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Lanx

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Also this may be obvious but idk. One of the biggest things you can do to make a house affordable is not buying a new car. And by new I mean replacing one that’s fine. That’s the biggest thing we did that made our house affordable for us. Paying off our cars. When you have an extra $800+ per month not going to cars you can put that toward a mortgage or improvements instead.

When I paid off my Impreza I just continued to make my $400 payment (I know for a fact I can afford it, I just did it for four years) to an investment account instead. I saved up $30kish that way, so if something happens and I do need a car I can shift that money back to payments and I have money built up for a down payment. We’re actually finishing our basement with it (different kind of investment). I’ll keep doing this until this car dies probably, it’s only got 87k miles on it and I’ve had it for nine years, but it’s a Subaru so it could probably last another 200k miles. I really want a new car as it’s small, loud, no new tech but...

I believe that a lot of people in the US who are “broke” but make decent money is because of their car decisions (and going out to eat too much). Constantly having that car payment is a massive money drain that most people just assume has to be a part of life.
you have a 2012 impreza also? watch out for that cvt, i got lucky and my cvt valve body crapped out at 97k last summer and the warranty was extended to cover 100k for cvt

it is loud from road noise, but if you put sounded deadening on it, it really makes it a luxury car
39819d60a54d36fe05970d01f9c7abd1.png


i forgot how loud it was until i heard the rear wheel bearing go bad (and it's making a whiny noise for a while, i'll replace it after i move) but it rattles like it sounded b4 the sound deadening.

72sq ft is enough for the impreza, i don't have a hatch, i'm sure it'll stiff cover it, i still have enough sheets to cover the roof (i didn't want to take apart the lining)

you can also replace the speakers and add a sub, and replace the headunit, i mean i don't listen to loud music, but the impreza speakers are garbage, even just replacing the tweeters will make a difference and those could be done in 1minute.
 

Fogel

Mr. Poopybutthole
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Also this may be obvious but idk. One of the biggest things you can do to make a house affordable is not buying a new car. And by new I mean replacing one that’s fine. That’s the biggest thing we did that made our house affordable for us. Paying off our cars. When you have an extra $800+ per month not going to cars you can put that toward a mortgage or improvements instead.

When I paid off my Impreza I just continued to make my $400 payment (I know for a fact I can afford it, I just did it for four years) to an investment account instead. I saved up $30kish that way, so if something happens and I do need a car I can shift that money back to payments and I have money built up for a down payment. We’re actually finishing our basement with it (different kind of investment). I’ll keep doing this until this car dies probably, it’s only got 87k miles on it and I’ve had it for nine years, but it’s a Subaru so it could probably last another 200k miles. I really want a new car as it’s small, loud, no new tech but...

I believe that a lot of people in the US who are “broke” but make decent money is because of their car decisions (and going out to eat too much). Constantly having that car payment is a massive money drain that most people just assume has to be a part of life.
Couldn't agree more, avoiding depreciating assets is one of the cornerstones of building wealth. Warren Buffet still drives to McDonalds with exact change for his breakfast every morning. Probably an extreme example, but people don't realize how much money they shit down the drain eating out several times a week, buying fancy clothes, going to Dunkin/Starbucks instead of making your own etc. It's death by a thousand cuts and corporate america has perfected the art of bleeding this population to the edge of every last penny.
 

ronne

Nǐ hǎo, yǒu jīn zi ma?
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Yea I've got no car note, 0 outstanding debt at all aside from whatever I carry for the month on my main credit card, so I figured I was in a pretty good spot to start amassing cash for a house.

I think the reality is just gonna be that most major cities are entirely unlivable as a single person and I should just accept my life as a mountain hermit someplace. At least there's more room for guns then?
 
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Fogel

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What's keeping you moving besides work? Plenty of opportunities in places like FL and TX and you don't have to worry about what your politicians are going to do next.
 

ronne

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Currently it's the girlfriend. She's a research professor at a university lab here, so her job isn't nearly as mobile as mine.

Usually I'd just bail on some random chick I'd been seeing, but this one is actually a keeper I think so it's complicating things badly.
 
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Hateyou

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you have a 2012 impreza also? watch out for that cvt, i got lucky and my cvt valve body crapped out at 97k last summer and the warranty was extended to cover 100k for cvt

it is loud from road noise, but if you put sounded deadening on it, it really makes it a luxury car
39819d60a54d36fe05970d01f9c7abd1.png


i forgot how loud it was until i heard the rear wheel bearing go bad (and it's making a whiny noise for a while, i'll replace it after i move) but it rattles like it sounded b4 the sound deadening.

72sq ft is enough for the impreza, i don't have a hatch, i'm sure it'll stiff cover it, i still have enough sheets to cover the roof (i didn't want to take apart the lining)

you can also replace the speakers and add a sub, and replace the headunit, i mean i don't listen to loud music, but the impreza speakers are garbage, even just replacing the tweeters will make a difference and those could be done in 1minute.
Yeah 2012 hatchback. I did the sound deadening not long after I got it, new head unit which allowed the tweeters to work...they were wired but not connected to the factory head unit I guess, and replaced door speakers. Did all that years ago. It was just way too fucking loud on road noise and the speakers and head unit were trash.
 

