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Spare me the condescending comments - I am a food worker-
I grow a very large garden and can/freeze the surplus (garden is 20 yards x 40 yards), also grow raspberries, blackberries, grapes, have a 5 tree small apple orchard and a couple of peach trees. A significant part of my time each spring, summer and fall is devoted to food production during the growing season.
Besides suppling my family, a portion of the gardens excess produce is given to our community's food bank- this year cucumbers, squash and watermelons - happy to share it.

As mentioned in my younger years (post 410) more time than I care to remember was spent working in tobacco fields. I grew up in an agricultural community and also spent time taking care of the animals.

 

Make sure she's also a Star Trek fan so that you can explain to her about the similarities between the CCP and the Ferengi and where women and minorities fit into things.
The The Rules of Acquisition will also give her insight about the corruption....

Gee....I'm officially getting old now, I suppose.
I remember in the 80s when it was those wily Japanese who were going to sideline us in STEM.
Same tired old tropes as when Regan was in the oral office.

No wait.....they didn't call it that then.....


SSDD.

 

never ask a frog the temperature of the pot

 

The water seems to be knee-deep....

 

Sorry. I probably should have worded that a lot differently and am sorry if I offended. You sound like a good person.

What bothers me is that for one, of course people don't think that working as some sort of helper or at a fast-food restaurant is going to be a life career. And for two, that we keep getting bashed in the head with "just work harder" and "just learn some new skills" as the solution to all our problems.

There is no benefit in having a degree or years of experience or knowledge. When I can make the same amount of money owning my own janitorial business with all my own tools and labor force as working as a heavy machine operator with several certificates as working at McDonald's the whole thing becomes pointless.

The math is simple. If one wants a two-bedroom condo or fixer-upper house in one's name so that one can get married and raise a kid or two in that home

... then one would either need to make $60 per hour or work two fulltime jobs at $30 per hour.

But any "solution" to making that much means being away from the home one is buying almost all the time. Which, in turn, makes the whole thing pointless.

 

Yea...let's just all go on welfare and let .gov decide our standard of living.

 

And what alternative do you suggest?

If you're not rich now you're screwed.

It's not the governments fault. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.

Housing is an investment so it will continually keep getting more expensive. There is no solution. There are plenty of places they've tried building more homes, but it doesn't work. Rich cooperations buy them up and keep them empty if need be, just to control prices.

 

Just wondering how do you use a solar roof to charge EVs and save?

I live in California. Since Jan 2020 the state has mandated that new houses have solar roofs. After forced to spend $10's of thousands on a solar roof, people find out that with the NEW 3.0 algorithm, the utility company pay you penny (about $0.02/kWh) for your extra solar electricity, but charge you many times more ($0.25/kWh or $0.58/kWh depending on the time of the day) if you use theirs.

If one has a regular day job and needs to drive their EVs, he has to pay the utility company charging rates regardless of the solar roof.

If one's EV is in the garage during daytime, I guess he can use his solar power to charge his EV. However, the solar roof output varies during the day. It may produce 70% of its rated power around noon, but only 30-40% in the morning or afternoon. To avoid paying the high rate, one needs to take this into account. For example, for a 11 kW level 2 charger in early morning or later afternoon, a 30 kW solar roof is needed.

Another way is to install a storage battery. But it will be another big ticket item. Is it worth it?

 

I do not concur.

Why do millions of people leave their homes and family behind, and risk their families and their very lives trying to break into this country so that they may have the opportunity to 'get screwed?"

 

+1

... and why in many parts of our country are they building homes as fast as they can because normal working level people are purchasing them to live in?

I do hear your complaint about home affordability in your area - some areas of our country do have an issue with home prices because of a number of reasons - many other areas do not have that situation to that degree.

The 25 Most Affordable Places to Buy a Home | Zillow

 

Buying a home is like defending yourself with a handgun.
It's ALLLL about location!

There's no shame in renting, and most people in places like new YORK! city are never going to be home owners or, frankly, car drivers.
It's working for them.
(......at least for now.)
When I was growing up NYC was a VERY different place!!


I have a brother who is trapped behind the tinsel curtain, and he actually DOES own a home - but.....his home owns HIM if the truth were told.
HOWEVER (comma!)
He has three pretty decent kids who are going to be value adds to this great country and if you think about it that's a lot more important than "owning a home" that somebody else will be living in shortly.

 

Not true. I started off street rat and now I'm less than one year from retiring "very, very" comfortably.

