Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up
Apr 23rd 2011, 10:04 pm
#1426
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Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Back home now in my home town in England U.K. after 36 years in U.S. now retired and loving it,
Posts: 3,208
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Of those numbers, only water is higher for you than for me. For example, our property taxes are the equivalent of £600 per month, phone and internet is twice what you pay (but we have fast broadband for the business) and our utilities are so sky high I'm not even going to say. Thanks! Very helpful 
Apr 23rd 2011, 10:22 pm
#1427
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Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Back home now in my home town in England U.K. after 36 years in U.S. now retired and loving it,
Posts: 3,208
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
For this home and my numbers are in red.
Attachment 99983
Attachment 99983
Apr 23rd 2011, 11:14 pm
#1428
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2010
Location: US
Posts: 4,224
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Cheers no wonder you are in no hurry to come back to England, Wow if I owned a beautiful house like that I would be over the moon, I dont know if I could loose something so beautiful, and an enormous house like that and such low low low utility bills ---- Wow ---- I know people in Vegas that are paying over $300 per month in just the power bill alone and there house would be half the size as yours, ---- how do you do it?
The quote for the utilities was from the last bill I got yesterday. For the next three months water and electricity will double at least in July and gas will go to half of what I quoted, like £10 per month.
We both know you gave a very simple list and we stuck to it but it could be expanded and go on for ever. Cable Trashvision for example, is £33.33 per month.
Why leave a nice home for something simple? Again the grass is greener on the otherside. My home has four bathrooms but I only have one bum. My Dw has segregated them so we have one each on each floor. She thinks men are messy when they go to the toilet. We have three bathtubs and a separate walkin shower. We have 5 bedrooms but one is used for my libruary/study/office and the other is a bonus room that is just used for a second TV. That leaves three bedrooms.
You know some of the reasons for a change. One, looking at the view here of the rocks and sand. I have told Americans when they comment of the views here that we have rubbish dumps that look better.
Cheers Mate,
Last edited by cheers; Apr 24th 2011 at 12:31 am.
Apr 23rd 2011, 11:50 pm
#1429
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Location: Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
Posts: 2,060
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
OK vote for me if you agree! Family and culture is more important than materialism and convenience in shopping(higher sales).
Yesterday we saw the hostility to Tesco in Bristol and I was caught in between because I hate, hate violence against the police and property period. On the other had we have Tesco who in my opinion go around and grease hands to open up all over, pay low wages (so I'm told) and they end up ruining towns and villages by closing down the neighborhood shops that people could walk to.
Yesterday we saw the hostility to Tesco in Bristol and I was caught in between because I hate, hate violence against the police and property period. On the other had we have Tesco who in my opinion go around and grease hands to open up all over, pay low wages (so I'm told) and they end up ruining towns and villages by closing down the neighborhood shops that people could walk to.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:02 am
#1430
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Location: Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
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Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Yesterday and today have been so warm for England, today its now 78f and blue skies as far as the eye can see 
What I have noticed here since I have been back is most of the big food chains here now have air conditioning in there stores, I was walking around Iceland and the co-op yesterday and I could feel it, and it felt lovely just like being in America in the summer, so thats a big improvement right?
If anyone is interested I have been home long enough now to report on the average utility bill costs now ----- thats if you take me and Mum as average,
Now these are for a 3 bedroom terraced house, ---- all the quarterly bills are in now with the latest coming in today which was the sewage bill, and so I have calculated all the bills down to monthly ---- cause thats how we pay our bills in the U.S. all these figures will be in GBP so you will have to roughly convert them to your currencies where you live,
Average Monthly Utility bills ----- 3 Bedroom Terraced, Hampshire, England.
Council tax/property tax (two people)
£121
Water & Sewage
£46
Gas & Electricity
£90
Phone & Internet (land line only) B.T.
£32
Total Per Month,
£289
Important Note,
Our Water & Sewege is on the Meter,
Now to all you House owners out there in other countries like OZZ or Canada or U.S. or else where ---- how do these figures compare to your own?
I guess these figures could help people returning home whether or not they rent or buy,
Hope this helps,
Rodney.
PS now as me and Mum split all bills in half then its quite affordable for each of us, ----- so if there are two people sharing all bills its much better in my opinion.
What I have noticed here since I have been back is most of the big food chains here now have air conditioning in there stores, I was walking around Iceland and the co-op yesterday and I could feel it, and it felt lovely just like being in America in the summer, so thats a big improvement right?
If anyone is interested I have been home long enough now to report on the average utility bill costs now ----- thats if you take me and Mum as average,
Now these are for a 3 bedroom terraced house, ---- all the quarterly bills are in now with the latest coming in today which was the sewage bill, and so I have calculated all the bills down to monthly ---- cause thats how we pay our bills in the U.S. all these figures will be in GBP so you will have to roughly convert them to your currencies where you live,
Average Monthly Utility bills ----- 3 Bedroom Terraced, Hampshire, England.
Council tax/property tax (two people)
£121
Water & Sewage
£46
Gas & Electricity
£90
Phone & Internet (land line only) B.T.
£32
Total Per Month,
£289
Important Note,
Our Water & Sewege is on the Meter,
Now to all you House owners out there in other countries like OZZ or Canada or U.S. or else where ---- how do these figures compare to your own?
I guess these figures could help people returning home whether or not they rent or buy,
Hope this helps,
Rodney.
