Bogleheads.org

Bob Sacamano

We stayed at Hotel Alberto del Senato with a view of the Pantheon.

It was fantastic.

Bob Sacamano

anyone have any good experience with a particular brand/model that they care to share?

i've actually heard the Ikea Crib is pretty well-regarded

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/sundvik-cr ... -30248575/

Bob Sacamano

hi all. so wife and i were pre-qualified for a mortgage today.

also, we saw a house for sale by owner this evening that we liked quite a bit. anything to look out for when buying from an owner? bad idea for a first timer or OK?

Bob Sacamano

spoke to Chase today. was preapproved for a $560K loan at 3.375% with (.212%) points (they pay me? i don't fully understand this but will look into further). this isn't a final approval but as a general guideline, any thoughts? i still plan to reach out to one or two more lenders but this was the fi...

Bob Sacamano

When I was home shopping, I had my mortgage broker do a pre-approval letter for an amount near the top of my purchase price range (though lower than I could have been approved for). I also asked him in advance if he could generate versions for me at my offer price when I was making an offer on a ho...

Bob Sacamano

I first decide who has the best offer and then apply. If your credit is excellent and you can afford 20% down, there is no need to apply to know what they will offer you. You can get a reasonable estimate by looking at their website and/or by speaking with a loan officer. Large banks may offer bett...

Bob Sacamano

looking to get pre-approved as my wife and i start looking at homes. we just applied via our bank (Chase). i've been told it's smart to apply via a large national bank (Chase, done), a local bank and a credit union. that said, how do i make sure they each don't do a hard pull of my credit each time?...

Bob Sacamano

NJ is one of the highest states measured by exodus of people relocating. The reasons for many are the tax burden and fiscal stability of the state. Just something to consider. Yea I hear ya, but right now I'm in Chicago. Schools, violence, tax situation etc - it ain't all rosy hear either Illinois/...

Bob Sacamano

recently just been casually checking RE sites but as Spring is approaching, we are ramping up the seriousness. from what i understand, at this point, it makes sense to look into getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan. some friends have recommended Rocket Mortgage but i'm not sold. wife is a teache...

Bob Sacamano

Petrocelli wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:48 pm A mangroomer to shave my back.

those work?

Bob Sacamano

The best thing I've bought in the last many months was a $9 shower drain hair catcher. It's this long piece of plastic with teeth-like things on it that you shove really far down the bathtub drain, twist, pull up, and voila! I have been trying to unclog this drain for years, using chemicals, baking...

Bob Sacamano

i have a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. thinking of upgrading my old Paperwhite to the new version. they'll give me $25 credit and 20% off.

what else is out there?

Bob Sacamano

3504PIR wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 1:08 am Bring a coat as it’s been a really cold winter.

wasn't it just like 85*?

Bob Sacamano

pasadena wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:14 pm What do the rest of your finances look like?

me:
33 years old
salary: ~$130K all-in
$110K in my 401K
$120K in savings

wife:
33 years old
salary: $105K
$70K in 457
$40K in savings

debt:
2 car payments
mine: $350/mo. ~$8K on loan
hers: $500/mo. ~$25K on loan

Bob Sacamano

how poor of an idea is this assuming the Roth isn't the primary vehicle for retirement savings? i primarily contribute to a 401K and my wife a 457b and she has a pension.

the funds in our Roth aren't huge (maybe $40K?) but could certainly help get us to the 20% much more comfortably.

thoughts?

Bob Sacamano

thanks all for the advice! any photographers here know any good spots to get a nighttime shot of the sky/desert?

Bob Sacamano

This is an interesting thread, which I find pretty relevant. Not only am I an adult, I was gifted a Nintendo Switch by my brother for Christmas, which I have yet to take out of the box. My wife thinks it could be fun, so I should crack it out, but just need to get started. I've found games to run $...

Bob Sacamano

i still have very fond memories of Zelda from N64 days...hmmm....

Bob Sacamano

any advice on things to see, eat, do?

we're staying at the Hyatt in IW.

it's Modernism Week but everything good seems to be booked up.

i made a reservation at Spencer's and Clifhouse.

thanks!

Bob Sacamano

curious if you use it as much as you thought you would. i feel like it'd be a really fun console for my wife and i to play various games instead of, say, going out to dinner or spending money in other frivolous ways on the weekend. obviously im not buying it to "save" money, but it does se...

Bob Sacamano

Most people love or hate them. I have loved them for 10 years now. IMO the basic iPad is a bargain at $329. Currently on sale for $250 at Amazon. A steal for that price. https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-10-2-Inch-Wi-Fi-32GB/dp/B07XL7G4HH/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=iPad&qid=1580343174&sr=8-3 Oh wo...

Bob Sacamano

OP here, my other concern is planned obsolescence.

My wife has an iPad Mini (maybe 1st or 2nd Gen) and it’s virtually unusable. It’s so incredibly slow and laggy, I suppose because the memory has been zapped by the OS but can’t really confirm that.

By the way, thanks for all the replies!

Bob Sacamano

do you find that you use it as much as you thought you would?

it's unfortunate Apple really is the only player in the tablet game as they're a premium/luxury good and more expensive than they need to be.

Bob Sacamano

We always liked the stroller car seat combos where the car seat could snap directly into the car seat base in the car and then into the stroller without taking the baby out of the car seat. Good for the first year or so. Then the stroller can be used like a regular stroller. A good baby monitor is ...

