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Bogle7

If you are an edge case (e.g., many major road trips), then don't buy a BEV.

We have a VW ID.4 and are very happy with it. Never going back to an ICE car. The quiet ride and regenerative braking are winners for us.
We do have a level 2 EVSE in our garage, but as we only charge 130 miles twice a month, we could easily make do with level 1 charging.

At 15¢/kWh our per mile cost for fuel is 5¢/mile. Our previous car required premium dinosaur pee and cost us 25¢/mile as 95% of our driving is intra-city.

Bogle7

To quote a famous American — “To infinity and beyond!”

Bogle7

MarkBarb wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:21 pmWhat really soured me was when they tried to explain why their $75 HDMI cables were a better option than much cheaper cables.

My local guys included cables in the installation.

Bogle7

In our case, a local AV specialist.
Their product pricing was less than Amazon and installation fees were reasonable.
When one TV died outside of warranty, they replaced it for free.
And, I can call them anytime and get level-3 support.

Bogle7

chemocean wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 7:58 pmthis also will be our first year of QCDs..have already told the major offenders of sending numerous solicitations "

My hero.

Bogle7

Where are you staying in each city?

Bogle7

Pro max
Better camera
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone- ... 4-pro-max/

Bogle7

EightBall wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:31 pmI would be fine with keeping this car, but can also afford a new one. How much would it be worthwhile to spend to keep this one?

A new car will be much safer.
We drive about 2500 miles/year.
We replaced our 2007 Audi (60K miles) with a VW ID.4 and really like it.

Bogle7

mookie wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:02 am I'll have to ask the contractor about whether there is a shower pan that can replace a bathtub and how the drain plumbing would work. If problematic, I'll just go with a tiled floor.

Let me repeat myself: Don’t cheap out.

Bogle7

Agent 99 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:31 pmThe Fidelity QCD Form states “you should follow up directly with charity for receipt…”

But, I don’t and so far, no IRS problems.

Bogle7

mookie wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:51 pmDo you use the designers that are employed at the local bathroom supply stores? Won't they try to upsell?

Are you so unsure of yourself that a designer can upsell you?
Not in my case. I spent 10 years reading https://www.kitchenbathdesign.com/ before we called in our architect for our kitchen renovation.
I am a nerd with very little design sense, but, as a nerd, I make a point of being very knowledgeable about all the appliances, fixtures, fittings, etc.—before talking with a designer.
I am not an easy client.

Bogle7

I make all our QCDs directly from my tIRA at Fidelity. Ask your custodian how to donate anonymously.
I only use Charity Navigator to check out the charity's score.
Keep good records as QCDs only show up as the difference between line 4a and 4b on your 1040. My tax guy adds "QCD" in the empty space between between lines 3b and 4b.

I find that only half of the charities send an acknowledgement. I rely on my Fidelity report which lists the QCDs.

Bogle7

mookie wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:58 pm
Bogle7 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:38 amHire a bathroom designer. They are better at this than you. And, better than a contractor. Don’t cheap out.
A number of replies recommended a curbless shower--how do you keep the water from getting outside the shower, especially if it's a relatively narrow space (the width of a standard bathtub)? Is it really less chance of mildew than a shower pan?

Magic.
And, see "designer" above.

Bogle7

Hire a bathroom designer. They are better at this than you. And, better than a contractor.

Curbless shower will reduce mold and be “universal design”.
We love our Runtal Versus towel warmer.
Spend the money on a Toto toilet with Nexus washlet.
Wife would kill for a heated floor.
Panasonic Whispergreen fan with timer.
One sink. You don’t need two.
Shower head + handheld shower.
Don’t cheap out.

Bogle7

No. Yes. Maybe.

Bogle7

Cargo shorts are always in style. At least they were in my office—starting in 1996.
Costco.

Bogle7

Take the savings from not replacing it and put the money towards your $5000 watch.

Bogle7

GeoBrownianWalk wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 10:38 pm In 2018 they sadly stopped making the old Speed Queens. The new models are, by many reports, inferior at actually washing clothes: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog ... en-washer/

True, but, in 2020, they returned to the older better designs.
New Speed Queens are just fine.

Bogle7

ProgMaster wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:24 pm …dishwashers that take 5 hours for one load...

Citation needed.
2-1/2 to 3 hours is normal, not 5.

Bogle7

Replace your ICE vehicle with a BEV.

Bogle7

We went through this 6 months ago.
We are AirBnB people. We had multiple cancellations after reservations. We had multiple hosts just blow us off. We saw some withdraw and relist at a higher price.

We arrive in Delft on April 13th. Land at Schiphol and 30-minute train ride. Five days in Delft.
We will do a day trip to Amsterdam.
And, Den Hage and Rotterdam.

Our next stop after Delft is Brugge for 4 days. 3.5 hour train ride.

We plan to use the https://www.ns.nl/en/travel-information/ns-app for train travel intra-Nederland.
International travel app is https://www.nsinternational.com/en

Bogle7

hicabob wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 5:46 pmin search of the perfect crepe when visiting Paris.

Rue Montparnasse (not Boulevard) is the street of crêperies. In the 14th.

Bogle7

Brooks.
I own one for my 1973 road bike. B17
I own another for my 2010 single speed. C15

Bogle7

Google reviews are worthless as there is zero vetting.
I would use the Guide Rouge, TripAdvisor, Yelp in that order.
Look in an area near your lodging.
Focus on having a very good (not great) experience and avoiding a crappy one.

If you can go for lunch, do that. Better value.

Personally, I would skip the 3-star. There are much performance/price restaurants.

Bogle7

Aeron.
You do love your children?
Asking for a friend.

