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Old 10-23-2019, 06:54 PM   #81
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Originally Posted by RobbieB View Post
I hope you mean a solid cement block and not one of those 2 buck cinder blocks with the holes in it?

That car fall on you and your bills are going out of sight!
Not $2 blocks, free blocks from someone else’s project.

Don’t worry about the medical bills though, I met my deductible in February from a ski vacation broken leg (in the hotel lobby)....🙄
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Old 10-23-2019, 07:39 PM   #82
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I started cutting my own hair about two years ago. Got tired of paying for crappy cuts and learned I can do a better job myself. Feels good to no longer depend on subpar service while saving time and money.
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Old 10-23-2019, 09:28 PM   #83
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Echo Pawprint's recco for library use.

I don't have a TV - I borrow DVDs from the library for free, which I play on my computer. No cable bill, just a nominal internet bill.

I read lots of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy reading magazines at the library. I borrow around 60 items a month. Some are fabulous cookbooks from which I type recipes into my computer and make tasty meals.


Beyond the library, I listen to lots of podcasts and National Public Radio stations from various parts of the US plus Canadian Public Broadcasting stations. Many podcasts feature lectures by authors, which I how I learn of new books to request from the library.
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Old 10-23-2019, 10:01 PM   #84
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I think these 4 words in my signature line sum it up well:


"No kids, no debts."
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Retired in late 2008 at age 45. Cashed in company stock, bought a lot of shares in a big bond fund and am living nicely off its dividends. IRA, SS, and a pension await me at age 60 and later. No kids, no debts.

"I want my money working for me instead of me working for my money!"
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Old 10-23-2019, 10:25 PM   #85
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Building my own house. (I'm not sure I am saving any money, but it feels like I should be.)
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Old 10-24-2019, 07:58 AM   #86
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Used cement blocks under the car verses fancy metal stands.
I hope you're not serious. You can buy jack stands for less than $25 that will be a lot safer than cement blocks.

https://www.amazon.com/Torin-Big-Ste...8-1a77d8b6_cov
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:00 AM   #87
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Building my own house. (I'm not sure I am saving any money, but it feels like I should be.)
Assuming you're doing the work yourself, you should at least save on labor costs which is usually at least half the cost of a house. We built our own house in 2004 for 60K which was less than a third of what a comparable house was selling for at the time (today it's worth almost 400K).
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:06 AM   #88
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I hope you're not serious. You can buy jack stands for less than $25 that will be a lot safer than cement blocks.

https://www.amazon.com/Torin-Big-Ste...8-1a77d8b6_cov

Actually, if you do a lot of work on your vehicle(s), I would think jack ramps would be easier and save you time, and they're only $40. https://www.amazon.com/RhinoGear-119...dp/B0117EETEK/
Then again, I mostly worked under the hood rather than under the car. I'm curious what those of you with more experience think of these.
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:09 AM   #89
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Actually, if you do a lot of work on your vehicle(s), I would think jack ramps would be easier and save you time, and they're only $40. https://www.amazon.com/RhinoGear-119...dp/B0117EETEK/
Then again, I mostly worked under the hood rather than under the car. I'm curious what those of you with more experience think of these.
I have both jack stands and ramps like those. I wish I had a lift. In any event, I'm not going to risk being crushed just to save a few bucks.
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:12 AM   #90
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Originally Posted by The Cosmic Avenger View Post
Actually, if you do a lot of work on your vehicle(s), I would think jack ramps would be easier and save you time, and they're only $40. https://www.amazon.com/RhinoGear-119...dp/B0117EETEK/
Then again, I mostly worked under the hood rather than under the car. I'm curious what those of you with more experience think of these.
i use my rhino ramps all the time to do oil changes on my pontiac - I used to use them for exhaust work on my subies too
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:14 AM   #91
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Question for LBYM:
Would you buy a new car, last year version (so new 2019), with knowledge you'll keep it for 20 years? Or stick to used? We struggled for weeks about this then went this route.

Just got trade in for 1997 Camry 196,000, $1450. Bought new 2019 Huyandai SEL, all in out the door, taxes fees included, $22,400. All the bells and whistles, have no clue how to use most of this stuff. Heated leather seats, Appleplay, and a bunch of safety features. 5 year warranty bumper to bumper, 10 year on power train.
What say you all LBYM?
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:18 AM   #92
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Originally Posted by Rianne View Post
Question for LBYM:
Would you buy a new car, last year version (so new 2019), with knowledge you'll keep it for 20 years? Or stick to used? We struggled for weeks about this then went this route.

Just got trade in for 1997 Camry 196,000, $1450. Bought new 2019 Huyandai SEL, all in out the door, taxes fees included, $22,400. All the bells and whistles, have no clue how to use most of this stuff. Heated leather seats, Appleplay, and a bunch of safety features. 5 year warranty bumper to bumper, 10 year on power train.
What say you all LBYM?
We buy new as a "reward" for saving up and paying cash. It's more work and more risk to buy even a 1-2 year old vehicle, and the most reliable models are very hard to find used, and often not discounted as much as others.

