Comments by "Comm0ut" (@Comm0ut) on "Michael Bordenaro" channel.

  1. Senior citizen who chose to lead a carefully planned life here. Most people are fools. Don't be one. Do not live in cities unless you are rich. Do not go in debt for expensive homes. Do not buy new cars. Do not buy anything for "clout". Do not "buy" condos because UNLESS you own your entire home and the lot it is on, you don't really own anything.
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  2. Walgreens service is horrible and they burn out their pharmacists. That loss is self-inflicted.
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  3. Smart seniors never UPsized in the first place but instead paid off modest properties we can afford to live in with hardly any overhead. Every current senior had DECADES to get their act together but they chose to be silly. My parents were Great Depression kids who lived wisely and I listened. I don't have much but because I always planned for adversity I'm in great shape. I would NEVER live in the expensive hood I grew up in. I have several rural acres and my alarm clock is a rooster.
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  4. "Dream homes" tend to be traps that don't really make your life better. They especially tend to be in places where you have no freedom. Inland is always the way to go. I retired debt free at 47 because I put personal freedom before shiny objects and having two modest homes and shops on my 5+ acres with total property tax under 900 bucks/year is magnificent. No HOA and few neighbors (neighbors are useless creatures only tolerable if they also own their property and mind their own business per rural custom) is icing on the cake.
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  5.  @darylyost7273  BINGO. I copied success and planned ruthlessly. My HS peers also often went into the police, Post Office, and armed forces. I chose the Air Force and fully retired before most of them. What's hilarious is I've civilian friends who also own their own land debt-free but they only have SSI disability because they really are too disabled to hold a job, but that didn't stop them from buying cheap chitty lots no one else wanted, having a used trailer dragged in then slowly fixing it up. I probably know more poor country boys who are debt-free than well-off city folk. I was born in an expensive suburb and hated it (too many rules). Today my alarm clock is a rooster.
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  6. Condos used to be a SCAM but that scam was a delayed scam whose damage hit decades after they were built. I never fell for the condo scam because I'm not mentally helpless. If you do not own ALL the structure you live in and ALL the land that structure is on you taken enormouse risk. Friends don't let friends buy condos.
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  7. I escaped a major city metro area in 1981 and don't miss it a bit. Too many people stay trapped in expensive areas. My poverty level $70K/year retirement income would not buy gutter space in north Jersey. OTOH since I live in the southeast I only need to spend about half that to live comfortably and I'm debt-free. Instead of renting garage space (common in the Northeast) if I need another I build it myself and either of mine are bigger than most apartments.
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  8. Most people are ignorant and silly. They're their own worst enemy.
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  9. Both stores specialize in crap no one needs and if they want it they can order via internet vs wasting time and money and vehicle wear fighting traffic. What many forget is how much of the US economy relies on wasteful consumerism. Brick and mortal retail doesn't get my tasks finished quicker. If I have to spend a half hour each way plus search time plus waiting in line that deprives me of time I can usefully apply to other tasks. Home Depot and Lowes are doing fine because they sell what people need to repair and maintain our homes.
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  10.  @JamesCat-qx6sb  I'm near Manning and did the same while my taxes are cheap. I'm a mechanic so not only do I not want a new car, I despise working on them and refuse to own what I cannot personally maintain. SC has many folks like ye and me. Even my disabled bros managed to buy cheap land, drop in a used singlewide then DIY over time to upgrade and add outbuildings.
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  11. Sell and leave for freedom! Condos are a scam and you can buy land with detached housing in GA or SC cheap. I did and love it.
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  12. The electricity waste alone is my dealbreaker. I'm far from rich but roughly half my income is discretionary. Meanwhile people making several times my income live hand to mouth.
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  13.  @CursedAmbition  Urban areas are bad (all of them) and they get worse (all of them). Condo owners "own" a tiny piece of property they cannot CONTROL. Bad idea and it was such an obvious scam I never fell for it.
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  14. I built and sold used cars for my bro and you are quite correct. People eagerly buy vehicles they don't need to impress people they don't really care about. Expensive phones are paid for via credit but adding them to the phone bill makes that seem painless when it's not IRL. (I buy used flagship phones opportunistically every five or so years.)
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  15. Depends where you buy and how handy you CHOOSE to be. Tenants pay someone else's mortgage.
