Blow That Dough! -2021

[zippy2020]

We finally overcame our hesitancy and sprang for whole-house A/C. This may not sound very impressive to many, but we live where the coastal fog comes in just about every morning!

It's unbelievable to us that the once-infrequent super-heat spells have started happening every month during the summer and fall seasons. When it gets hot all over the state, our (insulated) stucco house eventually heats up so much, it will be as hot in the kitchen as it is outside. And unfortunately I'm the kind who thinks 67 degrees is an absolutely ideal temp, LOL.

A/C is rare in the town we live in. Only newer hi-rises and big office bldgs have A/C systems. Older SFHs, apartments, and older commercial bldgs don't - for the first 25 yrs we lived here, we didn't need it either!

One or two heat spells a year we can deal with. But last year there were eight week-long spells of 90-100+ degrees, even coastside. Year before that, there were seven. Everybody was miserable.

So we 'bit the bullet' and had the A/C installed before summer hit. And wouldn't you know it - it was installed on what turned out to be the coldest day of the year up till then. Must be a Murphy's Law thing!

So we might as well go whole-hog. Looking into a PowerWall or similar for a house electrical systems back-up. Tired of worrying about whether a power outage will knock out the fridge and freezer.

That house battery will be a big expenditure. Our neighbor just spent $30K on theirs.

 

[TrvlBug]

We finally overcame our hesitancy and sprang for whole-house A/C. This may not sound very impressive to many, but we live where the coastal fog comes in just about every morning!

It's unbelievable to us that the once-infrequent super-heat spells have started happening every month during the summer and fall seasons. When it gets hot all over the state, our (insulated) stucco house eventually heats up so much, it will be as hot in the kitchen as it is outside. And unfortunately I'm the kind who thinks 67 degrees is an absolutely ideal temp, LOL.

A/C is rare in the town we live in. Only newer hi-rises and big office bldgs have A/C systems. Older SFHs, apartments, and older commercial bldgs don't - for the first 25 yrs we lived here, we didn't need it either!

One or two heat spells a year we can deal with. But last year there were eight week-long spells of 90-100+ degrees, even coastside. Year before that, there were seven. Everybody was miserable.

So we 'bit the bullet' and had the A/C installed before summer hit. And wouldn't you know it - it was installed on what turned out to be the coldest day of the year up till then. Must be a Murphy's Law thing!

So we might as well go whole-hog. Looking into a PowerWall or similar for a house electrical systems back-up. Tired of worrying about whether a power outage will knock out the fridge and freezer.

That house battery will be a big expenditure. Our neighbor just spent $30K on theirs.

We're doing the same thing for the same reasons you state. Additionally, even on the cooler days, we couldn't open the windows in the evening or overnight (2nd story) to cool down the house due to the fires. We're on the Peninsula.

 

[NW-Bound]

A temperature of 90-100F accompanied by some humidity would kill me. Here in the SW where it is usually bone dry, a temperature of 90F is barely tolerable.

Yesterday, I woke up early to go do some yardwork. The temperature was only 86F, but the dew point was 70F because the monsoon season was here. I came inside with my T-shirt soaking wet.

I am too old to suffer the heat. I need my AC. And to be sure I will always have it, I install an off-grid solar+battery that can run the ACs. My DIY battery is 34 kWh. The Powerwall is 13.5 kWh each.

PS. I suspect the battery capacity has degraded to 30 kWh, in the 3rd year of use.

 

[Sunset]

....

So we might as well go whole-hog. Looking into a PowerWall or similar for a house electrical systems back-up. Tired of worrying about whether a power outage will knock out the fridge and freezer.

That house battery will be a big expenditure. Our neighbor just spent $30K on theirs.

I bought a generator to have in case of power failure.
Just a portable one on wheels, about $400
That way when power goes out for more than a day I could give some juice to the fridge and whatever else needed it.

Turns out I haven't had to use it in the 8+ years I've owned the thing..

 

[RobbieB]

2 pounds bluefin tuna, 1 lb swordfish, 1 pound scallops, 1 pound unagi. 200 grams uni, a dozen and a half soft shell crabs. Catalina Offshore, $300 with free shipping -

 

[NW-Bound]

I bought a generator to have in case of power failure.
Just a portable one on wheels, about $400
That way when power goes out for more than a day I could give some juice to the fridge and whatever else needed it.

Turns out I haven't had to use it in the 8+ years I've owned the thing..

Then, when you finally need it, you'll find that it no longer works.

