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ORIGINAL: Padriag

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ORIGINAL: SusanofO

I also think that many men (least the ones I know, then again, I was born in 1960) were raised to be "the Providers" and I must say if they were raised that way, and indeed consider it a point of pride to be able to do that, they might want some reassurance every now and then that thier money is not the only thing a girl could be loking for when they look at them. Well - it's Not.

That's a very good point Susan.  There are a lot of guys who are good providers, and while yes, they want a little credit for that achievement, they also want to be valued for more than just their bank balance.  Its nice to know there are some ladies out there who do care about more than just money.

But conversely, as difficult as it can be to find a compatible partner, I think it is also very much a temptation for those with the means, to sometimes want to just "buy" a partner out of frustration.  And despite bombastic remarks, that doesn't mean they don't have a personality or social skills, etc.  We live in an age when even super models can't get dates.  Dating has never been so complicated or difficult as it seems to be today, and the rising number of match making services is testament to that unfortunate truth.

What I find interesting in all these discussions of money is that none of them talk about the costs of healthcare for dominants, submissives or families.  Or which insurance companies are more "kink" friendly (if there are any).  Or how exactly to go about building good credit if you don't have it.  If, as another recent thread suggests, most of you are broke... how to go about changing that.  We either don't discuss the importance of financial responsibility or we down play it.  I've seen submissives claim they'd still respect their dominant if they ended up living in a cardboard box.  Yet I can't help but wonder if that would remain true if put to the test, considering financial stress is the leading cause of divorce in the US.  Money does matter, doesn't mean you have to have gobs of it, but it is good to have the bills paid, be able to buy groceries, etc.

As with so many other recent threads, it seems the focus is always on the dramatic, while the practical questions seem to go ignored. 

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ORIGINAL: CrappyDom

A significant factor in the vapid rise in real estate are the interest only loans that allow people to buy more house for the money.  Well, when there is more money chasing the same amount of houses, you have the basic recipe for inflation and it drove the cost of houses through the roof.  I sold a tiny 850sf house in Sacramento's urban core for $325k, a house that six years earlier was worth only 80k.  When the economy adjusts for all the bullshit of the last 8 years, there are going to be some horrendous economic costs and people with the wrong kind of debt are going to be seriously fucked.

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ORIGINAL: CrappyDom

A significant factor in the vapid rise in real estate are the interest only loans that allow people to buy more house for the money.  Well, when there is more money chasing the same amount of houses, you have the basic recipe for inflation and it drove the cost of houses through the roof.  I sold a tiny 850sf house in Sacramento's urban core for $325k, a house that six years earlier was worth only 80k.  When the economy adjusts for all the bullshit of the last 8 years, there are going to be some horrendous economic costs and people with the wrong kind of debt are going to be seriously fucked.

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ORIGINAL: Caretakr

And that same house was 60 grand 20 years ago,the inflation is ridiculous.

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ORIGINAL: thegunslinger

(seriousness off)
(Douglas Adams on)
The answer to the question is 42.
(Douglas Adams off)
(seriousness on)

Don't make me smack you with a mackeral mister lol.

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ORIGINAL: Level

I know housing here has risen quite a bit since the hurricane; but still, compared to the Californias and New Yorks, it's on the low end of things. You can buy a plush 5,000 square foot home on half an acre of land, with good schools, for $250 grand.
 

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ORIGINAL: Level

Do any of you ever see the housing costs going down some? Is that part of the adjustment?
 
I know housing here has risen quite a bit since the hurricane; but still, compared to the Californias and New Yorks, it's on the low end of things. You can buy a plush 5,000 square foot home on half an acre of land, with good schools, for $250 grand.

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver

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ORIGINAL: Level

I know housing here has risen quite a bit since the hurricane; but still, compared to the Californias and New Yorks, it's on the low end of things. You can buy a plush 5,000 square foot home on half an acre of land, with good schools, for $250 grand.
 

My appartment cost much more than that. America is cheap cheap cheap. (or at least some places)

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ORIGINAL: acissej

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ORIGINAL: Level

Do any of you ever see the housing costs going down some? Is that part of the adjustment?
 
I know housing here has risen quite a bit since the hurricane; but still, compared to the Californias and New Yorks, it's on the low end of things. You can buy a plush 5,000 square foot home on half an acre of land, with good schools, for $250 grand.

In NJ, I haven't noticed the prices go down, but they seem to have leveled out some and things don't seem to be selling as quickly.  I'm in a suburb of NYC, and you could maybe, maybe, get a 1200 square foot house on a tenth of an acre for half a million.   I had a 1000 square foot apartment in NYC that was worth about $750,000 when I last checked and it's considered a great steal. 

Hey j . I had an apartment that I paid $400 a month for (all other bills paid), but of course, the night life and museums, etc, paled to what is there in New York city lol. It's hard to find apartments there, I've heard.

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ORIGINAL: Level

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver

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ORIGINAL: Level

I know housing here has risen quite a bit since the hurricane; but still, compared to the Californias and New Yorks, it's on the low end of things. You can buy a plush 5,000 square foot home on half an acre of land, with good schools, for $250 grand.
 

My appartment cost much more than that. America is cheap cheap cheap. (or at least some places)

 

How much income tax do you all pay over there in the Netherlands, Meatcleaver? Not trying to be overly personal, just curious about the percentage rate, in general.

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ORIGINAL: zenofeller

It's funny how nobody seems to be talking about money straight on. Let's try and have a look at the matter, shall we ?

How much does it cost to be a sucessful Dom ? And how much does it cost to be a sucessfull Master ?

For convenience, I'll arbitrary presume question 1 implies casual play, maybe ocasional overnights/over weekend stay overs, whereas question 2 implies a 24/7 situation. Sure, D/s can be 24/7, but that's not what I'm getting at.

Now, a decent Dom probably doesn't need as much practice as a decent Master. But still, my guess would be 10 or so hours a week dedicated to study and practice, over one year. For a Master, probably the same 10-12 hours a week, over the course of two or three years. And a Master needs alot more practice than a Dom, who can probably do pretty well on equal halves of reading and doing.

That comes to, at 10$ an hour, an opportunity cost of about $5,000 to be a decent Dom, and probably 10-20k to be a decent Master, just for the time you spend on your education. Add to that whatever you pay for books, teachers, play sessions, etc, and the sum may well double or triple.

Then, there's the gear. Again, a Dom gets off easier than a Master, but still, floggers, rope, suspension devices, dildo's, vibrators, new sheets, fetish dress, various and sundry contraptions, you probably go anywhere from 1k for a really scrawny set to the 100k and over people with many years behind them have accumulated.

Then, there's the question of the slave him or herself. A Dom could reasonably work things out so that the submissive pays her own bills, although there is plenty of slippage going on as a rule. But a Master usually will cover the slave's expenses, and if s/he is crafty, maybe can make something, but that doesn't happen all that often.

So, as a bottom line, if you want to be a Dom, think about it as a one year supplemental degree. If you'd rather spend the time and money to get a MBA and a raise for it, may well be this isn't for you. And if you want to be a Master, think college. Plus, for all practical purposes, one invalid person you will take care of the rest of your life.

Looking at things this way may help alot of people who are just confused clarify their goals, and maybe even avoid the very frustrated threads we've seen lately.