gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 12, 2015 13:32:19 GMT -5
I was quiet and traveling alone. It's probably for the best. But, when I asked for the third glass and the flight attendant shook her head at me with what I interpreted as a judgmental look, I wanted to crawl under the seat and never come out. I wasn't trying to get drunk, just wanted to take advantage of the first class service with my $3500 ticket.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 12, 2015 13:21:47 GMT -5
A flight attendant cut me off after my second glass of wine on a 13 hour flight in business class. I was surprised and embarrassed.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2015 16:23:45 GMT -5
You didn't say how old this child is, but agree that it is harder for only children and especially hard if parents are divorced. Give him a break.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2015 15:42:11 GMT -5
I can't live cheap anymore. Daycare is currently $2400/month and will soon be $3500/month. Some might say to stay home and then you could live cheap- but giving up my job to stay at home will cost my entire $90K/year salary plus benefits and really throw a curve ball in retirement planning. Neither are cheap options. Sigh, I used to do very well living cheaply before kids. $3500 a month is $42,000 a year and over $800 week. I know, I pay $560/week plus several hundreds in supply and activity fees and next year it will be almost $800 week plus even more supply and activity fees. I annualize it and divide by 12 for the monthly cost.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2015 14:50:13 GMT -5
I can't live cheap anymore. Daycare is currently $2400/month and will soon be $3500/month. Some might say to stay home and then you could live cheap- but giving up my job to stay at home will cost my entire $90K/year salary plus benefits and really throw a curve ball in retirement planning. Neither are cheap options. Sigh, I used to do very well living cheaply before kids.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 11, 2015 12:59:33 GMT -5
I recall you said in another post, you'll be retiring in a different country. So, I suppose whether you choose an HSA depends on how medical insurance for retirees works in the country you'll return to. I specifically choose a HDHP because of the HSA option and max out the HSA because I'd like the option to retire before medicare and an HSA gives me more confidence. I max it out and do not touch it. But, I also max out my 401(k) and send a good chunk of change to a brokerage account each year, so it's not an either or situation.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 4, 2015 16:30:52 GMT -5
Impatient, prompt, highly motivated by time and moody at times. I haven't decided what my positive personality characteristics are. My dad told me recently he is highly empathetic, which does not come across at all. I too have a keen ability to empathize with peoples' struggles and it probably doesn't show itself as much as it actually feels inside.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 2, 2015 11:37:38 GMT -5
It's probably illegal, but the risk of getting caught and fined is likely extremely low.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 28, 2015 21:13:19 GMT -5
I'll commiserate! Went on a cruise with friends with a big local group. Met a guy the first night and we talked a lot, walked around with his arms around me or holding my hand, had his friends look for me, fell asleep on the pool deck with me gripping my arm with both hands, and let my friends talk his sunburnt drunk ass into shots and going to that nights party - even got my number on the second night cuz he has been looking for me all day. A month later and I haven't heard from him. Either I somehow was really drunk and didn't read my number right in his phone or he decided not to call. This weekend is a pub crawl put on by the group. Doubt I'd run into him. Whenever a guy didn't call me, I always assumed they lost their phone, my phone number or were too scared to call. Plenty of other guys out there, so it didn't concern me one bit. It most definitely never had anything to do with not actually being interested in me. No idea where I get off with that kind of confidence, but you should try it. Play it cool and don't even bring it up if you should meet again. I had a night like yours once and the guy called I think about two weeks later. This guy thought I was waiting and counting each day he didn't call and was shocked when after he acknowledged how long it had been, I said has it been that long, I've been busy traveling out of state for work. We ended up dating for two years.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 28, 2015 13:52:05 GMT -5
For something like a wedding, I would send a thank you note even if I had given an in person thank you at the event. For something like a birthday gift or impromptu gift exchange, I really think a thank you to the face is enough (and often more genuine). A wedding is a mass gift event and there's no way an in person thank you gets said. Thank you cards are appropriate there. But a shower or birthday party? Unless you have 100 people in attendance I am positive you can say thank you to each individual person without too much effort. After all you're all still in the same place talking to each other. Those are the ones I find the "requirement" annoying for. Insulting even. As if my making the effort to speak to you and specifically thank you wasn't worth anything. I agree with you. There are plenty of events where gifts are brought in person, but not opened during the event. But, when they are opened and the recipient sees the reaction and is thanked- a separate thank you card in the mail a couple of weeks later is just silly. Please save your stamps and cards if you or your kids opened the gifts while we were there. Then again, the only time I care about a thank you card is a wedding where I'm never 100% sure there wasn't some sort of mix up. I have never been to a wedding where gifts were opened during the ceremony.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 26, 2015 7:23:27 GMT -5
