Blow That Dough! - 2020

[bbbamI]

The original plan to blow that dough was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my first SS deposit in January. That fell flat and didn't bounce once....

So, we bought an upright freezer and dh obtained various tools, gizmos and gadgets. Later on we had a carport built over our driveway, purchased flooring for the garage then replaced the garage door. In a couple of weeks dh will receive his La-Z-Boy recliner (thanks for the info W2R ).

I'm considering replacing our 36 yo wall oven. Ok, so the self cleaning doesn't work, neither does the clock or timer, but it still bakes well.

 

[Helen]

New stamped stained driveway, apron, part of sidewalk and walkway is being poured today. That will run about $12k.

We are now shopping for a new front door for an English Tudor and a side door. I'm a bit shell shocked at the cost. I've been studying this site to learn what a front door of a Tudor should look like. I would love to have one custom made, but I would need to supply drawings with exact measurements. I guess I would need to hire an architect to help.

Tudor Artisans - Example Doors

 

[euro]

New stamped stained driveway, apron, part of sidewalk and walkway is being poured today. That will run about $12k.

We are now shopping for a new front door for an English Tudor and a side door. I'm a bit shell shocked at the cost. I've been studying this site to learn what a front door of a Tudor should look like. I would love to have one custom made, but I would need to supply drawings with exact measurements. I guess I would need to hire an architect to help.

Tudor Artisans - Example Doors

Wow, an architect just to design the door and then custom construction: that DOES sound pricey..... blow that dough....

 

[finnski1]

Spilled a full coffee on my laptop a few weeks ago and tried everything to fix it. No luck.
Looking for a 6-800 dollar replacement right now. $700

Have a mini split A/C unit being delivered tomorrow. Even though we are at 1300 foot elevation in NH we finally are caving in to A/C . We both don't like the heat and especially the humidity. Supposed to be real quiet and energy efficient. $700.
Spent several hundred on the new pup in the last few weeks. New crates, beds harnesses toys etc. $500

Need new glasses. $600

Wife just told me she doesn't like the roman shades any more. $?

Finishing up my total bathroom /laundry room gut job. Maybe another $500 to go.
Thinking of redoing the entire kitchen. Rut Roh.

Guess that's enough for now.

 

[CardsFan]

DW was ready to replace her 8 year old Pathfinder. Sold it private for about $2k more than trade-in.

Sooo, we are now the proud owners of the most expensive vehicle we have ever bought. A 2020 Lexus 350 RX. I am pretty sure it will take another 10 years to figure out all the functions. Oh well, it is what she wanted, and we CAN afford it.

Meanwhile, my 2012 basic Altima is still my ride for a while. (But I have thrown out the idea of buying a Tesla in a year or two)

FWIW, even with the car purchase we will be under 4% WR for the year.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We are blowing dough not in a way we would choose. My husband broke his ankle and had surgery with a metal plate and screws. Our part to the hospital is 4500. There will be more going out to doctors, etc.

 

[music-and-ski]

Need new glasses. $600

I started buying cheap glasses on The Internet. I bought so many that the DW finally had to say "DON'T BUY ANY MORE CHEAP GLASSES ON THE INTERNET". It's addictive. I don't know how complex your prescription is, but if you can get away with bifocals from Zenni they run about $40/pair depending on what frame you choose. I haven't had any luck with progressives, so I prefer bifocals anyways.

 

[Hermit]

..... $2K on ski season passes for next year (although this is mandatory spending, not discretionary, and saves us lots of money over the year compared to buying daily lift tickets.)

My season pass will be $20 this year (not exactly a Blow That Dough! move). I don't know how COVID will impact skiing so I will settle for the Monarch Ski area here in Colorado. It used to be free for us geezers over 69, but now they charge an administrative fee. It is pretty nice skiing for a smaller area.

 

[Ronstar]

Just ordered a new camera lens.

 

[statsman]

I'm considering replacing our 36 yo wall oven. Ok, so the self cleaning doesn't work, neither does the clock or timer, but it still bakes well.

If our experience is typical, try to avoid a wall oven with a touch screen control panel. We moved into our new house a little over a year ago that has a Whirlpool touch screen wall oven. Pain in the rear. Touch screen sensitivity is all over the map. Beyond that, the clock on the oven gains a minute every 4-5 days with no way to slow it down. For the life of me, I'm still trying to figure out why the oven needs a date field.

We're thinking about blowing the dough on replacing the wall oven with one that has touch button (not screen) controls. The one hesitation is that the oven cooks well for our needs.

 

[tb001]

This is a month of blowing that dough for us. Lots of projects all coming to fruition in one month. Sanding and repainting all windows and doors, building an outdoor shower, replacing our kitchen flooring with tile and drilling a well. Would be great to get through August and then have a moratorium on spending for a long time!!

All were planned expenses and have been in the plans for the last year, except the shower, but it’s still a lot at once!

 

[smoghat]

We bought two Teslas this year. 2017 Tesla Model S and Model Y. Couldn’t be happier!

