Author Topic: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)  (Read 5086592 times)

Zaga

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6300 on: May 02, 2019, 04:20:51 PM »

The waste doesn't concern me, it's the time wasted.  I have to run my kitchen faucet for like 3 full minutes before it gets hot.  It's insanely frustrating to have to use cold water, or if I really need it hot and it hasn't been used in hours I have to just leave it running and walk away so it can warm up.  I don't understand it either, because my kitchen sink is only like 20 feet away from the water heater in the basement.  I don't understand how it takes so long for hot water to make it's way up. 


Our old home had had a water filtration unit added into the water flow.  The hot water heater was at the back of the house, 10 ft from the kitchen sink.  The big filtration unit was added to the crawlspace in the front of the house.   So, the water was piped to the front of the house and then back to the kitchen.   Except before we moved in, the filtration unit had been removed.   The in and out pipes were joined up so the water still made that long trip.   Took us awhile to figure out what was going on.

Hope that helps!
Wow, and I thought my house was plumbed stupid!

Alfred J Quack

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6301 on: May 03, 2019, 01:44:10 AM »
I’ve considered a heating loop, but it would never make financial sense given I only waste a few gallons of water waiting for it to get warm. I usually will try to repurpose that water for something else but it’s not always possible.  Would be really nice to have a seconds drain that just goes outside to the plants
The heating loop is likely to be much worse considering the amount of energy needed to keep the loop at safe temperature (you don't want it too low because of legionnaires disease).

It's probably better to add a small boiler which is filled by the main. Instant hot water without much loss if it's properly insulated.

dragoncar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6302 on: May 03, 2019, 04:43:05 AM »
I’ve considered a heating loop, but it would never make financial sense given I only waste a few gallons of water waiting for it to get warm. I usually will try to repurpose that water for something else but it’s not always possible.  Would be really nice to have a seconds drain that just goes outside to the plants
I ran the numbers once, and it's way less waste than that, even.  Our furthest shower wastes about half a gallon waiting for hot water, and our house is not exactly small.

The waste doesn't concern me, it's the time wasted.  I have to run my kitchen faucet for like 3 full minutes before it gets hot.  It's insanely frustrating to have to use cold water, or if I really need it hot and it hasn't been used in hours I have to just leave it running and walk away so it can warm up.  I don't understand it either, because my kitchen sink is only like 20 feet away from the water heater in the basement.  I don't understand how it takes so long for hot water to make it's way up.  The shower is further but warms up much faster because it has a much higher flow rate, but that still takes a few minutes.  And it takes about 10 minutes for the pipes to be fully saturated so every shower is a game of finding the correct setting, then a minute later adjusting it slightly cooler as the hot water fraction of the stream has gotten much hotter, then a minute later adjusting it again.  Or I just blast full on hot water for a few minutes to saturate the line, then dial in the setting I want.

Try a thermostatic valve at the shower.  They aren’t exactly cheap but it’s really nice to set and forget the temp

Just Joe

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6303 on: May 03, 2019, 08:51:34 AM »
Insulate the pipes?

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6304 on: May 03, 2019, 09:16:28 AM »
Insulate the pipes?
That unfortunately doesn't address the issue, which is the energy required to heat up those pipes.  Insulation reduces the energy lost *while* you're taking a shower, and (in theory) will reduce how much hot water you need, but it won't reduce the time to get hot water or the gradual shift in water temperature as the pipes heat up.

BTDretire

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6305 on: May 03, 2019, 09:53:12 AM »
I’ve considered a heating loop, but it would never make financial sense given I only waste a few gallons of water waiting for it to get warm. I usually will try to repurpose that water for something else but it’s not always possible.  Would be really nice to have a seconds drain that just goes outside to the plants
I ran the numbers once, and it's way less waste than that, even.  Our furthest shower wastes about half a gallon waiting for hot water, and our house is not exactly small.

The waste doesn't concern me, it's the time wasted.  I have to run my kitchen faucet for like 3 full minutes before it gets hot.  It's insanely frustrating to have to use cold water, or if I really need it hot and it hasn't been used in hours I have to just leave it running and walk away so it can warm up.  I don't understand it either, because my kitchen sink is only like 20 feet away from the water heater in the basement.  I don't understand how it takes so long for hot water to make it's way up.  The shower is further but warms up much faster because it has a much higher flow rate, but that still takes a few minutes.  And it takes about 10 minutes for the pipes to be fully saturated so every shower is a game of finding the correct setting, then a minute later adjusting it slightly cooler as the hot water fraction of the stream has gotten much hotter, then a minute later adjusting it again.  Or I just blast full on hot water for a few minutes to saturate the line, then dial in the setting I want.

