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Post by guzismom on Sept 23, 2024 12:54:44 GMT
I don't shop that way...I am the opposite, in fact. I buy for the way I am currently living. When I bought my car, the kids were in grade school and we carpooled with another family...hence, three levels of seats. When we built our house we were a family of four...so, three bedrooms. Currently, only two of us live in the house; but it is paid for and I love it, so why sell it?
I am planning to start downsizing my stuff in the New Year; I may start sooner, but with so much travel, I am hesitant to commit to anything on a regular basis until 2025. I also want to make a book for my girls with details they will need when I pass away. Having turned 60 (and hubby 70) this year, the end of life has been very much on my mind.
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Post by guzismom on Sept 23, 2024 12:58:29 GMT
It's pickup trucks that represent this kind of over-consumption to me the most. They have gotten so ridiculously large that I am barely tall enough to be seen from the driver's seat if I were standing at the front bumper. The beds are much higher too which makes loading them more difficult. Then again I think a lot of people who buy them only need the bed just a few times a year.
Yes, I think this is weird too. Jeremy drives a pickup but it's because we tow our camper. If we weren't campers, we wouldn't have a truck. I'm also surprised by the number of people who drive SUVs in warm climates. Surely they don't need 4 wheel drive like those of us in snowy areas do. I've never understood it. Actually, I live in one of those places and you would be surprised by the number of unpaved roads we have here...if I didn't have my SUV, our smaller car would likely get damaged and/or be useless to get to some of our friends houses, places we like to hike, etc. I didn't BUY my SUV/4 wheel drive for that purpose (I owned it when I needed all the seats for school carpool), but I sure am glad I still have it 20 years later for this reason. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Sept 23, 2024 12:59:29 GMT
I am planning to start downsizing my stuff in the New Year; I may start sooner, but with so much travel, I am hesitant to commit to anything on a regular basis until 2025. I also want to make a book for my girls with details they will need when I pass away. Having turned 60 (and hubby 70) this year, the end of life has been very much on my mind. Come and join us over on the Decluttering and Organizing Thread. You can find lots of ideas and encouragement over there. If you don't start this year, we'll be back in January with a new thread! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 23, 2024 13:19:27 GMT
Yeah, I get all that. Do you really think these exceptions are the real reasons a lot of people choose SUVs? (I don’t want a van.) Let's explore this comment. I think this may be dancing around the point I was trying to make. If you (general) need cargo space, why don't you want a van? I have owned two vans and three SUVs. Vans have far more cargo space than an SUV. With 7 people in our van, we still had enough trunk space for luggage for like a 4 day vacation. My sister's 7 seater SUV? Has virtually no trunk space with all seats up. In addition, they really are a lot roomier and more comfortable to ride in if you have more than 4 people. I’ll answer this one. I will never own another van. We had an Astrovan for a minute years ago. We bought it used from a neighbor who loved it and I drove it for maybe one week. I *HATED* it, especially for driving in inclement weather. I was driving to work one day after a winter storm and I literally spun out and did a 360° in the middle of an intersection which was scary as hell. I wasn’t driving fast or crazy or anything. Just hit a patch of black ice wrong, the wheels didn’t grip and totally lost control. Thankfully I didn’t hit anything and no one hit me (which was a miracle in itself), but that was the last time I would ever drive it. I called my DH from work and told me he needed to come get me at the end of my shift because I wasn’t driving it home. My current car is an Escape (last one was too) and it’s considered an SUV and has all wheel drive. I think it has much better visibility around the vehicle while driving and way better handling than a van has, at least IME. For as long as I’ve known him, my DH has always owned a pickup truck because he has also always owned something else that he needed to have a truck to tow it, either a fishing boat, an ATV, a trailer (soooo many trailers!), among other things. It’s a pretty safe bet to say he will always own a truck. The one thing that I honestly never thought we would ever use again after the initial reason we purchased it was a 6’x12’ enclosed trailer that he bought before we moved in 2012. I thought he was crazy to buy that trailer when we could have just rented one for the move. I’m going to say right here, right now that thing was one of the best purchases we’ve ever made because we use it all.the.time. We’ve used it to move furniture, appliances, lumber, smaller vehicles (ATV, lawnmower, snowblower), big equipment that we rented for a day, massive quantities of plants and have helped a few friends move with it. Just two weeks ago we used it to haul our old chest freezer to the lake cabin after we replaced it with a new upright freezer. We store our riding lawn mower in it at home like a rolling shed and take it to our rental house to mow the grass there every week. It’s something that we’ve absolutely gotten our money’s worth out of and would probably go buy another right away if anything ever happened to it. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 23, 2024 14:06:02 GMT
crazy4scraps I had an escape when I did an hour long commute each way. And I'll just tell you that it was the very best car I have ever had with how it handled in the snow. This was like 2006.
