Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[dragoncar]

They should really charge by bathroom.  I’ll volunteer to share the toilet with slackmax

[snowball]

Slackmax - I'd let it go.  Go have a good time at your mom's 90th birthday party and make memories.

You only get to make those memories once.

Mustachianism isn't...really...about being frugal, exactly.  It's about making good choices, having a good life, and prioritizing relationships with your loved ones over consumerism...or over the occasional $200.

Going along with this doesn't make you a victim here*.  It just makes you a sensible person who recognizes that we are outliers who exist in a non-frugal society, and sometimes you just need to get along with the group.

*I wonder if that feeling is a thread you might want to explore in therapy?  It sounds like it's an existing sore spot, and like you may be reacting more to some bad memories than to the actual situation that's in front of you right now.  I am a strong proponent of therapy;  I think everyone could use a mental tune-up here and there in their lives, even if they are generally coping fine.

I genuinely think talking this over with a good therapist could be super helpful for you, because the way you describe this...the expectation that you're going to feel bad about it for a whole month...That's a big reaction over $200, and I doubt it's really about the money or about this situation or the people currently in your life.  I think you already know this yourself - you alluded to your divorce - but if you've never gotten therapy, I also think you'd be surprised how much a trained therapist can help you effectively work through this stuff and come to better terms with it.

You don't even necessarily need to pay anything to see a therapist - if you have a professional-type job, your health insurance likely covers some sessions, or you might have access to a separate Employee Assistance Program that will.  If that's your situation, then you're basically leaving money on the table if you DON'T take advantage of this coverage, so it's almost your Mustachian responsibility to get a therapist in order to make sure you're receiving your full compensation from your job, heh.

[snowball]

And that reminds me of an MPP I'm having right now, lol:  since I'm leaving this job in six weeks, I've been working on using up this year's health insurance coverage for various things.  Dental, vision...I've stocked up on contact lenses and I have a final dental cleaning/checkup scheduled right at the end, even though it'll only be five months since my last one.

I was reading over the benefits coverage info to see if there was anything I was missing that I ought to be using, and I ran into this line:  we get $2750 a year to cover...osteopathy, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractors, acupuncture, and...podiatry*.

I have never in my life been tempted to visit an alternative medicine practitioner (what do you call alt-medicine that's been proven to actually work? Conventional medicine!)  But now I find I almost am, lol.  Our insurance company has sufficiently offended me via some sketchy behaviour that I find myself motivated to charge them as much as I can, while I can.  Despite that, I don't think I can bring myself to go see someone who might talk at me about magic energy flows or magic water pills.  (I do 100% believe in the placebo effect, so I am sure some people are genuinely helped by this sort of thing, but I'm definitely not the intended audience.)

*Podiatry?  Huh?  That made me laugh.  One of these things is not like the others!  I can't quite figure out what podiatrists ever did to deserve getting lumped in with homeopaths...if I were a podiatrist, I'd probably be sufficiently offended to write in and complain.

[mspym]

@snowball any aches or pains that might feel better if you got your spine adjusted or some dry-needling? $2750 should pay for a podiatrist check-up and some custom orthotics for both sports and regular shoes... (just trying to help you use up your insurance company's money here)

[snowball]

@snowball any aches or pains that might feel better if you got your spine adjusted or some dry-needling?

I may be overly paranoid, but I feel like going to see a chiropractor is a bit of a gamble as to whether they'll do you more harm than good...I could look into the dry needling though.

$2750 should pay for a podiatrist check-up and some custom orthotics for both sports and regular shoes... (just trying to help you use up your insurance company's money here)

Heh, we are on the same page!  I was calling around the other day looking for a podiatrist, but they seem quite thin on the ground in the private health care system here;  there are some in the public system, but I think I would need a referral and greater justification (and it wouldn't use up the insurance money then anyway).