 I had a house with the water heater in the basement, there was an extra pipe that went up to the kitchen faucet, this return line went to the bottom of the water heater. it was a gravity system, the hot water rose causing the water to circulate. I always had hot water at the kitchen faucet it worked very well. Here is an example, although it shows several faucets connected, I only had one.
See the picture here;
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/123464/makewater-heater-gravity-feed
Search term--water heater gravity recirculation line
 Lots of examples.

ixtap

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6306 on: May 03, 2019, 10:36:08 AM »
In our townhouse, the sink that gets hot water the quickest is the half bath. Since we rent, we will do nothing about it, but I am now curious about how much water it takes at each location.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6307 on: May 03, 2019, 12:12:54 PM »
We bought a house last year. After we moved in I discovered they had plumbed hot water to the toilets! It's common to add a small amount of hot water to the cold water to prevent the tank from sweating because water comes out of the ground at less than 40 degrees here. Straight hot water is a new one though. MPP: I'd have to completely redo the plumbing and tear a lot of sheet rock out to fix it. The energy savings would never justify the expense or the materials used but it breaks my heart a little every time I flush hot water down the drain...

dragoncar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6308 on: May 03, 2019, 12:46:05 PM »
Insulate the pipes?
That unfortunately doesn't address the issue, which is the energy required to heat up those pipes.  Insulation reduces the energy lost *while* you're taking a shower, and (in theory) will reduce how much hot water you need, but it won't reduce the time to get hot water or the gradual shift in water temperature as the pipes heat up.

It may not make a noticeable difference, but insulated pipes will definitely heat up faster with less total energy

Imagine trying to heat an uninsulated house vs an insulated one.  We could do the math, but our instincts tell us that we need the energy to heat the thermal mass itself, PLUS the energy to replace what was radiated during the time it took to heat the thermal mass. 


NorCal

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6309 on: May 03, 2019, 01:15:04 PM »
I’ve considered a heating loop, but it would never make financial sense given I only waste a few gallons of water waiting for it to get warm. I usually will try to repurpose that water for something else but it’s not always possible.  Would be really nice to have a seconds drain that just goes outside to the plants
I ran the numbers once, and it's way less waste than that, even.  Our furthest shower wastes about half a gallon waiting for hot water, and our house is not exactly small.

The waste doesn't concern me, it's the time wasted.  I have to run my kitchen faucet for like 3 full minutes before it gets hot.  It's insanely frustrating to have to use cold water, or if I really need it hot and it hasn't been used in hours I have to just leave it running and walk away so it can warm up.  I don't understand it either, because my kitchen sink is only like 20 feet away from the water heater in the basement.  I don't understand how it takes so long for hot water to make it's way up.  The shower is further but warms up much faster because it has a much higher flow rate, but that still takes a few minutes.  And it takes about 10 minutes for the pipes to be fully saturated so every shower is a game of finding the correct setting, then a minute later adjusting it slightly cooler as the hot water fraction of the stream has gotten much hotter, then a minute later adjusting it again.  Or I just blast full on hot water for a few minutes to saturate the line, then dial in the setting I want.

 I had a house with the water heater in the basement, there was an extra pipe that went up to the kitchen faucet, this return line went to the bottom of the water heater. it was a gravity system, the hot water rose causing the water to circulate. I always had hot water at the kitchen faucet it worked very well. Here is an example, although it shows several faucets connected, I only had one.
See the picture here;
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/123464/makewater-heater-gravity-feed
Search term--water heater gravity recirculation line
 Lots of examples.

My house has a water circulating system.  I estimate it costs me $25-35/month in water heating.  It isn't cheap.  I wouldn't replace it if it ever came time to redo plumbing.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6310 on: May 03, 2019, 01:25:11 PM »
Insulate the pipes?
That unfortunately doesn't address the issue, which is the energy required to heat up those pipes.  Insulation reduces the energy lost *while* you're taking a shower, and (in theory) will reduce how much hot water you need, but it won't reduce the time to get hot water or the gradual shift in water temperature as the pipes heat up.

It may not make a noticeable difference, but insulated pipes will definitely heat up faster with less total energy

Imagine trying to heat an uninsulated house vs an insulated one.  We could do the math, but our instincts tell us that we need the energy to heat the thermal mass itself, PLUS the energy to replace what was radiated during the time it took to heat the thermal mass.

