Blow that Dough 2023

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Extra large king crab legs from Alaskan King Crab Co. $89/lb. Heavenly.

 

[MC Rider]

Our place had really nice laundry machines when we got here, so no need to mess with that.


Today we met with a contractor about building a garage because we have none. We need to talk to another one or two. Good meeting with this guy, we know more or less what we want, but if we are blowing the dough in the low 5 figure range we need to shop around.


I am looking forward to having a garage again.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Today the plumber came and said it will be 2k to install the washer. I spent 1k on the machines. I should have it done in about 3 weeks. It will take 5 years to break even on what I spent in the laundry room however the convenience is priceless).

 

[pacergal]

Dh and I spent a couple nights at a coastal resort for Valentines--$1000, including a special 5 course dinner, and resort fees of $53/night and we never once went to the pool, hot tubs or spa!
But it was nice and we spent every evening by the fire enjoying the view.

 

[Winemaker]

Today the plumber came and said it will be 2k to install the washer. I spent 1k on the machines. I should have it done in about 3 weeks. It will take 5 years to break even on what I spent in the laundry room however the convenience is priceless).

Is he/she using gold pipes? Wow, that sounds expensive!

 

[explanade]

Yeah you'd think the appliance sellers would have some provision for cheap installations, so that they sell more machines.

 

[sheldon cornped]

Saw this epitaph for "Blow that Doughers"....

Here lies Walter who loved to spend money
He lost it all in the end
With many a whiskey
And many a wife
He really did enjoy his life!

 

[Koolau]

Is he/she using gold pipes? Wow, that sounds expensive!

If you haven't hired a plumber lately, it might sound expensive. If you've hired one a couple of weeks ago (heh, heh, like I did) you would consider that about right.

I KNEW I should have done what my dad suggested. Become a plumber instead of a scientist. YMMV

 

[MarieIG]

Today the plumber came and said it will be 2k to install the washer. I spent 1k on the machines. I should have it done in about 3 weeks. It will take 5 years to break even on what I spent in the laundry room however the convenience is priceless).

More a quality of life decision than anything else. Personally, I would prefer to be able to do my laundry in residence, rather than take it out (if possible of course).

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Ha Ha I have NEVER hired a plumber, always done it myself, no brain needed. As long as you have a butt crack you can do it. Sorry I could not resist it.

 

[COcheesehead]

I noticed my Apple Watch was getting into low power mode near the end of the day more often especially if we did a long hike or bike ride and used the watch to capture the health data. I discovered that there is a battery health screen on the watch. Mine was down to 81% max capacity. After googling that, apparently 80% or above is where you want to be, anything under and the watch or battery may need replacing. I’ve had an Apple 5 for 3.5 years now. Sooooo, looked on Apple and the new Apple Ultra with extended battery life and better GPS looked right up my alley. Ordered it today. Should have it on Tuesday.
It was not completely BTD, I got 3% back using my Apple Card.

 

[braumeister]

the new Apple Ultra with extended battery life and better GPS looked right up my alley. Ordered it today. Should have it on Tuesday.

Let us know how you like it. I passed by an Apple store last week and stopped in to look at them because I was curious. Put the Ultra next to my current series 6 and decided it was just too big. But I have a small wrist for a man, so that's the reason. Funny how 49 mm compared to 44 mm makes such a noticeable difference. You'll have about 20% more screen real estate than I have, so it should be nice.

 

[explanade]

I've seen the Ultra once. It was really large but the person wearing it had like a bright colored band with it so it kind of looked cheap.

My Series 6 is at 79% Battery Health right now.

It lasts the whole day and maybe the most intensive thing I use it for is using the Workout app on my walks, so for 60-90 minutes, it's presumably using GPS.

The lowest it gets at the end of the day, after 12-15 hours of wearing it, is in the mid to high 20s, percentage wise.

Gong to try to get a couple more years out of it but who knows maybe after the next WatchOS update it will become really sluggish to use.

