Octopus Overlords

Cap land.

Kasey Chang wrote:And signed up for what? 3 year contract?

No contracts. Surprisingly between my work discount and some other promotions we essentially broke even over just upgrading my wife's phone by itself. And no data caps on the internet, that was the first thing I asked.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Sun Sep 22, 2019 9:55 pm We walked into the AT&T store to inquire about possibly upgrading my wife's phone. We walked out with three new phones and fiber internet.

Thank you for your business.

For my next major purchase I'm thinking teeth maybe.
It's hell to get olde.

Same here... I need to replace my front teeth. My dentist was thinking implants, but after 2 x-rays (and cleaning up the area), he said I'm lacking bone density in the area, and unless I want to pay an oral surgeon to add some bone I have to go with a bridge. *sigh* and I need to wait another 3 months as I've exhausted this year's insurance budget.

Your insurance pays for that? Last time I got a bone graft, the dentist told me my share was only going to be $500, which I paid up front. Then when I had it done, he said it was going to be another $500 because the insurance would cover less than expected. Then I got a bill for another $500 -- turns out the insurance doesn't pay dick on bone grafts.

Sorry for not being clear, but basically if I choose to get a bone graft it'd be ALL out of pocket for me, and that ain't gonna work at all. Without bone graft, cost of bridge or implant for the front tooth is about the same, according to my dentist, or they can play with the procedure and the insurance to make it minimal out of pocket for me, pre-approved and all that (without the bone graft). And that will end up taking several days (an eval, then a procedure) and over 1000 out of pocket for me. Yikes. Better skip it and go with a bridge.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

Greenworks 21" 80V

JeffB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:59 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

Seems loud and smelly.

I'm not yet convinced he's not a bot.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:01 am I'm not yet convinced he's not a bot.

Also loud and smelly.

Landscaping update...
They started work Monday morning on $30k worth of fieldstone/boulder retaining wall and landscaping work all around our house. It's a bigger expense than expected, but we're still moving forward because it's a one-time cost that will make a huge difference to the exterior appearance of our home. The price tag hurts a bit though...

When I got my front and back landscaping projects done, I was really happy. Helped the look and the ambience so much. We really enjoyed being out there and people who came to visit loved it.

In personal news, no major purchases on board but I'm moving to a new place and plan on working with the existing smart home infrastructure (it's a brand new house) to install smart lighting, a video doorbell (Nest, not Ring) a Google Home Max. Should be fun if I can figure out the whole thing .

$800 for a pair of Gala tickets for work. On the plus side, working that amortization on the tux.

Boy, if I was considering major dental work I'd really think about getting it overseas.

Thinking of getting "another" used car myself. Something under $4000. Something that gets decent mileage would be nice.

We talked to my late BIL's financial adviser today and found out that we will soon inherit enough money to cover his cremation and burial and replenish our savings. So we're still locked down for another month or so, but should be back to normal after that.

With that in mind, our next major purchases will be:

A smart TV and related stuff to replace cable, which goes away on 12/1;
A new dishwasher to replace the leaking one;
Upgrading our electrical service from a 60-amp fuse box to a 200-amp panel; and
Finishing Wife's bionic mouth project.

Once we get past all that, we can start thinking about long-postponed bathroom and kitchen upgrades. If we inherit another small sum when his estate is probated and house sold off, we might be able to move on those things 6-12 months from now.

Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:08 pm If we inherit another small sum when his estate is probated and house sold off, we might be able to move on those things 6-12 months from now.

how much did the house cleaning bill come to??

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:25 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:08 pm If we inherit another small sum when his estate is probated and house sold off, we might be able to move on those things 6-12 months from now.

how much did the house cleaning bill come to??

My other BIL paid that, so IDK exactly. I think it was around $600 to bring the kitchen and bathroom up to livable standards. The rest of the house is still overrun with junk (although they did get rid of a dumpster-full). Given the condition of the house and its low inherent value, we will probably end up selling it as-is to one of those distressed housing companies. Mailing the keys to the city and walking away has also been suggested. But first Wife and her bro have to sift through the junk for valuables and keepsakes. My late BIL was the kind of guy to squirrel away cash and valuables in random hiding places...we don't know if he actually did that, but for all we know he might have tens of thousands of dollars in baseball cards hidden away, so we can't just trash everything.

