jack
The Legendary Troll Kingdom
I love doing that!
"You gonna get another job?"...
- Thread starter Volpone
- Start date
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I am an UnAmerican Freak.
I hate debt financing and paying interest.
I've invested in stocks and mutual funds all my life and really accidentally got into real estate. Bought some things cheap, held them long enough and sold them for a nice profit. But prices started going crazy just before the 'Rona for what little inventory was out there so it took awhile to buy the last house I thought I needed. Up to this point money from stocks and real estate profits had bought all my properties but I had to partly finance the last one with a HELOC and I've had to make minimum interest-only payments (and even dip into it at tax time). I'm finally getting to where I've rebuilt my "rainy day" fund to where I can actually start paying down principal but it pains me to see how much interest I've shelled out while making no headway at retiring the debt. I just can't get my head around having a mortgage your entire life.
Back when I was in the Marines, you took out a loan to buy your uniforms and sundry--and another loan to replace my aging car that I left behind when I joined. I managed to pay those off about the time I got my first promotion and between the pay bump and not having loans to service, I'd go up to L.A. for a weekend and figure I'd have to tighten my belt the next month but there'd be more money in my account than I'd started the weekend with.
I hate debt financing and paying interest.
I've invested in stocks and mutual funds all my life and really accidentally got into real estate. Bought some things cheap, held them long enough and sold them for a nice profit. But prices started going crazy just before the 'Rona for what little inventory was out there so it took awhile to buy the last house I thought I needed. Up to this point money from stocks and real estate profits had bought all my properties but I had to partly finance the last one with a HELOC and I've had to make minimum interest-only payments (and even dip into it at tax time). I'm finally getting to where I've rebuilt my "rainy day" fund to where I can actually start paying down principal but it pains me to see how much interest I've shelled out while making no headway at retiring the debt. I just can't get my head around having a mortgage your entire life.
Back when I was in the Marines, you took out a loan to buy your uniforms and sundry--and another loan to replace my aging car that I left behind when I joined. I managed to pay those off about the time I got my first promotion and between the pay bump and not having loans to service, I'd go up to L.A. for a weekend and figure I'd have to tighten my belt the next month but there'd be more money in my account than I'd started the weekend with.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
You can't save everyone (and other hard truths).
Through sheer stubbornness, I finished the lawnmowing. Yesterday afternoon was drier than predicted so instead of watching "Dr. Who" after "Jeopardy!" I got some gasoline and mowed until dark. Ran out of gas just before dark and then managed to flood the carb when I refilled so I had to stop. Rained like a bastard overnight and supposed to rain again this afternoon, but the morning overcast burned off and it's sunny and beautiful (if a bit humid) right now. So when The Dog decided to cut the morning walk short and wanted to go In I decided to mow. It was wetter than I'd have liked and I had to go slower and burn more gas, but I got it done. And this is important because some of the grass I mowed Sunday is already getting long again, it's growing so fast.
Anyway, while I was mowing out back I noticed a dog in the corner of the neighbor's back lot. All these lots are big (mine's over an acre) and long but skinny and he's got a little woods/thicket at the back of his property. Behind us is an even bigger property--probably 4 or 5 acres. Hispanics and they've got a virtual zoo. Chickens, goats, sheep, horses, Guinea fowl, a couple peacocks--you name it. They've also got a couple dogs to help guard all the livestock and the sweeter, quieter one had apparently gotten loose and gotten over the fence and couldn't get back so she was sitting in the corner of of the 3 properties, as close to where she belonged as she could get. I yelled a few times to see if I could get anyone's attention, but no response. Thought about either going over the fence or jumping in the car and driving to their front gate, but that's even farther from their houses than my backyard. So for now she's content to curl up in the shade and do her best to guard her home until she can get back through the fence or someone can rescue her. I may try again after lunch.
