gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 24, 2014 14:00:33 GMT -5
That reminds me, I really need to swing by the pharmacy and get the DTaP. I can't say for sure if I've had that booster. It's tricky keeping up with the stuff when you're an adult and don't need to show immunization records for your job, like you would with school. The only doc I see once a year is my gyn, who does not mention vaccinations. Did you get it while you were pregnant? My OB pretty much required it since whooping cough has been on the rise for a couple of years. I hope so, but really have no idea. They sent me to a lab for all my blood work and I have no idea what half of it was for. I was too busy to question stuff and just followed directions to get it done. I also got a bunch of shots before I traveled to India, but again- I have no idea and just went to a clinic. It's embarrassing that I don't know this stuff.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 24, 2014 13:36:44 GMT -5
That reminds me, I really need to swing by the pharmacy and get the DTaP. I can't say for sure if I've had that booster. It's tricky keeping up with the stuff when you're an adult and don't need to show immunization records for your job, like you would with school. The only doc I see once a year is my gyn, who does not mention vaccinations.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 24, 2014 13:15:02 GMT -5
I have never used nor heard the word used in a business setting. I've seen it a few times in books, maybe a Tim O'Brien novel. I generally keep my language at work at an 8th grade level because I prefer to be understood.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 21, 2014 8:30:22 GMT -5
I had to reread your original post 3 times. Are you saying that your local news used to give you the world news and doesn't anymore? Isn't that what the 6:30 news is for? There is no shortage of "hard" news in my area, but the reporting is still pretty lean. Every week, there is a shooting, huge traffic accident, fire and so on. Just last week, there were bomb threats at one of the community colleges- which shut it down, a stabbing at a high school, a teacher charged with inappropriate relations with a student, a huge fire that displaced 9 people and the remains of a body found. I personally wouldn't mind more "fluff" pieces about the local festivals and such. There is at least one awesome festival every weekend they could report on.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 20, 2014 11:06:03 GMT -5
I have never enjoyed the local news. Too much "what's up next" and not enough content- with the exception of the weather report, which is way too long. I don't need to see 12 different views of the radar maps. Just tell me if I'll need an umbrella or sweater and move on. With the internet I don't need the weather report at all, which is why I usually end up turning it off because I'm bored to tears waiting for them to report actual news. And, in my city none of them are attractive and never have been. I realize how shallow that sounds, but I go to other cities and the local news anchors are all strikingly beautiful.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 20, 2014 9:41:57 GMT -5
I didn't have any problems at all finding a daycare in my area. The one I ultimately went with and loved, didn't even have a wait list- I was 9 months pregnant when I toured them.
I loved staying home with my babies on maternity leave. And, it was all I could do to make it through that first year without quitting. It is easy watching 1 baby- you can take one with you anywhere and watch whatever you want on t.v. You never have to choose which kid's needs come first. Once she became a whiney toddler, I'm pulling my hair out on the weekends. This morning, I said I would get her some cereal and she whined "no, I don't want cereal, I don't like it!" Fine, I'll get you something else. I return with yogurt, "mommy, I want cereal!" ugh! And, repeat for 13 hours on Saturday and another 13 hours on Sunday. I plan so much fun stuff for us to do and it turns into tears and whining. And, my poor 6 month old gets the shaft since I'm always having to attend to the toddler. So far, I'm hating 3.
My point is, I agree that your feelings might change as the baby changes.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 20, 2014 9:20:03 GMT -5
My plan for my HSA will be to use it for premiums. I hope to retire before medicare and the HSA will give me more options than I'd otherwise have. Using it for bandages and contact lens solutions would not be a good use for that fund, even if it were allowed. Also, loose rhymes with goose.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 20, 2014 9:09:24 GMT -5
So if we each have our own insurance next year, under who's insurance does the kid(s) go? You don't need to worry about that right now. When you have a baby, you have 30 days to make a decision on whose insurance. Any bills that happen for the baby (hospital stay, pediatrician, tests) during that 30 day period will be re-billed accordingly once he/she is enrolled. I will say that keeping my comprehensive plan for child birth turned out to be a big mistake. I still had to pay about $4000 out of pocket (for a routine pregnancy and childbirth) plus $400/month premiums. I would have come out ahead keeping the high deductible. But, your plan might be better than mine was.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 19, 2014 10:00:46 GMT -5
I have contributed approximately $140,000 and my employer has contributed approximately $60,000 in 12 years. No guarantees for tomorrow, so I rarely go through the forecasting exercises. But, if I were interviewing at another company, I would consider those benefits to compare total compensation.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 17, 2014 21:39:18 GMT -5
My inlaws have commented once or twice that having five children is their retirement plan. They are 70 and don't need any of their children yet, but I wonder who gets them when they do.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 17, 2014 20:52:48 GMT -5
457 -- $18K HSA -- $4150 (employer kicks in another $2500) Dependent care FSA -- $5K Vision/dental FSA -- $2500 Health, vision, dental insurance (family) -- $950ish Total -- $30,600. Ugh. At least a lot of it is long-term savings… Your health, vision and dental family insurance plan sounds like a steal- plus your employer gives another $2500, nice. My employer only chips in $400 to the HSA, but better than nothing.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 17, 2014 20:49:03 GMT -5
457 -- $18K HSA -- $4150 (employer kicks in another $2500) Dependent care FSA -- $5K Vision/dental FSA -- $2500 Health, vision, dental insurance (family) -- $950ish Total -- $30,600. Ugh. At least a lot of it is long-term savings… Again, I'm not in your league.
