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Move some of your EF to a HYSA at the very least. I bank with Chase and a local S&L. I started using Ally for my "sinking funds" in 2021. I have an automatic transfer every month to Ally from my checking account at Chase. When I need to pay a non-monthly Big Bill (property taxes, insurances) it takes a couple of business days to get the money from Ally to the S&L or to Chase. These are bills with due dates that I know about atleast 2 weeks before they are due. I started moving some of my EF money to the Ally HYSA. Some of my EF $$ is in Ally CDs. My EF is kind of in tiers: 500 in my checking account 1 months expenses at Ally in HYSA 2 months income in CDs at Ally 4 months income in I-Bonds - because I opted to take advanta...

I have had pending charges that never resulted in a charge. Gas Station charge for example and a non-amazon internet purchase. The pending charge did vanish - and I would say it was within 5 to 7 business days in my case. So 10 business days doesn't sound outrageous. The gas charge was for a 0.00 charge because the gas pump nozzle/trigger thing wouldn't release and let the gas flow it kept "clicking" off like the tank was full. No matter what I did. I ended the transaction and moved to another pump and got gas successfully. I had 2 charges - the 0.00 and then the actual charge - both pending. The actual charge got charged and the pending one hung for a few more days and vanished. The internet purchase hung as pending for a lot of ...

I'll sidestep all the location and festivity ideas to say the "best" funerals I attended were ones where the pastor giving the eulogy made me feel I "knew" the person (or if I knew the person, the description seemed spot on). In contrast, one funeral we attended of a friend's parent was awful. The pastor got up there and only talked about how the deceased was proud to be a church member, did this and that in the church ... all I gleaned about the deceased was that they were indeed an avid member of that church. No idea what that person's personality was like, little endearing traits, things they were proud of (kids, whatever). Tell me about the person we've lost. To the last point: Sometimes the deceased was not that gr...

I'm interested in how others have located and their experiences with banks, credit unions and mortgage brokers in securing financing for modest owner occupied homes. (less than $250,000.00) I think I have some insight for you. I (and relatives) had gotten mortgages on houses where the sale price was 225K or less, sometimes much less. Down payments have been 20% to 3%. Sometimes PMI got waived if less than 20% down (a "teacher/police/fire" perk because they needed to live within an area). All of the houses were habitable. All of the houses would be considered "small" by today's standard - anywhere from 2000sq feet to 850sq feet. All of the houses were in reasonable school districts and in neighborhoods with similar house...

I have exterior storm windows and then 75 year old double hung windows. I added the film that helps keep the heat from the sun out of my house to the windows on the southern side of my house. I put the film on the interior side of the double hung windows. It does work really well. It was easy to install - but as noted - it can be difficult to get it to be perfect. Especially if you don't have a helper to help with the installation. I have window treatments - curtains or blinds that hide my crappy job of getting the film on the windows. I even patched together pieces of the film on one window - but I'm the only one who knows it looks bad. The curtains or blinds hide the seams and bubbles and crinkles. With the film I can leave my sheer curta...

If you are retired or not working the Lender will want to see some sort of proof of "income" - your 401K distribution, your pension income, your SS. Basically anything thats "income" when you do your yearly taxes. the lender doesn't care about the 401K balance , just your yearly income from it. If you aren't taking any money from it - no need to supply documents for it. OK, that's third hand info - this is what my retired relative told me - he uses a mortgage when he finds a new "project" house - he likes to do "fix ups" to houses he finds interesting or in interesting to him areas (run down family summer cabin on a lake, house with nice view, house near one of his kids, you get the idea).

Since we are not using 401K funds would I need to still provide the balances to the lender? I would say NO. Many many years ago - when getting my first mortgage - I thought the lender wanted to see EVERYTHING. And provided a 401K balance along with all the other banking info. (I was young and clueless I thought that maybe if they saw I had nearly enough money to buy the house in cash if I liquidated everything I had and turned it all into cash they'd see I could afford the house. :) ) Since then I've gotten 3 (or maybe 4? mortgages I forget) and I have never provided 401K info to the lender. I have tried to get my down payment money in an account or two about 4 months before I talked to a lender - just so I wouldn't have to explain I pulle...

