Can I live comfortably in Brazil with roughly $1000 per month?
I'm going to answer as someone who has lived 22 years in Montenegro, a small city in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul (RS).The population is of 60k people, and we are located 70 km far from Porto Alegre, the capital. This makes us an inexpensive city because we're not as big as Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, etc; and we're not a city far from the urban centers.Considering that US$1000 is worth R$4000 right now, you can live very well.You can rent a house with 2 rooms for about R$450 near the downtown, so you don't need a car/bus ticket to work (if you're lucky to find a nice place to work in the downtown) or go out.Renting a house far from the downtown makes this value go down a little bit, at the cost of 30 minutes of commute every day (a bus ticket is R$3,50, and the gas, if you want a car, is R$3,80/liter).However, there's a warning: don't rent a house near the Caí river! It floods every year, and a lot of families lose all they have:If you are like me, and likes eating at home, sometimes going to restaurants, you're likely to spend R$600. This includes mid-range restaurants for lunching, and some cool pizzas.A house with a high usage of electricity is likely to make the bill cost R$200 nowadays (if you like to have the TV always turned on like me, and perhaps an air conditioner). The water bill is around R$40 (for those who bath all days!). Decent internet connections start at R$80.We don't have popular chain stores here, so you will not easily find cool clothes to wear. A new look will cost about R$200, including shoes, for those who don't care about it.Unfortunately, we don't have many places to go out or party here. However, you can always hit the road to cities close, like Porto Alegre, Novo Hamburgo or São Leopoldo (Porto Alegre being the farther city, 1 hour/car).You can, however, have a nice night with lots of beer with your friends for R$60.Summing up:House rent: R$450Food: R$600Commuting: R$300Electricity: R$200Water: R$40Internet: R$80Clothing: R$200Occasional parties: ~R$150Total: R$2020As you see, you can start investing in something cool (your own house, for example) right away with the rest of the money!Aerial view of the downtown
Why do people drive above the speed limit?
Because they want to & they feel safe doing so (most of the time). There are no other real reasons. The rest are justifications. Why do people feel safe driving at high speeds?1. Because modern cars are engineered to be quiet & isolate you from the outside. If you were on a pushbike & actually knew how fast you were going you'd freak out.2. Because 98% of drivers believe they are better than average. Showing that most of us over-estimate our true ability. Many studies show this. 3. Because humans are very poor at calculating risk vs reward. We take significant risks with our lives because we completely underestimate the downside. ie: few have been at a crash site first hand, seen the blood, pain & destruction. Or seen the long & painful recovery of those fortunate enough to survive. So few have needed to reflect on their actions be it speed, running a stop sign, talking on a phone etc. 4. Because we've taken that risk before & were OK. So as our confidence grows we continue to push that boundary, until we come unstuck. Evidenced by learner drivers feeling quite unsure & going slow. Eventually they think they are god because they've not crashed. 5. Most people focus on their ability to handle the car. And ignore the fact that that only represents a small percentage of the skills required to keep them safe. The largest percent being the ability to anticipate all the other drivers on the road. Especially those who are micro-sleeping, texting, talking on phone, leaning around to shout at their kids, & otherwise not looking where they are going. The greatest irony is that so many of us think we are good enough to be race car drivers if we wanted to. And we ignore the fact that most people watch the car races to see these professional drivers crash. FWIW. If you ever get the chance to take a fast lap on race circuit with a professional driver, you will discover how infinitely superior their ability to handle a car really is compared to everyone else you know.
Why do old people always seem to drive big white cars...?
Plain white cars are cheaper and cheap to insure. White cars stay cleaner in the salt. White interior lets you see things in it at night. White cars look bigger. I love white trucks,cars,vans,houses, and women. But I like better dark chocolate.
Why do Americans have such a big car complex?
Well, your basic question is very smart, but I disagree with some of your analyses over a van being the "most efficient car". They're as pathetic as SUV's and "full size sedans", and are hardly ever used to anywhere near capacity, thereby wasting fuel and road space incredibly. As one who has driven Honda Civics and VW diesel Rabbits and Jettas since 1982, I can't believe so many people are ignorant of the latter's incredibly high gas mileage very long mechanical life when they're driven as diesels are supposed to be driven. And when I drive my full size turbo-diesel pickup truck, you can bet I've either just delivered something that couldn't fit in another vehicle, or am on my way to pick such up, and / or along with that, am pulling my full size flatbed trailer, something my VW just couldn't do, especially with a full trailer load. But basically, the initial part of your question is very "right-on". We're just a very self-centered, gluttonous nation that doesn't want to let go of it addictions. God Bless you.
Does the city of Denver have a good public transportation system ?
Compare to bigger cities, such as NYC or L.A., I would say it's ok, sufficient for enough getting around town. The light rail has made it far more efficient than back when I was in college. The buses do run on schedule 95%+ of the time. Most buses do stop running after 10:30 p.m., but the ones that run to and fro downtown do extend to midnight There are very few buses that run along Colfax (to and fro downtown) after 12 a.m., such as bus #15L (the limited, not the regular #15), but it's only every 2 hours and stops running after 2:30 a.m. So if you work downtown into wee hours of the night and get off at such an odd hour as 3 a.m., then you must work out your own rides home. Oh, and do beware of drunkards saying weird stuff to you if you take the 15L along Colfax at such late night/early morning though....they're not as likely to misbehave during the day time. In the morning, the Express buses (running only during the morning and evening rush hours, between 6 - 9 a.m. and 4 - 6 p.m.) will deliver you to work on time, but they do cost more than regular rides during off-peak hours. Sunday schedules are also limited, as most buses run every 2 hours instead of the regular schedule. So if you have to work on a Sunday, that's more of an inconvenience to your morning wake-up hour. But no, the bus system here doesn't run on a 24-hour basis.
How to not get caught sleeping in my car?
I am a university student and want to minimize the cost of attending my school. I would not trouble myself with loans in teh future and bring my family into my mess, so i'm considering opting out of university housing/dorm for next year (which constitutes around 50% of my education bill). I am thinking of getting either a minivan or SUV for $2000 or lower (van is too large and arouses suspicions..debatable). I will tint the back windows as dark as the law permits (California). I have already planned it out, from hygiene to social life. I will get a meal plan, shower in gym, stay in library/cafe/cafeteria, stay modest about my living situation. I will only be using my car for sleeping at night. My university has 3 large unique parking lots, all of which allow 24/7 parking, including weekends and overnight parking. The security at my school is pretty weak. The . The parking enforcement folks seem rather lazy with their work, just checking on car's windshields for displayed colored parking permits. However, I want to make sure if this will work out. I plan on changing my car's spot every other day between different parking lots. I will only use my car at night. I will try to be stealthy every night with black sleeping bag, black wool socks, black long sleeve shirt, black eye mask, etc. I will put up a windshield sunshade and put my parking permit there. I'm not sure what to do with the rear window. I will remove the chairs and put a cheap mattress. I am not concerned about living like this for a year as long as I have a mattress and a roof over my head. Stress I can handle. However, I want to make sure I cannot be detected. Do you think putting up curtains from the inside to cover the rear windows is a bad idea? I'll try to park near the majority. What can I do lower the risk of getting caught? Any other advice is welcome