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  1. J

    So grateful for the ACA

    ACA quoted me 2,200/month when I retired at 62.5 (for my wife and I), ended up going with a Christian medical sharing (Medishare) which was less than half the ACA. It’s not for everyone, but worked out for us till Medicare kicked in.
  2. J

    Knee replacements

    My wife has had both knees and one shoulder. First knee went great. Second knee got infected, had to have second operation to clean out and replace plastic parts, and spent two weeks in a nursing home on continuous antibiotics. Shoulder replacement went great, and then two weeks into therapy, it...
  3. J

    do you weigh your high school weight?

    I was 6’3” and 185 when I graduated, now I’m 6’5” and 220 at 70 yo. Could lose 10 or so to lose the love handles. ��
  4. J

    Does everyone but me do the 30k, 60k, etc car maint?

    I keep our road trip cars to around 200k miles or 10 years old. the last two Chrysler minivans, I allowed the car to tell me when to change oil, usually around 10K miles. Even at 200,000 miles, they haven’t used a quart during an oil change, my last van was sold to a friend and it’s now pushing...
  5. J

    Vacation home considered part of your retirement assets?

    We bought an ocean condo in Florida 3 weeks before covid hit. The seller was still 100K underwater from when they purchased in 2006. If they would have waited another 6 months they would have at least broke even and if they waited another year, they would have made a couple 100K. My point is...
  6. J

    America is making things again

    Yeah, I’m not a Tesla fanboy, but, they have pulled off the near impossible starting both a new car company and a new power source. If you get a chance take a look at the vertical integration at Fords River Rouge. They made steel, glass and cast iron blocks: raw materials came in and cars rolled...
  7. J

    America is making things again

    Yeah, assembly plants are generally just that, assembly and paint. The actual manufacturing of the parts and pieces is still heavily outsourced. But any US manufacturing is a step in the right direction!
  8. J

    America is making things again

    If you look at mfg as a percentage of gdp it’s been going down for a long time. Take a drive through the Midwest to see the results of this. Detroit, flint, Saginaw, Gary, all areas decimated by maufacturing going away. Genessee county (Flint, Mi) had the highest per capita income in the US back...
  9. J

    The 2032 Button Battery

    You buy ten batteries, you will lose 8 of them and be asking this question again😎
  10. J

    Property Tax 2023

    Ha, my Florida property taxes are up 11%. I’d complain, but won’t do any good!
  11. J

    Is the Automobile Bubble Bursting?

    I’ve notice jeep gladiators are going for substantially under msrp now and ram 1500 can be found $8K under msrp, so I think it’s already turning…
  12. J

    Is 80 the new 60? 'It's the triumph of aging' — but not for everyone

    It’s easy to look at sedentary older people and blame them for being sedentary. My wife has arthritis in all her joints, new knees helped, but now her ankles and shoulder are going out, so it hurts to walk, and the less you do, the less you want to do. She had infections in her last knee...
  13. J

    Here's how young Chinese go into ER: "Let it rot"

    I used to work with an elderly Chinese engineer. We were in a meeting once and he told the plant manager “you Americans are lazy” . But he was old school and escaped China during the revolution,
  14. J

    Career advice for one of my kids

    I went to a military academy out of high school and after an injury and Vietnam ending I decided to do something different, got married and went to GMI in mechanical eng and found out part way through I wanted to be a metallurgical engineer, but having a wife and a new son, decided to stick it...
  15. J

    How Are You Calculating Amount of Risk While Returning to Somewhat Normal?

    It’s like there are two countries out there, the one where everybody is masked and showing vac status to eat and the rest of the country. I haven’t worn a mask except for dr app for probably a year. I am vac and boosted. All my kids had the Covid before the vaccine came out.
  16. J

    Vacations to less popular destinations

    I second the UP. Winter or summer, lots of history (3rd oldest city in the US) and some spectacular scenery.
  17. J

    Fed Now Says It Should Have Acted Sooner on Inflation

    My first house mortgage was 9% back in 77, my dad was amazed and told me not to pay that much as it had to come down. Moved in 1982 and had a 16.5% mortgage!
  18. J

    Christmas with family

    Seems like some circular reasoning going on in this thread. If your vaccinated and you are worried that you can still get covid, then if your guests are vaccinated or not doesn’t matter, either one can still give you the covid. Wife and I are vaccinated, all my kids were essential workers so...
  19. J

    What brand recliner should my husband get?

    Our first tall man lazy boy bought in the late 70’s, wore like iron and looked good when we sold it 25 years later because it was orange! I still remember the salesman sticking a pencil through the cloth to show how tough it was. My new lazyboy not wearing near as well and has been back for...
  20. J

    Retire where your kids will want to visit you?

    Our kids scattered across the country. So we made the decision to move close to our oldest son. Now when our daughters visit, they automatically get to visit with their brother also. Helps we now live a mile from Lake Michigan. So beach time and boating occur. We bought a Florida ocean front...
  21. J

    Kitchen Remodel Bucket list Reality Check Costs/Tips/Warnings?

    Yeah if it’s just drywall, no big deal. Some soffits hide electric and even plumbing or vents.
  22. J

    Kitchen Remodel Bucket list Reality Check Costs/Tips/Warnings?

    Our local Home Depot has a employee with a degree in architecture. He was amazing and he designed and built (using their contractor) a total new kitchen for around 25K . Included changing the floor plan (removed peninsula, moved fridge and oven and added two large pantry cabinets), adding an...
  23. J

    Oil change on very low mileage vehicle

    I change my vette oil every other year, mainly because I feel guilty! My boat and jet ski are also every other year. Wife’s Chrysler Minivan I change when the light comes on, which is usually around 10,000 miles. I retired from a diesel mfg and we were around 30,000 miles recommendation and...
  24. J

    2nd home versus money in the bank

    We are also in Michigan and a couple years ago sold our “up north” lake place and bought an ocean front condo in Saint Augustine. We rent it may through September, which pays all expenses (taxes, hoa, etc) plus a little extra as summer is prime rental time in northern florida. We come and go...
  25. J

    Car Batteries - They Don't Make Them Like They Used To?

    I’ve had good luck with OE batteries, but have found if I let one run completely dead, due to leaving a light on or door ajar, that battery is going die soon and need replacing. Had that happen this summer on our pontoon. Kids left the radio on till the battery died. Recharged it and worked for...
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