I like my solar+battery off-grid system. It is used everyday, and reduces my electric bill. It costs a lot more than a generator though. It takes little maintenance, but the darn battery is wearing out as I feared.

 

[bltkmt]

We finally overcame our hesitancy and sprang for whole-house A/C. This may not sound very impressive to many, but we live where the coastal fog comes in just about every morning!

It's unbelievable to us that the once-infrequent super-heat spells have started happening every month during the summer and fall seasons. When it gets hot all over the state, our (insulated) stucco house eventually heats up so much, it will be as hot in the kitchen as it is outside. And unfortunately I'm the kind who thinks 67 degrees is an absolutely ideal temp, LOL.

A/C is rare in the town we live in. Only newer hi-rises and big office bldgs have A/C systems. Older SFHs, apartments, and older commercial bldgs don't - for the first 25 yrs we lived here, we didn't need it either!

One or two heat spells a year we can deal with. But last year there were eight week-long spells of 90-100+ degrees, even coastside. Year before that, there were seven. Everybody was miserable.

So we 'bit the bullet' and had the A/C installed before summer hit. And wouldn't you know it - it was installed on what turned out to be the coldest day of the year up till then. Must be a Murphy's Law thing!

So we might as well go whole-hog. Looking into a PowerWall or similar for a house electrical systems back-up. Tired of worrying about whether a power outage will knock out the fridge and freezer.

That house battery will be a big expenditure. Our neighbor just spent $30K on theirs.

Why not do a generator instead of expensive battery system?

 

[Huston55]

2 pounds bluefin tuna, 1 lb swordfish, 1 pound scallops, 1 pound unagi. 200 grams uni, a dozen and a half soft shell crabs. Catalina Offshore, $300 with free shipping -

RB-

I need your address so I can come for dinner. I'm just up in the Bay Area. I'll bring the wine.

 

[GLM]

Charms are easy souvenirs to pack and keep.

DW's best friend's father owned a jewelry store, everyone in the family worked there. DW became a knowledgeable observer while growing up, the father had the jewelry repair shop in the basement of the house.

Anytime we ever traveled to a new place , DW always bought gold charms when they were a decent deal for her gold bracelet, or a silver one for her silver bracelet. Needless to say, but they both are quite heavy after all these years.

My "thing" has been silver charms when we travel. My Dear Aunt gave me the silver chain with a birthday charm on my 10th bd after admired hers. After my childhood years of buying silly charms like a bear at the zoo in a lighthouse near the family cabin I stuck to only buying charms when we traveled. Around 2000 it outgrew bracelet form so I turned it into a necklace. This photo is from 2013 We have done a LOT of traveling since then . I probably need to add another row.

Sometimes it is not possible to find a silver charm that is not Pandora. I must admit I usually don't know which palm tree or fish is from which Caribbean Island. Good memories anyhow.

Earrings are my silver sandals "awarded" after our 35th night at a Sandals resort.

 

[street]

Things keep moving ahead with my land deal. Got some documents over the weekend from seller and those are in the hands of my attorney. Surveyor is scheduled in a couple of weeks so one step at a time. Progress in motion for blowing that dough. Lol

Looking back over the last 8 month's we have blown a lot of money (6 figures) on gifting, charity, new vehicle and now more on land.

Life is short so going after what I enjoy, is important but still I'm very cautious of what we spend. I look at the land as an investment and will get my money back plus on it.

 

[athena53]

Around 2000 it outgrew bracelet form so I turned it into a necklace. This photo is from 2013 We have done a LOT of traveling since then . I probably need to add another row.

I like that idea! I may try that if my bracelet gets too crowded. I'd been thinking of just starting a second one. I've seen entire charm bracelets on e-Bay selling for probably the meltdown value of the precious metals- I'm sure they're full of someone else's memories but the family isn't interested and possibly some have been attached with the loops soldered closed so they're too much trouble to sell separately. As I noted earlier, jewelry is NOT an investment.

 

[Sunset]

I like that idea! I may try that if my bracelet gets too crowded. I'd been thinking of just starting a second one. I've seen entire charm bracelets on e-Bay selling for probably the meltdown value of the precious metals- I'm sure they're full of someone else's memories but the family isn't interested and possibly some have been attached with the loops soldered closed so they're too much trouble to sell separately. As I noted earlier, jewelry is NOT an investment.

So true.
Souvenirs are a nice reminder for the purchaser, but to other's it's meaningless.
Now we just buy fridge magnets on our travels for a physical reminder, knowing they will all go in the garbage when we are gone.