However, you made me think about it in a slightly different way - there's a private medical centre I could go to and see an orthopedic specialist, and that ought to be mostly covered;  I believe prescription orthotics would be covered too.  Probably not out of the "alt medicine" line - that unused $2750 may continue to be staring me in the face until the end, lol - but "prescribed medical aids" are fully covered, so.  Still contributing toward the goal of spending the insurance company's money!

And I do want to walk the Camino de Santiago next year and also train to run a half-marathon, so I probably ought to get a foot checkup at least. (she says virtuously)

[dividend]

And make sure to snag any leftover food to take home with you.  If they start giving you dirty looks, just ask "well, were you planning pack it in your suitcase?"

Oh, I like that!

Warning: this post is sort of self-therapy for me. Lots of self-involved psychobabble. You
have been warned, lol.

Thanks for the replies, especially the ones that offered a positive way to view things.

I'm still in limbo. I haven't been given my final price by the sister in law yet,
 but the momentum is leaning toward double price.

Here's the clever pricing scheme. She is charging per room, not per person. 5 rooms. $2,000
for the weekend total. So that's $400 per room.  People can share a room and the cost of the room.
I rarely see these relatives so I am uneasy asking them to share my room, and no one has offered.
There are natural pairings like husband and wife, brother and brother, etc to share rooms. But it
looks like the sister in law will be saying "Gee, Bob, nobody wanted to share your room with you, so
unfortunately, sob, sob, you will have to pay the whole $400 for your room, What a darn shame"

I have already told the sister in law I want to share a room, but I haven't said that I would
refuse to pay $400 for a room if no one shares with me.

Maybe I ought to find some non-relative who wants to go to the shore, and invite him/her to
go with me, to share the cost, lol.     

My plan right now is to do nothing, with the expectation that I'll be charged $400. I'll try to fell
like a nice, generous guy, and not like a played victim. I was definitely a played victim in
my divorce, and I think whenever that victim theme pops up I overreact and start obsessing. Never again.
Never again. Never again. ptsd? lol. Not looking for sympathy, just adding it to the thread. Maybe
this is therapeutic for me. I don't have anyone to talk to about it.

This really wore me down yesterday. I'm surprised by how much it wrecked me, emotionally. As bad as a bad day at w*rk.
I hope I won't obsess over it as much today. I'll stay busy doing stuff.

But I think this maybe is going to be a big weight on me from now until a few days after the whole
thing is over, which is a month away.

This is one of those things that can have a silver lining, but I'm never clever enough to see it.
I know there's a silver lining here somewhere somehow.

And it's just $200! 


Things I will tell myself:

It's only $200.

I get my own private room!

I can rest assured I paid more than "my fair share" and be guilt-free.

The relatives will treat me better. (possibly)
   
You're doing this for your mom, not the relatives.

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.

I will give myself permission to just let it go, allow myself to feel good about life anyway.

You haven't violated your principles.   

It's not fair but so what? You are not condoning it.

You do not need to feel awful about it. You can get over it, and you will. 

You did your best, so you lived up to that principle.

This is what it has come to, and it's time to 'let it go', 'move on', etc. 

The fight is over. Time to rest and recover. Even George Foreman lost now and then.

Your mind will tell you every few hours that you have been ripped off. Just ignore it.

No one will think of you as a played victim ( I hope) But if they do, I may get some
sympathy, lol.     

If you agree to pay the $400, you are not opening the flood gates for more abuse to follow.
 
You can feel morally superior (thanks, merula)

There may be a silver lining here if you are open to it.

I think per room is a totally acceptable way to price it.  I've taken group tour trips where I've happily paid the "single supplement" when I've been solo.