Any chance you can find someone in your "network" of other families or friends whose kid has outgrown their own balance bike (or bike with training wheels) or whatever? You might be required to offer it to the next person in the group looking for one when your kid outgrows it. You might also be required to keep it in good working order so the next person who gets it doesn't have to wash it off and tidy it up. A local bike shop might have "used" ones for sale (and might even buy it back from you when your kid out grows it). Don't expect this to be a "freebee". Think of the expense as a "rental" or a "recycling fee". It's good for the economy and the environment. AND you don't have another thi...

this would have been mainly for people who were famous I'm starting to hear more about youtubers who have been doing their channel for years and years and are finally getting "more famous" often have issues with a "fan" or "fans"... not unlike celebrities of yore. It's not hard to "track down" or "find" your youtube favorite personality (and threaten them). And I suspect more and more youtubers will obscure their personal information/clues about how to find them going forward. I think the same goes for any of the other social media platforms. Maybe even someone who's self publishing their work or selling their product on line may have security issues they wouldn't have if they weren't reach...

In the past, this would have been mainly for people who were famous, ultra high net worth or under some sort of threat, but these days as my family is more widely dispersed over a broader geographic area (various large cities), advancing in age where driving is becoming riskier, and crime is more prominent in the news, I am wondering when it would make sense to explore this and what the usual rates are. I can see wanting a trust worthy driver (someone who doesn't get high or drunk routinely because at some point they WILL be high or drunk and driving you...) as one ages. You want to get where you are going and not be exhausted or tired stressed from the drive. :) I'm not really seeing a increase in crimes against "old people" - m...

I have Discover, and the 5% category for Jan-March is groceries. I bought my usual amount of groceries in January and February, and before the end of this month, I'll purchase gift cards at Trader Joe's and my town's food coop for the balance of the $1500 cashback amount (about $900 left to split up between the two grocery stores). The gift cards don't expire, so I use them for groceries for the rest of the year. This will be my third year of doing this. Super convenient. I do this as well (but only about $250 in grocery store gift cards. I have $500 in gift cards from other offers (target, meijer) ). It takes a bit of a 'mind set change' to remember to take the gift card(s) when I go grocery shopping - but it's doable. My grocery shopping...

Paranoid or prudent, this is a reason why I continue to get mailed paper statements from Vanguard, even though that's now going to cost me $20/year. (I can see the writing on the wall, it is going to be increasingly more difficult and more expensive to get mailed paper statements from financial institutions--but it should be practical for a while). A printed piece of paper with Vanguard's own logo on it should be pretty good documentation. I don't have any way to automate downloading and savings the PDFs (and it would be two every month, one for my wife and one for me). Mailed paper statements are also very helpful to anyone who takes on the sad task of locating a deceased person's assets. As for "zombie apocalypse," as we speak ...

I just saw this: Cleaning/Household Items: $100 Depending on what products you are putting under this category - it seems high to me. Are you including Personal Care items here? Like shampoos and lotions and make up and deodorant and other stuff? If it's literally just household cleaners (dishwashing, laundry, bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners) and then Toilet Paper and Paper Towels... you should probably look harder at this and see where you can cut back (or use up all the stuff you have previously purchased and barely used or never used :) ). And this: Clothes: $50 Seems really low. You project that you are spending $1200.00 a year to keep your house "clean" But only $600 a year on clothes for 2 people. Just an FYI: clothes/shoe...

Gas $250 a month. I assume that's gas for your vehicle(s) and not the "utilities" kind of gas.

I know the cost of a gallon of gas varies (do to city, county, state, other taxes) but I just an average cost of $3.45 or so...
I'm going to round up: $3.50 a gallon.

$250/$3.50 = 71.5 gallons of gas. 71.5 * 20 miles per gallon = 1,428 miles driven every month. I used 20mpg because it seemed like a minimum amount of miles per gallon (maybe you are doing ALOT of city driving).

My suggestion is can you figure out a way to drive fewer miles/use less gas?

Or to take into consideration your driving habits/miles driven and costs to do so when choosing your next vehicle(s) in order to tame this cost.

