Author Topic: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)  (Read 42529 times)

SunnyDays

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #100 on: January 17, 2021, 11:12:25 AM »
@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

ixtap

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #101 on: January 17, 2021, 01:06:38 PM »
@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

How do you verify the age of the child if your 10yo wears adult sizes?

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #102 on: January 17, 2021, 01:51:35 PM »
hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

SunnyDays

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #103 on: January 17, 2021, 02:35:55 PM »
@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

How do you verify the age of the child if your 10yo wears adult sizes?

You just tell the cashier and they give you a form to sign verifying that you are buying adult sized clothes for a child.

Dicey

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #104 on: January 17, 2021, 08:05:25 PM »
hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.
Was your reply, "Is that how you feel?"

Adventine

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #105 on: January 18, 2021, 12:34:12 AM »
hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

That made me laugh out loud at the office.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure my coworkers feel sorry for carless old me, toting a scratched up, low-end, generic smartphone.

Ah, if only they knew :D

Green_Tea

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #106 on: January 18, 2021, 10:26:11 AM »
hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

This reminds me of a similar funny story: My dad was the highest ranking person (of a couple hundred) where he worked and had the cheapest car on the parking lot. Then one day someone with a higher role came to visit - and had a car that was just as crappy or even more so ;D
« Last Edit: January 24, 2021, 12:37:36 AM by Green_Tea »

Dumb blonde

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #107 on: January 19, 2021, 01:58:38 AM »
This goes back many decades when my wife and I were poor.   I don't mean a lower middle class income, I mean a 1/3rd median family income and paying child support poor.

We lived in a slumlord doctor's apartment.   

The business we worked at had gone under, a victim of the owner snorting too much coke and drinking too much alcohol.   My wife and I (with his blessing) took over the accounting software he had been writing and finished it up and integrated it with the school software I had designed and written much of.

We had a commission-based partnership arrangement with a local businessman and had a room in his office building.

What we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our state figured out each technical school should have the same software instead of each school making their own.   We had already ported ours to the DEC VAX at the time for one of our customers.   

So we were putting in a bid for a statewide contract to put our software in another 30 or so schools.    We would end up millionaires if it worked out.   We arranged for the DEC salesrep to visit our office so we could figure out the hardware pricing.

Only the river thru town flooded before he got there and the office flooded out.   So we had to meet him in our slumlord doctor's apartment.

So there he is in is 3 piece suit and wingtip shoes, uncomfortably trying to figure out how to leave without being rude.

His 2nd try at this was that to make the deal work we would need a line of credit in the $2 to $3 million dollar range.   

Here we are in this cheap apartment with our cheap hand-me-down furniture and our cheap clothes.   We look like we're poor because, well, we are.

I pick up the phone and call our business partner.   "Hey, Tom, the Digital rep says we need a two to three million dollar line of credit."

I hang up the phone, look him in the eye, and say, "Ok."    He knows I'm not joking and he can tell I'm telling him the truth.

"Ummm...   Can I have that number?" he asked.

And did you get the deal?

SwordGuy

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #108 on: January 19, 2021, 09:12:56 AM »
This goes back many decades when my wife and I were poor.   I don't mean a lower middle class income, I mean a 1/3rd median family income and paying child support poor.

We lived in a slumlord doctor's apartment.   

The business we worked at had gone under, a victim of the owner snorting too much coke and drinking too much alcohol.   My wife and I (with his blessing) took over the accounting software he had been writing and finished it up and integrated it with the school software I had designed and written much of.

We had a commission-based partnership arrangement with a local businessman and had a room in his office building.

What we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our state figured out each technical school should have the same software instead of each school making their own.   We had already ported ours to the DEC VAX at the time for one of our customers.   

So we were putting in a bid for a statewide contract to put our software in another 30 or so schools.    We would end up millionaires if it worked out.   We arranged for the DEC salesrep to visit our office so we could figure out the hardware pricing.

Only the river thru town flooded before he got there and the office flooded out.   So we had to meet him in our slumlord doctor's apartment.

So there he is in is 3 piece suit and wingtip shoes, uncomfortably trying to figure out how to leave without being rude.

