How's your life going at 33%

[Hiss]

Then after I've warn the underwear 4 times, I donate them to charity and take a write-off.

I was really starting to believe all this until Salaryguru said he donated his to charity. Now I know it's not true because charity doesn't accept underwear anymore. I think it all had to do with something about Clinton, but I'm not sure.

Hey Bob_Smith, re. your post of 2-7-04, I agree that
many (most?) regular posters proably share these
traits. Personally, I admire "guts" over almost any other trait. Anyway, an aside which may offer some
insight into ER thinking (I know I repeat but after 500 posts it's not avoidable). During my career I was unemployed many times. Never dismayed, I always welcomed it as a time to recharge and find new
challenges/adventures. I know people lose their jobs and get depressed or even suicidal. For me it was always a nice interval. I enjoyed being unemployed, almost everytime it happened. But, I am a different breed of cat and certainly egomaniacal. Never met a problem I did not think I could lick with brainpower and willpower.

John Galt

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I take used up half dryer sheets and sew them together with lint to make my own underwear.

:P

Ok after I was done laughing my ass off, the wife asked what was so funny.

From her: "I think you retired people have too much time on your hands".

I predict a lengthy "honey do" list to await my awakening tomorrow...

[BusyMom]

Another reference to used up dryer sheets - John Galt, you really are working on that book?!

Skylark - you posted re:guy who made more but saved less...isn't that amazing? I think the spendthrifts are really uncomfortable being reminded that they could do better. I have a sibling who is like that - used to drive me nuts but now that we are older, I just talk about how our ER is closer every day...drives him over the edge....and saves on my Christmas shopping list! I remember a huge issue over my family's vacation to Hong Kong ($1500 for air/hotel/b'fastx3 people for 1 week) and how it wasn't fair that all he could afford was the super satellite pkg and dinner in a restaurant 3x a week.....

[Telly]

Wow, a lot of posts on all the topics in this thread! I'll throw my $.02 on what I can remember:

I'll pass on the hog butchering :P

TH, I hope that stucco exterior isn't the synthetic stucco that traps water behind it so well. Many lawsuits on rotting with it.

I don't think I've seen a water heater last 20 years (unless it didn't have water in it ).

A rule of thumb is that the average car loses about 50% of its value every 3 years. Almost all of the new cars and trucks that I have bought, I or we hung on to for years. But for those so inclined, keep buying new cars and get rid of them after 3 years or so. We like you!

Tankless water heaters are a European invention, due to high energy costs there. They dream of being able to splurge and have a stable hot water source like we do!
The output temperature of a tankless heater is very flow-dependent. Low flow, high temp. High flow, low temp. And you add the temperature increase onto your inlet water temperature. So if the tankless can add, for example, a 40 degree delta at a given flow rate, but your inlet water temp in freezeville USA is only 50 degrees in winter, that's only 90 degrees out of it.

1802? That was the RCA COSMAC 8 bit CMOS processor! That's back to, like 1978.
And loved that 8080. Circa 1977, we found that there was no illegal opcode filtering in it. A noise pulse induced into a bus could create an illegal opcode, and the CPU would go off into la-la land. That was a long time ago!

[TheFIREman]

I have a friend who is not frugal, he's downright cheap.
Still working, but here's some of the things he does:
...
. when he gets a hole in the sole of his shoe, he cuts a piece of cardboard and puts it inside the shoe.

Reminds me of a story I once read about one of Japan's wealthiest men. He used to buy his shoes at the discount store and then when he got a hole in them, he would put a band-aid over it. The only thing he got wrong was that he worked so much that he could never remember the names or ages of his children. Now that is certainly grabbing the wrong end of the stick.

[unclemick]

The wrong end of the stick was the part she threatened to use on my head if I went too crazy on frugal experiments. Also - "You can't take it with you".

Hello BusyMom! Re. "the book", I have the chapter
structure all worked out now, and about 50 possible titles bouncing in my head. May actually start writing
soon but don't hold your breath. BTW, two things I have been told for years are "You should write a book"
and "You should be on the radio". Maybe I'll start when
I am too old to ride the motorcycle.

John Galt

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Re: water heaters...yep, i've had several that went 20+ here in california. Probably a combination of warmer temperatures and low water heating temp...the higher you set the water heater the shorter the life. The one in my first california house (1992ish) had a date stamp of 1974 on it and was still there a few years later when I sold. My old house in new england (1985ish) had a 1969 stamp on it and didnt start leaking until 7 years later. Unfortunately it was in an upstairs closet.

Just as an FYI to water heater buyers...this is not 100% the case but for most water heaters the difference between the 10 year and 15 year (or whatever) is what you pay for the unit. You're financing the warranty.

In any case, the water heater in california is usually in the garage as opposed. I'll wait until it starts leaking a lot before I replace it.

The tankless units have their plusses as long as you install them in an area that doesnt freeze, and to get the extra temp boost you may install two in series.

re: Stucco. Nope, this beast is the old style 3 layer stucco over an inch thick, laid on galvanized mesh over heavy tar paper over sheeting. You can hardly hear any exterior noise inside this house, and the temp insulation characteristics are terrific.

The EIFS stucco system you mentioned is a sheet of foam insulation covered with a fine mesh. Its nailed to the sheeting and then a thin layer of stucco is sprayed to it. The original problem is that any water that got behind it was absorbed by the foam and the original designs didnt have a drainage system. The newer EIFS, properly applied, has the ability to drain some water, but basically you just need to fill any cracks or separated seams with a nice elastomeric stucco patch every couple of years. My dads house uses EIFS, and its a very good insulator and quick and cheap to install on a house.

re: cheapness and shoes. I just had a sole separate on a pair of sneakers. I could reglue the sole on, but they're a little beat. They've gone in and out of the trash three times now. I think I'll reglue them and make "yard shoes" out of them.

