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Anyway, I shop for groceries an entire month at a time except for things like vegetables that I know will go bad. I do know that I tend to overspend on foods I like but I don't worry about that because it gives me a cushion in case things go south. I know I can always cut back. But I figure out my meals, so many meals a month, which recipes I'll use, and then buy what I need. I currently have enough food to last until the middle of January, which is pretty awesome. In addition, I get $23 a month in food stamps and I try not to use those until it's absolutely necessary or until I get harassed by the state into using them (It's come to our attention...and either use them or lose them). I saved food stamps through 2022 and used them in December so I could buy some Christmas gifts. But this year I haven't saved like I did last year and I'm just grumpy enough to not to want to send any cards out, let alone presents. Don't ask.
From what I've seen, food banks are a product of their surrounding towns. Where I lived, and actually where I live now, the majority of people are blue collar and don't have much to donate. In Bremerton where I lived, there were three food banks but you were only allowed to access one of them. The food consisted of dried up potatoes and cans and cans of food. That was about it.
I volunteered at a food bank in a town further north that was in a fairly well-to-do town and what they they gave out were things like fruits, vegetables, dairy, desserts, and even cans of soda and little bags of dog food and cat food. But only the people who were residents of the town and surrounding area could go to that food bank.
In the town I'm in now, there are two food banks and I could access either or both of them. They do offer different things. One will offer boxed, canned, and frozen food while the other offers a lot of fresh food like sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, etc. I think they complement each other well.
I haven't used either food bank myself since about 4 years ago when I first moved up here and was trying to pay off a loan to have my driveway paved and water run to my property.
I cut out most of your post because it was so long, and I only wanted to comment about the above concerning food. I thought you you made some very good points and also offered some good advice.
Regarding the bold, one of the problems I have heard is that people who live in a small space don't have room for extra food, but we do, and that has helped tremendously because when things I use regularly are on sale, we REALLY stock up because we have a large freezer and a large pantry -- but I never buy past what we know we will use past the expiration dates on shelf food, such as cereal, and we also only buy those foods that are part of our regular shopping list. As I am have had over 50 years of shopping experience, I won't take huge chances on brands I don't use except for buying just one of it to try it out. (Btw, the first year I shopped in bulk, I saved well over a thousand dollars in food costs.)
Regarding food banks, I volunteered in one in a mostly poor part of metro Denver, and the smart people there who depended on food banks did what you did and kept a list of what food banks were open when and what their policies were, so they could plan their visits accordingly.
And, finally, based on my very limited experience (on the donating end of it), I agree with you about food banks in general. In 2020 in my middle-class Denver suburb, someone built a cabinet-type of 'drop box' for non-perishable food donations and every time I went to it to donate or drove past it, it was overflowing (and people could take from this anonymously at their convenience because it was not locked)-- and in the even more affluent area where I live now, food donations are plentiful. However, in the poor area where I volunteered, there were not nearly as many donations (and the food bank shelves were often almost empty) as I am fairly sure that people had enough to worry about with feeding their own families.
Last edited by katharsis; 12-13-2023 at 07:55 AM..
wow - here in Texas it is all the same. 100% VA disabled - your homestead is exempt.
But when it was first introduced, Governor Perry vetoed it and then he was over-ridden by a vote in the state congress.
New Jersey, too. It goes way back. When we were cleaning out my mother's house, I found a letter from my father in the box with the contract and blueprints for our handicapped accessible house, built in 1957, requesting that the exemption be applied to their new home.
Not sure if they already had it on their previous house, too. After my mother died, we learned that property tax on the house was 17k!
I shop monthly Winco which saves me a lot of money. The quality is good and they are the cheapest. Some people shop at the most expensive stores and then complain they don’t have money for other things. I would rather spend that money on experiences and travel. Some people want the newest cars. I still drive a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 70k miles.
I have a friend that makes twice as much income monthly and is always broke. She shops at Whole Foods and never drives a car older than 5 years although she only puts a few thousand miles on it a year. She’s always complaining that she is broke.
The recent 3-years of COLAs put us in good territory, and since SS is 93% of our income, we are doing fine. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people living on median amounts of SS here, and I certainly can see a storm on the horizon. Case in point: recent housing cost jumps. Somehow I figured this area would be 'immune' to WFH/pandemic housing issues due to very, very low population. Nope.
Land: In our area, land was known to be very inexpensive. Our 10 acres cost 25K in 2017, and stayed that way until 2021. Then they went up 200-300%. Now I am seeing 10 acres of land, in sub-prime areas (no roads to the property, no power available), listed - and selling, in the $70K's.
Housing: Houses that sold in 2021 in the $80K-range are now back on the market for $225-$325K. Last year I saw our first local property > $1mil show up on a realty site, and it sold over asking. I guess that means we are too close to desirable areas, but it surprised me because our area has a very small job market. A beautiful natural area, featuring no entertainment, cold weather, 1 supermarket, 1 restaurant, 1 drive thru. Basics. That's exactly what attracted us to this area. Anyway, because of that, there haven't been any rentals listed in the local area for over 3 years...which leads to the next change.
A development group just purchased prime acreage for 738 apartments that are going to be build. If my guess is correct, they will be jacking up local rent from the current rate; last time I saw one advertised for rent was in 2020 and was $650/mo. I assume rents will be in the $1500-$2000 per month, to match what the surrounding areas charge. To encourage growth, the developers got a 30-year tax break for the complex to be built, which means local costs will be going up due to housing reappraisals and for the increase in services for the new arrivals. It has already begun; our property doubled in taxable value last year. Ironically, at the time we bought, locals literally laughed at us and said we overpaid. Personally, I wish our property had gone down in value, but maybe looking back at end of life, perhaps that will have been another lucky windfall when healthcare costs finally start to kick in.
