I just read my current email edition of UpFront with NGS and noted with interest the article about the "...goods and services genealogists use and the basic costs involved:" and came to the conclusion that there is a great deal of variation in many of the items noted. My experience has shown that her figures are on the low side overall. Has anyone else made any comparisons with what their figures have been or might be in the future? (And did anyone note that gasoline will be $3.00 per gallon by Christmas, "because our economy is recovering")? That might prove to be a factor as well. I think her point is well taken that it is always prudent to plan ahead for expenditures to be certain the budget will cover them easily. I'm not sure that costs are the same across the board though. One example I had questions about was, "Conferences (registration, travel, room and board): National, $175". I wonder if that is consistent with your experience? The bottom line here though is completely valid; it pays to do the math and plan ahead. Some of these events are worth it at nearly any price. I know I certainly benefitted from the recent Paul Milner workshop in Raleigh and felt fortunate that such speakers are available for me to attend. Our state organization ought to be thanked for that work. I'd be interested to hear your take on that email. I believe it is available for all D-OGS members as D-OGS is a member of NGS, is that true Richard? Carol Boggs

Carol, I totally agree that the figures used in the NGS Up Front email are way out of line unless you happen to live very close to conferences or have a bunch of relatives all over the US to stay with. When I go to a National Conference I estimate the cost at about $1,500 which may cover the cost of flying there (i.e.Salt Lake City), hotel stay which for Charleston will be for me $140 per day, meals, etc. The only fixed cost is $175 for conference registration but that balloons up if you attend workshops or luncheons which are important. I also think that the cost for Internet research sites is a bit low at $60. Ancestry alone is over $175.00. Using the International databases adds more. Footnote, Genealogy Bank and Eastman's Newsletter to name just a few other web sites all add dollars to your research bill but are indispensable for thorough research. I would also mentioned that vital records are much more costly than $15 each in many states. New York requests $27 per record and I believe Massachusetts is higher. Those figures get quite large in a year's time as you fill out your family. There are other items that I also think are on the low side but are not as important or necessary for all. I just wish I could get by for under $2,000 per year of expenses but it's all worth it. June -----Original Message----- From: HubbellGen@aol.com To: ncdogs@rootsweb.com Sent: Tue, Dec 7, 2010 3:51 pm Subject: [NCDOGS] NGS Article I just read my current email edition of UpFront with NGS and noted with interest the article about the "...goods and services genealogists use and the basic costs involved:" and came to the conclusion that there is a great deal of variation in many of the items noted. My experience has shown that her figures are on the low side overall. Has anyone else made any comparisons with what their figures have been or might be in the future? (And did anyone note that gasoline will be $3.00 per gallon by Christmas, "because our economy is recovering")? That might prove to be a factor as well. I think her point is well taken that it is always prudent to plan ahead for expenditures to be certain the budget will cover them easily. I'm not sure that costs are the same across the board though. One example I had questions about was, "Conferences (registration, travel, room and board): National, $175". I wonder if that is consistent with your experience? The bottom line here though is completely valid; it pays to do the math and plan ahead. Some of these events are worth it at nearly any price. I know I certainly benefitted from the recent Paul Milner workshop in Raleigh and felt fortunate that such speakers are available for me to attend. Our state organization ought to be thanked for that work. I'd be interested to hear your take on that email. I believe it is available for all D-OGS members as D-OGS is a member of NGS, is that true Richard? Carol Boggs ************************* Visit the D-OGS web site: http://www.ncgenweb.us/dogsnc/ To Unsubscribe: As a member you are automatically subscribed and remain subscribed. To unsubscribe, email NCDOGS-admin@rootsweb.com with your request. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NCDOGS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message