LBYM Culture Shock

[NW-Bound]

My next door neighbor has a mini estate that he has dumped $2M into. They have so much "stuff" that it is like living next door to a business - there is a constant traffic of house cleaners, yard and pool maintenance people, repairmen and assorted other delivery people. It makes me tired just watching all the activity.

Trickle down economy... Keep it trickling down... You can't take it with you...

In my case, I doubt I will have much left to worry about leaving it behind. Like Haha said, horses for courses. But this horse is off the course, wandering on the prairie... Life is (still) good.

 

[NW-Bound]

1.3 million would be a bargain elsewhere, but prices are lower here in the boondocks of far northern California.

1.3M is no small change. For that money, a couple of months ago, I saw a couple of houses listed, that were on Bainbridge Island, opposite the bay from Seattle, with some view of the Space Needle. The houses are no McMansions, but good enough for most people. They are gone now.

 

[Nords]

For $1.3M they better be able to walk to the surf break.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I know what you mean TromboneAl I have only been in a 400k house but that is in the midwest so that would be over 1 M on the coast. I have also been in homes that cost 5k so I like to keep an eye on both ends for the fun of it.

 

[aaronc879]

I know what you mean TromboneAl I have only been in a 400k house but that is in the midwest so that would be over 1 M on the coast. I have also been in homes that cost 5k so I like to keep an eye on both ends for the fun of it.

The nicest home i've ever been in is only worth $150,000 in small town midwest. I live in a different world than most people on this board. My condo is worth $43,000 and it seems pretty nice to me with an in- ground pool and large deck.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I am in a town of over 1M people.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

The nicest home i've ever been in is only worth $150,000 in small town midwest. I live in a different world than most people on this board. My condo is worth $43,000 and it seems pretty nice to me with an in- ground pool and large deck.

I did not know Wisconsin was a good deal like that. But I am guessing that the winter is also built into that price.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

You can't judge a house by flat-screen TVs anymore. They are dirt cheap nowadays. An outstanding Sony 52" is less than $1800. A Samsung is under $2000. You can pay more, but why would you? Even welfare moms have these TVs nowadays, so if you don't have one, then you are not LBYM --- you are doing something else altogether.

I don't have one, and I'm not a future antique collector. I just updated 5 years ago to a 27" TV from an old 19" TV from 1983.

 

[ERD50]

Went to a dinner party at a 1.3 million dollar house. Super fancy throughout, overlooking the Pacific. Probably at least 120 lights on at all times.

They had the largest flat screen TV I've seen in the living room, and down the hall, in the den, there were two more, side by side. "So I can watch two football games at once," he said.

You had dinner with Al Gore? Were all 120 lights CFLs? (sorry, couldn't resist, I'm still having some Soap-Box withdrawal issues).

It is a bit disconcerting though, to think about how some of us are monitoring our stuff with Kill-a-Watt meters, turning out lights, keeping the thermostat at the edge of our comfort levels, etc, and other people can wipe out those efforts ten times over.


It got me thinking though, I'm not ever really seriously jealous of people's "stuff" (I could be jealous of a great view though), but sometimes I get a bit jealous thinking that some people can just decide to take a first-class vacation, pay to have the house watched & maintained, and it just isn't a financial concern at all, they don't even give it a thought. That would be nice, but not nice enough for me to keep working, since I didn't

And to put it in perspective, even the most frugal among us is living like royalty compared to so many in this world. They would probably look at us with the same wonderment.


-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

The nicest home i've ever been in is only worth $150,000 in small town midwest. I live in a different world than most people on this board. My condo is worth $43,000 and it seems pretty nice to me with an in- ground pool and large deck.

Houses on the two coasts are expensive, and people there make more money too, but the cost of living is also high. In the final analysis, who can say they are happier than others?

And speaking of TV, I bought a big screen TV quite early (in 2002), but once the novelty wore off, I found I could enjoy a movie just as much on my smaller bedroom TV, while laying in bed. You see, I like to watch drama, and also the classics on DVD. I pay more attention to the storyline and the acting than the in-your-face stunts and earth-shattering surround sound effect. A lousy movie seen on a big TV is still lousy.

