Author Topic: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)  (Read 508041 times)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #450 on: July 16, 2017, 10:11:08 PM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

marty998

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #451 on: July 17, 2017, 02:54:35 AM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

How does one forget about a pool table.

I mean, surely, at some point when he wanted to invite his mates around for a bear and a game of pool.... the penny didn't drop at all???

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #452 on: July 17, 2017, 03:41:20 AM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

How does one forget about a pool table.

I mean, surely, at some point when he wanted to invite his mates around for a bear and a game of pool.... the penny didn't drop at all???

I know you mean beer but still giggling at this. :D

With This Herring

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #453 on: July 17, 2017, 08:46:08 AM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

We had multiple roommates a few years back.  #1 left his large, solid wood table (along with many other possessions) when he "temporarily" left the city to do some more college.  He promised he would grab them later.  A year later, we were planning to move to a smaller apartment not suitable for roommates.  It did not have the space for this gorgeous table.  We kept badgering #1 to come back and move his table to his mother's house, as he promised, but he said he would do it on our moving day.

Well, moving day came.  We rented a UHaul for the day and got everything except that table to the new apartment.  He called and said he would be there first thing the next morning before the move-out inspection.  We returned the UHaul.  Early the next morning, he texted to say that a relative was in the hospital and he couldn't make it.  We would be penalized if any possessions were left in the apartment.  We prevailed upon friends with an SUV (also friends of his) to come take the table to their house, as we no longer even had means to transport it.  We later learned that #1 had no relatives in the hospital; he just didn't feel like getting up that morning.

Now SUV friends have a lovely table that is perfect for their house, and we have learned never to rely on #1 for anything.

marty998

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #454 on: July 20, 2017, 03:15:00 AM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

How does one forget about a pool table.

I mean, surely, at some point when he wanted to invite his mates around for a bear and a game of pool.... the penny didn't drop at all???

I know you mean beer but still giggling at this. :D

God damn typos. Thankyou for laughing at my expense ;)

paddedhat

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #455 on: July 20, 2017, 12:01:58 PM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.

We had multiple roommates a few years back.  #1 left his large, solid wood table (along with many other possessions) when he "temporarily" left the city to do some more college.  He promised he would grab them later.  A year later, we were planning to move to a smaller apartment not suitable for roommates.  It did not have the space for this gorgeous table.  We kept badgering #1 to come back and move his table to his mother's house, as he promised, but he said he would do it on our moving day.

Well, moving day came.  We rented a UHaul for the day and got everything except that table to the new apartment.  He called and said he would be there first thing the next morning before the move-out inspection.  We returned the UHaul.  Early the next morning, he texted to say that a relative was in the hospital and he couldn't make it.  We would be penalized if any possessions were left in the apartment.  We prevailed upon friends with an SUV (also friends of his) to come take the table to their house, as we no longer even had means to transport it.  We later learned that #1 had no relatives in the hospital; he just didn't feel like getting up that morning.

Now SUV friends have a lovely table that is perfect for their house, and we have learned never to rely on #1 for anything.

The concept of people failing to take ownership of their crap can be interesting.

We have good friends who have serious issues with a family member who does this. The guy has a job where he travels nearly full time, so all he really needs is a tiny apartment to get along. He also comes from a large rural family that dabbles in farming. This guy will go to farm auctions and buy strange stuff, that he has absolutely zero need for, no ability to transport, and no place to store. He then refuses to remove his stuff, from the site of the auction, ever.  This includes things like large amounts of leftover/used lumber and old worn out farm equipment. Since my friends are a know reliable family in the community, they get the "why won't your brother pick this shit up, and what are you going to do about it, since he won't answer his phone?" calls.

Years later, he comes up with a scheme to use the crap he bought, and shows up at a farm, which he might not even know the new owner of, demanding his goods, in good shape. Which, as you might guess, is not well received by the decent folks he is accusing of theft, or not storing his junk properly.

Yep, humans are strange.

With This Herring

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #456 on: July 20, 2017, 12:29:43 PM »
[nested stories of stuff left behind]

The concept of people failing to take ownership of their crap can be interesting.

We have good friends who have serious issues with a family member who does this. The guy has a job where he travels nearly full time, so all he really needs is a tiny apartment to get along. He also comes from a large rural family that dabbles in farming. This guy will go to farm auctions and buy strange stuff, that he has absolutely zero need for, no ability to transport, and no place to store. He then refuses to remove his stuff, from the site of the auction, ever.  This includes things like large amounts of leftover/used lumber and old worn out farm equipment. Since my friends are a know reliable family in the community, they get the "why won't your brother pick this shit up, and what are you going to do about it, since he won't answer his phone?" calls.

Years later, he comes up with a scheme to use the crap he bought, and shows up at a farm, which he might not even know the new owner of, demanding his goods, in good shape. Which, as you might guess, is not well received by the decent folks he is accusing of theft, or not storing his junk properly.

Yep, humans are strange.

Sometimes I wish we could tattoo people with information that would only be visible to those who need to know it.
For auctioneers: "This guy will never take the stuff he bought."
For anyone meeting my ex-roommate: "This guy is very nice and easy to get along with, but completely unreliable."
"This girl loses control of her emotions and words monthly.  Don't take anything she says personally during that time."
"This person will stab you in the back if (s)he sees an advantage to it."
"Don't ask this lady about cows."
"Don't let this man anywhere near fire."

