Why would they need to take a loan for $2950/mo? They should be paying under $2000/mo for mortgage/maint/re taxes and can afford to, even in the current market.
BTW – furniture can be picked up for nearly free on Craigslist and in thrift shops. Other than mattresses, it’s silly to buy new. Same goes for TVs. I can grab a 32″ LCD for under $100 on my local CL any day of the week, and it’ll still be 1.5x bigger than the 19″ screens we watched growing up.
The crapola people throw out is also amazing. My desk chair broke last week. I picked up an old wooden banker’s chair that someone had left out in the street for the garbagemen to pick up. Needed an arm reglued, but if I re-finish it, it might go for $150+ on EBay, though I’m planning to keep it for personal use.
Same goes for a stereo amp someone threw out that just had a blown fuse. I won’t go as extreme as freegans as far as dumpster-diving or eating castaway food, but old furniture and electronics are fair game!
