Search found 448 matches

by yolli71
Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good store for roller shades?
Replies: 15
Views: 2436

Re: Good store for roller shades?

Thanks everyone. I just ordered samples from all 3 stores...we'll see how it goes!
by yolli71
Sat Feb 17, 2018 3:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good store for roller shades?
Replies: 15
Views: 2436

Good store for roller shades?

I'm in the middle of remodeling my master bathroom and want to purchase roller shades for the big window in our bathroom. I've been to Next Day Blinds and The Shade Store. To my surprise, the material feels a lot like "paper." I was a little disappointed and was hoping for a heavier, higher quality feeling material. Do most roller shades feel this way (like paper)?

Does anyone have any recommendations on stores or websites that sell quality roller shades (we're willing to pay a little more for better craftsmanship...we don't want cheap/flimsy looking shades).
by yolli71
Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Brake Pads
Replies: 97
Views: 12378

Re: New Brake Pads

GridironGems wrote: Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:59 pm I had my oil changed today and found out I need new brake pads. They quoted me:

$229 plus tax for front brake pads and resurface the front rotors
$171 plus tax for rear brake pads

Does this seem like a reasonable cost? Any suggestions?
Sounds reasonable to me. I just had my rear pads and rotors replaced on my 2005 Honda CR-V for $499. Granted my rotors were replaced (not resurfaced) and they used OEM parts, but I'm not sure you need that.
by yolli71
Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best radiant floor heating system?
Replies: 6
Views: 908

Re: Best radiant floor heating system?

Didn't notice any issues w/ SunTouch. I'm open to either brand, but from what I read, it looks like Schluter Ditra is the "Mercedes Benz" of radiant heating systems, and it doesn't seem to be that much more expensive than the other top brands. That said, I don't know much about all of this so I'm willing to listen to all opinions/advice!
by yolli71
Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best radiant floor heating system?
Replies: 6
Views: 908

Re: Best radiant floor heating system?

Thanks...looks like Schluter Ditra does well here too!
by yolli71
Fri Jan 05, 2018 5:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best radiant floor heating system?
Replies: 6
Views: 908

Re: Best radiant floor heating system?

Hmm...I don't know. I guess I'm open to all systems. I really don't know much about this stuff.

Thanks for the link...it looks like Schluter Ditra is held in high regard.
by yolli71
Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best radiant floor heating system?
Replies: 6
Views: 908

Best radiant floor heating system?

We're looking to remodel our master bathroom and one thing my wife wants is heated tile floors. I don't want to worry about any issues so I'm willing to spend a little more for a reliable system. The tile salesperson we're dealing with recommended SunTouch.

Does anyone have any experience and recommendations on what floor heating system I should consider purchasing?
by yolli71
Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to buy new iPhone?
Replies: 19
Views: 2912

Re: Where to buy new iPhone?

Okay, so from the responses I've seen so far, I should either buy the phone from Apple, Verizon, or now T-Mobile (which I'm not interested in switching providers at this time). I think I'm even more confused now! :oops: If there's no special advantage in going with Verizon, I think I'm inclined to buy the phone through Apple.

I didn't expect to get a lower price on the actual phone from Verizon, but I thought they might've offered me a deal like more data at a discounted rate or something like that.

I told my wife we should wait for Black Friday but she seems to think there won't be any deals on iPhone 8's. Thoughts?
by yolli71
Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to buy new iPhone?
Replies: 19
Views: 2912

Where to buy new iPhone?

My wife has an iPhone 5 and she's ready to move up to a new phone. We're looking to purchase an iPhone 8, but where is the best place to purchase the new phone? Would it be directly from Apple or from our provider, Verizon? Or does it even matter?

We were going to go to the Apple store, but then I was wondering if Verizon might offer some sort of a better deal to keep us as customers (as we're going to buy the phone outright...no payment plans).

Any advice?
by yolli71
Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Did you tell anyone you paid off your mortgage?
Replies: 338
Views: 62050

Re: Did you tell anyone you paid off your mortgage?

