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Mom 2 Groms

I use Picaboo. I like that I can choose all of the options for the photo books, and not have to use a predetermined layout or number of pages. They also have a layflat option, and very thick pages. They monitor the resolution, so if you are zooming too much in a picture the site will tell you that t...

Mom 2 Groms

Thanks all! I will update the post with what the guys suggests after they come out. I really do need the speakers in the wall for my indoor use. I have an open floor plan and don't have room to put speakers anywhere but the walls. The Best Buy house call is free. I'll be clear with what my expectati...

Mom 2 Groms

Four speakers? Maybe two front and two rear? Yes, we have two in the front of the room and two in the back of the room. Currently, we have a cheap wireless subwoofer and soundbar. I would not couple that with your cheap wireless subwoofer -- unless your sole objective is appearance and not sound qu...

Mom 2 Groms

So, have you already purchased the 8 speakers (4 inside, 4 outside)? And what TV do you plan on using? Any other details as to what the installation services will cover? Like actually hooking them all up and testing that they all work? An amp by itself won't be all that you need if you plan on an a...

Mom 2 Groms

As to using an iPad, I'm not sure how that would work. It could be a source for music, but turning an amp on or off with that and adjusting the volume would make it more complicated. There are apps for that, but you'd need hardware also (to send IR signals to the amp, cable box or whatever). I'm no...

Mom 2 Groms

daveydoo wrote: ↑Fri Aug 31, 2018 4:29 pm
Four speakers? Maybe two front and two rear?

Yes, we have two in the front of the room and two in the back of the room. Currently, we have a cheap wireless subwoofer and soundbar.

Mom 2 Groms

Background: When we built our new construction home, we had the builder pre-wire for speakers. There are 4 place holders inside and 4 place holders outside on our patio. There was also some pre-wiring done for the control panel for these speakers. We would also like these speakers to be able to hook...

Mom 2 Groms

We donated our used minivan to our church. We asked them if they knew of a good charity to donate to because previously we had a visitor come in who ran a group home. They were asking for financial donations, and also if anyone had a van they would donate. We weren't ready at that time to get rid of...

Mom 2 Groms

I'm not sure if you need a bag/carrier to put your carseats into, but they might be easier to carry. I know for us, it was easier to carry the bag with a handle rather than the bulky awkward seat with belts dragging behind. We have not taken an uber with car seats. We have been picked up by family m...

Mom 2 Groms

I teach Financial Peace University with my DH at our church. This is a list of ideas that we put together to help our classes cut their budgets to achieve their goals. 1. Make your own cleaning supplies 2. Cut your family’s hair 3. Use cloth napkins and kitchen rags 4. Meal plan, and utilize the lef...

Mom 2 Groms

I would take a different approach. Since you're not ready to close on a house now, and you've paid a deposit, and you seem to like the product this builder is selling... I would enter into another contract to build a new home with them. If the construction hasn't started yet, it will take months to ...

Mom 2 Groms

You mention the 7% base increase, but what about bonus opportunity? Do you have a target bonus amount or percentage? Also, does your company give out equity? Often times people focus only on the base increase without researching or inquiring about these other components, which are often tied to pay...

Mom 2 Groms

What is "management"? How do the duties of management differ from the responsibilities of non-management? It would help if you told us what function you're in. In my team at MegaCorp, you don't have anyone reporting to you until you get to the Director level, at which point you're 7-10 ye...

Mom 2 Groms

We have built two houses in the past 6ish years. I'm not sure the exact type of product we put down on the floors - it was some kind of engineered wood. In the first house - the floor installed was snap in. I hated it. It sounded hollow with every step we took in the house. There were other quality ...

Mom 2 Groms

Thank you for the advise! I now realized I left off some details. -Raise would be 7% going into management. It would take my 8-5 job and turn it into 100% on call all the time, with expectations to work 10-15 hours on the weekends, and a few hours every night at home. These are sacrifices I'd be wil...

Mom 2 Groms

I'm interested in going into management. I'm just not interested in going into management at my current company. I'm looking for advise on how to proceed. I accepted a position at this company 4 years ago, and have been approached by several people in and out of my org chart that have encouraged me ...

Mom 2 Groms

I sharpen my excel skills by using google. I search "how do you ___ in excel" and I usually go with the Mr. Excel result. I'm an analyst in my profession, so I might not be the norm who uses excel. I find the classes to be too generic and broad, and I don't walk away with any new skills. I...

Mom 2 Groms

Thanks all! 2 copies of the book are on order now. I have to call the guy.. but thanks for the warning on how he should react. I've decided to change my approach and ask some softball questions, and then go back to my grandparents and tell them that I talked with him, and I'm not comfortable with hi...

Mom 2 Groms

Hello! I'm Beach's wife and I have an update. Good News - They bought a boat, and are very excited about it. We're happy for them. Bad News - They've been going to "Financial Seminars" :oops: I had no idea people set these things up to take advantage of old people. They really are a target...

