Yardies, at home and a farrin' (Part 5)

[tnw 0]

I struggle with this all the time! LOL Living in Pittsburgh is no cup of tea...especially in the wintertime but the cost of living is cheap even though our job market is still competitive because we're in Pennsylvania but reap the benefits of Philly being our "neighbor". Because Philly is a little more expensive than Pgh., the job market here pays the same.

My old apartment in Philly was about $1100 and that was back in 2000. I have a 3bdrm house in Pittsburgh, central air, garage and huge backyard and my mortgage is only $573 and i live right in the city in a decent neighborhood. That's always my dilemma with going somewhere else they may have more perks than a small city like Pittsburgh but at what cost? Trust me, I would love to be somewhere that's more culturally diverse but It's hard to leave when I have tons of extra money every month and can wipe out debt at leisure.

I'll be staying put until I know more about me and Dave's relationship once he gets here.....no need for both of us to be somewhere that neither one of us can afford!

Tonisha, you convinced me, Pittsburgh here I come If only I can find a job that is paying me what I am getting now with all the little perks. Let me see if any of the subsidiaries for our parent company is out that way! To have mortgage of $573 would be a dream here.

For real...I wanted to go south to get away from the cold but I'll be cold for $573.

For real I'll be an icicle for what 4 months out of the year for $573/mth for mortgage. And I can bet average utility bills aren't too bad and for sure homeowners insurance is a fraction of what it is here. My mom's insurance bill in total was over $4000 for the year and figure that with property taxes being about the same.

Hey ladies...

Yeah, Pittsburgh is COLD from Nov - Feb but the tradeoff is we're still only 3-4 hour drive to MD, Philly, D.C. etc. The median home price is around $90,000 which works out to a really affordable mortgage and then like J.G. said....you get a HUGE tax break when u own property.

When I first got outta Grad school in Philly, I came back to Pgh. in 2000 and lived in a bunch of different apartments. Even in Pgh. my rent used to still be around $700 for a small one bedroom and i got tired of only having "one" closet! Finally, I bought the house in 2004 for around 70,000 and even though that's pretty cheap....I still landed a detached house with all those amenities and a lot of land. The taxes are like $1100 a year and the last time i looked, the homeowner's might of been around $40 a month or something. I live about a 5 minute drive to work and i'm in a neighborhood that's close to center city, all the stadiums, the casino and all the restaurants etc.

I'll be the first to say, Pgh lacks in the diversity department with only a small west-indian population but because it is cheaper, it's easier to do more with your money and own a whole bunch of rental properies. That's the direction I'm going in so I can keep getting that big tax right off since I don't have any kids and i'm done with school.

I just shaved a good $7,000 off my income by being able to write off that house on my taxes I would love to live somewhere else that has more going on (Pgh population only about 500,000 people) but at my age (37) I'm more worried about how soon I can retire than I'm worried about living somewhere more expensive.

Come on over ladies, I'll show you guys around!!!

[Marlita 0]

No not really i think we do have alot of jobs in my fiend in the MW though i chose tx as i have friends there since i lived there for a year and everyone was so nice so helpful there and friendly verrry friendly. And i can just switch to doin what im doing right now with not learning anything new. Then Florida because its tropical and sunny and i am missing that from jamaica. Then Cali for the same reasons and there are alot of jobs in my field there with my company Right now my goal is to save as much as possible im figuring GA or TX i can def do that. Oh and i love the homes in TX but FL has the architecture i really love. So far Mercedes homes are my favorite. We want to open a restaurant nothing really big but that is our dream right now any ideas on startup costs for a small restaurant like a carryout with maybe 6 tables. Anyone been to Nyam and Jam in Mobay?? We want something like that, maybe smaller. Or like Frankies i think its called over by pier one right inside where the car wash is. Its very small.

Awww, Nyam and Jam. You know I've passed it many times but never went inside. There's this really good Ital place behind the Mobay buspark though. Its this shack of a place where all these wierd little shops are, but the food is soooo hearty and the best soy carrot drink. That place has to be one of my favorites in Jamaica thus far. The food is good and not loaded with grease. It feels you up, but doesnt make you feel heavy afterwards.

Late night the rastas setup shop on some street i swear i could not tell u where it is but like after midnight maybe they start cookin chris always gets the veggie chunks with fried dumplings and i get maccaroni and salt fish. This is right outside not in any shop.

Oh yeah! I love when we are walking up and down the street at night an you pass one of those carts and the food smeels soooo good.

Jengs, to comment on your mobay hang out spots....i really dont know any either. i dont like Mobay as much as Ochi either and I've only been to Ochi once. Negril has beaches, if your a tourist...but there are so many other spots there that more of the locals would know about. i love Negril. To me its just like being in a neighborhood and its just the fun times with neighbors and such in the community, plus the beaches are the best.