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Post by Linda on Sept 23, 2024 15:00:18 GMT
Actually, I live in one of those places and you would be surprised by the number of unpaved roads we have here good point - we're on a paved road now but our last TWO houses were both on dirt roads (one private, one city maintained) and we get a ton of rain here so they get muddy and then rutted/washboard |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 23, 2024 15:12:02 GMT
crazy4scraps I had an escape when I did an hour long commute each way. And I'll just tell you that it was the very best car I have ever had with how it handled in the snow. This was like 2006. My first one had front wheel drive and it was good, but DH didn’t like how it sometimes couldn’t make it up the driveway incline if it was icy. So when we traded it in he made sure the new one had all wheel drive and that hasn’t been an issue since. Both were/are great cars but the AWD is a game changer on those icy days. It’s been very reliable. He’s said that we’ll drive it for another two years until DD is old enough to drive and it can be passed down to her, and at that point we’ll get a different vehicle for me. |
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Post by katlady on Sept 23, 2024 16:42:06 GMT
Let's explore this comment. I think this may be dancing around the point I was trying to make. If you (general) need cargo space, why don't you want a van? I have owned two vans and three SUVs. Vans have far more cargo space than an SUV. With 7 people in our van, we still had enough trunk space for luggage for like a 4 day vacation. My sister's 7 seater SUV? Has virtually no trunk space with all seats up. In addition, they really are a lot roomier and more comfortable to ride in if you have more than 4 people. For us, a van, even a mini-van, is too big. We don't need to seat 7 people. A lot of times it is just two of us, and an occasional dog. But, we can lower the back seat for more trunk space if needed. The trunk can also hold taller things that a conventional sedan cannot. There are so many SUV's driving around So.Cal, probably more than sedans I would guess. They are just good all-purpose cars, bigger than a sedan, but not as big as a pickup truck or van. And what I say next may start a whole new conversation, but many people, especially guys, do not see a van as being "cool". It is called a "soccer-mom" vehicle for a reason.  One friend said he would never own a mini-van. SUV's are sportier looking than a boxy van. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 23, 2024 17:05:10 GMT
And what I say next may start a whole new conversation, but many people, especially guys, do not see a van as being "cool". It is called a "soccer-mom" vehicle for a reason. At least someone wants to own it. Thank you.  This is a thread about consumption. I gave my opinions about consumption and I know I'm not alone in my assessment that people think/feel this way. So if you (general) do, just own it. I wanted a car with AWD after my last car slipped and slid more than I liked. I picked a really small SUV (trailblazer). The color is oasis blue. Seriously bright ass blue. I love it. I could have chosen from any number of black/silver/white cars, but I wanted the blue one purely based on aethetics. I'm not ashamed to say that. In the humor book, Midlife Bites by Jen Mann she talks about how the Jeep Wrangler is the official car of the female mid-life crisis. Funny. Why is it funny? Because there's a bit of truth there which is what makes something funny. These people aren't off-roading in their Jeeps, they are in the Costco parking lot. LOL! General you (not you, katlady) just start owning some of your thinking/feelings/actions. I promise that people can disagree with or view in different way the choice you make without thinking you are a bad person for making it. You can also view my choices as problematic, I'm good with that. |
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Post by melanell on Sept 23, 2024 17:50:30 GMT
My Dad is an SUV/pick-up truck kind of guy--but mostly SUV. I can only recall one time in my entire life when he owned a car and it was during a time when my parents were really struggling & his vehicle died. He needed a vehicle to get to work each day, so they bought what they could afford which was an ugly boat of a sedan of some sort in the weirdest not gold, not green, not yellow color imaginable. He kept it a for a far shorter time than any other vehicle I've ever known him to own. Maybe a year, maybe less. Just until he could afford something bigger/taller again. He basically started buying SUVs before they were called that--he had one International Scout after another, and moved on to Jeep Grand Wagoneers. I have never owned anything but a subcompact car, myself. I have driven a few of Dad's SUVs over the years, and I just don't like driving them. I have never driven a mini-van, but I have no