boat wrapped in a thick plastic sheeting to keep snow from piling up and weighing down the boat. In addition you have to run "bubblers" which are small little props that run around the hull of your boat to keep the water moving and prevent your boat from getting iced in and crushed. These aren't %100 reliable though so most people end up having to go outside their boat with a big steel rod and break up the ice around their boat a couple of times a winter. The majority of boats I have looked at have terrible insulation and wont retain heat well at all. In addition you have to worry about condensation from the heat causing a huge mold and mildew breakout in your boat if it's not properly ventilated, which it probably wont be because it's wrapped in plastic. To be honest I don't know %100 yet on how to handle the heating situation. Most boats have small electric or propane heaters to run to keep them warm. The nice thing is that the cabins are generally small enough that they will heat up quickly, even though they'll lose that heat quickly too. Complicating this is the fact that I have a dog, and I dont want her to freeze to death while I'm gone at work. So whatever I figure out will have to be reliable and safe for her. Snow is to be expected, the dock isnt to far of a walk to my car. So as long as the streets are plowed I should be able to get food and supplies quickly. I have not thought about traditional piracy, but maybe I could start some sort of Sealand type business and advertise off shore web hosting or something. The nice thing about a houseboat is that you dont have to pay property taxes on them! But I will end up paying sales tax on whatever boat I buy.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:38
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Gabriel Pope posted:From what I can gather you're going to be spending at least 4-5 months of the year trying very hard not to freeze to death or have your house ice over and break/sink. Spending $7k a year rent seems like a small price to pay not to have to worry about dying in an icy black abyss. No not necessarily. If I can get the heating situation figured out and a way to keep the boat from getting iced in I should be good. You could say I'm sailing away to the land of savings and early retirement!  And as part of being a licensed boat you have to have life jackets in every room and for every passenger. So at the worst my dog and I wouldn't drown we'd just freeze to death out on the ice while watching our home sink along with my dreams.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:46
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Gabriel Pope posted:You could probably save $7k/year doing the same amount of extra work and giving up amenities on land too, without having to worry about what happens if your heating/de-icing solutions falter in the middle of the night in January. Doubtful but I'm all ears. The only alternative I can think of would be to move to a lovely apartment in a bad neighborhood to get cheap rent. But then I'm just trading heating and boat problems for crime, bad neighbors, bugs, etc. I'm probably overstating the heating and ice in issues. They are legitimate concerns but people do this just fine year after year. And most of them aren't crazy floating hobos trying to escape the law. I know it wont be easy but this will all be part of the fun of owning a houseboat. I should just start my own thread I think and quit derailing the BFC derail thread.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:54
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Tigntink posted:Pretty much this. It's water based RV lifestyle which is really not for most people. This is a big part of it yes. The sense of fun and adventure that comes from an alternate living situation like this. cowofwar posted:Don't buy a houseboat to save money. Again, provided I do the groundwork first and have a thorough boat inspection done this will save me quite a bit of money. Haifisch posted:Get roommates so you can live in a slightly less lovely apartment? Buy a small house? Move out of the city? All of these are better than living in a boat in a place that freezes during winter. I see you havent had the pleasure of paying Twin Cities rent. I live out in a nearby suburb which is a little cheaper and as far as I want to go commute wise and my rent is approaching $1000 for a one bedroom. I could move to North Minneapolis in a bad area or Payne-Phalen and save probably $200 a month or so at best. %20 for a down payment on a house anywhere around here would be at least $40k. I dont have that but I do have $8-9k to throw down as a down payment for a boat loan. Krispy Kareem posted:Providing he doesn't spend too much on the boat and doesn't freeze to death, it could be an interesting experience. Boat life is definitely a lifestyle choice and he seems to be looking forward to it. The key really is doing the homework on getting a good boat to begin with. Not some boat that looks cool topside only to find out later that it's hull is rotting from the inside or about to rust to pieces. It may be months before I find one like that. I've already looked at a few and walked away. And the dog will %100 not die and am not a newbie to brutally cold temperatures. I'm not going to move in until I know I can get the place properly and reliably heated. My thought initially was to use a ceramic blue flame fanless heater similar to what you see in RV's but the moisture output of those would be worrisome on the boat and mildew problems could surface. Right now I'm leaning towards electric space heaters and some sort of propane blower hooked up to a thermostat with an oxygen monitor to make sure I dont die in my sleep. Worst case scenario the heat goes out right after I leave for work and the dog has to go into her kennel which has an old 0 degree sleeping bag in it. I lived in Western Alaska out in the bush for several years and made it just fine out in a cabin without running water. That was a fun money saving time too. Although not really I guess because everything cost a fortune in rural Alaska. Really at this point I'm just going to start a thread when I get home. It will be disappointing though because it could be months before I find the right boat.