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
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Yea I've got no car note, 0 outstanding debt at all aside from whatever I carry for the month on my main credit card, so I figured I was in a pretty good spot to start amassing cash for a house.

I think the reality is just gonna be that most major cities are entirely unlivable as a single person and I should just accept my life as a mountain hermit someplace. At least there's more room for guns then?
dude just do a simple cost of living, between you and me
997839660a6f336d93006a8215e07edf.png


i mean, you can own a home if you try, look you can buy land for 200k in chicago right now!
33e55a1c4ccb9d51e70322e33928e079.jpg


its so beautiful, comes w/ custom graffiti

this'll end for me soon, the CoL in franklin where i'm moving to is 70% over topeka tho, heh.

you want to save money? live in bum fucks it ville.
 

ronne

Nǐ hǎo, yǒu jīn zi ma?
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dude just do a simple cost of living, between you and me
997839660a6f336d93006a8215e07edf.png


i mean, you can own a home if you try, look you can buy land for 200k in chicago right now!
33e55a1c4ccb9d51e70322e33928e079.jpg


its so beautiful, comes w/ custom graffiti

this'll end for me soon, the CoL in franklin where i'm moving to is 70% over topeka tho, heh.

you want to save money? live in bum fucks it ville.

Lol so funny story, I already own property in Chicago, I'll just never live there. Few years ago I bought an empty dirt lot in Englewood for ~5,000$. I will never, ever live there cause I'm the wrong color and don't want to die, but maybe in 30 years they'll want to build an Apple store there or something and I can cash in?
 

Captain Suave

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One of the biggest things you can do to make a house affordable is not buying a new car.

^

I'm renting my house because it's vastly cheaper than buying in my area (San Gabriel Valley / LA), but same logic applies. I bought my Accord in cash in 2002. It's only got 120k miles in 20 years because I don't commute and it still runs fine, so wtf do I need a new car for? I get that I have a relatively extreme low use case, but I think at this point my amortized total cost of ownership is below $100/mo including opportunity cost of the initial cash. My dad has gone through five cars in the same timeframe because... ??
 
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Lanx

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Lol so funny story, I already own property in Chicago, I'll just never live there. Few years ago I bought an empty dirt lot in Englewood for ~5,000$. I will never, ever live there cause I'm the wrong color and don't want to die, but maybe in 30 years they'll want to build an Apple store there or something and I can cash in?
lulz, they still have lots for 5k
0aa7dabc525d24b44e9db07f8f6be911.png


is that a lot for $1?

wtf is englewood? is it like training day hood?
 

Unidin

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That's the neighborhood that when I was younger my grandfather told me this:

If you're even in that neighborhood, especially at night, don't worry about traffic lights/stop signs. Just look and blow them all. If a police officer pulls you over, they'll know you shouldn't be there and help you get out.
 

ronne

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Yea when you hear about "Chiraq" and all the other ridiculous amounts of murder that happens every weekend, it's like 90% coming from Englewood.
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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Lanx I think it's time you fulfill your destiny and build a store on that lot selling 40oz bottles of Colt 45 and Olde English and loose cigarettes 24 hours a day with a machine gun turret on the roof.
 
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Lanx

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Lanx I think it's time you fulfill your destiny and build a store on that lot selling 40oz bottles of Colt 45 and Olde English and loose cigarettes 24 hours a day with a machine gun turret on the roof.
fuck that, i actually did work part time, sorta, in hs as a korean bodega clerk
 
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Borzak

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That's the neighborhood that when I was younger my grandfather told me this:

If you're even in that neighborhood, especially at night, don't worry about traffic lights/stop signs. Just look and blow them all. If a police officer pulls you over, they'll know you shouldn't be there and help you get out.

Have a law in New Orleans you don't have to stop for stop signs and traffic lights at night in some parts of town, passed after Ali Landry got carjacked. Rolling stop is good enough. Guess people getting lost or something can't understand how they don't know not to be there to begin with. Used to be pretty common for people leaving a Saints game, out of towners I guess.
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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I talked to an Oakland DA once who said he hadn't been able to find a particular person he needed to talk to so he and another guy from the DA's office just decided to go drive around the hood and look for him. They hadn't been in the neighborhood 5 minutes when they stopped at a red light and someone threw a cinder block through their back window. They took the hint and went back to the office.
 

Lanx

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i basically have this in my soon to be new garage
95c536740fc05d6bd52316028f2529d3.png


this takes up a garage slot, and weighs more than my civic.

i knew this going in, this was my second choice house but market is so crazy, just get what you can...

i called 2 storm shelter companies, they don't really take them apart but if i wanted it'd be 6k which is basically what this cost.


so...

i'm gonna wire my garage for 240, so i can buy a plasma cutter and chip away at this thing 100lbs at a time.

thoughts?