His 2nd try at this was that to make the deal work we would need a line of credit in the $2 to $3 million dollar range.   

Here we are in this cheap apartment with our cheap hand-me-down furniture and our cheap clothes.   We look like we're poor because, well, we are.

I pick up the phone and call our business partner.   "Hey, Tom, the Digital rep says we need a two to three million dollar line of credit."

I hang up the phone, look him in the eye, and say, "Ok."    He knows I'm not joking and he can tell I'm telling him the truth.

"Ummm...   Can I have that number?" he asked.

And did you get the deal?

No, we didn't get the contract from the Bible Belt state we were in.   A pregnant lady delivered a pitch for a software product they named "Genesis" and got the deal.   Simply brilliant Marketing.


Money Badger

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #109 on: January 23, 2021, 08:25:10 PM »
She may have won, but the almighty will judge her sincerity.   Payback is a bit$h.

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #110 on: January 27, 2021, 12:57:40 PM »
By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!

centwise

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #111 on: January 27, 2021, 02:00:56 PM »
@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

Sunnydays: Manitoba, right? Or is there another province with the same set of tax-exempt items? I remember reading a post somewhere that said that in MB, potatoes were taxed but Twinkies and Poptarts were exempt! The potato thing turned out to be an error (store made a mistake, they are supposed to be exempt) but the nevertheless the article give me a chuckle.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #112 on: January 28, 2021, 07:09:48 AM »
By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!
You might consider getting a float charger for your battery, and plug it in overnight once a week, to make sure it stays charged up enough.  It'd pay off in the long run--car batteries are expensive!

Dicey

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #113 on: January 28, 2021, 10:12:38 AM »
By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!
You might consider getting a float charger for your battery, and plug it in overnight once a week, to make sure it stays charged up enough.  It'd pay off in the long run--car batteries are expensive!
+1. It probably saves a lot of hassle and has a lower environmental impact than replacing batteries.

Malossi792

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #114 on: January 28, 2021, 10:32:00 AM »
+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.

Dicey

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #115 on: January 28, 2021, 10:35:47 AM »
+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.
Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.

Malossi792

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #116 on: January 28, 2021, 10:39:58 AM »
+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.
Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.
This one shuts off completely when the battery is charged. As it loses voltage over time, starts then stops charging as needed. Common stuff  with motorcycle enthusiasts.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #117 on: January 28, 2021, 10:49:24 AM »
+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.
Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.

There ARE charger/ battery maintainers that CAN be left connected.  They have special circuitry.
Your average charger, even low (1 Amp) cannot, as they try to charge a full battery, generate hydrogen, heat, and boil the battery dry.
Once every two weeks, for a few hours can work, but you MUST disconnect them, and not forget about them, or the aforementioned unwanted hazards will occur.
Doing without a smart charger may awake you in the dead of night to go check to see if you have unplugged it. YMMV
« Last Edit: January 28, 2021, 10:53:15 AM by markbike528CBX »

Samuel

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #118 on: January 28, 2021, 11:07:24 AM »
Yeah, definitely worth paying a bit more for a float charger/battery tender than a basic trickle charger. Like a coffee pot with an auto off feature, you don't want to be out somewhere and think, "I did turn that off, didn't I...?"

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #119 on: January 28, 2021, 03:09:59 PM »
As it happens we did buy a battery charger about a year ago, but it didn't seem to work and with Covid we didn't really bother to replace it so far. I didn't know there were different types of battery chargers however!

Nederstash

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #120 on: February 27, 2021, 02:42:34 PM »
I'm not wealthy by MMM standards, but I definitely do pretty well. I don't necessarily try to be stealthy about money. My problem is that I don't give a hoot about appearances. Car washing? Once of twice a year. New clothes? When the mood suits me. I will wear things to tatters - especially things like pj's, socks and underwear. I'm a bit better at outer clothing, since I do have to meet clients for my work. Home repair? Eh, it can wait. Doesn't bother me.

My eldest brother is my polar opposite. Everything has to be spick and span, or he will genuinely be bothered by it. Can NOT relate. What utter stress must that be.