desire to ever do so. When DH & I were younger and people would ask about if we were having more children, my answer was always "Nope. I can only have 2, any more and they won't fit in my car." Now, technically, I used to drive 3 or 4 kids around, but I could only easily fit 2 car seats in the car at a time. So I didn't drive any more than 2 car seat age kids at a time. But yeah, it was really never about anything environmental or even financial for me in making those choices. I just prefer to drive a smaller vehicle. That's it. I have a Honda Fit, and it lives up to its name. I've managed to transport a queen size headboard, an oversized steamer trunk, a Christmas tree (live--inside the car, LOL!), and a washing machine at different times. Also luggage for 4 people to go on a week long trip. My current Fit is my 2nd one, and I'd gladly keep buying them if they kept making them for the US market. Alas, they are no longer doing that.  |
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Post by Zee on Sept 23, 2024 18:09:48 GMT
SUVs and 4WD aren't just for snow. I have a few friends who live on very rural mountain roads that my car has trouble getting through and if it's rainy, forget it. I take DH's pickup for that. Also people like to take their Jeeps mudding. I don't personally, but it's definitely fun to be along for the ride. They're great for camping, for towing a camper, for when we visit family in winter, and for our event shows we do (to fit all the stuff). Yeah, I get all that. Do you really think these exceptions are the real reasons a lot of people choose SUVs? Let's explore this comment. I think this may be dancing around the point I was trying to make. If you (general) need cargo space, why don't you want a van? I have owned two vans and three SUVs. Vans have far more cargo space than an SUV. With 7 people in our van, we still had enough trunk space for luggage for like a 4 day vacation. My sister's 7 seater SUV? Has virtually no trunk space with all seats up. In addition, they really are a lot roomier and more comfortable to ride in if you have more than 4 people. Yes, why wouldn't those exceptions be the reason? Why does it bother you? |
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Post by Zee on Sept 23, 2024 18:14:59 GMT
And what I say next may start a whole new conversation, but many people, especially guys, do not see a van as being "cool". It is called a "soccer-mom" vehicle for a reason. At least someone wants to own it. Thank you. This is a thread about consumption. I gave my opinions about consumption and I know I'm not alone in my assessment that people think/feel this way. So if you (general) do, just own it. I wanted a car with AWD after my last car slipped and slid more than I liked. I picked a really small SUV (trailblazer). The color is oasis blue. Seriously bright ass blue. I love it. I could have chosen from any number of black/silver/white cars, but I wanted the blue one purely based on aethetics. I'm not ashamed to say that. In the humor book, Midlife Bites by Jen Mann she talks about how the Jeep Wrangler is the official car of the female mid-life crisis. Funny. Why is it funny? Because there's a bit of truth there which is what makes something funny. These people aren't off-roading in their Jeeps, they are in the Costco parking lot. LOL! General you (not you, katlady) just start owning some of your thinking/feelings/actions. I promise that people can disagree with or view in different way the choice you make without thinking you are a bad person for making it. You can also view my choices as problematic, I'm good with that. Oh, I see, you wanted me to "own it". I wasn't answering for myself, I was offering reasons why someone might need an SUV besides snow. I don't want a van because they're too big and take up to much room and I don't need it and I've never liked vans. I have a car, personally. If I was going to drive across country camping, then I might like a van that was fitted out for that. I'm not sure why my comment seems to have annoyed you but I most definitely can "own it". |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 23, 2024 18:29:25 GMT
Yeah, I get all that. Do you really think these exceptions are the real reasons a lot of people choose SUVs? Let's explore this comment. I think this may be dancing around the point I was trying to make. If you (general) need cargo space, why don't you want a van? I have owned two vans and three SUVs. Vans have far more cargo space than an SUV. With 7 people in our van, we still had enough trunk space for luggage for like a 4 day vacation. My sister's 7 seater SUV? Has virtually no trunk space with all seats up. In addition, they really are a lot roomier and more comfortable to ride in if you have more than 4 people. Yes, why wouldn't those exceptions be the reason? Why does it bother you? It doesn't bother me at all. None of this does. It's a message board. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 23, 2024 18:35:06 GMT