Dollar Slice

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #457 on: July 20, 2017, 01:10:03 PM »
How does one forget about a pool table.

I mean, surely, at some point when he wanted to invite his mates around for a bear and a game of pool.... the penny didn't drop at all???

I know you mean beer but still giggling at this. :D

God damn typos. Thankyou for laughing at my expense ;)

I do some proofreading/editing at work, and I once was proofing an article sent in by a subscriber where someone kept making the same mistake, but in the opposite direction. It was about a bear breaking into his house. It was too long ago to remember the exact wording, but it was full of lines like "I just about crapped my pants when I walked into the kitchen and saw a beer! I've never been so scared in my life!"

Sibley

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #458 on: July 24, 2017, 08:35:34 AM »
....(other stuff removed)

The concept of people failing to take ownership of their crap can be interesting.

We have good friends who have serious issues with a family member who does this. The guy has a job where he travels nearly full time, so all he really needs is a tiny apartment to get along. He also comes from a large rural family that dabbles in farming. This guy will go to farm auctions and buy strange stuff, that he has absolutely zero need for, no ability to transport, and no place to store. He then refuses to remove his stuff, from the site of the auction, ever.  This includes things like large amounts of leftover/used lumber and old worn out farm equipment. Since my friends are a know reliable family in the community, they get the "why won't your brother pick this shit up, and what are you going to do about it, since he won't answer his phone?" calls.

Years later, he comes up with a scheme to use the crap he bought, and shows up at a farm, which he might not even know the new owner of, demanding his goods, in good shape. Which, as you might guess, is not well received by the decent folks he is accusing of theft, or not storing his junk properly.

Yep, humans are strange.

Why is he allowed at the auctions, etc? If everyone knows about him, just ban him.

cheapass

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #459 on: July 24, 2017, 09:07:02 AM »
Had a neighbor meet up the other night with some couples that are in our same age range (early 30's). Wife was talking to the ladies while the dudes were upstairs watching TV.

Wife 1: "We are getting a pool in the next couple of months." (in ground, ~$40K)
Wife 2: "We want to get a bigger house but we also want to get a lake house so we are just going to buy the lake house now until we can afford to upgrade."
Wife 3: "We want to get a lake house so we can use our boat more often." (Just bought a $40K boat and had to buy a brand new massive SUV to tow it, even though the smaller SUV they had previously did just fine. But it's okay because they had just paid off the previous SUV and they were already used to having a car payment. Also proceeds to bitch about how they never have any money)

Meanwhile my wife is looking at these people like they're aliens and thinking about how we're about to drop $30-40K on a rental house down payment instead of new toys. Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

Spork

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #460 on: July 24, 2017, 04:57:54 PM »
Meanwhile my wife is looking at these people like they're aliens and thinking about how we're about to drop $30-40K on a rental house down payment instead of new toys. Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

It is wasteful... but (at least around my neck of the woods) it's maybe worse than you think.  When I was a kid, a lake house was still an extravagance.  But the ones I visited (we didn't have one) were sort of rustic.  They had indoor plumbing and probably a bed or two, but it was old furniture picked up at garage sales.  Probably no air conditioning (in hot Texas). 

The very same lake now has mansions around it.  Nothing rustic.  The fucking boathouses have a full kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom (becuz: walking all the way back to the actual house up the hill is hard, I think.)  And wait, there's more... This is a Army Corps of Engineers lake.  You own the house, but not the property.  The property is a 99 year lease.

Adventures With Poopsie

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #461 on: July 24, 2017, 08:46:54 PM »
Have quite enjoyed reading this so posting to follow.

BTDretire

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #462 on: July 25, 2017, 07:37:01 AM »
I don't mind storing my friend's expensive stuff because inevitably it just becomes mine by default.  I've been "storing" a 50" TV for the past couple years.  This friend is more likely to buy a new one when he finally gets a bigger place than to want his "old, small" TV back.

I'll store any solar panels outside in the sun.

This.

A friend lives in a duplex owned by his employer. A colleague lived in the other half but didn't have a carport, so he had a pool table delivered and left it in my friend's carport. For a year. Then he left the job, the duplex, and the pool table.

The pool table has been in my friend's family room for three years now.
My son is moving from a 4bdr apartment near a college to go to another college, 2hrs away.
 His new apartment is furnished, his plan is to move his bed and frame back home, to stack on top of his old bed;-?
 Then he has a circular leather couch, he plans to leave the couch with his roommates for now.
I suggested he try to sell the couch to the existing 3 roommates and be done with it. The room would be
pretty bare without the couch and I think they would be happy to have it.
 His new place is across the street from the college, he has two years left and I would hope he will stay in that apartment two years. So, he will not need a couch for at least two years, I just think ownership will be questionable two years from now, but I can't convince him of that. He said dad, these are my friends.
 Oh well, probably a life lesson, for one of us!

paddedhat

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #463 on: July 25, 2017, 06:24:35 PM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #464 on: July 26, 2017, 11:08:22 AM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.

Only way I'd ever buy vacation property is if it rents for enough to be profitable for the 50+ weeks when I'm not there.

My grandpa had a similar story with a house in HI, though I think it was only 3x that he listed and sold it.

CptCool

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #465 on: July 26, 2017, 11:25:33 AM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.

Only way I'd ever buy vacation property is if it rents for enough to be profitable for the 50+ weeks when I'm not there.

