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This is very subjective. It will depend on how materialistic your fiancee is and your social circle (which your fiancee will probably base her expectations upon). Has she dropped any hints or have you looked at rings together? My husband paid about $1500, 4 years ago. It's a very simple princess cut...

Thanks for all the advice. I just recently applied for a PenFed card so I don't want to get any new credit lines, but I logged in today to see that they are offering 4.99% fixed APR for balance transfer with no fees. That could help us pay off the credit card debt faster. I will work as much overtim...

Momar - good point about the 403b, I will have to look into that. I always assumed it was per paycheck rather than annually. As for daycare, I expect that we would have very little need for it. As a nurse, I work 3 12 hour night shifts and this is considered full time. My husband works days 8-5, so ...

Here are some more details: Job Security - my husband works for his parents and I'm an RN. My job is constantly understaffed and they beg me to come in and work overtime constantly, so our jobs are quite stable. We both work full time. Credit card debt - $10k at 14.99% APR (it pains me to type that ...

We are thrilled to have recently learned we are pregnant, so now I come to you once again for some financial advice. We have a chunk of credit card debt and unfortunately, a small savings account (infertility treatment with no insurance coverage is very expensive but we felt it was worth it in the b...

I can tell a lot of men are responding to this query :) I pay about $100 for a trim and foil highlights and tip 20%. This is at a lower-middle range salon (not SuperCuts, but they don't have assistants and it's not a trendy downtown place) in a college town. If your wife lives in a larger metro area...

Some folks might be surprised that it probably doesn't matter what age you are when you have kids (if you decide to have kids). Not to stray too far off topic, but as someone who has spent thousands of dollars on infertility treatments (and I'm barely 30), I would strongly disagree with this. At le...

When you say manufactured home, do you mean mobile home/trailer communities? I wouldn't worry about Florida being the lightning capital of the US, that's not much of a risk as long as you use common sense. Hurricanes, however, are a real threat and those retirement communities are especially vulnera...

13% of gross income for principle, interest, taxes and insurance. This number should go down in a few years when we no longer have to pay PMI.

Congrats! That sounds like a good weight for twins and I hope they continue to grow and thrive so they can get out of the NICU soon. We have had to sacrifice our retirement contributions in order to build our family but I believe it's 100% worth it.

I will never understand the credit card hate. I worked in banking for several years and saw way too many scams/id theft involving debit cards. It's so easy to cancel a credit card; it's a hassle to immediately get cash back into your account to pay bills when your debit card is compromised, despite ...

Trudy, it sounds like he was still in the reserves. If you're active duty military, serve your contract, and then don't re-enlist, they can't call you into combat. However, if you're in the reserves they can deploy you. This person in your article would have been receiving pay for being in the reser...

I agree with MickeyVee about the EMR. We switched over to Epic a few years ago and that is the general trend. Two RNs who used to work at the bedside with me were able to transition over to working with EPIC in an IT role and they have nice 9-5 hours, no holidays. Working holidays is one of the hard...

I also switched from a different field (business degree and worked in banking) and got my accelerated BSN. I graduated about 5 years ago so the economy hadn't totally tanked yet - almost everyone in my class had jobs lined up prior to graduation. I've worked in the Neonatal ICU since graduating and ...

I just turned 30 so I don't have to look too far back. For me, my 20s was more about personal growth and learning from mistakes than financial growth, unfortunately :) I have always participated in my 401k plan to get my employer's match, but that was the extent of my retirement savings until the la...

My FSA plan is very easy to use. I paid a one time $15 fee to get a debit card, so I charge all medical related expenses with the debit card. I don't ever have to submit anything unless I forget to use the debit card. Even with health insurance, we have managed to use up our FSA well before the year...

There will definitely be a huge difference in insurance costs depending on whether you are coastal or not. If you're considering Sarasota, that's a coastal area so think higher end. You should find out what the flood zones are. I live inland and our insurance is ridiculously low for a modest single ...

archbish99 wrote:

PreemieNurse wrote:There are a few stay at home dads among my coworker's husbands.

Just how many husbands does your coworker have?!?

Haha, a misplaced apostrophe sure changes the context. I shouldn't post after working 12.5 hour shifts

Usually it's just the opposite. You want to file jointly so you can steal her low brackets. her??? :!: Glad I'm not the only one who did a double take at the gender assumption. When we were first married, I was making almost double my husband's salary. I know it's traditional for the male to be the...

January/February are our coldest months. Not sure you will find any 'warm beach town' by Florida standards in that time frame, where you could actually enjoy the beach. If you do want warm, then you will want to stay south. I'm in north/central Florida and it's been in the 30s at night. St. Augustin...

What is the purpose of the blog? I've set up blogs with both Blogger and self-hosted WordPress. If it's just something basic, like to share photos and keep family updated with your life, or chronicle your travels, then blogger should be okay. For anything professional or if she is really serious abo...

Just a heads up, Key West is hosting a half marathon event the 2nd or 3rd weekend in January. It may be crowded and harder to find hotels at good prices that weekend, and winter is high season anyway in terms of tourist pricing. I think the upper keys are okay for fishing/scuba diving/maybe having l...

In my state, they will do $4000 a year (lump sum at the end of the year) up to $16,000. I'm not sure I would borrow specifically hoping it would be paid off though. It's dependent on funding, and I know they have suspended this program at times due to economy, so it would be a gamble. Also, you do n...

I should add, the nursing loan forgiveness is run by the state department of education here and not offered directly by the facilities.

No, in the state of Florida, any teaching hospital qualifies. These are usually premier hospitals affiliated with medical schools. The main thing is that they are not for-profit, corporate owned facilities. I have my packet right here since I'm working on my own application...state facilities, publi...