I've also planned group trips, and personally I like the per person split.  Took 11 people to Hawaii and rented a big house and 3 cars, as well as coordinating tickets for things we did as a while group, and a grocery "kitty".  Split it all evenly 11 ways, even though there were couples, singles, and uneven room sizes. Everyone agreed ahead of time. 
There was a couple who bowed out because they couldn't bear the thought of paying the same amount for what they perceived as a lesser room, to the point where they suggested bed-rotations every couple of days.  And there was a person who made a fuss at the end about paying an equal share of the communal groceries because they don't drink soda and didn't want to pay 1/11 of that cost, and one who drank beer instead of the coconut rum the rest of shared.  I used to be that way.  Hell, I still get a separate check at a restaurant if I'm with a group because I want to pay for what I consumed.  But I wasn't gonna stress because the group consumed industrial quantities of sunscreen I partially paid for when I don't need to reapply as often.   Micromanaging making everything equal can come across very petty, and can be destructive to relationships if you're not careful.  It made sense when I was younger and had an actual shoestring budget - $5-10 of unexpected expense, especially when it comes from subsidizing a group tab, had an impact.  But now, I'm happy to stress less and keep it roughly even over time.  I have since drifted apart from the complainy people on that trip.  Don't damage relationships over this. 

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[PMG]

I just changed jobs within my organization and got a 97% salary increase.  I am swamped with learning the new job and now I need to do a whole of of research and rearrange our retirement saving plan right when I am so busy I don’t have personal time.  Gah! We already have a big emergency fund. I don’t need more cash sitting around and I’ve got to worry about tax optimization on a whole new level. I really need to get changes made before that first paycheck is cut but I’m so busy and I had a good plan now I’ve got to rearrange everything. Ugh! Lol.

A 97% raise messing up your carefully crafted plans to save money is TRULY an MPP.

Just an update to add an MPP I’ve seen here before.  I asked about additional pre-tax retirement saving vehicles and HR is pretty sure we have them but they aren’t used often so it will take them a minute to get back to me… we’ll see what they turn up with this week.

Today we upped my spouses contributions to zero out his paycheck….

[Fomerly known as something]

@snowball any aches or pains that might feel better if you got your spine adjusted or some dry-needling?

I may be overly paranoid, but I feel like going to see a chiropractor is a bit of a gamble as to whether they'll do you more harm than good...I could look into the dry needling though.

$2750 should pay for a podiatrist check-up and some custom orthotics for both sports and regular shoes... (just trying to help you use up your insurance company's money here)

Heh, we are on the same page!  I was calling around the other day looking for a podiatrist, but they seem quite thin on the ground in the private health care system here;  there are some in the public system, but I think I would need a referral and greater justification (and it wouldn't use up the insurance money then anyway).

However, you made me think about it in a slightly different way - there's a private medical centre I could go to and see an orthopedic specialist, and that ought to be mostly covered;  I believe prescription orthotics would be covered too.  Probably not out of the "alt medicine" line - that unused $2750 may continue to be staring me in the face until the end, lol - but "prescribed medical aids" are fully covered, so.  Still contributing toward the goal of spending the insurance company's money!

And I do want to walk the Camino de Santiago next year and also train to run a half-marathon, so I probably ought to get a foot checkup at least. (she says virtuously)

Just find a Chiro recommended by serious athletes.  They will do more dry needling, ART and assign you PT like homework than adjustments.

[trashtalk]

Tell me if this counts:

I can’t go through the drive-through at El Pollo Loco because my e-cargo bike isnt heavy enough to trigger the magnet sensor in the drive-through lane that triggers the whole operation.

(It’s ok I got a delicious burrito and Mexican Coke from El Super Taco instead.)

[TomTX]

Tell me if this counts:

I can’t go through the drive-through at El Pollo Loco because my e-cargo bike isnt heavy enough to trigger the magnet sensor in the drive-through lane that triggers the whole operation.

(It’s ok I got a delicious burrito and Mexican Coke from El Super Taco instead.)

Strap some steel dumbells low down on the bike. :D

[ixtap]

Tell me if this counts:

I can’t go through the drive-through at El Pollo Loco because my e-cargo bike isnt heavy enough to trigger the magnet sensor in the drive-through lane that triggers the whole operation.

