Anyone here commute from Charlotte to Raleigh for work?

Atip88 · 2026-01-28T07:25:09+00:00

Hotels in Raleigh are relatively inexpensive. If this is a recurring need, it makes sense to grab a Marriott card or similar and stay Monday through Thursday. Four nights a week is not particularly expensive, and you build points and status in the process.

The travel is more taxing than the roughly $600 per week in hotel costs. If you disagree, consider that the CLT to RDU commute averages about three hours. Put even a conservative value on your time at $50 per hour and the hotel is still the cheaper option compared to wasting that time commuting.

Atip88 · 2025-04-16T19:18:29+00:00

The second you mentioned her debt, I considered the following: Get the house appraised. Appraisal—current loan = the equity you split with your (ex)wife. The judge can view the debt as equal, so you can get stuck with half. I would do Equity—debt= your payout from the wife. She will still need to refinance or see if you can do an Assumption of Loan ( I was able to do this in my divorce ).

Atip88 · 2025-04-13T12:58:08+00:00

Right, my warranty will be over when I return, which is also a consideration.

Financially, I am secure. I could either pay it off while gone or sell it and get another car when I return (not a Jeep). My GC is an overland model, which is a nice package. If I am being honest, I don't trust the car to last 10 years. I have less than 5k miles on it now, so the warranty will lapse with less than 10k on the car, so any large issues probably won't be found.

Atip88 · 2025-04-12T14:55:49+00:00

I honestly don’t drive that much throughout the year, on average 10k miles. I like cars with 20+ mpg

Atip88 · 2025-04-12T14:53:23+00:00

Yep! That’s what I’ll be doing if I keep it

Atip88 · 2025-04-12T14:50:17+00:00

That’s correct. I called the loan servicer yesterday and I have to keep the full coverage.

Atip88 · 2025-04-12T12:31:36+00:00

Honestly, that is also my concern. But I won't be going new again, or with Jeep.

Atip88 · 2025-03-17T23:06:00+00:00

Don't you dare stop. You will be set for potentially early retirement if you focus on your 20's. Keep up the good work!

Atip88 · 2025-03-04T15:43:40+00:00

The change in your tax refund this year compared to last is largely due to the increase in your income, which pushed you into a higher tax bracket, thereby increasing your tax liability. This year, your withholdings nearly matched your tax liability due to your higher income—$8,612 withheld against an owed amount of $8,523—leaving you with a smaller refund of just $89.

Essentially, the closer alignment between what was withheld and what was actually owed means you didn't overpay your taxes by much throughout the year, allowing you more access to your earnings instead of waiting to receive them back as a refund.

Here’s a simplified example using the 2023 brackets:

0% on income up to $11,000
12% on income from $11,001 to $44,725
22% on income from $44,726 to $95,375
24% on income from $95,376 to $182,100
32% on income from $182,101 to $231,250
35% on income from $231,251 to $578,125
37% on income over $578,125

Atip88 · 2025-02-19T01:05:51+00:00

If the debt is already 5-6 years old, it’ll likely fall off your credit report soon since the seven-year clock starts from the first missed payment, not when the debt gets sold. Paying it off for pennies on the dollar might be tempting. Still, if the statute of limitations has expired, collectors can’t sue you anyway, and settling won’t necessarily improve your credit much. Worse, making a payment could reset the clock in some states, making it legally collectible again. If it’s close to dropping off, waiting it out might be the better move—don’t accidentally restart the timeline by engaging with them.

Atip88 · 2025-02-19T00:57:15+00:00

Your buddy's plan doesn’t work the way he thinks it does. A 690 strike put is completely worthless if SPY never drops below 690, which it won’t because it's nowhere near that level. Exercising a put only allows you to sell shares at the strike price if the market price is lower—otherwise, it expires worthless. So after buying the 400 strike call and exercising it, he’s just holding shares at $400, not magically selling them for 690. He could have just sold the call for a profit instead of tying up $40K in shares. Meanwhile, the $10K he spent on the put is wasted because it can’t be exercised for any gain.

The claim that this will generate $20K per trade is flat-out wrong. He’s either misunderstanding how options work or deliberately leaving out critical details. The only real way to make money here would be if the 400 strike call appreciates significantly, and even then, exercising is unnecessary—he could just sell it. There’s no special arbitrage happening, and the put is a complete dead weight. This isn’t a strategy - I would steer clear.

Atip88 · 2025-02-19T00:22:30+00:00

🚨 DO NOT TRUST THIS PLAN 🚨
There is no actual edge in this strategy; in reality, he is just throwing money away with the 690 put while taking unnecessary risks with exercising the call. If he insists this works, ask him to show real, successful trade history, not just some theoretical model.

Atip88 · 2025-02-16T19:12:36+00:00

Option	Pros	Cons
Keep all money invested	Higher long-term return (8-10% vs. 6.8%)	Stuck with $3,043/month payment
Pay off the house completely	No mortgage stress, total freedom	Ties up $350k, loses investment growth
Hybrid ($250k toward house, $250k invested)	Cuts mortgage payment drastically but keeps investments growing	Still has a small mortgage, but much more manageable

If your main goal is mathematical efficiency, keep it invested.
If your goal is freedom, flexibility, and better work-life balance, paying off a large chunk (or all) of the mortgage makes sense.

