WHERE are the people going???

[golddust]

You are lucky, nicekitty. I have no family, and it sucks. What I do have is toxic to the core. And I don't mean just in terms of who I could live with if my personal SHTF. It's not about whether I can get something out of them. I was jealous listening to other kids growing up talking about their families and the NORMAL things they'd do and the normal interactions. When my family got together, it was an episode of Cops. Complete with granny out front waving the shot gun at someone in her neon pink and blue tropical moo-moo gown giving the cops a run for their money and my mom crying in the corner and someone else (usually one of gradma's sisters) screaming at my grandma (from behind a very large object, of course! Granny was a good shot.) and I'd be inside half watching the show, half cleaning up the mess of broken objects and food off the walls.

I just come from trailer trash (no offense to people living in trailers, I'm speaking of the specific subculture) and the certifiably insane. What can I say. 

[dwheeler]

It's a damn shame folks can't get past their differences enough (even families) to realize that with the compiled income of a group of 10 people, it would be super easy to afford a McMansion and have enough living space and land and security for everyone living there.

Are we really so selfish that we NEED to have a place only for ourselves...and are unwilling to share with a few close friends/relatives in a situation that would make the playboy mansion affordable? Even if one or two lost their jobs...you'd still be secure if folks can look past the temporary hurdle.

But who am I kidding. People are stupid and selfish, at least for now. How long will it take to realize our strength is in numbers?  

I have three kids in their mid twenties,
1. DD lives in Boston in two bedroom Apt 2 couples. Rent 1200 mo divided by 4

2. my son is living on Cape Cod in a yurt with GF ,works doing maintenance for rent and is also paid $18  in cash for heavier painting etc

3.DD2 is living in Portland OR in two bedroom with 5 people.

It seems all my kids friends are doubled up at least. When I was in my twenties it seemed everyone had their own place.  Not anymore.

There is a huge glut of one bedrooms here in Maine all the 2-3 bedrooms are rented locally. With people and family piled into them.  The unit upstairs from me has been empty for six months.
But you cannot be homeless here for you will die.

[nicekitty]

You are lucky, nicekitty. I have no family, and it sucks. What I do have is toxic to the core. And I don't mean just in terms of who I could live with if my personal SHTF. It's not about whether I can get something out of them. I was jealous listening to other kids growing up talking about their families and the NORMAL things they'd do and the normal interactions. When my family got together, it was an episode of Cops. Complete with granny out front waving the shot gun at someone in her neon pink and blue tropical moo-moo gown giving the cops a run for their money and my mom crying in the corner and someone else (usually one of gradma's sisters) screaming at my grandma (from behind a very large object, of course! Granny was a good shot.) and I'd be inside half watching the show, half cleaning up the mess of broken objects and food off the walls.

I just come from trailer trash (no offense to people living in trailers, I'm speaking of the specific subculture) and the certifiably insane. What can I say. 

Funniest thing, my family is made up of hippies and gays and tattooed freaks.  Maybe we get along because we respect each others' right to be whatever we are?  Interestingly, DH's family (with the exception of DH) are uber-religious...all of them have gone on 'missions' (third-world recruitment drives for god).  Let's just say the wedding was...interesting 

[zenobia]

I have two of my sons (25 and 20) living with me.  Another one lives with my parents in NJ and the youngest is with my husband in DC, where we rent an apartment.  Even with working two jobs, my 25 y.o. still could make enough money to have his own place.  I am delighted to have them here and I expect to have at least one living with us from now on.

[Grower]

I got one for you.

There was this house in the inner city where my husband works, it was a new house built by the city redevelopment a single mom bought it, but 2 years later she lost it due to unemployment and the bank foreclosed.

My husband gets an anonymous call about the neighbor to this house has an extension cord running to the foreclosed empty house and has been using the electricity for 2 months.

It was true.  

[/color]

How abought this.
My grandmother finds the neighbors  hose connected to her waterspicket all the time!  They have a pool!  The gull of people.  She is 93.  

