The quest for DOHC_VTEC Accord

[jamesA]

Goddamn... 32k isn't that much money? Glad I don't live in the northeast. I could buy a cheap ass 2 bedroom, 2 bath 40k house with that kind of money.

You make 45k B, correct? With 32k net?

You have built and sold how many respectable automotive projects so far? I'm lucky if I can even make it through my first project before some asswipe potentially busts through a stop sign and puts an end to my love affair with my car. I've had the car for two years - which have been the worst two years since I graduated. Job layoffs and the promise of "making a lot of money" always seem to fall through.

Welcome to the world of renting. Now you see why I didn't enjoy your comments about me barely being able to eat anything worthwhile for the past two years.

As of last week, I made slightly under 20k a year. Put my car payment, insurance, 2 credit cards, cable, rent, electric and all the other misc bills like food and gas on my tab... and you'll TRUELY see what it's like to barely scrape by. I have no idea how I managed to do so, I put 1200 a month into the bank - and put out 1100 a month in bills. The only reason I ever made it through was because I delivered and basically ate and filled my gas tank up off my tips.

Now that all those shit jobs are overwith, I'm back at the career I should have never left. I was told yesterday that I got a considerable raise. I know I'm up and beyond 20k a year, my guess is around 23k. (which is 12 an hour)... but I honestly have no idea, because I didn't bother to ask. We'll see tomorrow when I get my next check.

From your projects and what you've purchased and gone through in the two years I've been here you're doing better than scraping by. If anyone's been fucked over in the subject of money and jobs, I think one of these people has been me. Scraping by is having 5 bucks left in your bank account after all your bills have been sent out. Hell, for a while I couldn't even buy a book of stamps and have enough left to put anything in my stomach.

THAT is scraping by.

How much of your net income goes to bills, B? I know before I consolidated my credit card, computer payment and refinanced my car loan, I paid 1100 a month. Last I knew, I had dropped that down to 600 a month, which is now less than half of my total monthly income.

 

[f22b1 coupe]

Man, life after school sounds freaking rough compared to even what everyone's always warned me it is. I mean, I thought it was just the area I live in, cause it's an emploer's market right now, but it sounds like nationwide you're raking in something in the neighborhood of $30,000 a year unless you get lucky. Shoot, our class (all 8 of us) did a reality check project where we looked at the starting salary for our majors, mine as an architect was $25,000, and we figured out our cost of living in our area. I definitely was in the red big time, planning meals carefully and trying to live as cheaply as possible. And what's worse, as of right now, having no costs except car insurance and gas, I still break even on $600 a month as a part-time tire tech after school, half because I buy expensive stuff for the accord and half because I'm a compulsive spender. So I guess I've learned a few things here, 1) there's no magic high paying job right after school 2) quit spending like no tomorrow, especially on a car and 3) hondaswap.com moderator isn't a paying career (I was really let down on that one, guys)
oh, and 4) I can apparently plan my finalcial future around mom and dad biting it... j/k man

 

[f22b1 coupe]

btw, no one ever filled me in on wtf a moderator does exactly, it wasn't in the FAQ board

 

[posol]

Quoted post[/post]]
If I wasn't helping my mom so much, I could live comforatably on what I make,

you must really love your mom. cuz seriously, i find that rediculous. I'm guessing there's more to it, like she got hurt/sick or something...

Quoted post[/post]]
Goddamn... 32k isn't that much money? Glad I don't live in the northeast. I could buy a cheap ass 2 bedroom, 2 bath 40k house with that kind of money.

40k house???????

single-wide trailers go for 55-75. lol

a 40k house would be 10 feet by 10 feet on a 20x20 plot of land. tops.

You make 45k B, correct? With 32k net?

scroll up.

i cleared 52k this year between my real job, side jobs, etc... haven't done my taxes yet, so i don't know exact figures.... i'm guessing low 30's take home.
the 250 a month health insurance that i haven't used in 3 years doesn't help.

