Heat index of 101 here in Peekskill till 8:00 PM Wednesday tomorrow.
Pretty much we have North Carolina weather like conditions here in the Hudson Valley. Humidity is mighty high.
I went to CVS and saved over $24.00 using coupons and rewards. Only spent $42.00 out of my pocket, and pretty much I stockpiled consumerables. Pretty much I hose them, and I doubt they make any money on me.
Bought some stuff at Home Cheapo like the finishing nails. Next went to Trader Joe’s and since Lowes is right there I went in to shop for more building supplies. Lowes at times has a better selection and prices, and I found a 1 pound box if 1 1/2 inch finishing nails for less than $6.00. I had to but two 6 ounce packs at Home Cheapo, and each pack was around $5.00.
Pretty much I’ll return the Home Cheapo finishing nails.
Anyways saving money actually takes time, but my savings is untaxed.
One spin on tariffs is that it is like a Federal sales tax, even if only on imported goods. Also tariffs are inflationary…
A flat tax is not a bad idea to simplify the tax code, it eliminates loopholes, in high tax states like New York and California it could severely reduce the state and local tax deductions, but then again these are generally the states that have high incomes.
Interesting to note a headlined article today where home ownership is the highest is West Virginia which is a low income state. Another state that was low income and held a high percentage of home ownership was Mississippi.
Here in New York where we have the largest city in the U.S.; there are many renters and people tend to be transients. There is a huge drawing in of young people, and pretty much a supply/demand imbalance that makes housing costly.
When I frame our situation, we are a bit unusual because we chose to retired here, and our situation is we have enough income to remain. Many people choose to leave for economic reasons because the cost of living, housing, and taxes are higher than many other areas.
We chose to remain for the medical infrastructure, the climate, the more secure water supply, and some immunity to global warming. This North Carolina weather we are experiencing more and more will become the norm I feel. More extreme weather is expected, and we are situated inland enough to be safe from flooding. We are also nestled in a valley for shelter.
Alternatively we are close enough to the ocean that the Gulf Stream effects our weather and moderates our winters. Pretty much many storms are north and west of NYC, and we live on that fringe. If we get snow generally it is less than upstate and perhaps a tad more than NYC.
Certainly the air is cleaner up here, yet an incinerator is not so far away. We are not far from wilderness and there is mucho green space to explore. Today I slowed down and avoided hitting a deer in the road, and it was around lunchtime.
I kinda also have the balance of many supermarkets to choose from for selection, quality, and value. I have a local Home Cheapo, and a little further away a Lowes to have choices and to compare values. Pretty much enough convenience to exploit.
Further north the towns are kinda sleepy. In Catskill and Athens, on a Sunday, much of the town/village was closed down. Pretty much a serene surroundings, but then again not a lot going on. In a word “Smallsville.” Mighty pleasant, but would you want to live there?
Anyways, in reflection I see why Peekskill with it’s good, bad and ugly is a lucky find that more and more I am pleased with our situation. Pretty much the serenity and wilderness I also require lays to the north and west. On the east side of the river Metro North extends its reach and connects a broader pocket of downstate to NYC.
We find most attractive the river towns, I think mostly because of the history and the old housing. Homes post 1940 lack charm to us it seems. We embrace the old. We love the lower taxes on older homes also.
After I post this I’m heading out to a supermarket (Shop Rite) to load up on peaches ($1.99 a pound) and Avocados (4 for $3.00) on my way to Home Cheapo to return the finishing nails I found to be overpriced.
As a consumer I am well poised to nickel and dime businesses to exploit them. Peekskill is big enough (25K population) that it has two CVS’s, one on each end of the city. One is situated about 2 1/2 blocks away, so I often walk there. There is also a Walgreens, but I don’t know if it will be one of those that are doomed to be shut down.
So where do you balance the urban verses the rural? We seem to have found a sweet spot that is hard to find. We also enjoy New York Columbia Presbyterian health care network. We enjoy first rate health care without having to travel to NYC.
Peekskill is a city, but it fringes on the rural and wilderness. The Catskills is a little more than an hour away. Pretty much all nice highway driving and very scenic.
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