Where it might be noticeable is in the time it takes for the water to cool off again. I could see insulating the pipes reducing the percentage of times when you need to wait for the water to warm up. Especially in the kitchen where hot water is used intermittently throughout cooking and then cleaning up.

Zaga

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6311 on: May 03, 2019, 05:16:52 PM »
Our hot water heater is way on one end of a long narrow house, and both kitchens are at the other end.  Fortunately the main bathroom and the laundry and close to the hot water.

We insulated all the hot water pipes throughout the house, but other than that we just run the hot for awhile before running the dishwasher.  It's annoying, but probably less expensive than trying to fix it.  Especially since our water is from a well and our hot water is essentially free from out geothermal system.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6312 on: May 03, 2019, 05:21:32 PM »
Our hot water heater is way on one end of a long narrow house, and both kitchens are at the other end.  Fortunately the main bathroom and the laundry and close to the hot water.

We insulated all the hot water pipes throughout the house, but other than that we just run the hot for awhile before running the dishwasher.  It's annoying, but probably less expensive than trying to fix it.  Especially since our water is from a well and our hot water is essentially free from out geothermal system.

How does that work?  Is your house built on hot magma?

Zaga

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6313 on: May 03, 2019, 05:49:09 PM »
Our hot water heater is way on one end of a long narrow house, and both kitchens are at the other end.  Fortunately the main bathroom and the laundry and close to the hot water.

We insulated all the hot water pipes throughout the house, but other than that we just run the hot for awhile before running the dishwasher.  It's annoying, but probably less expensive than trying to fix it.  Especially since our water is from a well and our hot water is essentially free from out geothermal system.

How does that work?  Is your house built on hot magma?
No, it's a ground source heat pump.  It both heats in winter and cools in summer, plus keeps the water in the tank hot.  When you calculate it based on electricity used it's about 400% efficient.  I love my geothermal furnace!

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6314 on: May 03, 2019, 06:11:17 PM »
Our hot water heater is way on one end of a long narrow house, and both kitchens are at the other end.  Fortunately the main bathroom and the laundry and close to the hot water.

We insulated all the hot water pipes throughout the house, but other than that we just run the hot for awhile before running the dishwasher.  It's annoying, but probably less expensive than trying to fix it.  Especially since our water is from a well and our hot water is essentially free from out geothermal system.

How does that work?  Is your house built on hot magma?
No, it's a ground source heat pump.  It both heats in winter and cools in summer, plus keeps the water in the tank hot.  When you calculate it based on electricity used it's about 400% efficient.  I love my geothermal furnace!

Ah ok I wouldn’t call that free but even my gas water heater is a negligible expense

Zaga

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6315 on: May 03, 2019, 07:16:49 PM »
Our hot water heater is way on one end of a long narrow house, and both kitchens are at the other end.  Fortunately the main bathroom and the laundry and close to the hot water.

We insulated all the hot water pipes throughout the house, but other than that we just run the hot for awhile before running the dishwasher.  It's annoying, but probably less expensive than trying to fix it.  Especially since our water is from a well and our hot water is essentially free from out geothermal system.

How does that work?  Is your house built on hot magma?
No, it's a ground source heat pump.  It both heats in winter and cools in summer, plus keeps the water in the tank hot.  When you calculate it based on electricity used it's about 400% efficient.  I love my geothermal furnace!

Ah ok I wouldn’t call that free but even my gas water heater is a negligible expense
We would have had to pay 17000 just to get gas to our house, so we opted not to bother.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6316 on: May 06, 2019, 09:02:28 AM »
This happened almost 10 years ago but I still laugh to myself thinking about how it must have seemed to others.

When I was 25 I decided to get a nose job and chin implant after wanting one for many years. (non-mustachian for sure but I've never regretted it for a minute as it helped my self-esteem tremendously. I'm actually really glad that I did it back then before we were really mustachian as I probably would feel too guilty about it now). DH and I were extreme savers so we had the money easily. The same summer we also planned a trip to Europe to coincide with grad school graduation and PCSing from active-duty military. We had plenty of savings to cover both of these major events in cash.
At my pre-op appointment at my plastic surgeon's office I asked if I could use my rewards card to pay the bill (about 6k) and they said sure. I remember excitedly telling them that I wanted the rewards points because we were going to Europe later that summer and I was going to use the points for the hotel rooms. The receptionists were nice and asked me a few questions about our trip. But later I realized they must have thought I was some young giddy fool just charging things left and right on her credit card, like plastic surgery and trips to Europe, racking up debt in the process. I'm sure they never could have imagined someone my age having more than enough cash to pay for those things outright.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6317 on: May 06, 2019, 11:25:18 AM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list. 

