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traveltoomuch

cartman wrote: ↑
Sun Jun 04, 2017 7:50 pm
The question we are contemplating is whether it is worth it to upgrade our seating the next time we travel abroad.

The OP posted in a new thread that they've decided to fly in first or business.

traveltoomuch

...saying that while I would be covered, I would be liable to pay for the car's time out of service during repairs. I've never dealt with this myself, thankfully. It's called "loss of use", and I have heard of rental car companies trying to get reimbursed for it. I imagine that the effective way to...

traveltoomuch

My favorite is the Allsteel 19. Normally it's at least as expensive as Herman Miller, but Madison Seating has them now for $400.

I'd also check craigslist. I expect used Aeron's to go for $300-400.

traveltoomuch

Lots of old threads on this topic. Here's one from about a year ago where LeeMKE (two posts up) and I both contributed: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=186223&p=2830116&h ... y#p2830116

traveltoomuch

Thanks for clarifying that these are AA miles. It makes a difference. I would not use 70k AA miles on a $600-something ticket. I want to see at least $.01/mile of value out of an AA mile redemption, ideally $.02. Also remember that paid tickets will earn miles, which has a small effect on the value ...

traveltoomuch

If you decide you need to track cash spending, I suggest writing it down daily, either on paper or on the computer. Do not try to enter each transaction into your financial software everyday. Entering a month's cash transactions should only take a few minutes.

traveltoomuch

Quicken. Set it up to download from all accounts with one click. You'll spend less than one hour per month categorizing downloaded transactions, and drill-down is spectacular. Either lump all cash spending into one category or enter the transactions, as you prefer. Warning: Quicken has a "sunsetting...

traveltoomuch

+1 to Costco for sheets, specifically the Kirkland Signature pima cotton sheets. I've seen a $15 discount on those, usually in November, but it comes along rarely.

traveltoomuch

Another RV thread from about a month ago: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=214853 And speaking of repairs: that thread led me (somehow...) to the TechNomdia blog. They have a 1961 bus conversion that they have significantly renovated using specialty RV repair shops. http://www.t...

traveltoomuch

Costco tends to have big furniture like sofas in the warehouse twice a year. Around here, that's around January and July. They get one shipment and when it's gone, there is no more. On the other hand, you can pick individual pieces that way, and at better prices than the sets they sell online. If yo...

traveltoomuch

I had to look up HOV...and was reminded that we're headed into a metropolis. I don't think of Monterey that way. You'll be within driving distance of a metropolis, but Monterey is still over an hour's drive from even the outskirts of San Jose. I don't think you'll encounter many HOV lanes in your d...

traveltoomuch

I didn't realize it was per mile actually, thought it was a total number per year and assumed that number would cover our trips as long as it wasn't to NY. It's a per mile charge over some base allowance, perhaps 12k/year. Another downside: you'll need to carry collision insurance, and on a newer c...

traveltoomuch

Here is a thread from last summer that may have some useful insights.

extended stay hotels [to snowbird for 3 months?]

traveltoomuch

I would make a point of flightseeing over glaciers in Juneau. If you're feeling frugal, hire a local aviator rather than arrange the excursion through the cruise ship. Misty Fjords did not impress me as much.

traveltoomuch

Yosemite Valley will be very busy no matter what day during the summer. Getting out of the Valley it is less crowded. The valley offers some spectacular scenery and the most luxe lodgings in the park, but I wouldn't want to spend very long there during the summer. Make sure to get up to Glacier Poi...

traveltoomuch

Pay attention to lease early termination terms. While their month-to-month offer might be outrageous, maybe the terms for walking away early are more tolerable? What's your proposed mechanism for keeping yourself fed while living in a hotel room, and how does that compare to your life now? Consider ...

traveltoomuch

I'm wondering if I should convert some ultimate rewards to british avios as I think they have cheap domestic award flights. Don't convert UR points speculatively. Make sure there are award seats on the days you want them and that the price makes sense before you jump in head-first. Be aware that BA...

traveltoomuch

Five year planning horizon for a cruise? ... If you book a cruise too early you pay a higher price as often prices decline as you approach sailing date but this varies by line. You've got lots of time to watch the cruise pricing cycles and see what works best for you. Depending on the cruise you ta...

traveltoomuch

sean.mcgrath wrote:To underline Lady's point, I'd suggest that you edit your original post to make clear that the information you mention contains the only things that need to be filled in, and that personal information is not required.

