... just another scene of blight in Downtown Albany. I assume they are trying to restore this magnificent building, and not just controlling chunks of marble that are falling off the roof.
I’ve started to do a deep diver into individual dealership websites, and realized there are a lot of SuperDuty trucks out there with the extended cab and the FX4 off-road package. Almost every Ford dealer has at a least a few of them. Especially if I’m willing to consider either the XL base trim or with STX appearance package, the 3/4 ton or 1 ton axle (F-250 vs F-350), long bed versus short bed, and the 6.8L vs 7.3L. I have slight preferences on all of those things, like I think the 7.3L is slightly more reliable, the F-350 probably has better resale value, and the STX appearance package is nice, but also price and availability are considerations too. I really don’t want dog dish hub cabs, and fleet white, but also not a lariat trim. That said, if I have to spend several days doing phone calls, and driving a day to pickup the truck I really want and will serve me good through my estimated retirement around 2040 – and potentially save a few thousand bucks, then it’s definitely worth it. I keep studying dealer strategy videos. I will do it, get the truck I want. Just like I will have that off-grid cabin, land out in country, with goats and cattle, a trash burner, and lot more guns, eventually.
People say you should spend no more then 10% of your monthly income on a car, but I am not planning to buy on finance or at least not finance for more then a month before retiring the note to get dealer incentives. The thing is I am frugal on so many parts of my life, like riding my bike and taking the bus to work, living in a blighted apartment at County Welfare rate, cooking my own simpe food, keeping the heat at 50 degrees or lower, and my truck is a big part of my leisure and adventures in the wilderness. And certainly I can keep it below 10% of my income if I annualize a $60k the cost over 6-years, and let’s be honest, those low-spec SuperDuty trucks have long-established naturally-aspirated engines and simple solid axles that are likely to at least 15-years if I keep up on the maintenance. My new truck will be smelling like a sheep farm before next winter! I’m at mid-career, and a buying SuperDuty isn’t going to change my savings and investment plans at all, as I had the cash earmarked for this purpose for 5-years now. That said, I do feel guilty about it all, I know 2040 or whenever I get rid of such a nice truck will come sooner then I want it to. But then I’ll get another truck. It’s not like the stock market keeps rising, and paper valuation fly to greater heights each day.
Population growth in the United States has slowed significantly with an increase of only 1.8 million, or 0.5%, between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the new Vintage 2025 population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
This was the nation’s slowest population growth since the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by a historically low 0.2% in 2021. The slowdown also comes after a sizeable uptick of growth in 2024, when the country added 3.2 million people and grew by 1.0%, the fastest annual population growth rate since 2006.
“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”
Slower population growth was felt across the country. All four census regions and every state except Montana and West Virginia saw their growth slow, or their decline accelerate.
The U.S. population growth slowed sharply last year due to a steep drop in immigration.
An annual estimate from the Census Bureau Tuesday shows the nation's population grew by just 1.8 million people during the 12 months ending last June. That's about half the growth rate of the previous year.
A major factor behind that slowing growth was the foreign-born population, which grew by 1.3 million during the year, a 52% smaller increase than the previous 12 months. That drop results from fewer people entering the country through legal channels as well as the voluntary or forced departure of some living in the country illegally.
