Bike Week

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Buying power ≠ discipline.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

Actually if you look at that graph much of what is there hasn't changed much.

Let's just take the big three:

Cost of a house, in 1975 that mortgage would have cost you 9.45% APR so as a percentage of income it the P&I payment in '75 was more expensive when comparted to both today's dollars and current interest rates hovering at less than half of that.

OK I'll concede the cost of a new car is twice that of 1975 BUT BUT BUT… I will point out a couple key differences. Anything that was made in 1975 was a piece of crap you'd be lucky to get 5 years and 75K out of before the stuff fell apart, rusted all to hell or just plain broke to the point of having to replace it as engineering back then was awful. Now a days one can easily buy a 15K used car and arguably it would far surpass the longevity and reliability of say your average 1975 Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega. Buying new these days is just plain dumb, not when you can buy off lease cars for a fraction of what they cost new. It gets even better when they hit 100K which is where I love to buy them then drive them another 100 or 200K.

College these days is expensive but I'll tell you what my daughter just graduated this spring from Manchester Community College with an Associates degree, where her credits are 100% transferrable into the state school system to finish out a 4 year program, and most will be accepted anywhere else. Cost you ask? 14K for both years combined. So it begs the question why would you send your kids to a place where they are racking up 30, 40, 50K + per year especially over the first couple of years? DUH?

It is about choices and it can be done.

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Actually if you look at that graph much of what is there hasn't changed much.

Let's just take the big three:

Cost of a house, in 1975 that mortgage would have cost you 9.45% APR so as a percentage of income it the P&I payment in '75 was more expensive when comparted to both today's dollars and current interest rates hovering at less than half of that.

OK I'll concede the cost of a new car is twice that of 1975 BUT BUT BUT… I will point out a couple key differences. Anything that was made in 1975 was a piece of crap you'd be lucky to get 5 years and 75K out of before the stuff fell apart, rusted all to hell or just plain broke to the point of having to replace it as engineering back then was awful. Now a days one can easily buy a 15K used car and arguably it would far surpass the longevity and reliability of say your average 1975 Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega. Buying new these days is just plain dumb, not when you can buy off lease cars for a fraction of what they cost new. It gets even better when they hit 100K which is where I love to buy them then drive them another 100 or 200K.

College these days is expensive but I'll tell you what my daughter just graduated this spring from Manchester Community College with an Associates degree, where her credits are 100% transferrable into the state school system to finish out a 4 year program, and most will be accepted anywhere else. Cost you ask? 14K for both years combined. So it begs the question why would you send your kids to a place where they are racking up 30, 40, 50K + per year especially over the first couple of years? DUH?

It is about choices and it can be done.

I am sorry, I disagree with your assessment of college and even if you do start at a community college eventually you will need to transfer, yes the credits are transferable but you still have a minimum of 2 more years and in addition many professions require a master's degree now. As far as the car goes, you are not calculating repair costs on a used car.

All in all in the end since 1975, the big ticket item costs have increased further than the inflation rate and salaries have not kept up thus the younger generation is taking a double hit.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Actually if you look at that graph much of what is there hasn't changed much.

Let's just take the big three:

Cost of a house, in 1975 that mortgage would have cost you 9.45% APR so as a percentage of income it the P&I payment in '75 was more expensive when comparted to both today's dollars and current interest rates hovering at less than half of that.

OK I'll concede the cost of a new car is twice that of 1975 BUT BUT BUT… I will point out a couple key differences. Anything that was made in 1975 was a piece of crap you'd be lucky to get 5 years and 75K out of before the stuff fell apart, rusted all to hell or just plain broke to the point of having to replace it as engineering back then was awful. Now a days one can easily buy a 15K used car and arguably it would far surpass the longevity and reliability of say your average 1975 Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega. Buying new these days is just plain dumb, not when you can buy off lease cars for a fraction of what they cost new. It gets even better when they hit 100K which is where I love to buy them then drive them another 100 or 200K.

College these days is expensive but I'll tell you what my daughter just graduated this spring from Manchester Community College with an Associates degree, where her credits are 100% transferrable into the state school system to finish out a 4 year program, and most will be accepted anywhere else. Cost you ask? 14K for both years combined. So it begs the question why would you send your kids to a place where they are racking up 30, 40, 50K + per year especially over the first couple of years? DUH?

It is about choices and it can be done.

Yes, it can be done if you have no ambition to do more than needs to be done to just get by. Most people want more than just to get by so in that case both parents must work. Unless one parent is making a lot of money.
My son inlaw told me a few weeks ago that a family of 5 needs to make at least $300,000 a year to live in Metro Boston today. He works 2 jobs and my daughter works full time with three kids. They want more than just to get by. So with out actually asking them how much they make I'm assuming they make at least that if not more. Could they make it on one salary, maybe but I doubt it.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Actually if you look at that graph much of what is there hasn't changed much.

It isn't a "graph", it is a table with rows and columns.

However I would prefer looking at a graph that shows the cost of living difference.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Rusty

It isn't a "graph", it is a table with rows and columns.

However I would prefer looking at a graph that shows the cost of living difference.

Ah indeed an astute observation in my lack of proper application of the English language, if only I had wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars (plus interest) in the hallowed halls of higher education I would have corrected my ineptness to properly identify a table versus a graph.

My sincere apologies.... as I am only a mere low life high school graduate.

[webmaster]

More about Bike Week from WMUR:

[noreast]

The tables with rows also doesn't include child care, which was almost free compared to what it is today. People making $15 to $20 dollars an hour, with a few kids could save money by not working, you can say don't have children then, but You can't compare anytime to the in recent history to what it's like starting out today, It's not even close. Now that's not an excuse to live like an idiot but there's no comparison. Also I know people who don't carry a balance who use there card for every single purchase to clean up on the rewards, I'm sure that's not the average user though.

[noreast]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Ah indeed an astute observation in my lack of proper application of the English language, if only I had wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars (plus interest) in the hallowed halls of higher education I would have corrected my ineptness to properly identify a table versus a graph.

My sincere apologies.... as I am only a mere low life high school graduate.

Na, It only would have coat a couple grand back then, But I didn't do it either.