Search found 393 matches

by mojave
Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Monitor baby's SSN?/Protecting her identity
Replies: 8
Views: 1565

Monitor baby's SSN?/Protecting her identity

Hello bogleheads, longtime no talk.

Do you monitor your kids' SSNs? Do you just use credit karma, or...? Anything else that I should be doing to protect her identity/privacy?
by mojave
Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel
Replies: 61
Views: 14707

Re: Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel

The house was built in 1930, many many decades before master baths became a thing :) the house is 1.5 baths, and the half bath used to be a closet.
by mojave
Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel
Replies: 61
Views: 14707

Re: Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel

A couple thoughts: 1) Polished marble is too slippery (aka a death trap) for a bathroom, it should be honed or leathered which is a different look entirely. 2) A drop in bath/shower combination is a bit of a tragedy for a remodeled master bathroom. Think about how often you use the bathtub. A large zero threshold shower is typically going to be a much better experience for what you end up doing most (showering, not bathing). An infant typically has its own plastic bathtub and when the child gets bigger than that you are going to want a big shower with a handheld to hose them off quickly and avoid drowning risk/etc. It also wastes less water and takes far less time. If you end up going with the tub/shower combo then the frameless glass half...
by mojave
Thu Jul 09, 2015 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel
Replies: 61
Views: 14707

Shower door or curtain for bathroom remodel

We recently bought a 1930 farmhouse and my husband is doing a gut renovation and expansion on the one full bathroom. We are going to be using cream/beige marble tile and Kohler accessories. The bathtub will be a bath/shower combo, we are not going to have separate shower and bath, the tub is a drop-in and will tiled on the outside. So, it's going to be a pretty nice bathroom. What we are struggling with is how to close off the tub. Husband wants glass doors because it will look nicer, I think having sliding glass doors will be a major PITA to clean and maintain. We will have a baby as well, and I can't imagine bathing a baby while only having access to half the tub. I do agree it would look much nicer, but I am pretty set on having a curtai...
by mojave
Thu Jul 09, 2015 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it a good idea to travel to Western Europe with kids?
Replies: 39
Views: 5132

Re: Is it a good idea to travel to Western Europe with kids?

My parents took us to Ireland when I was 16 and sibling was 11. It was a really great trip, we flew into Dublin, drove south along the coast over several days visiting key spots and small towns, ending in Galway to visit family. I had my first legal beer there in a 500 year old pub :beer The country is mystical and very different from the US which was part of what lured me in. Plus, they spoke English so I didn't feel uncomfortable there though there were a few times when the locals in small towns turned their noses up at us lol. The Galway area is much more interesting than Dublin. Dublin was not so different than American cities in my opinion. Galway was more "Irish" and in that area people still speak Gaelic, including my famil...
by mojave
Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Upside down on mortgage: need advice
Replies: 14
Views: 2622

Re: Upside down on mortgage: need advice

Twins Fan wrote:Doesn't one need to show some hardship to do the short sale route? I don't think the friend can just say let's do the short sale.
Correct. However depending on how far this friend has to move, that is considered a hardship. That being said, if friend is in a good financial position, the bank will likely ask him to bring cash to the table in order to sell. We just bought a short sale, the sellers were not in dire financial straits but they had to relocate 1,000 miles away for work. Apparently they had to bring $50k to the table in order for their lender to approve the short sale (I suspect that was to cover a second mortgage).
by mojave
Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will removing a wood burning stove reduce my home value?
Replies: 16
Views: 11316

Re: Will removing a wood burning stove reduce my home value?

I don't think OP is talking about a fireplace, I think he is talking about one of these:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wood+bu ... 29&bih=600
by mojave
Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will removing a wood burning stove reduce my home value?
Replies: 16
Views: 11316

Re: Will removing a wood burning fireplace reduce my home value?

I'm in Northern Illinois. Those things are considered an outdated eyesore, not to mention a safety hazard. Most people don't want them, but some people do like them.
by mojave
Mon Jun 22, 2015 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: shopping for insurance
Replies: 13
Views: 2746

Re: shopping for insurance

Meaty wrote:I use an independent agent. He shops my insurance annually through 20+ companies
How did you find him and how does he get compensated? I have been looking for one but they only compare a handful of companies.
by mojave
Mon Jun 22, 2015 1:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do Bogleheads/BiggerPocketers think there is only one way?
Replies: 155
Views: 33619

Re: Why do Bogleheads/BiggerPocketers think there is only one way?