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6318 on: May 06, 2019, 11:31:05 AM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.
YES! It's like seeking out a reading list of suggested great books only to discover the list is for grade school children instead of adults.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6319 on: May 06, 2019, 12:03:39 PM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.

It's even more frustrating when the "tips" belong on the wall of shame and comedy. "Buy a new car to save on maintenance" is bad enough but the worst I've seen/heard on a regular basis is "you must carry a balance on you credit cards to raise your credit score". I even heard that from the leader of a local real estate investing group. Between that and a complete lack of concern for a math error on his spread sheet I lost confidence in the group.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6320 on: May 06, 2019, 12:06:00 PM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.
YES! It's like seeking out a reading list of suggested great books only to discover the list is for grade school children instead of adults.

MPP:  Browsing through used book store... Hey, that book looks really cool... oops, I've read that book 3 years ago... and that is the exact copy I read.  Apparently my tastes differ from most peoples.

Alfred J Quack

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6321 on: May 06, 2019, 01:55:03 PM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.
YES! It's like seeking out a reading list of suggested great books only to discover the list is for grade school children instead of adults.

MPP:  Browsing through used book store... Hey, that book looks really cool... oops, I've read that book 3 years ago... and that is the exact copy I read.  Apparently my tastes differ from most peoples.
I generally don't mind re-reading a book but I also generally buy the ebook now. Especially ones that are out some time are a lot cheaper than paper books and I can read them as often as I like without damaging them :P The ereaders I bought have payed for themselves several times over.

Also, the price for the best 2nd hand bookshop in our city is generally 2,50 to 5 for used books which is also the case with the cheaper ebooks which are generally not available in the 2nd hand market. The other 2nd hand shops charge a lot less but have nearly no english novels (I only read english, can't wait for the translations and it's easier to read than my native language :P).

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6322 on: May 07, 2019, 12:54:12 AM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.

It's even more frustrating when the "tips" belong on the wall of shame and comedy. "Buy a new car to save on maintenance" is bad enough but the worst I've seen/heard on a regular basis is "you must carry a balance on you credit cards to raise your credit score". I even heard that from the leader of a local real estate investing group. Between that and a complete lack of concern for a math error on his spreadsheet I lost confidence in the group.

I do think owning a bunch of different credit cards, and paying them off before the due date, ups your credit score. I recently hit a 1000 score in a credit card system. Not sure what the scale was, but I suppose it was the highest possible in that system. I have never had a credit card that I didn't pay off fully in time.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2019, 12:36:18 PM by Linea_Norway »

dcheesi

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6323 on: May 07, 2019, 08:22:45 AM »
My MPP is that I'm getting really tired of reading/watching/listening to "tips to save you money" only to realize that I already do everything on the list.

It's even more frustrating when the "tips" belong on the wall of shame and comedy. "Buy a new car to save on maintenance" is bad enough but the worst I've seen/heard on a regular basis is "you must carry a balance on you credit cards to raise your credit score". I even heard that from the leader of a local real estate investing group. Between that and a complete lack of concern for a math error on his spreadsheet I lost confidence in the group.

I do think owning a bunch of different credit cards, and paying them off before the due date, ups your credit score. I recently hit a 1000 score in a credit card system. Not sure what the scale was, but I suppose it was the highest possible in that system. I have never has a credit card that I didn't pay off fully in time.
Yeah, you don't need to carry over a balance from month to month. As long as you are making everyday purchases, it will still show up as a "balance" even if you pay it off every month. Plus, my understanding is that keeping a low balance is better than a high balance ("credit utilization").

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6324 on: May 07, 2019, 03:30:12 PM »
FIRE is like zen buddhism:  the question is not whether you know the concepts, but do you live them

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6325 on: May 07, 2019, 07:47:43 PM »
I do think owning a bunch of different credit cards, and paying them off before the due date, ups your credit score. I recently hit a 1000 score in a credit card system. Not sure what the scale was, but I suppose it was the highest possible in that system. I have never has a credit card that I didn't pay off fully in time.
Yeah, you don't need to carry over a balance from month to month. As long as you are making everyday purchases, it will still show up as a "balance" even if you pay it off every month. Plus, my understanding is that keeping a low balance is better than a high balance ("credit utilization").