The OP question just seems kind of odd, no offense intended. I guess I don't see paying off a mortgage as some sort of huge accomplishment or sign of wealth. We had ours about half paid off, but then refinanced back up to the original amount to pay for a much needed remodel. We could have paid most of it cash, but I just like having liquidity, and most of our investments are in tax deferred accounts which we obviously prefer to leave alone. I have just never understood the huge sense of relief and accomplishment of paying off a 3.0% tax deductible loan. If you’ve ever been in a situation of scarcity where resources are non existent or you have been on the steps of being or have been evicted- you would know what it means. You have to first ...
by yolli71
Thu Nov 09, 2017 10:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Did you tell anyone you paid off your mortgage?
Replies: 338
Views: 62050

Re: Did you tell anyone you paid off your mortgage?

mouses wrote: Thu Nov 09, 2017 6:25 am
investor997 wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:17 pm I find it strange how several here have said "I've only told my spouse." Although I'm not married, it seems odd to me that this is the type of event that needs to be communicated to a spouse, as if they'd ordinarily be clueless as to how much money they owed on their home.
+1.
+2. I understand friends and relatives, but keeping your own spouse in the dark about finances unless you feel like telling them? Or the fact that they have zero clue in the first place? Odd to me as well.

Congrats on paying off your home...I paid mine off just under 2 years ago and it's a great feeling (regardless of if you could "potentially" get more in return by investing).
by yolli71
Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Upgrade my Roku?
Replies: 34
Views: 5482

Re: Upgrade my Roku?

So I was planning on buying the new Fire TV but it's received bad reviews...lots of bugs. So now I'm not sure what to do. I want to buy a streaming device that has an Ethernet port and can play my Amazon Prime music, photos, videos, etc. Should I stick with the Fire TV or will Roku do all the same things but even better?
by yolli71
Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: WiFi [extender]
Replies: 57
Views: 8179

Re: WiFi [extender]

I have an Orbi mesh. Have a hard time recommending it due to the forced firmware updates that break things all the time. Some devices just don't play well with mesh also, like the 15 Chromecast audios I just added - they behave fine with a single router or AP, but with mesh, they randomly disappear. Had to use AV1200 powerline ethernet and buy an ethernet interface for each one to get them to work reliably without disappearing. Orbi provides great coverage and great speed when it works, but when it doesn't work with your devices, or stops working due to a firmware update, it's a real headache. Orbi may work fine if you only have a few devices, but if you have 40+ like I do, it's really hard to keep everything working. I wish there was a si...
by yolli71
Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: WiFi [extender]
Replies: 57
Views: 8179

Re: WiFi [extender]

Another vote for Google Wifi. I was having issues with my old Apple Time Capsule router and Netgear Wifi extender. I bought the Google Wifi and it was like night and day...even areas out on my deck get great coverage.
by yolli71
Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Exhaust Fan for the bathroom
Replies: 70
Views: 23853

Re: Exhaust Fan for the bathroom

ved wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:15 am I am having my bathroom painted. he painter said that the spots of mildew are because the exhaust is not powerful enough to suck up the moisture, and said that I should get it replaced.

Any suggestions on what to go with? House is about 20 years old.
And is it easy to install this, or should I call a handyman? (I am not that handy)
We had the same problem and this is the one we bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U ... UTF8&psc=1

Panasonic and it works great. If you're not handy, I'd have an electrician install it.
by yolli71
Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How useful is a home security system?
Replies: 82
Views: 11769

Re: How useful is a home security system?