(It’s ok I got a delicious burrito and Mexican Coke from El Super Taco instead.)

It is generally considered a safety issue to take any bike through the drive thru. I have never understood why, since everyone is moving so slowly it should be easy to see whatever is in front of you, but it is a thing.

[Tinker]

Tell me if this counts:

I can’t go through the drive-through at El Pollo Loco because my e-cargo bike isnt heavy enough to trigger the magnet sensor in the drive-through lane that triggers the whole operation.

(It’s ok I got a delicious burrito and Mexican Coke from El Super Taco instead.)

It is generally considered a safety issue to take any bike through the drive thru. I have never understood why, since everyone is moving so slowly it should be easy to see whatever is in front of you, but it is a thing.

Walking through drive-thrus has been a thing here, before CovPass and other infrastructure was built

[TomTX]

It is generally considered a safety issue to take any bike through the drive thru. I have never understood why, since everyone is moving so slowly it should be easy to see whatever is in front of you, but it is a thing.

I've been biking through drive thru lanes for decades at a variety of places without complaints. Since my bike can be legally used as a vehicle on most* public roads shared with motor vehicles in Texas, I don't see where there would be grounds for a complaint.

Many years ago I did get a complaint when walking through a drive thru.

*Generally not controlled access freeways, which often have speeds of 70+ MPH. This is sensible.

[Dicey]

Back in the '90's, I remember a Burger King in Chico, CA touting its drive through for bicycles as the "first ever". Wonder if it's still there?

[Extramedium]

I have definitely taken my bike through drive-throughs while on long bike rides.  I have very fond memories of being famished after riding 50+ mile, and getting a biscuit and chicken at a Popeye's.  Some of the best food I ever ate, standing over my bike!

[Not Sure]

Mrs. Not Sure and I recently moved to advance her career.  Between said advancing and payouts from both our employers we have maxed all available income deferral accounts and are likely to unwillingly enter the 22% marginal tax bracket for 2021.  The 10% marginal jump in taxation is impacting my desire to reenter the workforce in 2021.

I found another employer that claimed the ability to contribute up to 100% of wages to a 401a but alas the maximum employee contribution is 25%.  That ability to defer an additional 25% of my wages in 2021 and beyond may just get me to sign up though.

If only they were better positioned for bicycle commuting...

[Johnny]

I spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to lower my taxable income. Common deductions like maxing out one's 401k and HSA are standard. I'm now playing with contributing to commuter expenses even though I don't really have any due to Covid-19; essentially loading up on a pretax commuter debit card to top up my subway pass for future use.

[AerynLee]

I left my old job in September 2018. Once I knew my retirement account contributions from my last paycheck had been deposited I closed it out and transferred to my Vanguard IRA around January 2019. Then in April 2019 I received a paycheck for back pay for a union raise that was backdated to before I left. They withheld my old contribution rate and put it in my closed account (plus their generous match at least). Now I have $28 in a retirement account, but it costs $25 to get the money out, either as a direct rollover or as a straight withdrawal. Not worth the hassle to close out, but I'm annoyed at having the extra account

[MudPuppy]

I had a more awkward load than usual to carry inside when my spouse got home from the store. That’s because eggs were a penny cheaper by the individual dozen than they were by the 5 dozen box.

[Morning Glory]

We are trying to use up stuff to move in a couple months but ran out of yeast. Our choices were 4 oz for $5 (Walmart) or 32 oz for 4.89 (Costco).  I ran the numbers on just buying bread for that amount of time and it doesn't work out.  Same for buying the little packets. We got the 32oz.

[pasadenafr]

I'm sore from all the firewood I've been carrying from the common pile up the neighborhood to my home. I should really buy some sort of storage shelf (can't store it outside as my porch isn't protected).

Alternatively, I could un-mustache myself and turn the central heating on.

(Also a rant: why does pine / hemlock / fir wood burn SO DAMN FAST? Give me some oak, people!)