 

[Jeb-NY]

You can't judge a house by flat-screen TVs anymore. They are dirt cheap nowadays. An outstanding Sony 52" is less than $1800. A Samsung is under $2000. You can pay more, but why would you? Even welfare moms have these TVs nowadays, so if you don't have one, then you are not LBYM --- you are doing something else altogether.

Boy dirt is expensive where you live.

Jeb

 

[kcowan]

I went through that period 25 years ago. Four cars, acreage, 5000sq.ft house, pool, jacuzzi, billiard room. Every Saturday was devoted to maintenance. That stuff owns you.

 

[REWahoo]

Even welfare moms have these TVs nowadays, so if you don't have one, then you are not LBYM --- you are doing something else altogether.

Now I know the reason I don't have one - I'm not a welfare mom. Mystery solved...

 

[aaronc879]

Boy dirt is expensive where you live.

Jeb

My thoughts exactly. The most i've ever spent on a tv is $3xx. It'll be many years before i'd even consider spending near 2 grand for a tv.

 

[FUEGO]

TV prices are all relative. I remember going TV shopping with my parents in the early 1990's. A 27" color tv was $700 out the door. Today, that would get me a cutting edge 40+" HD tv that is much more energy efficient and more compact, without saying anything about quality of image. Not dirt cheap, but not exactly expensive. That is the typical person's salary for a week. Maybe two weeks for a low income person. Maybe three weeks for a welfare mom (or dad, don't want to be sexist after all).

And what is the big deal with the lights? I keep most of mine turned off, and when I leave the room I turn them off. We also use CFLs. But if I'm entertaining, I have the lights on. 120 lights at average consumption of 60 watts/bulb (incandescent) and $0.10 per kWh electricity equals $0.72 per hour. $0.16/hr if CFL's. There's cheap and then there's frugal. Not turning lights on when company is over is cheap IMHO. Especially if you need to show off your $1.3 million mansion. After all, if others can't enjoy the opulence, what is the point of owning that sucker?

 

[TromboneAl]

One more thing -- don't want to sound judgmental here, but it's so damn amusing.

DW and I rode our bikes to the casino for our free continental breakfast yesterday, and as we're leaving, we pass the husband (from the above-mentioned house) playing the slots. I don't know if he was embarrassed. He said "I just stopped in to play $50. And if this comes up, you didn't see me here."

I know that his wife knows that he gambles, because she's told my wife "My husband goes to the casino, but he always wins."

 

[haha]

One more thing -- don't want to sound judgmental here, but it's so damn amusing.

DW and I rode our bikes to the casino for our free continental breakfast yesterday, and as we're leaving, we pass the husband (from the above-mentioned house) playing the slots. I don't know if he was embarrassed. He said "I just stopped in to play $50. And if this comes up, you didn't see me here."

I know that his wife knows that he gambles, because she's told my wife "My husband goes to the casino, but he always wins."

Oh, don't worry, you don't sound a bit judgmental.

Ha

 

[travelover]

.....................
DW and I rode our bikes to the casino for our free continental breakfast yesterday, and as we're leaving, we pass the husband (from the above-mentioned house) playing the slots. I don't know if he was embarrassed. He said "I just stopped in to play $50. And if this comes up, you didn't see me here."....................

Heck, TAl, someone has to pay for that "free" breakfast.

 

[NW-Bound]

TV prices are all relative. I remember going TV shopping with my parents in the early 1990's. A 27" color tv was $700 out the door. Today, that would get me a cutting edge 40+" HD tv that is much more energy efficient and more compact, without saying anything about quality of image. Not dirt cheap, but not exactly expensive. ?
...

I remember the first TV we bought in 1980, shortly after we got married. A glorious 25" Sylvania console, which set us back $550. Our new home was empty, and that console qualified as furniture to help fill up the empty room.

My first PC purchased in 1985 was $1750 before tax, and before I spent another $400 to add a 30MB hard drive plus an additional 256MB RAM.

Now, going to the stores, I keep shaking my head at how cheap things are. Yet, I have not taken the plunge to get that a replacement laptop, which at $750 is a technical marvel. Why? Because the one I am still using, an IBM T23 circa 2002, refuses to croak.