My grandpa had a similar story with a house in HI, though I think it was only 3x that he listed and sold it.

Even then I think I'd prefer to buy a house solely for rental, then rent a separate vacation home those other 2 weeks.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #466 on: July 26, 2017, 11:49:22 AM »

Even then I think I'd prefer to buy a house solely for rental, then rent a separate vacation home those other 2 weeks.

Makes the accounting and tax reporting easier, if nothing else... lol

Fomerly known as something

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #467 on: July 27, 2017, 08:27:58 AM »
While at the local shoe store yearly tent sale.

Old neighbor:  I think these shoes are ugly but they are only $20.

dycker1978

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #468 on: July 27, 2017, 10:13:17 AM »
I have two neghbours that fit this thread...

The first is directly across the street.  They have four dogs that they spoil, new toys all the time etc.  They do a few things that I find quite... interesting...  They own their own business, which, by all accounts is quite successful.  I have spoken to them about retirement, as they are in their late 50 or early 60's.  They say over and over again, that they cant retire.  They have no saving, no exit plan for the business, and they have opted out of CPP because they are self employed, so cant rely on that either.  They are on the second brand new car since we have lived there, in 3 years.  They have a nice four or 5 year old boat, that I have yet to see move, and their dogs have run of their back yard, so they have to lay new sod to make it look good every summer...  They cant seem to figure out why it is so hard to save though.

The neighbours directly to the north of us, seem to have an addiction to cars.  They both bought brand new GMC SUV's the weekend we move into the place 3 years ago.  I am not sure what they drove prior.  My wife and I were out in the garden doing some work, and they wandered out to their back yard, a couple of weeks ago.  They wanted us to come check out what they bought.  So we wonder around, and in their drive way was a matching pair of 2018 new GM SUV's.  They did not share what they paid, but to say that they were having issues getting financing for both, but one would not be an issue. The story is that they told the car company, either they figure out both, or they don't get a sale on either.  This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

cheapass

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #469 on: July 27, 2017, 10:56:49 AM »
This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

Reminds me of some relatives that live in another state that I observe from Facebook. She is always, always bitching about money and how there's nothing left after the bills each month. Guess what pops up a couple of months ago? Photos of 2 brand new Jeep SUV's, complete with the hashtag #POWERCOUPLE

LOL

Jtrey17

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #470 on: July 27, 2017, 11:44:02 AM »
This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

Reminds me of some relatives that live in another state that I observe from Facebook. She is always, always bitching about money and how there's nothing left after the bills each month. Guess what pops up a couple of months ago? Photos of 2 brand new Jeep SUV's, complete with the hashtag
#POWERCOUPLE

LOL


Lol is right! Aren't they like 50 grand new?

RWD

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #471 on: July 27, 2017, 12:44:46 PM »
This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

Reminds me of some relatives that live in another state that I observe from Facebook. She is always, always bitching about money and how there's nothing left after the bills each month. Guess what pops up a couple of months ago? Photos of 2 brand new Jeep SUV's, complete with the hashtag
#POWERCOUPLE

LOL


Lol is right! Aren't they like 50 grand new?

Assuming they are Jeep Grand Cherokees (the most expensive Jeeps and the only ones that are technically SUVs) then the MSRP starts at $30.4k. The Jeep crossovers start at $18k.

Dicey

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #472 on: July 28, 2017, 08:57:58 AM »
How does one forget about a pool table.

I mean, surely, at some point when he wanted to invite his mates around for a bear and a game of pool.... the penny didn't drop at all???

I know you mean beer but still giggling at this. :D

God damn typos. Thankyou for laughing at my expense ;)

I do some proofreading/editing at work, and I once was proofing an article sent in by a subscriber where someone kept making the same mistake, but in the opposite direction. It was about a bear breaking into his house. It was too long ago to remember the exact wording, but it was full of lines like "I just about crapped my pants when I walked into the kitchen and saw a beer! I've never been so scared skeered in my life!"
FTFY.

And marty, we're laughing with you.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2017, 09:00:48 AM by Dicey »

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #473 on: August 10, 2017, 12:08:30 PM »

 My son is moving from a 4bdr apartment near a college to go to another college, 2hrs away.
 His new apartment is furnished, his plan is to move his bed and frame back home, to stack on top of his old bed;-?
 Then he has a circular leather couch, he plans to leave the couch with his roommates for now.
I suggested he try to sell the couch to the existing 3 roommates and be done with it. The room would be
pretty bare without the couch and I think they would be happy to have it.
 His new place is across the street from the college, he has two years left and I would hope he will stay in that apartment two years. So, he will not need a couch for at least two years, I just think ownership will be questionable two years from now, but I can't convince him of that. He said dad, these are my friends.
 Oh well, probably a life lesson, for one of us!
May want to have him discuss with his friends now about whose responsibility it will be to move the couch when all the roommates move out.  If he knows he's on the hook to pay to move it after them using it for 2 years, he may feel differently about finding a deal that works for all of them. 

paddedhat

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #474 on: August 10, 2017, 12:50:06 PM »

 My son is moving from a 4bdr apartment near a college to go to another college, 2hrs away.
 His new apartment is furnished, his plan is to move his bed and frame back home, to stack on top of his old bed;-?
 Then he has a circular leather couch, he plans to leave the couch with his roommates for now.
I suggested he try to sell the couch to the existing 3 roommates and be done with it. The room would be
pretty bare without the couch and I think they would be happy to have it.
 His new place is across the street from the college, he has two years left and I would hope he will stay in that apartment two years. So, he will not need a couch for at least two years, I just think ownership will be questionable two years from now, but I can't convince him of that. He said dad, these are my friends.
 Oh well, probably a life lesson, for one of us!
May want to have him discuss with his friends now about whose responsibility it will be to move the couch when all the roommates move out.  If he knows he's on the hook to pay to move it after them using it for 2 years, he may feel differently about finding a deal that works for all of them.

