Jobs, the Math ain’t Mathing

originally posted by: AlongCameaSpider
Using smeared out average doesn’t work. It’s also not representative by region.

Fly over states cost of living is cheaper for the same pay.

Relocation from large cities where the cost of living is too high is happening.

Many are moving to new states.

You also need to look at a duel income house hold for the same monthly bills. Whether it’s friends or couples, bills get shared.

The bleak future painted isn’t exactly true.

So I just moved from the West Coast to the East Coast 3000 miles, glad it's over for now....lol

Living in Washington near Portland and now in Virginia, prices are a lot less here. Gas is 1.50 cheaper and I need to drive less than 50% of what I used to. I used to use about 2 tanks a week at about let's say $150 cost and now it is like 1/2 a tank at $40, and that is just me as my wife is also way down. I think just on gas I'm saving 150 to 200 per week. Eating out is about 40% cheaper too and so the cost of living overall is down about 30% maybe more, so outside of gas if I was spending 3k per month that is now below 2k. I'm thinking just the cost of living and gas I'm spending about 2000 less a month here than back in Washington state.

On the downside, my rent is 700 more than my mortgage of 2400, but I'm near the beach and once I sell my house I'll roll the equity into a growth fund until the housing market corrects. I also see this as not that cheap of a place to live as it is very touristy too, so I bet there are even cheaper places to live, but the west coast is just crazy now with everything.

a reply to: AlongCameaSpider

Tech schools are always a great option, ask me how I know.

Yes, it is still technically college but it's only 2 years and you come out with minimal student loan debt (10-15k is typical for the one I went to). Most people that I graduated with make minimum of 50k before OT and bonuses here in the midwest.

Apprenticeships are also a great option in a local union, whether it's welders, pipefitters, carpenters, iron workers, auto workers, etc. Most of them are only a couple years, and unlike in tech school, you are getting paid the whole time and can come out of it making 80k+ a year, some of them even make 100k+ base pay.

originally posted by: AlongCameaSpider

Don’t get duped into going to college.
It’s not worth it.
You will get a mountain of debt and no means to repay it.
…..before I hear the argument of “can’t get a job without a college degree” you are not being realistic nor are you looking at the job market in any realistic fashion.

I agree that over 50% of people should not go to college. Get a trade and live good. My two kids got free college and one is an EE and the other will be a doctor all free, so there are ways, but people take the quick and easy way out with 80k debt. Do you know that England's college debt average is higher than America's with their free college? The problem is these kids live on the debt too and do not get part-time jobs and basically just live off of debt for 4 to 5 years and are shocked they are 80k in the hole.

a reply to: AlongCameaSpider

Very familiar with the technique, just messed up a bit because it's been a while lol.


Yeah, college seems to be for finding spouses and partying. Junk diplomas and lack of academics dropped the bottom of true teaching and learning. Unfortunately, some see a 'diploma' as the ONLY proof of being educated.

originally posted by: StoutBroux

Yeah, college seems to be for finding spouses and partying. Junk diplomas and lack of academics dropped the bottom of true teaching and learning. Unfortunately, some see a 'diploma' as the ONLY proof of being educated.

I'm in a new tech industry and we can take someone from HS and give them two weeks of training and they start about 25 to 30 per hour. There are two tiers above that too with the 3rd one at about 90 to 100k.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I think the problem could be solved by the government investing in social housing, like it is in Austria. We also have it here in Poland although it's still not available to everyone who needs it. Some apartments rented by the local authorities are really nice. There are some that are in poor condition but if you once get an apartment, it's easier to change it for the better one. It can then be passed from parents to children.

originally posted by: twistedpuppy
a reply to: JAGStorm

I think the problem could be solved by the government investing in social housing, like it is in Austria. We also have it here in Poland although it's still not available to everyone who needs it. Some apartments rented by the local authorities are really nice. There are some that are in poor condition but if you once get an apartment, it's easier to change it for the better one. It can then be passed from parents to children.

Government housing has been a disaster here.
First there were what we call project. Those were high density housing, and basically were riddled with violence, drugs, crime of all manner. I remember getting lost on the S. side of Chicago and seeing a guy walking with a machine gun, that was the early 90’s.

Then the government said, ok this isn’t working, so they hatched another plan. This time it was to stick these people in different neighborhoods. Also known as section 8. It’s a little better than public housing, but not by much. The people that pay for their homes aren’t too happy about having neighbors being there.

See, this is a problem the government has caused themselves, and they don’t want to fix it.
There are too many “codes”.

My grandpa built his own house on his own plot of land. It was small and weird, but that thing stood the test of time.
People just aren’t allowed to do that anymore. That would solve the housing problem overnight.
People could get a little plot of land and have away at it .

The other thing the government could do, is to do something to stop investors from scooping up single family housing.

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: AlongCameaSpider
Using smeared out average doesn’t work. It’s also not representative by region.

Fly over states cost of living is cheaper for the same pay.

Relocation from large cities where the cost of living is too high is happening.

Many are moving to new states.

You also need to look at a duel income house hold for the same monthly bills. Whether it’s friends or couples, bills get shared.

The bleak future painted isn’t exactly true.

So I just moved from the West Coast to the East Coast 3000 miles, glad it's over for now....lol

Living in Washington near Portland and now in Virginia, prices are a lot less here. Gas is 1.50 cheaper and I need to drive less than 50% of what I used to. I used to use about 2 tanks a week at about let's say $150 cost and now it is like 1/2 a tank at $40, and that is just me as my wife is also way down. I think just on gas I'm saving 150 to 200 per week. Eating out is about 40% cheaper too and so the cost of living overall is down about 30% maybe more, so outside of gas if I was spending 3k per month that is now below 2k. I'm thinking just the cost of living and gas I'm spending about 2000 less a month here than back in Washington state.

On the downside, my rent is 700 more than my mortgage of 2400, but I'm near the beach and once I sell my house I'll roll the equity into a growth fund until the housing market corrects. I also see this as not that cheap of a place to live as it is very touristy too, so I bet there are even cheaper places to live, but the west coast is just crazy now with everything.

The flyover states. Coasts are expensive.

originally posted by: twistedpuppy

I think the problem could be solved by the government investing in social housing, like it is in Austria. We also have it here in Poland although it's still not available to everyone who needs it. Some apartments rented by the local authorities are really nice. There are some that are in poor condition but if you once get an apartment, it's easier to change it for the better one. It can then be passed from parents to children.

In America, we have had a lot of public housing projects with rent as low as 50 bucks a month. The problem is the typical person who ends up living there made a lot of bad choices in life and they end up turning these places into hell holes. Appts ripped apart with drugs and gangs the main stay.

a reply to: twistedpuppy

The problem isn't homes IMO.
There are plenty of homes just not affordable or are owned and kept vacant for nonsensical reasons.

Government housing is a possibility, but certainly not ideal.

Frankly, if they simply focused on raising wages and mitigating inflation these problems would sort themselves right out.