Mom 2 Groms

Could you see if there was a student in his class that he could work with? When I was in HS, my algebra teacher taught for about 15 minutes of each 1 1/2 hour class. He gave us the rest of the time as free time. As students, we all used it to talk/socialize. When I realized that my friends were not ...

Mom 2 Groms

A few weeks ago I suffered a pretty serious injury during a sporting event I was playing in. I'm surprised that the league you are playing in does not have insurance to cover injuries sustained while in play. DH was injured while playing in an adult soccer league, and the insurance through the leag...

Mom 2 Groms

I would just like to add that if you do decide to go Lego/Duplo, be sure to get the name brand. There is a very noticeable difference in the way that the pieces fit together between Legos and off brand. The off brand kits (we've had a few different brands) fall apart easily, and they are hard to put...

Mom 2 Groms

Why do you need to allocate $175 to car repairs? Will you spend the money otherwise? Do you not have enough in your savings account to cover the car repairs? For us, its mental. Before we budgeted - we had enough money, but I felt guilt every time we had to pull from savings. Now I am able to spend...

Mom 2 Groms

I think its also important to have a complete budget. This means, you know that your car will need new tires, or the AC will break, and you need oil changes. These expenses don't happen every month, but we save $175/month for car maintenance and repairs. When our AC broke in the fall and we didn't ...

Mom 2 Groms

My boys are 6 and 4, and there were a lot of great suggestions above. The items already mentioned that my kids love are: Lego sets Rummicube Uno Tangrams (both an app and the Melissa and Doug one) Puzzles Math comes naturally in our house a lot.. We make 12 cupcakes, and each eat 1 (total of 4). Whe...

Mom 2 Groms

Just a few (incomplete) ideas and thoughts: 1. I would NOT recommend that they actually give you the $300k 2. Perhaps set up account(s) for the $300k (still in their name) but that you manage, perhaps with a durable, general PoA. Have statements sent c/o you so they would have to go through some ef...

Mom 2 Groms

I was recently approached by my grandparents to manage some of their money for them. They want me to act like a gatekeeper to their money, and tell them when they are making bad decisions so that they don't blow through what they have. My grandparents are entrepreneurs who know how to make money, an...

Mom 2 Groms

We use YNAB to budget and track expenses. I found that it completely changed my perspective on budgeting, and also changes our behavior. To me, there are 3 important aspects of a zero based budget. You have to plan (allocate), track (actuals), and then there's what's left to spend. All 3 have import...

Mom 2 Groms

I understand that you believe we should simplify Her 401k. Does this mean future contributions, or liquidating current holdings and re-classing to the simplified plan? Is only holding a target date adequate?

Mom 2 Groms

One question: for her 401k, why does she have so many funds, including two versions of the Target Date fund? The TD funds already include international and domestic stocks, as well as bonds (though not inflation indexed.) When I originally allocated my contributions for my 401K, diversification was...

Mom 2 Groms

After submitting the post, the spacing is all messed up.. any tips on how to fix that so its easier to read?

Mom 2 Groms

We just received a windfall and a lot of cash is sitting in our checking account as we try to figure out the wisest way to allocate it. Thank you in advance for having a look at our situation. We've been following Dave Ramsay's baby steps for awhile, and have been lurking/mildly participating in thi...

Mom 2 Groms

We just built our home and we have white cabinets. They do get dirty, but like a PP, I like seeing it so that I can clean it. I referenced this lady's website a lot when I was having a hard time making design choices. She says to go with classic and timeless, and then she helps define it for each ro...

Mom 2 Groms

I use Banktivity, it's Mac only and strikes a good balance between ease of use and power. http://www.iggsoftware.com. It's made by some x Intuit folks. Curious if anyone uses something like 360 Financial View or Fidelity's Full View which can do the same thing and is free for those who have account...

Mom 2 Groms

We also use YNAB and recommend it to everyone that we talk finances with IRL. We have YNAB4, so it doesn't sync to accounts online, but with the new version syncing is optional.

Mom 2 Groms

Thanks all! I appreciate all of the new perspective that you've given me. To be honest, we weren't going to consider new until we saw how expensive the used ones are. There's a used 2013 for sale near us for $31K. Its the base model with a few upgrades. We need the towing capacity for yard supplies,...

Mom 2 Groms

You should not invest any money in the stock market if you plan to spend that money within 5 years. Some people even suggest that 10 years is a better length of time. Yes, you do not want to miss market gains. However, the market goes both directions and you do not want to have to withdraw when it ...

Mom 2 Groms

Thanks! We are big Dave fans :) The extra cash we have after purchasing our new car will go into a "house fund" that we are going to invest in a few mutual funds. We will contribute our monthly snowball to the fund and use it to pay off our mortgage when the balance is large enough. I like...

Mom 2 Groms

Hi All, I'm new to this forum and would really appreciate any thoughtful feedback you can provide us with. My Husband and I are considering purchasing a new to us vehicle, and we aren't sure which option would be the best financial move for the long haul. I have searched this topic for a few days, b...

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