gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Apr 5, 2016 21:16:26 GMT -5
Well Rocky J. Squirrel is going to get relocated. I'm going to live trap it. My boss gave me a live trap. I'll relocate it to around my work. Lots of trees. Now I just have to lure it in. You might want to check your law on that. In my state, it is against the law to relocate wildlife, so make sure you don't get caught. I'm pretty sure trapped animals are supposed to be euthanized (assuming they are not protected) or released back into their original environment.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Apr 4, 2016 9:45:26 GMT -5
The answer to your question totally depends on your market. In my market, upgrades don't get you anymore money, they just sell the home faster. A low price, in a good location with upgrades, sells the home immediately. Fair market value base on square footage with no upgrades, sits on the market. Above fair market based on square footage with lots of upgrades, sits on the market.
That said, if you don't really want to move and the issue is your husband's anxiety over maintenance- $20K can buy you many, many years of lawn service and maintenance.
As a landlord, all I do is make phone calls. In the end, the rent includes the cost of maintenance and repairs. I have one property that includes lawn service- again the rent reflects it. So, as a homeowner, you too can just make the phone call and include it in your maintenance budget- that is what your landlord will do if you choose to rent.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 30, 2016 11:51:41 GMT -5
We just hit $1MM in our combined retirement accounts and are 37. My husband talks about retiring already. I think he's nuts. We have a newborn, almost 2 year old and 4 year old.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 29, 2016 9:36:30 GMT -5
Almost 4000 sqft with a 2 car attached garaged and finished 3rd floor. We have 3 small children and use every room. There isn't a lot of storage space, but I don't like storing stuff anyway, so bonus.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 25, 2016 12:48:22 GMT -5
What is your income? Two social security retirement benefits? How much of that covers your basic annual living expenses? Are you also drawing from your other retirement accounts and investments?
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 20, 2016 15:13:44 GMT -5
Agree again with your assessment: Contributing to the issue is the age old problem of - I complain about the hours because I just need to vent and he thinks he needs to solve the issue however impractical his solutions may be. If I really was that bothered, I would find another line of work. Which I threaten to do occasionally.
Me venting about work does not go so well in my household either. It's normally followed by a lecture about how I need to stick up for myself and get paid more. I don't get a very understanding ear and end up more upset by the conversation. So, I try not to complain about work at home anymore, even if it was the most miserable day ever. Good luck making it through tax season!
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 20, 2016 10:15:38 GMT -5
I hope retirement isn't a myth. I've been diligently contributing to retirement since 25 and maxing HSA and 401K since 30. Assuming I can stay the course, would like to not have to worry too much about it by 55. My mortgage should be paid off by then as well. I don't want to be laid off in my 50s (not uncommon in corporate America) and scrambling to find something. Retirement sounds much more appealing. My parents both retired at 55 in 2002, built a beautiful home in Florida and haven't had any worries (other than few health issues). Then again they have a paid off house and federal pensions.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 20, 2016 10:04:06 GMT -5
You said it yourself: Maybe he was just always used to me being around to do all the stuff like shopping and cooking etc and there is very little of that being done at the moment.
Men don't like to be inconvenienced and your OT is inconveniencing him. He takes the flexibility you have the rest of the year for granted and doesn't see that it comes at the cost of crunch time now.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 13, 2016 13:24:24 GMT -5
Around here (the southeast), a lot of the mobile car detailing businesses will offer house power washing services, since they have the equipment. If you have facebook, you might be able to get some better leads for your area if you update your status to ask the question.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 13, 2016 10:06:41 GMT -5
Call around. We always get tons of mailers in the spring and pay around $150. If pollen is an issue where you are, definitely wait until after that's over. The longest we can go without power washing is 2 years before the north side of the house starts to look really bad.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 9, 2016 9:56:43 GMT -5
In all honesty, nobody really knows the situation. This went from a post about a $500 prom dress to an attack on a woman who has never posted here and we know nothing about. Maybe the word attack is too harsh, but the comments about a revolving door of men and providing an unstable life for her kids seems really judgmental. With 4 kids and maintaining a good job, she is probably doing the best she can. And, while I don't agree with BG not paying fair market rent and bills still after 2 years- that's not a personal attack.
Good luck Beergut. For what it's worth, I think you're a trooper for sticking around and putting up with your threads swirling like this.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 2, 2016 7:09:07 GMT -5
I have been holding off on calling the hospital to register to deliver my baby. They will ask for my $2250 deductible up front. I want to see a bill before I pay it, not to mention, last time I barely made it to the hospital in time, did not stay both nights, did not use any meds and only ate one meal. I know this is just how it is now, but I don't like pay before I even know what services I'm paying for. Understand wanting to see a bill before you pay it, especially since if you end up not delivering the baby there you wouldn't owe anything at all and it would probably be a major PITA to get your $$$ back from the hospital.
