One of my goals is to eventually be able to purchase a house. Many of my nursing colleagues are purchasing homes that are worth $450,000, $500,000 or even more. Sadly, my budget is about half of that or even less, which means the houses I have to choose from are not appealing. Most of them are small, old, or both.
I am just curious how other nurses manage to purchase decent houses? I've been looking through my income, and I just can't find a way to make it possible to incorporate such a house into my budget. I am salary, so there are no opportunities for overtime.
What are other nurses' experience with buying houses? How did you make it work? Did it require switching jobs? Inquiring minds want to know!
I have been to virtually every one of the countries that you specify and noted several things (in general).
a. Much less ability for those in the working, and middle classes to live outside the city in a rural environment.
Buddy, for £50 about $70 return and one hour flight time you could be from London, in the south of France or Milan or Barcelona or Bruges or any number of places and your argument is rural life?
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b. Effective tax rates (especially when considering VAT taxes that are integrated into virtually all good and services) that commonly range of 50% of income (especially when you consider gas taxes).
* Not even in Denmark is it that much, more like 40%. And look at what you get for your taxes! You couldn't possibly even if you made 500 k a year, get what most Northern Europeans get.
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c. Less effective ability to "choose what you want to do" there is more "tracking" on to vocational or professional tracks at younger ages.
* I honestly don't know where you are getting your info from? To become a nurse here 60k? There 15k? Extrapolate re other professions.
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d. Less ability to afford a place of decent size, and cars that are not tiny (and therefore subject to greater risk when auto accidents occur).
*Now you are taking the piss. You really haven't got so much as a clue do you? Re houses... they don't see things the same way. Re cars... You must be on another planet! Our cars don't even begin to compete in any depts! None! Performance, economy, safety and style! How many Cadillacs and Lincolns do you think we export to Europe? Zilch probably!
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e. Relatively tiny portions of food. Indeed, in visiting over 10 EU countries I actively searched for buffets and found almost none and the few I found were very expensive.
* is ignorance a default for you? We are known for gluttony!
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f. Almost no ability to defend oneself. Here I can have my AR-10's, AR15's, shotguns, pistols and rifles. There I could spend a lifetime just trying to get a permit for a revolver.
Dude, I urge you to save some money and get a life. Travel a bit. UK 72 million people? Murders... 800? Any major city in America...population 2 million. How many murders? 3000? How many mass shootings in Europe?
Where would you be safer? Are you sure you thought through your arguments?
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g. Very truncated free speech rights with no firm constitutional protections..
You are seriously taking the piss! You are comparing our freedoms with Europeans? We have only two political parties! TWO! Every country there, 6 or 10?
Who do you think is better represented?
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h. With certain exceptions a very secular society that respects traditional Christian values to an extent that makes even most left of center states seem like a Christian tent revival.
And? You are complaining because they aren't suffering from a mass delusional state?
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I. I have also traveled to virtually every state in the United States except Maine and Alaska and find great cultural variation from one state to another.
????You really are wacky mate. One hour flight from Heathrow. You can be in at least six different countries. DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!
CULTURAL VARIATIONS???
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To be sure there are some advantages to Europe in terms of social services (I really like Swiss, Poland, and Romania for example) however it is a different social contract. I cannot speak for others but as for me give me liberty or give me death.
* Except for Switzerland, I do not know what social services you will find in Poland or Romania to harp on about? Poland is about to go authoritarian and Romania is already there!
Are you channeling alternative reality? If your response is, why don't I go live there? I'm working towards it. Unless you have skied at Chamonix or Gstaad, you haven't seen great powder.
And what's this bollocks with the ammo? You planning on fighting a war? In the three years I spent in the UK. I never saw a gun or heard a gunshot and I would bet thousands of dollars, that the majority of people would never have heard a gun shot or probably seen a gun before in the UK. My grandparents live in Ascot, a small town about 25 miles from London and they don't lock their house or their cars. Most of the villages in Berkshire their county are incredibly safe and BORING!! BUT a 45mins train ride and you're in central London. The greatest city in the world!
Buddy, for £50 about $70 return and one hour flight time you could be from London, in the south of France or Milan or Barcelona or Bruges or any number of places and your argument is rural life?
* Not even in Denmark is it that much, more like 40%. And look at what you get for your taxes! You couldn't possibly even if you made 500 k a year, get what most Northern Europeans get.
* I honestly don't know where you are getting your info from? To become a nurse here 60k? There 15k? Extrapolate re other professions.
