Zenn7 wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 11:22 pm
In-patient hospitalization for the kid (delusions/psychosis). Went in for PHP, day 1, get a call 2 hours later, moved from PHP to in-patient.
"Fortunately", hospitalization and PHP won't cost more than ~$1500 because at that point, will hit his individual out-of-pocket max for the year (rough year).
More fortunately, meds seem to be working and he will likely be coming home early this coming week. Then just PHP from there.
Burned through our $3,050 FSA by early April, normally makes it til at least July. Before the year is out, we should hit full family out-of-pocket max.
Kid came home today, PHP for a week starts tomorrow. It'll be free cause hospitalization used up his remaining Out of Pocket for the year. I was wrong, it was only about $1,060 to max (obviously I owe someone else some money that I'm not thinking of off the top of my head).
Once this is settled though, he is hoping to capitalize on this fact and get some surgeries (gender change so his physical body is the gender his mind says he is). Yay for him if that works out well.
We seem to be just hemorrhaging money right now - new roof, AC unit repair, removing oldest child's wisdom teeth, driving school for oldest child, ADD meds for two people (of which there is a shortage so there is no guarantee the generic will be available and the name brand is 5x the cost!) and home & auto insurance increased 35% this year (and the new driver isn't even on the policy yet!). Enough already!
Another screw/nail through the sidewall of my tire. Less than 1000 miles on it. Also had to replace some exhaust capture part. $900.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
We're working on updating the kitchen from hell. So it's been fun. I had an range in the middle of the kitchen for a week while the wiring was installed. Next up is the cabinets. It's a small space so it shouldn't be too bad, but everything in that clown house is 10x harder than it needs to be. We're trying to do as much as we can on our own and then have a contractor do the parts I don't want to do.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.
I continue to successfully procrastinate on calling electricians for quotes on a major overhaul (replace fuse box and knob & tube wiring, ground a bunch of outlets, fix some broken switches) because I really, really hate dealing with contractors, especially via telephone. It's a social anxiety thing.
Kraken wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 6:29 pm
I continue to successfully procrastinate on calling electricians for quotes on a major overhaul (replace fuse box and knob & tube wiring, ground a bunch of outlets, fix some broken switches)
I think I'd rather move than deal with $omething like that now.
I've moved and now I'm dealing with stuff like that because the last person didn't before they moved out!
Actually it's not that bad. They did replace the (visible to the inspector) knob and tube wiring. But there is still lots of crazy little details because it's a 100 year old house that no one has ever brought up to current standards all at once. We won't either but we'll do incremental stuff.
Madmarcus wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 8:35 am
I've moved and now I'm dealing with stuff like that because the last person didn't before they moved out!
Actually it's not that bad. They did replace the (visible to the inspector) knob and tube wiring. But there is still lots of crazy little details because it's a 100 year old house that no one has ever brought up to current standards all at once. We won't either but we'll do incremental stuff.
Ours is 108 years old. Need to do a lot of updating prior to selling it, and electricity is just the first step.
stessier wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 4:42 pm
We seem to be just hemorrhaging money right now - new roof, AC unit repair, removing oldest child's wisdom teeth, driving school for oldest child, ADD meds for two people (of which there is a shortage so there is no guarantee the generic will be available and the name brand is 5x the cost!) and home & auto insurance increased 35% this year (and the new driver isn't even on the policy yet!). Enough already!
Just learned the AC unit repair will be $5500 on a 11 year old system. So now we are looking at a full replacement...hopefully I can get the quotes and somethin installed before we melt...
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.
stessier wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 4:42 pm
We seem to be just hemorrhaging money right now - new roof, AC unit repair, removing oldest child's wisdom teeth, driving school for oldest child, ADD meds for two people (of which there is a shortage so there is no guarantee the generic will be available and the name brand is 5x the cost!) and home & auto insurance increased 35% this year (and the new driver isn't even on the policy yet!). Enough already!
Just learned the AC unit repair will be $5500 on a 11 year old system. So now we are looking at a full replacement...hopefully I can get the quotes and somethin installed before we melt...
