Blow That Dough 2025

[Koolau]

I think I already reported my pending business class air to Rio, but today I dropped $685 on the chikungunya vaccination. If that virus gets into you, there's an acute phase, which, eh, anybody can take any discomfort for a few days. But there's a possible chronic phase where you basically have arthritis for the rest of your life. Talk about kicking yourself for being frugal! Can you imaging living your life with debilitating arthritis when you could have prevented it? This is starting to sound less like BTD and more like "duh!" It's like when somebody comes on the BTD thread and says fixing the roof was "blowing" dough. That's just required spending. Now my frugal self is going to try to file with Medicare to try to get some of my $685 back

Let's hope Medicare isn't trying to be frugal!

 

[deserat]

I definitely belong on this thread for this year and last year:

1) Bought my house - Feb 24
2) Bought new car - Jul 24
3) Outfitted said house with curtains, appliances, etc - later 24
4) Oct 24 - trip to India - premier economy tix - female pilot conference - those ladies don't travel cheaply!
5) Nov 24 - trip to UK - premier economy tix
6) Feb 25 - trip to Australia - premier economy tix - bid for business class upgrade for inter-Aus airline trip and got it
7) Jul 25 - UK trip - business class tix
8) Nov 25 - Patagonia/Chile trip - still planning - probably not cheap
9) May-Jun 25 - road trip from FL-CA-FL - much more cheap than other trips
10) Australia - 2027 - lady pilots group again
11) Tentative Japan skiing trip 2026

Am attempting to make sure I am going during my go-go retirement years.....

 

[Dtail]

I definitely belong on this thread for this year and last year:

1) Bought my house - Feb 24
2) Bought new car - Jul 24
3) Outfitted said house with curtains, appliances, etc - later 24
4) Oct 24 - trip to India - premier economy tix - female pilot conference - those ladies don't travel cheaply!
5) Nov 24 - trip to UK - premier economy tix
6) Feb 25 - trip to Australia - premier economy tix - bid for business class upgrade for inter-Aus airline trip and got it
7) Jul 25 - UK trip - business class tix
8) Nov 25 - Patagonia/Chile trip - still planning - probably not cheap
9) May-Jun 25 - road trip from FL-CA-FL - much more cheap than other trips
10) Australia - 2027 - lady pilots group again
11) Tentative Japan skiing trip 2026

Am attempting to make sure I am going during my go-go retirement years.....

Good post.

 

[Koolau]

I definitely belong on this thread for this year and last year:

1) Bought my house - Feb 24
2) Bought new car - Jul 24
3) Outfitted said house with curtains, appliances, etc - later 24
4) Oct 24 - trip to India - premier economy tix - female pilot conference - those ladies don't travel cheaply!
5) Nov 24 - trip to UK - premier economy tix
6) Feb 25 - trip to Australia - premier economy tix - bid for business class upgrade for inter-Aus airline trip and got it
7) Jul 25 - UK trip - business class tix
8) Nov 25 - Patagonia/Chile trip - still planning - probably not cheap
9) May-Jun 25 - road trip from FL-CA-FL - much more cheap than other trips
10) Australia - 2027 - lady pilots group again
11) Tentative Japan skiing trip 2026

Am attempting to make sure I am going during my go-go retirement years.....

Wow, that is an amazing list. You just might qualify as our next RobbieB - aka Mr. BTD.

 

[imjustawarrior]

This has been a BTD since I graduated college. I decided I would run the A/C or heat to whatever temperature I want whenever I want. I will gladly run the A/C and heat in the same day. I'm sure I have blown a lot doing this. When I was in the Army, I suffered a lot. We w*rked to provide certain comforts. This probably has been my main one.

 

[Koolau]

This has been a BTD since I graduated college. I decided I would run the A/C or heat to whatever temperature I want whenever I want. I will gladly run the A/C and heat in the same day. I'm sure I have blown a lot doing this. When I was in the Army, I suffered a lot. We w*rked to provide certain comforts. This probably has been my main one.

Interesting. I recall whole summers where I was able to use window fans at night to exhaust from our upstairs and draw in cool night air from the ground floor. Upon leaving for w*rk or otherwise starting my day, I closed up all the windows. Most days, we did not need the AC. If we did, it was only in the early evening.

Heh, heh, my BTD for all of this? I spent a small fortune on new windows and added insulation to make it all possible. I'm sure I spent more doing that than you spend setting your heat/AC as desired. I think your way is probably better.

 

[imjustawarrior]

Interesting. I recall whole summers where I was able to use window fans at night to exhaust from our upstairs and draw in cool night air from the ground floor. Upon leaving for w*rk or otherwise starting my day, I closed up all the windows. Most days, we did not need the AC. If we did, it was only in the early evening.

I tried this because it always cools down here at night in Colorado. Unfortunately, allergies get the best of us. When I was in Texas, there is no way that would have worked in the summer.

Today is a heat in the morning and A/C in the evening day. It was 38F this morning and got up to 78F this afternoon. We like 72F during the day in the house and 66F or lower at night. We do this year round.

 

[Koolau]

I tried this because it always cools down here at night in Colorado. Unfortunately, allergies get the best of us. When I was in Texas, there is no way that would have worked in the summer.

Today is a heat in the morning and A/C in the evening day. It was 38F this morning and got up to 78F this afternoon. We like 72F during the day in the house and 66F or lower at night. We do this year round.