I added some color and more specific language. Thanks for the suggestion!

traveltoomuch

For those who actually plan on buying i-bonds this year, I'm curious your plan is? I'm leaning toward "buy now" with the assumption that I'll likely cash it in at the 12 or 15 month point. Here's a writer whose thoughts I like: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4062475-inflation-dips-march-bonds-var...

traveltoomuch

I like the data points of $10 on lunch is "a lot" and $10k on vacation reasonable. Thanks *3!4!/5! and Da5id. :happy I've just posted in a couple of car repair threads here, and those triggered some thoughts about how my own spending habits have changed through the years: when I need to replace the ...

traveltoomuch

I hear your fears about this car failing. How realistic are those fears? How well have you and the previous owners kept up with maintenance? How often have the oil and the transmission fluid been changed? The 2007 Sonata has a timing chain, not a belt, so there's little risk of a failure there. More...

traveltoomuch

If the money from the bonus had not been staring at you, what would you have done differently? Not done all of the repairs? (Perhaps only done enough to get it back on the road but held off on the tires and brakes?) Taken on CC debt to do the repairs? Sold other investments to pay for the repairs? T...

traveltoomuch

As others have said, this looks pretty good. I'd get the bonds out of the taxable accounts and consider selling individual stocks. I prefer to use Roth space for equities, leaving bonds in the 401k/IRA tax-deferred accounts. It looks like you're considering not maxing your 401k even though you have ...

traveltoomuch

those are very different vehicles. which will you enjoy more? would you consider a used Jeep instead?

if it were me, I'd keep (or buy) the 2007 BMW 328. No (or lower) sales taxes. Lower excise taxes, if applicable. Probably lower insurance.

traveltoomuch

3-fund is very popular here. Consider leaving the existing 401k account alone. It sounds like you don't need to do a backdoor roth now, and I would not recommend a roth conversion. It sounds like you don't understand the roth options fully - I'd just ignore them for now. Are you sure you're not miss...

traveltoomuch

Why not rent a car to begin with? If car breaks down, rental company brings you a replacement and deals with the problem. This idea came up in another thread recently. did you book the hotel stay with a credit card that has trip interruption/cancellation insurance? If so, you might look at what tha...

traveltoomuch

First, only use target date funds in tax-advantaged accounts, like an IRA. Second, do not allow the change in custodian to change the asset allocation. If he was 60/40 at EJ, put him in 60/40 at vanguard until he figures out what asset allocation he wants going forward. It's unlikely that the bulk c...

traveltoomuch

For those who wish to download an archive of all of your own Bogleheads posts over the years, here is a tool for doing so: http://creativeandcritical.net/fups/enter-options?forum_type=phpBB The 'forum type' is: phpBB The 'base forum URL' is: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum Follow the instructions o...

traveltoomuch

With so many people on the wait list year after year, what is preventing the group from making the conference larger? Since no one with direct knowledge is answering, I'll guess: unwillingness to switch venues and unwillingness to switch to theater seating (v. banquet seating). They appeared to be ...

traveltoomuch

That's a linear scale, O(n). On the other hand, just notifying the OP takes the same amount of time regardless of the number of participants, e.g. a constant scale, O(1). Your point is well taken. It's also work that could (presumably) be automated. In any case, I'd like to hear the moderators' ans...

traveltoomuch

gkaplan wrote: Again, why don't you PM a moderator?

Because I'm asking for a change in moderation behavior, not for someone to dig up one post. I think those discussions should happen in the light of day provided by the public forum, not in a PM with a single moderator.

traveltoomuch

Interesting idea. Those are definitely Boglehead-ish funds - if you want to do the 3-fund portfolio, those are fine choices. As harvestbook says, though, fee differences down at this level are rounding errors, at least compared to the fees of the funds you're in now. The Fidelity 401k site should ha...

traveltoomuch

Which leads me to my next question: If I choose the target date option, is the assumption that the 'age-appropriate' allocation of bonds are in the mix? So therefore I would put 100% in the target date fund and forget the bond index in my 401k? right. I would reallocate sooner if I weren't being fo...

traveltoomuch

traveltoomuch wrote:... that's why I think the proactive notification of deletion will help. Would you be willing to notify everyone who's contributions are deleted?

