cost of living Archives - CLIPPING CHAINS

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

Is My Rent Too High?

In normal times, rent prices, like most everything else, slowly yet surely increase at about 2-3% per year. This is inflation. But in terms of the housing market, these aren’t normal times. In the pandemic era, as demand surged in supply-restricted markets, both sale and rent prices soared, with year-over-year inflation rates at 30% or more in some markets. To speak generally of the world of pricing, what goes up might come down. So, when I approached our landlord a few weeks back about lowering the price of our rent, she wasn’t so surprised.

July 10, 2023July 9, 2023

The Real Cost of Home Ownership (and a Life Update)

In the summer of 2020, we sold our home in Denver, Colorado, where we had lived for seven years. Once all the costs were tallied, we were shocked to see the return on our home ownership investment. Should we have rented instead? Today we revisit this post in light of our recent move.

October 19, 2020October 18, 2020

Relocation: A Guide to Moving and Housing Affordability

We’re out on the road in search of our next home, our sights set on home ownership once again. In this post we examine the complicated process of relocation and the sticky, tangled spiderweb of housing affordability. Is housing in America becoming less and less affordable?

In this post we discuss:

Costs to consider during relocation
Home price and income metrics to affordable housing
National trends on housing affordability
How much a retiree should spend on a home
Our process for evaluating relocation options
Ways to make housing more affordable

August 31, 2020July 11, 2023

This Just In: The Real Cost of Home Ownership

In August, we closed on our home of seven years in Denver, Colorado. And against all odds, with a raging pandemic, unprecedented unemployment, and a very uncertain future, we sealed the deal on an offer far better than we anticipated.

In this post I run the final numbers on the economics of our seven years of home ownership. Despite the often-touted rule-of-thumb that home ownership is a great investment….well…was it for us?

This is part 3 in a series. To see other posts on the subject, check out Part 1 and Part 2.

April 22, 2019August 9, 2021

Van Life: The Economics and Trade-0ffs

Now more than ever the parking lots at popular climbing areas across the country are being crowded by big boxy Sprinters and a variety of less-sexy creeper vans. As I’ve touched on before, the allure of climbing and other lifestyle sports is incredibly strong. The power to hit the road is so strong that climbers are increasingly dropping the creature comforts of modern building dwelling to pursue the mobile dream in the back of a van, a pull trailer, or sometimes even a Honda Civic. This, my friends, is Van Life.

At face value, assuming you think you can handle the obvious discomforts of a claustrophobic space in the dead of winter on a snowy day, the economic decision seems like an obvious win. Right?