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foamypirate

10+ years old doesn't bother me at all. In fact, up until January of this year, 3 of my 4 cars were older than 10 years (1988, 2002, 2002, 2016). Sold the 88', so now "only" 2 of 3 are older than 10 years. 2002 Chevrolet Corvette - 57k miles 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Duramax Diesel -...

foamypirate

Thanks, all. To clarify - I'm definitely NOT open to waiving the inspection. But could be open to putting 25%-30% down in the event the appraisal comes in below our offer. Once again, this is not "ideal" in my mind given the low rate environment (although may be in some others based on th...

foamypirate

The ZERO funds are only open to retail investors (leaving 401K/457B/403Bs out in the cold). I just bought $500 of FXROX in my stand alone IRA and it completed without an issue. I just bought $500 of FZILX in my stand alone IRA and it completed without an issue. Not sure what the commotion is all ab...

foamypirate

According to my 2020 tax documents from my Employer, I paid about $4,000, and they pitched in about $22,000.

It's a pretty good plan, nice PPO with good coverage, $500 deductible, 90/10 coinsurance, etc.

foamypirate

You can probably replace the whole mesh portion without too much trouble. I did this on several screens at our old house. The mesh is typically held in with a rubber “spline” that presses into the frame. Both the mesh, and new spline, are available at any decent hardware store, along with an install...

foamypirate

I pretty much do as much as humanly possible around the house myself. If I'm out of my league, I'll give someone a call, but haven't really run into that yet besides a slab plumbing leak and AC condenser install at the old place. Let's see, in no particular order: Prior house: Wired for security cam...

foamypirate

Honda EU6500is (gasoline, not diesel). 6 circuit transfer switch to use the generator for furnace, the kitchen, and 4 other circuits. Probably is overkill for my bungalow, but I wanted a quiet unit I got it the year after Super Storm Sandy I have used twice for actual power outages in the 6 years I...

foamypirate

Honda EU6500is (gasoline, not diesel). 6 circuit transfer switch to use the generator for furnace, the kitchen, and 4 other circuits. Probably is overkill for my bungalow, but I wanted a quiet unit I got it the year after Super Storm Sandy I have used twice for actual power outages in the 6 years I...

foamypirate

This is a timely thread, as we recently had a 12 hour outage during the uncharacteristic snow storm here in Central TX (along with an extended outage last year that we experienced). I’ve certainly been waffling back and forth and whether or not to get something that will run our HVAC or not. I’m per...

foamypirate

31, single income, 2 kids.

Feel pretty good about our NW increase this year, since we bought a house w/ acreage, and there was a lot of capital expended on new tools and equipment to maintain the property.

2017 - $162,984
2018 - $213,642
2019 - $289,308
2020 - $383,954

foamypirate

We just went through this. We submitted an offer on the house we were interested in (with contingency, but with a large 41% downpayment to show we were serious, based on proceeds we expected from our sale). Once that offer was accepted, we used our realtor to stage and list our house. Fortunately, w...

foamypirate

Sorry guys, this is all my fault. I decided to pay off the car and put in an order to sell stocks late last night. Tis' only natural that stocks would drop 6% today.

foamypirate

I sure wish! However, it was not to be so. We moved into a new house right at the beginning of February, so the last few months have been spent on all sorts of stuff you can spend money on in a new home. Decorations, furniture, ceiling fans, a tractor for maintaining the property (we moved to acreag...

foamypirate

Anecdotal, certainly, but my parents purchased a rental back in 2001, from Hertz. They drove it for 18 years and to 273k miles. Seemed to work out for them.

foamypirate

I'm about to be in the same boat as you. I am looking at something like http://simnetwireless.us . It's a cellular based service. You can buy an outdoor LTE modem with an amplifier, so you would get a better signal than just hot-spotting it with a phone. It's also unlimited data. They claim speeds a...

foamypirate

Ping Pong wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:43 pm Sounds like a trick to keep you in a higher-fee 401(k) longer.

