Search found 141 matches

by foamypirate
Fri Jan 26, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2023 Taxes, How close were your estimates
Replies: 55
Views: 4453

Re: 2023 Taxes, How close were your estimates

Managed to be pretty close this year; looking at a refund of about $89. Our tax situation is pretty straight forward though, with a single W2 income, and a bonus that comes early in the year. Makes it pretty easy to figure and adjust throughout the year.
by foamypirate
Wed Jan 24, 2024 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Costco Visa - not worth it?
Replies: 30
Views: 4314

Re: Costco Visa - not worth it?

lakpr wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2024 6:11 pm I believe the bold portion's days are numbered. Costco is rolling out first as a test in limited locations, with plans to rollout nationwide, to scan the membership cards barcode and compare the photo of the holder with the person carrying it. Costco Visa does not have that barcode, it will be reduced to a payment method only.

Apparently to cutdown on "membership sharing"
My Costco Visa card has both a barcode and my membership photo on it, for what it's worth. It was issued in 2021.
by foamypirate
Sun Dec 31, 2023 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your net worth progression
Replies: 4273
Views: 1072087

Re: Share your net worth progression

34, single income, 2 kids.

A big chunk of the increase this year was from home equity (to the tune of about 135k). The rest was "standard" investments and market gains. Slightly annoyed I missed an even 700k! :mrgreen:

2017 - $162,984
2018 - $213,642
2019 - $289,308
2020 - $383,954
2021 - $435,469
2022 - $473,393
2023 - $699,622
by foamypirate
Thu May 11, 2023 8:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: UPS Ground vs FedEx Home Delivery
Replies: 42
Views: 2744

Re: UPS Ground vs FedEx Home Delivery

Considering I just had a package go on a 21 day ride from Georgia to Texas (by way of West Virginia and Ohio…), courtesy of FedEx, my vote is for UPS. FedEx also recently delivered a grill with a giant gaping hole in the side of the box, which had demolished the cast aluminum lid.

Never had an issue with UPS, other than delivering later in the day (8pm-ish). Not even really an issue, I’m just impatient.
by foamypirate
Tue Jan 10, 2023 5:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowners Insurance
Replies: 35
Views: 6531

Re: Homeowners Insurance

The world is full of am best A+ rated carriers and you narrow it down to an unrated company and an A- single state carrier, well if you don't have any claims it should be fine. I don't think a shopping sub-standard carriers is worth saving a $100.00... No, I didn't "narrow it down to an unrated company and an A-" carrier. I dropped an unrated carrier like a hot potato, who was bundled BY GEICO (A++ AMBest), with my auto policy 6 years ago because they don't directly write homeowners insurance, when I didn't know any better, and had doubled their rate overnight. I only compared their coverage and premium for perspective... I moved to a rural focused company with a better AMBest rating, and a policy geared towards my acreage proper...
by foamypirate
Mon Jan 09, 2023 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowners Insurance
Replies: 35
Views: 6531

Re: Homeowners Insurance

Well, it looks like all quotes are coming back roughly in the same ball park as HOAIC, for the most part. Costco was about $100 more expensive on Home, but about $100 less on the auto (all bundled). Allstate was $2000 on Home, but significantly more on the Auto policy. Wound up with Germania. Home was $2741, but that's adding 60k in coverage for my 2400 sq ft metal outbuilding (which is what I was actually trying to add to my policy when I logged into HOAIC, and saw the renewal for $2591), and increasing liability from 300k to 500k . Auto insurance through Germania came back at $164/yr less than I was paying with Geico, with identical coverage. That comes out to a net savings of...$14. Had several good comments on Germania, having discussed...
by foamypirate
Sat Jan 07, 2023 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowners Insurance
Replies: 35
Views: 6531

Re: Homeowners Insurance

Check out connect insurance purchased through Costco. I still haven't found a better deal. I would also consider increasing your deductible, I've increased mine to $2k. I never plan filing a claim on my homeowner's insurance unless I have a catastrophic loss because all claims are recorded on a C.L.U.E. report which will increase your premium. You can learn more about this report here. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-reports-and-scores/consumer-reporting-companies/companies-list/comprehensive-loss-underwriting-exchange/ https://www.connectbyamfam.com/costco/cmn/?PartnerID=costcocmn&RefID=11m-e80&CID=costcomaytilecostcoweb Thanks for mentioning that, I had no idea Costco did anything insurance related. Definite...
by foamypirate
Thu Jan 05, 2023 8:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowners Insurance
Replies: 35
Views: 6531