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  16.  @john_nip_nop  I'm a child of GG parents (they never liked that term since they'd lived through WWII and the Great Depression and knew better). They bought US, British and one Toyota. My father was a WWII Army vet and bought a Toyota Camry because the US auto industry chose to build junk.
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  17. DIY is why I have plenty of disposable income. It's not hard to learn and I encourage adult education as a solid start. Auto mechanic courses easily pay for themselves and can often be free or close to it with student aid. Those teach fundamentals of many useful systems which apply to much more than vehicles.
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  18. Don't want to get exploited is more like it. Any time I hear "nobody wants to work" I ask "DO YOU if you didn't have to?" Employment is PURELY BUSINESS and a job is not a gift.
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  19.  @avengemybreath3084  OP didn't suggest living in the hood. It's never worth living in the hood even if one was born there because everyting about that environment is bad. Cities are bad so I don't live in one. No matter how much or little one makes it goes further in rural and semi-rural areas.
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  20. The entire east coast is not "crippled" . Importing Chinese consumer crap is not survival. Exaggerating for views is not cool. The employers (often foreign owned) can afford to pay the contract but choose brinksmanship. This was coming for YEARS.
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  21. Those who can should hang out for the pay bumps after 20 if you can because you will be doing something either way, and max out TSP if you have it.
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  22. Beware of oversimplification. UPS drivers are expensive. Amazon and USPS contract drivers are cheap. Examine which jobs see layoffs and most of them aren't important to the actual function of the US. My car and truck mechanic bros have plenty of work, ditto my HVAC and welding buds. The oversupply of people who may not be awesome at tech means heavy culling now and then. To be REALLY good you have to be an enthusiast since childhood, not just go to coding bootcamp and think the sun shines out your posterior. The US workforce is varied and enormous so WHO is getting laid off and who is not is relevant. The Georgia Pacific mill down the road from me is running full out and logging pine plantations is heavy because there is so much demand for the physical objects made from wood. Managing data is not the same and highly vulnerable to improvements in efficiency.
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  23. What are you doing to CHANGE careers? Adult education is awesome and thanks to Pell grants, lottery money and other student aid can be very close to free. Short term ways to get paid include getting a CDL and hitting the road. If you're not too old the military is a great instant career (bonus, it got me out of Jersey). Choose to be versatile and do things impractical to outsource.
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  24. UAW raises reflect NOT keeping up with inflation over time. If your pay doesn't match the rate of inflation every year is a pay cut.
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  25. Same here but I don't miss that era since I exploit internet access to information, goods and services. I only pay for internet and phone service which is a net win as a hardcore DIYer. No one needs television or to spend money watching fiction which just wastes time better spent learning. In a pinch I can screencast a phone to my PC and drop internet service or use a phone plan with sufficient data. The way to win is watch how others choose to lose.
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  26. Mine are excellent but they all have traditional Southern manners. I've lived in the GA/NC/SC region since 1983 and gotten uniformly helpful, excellent service all around. Where do you live so I don't accidentally move there?
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  27. My roofs don't cost 20 large because I do them myself with steel roofing (shingles are trash while one of my galvanized roofs was installed in 1965 using already used barn tin).
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  28.  @rutchjohnson  Day care is optional in two-parent families. Don't live where you need two incomes. I don't.
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  29. Alternate option I've done for decades despite never being rich is to buy cheap land with a cheap home then go hardcore DIYing. One job often pays for my tools with thousands of dollars saved. Anyone determined can do the same because my bros do too. I don't need auto mechanics, carpenters, electricians (except for inspections), plumbers, roofers, computer techs, phone techs, or other related trades because what one human can do another can do (my late wife was at least as skilled). I bought cheap acreage to escape taxes and neighbors who I've no use for then built my own workshop and machine/welding shop which I couldn't have done as a minimalist. I make less than 70K/year but about half that is discretionary income. My bros do the same and own their homes too (we cooperate on projects since we find all this DIY huge fun).
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  30. So everyone else should knuckle under because you failed to make a profitable career? Why should people be "grateful" when a job is a CONTRACT not a gift? Grateful for boots to lick? Not I.
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  31. That's why learning to human network is gold. When I took a structural/pipe welding course for fun I also volunteered and the school promptly hired me as they tend to hire from within. Social skills matter so I chose to develop mine.