I would also like to point out that at this time I am clad in nothing but used dryer sheets.

[fire5soon]

I would also like to point out that at this time I am clad in nothing but used dryer sheets.

On special occasions you could actually wear a new dryer sheet. Chicks dig Snuggles.

[Brat]

EIFS stucco system ..

Husband is an architect who winces at the thought of an EIFS application. He places a high value on performance and maintance costs. Based on experiance in our community, EIFS is not the best option.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

On special occasions you could actually wear a new dryer sheet. Chicks dig Snuggles.

Seems a little extravagant. Maybe after just one run through the dryer.

The discussion on the robot picking up the lint and then making stuff out of it did get me thinking though. Next time I vacuum I'm going to try duct taping the dogs fur back onto them. Perhaps the reintroduction of fur will stop the shedding. I'll make a full report.

[Hiss]

Since this particular thread has gotten so silly, I don't feel bad about contributing further to its deterioration.

TH, I like the quote at the bottom of your posts by Brown. Especially ""There are only two kinds of food: good and bad." It reminds me of a similiar quote from an anonomous author:

"There are only three kinds of people in this world: Them that can count and them that can't."

[Bob_Smith]

A rule of thumb is that the average car loses about 50% of its value every 3 years. *Almost all of the new cars and trucks that I have bought, I or we hung on to for years. *But for those so inclined, keep buying new cars and get rid of them after 3 years or so. *We like you!

This is true. In my planning, I am allowing for a new car every seven years. But in reality I hope to do it differently. I have a brother in the car business. He and his partner buy up used cars and auction them off. They know cars. He tells me that if you know what you're doing, it shouldn't cost anything to own a car and I plan to follow his strategy soon (my parents already do this). It involves buying a well equipped car that is a few years old, driving it for several thousand miles and for 6 -8 months, and then selling it and getting another. There are other details that involve timing the sale, knowing which models this will work with, etc. (It also helps to know someone in the business who has the wherewithal to sell your car and snag another.) *But he claims that if done correctly you can drive a car for nothing, and usually you will actually sell it for a little more than you paid for it. So I plan to enlist his assistance in ER. I'll do some bookkeeping and investing things for him in exchange for him keeping me supplied with a car. I'll pay for the first one and he will take care of the rest. We'll both benefit.

He claims anyone can do this, but I suspect he underestimates the value of his knowledge of the business. Nevertheless, I'll get more details from him and post them.

[sgeeeee]

I would also like to point out that at this time I am clad in nothing but used dryer sheets.

Don't you feel sorry for people who aren't RE types. They will never know the pleasures that can be derived from the simple dryer sheet.

[Piffle]

"There are only three kinds of people in this world: Them that can count and them that can't."

Actually, as any engineer knows...

There are 10 types of people in the world: Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

There are 10 types of people in the world: Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

Now that was funny! - But maybe you have to be a software engineer to think so.

[Telly]

Now that was funny! - But maybe you have to be a software engineer to think so.

59
55
4B

59
55
4B

(in hex )

HEX and EBCDIC

[Whakamole]

This is true. In my planning, I am allowing for a new car every seven years. But in reality I hope to do it differently. I have a brother in the car business. He and his partner buy up used cars and auction them off. They know cars. He tells me that if you know what you're doing, it shouldn't cost anything to own a car and I plan to follow his strategy soon (my parents already do this). It involves buying a well equipped car that is a few years old, driving it for several thousand miles and for 6 -8 months, and then selling it and getting another. There are other details that involve timing the sale, knowing which models this will work with, etc. (It also helps to know someone in the business who has the wherewithal to sell your car and snag another.) But he claims that if done correctly you can drive a car for nothing, and usually you will actually sell it for a little more than you paid for it. So I plan to enlist his assistance in ER. I'll do some bookkeeping and investing things for him in exchange for him keeping me supplied with a car. I'll pay for the first one and he will take care of the rest. We'll both benefit.

He claims anyone can do this, but I suspect he underestimates the value of his knowledge of the business. Nevertheless, I'll get more details from him and post them.

I think you can do this. The key is where you get your cars.

A friend of mine was recently car shopping and got a very good deal on an old SUV, because the current owner had already purchased a new car and wanted to get rid of it. If you offer cash and seem like a nice buyer, many sellers are willing to deal just because they don't want the hassle of trying to find another buyer.

So, scanning the want ads for the "must sell!" crowd who are moving out of town/need the cash/etc. would seem to be a big piece of the puzzle. The other part is (I'm guessing) taking the time to get the car in good condition (at least the body) and selling it at a good price.


But I hate buying cars and I'm not doing that! I bought my current car new, it's almost nine years old now. I'm always toying with the idea of getting a replacement car (used, of course), but this hunk o' junk somehow manages to be pretty reliable. So I scan the want ads and read Edmunds, look at all the pretty cars, and will wait until I either find the steal of the century or until my junker kicks the bucket and I don't have a choice. My goal is to get around ten years per car, which isn't hard if you buy a recent model year from a quality manufacturer.



Back to the topic at hand: I have a new, better-paying job and my current savings rate is a bit over 40%. That includes paying off a few credit cards (which were a bit steeper than normal: flight to visit the family over Thanksgiving, plus a small vacation between jobs.) I'm pretty sure I can get to 50% with those down to normal levels.