Re: Homeowners Insurance

just got my American Family renewal and its 15% higher then last year, no claims. Anyone else w/ AF having this level of increase? Unsure if this is normal for the current fiscal environment (material shortages, home value increases in value the past year etc). if the increase was 5%, but 15%....? Time to bump this old thread...I just got my yearly renewal for homeowner's insurance through Homeowners of America (affiliated with Geico). I about fell out of my seat - my premium increased by NINETY FIVE percent (located in Texas, for reference)! No claims, no change in credit history, nothing. I didn't even have an increase like this after Snowpocalypse 2021. I'm simply...speechless. They were kind enough to include the state mandated letter ...
by foamypirate
Mon Jan 02, 2023 9:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your net worth progression
Replies: 4273
Views: 1072087

Re: Share your net worth progression

33, single income, 2 kids.

Realized I never updated with my 2021 net worth last year, so adding that one in here as well. We built a private workshop in late 2021/early 2022 that dinged our net worth gains fairly heavily in both years. Socked away a bunch of retirement in 2022, but not enough to overcome the losses from the market. Most of the gain in NW came from our home value increasing, though it did drop back down quite a bit by the end of the year, according to Redfin (I use a formula factoring in our tax appraisal and Redfin's estimated value).

Hoping for better results in 2023! :sharebeer

2017 - $162,984
2018 - $213,642
2019 - $289,308
2020 - $383,954
2021 - $435,469
2022 - $473,393
by foamypirate
Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Texas P-EBT benefits fraud?
Replies: 13
Views: 1384

Re: Texas P-EBT benefits fraud?

Texas resident here as well. I got the same letters for my kids, for the same $$$ amount. I'm planning to call and get more information on why they sent us the letters, though I did find the following note on the Texas HHS site:

"It is important to note that NSLP benefits require individual income eligibility unless a child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2 (P2) school."
by foamypirate
Fri Nov 11, 2022 2:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unexpectedly Need to Enter Vehicle Market
Replies: 27
Views: 2423

Re: Unexpectedly Need to Enter Vehicle Market

student wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 2:33 pm
tibbitts wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 2:29 pm
Wannaretireearly wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 2:25 pm Sounds like a regular timing chain/belt change. Around $1k incl water pump change
In fairness a timing chain replacement isn't a "regular" event anywhere near 110k miles on most vehicles.
I thought manufacturers recommend timing chain replacement at around 100k miles. That's what I remember for my Nissan Sentra that I owned some years ago (it wasn't a reliable car).
Timing *belt* replacement is typically recommended around the 90-100k mark.

A timing *chain* is generally expected to last the life of the vehicle (in most cases).
by foamypirate
Mon Jun 13, 2022 10:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need Help Setting Up Network For WiFi Calling For Home & Acreage
Replies: 29
Views: 1583

Re: Need Help Setting Up Network For WiFi Calling For Home & Acreage

Take a look into the TP-Link CPE series (210, 510, 710). You can run them in several modes: point-to-point, Wi-Fi extender, etc.

I just picked up two to run as point-to-point to get Wi-Fi from my house to my shop a couple hundred feet away. I’ve heard good reports of them expanding Wi-Fi coverage across about 6 acres when in repeater mode.
by foamypirate
Sun Jan 16, 2022 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oddly Difficult to Find Items During the Pandemic
Replies: 572
Views: 75925

Re: Oddly Difficult to Find Items During the Pandemic

Can’t seem to find plain Jane regular frozen hash browns. You can get every other variety of potato product, such as hash browns O’Brien (diced potatoes w/ bell pepper), French fries, waffle fries, curly fries, etc. Just no regular hash browns.

We tried 5 different stores over several weeks before we found some.

It’s weird.
by foamypirate
Tue Jul 20, 2021 4:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much of an increase are Bogleheads seeing for their homeowners insurance renewal?
Replies: 74
Views: 8515

Re: How much of an increase are Bogleheads seeing for their homeowners insurance renewal?