Not just friends who can develop strange relationships with stuff you leave until later. As a young guy, I once traded some work for an antique Chestnut wood church bench. It was 12' long, and I had no room for it, so I made the mistake of asking my mom if I could leave it, along with an Antique, solid oak, teacher's desk. Oddly enough, as time went buy, both had been put to good use at the family home, and had gone from being stored items to major pieces in a large dining room. A decade or so goes by, I had my own family and a large house, and wanted to reclaim my furniture. At this point dear ole' mom decided to go the revisionist history route and claim that I had given her both items. I didn't really do too much battle over it, but I was pretty amazed. Mom passed a few years back, and my A-hole sister decides to take up the fight, and declares that "mom wanted me to have the bench, and desk". Yea, right after monkeys fly. Sorry, but no, I'm not allowing a second generation of women in the family to steal my stuff. I loaded the two pieces in my truck and finally got to use the furniture I first bought twenty five years previous.

   Yep, people are strange.

dycker1978

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #475 on: August 10, 2017, 03:34:13 PM »
The neighbours directly to the north of us, seem to have an addiction to cars.  They both bought brand new GMC SUV's the weekend we move into the place 3 years ago.  I am not sure what they drove prior.  My wife and I were out in the garden doing some work, and they wandered out to their back yard, a couple of weeks ago.  They wanted us to come check out what they bought.  So we wonder around, and in their drive way was a matching pair of 2018 new GM SUV's.  They did not share what they paid, but to say that they were having issues getting financing for both, but one would not be an issue. The story is that they told the car company, either they figure out both, or they don't get a sale on either.  This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

I need to continue this story...  We were talking to these neighbors last night.  It turns out he has been laid off for the last 7 weeks.  We had noticed that one of the brand new SUV's was gone, but did not know why.  Well it turns out that they "gave it back to the dealer" to get out of their loan.  by Gave it back I mean the sold it back to the dealer for 2/3 what they paid for it and added the "negative equity" to the other loan.  Hey but they only have one car payment not right?

Oh, he got a new job, that is about a 100km commute one way, but now they only have one vehicle.  and her commute is 15 km the other way, so they are going to need to buy a new vehicle... These two are the gift that keep on giving.


paddedhat

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #476 on: August 10, 2017, 05:29:13 PM »
The neighbours directly to the north of us, seem to have an addiction to cars.  They both bought brand new GMC SUV's the weekend we move into the place 3 years ago.  I am not sure what they drove prior.  My wife and I were out in the garden doing some work, and they wandered out to their back yard, a couple of weeks ago.  They wanted us to come check out what they bought.  So we wonder around, and in their drive way was a matching pair of 2018 new GM SUV's.  They did not share what they paid, but to say that they were having issues getting financing for both, but one would not be an issue. The story is that they told the car company, either they figure out both, or they don't get a sale on either.  This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

I need to continue this story...  We were talking to these neighbors last night.  It turns out he has been laid off for the last 7 weeks.  We had noticed that one of the brand new SUV's was gone, but did not know why.  Well it turns out that they "gave it back to the dealer" to get out of their loan.  by Gave it back I mean the sold it back to the dealer for 2/3 what they paid for it and added the "negative equity" to the other loan.  Hey but they only have one car payment not right?

Oh, he got a new job, that is about a 100km commute one way, but now they only have one vehicle.  and her commute is 15 km the other way, so they are going to need to buy a new vehicle... These two are the gift that keep on giving.

My son is a young engineer in the shale play in the mid-Atlantic states.  Based on what he has been telling me, as I quickly read your story, the thought "damn if these two don't sound like a classic pair of clueless rig workers" popped into my head. Then I re-read and caught the part about being employed in the industry. My son keeps the family tradition of being tight as a frog's ass. Once he started working the fields he was given a company truck, and continued to drive his 20 year old, $1500 BMW on weekends, for another year, until he had $8K off to the side for a good used car. But the stories of stupidity among young guys and families are the stuff of legend. Get a $20/hr job, with minimal benefits, and a company that's trying to work you to death with as many twelve hour days in a row as you can stand. Next you just have to "reward" yourself with a stupid $50-60K pick-up truck that you then throw another $10-15K of stupid shit on, like a lifted suspension, $4K in tires and wheels, etc..... A few months later you get hurt and are living on 25% of your salary, or you get laid off due to a slow down, and suddenly that $800 a month truck mortgage isn't getting paid. Now you have a hillbilly pimpmobile that's worth $30K less than you have in it, and a bank that wants to know if you are bringing it in to the dealer, or do they have to come get it. Nicely played, dumbass.  Stupidity can get expensive, fast.

dycker1978

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #477 on: August 11, 2017, 07:14:12 AM »
The neighbours directly to the north of us, seem to have an addiction to cars.  They both bought brand new GMC SUV's the weekend we move into the place 3 years ago.  I am not sure what they drove prior.  My wife and I were out in the garden doing some work, and they wandered out to their back yard, a couple of weeks ago.  They wanted us to come check out what they bought.  So we wonder around, and in their drive way was a matching pair of 2018 new GM SUV's.  They did not share what they paid, but to say that they were having issues getting financing for both, but one would not be an issue. The story is that they told the car company, either they figure out both, or they don't get a sale on either.  This couple work in the oil/gas sector.  He has been laid off almost as much as he worked, since we moved next door, and she is constantly talking that her company will be doing layoffs.  She just had a health scare and could not work for 8 months, but 2 new cars to replace their new cars makes since... SMH.