Exactly! I expect there are hundreds of members on this forum with top tier credit scores who have never paid a cent or krone in CC interest. Yet I read and hear over and over that "carrying a small balance is critical for improving your score".

Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2019, 07:57:25 PM by Alternatepriorities »

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6326 on: May 08, 2019, 02:10:09 PM »
...
Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.

OHHH, we installed a wood-burning boiler last winter and I would love to score like that for some wood.  We have property and plenty of trees but if somebody else does at least part of the work (felling the tree) that would be AWESOME!!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6327 on: May 09, 2019, 02:47:07 AM »
...
Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.

OHHH, we installed a wood-burning boiler last winter and I would love to score like that for some wood.  We have property and plenty of trees but if somebody else does at least part of the work (felling the tree) that would be AWESOME!!

The electricity company does this sometimes, cuts down lots of trees in the neighbourhood and leaves them there. A smart person with a hanger picks them up. We don't have a hanger and last time these trees were cut we could not borrow one. Renting one becomes expensive.

MPP: Even if your car has a hook to put the hanger on, a hanger itself can be expensive. The cheapest ones are not allowed to drive normal speed. The more expensive ones with own brakes are very expensive, even used. Currently I can borrow a hanger with own brakes from my work, for free. That is the best solution. But when will it pay off to own a hanger? It is one of these things that will stand in the way every time you don't use it.

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6328 on: May 09, 2019, 04:55:13 AM »
...
Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.

OHHH, we installed a wood-burning boiler last winter and I would love to score like that for some wood.  We have property and plenty of trees but if somebody else does at least part of the work (felling the tree) that would be AWESOME!!

The electricity company does this sometimes, cuts down lots of trees in the neighbourhood and leaves them there. A smart person with a hanger picks them up. We don't have a hanger and last time these trees were cut we could not borrow one. Renting one becomes expensive.

MPP: Even if your car has a hook to put the hanger on, a hanger itself can be expensive. The cheapest ones are not allowed to drive normal speed. The more expensive ones with own brakes are very expensive, even used. Currently I can borrow a hanger with own brakes from my work, for free. That is the best solution. But when will it pay off to own a hanger? It is one of these things that will stand in the way every time you don't use it.

I think you must be talking about a trailer Linea?  Yes, I agree.  Good utility trailers are expensive and would take a really long time to pay for itself.  And take up space when you're not using them.  I've been stalking Craigslist for a used one, and have yet to see a good deal.  I'm not willing to pay for a new one that will sit around most of the time.  You have a great solution (borrowing for free!).  Another one would be that a neighborhood could all jointly own one.  Tool libraries are awesome, but it seems maybe they are getting scarcer?

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6329 on: May 09, 2019, 05:04:09 AM »
...
Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.

OHHH, we installed a wood-burning boiler last winter and I would love to score like that for some wood.  We have property and plenty of trees but if somebody else does at least part of the work (felling the tree) that would be AWESOME!!

The electricity company does this sometimes, cuts down lots of trees in the neighbourhood and leaves them there. A smart person with a hanger picks them up. We don't have a hanger and last time these trees were cut we could not borrow one. Renting one becomes expensive.

MPP: Even if your car has a hook to put the hanger on, a hanger itself can be expensive. The cheapest ones are not allowed to drive normal speed. The more expensive ones with own brakes are very expensive, even used. Currently I can borrow a hanger with own brakes from my work, for free. That is the best solution. But when will it pay off to own a hanger? It is one of these things that will stand in the way every time you don't use it.

I think you must be talking about a trailer Linea?  Yes, I agree.  Good utility trailers are expensive and would take a really long time to pay for itself.  And take up space when you're not using them.  I've been stalking Craigslist for a used one, and have yet to see a good deal.  I'm not willing to pay for a new one that will sit around most of the time.  You have a great solution (borrowing for free!).  Another one would be that a neighborhood could all jointly own one.  Tool libraries are awesome, but it seems maybe they are getting scarcer?

Thanks for correcting me, some words are difficult for me to remember.

It would be a good idea to have a neighbourhood pool of thinks, instead of every person owning their own private device. We own a massive snow blower together with 2 neighbours. Our snow blower needed a service last year and the bill was divided by three. Filling of petrol/gas is more random. The first year we had to do it several times, more often than the other two. But last winter I think the other neighbours filled up and we didn't. It works reasonably well, although I personally would have preferred a much simpler device.