Realistically, change is inevitable, and I understand that. We were somehow magically born at the right time, threw a dart and picked the right horse, and got in on the ground floor locally as far as costs go. But sadly, there are a lot of blue collar workers living here and working elsewhere, that are going to be really impacted by the changes that are coming. Maybe us too...only time will tell.
As I mentioned in a previous post we are doing well and believe we planned for a comfortable retirement. We aren’t rich but we are not poor
It is humbling reading some of the posts in this topic. I think some of us that are doing well maybe insulated from those living on the edge. People tend to keep to their own social and economic circles and might not be aware of the reality of those living day to day with a limited income stream.
We have friends with parents living on SS and pre Covid they were maintaining but it seems now they are losing ground. Their generation tends to be proud and like a few have mentioned there are programs to help them but they need to advocate for themselves or family members need to help them.
My retirement strategy was a pension, a part-time business and investments.
Last year, the business was DOWN 75%. Investments held steady.
My property assessments were up over 200%, we shall see how that translates to the actually property tax bill.
The real increase was in GASOLINE and FOOD. The state of Washington imposed a 50 cent carbon fee on gasoline. And it will go up again this year AND extend to propane.
I really cannot afford the Democratic Party anymore. Sorry.
Well, I live in Fl in a very red county and I can't afford the Republicans anymore. I got my new homeowners' insurance bill last week. It went from $5200 to $8915. The current administration is doing nothing about this issue.
I called around and discovered USAA is insuring homes in Florida again for retirees (they had pulled out for a bit) and got new coverage for $2057. Hopefully, it only rise at a slow rate and not double every year. It's an 8 yrs old house and originally my insurance was $1250 a year. $8900 with zero claims is ridiculous.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,550 posts, read 81,103,317 times
Reputation: 57750
Quote:
Originally Posted by slduvall
Well, I live in Fl in a very red county and I can't afford the Republicans anymore. I got my new homeowners' insurance bill last week. It went from $5200 to $8915. The current administration is doing nothing about this issue.
I called around and discovered USAA is insuring homes in Florida again for retirees (they had pulled out for a bit) and got new coverage for $2057. Hopefully, it only rise at a slow rate and not double every year. It's an 8 yrs old house and originally my insurance was $1250 a year. $8900 with zero claims is ridiculous.
Wow, ours here in Sammamish WA went up from $1,900-$2,300 and we were shocked. I suppose there it's more because of hurricanes? Here it's the cost of materials and labor and a 3,000 sf house. (which we'll be selling in a few months)
Well, I live in Fl in a very red county and I can't afford the Republicans anymore. I got my new homeowners' insurance bill last week. It went from $5200 to $8915. The current administration is doing nothing about this issue.
I called around and discovered USAA is insuring homes in Florida again for retirees (they had pulled out for a bit) and got new coverage for $2057. Hopefully, it only rise at a slow rate and not double every year. It's an 8 yrs old house and originally my insurance was $1250 a year. $8900 with zero claims is ridiculous.
Homeowners insurance has gone up because the thing it purchases - the price of repair/reconstruction - has gone up. The price of lumber has gone up, as have plumbing supplies & fixtures, electrical panels & circuit breakers, electrical wiring & light fixtures, HVAC systems, windows, concrete, custom cabinetry, etc etc etc. And then, of course, the price of skilled labor has gone up: rough carpenters, finish carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masons, etc etc etc. Even the price of unskilled labor - landscaping - has gone up, as has the price of plants, landscape rock, landscape lighting, etc.
It's called Bidenflation.
The good news is the rate of change if increase in prices (inflation) isn't going up any more. But the absolute price level is high.
THAT's why your homeowner insurance (and car insurance) is high. It doesn't have anything to do with your "living in a very red county." The price of home repair/reconstruction is not lower in a blue county.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,062 posts, read 7,497,585 times
Reputation: 9788
Quote:
Originally Posted by moguldreamer
Homeowners insurance has gone up because the thing it purchases - the price of repair/reconstruction - has gone up. The price of lumber has gone up, as have plumbing supplies & fixtures, electrical panels & circuit breakers, electrical wiring & light fixtures, HVAC systems, windows, concrete, custom cabinetry, etc etc etc. And then, of course, the price of skilled labor has gone up: rough carpenters, finish carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masons, etc etc etc. Even the price of unskilled labor - landscaping - has gone up, as has the price of plants, landscape rock, landscape lighting, etc.
It's called Bidenflation.
The good news is the rate of change if increase in prices (inflation) isn't going up any more. But the absolute price level is high.
THAT's why your homeowner insurance (and car insurance) is high. It doesn't have anything to do with your "living in a very red county." The price of home repair/reconstruction is not lower in a blue county.
Reconstruction costs certainly have increased.
However, if the Insurance company minimized their exposure to the risks, the remaining property owners would enjoy better pricing due to their own risk minimization and insurance company reduction to risk exposure to the hazards.
The hurricane "Hazard risk" for Floridians must be pretty big. Don't you think that wind and water damage in low lying areas play a significant part in Florida's property insurance rate increases?
Last edited by leastprime; 12-13-2023 at 08:34 PM..
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