 

[COcheesehead]

Let us know how you like it. I passed by an Apple store last week and stopped in to look at them because I was curious. Put the Ultra next to my current series 6 and decided it was just too big. But I have a small wrist for a man, so that's the reason. Funny how 49 mm compared to 44 mm makes such a noticeable difference. You'll have about 20% more screen real estate than I have, so it should be nice.

I have a small wrist too and that is my only concern. I tried as best I could to visualize it in comparison to my current 44 m case.
I think you have to be comfortable with a bigger watch. I see so many of the large face Garmin and Suuntos here in Colorado. I think it’s a love it or hate kind of thing.
We’ll see come Tuesday.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Does it have to be MY dough?

We just endorsed an insurance check for a little over $15K to repair 3 rooms affected by a leak -- if that sounds low, it's because it's a spot where all 3 rooms meet, the affected area could fit in one small room. But we are paying about $1,600 out of pocket; a $1K deductible, and about $600 that was considered just the repair of the pipe, which probably leaked due to age, but all the damage, loss of use, and additional costs resulting from that are covered, including a hotel, added mileage from living at the hotel...heck, they even paid for another bag and filter for my Shop Vac, since I used it to vacuum up some water and needed to replace them!

 

[fosterscik]

I have a small wrist too and that is my only concern. I tried as best I could to visualize it in comparison to my current 44 m case.
I think you have to be comfortable with a bigger watch. I see so many of the large face Garmin and Suuntos here in Colorado. I think it’s a love it or hate kind of thing.
We’ll see come Tuesday.

I've had an ultra for about 3 months now. I got one as soon as they were available because I was intrigued by the scuba diving app. I haven't had a chance to use it as a dive watch yet (it didn't arrive before my last scuba trip in November) but will try it on a trip in late March. I do really like it. I love the larger battery (I charge every 2 - 3 days) and it charges really quickly - it's not an overnight thing.
I also have a smaller wrist but I don't find it too big. I bought with an ocean strap but also bought a cheap knock off trail loop band (velcro close) that I wear daily. The snorkeling (and diving apps) are big and bright and especially easy to read with my tired old eyes!

 

[jollystomper]

With DS, DDIL, and grandkids visiting from overseas for 17 days, we rented a minivan for a week, then planned to return it for a few days while they were off visiting other friends and then rent again for the last 5 days including getting them to the airport. But with plans changing, I decided rather than going through the shuffle of clearing out the car/return/pickup/put stuff back in, lets just BTD. So I extended the rental for the entire period. Fortunately (thank you Megacorp retiree discount), the total rental cost (including extras) still comes in under $1,000.

 

[audreyh1]

DH is currently using two Apple Watches. He has his daytime watch and his nighttime watch. I’ve already forgotten why…..

OK - so his newer watch is an Ultra. His decided to keep his older watch which is a fancy titanium watch because he preferred the smaller form factor for nighttime.

That you could have two different watches paired and they stayed synced was news to me.

I am so amazed at the health data these watches can gather these days, like the very detailed sleep analysis every night.

My Series 6 is at 79% Battery Health right now.

It lasts the whole day and maybe the most intensive thing I use it for is using the Workout app on my walks, so for 60-90 minutes, it's presumably using GPS.

The lowest it gets at the end of the day, after 12-15 hours of wearing it, is in the mid to high 20s, percentage wise.

I just checked my Series 6 battery health and it’s at 87%.

I started wearing my watch 23+ hours a day once sleep monitoring became available (Series 6). I mostly charge it while I’m showering before bed.

 

[COcheesehead]

I've had an ultra for about 3 months now. I got one as soon as they were available because I was intrigued by the scuba diving app. I haven't had a chance to use it as a dive watch yet (it didn't arrive before my last scuba trip in November) but will try it on a trip in late March. I do really like it. I love the larger battery (I charge every 2 - 3 days) and it charges really quickly - it's not an overnight thing.
I also have a smaller wrist but I don't find it too big. I bought with an ocean strap but also bought a cheap knock off trail loop band (velcro close) that I wear daily. The snorkeling (and diving apps) are big and bright and especially easy to read with my tired old eyes!

