Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[RetiredAt63]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't be hospitalized!  My friend was, and they want to see how mentally capable you are by asking simple questions, like "What is the date?"  I know the day (usually) but the date?  That is what my phone and computer are for!

[Hirondelle]

So my landlords want to remodel my building and now they've figured me and my flatmates would rather stay they have started offering us money to leave (renters are very well protected in my country so it's hard to kick us out). First, they gave us a 'flat' price (same for all of us). Now they have 'increased' the offer to 6 months rent, which is a big increase for my flatmates, but would mean I'd get $60 less as my room is just too damn cheap :(

[BTDretire]

I'm having a guy do some patching in my house (leftovers from electrical project to rewire the whole house, this is not a small job). Was talking to him yesterday and finalize details since he's coming Monday. My mom is coming to supervise, since I'll be at work. Told him that I would leave a check with mom, once the work is done she'd pay him. He asked for payment in cash.

I don't carry cash. This is going to be $700ish. I'm going to have to go into the branch to get that much cash.

 So maybe he would split the taxes he is evading!
 Either that, or he thinks your check is bad.

[Linea_Norway]

A year ago I bought some sports shoes on sale that I use frequently to walk to work (on average 15 kms a day, twice a week). They fit very well and have a membrane.
This summer i saw they was a hole in them on the side on my shoe. Probably a construction mistake by using a very stiff and a very smooth material beside each other.
I can go back to the shop where I bought it. I found the receipt. But the shop is 20 kms driving away. We don't expect them to give me back a whole new pair of shoes. They will probably offer me to buy a full-price new pair for some reduction.
I don't think I will even bother to try.
So far, I'm still using the shoes with the holes. I don't notice it when walking, they are just not waterproof anymore.

You can get money back for year old shoes that have received heavy use and become worn out?

Yes, turns out I did get the money back, $50. We had to visit a building shop in the vicinity and took along the shoes. I got the whole shoe price refunded. But I needed another pair of shoes. The shop didn't have the same pair. The other pair that I tried was not on sale. So I ended up paying $50 for a pair that cost $100. Still a Mustachian problem. ;-)

[Loren Ver]

A year ago I bought some sports shoes on sale that I use frequently to walk to work (on average 15 kms a day, twice a week). They fit very well and have a membrane.
This summer i saw they was a hole in them on the side on my shoe. Probably a construction mistake by using a very stiff and a very smooth material beside each other.
I can go back to the shop where I bought it. I found the receipt. But the shop is 20 kms driving away. We don't expect them to give me back a whole new pair of shoes. They will probably offer me to buy a full-price new pair for some reduction.
I don't think I will even bother to try.
So far, I'm still using the shoes with the holes. I don't notice it when walking, they are just not waterproof anymore.

You can get money back for year old shoes that have received heavy use and become worn out?

Yes, turns out I did get the money back, $50. We had to visit a building shop in the vicinity and took along the shoes. I got the whole shoe price refunded. But I needed another pair of shoes. The shop didn't have the same pair. The other pair that I tried was not on sale. So I ended up paying $50 for a pair that cost $100. Still a Mustachian problem. ;-)

If you don't ask, you wont know.  Congrats on the shoes!

[shelivesthedream]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't be hospitalized!  My friend was, and they want to see how mentally capable you are by asking simple questions, like "What is the date?"  I know the day (usually) but the date?  That is what my phone and computer are for!

I mean yeah, but they're looking for answers like "Merry Christmas!" and "Why, 1973, of course!" not "Is it the 17th or 18th today? I can't quite remember."

[RetiredAt63]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't be hospitalized!  My friend was, and they want to see how mentally capable you are by asking simple questions, like "What is the date?"  I know the day (usually) but the date?  That is what my phone and computer are for!

I mean yeah, but they're looking for answers like "Merry Christmas!" and "Why, 1973, of course!" not "Is it the 17th or 18th today? I can't quite remember."

OK, if that is it - but my friend was not in good shape and was so stressed out by that question, you have no idea.

