Blow that Dough 2023

[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 just got it in today. I love it. It’s not really that much bigger than my 44m Apple 5 watch and I discovered that I can also use all my current bands. I have 6 of them. So that’s a bonus!

 

[braumeister]

It’s not really that much bigger than my 44m Apple 5 watch

Certainly smaller than Dick Tracy's model.

 

[COcheesehead]

Certainly smaller than Dick Tracy's model.

I am learning all the features. I just did an EKG, took my blood oxygen level. All kinds of new things.
I like the look. It appears more rugged.

 

[Souschef]

We just signed the lease for 15 months at our new apartment $4600/mo.
I am 84, and why not

 

[Koolau]

Mentioned and alluded to elsewhere, we've spent $10K on preventing, fixing and cleaning up after leaks in the Condo over the past 6 months.

 

[MBAustin]

This is a “glad they blew that dough” post and a suggestion if anyone is looking for a new analog wristwatch for themselves or as a BTD gift.

More than 15 years ago (I don’t remember the exact year) I asked my parents for a new watch and sent them a few suggestions from Seiko, probably around $100. I was shocked when I opened my Christmas gifts to find a beautiful Citizen Eco-Drive with crystals around the bezel. I knew it cost much more than $100 and told them they shouldn’t have picked something so extravagant. My father said “You deserve an executive watch”. I wore the watch every day and enjoyed it very much. (I don’t see this specific one on their website but it’s a variation on a Silhouette Crystal style)

When I ER’d in 2010 however, I made the conscious decision to stop wearing a watch and it went into a drawer. This year I decided to try wearing it again to stop looking at my phone to check the time. I pulled it out of the drawer and wondered if the solar battery would recharge after all those years. It took about a week to fully recharge but now works like new. And it gives me good memories of my late parents every day to boot.

https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/collection/eco-drive/

 

[Ronstar]

^ very nice story!

 

[athena53]

Oops, I booked another tour. I found out yesterday that in estimating my 2022 taxes, I'd double-counted about $12,000 in non-taxable muni bond interest (I'd included it on the "Interest" line as well as the "Non-taxable Interest" line and corrected it after getting the brokerage form) and was getting a far bigger refund than expected.

Overseas Adventure travel has been pelting me with mailings and I was interested in a Baltic cruise. Fall of 2024 just opened up and I wanted to book early to get one of the single cabins (no supplement). I'm already planning on using money inherited from Dad to take my son and DIL and the 3 kids somewhere in the Caribbean in the spring.

Here's the link. https://www.oattravel.com/trips/sma...-voyage/2021/itineraries?icid=prnavlk_dtditin

So far I'm in for only the cost of the travel protection and a $500 deposit.

 

[flyingaway]

Oops, I booked another tour. I found out yesterday that in estimating my 2022 taxes, I'd double-counted about $12,000 in non-taxable muni bond interest (I'd included it on the "Interest" line as well as the "Non-taxable Interest" line and corrected it after getting the brokerage form) and was getting a far bigger refund than expected.

Overseas Adventure travel has been pelting me with mailings and I was interested in a Baltic cruise. Fall of 2024 just opened up and I wanted to book early to get one of the single cabins (no supplement). I'm already planning on using money inherited from Dad to take my son and DIL and the 3 kids somewhere in the Caribbean in the spring.

Here's the link. https://www.oattravel.com/trips/sma...-voyage/2021/itineraries?icid=prnavlk_dtditin

So far I'm in for only the cost of the travel protection and a $500 deposit.

Wow, I have not bought my tickets to India and China for the next month yet. The travel agency told me that my visa application is still in processing until March 3.

 

[F4mandolin]

2 new sofa's. Probably around $9K. The old one was way too low...of course, now the new one is too high. The cushions are already starting to settle a bit, so hopefully in another month or so they will be ok. Needed a nice high back as well, nobody seems to like selling high backed sofa's.

 

[whatnot]

Athena53 Thank you for the link to your cruise.
It looks like a great itinerary.
Have you used OAT before? Is this a good group to travel as a single?

 

[finnski1]

2 new sofa's. Probably around $9K. The old one was way too low...of course, now the new one is too high. The cushions are already starting to settle a bit, so hopefully in another month or so they will be ok. Needed a nice high back as well, nobody seems to like selling high backed sofa's.

I'm 6'2" and I like a high back. Apparently manufacturers think we should all rest our heads back and talk to the ceiling rather than our guests.

 

[athena53]

Athena53 Thank you for the link to your cruise.
It looks like a great itinerary.

Have you used OAT before? Is this a good group to travel as a single?

