Blow That Dough! -2021

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No, I've looked at all of them and decided that Tauck had the best one.
 
Sunset said:
I just checked our Princess FCC to see when they expire. To my Happy surprise Princess extended the expiry date out to the end of 2022 :dance:
This makes them more likely to be used, as my DW is reluctant to cruise until 2022.
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Our Royal Caribbean credits were extended to Apr 2022 to sail by Sept 2022.
We will probably use it.
 
braumeister said:
We decided to blow that dough big time and booked a trip to Australia and New Zealand for October 2022. Something that has always been on our bucket list, but the distance and cost had a daunting effect.

Since our travel spending shrank so much during 20 and 21, we felt it was time to let loose and finally go for it. Getting excited already!
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Business or first class?

It's a long flight!
 
Yeah you can't book yet, at most 330 days out.

It's one of the most elusive award ticket there is, US to Oceania.

Rarely discounted in premium cabin.
 
I have the EL 8.5 by 42 that are truly a fantastic birding binocular. Have had them for almost 20 years, taken them on many trips, even traded them in about 6 years ago for a much improved later version. Close focus (butterflies) and great for low light birding.

But they are 9 ounces heavier and bulkier than these new ones I just ordered. It really makes a difference. Which is why the new ones are for travel or hanging around my neck when on the bicycle.

So DH and I will now have two pairs of Swarovski bins each! :eek:
 
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Just bought a pair of Red Wing work boots. Visited a bunch of stores with cheaper boot and none of them fit my Fred Flinstone feet or they looked like teeny bopper boots. Finally broke down and visited the local Red Wing store and found exactly what I needed. $225 was a bit steep but they feel great. Ended up getting 11.5 H. Feet are flat as a pancake.
 
corn18 said:
Just bought a pair of Red Wing work boots. Visited a bunch of stores with cheaper boot and none of them fit my Fred Flinstone feet or they looked like teeny bopper boots. Finally broke down and visited the local Red Wing store and found exactly what I needed. $225 was a bit steep but they feel great. Ended up getting 11.5 H. Feet are flat as a pancake.
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I was very tempted to buy a pair about three weeks back when the local stores were enticing with a walk-in sale. I decided to get the Keen brand instead, but I do plan to still get RW boots. I live about an hour north of this wonderful company. About two hours south of the Duluth Trading Co, another great brand from my home state.

Enjoy the boots... now get to work!! :D
 
corn18 said:
Just bought a pair of Red Wing work boots. Visited a bunch of stores with cheaper boot and none of them fit my Fred Flinstone feet or they looked like teeny bopper boots. Finally broke down and visited the local Red Wing store and found exactly what I needed. $225 was a bit steep but they feel great. Ended up getting 11.5 H. Feet are flat as a pancake.
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It would be hard to "over-pay" for a pair of shoes that feel good. I suffered with "flat feet" for years and finally went to a "good" foot doc. He made the "forms" of my feet and 3 weeks later, handed me a set of inserts for my cheap shoes. I slid them in, put on the shoes and said "Where have these been all my life."

If anyone has flat feet, there may be a "miracle" waiting in the wings. Spend a little and try for it. YMMV
 
jollystomper said:
Our current top 5 non-travel related "blow that dough" plans for 2021 - lets see if I can actually achieve them:

1. Renovate our 1/2 bathroom. Good news is, it is a small job - bathroom is only 4' x 5', no changing of the plumbing which was redone last year. Just tear out and replace existing toilet, wall and floor tile (and redo drywall behind the 4' high wall tile), and vanity. We already have the tile, enough from what was left from renovating our other 2 bathrooms. The bad news, it is a small job; my contractor friend who redid the previous 2 bathrooms (and a GREAT job) is my preference but he is busy so may be a challenge to get on his schedule. I am willing to be his "demo" assistant and help tear out and haul away the existing stuff, so we'll see.

2. Get a fireplace insert. Our existing fireplace is nice, but burning wood is more decorative than efficient. As a result we have not used it much, and not at all for over 5 years and not since we last had it cleaned. So time to make use of it and getting an insert installed (as well as a new chimney liner) is on the table.

3. Better golf clubs. My current ones are a "beginners" set (Callaway Strata) and are 8 years old. Since retiring I have been playing a lot of rounds with them so they are getting a beating. Right now I am considering going the full lessons + fitting route at one of the nearby chains to at least identify the best type of clubs for me.

4. Replace one of our cars. There are no issues with our older cars other than they are 2011 Toyota models that we bought used in 2013. DW will be fully retired as of May, and her Corolla still has less than 60K miles on it; she loves the car so we will stick with this one, though I am seeing very good prices from Carmax on it. The Camry has $126K miles so it is a likely candidate.

5. Replace the carpet in our master bedroom closet area. I replaced the bedroom carpet with laminate flooring and we love it. We had bought enough to do this area but instead decided to do the 2nd floor hallway because it was easier. There is still some left but the area is L shaped with a walk-in closet and 2 other closet, so figuring out the laminate pattern and cutting will be a pain. I am looking at a easier method, maybe vinyl times is an option. The area is between our bedroom and the bathroom so something that is good in a damp environment and easy to install is desired.
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BTD update:

Project #1 - finally started. The current bathroom has been demolished - old tile, vanity, toilet removed and taken to the dump. tomorrow the floor and enough of the walls should be tiled to install new vanity and toilet onsite.

Project #3 - partially complete. Bought new Callaway X Hot Irons set and they have definitely made a difference. I am getting longer yardage with the clubs and am adjusting my distance game to them. Found a nice 3 wood at a discount so not really a "blow that dough" transaction. Still evaluating a new driver.