[Rubic]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't be hospitalized!  My friend was, and they want to see how mentally capable you are by asking simple questions, like "What is the date?"  I know the day (usually) but the date?  That is what my phone and computer are for!

I mean yeah, but they're looking for answers like "Merry Christmas!" and "Why, 1973, of course!" not "Is it the 17th or 18th today? I can't quite remember."

This is correct.  Residents in a nursing home are often asked similar questions.  My
favorite response to who is the current US President?

"That cowboy actor!" 

(i.e. Ronald Reagan)

[tungu2]

Where I live electricity is cheaper at night (11 pm-7 am). So when I need to do my laundry or batch-cook, I end up going to bed later than I would otherwise. I just can’t bring myself to do laundry earlier! (My washer does not have a delayed start option, unfortunately)

I also choose shirts and underwear to match my upcoming laundry. No grab and go for me.

[aetherie]

My workplace has free electric car chargers, but I can't use them most days because I bike to work.

[ixtap]

My workplace has free electric car chargers, but I can't use them most days because I bike to work.

At my husband's employment, the electric chargers are about half way between home and office. Just a little too far for me to park there and carry the groceries home.

[GuitarStv]

My workplace has free electric car chargers, but I can't use them most days because I bike to work.

You need to rig up a battery pack so you can charge it at work when you bike in, then use it to power your house at night.  :P

[bluebelle]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't know if it works in the US, but I know if screw up and am a day or two late, I can often get the company to waive the interest charge, since it's something I almost never do....or if I fumble finger paying a bill and under pay by a very small amount.....when you're a good customer (pays in full all the time on time), they like to keep you happy.   Doesn't hurt to call them up and admit your mistake and ask them to waive any late payment charges.  (my dad always said, "the worse they can say is no")

[dragoncar]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't know if it works in the US, but I know if screw up and am a day or two late, I can often get the company to waive the interest charge, since it's something I almost never do....or if I fumble finger paying a bill and under pay by a very small amount.....when you're a good customer (pays in full all the time on time), they like to keep you happy.   Doesn't hurt to call them up and admit your mistake and ask them to waive any late payment charges.  (my dad always said, "the worse they can say is no")

Happened to me recently.  Just call and ask nicely, I know Chase will automatically approve 1-2 times per year

[Linea_Norway]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't know if it works in the US, but I know if screw up and am a day or two late, I can often get the company to waive the interest charge, since it's something I almost never do....or if I fumble finger paying a bill and under pay by a very small amount.....when you're a good customer (pays in full all the time on time), they like to keep you happy.   Doesn't hurt to call them up and admit your mistake and ask them to waive any late payment charges.  (my dad always said, "the worse they can say is no")

Happened to me recently.  Just call and ask nicely, I know Chase will automatically approve 1-2 times per year

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

[Alfred J Quack]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't know if it works in the US, but I know if screw up and am a day or two late, I can often get the company to waive the interest charge, since it's something I almost never do....or if I fumble finger paying a bill and under pay by a very small amount.....when you're a good customer (pays in full all the time on time), they like to keep you happy.   Doesn't hurt to call them up and admit your mistake and ask them to waive any late payment charges.  (my dad always said, "the worse they can say is no")

Happened to me recently.  Just call and ask nicely, I know Chase will automatically approve 1-2 times per year

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

I'm not in the US but all but all my bills are on automatic and I never have issues. The only time I thought I had an issue was when the mortgage wasn't on the list 3 days after it was due. I called the bank and asked if the invoice bounced because I was possibly overdrawn or something but no, the bank had a system failure and was a few days late :D

Due to the SEPA rules in the EU I can also see upcoming transactions a.couple of days in advance too. If I missed something this gives me plenty of time to move monies between the savings and regular accounts :)

[Hirondelle]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

[Raenia]

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

Only sometimes, unfortunately.  Many service providers allow automatic bill pay, but that has to be set up on their end, not from the bank's end.  Credit cards almost always allow this, and we also have our electric bill set up this way.  Other recurring payments can be set up through the bank, but only if the payment amount is exactly the same every month.  We pay our rent this way.  However, our gas/heating bill does not have an auto-pay set up available on their end, and since the payment varies month to month, we can't set it up from the bank side.  We have to set up each payment individually after we receive the bill amount.  It's archaic and idiotic.