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
Yep. I just had a whole new system, furnace and AC, installed for $4000
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
There is something blocking the refrigerant flow. To repair means draining (and disposing of) the refrigerant, flushing the line and replacing the piston, pulling a vacuum test, then refilling the refrigerant. The refrigerant is $325 for the first pound, then $250 for each subsequent one. Estimating 10 lbs minimum to recharge it (the unit is in the attic of a two story house with the lines running up the side and across the entire length of the house - it's crazy).
Already have 3 people coming out every 2 hours tomorrow to workup quotes.
I was going to ask if the fee was related to draining and replacing the refrigerant. My current HVAC guy told me when things get to that point, it's likely better to just get a new unit. YMMV. Good luck and I hope they can get you cooled soon. I suppose better now than in July...
My 30+ year old Craftsman lawnmower crapped out on me. Its Briggs & Stratton engine has always started on the first pull, even after overwintering, and even with old gas. I was mowing up a slight incline and the engine started to race, then died. The gas tank was empty. Refilled it and that sucker would NOT start. Even after waiting a couple of days for any flooding to clear. It's probably a fuel line problem, or maybe a fouled spark plug.
If I knew I was going to stay in this house (and keep the same lawn) I'd replace it with an electric mower. But we might move to a bigger, more countryfied house that might require a completely different kind of mower, or I might even hire out mowing if the lawn is too big to handle. So I don't want to spend $hundreds on a new mower. Getting the old one serviced (and tuning up my snowblower at the same time) will cost maybe $150-200, which isn't a lot but it's a lot more than I want to spend on a mower than I plan to scrap if we move.
Yesterday I went out to write down the model number and suchlike before calling for repair, tried to start it one last time, and...it wheezed and coughed and came to life, so I was able to finish the yard. If it doesn't rain in the next couple of weeks the lawn will go dormant and I won't need a mower until fall, by which time I should know if we're going to stay or go.
stessier wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:09 pm
Just learned the AC unit repair will be $5500 on a 11 year old system. So now we are looking at a full replacement...hopefully I can get the quotes and somethin installed before we melt...
Make sure the warranty on the new one includes labor.
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
There is something blocking the refrigerant flow. To repair means draining (and disposing of) the refrigerant, flushing the line and replacing the piston, pulling a vacuum test, then refilling the refrigerant. The refrigerant is $325 for the first pound, then $250 for each subsequent one. Estimating 10 lbs minimum to recharge it (the unit is in the attic of a two story house with the lines running up the side and across the entire length of the house - it's crazy).
Already have 3 people coming out every 2 hours tomorrow to workup quotes.
First quote - $10.6k for a 3 ton unit and $5200 more to fix our duct work. A heat pump would have been many thousand more. This is not what I was hoping for but is almost exactly what I told my wife to expect.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.
Solar panel people showed up two months early and before I had my financing set up.
The new roof ended up costing north of 12k, and I ended up with a $2500 vet bill that was out of the blue.
So I'm waiting on a home equity line of credit application to kite things over until I get things paid off over the next six months.
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
There is something blocking the refrigerant flow. To repair means draining (and disposing of) the refrigerant, flushing the line and replacing the piston, pulling a vacuum test, then refilling the refrigerant. The refrigerant is $325 for the first pound, then $250 for each subsequent one. Estimating 10 lbs minimum to recharge it (the unit is in the attic of a two story house with the lines running up the side and across the entire length of the house - it's crazy).
Already have 3 people coming out every 2 hours tomorrow to workup quotes.
First quote - $10.6k for a 3 ton unit and $5200 more to fix our duct work. A heat pump would have been many thousand more. This is not what I was hoping for but is almost exactly what I told my wife to expect.
Yes, heat pumps are more up front. Depending on income, you get $2k-$8k back via the IRA.
Looks like my next big spend may be a new car, even though I love what I have now and have really enjoyed not having a car payment over the last year.
