I also thought about looking into the future, meaning where will we be in 30 years on our consumption of oil & other energy sources.

We called the Chicago Water Department, and they informed us that meter-less properties are billed by estimating water consumption based on certain property parameters established by the county and the Municipal Code of Chicago, and that the only solution to reduce our water billing is to install a water meter.

Under these regs amounts paid or incurred for materials and supplies after 1/1/14 are deductible when purchased if the materials and supplies are incidental, and deductible when used or consumed if non-incidental.Incidental materials and supplies are those that are carried on hand and which no record of physical consumption is kept, no beginning or ending inventories taken.For purposes of 1.162-3, materials and supplies are defined as tangible property used or consumed in the taxpayer's operations that is not inventory and that is/are:1) spare parts2) fuel, lubricants, water, etc., expected to be consumed in 12 months or less3) a unit of property having an economic useful life less than 12 months4) acquisition/production costs less than $2005) various other typesTake advantage of all the methods for immediate deduction without the need for cost segs.

While this figure will rise as additional deals signed near the end of the quarter are discovered, leasing activity has cooled noticeably over the past year, with trailing four-quarter leasing activity falling to 241 million SF, its lowest level since 2020 and nearly 20% below the average recorded during the five-year period preceding the pandemic (2015-2019).Other factors contributing to the pullback in leasing activity include a more-challenging operating environment, a lack of available labor, and a rise in uncertainty surrounding the outlook for consumption.

I like them except for their battery consumption.  

Dryer is electric (NG run was too involved) so I metered the KWH & found the new dryer averaged about $25/month & water consumption had not increased. 

I'm seeing anecdotal evidence in people's conspicuous consumption all over town that was happening right before the last crash. 

It would be horrible and devastating to get into a deal while you are making progress on fixing your credit and then have the deal go sideways because you didn't have enough of a reserve to handle a serious repair.Hustle, hustle, hustle; apply that to your consumption of knowledge here and elsewhere, to fixing your credit, to your business, to the creative methods you come up with to get your foot in the door and saving up.

It seems as if property taxes are lower in areas that have a higher consumption tax.

However, I have many controls to prevent overuse of utilities (locked thermostat, fees for excessive electric consumption, hot water in certain hours).