Can you say recession

[Obi-Wan]

obi, i wasn't directing my diatribe at anyone specific. definitely not you. anyway...

i will not answer the first question.

but, will gladly address the others. i put "employees" in quotes because its quite obvious... as you explained... they weren't employees in the classic sense. i ran that operation for 3 months out of the year during the summer. the guys who worked for me were friends. i was young and dumb and all of the rules weren't followed. but, they were making 4-500/week working 20-25/hours/week for 10-12 weeks during the summer. i didn't charge the customer by the hour. i bid the job and then did the job for whatever the bid was. sometimes i made $150/hour after paying them. sometimes, $100/hour. i did have your classic other expenses though like vehicles, equipment, fuel, advertising and insurance. here's the point though....

at least in these parts... lake region... the guys doing this type of work either bid it or actually invoice it in the range of $100-125 per man hour. much like auto body, electrician, plumber, etc... those are more in the 125-150/hour range these days. either way... assume i am running 5 guys on a construction crew at $125/hour. i pay them $25/hour (which most don't) and the actual cost of that labor after wsi, payroll, ssi, unemployment, etc... is $50/hour (which i think is steep unless i am terrible at math). that means i am making $75/hour x 5 = $375/hour. that's well north of 750k/year. now lets business expense off 50% of that cause we can "write off" (according to kramer) everything from personal side by sides to snowblowers to the wife's suburban. that means i am making 375k year running a construction company. if the lack of laborers is costing me the ability to actually work at my fullest capacity, it seems the wisest solution would be to just pay them a bit more because... in the grand scheme of things... the cost of labor is a relatively small percentage of doing business. main point: no sense nickel and diming the single most necessary asset for the company to actually make money.

I think I know the answer to the question that you won't answer and that is most likely because you charge what many would consider an extreme rate with way less overhead than a typical construction company.

Your numbers are grossly inflated for a guy to have 5 employees and clear 375 K a year. The profits you are stating do not exist, and if they do exist are extremely rare.

 

[camper]

If they don't f'en try, why in Sam hell would you spend all that kind of time and money on a high school sport?!?! I call BS!!

Just went through the whole college thing with my daughter (she just graduated this spring) and I couldn't disagree with you more. The VAST MAJORITY of kids going to college have NO scholarships. ZERO.....Where the hell is this magical 50% off for tuition?!? I call BS again!!

She was 4.0 all the way through high school and on the Dean's List every single time at NDSU. We looked at all the complete BS crap NDSU and the likes put out for "scholarships" and it was laughable.

You're not going to change my mind on the so called scholarship opportunities for higher education.

Maybe you should have visited with the financial aid office. My son’s ACT score was 32 and he graduated high school with a 4.10 GPA. Between academic scholarships and working part time, he graduated from NDSU with less than $10,000 in loans which he paid off in less than 2 years. Scholarships are out there, you just need to know where to look.

 

[johnr]

Wrong again.....dance is higher and it's not even close.

Rodeo is the highest by over double any other sport, and then some

 

[Jiffy]

So you have to bring your own goats to rope or what?

 

[Jiffy]

Maybe you should have visited with the financial aid office. My son’s ACT score was 32 and he graduated high school with a 4.10 GPA. Between academic scholarships and working part time, he graduated from NDSU with less than $10,000 in loans which he paid off in less than 2 years. Scholarships are out there, you just need to know where to look.

Probably so, apparently we didn't need them that bad. We looked into it, but I was far from pursuing every single avenue and 500 dollar scholarship for this and that. ect ect

I'm glad they're out there for the kids that do though. I'll take your word on that.

 

[johnr]

So you have to bring your own goats to rope or what?

Horse or 2, huge trailer, and a diesel pickup to pull it, saddles, harness, vet visits, hay, wear and tear on all that shit, and entry fees, etc.

a rodeo kid will blow through $40,000 a season, not counting all the other hidden shit I dont know of.

 

[guywhofishes]

Rodeo is the highest by over double any other sport, and then some

This isn't rodeo you goofball.

 

[Jiffy]

Horse or 2, huge trailer, and a diesel pickup to pull it, saddles, harness, vet visits, hay, wear and tear on all that shit, and entry fees, etc.

a rodeo kid will blow through $40,000 a season, not counting all the other hidden shit I dont know of.

You forgot new shit kickers and a 10 gallon hat....

 

[johnr]

You forgot new shit kickers and a 10 gallon hat....