Is it generally required to both spend the $500 AND keep the card for a minimum of three months to earn the reward or is the $500 spending sufficient to earn reward? I did one of these offers in early in 2022 use the card for $500.00 in purchases within 3 months and get $300 in rewards. Due to some unexpected spending - I charged over $500 in the first month (the original planned spending had me at $500 by the end of month 2 or beginning of month 3). I think I used the card in the 2nd month for a small amount - and then didn't use it again. I did get the bonus. I didn't get the "reward" bonus until after the 3rd month billing cycle closed. I got the basic "cash back rewards" on my purchases each month. The way to answer...

I found this via the Google:

The New York state standard deductions for tax year 2022 (taxes filed in 2023) are: Single: $8,000. Single (claimed as dependent): $3,100. Married filing jointly or surviving spouse: $16,050.

So the above it what you will use now (for your taxes due April 2023).
If you are asking about the standard deduction you will use when you file your 2023 taxes (in April of 2024) - I'm guessing they won't announce until late 2023 or early 2024....

I'm totally taking a wild guess about this. I don't know nothing about New York State Taxes....

ust kinda curious as what some of your decision making processes are when it comes to repairing things yourself vs. hiring someone else. First is if I can actually do the work/repair myself. If I can do it myself - is it something I'm interested in doing? As in will I consider it something annoying/unpleasant/it's gonna make me feel bad (hire it out!) - or will it be something that will be "fun" or an "adventure - have to learn something new/try something new/it's the next step up from skills I've already become competent in - let's DIY it! The biggest reason for doing a DIY is the sense of accomplishment and enjoying doing the work. The second biggest reason is "saving money". The third biggest reason is "It ...

For the future - since the "short cut" will always be an attractive alternative for some people who are visiting your house.... perhaps you can think about creating an planted area in your front lawn that would make the "short cut" longer (they would have to go around the "planted" area). Basically maybe planting a tree (pine or shade or something else) and then having some landscaping around the tree with shrubs or perennial plants. I would go with native plants or region trees/plants. yeah it's not trendy or super cool - but it is super cool... you won't have as many issues with a native planting than your neighbors with "trendy cool" plants. :) Think "seasonally" if you do this - maybe ha...

I live in an older suburb with "city blocks" with sidewalks and houses on 30ft or 50 ft lots. The "corner" house on many blocks usually has a issue with people cutting across their lawn instead of staying on the sidewalk when the walker wants to "turn the corner". So here's my observation: Keep off signs don't work. Some sort of "obstacle" is necessary - a low decorative fence - something a walker could step over by lifting up their leg really high and stepping over (city ordinance says no actual fence can be installed on the "parkway" part of one's property), A row of shrubbery along the sidewalk (you can't have a fence - but you can plant hedges or build a decorative raised berm with peren...

5. While your heirs can find paper bonds, they may not know about TD since TD doesn't send any statements like most financial institutions do for your heirs to find.

FWIW: Treasury Direct will send emails to the email address you set up with your account -when a bond matures for example. Or when a T-Bill rolls over into a new one.

There seems to be a lot of fear involved with traveling. Maybe it's the places people are traveling too and the types of hotels/inns/bnbs/hostels people are staying in? I can't imaging staying at a "Brand Name" hotel in any Big City or vacation get away area in America by myself and needing to add extra security to the hotel room door or needing to sleep with a handgun on the night stand. I can't imagine doing any of this even at a typical motel/hotel along a highway in America. I haven't really travelled much outside the US - but it's always been to other big cities or "inclusive resorts" and the hotels have always felt safe and had quite a bit of security. Now this doesn't mean I leave any of my belongings in my vehicl...

I would go with an insurance broker. It might help if you still have a mortgage on the property you are trying to insure. I have two Florida properties. One with no mortgage (and not located on a flood plain and more inland) where I pay a heck ton to keep it insured. The other house is much nicer/bigger and about the same age. It is on a flood plain and closer to the coast. and is mortgaged. I am able to get house and flood insurance. The house insurance is a bit less than the paid for property house insurance. Go figure. When I was looking for insurance for the "harder to insure" house - I ran into the "problem" where a local insurance office would write me a policy, request an inspection and wind mitigation (some of t...