At least someone wants to own it. Thank you. This is a thread about consumption. I gave my opinions about consumption and I know I'm not alone in my assessment that people think/feel this way. So if you (general) do, just own it. I wanted a car with AWD after my last car slipped and slid more than I liked. I picked a really small SUV (trailblazer). The color is oasis blue. Seriously bright ass blue. I love it. I could have chosen from any number of black/silver/white cars, but I wanted the blue one purely based on aethetics. I'm not ashamed to say that. In the humor book, Midlife Bites by Jen Mann she talks about how the Jeep Wrangler is the official car of the female mid-life crisis. Funny. Why is it funny? Because there's a bit of truth there which is what makes something funny. These people aren't off-roading in their Jeeps, they are in the Costco parking lot. LOL! General you (not you, katlady) just start owning some of your thinking/feelings/actions. I promise that people can disagree with or view in different way the choice you make without thinking you are a bad person for making it. You can also view my choices as problematic, I'm good with that. Oh, I see, you wanted me to "own it". I wasn't answering for myself, I was offering reasons why someone might need an SUV besides snow. I don't want a van because they're too big and take up to much room and I don't need it and I've never liked vans. I have a car, personally. If I was going to drive across country camping, then I might like a van that was fitted out for that. I'm not sure why my comment seems to have annoyed you but I most definitely can "own it". My comments to Katlady were not directed at you. I commented to you what I intended to comment to you and I wasn't able to put my finger on anything to judge about what you said. If I felt that way, I would have said so. My comments to katlady were more of a general, own your choices to everyone. Which I think you would be able to agree with, knowing you. You *do* own your choices. You have no problem giving an opinion or accepting a differing opinion. I like that about you. |
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Post by Zee on Sept 23, 2024 18:48:32 GMT
Oh, I see, you wanted me to "own it". I wasn't answering for myself, I was offering reasons why someone might need an SUV besides snow. I don't want a van because they're too big and take up to much room and I don't need it and I've never liked vans. I have a car, personally. If I was going to drive across country camping, then I might like a van that was fitted out for that. I'm not sure why my comment seems to have annoyed you but I most definitely can "own it". My comments to Katlady were not directed at you. I commented to you what I intended to comment to you and I wasn't able to put my finger on anything to judge about what you said. If I felt that way, I would have said so. My comments to katlady were more of a general, own your choices to everyone. Which I think you would be able to agree with, knowing you. You *do* own your choices. You have no problem giving an opinion or accepting a differing opinion. I like that about you. Thanks. I think I like you. 😁❤️ |
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Post by lisacharlotte on Sept 23, 2024 19:48:48 GMT
I don't think people need to "own" their dislike of minivans for aesthetic reasons. I mean, there are a lot of vehicles that aren't on my buy list, just based on aesthetics. If I have a choice between a minivan and an SUV, I'm going SUV all day, every day. Just like I'd never buy a Mustang or Camaro because to me it screams "16 year old boy". There are enough options to buy what you like that meets your needs. And if you have to haul stuff and/or kids, and aren't interested in a vehicle associated with moms and school runs, choosing an SUV is a valid choice.
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Post by Zee on Sept 23, 2024 21:22:07 GMT
I don't think people need to "own" their dislike of minivans for aesthetic reasons. I mean, there are a lot of vehicles that aren't on my buy list, just based on aesthetics. If I have a choice between a minivan and an SUV, I'm going SUV all day, every day. Just like I'd never buy a Mustang or Camaro because to me it screams "16 year old boy". There are enough options to buy what you like that meets your needs. And if you have to haul stuff and/or kids, and aren't interested in a vehicle associated with moms and school runs, choosing an SUV is a valid choice. You just reminded me of the travesty that is the Mustang SUV crossover. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Sept 23, 2024 21:43:51 GMT
I tend to buy what I need most of the time. I do hoard a few things-not really, but I have a lot-like paper towels, Kleenex, and sunscreen. 🤷♀️
I also have to make sure that I have plenty of half-and-have for my coffee, cuz black coffee makes me cranky.
