Current events are waking people up.

[Javin]

What apartment are you renting at $2k/month for?

Currently it's "The Courts" of Fairfax. It was "Post Forest" when we moved in. At that point it was around $1459 for a 2 bed, 2 bath. The next year, they sold the complex to "The Point" where they raised the rent by $150 that year. The following year, they sold to "The Courts" giving us another $150 hike. Tack on the additional $150 for our garage, and that gives us the $1909 we're currently paying. (Soon to raise by another $150.) And they're selling to a new management company too. All of this while we haven't had working AC for the past three months because their maintenance guys insist that a temperature split of 13 degrees means the AC is "working at peak efficiency." (Anyone that knows anything about HVAC would know that at less than 18 degrees, it means something is seriously broken.) I hate this place so hard...

...If you have the credit I would go and buy your home now...While you might not see a real savings going from $2k to $1500 per month with the commuting eating that $500, you can get something you own and not an apartment where they are continousily raising your rent.

We've actually done the math, and WITH the cost of gasoline included, getting out of this apartment and into our own house will free up over $1000 a month in expendable cash, all of which will go into getting our initial prep stock built up. Then we'll worry about the "prettying up" of the new house.

[Yeti]

We've actually done the math, and WITH the cost of gasoline included, getting out of this apartment and into our own house will free up over $1000 a month in expendable cash, all of which will go into getting our initial prep stock built up. Then we'll worry about the "prettying up" of the new house.

Do you need a relator? I know a couple of different ones.

Probably better to split to a different thread, but make a list of wants and needs for the new house.
It saved a lot of headache when we gave that list to our relator.

Price range
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Garage
Fence
Subdivision/Rural/etc
Gas/Electric

When you get out this way you can just take trash to the dump or local drop off point for the dump yourself or you can opt for the service.
City or Well
Spetic or Sewer

Got kids? going to have kids?

That $1000 a month will be nice.

Are you going to build from stratch or buy an exisiting.

[Deep Operator]

The prices in NOVA are outrageous in many cases, but it depends where you are living and where you work too. I know people that have houses and make over 100k yearly, but have to live in Sterling or Woodbridge, nicknamed it Ghettobridge for a reason. Sterling again, it is okay but has some "Barrios" All the nice neighborhoods like Vienna, Mclean, North Arlington, parts of Falls Church etc are mondo expensive. If you work in Fairfax lets say, then Gainesville could be ok, but the drive can be tough.
One can rent a small house in Arlington for around 2300 a month.

In Virginia stay West of 95 and better yet, in the 81 corridor.. If one could land a job in Winchester, then living in West by God Virginia is very good deal.. The Shenandoah valley is different from NOVA.

[jimmertoons]

Personally, it's nice to have my DW finally on board. My DD is with the program, and has helped me convince her to get with it. I have noticed an uptake of comments from my customers( I sell construction supplies). Lots of worried people, lots of stacking it deep. I got an earlier start than some, but it has been slow going for the last 4 years.

[Klayton]

Good GOD man! Are you serious? I bought a townhouse in Beltsville when I was stuck in that liberal armpit called DC, our payments were under 1500/month for a townhouse and I just had to commute about an hour to work. OH, and put up with the local punks attempting to break into our basement walkout about once every 2 or 3 months. That seemed to stop the day my wife was alone and let a round go off from her .38. LMAO ((they are so tough until they hear/see a gun))...
But back to my point Javin, you seriously need to be looking into Laurel or Beltsville to bring your monthly costs down man...
Good Luck, I hated both times I was stationed there...

[Knobster]

I'm not seeing much prepping in my neck of the woods (Michigan, Grand Rapids area). I hear lots of people talking about the crappy economy but when I send my feelers out about stashing items away for a rainy day I get the usual responses: "Yeah, I should really do that." "I don't have the time/money/space for all of that."

It's amazing if you think about it. The writing is right there on the wall, plain as day for all to see - and still the sheeple bleat...

[MustangGal]

We think we may have a like minded couple at our church. He mentioned buying a goat for milk because "it looked like things might get bad". He and DH got to visitng and he was very excited to find out we had goats, chickens, and rabbits. We are planning to invite them to dinner... maybe feel them out a bit without tipping our hand.

It would be really nice to have a couple IRL that we could relate to.... lol

[Yeti]

We think we may have a like minded couple at our church. He mentioned buying a goat for milk because "it looked like things might get bad". He and DH got to visitng and he was very excited to find out we had goats, chickens, and rabbits. We are planning to invite them to dinner... maybe feel them out a bit without tipping our hand.

It would be really nice to have a couple IRL that we could relate to.... lol

Could talk to him about possible breeding stock on the goat he wants. That way you have two different groups to use in the future.
Maybe have some receipes handy for the rabbits and all to discuss with his wife.
Little tidbits like we try to stock up on the sales when we see them because I was reading how groceries are expected to increase even more than they have.