I think that's the difference between LBYM'ers, and the normal populace. A LBYM'er buys the lowest-cost items that gets the job done. A non-LBYM'er buys as high as he can afford.

Talking about TV, my mother is still watching an old 27" CRT TV. She has talked about upgrading to an LCD. She kept mentioning that perhaps she would need at least a 48". I tried to point out that with the layout of her comfortable home (1600sqft), she would have to really move the furniture to adapt to the new TV. Perhaps, the sofa will have to be moved into the hall, in order to be away from that TV. And she is not the type who goes to the front rows of movie theaters for that "total immersion" experience.

I do not know that I will prevail, but she definitely thinks a 32" would be too small, having seen the colossal 60" TV that my brother has. I think my mother has succumbed to the philosophy that "the more, the better".

 

[ERD50]

I
Talking about TV, my mother is still watching an old 27" CRT TV. She has talked about upgrading to an LCD.

I do not know that I will prevail, but she definitely thinks a 32" would be too small,

Your Mother (as she always told you) is right.

Old 4:3 CRTs do not compare apples-to-apples to the new Widescreen LCDs. I could google it, but IIRC a 32"LCD is really the minimum you need to replace a 27" CRT. Anything smaller will be *shorter*, and appear smaller, than a 27" CRT.

I recently shopped with my Mom to replace her 32" CRT. We looked at 42" LCD, which would have been about the same hight screen, but moved up to a 47" for a few hundred more. TV is at the far wall of a rectangular room, I think it is a good size for her. Old TV was 16 YO, and got repurposed (with converter box) to the basement.

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

Her family room is small, such that the TV is about 7 ft from the sofa. Sitting that close to a big TV would give her headache. However, it's her money, and she will buy whatever she wants. I do not feel strongly about it.

 

[FUEGO]

Talking about TV, my mother is still watching an old 27" CRT TV. She has talked about upgrading to an LCD. She kept mentioning that perhaps she would need at least a 48". I tried to point out that with the layout of her comfortable home (1600sqft), she would have to really move the furniture to adapt to the new TV. Perhaps, the sofa will have to be moved into the hall, in order to be away from that TV. And she is not the type who goes to the front rows of movie theaters for that "total immersion" experience.

We have the same situation regarding the tv. Currently using a $250 32" CRT tv and the screen is located 7' from our eyes. Due to the dimensions of the room, the location of stairs, windows, doors, and the fireplace and built in cabinets and bookshelves, the TV is basically where it has to be. 42" HDTV seems about right sized. Maybe 47". Something like 55-60" seems way too big and gives that "front row of movie theatre" feel and the accompanying neck strain. Similar home size at 1800 sf. No 25'x25' greatrooms in this house!

 

[W2R]

We have the same situation regarding the tv. Currently using a $250 32" CRT tv and the screen is located 7' from our eyes. Due to the dimensions of the room, the location of stairs, windows, doors, and the fireplace and built in cabinets and bookshelves, the TV is basically where it has to be. 42" HDTV seems about right sized. Maybe 47". Something like 55-60" seems way too big and gives that "front row of movie theatre" feel and the accompanying neck strain. Similar home size at 1800 sf. No 25'x25' greatrooms in this house!

When I traded in my big Sony 33" CRT TV on my present plasma TV, I figured this out the easy way. I measured the height of my Sony, and found that a 42" flatscreen (wider) TV was the same height. I am happy with it, and I don't sit much further from it than you do. Probably the 47" would be fine as well.

I would have stuck with the CRT TV, if it hadn't broken, though. It had a terrific picture and was so much less expensive - - plus it was already there, which at ~200 pounds was difficult to handle.

 

[Bimmerbill]

I'm waiting for my 46" Mitusubishi projection TV to croak. No luck yet. It does 1080i but not 1080p. Nice, but big (deep).

Heck if I had the money I'd probably have a big house and several TVs too. What the heck else would you do with all the coin?

 

[saluki9]

I'm waiting for my 46" Mitusubishi projection TV to croak. No luck yet. It does 1080i but not 1080p. Nice, but big (deep).

Heck if I had the money I'd probably have a big house and several TVs too. What the heck else would you do with all the coin?

Cars Bill, lots of cars.