My 5.5yo Audi Q7 with 105k miles has recently started burning oil, so I took it in for inspection today. They were very up front in telling me that my particular engine has become known for this problem as the mileage adds up. After 90k problem-free miles, I now have to add a quart of oil roughly every 2500 miles. There's no real danger or performance issue and I can keep driving as long as I top off the oil when needed, but the problem is only going to get worse. Unfortunately, the only solution likely to be effective is a complete engine rebuild (pistons, rings) that would cost me around $12k. They also found that the motor mounts are slowly leaking their shock absorbing fluid, the rubber cushions on the rear shock springs mounts are worn out, and my front brake rotors are slightly warped (which I already knew)...that's three non-urgent but eventually necessary repairs that would cost me another $6000.
So I now have a car that's valued at around $25-28k in clean condition, but could use at minimum $6k worth of work if I want to keep it much longer. I have no idea what I might want for a replacement, and the car market is still a complete mess, but it doesn't really seem like keeping my Q7 is a sensible option.
I guess I start the shopping process now and see what kind of offer I can get for my slowly dying Audi. I guess the one good thing is that I don't really have to rush the process too much.
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
There is something blocking the refrigerant flow. To repair means draining (and disposing of) the refrigerant, flushing the line and replacing the piston, pulling a vacuum test, then refilling the refrigerant. The refrigerant is $325 for the first pound, then $250 for each subsequent one. Estimating 10 lbs minimum to recharge it (the unit is in the attic of a two story house with the lines running up the side and across the entire length of the house - it's crazy).
Already have 3 people coming out every 2 hours tomorrow to workup quotes.
First quote - $10.6k for a 3 ton unit and $5200 more to fix our duct work. A heat pump would have been many thousand more. This is not what I was hoping for but is almost exactly what I told my wife to expect.
Yes, heat pumps are more up front. Depending on income, you get $2k-$8k back via the IRA.
I see a 2k maximum rebate - do you have a link that would get it up to 8k?
Almost totally unexpected, my Ford Fusion at 110K miles suddenly started making an intermittent grinding noise. After talking to my trusted mechanic, it turns out I was in for about 4K in transmission work. Not for this car, I'm not. So, traded it in, and now I'm the proud new owner of an Ioniq 6. I really enjoyed 4 years of no car payments, and I am SUPER unhappy with the rates being what they are. Hopefully, they go down a few points and I can refinance with my credit union soon. Now the fun of finagling all the driving I'm now doing for work around Electrify America charging stations!
Octavious wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 3:16 pm
5500? That's nutty. Did every single part fail at the same time? My AC is barely working. That's on the list for this year too. It likely needs to be replaced, but I would rather try and nurse if for a couple more years.
There is something blocking the refrigerant flow. To repair means draining (and disposing of) the refrigerant, flushing the line and replacing the piston, pulling a vacuum test, then refilling the refrigerant. The refrigerant is $325 for the first pound, then $250 for each subsequent one. Estimating 10 lbs minimum to recharge it (the unit is in the attic of a two story house with the lines running up the side and across the entire length of the house - it's crazy).
Already have 3 people coming out every 2 hours tomorrow to workup quotes.
First quote - $10.6k for a 3 ton unit and $5200 more to fix our duct work. A heat pump would have been many thousand more. This is not what I was hoping for but is almost exactly what I told my wife to expect.
Yes, heat pumps are more up front. Depending on income, you get $2k-$8k back via the IRA.
I see a 2k maximum rebate - do you have a link that would get it up to 8k?
I'm guessing you'd get the $2k max as you have to be below median income for your area to qualify for the $8k.
As you might recall, my family is headed to the Philippines in just about 4 weeks. I thought the major expenses -- airfare, hotel in Manila, resort in Leyte were already covered, but no! Spent almost $400 last week at Walmart mostly buying chocolate that she hopes survives better in our luggage than it did in the balikbayan box(es) sent a few months ago. The resort in Ormoc cannot accommodate us for 4 days in the middle of our stay, so we will take a Supercat (ginormous ferry) to Cebu...taking about 20 people with us. 4 nights and 4 rooms at resort in Cebu. And my wife thinks we will need about $10K in cash for that which we can't use Amex to cover.