[Forever Young 1]

Ok people don't kill me. But i've never been able to get into MO Bay...Negril was nice, but nothing really going on but the beach...I LOVE Ochi, cyan just walk out and u in the middle of things...that hip strip is boring, where do u all hang out when u go there??? Ya'll talking bout places and i'm like where is that. I like mixing up with people when I go to JA.

Don't feel too bad...I am way outta the loop as well I was only in Mo Bay for the airport and stayed for a night or 2 when they lost the luggage but other than that nothing. Never been to Negril. Been to Ochi more than anything but even then it wasn't much. The Island Grill, the mall, the movie place, KFC

Now when you all start talking about Spanish Town, May Pen, Town, Linstead, Mt. Rosser, Ewarton...I will be able to contribute I truly feel like a country girl!

Chica, you sure do sound like one! Ain't nothing wrong with DAT!!! Ken's Dad is in Linstead...I used to go there too as a kid! Always busy!!

Gill

Edited February 7, 2008 by Deyoungting

[Marlita 0]

Ok people don't kill me. But i've never been able to get into MO Bay...Negril was nice, but nothing really going on but the beach...I LOVE Ochi, cyan just walk out and u in the middle of things...that hip strip is boring, where do u all hang out when u go there??? Ya'll talking bout places and i'm like where is that. I like mixing up with people when I go to JA.

I like going to the Dead End Beach in Mo Bay! Across the street, they have a likkle restaurant there and billards table wid music at night! It's nice, everyone a hang-out and enjoy the vibes. I also like Pier 1 or the club above The Pelican on a Friday night and The Ville on Thursday. A nice likkle club in Falmouth on Saturday night. Sunday we usually go to Sunday Breeze in Long Bay. I like MoBay...I am definitely a 'MoBay' Girl!

Negril was nice too! I REALLY LIKED Scrub-A-Dub/Striptease...that place was OFF THE HOOK! Trust me, if you go to Negril in the next few months tek yuh Man...they will appreci-RATE it!! Especially the Go-Go dancers....it's not gully or grimmy...it's just fun...wid good vibes. Ken dared me to stick a dollar bill inna dem g-string...he must have forgotten who he was wid. ..I went right up there and DID IT!! They also have a pool upstairs on the roof!

Bless,

Gill

Oh, yeah, Dead End beach is very nice. last time I went it was real chill. Just families there with there kids. I have been the the Pier One restaurant, i guess its the same spot as the club. anyway, food was sooooo good here. The salmon is off the chain.

Gill, my lil sis was talking bout Scrub a Dub just lass week, haha, she didnt go but apparently the guys who worked at our hotel this past summer were trying to get her an my older sis to go there.

[tnw 0]

Thanks everyone. I haven't seen my honey since Sept so the hormones are jumping....lol Has anyone been to Evita's in Ochi? It's an Italian/Jamaican mix restaurant. I plan on taking Ray there for his birthday...

I was at Evita's back on my Sept. trip and the setting is nice....some of items are a little overpriced (I think) for any of their "American" dishes but the portions are a really good size. They have some guy playing the piano while you're eating and dave wasn't feeling him at all but other than that it's a great place to sit, eat and overlook Ochi at nightime. I've been there a few other times with my girls and it was decent.

The dress is casual and dinner for two is around $100. Take a lesson from me, don't let anyone say you can "Walk" there and let them drop u off at the bottom of the hill (it's a little ways up from Fisherman's point on the way to the RIU) because me and my girls did that two years ago and it took us about 20 minutes to walk up there on a hill that was more like a Cliff!!!

Me and dave took a cab up when we went so I didn't have to take my shoes off to walk up that crazy A** hill!

Thanks everyone. I haven't seen my honey since Sept so the hormones are jumping....lol Has anyone been to Evita's in Ochi? It's an Italian/Jamaican mix restaurant. I plan on taking Ray there for his birthday...

I was at Evita's back on my Sept. trip and the setting is nice....some of items are a little overpriced (I think) for any of their "American" dishes but the portions are a really good size. They have some guy playing the piano while you're eating and dave wasn't feeling him at all but other than that it's a great place to sit, eat and overlook Ochi at nightime. I've been there a few other times with my girls and it was decent.

The dress is casual and dinner for two is around $100. Take a lesson from me, don't let anyone say you can "Walk" there and let them drop u off at the bottom of the hill (it's a little ways up from Fisherman's point on the way to the RIU) because me and my girls did that two years ago and it took us about 20 minutes to walk up there on a hill that was more like a Cliff!!!

Me and dave took a cab up when we went so I didn't have to take my shoes off to walk up that crazy A** hill!