Bob Sacamano

We always liked the stroller car seat combos where the car seat could snap directly into the car seat base in the car and then into the stroller without taking the baby out of the car seat. Good for the first year or so. Then the stroller can be used like a regular stroller. A good baby monitor is ...

Bob Sacamano

curious as to what are some of the "must have" baby registry items. my wife is due in June and we're both new to this. i have seen recommendations to avoid asking for clothes as well as some specific recommendations for types of strollers and car seats. just thought it might spark some goo...

Bob Sacamano

so when do we need to cancel by? my card expires 6/20.

Bob Sacamano

Hmm. Well, we live in the Boston suburbs, I'm a stay at home mom and my husband's base is 250K. He has a large bonus but we save it. We have a 900K house on a 30yr mortgage, one kid in private school (one in public), and we still manage summer camps, a nice family vacation and trips to see grandpar...

Bob Sacamano

Hmm. Well, we live in the Boston suburbs, I'm a stay at home mom and my husband's base is 250K. He has a large bonus but we save it. We have a 900K house on a 30yr mortgage, one kid in private school (one in public), and we still manage summer camps, a nice family vacation and trips to see grandpar...

Bob Sacamano

you may not be familiar with the tristate. the jobs are here, in NYC and immediate suburbs. not an hour or two into PA, NY or NJ. issue is, i'm in a role that is transferable and have no real need for NYC. i am competing with finance, big law and tech professionals who probably out earn us to the c...

Bob Sacamano

Similar to you my wife is a teacher as well and she has a ton of family in the area so moving an hour up the line is not an option for me. Everybody makes their own priorities, but the idea that someone wouldn't consider moving an hour or two further from family to be in a more affordable area seem...

Bob Sacamano

wife and i live in a very expensive suburb of NYC (Westchester for those familiar). at 33-years old we make "decent" but not excellent salaries (her ~$100K and me ~$115K). all in we're at ~$230K gross. we're starting a family and starting to look at homes in the area. even in the less pres...

Bob Sacamano

i bought an "off lease" Thinkpad T430 about 3 years ago on eBay for $150. came with an SSD and has been flawless since day 1. the thing seems indestructible. some of the best money i've spent.

Bob Sacamano

We fly to Hawaii once or twice a year. Alaska Airlines Signature Visa offers one $99 companion fare per year. Annual fee is $75 I think. Since we live in Seattle Alaska Airlines is are usual carrier. I try to book 6 most in advance for best flights and seats. something tells me that $99/fare won't ...

Bob Sacamano

wife and i are looking to take a Babymoon and want to go to Hawaii. problem is, the only time she's able to take off are during busy travel times. we're looking to travel 2/15 - 2/22 from the NYC area. best price i could find was ~$1000/ticket with 1 stop or ~120K Chase Ultimate Rewards points. than...

Bob Sacamano

curious what everyone plans to give out for the holidays?

Bob Sacamano

my wife and i are expecting June 2020. we both signed up to contribute $2500/ea. to a Dependent Care FSA in 2020. turns out we may not need to spend any money at all for care in 2020 as we both receive 3-months of parental leave and can likely stagger the time off to get us through 2020. do we have ...

Bob Sacamano

hi all, curious of a few things:

1. what type of lights do you use? C6, C7, C9?

2. color or white? interior/exterior.

3. where do you buy them?

we have some cheap lights bought at a big box store but i'd like to get some nicer ones. thanks!

Bob Sacamano

Astorflex

Bob Sacamano

Cant go wrong with ROGUE gear

Bob Sacamano

thinking about mine as we speak. stay tuned.

Bob Sacamano

i just bought the most recent 65" TCL ROKU TV. it's flawless.

Bob Sacamano

Interesting Stowe came up. We where just there this past weekend. I wouldn't stay at the Ski Resort proper unless its Ski season. Off season like this past weekend the place is a ghost town. Another nice place to stay in town if you like historic Inn's is the Green Mountain Inn. Just pay extra for ...

Bob Sacamano

any advice for a really enjoyable long winter weekend? thinking a nice cozy atmosphere (rustic, fireplace, scenic) 3-6 hours from NYC for a long weekend.

thanks!

Bob Sacamano

big fan of hitting up kitchen supply stores. they sell a lot of stuff made for heavy duty use and i am a fan of a brand called Vollrath found at such stores.

Bob Sacamano

i am on my wife's plan. the cost is relatively affordable (~3,500 for both of us annually). there's $0 deductible and $30 co-pays for typical visits. other coverage is solid as well. to me, it makes less sense in this instance to have an HSA and instead i should focus on other means of investment (4...

Bob Sacamano

wife is a teacher which is nice as it affords her a good amount of time off. however, her time off obviously coincides with major holidays. sure, in the dead of summer you can sometimes find deals, but what about around Christmas, Winter and Spring Break? i also have off the week between Christmas a...

Bob Sacamano

hi all, OP here just following up on an incredibly helpful thread. signs point to my wife now being pregnant with potential due date in early June. our first doctor's appointment is next week. life insurance is squared away. $1.5MM for each, about ~$650 annually for each. she is getting information ...

Bob Sacamano

i've read, similarly to Pyrex, that Corelle is supposedly buy-it-for-life. however, when we first took shipment of the plates one of the dinner plates had a piece cleaved off and now i notice one of the salad plates has the same thing. they're great with replacements and all (just contact customer s...

Bob Sacamano

nalor511 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 8:29 pm If you don't need them name brand (and are ok with something that looks the same), I've had pretty good luck with eyebuydirect.com , they have 2 week no questions asked returns, and 365 day warranty

yep. eyebuydirect is great.

Search found 405 matches