Here's a cheap option, how about thermal hot/cold bags which are available at Dollar Tree https://www.dollartree.com/thermal-hot-cold-bags-19-in/197260 I've used these types of bags when picking up takeout and it does keep food warm. Haven't used it to keep things cool though. The thermal bags (like from Aldi) work great short term - an hour or two and only if they are filled with cold items (or hot items). They are enough to get your ice cream home from the grocery without it melting in the car. :) A thermal bag would be my last choice for keeping anything cold in my "hot" car for any length of time. . Agreed, not on its own. However, a thermal bag *inside* an ice chest helps quite a bit. that's a clever idea! I sometimes combin...

I'd ignore it. In general, if someone (or a business) wants or needs to contact you they will leave a voice message. If there was no voice message left - it was without a doubt a "scam" call. Scam callers do sometimes leave a message - but those seem few and far between these days. I think the last voice message left from a scammer was last summer - A robotic voice telling me my version of Microsoft was expiring or something like that. The car warrantee robo caller leaves a message - I don't thinks that's a true scam. I occassionally get a robo caller who leaves a message about how I could consolidate my debt! I don't think that's a true scam either. Both of those are kind of shady... but I suspect they do offer some sort or servi...

GeMoney wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:16 am Here's a cheap option, how about thermal hot/cold bags which are available at Dollar Tree https://www.dollartree.com/thermal-hot- ... -in/197260

I've used these types of bags when picking up takeout and it does keep food warm. Haven't used it to keep things cool though.

The thermal bags (like from Aldi) work great short term - an hour or two and only if they are filled with cold items (or hot items). They are enough to get your ice cream home from the grocery without it melting in the car.

A thermal bag would be my last choice for keeping anything cold in my "hot" car for any length of time. .

To keep food or drinks cold in a car for 4 to 5 hours imagine a car sitting in the summer sun and just for fun lets make it a vehicle without tinted windows and a black interior - your basic Solar Oven on wheels. I baked choco chip cookies on a cookie sheet on the dash board in my 1987 Cougar one clear sunny summer day back in the day.... :) Any sort of hard molded plastic cooler packed with cold food/drinks and either ice or "blue ice" freezer packs will do the job. I have a 1980's era Igloo Playmate cooler that, to this day, has faithfully kept food and drinks and ice for an entire day while shut up in the car (sitting in a parking lot) - think a day at the Amusement park or Ren Faire waiting for us to take a break and stop back...

T-Bills, T-Notes, and TIPS are different than I-Bonds. I-Bonds have the 10K/20K per year limit (ok it's more if you also use your tax refund)...

You can invest in all of those at Treasury Direct You can invest in T-Bills (and probably T-Notes and TIPS) but not I-Bonds thru Fidelity/VanGuard/etc....

I don't think there's a limit on the "not I-Bond" investments.

So there’s no mortgage on this home but… Wind Mitigation inspection in Sec 4, roof to wall attachments. While there are 2 Nails attaching the strap, the new code now requires 3 Nails so unless I have a 3rd nail added I’ll loose $400 in credit. This means something like the facia front and back of the home will need to be opened up to add 1 additional nail to each strap. I’m pretty handy but it sounds painful. how old is your roof/when do you think you will be replacing the roof? The going rule of thumb is that 15 years is the maximum life of a roof (doesn't matter if you put 30 year or 45 year shingles on it.) Would it make sense to - If you will be replacing the roof in a year or two - to have the 3rd nail strapping done with the new roof...

I would go with an insurance broker. It might help if you still have a mortgage on the property you are trying to insure. I have two Florida properties. One with no mortgage (and not located on a flood plain and more inland) where I pay a heck ton to keep it insured. The other house is much nicer/bigger and about the same age. It is on a flood plain and closer to the coast. and is mortgaged. I am able to get house and flood insurance. The house insurance is a bit less than the paid for property house insurance. Go figure. When I was looking for insurance for the "harder to insure" house - I ran into the "problem" where a local insurance office would write me a policy, request an inspection and wind mitigation (some of th...

hmmm... the most memorable funerals that I have been to had the requisite "religious" traditions - but there was also a time (often NOT part of the religious part) where either family or friends spoke to those present about the life and times of the deceased. Not only to see the pictures, or a slide show of the deceased life - but to hear from people why the deceased was a good person or how they had changed someone else's life in a positive way was very moving for me.