[RWD]

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

Only sometimes, unfortunately.  Many service providers allow automatic bill pay, but that has to be set up on their end, not from the bank's end.  Credit cards almost always allow this, and we also have our electric bill set up this way.  Other recurring payments can be set up through the bank, but only if the payment amount is exactly the same every month.  We pay our rent this way.  However, our gas/heating bill does not have an auto-pay set up available on their end, and since the payment varies month to month, we can't set it up from the bank side.  We have to set up each payment individually after we receive the bill amount.  It's archaic and idiotic.

I had autopay setup on our utilities bill through their website. Apparently it wasn't actually automated because they shut off our power for non-payment when they forgot to pull the payment...

[Imma]

We retired in May of this year.

I lost track of what day it was and was late paying the bills this week!   Oops!

I'm having to change my system on how I do things because the regular workweek and its structure don't apply anymore.

Don't know if it works in the US, but I know if screw up and am a day or two late, I can often get the company to waive the interest charge, since it's something I almost never do....or if I fumble finger paying a bill and under pay by a very small amount.....when you're a good customer (pays in full all the time on time), they like to keep you happy.   Doesn't hurt to call them up and admit your mistake and ask them to waive any late payment charges.  (my dad always said, "the worse they can say is no")

Happened to me recently.  Just call and ask nicely, I know Chase will automatically approve 1-2 times per year

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

I'm not in the US but all but all my bills are on automatic and I never have issues. The only time I thought I had an issue was when the mortgage wasn't on the list 3 days after it was due. I called the bank and asked if the invoice bounced because I was possibly overdrawn or something but no, the bank had a system failure and was a few days late :D

Due to the SEPA rules in the EU I can also see upcoming transactions a.couple of days in advance too. If I missed something this gives me plenty of time to move monies between the savings and regular accounts :)

I do the same thing. On pay day, a set amount of money is transferred from my account to the bills account and all bills are automatically paid through that account. There are other set payments to investments and savings and there's only a couple of hundred of spending money left in my account the next day. Works perfectly. The bank sends us a message in case something goes wrong (when I'm paid a day late or something) otherwise I only login about once a week to check.

[Linea_Norway]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

Is a hole between the thighs? In that case you can repair it. Just stitch a piece of cloth on the inside covering the hole and then stitch crisscross many times over the hole. Then you can wear your trousers a couple of months longer.

[Hirondelle]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

Is a hole between the thighs? In that case you can repair it. Just stitch a piece of cloth on the inside covering the hole and then stitch crisscross many times over the hole. Then you can wear your trousers a couple of months longer.

That was my intention, hence I had kept the older jeans. Just forgotten about them. Plus I'm not much of a sewing hero so kind of hesitant to try. But I'll force myself to do it some time! Now I have 2 pairs of jeans to practice :')

[4alpacas]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

Is a hole between the thighs? In that case you can repair it. Just stitch a piece of cloth on the inside covering the hole and then stitch crisscross many times over the hole. Then you can wear your trousers a couple of months longer.

That was my intention, hence I had kept the older jeans. Just forgotten about them. Plus I'm not much of a sewing hero so kind of hesitant to try. But I'll force myself to do it some time! Now I have 2 pairs of jeans to practice :')

I used an iron-on patch (paid $2 for 3 patches ~3"x4") for my favorite jeans.  No sewing required.

[Fomerly known as something]

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

Only sometimes, unfortunately.  Many service providers allow automatic bill pay, but that has to be set up on their end, not from the bank's end.  Credit cards almost always allow this, and we also have our electric bill set up this way.  Other recurring payments can be set up through the bank, but only if the payment amount is exactly the same every month.  We pay our rent this way.  However, our gas/heating bill does not have an auto-pay set up available on their end, and since the payment varies month to month, we can't set it up from the bank side.  We have to set up each payment individually after we receive the bill amount.  It's archaic and idiotic.