Bumping this thread in hopes of getting a direct answer to my request/suggestion.

traveltoomuch

1. I like 80/20. 2. First, why not use the target date fund? The expense ratio is right, and it means you don't have to think about it again. If you want to go with the 3-fund thing: I would add in the small/mid cap fund in an 80/20 ratio with the S&P fund, but it probably doesn't matter much. Why a...

traveltoomuch

From what you're saying, just cash them out. Even with your preference for budget hotels, I think you could get some value from transfers to Hyatt - category 1 and 2 redemptions cost 5k and 8k points, respectively, which is only $50 or $80 at $.01/point. Many Hyatt Place properties are category 1 an...

traveltoomuch

jeffyscott wrote: Craiglist still works okay for me, but can be annoying as there seem to be a lot of no shows.

How are you making and (re-)confirming the appointments? A phone call within two hours of the appointment might help.

traveltoomuch

1. GV apparently only accepts cell phone numbers, so they need to temporarily port the number to a cell first. What is the best way to do this? 2. The GV needs to be associated with a gmail address, but my friend should get a separate email address to associate it with and not use their main gmail ...

traveltoomuch

I'm sorry you had a bad travel day. I would have hoped for a better response from Southwest. I'm sorry that didn't work. Honestly, I'd chalk this up to "lesson learned" and walk away. The most productive path might be to poke Southwest again. I might try filing a claim with the CSR card, but don't e...

traveltoomuch

Reflecting back on the 2016 conference, which was my first: Notably lacking in the program was any tie back to these forums - there was nothing in the program about how to improve the forums, e.g. "how to be more help to newcomers". Many people I met do not post (regularly) on the forum. Some did no...

traveltoomuch

Thanks for the amazing feedback everyone! You are most welcome. Thank you for taking the time to so thoughtfully engage on our responses. I'm seeing this as a sign that you'll be a good doc. :happy Interesting take on the TIAA Real Estate Account to replace the REIT index. Could you go into a littl...

traveltoomuch

How well would something like Dropbox or Google Drive work for you? Or Evernote, as jebmke mention. What requirements would those not meet?

traveltoomuch

Are all these example with free pickup and drop off from your home? My examples are not, though presumably the Enterprise example is. Enterprise tries to make that a selling point. In my experience, other companies offer the service "as available". It's not so reliably available that it's included ...

traveltoomuch

c-l still works for me. As a seller, I find that the more unique the item, the more patient I must be. Sometimes it can pay to chase a buyer - calling back someone who called last week but never closed the deal. But usually it's better to just wait. I've reposted items for months without seeing any ...

traveltoomuch

Does anyone actually read the posts they are responding to? The sentence JUST ABOVE the one you quoted notes that the OP needs a full size car or 3-row SUV... Yes. Some even follow the whole thread. The $40 number came up in the context an example I had made up, separate from the OP's trip. I was i...

traveltoomuch

You can always PM a moderator for a copy of the post. Thank you very much for offering that. It is a very generous offer. Unfortunately, it doesn't address the problem in most cases. I usually just remember "hey, I wrote a great post about this on Bogleheads four months ago", but I usually won't re...

traveltoomuch

I find value in tracking expenses - knowing what went where (v. averages or even a "budget"), just so I can consider where I might want to cut next. What pain points give me the most financial impact? "Hummm, spending $2400/year on cable TV... do I want to continue that?" But as for budgeting... ......

traveltoomuch

1. The portfolio looks pretty good. (And aside from using the 2035 fund, it looks great!) Good job. I'd reconsider the choice of the 2035 fund in the Roth, but this is not pressing. I personally use the TIAA Real Estate Account, and I would consider that in your 401k as an alternative to the REIT in...

traveltoomuch

We don't delete threads, but instead move them to a private forum. You can check if the thread was pulled if you get this message, which is in the FAQ (top left forum menu). ... We only notify the OP of the move . (emphasis added) I urge that you change this practice to include notifying every post...

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