Other than those quirks, I don’t buy big quantities of stuff. My house is 3 bedrooms, which is plenty big enough for me. I also keep things/appliances until they break.
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Gem Girl
Pearl Clutcher
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Posts: 2,686
Jun 29, 2014 19:29:52 GMT
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Post by Gem Girl on Sept 23, 2024 22:18:35 GMT
I'm also surprised by the number of people who drive SUVs in warm climates. Surely they don't need 4 wheel drive like those of us in snowy areas do. I've never understood it. I seem to recall that there was a flurry of buying these when celebrities seemed to have deemed them cool. Not saying that's why everybody bought them, but it seemed at some point to become a status thing rather than a need thing, IMO. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Sept 23, 2024 22:28:16 GMT
Let's explore this comment. I think this may be dancing around the point I was trying to make. If you (general) need cargo space, why don't you want a van? I have owned two vans and three SUVs. Vans have far more cargo space than an SUV. With 7 people in our van, we still had enough trunk space for luggage for like a 4 day vacation. My sister's 7 seater SUV? Has virtually no trunk space with all seats up. In addition, they really are a lot roomier and more comfortable to ride in if you have more than 4 people. For us, a van, even a mini-van, is too big. We don't need to seat 7 people. A lot of times it is just two of us, and an occasional dog. But, we can lower the back seat for more trunk space if needed. The trunk can also hold taller things that a conventional sedan cannot. There are so many SUV's driving around So.Cal, probably more than sedans I would guess. They are just good all-purpose cars, bigger than a sedan, but not as big as a pickup truck or van. And what I say next may start a whole new conversation, but many people, especially guys, do not see a van as being "cool". It is called a "soccer-mom" vehicle for a reason. One friend said he would never own a mini-van. SUV's are sportier looking than a boxy van. I drive a compact SUV with 4 wheel drive, and I love it. It’s nimble, easy to get in and out of tight spots, and it’s plenty big enough for me. And it’s good on icy/snowy days. I dislike big vehicles personally; they are just not for me. |
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AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by AllieC on Sept 24, 2024 23:07:56 GMT
We had quite a few comments when we built our house 5 years ago. We had a 4 bed, 2 bath, 2 living area house with a pool and wanted to downsize as it was only the 2 of us at home. We built a 3/2/1 home and it is perfect for us. We split the 4th bedroom on the design to make a really large 2nd bedroom and big walk in pantry. The main comment we got was about guest bedrooms (my husband and I have separate rooms & the 3rd is mainly for my granddaughters stuff/office setup) and how we would need a second living area. Well we have had guests stay over a couple of times in that 5 years and as we have a tv in each of our bedrooms if we want to watch something separately we just do that. Guests stay in my husbands room. We also build a large undercover patio area with tv, outdoor kitchen, fridge etc & it has a high bar table, servery from the inside/out, dining table for 8 and a lounge setting. We use it at least 6 months of the year so for us this for us was more of a priority than an indoor second living area. I just say to people, we built to suit us 360 days of the year, the other days we work it out. What do you mean by "second living area"? Like a living room? I agree that probably no one really needs two. When I had a "formal" LR and a casual one off the kitchen, I turned the formal into a library. The other had the TV and that's where we hung out. I kind of liked having a dedicated library but I ended up donating tons of books when we moved. Yes a second living room - Aussie here, it's often when we call them |
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One friend said he would never own a mini-van. SUV's are sportier looking than a boxy van. 
This is a thread about consumption. I gave my opinions about consumption and I know I'm not alone in my assessment that people think/feel this way. So if you (general) do, just own it. I wanted a car with AWD after my last car slipped and slid more than I liked. I picked a really small SUV (trailblazer). The color is oasis blue. Seriously bright ass blue. I love it. I could have chosen from any number of black/silver/white cars, but I wanted the blue one purely based on aethetics. I'm not ashamed to say that. In the humor book, Midlife Bites by Jen Mann she talks about how the Jeep Wrangler is the official car of the female mid-life crisis. Funny. Why is it funny? Because there's a bit of truth there which is what makes something funny. These people aren't off-roading in their Jeeps, they are in the Costco parking lot. LOL! 