Am I rationalizing? Maybe. But we also like being able to order/find the exact options we want, rather than settle for what's on the market, and this way we KNOW it's been maintained properly from the start.
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:23 AM   #93
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I would think jack ramps would be easier and save you time
Ramps are great for oil changes or other tasks when you just need to get under the front of the car. However, if you're rotating tires, replacing brake pads, rotors, drive lines, ball joints, shocks, struts, or any part of the suspension system you can't use ramps.

I have an older set of plastic ramps (I don't remember what brand they are). Much nicer than the cheap metal ramps I started out with. They're great when I can use them, but most of the time I use a floor jack and jack stands as the wheels usually need to come off.
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Old 10-24-2019, 08:55 AM   #94
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Question for LBYM:
Would you buy a new car, last year version (so new 2019), with knowledge you'll keep it for 20 years?
If you want a new car and can afford to pay cash for it there's nothing wrong with buying a new car. However, I would not finance a car that will be worth half as much in five years.

We have never spent more than $4000 on a car and generally keep them at least ten years (I kept my last car over 30 years). Even including repair and maintenance costs the total spent will be far less than the 22K you paid for a new car. Of course, I do all my own car work, so that does factor into the total cost. It would probably cost a lot more if you have to pay a shop to fix your car.

I bought my current 2000 VW Jetta for $1900 about three years ago, and have spent about $3500 in repairs. I had several big ticket items like a throttle body, catalytic converter, new tires, new struts, etc. My total cost, including the cost of the car, is just under $5500. It looks good, drives great, and gets me where I need to go.
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Old 10-24-2019, 09:00 AM   #95
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Originally Posted by The Cosmic Avenger View Post
We buy new as a "reward" for saving up and paying cash. It's more work and more risk to buy even a 1-2 year old vehicle, and the most reliable models are very hard to find used, and often not discounted as much as others.

Am I rationalizing? Maybe. But we also like being able to order/find the exact options we want, rather than settle for what's on the market, and this way we KNOW it's been maintained properly from the start.
Had to get FIRE affirmation. The deal, take financing for 3 months BUT my first payment will be $20K. There's no limit how much you can pay in a payment. 2nd payment $1K, 3rd payment $1K, then $400 something last payment. We got $1000 off price doing this. I think the interest is @ $100, so the discount is really $900 but worth it as a cheapo.
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Old 10-24-2019, 10:31 AM   #96
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As our income grew over the years we still lived pretty much the same ...
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Old 10-24-2019, 10:40 AM   #97
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Especially if there's a model change that year. Got a fantastic price on a 2010 Hyundai in 2011. Didn't care it looked older. 5 years in Hyundai replaced the transmission free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rianne View Post
Question for LBYM:
Would you buy a new car, last year version (so new 2019), with knowledge you'll keep it for 20 years? Or stick to used? We struggled for weeks about this then went this route.

Just got trade in for 1997 Camry 196,000, $1450. Bought new 2019 Huyandai SEL, all in out the door, taxes fees included, $22,400. All the bells and whistles, have no clue how to use most of this stuff. Heated leather seats, Appleplay, and a bunch of safety features. 5 year warranty bumper to bumper, 10 year on power train.
What say you all LBYM?
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Old 10-24-2019, 12:55 PM   #98
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rianne View Post
Question for LBYM:
Would you buy a new car, last year version (so new 2019), with knowledge you'll keep it for 20 years? Or stick to used? We struggled for weeks about this then went this route.

Just got trade in for 1997 Camry 196,000, $1450. Bought new 2019 Huyandai SEL, all in out the door, taxes fees included, $22,400. All the bells and whistles, have no clue how to use most of this stuff. Heated leather seats, Appleplay, and a bunch of safety features. 5 year warranty bumper to bumper, 10 year on power train.
What say you all LBYM?
I'd buy a 3-year old car for roughly 60% the cost of a new one...so for $22,400 you could get a much nicer vehicle for your dollar. But if that's the vehicle you like then I'd still buy a 3-year old one for $12,000 or so.

Then I'd keep it for 6-8 years, sell it, and buy another 3-year old car.
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Old 10-24-2019, 04:01 PM   #99
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DW and I don't eat out much. She's the least food motivated person I have ever known, and I like my own cooking, and my own home-made wine.

We don't enjoy international travel anymore. Did it, done with it.
We don't spend much on clothes.
We live in one home, albeit on a nice lake.

What we do spend money on: we belong to a golf and pickleball club, and we spend winters in The Villages, where we rent, not own.
We don't feel as if we have to "sacrifice" anything, it just turns out that there are some expensive things we don't desire.
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Old 10-24-2019, 06:27 PM   #100
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I started cutting my own hair about two years ago. Got tired of paying for crappy cuts and learned I can do a better job myself. Feels good to no longer depend on subpar service while saving time and money.
I've been shaving my head for years now. Ended up settling on Dorco, the manufacturer of the razors used by Dollar Shave Club. Order direct, last forever. Just realized I forgot to have a box waiting for me on this visit to the States!
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