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Location: Some got six month some got one solid. But me and my buddies all got lifetime here
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denny
If himain thinks that bill is bad, we own a 2,150 sq.ft. condo in Westchester County, 30 miles north of N.Y.City. We keep the heat at 68 degrees, 67 at night. We just got our Con Ed bill for December: $795!
Please tell me you accidentally typed a number that really doesn't belong in there.
himain-I understand. For us, $200/month would be heaven. To add insult to injury, last spring Con Ed hiked it's electric rates 20%. What's going on in this state is fast approaching insanity.
brianh--there's no mistake: $795.00! N.Y.was always a tax and spend state but, over the last 10 years, things have gotten to lunatic levels. The state has a 3 billion dollar budget gap. 2 years ago, they had a large surplus. As long as state and local governments feel the need to spend every extra dollar they have, this will continue. That's why we're moving. We've had enough.
After a while, you have to ask yourself: what for?
Wait, what about your electric bill going up because of the a/c? You didn't use it in Miami??? And if so, was it window units or central?
That's been my main complaint since I moved to S. FL in '97 from DE. Over there I only needed the a/c maybe a few days in June, during July (not at night during those years the temp. dropped at night) and part of August. The bill was higher where the air was central but I kept the ther
mostat up. I lived in rented apartments that didn't use electricity for heating so it was either included in the rent or was very low during the few months we needed it. But here the a/c has to run 24/7 during the better part of 8 months, peaking during July, August & September. Heat in the apartment where we lived before and in this 3 BR duplex is electric so during that solitary week of the year when we need to run it, mostly at night, it hikes up the bill significantly so electric heat is BAD. If that's what you have in SC I do feel for you and people who have 2-story houses probably fare the worse.
So, totalling your expenses for both heating and cooling during one year (if you've been there that long) and comparing it with what you spent in Miami, would you say you're doing worse, better or it amounts to the same?
If quality of life only depended on how much one spends on utility bills, then I guess that would be the criteria to look at and become focused on.
Moving to an area that is very different from the one where you presently live can be a real mismatch and a very bad decision - unless you are totally sure about what you are doing. Making that move without a job can be sheerly disastrous, if you arrive here and find you are uncomfortable w/ the South or Charlotte, in particular.
I hear so many complaints from newcomers about "what Charlotte does not have" as compared to where they used to live and inevitably I ask them - uhhh, if that is so important to you, why didn't you check it out b/f you came????? The answer - Gosh, I just didn't think about it.
Quality of life depends on a lot of factors - many of wh/ are known and understood ONLY by the particular individual. One of us may find something important that others don't even notice or would never miss. We had a poster this weekend state that he/she was very disappointed about life here b/c there are not as many streetlights. This is b/c he/she has a night vision problem. Well, I would never have thought to check out streetlights! So whatever is important to YOU, you need to make sure it is going to be fulfilled here - and find that out - b/f you come.
It is really nice to hear others say their move here has been a positive experience. And I totally agree w/ the OP - moving here most likely will stretch your unemployment comp checks . . . but eventually, those run out . . . and the job you need may not be here.
Please note: even if the unemployment rates now being cited are under 9%, they will reflect the additional layoffs in the next quarter, at wh/ time our unemployment rate will exceed 9% and may even be close to 10%. Many of the jobs that have been lost here are NOT part of that calculation - b/c the gov't only uses figures based on unemployment claims. Those people on contract who lose their jobs are NOT COUNTED in this figure, yet they are still out there in the aggregate count of people looking for jobs. So the "figures" don't always match up to the "reality."
Don't mean to sound like the voice of doom and gloom . . . but please be realistic about moving here.
Tired-Most of the heating up here is Gas so your gas bill is going up. Sorry if I didn't clarify. Example of bills during summertime last year (first summer up-moved in house in May) Power: $50 +/- Gas $29 Water $55 +/-. Pretty much the same from May-Oct Winter time (Nov-current): Power $60 Gas $220-228 Water $55 (except now I've left faucets running at night due to non frozen bursting pipes)
This is for a 3200 sq ft brand new house. In Miami when we were renting, our electric bill was about $150 a month for an 1100 sq ft house from Sept-March so it kinda averages out during normal months and then obviously less for the winter months. But you have to understand, it was 9 degrees the other morning!!!! DM if you have any other questions
It seems like you want the unemployment rate to go up? You mention contract work as if it is a bad thing. Contract work means people are no longer mooching off the system and if they perform and work overtime an employer in most cases will "try" and hold on to them. In this current environment large employers would rather get a contract employee so they can "try before they buy" and deal with less red tape. I have friends up north and there is less contract work available there.
It seems like you want the unemployment rate to go up? You mention contract work as if it is a bad thing. Contract work means people are no longer mooching off the system and if they perform and work overtime an employer in most cases will "try" and hold on to them. In this current environment large employers would rather get a contract employee so they can "try before they buy" and deal with less red tape. I have friends up north and there is less contract work available there.
I have no idea what your point is - obviously you misunderstood mine. I do most of my work via contract, so I am in no way disparaging "contract work." I think you missed my point. Contracts are being cancelled and those people are OUT OF WORK NOW, but they are NOT INCLUDED in the unemployment figures. So when we say 9% of people here are out of work, the figure is actually HIGHER cause no one is counting how many contract employees have been cut.
People do what they want to do! And my advice is free - so not like you paid to get it!!! You can just dismiss it!!! But that doesn't mean it isn't good advice. People move here and then can't find a job and run out of money and then what? Hopefully, you have a longterm plan in case you are still facing life w/ no job a year from now. I just hate to see people come here and leave w/ a bad taste in their mouths b/c they couldn't find a job after a year. This is a great place to live - as long as it meets YOUR expectations. But just b/c it may be cheaper to live here, that is NOT enuff reason to move here!
It is cheaper to live in Mexico City - but that doesn't mean I plan to retire there.
Just wanting you to think it through and have a good plan. If that offends you - it certainly was not meant to. This is the advice I would give my son, if that means anything to you.
I understand what your saying and I am not saying that the cheaper the cost of the living the better the destination. If that were the case we could all move to somalia, but you can't deny that it is much easier to survive down here than most places.
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NC Dreaming