Bogle7

gavinsiu wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 1:03 amI have notice that banks around me, especially the large chains are changing. My bank chase for example have closed tons of branches or convert them to cashless. They also got rid of the safety deposit boxes. I am not sure that this is actually a good idea business-wise. For someone like me who might be a bit younger and more tech savvy, I barely visit a bank and have the bulk of cash in higher yielding internet banks. The customer who visit the bank tend to be older and probalby has more cash. I feel that making the branches into empty shell will just accelerates their decline.

https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/branch-banking/
The branch banking model

Bogle7

https://weatherspark.com/

I love Lisboa.

Bogle7

I am 74.
Use electronic checks.
Or, go online and pay with credit card or direct withdrawal.

Bogle7

neilpilot wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 7:13 pm the OP wants to avoid large cities. Doesn't that include Barcelona?

Not if you live in China.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... population
Just saying.

Bogle7

Floss/tape/pick
Hydrogen peroxide
Much cheaper

Bogle7

Why?
Cruise in daylight.
Use the Guide Rouge to find a very good meal.

Bogle7

You have the money as you are a Bioglehead—replace the cooktop with induction.
I know it will delay the Rolex

purchase, but go for it.

Bogle7

More days.
At least 7 more days.

Bogle7

Zdex wrote: ↑Fri Mar 03, 2023 5:10 pm We do one exception to this: manuals for appliances, home systems, and certain large electronics.

PDFs of these for us.
Organized. Annotated in certain cases. I can put the receipt in the same PDF.
Saves lots of space.

P.S. Do not shred paper. Just toss into the recycling bin.

Bogle7

Tom_T wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:38 pm See if any of the tile grout in the shower is cracked or worn. Water gets splashed on the walls, goes in the cracks, and has nowhere to go but down. That happened to us. Regrouting fixed the leak.

Exactly.
18 months after moving into to our newly built house, we had water dripping into the living room.
I examined the shower drain with my Mark-1 eyeball and found a spot where the grout was missing. This hole was about 3mmx1mm. Caulked it. 9 years later, no problems.

Bogle7

Sitges, 1/2 hour south of Barcelona on the R2 train, is a great beach town. We loved our 3 days there.
Donostia for pintxos and relaxing.
Bilbo for the Guggenheim Museum. And, pintxos.
Zaragoza for the Origami Museum and the Firefighters' Museum.

We are planning a trip to south where we have never been.

Bogle7

8301 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:30 pm Walk if the weather is crappy. Otherwise, hike.

Live in the city.
Walk means exiting the front door and going somewhere.
Hike means getting in the car and driving to a suitable environment.

Bogle7

Yes. Age 74.
5-6 times a week, unless the weather is crappy.
1.7+ miles each time when home. When traveling in Europe on vacation, we tend to walk 4-5 miles a day.
Giesswein shoes for me.
After doing this for years, I have lost zero pounds. It could not possibly have anything to do with all the breweries in my neighborhood.

But, let's consider the financial impacts.
You are going to need more money in your retirement funds, because, statistically, you are going to live longer.
Those breweries are not free goods.

Bogle7

Consider professional help

Bogle7

We are very happy with our VW ID.4 Pro S AWD.
We did not do a financial analysis. We wanted a new car to replace our 14-year-old one.
Fuel cost is 5¢/mile with Xcel Energy.
Car loan at 5% for 65 months. Paying extra to make it a 30 month loan.

Bogle7

Wait.
iPhone 15

Bogle7

Always look at what deals the carrier is offering.
We buy iPhones.
Usually from Apple.
But, I bought my iPhone 11pro from our carrier, T-Mobile, last time and they give me a credit of $8.34 a month. Phone cost was the same between T-Mobile and Apple. $100/year of found money. Crazy.

Bogle7

Twelve days!
Skip Italia. I say this after having just spent 24 days there and I love Italia.
Do not waste your life on trains. I say this as a “train person”.

Bogle7

Took Social Security at 68 so I could downshift.
Fired my largest customer in 2019 at age 70 after my small inheritance took us from FI money to FU money.
Today, at age 74, not working.
Even with spending retirement funds and the down market, still have $100K more than that FU trigger amount.
Happy as a clam. Healthy. Travel to Europe once a year. Eat (we are excellent home cooks) and drink (wine with food) well.

Bogle7

Max: $56K for our most recent purchase. Includes sales tax and plates.
10-14 years.
Our current car is a VW ID.4 BEV. We are done with ICE vehicles running on dinosaur pee. We fuel in our garage for 5¢/mile.
Leased once. Car was totaled and we had to acquire a new car immediately.
Last used car purchase was in 1972. The MGB GT was fun to drive. Lots of time spent on maintenance. But, I was in my 20s.

Bogle7

Macbook

Bogle7

Kookaburra wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 1:13 pmAnything else you think I should be aware of?

1. Both will likely use sub-contractors for the delivery. Your experience could range from 1 to 10.
2. Hoses. Needed, but not always included in the machine price.

Bogle7

Oh, you meant 36-inch range, not oven.
Separate the oven from the cooktop.
Redesign the kitchen.
We have a 36-inch Wolf cooktop and 27-inch Miele ovens. Works perfectly for us.

Kucht sounds German, but is headquartered in Clifton, NJ. Ranges are made in China.

Bogle7

The best is subsurface irrigation.
But, you won’t do that.
Netafim - https://www.netafimusa.com/landscape/

Bogle7

tibbitts wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:04 pmYou aren't going to get any support on Bogleheads for hiring a pro for anything short of surgery, and even then only for parts of your body you can't reach yourself.

This is so true.

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