Went down 5.4% for my 2021 renewal (back in January). With Homeowners Insurance of America (through Geico), in Texas. Fully expecting to get nailed next renewal after the snowpocalypse earlier this year.
by foamypirate
Tue May 04, 2021 10:43 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4651104

Re: U.S. stocks in free fall

Whoa, for once it looks like my 401K contribution will go in on a down day! Woo hoo! :beer
by foamypirate
Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 10+ year old used cars?
Replies: 77
Views: 8060

Re: 10+ year old used cars?

10+ years old doesn't bother me at all. In fact, up until January of this year, 3 of my 4 cars were older than 10 years (1988, 2002, 2002, 2016). Sold the 88', so now "only" 2 of 3 are older than 10 years. 2002 Chevrolet Corvette - 57k miles 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Duramax Diesel - 96k miles (original injectors...knock on wood!) 2016 Toyota 4Runner - 83k miles To be fair, I do all of my own automotive work, so these older vehicles are less of a problem for me than they might be for someone who has to depend on a mechanic for maintenance and repairs. The older ones are also lower mile vehicles, relative to their age. According to some here, I probably have a death wish because I have a vehicle that's older than 3 years old ...
by foamypirate
Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Putting more than 20% down on a home?
Replies: 38
Views: 4895

Re: Putting more than 20% down on a home?

Thanks, all. To clarify - I'm definitely NOT open to waiving the inspection. But could be open to putting 25%-30% down in the event the appraisal comes in below our offer. Once again, this is not "ideal" in my mind given the low rate environment (although may be in some others based on the responses), but over the long-term probably not a big deal if it's the house I want and can be a differentiating factor. This seems like a sound approach to me. Appraisals can be thorny. Absolutely need one but what you do with it is a decision to be made. I put 40% down on this house - had the cash from a prior sale, wanted to keep the payments comfortable but leave some of that liquid. Judgement call. Good luck OP! We took very much the same ...
by foamypirate
Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index closed to new investors?
Replies: 26
Views: 9348

Re: Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index closed to new investors?

brad.clarkston wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:17 pm
foamypirate wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:58 pm The ZERO funds are only open to retail investors (leaving 401K/457B/403Bs out in the cold).
I just bought $500 of FXROX in my stand alone IRA and it completed without an issue.
I just bought $500 of FZILX in my stand alone IRA and it completed without an issue.

Not sure what the commotion is all about.
A "standalone" IRA is a retail account. It's not tied to an employer 401K/457B/403B, etc.
by foamypirate
Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much does your employer contribute toward your health insurance?
Replies: 26
Views: 1644

Re: How much does your employer contribute toward your health insurance?

According to my 2020 tax documents from my Employer, I paid about $4,000, and they pitched in about $22,000.

It's a pretty good plan, nice PPO with good coverage, $500 deductible, 90/10 coinsurance, etc.
by foamypirate
Tue Feb 16, 2021 10:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Window screen mending, fixing, patching
Replies: 16
Views: 1434

Re: Window screen mending, fixing, patching

You can probably replace the whole mesh portion without too much trouble. I did this on several screens at our old house. The mesh is typically held in with a rubber “spline” that presses into the frame.

Both the mesh, and new spline, are available at any decent hardware store, along with an install tool. Simply remove the old spline and screen, unroll the screen over the frame, and start pressing the spline in with the tool while keeping the mesh semi-taut. Trim the excess mesh once the spline is fully installed.

Should be able to find any number of YouTube videos outlining this process.
by foamypirate
Thu Jan 28, 2021 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are your DIY Home and Hobby Projects to Save $$$ and/or Have Fun?
Replies: 103
Views: 10225

Re: What are your DIY Home and Hobby Projects to Save $$$ and/or Have Fun?

I pretty much do as much as humanly possible around the house myself. If I'm out of my league, I'll give someone a call, but haven't really run into that yet besides a slab plumbing leak and AC condenser install at the old place. Let's see, in no particular order: Prior house: Wired for security cameras (Cat5E all over) Remodeled living room into an office/study (framing, wiring, drywall, etc). Replaced front exterior door and frame Added 120V and 240V outlets, plus fluorescent lighting to garage (who builds a garage with a single light and single outlet, anyway?!) Extended existing shed from 12x8 to 16x8 (framing, roofing) Replaced water heater (tank style) Installed smart zone controller for AC in place of old mechanical style relay (woul...
by foamypirate
Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?
Replies: 139
Views: 13073

Re: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?