7000 went to closing costs, down payments, lawyers, inspections, appraisials, etc...

1135 went to payment #1.

3000 went to the dp on the sti

and i've paid off 8k on it so far.... so another 8000

i smoke... so thats $5 a day... x 365, so thats 1825

i'm fat, so i eat a lot, so thats like 15+ a day.... 5475

once a week or so, i'll go out to a nice dinner or sushi... say 3x a month on average. thats 50-100 bucks. x3 x 12 = 3600

the sti gets less mpg than a 700 hp camaro... so thats 80 bucks a week, * 40 (didn't buy it till februray, and didin't have it the last two weeks... not that the old mans truck is any better on gas.... but hey, we'll call it 3200

insurance is 700 *2 for the year, 1400

You have built and sold how many respectable automotive projects so far?

none that i'd call respectible.... and i lost my shirt on that shit.... hell, i lost my socks on that shit. but whatever... thats all over...

Welcome to the world of renting. Now you see why I didn't enjoy your comments about me barely being able to eat anything worthwhile for the past two years.

maybe you got in over your head with an expensive car?
its the choices we make that force us how we live. basically what it comes down to is, give and take. eat ramen and have a nice car, or take a yugo to sushi....

From your projects and what you've purchased and gone through in the two years I've been here you're doing better than scraping by. If anyone's been fucked over in the subject of money and jobs, I think one of these people has been me. Scraping by is having 5 bucks left in your bank account after all your bills have been sent out. Hell, for a while I couldn't even buy a book of stamps and have enough left to put anything in my stomach.

THAT is scraping by.

but see, that's where you and me differ. I'd never let it get that bad.
i'd get a 2nd job.
i'd get a 3rd job.

hell i'd start selling drugs.

"niggas don't sell crack cuz they like to see black smoke... niggas sell crack cuz they broke"
- Talib

How much of your net income goes to bills, B? I know before I consolidated my credit card, computer payment and refinanced my car loan, I paid 1100 a month. Last I knew, I had dropped that down to 600 a month, which is now less than half of my total monthly income.

i take home 2300 a month from my main job.

monthly:
condo- 1135
condo insurance - 21
car insurance - 112
car payment - 565
phone- 65
cable + internet- 59
electricity - no clue, haven't got the 1st bill yet. i'm guessing 200.
gas - 30*4 now that im driving the truck (and not going out much anymore... it'll be back to 80*4 when i get the sti back) so we'll call it 240.
80 a month to host hondaswap

and thats 2477... and i didn't eat yet, wipe my ass with tp, or have a cigarette, and i'm sure i'm forgetting something.

and now i have 8k on my credit card because i furnished my house so i can cook the food i buy and have a plate to eat it on.

and that's were side jobs come in...

so technically, you are better off than i am right now.

i'm in the red 200 a month without eating or smoking.


oh, and i forgot my school loan.... i got like 3k left on that i think... there's no minumum (its liek $10 or some shit...) so whatever i can throw at it, i do.

which is why i want to get a roomate. i have a spare bedroom. 600/month inclusive would help me live a lot more comfortably.

Quoted post[/post]]
Man, life after school sounds freaking rough compared to even what everyone's always warned me it is. I mean, I thought it was just the area I live in, cause it's an emploer's market right now,

it's been an employer's market since the reagan era.

and its EXACLTY this reason why getting yourself ahead of the other guy is the only way you'll make it in life. what makes you better than the guy who took the same classes as you?
sell your self.
do internships.
meet people.
connect.
get a good resume' together.


i look at monster DAILY for better paying jobs and apply all the time. i rarely hear back... mostly because i don't have a degree


all i really want is a better bed, to sell the sti for what i owe on it (28k) and get a $5000 car that i can pay off in a year or so... at a lot lower payment too.