Where the heck do you live in the US because other than for about a year when I was living in Rural Georgia I've never had a utility not be able to accept auto-pay

[PhilB]

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

Only sometimes, unfortunately.  Many service providers allow automatic bill pay, but that has to be set up on their end, not from the bank's end.  Credit cards almost always allow this, and we also have our electric bill set up this way.  Other recurring payments can be set up through the bank, but only if the payment amount is exactly the same every month.  We pay our rent this way.  However, our gas/heating bill does not have an auto-pay set up available on their end, and since the payment varies month to month, we can't set it up from the bank side.  We have to set up each payment individually after we receive the bill amount.  It's archaic and idiotic.

Where the heck do you live in the US because other than for about a year when I was living in Rural Georgia I've never had a utility not be able to accept auto-pay

Here in the UK not only do utility companies accept automatic payments, but they give you quite a decent discount for paying that way as it saves them so much effort in chasing debts.

[Linea_Norway]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

Is a hole between the thighs? In that case you can repair it. Just stitch a piece of cloth on the inside covering the hole and then stitch crisscross many times over the hole. Then you can wear your trousers a couple of months longer.

That was my intention, hence I had kept the older jeans. Just forgotten about them. Plus I'm not much of a sewing hero so kind of hesitant to try. But I'll force myself to do it some time! Now I have 2 pairs of jeans to practice :')

I am also everything but a sewing hero and I managed it on one of my trousers.

[Raenia]

Don't you Americans have systems in your bank that can pay your bills automatically? I have that on all bills that come regularly. That saves so much hassle. I get an email about each one to inform me.

Only sometimes, unfortunately.  Many service providers allow automatic bill pay, but that has to be set up on their end, not from the bank's end.  Credit cards almost always allow this, and we also have our electric bill set up this way.  Other recurring payments can be set up through the bank, but only if the payment amount is exactly the same every month.  We pay our rent this way.  However, our gas/heating bill does not have an auto-pay set up available on their end, and since the payment varies month to month, we can't set it up from the bank side.  We have to set up each payment individually after we receive the bill amount.  It's archaic and idiotic.

Where the heck do you live in the US because other than for about a year when I was living in Rural Georgia I've never had a utility not be able to accept auto-pay

Greater Philadelphia area.  I said it's archaic and idiotic, there's no excuse not to be able to set up auto-pay in this day and age.  And yet, here we are.

[PhilB]

Yesterday, I noticed a whole in my favorite jeans. This morning, I tried to figure what to wear as my other pair of jeans just isn't as comfy and have smaller pockets then I'd like. I was happy to find another pair of black jeans in my closet and put them on. Turns out, it has a similar hole that I noticed as soon as I went to the bathroom (thank god before I headed to work) and that was why it was so tucked away in the closet :(. As I never go shopping out of shopping hate (this extends to online shopping) I literally didn't have any other jeans to wear to work.

So less-comfy jeans there we go.

Is a hole between the thighs? In that case you can repair it. Just stitch a piece of cloth on the inside covering the hole and then stitch crisscross many times over the hole. Then you can wear your trousers a couple of months longer.

That was my intention, hence I had kept the older jeans. Just forgotten about them. Plus I'm not much of a sewing hero so kind of hesitant to try. But I'll force myself to do it some time! Now I have 2 pairs of jeans to practice :')

I am also everything but a sewing hero and I managed it on one of my trousers.

Or recycle them - I made a very nice bow tie from some striped trousers of my then girlfriend!

[Imma]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

[Zaga]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

Do you specifically only use real denim, or do you also use the so-called denim that stretches?

[Trifle]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

This is cool, Imma.  What do you put inside the quilt/between the denim layers? 

[Playing with Fire UK]

The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

I was concerned that I was wearing jeans out faster than I'd like: the culprit was a rough edge on my (cheap) saddle. I smoothed it down... and then the bike was stolen the next day so I have no idea if it would have worked or not.

[Imma]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

This is cool, Imma.  What do you put inside the quilt/between the denim layers?