Reminds me of Arizona. I was doing some pesticide research in (IIRC) a cotton field near Yuma in late February. As the sun was rising, the spray irrigation rigs had just shut down. Icicles hung from the rigs. By mid afternoon, I was stripped to my T-shirt and was sweating in the sun.

 

[folivier]

Living in southern Louisiana you need AC not just in summer but most of the year just due to the humidity. Now at our CO cabin on the few hot days we get in the 80's we'll leave the windows closed until later in the day. That works surprisingly well as inside temperatures rarely get over 74º. I really enjoy having windows open.

 

[TickTock]

This has been a BTD since I graduated college. I decided I would run the A/C or heat to whatever temperature I want whenever I want. I will gladly run the A/C and heat in the same day. I'm sure I have blown a lot doing this. When I was in the Army, I suffered a lot. We w*rked to provide certain comforts. This probably has been my main one.

I think this is a great example of spending money on things that have value to you.

 

[Pointby2]

I definitely belong on this thread for this year and last year:

1) Bought my house - Feb 24
2) Bought new car - Jul 24
3) Outfitted said house with curtains, appliances, etc - later 24
4) Oct 24 - trip to India - premier economy tix - female pilot conference - those ladies don't travel cheaply!
5) Nov 24 - trip to UK - premier economy tix
6) Feb 25 - trip to Australia - premier economy tix - bid for business class upgrade for inter-Aus airline trip and got it
7) Jul 25 - UK trip - business class tix
8) Nov 25 - Patagonia/Chile trip - still planning - probably not cheap
9) May-Jun 25 - road trip from FL-CA-FL - much more cheap than other trips
10) Australia - 2027 - lady pilots group again
11) Tentative Japan skiing trip 2026

Am attempting to make sure I am going during my go-go retirement years.....

Impressive, that's... guessing, about $200-250K just in travel. I'm looking at doing one trip to Antarctica this year, they're holding my cabin and I can't quite pull the trigger.

 

[irishgal]

I go to a lot of dog events/competitions that go for days, so instead of staying in a hotel with dogs I got this. Most event sites offer shore power and if not I bring a generator. Still getting my sea legs with all the features and quirks but have done 3 trips that were 4 nights.
It’s a Winnebago Revell 44.

 

[aja8888]

I go to a lot of dog events/competitions that go for days, so instead of staying in a hotel with dogs I got this. Most event sites offer shore power and if not I bring a generator. Still getting my sea legs with all the features and quirks but have done 3 trips that were 4 nights.
It’s a Winnebago Revell 44. View attachment 54905

Wow! Very nice road trip and camping vehicle. I'm sure the dogs love it..

 

[irishgal]

Wow! Very nice road trip and camping vehicle. I'm sure the dogs love it..

I’m getting an upgraded suspension to make the ride better and help with the sway from the wind. But they do like it!

 

[ncbill]

must...pet...doggies...

 

[Cassius King]

Basement remodel and waterproofing.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I blew the dough and ordered a new Litter-Robot 4 for my cat (about $900 including a few accessories). I have had a Version 3 for a few years now and been very happy with it, but it started to throw occasional error messages that I had to sometimes interact with in the accompanying phone app to clear and finish a cleaning cycle. It still worked, but I would categorize it as potentially unreliable. And since I sometimes take longer trips away, I didn't want to add that complexity.

The Version 4 is a lot nicer and I'm glad I upgraded. It is a LOT quieter. The older one never really bothered me, but I could hear it cycling from anywhere in the house. The new one barely makes a noise to hear. The new one also has a bin for extra litter that will load in on an as-needed basis over time. In the 10 days since I've had it, it has only had to add more litter 2x. Also, the bin for dirty litter is deeper and better designed. This means I could theoretically leave the box untouched for a couple weeks if needed. I don't do that when I'm home or traveling (I have a cat watcher who checks in every couple days). But it's nice to know it can go much longer if needed.

Two thumbs up to anyone looking to not scoop out litter clumps by hand any longer.

 

[pizza4me]

I go to a lot of dog events/competitions that go for days, so instead of staying in a hotel with dogs I got this. Most event sites offer shore power and if not I bring a generator. Still getting my sea legs with all the features and quirks but have done 3 trips that were 4 nights.
It’s a Winnebago Revell 44. View attachment 54905

Your dachshunds are priceless! The dog carrier is awesome too.

 

[irishgal]

Your dachshunds are priceless! The dog carrier is awesome too.

Aww thanks. They are good dogs. I have four, this trip with for the younger two.

 

[pizza4me]

Four doxies....what a fun household.

 

[irishgal]

Four doxies....what a fun household.

It’s a lawless wasteland

 

[Koolau]

I go to a lot of dog events/competitions that go for days, so instead of staying in a hotel with dogs I got this. Most event sites offer shore power and if not I bring a generator. Still getting my sea legs with all the features and quirks but have done 3 trips that were 4 nights.
It’s a Winnebago Revell 44. View attachment 54905

Very nice. I'm betting the doggies love it much better than a motel room!

 

[HFWR]

Does a new garage door and two new “thrones” for the king count?

 

[COcheesehead]

New carbon fiber bike. Fast, light, a joy to ride. Built in Chattanooga TN.

 

[GBcycling]

New carbon fiber bike. Fast, light, a joy to ride. Built in Chattanooga TN.View attachment 54929

I see no bike shows on circuit for Indiana. Sprung a long weekend trip with the sweetie to head to Tenn to see their shop. Sounds like fun and I could use a new gravel bike.