*Now you are taking the piss. You really haven't got so much as a clue do you? Re houses... they don't see things the same way. Re cars... You must be on another planet! Our cars don't even begin to compete in any depts! None! Performance, economy, safety and style! How many Cadillacs and Lincolns do you think we export to Europe? Zilch probably!
* is ignorance a default for you? We are known for gluttony!
Dude, I urge you to save some money and get a life. Travel a bit. UK 72 million people? Murders... 800? Any major city in America...population 2 million. How many murders? 3000? How many mass shootings in Europe?
Where would you be safer? Are you sure you thought through your arguments?
You are seriously taking the piss! You are comparing our freedoms with Europeans? We have only two political parties! TWO! Every country there, 6 or 10?
Who do you think is better represented?
And? You are complaining because they aren't suffering from a mass delusional state?
????You really are wacky mate. One hour flight from Heathrow. You can be in at least six different countries. DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!
CULTURAL VARIATIONS???
* Except for Switzerland, I do not know what social services you will find in Poland or Romania to harp on about? Poland is about to go authoritarian and Romania is already there!
Are you channeling alternative reality? If your response is, why don't I go live there? I'm working towards it. Unless you have skied at Chamonix or Gstaad, you haven't seen great powder.
I could not find buffets. Low carb was virtually impossible. What they called bacon simply was not. I don't drink or smoke and am not in to sex or drugs, smokers and alcohol, prostitutes and drugs seemed much more prevalent than in the United States
. My son and I only drink water and it was hard to get water refills at the restaurants. Gas was over $5.00 per gallon. I could never get full on their meals (granted I only eat one meal a day and even then only four days per week). I live in a modest 2500 square foot rental with a pool in a gated community for 1800 per month. Our landlord's (whom we visited in the UK) said their home was worth about 1.5 million pounds and was about half the size (granted it had more character) they said to live in the country was quite expensive. I don't ski. I could not find any shooting ranges and didn't see a gun store except in Swiss. My friend in the ICU who moved from London said he earned about $20.00 per hour as a RN with five years experience there. Here he was earning about $40.00 at the time. He also said that taxes were over 50% when you considered VAT tax, gasoline. He said in Florida he was paying about 12% Federal income tax after standard deductions (no state income tax here). I could not find a single Walmart in Europe (my favorite store). I could not find most of the supplements like SAMe that I take daily for ADHD and MDD. I could not find a minivan to rent at any price (We only drive Honda and Toyota minivans). None of the hotels I stayed at would facilitate hooking up my PS4 (most in the United States do) and yes I brought a converter. People thought me odd for wearing shorts which I wear here even to very nice restaurants. The group seating at many restaurants (especially pubs) freaked me out. When I would describe our modest home with a pool in a gated community for $1800 to Uber drivers they told me (in the UK they basically didn't speak to me in France) they told me they paid that for their small flats 30min outside of London. The beds were tiny and A/C was rare in every country we visited. The museums were especially hot. The cameras for traffic enforcement were miserable with the speed limits constantly changing I always felt like I was getting a ticket. Going across borders even in the EU via car sucked. I could go on for days.
I could not find buffets. Low carb was virtually impossible. What they called bacon simply was not. I don't drink or smoke and am not in to sex or drugs, smokers and alcohol, prostitutes and drugs seemed much more prevalent than in the United States
. My son and I only drink water and it was hard to get water refills at the restaurants. Gas was over $5.00 per gallon. I could never get full on their meals (granted I only eat one meal a day and even then only four days per week). I live in a modest 2500 square foot rental with a pool in a gated community for 1800 per month. Our landlord's (whom we visited in the UK) said their home was worth about 1.5 million pounds and was about half the size (granted it had more character) they said to live in the country was quite expensive. I don't ski. I could not find any shooting ranges and didn't see a gun store except in Swiss. My friend in the ICU who moved from London said he earned about $20.00 per hour as a RN with five years experience there. Here he was earning about $40.00 at the time. He also said that taxes were over 50% when you considered VAT tax, gasoline. He said in Florida he was paying about 12% Federal income tax after standard deductions (no state income tax here). I could not find a single Walmart in Europe (my favorite store). I could not find most of the supplements like SAMe that I take daily for ADHD and MDD. I could not find a minivan to rent at any price (We only drive Honda and Toyota minivans). None of the hotels I stayed at would facilitate hooking up my PS4 (most in the United States do) and yes I brought a converter. People thought me odd for wearing shorts which I wear here even to very nice restaurants. The group seating at many restaurants (especially pubs) freaked me out. When I would describe our modest home with a pool in a gated community for $1800 to Uber drivers they told me (in the UK they basically didn't speak to me in France) they told me they paid that for their small flats 30min outside of London. The beds were tiny and A/C was rare in every country we visited. The museums were especially hot. The cameras for traffic enforcement were miserable with the speed limits constantly changing I always felt like I was getting a ticket. Going across borders even in the EU via car sucked. I could go on for days.