On the other hand, if you cross the threshold of that hospital's door when you're in labor, you can comfort yourself with the idea that your total bill will be well over $2250 so it's not like there's a chance that you'd ever owe less than that. Heck, even when I had my kids an uncomplicated delivery and brief stay was almost triple that amount. For both my boys, I went into the hospital by checking directly into the maternity ward, had the baby less than 3 hours later and had no medication, epidural or even an IV. Other than the doc giving me some stiches right after delivery, there was no medical intervention required at all. Neither of the boys had any medical intervention either nor were they circumcised in the hospital. I slept overnight, ate breakfast the next day and went home. Heck, other than the couple of diapers, "ice pack" (glove filled with ice) and total of 4 Tylenol I took, I didn't even use any interesting supplies. Even 11 and 15 years ago, the amount of hospital charges for those brief, uncomplicated deliveries was $6k - $7k.
That was me as well as well but 2 years ago my deductible was $500 and my OOP bill ended up being around $1500 for the one night for me and baby (also no meds, no interventions, 1 meal). The pediatrician and OBGYN bills were separate and not part of the hospital bill. I will never understand why anyone wants to prolong their hospital stay. Regardless, I have the money and would like to see the bill first so i can dispute every charge, if necessary. I've heard if you ask, the billing department will give a 20-30% discount if you pay the whole bill when you get it. I don't know how that works if you already paid it.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 1, 2016 22:33:44 GMT -5
I have been holding off on calling the hospital to register to deliver my baby. They will ask for my $2250 deductible up front. I want to see a bill before I pay it, not to mention, last time I barely made it to the hospital in time, did not stay both nights, did not use any meds and only ate one meal. I know this is just how it is now, but I don't like pay before I even know what services I'm paying for.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Mar 1, 2016 15:53:04 GMT -5
Tough situation. If this were an elective surgery and I didn't have the money, I'd most definitely delay it before asking anyone for a loan. Then, I'd look at changing my plan during open enrollment and calculating a less expensive option while putting something aside each month until open enrollment and a better time to have the surgery. If it was emergency surgery, then I'd work with the hospital's payment plan. I'm a little confused why he is on ACA and not Tricare, or whatever is provided by the military.
As an aside, my elders never let me pick up the dinner tab either. Different family dynamics though.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 28, 2016 0:25:41 GMT -5
I got a pair of $100 athletic sandals for Christmas. They aren't my style at all, but I feel bad taking them back. I usually wear Nike athletic sandals for convenience, but the ones I've had for 20 years are finally falling apart. Everyone bought me sandals for Christmas and none of them are working out for me as good replacements. These ones are a little too old-lady looking. Plus, I can't slip them on because they have an ankle strap. They are very comfortable though- if I can manage to be patient enough to sit down and strap them on.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 28, 2016 0:01:56 GMT -5
How does somebody have 3 dogs and not be able to afford a $100 issue with one of the dogs. I'm going to guess he just doesn't want to pay. I was at a party once and a group asked me to take a pic of them. As a girl handed me her camera, it slipped out of my hand and fell on the hardwood floor. It was a really, really old piece of crap camera. My boyfriend at the time was friends with her and told me a week later she wanted me to pay for her to fix her camera. I couldn't believe it, clearly it was an accident. It was $100 for a camera shop to fix it. I sucked it up and did it, but I really didn't think I should have to pay it and I definitely thought $100 was too much for a piece of crap older digital camera.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 23, 2016 16:22:11 GMT -5
I grew up seeing two lifestyles- my mom had full custody and we were very poor and very dysfunctional. She got very sick and died, and we went to live with our Dad at 13. My dad had an upper-middle class lifestyle where I got to learn and see what a structured, non-dysfunctional life was like. As an adult, I have steered us into the same quality of life out of fear of ending up like my mother. I feel very fortunate. I have a great partner, 2 beautiful kids with a third on the way and a beautiful home in one of the best communities. Our careers have been good to us and we can be financially independent within the next 5 years. I don't know if we'll choose to, but the choice should be there.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 20, 2016 20:38:06 GMT -5
Since you don't know "beyond a shadow of a doubt," you should do nothing. I put 0 stock into unverified rumors and while the he said she said conversations can be entertaining, no I would not report to authorities based on he said she said.
