Blow That Dough! - 2020

[W2R]

Just booked business class on Qatar Airways for three week Jordan, red sea aggressor, Egypt antiquities trip for May 2021.

Also have three week Puerto Rico trip booked for January, and a week to Fairbanks in February for the lights...

Not too worried about the 2-3 months in Patagonia, antarctica, etc. In October-December...

Making up for traveling only for 4 months this year.

These sound like wonderful trips! Even though I personally have no desire to travel, still I am so glad to read that there is at least a possibility that the forum's avid travelers may be able to travel in 2021.

 

[Ginny]

Wow, aren't we the travelers. I just booked a trip to Honolulu to meet my newest grandson in February. My son is there compliments of the Navy so I will be staying with them for a month. I am nervous about flying so I bought myself a face shield to go with my mask.

 

[Sunset]

Wow, aren't we the travelers. I just booked a trip to Honolulu to meet my newest grandson in February. My son is there compliments of the Navy so I will be staying with them for a month. I am nervous about flying so I bought myself a face shield to go with my mask.

It's possible HI will require a negative test x days before the flight. So you want to know in advance where and how fast it will be before you go.
I don't know if staying with family qualifies as quarantine, and the penalties are steep.

https://www.hawaii-guide.com/hawaii-travel-restrictions

 

[W2R]

Wow, aren't we the travelers. I just booked a trip to Honolulu to meet my newest grandson in February. My son is there compliments of the Navy so I will be staying with them for a month. I am nervous about flying so I bought myself a face shield to go with my mask.

Have a wonderful time! and enjoy the opportunity to meet your newest grandson in February. They grow up so fast.

 

[2017ish]

Wow, aren't we the travelers. I just booked a trip to Honolulu to meet my newest grandson in February. My son is there compliments of the Navy so I will be staying with them for a month. I am nervous about flying so I bought myself a face shield to go with my mask.

We've flown a fair amount post-March, including RT Nashville to Anchorage, and to Honduras on a full flight. The data are actually reassuring about in flight risks. We do have multilayered, uncomfortable to breathe masks for the boarding process (on and off), but go to minimalist single layer masks for the actual flight.

Have fun in Hawaii! (Here's hoping that you have seamless entry.) We saw our first grandchild after an 8 hour drive at Thanksgiving weekend. Was nice--but I couldn't believe that I'm married to a Grandma!

 

[O2Bfree]

Just paid $360 to have a $120 rear brake job done on the Camry. It was cold and I didn't feel like doing it.
Considering it doing my part for small local business.

Just dropped $230 for a caliper replacement. I figured since the '02 Subie has had zero repairs so far, I'd part with the cash and spare DH from having to mess with it in the cold garage.

And yes, let's help keep local businesses going!

 

[Christine]

Bought myself another tablet computer. I bought an other one two weeks ago. But then I got the second one so that I can have one upstairs and one downstairs. That felt like blowing dough.

 

[audreyh1]

Just paid $360 to have a $120 rear brake job done on the Camry. It was cold and I didn't feel like doing it.
Considering it doing my part for small local business.

Absolutely! Small potatoes for you anyway, but likely to make a much bigger difference to someone who is working.

 

[G8tr]

+1. I'm overtipping these days at the small businesses that I'm still visiting (eg barbershop).

Absolutely! Small potatoes for you anyway, but likely to make a much bigger difference to someone who is working.

 

[GravitySucks]

+1. I'm overtipping these days at the small businesses that I'm still visiting (eg barbershop).

Absolutely.
My dogs' groomer just did a great job and I'm sure her tip was greater than her pay.

 

[Ronstar]

Booked flights, accommodations, and excursions for a 10 day Alaska trip

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Did the reverse of BTD today. I sold my Gold Rolex SubMariner that I have probably only worn 2 times since I retired 12 years ago. And yes, it made almost double what I gave for it new.

Who cares about time anymore anyways?

 

[dtbach]

Just got a Swarovski NL Pure binoculars for my birding hobby. $3K well spent.

 

[audreyh1]

We had to run out and buy a new fridge today. The old one quit cooling. Bad timing!!!

 

[audreyh1]

Just got a Swarovski NL Pure binoculars for my birding hobby. $3K well spent.

Nice! We each have the Swarovski EL 8x32 bins. Awesome for birding.

 

[finnski1]

Just got a Swarovski NL Pure binoculars for my birding hobby. $3K well spent.

Wow those look fantastic.
Several years ago i bought my wife a nice pair of Vortex Vipers and I thought those were expensive and blowing the dough at $500.
They are very nice and have a fantastic guarantee for life that covers almost everything and don't even require a receipt.
They are a league behind yours but I had a tough time spending the $500 never mind $3000 even though my wife is a fairly serious birder.