Pension contribution -- $4585 457b -- $4800 FSA -- $1825 Health insurance (family) -- $2560
So my total is "only" $13,770. I also get dental (for just me), life insurance, and long-term disability insurance as employer-paid benefits.
But we also pay for my Roth ($6500) and DH's Medicare (no idea since it comes out of his SS check) in addition to this. By the way, I also pay SS in case anyone wonders.
I honestly feel that I work for benefits sometimes.
You and me both. What's left goes to daycare. No fun money for me .
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 17, 2014 14:47:03 GMT -5
So far my annual tally for next year's benefits is: - 401(k)- 18000 (not technically part of open enrollment, but it's bookmarked)
- Dependent care FSA- 5000
- HSA- 2950
- Health & Dental- 1125 (me only)
- Prepaid legal- 198 (after tax)
For a grand total of $27,273 that I won't see in my net income. I passed on all supplemental life insurance and long term disability that wasn't free as well as purchased time off. I have another month to decide if I'm adding in a United Way contribution. What do your totals add up to?
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 16, 2014 12:27:38 GMT -5
For some reason that dynamic can be much harder than having both parents work. My thoughts as well. Neither one of us love working or want to work, who knows what resentful feelings would have reared its head if one of us quit to stay at home. In a perfect world, both parents are in 100% agreement and totally supportive of the others role. Regardless, I know I would not have handled me being the sole income earner well at all. Seeing my partner in sweats all day and not having to deal with real deadlines, office politics and the general headache of working and fantasizing about what it would be like to play with the baby I carried for 9 months all day would have sent my hormones into over-drive. It might have worked out okay if I stayed at home, but I also know that I would be very resentful if my efforts in child-raising and house-keeping went completely unrecognized and unappreciated. I already feel resentful at times when I'm running around simultaneously doing laundry, feeding a baby, keeping a toddler happy and cooking after work while he's laying on the couch napping (it's not always like that, some days he cooks and plays with the kids, but the feelings are still there). But, that's my hang-up and not everyone experiences those emotions and not every relationship has those issues. That said, there are 1000s of blogs out there about it from every new and been there done that mom, so it must not be a totally foreign reaction either.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 15, 2014 15:31:03 GMT -5
You only posted your husband's "take-home". What other items is he paying with his income? Retirement? Insurance? It's much simpler if you annualize it. $720/month x 12 = $8640 - vacation credits - dependent care FSA (if you set one up). Your daycare care bill might be closer to $7500/year. Does he make significantly more than $7500/year?
Most people make the mistake of comparing the gross monthly cost of daycare to the net monthly income and totally forget to add back in tax with holdings to income, benefits, and subtract vacation credits from the daycare bill.
As for my household, we decided it would be best for us to both continue to work in order to fund retirement, education and housing needs. Unless you homeschool, there are only 3 or 4 years before they are in pre-school and then you're out of the job market and justify needing to be home for bus pick-ups and such.
That said, even the best financial arguments are blown if somebody genuinely wants to be home all day with the kids. Good luck with your decision.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 15, 2014 11:53:05 GMT -5
Bills, when the President said he would not stop the flights from the hot zones, he interjected his decision and thought process into the procedures. When he implemented or allowed to be implemented a simple screening of "are you coming from an infected country" question and a simple thermometer gun checking your temperature, he and the CDC BLEW IT.
Many experts have publicly stated the various reasons that travel bans from the affected countries are not effective, not wise, and could make things worse. The reasoning for not stopping air travel in the several unbiased news articles I read did not hold a lot of water- although I really wanted to agree that it's the right decision. Supposedly if they can't get on commercial airplanes, they will find other ways of getting here and we won't be able to find these sick people to treat and prevent the spread.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 15, 2014 11:40:34 GMT -5
Supposedly they handled Duncan with extreme caution too (once they knew he had Ebola)- full hazmat suits, yet two health care workers are now diagnosed positive. I'm starting to doubt that it's really as hard to catch as our government and the CDC would have us believe.