But I think it should be a system of co-owning with shared responsibility, or renting out privately for money. Borrowing stuff for free goes well, until the trailer brakes down. Is it then the owner who should pay for the repairs? Or the one time borrower?  Also the general teardown on gear should be covered for the owner.

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6330 on: May 09, 2019, 05:37:45 AM »
...
Apologies for sidetrack. New MMP: The borough is clearing trees from the road right of way in my neighborhood. It's the easiest firewood I've ever gathered. Now I'm torn between growing my $tash (by working inside) and growing my wood stash... The wood stash has been winning despite the economics.

OHHH, we installed a wood-burning boiler last winter and I would love to score like that for some wood.  We have property and plenty of trees but if somebody else does at least part of the work (felling the tree) that would be AWESOME!!

The electricity company does this sometimes, cuts down lots of trees in the neighbourhood and leaves them there. A smart person with a hanger picks them up. We don't have a hanger and last time these trees were cut we could not borrow one. Renting one becomes expensive.

MPP: Even if your car has a hook to put the hanger on, a hanger itself can be expensive. The cheapest ones are not allowed to drive normal speed. The more expensive ones with own brakes are very expensive, even used. Currently I can borrow a hanger with own brakes from my work, for free. That is the best solution. But when will it pay off to own a hanger? It is one of these things that will stand in the way every time you don't use it.

I think you must be talking about a trailer Linea?  Yes, I agree.  Good utility trailers are expensive and would take a really long time to pay for itself.  And take up space when you're not using them.  I've been stalking Craigslist for a used one, and have yet to see a good deal.  I'm not willing to pay for a new one that will sit around most of the time.  You have a great solution (borrowing for free!).  Another one would be that a neighborhood could all jointly own one.  Tool libraries are awesome, but it seems maybe they are getting scarcer?

Thanks for correcting me, some words are difficult for me to remember.

It would be a good idea to have a neighbourhood pool of thinks, instead of every person owning their own private device. We own a massive snow blower together with 2 neighbours. Our snow blower needed a service last year and the bill was divided by three. Filling of petrol/gas is more random. The first year we had to do it several times, more often than the other two. But last winter I think the other neighbours filled up and we didn't. It works reasonably well, although I personally would have preferred a much simpler device.

But I think it should be a system of co-owning with shared responsibility, or renting out privately for money. Borrowing stuff for free goes well, until the trailer brakes down. Is it then the owner who should pay for the repairs? Or the one time borrower?  Also the general teardown on gear should be covered for the owner.

This works as long as you have good neighbors.

rantk81

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6331 on: May 18, 2019, 07:11:37 AM »
Tax day has come and gone.... 2018 was my most complicated tax filing ever for a variety of reasons.

Just yesterday, my broker sent me a nice notification that they made some changes to my 1099s.  What changed is pretty minor, but would result in me getting another $20 or so back from the IRS and a couple of dollars more from my state income taxes.  Thinking I probably won't bother to amend, because I already have a pending amendment on my state taxes (sent a few months back) that still hasn't been processed, AND I have some special circumstances going on right now where I need to be furnishing my tax records to a 3rd party for some reason -- and I'd rather not complicate that matter either.  I guess it's kind of a MPP that it is grinding on me that I'm making a "donation" to the treasury and state, for the sake of dealing with less hassles.


Fomerly known as something

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6332 on: May 24, 2019, 06:48:45 PM »
I'm disappointed in myself.  I missed my goal weight in packing for my 3 week trip by one pound.  My bag weighs 26 lbs instead of 25.  But it was close enough I wasn't going to take out my 2nd pair of capri's

Dicey

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6333 on: May 25, 2019, 12:42:46 AM »
Tax day has come and gone.... 2018 was my most complicated tax filing ever for a variety of reasons.

Just yesterday, my broker sent me a nice notification that they made some changes to my 1099s.  What changed is pretty minor, but would result in me getting another $20 or so back from the IRS and a couple of dollars more from my state income taxes.  Thinking I probably won't bother to amend, because I already have a pending amendment on my state taxes (sent a few months back) that still hasn't been processed, AND I have some special circumstances going on right now where I need to be furnishing my tax records to a 3rd party for some reason -- and I'd rather not complicate that matter either.  I guess it's kind of a MPP that it is grinding on me that I'm making a "donation" to the treasury and state, for the sake of dealing with less hassles.
Keep good track of this information. It could be a useful bargaining chip in case of an audit.