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Oct 22, 2015 20:48
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Nail Rat posted:Some lovely pictures here http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-houseboat-fire-may-have-been-caused-by-propane-heater-say-rcmp-1.3156610 I made my own thread to quit derailing this one: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3748155 That said, many many people do this on boats and in RVs each year without going up like a powder keg.
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Oct 23, 2015 19:06
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Hot Dog Day #91 posted:Dishwashers use less water than handwashing. They're GFE (good for earth). This is true. I did some detailed research to see what was cheaper to do, dishwasher or wash by hand. The dishwasher comes out WAY ahead on water usage and if you dont use the heated dry the electricity usage is minimal. Added to that is that you can use far less dishsoap then the manufacturers recommend and you end up with less water and soap spots. The key to all of this is that it must be fully loaded dishwasher. If you do a half load or something its a wash.  http://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in-dishwashers-vs-hand-washing-which-is-greener.html
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Apr 22, 2016 14:13
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Does anyone have any experience or advice with loaning their parents money? I come from an extremely poor family and my mom claims to be struggling right now with a recent move and job switch. She texted me yesterday asking for $2000. I've been saving up diligently for a while to move into some more comfortable digs and really dont want to have to loan her the money, especially right now since this is the best season inventory wise for me to make my move. I thought about giving her some just as a gift with no expectations on being paid back. But I'd really like to help her learn basic budgeting. I know shes horrible with her money and I'm sure if I worked with her and she was willing she could be saving a lot more. I just dont want to insult or belittle her by teaching her basic personal finance.
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Jun 1, 2016 14:52
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Moneyball posted:This is my parents. Still paying $300 a month for Comcast and buying cigarettes despite one being unemployed and the other working 15 to 20 hours a week at a convenience store. I'll have to supplement their retirement, which I'll dutifully do, but trying to motivate them to change is a lost cause. At least they got a free house. They pay for DirecTV for NFL sunday ticket and some other sports package, and comcast with all of the movie channels. Two newish cars they are still making payments on and are renting a 3 bedroom house with full basement for the two of them. They pay $1400 a month for this place in Iowa of all places. This is on top of them eating out way to often and spending a ton to host bbq's for friends and family on the weekends. I called my sister to see if she got hit up for money and she said no, and that our parents were just talking about some expensive wine they bought and some stupid baby car that was $300 for my niece. gently caress that, as I type it all out I'm just mad at my Mom now. They also recently blew through their $50K retirement fund when my step dad lost his job. Of course when that happened they didnt cut back on anything and still lived like they had two incomes coming in. I think I'll just give her $500 and tell her that its a gift I dont expect to be paid back but that its all I will give her.
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Jun 1, 2016 16:19
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Guinness posted:Exactly, and the poorer you are, the more likely you don't have a day off, let alone the time and mental energy leftover after working 60+ hour weeks at your two not-quite-full-time-because-otherwise-we'd-have-to-give-you-benefits jobs for minimum wage. And that's also assuming you don't live in a food desert, which a lot of poorer folk unfortunately do. And you might not be able to afford to buy a bunch of bulk stuff up front, even if it would save you money in the long run. It's a complicated problem that is not as easy as "hurr durr just make food yourself". Not that this article is gospel by any means, but it's an interesting perspective: This Is Why Poor People’s Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense. Food deserts are mostly BS, according to the USDA who has been trying in vain to fight a problem that if it even exists is vastly overblown. This is according to their own research too: http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves...px#.V17tRPkrLIU It might have some effect but its small. People are fat and lazy in general and they make food choices that reflect that, rich or poor. The real BWM schadenfreude are the idiots who go to Costco and buy a bunch of overpriced poo poo because they think they're getting some amazing bulk deal, not realizing that a good chunk of that stuff is name brand and overpriced already, on top of a ton of the food going to waste because people cant eat it fast enough before it spoils. Edit: No I dont have a houseboat yet so dont ask.