I've been to a lot of wakes/funerals - I've got a lot of Dead Relatives.

The best wakes are for people who lead adventurous lives (even if it didn't look like an adventurous life) and who touched a lot of other people's lives in a positive way.

For the OP, it might also be wise to project out into the future how your income will grow... as in where are you income wise on your career path. I say this because I think the 3x your income priced house as an estimate for what you can afford - fits better for someone who's income may go up in leaps and bounds as they switch jobs or career paths. If you are projecting a slow and steady income increase going forward - you might want to try to keep the cost of your house closer to 2X your income. Otherwise the "belt tightening" you have to do at the beginning of the 3x your income mortgage may never let up. As time goes on and your income doesn't jump up in leaps and bounds - your house will still remain a large expense as that ex...

If you have relatives that do not live near you - but who you would buy a gift for when they have a "milestone" life event - they MAY have an Amazon Wish list - or be registered with Amazon for their "milestone" event. You could use your gift cards to purchase the gift from their Amazon list. I bought baby shower gifts and wedding gifts thru Amazon using gift cards I had on hand. The gifts were delivered to my out of state relatives. It was easy peasy. I would pay attention on how to include the " this is a gift from X and here is their personal message to you" part of the transaction. It's not hard. FWIW: I recently purchased gifts for my local "grand neice" and "grand nephew" thru Amazon. ...

We are probably sitting on $750 worth of Amazon gift cards. We are not big shoppers and it seems like a lot of the regular household "staples" are pretty overpriced on Amazon (i.e. cleaning supplies, etc). What's the best way to try to use these up? We are not big shoppers and I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff that is marked up 5x just to use them up. Is there some consumable(s) that would eat up this money? What about toys for your pet(s)? or a new collar or leash? Any sort of add on thing for your Cell phone: a new case or cables or additional chargers (the thing that goes in the cigaretter lighter spot in your older car) or a cell phone holder for your car (the kind that uses your CD player slot in your car if you have an o...

I think the question is more of a push pull scenario. You can setup pull from your bank account, but that exposes your routing information from your pulling vendor. An alternative is to use a push where you use bill pay to do it, but since the bill is variable, it makes automation difficult. The idea is for ebill is that it will figure out the amount to schedule, at least this is to my understanding. My Bank's billpay has some sort of "convience" thing where a bill like a utility can be accessed by the bank (or it's sent (electroncially) to the bank?) and then the bank can pay the exact amount of the bill. I'm not sure if it does this with credit cards or not. I use recurring payments for things like my mortgage or a loan. I pay ...

Can you check and change the temperature you've set for the tank? There's typically a 'safe' range of temperatures you can use. I don't have any other advice. My water heater is set to the minimum safe temperature - I don't have the "be cautious" gene that would keep me from turning on the hot water and NOT immediately sticking a hand into what might be skalding hot water. I've learned this lesson when visiting other people's homes - but I can't seem to do it at home. I have found that when I use the washing machine (even though it's set to cold - it think it mixes cold and hot water to achieve some optimal "cold" temp for doing laundry) that the hot water for a shower or doing dishes is way way hotter than I'd like. I h...