Myo, you have made my week. This is the best post I have read in a long time. I hope you don't mind if I show this to my parents. They will be so pleased. They have been here since the mid eighties and still can't get over the ignorance of Americans. They will absolutely love this.
You go to Europe and expect buffets and gun shops and ignore countries and cultures thousands of years old and you actually mentioned that it wasn't the same as America.
It's no wonder you believe the things you do. I hope Macawake and GrumpyRN reads this. No wonder my parents found it so easy to fit in here. We have literally no complexity or culture at all.
I don't think I will show this to them because they will never stop trying to shove it down my throat. You really have done something amazing here. No one in my opinion has encapsulated Americana as well as this. No one knows who you are so try and submit it to the NY Times and Washington Post travel sections. I am willing to bet this piece will be a sensation!
No offense intended! I think we would be great drinking buddies in another life. You would have me in stitches ??❤️??man!
Don't change for anyone dude. Innocence cannot be retrieved once it's lost.
First off my loans about about 160K most of it occurred to get my ASN over 12 years ago. During that time I "maxed borrowed" to help pay rent so I only had to work part time. Also, I took more loans for my BSN again to subsidize my income since I went down to part time as an RN ICU nurse to make it through school. No loans for my Masters (but since I haven't made payments 30K or so is interest thus the original amount was around 130K). The rest of the 30K in credit card debt was run up over the years (it was around 45K in Jan 2020 went I started working as an NP). My SO owes her own 60 K in student loans also ran up during her ASN when she max borrowed to only work part time. So my gross is around 25K per month. Here is where that goes:
a. Around 9k to a tax account I take off around 36% in taxes Leaving around 16K.
b. I give my SO around $4,500 in expense money since she switched jobs to my company and is just now rebuilding her income (back up to around 8K per month before taxes she was making $80.00 per hour at her old NP gig).
c. I pay for my son to help me in my business doing clerical things about $600 per month. Straight cash so I cannot write it off as an expense.
d. I pay about 4K each month to the credit card companies.
e. I spend about 2K per month eating out since I don't finish until 11PM EST we never eat at home. However, since I fast three days per week I only eat food on Sat, Sun, Mon, and Thur.
f. I don't own a car so my SO pays the one car loan. I do drive her 2012 older minivan paid off.
g. I buy about $500.00 per month in ammo.
h. I buy about $800.00 per month in Silver.
I. I buy about $300.00 per month in supplements for myself and my son. I treat our severe ADHD naturally and I purchase most of the supplements that I advise to my clients.
K. I spend about $300 month on professional journals, podcasts and paranormal podcasts that I like.
L. I buy about $300.00 per month in Crypto currency.
M. I buy about $300.00 per month in stock on E-trade.
N. I buy mom son's groceries at college each week about $600 per month.
O. I buy all of my sons science books also for myself so that I can meet with him each week and try to tutor him in Anatomy, Micro, and Chemistry, but we usually end up arguing because he doesn't want my help any longer.
Keep in mind my income started at $1700 in Jan of last year and only increased to the present level in Nov of last year.
Not really sure where the rest goes. Although, I have built up about 10K in my checking savings account and my SO has built up about 60K or so in various accounts (but we keep our finances completely separate). Honestly, I aspire to have maybe an RV that I pull with a truck and live as a Nomad either on our own land or someplace with internet so I can do my job. I would work even if I won the lottery. It would be nice to be able to afford a place of my own and be able to have a garden. I was sad last week when I tried to plant some flowers and a few vegetables on the back side of my house behind some bushes and the homeowners association still cut them down. .
I would suggest you cut back on investing in silver and cryptocurrency and put that money toward your student loans. Those tend to be risky investments that may be high one minute, than crash the next. At least the student loan payoff is definite return on your money no risk. If you like guns so much why don't you get a job in the military as they have excellent student tuition reimbursement. Obviously you make a lot more than full time military, but you could do the reserves. The groceries for your son seems high for a single person as well as your monthly food bill. Don't own a gun, but $500 a month seems like a lot to me.
