Rolled the amnt owed on current car into new loan. Shelled out another down payment, monthly payments are higher, insurance is higher, and plates were double. Good thing she's saving that $15 month on gas
I'm very skeptical of reports in the Media about wood smoke, or anything environmental, ESPECIALLY if any statistics are provided by professors, think-tanks or universities. We have been lied to so much on things like this--always for political control. And a lot depends on the locality where you live. My house in out in the country with few houses around... wood smoke is absolutely not a problem. But if you live in a city where there is an inversion layer which might trap smoke in the atmosphere, you would notice smoke problems more.
Now there's one thing I can agree with. Not sure how or why so many can dismiss something so obvious, except that big oil has a lot to lose if we go to clean energy which makes sense anyway, the world population is not getting any smaller.
I don't always buy into everything is a conspiracy thing, but I am a huge fan of "doing as much for yourself as you can", and "having options." Wood stoves certainly play into that. I have a friend that has 5 acres and made a promise to his wife she would never be cold. Her father was a drunk and he would spend all his time and money drinking and left her family cold all winter. When she got married she never wanted that again! But despite only a few acres, he has never run out of wood. He only burns a few cord of wood a year, but he gets most of it off his own land, but scrounges for some as well. I think we do a disservice to younger couples when we make it seem almost criminal for them to have an older stove. Some people do not have $2000 to buy a new stove, but here in Maine anyway older stoves abound and are cheap and often free. I would rather see someone install an older stove and get into wood burning sooner and realize savings and out working, then I would in seeing them running to the government for heating subsidies, or freezing to death.
I am out in farm country everything spaced way apart ( think football field + a multiplier) yet there is a ban OWB's here ( pasture droppings in my book) and the wind almost never stops blowing- reason the power company has all kinds of wind generators installed here.
No one is making them feel like a criminal. No one. I'm sorry, but a new stove is not a huge pile of cash... unless you are demanding a fancy looking stove with cat and lots of frilly accents. It's a solid investment in your home, your health, and your finance. Besides, a couple new to wood burners faces the same dilemma as a car buyer... take the chance on a used vehicle that may cost you down the road or buy a new car, that comes with a warranty, and new features that an old clunker won't have. New couple with a new child is probably better off with something reliable and trouble free... And much like buying older used cars, older used stoves are a better bet for a seasoned burner who can use it properly and understands it's limitations. Same with buying a car that's older,used, and affordable ... If you are good and experienced at wrenching you can make a great deal... because you can handle any problems that come up. Admittedly, stoves have less to go wrong, but cracked and broken bits are still a concern...and cars are far more expensive than stoves. I like the looks of old stoves, particularly the prewar art deco units, that really are more stylish appliance that traditional stove...but I would never recommend them to a newbie. Getting off the fossil fuels dole should be encouraged, and for someone new to it, hey they are already saving dough by not getting suckered into refilling that oil or lp tank.
Conversely, the same doubt of science and media is being fostered and encouraged by a different political group...one that is traditionally aligned with the fossil fuels gang that really wants to keep you using their product.
I am not sure on that SWS. I say that because my house is super-insulated. When I went to the wood stove shop and talked about inside wood boilers, we discussed the options, real world numbers and all that, and he shook his head and concluded that it would not made sense for me to buy one. At that time it would cost $7000 for one, but because I buy so little propane to heat my home, by the time I paid off that $7,000 boiler versus that of buying a little more in propane, the return on investment would be problematic. There is a work around to that, and when I found a USED boiler a few months later for 10% of the price, I bought that instead. Now the return on investment worked out better for the $700 USED boiler. He had every reason in the world to conclude otherwise, he was losing a $7000 sale, but it just did not make sense financially. All this is a lot like buying a car; for some people they can justify buying a new car and taking a hit on the depreciation, but for me I just cannot. Instead I take my paid-0ff cars and driving them to the 250,000 mile mark or beyond. The last stove I bought, a 1893 pot bellied stove actually netted me money. Funny story. I saw the add for the stove, went to pick it up, then found out the guy is a Christian and knew half teh friends I knew about town. he handed me my $100 bill back, then loaded my trailer with $100's of dollars of scrap iron, motors, etc! But we still stayed in touch. On Thanksgiving, when he found out I had cancer, him and his wife gave me $500, then another $100 for presents for my daughter. This might have started out as a purchase, but it is a priceless friendship now, all because of an old stove.
