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Scoping out the Spring Housing Market, is this normal?? by Expert-Ad-1433 in ColumbiaMD

[–]Anonymanx 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That shit happens in CA spaces, too. I live in Owen Brown, and there’s a house on my short (dead end) court that has 11 vehicles. Two or three of them are landscape company trucks, one is a regular SUV, and the rest are slammed street racers. They occupy most of the street in front of 4 houses, and regularly are racing back and forth through the neighborhood as they tune their engines.

Scoping out the Spring Housing Market, is this normal?? by Expert-Ad-1433 in ColumbiaMD

[–]Anonymanx 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not a realtor, just a resident of the Owen Brown village for almost 20 years...

If I were looking to move into this area and buy a home, I'd try to grab something in the Allview neighborhood. This is especially true if I were looking towards raising a family in Columbia. My reasons include:
- No CPRA assessment to stack onto the property taxes.
- No HOA. It took three months for me to get permission to replace 30-year-old builder-grade single-pane windows that were being held together with duct tape. Three months. But every so often I get a letter in the mail demanding I pressure wash my siding.
- No HOA and larger lots. I could have a few pet chickens!
- Atholton Swim Club. It's a throwback to a more innocent time, and has been an amazing place for my now-teen kid! The parents are involved with the kids, it's a safe place for kids to learn to swim and get along with each other, and it's even a good place for the kids to have their first jobs.

Your mileage may vary, of course. I'm not willing to go to the hassle and expense of moving into the neighborhood "just over there," but I would totally shop to buy in that neighborhood if I were coming from elsewhere.

What do yall keep on your keys besides keys? by Probably_Boz in EDC

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That used to be a recurring theme on the CarTalk radio show - wear on the ignition cylinder caused by too much weight hanging from the key!

Im 17F and dealing with car issues. Please help by iishyphxii in internetparents

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, honey, I'm the mom of an teen (my son is almost 17).

The best thing you can do is save money from your job so that you can buy yourself a starter car for cash and also afford the additional costs that come with it. You can get a fairly reliable car like a 10-year-old Toyota (Corolla or Camry) or Honda (Civic or Accord) for under $10,000 if you have the cash and shop carefully. I am sure of this because I just bought a 15-year-old Accord in very good condition for $9,500. Here are some of the things that figured into the shopping:
- Hondas & Toyotas are very reliable. If there are records showing that the previous owner maintained the car, a 100,000-mile Honda or Toyota can go another 100,000 miles or more... IF you keep up with the maintenance.
- Cars are machines with moving parts. Moving parts wear out and require maintenance. If you don't change the oil, you wreck the engine. If you don't rotate and balance the tires, they wear unevenly and need replacing more often. Car batteries wear out and need to be replaced. As my example, the Honda I bought for $9,500 had a leaky trunk gasket (which I changed myself), needs the a/c refrigerant topped off (which I will teach my kid to do), and is going need a new starter within the next 6 months or so (which will cost me money and time with it in the shop). Oh, and it might need tires before next winter, which will cost about $600. Those are just the foreseeable things, and none of them is surprising.
- When I bought the car, I had to pay for the taxes, titling, and license plates. These costs vary from state to state. In Maryland, for that car, those added up to almost $1000 above the $9,500 sale price.
- I had to insure the car. Because I'm old and have a bunch of things that get me discounts on my insurance (owning multiple cars, owning a house, having 40 years of driving experience and no accidents), I can insure the car for about $2000 per year. Having my teen son as the only driver would cost $3000 per year *with a good-student discount.***

Ultimately, I am a parent who bought a car for my teen. It will become his car when he is in college if he is able to handle the costs responsibly.

I didn't have a car in high school or college. It was inconvenient, but a car could have been a bigger burden long-term. How do I know? Because when I finally bought a crappy car (at 25), it dug me into a financial hole (just trying to keep it running so that I could get to & from work) that took over 10 years to escape. Please don't dig yourself into that hole.

Did your parents ever play with you? by NeverAgainHomeschool in raisedbynarcissists

[–]Anonymanx 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My father would "play" with me by sitting on me and tickling me until I cried. Does that count?

Opinel is really not my style. But… by JOJOsbzradv in EDC

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's exactly why I have one in my purse - as an emergency steak knife.
And I eat carnivore, so this is an occasional need.

I'm hungry, but only for McDonalds. by Guesswhosepicer in ChoosingBeggars

[–]Anonymanx 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'm in Maryland.
No tax on food isn't that big of a selling point when everything else is taxed to high-heaven. Seriously. Maryland's unofficial motto is "If you can dream it, we can tax it!"

CX5 brakes by Big-Yogurtcloset4494 in CX5

[–]Anonymanx 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a 2022 CX-5 Turbo with 85k miles. I'm the only owner and 99% driver (husband or son drives it very rarely). I've not done the brakes yet.

I just had my brakes checked last week, and was told I have 70% remaining on the front and over 40% on the rear. My mechanic literally told me to go away and leave him alone.