Do you know able bodied men who won't/can't work? Why? Given the choice of working in a collaborative environment and worrying about racial quotas, gender neutral bathrooms, and whether or not the office is as "green" as it could be, I think I speak for most men when I say, I'd rather have my eyelashes pulled out one by one. I think you should have stopped at because they don't have to. I work at a pretty progressive company, and while all these things are considerations. They aren't even 1% of what anyone does. Once every few years a task force may look into improvements in those areas- as in they might meet for one hour once/week for a month and it is done. And that would be a volunteer task force, so it wouldn't go to anyone who would pull their eyebrows out. i should also add that these task forces are created to respond to employee satisfaction surveys. The employees ask for the improvements.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 25, 2015 8:27:57 GMT -5
I second a large planter of mums to set out on their front porch. Throw in a pumpkin if you are feeling festive. Paint their family name on it if you want a personal touch.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 23, 2015 21:12:01 GMT -5
I have totally embraced the more casual corporate environment we work and it is extremely liberating. I haven't gone so far as to wear jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, or leggings as pants, but I don't wear suits anymore. But, if you like what you wear and it is not inappropriate, keep wearing it. That said, I hate to be judgey, but if there was one person wearing a suit everyday despite a more relaxed dress code, I would think they were pretentious and deliberately trying to send a message.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 23, 2015 7:06:29 GMT -5
Yeah, I was in the middle of cleaning the master bathroom when our financial advisor called. He told me to get a cleaning lady. Nope, I'd rather spend the money on.another trip to Iceland. This morning I scraped dead grass off bare patches in the lawn and reseeded. That will take watering on a regular basis till it's established. Hey, I'm retired. May as well make myself useful. Every minute spent doing minimum wage work instead of paying someone else to do it is a minute you aren't putting your time, talent, and energy to its highest and best use. I always try to look at "saved money" realistically. Let's say you invest your time in earning a degree, a certification, or obtaining a license that will earn you $10,000 more per year than you are currently earning. The cleaning, lawn mowing, and other things might "save you money", but you have to keep doing the activity to save the money. The nights and weekends you put into earning that $10,000 additional is work that stays done. You do it for a little while, and then you always have it-- and it even goes up. That's my thing- it's kind of a motto: work that stays done. WTSD. Have you gotten quotes for cleaning lately? Yeah, it is a lot more than minimum wage. As is lawn mowing, painting, furniture repair and everything else pat mentioned. Everything that used to be minimum wage now requires a professional wage, unless you are taking advantage of undocumented status...
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 22, 2015 17:12:53 GMT -5
Nobody in my real life has a clue how much we are raking in, except our accountant. Our lawyer has a good idea of our net worth. Nobody has the full picture. I whine about the cost of daycare, drive an old car and don't wear fancy clothes/shoes. If I lost my job, I would act broke.
I would never offer advice about how to make more money to someone who acted broke. Maybe if they directly asked.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 20, 2015 8:49:34 GMT -5
There are plenty of IB programs in my area that are blended. There are more choices today than there ever have been.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 20, 2015 7:50:12 GMT -5
I am not following. Maybe your education was different from mine, but I didn't get any employment or job preparation in school. School taught me how to learn, read, write, some history, science, literature and math.
I learned how to do my job on the job. It would be a stretch to say our educational system taught me how to be a productive employee.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 20, 2015 7:40:20 GMT -5
I have been using one for about a month now and haven't had any problems. I use my card everywhere everyday.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 18, 2015 12:45:28 GMT -5
I watched all 3 seasons and would have much preferred they stick to the original mini series plan. I was really annoyed when it kept going and totally deviated from the original plot. Regardless, it gave me something to watch other than lame competition shows.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 18, 2015 8:55:40 GMT -5
Vapoorizer? I might actually get a dog if that was a real thing.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 18, 2015 7:47:16 GMT -5
My woven crate and barrel sofa pilled badly within weeks. It is very comfortable and I like the design, but I am dissatisfied. I wish I got a smoother, softer microsuade. Good luck on your search. I think it is nuts how expensive couches are and how difficult it is to find the right one.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 18, 2015 6:50:39 GMT -5
This wouldn't bother me at all. It is $5 to do something nice for a coworker going through cancer treatment. What does bother me is the endless requests for donations for peoples bike races, 10ks, mustache growing, etc. They are all wonderful causes, but I get at least 25 every year and can't afford to give to all, so give to none.