They are two different philosophies. I am a Boglehead and my husband is a Biggerpocketer and we manage to coexist. By nature I am more conservative and cautious. He is a big dreamer and has significant remodeling in his background, as well as some real estate. There are a few very successful RE investors in his family - while I feel like there is always opportunity, I think he fails to realize that RE investing today is much, much different than it was 10 years ago when it was in its heyday - at least in our area. That being said, though I am a Boglehead and the one that manages our finances, real estate still is part of our portfolio. We own land that will either be built on or sold some day down the road. We are also in the midst of buyin...
by mojave
Thu Jun 18, 2015 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sewer drain endorsement (homeowners insurance)
Replies: 2
Views: 935

Re: Sewer drain endorsement (homeowners insurance)

Sewer backup can be quite different from "flooding". Is your basement finished? If so, and the sewer backs up, you've got contamination everywhere... probably into the floor foundation (depending upon construction) and any floor covering, into and behind baseboards and even drywall, plus anything built in or even sitting on the floor if it (or the legs) can absorb something. Having "flooding" with non-sewer water would probably involve removing the water and then drying everything out and trying to prevent mold, and perhaps spraying something antimicrobial. Companies like ServiceMaster can do the latter for what might be less than a deductible, if they are needed at all. For the former, true "sewer backup", it...
by mojave
Thu Jun 18, 2015 6:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sewer drain endorsement (homeowners insurance)
Replies: 2
Views: 935

Sewer drain endorsement (homeowners insurance)

We are closing on a house soon and I am working on the last details of our homeowner's insurance. The "value" to rebuild our home ($400k) is double what we will be paying ($200k), which put the monthly premium way above what my broker approved for the monthly payment (we are going off my income only, which is about a third of my husband's). My insurance agent said in a situation like this they will lower the value to hit that number and then afterwards I'm supposed to call them to get it properly adjusted. They readjusted the value to $325k which I am more than happy with if something were to happen, my husband and his family are in the construction industry so we would mostly rebuild at cost, so I have no intention of calling the...
by mojave
Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which is a best place to start learning yoga?
Replies: 31
Views: 5325

Re: Which is a best place to start learning yoga?

I disagree with anyone that says you can start with a DVD. DVDs are definitely my go-to now, but when you are a beginner and learning all of the terms and poses it is really important to have a teacher there, as well as other students around you that you can mirror when you don't recognize a pose - at home, you have to keep your eye on the DVD and you will be facing every direction of the room, not just the direction of the TV. Most importantly though, teachers will correct your poses and posture so you do not hurt yourself - and you can easily hurt yourself and do the poses incorrectly! Every level of class I have taken (from beginner to advanced, from gentle to hot) the teacher walks around and corrects or adjusts people's poses. Addition...
by mojave
Fri Jun 05, 2015 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does too high initial house asking price kill chance at selling house?
Replies: 50
Views: 9075

Re: Does too high initial house asking price kill chance at selling house?

madsinger wrote:I have three friends in my area that sold their houses in the last two weeks. The first sold at "asking price" on the first day it was out. The second sold their house "at asking" even before it was officially listed. The third got two offers on the first day, and took, the higher of the two which was over the asking price. Right now, it seems like realtors in my area are not pricing these houses high enough!

-Brad.
The homeowner has the final say in the asking price.
by mojave
Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding a pediatrician - new parents
Replies: 21
Views: 2126

Re: Finding a pediatrician - new parents

Thanks everyone, this was very helpful. With your advice I have narrowed it down to two practices, both within a few miles of our soon-to-be home. Everything is pretty similar between the two, however Practice A is affiliated with the Children's Hospital of Chicago. Practice B has some kind of a connection with an after-hours (actually 24/7) pediatric care center and they have access to kids' records and report anything back to the pediatrician. This place though is about 10 miles away. This after-hours place is also affiliated with Children's Hospital. Both practices have a 24/7 call number. Additionally, there is a hospital just down the street from me, I would imagine this would likely be where I would end up with a 2am concern anyway, r...
by mojave
Tue Jun 02, 2015 12:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding a pediatrician - new parents
Replies: 21
Views: 2126

Finding a pediatrician - new parents

We are due with our first child in less than two months :D We are also going to be moving to a new town soon. The house is a short sale and because of that, I wasn't sure where exactly we would be living. But now that we know for sure we will be there, I need to find a pediatrician. I have done some research online but am not finding many reviews on any in the area. So, I was hoping I could get some advice here on how to find a good pediatrician, and what to look for. There is a hospital down the street from me (not the one I will deliver in), should we find one in a hospital, or a private practice? What other things should we consider or look for? This is all very foreign to us. Do we go the route of seeing the same doctor every time, or a...
by mojave
Wed May 20, 2015 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living on last months income.
Replies: 33
Views: 10970

Re: Living on last months income.