I need to continue this story...  We were talking to these neighbors last night.  It turns out he has been laid off for the last 7 weeks.  We had noticed that one of the brand new SUV's was gone, but did not know why.  Well it turns out that they "gave it back to the dealer" to get out of their loan.  by Gave it back I mean the sold it back to the dealer for 2/3 what they paid for it and added the "negative equity" to the other loan.  Hey but they only have one car payment not right?

Oh, he got a new job, that is about a 100km commute one way, but now they only have one vehicle.  and her commute is 15 km the other way, so they are going to need to buy a new vehicle... These two are the gift that keep on giving.

My son is a young engineer in the shale play in the mid-Atlantic states.  Based on what he has been telling me, as I quickly read your story, the thought "damn if these two don't sound like a classic pair of clueless rig workers" popped into my head. Then I re-read and caught the part about being employed in the industry. My son keeps the family tradition of being tight as a frog's ass. Once he started working the fields he was given a company truck, and continued to drive his 20 year old, $1500 BMW on weekends, for another year, until he had $8K off to the side for a good used car. But the stories of stupidity among young guys and families are the stuff of legend. Get a $20/hr job, with minimal benefits, and a company that's trying to work you to death with as many twelve hour days in a row as you can stand. Next you just have to "reward" yourself with a stupid $50-60K pick-up truck that you then throw another $10-15K of stupid shit on, like a lifted suspension, $4K in tires and wheels, etc..... A few months later you get hurt and are living on 25% of your salary, or you get laid off due to a slow down, and suddenly that $800 a month truck mortgage isn't getting paid. Now you have a hillbilly pimpmobile that's worth $30K less than you have in it, and a bank that wants to know if you are bringing it in to the dealer, or do they have to come get it. Nicely played, dumbass.  Stupidity can get expensive, fast.
That just it, they are my age, mid to late 30's.  They are not riggers, but she works for a pipe manufacturing company, which follows the ups and downs of oil.  He is a pipe fitter, so again, not quite a rigger, but see ebbs and flows related to it.

The worst part is they have 3 kids.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #478 on: August 11, 2017, 10:40:38 AM »
This morning, the Venomous Spaz Beast tried very hard to wake me up. That's unusual early in the morning, because she'd rather curl up in a warm little ball and sleep in. I was having none of it because my alarm wasn't going off. But I should have paid attention because she's a smart little dog. She was responding to something weird going on outside a few doors down. A couple minutes later a car alarm went off, followed by a gunshot. Had I responded when the dog first alerted, drama could have been averted.

We don't live in the kind of neighborhood that has gunshots or car theft.

Although our city is legendary for its violent crime and vehicle thefts, it doesn't happen on our street chiefly because of what we all do when one of us hears or notices something potentially stupid. Everyone stops what they're doing and rushes toward the neighbor who needs help. (My daughter didn't want to do this and suggested I stay inside, but that's how it's done in neighborhoods where the criminals are in charge and it's one of the reasons our city is high-crime to begin with-- we do things differently and that's why there have been no thefts are break-ins for well over a decade.)

Like all the other neighbors I got up immediately and went outside to see a tow truck making off with a vehicle that still had its car alarm going nuts. We all thought it was a theft. Neighbors were pouring out into the street from all the houses nearby, calling 911 and double checking to make sure they'd caught the tow truck and driver on their security cameras (they did.)

Having overcome her desire to stay indoors, my daughter stuck around to get a situation report. It turns out the car in question was bought by the neighbor and his wife, who were no longer together. She'd moved out of town but was supposed to continue payments on the car so that her son could continue using it for school. But for three months, she'd stopped making payments on the car and lied about it. So the car got repossessed. The man and boy whose car it was had no idea the payments hadn't been made; there was no communication.

I feel kind of sorry for the repo guy, who had to be pretty ballsy to take the car even though my neighbor had a shotgun out and fired a warning shot. Being rapidly approached by large numbers of people, at least one of whom was wielding a baseball bat, couldn't have been good for him either. He got out of there before he was surrounded but it was a very near miss for him. We'd have let him go if he really was a repo guy but not without getting to the bottom of the situation first.

The moral of the story is: it sucks to have a car payment. And, never let an ex control something that affects your credit.

marty998

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #479 on: August 11, 2017, 11:41:44 PM »

I feel kind of sorry for the repo guy, who had to be pretty ballsy to take the car even though my neighbor had a shotgun out and fired a warning shot.

How is firing a shotgun with a crowd of people hovering around legal and/or the responsible thing to do in that situation??

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #480 on: August 12, 2017, 12:13:44 AM »

I feel kind of sorry for the repo guy, who had to be pretty ballsy to take the car even though my neighbor had a shotgun out and fired a warning shot.

How is firing a shotgun with a crowd of people hovering around legal and/or the responsible thing to do in that situation??