i have never asked friends, family or coworkers for donations or tried to sell them anything. As someone else said, I would have just purchased the $60 gift myself and brought in a card for everyone to write something nice.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 16, 2015 16:04:48 GMT -5
I agree with archie, sign him up for football. Tell him to give it a chance for a season. I didn't even know what a rugby ball looked like before I started playing in college. With practice, he will learn how to throw, catch and run faster. 2-3 hours of practice 4-5 days/week should take care of any issues being too sedentary.
And then you both have to give it a fair chance. I ate my fair share of garbage as a kid, but my parents signed me up for sports so I was never even a pound overweight- track and softball year round. I've actually given my parents a hard time for not forcing me to join more sports. I would love to be a decent tennis player and would be if they made me join a team as a kid!
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 13, 2015 19:37:11 GMT -5
I have never been as fashionable as I was in my 20's before I had kids. I had plenty of disposable income to keep up with the trends. And, I looked good because I was in shape. Now I spend very little and am not as skinny which makes me even less excited to go shopping. So part of me does think it's a product of age. Although I know plenty of women my age and older who can somehow still find the time and money to dress and look amazing. So...
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 7, 2015 15:03:07 GMT -5
I am not going to lie, I am totally freaked out about going from $560/week to almost $800/week. My daycare bill will be more than my take home. But I can't look it like that. If I quit, I would automatically lose $80k/year. I don't love to work and I am resourceful enough to find other outlets for adult conversation. For us, it is best to suck it up and stay the course.
The only way we are dropping down to one income will be because of involuntary unemployment or illness or some other unthinkable life event.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 6, 2015 16:18:17 GMT -5
I fully support no napping in school. I am sending them for an education not to watch them while they lay there awake. Kindergarten is only 4-6 hours, so even a "whole" day is not that long. What I do have a problem with is how ridiculously early it starts. The bell rings at 7:45, bus picks up at 7:15, which means they have to get up by 6:30 in order to have time to get dressed and eat breakfast. That means they have to go to bed at 7ish and I don't know any kid that doesn't fight a super early bedtime. which means not enough night time sleep and they get tired/cranky so they need naps!
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 4, 2015 6:33:56 GMT -5
I've worked as a waitress, hostess, bus/dish girl, front line and back line cook at a few different casual dining restaurants. None of the tip were shared. If I was in the back, the hourly wage is what I got paid, if I worked as a waitress my tips were mine. it is not the customer's job to know how tipping works for the restaurant. I tip the server and don't concern myself with what happens to it and whether I should be tipping more in case it is split.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 3, 2015 15:14:34 GMT -5
Where I grew up daycare seemed to be more normal until around third grade. In fourth grade and beyond pretty much everyone rode the bus home whether parents were there or not. In families with multiple kids, like mine, it was pretty much when the oldest one hit about fourth grade. The younger kids went home with them, unless they were much younger (kindy or below) in which case the younger sibs still went to daycare or after school programs. I'm at the tail end of the latchkey kid generation though. Times might be way different now. Ours started staying home alone for short periods when they were 7 and 8. It wasn't everyday after school though. Not sure when we would have made that decision if we both worked afternoons. I don't know, maybe 10 is about right. How old is a fourth grader? 4th grade is about 10. I was a latch key kid, too and I don't personally have a problem with it, but it would be an expensive, possibly life changing mistake if I got caught and arrested. So it is probably best to conform and budget accordingly.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 3, 2015 15:00:16 GMT -5
Daycare until 10? The kid can't be home alone for a couple hours after school before then? One would think, but based on all these articles I keep reading about parents being arrested or cps being called on 10 year olds being home alone or walking outside alone, I fear 10 may be too conservative. I was waiting on somebody to say better make that calculation include through 12
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Sept 3, 2015 13:37:50 GMT -5
Congrats! I am paying almost $30k/year for two in full time care. Next year I will have 3 in full time care and it will be about $45k, almost $800/week. I calculated that each kid will be about $100k for daycare expenses alone from infant to 10.
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