I have a Ring doorbell and motion sensor floodlight cams outside of my house, and Blink cameras inside my home. I also have Simplisafe. I do not pay any monthly monitoring fees. It requires a little bit of money upfront, but it sure does provide peace of mind (especially for my wife when I'm on travel). I personally think a setup like mine would've possibly ID'd or deterred whoever broke into your house. Even with Simplisafe not armed, the Ring motion sensor outdoor floodlights are on 24/7 and will send you a notification as soon as someone is approaching your home. You can then activate the outdoor Ring alarm from your phone or you can ask them what they're doing (it has an outdoor speaker as well). I have my Blink indoor cameras set to a ...
by yolli71
Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: DirecTV vs. Dish vs. Cable
Replies: 21
Views: 2829

Re: DirecTV vs. Dish vs. Cable

I personally have been with DirecTV for a long time and have been happy with them. I find the service to be good and they're always willing to work with me when I try to get discounts or lower the price. In fact, I just called them a couple of weeks ago b/c my rates had gone up after some old discounts ran out, and they gave me $60 off per month for 1 year.

The reason I don't want to cut the cord is b/c I love watching sports, and cutting the cord doesn't work for sports lovers.
by yolli71
Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home security system
Replies: 12
Views: 2459

Re: Home security system

We purchased Simplisafe earlier this year. We have a 3 level home and we purchased entry sensors for every door and window in the basement and on the main floor. We did not buy a motion sensor b/c we didn't think we needed it since we covered all doors/windows. Plus, a friend of mine who has Simplisafe said the only time they have false alarms is with their motion sensor. We didn't feel the need to buy entry sensors for the 3rd floor as I highly doubt anyone would try to break in on a ladder. We also purchased 2 extra alarms (one for basement and one for 3rd floor) and a glass break sensor for the basement. I suggest buying more glass break sensors to cover 1k sq ft. We also have outdoor cameras. We purchased the Ring doorbell and also have...
by yolli71
Thu Aug 10, 2017 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trip Cancellation Insurance.
Replies: 37
Views: 5578

Re: Trip Cancellation Insurance.

We book ours through USAA (they have an arrangement with Travel Insured International). We actually just used ours earlier this year. We had a family vacation to the Caribbean planned in April and we missed our connecting flight due to bad weather. The next flight out was going to be in 2.5 days, so we cancelled our trip. We ended up getting our entire $4,800 back (cost for flight and resort). My parents booked a trip to Israel 2 years ago and also used USAA for their travel insurance. A couple of days before their departure, my grandmother passed away. My parents cancelled their trip and were refunded 10k by the insurance company. We tend to buy travel insurance because we have young kids, so you never know if one of them will get sick. I ...
by yolli71
Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Honey app to save money on Amazon?
Replies: 2
Views: 922

Re: Honey app to save money on Amazon?

I have it. It's not bad. It's saved me a little bit of money a couple of times. A lot of the deals they search for don't qualify, so many times you don't get any extra discounts.

My wife doesn't like the app b/c she feels it gets in the way as she's trying to make a purchase, but to me it's a very minor nuisance.
by yolli71
Thu Aug 03, 2017 2:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best internet service provider in Washington DC area?
Replies: 6
Views: 1204

Re: Best internet service provider in Washington DC area?

I live in Northern VA and have Cox and am very happy with them. However, I'm not sure if Cox is offered in Silver Spring...it might just be Comcast (along with Fios). If you had to choose between Fios and Comcast, I'd definitely go Fios as people around here complain about Comcast all the time.
by yolli71
Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Google wifi is awesome
Replies: 67
Views: 17901

Re: Google wifi is awesome

Another thumbs up for Google Wifi. I was having trouble reaching certain areas of my home, so I ditched my Airport Time Capsule and bought the Netgear Orbi. I had trouble trying to set it up and I found Netgear support to be absolutely terrible (very difficult to reach, long wait times, etc.). I returned the Orbi and elected to go with Google Wifi. Google Wifi literally took me 5 minutes to set up and it has been outstanding! I'm not a techie so it's possible people who like to tinker and mess with network settings would prefer the Orbi. But I can confirm that Google Wifi has worked flawlessly for about 2 months now, costs less than the Orbi, is less obtrusive than the Orbi units, has a very user-friendly app, and reaches ALL areas of my ho...
by yolli71
Fri Jul 21, 2017 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Humid basement
Replies: 39
Views: 4505

Re: Humid basement

Has anyone tried the DampRid Moisture Absorber?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DampRid-64-o ... /100391308

My coworker swears by this stuff, so I've been thinking of getting a couple for my basement.
by yolli71
Fri Jun 30, 2017 1:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Standard TSP & Taxable, or Roth TSP?
Replies: 5
Views: 1024

Re: Standard TSP & Taxable, or Roth TSP?