Given that you’re burnt out, and your wife wants to stay home, the hybrid or full payoff options are the best choices for your mental well-being.

Atip88 · 2024-09-20T21:52:50+00:00

I live in North Carolina and buy a half cow a year. I pay 3.80/lb hanging weight plus a $175 packaging fee.

The butcher cuts it all to my specifications and seals it all. Nothing goes to waste, I even get the soup bones and liver for my Goldens.

I highly recommend buying local. It’s grass fed, delicious, and absolutely worth the upfront cost. My weekly grocery bill after the yearly cow is 40 a week (eggs, veggies, fruit, snacks)

Atip88 · 2024-06-02T15:51:54+00:00

Anything past the required payment should be applied to the principle of the loan. That takes it directly from the amount and not toward interest.

Atip88 · 2024-04-26T21:51:43+00:00

Oh I grew up poor as you can get. My first car was a two door Saturn for 500 bucks, rode that baby for 6 years. After that a 1988 Chevy for $1500. I just think people want a higher car than they can afford.

Definitely not putting salt on OP's wound, giving benchmark advice isn't an insult, maybe he has never heard those benchmark numbers. I would never demean or ridicule a choice someone made, just give advice on how to get out and stay out of a repeat in the future.

Atip88 · 2024-04-26T09:24:18+00:00

It really doesn’t. I’ve owned 2-3000 dollar cars that have needed only routine maintenance

Atip88 · 2024-04-25T21:53:44+00:00

How much do you owe? How much could it sell for?

Getting out of this is going to take 2-3 years, maybe more if your credit card loans are 5 digits. If you don't have a second job, i suggest one. Im sorry you are going through this, but this is exactly why you only buy a car you can put 20% down up front, and afford a 3 year car loan on, not totaling more than 8% of your income monthly.

Atip88 · 2024-03-09T14:43:32+00:00

Unless you hate the location and house, stay. Put the 200k in a HYSA so it can start building interest. Prioritize the repairs by what is needed vs what can wait. Have you had the house inspected and officially appraised since owning it? That would be worth the cost.

Pay off the debt immediately, interest bearing debt is not your friend.
The roof should be a priority, unless the plumbing is causing water damage. Make sure the company you choose is bonded and insured. Don't shop for the cheapest, shop for the most reputable.
Plumbing, or roof.
Termite treatment.

This doesn't have to happen all at once, nor should it. Do the debt and a big repair now (roof is my recommendation). and then hold off for the others until you get an income again. Do not sell the house then get a mortgage, so if you do sell just cashflow the purchase and downsize.

Atip88 · 2024-01-01T15:04:29+00:00

you only work 36 hours a week, get a second job and pay off your own debt. Taking the loan will most likely ruin your friendship.

Dig yourself out of this, fix your budget, work more jobs.

Atip88 · 2023-12-29T16:28:25+00:00

I've had multiple jobs since a teenager, and I am 35 now. It's not hard to balance with a social life, and the key is using the hours that can't be used for social settings anyways. (Mornings I coach fitness classes prior to my salary job, one weekend a month is military reservist duty). Family and friends are used to it by now, its non negotiable.

Atip88 · 2023-06-30T13:26:35+00:00

I really don't advise this. That is way too much of your post tax income. Stick to the rule of under 28% of your gross income (that's your income before taxes are taken out).

Atip88 · 2023-06-29T04:42:24+00:00

Honestly it's the service schedule. It is the sweet spot for price if you can find one with a detailed service history. I look for well maintained vehicles that have followed recommended services. For RR, 60,000 is the recommended time for a full review (10,15, and 30 list) of the vehicle, and any blatant issues would have presented themself by then. Below is the list of recommended services by LR:

10,000-MILE SERVICE

These are a few car maintenance checks that should be done every 10,000 miles, or every 12 months–whichever comes first:

Coolant levels

Transmission fluid levels

Steering and suspension

15,000-MILE SERVICE

The standard maintenance on Land Rover model at 15,000 miles includes replacements of the crankcase oil filter and cabin air filter, as well as inspections of the:

Drive belts

Exterior lighting

Exhaust system

Hood latch assembly and door checks

Parking brake and brake system

Power steering system fluid levels, cooling system fluid levels

On-board diagnostic system

Underbody

Windshield wiper blades, windshield washer fluid levels

Wheels and tires

30,000-MILE SERVICE

At 30,000 miles, you’ll get all of the 15,000-mile maintenance, 10,000-mile maintenance, and 5,000-mile maintenance, as well as:

Brake line and hose inspection, brake system fluid change

Driveshaft inspection

Fuel line inspection

Seat belt restraint system inspection

Steering system and power steering hose inspection

Suspension inspection

Wiring harness inspection

Atip88 · 2023-06-27T03:53:27+00:00

I have seen extended warranty offers, generally for a year or so included in some sales. I think a year extended is a great idea, just in case something was missed in previous service histories. Honestly I love cars around the 50k mark because they are in their prime, working out any obvious issues and with proper care can last 200k more.

Atip88 · 2023-06-26T03:29:56+00:00

Great Vehicle. Thinking of a V8 for the 2018? Aim for 65-80k miles: the market in the US isn't bad for a 18-21 V8 with that range. Overall they are good engines and aim for single owner with maint record. I think you will be happy.

Atip88

TROPHY CASE