chilliwin, Yeah, if a person wants to be more scientific, or more accurate, and measure only the part of the color spectrum that plants actually use, I guess an expensive PAR meter would be the way to go. However, I think many greenhouse growers and most hobbyists donâÂÂt really feel the need to be that precise. A PAR meter is not cheap :-) and as long as we know our lights contain what the plants need, why worry about the small part of the spectrum they donâÂÂt need. Also, if a person is curious about the PPF values of their lights, there are conversion factors you can use that come pretty close. A few are listed at http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/conversion-ppf-to-lux/ Really, once youâÂÂre sure the color spectrum of a certain light is adequate for your plants, the focus should be on how much of that light you need. That can be calculated mathematically (pretty close) or measured with a very inexpensive light meter. In fact, IâÂÂd say most folks that grow plants indoors under lights donâÂÂt bother with either one :-) and their plants grow just fine. Just my opinion of course, Art This post was edited by art33 on Fri, Dec 20, 13 at 7:30

Engine will run a LONG time if properly serviced. Transmission will typically run 100k to 150k so you will need to plan a new tranny soon. That will probably be your biggest expense. The other minor things can add up if you try to keep this vehicle in like new condition. I have had good luck with a 97 truck it now has over 337k and is only on its third transmission. Lots of little things have happened along the way most have been repaired some have not. I guess the key here is not to expect to much from a vehicle. kinda like the old Harley Davidson motorcycle repair guy told his customer that kept returning his new bike for repairs and complaining about it, he told him "Son you gotta kinda look at it this way, little babies die every day, and GOD made them!" So what do you really expect from a car truck anyway?

Hi ML, I think you're getting unfairly beat up. Your guy did the same thing that a lot of people did- they bought at the top of the market, thinking it was a good investment. Right now you have a "paper loss", but there is also the real cost of paying a mortgage for $200k+ vs a mortgage of That said. Truly, this is a "good" problem to have. When you and your DH look back on this years from now, you will think about how you had to deal with a place that is less than perfect and sold some land instead and you'll smile about your youth. You will be thankful that you could afford the mistake and that you weren't bankrupted or foreclosed upon. This is still a problem, but it's a problem that is livable. You aren't facing cancer, injury, etc. In a few years it might make more sense to rent because rents generally are rising now. In fact, this might eventually turn into a cash cow if you ended up renting it. You might end up making much more money on it then you would have if you could short sell it now- plus there will be costs associated with a short sell, even if it were possible (it sounds like it really isn't.) This is just the start of the story for you and your DH. Don't let this come between the two of you. There are all kinds of ways to have fun with it and make it a positive. My FIL is a contractor- when the crash started, he reno'd his kitchen and bathroom and took a lot of before/after pics. He started a website for his business with the pics. His wife was delighted to have a new kitchen and bathroom, and he picked up business. Look for the win-win. You're smart and young, it gets better!

My fiance and I have been looking to buy our first home for almost a year now. We have been looking for an older home (pre 1930's), because we love the historical feel, especially victorian architecture. A lot of us have that same dream. When I was a teen, I was dating a guy that was in a fraternity that was out of a beautiful Victorian. I remember the stairway, the flowers that were engraved in the wood. I remember the "dome room" and while it was a PITA to put furniture in, amazed me every time I went into it. I remember beautiful moldings, everything was etched and 3 or 4 fireplaces. It had a decent sized kitchen from what I remember, also had a servant room. Man I loved that house and swore that one day, if I could afford to have the house moved I would. The house was located in one of the worst neighborhoods. You had to lock your doors to drive there and run in the house. I bet that in it's day, it was one of the grandest houses. They ended up knocking it down, don't know when but I drove by about 16 years ago, there was nothing on the lot. Anyway, a lot of us have the same dream, to own a beautiful, grand house. Reality is the lack of things needed to live in it in today's world as Tricia said. Since you are not married with kids yet, it wouldn't really matter much, you would probably get by fine. Once you have kids and they start getting older is when you will notice how hard it is to raise a family there unless you luck out and get a house that has larger rooms where you can make closets, or one that has a decent kitchen. I wonder then if my fiance and I should actually change our dream to accomodate the current economy and the deals available? IMO, this might be a good idea, at least for now. Being newly married can be stressful. Unless the 2 of you are currently living together, you have to learn to live with your partner. How do both of you handle stress? Buying a house that you are working on all of the time is very stressful and could eventually start pulling you apart. You'll come home from work some days so tired but you have to sand & throw another coat of spackle on, or paint, or run out to the home store to buy supplies. Hubby & I worked on our last house starting 2 years after I moved in. We removed paneling, faux brick, painted, put in floors as well as putting a new floor frame on a concrete slab in the laundry area to build it up so that we could put a floor down. By the time we sold we were tired & cranky. Add to this a roof, electric upgrade, plumbing, which was a job in itself since there was only 1 shutoff valve, which meant we lost water for the day. We also did central air, a hot water heater as well as new furnace, and had planned to redo all of the baseboards as well. Are there any houses that are in between the old house and new construction for a compromise? You might be able to live a little bit more comfortably and not have to work as hard. It will also give you an idea of how the 2 of you work together as a team (or not). You can save the Victorian house for later on