Mostly just cheap, ugly fleece blankets that only cost a few €. The discount area at IKEA is one of my favourite places to get them.  For special quilts I sometimes use real quilt batting, but it's a lot more expensive and not always easy to wash. What I really like about working with denim is that every piece of fabric has a slightly different colour, so even a very simple pattern will look special.

[Trifle]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

This is cool, Imma.  What do you put inside the quilt/between the denim layers?

Mostly just cheap, ugly fleece blankets that only cost a few €. The discount area at IKEA is one of my favourite places to get them.  For special quilts I sometimes use real quilt batting, but it's a lot more expensive and not always easy to wash. What I really like about working with denim is that every piece of fabric has a slightly different colour, so even a very simple pattern will look special.

Thanks!

[Bracken_Joy]

I'm pretty good at sewing, I make most of my own clothes, but repairing jeans on the inside of the leg just doesn't work for me. I know how to do it, and I try to, but they rip again after wearing them one or two times. I think it's because there's such a large part of the fabric that's completely worn out (larger than my hand usually) the interfacing just has nothing to hold on to. The pattern of wear is probably different for every person, it has to do with the way your legs are shaped and where they rub together or rub an object. I know it has to do with cycling in my case.

What I do with old jeans is I cut them up in strips and squares and use them to make quilts! You can make very nice, warm, easily washable blankets from old jeans. My denim quilts are on our own bed and the guest bed and they're popular with everyone who's tried them. I get to make a lot of them now because several people give me their old jeans, including a family with 4 teenage boys.

I'm not surprised people love them. Have you heard of those weighted blankets people love so much? I recently got to stay a couple night under one, and holy cow it's neat! Given the weight of denim, I bet it works similarly- I love a good heavy quilt, and denim would have good weight with little bulk.

[ixtap]

My parents have helped my sisters financially but not me since I didn't need it.

I didn't gain anything from reading a Dave Ramsey book and saw that I was saving more money than he suggested (lots of my coworkers are big Dave Ramsey fans).

The first one happens a lot.

People tend to give a lot of financial advice when we happen to mention travelling full time. Dave Ramsey is not going to help anyone retire in their 40s (or before 40, in my husband's case) to travel the world, no matter how much he has helped my cousin get out of debt.

DH was on track to contribute so much to after tax 401K that he wouldn't have been able to max out pre tax and get full match for the year. Evidently, the new paychecks will finally cover expenses and we need to figure out what to do with our taxable savings again.

[Linea_Norway]

I seldom buy lunch at the office. Today I went there to pick up the fruit basket for my department and I saw they has brownie that looked very tempting. I checked the balance on my card (which is on my door card, so I'm always wearing it) and it still had a high balance on it. Then I was tempted to buy a piece. I selected "cake" on the screen and the screen didn't make a beep and didn't make a visible move. So I press once more. Then I remember that, maybe it was registered after all. And indeed, my cake was there. So I press "pay" and then find out I paid for 2 brownies. The cafeteria personnel could not undo the transaction. I was encouraged to take two, as I had paid for it.
The price for 2 pieces of brownies is about the price of a whole package of ready-to-go brownie mixture in the shop.
So, 3 1/2 USD splurged on brownie today. At least, the 2 pieces tasted well.

[gaja]

I checked the online bank, and it is clear that DH is heading for a (bipolar) high. The last few days he has used his card at 7 different grocery stores, and two hardware stores. But it is difficult for me to explain, and him to understand, why it is important to stop this shopping spree when the total spent is less than $40, and everything is stuff we need.

[Sibley]

I checked the online bank, and it is clear that DH is heading for a (bipolar) high. The last few days he has used his card at 7 different grocery stores, and two hardware stores. But it is difficult for me to explain, and him to understand, why it is important to stop this shopping spree when the total spent is less than $40, and everything is stuff we need.

"Because while we needed this stuff, and it was only $40 total, that doesn't mean that the PATTERN is healthy."

Is he medicated? Can you communicate with him/dr the coming high?