I don't fully understand this. So if you bring home $6k each month, and you live on last month's income, then you would have ~$6k in checking at all times?
by mojave
Mon May 11, 2015 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Thoughts on our car insurance
Replies: 3
Views: 696

Thoughts on our car insurance

Car insurance is one aspect of our finances that I have not been able to wrap my head around. We bundle our insurance for three vehicles with renters insurance and a personal articles policy with State Farm. One of the vehicles is a truck that my husband does not use much, and it gets a discount for low mileage. All three vehicles have the same policy and we are paying it monthly. With three vehicles, renters ($100k) and a personal articles policy ($7k) we are paying $225 a month. I do not want to move away from the monthly payments at the moment, even though it would provide a little bit of savings. I will be getting rid of "car rental and travel expenses" since we have an extra vehicle available. We are both about to turn 30, if...
by mojave
Wed Apr 29, 2015 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: old ways can still be the best ways [percolator]
Replies: 36
Views: 5270

Re: old ways can still be the best ways [percolator]

I agree, and I am 29. I use an old glass stovetop one from David Douglas. It has gold pinecones on it and turquoise pine needles. I use percolator filters to prevent the grinds from falling in.
by mojave
Tue Apr 28, 2015 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What is the best roofing material?
Replies: 17
Views: 2934

Re: What is the best roofing material?

The inspector will look at the roof and will be able to give you an idea on how much life may be left.
by mojave
Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cost to deliver a baby today?
Replies: 23
Views: 6449

Re: Cost to deliver a baby today?

DSInvestor wrote:
TxAg wrote:We had a daughter one year ago. Total bill (to us) was just shy of $5k.

I tried negotiating the bill...no dice. We paid it and moved on. Coincidentally, my wife got sick 4 months later and required a 4 day hospital stay. We had met our deductible so we didn't pay anything.
It sounds like both visits were in the same calendar year. If two calendar years, that's potentially 2 5K deductibles to meet right?

What happens if the delivery happens Dec 31 to Jan 1 or any dates that span 2 calendar years?
Probably depends on the plan, but for ours October-December also count toward the following year's deductible.
by mojave
Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying a Car to commute - SUV or Sedan?
Replies: 55
Views: 13355

Re: Buying a Car to commute - SUV or Sedan?

I do half your commute (both time and mileage) and fill up once a week. I drive a Hyundai Santa Fe. It's hard for me to drive anything smaller because I am 5'0 and for whatever reason, don't see the road very well in sedans. If you're used to sedans and you have that commute, I would probably stick with a sedan unless you think the comfort of an SUV is worth the extra you will be paying.
by mojave
Sun Apr 19, 2015 2:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" state
Replies: 14
Views: 2224

Re: Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" sta

Thank you so much everyone for the replies. A lot to digest, but I'm really glad to see all of the unbiased replies. As you can imagine, getting unbiased information on this, especially in our state right now, is difficult.
by mojave
Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" state
Replies: 14
Views: 2224

Re: Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" sta

I guess I could use some education about unions, but I thought that union dues and such went to pay for administrative stuff related to the union - salaries of union officials and workers, infrastructure of the union (offices, pens paper, etc., even if on a national scale.) The other items you mention (healthcare benefits, retirement plans, etc) are part of the negotiated contract between labor and management, aren't they? The company (management) is paying for their share (which may be 100%) of those bennies for the workers per the contract agreement, right? To that end, workers in right-to-work states who elect to not join the union get the benefits of the negotiated contract (which still applies to the non-union worker, I think (not sur...
by mojave
Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" state
Replies: 14
Views: 2224

Anyone here experience a change to a "right to work" state

First, I want to say - please do not make this a political discussion. This is about finances and benefits. :beer We live in unionized state and our new Governor wants to make it a "right to work" state. Due to the nature of my husband's job and industry, and his demand in said job/industry, we are not concerned about my husband's actual work being affected if we were to become a "right to work" state. Our friends to the north were made a "right to work" state and his counterparts up there have been unaffected in terms of demand and amount of work. They are highly specialized. My husband's union is a private union (for those unfamiliar, it is not funded by taxpayers), and they are a good one as well. My main co...
by mojave
Wed Apr 15, 2015 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna
Replies: 50
Views: 37038