Honda EU6500is (gasoline, not diesel). 6 circuit transfer switch to use the generator for furnace, the kitchen, and 4 other circuits. Probably is overkill for my bungalow, but I wanted a quiet unit I got it the year after Super Storm Sandy I have used twice for actual power outages in the 6 years I've had it. For maintenance I run it 10 minutes every other month at least. With such infrequent use, I've been told its good to put a load on it, not just run it without powering anything, so in the summer I use it weekly to charge the battery from the electric lawnmower. Change the oil once/year. My pet peeve is that replacement washers on the oil drain plug seem only available from a Honda auth. dealer. :annoyed "I have used twice for act...
by foamypirate
Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?
Replies: 139
Views: 13073

Re: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?

Honda EU6500is (gasoline, not diesel). 6 circuit transfer switch to use the generator for furnace, the kitchen, and 4 other circuits. Probably is overkill for my bungalow, but I wanted a quiet unit I got it the year after Super Storm Sandy I have used twice for actual power outages in the 6 years I've had it. For maintenance I run it 10 minutes every other month at least. With such infrequent use, I've been told its good to put a load on it, not just run it without powering anything, so in the summer I use it weekly to charge the battery from the electric lawnmower. Change the oil once/year. My pet peeve is that replacement washers on the oil drain plug seem only available from a Honda auth. dealer. :annoyed "I have used twice for act...
by foamypirate
Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?
Replies: 139
Views: 13073

Re: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?

This is a timely thread, as we recently had a 12 hour outage during the uncharacteristic snow storm here in Central TX (along with an extended outage last year that we experienced). I’ve certainly been waffling back and forth and whether or not to get something that will run our HVAC or not. I’m personally more worried about the cold than the heat. However, in my research, it appears that a HyperEngineering soft start kit for our AC will bring the power use inline to where we can run it with a moderately sized portable generator. With that in mind, I’ve been looking at the Champion 100520 7000w continuous, 8750 watt starting inverter “hybrid,” being an open frame generator, where most inverters are closed frame. It’s supposed to be somewhat...
by foamypirate
Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your net worth progression
Replies: 4273
Views: 1072087

Re: Share your net worth progression

31, single income, 2 kids.

Feel pretty good about our NW increase this year, since we bought a house w/ acreage, and there was a lot of capital expended on new tools and equipment to maintain the property.

2017 - $162,984
2018 - $213,642
2019 - $289,308
2020 - $383,954
by foamypirate
Tue Jun 23, 2020 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do people sell a house and buy one at the same time?
Replies: 46
Views: 7275

Re: How do people sell a house and buy one at the same time?

We just went through this. We submitted an offer on the house we were interested in (with contingency, but with a large 41% downpayment to show we were serious, based on proceeds we expected from our sale). Once that offer was accepted, we used our realtor to stage and list our house. Fortunately, we had a contract on the sale within 3 days, for full asking price. After that, it was weeks of constant phone calls between realtors, title companies, lenders, moving into storage bays. Storage was the worst part, since we had nowhere to store our stuff in the inter-rim (because we had to be totally out of the house being sold in order to close, but couldn't move into the new house yet). EVERYTHING had to go into storage. It took three HUGE stora...
by foamypirate
Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4651104

Re: U.S. stocks in free fall

Sorry guys, this is all my fault. I decided to pay off the car and put in an order to sell stocks late last night. Tis' only natural that stocks would drop 6% today. :D
by foamypirate
Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Did you see a drop in your expenses in May?
Replies: 29
Views: 2198

Re: Did you see a drop in your expenses in May?

I sure wish! However, it was not to be so.

We moved into a new house right at the beginning of February, so the last few months have been spent on all sorts of stuff you can spend money on in a new home. Decorations, furniture, ceiling fans, a tractor for maintaining the property (we moved to acreage), etc.
by foamypirate
Mon May 25, 2020 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone buy a car from a rental car company???
Replies: 25
Views: 3638

Re: Anyone buy a car from a rental car company???

Anecdotal, certainly, but my parents purchased a rental back in 2001, from Hertz. They drove it for 18 years and to 273k miles. Seemed to work out for them. :beer
by foamypirate
Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get home internet in the country, outside the city limits?
Replies: 24
Views: 1720

Re: How to get home internet in the country, outside the city limits?

I'm about to be in the same boat as you.

I am looking at something like http://simnetwireless.us.

