giving away stuff

[Brat]

That's kind of a personal question....isn't it?....

The RE market is very slow, basically the person who would buy our house is having problems selling. We have had several showings but in my opinion they were clients looking at the 'big picture' of homes on the market, not someone with a thirst for a house.

Believe it or not the person who has a pasion for the house was a guy who picked up an item for his wife that I put on freecycle yesterday. He is a PE who knows the neighborhood, my husband is an architect, so we showed him the house. In short order he was saying "this could be my office, we could park and secure the personal water craft there..." Now, if he could convince his wife and sell their home.

 

[ksr]

we invited friends and neighbors over for what we called a "housecooling" party. As the opposite of a housewarming, guests were told that they had to leave by taking a "gift" from the host -- we put a bunch of stuff we were giving away in one room and made a party of giving it all away...

What a great idea and I'll be it was a lot of fun for everyone!

 

[Khan]

I look forward to the day when I can give away more money.

Yesterday I realized that I had reached tithing: was giving away 10% of my gross 'income'.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

The RE market is very slow, basically the person who would buy our house is having problems selling. We have had several showings but in my opinion they were clients looking at the 'big picture' of homes on the market, not someone with a thirst for a house.

Yep, it's really a domino effect. We anticipate listing our house toward the end of the year as a down-sizing move. DW reminds me all the time that it's not just how attractive our house is, but also how easily the buyers can sell theirs, and so on down the line. I'm trying not to count on a quick sale when that time comes.

 

[Brat]

Do not do what my next door neighbor did. He and his wife bought two condos over a year ago, put their house on the market intending to use that equity to pay them off ASAP. The house didn't sell because the re market froze up. They ended up getting ~85% of what the assessor said it was worth. By that time it had acquired condition as well as market issues, and they were doubtless desperate.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I gave away, and sold at auction, lots of stuff a few years ago when I went from my big house to my little house. I now find myself junking this place up. I unfortunately work near a really great place that buys out whole households and then sells things very cheap quickly. A lot of antiques and collectibles are mixed in with all the junk. I have paid eighty cents for antique salts and depression glass dishes. A couple of dollars for art pottery vases. Old oriental rugs. I bought a first edition of Vonnegut's Player Piano for eighty cents recently(will give it to my son for Xmas). Yeah, this place is bad news. One of the nurses in my office shares the bug with me. We are in this place almost everyday. Oh, well, better than patronizing the bars.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I think you mentioned you were divorced. I'm surprised you had enough left to fill three suitcases...

I was divorced for about 7 years before coming to Peru,(ex and I had a very successful company, so I took a buyout and retired at 42) Had bought and furnished a Condo,collected wine/grappa/cigars/Harley's/Porsches/Alfa Romeo's and any kind of sports equipment made. Got bored,broke (house rich)so I sold or gave away everything and decided to change locales.

Came to Peru and partied like an aging rockstar, fell in love with a "GREAT WOMEN" 30 years my junior and am starting my life "all over".

I had a son 4 years ago and i plan on "riding this wave" to the "pearly gates" or the "gates of hell" depending on who is offering the "best package".

 

[unclemick]

Dang - I had to read this thread - will be four years since Katrina after this August. It's amazing how much stuff/clutter can be accumulated in a mere 1100 sq ft.

Best to decutter the old fashioned way rather than the estimated 35 ft wall of water that took care of the stuff that didn't fit in two pickups when evacuating before Katrina.

This time of year you can't go a few blocks in any direction without passing a garage sale.

I'm thinking Goodwill, Salvation Army, DAV is faster more efficient.

heh heh heh - No tornado's in my neighborhood since 1976 according to the old timers. .

 

[Brat]

NYEXPAT, I hope you leave your new family prepared for the future. DH and I were there in January and formed the opinion that Peruvians had a lot to overcome.

 

[NYEXPAT]

NYEXPAT, I hope you leave your new family prepared for the future. DH and I were there in January and formed the opinion that Peruvians had a lot to overcome.

Can you say "Social Security Spousal benefits" in Spanish?

My wife was amazed to learn that she never had to work, set foot stateside and the wonderful Americans have graciously offered to send her a monthly check for the next 50-60 years.

My Father is 91 and were considering setting him up with my wife's little sister when she graduates from Nursing school.

I tell everybody I meet that the USA is the greatest country TO BE FROM!

 

[Westernskies]

Who says you can't buy love?


As for the USA being a "great country TO BE FROM", all I can say is good riddance. Enjoy your child bride and make sure you buy one for dear old dad too. After all, that is what the US taxpayers are paying into SS for, right?

 

[Moemg]

I find it slightly sad that these young women are encouraged to go for older Americans . It 's probably part love and part survival .

 

[ziggy29]

I find it slightly sad that these young women are encouraged to go for older Americans . It 's probably part love and part survival .

In researching my family tree, I discovered that when my great-great-great grandfather was widowed, he married a 30-something woman at the age of 71, and fathered a child with her.

It seemed, well, "weird" to me. Later on as I did more general research, it turns out that younger women marrying elderly Civil War pensioners was not an uncommon thing -- she would have many years left to collect the pensions after their elderly husbands passed. And he was a Union veteran, so I guess that fits.

I hate to say it, but economically it feels like "marrying for the pension" could make a bit of a comeback, at least where survivor benefit rules aren't tightened up.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I find it slightly sad that these young women are encouraged to go for older Americans . It 's probably part love and part survival .

I have to agree with you! The facts are that(in major cities) there are many more young available women than men. Most young man are incapable of providing financial support for their children, do not want to marry (supply/demand)(Why buy the cow)etc. Girls grow up with the stories of the "Principe Azul" and "white" is socially accepted here.

 

[Nords]

Later on as I did more general research, it turns out that younger women marrying elderly Civil War pensioners was not an uncommon thing -- she would have many years left to collect the pensions after their elderly husbands passed. And he was a Union veteran, so I guess that fits.

That's the early-20th-century version of long-term care insurance. Possibly with a free hospice rider...

 

[CuppaJoe]

I find it slightly sad that these young women are encouraged to go for older Americans . It 's probably part love and part survival .

I have to agree with you! The facts are that(in major cities) there are many more young available women than men. Most young man are incapable of providing financial support for their children, do not want to marry (supply/demand)(Why buy the cow)etc. Girls grow up with the stories of the "Principe Azul" and "white" is socially accepted here.

Here’s a discussion on the topic of expats dating Peruvian women from the LivinginPeru.com forums:

Peruana Girlfriend - Living in Peru

 

[Rustward]

. . .
For donations we make them explain what the donation is for. If they're directly involved (i.e., they're walking themselves in a walk-a-thon or they play the flute for the band trip) we're a little more generous.

Here they have to tell us who they are, who their parents are, where they live, where they go to school, and what the money is for. We ease up on the younger ones.

I remember one quite well. Maybe 7 or 8 or 9. In the middle of my questions he looked back at his father who was standing a few feet behind him. His dad said something like "son, just answer the man's questions, then ask him if he wants to buy anything". He had a little catalog that you select items from. I picked something out. . . . Fast forward a year . . . He returned, this time his dad stayed in the car. He started by telling me who he was, his parents, his school, where he lived, and why he was raising money. Then he opened his catalog to a bookmark he had placed and showed me what I bought last year. Then he pointed out some things he thought I might be interested in.

That was about 10 years ago. I wonder what he is doing now.

 

[beowulf]

Possibly the CEO of GM ?