Consumerism

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Maybe because I've been around longer, but I have had some beers that I would prefer over wine. On the other hand, I've also had some pretty good genger ale.

Wine exists because of nature. The yeast is on the skins naturally. Beer is an invention of man. Wheat/barley/corn doesn't ferment on its own without a lot of human intervention or neglect.

[Duke87 1,070]

Pigments that change color with changing temperature are nothing new. But Coors has indeed figured out a good way to make a gimmick out of it. Not that I mind, I enjoy their beer on merit of taste... and hey, if it makes them a few extra bucks, good! (I own stock in the company)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I am not holding any Coors stock. I first was introduced to it when I went to Phoenix on a business trip in the 1970s, and it was the best beer around at the time. They were having problems with being ordered to distribute their product across the country. Now it is brewed under licence in Canada, even.

I prefer the chewier Canadian beers, myself.

[hym 358]

If your a Houstonian, why live in western suburbs of Houston when you work in the east?

Schools are better, living conditions are better, crime and drug use is lower. Those are all good reasons to live on the other side of town.

(I realize that I'm painting with a certain amount of generalization, but I'm not completely wrong either.)

A ledger that is supposedly possible

-Family income deducted taxes= 70k

-House= 140k (paid in 4 years, 35k/year)

-Hyundai= 15k (really fuel efficient)

Hate to say it, but that ledger is not possible for the majority of Americans, even when they are single. This is a more plausible ledger (and this is still pushing it quite a bit):

• Family income pre-taxes: $50,000
  
• House: $150,000-$500,000 (depends on where you live in the country)
  
• Reasonably price Japanese or American made car: $18,000-$25,000
  

The first 2 years of family life, you should stay with your parents, since at that time peroid you haven't have kids yet. At this time, save up on everything and buy a cheap fuel efficient car like an Elantra. After 2 years where you have saved up around half your house's value, buy a house. This way you won't need long term mortgages for 10-15 something years. Between those years, there is a certain chance of the economy going sour or something bad happens, so atleast you have some backup. Ignore the realtor if he laughs, since totally owning the house before 5 years is better and more rewarding.

There are some good ideas here, but they aren't all realistic. Upon graduating from college/university level studies, most Americans will move into an apartment or something else. Sure, some will move back with their parents for a while, but that is a minority, and many of them move out as soon as they can. Furthermore, if you're married, or planning on getting married soon after college, living with your parents is most definitely not going to work. Also, saving half your income is unrealistic. I personally know people who have tried that idea, and it works for about 6 months to a year. After that, your standard of living catches up with your income, if not surpass it entirely.

Not saying these are bad ideas, just that most people can't realistically pull them off.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Pigments that change color with changing temperature are nothing new. But Coors has indeed figured out a good way to make a gimmick out of it. Not that I mind, I enjoy their beer on merit of taste... and hey, if it makes them a few extra bucks, good! (I own stock in the company)

just saw a Heineken commercial promoting a regular can.

pretty much pokes fun at the Gimmicky Coors bottles.

[Duke87 1,070]

Upon graduating from college/university level studies, most Americans will move into an apartment or something else. Sure, some will move back with their parents for a while, but that is a minority, and many of them move out as soon as they can. Furthermore, if you're married, or planning on getting married soon after college, living with your parents is most definitely not going to work.

I think there's a culture clash here. There are many places and have been many times where moving out of your parents' house while still single is/was unusual and not done unless necessary. You can even still find it in this country if you look at immigrant families. I know a girl who wants to move out of her parents' place, but her father won't let her - because in their native culture (Muslim), it's considered highly inappropriate for a young woman to live on her own.

And while still living with your parents while married may seem crazy in this day and age, it has been done. My grandparents lived with my great-grandparents for about 3-4 years after they got married, and they had a couple kids already when they moved out. But that was in another time and another class. Nobody in my generation in my family could nor would want to do that.

[FreewayofFlight 41]

The independant culture may start getting more reserved in this Recession/ $4 per gallon gas world. College kids may stay at home longer because they can't find stable work. I think we can see a trend of urban renewal growing as a result of people wanting to live closer to employment centers.

Here in Columbus, several projects have been underway to revitalize downtown, an old mall was turned into a park, and the riverfront is getting a facelift with a new bridge. Hopefully living in a city will become popular again.

[airman15 4,111]

The independant culture may start getting more reserved in this Recession/ $4 per gallon gas world. College kids may stay at home longer because they can't find stable work. I think we can see a trend of urban renewal growing as a result of people wanting to live closer to employment centers.

Here in Columbus, several projects have been underway to revitalize downtown, an old mall was turned into a park, and the riverfront is getting a facelift with a new bridge. Hopefully living in a city will become popular again.

This is how New York City became as big as it did. New York started as the sleepy little town of New Amsterdam, but was later renamed New York by the British and later became a city in the newly formed United States. Since New York was built on a natural harbor, the city drew in many businesses and the city later exploded with people looking for jobs. Jobs and people continued to flood the city making it bigger and bigger, eventually reaching it's current population of 8,000,000+.