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  32. "Doesn't work" if you do it wrong. The old ways are proven longer than either of us have drawn breath, they're simple and only require determination and self-discipline. One option set hasn't changed in decades but it generally ignored because civilians are so out of touch with military reality. If you can pass a physical and aren't otherwise disqualified you can easily retire (young) exactly like I and hundreds of thousands of others did and do: Enlist (wisely choosing the Air Force) then do at least 20 but preferably several more for the pay bumps.. Buy land with a modest house well before retirement so BAH will help pay for it. If you get orders, rent it out (wisely). Retire and your retirement check covers at least your mortgage for life (if you bought wisely) and your probable disability by that age (because age destroys everyone without mercy) can cover all utilities, taxes and maintenance at minimum. Your and your family medical care are covered and if you do the same smart medical care consumer choices civilians do works fine since nearly all Tricare for Life care will be civilian-provided. Retirement is everything and total dead-eyed ruthless focus can get you there because I am far from special. If you have a degree become an officer and lead an even better life. It's a structured environment so unless someone is amazingly unlucky or foolish failure is unlikely. Other options to vest a government retirement (no other is as reliable) include LEO, Merchant Marine, Post Office and general government gigs. The Federal workforce is aging out leaving many openings. All the above is practical for far more Americans than take advantage of it. Many immigrant G.I.s become citizens (I always enjoyed working with immigrants motivated enough to serve and never had a problem from a single one in my 26 years) so if you need to do that it's an option. Retirement doesn't require getting rich, it requires RELIABLE steady money and health care.
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  33. What are your skills? What are you doing to ADD skills? That you were laid off suggests it's time to expand your abilities. For example getting a CDL is an easy way to get work as a trucker. It may not be ideal but it's money. What local workforce training programs are available? Your community college is worth a visit (remember the Financial Aid folks don't get paid unless they find funding to students to keep things running). For example I've never met a decent auto mechanic who didn't have more side work than they could do in a lifetime. What one human can do, another can do. Are you young enough for the armed forces? Instant career, do 20 to vest then have a lot more income than raw pay tables suggest. Bonus, you get to leave and see the world (Europe, SK and Japan are large fun). Consider the Merchant Marine (most people don't even know it exists).
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  34. The public are too angry to care and don't want government (not that they have any more idea about it than programs they know they dislike) at all. I find this hilarious. Talent will find or create other work while ideological appointees can be managed by adopting whatever ideology runs the show.
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  35.  @Sonic6293  Smart homeowners do not have to sell anything because smart homeowners do not have to live in high COL areas. Renters are frequently trapped since their rent went to their landlord.
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  36. Realtor markups are absurd. A sales contract is not some epic accomplishment. It doesn't matter if it hurts an industry of parasites and sellers have a duty to themselves to do due diligence and know their process.
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  37. EV work for some but buying a new vehicle is for rich people who enjoy wasting money and not-rich people who should be investing or paying down their mortgage so they can retire with extra spending money. Buying a rapidly depreciating expensive asset whose value tanks hard in the first few years after purchase is unwise. The second a MSO is turned in for a title that "new" ride becomes USED. OTOH owning the deed to your house frees your income for other things while slashing your overhead. I could buy a new car for cash because I would never buy a new car, yet I have plenty of reliable vehicles that have lasted me decades and will serve me for more. Living beneath your means is gloriously liberating.
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  38. I did similarly and paid ot off. Everyone concerned was VERY happy.
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  39. In a democracy the VOTERS are solely to blame for the bad governments they relentlessly elect.
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  40. Enough money for a condo is a signal you should have bought a more affordable detached ranch home you could EASILY afford and NOT in Miami.
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  41. Smart people who knew they should lead methodically planned lives living below their means are doing fine. Never buy new vehicles, never buy too much house, never buy expensive toys, never make foolish choices. Buy cheap property and if needed renovate it yourself. Learn what you need to never be helpless. Your entertainment and hobbies should always be educational and useful so even your fun pays off. Don't eat out. Do cook for yourself and learn how to eat well and cheap. Copy people who do well in adversity. No matter what happens some folks do nicely so study them. Get multiple skills early in life. There is no one simple solution. Living cheap, really cheap, isn't difficult. The sooner you do it for life the better off you become. My parents were kids during the Great Depression. I copied their success, moved where living cost is dirt cheap and took full advantage.