Re: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna

.... To take it to the extreme, let's say your car has only a .1% chance of ever needing a repair but if it does it will cost $10,000 to fix. If the dealer prices the warranty at $11, would you not purchase it simply because they are expected to make a $1 profit on every warranty ($11 - $10,000 *.1)? .... I can't think of a repair on any car, excluding hybrids/electric, that would cost $10,000 to fix. I also have never heard of an extended warranty on a vehicle being $11. I know you purposely picked an extreme example and understand your point, but your example is so extreme that it is far beyond the realm of possibility. Just pointing this out because many people know absolutely nothing about cars and have no confidence in the subject and...
by mojave
Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to [Financially] Prepare for a Baby
Replies: 42
Views: 17728

Re: How to Prepare for a Baby

I am due in three months with our first. This is what I have done, and advice I have: - learn your health insurance plan and what it does and does not cover. When I was in the planning stages, I opted for genetic testing to see if I was a carrier for several genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis. Turns out, our insurance doesn't cover genetic testing! I got an EOB that said I would owe $6k. Panic ensued. Talked to the genetic testing place, they said don't worry about it - if anything I would only have to cover $25. I never even ended up getting a bill from them (this was over a year ago). - contribute to an FSA or HSA if you can - I was lucky enough to find out I was pregnant around the time that we were doing our annual benefits election...
by mojave
Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does your family know about your net worth (ball park)?
Replies: 98
Views: 22496

Re: Does your family know about your net worth (ball park)?

No one knows our actual net worth. My mom has an idea, because she and I are close. I have an idea of hers as well - she tells me because she doesn't want me to worry about her. No clue about my dad and I don't want to know, I wouldn't be surprised to find out there is no retirement. I know my sibling's income and student loan debt, but my sibling and my dad don't know much about our finances. My sibling probably suspects we are doing well for our age, because sibling has come to me a few times asking for financial advice. I have also told sibling about this website, though I do not know if they have ever stopped by. We have an idea about my FIL's income (MIL has never worked), but have never discussed anything beyond that so I don't know w...
by mojave
Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna
Replies: 50
Views: 37038

Re: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna

Another thing to think about, and another reason why I opted not to get one - if something major needed to be repaired, how much would that cost? Likely, about the same as the warranty. If you're willing to spend that on the warranty, I personally would rather take the risk of waiting to see if I actually need to end up spending that amount on the car.
by mojave
Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna
Replies: 50
Views: 37038

Re: Should I buy extended warranty for our new Toyota Sienna

Hyundai tried doing this to me as well when my warranty went up at 60k mi. It was about the same price and same warranty - I declined because my husband can do most repairs himself. Glad I declined because in the time frame that would have been under the extended warranty, absolutely nothing went wrong with my car (and this continues to stand past that warranty mileage limit as I approach 115k mi). The only times I ever used the original warranty was under the 40k mileage mark. My car was a rental in its past life, too.
by mojave
Tue Apr 07, 2015 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gearing up for big replacement windows project
Replies: 35
Views: 5397

Re: Gearing up for big replacement windows project

We are in the negotiation phase of a 1930s farm house. The windows in the upstairs bedrooms could probably be replaced rather inexpensively (husband can install them himself and they look to be a standard size) but there are some on the main floor that are nearly floor to ceiling that I am sure would be a fortune to replace. There is also a four seasons room with windows all around - that have been painted and screwed shut. Others have mentioned this already, but many old windows can be refurbished. I would be willing to do this, however I have no expertise on this so I don't know what I would be getting myself into. Some of the windows are so old that they get pulled up and down not on tracks but on rope! Also, I am concerned about lead pa...
by mojave
Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home security systems
Replies: 7
Views: 1556

Home security systems

My husband and I are working through buying a home that is a short sale. The home is not occupied (sellers had to relocate) but it is still being taken care of, with the listing agent stopping by several times a week to check on things. Anyway this is our first home purchase, currently we are in an apartment and husband used to own a townhome in his bachelor days, so this is new territory for us. The house has ADT signs at each door and on the garage windows. The house is all the way in the back of the neighborhood and it's a very nice, quiet upper middle class neighborhood. It's a small neighborhood though, one street in the shape of an upside-down J (this house is at the end of the J curve). It backs up to a foresty area. Beyond the fores...
by mojave
Fri Mar 27, 2015 3:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My evil plan backfired
Replies: 53
Views: 9983

Re: My evil plan backfired

Petrocelli wrote:
mojave wrote:Thanks everyone, appreciate all of the insight. Sadly, we will not be able to buy a house with this lol - this amount doesn't even make up 1% of our portfolio, so it's really a drop in the bucket. Just me being cautious.
One percent?!!!???