Being on your bank accounts isn't going to do anything for her credit. She needs to get some lines of credit in her own name. I'd start with a credit union credit card and see if she gets approved. If she doesn't, then try a secured credit card. She can also do a secured loan against a savings accou...

Normally I would say go ahead and pay off the debt, but your daughter is going into a profession that often has great benefits packages for new hires. In Florida, nurses who work in certain under served areas (teaching hospitals, public schools, etc). can apply to get $4000/yr. of nursing student lo...

Here is my update, for others who are considering applying. I faxed over my title and since it's been a few days, I called to check on the status. After waiting on hold for a while, they said it was approved and check is in the mail! Well worth the effort of the online application and faxing over th...

It sounds like all of her material needs are met and she already gets pampering things like housecleaning and massages regularly. I would go with one of these options: 1. Fancy night out/weekend trip with you - where you do all the planning and arrange childcare. Maybe buy her an outfit or token gif...

I agree with above poster that a full face style baklava may look a little creepy/suspicious as you're running down the street. In the photos from our last ski vacation, my husband was wearing one and looked like a sinister ski ninja :) I bet the adjustable neck gaiter would work well for you when w...

I've lived in Florida for 30 years. Weather is very hit or miss this time of year. It was chilly and rainy last week, sunny and shorts weather over the weekend, back to heavy rain yesterday, and so on. I do not go in the ocean or even to the beach really between September-March. The only people you ...

I am obviously in a different financial/social class here but can't imagine supporting my (future) adult children in some of the ways described here, even if I could. I feel like you appreciate money more and are a better steward of it, when it comes from your own hard work. I had to pay for all of ...

I'm disappointed that NFCU doesn't offer it, because I like to keep all my accounts together to simplify things. If you want this type of loan though, try PenFed. It was very easy and it was conditionally approved within a few hours of applying. Today I'm faxing over a copy of my car title.

Thanks! I signed up and once I started the refinance application process, I saw that it was very clear-cut. It has a specific option for owning the car outright and just wanting to borrow against it. Joining the CU and completing the application took about 10 minutes. It went to manual underwriting,...

Thanks midareff. I am talking about obtaining a car loan for a vehicle which you already own outright, and using the funds for other things. I would appreciate if other people who have done that can tell me exactly how it works.

How do you apply for this type of loan? Do you apply as if you are purchasing a used car, they send you the check to purchase it, and instead of purchasing it you send them the title and cash the check? I bank with NFCU so I called them, and when I asked about used car loans like this, they said it ...

We have Amazon prime and it's easily paid for itself. We don't use it for the free media though, just for the free 2 day shipping. We live about 30 minutes outside of the nearest big city and buy a lot of specialty health and hobby items that can't easily be picked up at Target or a grocery store. S...

Personally, if your wife is already in her mid 30s and she actually wants another child, I would not delay starting to try for another year. Since you already have young kids, I can see why your wife would be hesitant. I'm sure you well know that fertility has a steep cliff the older a woman gets an...

His problem is his employer doesn't currently offer direct deposit, it's a small family business. He uses the ATM more to deposit his checks, not for withdrawing cash. BOA now also allows him to deposit his check by scanning it with his smart phone. Basically, he is lured in by the bells and whistle...

I thought that average age of accounts was another important factor of credit score, and it looks like you open and close cards pretty frequently. How much does your score fluctuate? Obviously the benefits must outweigh the effect on your score?

I wonder if most people posting here are members of banks mostly. I bet they are. I can't understand why anyone would chose a bank over a credit union. My guess is they've probably never been exposed to one or can't handle the inconvenience of having limited accessibility. Some people are just stub...

First of all, it's nice that you're looking out for your friend during this difficult time. I think maybe you are getting ahead of yourself right now though...your time would probably be better invested in just supporting this family emotionally and with practical needs (meals, etc). I work in a uni...

I'm not sure why you would pay for a credit score when your scores will be pulled by the banks when you apply. Do you have any reason to believe you have bad credit? If your score is 700+, that is within most bank's underwriting guidelines.

I would not feel comfortable with that supposed breakeven point. This is just anecdotal but will give you an idea of unexpected home ownership costs. We bought a fairly new home (2006) at the beginning of this year. A few unexpected necessary costs off the top of my head so far have included replaci...

Does anyone know if Navy Federal CU does this too? I own a car outright that still has fairly high market value, and this sounds like a good way to pay off some high interest credit card debt faster.

- how much is your healthcare premium per paycheck (monthly/biweekly/twice a month)? $53 per paycheck, paid biweekly - is it for an HDHP/HMO/PPO? It's basically a PPO. We get reduced rates if we see providers in our own system (I work in health care). You can also see anyone you'd like within the B...

Check out http://www.volunteermatch.org/ to find local opportunities. As others have said, what kind of time commitment are you looking for and what are your talents/interests? I have been looking into Meals on Wheels. If I lived closer to the animal shelters, that would be my first choice. You can ...

Thanks again for the advice! I reallocated my 403b to the 4 funds suggested above and am happy that it's much more simplified. I was in a lifespan model previously which certainly seemed to have a "shotgun" approach - I was in almost every fund available, many with miniscule increments lik...

They know that tourism is important and I have not read of any tourists being murdered or endangered there, unlike Mexico. Then you obviously haven't heard of the American golfers murdered on a Jamaican golf course a few years back? John I said that I have not heard of it, not that it never happens...

A couple of other things to consider: 1. How long you plan to stay in the home - unless this is your 'forever' home, I would think it's a lot easier to sell a new construction home with only 1 owner than a 10 year old house. The differences in price and size seems pretty negligible to me. 2. Keep in...