Money

We've all read about or experienced the problems recently with mail service in the Bozeman area. Staffing shortages have been affecting mail sorting and delivery but hopefully this week's USPS job fair will help fix the issue.

I'm talking money. Stretching the paycheck. Incentives that truly work. Bozeman is rapidly running out of time to figure out how to allow us "normal folks" to live here. Let's get insanely creative and throw all the ideas on the wall before it's too late.

Funk, charm, history, and BIG. This 4,700+ square foot 1883 Helena mansion is for sale and apparently now under contract, with a listing price of just $350,000.

Put plainly, I think perhaps people are getting pissed about paying hundreds of dollars per night for a middle-of-the-road hotel room around Bozeman. It seems that there are more and more fairly bad reviews of even our well thought of establishments.

Most of my favorite things to spend $10 on involve food, but that's just me. But if you need to be a little frugal but also need a little pick-me-up, Bozeman does have some good options for about $10.

Many cities in Montana have gas prices far below $4 a gallon, and you don't even need to fill up at a Costco or Sam's Club to find it. Regular gas stations (as of April 13th) are showing prices as low as $3.67 a gallon.

How about a mini bull? There are practical ways, AND fun ways to blow $500 around here. We did some price checking on stuff to see how inflation is affecting our spending power.

If you're quick with math, you'll note this is $363 per square foot. This Belgrade, MT condo is in pretty nice shape and located just south of the River Rock pond but remember: you'll also be forking over HOA fees every month too. Let's look at the real estate details.

Blame supply chains, the housing boom, and too many women of a certain age? I'm not sure. But I AM sure that both shortages are very real.

Running a city is expensive, but never forget that YOUR TAX DOLLARS are what pay the bills around here. It's never a bad idea to keep tabs on where your money is going.

Yup. And I'm kind of happy about it. Have you ever worked in fast food? IT'S REALLY HARD. Some fast food and other national chain restaurants are currently offering $18 to $20 per hour in the Bozeman area.

It's expensive to have nice things. In the age of COVID-19, it's even more expensive. For example, it costs $14,500 per month to clean the Bozeman Public Library.