I've taken 3 trips with them, all since being widowed in 2016, and next year's will be my 6th! Yes, I highly recommend them for single travelers. Married couples are usually in the minority and so far the only single men were a father and son on my India/Nepal trip.

What really impressed me was how they handled COVID. I was supposed to do the Macchu Picchu/Galapagos trip in March, 2020 and they sent us home after the week-long pre-trip in Bolivia because country after country started closing their birders. They went above and beyond working to get everyone home (and I hadn't even made flight arrangements through them), and got us out on a nonstop to Miami from Santa Cruz two days before Bolivia closed its borders! I was given massive credits towards future trips after deciding not to ask for a cash refund (required by MA, their domiciliary state).

I like UnCruise, too, but their single supplement is pretty steep.

 

[street]

I'm debating on contacting an LLC that owns a very small tract of land (35AC) that borders my ranch. They bought it many years ago and are located ~1700 miles from here and haven't done anything with it for 15 years.

I run it past the better half, and she doesn't care, and said that I should if I want too. So, today I might contact them and ask them if they ever want to sell to give me a chance to purchase it.

Being a multi generation family here I would like to add that small acreage to keep it in the family. That 35AC is the only land that isn't owned by homesteaders of multi generation families in that area.

So haven't BTD yet but might be in the future. It might happen sooner than I think or never happen. Lol

 

[Ronstar]

I'm debating on contacting an LLC that owns a very small tract of land (35AC) that borders my ranch. They bought it many years ago and are located ~1700 miles from here and haven't done anything with it for 15 years.

I run it past the better half, and she doesn't care, and said that I should if I want too. So, today I might contact them and ask them if they ever want to sell to give me a chance to purchase it.

Being a multi generation family here I would like to add that small acreage to keep it in the family. That 35AC is the only land that isn't owned by homesteaders of multi generation families in that area.

So haven't BTD yet but might be in the future. It might happen sooner than I think or never happen. Lol

Good idea! A man has to protect his turf. The best way is to buy up the land around you.

 

[Koolau]

I'm debating on contacting an LLC that owns a very small tract of land (35AC) that borders my ranch. They bought it many years ago and are located ~1700 miles from here and haven't done anything with it for 15 years.

I run it past the better half, and she doesn't care, and said that I should if I want too. So, today I might contact them and ask them if they ever want to sell to give me a chance to purchase it.

Being a multi generation family here I would like to add that small acreage to keep it in the family. That 35AC is the only land that isn't owned by homesteaders of multi generation families in that area.

So haven't BTD yet but might be in the future. It might happen sooner than I think or never happen. Lol

Here is hoping it w*rks out for you. If the better half is on board, you are more than half way there! Best luck.

 

[finnski1]

I'm debating on contacting an LLC that owns a very small tract of land (35AC) that borders my ranch. They bought it many years ago and are located ~1700 miles from here and haven't done anything with it for 15 years.

I run it past the better half, and she doesn't care, and said that I should if I want too. So, today I might contact them and ask them if they ever want to sell to give me a chance to purchase it.

Being a multi generation family here I would like to add that small acreage to keep it in the family. That 35AC is the only land that isn't owned by homesteaders of multi generation families in that area.

So haven't BTD yet but might be in the future. It might happen sooner than I think or never happen. Lol

Sounds good. Hope it works out well for you.

 

[street]

Here is hoping it w*rks out for you. If the better half is on board, you are more than half way there! Best luck.

Yep, LOL! Way more than halfway there! They are selling, I'm a buying.

Not sure why I would want more land, but I do have a new GD I would love to hand that ranch down too. Never to sell ever, would be the agreement.

When this big ranch sold in 2008 it was one big place, but the owner divided for two of us that wanted to buy. He didn't want too but, in the end, decided to split it. This small piece was a small piece of land that was in a different section all by itself. So, it was an odd piece that was left out of the split. The owner than sold it later and now I wish I would have bought it back then. At the time I was taking a way bigger bite than I should have but all worked out fine.

I then, after buying this ranch, I sold my irrigated farm I bought back in 1990 and did very well on that sale. I was very lucky and had just what someone wanted and paid me well for it. In fact, 14 times more than what I paid for it..

 

[street]

Looks like I will be blowing some dough for purchasing some land that borders the ranch. I contacted the company that owns that ~36 acres about if they ever wanted to sell to let me know.

Well, Friday evening a got an email and they are willing to sell. He said to make him an offer and they would be flexible and open to work with me and by when.

I haven't responded back yet because I don't want to bother his weekend but will on Monday and get the deal in motion.

I'm excited about this small piece and will be a nice fit and be back owned by one person. It does border my west side and there is no running fence line that separated this piece and mine so a real nice addition.