[Marlita 0]

Oh, I forgot, Mobay Proper. its a bar, restaurant an pool hall. it was cool, but not really priced for locals. i loved this little pool hall downtown mobay on some random back street. they have this free juke box and i was practicing my selecta skills all night. The guys thaought I was this "crazy yankee gyal", and they kept wanting to try and teach me how to hold the stick...lol...anyway, mi cyaan hold de stick juss fine, thank you very much!

[Marlita 0]

Ok people don't kill me. But i've never been able to get into MO Bay...Negril was nice, but nothing really going on but the beach...I LOVE Ochi, cyan just walk out and u in the middle of things...that hip strip is boring, where do u all hang out when u go there??? Ya'll talking bout places and i'm like where is that. I like mixing up with people when I go to JA.

I like going to the Dead End Beach in Mo Bay! Across the street, they have a likkle restaurant there and billards table wid music at night! It's nice, everyone a hang-out and enjoy the vibes. I also like Pier 1 or the club above The Pelican on a Friday night and The Ville on Thursday. A nice likkle club in Falmouth on Saturday night. Sunday we usually go to Sunday Breeze in Long Bay. I like MoBay...I am definitely a 'MoBay' Girl!

Negril was nice too! I REALLY LIKED Scrub-A-Dub/Striptease...that place was OFF THE HOOK! Trust me, if you go to Negril in the next few months tek yuh Man...they will appreci-RATE it!! Especially the Go-Go dancers....it's not gully or grimmy...it's just fun...wid good vibes. Ken dared me to stick a dollar bill inna dem g-string...he must have forgotten who he was wid. ..I went right up there and DID IT!! They also have a pool upstairs on the roof!

Bless,

Gill

lol lol rub a dub striptease and car wash lol hahahah that is funny that sign i be crackin up lol that is in negril right them girl be climbing up all the way to the roof on the pole there is a very small/short (i dont want to say the wrong word ) man at one of those clubs ok im have to PM you hahah

yes dead end bar i hear they remodeled there is always this older man in there playing drums or somethin they say he is from TX he came to the island a while back and he still there pelican cost too much! but have good blended fruit punch market day in falmouth i enjoyed that shopping

Oh the Pelican...thats the name of the restaurant....yes it do cost alot...more like US prices than JA ones...but the food is yummy. I like the fruit punches too.

[Black Velvet 4]

I miss Mo Bay.

Kevin and I met at Doctor's Cave Beach. The Brewery is a party spot for the locals. Friday is the night to go to Pier I. Margaritaville is good on Thursday & Saturday. If you want to keep it low key, then go to Coral Cliffs and listen to some live music (2nd floor). Kevin got his Georgia driver's license today. It brek 'im hart fi leggo di Yardie license. I was also able to add hubby to my auto policy (only $6 increase for the next 6 months).

[Forever Young 1]

Ok people don't kill me. But i've never been able to get into MO Bay...Negril was nice, but nothing really going on but the beach...I LOVE Ochi, cyan just walk out and u in the middle of things...that hip strip is boring, where do u all hang out when u go there??? Ya'll talking bout places and i'm like where is that. I like mixing up with people when I go to JA.

I like going to the Dead End Beach in Mo Bay! Across the street, they have a likkle restaurant there and billards table wid music at night! It's nice, everyone a hang-out and enjoy the vibes. I also like Pier 1 or the club above The Pelican on a Friday night and The Ville on Thursday. A nice likkle club in Falmouth on Saturday night. Sunday we usually go to Sunday Breeze in Long Bay. I like MoBay...I am definitely a 'MoBay' Girl!

Negril was nice too! I REALLY LIKED Scrub-A-Dub/Striptease...that place was OFF THE HOOK! Trust me, if you go to Negril in the next few months tek yuh Man...they will appreci-RATE it!! Especially the Go-Go dancers....it's not gully or grimmy...it's just fun...wid good vibes. Ken dared me to stick a dollar bill inna dem g-string...he must have forgotten who he was wid. ..I went right up there and DID IT!! They also have a pool upstairs on the roof!

Bless,

Gill

lol lol rub a dub striptease and car wash lol hahahah that is funny that sign i be crackin up lol that is in negril right them girl be climbing up all the way to the roof on the pole there is a very small/short (i dont want to say the wrong word ) man at one of those clubs ok im have to PM you hahah

yes dead end bar i hear they remodeled there is always this older man in there playing drums or somethin they say he is from TX he came to the island a while back and he still there pelican cost too much! but have good blended fruit punch market day in falmouth i enjoyed that shopping

Oh the Pelican...thats the name of the restaurant....yes it do cost alot...more like US prices than JA ones...but the food is yummy. I like the fruit punches too.

Never ate at the Pelican...but the club upstairs( The Brewery...Thanks Mrs. Scott ) was off the CHAIN!!! That was were Ken & I went on our second date! Bwoy, mi pudung a pissa dancin' dat night! That's when I knew I was fallin' for this guy...cause I was SWEATIN' and he would just tek out his rag and wipe my face!