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  42. Those skills do not require employment to be profitable and I'm an example. I don't pay auto mechanics except for machine shop work (too much specialty gear for me to add that at home), tire swaps and alignment. I don't pay for carpentry, plumbing, wiring (except for inspections), appliance repairs, HVAC etc.
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  43.  @momosgarage  Yes you can career shift and I'm both proof and a witness. Adult education is one way to make it happen and that's often free or near it (Pell grants, Lottery money, student aid, apprenticeship programs). For example we trained uneducated students off the proverbial block to pass 6G pipe welding hiring tests in only 19 weeks after which they worked on the road (where the big money is) or locally at a trailer fab (a starter welding job is still a job). Not every state bothers with certs for many trades like mechanics. (I've never met a decent mechanic including myself who was out of work involuntarily.) Our "mechantronics" (industrial controls etc) students got the most job offers because math filters the ignorant. CAD draftspeople are also easy hires.
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  44. If God cared why did He wreck their world in the first place and exactly why should He reverse any of that just because you asked?
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  45. College is easily accessible via community colleges but the decline of primary education (due to neglect by local school boards) ensured many HS graduates are not equipped to choose wisely. As for credit, low end (the only kind anyone not wealthy should consider if they want to pay it off before retiring) homes are often sold FSBO which is a great deal for the owner (they get the interest and have the property should the buyer default) and for wise buyers. I bought my first home with no credit check there being no reason for the seller to care, and with it being invisible to credit checks I bought my second home conventionally. Still own both, long paid off due to buying away from where the herd goes. (Growth is bad for people who buy homes to live in as opposed to flip later.) IMO a major problem is people follow the herd, buy too much house (or car, boat, SUV etc) and bury themselves.
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  46. I bought my home to LIVE IN. An odd concept perhaps, but it's been paid off for decades and I chose to live where I wanted to retire. I took care to NOT treat my home as an investment but as a way to live in retirement with minimal overhead. This worked very well and is not rocket surgery. Many of my friends did the same. Keep it small, OWN it all and slash your overhead. If the bottom drops out of the economy (recessions are perfectly normal so life plans should include them) that doesn't affect my housing cost.
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  47.  @JFEnterprize  WRONG. "Homes" are not interchangeable. When you do not own ALL the structure you live in and ALL the land it's on you are at a complete disadvantage. Thinking "a home is a home" cost many buyers their retirement money. Not me because I was always too smart for that. I do not follow the herd because the herd refuse to do their homework.
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  48. 65 here and what we can do anyone can do (my wife was a USAF CH-3 mechanic and good at it, she also wrenched anything with wheels as do I). DIY let us renovate our (inexpensive because we bought for acreage and chose old farm houses) homes inexpensively, DIY is why I have never wanted a new car or truck, yet have plenty of trucks and vintage motorcycles. The only things I've outsourced on my homes are three deep wells and one electrical inspection after I did the work (saving thousands). DIY is a major income effectiveness multiplier which is why my poorbros (we help each other because we're old and crippled) are also debt-free. They got that way buying undesirable lots, adding old single-wide mobile homes, renovating those over time while adding outbuildings etc. DIY can be great exercise. I dig trenches for pipe and wiring by hand (unlike renting a trencher then handing it back I can work at my preferred pace and reserve money for tasks I'm not equipped to do). DIY is why I have a capable home machine and welding shop. Everything I do for fun is also useful because I refuse to have useless hobbies. DIY lets me score then repair used tools, equipment and vehicles to support even more DIY. Just DO IT. Determination is everything and today everyone has access to knowledge for next to nothing.
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  49.  @kimchiba4570  Depends on the job and definition of "outsourced". SKILLED jobs mean those who start at a given date will maintain their experience advantage. Please list trade jobs you imagine can be outsourced and what "outsourced" means to you. Trades requiring a human on the spot include those I listed above. I've several years working in workforce training (which also cannot be outsourced because it is by nature onsite) along with decades in various trades (fixing fighters was the most fun but I enjoy it all),
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  50. Some are low, others not. Specialization is key. Anyone young enough should consider the Air or Space Force for an instant career and early retirement. Just because a career is a "trade" doesn't mean some trades aren't more profitable than others. All the info is out there.
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