Rental Scenario: Likely rent income would be $3,800 per month. After paying our monthly mortgage payment ($1,400), management fee ($100), desired landscaping and pool service ($400), and repair budget ($500), we would likely cash flow around $1,400 per month ($16,800 per year). I understand that this also provides value in terms of deductions (the expenses above, depreciation, any travel or other expenses), but the monetary value of those deductions is just a fraction of the amount. Is your monthly mortgage payment really $1400? How much per month is Property Tax and Insurance? Manangement fees are usually 10% of the rent amount - $100 a month is very low for the property being serviced. I'd assume there will be higher fees and charges to ...

not sure if its just my area, but, they seem to be building self-storages all over the place here. Not sure why. Anyone having a similar experience? About 10 years ago a zillion self storage businesses were built in my area. Lots of reasons for why people use self storage. Apartment dwellers use them for their excess stuff (seasonal stuff or outdoor hobby equipment (kayaks, bikes, camping equipment/gear). Home owners may do that as well. Depending on the local laws, landlords may need to store evicted tenants stuff for some period of time. When someone no longer has a home to go to - their possessions may be put into storage. Someone entering assisted living or nursing home or some other kind of facility. Or someone moving somewhere else t...

I need to mail a check for $2,200. Is it better to mail it USPS or Fed Ex? If I mail it, I plan to: have a security envelope, mail it certified and write on the back of the check "for deposit only." Should I use priority mail? Is Fed Ex any better? I had to google this... If you're uncomfortable with someone else seeing your bank account number, you can write, “For Deposit Only” and then sign the check. This is a less secure option than including the account number, but most banks will follow the instructions and only accept the check for deposit. Why would you write for deposit only on the check you are sending?? Doesn't the person cashing the check normally write that on the check so YOU can't see what account they deposited th...

If you need confirmation that the payment was received because this is some special something like this is a payment for a debt collection that needs proof you sent the money and by a specific date, or a medical bill or other loan where you've had a heck a time dealing with the bill servicer (lost mail, improperly posted payments, whatever) then sure send it US post office with delivery confirmation - assuming it's going to a person or a small business and it's not a mortgage payment or something that's going to a PO box. For anything else - I'd just write the check and put it in white 4 1/8 * 9 1/2 inch security envelop (you can get a box of them at a dollar store or target or probably Walgreens). First, I'd put the check into a folded up ...

Anything else that we should consider? You may need to do some research beyond what the current owner is paying to determine what YOUR property taxes and insurance(s) will cost once you buy the unit. I would recommend doing that so that you are not surprised by what your mortgage plus escrow amount will ultimately be. Your mortgage lender will probably use the historical amounts for your unit. Which MAY NOT accurately reflect what YOU will pay. 2. Do you all have any other advice on how to navigate a direct sale of a condo? We have a 20% down payment saved already. I was thinking we would look at comps or use the city's assessed value ($412,000) to come up with an initial sale price then reduce it by 6-10%, is this a reasonable approach? I...

Nothing commercial, just for hobby / enjoyment with a variety of fruit trees and home vegetable garden..

Have you thought about fencing - to keep the critters out (deer, racoons, possums, squirrels, rabbits <-- these are the City critters that need to be kept out of backyard gardens)? I imagine there are even more critters when you live someplace with actual open space. Critters will eat the produce from your fruit trees and your vegetable garden.

As much as I try to use email and paperless preferences, I still have a slew of documents at home. Me, too. Things from vehicle registration paperwork, I keep the title to my car in my safe deposit box. I kept the purchase paperwork and loan paperwork (ONLY the actual loan paperwork and one monthly loan payment due document (had who I was paying, my account number, amount due, date due, and helpful phone numbers/website)) until one year after the loan was paid off. And then it all went to the shredder. I keep this year and last years paperwork for license plates and city stickers. I do tend to keep all the paperwork from any car expenses - oil changes, new tires, any work done to the vehicle - until I sell the vehicle. Since my car loan is...

House is new construction (already built). Appliances are in the home and all the finishing is there. DW and I do not expect to buy things to furnish the home as we have MOST of what we need in our apartment and will just continue to use our furniture. The house already has grass/sod in front and back. We do expect needing some lawn care items and winter items such as: Lawn mower Snow blower Shovels You need to think out into the future - 2 to 5 years after purchasing it. Just an FYI: There will be no window treatments (or hardware installed) in your new home. The walls will be whatever color the builder painted them (which might be OK - rentals are usually white/eggshell). The closets will have the absolute minimum basic "closet stor...