As you are older in your 50's I would want to get rid of the student loans ASAP. They limit your ability to qualify for a mortgage and there are no bankruptcy options for student loans, unlike other debts, even gambling! Last I read over 100,000 seniors are having their social security garnished to pay off defaulted student loans. So far the income based repayment plans have been a dismal failure 99% rejection! To me investing in silver, gold, commodities, options and currencies is pretty risky, tantamount to financial gambling. Why don't you pay your student loans off first or at least pay them down before putting so much of your money in these high risk investments.
It took me almost 25 years to pay them off. I had much less than you and was advised to consolidate them to be able to afford a house. It cut my payments in half, but I wasn't able to pay off sooner due to the mortgage and all the costs of being a homeowner. My housing costs tripled and I bought a modest home! While luckily for me it all worked out, I was highly debt leveraged for many years and that was very stressful. I worried about money a lot. Strangely, now that I took early retirement I am not stressed about money even though I have only a small pension and my retirement savings. I am more frugal now than before and was able to pay down debt, refi mortgage 2.6%, car is paid for and I have a HELOC in case of an emergency. It's not ideal and not my original plan, but I'm making it work. I will keep my nursing license in case I decide to work part time, but now I'm taking care of my mom and just enjoying freedom from stress. Now I have time to take care of my own health, house and family. I take some supplements too that I've researched, and plan to enjoy bike riding now that the weather is warming up.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Well this took an interesting turn. Now we have two dudes comparing peens?
Im embarrassed for everyone here that this is in the general nursing forum in all its glory for everyone to see. Nothing to see here, folks! Just another day on a professional nursing site. But hey, whatever gets clicks, I guess?
First off my loans about about 160K most of it occurred to get my ASN over 12 years ago. During that time I "maxed borrowed" to help pay rent so I only had to work part time. Also, I took more loans for my BSN again to subsidize my income since I went down to part time as an RN ICU nurse to make it through school. No loans for my Masters (but since I haven't made payments 30K or so is interest thus the original amount was around 130K). The rest of the 30K in credit card debt was run up over the years (it was around 45K in Jan 2020 went I started working as an NP). My SO owes her own 60 K in student loans also ran up during her ASN when she max borrowed to only work part time. So my gross is around 25K per month. Here is where that goes:
a. Around 9k to a tax account I take off around 36% in taxes Leaving around 16K.
b. I give my SO around $4,500 in expense money since she switched jobs to my company and is just now rebuilding her income (back up to around 8K per month before taxes she was making $80.00 per hour at her old NP gig).
c. I pay for my son to help me in my business doing clerical things about $600 per month. Straight cash so I cannot write it off as an expense.
d. I pay about 4K each month to the credit card companies.
e. I spend about 2K per month eating out since I don't finish until 11PM EST we never eat at home. However, since I fast three days per week I only eat food on Sat, Sun, Mon, and Thur.
f. I don't own a car so my SO pays the one car loan. I do drive her 2012 older minivan paid off.
g. I buy about $500.00 per month in ammo.
h. I buy about $800.00 per month in Silver.
I. I buy about $300.00 per month in supplements for myself and my son. I treat our severe ADHD naturally and I purchase most of the supplements that I advise to my clients.
K. I spend about $300 month on professional journals, podcasts and paranormal podcasts that I like.
L. I buy about $300.00 per month in Crypto currency.
M. I buy about $300.00 per month in stock on E-trade.
N. I buy mom son's groceries at college each week about $600 per month.
O. I buy all of my sons science books also for myself so that I can meet with him each week and try to tutor him in Anatomy, Micro, and Chemistry, but we usually end up arguing because he doesn't want my help any longer.
Keep in mind my income started at $1700 in Jan of last year and only increased to the present level in Nov of last year.
Not really sure where the rest goes. Although, I have built up about 10K in my checking savings account and my SO has built up about 60K or so in various accounts (but we keep our finances completely separate). Honestly, I aspire to have maybe an RV that I pull with a truck and live as a Nomad either on our own land or someplace with internet so I can do my job. I would work even if I won the lottery. It would be nice to be able to afford a place of my own and be able to have a garden. I was sad last week when I tried to plant some flowers and a few vegetables on the back side of my house behind some bushes and the homeowners association still cut them down. .