Projects 2, 4, and 5 are not much off the ground other than research, but are not as urgent. Once the bathroom project is complete we will focus on #2.
 
When we first moved into our home, the weather was great. Maybe 2 serious heat spells, lasting a week and then the fog and offshore Pacific winds blow it away.

The last five years have seen a steady increase in these heat spells. From May through mid-November they have been happening every 4-5 weeks.

And unfortunately, my kitchen - I love to cook - is THE hottest room in the house during a heat spell. An insulated house is slower to heat up - but once it gets hot, it stays hot for 24-36 hours after the weather outside starts to cool. Man, I was dying last year (figuratively speaking of course!), between the heat spells and wildfires.

That was the proverbial straw. In March - ironically, on the coldest day of 2021 to that point - we had whole house A/C installed. $12K for something we don't plan on using very much, but last year made us decide it was worth doing, even though we don't plan to stay here more than another 4-5 yrs.

On the good side, having put solar panels on the roof back in 2014, our annual electricity cost is offset by the NEM credits, to a large degree.
 
Another rental RV, Grand Canyon NP this time. Never spent this kind of dough on the road until we started renting RVs. So far has been cheaper than owning though.
 
A few weeks ago I signed up for Spotify Premium (no ads) for $120 / year. For someone who likes to live with low overhead, this is a big deal. :D Now that I've tried SP, I wonder how I ever put up with those repetitive, annoying Spotify ads. :confused: OK, call me a big spender. :greetings10:
 
socca said:
A few weeks ago I signed up for Spotify Premium (no ads) for $120 / year. For someone who likes to live with low overhead, this is a big deal. :D Now that I've tried SP, I wonder how I ever put up with those repetitive, annoying Spotify ads. :confused: OK, call me a big spender. :greetings10:
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Hey Big Spender!

 
Planned to bring my couch to my new condo because it’s only 3 years old. Because it’s 7 ft long and the ceilings in the hallways are the same the movers couldn’t do it. I ended up paying for them to take it back to the house and gave it to the new owners. While at the furniture store buying a new loveseat I ended up buying a matching chair. Hung my bedroom tv and the sound died so ordered a new one. Bought a queen sleep number bed where the head elevates and a headboard for 4500. The condo had no towel bars, curtain rods, etc. Also replaced overhead lights, lamps, etc. It’s been fun and my condo looks great.
 
socca said:
A few weeks ago I signed up for Spotify Premium (no ads) for $120 / year. For someone who likes to live with low overhead, this is a big deal. :D Now that I've tried SP, I wonder how I ever put up with those repetitive, annoying Spotify ads. :confused: OK, call me a big spender. :greetings10:
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I feel 'ya! Went crazy and subscribed to Netflix, although already have Prime and Hulu. Wanted Netflix to binge watch Breaking Bad, planning to cancel after. Might live Really Large and let it ride.

DW is giving me strange looks, but we're knocking out 4 or 5 episodes nightly.
 
New flooring, new baseboards and full interior paint scheduled for Aug. Cant take it with you...
 
braumeister said:
Haven't begun to think about the travel to get there yet.
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The first time I went, I went in standard economy and ended up stuck between two Aussie Rugby players, middle seat, in front of a screaming baby. The poor thing only stopped crying when we landing, when the cabin promptly erupted in cheers.


Both countries are wonderful, and we did independent travel in each. Enjoy!
 
braumeister said:
We decided to blow that dough big time and booked a trip to Australia and New Zealand for October 2022. Something that has always been on our bucket list, but the distance and cost had a daunting effect.

Since our travel spending shrank so much during 20 and 21, we felt it was time to let loose and finally go for it. Getting excited already!
Click to expand...

We went to Sidney and Auckland back in 1999 or so. Had business-class seats which we did not pay for, courtesy of Qantas. We were both working, so only had time for 1 week or so.

I just checked. Non-stop LAX-SYD business seat is $15K round-trip. Wowza. It's serious dough even for 1 traveler, let alone 2.

I have not added a leg to AKL to see how much more it would be.
 
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NW-Bound said:
We went to Sidney and Auckland back in 1999 or so. Had business-class seats which we did not pay for, courtesy of Qantas. We were both working, so only had time for 1 week or so.

I just checked. Non-stop LAX-SYD business seat is $15K round-trip. Wowza. It's serious dough even for 1 traveler, let alone 2.

I have not added a leg to AKL to see how much more it would be.
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I wonder if those prices will begin to come down once the airlines start to add back more flights. Maybe they won't do that for a while, hoping to reap some big profits while the getting is good. Still, at some point, the dam should burst as we get back to "normal" - whatever that is.
 
Koolau said:
I wonder if those prices will begin to come down once the airlines start to add back more flights. Maybe they won't do that for a while, hoping to reap some big profits while the getting is good. Still, at some point, the dam should burst as we get back to "normal" - whatever that is.
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I recall that a business seat for nonstop LAX-SYD flights was only around $4-5K. That was of course a few years ago, but $15K is outrageous.

Just checked again, and with one stop, the price came down to a much more reasonable $5K or so. And Hawaii and Fiji are about at the mid-way points, and the layover would not be too bad. Of course, one can make a short stay at these locations. I have been to Hawaii islands quite a few times, but Fiji would be new to me.

And surprisingly, even a detour to Singapore or Hong Kong may cost just the same. So, if I were to go to Australia again, I would add Singapore and Fiji as destinations, and be gone for a month or more. Now, only if my wife could find someone to look after her mom for that long.
 
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