Legal? Well, not exactly. I think he was given a ticket or citation of some kind for it but only because the guy with the tow truck turned out to be an actual repo man. If it had been a bona fide car thief nobody would have had a problem with it. Car thieves in the act are legitimate targets in my city these days. The paperwork will most likely be lost or misfiled by the district attorney's office so my neighbor is unlikely to face any serious negative consequences.

Responsible? Well, ideally he'd have gotten the facts from the repo guy first, however the repo guy wasn't exactly sticking around or answering questions and since he'd been skulking around in the dark like a car thief it's reasonable that he was mistaken for one. Cars get stolen more than once an hour in this city; at least one of the cartels has a tow truck. But overall, the gun was loaded with birdshot and the neighbor didn't aim it at anyone.

You have to keep the criminal classes in their place or they'll walk all over you, and the only thing they really respect is violence or the threat thereof. The Supreme Court of New Mexico just told all the judges that they had to let most criminals go with no bail, regardless of how violent or recidivistic they are. Sentences are basically just a slap on the wrist, and it's normal for killers to walk free after just a few years. There aren't enough ankle monitors to go around so nobody is keeping track of much, and in the meantime there's a 10-day deadline to build a complete case and turn over all the evidence to the defense attorneys, or else the charges are dropped. We've had "alleged" rapists and murderers set free. In theory the charges can be re-filed; in practice they won't be because the personnel are flooded with more crime. So the streets are a war zone. Wednesday there was a rolling gunfight in front of a day care. An innocent man walking on the other side of the street was hit by a bullet and a 6-year-old girl was cut by some broken glass. Last week a 14-year-old kid was killed in a drive-by shooting that wounded two other teens, and a 10-year-old kid in his bedroom was shot in the back when someone fired at a house. Bodies are turning up at a rate of three or four a week, there's a police involved shooting at least once a week, and it's about to get worse since rumor has it the feds are pulling out.

So the police are fine with whatever we want to do to people who are actual violent criminals as long as it's not ridiculously sadistic like nailing a guy to a tree (which happened a few months ago in a different neighborhood).

The repo guy wasn't a car thief, and that's why he lived. It's also the only reason the cops got upset about the shotgun. If it had been an actual car thief with a tow truck-- at least one of the cartels has a team like that-- the cops wouldn't have blinked.

Tass

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #481 on: August 13, 2017, 11:31:05 PM »
Do roommates count as neighbors? My peers and I are driving our first cars and my roommate is evidently thinking about buying his first, because he asked me:

"Hey, do you think it's a good idea to buy a car on a monthly repayment plan?"
Me: "NO, you'll just end up paying more for the car in the end! Since we have a successful carpool setup anyway I think it makes more sense to save up until you can buy something cheap in cash."

His response? "...but I'm lazy."

Eventually we remembered that our grad program offers small interest-free loans to students for such things so I advised him to go that route and get it taken straight out of his paycheck. Shouldn't have asked my opinion if you just wanted yours validated, my friend!

Spiffy

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #482 on: August 14, 2017, 07:50:00 PM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.
Maybe the house was haunted...

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #483 on: August 14, 2017, 09:42:48 PM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.
Maybe the house was haunted...

Of course it was! By the ghost of opportunities past.

paddedhat

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #484 on: August 14, 2017, 10:04:30 PM »

Maybe the house was haunted...

Of course it was! By the ghost of opportunities past.

Nope, it's now four years since I built my last place, and I know that quite a few of mine are on their second owners. Nothing for the wife to be on facebook and tell me that one of my old customers just wrote that, "the couple you built the house for, on the next street over, just put a realtor sign up". I think it's a pretty fascinating behavior. The opposite if this is that the ones that hold on to vacation houses, often do so for life. I have had a few customers that were second and third generation owners in a particular resort, or neighborhood. As in, "I spent the summers at my grandparent's place on Lakeview Drive. They still own that house. My mom and dad have a place on Birch circle, that they bought about 20 years ago, and now I want my own". So there seems to be two camps, the ones that "thought" they really wanted or needed a vacation home, and needed a few years to figure out that the reality wasn't a match for the expectations, or the ones that buy one, and still own it thirty or forty years later.

Kimera757

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #485 on: September 06, 2017, 06:48:34 PM »
This will probably be my last post about my neighbour, since he just got an eviction notice.

A month or two ago, after my last post, his phone stopped working (probably because he wasn't paying for it; he had bragged it was an internet phone for only $4 a month) and he borrowed our portable phone. He seemed rather reluctant to give it back until forced, but that's another story.

He arranged a meeting with a married couple to buy some of his pile of stuff. I think he was selling them a knife. I found out because they called me on the intercom, and I had to let them in, explain that I wasn't the seller, and so on. He went to their place for the transaction and ended up not selling the knife. Instead, he bought something of theirs!

So today, when I found out about the eviction notice, I learned that he had a small TV on his balcony. Since apparently the big screen TV in his living room and the big screen TV in his bedroom wasn't enough. Despite literally getting an eviction notice today, he was asking if we had the right kind of cables to hook up the balcony TV to his cable setup. I got the impression that he would buy new cables since we didn't have any. Maybe he should sell one of those giant screen TVs to raise funds to pay off his rent debt instead. He's "only" four months behind.