It's not that I'm too cheap to replace items... it goes through my mind "yeah I should probably get new ones" and then I just forget. It's a handy trait if you want to save money, but it's honestly completely unrelated.

talltexan

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #121 on: March 02, 2021, 06:00:20 AM »
@Nederstash it sounds like you'll get wealthier with the passing days, tho

Astro

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #122 on: March 02, 2021, 02:00:21 PM »
I think we confuse everyone.  We're triple members of the double comma club.   I own a tesla but also wear a winter coat with a large chunk of black duct tape because it still keeps me warm just fine and my 10 year old shoes are nearing end of life.   I can't remember the last time I've purchased a clothing item except for socks that annoyingly keep wearing out.  We live in a nice neighborhood but do all our own maintenance.  My wife works part-time at a hospital for health insurance because right now it's ridiculously expensive for those of us over the ACA cliff and older than 50.  She brown-bags every day.  We have a very nice stereo system which is nearing 20 years and a 12 year old plasma tv that still has a great picture.  We are 'game-ifying' our expenses and with the exception of our mortgage and taxes we are currently spending low 20k's annually.    The only reason we still have a mortgage is because we just refinanced at 2.1% and can almost certainly earn more with our investments.   Still running our own business out of our home but we'll see how much longer we do that.  I'm ready to dump northern winters!

talltexan

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #123 on: March 09, 2021, 06:12:58 AM »
@Astro , you guys are better than we are in the talltexan household, but I must acknowledge how durable some of these electronic devices are turning out to be. Main home desktop, #2 television are both double-digit ages.

LovinPSDs

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #124 on: March 10, 2021, 07:45:28 AM »
@Astro , you guys are better than we are in the talltexan household, but I must acknowledge how durable some of these electronic devices are turning out to be. Main home desktop, #2 television are both double-digit ages.

My plasma is from 2008 and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is how dang heavy it is haha.  We're in the middle of a cross country move so we'll see if it survived when I pull it out of storage

Metalcat

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #125 on: March 10, 2021, 08:21:27 AM »
@Astro , you guys are better than we are in the talltexan household, but I must acknowledge how durable some of these electronic devices are turning out to be. Main home desktop, #2 television are both double-digit ages.

My plasma is from 2008 and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is how dang heavy it is haha.  We're in the middle of a cross country move so we'll see if it survived when I pull it out of storage

My plasma was from 2006 and I only replaced it last year because it gets too hot and there's no AC in the room it's in, so it became unbearable to even watch a whole movie on hot days. I gave it to my assistant who just moved out of her parents' place, and she loves it.

joe189man

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #126 on: March 10, 2021, 08:56:33 AM »
we have one tv that is was purchased over 10 years ago, it looks ridiculously small in our new house, i accidentally scratched the screen when we moved, and was worried we would have to replace it, but its just a surface scratch and still works fine, that was over 2 years ago

talltexan

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #127 on: March 13, 2021, 05:10:17 PM »
Update: we had a combined DVD-VHS-TV (not flatscreen) from 2003 that we just took to the donation place. They handed us a blank receipt, so I'm going to report it as $20 (for the VHS player). But that monstrous unit is out of our lives!

On the downside, my FiL greeted us with a whole list of movies that are being pulled from streaming because of their outdated treatment of race (including a movie about a flying elephant) where that VHS player would have come in useful for watching our VHS cassette. Perhaps I can still win the day by selling the casette on eBay.

Dicey

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #128 on: March 13, 2021, 11:25:26 PM »
Update: we had a combined DVD-VHS-TV (not flatscreen) from 2003 that we just took to the donation place. They handed us a blank receipt, so I'm going to report it as $20 (for the VHS player). But that monstrous unit is out of our lives!

On the downside, my FiL greeted us with a whole list of movies that are being pulled from streaming because of their outdated treatment of race (including a movie about a flying elephant) where that VHS player would have come in useful for watching our VHS cassette. Perhaps I can still win the day by selling the casette on eBay.
Hmmm, certain movies that never made it to DVD, like "Song of the South" are apparently quite valuable now. Maybe in a few years, you can sell that "dumb" movie for some really smart money.

