Bogleheads.org

Have you considered asking a few local real estate agents? They probably have a good idea of how the choice affects the value and marketability of houses in your area. You have to take what they say with a pinch of salt, but some of them will give reasons and data that you can consider. I'd also as...

I went from a used 1988 Subaru GL Station Wagon (manual) to a new 2005 Ford Focus (manual) to a new 2013 Subaru Outback (CVT). After driving stick for the first 16 years of my driving life, going to anything else was going to be different and a concern for me. I wanted something 4WD or AWD to deal w...

About 8%

Last year my girlfriend and I bought a house together in both of our names. Can I claim all of the mortgage interest and property taxes myself? I make more than she does and if she takes the standard deduction, she'll drop to a lower tax bracket. I think I can get over the standard deduction, but on...

Chase United Mileage Plus Visa - I put most purchases on this card because I travel for work a decent amount so when I go some place neat, my girlfriend can tag along. Hoping I get sent to Europe in July and/or September and then use miles for a free ticket for her or upgrades for us. Chase Freedom ...

I used it in my 2005 GM Truck. It plugs into the OBD2 port and needs to stay plugged in 24/7. Make sure your battery is in good condition, because it can put a slight drain on it. Progressive can also reset your driving statistics if you unplug the device too much, so don't try to game it. I think ...

Does the device stay plugged in at all times, or do you remove it and plug it in every time you drive? It gets very cold some days here in Michigan. Also, I assume it connects to your cigarette lighter port? I drive less than 4k miles per year, as work is only 2 miles in one direction, and I walk o...

I also used the device, it's actually still plugged in. When I originally got the device I had it plugged into my 2005 Ford Focus. After using it for a month, I was told I would get a 7% discount. I then got a new car, 2013 Subaru Outback. I plugged the device into that car and I just logged on my a...

I pay $85 +tax for phone, internet (15/5 Mbps) and TV (290+ channels) with Verizon FIOS. That was with a 2-year agreement, which ends April 2014. In addition, I got a multi-room DVR free for life (or as long as I have the plan). You also get one free non-HD box for free and since I only have one oth...

Ok so here are definitely two of the most annoying things I always encounter on a vacation. Wanted to see if others had rants that they had. 1) Refusing insurance at Car rentals, the people there get downright nasty and threaten you with all sorts of things, nevermind that you maybe insured already...

Two things to try: 1. Depending on how long it is until you leave, get the airlines credit card and put as many expenses on it as possible then use the miles to upgrade. Maybe you'll only be able to upgrade one ticket and have to pay for the other but it would still cut the costs in half. I'm doing ...

1535.15

2013 Subaru Outback ~570 miles
It replaced a 2005 Ford Focus ST that had ~133,000 miles.

As far as I know (and I've been checking every few days), the iPhone 5 is not available for Virgin Mobile in the US yet. Rumors are that it won't be long. Anyway, most of us are probably still waiting, so don't expect much news on performance. I'm getting tired of waiting. I was hoping the price on...

"American Airlines Employees Say All These Flight Delays Are Turning Passengers Violent"

http://consumerist.com/2012/10/09/ameri ... s-violent/

I just booked a trip for work and I went out of my way to avoid AA. There's a risk of delays and cancellations for all airlines, but with AA, it seems there's a higher one now.

Pennsylvania (sales tax = 6%) County 0.002045 Municipal 0.00210000 School 0.00930000 Total 0.01344500 Home value = $137,000 $137,000 x 0.01344500 = $1,841.97 Per Capita Tax County + Municipal + School = $5 + $5 + $5 = $15 Occupation Tax = $5 Residency Tax = $5 EIT = 0.5% Realizing I pay a lot of var...

A question for all the folks is IF you all accept that the system is not right and you know in advance that you the billing is opaque (which I agree with BTW) why do you go out and sign up for the elective care and then complain about it being opaque later on?? It isn't the Doctor's office making i...

Interesting. Is your goal to understand why you got billed that amount/ making sure there wasn't a billing mistake OR are you just trying to get out of a bill?? Your last response makes it seems to be the latter. I find that pathetic. If there wasn't a mistake on your bill you should pay the bill. ...

First off, thanks for all the help and advice, we really appreciate it! I think we'll get them two gift cards, one to Autozone or something like that to fix the busted tail light cover and another to Toys R Us because they have a small son and another child that, by the looks of the wife, is due fai...

I'll second Default User BR's advice to not try to get something in writing. You're basically telling someone that just did you a big favor that you don't trust their word. You're just going to make them mad. Also, you didn't say how old the Prius is. If it's relatively new I would go with the high...

My girlfriend backed into a neighbor's parked car the other day and did some pretty serious damage to her car but minor damage to the neighbor's (SUV > Hybrid). The next day we talked to the neighbors and they said not to worry about because it was an old beater so we basically said okay. My first q...

I went with the iphone 4 with Virgin Mobile. I will be activating in the next couple days and will see how it goes. I currently have a mobile subscription with Sprint but a monthly data plan with them would be $100/month. The virgin mobile plan to me was more affordable. You purchase the iphone out...

MASH and Big Bang Theory

"He said that regular carbon monoxide detectors wouldn’t detect the carbon monoxide that comes out of regular water heaters when they exhibit this flaw, but his establishment sells special carbon monoxide detectors that would detect it." And here I thought all CO was the same. My 10th grad...

I've never been taxed when reimbursed for a business trip. I submit all the paper work and receipts to accounts payable and they give me a check for the amount. I have direct deposit but the reimbursement check is an actual check that I have to deposit myself. If I had spent $1000 during a business ...

I was just in a somewhat similar situation. I bid on house the same time someone else did, the seller (who was a realtor himself) asked for more, I came back with my final offer, they asked for "just another $1000". Now, $1000 compared to $160,000 isn't much but to me, $1000 is a lot of mo...

we close on may 15. home price was 650,000. we're mortgaging 417,000. our rate is 3.875. we used a mortgage broker through our real estate company (howard hanna in pittsburgh). i called a couple other banks to see if i could get a better rate. i was offered 3.775 if i opened up a new checking accou...

I didn't include property taxes and insurance because I knew I would have to pay them, but here they are. (Closing date was April 27th but we aren't getting this house anyway) Estimated Prepaid Expenses Prepaid Interest (4 days) $56.99 Hazard Insurance Reserves (14 mo.) $583.33 Property Tax Reserves...

I'm looking at buying my first home and was wondering about closing costs. I plan on asking for assistance from the seller in paying closing costs but I've heard that certain things are negotiable regarding price but never heard what specifically was negotiable. Below is a work-up for a house I was ...

1365.97

I bought a reel mower with plans on using exclusively. Then I ran over a twig and almost lost the ability to have kids as the handle rammed into me just below my stomach. This happened a few times while mowing. I decided I didn't want to go around and pick up twigs skinnier than my little finger bef...

31 years old

Going for 90/10 AA.

Large US Stocks - 43.4%
Mid/Small US Stocks - 25.9%
International Stocks - 22.2%
Bonds - 8.2%
Cash - 0.3%