 

[MRG]

We bought two Teslas this year. 2017 Tesla Model S and Model Y. Couldn’t be happier!

Nice

I bought a Model Y Performance. It's now a unicorn as you can't get this configuration anymore. After dropping 60k+ I dropped another 5k on accessories.

Blow that dough!

 

[bbbamI]

If our experience is typical, try to avoid a wall oven with a touch screen control panel. We moved into our new house a little over a year ago that has a Whirlpool touch screen wall oven. Pain in the rear. Touch screen sensitivity is all over the map. Beyond that, the clock on the oven gains a minute every 4-5 days with no way to slow it down. For the life of me, I'm still trying to figure out why the oven needs a date field.

We're thinking about blowing the dough on replacing the wall oven with one that has touch button (not screen) controls. The one hesitation is that the oven cooks well for our needs.

Thank you so much for the tip! I will stay clear of a touch screen.

A couple of years ago, I had to replace my 20 yo washer. The first one I was shown almost looked like a space ship to me. I told the salesman he needed to 'dumb it down a bit'. It's almost impossible to get 'simple' these daze.....

 

[finnski1]

I started buying cheap glasses on The Internet. I bought so many that the DW finally had to say "DON'T BUY ANY MORE CHEAP GLASSES ON THE INTERNET". It's addictive. I don't know how complex your prescription is, but if you can get away with bifocals from Zenni they run about $40/pair depending on what frame you choose. I haven't had any luck with progressives, so I prefer bifocals anyways.

Yeah I had just bought some Zennis a month ago from a year old prescription and of course I went to the doctor and I need a stronger prescription. The $600 price is from my eye doctor/ optician office. I may try Zenni again. The ones I just bought ran me $250 because I got the lighter weight lenses, progressives, transition lenses etc but they seem fine.

 

[txtig]

Today is demo day. Gutting and re-modeling all four bathrooms . . . two upstairs, two downstairs. Starting with one up and one down. Will finish those and then move onto the other two. Budget is $50K.

 

[davebarnes]

Butt-flushing toilets

Today is demo day. Gutting and re-modeling all four bathrooms . . . two upstairs, two downstairs. Starting with one up and one down. Will finish those and then move onto the other two. Budget is $50K.

Be sure to put electrical outlets behind each toilet.
You can thank me later.

 

[txtig]

Be sure to put electrical outlets behind each toilet.

You can thank me later.

Ok. Thanks. Got one already in the master bath. But, no plans to add in the other three. Just DW and me in the house. Love the bidet.

 

[Gumby]

Yesterday, we bought a new wall clock after one of ours broke about a month ago AND bought a new outside thermometer to replace the one that broke 10 years ago. We also went out to eat for lunch. The money is flying out of here so fast it takes my breath away!

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Today is demo day. Gutting and re-modeling all four bathrooms . . . two upstairs, two downstairs. Starting with one up and one down. Will finish those and then move onto the other two. Budget is $50K.

50k for 4 bathrooms. Are you DIYing? That's nowhere near the estimates I'm getting on just 2. Not lavish just updating

 

[Sue J]

It's almost time for our DIL to start the application to renew her green card. Her original one was issued just BEFORE their two year wedding anniversary so it was just for two years instead of ten years. The renewal will be for ten years.

We told our son and DIL we'd like to pay for it and they were stunned and thrilled. Our son's employer closed for a while for Covid-19 and while they are back and ongoing he's not getting any of the bonuses that he used to get. So they are living lean.

I remember being a young family on one income. Some big expense would come up and it would be hard to save. My parents would help us for a specific thing every once in a while and we like to do this for our kids, too.

For us, this is not a lot of money. It felt very good to give this to them.

 

[statsman]

Thank you so much for the tip! I will stay clear of a touch screen.

If you do decide on one of the touch screen models, see if you can demo it first. We had no choice, it was part of our house build's built-in appliance list and, quite frankly, wasn't even on our checklist of concerns with the house build (not a custom house).

We just find it very touchy (no pun intended). You can touch the screen several times before it moves to the next sub-screen. Sometimes, you can get it on the first attempt. Funny thing is if we drape a kitchen towel over the door bar that sits right below the touch screen, that almost always turns on the screen.

 

[NW-Bound]

Many Californians are blowing dough on ESS (Energy Storage System) battery.

This will prove to be money well-spent when there are rolling blackouts like just a few days ago when there was not enough power generation to satisfy demand during the heat spell. And when the wind picks up, there will be PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff) like what was done last year to prevent wild fire caused by sagging power lines.

I am not in California, but I have been expanding my DIY solar system for fun. The payback with a smaller electric bill is of course an enticement, and the thought of not having to bail out of town in case of a power outage is a big plus.

Will not finish install all the new additional hardware until it gets cooler, but I am already thinking of getting more solar panels and lithium battery. More, more, more...

 

[dm]

Dock and lift are in.

 

[dm]

House remodel is winding down.