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Jun 22, 2016 19:14
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cowofwar posted:Dangerous place. Thats the thing, it can be cheaper you just have to watch what you shop for. I keep a pretty detailed price book on items I get from grocery stores and Costco is cheaper on just a few items. But those items are cheap enough that even with the membership fee you still come out ahead. It just drives me nuts to hear people brag about how much money they save shopping there only to have a chunk of it go to waste. Costco seems to be the best at packaging really good looking "healthy" snacks for like $10-15. Then people grab two or three of those and they've just$ 30-45 worth of crap to their bill.
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Jun 22, 2016 19:39
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gvibes posted:I have a bad with money story: in the past year, I estimate that we have spent over $2000 on single serving kefir pouches for my two year old. Spend $10 on some kefir grains or get them from free from a hippie and make your own. It's pretty easy. My BWM story. Getting into homebrewing beer "cause it'll be cheaper". Homebrew starter kits are just the gateway drug to devoting to much time, space, and money to an awesome hobby.
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Feb 28, 2017 22:04
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I'd say I can brew nice beers, usually, without issues, and make 5 gallons for about $30 or so. I'd say overall it's about 1/2 price for craft brews, but to pay for all of the equipment I'll have to brew like 50+ batches with my current setup.
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Feb 28, 2017 22:29
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Reading about dipshits blowing money on $70k trucks to haul groceries and commute, all while living paycheck to paycheck is funny, This sort of poverty just makes me sad, generational poverty even more sad. Now for some extended family BWM: Cousin recently had a mid-life crisis, after being fiscally responsible up until she was 30. She got a high paying temp job that was basically a years worth of wages ($70,000!) over 3 months. Instead of paying down on her mortgage or saving or doing anything responsible she quit her full-time long term job she had taken a sabbatical from and spent most of the year randomly traveling around the world with this windfall, which is actually pretty cool I think. However when she got back home instead of finding another full-time job she took a part time bar tending gig. She's felt lonely and is desperate to find someone and settle down, which has led to a series of bad events. A couple of expensive Tinder dates a week, always going out to an expensive restaurant and bar, blowing a poo poo ton of money on new clothes. She goes from bad relationship to bad relationship, spending her remaining windfall on the men in I guess an attempt to win them over? In any event after I saw her last weekend she's basically got $500 left from the windfall, is only scheduled for 20 hours next week, and is worried that she wont be able to make her next mortgage payment.
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Mar 7, 2017 22:14
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Need to add people going into debt for MLMs, yeah its a bad business idea but I feel it deserves its own mention. Also people who buy ridiculously expensive large houses because they were pre-approved for the loan amount.
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Mar 7, 2017 22:51
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Mantle posted:http://archive.woz.org/letters/general/78.html Haha the best part: quote:We went into a room and the door was closed. This young Secret Service agent opened a chrome brief case on the table and pulled out a card. He said that he was going to read my my Miranda rights.
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Mar 9, 2017 18:57
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The best example of this I remember was people abusing it for airline miles. I lived in Alaska at the time and Alaska Airline miles are essentially a second form of currency up there. They had a website with various vendors and you'd get so many miles per dollar spent at the different merchants. Well the US Mint was one of those merchants and they offered something like 2 miles per $1 spent. That was on top of you getting a mile for every dollar if you used their credit card. So people were dropping $10,000 a month on coins to get 30,000 free airline miles which at the time was essentially a free round trip anywhere, then cashing in the coins paying off their credit card and repeating the cycle. I think they shut it down after about 3-4 months.
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Mar 9, 2017 20:24
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