# Bill Payments, this doesn't make sense. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343 "2010-06-24T12:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Punisher\_11B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de0a6/32.png) [@Punisher\_11B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punisher_11B)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/21 "2010-06-24T16:38:44Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > All I know is if I ever get drafted in the army, I don’t want to be standing next to you. ha ha ha, what that means is the other 5 that you don’t see running, but hiding in windows and rooftops. It is a diversion technique that Al Queda use. I am a counter sniper… my shots count. No “Pat Tillman” mistakes on my range cards. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/22 "2010-06-24T18:03:57Z")
In addition to the mortgage, property tax, and insurance, you may be paying other assessment district fees. Those are add-ons that have been voted in to fund specific things. In our area, the biggest one is a flood protection district fee that was used to raise levees. I think it’s around $300 a year. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/23 "2010-06-24T18:37:22Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > All I know is if I ever get drafted in the army, I don’t want to be standing next to you. You’re probably okay if your name isn’t Will. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/24 "2010-06-24T19:24:33Z")
> [@Punisher\_11B](#): > > My house payments are 560 a month on a 50k loan at 5.9 interest, for 30 years that includes our taxes and insurance. Where do you get 805 a month, and 11%? If you included the cost of gas in the monthly payment for your truck, you’d have a more equal comparison. When you remove taxes and interest, you see you are paying less per month on your house than on your truck. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/25 "2010-06-24T20:45:10Z")
As others have said, you are looking at totally different things. You don’t count your auto insurance in with your car payment do you? Then why count homeowner’s insurance with your mortgage payment? I know, I know. You pay them in the same payment, but if you want apples/apples you need to compare like things. Money borrowed at interest over a period of time has the same repayment plan whether it is for a house, car, or payday loan. You just aren’t looking at your statements properly. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/26 "2010-06-24T21:33:23Z")
Why did you finance for 30 years? I financed a cheap house and land for 7 years, 30 isn’t required. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/27 "2010-06-24T23:50:49Z")
> [@Punisher\_11B](#): > > Ok, My house was $50,000.00 and my payments are $500.00 a month for 30 years. My truck was $50,000.00 and my payments are $500.00 a month for 5 years. Does anybody else see the problem here? I should be able to pay my house off in 5 years (stupid taxes) Damn, that’s one cheap house! I’m envious! We’re paying off £150,000 (so about $250,000), so our payments are much, much higher than yours and for the same time period. And it’s a pretty small, crappy house. ---
**Author:** ![Punisher\_11B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de0a6/32.png) [@Punisher\_11B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punisher_11B)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343/28 "2010-06-25T02:57:16Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Damn, that’s one cheap house! I’m envious! > > We’re paying off £150,000 (so about $250,000), so our payments are much, much higher than yours and for the same time period. And it’s a pretty small, crappy house. Well, you have to take into account that we live up in the mountains where there is No Cell service, we just got the internet last year, if the wind blows hard enough the power goes out, we are 25 minutes from any grocery store, 35 minutes from the city, it takes the cops 45 minutes to arrive in our village, a lot of our roads are still dirt, we get more snow than most. So the desire to live here is not high, therefore we get cheap houses (for the most part). We got our house and a little over an acre for that price. We are buying more land this summer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-payments-this-doesnt-make-sense/544343.md?page=1)