 

It is true. Try going from a street rat to a retiree today and then come tell me if it's true or not.

I said if you're rich today, as in right now. If you were able to get on the rich train then either you did it starting several decades ago or you didn't spend any time with your wife and kids.

 

I schedule my EV charging to occur during the peak solar at a rate that matches the solar panel generation, 4.8 kW:

• Start charging at 10:30 AM - due to local conditions, the steepest increase to peak solar power.
  • Sun rise to 10:30 AM charges battery
• End charging at ~7 PM - actually it tapers down about 5 PM but I take every kWh available
• Two EVs - drive one and leave other on charger

This has to due with efficiency:

• 100% to charge during peak solar
  • charge car
  • hot water shower
  • wash clothes
  • oven cooking
• 86% IN/OUT battery efficiency . . . maximize loads during the day
• some grid - minimize power draw when only grid available

Bob Wilson

 

I can retire right now.
No.
I'm not going to be 'comfortable' whatever that means to everyone here but I WOULD BE able to eat, sleep indoors, stay married to the love of my life, and not be a burden to my children.
Those were and ARE my priorities - and I made MANY MANY mistakes along the way.
I can reach full income replacement in a few years, and since I have a working knowledge with 8th grade level mathematics I've always set a goal of retiring AND maintaining my minimum standards without relying on Social Security.

I'm not GOING to retire until my health forces me to or until I reach full replacement income for my hourly, union shop job that only required a high school diploma, a relatively clean driving and criminal record, and the ability to pass a battery of tests, most of which I was shocked to learn that some people WITH a high school diploma could NOT pass!

Was I 'lucky?'
'privileged?'

Yes and no.

I spent a full year overseas and away from my family in the 2000s, and six years after I came home???
I did it again!
My reward for that was being able to retire from the military with a modest stipend (about 30K before taxes) and some health benefits
Instead of experiencing the 'college life' during my 20's or taking a 'gap year' out of High School I did 10 patrols in submarines and dozens of under-ways on a survey ship.
My reward for that was working 80-90 hour weeks as a defense contractor with a barista paycheck and decent benefits and, ultimately, being ABLE to easily pass tests to get a job with Big Bell - eventually.

Generally speaking, in America people make their own luck.
If I were smarter or worked a little bit harder I would already be retired and a lot more wealthy, if perhaps not as happy as I am now....

Charge a BEV with rooftop solar?
Easy! Even with a grid-tie system.
Charge a BEV with rooftop solar - AND SAVE?
That's fairly easy too, considering you already have the panels.
Just don't kid yourself into believing that the ROI numbers for this thing or that gadget are believable unless you take an agnostic look at the real numbers and consider the loss (or gain ) of investment dollars or other benefits of this strange new strategery called 'saving for the future.'


"Is it worth it?" is subjective, and it depends on many factors......'

Leaving the political or religious considerations aside, and presuming a zip code that starts off with a '9' I'd say 'no' to the Lifepo4 bank and I'd try to adopt a "sucks less" approach to using the PEV panels that you were....um....'compelled' to install.
The battery bank might be useful if your area has a Bagdad c-2004 reliable power grid and if the rumors I'm hearing about natgas and propane generators behind the tinsel curtain are true.
If you or family members have or are likely to develop chronic health issues that make you more sensitive to power interruptions then that will also have to be plugged into the algorithm.

GOOD LUCK!
(really!)

 

Might be cheaper just to get a second EV and alternate between them.

 

Joining the Armed Services was and still is a good way to kick start a young man's life- learn a trade and grow up all at the same time.
It does come with some hazards - (Vietnam in my case).

Now days if the Armed Services doesn't blow your dress up places like Amazon, Walmart, Kroger's, Starbucks etc all provide benefits and would help pay for a college/vocational school education/degree.

Life isn't easy, I don't think it is supposed to be.

 

Paul newman, a true Giver. Even in death the charity carries forward.

FAQ | Newman’s Own Foundation Partnership

Miss you, King of cool
.

 

Great question.
It depends is probably the best answer.

In many areas a $20,000 to $30,000 solar system will never pay for itself in your lifetime or the systems expected lifespan..

Variables like price of utilities etc. can change that equation but unless the price of systems and efficiencies increase it just may not make economic/financial sense.

Now if you are an environmentalist, live in an area that has unreliable power infastructure or like self sufficiency these may be subjective considerations (as opposed to financial) that swing the pendulum toward installing a solar system and battery backup