Do you pay your HOUSE 50 Euro a day? Or more??

Frugal_Millionairess

I get antsy to get out of my house...often. I have a lovely home, a large garden, and televisions in each room, but still wanderlust hits me most days.

I think this is because my house makes demands on me that my local bagal shop, Panera Bread, does not. Here at home, the dishes sitting in the sink, the dry, cracking deck that has not been stained in four years, and the spots on the white carpet all sitting about whispering of my neglect while I attempt to read a book or work on my computer.

And yet, I like most people pay or did pay, close to $70 a day (50 euro) for the privilege of living here. And with rent rates like that, I really feel I ought to be here more.

At the most basic, to live here, I pay electric, gas, taxes, insurance and until recently, a mortgage. In order of costs, it breaks down like this.

$200,000 mortgage at 6%, is roughly $1200 per month. That breaks down to about $40.00 per day.

Our real estate taxes in Dane County, WI are $6000 a year, or a bit over $16.00 per day (you better believe our kids are going to public (private in UK) school;-).

Our electric bill averages $162 per month or $5.42 a day.

Our gas bill, averaged over the year is $4.50 per day.

Our house insurance is about $2.77 per day. At least that's the number that came up on CompuQuotes as I couldn't find a record of our house insurance bill in our Money Program and hope to heaven we have in fact paid this the last two years or so.....

This comes to about $69.00 per day. And that excludes cable t.v., our new roof costs, the costs of the new refrigerator and washing machine.

As I mentioned, we are lucky to have paid off our mortgage, but still, that leaves almost $30 a day to be here. So what are the options?

From my college days, I loosely remember Thoreau suggesting we would be better to model ourselves after the Native Americans, who set up what he called a warm and comfortable shelter of a tee pee without the mortgage, furnishings, and taxes of a farm to pay each day.

As there is no available squatter land as far as I know in my county and my husband won't even tent camp, leaving out the option of a tee pee life, my last option seems the best, which is to better appreciate the home I have.

At $30 a day, divided into six main rooms, we spend $5 per day, per room to live here. So tomorrow, before I hit the open road for some coffee house to settle into for a few hours of work or reading, I will see if my own home may suit me as well. And I will simply ignore those rude whispers coming from my carpet; the dirty floors at the bagel shop never have such an attitude!

You've probably figured out I'm American by the $ sign. I did a google search on money saving/frugality and came across this great site. I'm hoping sharing tips cross Atlantic will expand my money saving repertoire;-) As an ardent gardener, some of my best ideas have come from English authors - many thanks! And I do see someone posted a FlyLady (uber American) thread on this site recently - so those tips are just flying both ways;-). And I will work on polishing up my money conversion skills.

Best wishes!

clutton_2

this is a UKbased website, so whilst you are very welcome here, this may not be the site you are looking for

chickmug

clutton wrote: »

this is a UKbased website, so whilst you are very welcome here, this may not be the site you are looking for

That's what I like about your posts always polite:D

googler

Oh, go on - tell us about Panera Bread, then......

BitterAndTwisted

White carpets, oh my.

Please tell us about the winters in Sconny. I'm surprised your heating bills aren't much higher

Running_Horse

You sound very nice but I have no idea what you are going on about.

Stayed in Wisconsin a couple of times at a place called Deer Lake. Lovely apart from the mossies, and wouldn't want to winter there.

bryanb

You should also know that public schools in UK are actually private schools. Confusing isn't it?

Frugal_Millionairess

bryanb wrote: »

You should also know that public schools in UK are actually private schools. Confusing isn't it?

So many landmines to avoid;-). My roomate at Stanford was a wonderful English woman named Penny and I still remember I was rushing home for holiday and I asked,

"So Penny, how does your family usually celebrate Thanksgiving?"

To which she responded in her gorgeous English Accent, "We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in England Eileen"....Oops;-)

Be patient and I'll get the hang of things.

Wisconsin is super cold!! And as a gardener I lust for your climate! But that said, I do love living here. And Panera Bread....In London yet??

hells_2

...all due respect madam, but the United Kingdom does not merely consist of London...despite what the Americans think.

There are many other cities in the UK. And all of them nicer than that rat infested smoggy hole they call the capital...:rolleyes:

And in answer to your question...no, I don't think your fancy bread has hit the UK yet. Perhaps you would be so kind as to send some over for us to sample....

zappahey

bryanb wrote: »

You should also know that public schools in UK are actually private schools. Confusing isn't it?

That statement is only accurate for a sub-set of the UK.