That said, I have no problem calling people out directly. Why don't you just tell your friend (acquaintance?) what you heard and see what he says. Maybe he'll tell you his side of the story.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 15, 2016 16:24:59 GMT -5
Sorry you're struggling, but didn't you just get $25K from your FIL a few months ago? What happened to that money?
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 15, 2016 7:19:07 GMT -5
If it bothers him so much, why not just come to the gym in gym clothes on the weekends, workout and leave without ever entering the changing rooms. I do not enjoy the changing room experience myself, so I simply don't go in them.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 14, 2016 16:23:51 GMT -5
No harm in giving it a try.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 14, 2016 14:59:14 GMT -5
Disclaimer- I'm the only one I know with a less than happy opinion of Costco.
We have a Costco membership, and it's nice to have but I'm not really that big of a fan. My husband loves it and is the one who goes pretty much weekly. His family pays for the membership under their business, so it does not cost us anything. Too many of their products have fallen apart. $100 king size sheets ripped within 2 years and I never had that happen with BB&B sheets, the surface of my extremely heavy $500 patio table started falling apart in less than a year, the $900 playset started chipping in less than a year, my $200 video monitor malfunctioned within a year and $20 socks got holes within a month.
Yeah, they have a great return policy, but I'm not one to make returns. If I were you and had a great company discount for food and household items, I wouldn't bother with Costco. The rest of the purchases you may not even consider wanting/needing if you're not seeing them.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 14, 2016 10:39:42 GMT -5
$170 a month She has her auto insurance through my firm. Her agent walked into my office and dropped the new quotes on my desk. I thought you said in your car thread that you wrote it. I remember because you were talking about insurance scores being a letter from A-Z until some of us in the business pointed out that you were wrong. If you didn't, why is an agent sharing confidential policy information with someone who is not a named insured or a listed driver? And am I the only one who thought there was only 3 kids? Or am I missing something? If you're going to make this stuff up as you go along, you should start writing it down so you can at least be consistent. Cut him some slack. He isn't making it up. He said in a thread awhile back that that she has 4 total, but the 4th she adopted when he was 18 and is grown, married and in the Marines. I can be harsh sometimes, too but I try to remember it's not very productive poking holes where there are no holes.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 14, 2016 7:58:22 GMT -5
Or suggest a third party help her budget. I wouldn't share my financial info with someone I felt unsure of either. Yeah, or at least beergut is going to really have to make an effort at being totally neutral and objective about it as it comes together. If you're gathering actual expenses for the month of January, it's not a good time to judge and scrutinize every dime spent. If you're pulling together forecasts for the upcoming months and the year, same thing. Hold your opinion and take a crawl, walk, run approach. That would be my main apprehension of handing over all the details to my live-in boyfriend who may not be able to help himself from judgmental comments. If it's all laid out, let her be the one to suggest where she can trim back. If she doesn't make a suggestion, don't jump in right away. Give it some time to marinate. He's going to have to be an encouraging coach with this if he wants it to be successful.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 14, 2016 7:46:26 GMT -5
I'm just going to leave this clip here...
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 13, 2016 8:11:55 GMT -5
The name Herschel is very, very old. If this is a girl, maybe they named her after her grandfather and tried to make it more feminine. Or maybe they just like chocolate.
On another board someone is naming her boy Luke Skywalker and was upset that her mom didn't think it was a good idea. 100+ post later, nobody thought it was a good idea.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 12, 2016 23:41:10 GMT -5
For him, I made a heart shaped cake with our initials in it and carved our initials in a tree at his college. Ahh, young love.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 12, 2016 23:38:32 GMT -5
Yes, I would love that. My boyfriend in college gave me something like that- except it was a little tin jar and it had 50 different reasons he loved me. I still think of it (and even him) fondly.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 12, 2016 16:00:38 GMT -5
I actually love a good holiday and a chance to get all themed out. I pulled out all my craft supplies and worked on Valentines day boxes with my almost 2 year old and 4 year old. We had fun decorating the boxes and making Valentines for their preschool parties.
I love all the fun that comes with Valentines Day, St. Patrick's day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mother's Day is a little tricky because I have to say exactly what I want or get nothing and that's always awkward. Father's Day is another tough one. I like the ones that come with built in themes, crafts and food!
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 12, 2016 15:16:50 GMT -5
I'm over 8 months pregnant and not feeling very romantic. My husband asked if I wanting anything this year- but it was phrased like "we're not doing anything this year, right?" I said, I guess not but if you want, you can buy me a Valentine on Monday. We'll both be off work for Presidents Day. He gets pretty excited about clearance deals, but not so much about Valentine's Day.
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