MAGI is 189k. I've done the Backdoor Roth for the past couple of years (just to play it safe) in the beginning of each year. It should be about the same this year.

If this helps, I have about 140k in my new Vanguard taxable account (VTSAX, VGTSX, and VWITX) as I inherited 100k last year and I add $1,500 per month on my own.
by yolli71
Fri Jun 30, 2017 11:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Standard TSP & Taxable, or Roth TSP?
Replies: 5
Views: 1024

Standard TSP & Taxable, or Roth TSP?

I'm guessing this has been discussed before but I couldn't find it in the search. Do most people recommend maxing out a standard TSP and putting any extra income in a taxable account, or just allocating all of your income to the Roth TSP? My wife and I are both federal employees with a combined income of 242k. We file jointly and are in the 25% tax bracket. After we paid off our house last year, we've been taking that extra money ($1,500/mo.) and putting it into a taxable Vanguard account every month. Just as an fyi...we currently max out our standard TSP (18k each) and Roth IRA (5500 each), and our kids' college tuition is already paid for (as well as our home as I just mentioned). Would we be better off keeping things as-is, or should I s...
by yolli71
Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice
Replies: 45
Views: 5758

Re: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice

I truly cannot recommend the Google Wifi system enough. They're sold on Amazon and at Best Buy...I think they're on sale right now as mine was $274.99 (instead of the normal price of $299.99 I believe). Did you use with FIOS? Also, did you still use your current router? Thanks! No, I use Cox Cable. However, in reading the reviews I recall a number of people mentioning they have Verizon Fios. I do not use my Apple Airport router anymore. You could still use your current router if you wanted to, but I elected to just use the Google device as my router (along with the 2 satellite units). I don't think my router would work as well as the Google router, and I also like how you can check things like the strength of your connections, the internet...
by yolli71
Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice
Replies: 45
Views: 5758

Re: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice

Currently have Verizon FIOS with their provided router and have terrible WIFI on the other side of my house - maybe 50 feet away. I've read I can do a repeater or add a second router that is connected with a Ethernet cable. The reviews on repeaters are iffy and there appears to be a lot of setup with a second router. I'm sure someone has had this same problem. What did you end up doing and can you recommend equipment or what you did that works? Thank you!!! ADDED: Router is 2 years old. Model MI424WR I agree with the other posters who recommend Google WiFi. The kit comes with 3 wireless routers/repeaters, and it's the best I've ever used (and I've been installing wi-fi systems for 10+ years). All manageable from your iPhone or Android or i...
by yolli71
Wed May 24, 2017 3:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it worth it spending money to keep your house looking sharp?
Replies: 54
Views: 10910

Re: Is it worth it spending money to keep your house looking sharp?

Thanks all. After thinking about it yesterday, I've decided that it is worth it to me to have a sharp looking house. I will keep my costs down where possible, but spending on the house to have a nice looking house is worthwhile. My wife and I don't spend a lot of money on ourselves per se, but if there's one area where we do spend, it's our house. I enjoy living in a house that looks nice on the outside (fresh paint, landscaping, etc.) and that looks nice (to me) inside. We've upgraded lots of things in our house over the past couple of years, along with doing the normal maintenance type of stuff. We have no intentions of moving but feel that we could probably put our house on the market tomorrow if we had to (and wouldn't have trouble sel...
by yolli71
Fri May 19, 2017 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to get oil change?
Replies: 35
Views: 3986

Re: Where to get oil change?

I live in the DC metro area and always get my oil change and tire rotation for $19.99. If you go online, you'll find coupons at Mr. Tire or NTB. After taxes and fees, it comes out to be closer to $25 or so.