What power did you get?
We prefer the 8 x 42 as a good compromise on field of view and magnification.

 

[braumeister]

Nice! We each have the Swarovski EL 8x32 bins. Awesome for birding.

Bought a pair of Swarovski EL 10x42s a few years ago, and they were one of the best purchases I've ever made. Just incredible.

I went to an outdoor show where all the major binoculars were available to examine and tried them all out (it was an enormous hall). The Swarovskis were so much better than the others that I was sold. When they went on sale at Amazon I snapped them up.

 

[finnski1]

Just dropped $230 for a caliper replacement. I figured since the '02 Subie has had zero repairs so far, I'd part with the cash and spare DH from having to mess with it in the cold garage.

And yes, let's help keep local businesses going!

Still driving the 02 subie.
That's great.
We sold our 2005 Outback in May of 2019 that we had for 14 years because it was going to be about $1800 to replaced a catalytic converter and a few other things just to get an inspection sticker.
The car was only worth about that much so we bit the bullet and sold.
We thought we could go down to one vehicle since we are both retired but are now searching for a new vehicle.
Probably another Outback.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow those look fantastic.
Several years ago i bought my wife a nice pair of Vortex Vipers and I thought those were expensive and blowing the dough at $500.
They are very nice and have a fantastic guarantee for life that covers almost everything and don't even require a receipt.
They are a league behind yours but I had a tough time spending the $500 never mind $3000 even though my wife is a fairly serious birder.


What power did you get?
We prefer the 8 x 42 as a good compromise on field of view and magnification.

If your wife is a serious birder and will still do it for years, then it’s absolutely worth spending $2000-3000 on the best optics. Easily justified by spending many hours of your life out birding.

I had birdied several years and dropped and damaged a very nice pair of Nikons, when I realized that since we were traveling many trips and spending hour birding in exotic locales, it was time to get the best bins. It was one of the best decisions I ever made - the bright, clear, undistorted images gave me a great deal of pleasure. So much easier to find the bird! Great low light performance. Easy on the hand.

FWIW Nikon repaired the damaged bins for free, and they got a new home.

 

[pb4uski]

+1. I'm overtipping these days at the small businesses that I'm still visiting (eg barbershop).

I get the overtipping during covid and have dome some of that myself, but will this shift expectations, on both our part and their part, permanently? Will we know when to dial back?

 

[audreyh1]

I get the overtipping during covid and have dome some of that myself, but will this shift expectations, on both our part and their part, permanently? Will we know when to dial back?

Does it matter if you can afford it?

 

[finnski1]

If your wife is a serious birder and will still do it for years, then it’s absolutely worth spending $2000-3000 on the best optics. Easily justified by spending many hours of your life out birding.

I had birdied several years and dropped and damaged a very nice pair of Nikons, when I realized that since we were traveling many trips and spending hour birding in exotic locales, it was time to get the best bins. It was one of the best decisions I ever made - the bright, clear, undistorted images gave me a great deal of pleasure. So much easier to find the bird! Great low light performance. Easy on the hand.

FWIW Nikon repaired the damaged bins for free, and they got a new home.

Stop it! I just spent $2500 on my teeth with $8-10k still to come.

Yes she is a reasonably serious amateur and in fact we just did our 29th Audubon Christmas bird count this past weekend.
We are both so frugal that I could never imagine spending $3k on binos but I will definitely consider it and slowly work on her.

 

[audreyh1]

What are you saving your money for? What are your priorities?

The Swarovski 8x32 EL bins are “only” $2000 at bhphotovideo.com, a reliable seller.

BTW - I much prefer 8 power for birding - wider field of view, brighter, and most importantly, handshake is not nearly as noticeable.

 

[corn18]

I have found I can see a lot more detail with my 8x32 images stabLized Canon binoculars than my handheld 10x42 Fujinons. The image stabilization just makes it so much easier to see details.

 

[dtbach]

Wow th


ose look fantastic.
Several years ago i bought my wife a nice pair of Vortex Vipers and I thought those were expensive and blowing the dough at $500.
They are very nice and have a fantastic guarantee for life that covers almost everything and don't even require a receipt.
They are a league behind yours but I had a tough time spending the $500 never mind $3000 even though my wife is a fairly serious birder.


What power did you get?
We prefer the 8 x 42 as a good compromise on field of view and magnification.

I got the 8x42's. I have a pair of 10x42 Nikon Monarch 7's so already had that power. The NL Pures are really amazing. FOV is fantastic.