LOL Lita, wid the pool place!!! Wi doan knoa yuh a 'Crazy Yankee Gurl' LANG time!

Love ya,

Gill

Edited February 8, 2008 by Deyoungting

[tnw 0]

I miss Mo Bay.

Kevin and I met at Doctor's Cave Beach. The Brewery is a party spot for the locals. Friday is the night to go to Pier I. Margaritaville is good on Thursday & Saturday. If you want to keep it low key, then go to Coral Cliffs and listen to some live music (2nd floor). Kevin got his Georgia driver's license today. It brek 'im hart fi leggo di Yardie license. I was also able to add hubby to my auto policy (only $6 increase for the next 6 months).

CONGRATS on the Driver's license and for only having that small increase on your insurance....that's wonderful new!

[Forever Young 1]

I miss Mo Bay.

Kevin and I met at Doctor's Cave Beach. The Brewery is a party spot for the locals. Friday is the night to go to Pier I. Margaritaville is good on Thursday & Saturday. If you want to keep it low key, then go to Coral Cliffs and listen to some live music (2nd floor). Kevin got his Georgia driver's license today. It brek 'im hart fi leggo di Yardie license. I was also able to add hubby to my auto policy (only $6 increase for the next 6 months).

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Scott...that's GREAT NEWS!! Just $6!!! WOW, maybe I need to move to ATL sooner than I thought!

Bless,

Gill

[Black Velvet 4]

How does one deal with SO's unrealistic expectations?

My husband does not have a degree, yet he thinks he is going to get some top dollar job. I have located several jobs, and each time he refuses to apply. I saw a position at Greyhound cleaning the bus. The pay is $9.48 per hour. What is the problem? I wouldn't pressure him as much if he was in school. Every time I make a suggestion, he says "Lemme do mi own ting." I am about to pull my hair out. He has his EAD and SS card; therefore, there is no excuse. Does any one have any suggestions/insight?

[Marlita 0]

maybe tell him that you guys financial stability depends "heavily" on him getting a job sooner rather than later. I tend to think most men are babies and need the ego stroked a bit to often for me to stomach, but its what gets the job done. I would just play it up like he will be the GREAT contributor to the family financial pot once he starts working and how great that would be for you and how proud you'd be on him...yada yada yada ray tay tay.!LOL But starting at almost $10 is pretty good if he comes here with little experience. i mean once you accept a jon your're not tied to it for life. tell him he could still continue to look for a better one while working there and then just quit when he gets the other one.

[nannygirl82 0]

How does one deal with SO's unrealistic expectations?

My husband does not have a degree, yet he thinks he is going to get some top dollar job. I have located several jobs, and each time he refuses to apply. I saw a position at Greyhound cleaning the bus. The pay is $9.48 per hour. What is the problem? I wouldn't pressure him as much if he was in school. Every time I make a suggestion, he says "Lemme do mi own ting." I am about to pull my hair out. He has his EAD and SS card; therefore, there is no excuse. Does any one have any suggestions/insight?

i feel ya on this one...i had issues with mike not getting a job or being lazy to get a job...he really only wanted a job if he could or i should say me....fill out a application online...and then he would get upset because he was bored and had nothing to do...so i would say ok go to differnt places and get applications....no i don't want too because i can't do it online....well then the pay wasn't high enough for him and then he didn't want to go to the interview cause he would have to fill out more paperwork....AAHH enough to make me crazy....

but how he got his latest job he got all on his own....so i know it is hard but maybe just give him a time frame to let him do it on his own to get a job and then by such and such a date if he doesn't have one then you would like to help him find a job...just a idea!

[JaEnglishGirl 34]

Ok I need some help

Gill got me hooked on "Strictly Da Best" Cd's. They are fantastic! Anyways I really like this artist "Alaine". I want to get her CD but I can't find it on the net anywhere really. I found one copy out of the UK for like $28 plus a whole lot in shipping. How come the cd isn't available easier? Even her record label - VP records doesn't sell her CD on their website. What is up with that? Anyways - anyone know where I can get a copy that won't cost an arm and a leg?

Yes $3.99 WWW.AUDIOMAXXX.COM you can download it to ur computer and burn it or either have them mail it to u they have sale going on now i have her CD. I think shipping is free right now but not sure when that ends.

JALOVE - I'm not a big fan of audiomaxx. I've ordered from them once and received a CD that were burnt and not of authentic quality. BUT the price is right.

If anyone wants Alaine's CD straight from VP Records here's the link: Alaine - Sacrifice

I would second that.....While I can't deny I do download stuff, Audiomaxx are WELL known for taking artist's stuff, SELLING it on their website and giving the artist NONE of the royalities.....Even Vybez Kartel made a song dissing that site.....Hate them