b59..... What, pray tell, is the purpose of dragging those ancient threads out into the daylight? Posted by castoff ***************** Ever stop to think that since I'm a comparatively new member I never saw the threads at the time they were current so never had a chance to respond at that time? Seems to me one would naturally expect this to happen with new members coming on board from time to time. I guess it could be prevented by not accepting any more new members. ********************************************************** lb, People post questions, looking for timely replies to a problem they have that is right in front of them. They don't give a rat's ass what you or anyone else has to say about their problem a month after the fact. And no, no one expects new members to read the archives and provide responses to DEAD ISSUES like you are fond of doing but they're certainly welcome to comment on current ones, if they have something worthwhile to add.

Hi Natasha! I am WAY FAR from an expert, but... MULCH MULCH MULCH and AMEND AMEND AMEND! (Got that advice a few years ago from one of the regulars here... can't remember who at the moment!) My soil still isn't great, but I started by adding bags of topsoil and mushroom compost and mixing it up into my beds. I hear leaf mold mulch is great, but I haven't tried it yet. I have lots of deciduous trees in my yard, and I use the raked leaves to make my own mulch. Six years later, and I've turned what was nothing but a sand pile into something I can be proud of. Nothing like what the REAL experts and pros here have going on, but we plant and learn! ;-)) Plant acid-loving plants if your soil is acid (it probably is, but you may want to test it). My azaleas grow like crazy and they're beautiful every year. Crape Myrtle loves it here. Purple Heart grows well, as does lantana. If you've got shade and large containers or raised beds, impatiens will give you breathtaking color from April to November. My mom loves to say, "stick a dollar plant into a five-dollar hole." I do that whenever I plant a new shrub, tree or perennial! I've also discovered the joys of container gardening... I love to use huge to small sized containers of everything from annuals to evergreens. (There's a container gardening forum on GW, too.) In the winter I can move the evergreens around so there's always something going on in the garden. Containers can also be almost anything! I love to haunt thrift stores and yard sales for "finds". I've got some that I love and paid way too much for, and I have other that I love just as much and got - or made - for free. I work at USC in Columbia, and the campus has beautiful landscaping. If you have a chance, talk a stroll around it and take your camera. If you don't know what you're looking at, visit the Name that Plant forum here on GW and post a picture or link to a photo-sharing website. (I use PhotoBucket.) I don't know what those guys over there do, but I've never failed to get an answer almost immediately on anything I've posted... once someone in Australia identified my Cabbage Tree! Best advice of all - visit this forum often! There's are folks here who can answer any question you can possible dream up... even though I'm not one of them! Welcome to SC - smiles and hugs to you! Claudia

We're in but still only on a temp. CO. Waiting for a dry enough day to finish up the grading so we can get the final & looks like it'll be at least another week. We absolutely love our new home & it was totally worth all the stress! Kitchen - favorite features include the TV over the fridge and the snack drawers/coffee bar area. Kitchen Island - granite is Sage Brush from South Africa Great Room Covered Porch - I see us spending many, many evenings out here! Still need a few shutters, landscaping and the temp handrail will come down as soon as we get the final CO.

Hi Billl, While Dave's plan may make perfect mathematical sense, it really hasn't proven to be a way for the average joe to amass wealth. Actually yes, it has, in big, bold spades. It not only proves to be *A* way, it is indisputably the safest & fastest way. The path that most people seem to have more success with is to just pay off their house early and then live "bill free" in relative comfort. Actually, "MOST" people (literally 9 out of 10, per bond turnover records) who try that approach; A) have more risk of default (and subsequent loss of home) from insufficient reserves, B) Back-slide on their "pay-off plan" when they (completely contrary to their "for sure this time" plans) statistically move every 5-8 years, and/or refinance every 3-5 years. Anyone with the discipline & presence of mind to make a habit of paying a "little extra" to the mortgage will generally have zero problem instead paying that same "little extra" toward a safer Mortgage Freedom Account instead. They don't have to be financial super-athletes... in fact, the action to follow is identical, the difference is simply the safety and speed of payoff (the MFA trumping in both categories.) Of course, the CORE issue all about education... which is the entire reason most people show up to financial communities like this. If our community were the financial equivalent of the average "McDonald's diners" they wouldn't waste their valuable undisciplined time learning about dry topics like finance. FORTUNATELY, the presentation of the best of current financial strategies, and the integration of classic mometary principles, is a worthwhile pursuit for all. Cheers, Dave Donhoff Leverage Planner