It's a cellular based service. You can buy an outdoor LTE modem with an amplifier, so you would get a better signal than just hot-spotting it with a phone. It's also unlimited data. They claim speeds around 25-40mbps (location dependent, of course). Once you provide your location, they provide a SIM for the provider with the best service in your area to use in the modem.

Start up costs are high at around $350 for the modem, and $99/mo for the service, but it seems to be a decent option.
by foamypirate
Fri Nov 01, 2019 10:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity to launch draw-down retirement program for 401(k)'s
Replies: 15
Views: 2946

Re: Fidelity to launch draw-down retirement program for 401(k)'s

Ping Pong wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:43 pm Sounds like a trick to keep you in a higher-fee 401(k) longer.
The expense ratio for the funds in my Fidelity 401K are comparable or lower than the equivalent Vanguard funds...
by foamypirate
Thu Sep 12, 2019 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AC Unit Feedback - Another One
Replies: 15
Views: 1436

Re: AC Unit Feedback - Another One

I have this exact condenser (down to the tonnage): CARRIER PERFORMANCE 24ACB7-60, 5-TON, UP TO 17 SEER, 2-STAGE, ENERGY STAR AC - $7,083 I paid about $7k installed with a Carrier PHA58 furnace back in 2011. With price increases since then, $7,000 for the condenser and install, new pad, etc, is pretty reasonable, in my eyes. Though we live in different climates (I'm in HOT and humid Texas), I've been VERY satisfied with the unit. I'm only cooling 2,700 square feet, but it will easily keep our house in the low 70s on a 105*/90% humidity day. The 2 stage condenser is invaluable for keeping the humidity low in the house, which increases comfort at the same temperature, relative to a higher humidity. It does this by running the 1st stage for an ...
by foamypirate
Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads
Replies: 61
Views: 6251

Re: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads

Bmac wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:05 pm Devoted SE user until 3 weeks ago. However, the storage in the 16 GB version was constantly nearly full. So I made the leap to an XR. Always thought I would hate the large size, but it turns out it fits fine in my pockets and is easier to see. It’s hilarious how small my wife’s SE seems now if I pick it up.
I went through this exact same progression (just bought the Xr today, actually), for the same reason. I got tired of the phone offloading apps I had just used because it was out of space. Definitely still getting used to the larger size of the Xr, but I am grateful for the extra storage and much better battery life.
by foamypirate
Mon Sep 09, 2019 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have you been doing better than your parents?
Replies: 30
Views: 2782

Re: Have you been doing better than your parents?

So far, so good. My wife and I are exceptionally blessed. I make, at the age of 29, double what my Dad did, in his highest earning year ever. We're on course to have our home paid off by the age of 35, while saving a good deal for retirement. My parents, on the other hand, basically paid for their house twice, due to a cash out refinance when they divorced (and then later, got remarried. Grateful for that, but the money was gone by then). They were also extremely conservative with any investments they had, so missed a lot of the run-up in the last 9 years. What they have will be sufficient, and they are content, but it could have been more. My parent's did exceptionally well managing their money in general, though (other than the divorce de...
by foamypirate
Fri Sep 06, 2019 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Danger of mail order drugs, recent television report
Replies: 26
Views: 3396

Re: Danger of mail order drugs, recent television report

We gave up on mail order after they continued to screw up every refill and prescription, couldn't seem to get the refill from the doctor, even though the doctor filled out their stupid form and faxed it 5 different times, etc. This for a very critical medication. The last straw was just today, when another prescription failed to auto-ship, even though it had 2 refills. One page said "No prescriptions available," and another had the 2 refills listed. I had to manually refill. We will go to our local pharmacy 100% of the time now, cost savings be damned.
by foamypirate
Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What, besides dishes, do you run through your dishwasher?
Replies: 85
Views: 8240

Re: What, besides dishes, do you run through your dishwasher?

I may or may not have run a radiator fan shroud and the blades (removed from the motors) from said fans through the dishwasher for a hotrod project I was working on.

DW does not need to know...
by foamypirate
Thu Jul 25, 2019 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Does your bank charge fees for personal ACH transfers to other banks?
Replies: 32
Views: 2420

Re: Does your bank charge fees for personal ACH transfers to other banks?

