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Just got my homeowner's insurance renewal notice from Amica: +$900 (+30%) versus last year! They said it was due to Harvey of course, but...we've had no claims...our Houston neighborhood hasn't flooded houses since it was built +50 years ago...and homeowners policies don't even cover flood...

A few years ago we had all the floors in our 1960s house (slab on grade foundation) in Houston replaced with a mix of tile, carpet, and a floating engineered wood (not hardwood, but also not cheapo laminate). For the wood floor, the slab was "floated" up as needed to make it level, then a vapor...

Was just reading “new posts” here on my iPhone while on home WiFi and got an annoying pop up about “Congratulations! Amazon.com user!” see attached screenshot. It seems to be this problem with the forum’s ad networks: https://www.telapost.com/amazon-user-scam/

Got "promoted" to management...moved to a new business unit I had no experience with or networks in, in a brand new team that was just formed, with fresh meat that had no experience in the tasks we're responsible for, and no formal support from other departments we need to get anything done...

I don't have a huge lot, only 10k sq ft, but still takes longer than I'd like to cut the grass. Is it worth it to upgrade from my 21" mower to a 30"? Seems like it should cut time roughly in half, right?

My 3 year old Kenmore Elite dishwasher stopped drying the dishes a few months ago. It would run the drying cycle (indicated by a red status light) but never got hot. I had a tech come out, he checked the heating element, the thermostat, and the fuse but said all were fine. He unplugged it...

DW's employer announced they are converting everyone like her from W-2 to self-employed status (not 1099 but essentially the same for tax purposes, and yes apparently this type of reclassification is legal). This will increase our federal tax bill by ~$15k/year because of the added...

Went to the ER with a kidney stone - knew what it was because I'd had one before - total bill was $10k, after negotiated rate was $5k: $100 pharmacy $400 lab $2,250 CT scan $2,250 emergency services I have 25% co-insurance so I owe $1,250. Are there any tactics (more specific than...

I’m a 34 year old guy and I’ve been suffering from back pain between my shoulder blades for the last 4 years. I’ve seen dozens of doctors in various specialties, I even went to the Mayo Clinic in 2012, but I still have no diagnosis and no effective way to manage the pain. Tried an assortment of...

I planted this meyer lemon tree in my garden about a year ago and I have gotten a couple lemons off it, but lately the leaves have been looking wrinkled and discolored. There is another of the same type across the walkway that doesn't have this problem. I don't see any pests crawling around. Is...

I live in Houston, TX and have a St. Augustine lawn. I have checked the sprinklers and the lawn is getting good water coverage. Despite that, my lawn looks like crap. The problems are in the attached photos but summarized: Some areas are thick St. Augustine Some areas are thin and patchy...

Let's say you get to FIRE at 40 but you need something to keep you busy and you're tired of your current career. Is it crazy to go back to school for a totally new career? Just for the sake of learning something new in a field that supported part-time w*rk to bring in some extra spending money...

Right or wrong, I like dividend paying stocks. I have a vanguard dividend-focused index fund yielding 3% with a 0.2% expense ratio. With a hypothetical $1M in there, I'm getting $30k/year dividends and paying $2k in ER. I could replicate the portfolio with individual stocks, maybe with 50...

When I started working it seemed like $100k/year salary was a big deal, it took decades of experience to get there and a lot of people never made it. Now it seems like $100k is not that high a target, a lot of people get there in their 30s and maybe even a few in their 20s if they're programmers...

I know there are several members who live in the Houston area and some who have been in energy much longer than I have...what do you think the fallout to Houston will be of the current low oil prices?

US Steel just froze its pension plan. I'm surprised by two things, one, that US Steel still exists, and two, that it's taken them this long. I wonder what percentage of the F500 still offer traditional DB pensions? 8-K

Last year we had an engineered wood floor installed, floating. They left expansion gaps along the walls (under the baseboards) but there are no gaps between the rooms. One section has developed a couple 1/8" gaps on the short end of the boards in a hallway that ends with no expansion gap (there...

We have a 1-year old Kenmore Elite dishwasher that until this week worked great. Dishes on the bottom rack just started coming out with food particles left on them. The cycle seems to run fine, the soap gets used up, the stuff on the top rack seems clean. But if you put a bowl in the bottom that...

Thinking of selling my 6 year old Weber gas grill. Its the smaller basic 2 burner model. Still in good shape, just replaced the flavor bars, gets to 600F no problem. No major rust or leaks. Includes the cover. What would you list this for on Craigslist?

My neighbor's property taxes are capped because she has an over-65 surviving spouse exemption. So she is paying ~$2k/year in ptax. Without that exemption, the ptax would be ~$5k. To qualify for the exemption, you must occupy the house as your primary residence. However, I do not believe the...

DS is on the way, and it will be a while before he is walking, but I'm wondering how to child-proof these stairs on the open side, or at least to keep him from being able to get on the stairs at all.

I had some 4-foot 4-bulb fluorescent light fixtures installed in my garage which has a 1/2" drywall ceiling from the 1960s and holds a double garage door. The fixtures weigh ~25 lbs each and the bulbs add <2 lbs total. The contractor installed them using two 3/8" toggle bolts, one on each end of...

I know nothing about guns. But I do work in big oil. Is this just marketing or is it actually a quality item? In all likelihood it would probably just hang on the wall here. https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/the-american-oilmantribute-edition/

Those of you holding I-bonds (like me) from the US Treasury should note that the inflation component is now -1.6%. Ridiculous...I can tell you that none of my expenses have gone down 1.6% in the last year. I guess they are juking the stats...

Dad recently found a small corporate pension he didn't know he qualified for. He was eligible to start taking the annuity at 65 but he didn't - he's 68 now and started getting payments. They company is saying they don't owe him anything for those three "lost" years, which sounds wrong to me...