On behalf of husbands everywhere, please let your husband have some fun. Leave him alone.
This was the amount we agreed on, I did not force this on him.
by mojave
Fri Mar 27, 2015 10:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My evil plan backfired
Replies: 53
Views: 9983

Re: My evil plan backfired

Thanks everyone, appreciate all of the insight. Sadly, we will not be able to buy a house with this lol - this amount doesn't even make up 1% of our portfolio, so it's really a drop in the bucket. Just me being cautious.
by mojave
Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My evil plan backfired
Replies: 53
Views: 9983

Re: My evil plan backfired

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry, had to get my evil plan laugh out of my system. First, congrats on making money. But you're right--it's kind of like when a really bad shooter makes a 3 pointer in the beginning of a game of basketball. Great to get the 3 points, but now he/she is jacking them up for the rest of the game, and you lose in the long run. Maybe one thing to point out is that buying a few stocks has huge volatility. He just saw the upside of that volatility, but there can also be the same amount of downside. How would he have felt if Kraft had dropped by 50% instead of being up by 50%? Have you tried the fun money argument on him? i.e. index funds for 95% of your savings and he can do what he wants with the other 5%? It really is kind of...
by mojave
Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My evil plan backfired
Replies: 53
Views: 9983

Re: My evil plan backfired

I like the ideas of opening up the Kraft money to do as he pleases. It doesn't amount to much and is more of a bonus that I never expected to have. Good idea!
by mojave
Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My evil plan backfired
Replies: 53
Views: 9983

My evil plan backfired

I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in investments, but as it's more around psychology and behaviors than investments specifically I put it here. Last fall my husband wanted to try out buying individual stocks. Long story short - I wasn't on board with the idea but he wasn't on board with index funds, he didn't think they were worth it. I agreed to try it his way, assuming we would either not make anything or would lose. I was ok with that - I saw the likely failure of this as an investment in my husband's education since he has never been as interested in personal finance as me and his eyes glaze over any time I talk about it. So we went with two stocks, one in healthcare and the other was Kraft. Well, we all know what happened to ...
by mojave
Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Old homes and radiator heating
Replies: 41
Views: 12383

Old homes and radiator heating

This evening we are going to look at a large home that was built in the 1930s. It's in a really nice neighborhood that would normally be way out of our price range. It has mostly been updated, with a large updated kitchen and bathrooms. It still has its old home charm, like a large stone fireplace and wood detailing. Anyway, the listing says it has gas & zoned (?) heating but some of the photos show those old radiators. I don't know if they are no longer used and just haven't been removed or what that story is. Also, only part of the home has had its electricity updated (depending on the extent of updating needed, not a problem for us as husband's uncle is an electrician), if that has any affect on heating. Curious, if anyone here has e...
by mojave
Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blues (music)
Replies: 57
Views: 8419

Re: Blues (music)

Erhan wrote:Another blues fan here.
Thank you for the suggestions.



Have to say this as well:

"We are on a mission from God."
Edit - "Gahd" :)
by mojave
Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Well made woman's shoe?
Replies: 40
Views: 9808

Re: Well made woman's shoe?

Cole Haan Nike Air.
by mojave
Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blues (music)
Replies: 57
Views: 8419

Re: Blues (music)

I love the blues, my favorite genre - thanks dad!

In the warm months, Spring through Fall, I go for a 5 mile walk every Saturday morning and listen to my favorite podcast, The Roadhouse (The Finest Blues You've Never Heard). http://roadhousepodcast.com/

ETA - my favorite song I've heard on that podcast was a guy singing about a rock in his shoe that he couldn't get out.
by mojave
Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buy home in area with only good PK-8 public schools?
Replies: 44
Views: 5562

Re: Buy home in area with only good PK-8 public schools?