Mr. Tire also has their own card (similar to a Target REDcard) where they take another $10 off if you use their card for payment.
by yolli71
Thu Apr 27, 2017 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Basic questions about selling stocks...
Replies: 7
Views: 1336

Re: Basic questions about selling stocks...

Thanks to everyone for the advice! After thinking about it, I'm going to go ahead and sell all 3.
by yolli71
Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Basic questions about selling stocks...
Replies: 7
Views: 1336

Basic questions about selling stocks...

I currently own shares in 3 stocks: Apple, Bank of America, and Sprint. My old financial advisor purchased these stocks for me years ago, and I’ve held onto them all this time because BofA and Sprint were doing so poorly. Those stocks have started to rebound over the past year, so I’m thinking of selling some now and putting the cash into my Vanguard mutual funds (I no longer use the advisor and all my cash is in Vanguard mutual funds except for these stocks). Here’s my current stock situation: Sym Amt Current Value Gain/Loss $ Cost Basis Cost Basis/Total AAPL 105 $15,084.30 $9,545.70 $52.75 $5,538.60 BAC 364 $8,695.96 ($2,940.45) $31.97 $11,636.41 S 225 $2,005.87 ($1,476.97) $15.48 $3,482.84 Because I’m not experienced with stocks, I’m try...
by yolli71
Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Echo Dot question
Replies: 9
Views: 1968

Re: Amazon Echo Dot question

Don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a quick question about the Echo Dot too... I have an Echo in my kitchen and we mostly use it to play music. Whenever we are in our family room (which is adjacent to the kitchen), we have to yell across the room for Alexa to hear us. If I purchase a Dot and place it in my family room, can it serve as "voice sensor" so that I don't need to yell to the kitchen for Alexa to hear me? I don't necessarily want the Dot itself to play the music...I want the Dot to serve as a voice sensor for my Echo in the kitchen so that the music continues to play from the kitchen speaker. Does that make any sense? Your question makes sense, but no you can't do it that way. You can either: use the Alex app to ...
by yolli71
Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Echo Dot question
Replies: 9
Views: 1968

Re: Amazon Echo Dot question

Don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a quick question about the Echo Dot too...

I have an Echo in my kitchen and we mostly use it to play music. Whenever we are in our family room (which is adjacent to the kitchen), we have to yell across the room for Alexa to hear us.

If I purchase a Dot and place it in my family room, can it serve as "voice sensor" so that I don't need to yell to the kitchen for Alexa to hear me? I don't necessarily want the Dot itself to play the music...I want the Dot to serve as a voice sensor for my Echo in the kitchen so that the music continues to play from the kitchen speaker. Does that make any sense?
by yolli71
Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Caribbean vacation with 3 kids
Replies: 27
Views: 3683

Re: Caribbean vacation with 3 kids

Dominican Republic is a cheaper destination - we've been twice - once to La Romana, last year to Punta Cana, and had very good experience as vacations with kids go. Last year an all inclusive for a week with 2 kids cost us $5k (we booked through Costco Travel). They had a kids club with activities and nightly shows. You can book different day trips, the hotel has various basic sports. Flights are frequent and relatively cheap. I second this also. DR is a great place for all-inclusive and value resorts. If I remember correctly we spend less than $4500 for 7 nights. Beaches are amazing. We did this three years ago with two other families - each with two kids - through Costo (Melia Caribe) and absolutely loved it. Take a segway tour if you ca...
by yolli71
Sun Jan 29, 2017 1:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anyone have Blink Security system?
Replies: 13
Views: 2223

Re: anyone have Blink Security system?

I too am interested in this system and am waiting for the outdoor cameras to be rolled out this spring/summer before making my purchase.
by yolli71
Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:09 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard backdoor ROTH - Exchange vs Convert to Roth options
Replies: 18
Views: 4678

Re: Vanguard backdoor ROTH - Exchange vs Convert to Roth options

I have a question about this. I just transferred $5,500 from my BOA Checking account into my Vangaurd tIRA money market account on Wednesday. When I tried to do the Roth conversion yesterday, the Vanguard website said my tIRA account has "unavailable shares" and that electronic bank transfers are subject to a 7 day hold.