*I currently have banking relationships with US Bank and Bank Midwest (a regional bank); *Both my fiance and I are self-employed, so our income is erratic. As such, I would like to find a financial institution that will give a loan based on assets rather than income. I currently have ~$1 million in stocks and bonds, as well as ~$200k equity in my current home. *We are looking at purchasing a home in the $400k to $500k range. *I'm not sure if age matters, but my fiance and I are both in our early 40s. If you are going to go with a mortgage - why not check with the two banks you already have relationships with? If you will be selling your current home - you will have more than the required 20% down. And a mortgage that's not a jumbo or reall...

Should I reseed again to help cover the bare patches? I feel whatever comes up will just be munched again.

Stupid question: Is the grass seed you are putting down annual or perennial or a "fix your lawn fast" mix of the two?

I made the mistake of trying to fix some bare patches with "only lasts one season" grass seed. It came up fast, filled in quickly and looked great - until it died over the winter and I was left with bare patches.



If you have true bare patches - the birds (and rabbits) may use one or two of them as "dust baths"... and no grass will grow there as long at the critters are using it regularly.

I would level and reseed the patchy parts of your lawn.

Rabbits do eat grass but I think you need a Heck A Lotta rabbits to effect your 1000 sqr foot plot. I don't think your brown spots are because of the rabbits. That said: Rabbits will eat "young" sprouting plants (think your garden - green beans) or small annuals you plant (think panseys or petunias etc..) IF the plants get big enough the bunnies don't find them as tasty. They will chew on your shrubs and trees in the Winter if food is scarce. The best way to keep them out of your yard is to literally seal off your yard - have your fence go all the way to the ground, put in some additional fencing under the gate(s) and in the cracks between the gates and posts. use fencing anywhere there is a gap that's more 2 inches or more. Bunni...

3. Many recommend Discover, but I’m concerned about its limited acceptance. I rarely use mine for that reason, but maybe its footprint has enlarged in the last decade? I think my Discover card is my oldest account at this point (like decades). I live in a large densely populated urban area and I've never had a problem using my Discover Card. Even Aldi takes Discover (used for the 5% cash back at grocery stores quarterly promotion). It's never been turned away at a gas station (used for 5% cash back) or restaurants (or Amazon, Etsy, assorted pet related Big Box stores, Big box home stores, etc...) I don't charge much - so I tend to try to use whatever card is giving me the best cash back at the time. I don't travel - but I think I may have ...

First, a life without coffee is not worth living. OK, caffeine withdrawal will kill me - so the agony of not having coffee won't last long. But, I also get caffeine from diet soda during the day. And since the cost of it has skyrocketed I have tried using homebrewed ice tea as an alternative. The just plain cold tea wasn't really doing it for me. I didn't want the hassle of getting a lemon and adding some. And then I felt it needed a sweetner of some sort. So, then I tried adding a "packet" of low cal/no sugar lemonade (the kind you put in a 16oz bottle of water) to a 2 quart pitcher of homebrewed ice tea. a touch of lemon and a touch of sweetness. Tasted pretty good. I like raspberry lemonade, mango peach, and sometimes orange (I...

An outside of the box option: Have you asked your family and friends if they would trade big bills for your singles? I would happily trade you 2 twenties and a ten for 50 singles. I use one dollar bills here and there in Real Life shopping. It's convenient and nice to have a supply at home - since I can only get Fives, Twenties or One hundred dollar bills via the ATM. You'd save me a trip to the bank. I wouldn't have an issue with folded/creased bills or ones that have been thru the wash or ones that might have a small tear. I'm not fond of the perfumed ones... but I'd take those too.

You might be able to "off load" a couple hundred (or more) of your singles that way.

This isn't to discourage you from taking the HDHP plan and contributing to an HSA. You will want to be aware of any fees that will be applied to your HSA balance. My employers HSA charges a $2.00 monthly fee on balances less than 5K. I'm single, so I paid the fee for more than 12 months until my balance was more than 5K. There is also a monthly fee when I invest my HSA money. It's a % of the total I have invested. It's better to be aware of these kinds of potential costs involved with using an HDHP/HSA plan from your employer than to "discover" them after you've taken the plan for a year or two. If you know about any pit falls - you can plan/come up with work arounds to avoid them. Hopefully your employer will be contributing some...