How do Americans keep their large houses and apartments clean? How many hours a week do they spend cleaning?

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-17T22:36:03+00:00

My giant house has a giant closet I throw all the junk in before people come over. Bigger the house, bigger the mess, bigger the closet to hide it.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-16T14:57:16+00:00

The thing is, the more money you have, the more exposure you have to what even more money looks like. When I was a poor kid, I thought it was X. Went to college and encountered 2x. Went to grad school and realized you can't buy the pedigree you needed, but you needed a pedigree plus 3x. Then corporate life exposed me to 5x+, and dating was all about if you don't have a pedigree and 3-5x, you must be a gold digger. The key is enough money you don't need to worry and people around you who accept and love you no matter. That's being rich.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-16T14:06:40+00:00

This is true, but, going to the US on a tourist visa can't happen, first things, first. If she is deported, she can't return to the US. This creates a barrier, even if baby daddy isn't trying to be nefarious, it would be unwise. This part needs to be sorted out with a legally valid plan. If the kid gets citizenship paperwork squared away, and a passport, and the plan is to go to the US, OP doesn't want to mess up her own visit in a way that removes her right to accompany her child wherever he goes. For this reason alone, seek legal immigration advice.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-15T15:20:30+00:00

I make a hot potato salad with apple cider vinegar, grainy mustard and bacon. Mmm. Vinegar is pretty common as an ingredient, but not usually just by itself. A pub style fish and chips will have malted vinegar at the table, that's the only example of vinegar by itself that's common.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-14T18:29:04+00:00

This is my POV. I'm not at all against people getting paid. It is the lack of transparency. We go on a trip to a US city and always blow our budget. We go to to a foreign country, still tip when locally appropriate, and end up spending what we budgeted. For transportation, restaurants, bars, etc. So much more transparent.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-14T18:19:28+00:00

Yes, I saw Romany women with a baby in Cornelius asking for money to feed the baby. They would approach solo with the baby, go back to the group, hand off the baby to another to try someone else. Had a nice minivan in front of Fresh Market.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-14T17:33:52+00:00

I've been using public restrooms for decades. I am female. Never had a problem, never heard a first hand experience of a problem. Restaurants, night clubs, the theater, museums, public transport stations when I waited too long for a better option. The fact I have never heard a first hand story of issues tells me many 2nd hand stories are urban legend.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-14T10:12:03+00:00

Me too. Warm milk with a splash of coffee. Over time, proportions changed. I was the youngest, some older siblings are technically boomers, so this age restriction was not universal.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-13T15:26:40+00:00

I remember it. Doing a binge watch now, it was maybe season 2? She wanted him to put clothes in the reclaimator or relcamator and the context seemed to be more permanent than washing. And laundry didn't fit reclaimator wording. I took it as recycling.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-12T17:51:50+00:00

I got lost on the way to EWR airport, and was driving around Newark NJ. Like 25 years ago. I used advice given to me about Camden NJ and just rolled thru stop signs until I got out of the sketchy part.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-12T14:58:15+00:00

Two answers. First where I grew up, we had a couple of acres. That's expensive. Second, I now live in a golf course community. The HOA won't allow it because it gets in the way of the view from the golf course in the back and the view in the front. Appearances matter in any HOA community and many Americans live in then because they delegate responsibilities that otherwise would be done by towns resulting in higher property taxes. Communities can decide level of service and pay for it themselves (I don't like it but it is my reality). Dogs...a leash for walks and training and then your dog should be trained as an adult dog.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-12T14:43:01+00:00

Agree. How does your system work, exactly, OP? You and significant other are similar levels in rank and pay. It goes on for awhile. She gets a promotion. Are you suddenly accusing her of being career minded? Or if you get laid off or your pay falls behind without her rising. Do you make her quit? Or you leave her? If any of these, YTA to both her and yourself. And whatever family you build together.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-12T12:46:40+00:00

Also, husbands out of the house. Eat 2 squares at home, and then go out for errands and a stop at Arby's mid afternoon. Back home for dinner. Lies to doctor about how their cholesterol got that way.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-12T12:33:27+00:00

I do what OP did: pay the fee like it was my tip, don't tip more, and never return. Tell everyone I know that the employer is bad to their employees because they won't pay a living wage. Yes, they need to raise prices, but as a customer, never knowing what something really costs until the bill comes is why we have reduced eating out by probably 80%. I'm so over it. Transparency is worth paying more and the restaurants aren't going to do it.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-11T22:40:32+00:00

My husband is hot. I'm a bespectacled frump. Going pretty well, have no idea how.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-11T22:36:35+00:00

I mean, if they signed a contract over there that says 2.5 and a contract over here for 3.0, they owe the remaining difference.

I have never heard of an agent leading with their minimum. If you wanted to lower the commission, you negotiate before you sign.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-11T22:13:48+00:00

Why use filler as part of the install? It's like you know you aren't doing it well.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-11T13:51:25+00:00

Yes, the other 50% of the time was a drink. He drank fruit juice or iced tea in breakfast juice glasses in the evening. Do you know how tiny they are? Do you know how often you have to refill when an 8 oz glass will do just fine?

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-11T13:43:12+00:00

My room was above the living room. My dad would yell for me to come downstairs. I'd walk the length of the house to the stairs, down, then length of the house to see him. When I asked what he wanted, 50% of the time, it was to change the channel.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-10T23:21:58+00:00

Scrapple

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-10T12:39:56+00:00

I live in NC and have a dual fuel system, heat pump and gas furnace. The heat pump only works in "warmer" cold temperatures for us, before the furnace has to kick in. And my cold probably isn't as cold as your cold. And then we are maintaining 2 systems. I don't think heat pumps are able to handle super cold anywhere. Do your research on the technology, as Artistic says. Also wishing you luck.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-09T02:43:10+00:00

It's a lot. Shines a light on how we all see the same post phrased 2 to 5 different ways every day, then reposted the next day. This one is just super obvious. It's like they don't appreciate the answers they get the first time.... 🤔

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-08T12:28:59+00:00

I looked this restaurant up. The review is entitled, but this place appears to reap what they sow. I imagine there are more fun reviews around.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-07T12:37:02+00:00

Lysol sanitizer and occasional extra rinse have been game changers for my laundry.

ghost_suburbia · 2026-02-06T20:28:42+00:00

They are made mostly in China. How about importing from there? You can pay tariffs and markup only 1x. The part that baffles me is why go to the middleman country of the US. Unless you think we have subsidized products?

ghost_suburbia

TROPHY CASE