Do most of you have a regular (taxable) money market Vanguard account and transfer the $5500 from there into your tIRA?
by yolli71
Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Event Fee at Restaurants?
Replies: 22
Views: 8624

Re: Event Fee at Restaurants?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just to answer some questions, this is simply going to be a "surprise" birthday lunch with friends/family in attendance. I tried just getting a large table or section of the restaurant that could accommodate our group, but I was told I'd need to use one of the private rooms upstairs b/c we have over 20 guests. The room doesn't have a separate fee per se...we simply must spend at least $800 total (not including the event fee or tax). There will not be dancing, slideshows, etc. There will also probably be very little drinking since it's a lunch and most in the group are non-drinkers. The food is served "family style." The way it works is that I choose (ahead of time) 2 apps, 1 salad, 1 past...
by yolli71
Tue Dec 20, 2016 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any one bought used phones from Gazelle?
Replies: 7
Views: 1245

Re: Any one bought used phones from Gazelle?

Purchased an iPhone and sold a Macbook Pro and both were great experiences.
by yolli71
Tue Dec 20, 2016 7:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Event Fee at Restaurants?
Replies: 22
Views: 8624

Event Fee at Restaurants?

I'm looking to throw a birthday party for a family member next month at Maggiano's with around 25 - 30 people in attendance. The lady at Maggiano's told me I'd need to rent a banquet room for that number of people and there's an $800 minimum. She also said there's an "event fee" of 20%. I asked if an event fee covers the gratuity, and she said no. I was a little taken aback as an event fee plus tip would add another 40% to the $800 bill (not including sales tax). The lady said the fee covers the planning and salary of the staff and that we'd owe nothing more than that; however, it's not technically gratuity. So my question is...what is proper etiquette? Am I expected to tip on top of this event fee? While she said I didn't have to...
by yolli71
Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Velux skylights
Replies: 27
Views: 7269

Re: Velux skylights

Does anyone have recommendations for shades if the skylights are already installed?

We have 2 Velux skylights in our bedroom installed 18 years ago and have never had any problems, but we'd like to get shades for them without getting new skylights. The challenge is that we have vaulted ceilings and the skylights are about 13 feet high.
by yolli71
Thu Nov 17, 2016 7:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hardwood Floor - purchasing options
Replies: 25
Views: 6802

Re: Hardwood Floor - purchasing options

We had the carpet replaced upstairs with hardwood floors about 5 months ago. We chose Lumber Liquidators because they were the least expensive of the 3 options we looked at, and because my parents and my in-laws used them for their hardwood floors in the past and they were both happy. Lumber Liquidators offers install services through a 3rd party, and after pricing out the install service, we found it to be very competitive and decided to use their install service as well. We had them rip out the carpet on the stairs and our top floor and replace it with new hardwoods (including around 15 steps). When all was said and done, my wife and I were both very pleased with the final product and with LL's prices and service. Even though they use a 3...
by yolli71
Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gaming system for kids?
Replies: 53
Views: 12300

Re: Gaming system for kids?

Thanks for all the great responses everyone! Just to answer some of the questions, this system would be for my son who will be 7 in February. He really doesn't have a lot of knowledge of video games b/c we've never had any in our home, but he's been showing interest in them and asking us about them for about a year now. We're leaning right now towards the Wii U b/c that seems geared more towards younger kids based on the research I'm doing. He specifically has mentioned Mario games, so I guess he's learned about them either at school or online. Whatever system we get him, we will keep close tabs on how much he'll play and what he'll be allowed to play (in other words, no violent games at this age). What's interesting is that my wife and I h...
by yolli71
Fri Nov 04, 2016 3:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gaming system for kids?
Replies: 53
Views: 12300

Gaming system for kids?