Our half of his 401k will amount to roughly $30,000 after taxes. We have already spent >$10k on his death and its aftermath, and those bills aren't all in yet. So it's not a huge windfall, but it should be enough to cover the things I listed earlier. Anything we get from his estate will be gravy.

MHS wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2019 1:43 pm
I'm hoping the lien holder on hers will let us do a buy back since it's all cosmetic, the difference in what we owe versus the check they'd write is only around $2k and the car would still be worth around $6k, and I also really don't want to have to look for another vehicle for her.

I'm late as I catch up on threads but why would you file a claim if it is all cosmetic damage?

Madmarcus wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:19 am

MHS wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2019 1:43 pm
I'm hoping the lien holder on hers will let us do a buy back since it's all cosmetic, the difference in what we owe versus the check they'd write is only around $2k and the car would still be worth around $6k, and I also really don't want to have to look for another vehicle for her.

I'm late as I catch up on threads but why would you file a claim if it is all cosmetic damage?

Because they'll pay off everything but the $2k still owed and paying $2k to get the title is better than paying $9k.

JeffB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:59 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

We got this one

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/det ... d-mower-v2

Ryobi, its lime green. electric with battery, and self propelled. We really like it.
We have a fairly small yard.

I just spent $700 on house insurance. May be the last time I do that. We really can't afford that much with nothing to show for it.
And it's been 20 years since the other house burned down.

MHS wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:18 pm Because they'll pay off everything but the $2k still owed and paying $2k to get the title is better than paying $9k.

I'm sorry if I'm being obnoxiously clueless because I've never had cosmetic only damage to a car when I still owed money on it. Couldn't you just not call the insurance, not fix the cosmetic damage, and be fine? It helps that I don't really care what my car looks like of course.

Late birthday present.

Next big "purchase" looks likely to be more medical expenses. Not this year as we capped, but likely to into 2020, so we can quickly polish off the out of pocket max for the kid at the start of the year (or at least our deductible).

JeffB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:59 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

I just want to say that I bought an electric battery powered mower a few year ago and love it. No oil change needed, no gasoline, just recharge the battery every couple of times I cut the yard. I have a regular size front year but the back is all natural, and it works great.

Grifman wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:16 pm

JeffB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:59 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

I just want to say that I bought an electric battery powered mower a few year ago and love it. No oil change needed, no gasoline, just recharge the battery every couple of times I cut the yard. I have a regular size front year but the back is all natural, and it works great.

+1

I bought a battery mower and a battery weed-wacker, and I feel so much better about attacking my lawn (and fence and sidewalk).

Everyone else is louder and smellier. When I get to work it's like a gentle purr.

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:30 pm

Grifman wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:16 pm

JeffB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:59 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:32 pm My $500 electric lawn mower should be here tomorrow. $200 of that is the 4aH 80W battery.

Oh, same here. Can you please tell me which one you got? My old lawnmower is gone and I'm desperately looking for a replacement. I have around $600 and thought to look for any advice on the web. I found this review and I like it. How do you think is this good?

I just want to say that I bought an electric battery powered mower a few year ago and love it. No oil change needed, no gasoline, just recharge the battery every couple of times I cut the yard. I have a regular size front year but the back is all natural, and it works great.

+1

I bought a battery mower and a battery weed-wacker, and I feel so much better about attacking my lawn (and fence and sidewalk).

Everyone else is louder and smellier. When I get to work it's like a gentle purr.

If I ever have to buy another mower I'll look at electrics. My Craftsman is 15 years old and I think I changed the oil once 10 years ago, so I might need one someday. The carriage is getting pretty rickety, but that Briggs & Stratton engine still starts on the first pull every time.

Electric mowers are nice.

Even nicer is having a yard small enough to just use a reel mower.

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:38 pm My Craftsman is 15 years old and I think I changed the oil once 10 years ago, so I might need one someday. The carriage is getting pretty rickety, but that Briggs & Stratton engine still starts on the first pull every time.

You might want to at least check the oil level, and add some if needed. Unless you're really jonesing for that new electric mower?

The gorram dishwasher just moved to the top of the list. I don't think I should try for even one more load out of the old one.

Madmarcus wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 8:43 pm

MHS wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:18 pm Because they'll pay off everything but the $2k still owed and paying $2k to get the title is better than paying $9k.

I'm sorry if I'm being obnoxiously clueless because I've never had cosmetic only damage to a car when I still owed money on it. Couldn't you just not call the insurance, not fix the cosmetic damage, and be fine? It helps that I don't really care what my car looks like of course.