Good to hear. I really like the features of it. I think it will likely work size wise based on everything I saw online.
The regular Apple Watch I found wasn’t as accurate as my wife’s Garmin. It tended to overstate distances, especially in mountains and canyons and that’s where we live, hike/bike. I also like the EKG, body temp and sleep analysis features.

 

[Brook2]

I'm new to this forum and reading all these "Blow the Dough" activities/things people are doing is very eye opening. Not only are they interesting ideas, but it's a good mental exercise to think about splurging on things and what they might be. For me, I'd like to get rid of some things. I'd like to fix the guy's car down the street whose belt screams every time he starts it, and help another neighbor figure out how to repair his plumbing, so water stops leaking all over the sidewalk (joke, but not a joke). In fact I could probably brighten up each house with a long overdue repair. lol. But it would be a weird conversation "hey your car is really annoying, can I fix it?"

 

[Out of Steam]

Working on a trip to Alaska for May/June.

Unless we keep it to 8-9 days, and go only to places driveable from Anchorage, it will be the most expensive we've ever taken.

Seems a long way to go for that short a trip, though.

We made an $11K budget for a 11 night trip, sticking with the plan for no flights within Alaska, and started making reservations last night. Our adult daughter will cover her own airfare and admissions.

Our finances would be better for the trip next year, but we have friends living there temporarily this year.

 

[Out of Steam]

For me, I'd like to get rid of some things. I'd like to fix the guy's car down the street whose belt screams every time he starts it, and help another neighbor figure out how to repair his plumbing, so water stops leaking all over the sidewalk (joke, but not a joke). In fact I could probably brighten up each house with a long overdue repair. lol. But it would be a weird conversation "hey your car is really annoying, can I fix it?"

Well, your tagline seems to fit these goals.

Welcome!

 

[Gremlin]

Trike arrives tomorrow. We have tons of hills here in the Black Hills and an e bike was necessary to do what we want to do. We were visiting family in Florida when we test rode a recumbent Trike on the Withlacoocheee State Trail. Had a blast. Such a beautiful trail.

Sorry to hear that the fracture is giving you so much trouble. I bought my first recumbent trike 26 years ago. It was a big novelty at that time since there were no others in the area. A year ago I finally bought a new one. It is also a Catrike Dumont although not electric since I live in Fl and the roads are flat. After a fused lower back, knee replacement, both shoulders and both wrists damaged the recumbent trike is my only way to get exercise. Just look out for the cars, use a flag, and plenty of flashing lights.

More fun than doing what people say I can't do.

Cheers!

 

[COcheesehead]

I'm new to this forum and reading all these "Blow the Dough" activities/things people are doing is very eye opening. Not only are they interesting ideas, but it's a good mental exercise to think about splurging on things and what they might be. For me, I'd like to get rid of some things. I'd like to fix the guy's car down the street whose belt screams every time he starts it, and help another neighbor figure out how to repair his plumbing, so water stops leaking all over the sidewalk (joke, but not a joke). In fact I could probably brighten up each house with a long overdue repair. lol. But it would be a weird conversation "hey your car is really annoying, can I fix it?"

It’s all in the delivery

“Howdy neighbor, I am retired and find I have some spare time on my hands. I am really good at fixing things, especially cars. Let me know if you need anything fixed on your car, like a noisy belt or something. Happy to do it”

 

[Koolau]

With DS, DDIL, and grandkids visiting from overseas for 17 days, we rented a minivan for a week, then planned to return it for a few days while they were off visiting other friends and then rent again for the last 5 days including getting them to the airport. But with plans changing, I decided rather than going through the shuffle of clearing out the car/return/pickup/put stuff back in, lets just BTD. So I extended the rental for the entire period. Fortunately (thank you Megacorp retiree discount), the total rental cost (including extras) still comes in under $1,000.

That sounds like a really good deal - especially these days. Back in about 2000, we paid $60/day for a Grand Caravan rental. We drove from the midwest to NC. Sounds like just about the same daily rate as you have found.

Enjoy your time with the kids and grand kids - an excellent BTD!