 

[aja8888]

So true.
Souvenirs are a nice reminder for the purchaser, but to other's it's meaningless.
Now we just buy fridge magnets on our travels for a physical reminder, knowing they will all go in the garbage when we are gone.

I do the same and also try to find "stickers" and add those to my garage fridge. Half the front of it is a visual history of our trips. LOL (DW thinks I am loony for doing that)

 

[GravitySucks]

As I noted earlier, jewelry is NOT an investment.

I disagree. Buying a decent piece for DW once or twice a year made my life much better. A great investment in happiness.

 

[Winemaker]

My "thing" has been silver charms when we travel. My Dear Aunt gave me the silver chain with a birthday charm on my 10th bd after admired hers. After my childhood years of buying silly charms like a bear at the zoo in a lighthouse near the family cabin I stuck to only buying charms when we traveled. Around 2000 it outgrew bracelet form so I turned it into a necklace. This photo is from 2013 We have done a LOT of traveling since then . I probably need to add another row.

I love the idea! When we had the 2 pieces appraised for insurance purposes, there was some serious money involved at meltdown prices.

 

[stephenson]

OMG - I was doing so well - until I saw this.

 

[street]

OMG - I was doing so well - until I saw this.

Did you buy that ride??

 

[stephenson]

No, but …. first car I’ve seen in awhile that got my attention.

Sadly, it is electric …

 

[audreyh1]

OK! - Japanese Wagyu A5 tenderloin roast 6 lbs on sale $799.99 delivered for Costco members starting 7/29/21! Thats $200 off.

https://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?dept=All&keyword=japanese+a5+wagyu

 

[braumeister]

OK! - Japanese Wagyu A5 tenderloin roast 6 lbs on sale $799.99 delivered for Costco members starting 7/29/21! Thats $200 off.

https://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?dept=All&keyword=japanese+a5+wagyu

Your link shows it as $499.99.

More expensive per pound than the one I bought a couple of years ago, but still a great price.

 

[audreyh1]

Your link shows it as $499.99.

More expensive per pound than the one I bought a couple of years ago, but still a great price.

This is the item that will be $799.99 starting 7/29/21. It’s currently $999.99. https://www.costco.com/japanese-wagyu-tenderloin-roast,-a5-grade,-6-lbs.product.100505552.html

$499.99 is for the strip loin roast.

P.S. DH says no way! We’re not really into heavily marbled beef, but I’d try a small cut to see what the fuss is all about.,

 

[aja8888]

Coming up 8/2:

Front tooth extraction (well, that was done in April or so).

Drain infected area above tooth and sew up gum (done).

Add in bone graft material (done).

8/2 - drill and twp hole for new insert. Stitch up, wait.

8/? - remove stitches, check insert, prepare for tooth implant.

9/? - New tooth put in place.

About $6,000.00

 

[W2R]

NW-Bound suggested this post would have been more appropriate to this BTD thread, so here it is!

[...]We all have our weaknesses when it comes to spending.

Here's mine: I just pre-ordered the new OLED Switch which will cost me $349 upon its October release. People say it's no different from a regular Switch (which I already own!) except it has a prettier screen, more RAM, better sound, and it is a lovely white color. I don't care if it's not that different. It's something I want whether that desire is illogical or not. I am happy to throw $349 at Nintendo for it.

Now, $349 may not seem like much but you should see the squawking about how much it is, on the Nintendo forums! People think it's a huge rip-off. We were all hoping the OLED Switch would come with a better processor and 4K video, but no, it is just the same, and it plays the same old games we can already play on our old Switches.

I STILL WANT IT so I pre-ordered it anyway and nobody on the face of this green Earth can tell me I can't! That's the great thing about being single, 73, and FIRE'd.

 

[NW-Bound]

Things keep moving ahead with my land deal. Got some documents over the weekend from seller and those are in the hands of my attorney. Surveyor is scheduled in a couple of weeks so one step at a time. Progress in motion for blowing that dough. Lol

Looking back over the last 8 month's we have blown a lot of money (6 figures) on gifting, charity, new vehicle and now more on land.

Life is short so going after what I enjoy, is important but still I'm very cautious of what we spend. I look at the land as an investment and will get my money back plus on it.

I spent a few hundred $K this year on stocks, that I did not really intend to buy. I set strike prices on the put options not low enough, and kept getting assigned.

I would not want to call it "Blowing Dough", because same as your land deal, it is not for consumables. I hope my shares will retain some values, if not appreciate in the years ahead.

 

[street]

NW-Bound, I asked myself a few times, why do I need more land. Lol

You know NW if we can and we want to, we should. What the heck, it is only money.