Hirondelle

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6334 on: May 25, 2019, 02:48:42 AM »
I'm disappointed in myself.  I missed my goal weight in packing for my 3 week trip by one pound.  My bag weighs 26 lbs instead of 25.  But it was close enough I wasn't going to take out my 2nd pair of capri's

Should be sth else you can take out! 26 lbs for 3 weeks is still fairly generous ;)

Hirondelle

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6335 on: May 27, 2019, 02:25:21 PM »
Just did my spreadsheets for the month and getting annoyed. This month I'm prepaying a $500 work expense which means a 60% increase of my May expenses. It will take several months before I get this money back, so I do not want to ignore it in the spreadsheets, but due to my low expenses it does heavily distort my SR and spending averages.

The worst part is, there will be MORE expenses for this work trip coming up so my spreadsheet distortion only gets worse.

rantk81

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6336 on: May 27, 2019, 02:36:10 PM »
Just did my spreadsheets for the month and getting annoyed. This month I'm prepaying a $500 work expense which means a 60% increase of my May expenses. It will take several months before I get this money back, so I do not want to ignore it in the spreadsheets, but due to my low expenses it does heavily distort my SR and spending averages.

The worst part is, there will be MORE expenses for this work trip coming up so my spreadsheet distortion only gets worse.

Add a line item to your sheet for accounts receivable.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6337 on: May 28, 2019, 12:23:22 PM »
MPP:  I was browsing through my brokerage accounts (taxable and Roth) and I discovered that a month ago, OSIR was bought out.
Now I have
   a) a taxable event that I was not planning for,
   b) cash in both taxable and Roth as I mirrored the accounts for a while.
   c) to make up plans for the cash
   d) to extract the cash from taxable, an account that I was not planning on touching for withdrawals yet.
   e) gotten charged for "mandatory reorganization fee" of $38 x 2 accounts = $76 for actions that I did not initiate or want.
   f) a lower diversification value for both accounts - most of my "sales" have been this way, whittling down my stock picking record.
      soon all my brokerage accounts will be index ETF's :-)
« Last Edit: May 28, 2019, 01:32:47 PM by markbike528CBX »

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6338 on: May 29, 2019, 12:27:32 AM »
Just did my spreadsheets for the month and getting annoyed. This month I'm prepaying a $500 work expense which means a 60% increase of my May expenses. It will take several months before I get this money back, so I do not want to ignore it in the spreadsheets, but due to my low expenses it does heavily distort my SR and spending averages.

The worst part is, there will be MORE expenses for this work trip coming up so my spreadsheet distortion only gets worse.

Add a line item to your sheet for accounts receivable.

I mark such amounts as "ignore" and "will be paid back".  I don't give much thought about the balance on my account each month. I just track my spending and the amounts I buy stock for.

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6339 on: May 29, 2019, 02:20:26 AM »
I am secretly kind of happy the guy we hired to work on our yard bailed on us so I will reach my 2019 savings goals before the end of summer.

I am unhappy that now I have to do all the work by myself which will take me most of the year. There's a lot of clearing and digging to be done and I don't have much time, energy or DIY - loving friends.

SwordGuy

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6340 on: May 29, 2019, 07:00:33 AM »
Just did my spreadsheets for the month and getting annoyed. This month I'm prepaying a $500 work expense which means a 60% increase of my May expenses. It will take several months before I get this money back, so I do not want to ignore it in the spreadsheets, but due to my low expenses it does heavily distort my SR and spending averages.

The worst part is, there will be MORE expenses for this work trip coming up so my spreadsheet distortion only gets worse.

Add a line item to your sheet for accounts receivable.

I mark such amounts as "ignore" and "will be paid back".  I don't give much thought about the balance on my account each month. I just track my spending and the amounts I buy stock for.

Same here.   When you get paid back your savings rate goes up higher than usual.  It all evens out.  Don't sweat the small stuff.

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6341 on: May 29, 2019, 07:44:12 AM »
When I started working parttime I figured I'd have lots of free time but so many opportunities keep falling into my lap without any effort (new customers for my side hustle from referrals, valuable education paid for 100% by my employer) that I'm still busy 40-60 hours a week....

DeniseNJ

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6342 on: May 29, 2019, 09:03:06 AM »
MMP:  Now that I'm about 8 or 9 months in to my MMM journey, everything is on auto pilot and it's not as much fun or "exciting."  I used to watch the DOW go up and down and fret over how much money we have or don't have and what to invest in.  I would check our accounts often to see the effects of minor fluctuations.  Now I just max out our work 401K and Vanguard Roth and put everythign in total stock and forget about it.  The markets ups and downs aren't nearly as interesting.  I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was.  It's all kind of boring now.  Defintitley not a real problem but funny how much I used to care.  Now everything just runs itself.

