Velkyn01 t1_j2uf7zq wrote
Reply to comment by BurrStreetX in Home price increases weakened sharply in November, posting the smallest annual gain in 2 years -CNBC by wander9077
Have you considered moving to a lower cost of living area where homes are more affordable?
BurrStreetX t1_j2ufq9e wrote
I already do, you can look up Marshalltown, IA.
However, the issue with that is the pay is FAR less here. Min wage is still 7.25, and im sitting at 14.50ish which is "good"
And with that, even If I wanted to move, I dont have $3-4k saved up to do so.
Velkyn01 t1_j2ugiic wrote
I'm seeing dozens of homes there for under 150k. That's absolutely attainable.
BurrStreetX t1_j2uh5gj wrote
I make $14.50, full time, take home after taxes and medical is about $1800 per month.
$600 rent, $250 utilities, $150 phone, $500 in other bills per month.
Leaves me with about $300 a month after bills. Some of that goes to drinks, and leisure, so normally about $150 leftover.
I dont see how I could buy a house and live comfortably. Plus with a 590 credit score, no bank is going to want to loan me money for a house.
Having that little money, would take me a decade to save up for a down payment, or one appliance going out to leave me with nothing.
Why would I buy a house just to have $0 and not be able to do a single thing with it.
Advice2Anyone t1_j2vpzn7 wrote
Alright just going to be straight with you I am 31 and have never had medical since I fell off my parents, super risky and every year I revist the risk during open enrollments. But I have worked for a hospital before I have seen what people can do on the back end of bills with no insurance and honestly hospitals are so willing to work and cut breaks since their actual costs are not what they price since they have to play insurances game, seen people shave 30-40% off their bills granted if your original bill was 60k for lets say minor emergency surgery (basically nothing that requires specialist, say deep debris removal) you talk them down to 42k after all the usual tricks (asking for itemization, pushing back where you can, stating in writing you dont have insurance and are unable to pay, etc) and then we compare that to presumed premiums which for me usually quoted somewhere between 350-400 for a shitty hmo with out of pocket of 10k. So 350 a month means 10 years break even every year after that I have actually saved money, also if we are using that 350 a month for investments and say doing 6% avg your break even is even lower. Granted it sucks that this is where we are in the world where you have to choose arguing with insurance or begging the hospitals and anyone with chronic conditions obviously gets double fucked. But this is just the way I was able to afford a house in my 20s.
Phone bills high would look into mintmobile $15 a month or $30 for unlimited data.
TimeToDoThatThing t1_j2ui3ci wrote
Sounds like you’re doing local work and getting paid local rates.
If you’re able to learn a skill that would be considered a typical office type of job, you could look for remote companies who pay higher rates than those in your area.
Does any office job interest you?
BurrStreetX t1_j2uifb9 wrote
I do work an office job at the moment, and work from home.
I suppose I could branch out to see if places are hiring in other states, and hiring remotely, but most of the time they prorate the pay to the COL of the area you live in, IIRC.
I do want to learn something new and get into the tech field, but sadly, that costs money and a good chunk of time.
I am also afraid of change.
Edit: Also people dont downvote him, this was a good convo
TimeToDoThatThing t1_j2wq2u7 wrote
> I am also afraid of change.
Me too. Me too. It’s wild how powerful that fear can be.
The good news is that the tech field is full of free and low cost learning opportunities. You can dip your toe into a topic by just watching a few YouTube videos about it.
If you find it interesting, a full in-depth course can be found on sites like udemy for like $20. I’ve taken several of those course and they were well worth the money.
Good luck on your journey!
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