[GuitarStv]

I'm sore from all the firewood I've been carrying from the common pile up the neighborhood to my home. I should really buy some sort of storage shelf (can't store it outside as my porch isn't protected).

You can store firewood outside and it should continue to dry out just fine as long as it's piled properly.  You want to put the bark side up like this to aid in the drying process:



When I was living in Northern Ontario, our house was heated by a wood stove.  Our woodshed wouldn't hold all the wood necessary to get through the winter, so we often had to pile it outside too.  If you live in a place with a ton of rain, you might want to put a tarp over the top half of the wood pile (but leave the bottom open so that moisture from the cut wood can continue to escape).

[pasadenafr]

I'm sore from all the firewood I've been carrying from the common pile up the neighborhood to my home. I should really buy some sort of storage shelf (can't store it outside as my porch isn't protected).

You can store firewood outside and it should continue to dry out just fine as long as it's piled properly.  You want to put the bark side up like this to aid in the drying process:


When I was living in Northern Ontario, our house was heated by a wood stove.  Our woodshed wouldn't hold all the wood necessary to get through the winter, so we often had to pile it outside too.  If you live in a place with a ton of rain, you might want to put a tarp over the top half of the wood pile (but leave the bottom open so that moisture from the cut wood can continue to escape).

I'm in a townhome and my back porch is rather small and yes, I live in Seattle so rain is a problem. Besides, apparently the HOA doesn't allow us to pile too much wood where it's visible (*rolls eyes*). So I could, and use my BBQ's tarp on top, but it would only be a few days' worth. Might do it just so I don't have to buy a shelf.

That being said, I spoke with my neighbor (he's the one cutting the wood), and he showed me another pile that is closer to our houses. It's newer, which is why I didn't know about it, and the wood is a little more green, but dry enough for use this year. I tried it and it worked great. Dry enough to be easy to light up, not much more smoke, burns a little longer (still not long enough lol) and I enjoy all the crackling and the smell.

[GuitarStv]

burns a little longer (still not long enough lol) and I enjoy all the crackling and the smell.

As long as you're not getting out of bed three times a night to toss logs on to keep the house from freezing I figure it's burning long enough.  :P

[pasadenafr]

burns a little longer (still not long enough lol) and I enjoy all the crackling and the smell.

As long as you're not getting out of bed three times a night to toss logs on to keep the house from freezing I figure it's burning long enough.  :P

Nah, I light it up when I get up in the morning, and feed it / restart it a few times. I find that even though it doesn't actually heat the place (as per my thermostat), it does take away the humidity and that's enough for me to be comfortable. Will be fine as long as the highs stay in the 50's. I've made improvements in my storage method and now I can stock up enough for a couple of days at a time. No need for a dedicated storage shelf anymore 😁 (ok it's not pretty but then I live alone and it's kinda hidden in a corner behind the fireplace).

[ixtap]

Just upped MBR contributions to 50%. We also pay taxes (as one does) and contribute to ESPP. I guess the next few months are a trial run at cash flow management without a paycheck...

[havregryn]

I think this is a Mustachian people problem -  I am preparing to go back to full time work after a long time at home (had a baby in December 2019 and stayed home all this time to make it easier for the family to weather the covid period) and we got completely used to living on one income and still saving. Now we are about to get the firehose of cash that is my (substantial) salary back into our budget so I wanted to "treat" myself and us and I don't know, buy something. But I don't know what to buy. There is absolutely nothing we want or need that I wouldn't buy otherwise and that wouldn't fit the budget without my income just fine.

Now, I know how this sounds but I am LITERALLY beginning to worry there is something wrong with me and I don't know how to live in capitalism.

I thought OK, I'll go get some new clothes but then I found prices of everything designer-ish ridiculous and everything basic felt unnecessary so I went and bought some "fancier" stuff on a second hand online shop (and spent a minuscule amount of money given that we live in one of the highest COL areas on the planet) so that didn't really register as any real spending on our already generous budget (very, very high COL here).