[gaja]

I checked the online bank, and it is clear that DH is heading for a (bipolar) high. The last few days he has used his card at 7 different grocery stores, and two hardware stores. But it is difficult for me to explain, and him to understand, why it is important to stop this shopping spree when the total spent is less than $40, and everything is stuff we need.

"Because while we needed this stuff, and it was only $40 total, that doesn't mean that the PATTERN is healthy."

Is he medicated? Can you communicate with him/dr the coming high?

Yep; heading for the shrink today :)

I am (slowly) getting through to him. But in the middle of the stress of bipolarity, it is a relief that frugality is getting so ingrained that a spending spree is just a few bucks. In my world, this is a big win!

[Sibley]

I checked the online bank, and it is clear that DH is heading for a (bipolar) high. The last few days he has used his card at 7 different grocery stores, and two hardware stores. But it is difficult for me to explain, and him to understand, why it is important to stop this shopping spree when the total spent is less than $40, and everything is stuff we need.

"Because while we needed this stuff, and it was only $40 total, that doesn't mean that the PATTERN is healthy."

Is he medicated? Can you communicate with him/dr the coming high?

Yep; heading for the shrink today :)

I am (slowly) getting through to him. But in the middle of the stress of bipolarity, it is a relief that frugality is getting so ingrained that a spending spree is just a few bucks. In my world, this is a big win!

Thank goodness for doctors and effective medications. Wish everyone were as on top of things as you are! Hope the meds, whatever they are, work efficiently to smooth the ride. (My neighbor is dx'd bipolar, causing havoc, I need to go file a police report, just spent $1500 on a camera system to document her brand of crazy, will end up with a restraining order at some point is my guess)

[gaja]

Thank you for the kind comments!

We are very happy with the current medications and psychological help. It was much more challenging before he got the diagnosis, especially when he was put on anti depressants that triggered mania. But since his mania of choice is diy, the cost has never been crazy high, and a lot of the stuff can be sold for good prices afterwards. Our biggest problem has really been the aftermaths of the highs, because the low periods can be so full of anxiety that post goes unopened and bills go unpaid. We have agreed that bills and budgeting is my job, so it is almost never an issue anymore.

He is closer to a type 2, that a type 1, but based on family history that can change. I really hope we will avoid psychosis. A neighbor got that, and their spouse got into trouble because they didn’t have access to all the personal accounts. I think I can keep us floating for a long time on my income, but am considering getting some sort of signed power of attorney, just in case.

[ixtap]

The only thing I hate more than selling things on Craigslist is the idea of throwing out functional things. They just aren't functional for our needs.

[Linea_Norway]

I currently have a state pension where my employer and me pay a fixed percentage of my salary to the pension fund. My employer is now introducing a new pension, that pays in 7% of your income up to a certain amount and 20% over that amount. My salary is normally about 10% above that limit. Those percentages are about the highest you can get in Norway for that type of pension. Most companies do 5% - 8%. And the worst only 2% - 3%.

From next month I will be working only 80%, which is to save my health and sanity. Then my salary will drop by 20% and I will not reach that amount to receive the 20% pension. :-(

At least, it won't be for long hopefully, as I hope to FIRE in 2019 or 2020.

[ixtap]

I currently have a state pension where my employer and me pay a fixed percentage of my salary to the pension fund. My employer is now introducing a new pension, that pays in 7% of your income up to a certain amount and 20% over that amount. My salary is normally about 10% above that limit. Those percentages are about the highest you can get in Norway for that type of pension. Most companies do 5% - 8%. And the wordt only 2% - 3%.

From next month I will be working only 80%, which is to save my health and sanity. Then my salary will drop by 20% and I will not reach that amount to receive the 20% pension. :-(

At least, it won't be for long hopefully, as I hope to FIRE in 2019 or 2020.

Your pension benefit increases as a percentage as you earn more?

[lemanfan]

Your pension benefit increases as a percentage as you earn more?