PS now as me and Mum split all bills in half then its quite affordable for each of us, ----- so if there are two people sharing all bills its much better in my opinion.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:02 am
#1431
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 681
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
How does opening more hours make more profit. People only have the income they have, so aren't they going to spend it within the hours the stores are open.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:27 am
#1432
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2010
Location: US
Posts: 4,224
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
How does opening more hours make more profit. People only have the income they have, so aren't they going to spend it within the hours the stores are open.
Yes and no. We have discressional income. You can spend it on a concert or more clothes that you don't need.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
Yes and no. We have discressional income. You can spend it on a concert or more clothes that you don't need.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:27 am
#1433
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Average Monthly Utility bills ----- 3 Bedroom Terraced, Hampshire, England.
Council tax/property tax (two people)
£121
Water & Sewage
£46
Gas & Electricity
£90
Phone & Internet (land line only) B.T.
£32
Total Per Month,
£289
Important Note,
Our Water & Sewege is on the Meter,
Now to all you House owners out there in other countries like OZZ or Canada or U.S. or else where ---- how do these figures compare to your own?
I guess these figures could help people returning home whether or not they rent or buy,
Hope this helps,
Rodney.
PS now as me and Mum split all bills in half then its quite affordable for each of us, ----- so if there are two people sharing all bills its much better in my opinion.
Council tax/property tax (two people)
£121
Water & Sewage
£46
Gas & Electricity
£90
Phone & Internet (land line only) B.T.
£32
Total Per Month,
£289
Important Note,
Our Water & Sewege is on the Meter,
Now to all you House owners out there in other countries like OZZ or Canada or U.S. or else where ---- how do these figures compare to your own?
I guess these figures could help people returning home whether or not they rent or buy,
Hope this helps,
Rodney.
PS now as me and Mum split all bills in half then its quite affordable for each of us, ----- so if there are two people sharing all bills its much better in my opinion.
roughly converted to pounds
Council tax/property tax
£110
Water & Sewage
£40 water only we have a septic so have repair and replacement costs occasionally
Gas & Electricity
£35 for gas and £35 in winter to £110 in summer for electric
Phone & Internet land line comes with 200 nationwide minutes and high speed internet package
£63
Total Per Month,
£248 in winter to £323 in summer. Summer lasts from April through October Hot hot hot.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:29 am
#1434
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
For this home and my numbers are in red.
Attachment 99983
Attachment 99983
Apr 24th 2011, 12:31 am
#1435
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
I hear there are some that would like to do away with prop 13 that would price us out of our home of 17 years.
Last edited by Mummy in the foothills; Apr 24th 2011 at 12:35 am.
Apr 24th 2011, 12:37 am
#1436
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Heres our little place, half of it is garage 
Dh took these while the grass was still green before he painted the place yellow with white trim. That was a long job, he just finished it over the winter.
Dh took these while the grass was still green before he painted the place yellow with white trim. That was a long job, he just finished it over the winter.
Apr 24th 2011, 1:21 am
#1437
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Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
How does opening more hours make more profit. People only have the income they have, so aren't they going to spend it within the hours the stores are open.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
It is the ever competitive corporations all vying for that dollar, so yes we pay, not only money but by losing valuable family and leisure time.
Actually once a store opens 24 hours others follow, scared they are losing sales to others, they certainly dont care about their employees lives, thats not an issue.
I thought opening all those hours was a bit risky, we ran a stocking and pricing crew anyway so Management figured they might as well have a checkstand open and make some money, here's the risky bit, there was only a handful of us, once the bars shut people would wander in, some were not the most honest and would walk around for a long time, we didn't have the staff to keep our eyes on them, so I'm sure things walked.
We also had to be careful of boxes left on the floor we didn't need any accident claims...
Previous to being open 24 hours we would stock the whole store with a truckload of groceries then pick up at the end of the night, It was quicker, of course being open slowed us down, you cant have it all ways...
We used to also get some food stamp customers who were too ashamed to shop in the daytime.
Apr 24th 2011, 1:24 am
#1438
Finally Home!
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Used to be New York, now North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,610
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
For this home and my numbers are in red.
Attachment 99983
Attachment 99983
Apr 24th 2011, 1:32 am
#1439
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
Well to change the subject I just sent my 17 year old son off to Prom How did that happen? I didn't even know I was having him when we moved to this house. He looked so hansom in his suit and his girlfriend is adorable I know I won't sleep till he gets home, so not much sleep for me tonight, maybe early morning. 
How did that happen? I didn't even know I was having him when we moved to this house. He looked so hansom in his suit and his girlfriend is adorable I know I won't sleep till he gets home, so not much sleep for me tonight, maybe early morning.
Apr 24th 2011, 1:33 am
#1440
Finally Home!
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Location: Used to be New York, now North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,610
Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
We live just outside a very posh little town - if we were inside that town, our taxes would literally double.Our utilities bills are equally insane. My house is nowhere near as grand as cheers' house, but it's old and so in the winter it's hard to heat and in the summer it's impossible to keep cool. The bills average out at about $700 a month although they're higher in winter and lower in summer. I'll be the first to admit I like to be warm, but even so, that's nuts.
We work our asses off and we run a pretty successful little business, but costs are so high here that we still have nothing like the lifestyle our friends in England enjoy. We rarely go out for dinner or to a concert. We buy very little for ourselves and the trip back to the UK last year was our first holiday in years.
This is why I keep saying that talk of 'US cost of living' is nutty. It varies so much from state to state. Cheers' house would cost $2.5M here (at least). His property taxes would be $20K plus and he'd have ridiculous heating costs.
We thought of moving somewhere cheaper, but having traveled around the US, we know that nowhere else suits us as well culturally. It's NY or England for us. (and thankfully it will be England!
)