That's when I disconnect the hose with the hedge trimmers.

[three]

In southern China I'm renting a two bedroom + office fully furnished apartment for $650 USD/month. This includes membership to the sports complex and maintenance fees. The maintenance fees includes door to front gate shuttle service. The salon, spa restaurant and a parking space are extra. Cleaning and laundry services are available for $10 per week or you can have a live in for <$150-175/month. (0-4 days off/month)
High Speed Internet costs $250 USD/year.
Satellite TV costs $350 USD/Year includes all the channels,but it not really needed since most western TV and Movies are available to download or stream to your TV anyways. There are websites setup in China for this, they just add one or two ads to the beginning of the program.
Cell phone are the same cost if you buy a named brand but they also have some very interesting knock-offs that are cheaper and have some cool features. The cell service is really cheap though. One charge for local or long distance within China. <.05/min and <.01 for a text message and thats it, you don't get service charged to death.
three

[freeyourmind]

I got one for you.

There was this house in the inner city where my husband works, it was a new house built by the city redevelopment a single mom bought it, but 2 years later she lost it due to unemployment and the bank foreclosed.

My husband gets an anonymous call about the neighbor to this house has an extension cord running to the foreclosed empty house and has been using the electricity for 2 months.

It was true.  

[/color]

How abought this.
My grandmother finds the neighbors  hose connected to her waterspicket all the time!  They have a pool!  The gull of people.  She is 93.  

That's when I disconnect the hose with the hedge trimmers.

YES! Don't let them take advantage of someone you care about. Anothre option is to simply reel up the hose and put it in her basement, assuming of course that it was her hose. Either way, don't take any shit from them.

[Texican]

For the theft of water, have a plumber modify the line to the faucet to a cut off valve in the bathroom. This is what my grandmother had to have done in the 1960s when her water was being used without her permission.

As for the housing situation, a frind of mine whose mom died three years ago, is now living with the son of the woman dating her father.  Both the mon and the son moved in with ***** and her dad last month, after new boyfriend lost his job in Washington State.
Both adults have teenage children, so at this point, we have a house that went from three to seven within a space of two weeks and it was almost totally for economic reasons.

Texican

[golddust]

You are lucky, nicekitty. I have no family, and it sucks. What I do have is toxic to the core. And I don't mean just in terms of who I could live with if my personal SHTF. It's not about whether I can get something out of them. I was jealous listening to other kids growing up talking about their families and the NORMAL things they'd do and the normal interactions. When my family got together, it was an episode of Cops. Complete with granny out front waving the shot gun at someone in her neon pink and blue tropical moo-moo gown giving the cops a run for their money and my mom crying in the corner and someone else (usually one of gradma's sisters) screaming at my grandma (from behind a very large object, of course! Granny was a good shot.) and I'd be inside half watching the show, half cleaning up the mess of broken objects and food off the walls.

I just come from trailer trash (no offense to people living in trailers, I'm speaking of the specific subculture) and the certifiably insane. What can I say. 

Funniest thing, my family is made up of hippies and gays and tattooed freaks.  Maybe we get along because we respect each others' right to be whatever we are?  Interestingly, DH's family (with the exception of DH) are uber-religious...all of them have gone on 'missions' (third-world recruitment drives for god).  Let's just say the wedding was...interesting 

See now your family would be my kind of people! Hippie, check. Gay, check. Tattooed, check. Freak, still waving that flag! LOL. I get along with people of other religions if they're just respectful of mine and we just don't go there OR they're open minded enough to hear my non-conventional take on things (even if they don't agree) should they want to talk about such.

My family is just ridiculously dysfunctional and they were religious fundamentalists too. Well, that's what they preached anyhow. It felt like a spiritual black hole in that house.

