American Dream - preferably inland

What is one of the tangible results of living the American dream? For many people to own a house.

Well, we haven't been different after we moved from Austria to Massachusetts. First, we rented a house in a nice suburbanian neighborhood approx. 8 miles away from downtown Boston. Quickly, we realized that for the same amount we paid for rent we easily could afford a mortgage and own a house. A few months later we bought a house nearby a lake where we can swim in summer.

Although we love our house, we secretly nurtured a bigger dream: A house directly at the coast. Listening to the sound of waves when falling asleep, admiring the rising sun over the ocean in the morning - could there be anything more perfect than that?

A few days ago we experienced a rude awakening: Not only are the insurance rates for coastal property much higher than for inland property, now the state of Massachusetts officially recommended that all homeowners along the coastline raise their houses for up to three feet to protect them against the rising sea level due to global warming: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/05/mass_urges_coastal_homeowners.html

List of online Shopping Helpers

In economic difficult times like now, every buck saved is important. Checking out prices online before heading to the store is therefore a must for me.

After we moved to the US, I learned quickly that here prices can be very different. For example, recently I bought a new digital camera that was offered at $ 230 in one store and at almost $ 400 in another. In both cases, the price was only for the camera body, no extras involved.

Like many people, I don't like so much buying online (though I do it); it's for safety reasons and because I like to see what I buy. However, price comparing websites help me to find the right stores - and sometimes, after having seen the product in a store, I still end up buying it online.

Some of my favorite websites:

www.pricegrabber.com

www.bizrate.com

www.pricescan.com

www.pricingcentral.com

www.bestwebbuys.com

And for those of you, who are hitting the road during the summer, check out the best gas prices at www.gasbuddy.com

Haggling 101

Did you ever go to a big box store, set your eyes on a product and then tried to bargain for a better price? If not, try it next time. Chances are hight that you will save some money.

Recently, I watched a special report on the evening news. Reporters tried to negotiate the price for TVs, refrigerators or even t-shirts. In more than half of the cases, they have been successful and saved hundreds of dollars. Sometimes, the salesperson couldn't help with the price but offered something else, like free delivery or free installation.

I would have never thought of trying to bargain in a store. To save money, I look out for sales or use coupons, but I never haggled - until now.

Consumer experts advise to be always polite and discreet, and not pushy. Further, it's important to offer a price that is fair and reasonable. If your offer is too low, the salesperson will just reject it without even considering it or making a counter offer. Also, make sure that you are bargaining with a salesperson who has the authority to offer a discount. If you are not sure about that, ask for the manager.

And last but not least, don't bargain if you are not ready to buy the product.

Cat friendship

Though I'm living now for more than 20 years in constant company with cats, they still have the ability to amaze me. My two tomcats are normally not very friendly with other cats, and there have been several visits to the vet in the past for infected scratches and bites. Thus, I was a little concerned when a neighbor asked me whether we could take her cat in for a couple of days. Another tomcat.

To my surprise it worked out without any problems. Jamie, the white longhaired half blind guest cat was submissive and mellow (even if it looks different in the picture) and Maxi, my cat battle tested red one apparently liked him. If there is love on first sight for cats then it happened between these two.

Jamie, who is now a constant guest in our house, is shadowing Maxi, and they even sleep next to each other. My other grey cat is like the fifth wheel: ignored from Jamie and Maxi, but Lucky seems to be fine with that.

High gas prices: Good for the environment

It’s sad that it needs an economic crisis to get people rethinking their driving habits. However, it seems this is the upside of the financial worries many people have right now: it’s good for the environment.

Almost daily, one can read in newspapers that people try to exchange their gas-guzzlers against smaller cars. The sale of new SUVs and trucks has clearly dropped and private sellers of used big cars are offering them below their listing in vehicle valuation books. In Boston, public transportation is up by 10 %, and I just read on CNN that Chrysler offers new buyers to cover for gas costs beyond $ 2.99 for three years – desperate times require desperate measures. People I know try to carpool, or start biking to their workplaces – just to save some money.

Maybe one day soon, most people will drive cars in the US like the one we left behind when we moved from Austria to America: A car that made more than 25 miles/gallon. That was 10 years ago and many cars in Europe can do much better nowadays. According to Automotive Digest: “In Europe, cars on average get 40 mpg, compared w/ 20.4 mpg for US cars”. (http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_art.asp?articlesID=21658).

For many people here in the Boston area, recreational boats become an unaffordable luxury too. Today on craigslist, there were more than 100 new sales postings. One person even offered a boat for free!

Spring Hike Mt. Greylock

Last weekend we decided to hike up Mt. Greylock, with 3100 feet the largest "mountain" of Massachusetts. Used to the Austrian Alps, Mt. Greylock appeared to us more like a "hill" - an easy spring hike we assumed with a certain naïveté.

Well, it turned out we had underestimated the trip. Being not in the best shape after the long winter, it took us forever to get to the top (at least, it seemed like ’forever’). It was a surprisingly hot day, and natural refreshments were highly welcome.

As closer we came to the summit, as more snow was on the ground.

After almost 3 hours we finally got rewarded with this incredible view

and after 5 ½ hours and a total of 9 miles (according to our GPS system for hiker, which by the way came in handy on snow-covered paths without markers) we were back at the car- exhausted, but happy. It has been a great first hike of the year!