Kids are at school as we can't just go and travel (that's our only indulgent budget item), so I am all out of ideas.

I know I don't have to spend money for the sake of spending money to validate the fact I am earning it (lol) but I still feel weird about it (thank you, society).

[Not Sure]

I know I don't have to spend money for the sake of spending money to validate the fact I am earning it (lol) but I still feel weird about it (thank you, society).

Awesome!  Celebrate by maxing another 401k?

[ToTheMoon]

Is there a child/youth centre that could use some sprucing up? Donations/larger donations to charity?

I think you have the biggest mustachian people problem of all - too much money! :D

[havregryn]

I know I don't have to spend money for the sake of spending money to validate the fact I am earning it (lol) but I still feel weird about it (thank you, society).

Awesome!  Celebrate by maxing another 401k?

We live in Europe (Luxembourg) so we don't have those, we have some vaguely similar things (with much lower limits) that we have maxed out ages ago. There is nothing for us to do now but to put everything I bring home into taxable investments (which we will eventually do after maybe sitting on it for too long wondering about potential upgrades to our housing situation) .
It's just...I don't know...it feels weird. I honestly thought I would have fun doing some mindless shopping just because and instead it filled me with existential angst.

I think I will go with the option to make a donation, but not here (this is literally a golden castle and a global tax haven, this place has some serious $$$ and poor people moved to surrounding countries long ago), my home country is poor and there are many causes there I want to support. What sucks with that and why I don't do more of this to begin with is that I find it hard to find truly trustworthy organisations over there. I did a lot of volunteering in my youth and I have seen things I can't unsee.

[ixtap]

I went ahead and paid the dentist my portion for new braces. Picked up mail in the way home to find the new card with a bonus offer and a slightly better rate. Since we will use the new card for spending over the next couple of months, we will get the bonus, but lost out on nearly $18 in additional cash back :(

[zolotiyeruki]

Now, I know how this sounds but I am LITERALLY beginning to worry there is something wrong with me and I don't know how to live in consumerism.

FTFY. 

Investing all that extra cash?  Great!  Do you realize that what you're "splurging on" is years of freedom from having to work?  That, to me, is one of the greatest luxuries of all--complete control over your own time.

[sonofsven]

burns a little longer (still not long enough lol) and I enjoy all the crackling and the smell.

As long as you're not getting out of bed three times a night to toss logs on to keep the house from freezing I figure it's burning long enough.  :P

It's like you know me.

Passadenafr: sounds like you're burning wood that's a little wet; that's not ideal but it happens.
Just make sure to get your chimney cleaned regularly, wet wood will build up creosote faster, and if you ever do have a chimney fire you'll never want to have another.
Safety Sal, out.

My problem: I do the bank account bonus thing and on the last one it took US Bank  five weeks to post my $400 bonus!

[Mighty Eyebrows]

But I don't know what to buy. There is absolutely nothing we want or need that I wouldn't buy otherwise and that wouldn't fit the budget without my income just fine.

I have this same problem. My frugality is so ingrained that it is hard to think of any material thing to "treat" myself. It is physically painful to buy anything I don't need.

However, you could treat your significant other to a trip and take some time away (if you can). If children are an issue, engage relatives or friends to make enough space.

Also, you could take up a new and creative hobby. Then buying a few necessary tools doesn't feel wasteful. Plus, you get to create something cool.

[Siebrie]

My MPP: 'Free Roadside Assistance Insurance with [major gas station chain] for as long as you fill up your tank 40l/month!' I don't.....

[Sugaree]

My MPP today is that I think I'm about to be offered a job that I really, really don't want and I'm not sure what the best way to turn it down will be without burning bridges that could affect the job I really do want in the future.