I can't take it with me. It isn't like this is a BTD purchase I know I could sell the whole place for more than what I had paid for it. I also don't intend to sell but it helps to justify spending money that I really don't need to do.

 

[grasshopper]

Without lawyering up you/they may consider a right of first refusal which is a contractual right giving its holder the option to transact with the other contracting party before others can.

See it here a lot with absentee landowners on the parcels of a once large ranch, that I live on.

 

[street]

Without lawyering up you/they may consider a right of first refusal which is a contractual right giving its holder the option to transact with the other contracting party before others can.

See it here a lot with absentee landowners on the parcels of a once large ranch, that I live on.

Great advice. I will have a lawyer involved from that start, but I will negotiate a price prior.

A title search will be done to see of any leans or ownership is all in order etc..

 

[Chuckanut]

I have been going back and forth about adding a mini-split system to my home. We have had several warmer summers where the lack of AC for a few weeks was tough, but not quite tough enough to justify the cost of the mini-split for such a short time period. Unlike some people here I would have to hire an electrician and somebody to do the actual installation work. These guys don't work for free. I am shocked!

Several things have happened. One is that the [-]taxpayers[/-] Feds may subsidize part of the cost of the mini-spilt. Most importantly, several years of cold Winters and Springs have shown that my baseboard heaters are being taxed to the max. They run almost constantly during the day and most of the time at night. Heating the place up from 62 to 70 on a sub freezing morning literally can take up to 6 hours. The mini-split also provides good heat down to about 17 degrees which is very reasonable in my area. I anticipate using the mini-split more in the depths of Winter than in the Summer. So, it's BTD time.

 

[RobLJ]

Several homes on both sides of me have had to replace their AC, so I'm researching heat pumps (ducted, not minisplits). The Infrastructure Leg allows for up to 50% of cost up to $8000 in rebates, if you are less than 150% of average income in your area, but it will take some time before states figure out how they will administer this. Otherwise, I think it is a $2000 tax credit.

See https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator


I wanted to replace before summer but probably will have to wait until fall/winter, which is unfortunate since there is no drip pan under my unit and on a few very hot days (above 100 degrees), it will drip.

It's up to 100% of cost (max $8000) for moderate income (80% of average). I'm also looking at a heat-pump water heater to get the max out of my solar panels.

I have been going back and forth about adding a mini-split system to my home. We have had several warmer summers where the lack of AC for a few weeks was tough, but not quite tough enough to justify the cost of the mini-split for such a short time period. Unlike some people here I would have to hire an electrician and somebody to do the actual installation work. These guys don't work for free. I am shocked!

Several things have happened. One is that the [-]taxpayers[/-] Feds may subsidize part of the cost of the mini-spilt. Most importantly, several years of cold Winters and Springs have shown that my baseboard heaters are being taxed to the max. They run almost constantly during the day and most of the time at night. Heating the place up from 62 to 70 on a sub freezing morning literally can take up to 6 hours. The mini-split also provides good heat down to about 17 degrees which is very reasonable in my area. I anticipate using the mini-split more in the depths of Winter than in the Summer. So, it's BTD time.

 

[W2R]

Several homes on both sides of me have had to replace their AC, so I'm researching heat pumps (ducted, not minisplits).

When I moved into this house, I knew my AC was almost worn out.

Instead of researching various systems like all you guys here on the forum do, I researched local companies that install AC systems. I put a lot of effort into it, too! I identified the best AC guys in town with reasonable prices.

Then when it finally broke, I had them come out here and talk. Turns out they were really the top notch experts that one would think from their reputation. They know the area and they know what systems work best here and which don't, and what size and so on. I listened to them talk, and then when they finished and asked me what I wanted I asked them what they'd put in if I was their mother. Then I went with that.

Best AC system I have ever had in my entire life, which is a lot to say considering that my house is in New Orleans. Just suggesting that if you wouldn't remove your own appendix, then it also might not be smart to choose your own AC system. I know, I know, women approach these things differently....

 

[braumeister]

Made the final payment on a cruise for this summer. Horribly expensive, but something I've wanted to do for many years. Made the initial reservation a couple of years ago, and it's finally getting close enough to taste it.

This will be a very small ship, the only kind I'm willing to sail on, and will hit some places that are seldom visited but have long been on my bucket list.

I've already made all the additional reservations for flights, hotels, etc. during the time before and after the cruise, so I think everything is locked in place. This will use up the entire "travel" budget for this year, but I think it will be money well spent in satisfaction.

Based on DW's health situation, this may well be the last major trip of her life, and she is looking forward to it as much as I am. Wish us luck!