LovinPSDs

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #129 on: March 14, 2021, 06:54:51 PM »
@Astro , you guys are better than we are in the talltexan household, but I must acknowledge how durable some of these electronic devices are turning out to be. Main home desktop, #2 television are both double-digit ages.

My plasma is from 2008 and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is how dang heavy it is haha.  We're in the middle of a cross country move so we'll see if it survived when I pull it out of storage

My plasma was from 2006 and I only replaced it last year because it gets too hot and there's no AC in the room it's in, so it became unbearable to even watch a whole movie on hot days. I gave it to my assistant who just moved out of her parents' place, and she loves it.

Yeah ours is like a dang space heater... It's gotta suck a ton of juice.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #130 on: March 14, 2021, 08:05:03 PM »
I make a good income, but you wouldn't know it from the outside.  For example, the newer of our two vehicles is 15 years old and recently crossed over 200,000 miles.  I wonder if that's why we keep ending up with people's nice (to us) stuff when they move.  A neighbor gave me some Ryobi cordless tools, a computer newer than mine, a couple of monitors, and a 60" TV (it has a line of stuck pixels, but at some point I'll try to fix that).  A friend gave us a basketball hoop and a couple of bikes.  We ended up with a couple of cast iron frying pans from someone else.  Another friend gave us a working air hockey table.  I feel guilty at times, but then I also remember that we give lots of stuff away as well.

I've realized lately that someone might come into our home and be horrified at some of the things we own.  Like the lamps on our night stands that we bought probably 15 years ago, and the lamp shades are a bit crumpled from getting repeatedly knocked off by little kids.  But we don't really notice shabby things like that, because 1) we're used to them, and 2) the shabbiness does not detract from the value they add to our lives.

Abe

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #131 on: March 14, 2021, 09:34:45 PM »
My wife and I are the only ones on our block who don’t own at least a Lexus. We moved here recently and some neighbors heads exploded when I said we will buy new cars when the current ones start to fail, but I’m holding out that by then used cars will be electric and self-driving.

Also, yes I can afford a tailored shirt but the Costco ones are fine except for the cuffs after a few years. Also, I change into scrubs all day at work so who cares?!? Just had to let out a few rants, sorry. None of my patients see what I drive or my regular clothes! Is this a business world thing with the car and clothes?

talltexan

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #132 on: March 16, 2021, 06:56:35 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.

SwordGuy

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #133 on: March 16, 2021, 07:21:58 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.

I wish that was a joke.   The little fascist wannabees that thrive in that environment (not saying everyone in an HOA is that, just that people like this love them) will report you for any and every possible infraction. 

"Oh, the horror!  Your curtains aren't the prescribed shade of white!"

"Oh, the horror!   You don't have enough pine straw in your shrubbery beds!"

"Oh, the horror!   Your house is the wrong color!  Repaint it!"

"Oh, the horror!   We can see 1/2" of something we don't like peaking over the tippy-top of the solid fence around your back yard!"

My mother (or I has her executor trying to sell the property) went thru 3 of these in a few short years.   The other is taken from news reports.


We found out that there was an HOA in the neighborhood and we almost didn't buy our latest house.   Found out it was a voluntary one and checked with our lawyer that we could quit at any time and there was nothing they could do about it.

Then and ONLY then did we buy the house.     The HOA folks are nice, they do useful and fun things with the dues money.   Love them.    But that's only because, being voluntary, the fascist wannabees don't gravitate to it.   Or if they had in the past, it would have failed for lack of members.

dandarc

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #134 on: March 16, 2021, 07:24:49 AM »
We have that in our 1950's built neighborhood @SwordGuy. The 100% voluntary HOA exists to organize parties in the park and stuff like that - decidedly not to nit pick paint colors.