[frugalnacho]

Doing some home renovations and charged about $4k on cc for building materials.  I wanted to balance my checking account and square everything away so I paid the bill early, but the auto payment ended up going through about 2 weeks later for the full amount.  Now my checking account balance is out of whack, and I have a -$4k balance on one of my cards.  Now I have to go specifically request they pay me instead of just leaving the balance.  Or just leaving it for like 6 months until they automatically do it.

[merula]

My MPP today is that I think I'm about to be offered a job that I really, really don't want and I'm not sure what the best way to turn it down will be without burning bridges that could affect the job I really do want in the future.

I actually just went through this. My approach was (1) complete honesty with those involved who I could be totally honest with and (2) telling everyone else that I'm deeply committed to A, B and C, which makes the job focused on X, Y and Z a poor fit for me.

I ended up getting the job I really wanted, at a 20% raise too. Which creates the MPP that I'm now on a faster track to FIRE but in a job I could see myself as being a SWAMI in for the first time ever.

[gaja]

My job had a merger in 2020, and changed for the worse. Now they are considering splitting up again. It will be decided in February. I've decided that if it doesn't happen, I'll quit and either barista-FIRE (could survive well e.g. working as a teacher a couple of days a week, or renting out cottages at the homestead) or find a new and better job closer to where the kids will attend school.

My MPP: I really, really want the business to split up again, as it will be the best for the society as a whole (governmental institution). But if they do, I would want to stay around at get it back on track, and have fun with my colleagues. And as time goes and the homestead improves, I get less and less inclined to spend too much time away from it and the family. So sometimes I catch myself in hoping for the merger to stick, so I can have an excuse to quit.

[Steeze]

DW put her notice in at work... our household income is dropping by 40%,  healthcare costs will quadruple and now we can only invest $5k a month. Sad.

[Adventine]

DW put her notice in at work... our household income is dropping by 40%,  healthcare costs will quadruple and now we can only invest $5k a month. Sad.

Oh, the tragedy! :P

[ixtap]

Last year's open enrollment documents didn't mention the traditional "use the campus health center for an additional HSA bonus contribution," so we did higher than usual payroll deductions to the HSA. And did not readjust when we realized we were indeed getting those contributions. All the incentive bonuses seem to be coming by paycheck, but I am a little worried we may miss out on the last bit of seed money in December. And we just won't know until that paycheck comes two months from now because DH is not going to waste a single moment contacting anyone (his employment and his HSA, I just make recommendations), so why do I care so much?! I have made more than that in CC card bonuses this year.

Which brings me to another MPP: we have gotten informed delivery since we had our mail held for a month over the summer. Everything comes like clockwork on the day it is scanned. Except a CC bonus check. Three days after being scanned, it still hadn't arrived, so I did something I hate doing: I picked up the phone and called customer service. The rewards are to be redeposited in my account and the check canceled. Guess what finally showed up on the fourth day, clearly mangled and with codes handwritten all over it? Now I have to figure this all out all over again. Heaven forbid I use that card which only earns 1.5% just to be able to use the rewards as statement credit!

[secondcor521]

Which brings me to another MPP: we have gotten informed delivery since we had our mail held for a month over the summer. Everything comes like clockwork on the day it is scanned. Except a CC bonus check. Three days after being scanned, it still hadn't arrived, so I did something I hate doing: I picked up the phone and called customer service. The rewards are to be redeposited in my account and the check canceled. Guess what finally showed up on the fourth day, clearly mangled and with codes handwritten all over it? Now I have to figure this all out all over again. Heaven forbid I use that card which only earns 1.5% just to be able to use the rewards as statement credit!

Bit of a hassle, and you may not want to do it with your mail troubles, but the CC company will send you the statement credit as a check for free.  I've even had a CC deposit the credit balance into my bank account once or twice, which is even slicker.

[Taran Wanderer]

I looked back at our non-tax spending over the last several years. It’s been pretty consistent since we moved into the bigger house, but our income has doubled. Taxes are up, too, but the amount of surplus each month is a little astonishing even after maxing out employer and IRA retirement options. It’s tempting to spend on something, but we can’t think of anything that would make our lives better. Alas, we will just keep investing the surplus.