[Duke87 1,070]

The independant culture may start getting more reserved in this Recession/ $4 per gallon gas world. College kids may stay at home longer because they can't find stable work.

The culture hasn't gotten and won't get more reserved. Yes, more recent college grads are living at home than before currently, but it's not because they want to, it's because it's what they're stuck with. So, it's a temporary situation brought on by pragmatism with the state of the economy.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I go to community college so there are no dormitories, so I stay at my mother's house when attending classes.

[Meg 368]

I go to community college so there are no dormitories, so I stay at my mother's house when attending classes.

and, if you wish, after your 2 years there, you can transfer to a 4 year university, spend 2 years there, and get a degree for much less than your classmates spend.

or you can go with one of the many things people can do with a 2 year degree.

Community colleges are educational avenues that are too frequently ignored.

[hym 358]

Community colleges are educational avenues that are too frequently ignored.

One of the big things standing in the way of wider adoption of community colleges is the question of transferability. Too many students spend two years going to a community college and then find that not all the classes transfer, or none of the classes transfer, making the entire 2 years a waste of time and money. That alone is reason enough for many students to ignore community colleges entirely.

[Duke87 1,070]

Indeed. Colleges can be picky about accepting transfer credits. I know the college I went to (Manhattan College) would only accept transfer credits on electives, not on anything core or peripheral to your major. They say this is because they cannot vouch for the quality of the course if it was taken elsewhere, but really, the reason colleges are like this is money. It is in their interest to be stingy about accepting transfer credits because the more they accept, the less tuition they get to collect.

The same problem exists with AP classes. Small colleges or state schools aren't necessarily quite so stingy (Manhattan College would accept AP credit on math and science courses for engineering majors if you went to high school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and scored a 4 or 5 on the test) but major universities are always loathe to actually give students college credit for their AP classes. Again, it's how they do business.

Nonetheless, taking AP classes looks good on college applications so students do so even if they don't get much or any credit from it. Community colleges can serve a similar function: if your grades in high school weren't too hot and you don't have much else on your résumé, you can go to community college for a year or two to improve your record and then transfer to the school you actually want to go to. Then even if you don't get much or any credit from it, it's a necessary step.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Community colleges are educational avenues that are too frequently ignored.

One of the big things standing in the way of wider adoption of community colleges is the question of transferability. Too many students spend two years going to a community college and then find that not all the classes transfer, or none of the classes transfer, making the entire 2 years a waste of time and money. That alone is reason enough for many students to ignore community colleges entirely.

That my well be a stumbling block in the U.S. and in some Canadian provinces. However, more and more universities in Canada are affiliating with our Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (formerly community colleges), to offer university level courses, with full transferability. This trend was getting so strong about the time I retired that doctoral degrees were being demanded of CAAT instructors in order for them to maintain accreditation and deals with the associated universities. A lot of the "we'll get you a job" courses were beginning to suffer from this trend.

It is clear that the U.S. universities, especially the state institutions need to take another look at this. My wife's sister's second husband is a college teacher, and is every bit as qualified as anyone I have met. Interestingly enough, my wife's sister has a PhD in education and her deceased first husband in Mathematics, so that part of my family (in-laws) are in the academic life in a big way. Both retired now, with some distinction.

College teachers have to be more than jumped up high-school teachers. Advanced degrees (masters at least) should be necessary, and doctorates are not a bad thing. One of my professional acquaintances in Minnesota got his PhD. over nine years on a part time basis. He was lucky that his thesis subject wasn't overtaken by someone else, but he made it. His boss told him he had to finish the doctorate to get promoted again.

On the other hand, some of our CAATs remain professional schools for things not really taught at the university level. A good example is George Brown College in Toronto. It has one of the best food service schools on earth, and it teaches everything from table service to chef level cooking to executive chef to restaurant management. The dean of the cooking school is a world renowned chef. Other schools keep their university affiliations while running trade schools as well. It is a balancing act. One school, in Oshawa, Ontario, spawned a university with a campus across the road. We take academia pretty seriously here. None of our universities are fully state supported, but are private.

For students in either country seeking post-secondary education, it is wise to see what the situation is before registering in courses that my wind up being "for interest".

By the way, one of my dogs was a college graduate. I have his diploma in Dog Obedience 101 from Seneca College in Toronto. The course actually taught owners how to do basic canine obedience training. Casey was a red Irish Setter, and he came second in the obedience trial at the end of the course. He was still mostly empty headed Setter.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Indeed. Colleges can be picky about accepting transfer credits. I know the college I went to (Manhattan College) would only accept transfer credits on electives, not on anything core or peripheral to your major. They say this is because they cannot vouch for the quality of the course if it was taken elsewhere.

I thought that was what Accreditation was for? to enable the transfer of credits with out

a supposed loss of quality.

now i under stand they should only have to take a certain number classes or you could just take a few classes at a prestigious university to get a diploma from them for next to nothing.

but they should accept everything for 2 years from an accredited community college even on your major.