2) quit spending like no tomorrow, especially on a car

it's the smartest thing you can do.


i've been working since i was 12. i had a paper route that netted me 60 bucks a week for a half hours work... i did that till i was 16, back in 1996... starting waiting tables/buss boy at a restaurant and bought my first car in cash, for $12,500 a '94 z24 with 30k on it, in 1997.



and for all of these reasons, and then some, is why i'm selling pretty much everything i can.
my snowboard i never use...
my old pc parts
my laptop
all my tuning gear/wideband
"old" dvd player

hell, i've thought about selling some of my coins for a quick couple thousand to get me by these first rough months.

it only gets better.

seriously.

the 1st 5 years out on your own are the toughest.
ask your parents, older siblings, etc... they'll tell you the same thing.

my parents used to bring a calculator with them to the grocery store, and they knew what they had to spend... and if they went over, they took something out of the cart.
and then they had my sister, and my mom stopped working.
and then they had me... and she still wasn't working...
my dad was working 2 jobs and going to night school.
and then he finally got a better job at an office...

and now, 25 years later, they are ready to retire at 55, house paid off, 2 cars paid off, tons of investments/cycling retirement cash in various accounts... a pool, 2 decks, a shed, no kids who need their money...

and they made it without going on welfare.....

and i dont have kids...

if i can't make it, i'm a fuck up and i need to work harder at it.

i wish some other people today would have the same mentality.
my taxes would be less, and i'd be doing a lot better on my own.

but instead, i have to pay for your lazy ass who couldn't pull out.

pissedoffplatform: can't aford it, abort it.
someone post my campaign pic....

 

[totalburnout]

Quoted post[/post]]
i had 22 at one point....

and then i got into cars.........

biggest mistake of my life. but, i had a lot of fun and learned a lot... so i guess, it was the cost of my education....

^^

Werd.

I'd be hovering around 20k if I didn't buy the WRX.

It goes against everything I ever preached and practiced to spend money on the car, but for some reason I can't handle not having a car thats above and beyond right now. Surely its not my most intelligent or practical decision but there I go wasting $600 on a used MRT TBE and $150 on a new helix uppipe, here I am about to spend another $650 on used koni yellows/jdm pink springs/ gruppe n tophats, here I am about to spend $300-$400 on swaybars and endlinks, here I am about to spend $200 to upgrade my Cobb AccessECU to a Cobb AccessPort, here I am about to spend ???$$$$ on dyno tuning my car, here I am about to spend $400 in labor to have these parts installed because I can't do it myself, here I am determined to buy SSR Comps and tires for my car eventually. Thats about $5,000 right there. Granted I have the money to do this all at once right now, but I don't want to dip into savings like that.

At this stage in my life, being 20 and being in a serious relationship for the last 3+ years, I should be preparing the bank account for my future and not the instant gratification of the here and now.

 

[posol]

Quoted post[/post]]
btw, no one ever filled me in on wtf a moderator does exactly, it wasn't in the FAQ board

mods delete spam posts, move shit to the right forums, stop dead threads from making come backs, and just overall help me out to keep this place running smooth.

 

[totalburnout]

Quoted post[/post]]
i made 28K gross in 10 months last year. this year if i stay at compusmart and continue in my high growth client-getter pattern, im sure to break 35-40k easy doing the first job in my life that im not tired of after 6 months.

i pay for all my own stuff too guys.

sabrina just finished phlebotomy school, shes starting her internship in a few weeks. shes gonna be bankin too.

i guess ill have even more spending money when she moves in before the end of the month.

Why then are you not treating yourself to atleast a turbo engine and going about everything on a low budget build? Granted I'm frugal but if its your "dream car" and it can be had with 2-5k and you're comfortable, I don't see why not.