[metaforge]

Soft rental market in Vegas.  I had one renter break a lease, and buy a house for $6,000.  Yes... $6k.  Somehow, somebody just let the place go, and the HOA managed to foreclose before the bank () and so all they wanted was past dues.  I dunno... does this sort of thing go to auction?  Anyway, this dirtbag who broke her lease got a house worth $200k even in these shit times for $6k, and I'm left holding the bag with an empty rental property.  Being a landlord sucks ass.

[Bruce]

 If the economy continues to spiral down ( we have no reason to assume otherwise) you will see more and more people stack up together in an effort to survive economically. Many of us homeowners have a spare bedroom that is not used and just sits there. I have a spare bedroom and a spare full bath and am considering seeing if I can rent it out. I don't need the money but it seems awful wasteful to not make money from it. The renter gets wireless net, cable T.V., lights and water. What a deal if your not against living close to others.....................Bruce

[nicekitty]

You are lucky, nicekitty. I have no family, and it sucks. What I do have is toxic to the core. And I don't mean just in terms of who I could live with if my personal SHTF. It's not about whether I can get something out of them. I was jealous listening to other kids growing up talking about their families and the NORMAL things they'd do and the normal interactions. When my family got together, it was an episode of Cops. Complete with granny out front waving the shot gun at someone in her neon pink and blue tropical moo-moo gown giving the cops a run for their money and my mom crying in the corner and someone else (usually one of gradma's sisters) screaming at my grandma (from behind a very large object, of course! Granny was a good shot.) and I'd be inside half watching the show, half cleaning up the mess of broken objects and food off the walls.

I just come from trailer trash (no offense to people living in trailers, I'm speaking of the specific subculture) and the certifiably insane. What can I say. 

Funniest thing, my family is made up of hippies and gays and tattooed freaks.  Maybe we get along because we respect each others' right to be whatever we are?  Interestingly, DH's family (with the exception of DH) are uber-religious...all of them have gone on 'missions' (third-world recruitment drives for god).  Let's just say the wedding was...interesting 

See now your family would be my kind of people! Hippie, check. Gay, check. Tattooed, check. Freak, still waving that flag! LOL. I get along with people of other religions if they're just respectful of mine and we just don't go there OR they're open minded enough to hear my non-conventional take on things (even if they don't agree) should they want to talk about such.

My family is just ridiculously dysfunctional and they were religious fundamentalists too. Well, that's what they preached anyhow. It felt like a spiritual black hole in that house.

I don't know if DH's crew are that respectful or that scared, but either way I've never heard them say a bad word about my family, so I'm happy 

[wordnerd]

I live in a small house - but it does have 2 bedrooms
I figure one of my children will be moving in before long
Either my daughter and her husband - who currently live in Brooklyn
or my other daughter who lives in St. Louis with her brother right now

So right now... I am really appreciating being by myself - I know it won't last!!!

[golddust]

Soft rental market in Vegas.  I had one renter break a lease, and buy a house for $6,000.  Yes... $6k.  Somehow, somebody just let the place go, and the HOA managed to foreclose before the bank () and so all they wanted was past dues.  I dunno... does this sort of thing go to auction?  Anyway, this dirtbag who broke her lease got a house worth $200k even in these shit times for $6k, and I'm left holding the bag with an empty rental property.  Being a landlord sucks ass.

If they signed a contract for a certain period, you can take them to small claims court and get the remaining balance plus legal costs.

[unhappyvoter]

I got one for you.

There was this house in the inner city where my husband works, it was a new house built by the city redevelopment a single mom bought it, but 2 years later she lost it due to unemployment and the bank foreclosed.

My husband gets an anonymous call about the neighbor to this house has an extension cord running to the foreclosed empty house and has been using the electricity for 2 months.

It was true.  

[/color]

How abought this.
My grandmother finds the neighbors  hose connected to her waterspicket all the time!  They have a pool!  The gull of people.  She is 93.  

Shit! After the first time , I definitely would've  called the cops and pressed charges!
That's theft, and taking advantage of the elderly makes it even worse, especially for their DAM POOL !
people like that ought to be put on the CHAIN GANG!!