DadJokes

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6343 on: May 29, 2019, 10:13:11 AM »
MMP:  Now that I'm about 8 or 9 months in to my MMM journey, everything is on auto pilot and it's not as much fun or "exciting."  I used to watch the DOW go up and down and fret over how much money we have or don't have and what to invest in.  I would check our accounts often to see the effects of minor fluctuations.  Now I just max out our work 401K and Vanguard Roth and put everythign in total stock and forget about it.  The markets ups and downs aren't nearly as interesting.  I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was.  It's all kind of boring now.  Defintitley not a real problem but funny how much I used to care.  Now everything just runs itself.

I've had the same "problem." I've just replaced focusing on optimizing finances with optimizing other parts of my life, such as credit card churning, reducing driving, health & fitness, and now starting a business. Once I feel like something is stable enough to put on auto-pilot for a bit, I can work on another area.

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6344 on: May 29, 2019, 12:15:09 PM »
MMP:  Now that I'm about 8 or 9 months in to my MMM journey, everything is on auto pilot and it's not as much fun or "exciting."  I used to watch the DOW go up and down and fret over how much money we have or don't have and what to invest in.  I would check our accounts often to see the effects of minor fluctuations.  Now I just max out our work 401K and Vanguard Roth and put everythign in total stock and forget about it.  The markets ups and downs aren't nearly as interesting.  I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was.  It's all kind of boring now.  Defintitley not a real problem but funny how much I used to care.  Now everything just runs itself.


Same here.  I am definitely in the doldrums of my financial year.  Current year adjustments for tax planning has been done for months.  Next year's budget has been created.  Won't know details for planning deductions/taxes/insurance for next year for a few more months yet.  The best I can do is work on minimizing power and water bills for the summer (not going well with the power bill....just bumped the thermostat up another degree and set it so that any manual changes only hold for 2 hours). 

Zikoris

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6345 on: May 29, 2019, 12:40:49 PM »
MMP:  Now that I'm about 8 or 9 months in to my MMM journey, everything is on auto pilot and it's not as much fun or "exciting."  I used to watch the DOW go up and down and fret over how much money we have or don't have and what to invest in.  I would check our accounts often to see the effects of minor fluctuations.  Now I just max out our work 401K and Vanguard Roth and put everythign in total stock and forget about it.  The markets ups and downs aren't nearly as interesting.  I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was.  It's all kind of boring now.  Defintitley not a real problem but funny how much I used to care.  Now everything just runs itself.


Same here.  I am definitely in the doldrums of my financial year.  Current year adjustments for tax planning has been done for months.  Next year's budget has been created.  Won't know details for planning deductions/taxes/insurance for next year for a few more months yet.  The best I can do is work on minimizing power and water bills for the summer (not going well with the power bill....just bumped the thermostat up another degree and set it so that any manual changes only hold for 2 hours).

Oh yeah, we've been at it for about seven years, so everything is boring, dry, and autopilot. A few weeks ago I met some new Mustachians (in their first few months) at a camping trip I organized, and it was so fun getting a glimpse into the time when finances were still exciting.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6346 on: May 29, 2019, 03:09:33 PM »
Our federal income tax refund hit the bank last week.  My MPP is that it was expected, and therefore already accounted for in our budget, so it doesn't bring the rush of adrenaline (and spending) that non-mustachians might experience.

letsdoit

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6347 on: May 30, 2019, 11:42:54 AM »
i won a world cup pool in my office and someone was like 'whatcha gonna do with your money??!'  and i was like...invest it?

dougules

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6348 on: May 31, 2019, 10:47:27 AM »
Our federal income tax refund hit the bank last week.  My MPP is that it was expected, and therefore already accounted for in our budget, so it doesn't bring the rush of adrenaline (and spending) that non-mustachians might experience.

We always aim to owe a little bit so that we can make the returns off the money until tax time. 

The other problem with this is that since our investment returns keep growing, it gets hard to aim for that well.  Life's terrible, right?

Morning Glory

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6349 on: May 31, 2019, 05:12:04 PM »
My new Chase business card application is in review and I don't want to apply for another card until I hear back from this one because it would be really difficult to make two minimum spends at the same time. This means I will probably have to pay my power bill without it counting towards a cc bonus. Wahhh.