Imma

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #135 on: March 16, 2021, 08:19:18 AM »
In my country we only have HOA's in apartment buildings (and it's mandatory to have one for maintenance) and it's one reason why I would do anything to avoid buying an apartment. Even if the rules are fine when you're buying, who knows what they might change into in the future. My parent lived in a place where you weren't allowed to dry your laundry on the balcony. My parent didn't hang their laundry on a line but was drying on a rack that was lower than the edge of the balcony so it was completely hidden from the outside, but the neigbhours spotted them carrying the laundry basket on to the balcony.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #136 on: March 16, 2021, 08:24:01 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Nederstash

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #137 on: March 16, 2021, 03:36:45 PM »
In my country we only have HOA's in apartment buildings (and it's mandatory to have one for maintenance) and it's one reason why I would do anything to avoid buying an apartment. Even if the rules are fine when you're buying, who knows what they might change into in the future. My parent lived in a place where you weren't allowed to dry your laundry on the balcony. My parent didn't hang their laundry on a line but was drying on a rack that was lower than the edge of the balcony so it was completely hidden from the outside, but the neigbhours spotted them carrying the laundry basket on to the balcony.

You're Dutch, aren't you? Where was this ridiculous HOA? My parents have an HOA in Drenthe, they suck ass (the HOA, not my parents).

Imma

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #138 on: March 16, 2021, 04:39:56 PM »
In my country we only have HOA's in apartment buildings (and it's mandatory to have one for maintenance) and it's one reason why I would do anything to avoid buying an apartment. Even if the rules are fine when you're buying, who knows what they might change into in the future. My parent lived in a place where you weren't allowed to dry your laundry on the balcony. My parent didn't hang their laundry on a line but was drying on a rack that was lower than the edge of the balcony so it was completely hidden from the outside, but the neigbhours spotted them carrying the laundry basket on to the balcony.

You're Dutch, aren't you? Where was this ridiculous HOA? My parents have an HOA in Drenthe, they suck ass (the HOA, not my parents).

In a medium sized town in Brabant. The kind of town where everybody knows everybody and no one minds their own business. As most people in the building were retired, they had a lot of time to watch my parent's every move. The only thing more interesting than my parent's (extremely boring) lifestyle was the lovelife of their neighbour, an elderly widow who would go dancing with several different male suitors every week.

Eventually we figured out a laundry trick. We'd put the laundry on the rack while inside, then open the door and push the laundry rack to the balcony. From the outside you could not see what we were pushing. Only the direct neighbour could see and she was off to dances most afternoons.

talltexan

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #139 on: March 18, 2021, 12:56:20 PM »
dancing sounds like another era.

Don't get me wrong, I love dancing. Couldn't imagine going dancing, that feels like it was some other person doing all that.

okisok

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #140 on: March 18, 2021, 08:17:37 PM »

[/quote]

Eventually we figured out a laundry trick. We'd put the laundry on the rack while inside, then open the door and push the laundry rack to the balcony. From the outside you could not see what we were pushing. Only the direct neighbour could see and she was off to dances most afternoons.
[/quote]

This whole situation made me chuckle! I live in a place with nowhere to put a laundry line and no balcony. I do have a very sturdy Aldi drying rack in my living room right now, strategically placed near the heating vent and under the ceiling fan. I applaud your parents' ingenuity.

fuzzy math

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #141 on: March 25, 2021, 01:11:47 PM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!

markbike528CBX

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #142 on: March 25, 2021, 04:34:46 PM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!
Yep, reverse plan "H".   Now I've outed my floor plan to the internet, the 3 letter agencies, and the agencies without letters (they don't live in letter houses).
There being several hundred (of 250 original H) of those houses in town, I'm not TOO worried about identification.  "H" houses as far as I know are the only ones set at 45 degrees to the street.

crowinghen

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #143 on: March 25, 2021, 09:16:51 PM »
My Hubby and I were talking about this thread and he reminded me of something that happened to us in our twenties.
Back then our local Community college had a Carpentry class that built a house every year.( they did just the carpentry  work, but still it was a big savings) I had seen the ad where they wanted were accepting grant proposals  in the paper, and applied ( my co-workers said you will never get that! I didn't even know what a grant proposal  was!)and  Surprise! we were chosen to have our house built that  year. We were paying cash, were close to the college, building on quiet acreage and my husband works in the Trades so it made sense that they would select our  house as their project.
 There was an Art teacher at that college who had been married to my MIL,( they were divorced by this time)  who was friendly with the carpentry teacher . One day the art teacher stopped by to see the project. My husband was there doing something on the house. The Art teacher saw my husband, came up said hi and said, Oh are you taking this course? My husband said," uh no, it's my house"- and the look on the Art teacher's face was unforgettable as his jaw hit the ground.
 that's one of the fun things about stealth wealth, :)