Well, we all have the ability to choose how we want to spend our money. My choices are certainly different from yours. I have no problem with your decisions until you start complaining that life is so hard that you can’t even own a home— but you spend hundreds of dollars a month on hobbies (ammo, eTrade, etc) and thousands on eating out. As long as you’re fine with your choices (which are certainly unconventional!), I mean, keep it up I guess. Takes all kinds to make the world go around.
I am coming back and editing to say that, snark aside, it might be really useful for you to meet with a good budgeting expert or financial advisor. I’m not a Dave Ramsey nut, but I do know his program called “financial peace university” is well-regarded and not expensive. I’m sure there are many other people who could similarly help you make a plan. You and your SO are fortunate to have a lot of income, and if you could get your spending under control, you’d really be able to live the life you dream about.
Well, we all have the ability to choose how we want to spend our money. My choices are certainly different from yours. I have no problem with your decisions until you start complaining that life is so hard that you can’t even own a home— but you spend hundreds of dollars a month on hobbies (ammo, eTrade, etc) and thousands on eating out. As long as you’re fine with your choices (which are certainly unconventional!), I mean, keep it up I guess. Takes all kinds to make the world go around.
I am coming back and editing to say that, snark aside, it might be really useful for you to meet with a good budgeting expert or financial advisor. I’m not a Dave Ramsey nut, but I do know his program called “financial peace university” is well-regarded and not expensive. I’m sure there are many other people who could similarly help you make a plan. You and your SO are fortunate to have a lot of income, and if you could get your spending under control, you’d really be able to live the life you dream about.
One of our core issues is that my SO and I live "separate" financial lives. There is no coordination. Our long term goals are fairly different. Thus it makes Dave Ramsey's approach difficult. It has been this way for over 30 years between us and I do not see it likely to change now.
Strangely, now that I took early retirement I am not stressed about money even though I have only a small pension and my retirement savings.
That is the same with me! I spend so much less on restaurants/takeout because I am home already. That and I really do not buy junk food to eat after a long day. I do not have those excuses any more. We alternate driving our two cars and paid off the last car loan asp. I always thought I would work until 70 but glad my CPA husband talked me into it.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
1 hour ago, myoglobin said:
One of our core issues is that my SO and I live "separate" financial lives. There is no coordination. Our long term goals are fairly different. Thus it makes Dave Ramsey's approach difficult.
guest1163268
2,215 Posts
Buddy, for £50 about $70 return and one hour flight time you could be from London, in the south of France or Milan or Barcelona or Bruges or any number of places and your argument is rural life?
* Not even in Denmark is it that much, more like 40%. And look at what you get for your taxes! You couldn't possibly even if you made 500 k a year, get what most Northern Europeans get.
* I honestly don't know where you are getting your info from? To become a nurse here 60k? There 15k? Extrapolate re other professions.
*Now you are taking the piss. You really haven't got so much as a clue do you? Re houses... they don't see things the same way. Re cars... You must be on another planet! Our cars don't even begin to compete in any depts! None! Performance, economy, safety and style! How many Cadillacs and Lincolns do you think we export to Europe? Zilch probably!
* is ignorance a default for you? We are known for gluttony!
Dude, I urge you to save some money and get a life. Travel a bit. UK 72 million people? Murders... 800? Any major city in America...population 2 million. How many murders? 3000? How many mass shootings in Europe?
Where would you be safer? Are you sure you thought through your arguments?
You are seriously taking the piss! You are comparing our freedoms with Europeans? We have only two political parties! TWO! Every country there, 6 or 10?
Who do you think is better represented?
And? You are complaining because they aren't suffering from a mass delusional state?
????You really are wacky mate. One hour flight from Heathrow. You can be in at least six different countries. DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!
CULTURAL VARIATIONS???
* Except for Switzerland, I do not know what social services you will find in Poland or Romania to harp on about? Poland is about to go authoritarian and Romania is already there!
Are you channeling alternative reality? If your response is, why don't I go live there? I'm working towards it. Unless you have skied at Chamonix or Gstaad, you haven't seen great powder.
And what's this bollocks with the ammo? You planning on fighting a war? In the three years I spent in the UK. I never saw a gun or heard a gunshot and I would bet thousands of dollars, that the majority of people would never have heard a gun shot or probably seen a gun before in the UK. My grandparents live in Ascot, a small town about 25 miles from London and they don't lock their house or their cars. Most of the villages in Berkshire their county are incredibly safe and BORING!! BUT a 45mins train ride and you're in central London. The greatest city in the world!