I should also mention that this property is a little sketchy. When I say "chickens" there are a fair number or roosters. And Kentucky is apparently known in the cockfighting world. There's also about a half dozen campers parked on the property and God knows what else going on on the other side of the tall privacy fence (over by the chicken coop and goat shed there's a patch that doesn't have a privacy fence). But that's not my responsibility and I don't feel like I should interfere in anyone's life choices, culture, or efforts to survive, as long as they aren't hurting me. Would the dog be happier somewhere else? Maybe, I don't know. Her tail's always wagging when I see her and she seems determined to stay by her home right now so I'll try to get her home this afternoon. Sometimes it would be nice to care less about other's feelings and happiness.
That said, I like the idea of karma--being rewarded for being good and punished for being bad--and reincarnation. It pleases me to think that if you had a sad/short/shitty life this time around, you get another shot next time. Although as I was thinking about this I was thinking about all the groundhogs my dog has sent on to their next lives and I feel a little bad about my role in that, but I guess that's just life. Groundhogs dig holes and eat grass and try to live. Dogs try to kill groundhogs (and eat them if possible) and groundhogs have enough babies that the stupid and weak groundhogs can die without endangering the species. It's just life. Life can kind of suck but I guess that's where we get back to reincarnation and karma and such. I really need to study religion. I assume only humans can get karma because they're actually aware and able to act on free will. Maybe some apes and certain times when a dog does something heroic like saving a kid or something they should get a karma credit, but overall...meh. Should get going. Gotta eat. Gotta get stuff done. The metro council came up with new stupid annoying registration requirements for landlords and it turns out I have to comply with them by the end of the month (I was hoping us "grandfathered" people had another year--and that the new law would get thrown out by then) so I need to get on that. Being "retired" is more work than I'd hoped it would be.
Through sheer stubbornness, I finished the lawnmowing. Yesterday afternoon was drier than predicted so instead of watching "Dr. Who" after "Jeopardy!" I got some gasoline and mowed until dark. Ran out of gas just before dark and then managed to flood the carb when I refilled so I had to stop. Rained like a bastard overnight and supposed to rain again this afternoon, but the morning overcast burned off and it's sunny and beautiful (if a bit humid) right now. So when The Dog decided to cut the morning walk short and wanted to go In I decided to mow. It was wetter than I'd have liked and I had to go slower and burn more gas, but I got it done. And this is important because some of the grass I mowed Sunday is already getting long again, it's growing so fast.
Anyway, while I was mowing out back I noticed a dog in the corner of the neighbor's back lot. All these lots are big (mine's over an acre) and long but skinny and he's got a little woods/thicket at the back of his property. Behind us is an even bigger property--probably 4 or 5 acres. Hispanics and they've got a virtual zoo. Chickens, goats, sheep, horses, Guinea fowl, a couple peacocks--you name it. They've also got a couple dogs to help guard all the livestock and the sweeter, quieter one had apparently gotten loose and gotten over the fence and couldn't get back so she was sitting in the corner of of the 3 properties, as close to where she belonged as she could get. I yelled a few times to see if I could get anyone's attention, but no response. Thought about either going over the fence or jumping in the car and driving to their front gate, but that's even farther from their houses than my backyard. So for now she's content to curl up in the shade and do her best to guard her home until she can get back through the fence or someone can rescue her. I may try again after lunch.
I should also mention that this property is a little sketchy. When I say "chickens" there are a fair number or roosters. And Kentucky is apparently known in the cockfighting world. There's also about a half dozen campers parked on the property and God knows what else going on on the other side of the tall privacy fence (over by the chicken coop and goat shed there's a patch that doesn't have a privacy fence). But that's not my responsibility and I don't feel like I should interfere in anyone's life choices, culture, or efforts to survive, as long as they aren't hurting me. Would the dog be happier somewhere else? Maybe, I don't know. Her tail's always wagging when I see her and she seems determined to stay by her home right now so I'll try to get her home this afternoon. Sometimes it would be nice to care less about other's feelings and happiness.