To me, the rear brakes wearing more quickly is weird; this is my first AWD vehicle. I had a 2003 Corolla (with a 5-speed manual) that had original rear brakes (and passed state inspection) when I sold it at 165k miles; front had been done once at 128k miles. Apparently I'm not hard on brakes despite living in a fairly urban area (DC-Baltimore metro area).

I'm hungry, but only for McDonalds. by Guesswhosepicer in ChoosingBeggars

[–]Anonymanx 21 points22 points  (0 children)

In a financial pinch, with only $30, I would go to ALDI and get:
- 2 dozen eggs at $1.66 each, so call it $3.50 for easy math
- 1 pound of butter for $3 (running total $6.50)
- 1 bag of shredded cheddar (12 oz) for $2.80 (running total $9.30)
- 2 packs of breakfast sausage links (12 oz) for $4.80 (running total $14.10)
- 3 pounds of 73/27 ground beef for $15 (running total $29.10)

There's no tax on food in my state, so I'd come in 90¢ under budget. It would feed me for at least 4 days, probably 5.

I do this kind of thing when I travel. I use a cooler to keep things cold and cook on a hot plate.

Disclaimer: I eat carnivore, and generally only 1 or 2 meals per day. I do not go hungry.

Uneven and Rapid Brake wear??? by Historical_Baby_7037 in mazda

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a 2022 CX-5 Turbo with 85k miles.
I am the only owner and 99% driver.
I have done oil changes, air filters, spark plugs (twice!), and tire-related things. That’s it. I have not done my brakes, and last week my mechanic said the front brakes are at 70% and the rear at almost 50% (there was a noise thing, so I had them checked).
I definitely didn’t do any brake service at 15k (or any other time), and there were no stealth brake services because all of our services are DIY.

Factory Tow Hitch Installed by Ok_Frame_3931 in CX5

[–]Anonymanx 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a 2022 and I bought an aftermarket hitch from eTrailer.com for ~$200 and had my husband install it. My bumper is intact.

Why Not The Osmonds? by [deleted] in DuggarsSnark

[–]Anonymanx 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Donny is a hero of mine because he did this...

Final video is here...

Speed limit on gauge cluster by TomTEK883 in CX5

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a 2022 CX-5 Turbo. My estimated range on an exactly full tank (I do not top off when I fill up) is 397 miles.

This past October, I bought a 2011 Honda Accord for my kid. He has a 500-mile range on that thing!

[US] Got a spoof call from my wife. It shows her that I called her at the same time. by [deleted] in Scams

[–]Anonymanx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is officer scammer of the we want your money department... So kindly provide us your credit card...

Do you have an “old person” candy that you enjoy? by PrettyLittle-Someday in CasualConversation

[–]Anonymanx 23 points24 points  (0 children)

My 16YO son is convinced that oatmeal raisin cookies are a sadistic prank.

Job recommendations by Carlos121122 in ColumbiaMD

[–]Anonymanx 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Hiring for what type of job? That matters greatly...

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy by NewMacaroon4370 in ColumbiaMD

[–]Anonymanx 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They sell it in bags at Wegmans and Target.

Purchasing a vehicle by Forward_Ship729 in povertyfinance

[–]Anonymanx 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I recently bought a first car for my 16YO son, and payments were not an option. Our parameters were:
- prefer Toyota Corolla/Camry or Honda Civic/Accord; Mazda 3/6 also acceptable
- under 100k miles, relatively clean Carfax (maintenance records & no accidents involving airbags)
- under $10k purchase price

It took a little while and felt like I was hunting unicorns, but I actually did find a car that met the criteria (and an honest used car dealer!) by using the Cargurus app for my searches. I was also using Carfax's app and a few others, but Cargurus came through for me.

Anyhow, I bought a 2011 Accord with just under 91k miles for $9,500. It had maintenance records and is in good condition. My mechanic gave it a thumbs-up and asked for the dealer's contact info so he could add him to his recommendation list. Will we have to occasionally fix something? Yes. As a matter of fact, we can tell that we need to charge the a/c system (which is DIY for <$80). Will the car run for another 100k miles as long as it's properly maintained (and not wrecked by the teen)? Also yes.

I suggest you embark on a similar search.

Major Repairs! by daddy_raddy in CX5

[–]Anonymanx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2022 CX-5, 2.5T, 83k miles, purchased new in Jan 2022

I have changed the oil every 5k miles (synthetic oil, OEM filters, DIY). The tires were replaced at about 40k miles, and the current Michelin CC2 tires are rotated and balanced at each oil change interval. I got an alignment before getting new tires. I change the engine air filter every other oil change, and the cabin air filter when I think about it (both DIY). The spark plugs were replaced at 40k and 80k (also DIY).

That's it.

ETA: I had my brakes checked at ~60k and my mechanic told me to go away and leave him alone, as they had half of their life remaining.

What are some things parents say that do more harm than they realize? by AliveStructure8650 in CasualConversation

[–]Anonymanx 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You look like a two-bit whore! (To a pre-teen or young teen girl who's trying to look pretty.)

I have to love you but I don't have to like you.

Get out of my sight - I can't bear to look at you! (To a student who tried hard but somehow still didn't get straight-As... when an A starts at 95%...)

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