US Money and Markets

[buc]

With the current state of things in the US I for one am glad that I do not have a mortgage or for that matter owe anyone a dime.

I am happy with being nearly self sufficent and not really having to buy much, a little fuel, milk and that is about it.


How about you?

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Well, our only debt is the mortgage, and we hope our house holds it's value. Of course, all it would take for it to plummet is for an oil tanker to run aground on our coast... Then I guess we'll be squeezing our chickens to make them lay more eggs.

 

[lorieMN]

well,we have a mortage,but it is small,like $460/month,hubby has a big truck payment,but I only have 9 months left on my car and so far so good,I filled up the propane tanks for winter,we have enough hay for the horses,we have a freezer full of chicken,turkeys and veggies,I am going to buy a half hog next week,so I think we will be fine,we arent much on going "out",we are more likely to just go trail riding or sit and visit at some animal auction,thats our intertainment..we like to keep life simple,helps keep the stress levels down..

 

[English Chick]

Quote:
The simpe life is the best one of all...we don't go "out" prefer to stay home...mind you we are always tired with husband being a farmer..... happy happy....things pretty much similar on the money market here, we are blessed in that we dont have a mortgage, and at long last the price of fuel is coming down a little.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

we have a mortgage that is less than most people here pay for rent a month.
We made changes to the house as far as our utilities go. And it cut our monthly electric etc payment down significantly.
I own one horse. Not the two I thought I would have this year. We have one "mid sized" SUV, Although I dont consider a Santa Fe mid sized
We have the BJs membership. Dh takes the commuter rail to work. I cant find a job working "mom" hours(830 to 2) for the life of me. Guess all the moms wanted them.

There is nothing wrong with having a mortgage. Its just having one you can actually afford to have. ie not buying beyond ones means.

 

[vfem]

Wow... nice to be so content in these times. I wish we were.

We just bought a house in May so officially have a mortgage now! (no credit card debit though!!!) Nothing funky of course, just 30 year fixed, bought a foreclosure (I feel sorry for everyone having issues and not being able to sell their homes, but it was the ONLY way we could afford the house we needed). Our mortgage comes to about what our rent for a 2 bedroom condo was, and REALLY only 1/3 of our income. Not too bad while I'm a stay at home mommy.

We're young and do have stocks and a Roth IRA so they've been getting hammered... but like I said, we're not even 30 yet. I think a lot of people will bounce back, its the close to retirement people and people dooped into bad mortgages that are suffering. I DON'T think this bail out plan for the bad mortgages is a good idea at all!

Well, cross your fingers for us anyways... my husband builds new houses and soon he may be laid off if sales don't pick up this month. May be joining the hourds of people in the unemployment line though!

 

[MagsC]

My mortgage is around $300 a month, we have done some thinking and one of my oldest kids is buying this house, the place I am getting with a signifigant downpayment,(small hobby farm) the mortgage will be less.
Other than that, just trying to pay down any bills and doing everything I can to be self sufficient.

 

[buc]

most of you that have replied don't act like the current financial doings have you upset, that is a good thing.

DW and I have been debt free since late 1999 and I tell you that we will never go into debt again, the reason for us is simple, piece of mind. I live on a working ranch and I have contact with many farmers/ranchers that be design are in debt, they have attempted to explain to be that tax benifits from being in debt and the tax write off.

I have never bought into it, simple example, say I get a tax break of 25 cents on my taxes for every 1 dollar I pay in interest to the bank, ok, my benifit is 25 cents, the bankers is 75 cents, care to take another run at that is my normal response.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We pay rent for our townhouse.

It's $1,000 a month. That has nothing to do with our credit; that's just how much it costs to live here.

For that, we have 1 1/2 bathrooms, a (very) small kitchen combined with living room, two bedrooms, a laundry area, and a two-car garage. We also have a community pool and exercise equipment area (not that impressive but it's okay) we can use. Our house is really too small, we don't have a yard and many of our neighbors are low-class (as in behavior, not economic status) and rude. I'm sick of living here, even though it's pretty nice to look at. I want privacy and I'm tired of the inconsiderate, mannerless people and their out-of-control kids that we have to live near.

We want to build a house, but the current state of the economy has put that dream off by several years. We researched pretty much everywhere around here when we got married before we settled on this place.

When I think about being stuck here, it makes me sad. I want to move on with life and get out of the rental cycle. I put my trust in people twice my age who supposedly have more wisdom than members of my generation to keep our country safe and secure for us. That's not happening, and it makes me depressed. I feel like I've been let down.

God help us if whoever is voted into office decides to be a hardliner and starts World War III with Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Russia.