No charges at my local credit union. I transfer my car payment via ACH every month from another local credit union. I know those aren't banks, but it's what I've got. :D
by foamypirate
Wed Jul 24, 2019 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Accord approaching 100k miles, how to push it beyond
Replies: 45
Views: 6739

Re: Accord approaching 100k miles, how to push it beyond

I had a 1999 Camry that I gave to my nephew when it had 321,000 miles. He drove it another couple of years, and just gave it to a friend of his who is still driving it and putting miles on it. It will not die. I live on a dirt road, so a lot of those miles were on dirt. I wasn't even very good about changing the oil, and I did routine maitenance every 100,000. I don't think it ever needed a major repair. I think the car will outlive me. Yeah, those 90s Toyotas were built to last forever....the good old days. Nobody makes 'em like that anymore. I think the car makers decided they were doing TOO good of a job. The average age of cars on the road is now nearly 12yrs, a number that has increased significantly in the last two decades. This idea...
by foamypirate
Sat Jul 13, 2019 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Safe DIY Spider Control
Replies: 16
Views: 1292

Re: Safe DIY Spider Control

Ortho HomeDefense works well (it's a Bifenthrin based product).
by foamypirate
Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dave Ramsey says to give up employer 401K match to pay down debt
Replies: 148
Views: 12081

Re: Dave Ramsey now says to give up employer 401K match to pay down debt

This definitely isn't new advice from Dave Ramsey.

Unfortunately, it's terrible advice; advice which I followed when first getting started in the adult world, about 10 years ago. I still regret not getting the match on my 401K contributions when I was paying off debt at that time. 5% match, out the window, for about 3 years of my life, before I wised up.

Terrible, terrible advice.
by foamypirate
Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Waiting to prepay mortgage until you can pay the whole thing off?
Replies: 28
Views: 4113

Re: Waiting to prepay mortgage until you can pay the whole thing off?

Personally, I cut the difference. I'm currently putting 50% towards principal, immediately reaping the rewards of increased principal payments, and lower overall interest paid. The other 50%, I'm putting into VBIRX (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund). This has a duration of about 2.6 years, which is pretty close to my estimated timeline for payoff.

Once I have enough saved up in VBIRX to pay off the entire remainder of the mortgage in a lump sum, I will do so. For us, this is the most comfortable scenario, as we get some of the benefit of paying early, but also maintain a reasonable amount of liquidity, that is reasonably safe and earning some income.
by foamypirate
Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you drive old cars for long distance travels?
Replies: 105
Views: 11547

Re: Do you drive old cars for long distance travels?

No. I fly now. It takes too long driving. if you got the time and car is well maintained, then go for it. But I wouldn't be driving long periods of time to save money. Great point! I typically recommend that to people, i.e. "why don't you just fly out"? Even with the hassles of airports/airlines it often is still much quicker for any 500 mile trip. It can often be much cheaper to fly a typical long trip, especially if it's just 1 person on the trip. Saves wear/tear on your vehicle, eliminates the risk of an old vehicle having a mechanical issue far from home. You can read/shut your eyes/sleep/go to the bathroom/get up and walk some/have an alcoholic drink. Statistically much less chance of being injured or dying. And he's the lon...
by foamypirate
Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you drive old cars for long distance travels?
Replies: 105
Views: 11547

Re: Do you drive old cars for long distance travels?

Absolutely, I'd have no qualms about it. In the past, I've driven: 1993 Honda Accord with 265k from Utah to Texas, and back (circa 2008) 1991 Honda Accord with 211k from Utah to Texas (circa 2009, moved to Texas) 2007 Honda Accord with 116k (youngin') back and forth from Texas to Utah, on a yearly to semi-yearly basis. Never had a concern as the car got older or the mileage climbed. Fluids and tires checked, belt inspected, and spare fluids carried in trunk (coolant, oil, trans, powersteering). None of the above cars ever skipped a beat on any of the trips. A few of them were even straight through, 22 hours non-stop. I plan to drive my 2002 Corvette up to Utah sometime in the next year or so, as well; though it's a baby, with only 50k miles...
by foamypirate
Tue May 28, 2019 10:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What has changed in new home construction over the years?
Replies: 49
Views: 7315

Re: What has changed in new home construction over the years?