I'm sorry if I'm not explaining it well. Yes, I could not call anyone and just leave the damage. I would then still owe the $9k on the car and would keep paying it monthly for the rest of the loan. By calling the insurance, they write off the car as a total loss and pay off all but $2k of the loan (because they only consider the car to be worth $7k and we still own $9k on the loan). So the insurance pays the lienholder $7k, I pay the $2k difference and we get to keep the car and not fix the damage and own the car free and clear. So the insurance is basically paying off the majority of the car for us and we get to keep it.

I spent a lot more time than I ever wanted to reading up on dishwashers. There are basically only three 24" portables on the market: a Whirlpool, a GE, and a Kenmore. Finding good, third-party reviews was difficult because portables are a small market; it eventually became clear that I was trying to identify the least-bad one. It ended up being the Whirlpool...or at least I hope so, because that's what I bought. My options would've widened, and quality improved, if I had been willing to drop down to 18" and accept about 1/3 less interior space. I was not willing to do that.

Our first dishwasher lasted a solid 20 years. When we shopped for its replacement, a salesperson explained that nothing on the market would last more than 6-7 years -- and she was right; I think the Maytag lived to age 9, and only because I'm a light user. During today's round of shopping, I found that 5 years is about all one should expect now. I have never been less excited about spending $764 on a new appliance.

Oh, and because nobody actually stocks these things, delivery will take two weeks.

Well, at least that's out of the way and I can start thinking about a TV again.

I'm curious what part of it died? I went on Youtube and was able to save mine by cleaning some supposedly "not serviceable" sensors.

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 9:36 am I'm curious what part of it died? I went on Youtube and was able to save mine by cleaning some supposedly "not serviceable" sensors.

It's been leaking from the bottom for a few months now. I have to sponge up a cup of water off the floor every time...annoying, but not a critical failure. The bayonet fitting that secures the hose to the faucet doesn't grip tightly, causing unpredictable spraying...that can go beyond annoying into a serious mess. And just last week the door handle broke; every time I close it, I'm unsure whether the latch will open again. That was the final straw.

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 11:52 am

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 9:36 am I'm curious what part of it died? I went on Youtube and was able to save mine by cleaning some supposedly "not serviceable" sensors.

It's been leaking from the bottom for a few months now. I have to sponge up a cup of water off the floor every time...annoying, but not a critical failure. The bayonet fitting that secures the hose to the faucet doesn't grip tightly, causing unpredictable spraying...that can go beyond annoying into a serious mess. And just last week the door handle broke; every time I close it, I'm unsure whether the latch will open again. That was the final straw.

Ah, you win. Hope the new one exceeds expectations!

The Meal wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:08 pm

Even nicer is having a yard small enough to just use a reel mower.

Grass shears here.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:01 pm

The Meal wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:08 pm

Even nicer is having a yard small enough to just use a reel mower.

Grass shears here.

I grew up on a 1/4 acre lot and have bitter memories of my dad locking my brother and I out of the house until we finished cutting the grass -- sometimes 6" tall and wet from rain with a goddamn reel mower. We would each grab one half of the handle then with a run start charge into uncut grass; if lucky making it about a foot before being stopped cold. Lather, rinse, repeat and we'd be done in mere 6 hours.

Now I live on a 1/3 acre lot. I'm tempted to pass that legacy of animosity to my own kids, but if the grass gets that long the HOA sends me nastygrams that would eventually turn into fines.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:09 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:01 pm

The Meal wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:08 pm

Even nicer is having a yard small enough to just use a reel mower.

Grass shears here.

I grew up on a 1/4 acre lot and have bitter memories of my dad locking my brother and I out of the house until we finished cutting the grass -- sometimes 6" tall and wet from rain with a goddamn reel mower. We would each grab one half of the handle then with a run start charge into uncut grass; if lucky making it about a foot before being stopped cold. Lather, rinse, repeat and we'd be done in mere 6 hours.

Now I live on a 1/3 acre lot. I'm tempted to pass that legacy of animosity to my own kids, but if the grass gets that long the HOA sends me nastygrams that would eventually turn into fines.

I grew having to mow a 4 acre front lawn and 1 acre back lawn with a push mower. After picking up about 8 trees' work of apples. Then mow around several out-buildings and a barn. Then I'd have to mow 8 acres of field with a tractor. Half my allowance was spent on batteries for my Walkman (tm).