The expense ratio for the funds in my Fidelity 401K are comparable or lower than the equivalent Vanguard funds...

foamypirate

I have this exact condenser (down to the tonnage): CARRIER PERFORMANCE 24ACB7-60, 5-TON, UP TO 17 SEER, 2-STAGE, ENERGY STAR AC - $7,083 I paid about $7k installed with a Carrier PHA58 furnace back in 2011. With price increases since then, $7,000 for the condenser and install, new pad, etc, is prett...

foamypirate

Devoted SE user until 3 weeks ago. However, the storage in the 16 GB version was constantly nearly full. So I made the leap to an XR. Always thought I would hate the large size, but it turns out it fits fine in my pockets and is easier to see. It’s hilarious how small my wife’s SE seems now if I pi...

foamypirate

So far, so good. My wife and I are exceptionally blessed. I make, at the age of 29, double what my Dad did, in his highest earning year ever. We're on course to have our home paid off by the age of 35, while saving a good deal for retirement. My parents, on the other hand, basically paid for their h...

foamypirate

We gave up on mail order after they continued to screw up every refill and prescription, couldn't seem to get the refill from the doctor, even though the doctor filled out their stupid form and faxed it 5 different times, etc. This for a very critical medication. The last straw was just today, when ...

foamypirate

I may or may not have run a radiator fan shroud and the blades (removed from the motors) from said fans through the dishwasher for a hotrod project I was working on.

DW does not need to know...

foamypirate

No charges at my local credit union. I transfer my car payment via ACH every month from another local credit union. I know those aren't banks, but it's what I've got.

foamypirate

I had a 1999 Camry that I gave to my nephew when it had 321,000 miles. He drove it another couple of years, and just gave it to a friend of his who is still driving it and putting miles on it. It will not die. I live on a dirt road, so a lot of those miles were on dirt. I wasn't even very good abou...

foamypirate

Ortho HomeDefense works well (it's a Bifenthrin based product).

foamypirate

This definitely isn't new advice from Dave Ramsey. Unfortunately, it's terrible advice; advice which I followed when first getting started in the adult world, about 10 years ago. I still regret not getting the match on my 401K contributions when I was paying off debt at that time. 5% match, out the ...

foamypirate

Personally, I cut the difference. I'm currently putting 50% towards principal, immediately reaping the rewards of increased principal payments, and lower overall interest paid. The other 50%, I'm putting into VBIRX (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund). This has a duration of about 2.6 years, which ...

foamypirate

No. I fly now. It takes too long driving. if you got the time and car is well maintained, then go for it. But I wouldn't be driving long periods of time to save money. Great point! I typically recommend that to people, i.e. "why don't you just fly out"? Even with the hassles of airports/a...

foamypirate

Absolutely, I'd have no qualms about it. In the past, I've driven: 1993 Honda Accord with 265k from Utah to Texas, and back (circa 2008) 1991 Honda Accord with 211k from Utah to Texas (circa 2009, moved to Texas) 2007 Honda Accord with 116k (youngin') back and forth from Texas to Utah, on a yearly t...

foamypirate

I doubt anything has changed on a quality standpoint. I think what you're seeing is an access to information. I don't buy the story that they used to build them better with pride and quality. Nope, companies cut corners where they can and cheaped out where they can back then and today. Why would th...

foamypirate

I used to belong to an....organization....that demanded tithing in order to, uhhh, be part of the most special people. There was an annual accounting and settling up with your person in charge. The expectation was 10% of your gross, period. I don’t know if gross or net is the norm in other Christia...

foamypirate

Have you considered splitting 50/50 between early principal payments and saving? This is the route I am taking for my home loan payoff. I'm currently putting 50% into VBIRX (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares) each month, and paying the other 50% directly to principal each month. Onc...

foamypirate

Let's say we have a 2040 target fund. What happens if a 50%+ decline event happened in 2039? It depends on the glide path of that particular fund. That said, nearly any 2040 target fund should be heavily in bonds by 2039, so I'd expect the 50% decline to have lesser impact than a fund that had a he...

