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How to live on $432 a month in America

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Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#641

Post by watwut »

fragmede wrote: post #578
watwut wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever tried to do those sports with cheapest equipment? Because I did and it ended up the same as everyone else who tried it in a cheapest possible way - you stop because it is not fun nor pleasure and equipment limits you. That being said, for tenista you need to pay entry. For climbing, you will be kicked out of gym on top of it being uncomfortable. Climbing gym don't want you injured due to badly made seat…

> Hobbies are only expensive if you let them or want them to be. Climbing gyms aren't cheap. Climbing rocks outdoors is fairly cheap.

You need more equipment to make them safe. You need literally more then you need in climbing gym, you need to know what you are doing too.

And you need to travel to the place where that climbing suitable rock is.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#642

Post by eloisant »

antonvs wrote: post #595
karafso wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://ourworldindata.org/its-not-just-about-child-mortalit... Childhood mortality is only one factor, and I think at this point we're all aware that the "life expectancy was 40 years" statistic has a huge asterisk next to it. But yes, our ancestors really did die much, much younger than us.

You're still focusing on averages, which is the error inherent in the myth. While it's true that average life expectancy has increased, the point is that it was absolutely routine for people to live into their 60s, and not uncommon for them to live into their 70s or 80s. See e.g. https://www.sapiens.org/biology/human-lifespan-history/

The average still means something. Yes a lot of people were living to 60s, 70s or 80s, but way more people than today were dying at a younger age because of a disease that can now be cured, hygiene not as good, etc.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#643

Post by hnfever »

sarchertech wrote: post #633
throwaway31131 wrote: post #627

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My problem is I mostly agree with the piece, it's very possible to live cheaply when everything goes smoothly and most things are routine. The problem is things very often don't go smoothly, especially once you have a family. For example, my daughter took a small fall on a jungle gym, so small that I didn't even think she really got hurt but she landed really unlucky and broke her arm. We went to urgent care but she…

In New York you could make 5x the amount of money the article is talking about and still qualify for free healthcare.

You'd qualify based on income but probably be excluded for having too many assets. The limit in New York is $32,396.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#644

Post by hasbot »

scarface_74 wrote: post #568
hasbot wrote: post #515

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was on Medicaid for three or four years and had much better healthcare than when I was on an employer plan. Employer Plan w/ a shoulder injury: no MRI until three months of PT (physical therapy without knowing what the issue is????). Medicaid w/ a foot injury: MRI, physical therapy, option for surgery.

I see a couple of specialist that explicitly state they aren’t taking any more Medicaid patients. I’m not on Medicaid. But I assume if you have any type of need for more than just a GP, you’re going to find your choices more limited.

Oh definitely there are fewer provider options with Medicaid and Medicare, again, in my experience, I received better healthcare than I did with an employer insurance plan.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#646

Post by rascul »

stavros wrote: post #364
KennyBlanken wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rural living also looks cheaper because most people do not even remotely consider the costs of transportation. The IRS estimates per-mile deduction at well over 60 cents per mile. If you have to drive 15 miles to the grocery store and back, your grocery bill goes up $18/trip. If you need to drive 15 miles to work and back, take $90/week out of your paycheck. Then there's the fact that whoever is The Employer in that…

Wait wait, how much does fuel cost that a 50km trip is $18? Even my diesel car does that for 4 €.

The IRS mile rate does not actually reflect real world costs. Even including maintenance, insurance, etc, it's quite inflated, unless you barely drive it.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#647

Post by rconti »

michpoch wrote: post #438
rconti wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like you'd need more than 1.5kW of heat in upstate new york, even for a small place (which is more than half the size of my suburban home). Also, while I agree that $40 is cheap to me, it's also an additional 10% on their budget.

> Also, while I agree that $40 is cheap to me, it's also an additional 10% on their budget. They already have 30 USD per month for electricity in their budget. All year long. > which is more than half the size of my suburban home) How much space you need for a single person? 30-40 sqm (300-400 sqft)? That’s more than you need. Sure, middle of winter night you might need a bit more heat, but then in June you’ll be usi…

Of course it’s more space than I need. My point was that heating 600sqft doesn’t strike me as a trivial task, given my context of heating a house that’s less than double the size in a temperate climate.

Not to argue (?) that their house is too small (??)

And their $30 electric budget explicitly excluded heat.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#648

Post by nathan_compton »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #469
rubitxxx15 wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an introvert, I believe I could live in a remote location without problem. I often wish I could switch off my hearing to just enjoy silence, and dream of getting a chance to spend time in an isolation chamber. That said, I don’t know if I’d want to live in a depressing small town, unless it had a good diner.

If you get a sense of relief from silence, I recommend Peltor ear defenders. The more expensive/better ones. Seriously. I don't wear them a lot, but when I do the lack of stimulation is instantly relaxing. Only downside is you can't sleep in them.

My ears get hot. Do they make cooled ones or something?

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#649

Post by quesera »

seabird wrote: post #271
jeffbee wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admit the possibility that your idea of culture is a barren plain of consumerism. If that's the case, it's your problem and only you can fix it. Agglomeration effects are real and there are centers of dance and music around the country that exist in self-reinforcing cycles of training and performance. These scenes come and go but they don't arise by themselves in isolated dying towns.

Where in my comment did you get that I think culture is a barren plain of consumerism? Some styles of dance and music, which are a component of an overall culture, are totally centered in large cities. Music is a bizarre thing to bring up -- bumfuck nowhere Midwest smalltown is the origin and inspiration for plenty of music that is listened to well outside of the geographical region it's from. Hardcore punk has plent…

Large cities have vastly more cultural opportunities than rural areas.

More different kinds of culture (diversity), more examples of each kind (quantity), and usually better examples of any cultural component which is available in both (quality).

Rural areas certainly have cultures of their own. It is not binary.

But you cannot reasonably compare the cultural opportunities of urban vs rural and assert that rural is not lacking, unless you are thinking of your personal preferences only, and the rural area you're using for comparison happens to match up very well with your own preferences.

Re: How to live on $432 a month in America

#650

Post by pyuser583 »

johnnyanmac wrote: post #376
jefftk wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That seems to be pretty good for the group of newcomers! They all buy together at lowish prices, then prices go up enough that they ~make their money back on housing appreciation. And it's not bad for existing homeowners either, since they get the appreciation too.

Is someone Penny pinching $400/month really going to have the funds necessary to flip housing?

Some penny pinching so they can flip houses would.
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