Dicey

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #144 on: March 26, 2021, 01:16:19 AM »
That's a great story! Do you still live in that house?

crowinghen

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #145 on: March 26, 2021, 06:37:07 AM »
Dicey, yes we do! For a little longer, getting ready to put it on the market so we can  retire and move closer to one of our daughters where there is more recreational activities for us .
« Last Edit: March 26, 2021, 06:51:44 AM by crowinghen »

fuzzy math

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #146 on: March 26, 2021, 11:58:51 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!
Yep, reverse plan "H".   Now I've outed my floor plan to the internet, the 3 letter agencies, and the agencies without letters (they don't live in letter houses).
There being several hundred (of 250 original H) of those houses in town, I'm not TOO worried about identification.  "H" houses as far as I know are the only ones set at 45 degrees to the street.
I had never studied them that closely to realize which ones were at an angle. I’m a former Bomber, but I never go to that part of town when I visit any more!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

markbike528CBX

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #147 on: April 01, 2021, 08:08:02 PM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!
Yep, reverse plan "H".   Now I've outed my floor plan to the internet, the 3 letter agencies, and the agencies without letters (they don't live in letter houses).
There being several hundred (of 250 original H) of those houses in town, I'm not TOO worried about identification.  "H" houses as far as I know are the only ones set at 45 degrees to the street.
I had never studied them that closely to realize which ones were at an angle. I’m a former Bomber, but I never go to that part of town when I visit any more!
All the houses on Hains facing the river(dike) are at 45 degrees to the street/river.  That street has both "H" and "F" houses.  All or most of the F houses have upper decks to get some river view.

yachi

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #148 on: April 02, 2021, 09:06:40 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!
Yep, reverse plan "H".   Now I've outed my floor plan to the internet, the 3 letter agencies, and the agencies without letters (they don't live in letter houses).
There being several hundred (of 250 original H) of those houses in town, I'm not TOO worried about identification.  "H" houses as far as I know are the only ones set at 45 degrees to the street.
I had never studied them that closely to realize which ones were at an angle. I’m a former Bomber, but I never go to that part of town when I visit any more!
All the houses on Hains facing the river(dike) are at 45 degrees to the street/river.  That street has both "H" and "F" houses.  All or most of the F houses have upper decks to get some river view.
What an awesome area.  Does that river trail allow bikes too?

markbike528CBX

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Re: Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)
« Reply #149 on: April 02, 2021, 09:17:41 AM »
Better be careful, don't want some of them alerting the HOA that your inexpensive cars are affecting property values.
We hide our cars in the garage. 2011 and 2000 model years. No HOA now as the house was built in 1944. However, from 1944-1958, the government owned the house, and you could not live in it without government permission.

Letter houses!
Yep, reverse plan "H".   Now I've outed my floor plan to the internet, the 3 letter agencies, and the agencies without letters (they don't live in letter houses).
There being several hundred (of 250 original H) of those houses in town, I'm not TOO worried about identification.  "H" houses as far as I know are the only ones set at 45 degrees to the street.
I had never studied them that closely to realize which ones were at an angle. I’m a former Bomber, but I never go to that part of town when I visit any more!
All the houses on Hains facing the river(dike) are at 45 degrees to the street/river.  That street has both "H" and "F" houses.  All or most of the F houses have upper decks to get some river view.
What an awesome area.  Does that river trail allow bikes too?
Yes, in fact, for about a mile north of the Hains section on the dike, the trail splits into a bike only, and pedestrian only tracks.
Most of it is single track dual use.  Apparently, you could visit all three of the Tri-Cities as the trail has links to each.   On some sections the trail is on low traffic city streets.
http://bfcog.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cycling-Tri-Cities-11x17-2.pdf
« Last Edit: April 02, 2021, 09:31:07 AM by markbike528CBX »