I'm surprised there isn't protocol for healthcare workers treating Ebola patients traveling within that 21 day incubation period.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 14, 2014 12:46:25 GMT -5
2006 was a tough year to buy. Prices were almost at their peak and only went down from there. I'm guessing you built a beautiful house that meets your needs much better than the original home you purchased. It's usually worth it to get into a little debt when it comes to your home.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 13, 2014 13:08:56 GMT -5
I don't know anyone who is panicking and I have people who work for me in Dallas.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 13, 2014 11:43:25 GMT -5
I thought about this post this weekend when I was at Walmart. I was in the toy section looking for bubble accessories. I might go to Walmart once every couple of years, so I don't know the store that well. I saw a clerk stocking toys on the shelves and thought I would ask in order to save a few minutes looking. He confidently said "we're out of bubbles, there are no more". I seriously almost lost it on this guy. I had already picked up bubbles in the party section and there were plenty. I said, "no you're wrong, you have bubbles in the party section" when he replied again- we don't have bubbles. I said "if you don't know, just say so- there is no reason to tell me wrong" and walked away. Then another customer walked up to me and asked me if I was looking for bubbles and if so "there are some right here" (also in the toy section).
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 13, 2014 11:34:54 GMT -5
Flipping burgers and ringing up customers is also soul-sucking work that actually takes more skill, in my opinion. I would pay somebody $13/hour, but most painters charge an ungodly amount of money per square footage. I got a quote for $1000 to paint my dining room.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 13, 2014 10:54:20 GMT -5
When I lived in the HCOLA area, I could afford to keep the place in decent repair and that was it. When DH and I moved to an LCOLA area and I got a job with decent bonuses, we allocated part of each bonus to an upgrade- replacement windows, granite countertops, etc. That way it was all paid for immediately (run through credit cards to get points, of course!).
I do some things myself. DH had someone in to quote on work and mistakenly added an estimate to repaint a small bathroom I'd painted deep blue when I got adventurous. The realtor said that it would "show" better if we painted it white again. They wanted $300. I told DH I painted it blue, I can paint it white. Which just tells me how much we're saving because I intend to clear the popcorn texture off 2 more ceilings and paint the dining room a neutral color. I'm also doing a lot of landscaping work myself.
I draw the line at things that might be dangerous (DH can't use ladders, I won't use the cathedral-ceiling ones, I'm not good with power tools), things definitely outside our area of expertise (complicated electronics and plumbing) and things I just don't like. I once embarked on a job on the toilet that required draining it and pulling the tank off. I persisted but I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't do that again.
Of all the contract jobs, painting is the one the requires the least amount of skill, education and expensive equipment. It's not even a dirty, dangerous or uncomfortable job. I will never understand why you can't pay somebody $8/hour to paint interior walls.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 12, 2014 22:13:27 GMT -5
And, the WHO reported it as 2800 one week ago and now it is 3800. Another 1000 deaths in just one week.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 12, 2014 22:11:59 GMT -5
It was Obama's decision not to stop flights from Africa back when the death count was 2000. Now it's up to 4000 and instead of stopping flights from Africa, 5 airports will do screening that prove nothing. What's not to understand?
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2014 17:32:28 GMT -5
My mom died because the insurance company kept giving her the run around. She was 43. While ACA might have helped get insurance to people who couldn't previously get insurance (like pre-existing conditions), which is great- but did nothing for all the issues for the insured. Issues that people don't know about until they have problem and insurance won't pay for it.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2014 15:38:23 GMT -5
I would be more pissed off at somebody who went out of their way to escalate matters that could have been resolved if they just politely said "Hi there, I live right next door and I'm not sure you're aware, but the music you're playing is really loud through the walls and vibrating my ceiling and floor, do you mind turning it down? _____ Thanks and please consider me a resource if you ever need anything. Have a great day!" I'm not confrontational either, but I'd rather handle it that way. Worse case scenario, they tell you to F--- off and then you go complain to the association. Going to the association will not bypass discomfort from you because they will know it was you who complained, so you might as well try the direct approach first.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2014 14:13:18 GMT -5
It could be they just don't know it's loud enough to disturb you. They may think they don't hear you because the walls are thick and well-insulated. My neighbor never had a clue I could hear his music because I was quiet as a mouse all the time. He was very nice and ask me once, but I told him it was fine. It never kept me up at night though. If they are nice, I don't see why telling them the music has been vibrating your walls and keeping you up at night would result in violence.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 10, 2014 14:27:45 GMT -5
My kids will need a step stool to get on the toilet until they are probably 5. The bathroom counters are bar height as well, so they need a stool to wash hands and another stool to turn off the lights. I was in a 1980's home and immediately noticed how my 2 year old didn't need a stool for any of those items= switches were at least a foot lower. We have stools all over the house.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 10, 2014 14:23:43 GMT -5
A Health Savings Account is wonderful and only offered with the high deductible health care plans. It's pre-tax on the front end and tax free on the back end (if used for medical expenses), you can invest it in the market, you can leave it alone and let it grow, you can use it to bridge health care needs until medicare kicks in (for early retirement purposes), etc. My employer does not put any money into it, but many do in an effort to entice people to drop the more expensive PPOs and comprehensive plans.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 10, 2014 12:00:03 GMT -5
I work for a mega company as well that has great employee benefits. I started there in 2001. My health insurance steadily climbed from the original $30 to $150 (single plan)/month. The biggest jumps were before ACA. This year my company absorbed the cost and there is no increase for employees- for the first time in my 14 year time with them.
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