Oh, and were going to do all of this next year apparently when we go to take possession of the house and condo. At least we won't have to pay for a place to stay.
Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2023 10:18 pm
As you might recall, my family is headed to the Philippines in just about 4 weeks. And my wife thinks we will need about $10K in cash for that which we can't use Amex to cover.
When you take cash to the Philippines do you have to make sure it's the most current bills and they're in excellent condition with no creases? Thailand is very picky that way for instance. What denominations do you take?
Maybe you can look for Yamashita's Gold while you're there to offset your costs.
I wasn't planning on this at all, but when we found out Mrs. Skinypupy's 2011 Sienna mini-van with nearly 200,000 miles was going to need $1,500 in repairs, we decided to pull the trigger on a new car instead. 2021 Hyundai Palisade.
I've been offering to get her a new car for a couple years now but she has always resisted, saying she didn't really need one. I think she's very happy going from an old mini-van that was starting to fall apart to something newer with all the bells and whistles.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2023 10:18 pm
As you might recall, my family is headed to the Philippines in just about 4 weeks. And my wife thinks we will need about $10K in cash for that which we can't use Amex to cover.
When you take cash to the Philippines do you have to make sure it's the most current bills and they're in excellent condition with no creases? Thailand is very picky that way for instance. What denominations do you take?
Maybe you can look for Yamashita's Gold while you're there to offset your costs.
$10K is going to hit Fincen 105. FWIW.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
Our front door has developed a somewhat inconvenient new feature - it doesn't open. It's been sticking for a few weeks but it's now pretty firmly stuck. We've got a guy coming out tomorrow to take a look at it but I'm mentally prepared to have to replace it. It's a double door although only half is an actual door and when I priced replacements a few years ago they were surprisingly expensive.
Our soon-to-be 18 year old finally got her permit and aims to get her license this summer so we're also going to be in the market for a new car. The used market is still pretty broken so my wife will get something new and the kid will get her Accord hybrid. Because there's no cooler college car than a Honda Accord, right?
Exodor wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 9:57 am
Our front door has developed a somewhat inconvenient new feature - it doesn't open. It's been sticking for a few weeks but it's now pretty firmly stuck.
Have you considered that this may be an improvement? No more solicitors! No bothersome intrusions on your gaming time!
Our soon-to-be 18 year old finally got her permit and aims to get her license this summer so we're also going to be in the market for a new car. The used market is still pretty broken so my wife will get something new and the kid will get her Accord hybrid. Because there's no cooler college car than a Honda Accord, right?
Hey, having any car that runs while in college was considered cool in my day!
LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 10:43 pm
$10K is going to hit Fincen 105. FWIW.
In regard to that form, if carrying gold coins do they go by face value or gold value? No one seems to know the real answer to that.
For gold coins, you have to declare them regardless of the value. Same with gold bullion.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
em2nought wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 12:52 pm
In regard to that form, if carrying gold coins do they go by face value or gold value? No one seems to know the real answer to that.
It's always gold value. You can certainly try and convince CBP (and the Philipino equivalent) that 10 gold dollar coins are really worth $10 but good luck with that.
$10,000 to put a titanium plate (and hopefully, later, I give back) in my arm. Not sure when the bill will hit. And boy do I have angry stories to tell for how Michigan No Fault claims work. I get hit as a pedestrian, so the claim goes against my auto insurance first, househould auto second, and a state no fault auto fund last. Because I have auto insurance, they won't take my health insurance and I have a $10,000 injury deductible. As a pedestrian, that deductible would not apply if I didn't have Auto. And you can bet making a claim that will likely be a quarter of million in medical when all is said and done, my auto insurance is going to go up and I have to track all of the paperwork.
I try to stay positive, knowing I have no head or spinal injuries, and having known people who've died for less. But some days, it's hard.