Quoted post[/post]]
Man, life after school sounds freaking rough compared to even what everyone's always warned me it is. I mean, I thought it was just the area I live in, cause it's an emploer's market right now, but it sounds like nationwide you're raking in something in the neighborhood of $30,000 a year unless you get lucky. Shoot, our class (all 8 of us) did a reality check project where we looked at the starting salary for our majors, mine as an architect was $25,000, and we figured out our cost of living in our area. I definitely was in the red big time, planning meals carefully and trying to live as cheaply as possible. And what's worse, as of right now, having no costs except car insurance and gas, I still break even on $600 a month as a part-time tire tech after school, half because I buy expensive stuff for the accord and half because I'm a compulsive spender. So I guess I've learned a few things here, 1) there's no magic high paying job right after school 2) quit spending like no tomorrow, especially on a car and 3) hondaswap.com moderator isn't a paying career (I was really let down on that one, guys)
oh, and 4) I can apparently plan my finalcial future around mom and dad biting it... j/k man

Its called living paycheck to paycheck and meet 99% of Americans. Americans spend frivously, but its not all cheery because the average person in the nation is something around $7,000 in debt.


P.S. B, pick up a side job that isn't too demanding on time. I made $175 in 4 hours tonight serving tables after taxes and tip out, granted that was an excellent night but a 4 hour shift should be good for an extra $100 beans a night and it really doesn't take up much of your time. Get onboard for some online projects that aren't 9-5 jobs and don't require a huge portion of your time and just make what odds and ends you can.

 

[hondarin]

Quoted post[/post]]
Man, life after school sounds freaking rough compared to even what everyone's always warned me it is. I mean, I thought it was just the area I live in, cause it's an emploer's market right now, but it sounds like nationwide you're raking in something in the neighborhood of $30,000 a year unless you get lucky. Shoot, our class (all 8 of us) did a reality check project where we looked at the starting salary for our majors, mine as an architect was $25,000, and we figured out our cost of living in our area. I definitely was in the red big time, planning meals carefully and trying to live as cheaply as possible. And what's worse, as of right now, having no costs except car insurance and gas, I still break even on $600 a month as a part-time tire tech after school, half because I buy expensive stuff for the accord and half because I'm a compulsive spender. So I guess I've learned a few things here, 1) there's no magic high paying job right after school 2) quit spending like no tomorrow, especially on a car and 3) hondaswap.com moderator isn't a paying career (I was really let down on that one, guys)
oh, and 4) I can apparently plan my finalcial future around mom and dad biting it... j/k man

my bro is a diesel tech, he went to wyotech. he's 22, he's maried(she's 21), my sis-in-law is in the army. their apt is pretty much paid for by the army... their bills include cable, phones, groceries, utilities, her car payment, and insurance. they live comfortably, but have no expensive toys or anything like that.

i've learned from them, that it's more about how you live, than how much you make. plus it helps alot that she's in the army and he works a regular job.

 

[TurboMirage]

Quoted post[/post]]

Quoted post[/post]]
i made 28K gross in 10 months last year. this year if i stay at compusmart and continue in my high growth client-getter pattern, im sure to break 35-40k easy doing the first job in my life that im not tired of after 6 months.

i pay for all my own stuff too guys.

sabrina just finished phlebotomy school, shes starting her internship in a few weeks. shes gonna be bankin too.

i guess ill have even more spending money when she moves in before the end of the month.

Why then are you not treating yourself to atleast a turbo engine and going about everything on a low budget build? Granted I'm frugal but if its your "dream car" and it can be had with 2-5k and you're comfortable, I don't see why not.

i dont want a turbo engine. the motor im building will be a high-revving reliable all motor forged 2.4L with nitrous. granted when built and tuned it will be pretty much maxxed out, but its perfect for the future of the car and trust me its not low budget it was supposed to be, but then i just kept looking at better and better stuff.

alot of the labor i will knock out on my own, but the dipping, boring, flowing. word. then the assembly, fuck if im going to assemble the head and block. ill mate them together though. ill be eventually putting in a full hydro clutch and turbo tranny with lsd, but one step at a time since i can use the 1.5 tranny with the 2.0 block.

 

[jamesA]

but see, that's where you and me differ. I'd never let it get that bad.
i'd get a 2nd job.
i'd get a 3rd job.

No, that's not where you and I differ. I had no CHOICE in the matter.

I had one full time job that hardly gave hours like they were free. I had one weekend parttime delivering, and I even went back to fast food and worked at Arby's for a month.