[FreewayofFlight 41]

College is something I'll be looking into in the near future. I want to try and and go to a Tech college then maybe transfer to a university in the area to save money and avoid dorming. I'd like to persue a political career, but I would consider human resources or school counseling as secondary careers.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

CWU transfers all degrees from HCC so even if UW won't accept my AS, I can get a BS at CWU before transferring to UW for a masters in biochemistry.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

CWU transfers all degrees from HCC so even if UW won't accept my AS, I can get a BS at CWU before transferring to UW for a masters in biochemistry.

It would be nice if you untangled all that alphabet soup. In any case, when applying for a graduate program, you will have to sit a set of comprehensives as part of the admissions process. At the worst, you could find yourself taking some undergrad courses as a condition of admission.

[Easy Bakes 253]

just guesses UW= University of Washington

CWU= Central Washington University.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

just guesses UW= University of Washington

CWU= Central Washington University.

Probably, but that's not all of them, and I'd rather hear from the author. Anyway, we are straying off topic again. Anybody have a new consumerism topic?

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I used initials for semi-privacy but yes UW is University of Washington and CWU is Central Washington University. CC usually stands for Community College, like NSCC, SCCC, and SSCC for North, Central, and South Seattle Community Colleges.

[Easy Bakes 253]

So Whats HCC?

[hym 358]

So Whats HCC?

That could possibly stand for Houston Community College.

At the same time, we might want to bring this back on topic just a bit...

So I have a consumer related question.

When is the appropriate time to buy a new car?

Is it when the car has lost X amount of its value? Is it when the car's fuel cost is too high? When maintenance costs are too high? When financing is cheap enough?

I have my own idea, but I'm curious to know what others think.

[Easy Bakes 253]

So Whats HCC?

That could possibly stand for Houston Community College.

At the same time, we might want to bring this back on topic just a bit...

So I have a consumer related question.

When is the appropriate time to buy a new car?

Is it when the car has lost X amount of its value? Is it when the car's fuel cost is too high? When maintenance costs are too high? When financing is cheap enough?

I have my own idea, but I'm curious to know what others think.

- I think ilke seattle lives in seattle so A houston CC would be out for him-

personaly i would only buy a new car when the old one is totaly usless need a motor or is just falling apart at the seams.

if my last car had not goten rear ended i would still be driving a 2004 Toyota Corola, which had 150K miles on it and still got 35MPG.and i wouldnt have a car payment.

if you take car of it a decent car will last a long time.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The time to purchase a new (as in never driven by anyone but a dealer's set up crew) is every time you need a new vehicle. There is absolutely no point in purchasing someone else's problem.

The time to get rid of your old car is when it no longer functions for the required purpose.

Budget problems aside, the new car warranties these days give you practically free maintenance for the warranty period, which seems to be floating between 60 and 72 months.

What kind of energy-waster you get really depends on your income.

[FreewayofFlight 41]

Consumer groups say that the best time to buy a new car would be early in the year (January/February) when the dealerships are trying to unload last years models. So if you've been eyeing a car, you might get a better deal when the 2012 models come out.

I would only go for a new car when the one I have starts having problems.

[airman15 4,111]

I'm only 15 and I'm working to get enough money to buy a car of my own before I get a license. I'm thinking about getting a car or truck built in the 1990's because they are still in good condition and they aren't too expensive. I don't need the latest type of car because they are much more expensive. Older cars may not be the shiniest of all the vehicles on the road (and some kids at my school that drive newer 2008-2010 probably drive them because their parents paid for it) but at least I will have a car that is somwhat reliable enough to get me from point A to point B.

[FreewayofFlight 41]

I'm only 15 and I'm working to get enough money to buy a car of my own before I get a license. I'm thinking about getting a car or truck built in the 1990's because they are still in good condition and they aren't too expensive. I don't need the latest type of car because they are much more expensive. Older cars may not be the shiniest of all the vehicles on the road (and some kids at my school that drive newer 2008-2010 probably drive them because their parents paid for it) but at least I will have a car that is somwhat reliable enough to get me from point A to point B.

I drive a 98 station wagon, I bought it used earlier this year for $3,600 with 97K miles on it. It gets around 30MPG. Don't just looks at the price, make sure you're not going to get suckered into buying a piece of junk. If you have a mechanic friend, take them along, they'll be able to spot major problems.

Good Luck!

[Ocram's Razr 963]

1. My college fund is dwindling so I applied for federal financial aid, for some reason they forced me to sign up for selective services. I am currently ineligible to get drafted into the military so it does not matter anyway.

2. I hate driving so I do not plan on buying a car, ever. Even though I am an adult.

[Duke87 1,070]

My college fund is dwindling so I applied for federal financial aid, for some reason they forced me to sign up for selective services. I am currently ineligible to get drafted into the military so it does not matter anyway.

All men are legally required to register for the draft within 90 days of their 18th birthday. Not giving financial aid to guys who don't is one way they enforce that.