That ex-girlfriend of his who keeps visiting at month's end has a reason for that. She lives in another city, and as I mentioned in earlier posts is also on welfare. However, she hasn't told the welfare office that she moved from our city to her city. She's getting paid the same amount, so while it's fraud, it's not costing the taxpayer more money. However, maintaining this fiction is costing her money.

She doesn't have a bank account. At month's end she has to commute (at least $8 one-way by public transit) to get to the welfare office to get a cheque (she can't have them mailing the cheque, of course) and then take it to Moneymart or some similar place to cash it. Or maybe she has an arrangement with our neighbour, who has a bank account that is frequently in overdraft (in their last conversation, the neighbour was trying to convince her to directly deposit her payment into his bank account). Then she has to go back (but not after spending a few days drinking with my neighbour, so I bet she pays her rent a few days late every month) and that costs at least $8. She takes her disabled adult child with her sometimes, increasing the costs.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #486 on: September 06, 2017, 10:02:16 PM »
This will probably be my last post about my neighbour, since he just got an eviction notice.

A month or two ago, after my last post, his phone stopped working (probably because he wasn't paying for it; he had bragged it was an internet phone for only $4 a month) and he borrowed our portable phone. He seemed rather reluctant to give it back until forced, but that's another story.

He arranged a meeting with a married couple to buy some of his pile of stuff. I think he was selling them a knife. I found out because they called me on the intercom, and I had to let them in, explain that I wasn't the seller, and so on. He went to their place for the transaction and ended up not selling the knife. Instead, he bought something of theirs!

So today, when I found out about the eviction notice, I learned that he had a small TV on his balcony. Since apparently the big screen TV in his living room and the big screen TV in his bedroom wasn't enough. Despite literally getting an eviction notice today, he was asking if we had the right kind of cables to hook up the balcony TV to his cable setup. I got the impression that he would buy new cables since we didn't have any. Maybe he should sell one of those giant screen TVs to raise funds to pay off his rent debt instead. He's "only" four months behind.

That ex-girlfriend of his who keeps visiting at month's end has a reason for that. She lives in another city, and as I mentioned in earlier posts is also on welfare. However, she hasn't told the welfare office that she moved from our city to her city. She's getting paid the same amount, so while it's fraud, it's not costing the taxpayer more money. However, maintaining this fiction is costing her money.

She doesn't have a bank account. At month's end she has to commute (at least $8 one-way by public transit) to get to the welfare office to get a cheque (she can't have them mailing the cheque, of course) and then take it to Moneymart or some similar place to cash it. Or maybe she has an arrangement with our neighbour, who has a bank account that is frequently in overdraft (in their last conversation, the neighbour was trying to convince her to directly deposit her payment into his bank account). Then she has to go back (but not after spending a few days drinking with my neighbour, so I bet she pays her rent a few days late every month) and that costs at least $8. She takes her disabled adult child with her sometimes, increasing the costs.

This is one of those stories where I just think, Christ, it must cost a huge amount of emotional energy to live like that.

I have friends who think budgeting is hard work and that checking online banking is tedious. No, it's really not.

Having everything set up, automated to an acceptable point, and just ticking over in the background is easy.

Living like that ^^^ would be hard.

RWD

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #487 on: January 18, 2018, 06:43:11 AM »
It's been colder than usual around here lately. My neighbor a few houses down has been idling his big truck (F-250 or similar) for over a half hour now this morning...

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #488 on: January 18, 2018, 08:16:38 AM »
It's been colder than usual around here lately. My neighbor a few houses down has been idling his big truck (F-250 or similar) for over a half hour now this morning...
At least he drives it, right?
Mine fires up his Fox 'Stang 5L V8 every other day and idles for 10-15 mins in his garage. I don't think I've ever seen him drive it.

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #489 on: January 18, 2018, 09:02:54 AM »
It's been colder than usual around here lately. My neighbor a few houses down has been idling his big truck (F-250 or similar) for over a half hour now this morning...
At least he drives it, right?
Mine fires up his Fox 'Stang 5L V8 every other day and idles for 10-15 mins in his garage. I don't think I've ever seen him drive it.
I assume he commutes with it. I can't think of why he'd go outside in 11 degree weather at 7 am to idle it otherwise. If he had a more reasonably sized commuter car it would fit in his garage and it wouldn't be so cold that he'd have to warm it up at all...

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #490 on: January 18, 2018, 09:39:40 AM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.

I know someone through the extended family that has a lake house - supposedly something significant in size and value - which has not been used for YEARS now. Visited occasionally. Owner is elderly now and thus must hire out the chores and maintenance and has most of the past 20 years I'm aware of. I can't imagine flinging that kind of coin on such a thing.

Meanwhile DW and I look around our little family home and carefully plan maintenance and improvements to keep the costs manageable.

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #491 on: January 18, 2018, 10:40:26 AM »
Also, am I insane or is it extraordinarily wasteful to buy a lake house that sits empty half the year and sits empty 5 out of 7 days the other half of the year... like, what the actual fuck?

I made a really nice pile of coin building vacation homes in a lake-mountain-ski region of the northeast. After a decade of that I learned:

#1. There is no way in hell I would ever own a second home
#2. The majority of the folks I did business with made some extraordinarily bad decisions when purchasing their second homes.  Things like blowing inheritances, emptying retirement accounts, or  going to extremes to get 100% financing on something that they clearly couldn't afford, and never should of been given a loan for.