All at once. I did everything I could to make it work... but I COULDN'T make it work. I was working 80-85 hours a week trying to make ends meet. About the time I started to actually put money in the bank, I pulled a muscle in my back and had to take 2 days off.

Trust me B, it's not that easy. I've been in the gauntlent for too long, I'm finally starting to break free and my project is actually starting to take off.

All the things in my sig, I have already purchased. All I need now is some time to get off my lazy little ass and get some of this shit installed.

40k house???????

single-wide trailers go for 55-75. lol

a 40k house would be 10 feet by 10 feet on a 20x20 plot of land. tops.

Point in case - move the fuck out of CT.

With your salary I'd be living in a two story house, with a two car garage and 2.5 baths. Comfortably.

 

[pills_PMD]

i'm late on this, but go to college.
and after that... go to grad school... if a dumb ass like me can get a full ride for a phd, i'm sure other people can too.

 

[posol]

i found this to be an interesting read, and ontopic...
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=914148

 

[jamesA]

electricity - no clue, haven't got the 1st bill yet. i'm guessing 200.

Turn off your lights...

That bill should be sub 100 bucks a month.

Wait... are you fixing the STi? I didn't read past page 8987937 of your thread. I would have thought it'd get totalled.

But if you're fixing it, have you thought of selling it and getting a cheap ass car that you know nothing about to just drive?

 

[B16]

Quoted post[/post]]
i'm late on this, but go to college.
and after that... go to grad school... if a dumb ass like me can get a full ride for a phd, i'm sure other people can too.

I'm making 88k a year directly out of college (graduated with B.S. in December of 04). Although, I still can't afford a house out here, even with my G/F making 62k and helping.

 

[Celerity]

Well yeah, you live in the most prime area on the Planet.

 

[B16]

10 years ago when I was in High School, such was not the case. Stupid dot com ruined the bay area

 

[posol]

Quoted post[/post]]

electricity - no clue, haven't got the 1st bill yet. i'm guessing 200.

Turn off your lights...

That bill should be sub 100 bucks a month.

maybe in the middle of no where where houses cost 40k....

not here...

bill came in today at $214. right on the money

and my heat is rarely over 55... and the only thing i leave on is my computer.

Wait... are you fixing the STi? I didn't read past page 8987937 of your thread. I would have thought it'd get totalled.

not totalled... 9k in damage. should be done next week.

But if you're fixing it, have you thought of selling it and getting a cheap ass car that you know nothing about to just drive?

you must've missed everything
i'm thinking about selling the car altogether... and picking up an accord or some shit for DD duties...

 

[asmallsol]

Quoted post[/post]]


if you're good with numbers/math/taxes, accounting = $$$

Yea it may be good money, but its probally one of the most boring jobs ever. My dad got that dagree and actually used it for a year. He said it was just plug and chug 8 hours a day

Quoted post[/post]]
HVAC/Plumbing pays great right now. Doing kitchen remodels is like taking candy from a baby.. You can fork in 2.5 - 10 g per Kitchen remodel if you are good with a level and take pride in what you do.

Yea the money is good in jobs like that, but doing that when your old? And doing the labor can lead to injurys that can put you out of work from time to time, thus no money from time to time.

Theres jobs that deal with working your body, others working your mind. Look at yourself at 50 and doing your final career and see what you would like to be doing.

 

[f22b1 coupe]

hey, pissedoffsol: I'd read plenty of forums before this, but this is the first one I actually was interested enough in to join, so I'm thinking, hey, this is bound to happen to somebody else who won't know how a forum works exactly. So, since I didn't see anything like this in the faqs and read first section, maybe you (or said delegated mod) could include basic forum "unspoken rules and etiquette" for noobs so they don't threadjack like I did or do other stupid shit out of ignorance. Just a thought. And btw, do you know if Chris (being a sub owner now) is on the Nasioc forum?

 

[Battle Pope]

You didn't do any threadjacking - everyone else did.