OP - what area are you looking in and what is your budget? I am from Chicago, grew up in Park Ridge. I can vouch for the schools - they are all very good (maybe not Maine East but I would assume that would not be the high school you would get). Lake Zurich has great schools as well and has a wide range of home prices and ages, plus it isn't far from 53. My husband and I are in the market for a home as well, I am expecting our first in July so the schools thing is important to me. But, I struggle with how accurate GreatSchools is. We found a neighborhood in our price range (looking for under $175k) that I absolutely love but the grade school is rated a 5 or "meets expectations" I looked into the school and demographics a bit, and I...
by mojave
Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?
Replies: 32
Views: 7625

Re: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?

surfstar wrote:Cursory glance - ooh they want it to look slick.
Then, under buying, I can filter by make, color, body style. No model? No engine? No trans? Miles? etc?

Is this how millennials shop for a large purchase?
:?
I am a millennial and didn't like that either. But when I put in my make of choice (not even model) there were 5 only choices.
by mojave
Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?
Replies: 32
Views: 7625

Re: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?

I'm happy to see the invasion of the internet threatening industries that make consumers miserable - cabs, buying cars, cable companies. Hope this continues, and hope to see this company grow so there are more choices in a few years :D
by mojave
Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?
Replies: 32
Views: 7625

Re: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?

Huh. I am very intrigued by this, thanks for sharing. I hope others weigh in - I love the idea of this and will be in the market for another car in a few years. I would love to skip the dealership - when I got my current car, I was a year out of college and the Sales boss was talking to my mom and I and kept making really offensive sexist jokes. The only reason I didn't leave was because it was a really good deal. They also promised to send me a $50 gas card and never did. :|
by mojave
Thu Feb 26, 2015 2:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Raise was only 2.44%?
Replies: 49
Views: 10825

Re: Raise was only 2.44%?

When I first started at my company, annual raises were 6%. This was right when the economy started to go down. Since then it has been anywhere from 0-3%. I recently fought to get a 5% raise, and will be getting the annual on top of that, not sure what that will be but was told around 2-3%. So, you're more the norm than the exception.
by mojave
Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Thoughts on Chase for everyday banking
Replies: 42
Views: 6576

Re: Thoughts on Chase for everyday banking

We switched to Chase from a terrible local bank. Have been happy with them - also used them before I got married/before bad local bank and was happy then too. Savings rate is basically zero, but I prefer to have both checking and savings at the same place so I can easily move money between the two. Honestly, to me the possible 1% at an online bank isn't worth it. 1% still isn't that much, and I can recover that easily by not buying lunch at work a few times. Chase has a responsive customer service group as well.

Bad local bank used the Allpoint networks which was not convenient for me at all. You can check online to see where their locations are though.
by mojave
Sat Feb 21, 2015 6:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: School ratings, differing opinions on potential home local
Replies: 11
Views: 1524

Re: School ratings, differing opinions on potential home loc

livesoft wrote:If you can afford it, I would suggest going with the better schools. It will make the house easier to sell in the future and many parenting things will be easier as well. There are probably more daycares, more churches, cheaper food stores, more organized child activities (sports, music, drag racing, orthodontists, vets) in or near the neighborhood with better schools.
Thank you! I think the daycare and activities part will stand out to my husband - he's concerned about daycare if I continue to work, and was a big sports kids so I know that's something that will be important to him. I knew my preferred town was more family friendly but I couldn't define why, this helps.
by mojave
Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: School ratings, differing opinions on potential home local
Replies: 11
Views: 1524

School ratings, differing opinions on potential home local

If you're in the Chicago area I would particularly like to hear your input, especially if you are familiar with Lake/McHenry county (will explain further down). We have our first child on the way, due in July. Originally our plan was to build a house in a nice town with good schools (I own land, he would build most of it himself or use his connections) but my husband recently got a promotion that takes up more of his time, plus the baby. So, building is not on the table right now. We are currently renting an apartment but have decided it's time to get a home. We have a gross income of $130k, but I may stay home when Jr. arrives, at least for the first year. If this is the case, then we will definitely be at $90k but realistically it will p...
by mojave
Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pick-Pockets
Replies: 63
Views: 8978

Re: Pick-Pockets

Twice when I was young (under 8) people tried to pick pocket my mom in Chicago. I think this is why I hate big cities. First time we were walking into one of the museums downtown. One guy pretended his hand got caught in the door handle (impossible, it was just big loop) while the other guy tried to get to my mom's purse. Second time, we were at the zoo watching some water animals behind glass (seals maybe?) and there was a big crowd watching. I accidentally bumped into and stepped on the foot of a woman next to me, mom made me apologize. Lady didn't respond and just kept looking forward. Then my mom felt her trying to get into her purse. Unlucky for them, my mom grew up in a working class family in a working class town on the south side of...