And multiple trips to the chiropractor.

 

[Fester]

Wrong again.....dance is higher and it's not even close.

Well imagine that...I had a daughter in dance....nope not higher then the cost my buddy had for his sin in hockey..close but no cigar.

 

[guywhofishes]

My fencing team in Bismarck in the late 70s spent money like there was no tomorrow.

En garde!

 

[Fester]

If they don't f'en try, why in Sam hell would you spend all that kind of time and money on a high school sport?!?! I call BS!!

Just went through the whole college thing with my daughter (she just graduated this spring) and I couldn't disagree with you more. The VAST MAJORITY of kids going to college have NO scholarships. ZERO.....Where the hell is this magical 50% off for tuition?!? I call BS again!!

She was 4.0 all the way through high school and on the Dean's List every single time at NDSU. We looked at all the complete BS crap NDSU and the likes put out for "scholarships" and it was laughable.

You're not going to change my mind on the so called scholarship opportunities for higher education.

I had 2 kids go through college within the last 2 years...you are obviously not doing your homework and or the advisors see sucker stamped on your head. I am upper middle income and both of my kids..3.7 GPA and 3.9 GPA received substantial offers from 3 different schools(UND, u of mary, and Minot)Call BS all you want..don't care..I know what my 2 kids paid. Was ndsu the only college?? Or did daughter just have to go there??? I would guess other options were not looked at...

 

[Fester]

Maybe you should have visited with the financial aid office. My son’s ACT score was 32 and he graduated high school with a 4.10 GPA. Between academic scholarships and working part time, he graduated from NDSU with less than $10,000 in loans which he paid off in less than 2 years. Scholarships are out there, you just need to know where to look.

But camper I call bs there are no scholarships out there.....more like people are so focused on. A certain school they don't do the homework to go the most cost effective route..
I agree with you 100% you do good in highschool which would also reflect on your act score you will do fairly well when graduation comes around.

 

[Jiffy]

She wanted to go to NDSU so that’s where she went.

Sure missed this 50% off tuition scholarship.

 

[Fester]

She wanted to go to NDSU so that’s where she went.

Sure missed this 50% off tuition scholarship.

My kids..both had more than 50% off. Glad she will have fun at NDSU. I know a girl that went there for a nursing degree when Bismarck ndsu/sanford offered her 2 last years free as long as she worked for them for I belueve 2 years..she said nope...I believe she is paying 25k a year for school.. Smart choice I guess.

 

[Kurtr]

My kid was no scholar by any means but he did end up getting a couple scholarships for tech school and has saved enough money working in the summer he will pretty much have everything paid for when he gets done as long as he doesnt do any dumb shit with the snap on guy.

 

[johnr]

Why fly a kite when you can just pop a pill..?

College experience is part of the learning, sure would hate to live my life always needing to pinch that last penny. Sometimes a excursion on one of our vacations is way more than I want to spend, but when over I have never said to mrs johnr, damn I wish we would have saved that experience and put the few bucks into the Ukraine account.

 

[Fester]

My kid was no scholar by any means but he did end up getting a couple scholarships for tech school and has saved enough money working in the summer he will pretty much have everything paid for when he gets done as long as he doesnt do any dumb shit with the snap on guy.

Ugh the snap on guy.....$$$$$$ but dam the tools are so nice! Good for him going to tech school!!

 

[Allen]

As far as cost of attendance and colleges go, my son received a $4k academic scholarship from a South Dakota school for this fall. Along with a $1,090 Pell grant and a $1k private scholarship, that's $6,090 off of the advertised $21k cost of attendance.

Like I told my boy, you will likely never make as much money per hour as you can through scholarship applications. If he spent 40 hours on his scholarship applications (which he didn't), that would be right around $150 an hour. Not a bad return on time invested for an 18 yr old. One thing is for sure, the FAFSA is a lot simpler to fill out now as a parent than it was when I was an older than average student putting myself through college. The other, private scholarships can be a bit of effort to locate and apply for, but again...if you do it right the $$ per hour earned is pretty damn nice.

 

[3Roosters]

Me thinks every dang entry level employer...be it grocery stores, C stores, fast food joints would GLADLY accommodate sports playing high school kids and their sports schedules. Only can work 2 days a week? no problem.. we will figure it out. I would THINK most employers would accommodate versus being short handed. Win win for both. Employer gets an employee and high school kid gets some work experience....even if only part time...but at least gets a feel for what the real world is about.