That said, I like the idea of karma--being rewarded for being good and punished for being bad--and reincarnation. It pleases me to think that if you had a sad/short/shitty life this time around, you get another shot next time. Although as I was thinking about this I was thinking about all the groundhogs my dog has sent on to their next lives and I feel a little bad about my role in that, but I guess that's just life. Groundhogs dig holes and eat grass and try to live. Dogs try to kill groundhogs (and eat them if possible) and groundhogs have enough babies that the stupid and weak groundhogs can die without endangering the species. It's just life. Life can kind of suck but I guess that's where we get back to reincarnation and karma and such. I really need to study religion. I assume only humans can get karma because they're actually aware and able to act on free will. Maybe some apes and certain times when a dog does something heroic like saving a kid or something they should get a karma credit, but overall...meh. Should get going. Gotta eat. Gotta get stuff done. The metro council came up with new stupid annoying registration requirements for landlords and it turns out I have to comply with them by the end of the month (I was hoping us "grandfathered" people had another year--and that the new law would get thrown out by then) so I need to get on that. Being "retired" is more work than I'd hoped it would be.
It has been years but in the late 1980s to early 1990s there was a fad for that and I can remember loads of people doing it. From my mom and sister to friends and relatives. Even I would do it.
If you really hate lawn mowing that much why not hire a gardener? I have a gardener I pay $150 per month and he and his two adult sons come one hour per week to trim the hedges, mow the laws, fertilize what needs it, checks the sprinklers once per year or so, sets the drip irrigation system and positions the lines, etc... For a small additional charge ($40) they plant bulbs, spread seeds, and do all other needed yard work. I have hired them, at additional cost, to remove two palm trees for me (they had got so tall there was a danger they could fall and hit the roof plus the neighbor complained their roots were pushing out the retaining wall) so he removed each for $350 per very tall palm tree and even hauled off and disposed of the waste cleaning everything up nicely.
If doing it yourself is so terrible or inconvenient then hiring someone can indeed be quite affordable.
Hell on Xmas Eve in 2021-2022 one of the trucks of one of our Australian paper trees (the tree in question had two trunks as they resprout from the base; see coppicing) fell over in high winds and, fortunately, didn't hit the house or hot tub... I used my little electric trimmer and hand saw to trim off all the branches then negotiated with the gardener to use his chain saw to cut up and remove the entire for just $80. He liked it because he got extra cash then took the wood home to burn in his fireplace.
He brought his F-150 and all was done in around one hour. He has a couple acres outside of town and even wanted the smaller branches I had cut off to feed his wood chipper to make covering mulch as well as compost with the leaves and left over saw dust.
He brought his F-150 and all was done in around one hour. He has a couple acres outside of town and even wanted the smaller branches I had cut off to feed his wood chipper to make covering mulch as well as compost with the leaves and left over saw dust.
A lot of people forget that blue collar worker ways well. Take my gardener as an example: If he and his two sons each work 40 hours per week that is 120 hours per week. If they charge $150 per house per month and spend 4 hours per house per month that is $15,000 per month for 100 houses. For the basics, all the extra stuff costs extra, tree removal, planting flowers or bushes, removing stumps, etc...
It is very reasonable to assume they make $200,000 per year doing that even while working less than 40 hours per week each. Probably even more. That is easily more than $65,000 tax free per year each and probably more. For people working under the table as gardeners. I spoke with my long time gardener and he has over 100 clients, some are weekly, some are bi weekly, and the cost varies based upon the services rendered and there are always extras he is willing to do for a small additional charge. Even relatively low skill blue collar work can be fairly well paid.
It is very reasonable to assume they make $200,000 per year doing that even while working less than 40 hours per week each. Probably even more. That is easily more than $65,000 tax free per year each and probably more. For people working under the table as gardeners. I spoke with my long time gardener and he has over 100 clients, some are weekly, some are bi weekly, and the cost varies based upon the services rendered and there are always extras he is willing to do for a small additional charge. Even relatively low skill blue collar work can be fairly well paid.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I'm far too cheap to pay someone $150 a month for something I can do. Yeah, I get that if I was doing something during that time that made me more than $150 a month then it would make sense to pay someone. I don't. I wouldn't pay someone $35 a month to mow my lawn because I'm healthy and able-bodied and this is my way of showing my thanks that I am. Anyway it helps keep me from getting fat.