foamypirate

One thing I have wondered about is the impact of height vs. weight. That is, say a compact SUV vs a midsize sedan. My guess is that basic physics says weight has more of an impact, absent poor design. I was originally looking at midsize sedans, but have started looking at compact SUVs/CUVs for the ...

foamypirate

Here's my recipe for reviving a St. Augustine lawn: Mow as tall as your mower will go Water deeply once a week, about 1" Hand pull weeds (weed a small patch each day) Fertilize with organic fertilizer (Milorganite, Texas Tee, Medina Growin' Green) on the following Holidays (follow directions on...

foamypirate

A worn clutch will cause the transmission to slip. It is the wearing off process that damages the transmission. Say what? A worn clutch will result in the clutch slipping, not the transmission. If a manual transmission is "slipping," you've got some SERIOUS issues inside (stripped gears, ...

foamypirate

Penny wise, pound foolish.

foamypirate

My in-laws (in their mid-50s now) washed and reused ziplock bags, until they split a seam. They have nearly $1 million in investments, and still wash and reuse to this day.

foamypirate

Lee_WSP wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:11 pm With Online HYS accounts yielding 2.45%, it doesn't make sense to put money in either with their associated expense ratios at this point in time. IMO. Unless you want to be able to move money between funds quickly.

Returns are net of expense ratio, so this isn't a factor.

foamypirate

The ZERO funds are only open to retail investors (leaving 401K/457B/403Bs out in the cold).

foamypirate

I remember, (no one cares, LoL) the 78 - 80 GM A-body rear wheel cylinder recall. Instead of one or two bolts holding the rear wheel cylinder in, GM used a oblong stamped hole in the steel rear wheel backing plate. This along with the same shape wheel cylinder mounting surface and a spring clip was...

foamypirate

Age 29. One company, 10 years. Started at 44k, now making 127k. No college degree (working on fixing that, as I do realize how incredibly lucky I have been).

foamypirate

Sometimes, if a wheel speed sensor is going bad, the computer will think that wheel has locked up, and engage the ABS. If you are stopped, all wheels are stationary, and so it won't kick in the ABS since it hasn't detected a "lockup." This is all just conjecture of course. Probably best to...

foamypirate

I've been in the same house now for 9 years, and in that time I've done DIY on the following: Re-caulk baseboards Re-caulk shower pan Replace water heater (in the garage attic, STUPID PLACE FOR IT!) Replace kitchen sink and garbage disposal Add 24v transformer and digital zone controller for HVAC, ...

foamypirate

Effective rate dropped 2.24% from 2017. I paid roughly $1,800 less in taxes, on roughly $13,000 more taxable income (thank you, improved Child Tax Credits)! Still received a tax refund, but it was small (intentionally), as I tracked my expected tax owed, and adjusted my W4 allowances throughout the ...

foamypirate

At least with Citi, if I pay off the balance right before the statement closes, they report $0 (or maybe whatever few pending charges cleared after I made my payment).

foamypirate

For what it’s worth, I set up my 2019 contributions at Vanguard two weeks ago. It had the correct $6000 limit, and calculated the contribution amount correctly based off of that.

foamypirate

January 1st, 2018: $166,500
December 31st, 2018: $212,010

I expect it to increase quite substantially next year, since I got a 27% raise late this year.

foamypirate

I personally have my emergency fund 50/50 in Prime Money Market (VMMXX) and Ultra Short Bond (VUBFX). I’m happy with the arrangement.

foamypirate

2002 Corvette
Had to ship off the steering rack to be rebuilt. It only had power steering assist when turning to the right, and would actively fight you when turning the left (some sort of internal fluid leak). $400 + $200 in shipping charges later, good as new! Did the R&R myself.

foamypirate

If it's just the maintenance light, you should be able to hold in the trip odometer button for 10 seconds, until the display starts to flash, then release, and press back in and hold for another 10 seconds. That will reset the maintenance minder. Check Engine Light, of course, is a whole 'other story.

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