[ixtap]

Which brings me to another MPP: we have gotten informed delivery since we had our mail held for a month over the summer. Everything comes like clockwork on the day it is scanned. Except a CC bonus check. Three days after being scanned, it still hadn't arrived, so I did something I hate doing: I picked up the phone and called customer service. The rewards are to be redeposited in my account and the check canceled. Guess what finally showed up on the fourth day, clearly mangled and with codes handwritten all over it? Now I have to figure this all out all over again. Heaven forbid I use that card which only earns 1.5% just to be able to use the rewards as statement credit!

Bit of a hassle, and you may not want to do it with your mail troubles, but the CC company will send you the statement credit as a check for free.  I've even had a CC deposit the credit balance into my bank account once or twice, which is even slicker.

That is what this check was supposed to be. They don't have a dd option, I would have started there!

[DadJokes]

Because of the improved child tax credit, we are doing less pre-tax investing and more Roth investing.  As a result, our AGI is now going to be too high to get the retirement savings tax credit.

[TrMama]

My latest problem is that apparently I only know how to shovel money into my accounts. I seem to suck at the mechanics of spending large amounts.

We had a heat pump installed in August that cost $20K. NBD I thought, we have plenty of cash in a savings account. I can either increase the credit limit on my cc (which is currently only $10K) or do an etransfer. Except that when I tried to increase my credit limit, the bank never picked up the phone and just left me as caller #3 on hold. No matter what time of day I called, or how long I waited, I was still always caller #3. Their online mechanism to request an increase had a similar outcome. It's been 2 months and I still haven't heard back about my online request.

That's fine I thought, I'll just send an etransfer for the entire amount. I know I've done those before for larger payments. Except apparently both banks we deal with now have a limit of only $3K/transfer/24h. That's a lot of transfers for a $20K invoice, and each one costs $1.

In the end I think I did something like 4 etransfers (from 2 different accounts) and then paid the balance on the cc.

The whole episode was kind of embarrassing and a massive PITA.

[secondcor521]

That's fine I thought, I'll just send an etransfer for the entire amount. I know I've done those before for larger payments. Except apparently both banks we deal with now have a limit of only $3K/transfer/24h. That's a lot of transfers for a $20K invoice, and each one costs $1.

Sometimes banks will increase the transfer limit either temporarily or permanently if you call and ask.  Assuming you can get a hold of anyone.

[Taran Wanderer]

You have to pay money to transfer money? Time to get a new bank. I’ve transferred $25,000 or $50,000 at a time and had zero issues or costs.

[NorCal]

My latest problem is that apparently I only know how to shovel money into my accounts. I seem to suck at the mechanics of spending large amounts.

We had a heat pump installed in August that cost $20K. NBD I thought, we have plenty of cash in a savings account. I can either increase the credit limit on my cc (which is currently only $10K) or do an etransfer. Except that when I tried to increase my credit limit, the bank never picked up the phone and just left me as caller #3 on hold. No matter what time of day I called, or how long I waited, I was still always caller #3. Their online mechanism to request an increase had a similar outcome. It's been 2 months and I still haven't heard back about my online request.

That's fine I thought, I'll just send an etransfer for the entire amount. I know I've done those before for larger payments. Except apparently both banks we deal with now have a limit of only $3K/transfer/24h. That's a lot of transfers for a $20K invoice, and each one costs $1.

In the end I think I did something like 4 etransfers (from 2 different accounts) and then paid the balance on the cc.

The whole episode was kind of embarrassing and a massive PITA.

One thing to look into is whether the limits vary depending on which institution initiates the transfer.  “Push” transfers often have different limits than “Pull” transfers.

For example, when I initiate a transfer from USAA to Schwab, there’s a $5k or $10k limit. However, if I initiate that same transfer from Schwab, there is no limit.  Try setting up your accounts from the other institution before you change firms.