I doubt anything has changed on a quality standpoint. I think what you're seeing is an access to information. I don't buy the story that they used to build them better with pride and quality. Nope, companies cut corners where they can and cheaped out where they can back then and today. Why would they spend more money back then than they had to? I purchased a new home about 4 years ago and it had problems with the HVAC and the builder themselves warned us about cracks and problems with cement. They told us to watch for it as it settles as the warranty is limited and we need to contact them as soon as possible. This has always been the case with new builds. There is a word for that: builder quality (Low quality material and workmanship.) Wha...
by foamypirate
Fri May 17, 2019 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tithing
Replies: 14
Views: 2097

Re: Tithing

AerialWombat wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 5:55 pm I used to belong to an....organization....that demanded tithing in order to, uhhh, be part of the most special people. There was an annual accounting and settling up with your person in charge. The expectation was 10% of your gross, period. I don’t know if gross or net is the norm in other Christian denominations, but in this one it was made very clear that 10% of gross was the expectation.

I now just give about 5% of net to non-religious causes I believe in.
Sounds like an organization I know, based in Utah. :beer

[Bible quote removed by Mod Mel]
by foamypirate
Thu May 16, 2019 9:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Good fund to accumulate for mortgage payoff
Replies: 37
Views: 4848

Re: Good fund to accumulate for mortgage payoff

Have you considered splitting 50/50 between early principal payments and saving? This is the route I am taking for my home loan payoff. I'm currently putting 50% into VBIRX (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares) each month, and paying the other 50% directly to principal each month. Once I've accumulated enough in VBIRX to pay off the remainder of the loan in a lump sum, I will do so.

This way, you have the liquidity, and you are still minimizing the amount of interest you pay overall.
by foamypirate
Thu May 16, 2019 8:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Argument against Target Fund
Replies: 32
Views: 3023

Re: Argument against Target Fund

alexfoo39 wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 8:47 pm Let's say we have a 2040 target fund. What happens if a 50%+ decline event happened in 2039?
It depends on the glide path of that particular fund. That said, nearly any 2040 target fund should be heavily in bonds by 2039, so I'd expect the 50% decline to have lesser impact than a fund that had a heavier stock allocation (2050 target date, 2060 target date, etc).

This, of course, is the whole purpose of a target date fund...de-risking as the target year approaches.
by foamypirate
Thu May 16, 2019 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bigger car, less economical but more safe.. Get used to smaller car over time?
Replies: 106
Views: 9790

Re: Compact SUV vs MidSize Sedan

One thing I have wondered about is the impact of height vs. weight. That is, say a compact SUV vs a midsize sedan. My guess is that basic physics says weight has more of an impact, absent poor design. I was originally looking at midsize sedans, but have started looking at compact SUVs/CUVs for the higher seating position even though I don't need the cargo capacity or an SUV otherwise. I certainly think that height does play a factor as well. The thought goes through my head a lot when I drive my Corvette, while I'm sitting next to a bunch of big trucks and vans in traffic, about what a t-bone accident would look like. I'd pretty much get a bumper straight to the head... Granted, a Corvette would be an extreme example, and doesn't have a st...
by foamypirate
Thu May 16, 2019 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: .
Replies: 13
Views: 2539

Re: Fixing Bad Lawn

Here's my recipe for reviving a St. Augustine lawn: Mow as tall as your mower will go Water deeply once a week, about 1" Hand pull weeds (weed a small patch each day) Fertilize with organic fertilizer (Milorganite, Texas Tee, Medina Growin' Green) on the following Holidays (follow directions on the bag for application): Easter, 4th of July, Labor Day Mow as tall as your mower will go - Yes, listed twice. This is important! The time in between watering is critical, this helps promote deep root growth, and kills off shallow rooted weeds. Don't worry if you can't quite stretch the watering to 1 week at the beginning, just water deeply when the grass looks slightly stressed. In addition, St. Augustine needs height to grow well. This tall b...
by foamypirate
Wed May 08, 2019 4:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Walk away from my auto lease?
Replies: 154
Views: 10361

Re: Walk away from my auto lease?

Thesaints wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 4:22 pm A worn clutch will cause the transmission to slip. It is the wearing off process that damages the transmission.
Say what? A worn clutch will result in the clutch slipping, not the transmission. If a manual transmission is "slipping," you've got some SERIOUS issues inside (stripped gears, broken input shaft/output shaft, etc.).

That said, a clutch related issue, like the clutch not disengaging all the way, can destroy synchronizers and gears in a hurry, and a pressure plate issue that isn't clamping tight could result in expedited clutch wear, etc.