As for your usage math, which is roughly 50 days a year, that's optimistic from what I have observed.  Most walk away from the settlement table with visions swirling in their heads about being there every weekend, and more. After the first few months of the stress of screwing up schedules at home, and spending Friday night and Sunday afternoon in a mad rush to get there and back, things start to taper off. By the end of the first year, it's more like the reserves, one weekend a month, and a week in the summer. The first year is typically the peak year for days of use, and it tapers down from there. In a solid economy, the place had a 50/50 shot of having a realtors sign in the yard by the fifth year. When I first started I heard this exact tale from one of the old heavy hitters in the real estate business. She then asked me if I knew a particular house in a nearby resort community? I said yes, and she told me that she had sold it, as the listing agent, FIVE TIMES since it was built. The place wasn't thirty years old.

I know someone through the extended family that has a lake house - supposedly something significant in size and value - which has not been used for YEARS now. Visited occasionally. Owner is elderly now and thus must hire out the chores and maintenance and has most of the past 20 years I'm aware of. I can't imagine flinging that kind of coin on such a thing.

Meanwhile DW and I look around our little family home and carefully plan maintenance and improvements to keep the costs manageable.
Someone near where I live bought a holiday home for £700k 5 years ago and hasn't even opened the door yet.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #492 on: January 18, 2018, 11:55:42 AM »
I can't even invent some sort of bent logic for these kinds of situations. 

Jouer

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #493 on: January 18, 2018, 04:54:00 PM »
Do roommates count as neighbors? My peers and I are driving our first cars and my roommate is evidently thinking about buying his first, because he asked me:

"Hey, do you think it's a good idea to buy a car on a monthly repayment plan?"
Me: "NO, you'll just end up paying more for the car in the end! Since we have a successful carpool setup anyway I think it makes more sense to save up until you can buy something cheap in cash."

His response? "...but I'm lazy."

Eventually we remembered that our grad program offers small interest-free loans to students for such things so I advised him to go that route and get it taken straight out of his paycheck. Shouldn't have asked my opinion if you just wanted yours validated, my friend!

When did it become ok to admit to being lazy? This used to be one of the worst things you could be known as.

(also, get off my lawn)

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #494 on: January 18, 2018, 07:10:55 PM »
Do roommates count as neighbors? My peers and I are driving our first cars and my roommate is evidently thinking about buying his first, because he asked me:

"Hey, do you think it's a good idea to buy a car on a monthly repayment plan?"
Me: "NO, you'll just end up paying more for the car in the end! Since we have a successful carpool setup anyway I think it makes more sense to save up until you can buy something cheap in cash."

His response? "...but I'm lazy."

Eventually we remembered that our grad program offers small interest-free loans to students for such things so I advised him to go that route and get it taken straight out of his paycheck. Shouldn't have asked my opinion if you just wanted yours validated, my friend!

When did it become ok to admit to being lazy? This used to be one of the worst things you could be known as.

(also, get off my lawn)

Around the time it became OK to quit work while still able-bodied

Jouer

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #495 on: January 19, 2018, 06:57:51 AM »
Do roommates count as neighbors? My peers and I are driving our first cars and my roommate is evidently thinking about buying his first, because he asked me:

"Hey, do you think it's a good idea to buy a car on a monthly repayment plan?"
Me: "NO, you'll just end up paying more for the car in the end! Since we have a successful carpool setup anyway I think it makes more sense to save up until you can buy something cheap in cash."

His response? "...but I'm lazy."

Eventually we remembered that our grad program offers small interest-free loans to students for such things so I advised him to go that route and get it taken straight out of his paycheck. Shouldn't have asked my opinion if you just wanted yours validated, my friend!

When did it become ok to admit to being lazy? This used to be one of the worst things you could be known as.

(also, get off my lawn)

Around the time it became OK to quit work while still able-bodied

I don't see early retirement as being lazy at all. In fact, quite the opposite.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #496 on: January 23, 2018, 02:24:48 AM »
We've had a couple of 38, 39 degree days lately.

I got home one day last week to find a neighbour and his toddler taking out the garbage. Both were wearing hoodies.

Me: Hey, aren't you guys a bit warm?
Neighbour: We have the air-con on inside.

How bloody cold do you have it that you need a hoodie?

kayvent

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #497 on: January 23, 2018, 03:40:17 AM »
We've had a couple of 38, 39 degree days lately.

I got home one day last week to find a neighbour and his toddler taking out the garbage. Both were wearing hoodies.

Me: Hey, aren't you guys a bit warm?
Neighbour: We have the air-con on inside.

How bloody cold do you have it that you need a hoodie?

Many years ago, in the city where I live, we had a year where more people died of hypothermia in summer than in winter and more died of heat exhaustion in winter than in summer.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #498 on: January 23, 2018, 04:59:18 AM »
Neighbour told me about the great financing she got on her new solar panels :-/

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Re: Overheard over the fence (Antimustachian neighbours)
« Reply #499 on: January 23, 2018, 10:38:53 AM »
We've had a couple of 38, 39 degree days lately.

I got home one day last week to find a neighbour and his toddler taking out the garbage. Both were wearing hoodies.

Me: Hey, aren't you guys a bit warm?
Neighbour: We have the air-con on inside.

How bloody cold do you have it that you need a hoodie?

I must say, that whole thing makes more sense when I realized you're in Australia. I'm very happy with 38/39 F right now - since I've had weeks -10C and below. (thank you google) Though I will pass on the 38/39 C.