My almost 7 year old wants a video game system for Christmas. Does anyone have any recommendations on good video game systems for little kids? We were thinking about the Wii U, but we heard they may discontinue those soon.

Any advice would be appreciated!
by yolli71
Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Deadspin - A Salute to John Bogle
Replies: 16
Views: 3499

Re: Deadspin - A Salute to John Bogle

Agree with "Nearly a Moose", "Aj44", and "Ari,"...I realized the article wasn't exactly appropriate, but I loved how it reached a completely different audience, yet still spread the same great message we know about. I'm a big sports fan so I read Deadspin regularly, but when I saw this piece, I felt I should post it here since it sends such a positive message (maybe minus the expletives of course) that has nothing to do with sports.
by yolli71
Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Deadspin - A Salute to John Bogle
Replies: 16
Views: 3499

Deadspin - A Salute to John Bogle

Some colorful language, but a quick article saluting John Bogle...

[link removed by admin LadyGeek]
by yolli71
Fri Jul 22, 2016 2:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Asset Allocation for Federal Employees?
Replies: 3
Views: 698

Asset Allocation for Federal Employees?

How would a pension affect your AA? My wife and I are Federal employees and we have been debating over our asset allocation for some time now (in reality…”I” have been debating for us as she wants no part of financial/investing decisions). Part of me says we should be aggressive because we’ll have pensions (FERS) to fall back on regardless of the market, but the other part of me wonders if we should be more conservative because of the pension -– there’s no need to take on as much risk. We are at 80/20 right now. I’m not concerned about doing anything rash during the next downturn as I’ve stayed disciplined in the past, but I’m wondering if it would be smarter to dial it back since I’m in my mid-40s (wife in her late 30s) and we have the pen...
by yolli71
Wed Jun 15, 2016 11:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Federal Employee (Time Off) - Annual, LWOP or Sick Leave?
Replies: 29
Views: 6464

Re: Federal Employee (Time Off) - Annual, LWOP or Sick Leave?

My wife and I are both Feds and we've had 2 kids since working here. Unless your wife is looking to leave federal service in the near future, I'd personally use most or all of my annual leave before dipping into sick leave. I would not do LWOP. Yes, it will stink at first because your wife will have no AL and will start from zero again, but AL can add up pretty quickly (6 hours biweekly after 3 years; 8 hours after 15 years) as opposed to SL (4 hours biweekly), and you can only carry over 240 hours per year anyway. Anytime we take a day off, whether for a vacation or if we have the flu, we always use AL (we both earn 6 hours biweekly). My wife and I save SL hours for potential emergencies; that is, anything serious that might keep us from w...
by yolli71
Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: home security and homeowners
Replies: 23
Views: 3167

Re: home security and homeowners

I don't have a monthly budget in mind, but I plan on getting a security system and will likely do something that doesn't require much of a monthly subscription. I'm leaning towards a system like Simplisafe and I'll probably do a few outdoor wifi cameras with motion detection. I don't feel I need constant monitoring by a monitoring center...I just want to be alerted if someone is trying to enter my home.

We live in a nice, safe neighborhood where nothing really happens, but I think it's worth it just for peace of mind (mainly for my wife). I have to travel for work sometimes and she doesn't like to be alone.
by yolli71
Tue Mar 29, 2016 6:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Reasonable priced security camera
Replies: 18
Views: 3856

Re: Reasonable priced security camera

I'm also interested in purchasing wifi security cameras. Dropcam looks nice, but I hate that they must be plugged in. The brand that interests me the most at this point is Blink: https://blinkforhome.com/

I'm just waiting for them to work out any bugs since the cameras just came out recently, but they're getting pretty good reviews and are one of the most affordable options.
by yolli71
Mon Mar 21, 2016 11:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Deck staining
Replies: 15
Views: 4021

Re: Deck staining

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm getting another quote but I've eliminated that first company from any consideration. As others have said here, I've learned that putting multiple coats is actually bad. I'm surprised this company advertises that.