1 minute ago, Sundog said:

We were never going to send 800 billion a year to Africa for stupid stuff. All of USAID was like 60 billion.

You guys might not care that spending is too high, but if people under 30 see 1.5 trillion a year for defense and they can't buy a small house to start a family in, your taxes will get much higher once they vote in the far left.

I'm not saying it's right. I am just saying that I have learned to accept it, because I know it will never change.

44 minutes ago, Sundog said:

We were never going to send 800 billion a year to Africa for stupid stuff. All of USAID was like 60 billion.

You guys might not care that spending is too high, but if people under 30 see 1.5 trillion a year for defense and they can't buy a small house to start a family in, your taxes will get much higher once they vote in the far left.

If you plan correctly and don't have tons of debt, you can purchase a condo the same way my wife and I did in 2004. I see it with friends kids and cousins kids that are now in their 20s and done with school. Most did exactly what my wife and I did. Rented an apartment, then bought a condo and finally a house. I think the mindset of starting a family though has changed a bit. Most now are saying they don't want kids until their mid-30s whereas most everyone I know around my age had at least their first kid in their 20s. These "kids" now want to travel more and do fun things before kids.

Such a great ally.

3 hours ago, Sundog said:

I'm starting to think that the GOP wants to lose and and lose badly:

https://nypost.com/2026/04/03/us-news/white-house-proposes-2027-budget-with-1-5t-for-defense-73b-in-spending-cuts/

Most defense spending is being wasted on bullshit. I used to work for general Dynamics in Lincoln. The launch tubes for most rockets cost over a million bucks and can only be used once.

48 minutes ago, FrankPizz said:

If you plan correctly and don't have tons of debt, you can purchase a condo the same way my wife and I did in 2004. I see it with friends kids and cousins kids that are now in their 20s and done with school. Most did exactly what my wife and I did. Rented an apartment, then bought a condo and finally a house. I think the mindset of starting a family though has changed a bit. Most now are saying they don't want kids until their mid-30s whereas most everyone I know around my age had at least their first kid in their 20s. These "kids" now want to travel more and do fun things before kids.

I agree on the last part but not the beginning of your post.

Average US home was like 180K in 2004.

Now it's 420k.

Have wages increased 240% since 2004? Not 240%!

It's even worse in metro areas. My parents bought a house in 2003 for 620k. Sold it last year for 1.5 million and left for Long Island.

You think a regular person can afford that? Housing has become absurd.

55 minutes ago, FrankPizz said:

If you plan correctly and don't have tons of debt, you can purchase a condo the same way my wife and I did in 2004. I see it with friends kids and cousins kids that are now in their 20s and done with school. Most did exactly what my wife and I did. Rented an apartment, then bought a condo and finally a house. I think the mindset of starting a family though has changed a bit. Most now are saying they don't want kids until their mid-30s whereas most everyone I know around my age had at least their first kid in their 20s. These "kids" now want to travel more and do fun things before kids.

Aren't houses in your area like 600-700k? I know where I used to live in LI its like 900k now. I couldn't imagine having to try and pay for that shit. Even with double income you still need to bring in like 300k a year just to cover the mortgage. Then if you've got kids it adds up more

When I got my first house in 2018 it was 87k for a 2 bed 1 bath and an unfinished basement with a large garage. That house could easily go for 180k now. Insane increase.

1 minute ago, Snowlover76 said:

When I got my first house in 2018 it was 87k for a 2 bed 1 bath and an unfinished basement with a large garage. That house could easily go for 180k now. Insane increase.

I also had bought a coop when I got married and sold it for double the money just ten years later.

Housing costs have gotten stupid.

I just dont get how even living within your means how people in their 20s in places like the I95 area can afford houses with all thr other expenses piled on. Forget about having kids at that point. I can see how people get depressed andbogged down and like Sundog said, now trump wants to ramp up defense spending to $1.5 trillion people are just gonna get more angry.

Covid & inflation really ballooned house prices around the NYC metro. If you didn't get into real estate prior good luck getting in now.

10 minutes ago, Snowlover76 said:

When I got my first house in 2018 it was 87k for a 2 bed 1 bath and an unfinished basement with a large garage. That house could easily go for 180k now. Insane increase.

Thats why I moved out here. The house we bought for 360 would sell for 850-900 in nj.

35 minutes ago, Snowlover76 said:

Most defense spending is being wasted on bullshit. I used to work for general Dynamics in Lincoln. The launch tubes for most rockets cost over a million bucks and can only be used once.

If they spent more money on things like housing and mental care for veterans who returned from wars, the defense spending would be more popular

1 minute ago, Analog1888 said:

If they spent more money on things like housing and mental care for veterans who returned from wars, the defense spending would be more popular

Pretty sure VA spending isn't even included in defense spending. And VA spending is nuts because medical expenses have ballooned as well.

3 minutes ago, Analog1888 said:

Thats why I moved out here. The house we bought for 360 would sell for 850-900 in nj.

Even here its stupid overpriced.

39 minutes ago, Sundog said:

I agree on the last part but not the beginning of your post.

Average US home was like 180K in 2004.

Now it's 420k.

Have wages increased 240% since 2004? Not 240%!

It's even worse in metro areas. My parents bought a house in 2003 for 620k. Sold it last year for 1.5 million and left for Long Island.

You think a regular person can afford that? Housing has become absurd.

My first condo was 279, its now going for 415. Our combine salary then was like 62k, now those same jobs combined are probably 100k. Very similar really.

39 minutes ago, Snowlover76 said:

Aren't houses in your area like 600-700k? I know where I used to live in LI its like 900k now. I couldn't imagine having to try and pay for that shit. Even with double income you still need to bring in like 300k a year just to cover the mortgage. Then if you've got kids it adds up more

They could be, but you can easily find stuff for 400k. People just dont know real estate at all. They want 600k with 4 beds and 2 baths but are too dumb to know that what they really can afford is 3 beds 1.5 baths. So they say its unaffordable. Unrealistic expectations is the issue. Its like all those dumb people on the TV shows looking for houses. The one dude always takes them to what they want then says what do you think this is. They say 500k and its really 1 million and he tells them reality over expectations

In 2005 when I was buying, 500 billion is now 900 billion in 2026. So home prices then in 2005 adjusted to inflation now is similar really.

6 minutes ago, FrankPizz said:

They could be, but you can easily find stuff for 400k. People just dont know real estate at all. They want 600k with 4 beds and 2 baths but are too dumb to know that what they really can afford is 3 beds 1.5 baths. So they say its unaffordable. Unrealistic expectations is the issue.

Yea im mostly basing what I know in your area on what I see online abd hear from people. I know the market where I live since ive got rentals but from what ive see real estate has fallen off a cliff here. Its a full own buyers market here, I bought another house in February abd I got it for 8k under with 4k in sellers credits. From people ive talked to back in NY you're still getting bidding wars.

On a lighter note, these ruffles are awesome. The doritos not so much

Just now, Snowlover76 said:

Yea im mostly basing what I know in your area on what I see online abd hear from people. I know the market where I live since ive got rentals but from what ive see real estate has fallen off a cliff here. Its a full own buyers market here, I bought another house in February abd I got it for 8k under with 4k in sellers credits. From people ive talked to back in NY you're still getting bidding wars.

My current town it would be hard, but my old town of piscataway you can purchase for a decent price still. Also, people want to put in zero work and think they will get a brand new house.