We have a similar situation in Sweden. For white-collar pension setups the employer contribution is normally (or "often but not always") 4,5% of the salary up to a certain point, and 30% of the salary above that.  The reason for this "knee" in the curve is that the public pension system built in to the tax system stops adding more pension benefits at that knee. So to "ensure" that people get a pension that is closer to a certain percentage of their working income, the employer contributions increase when the public pension stops increasing.

The reason why I said "most but not always" is that this is based on the collective bargaining agreement in place for white collar jobs here in Sweden and companies who are not a part of those agreement often follow that model anyway.  Blue collar unions have negotiated a slightly different setup for them if I understand correctly.

So the total salary cost for an employer in Sweden is typically:

- Normal pre-tax salary (which is taxed between 30% and 58% before it reaches the person)
- "Social fees" or "Employer fees" or 31,42% of the pre-tax salary (this includes the tax based pension contributions)
- Pension contributions of at least 4,5% of the pre-tax salary to private solutions, typically in insurance companies where the employee can select his own funds to invest in.

This means that for a high earner, an increase in base salary of 1000 SEK will cost the employer 1000 + 314 + 300 = 1614 SEK, while only 420 SEK will end up in the bank account of the employee (and 300 in their pension account, less fees from the insurance companies)

Then there are other more hidden costs for the employer like vacation rights (minimum 5 weeks / year), illness (where the employer pays for the first two weeks, basically and then the government takes over) and a bunch of more or less mandatory insurances.

( For any swedes reading this, the model I refer to is the defined contribution model of ITP1.  If you're old enough and work at a company that uses the defined benefit-model of ITP2, the employer contributions to the pension system can be significantly higher.  )

[Freedomin5]

Here’s an MPP that just crossed my mind today:

In 2015, I selected my username as a reminder that I wanted to FIRE in 5 years (i.e., 2020). Unfortunately, through hanging out on this forum, I’ve learned so many ways to increase investment income, successfully ask for raises, and minimize expenses, that our net worth has grown exponentially especially over the last couple years, and we are now on track to FIRE in four years.

You guys made my username a lie. You made me a liar. Thanks a lot.

[Bracken_Joy]

Here’s an MPP that just crossed my mind today:

In 2015, I selected my username as a reminder that I wanted to FIRE in 5 years (i.e., 2020). Unfortunately, through hanging out on this forum, I’ve learned so many ways to increase investment income, successfully ask for raises, and minimize expenses, that our net worth has grown exponentially especially over the last couple years, and we are now on track to FIRE in four years.

You guys made my username a lie. You made me a liar. Thanks a lot.

This is a good one! Definitely a MPP =D

[pdxmonkey]

Here’s an MPP that just crossed my mind today:

In 2015, I selected my username as a reminder that I wanted to FIRE in 5 years (i.e., 2020). Unfortunately, through hanging out on this forum, I’ve learned so many ways to increase investment income, successfully ask for raises, and minimize expenses, that our net worth has grown exponentially especially over the last couple years, and we are now on track to FIRE in four years.

You guys made my username a lie. You made me a liar. Thanks a lot.

Well it's 2018 so 4 years is 2022 and 2023 is 5. With a permanent name based on a modifier to the calendar and a moving calendar your name was always going to end up a lie unless you're always planning just five more years until you die. Better just get a new account with the year in it so you can accurately place the blame next time ;)

[RWD]

Here’s an MPP that just crossed my mind today:

In 2015, I selected my username as a reminder that I wanted to FIRE in 5 years (i.e., 2020). Unfortunately, through hanging out on this forum, I’ve learned so many ways to increase investment income, successfully ask for raises, and minimize expenses, that our net worth has grown exponentially especially over the last couple years, and we are now on track to FIRE in four years.

You guys made my username a lie. You made me a liar. Thanks a lot.

Well it's 2018 so 4 years is 2022 and 2023 is 5. With a permanent name based on a modifier to the calendar and a moving calendar your name was always going to end up a lie unless you're always planning just five more years until you die. Better just get a new account with the year in it so you can accurately place the blame next time ;)

Just update the username each year to make a countdown:
Freedomin5
Freedomin54
Freedomin543
Freedomin5432
Freedomin54321
Freedom!