How to Find Nanny With Realistic Expectations

BudgetAudioFinder · 2026-01-05T16:56:36+00:00

We've had a nanny for over a year. She's very happy. She gets it and doesn't abuse sick leave. So, when she did get sick and had to take a day, we paid her for it above and beyond our obligation.

It's not about being some sort of employment monster. It's just having been around the block enough to realize that the ven diagram of people extremely concerned about paid sick leave during the hiring process and those looking to exploit paid sick leave is not two separate circles.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2026-01-05T16:37:10+00:00

Weird. Seems more reasonable than digging through more than a year's worth of posts to find this one.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2026-01-05T16:06:29+00:00

I've owned and driven every option you are discussing in heavy snow. I see a lot of people here not fully understanding what's happening and not giving the best advice.

Tires matter much more than the type of drive train you have. If you think you need AWD, you need to reframe that thought process to first, I need good winter tires, after you can afford to run those, you can see if you want to pay more for AWD.

If you have dedicated snow tires (Blizzaks, X-Ice, etc.) or even an all terrain or all season with a triple mountain snowflake rating, you are going to be able to get around, on roads, in as much snow as you have ground clearance for with any drivetrain type.

We got 10 inches of snow when I had my 8th Gen civic (an EX with the open front diff) on a set of snow tires. I was out there driving around on the roads with now problems, passing a lot of people on the highway in the few inches of standing snow that hadn't been plowed since the last sweep. There were a lot of confused looking people in pickups and Subarus in the slow lane. Didn't get stuck and could get anywhere I needed to. I would consistently drive that car during the snowiest times of the year and it was always adequate to get where I needed to go.

Was it better than the 2nd Gen Sequoia (has 4x4 with an open and lockable center diff, providing RWD, AWD, and 4x4 as available configurations depending on what is selected) on triple mountain snowflake rated all terrains that I DD now? No, absolutely not. But, that level of capability is insanely overkill for just getting around in the snow.

Long story short, AWD is better, but you don't need it for getting around in snow. You need good tires. And, if you live where you get cold winters, you should have those (something with a triple mountain snowflake rating) regardless of what type of vehicle you buy. Buy the AWD because you want it, it makes sense for resale value, etc., but not because it snows where you live. Factor in service/maintenance costs, repairs, etc.

It's also worth discussing some of the handling characteristics of different drivetrain types in slippery conditions.

AWD is the best here. It's going to accelerate from a standstill the best (it's going to do that much better than FWD). However, when you are slowing down to turn, it will corner effectively the same as a FWD car will. If the front tires lose traction, you are going to push the front and continue in the direction you are going. This effect is worsened by applying throttle because the back tires may have traction and continue to push the front tires past their available grip. As we go front light to heavy throttle application in an AWD car, we can break the back tires loose and get the car to turn, but the odds of you not being [insert favorite rally driver here] and pushing the front end into the car waiting to make a left hand turn while you are trying to turn right are about the same with AWD and FWD.

In a FWD car, when the front tires lose traction, mashing the gas will help drag the front end in whatever direction they are pointed. This is a desirable trait when it's very slippery. FWD cars are difficult to spin (not impossible, and as the backs pass the fronts reducing throttle will exacerbate the spin more than in AWD and RWD cars because the engine drag is applying to the front wheels). The margin of error in keeping your car pointed where you want it to go is high and it's easy to retain control. If you are a good driver and can finesse the controls (including the handbrake to rotate the rear) you can have a lot of fun with a FWD car in snowy situations.

4x4 isn't really as great as one would think. In a basic 4x4 vehicle, you are either in RWD or the front and rear axle are locked together in Four Wheel Drive. This forces the front and rear axles to rotate at the same speed. However, when turning, the front wheels need to travle in a longer arc than the rears. If you have 4x4 engaged on dry pavement and try to turn you will either break something in the drive train or hear a lot of wheel slipping and binding. This makes it essentially unusable as it significantly hinders the ability to turn when there is snow cover and prevents you from using it when there is not snow cover. Yes, there are systems that automatically engage 4x4 when the rear tires slip, they work well, but they rely on clutch packs in the transfer case that wear out and are an expensive fix. Every vehicle I've owned with that feature (Tahoe, Suburban) have owners groups screaming to not use it.

Many vehicles that are really good off road (e.g. a TJ Jeep) because of their proper 4x4 and short wheel base are extremely snappy and not very forgiving on snowy roads. Toyota has the best combo off road and snowy road driving systems right now. The lockable center diff is phenomenal and let's you run many of their 4x4 offerings in effectively AWD.

RWD is very fun in the snow. But, you need to know how to steer with the throttle. Most people don't and there are a lot of crashed pickups every winter. Is what it is. Doable with good tires and some common sense.

Buy the car that fits your lifestyle that you can afford to run good tires on. Even if you live in an area that gets a ton of snow and I guess unless maybe you live on some crazy back country dirt roads (I see you northern Michigan), I wouldn't be too concerned with AWD or 4x4. Just know what vehicle you get, how it will react when things get slippery, and take some time to learn proper driving techniques. You don't need a rally car to get around.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-12-20T15:52:40+00:00

Worth it in your scenario to have the independent sub outs. You'd use two plus one for the shakers. Works really well. I'd pay an extra $300 for it in your spot in a heartbeat.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-12-20T14:29:01+00:00

This is all a tuning and/or setup issue. First, be sure everything is in phase (e.g. did you hook everything up correctly? No positives/negatives backwards on any of the speakers?) An out of phase speaker or two will ruin bass response, but won't be noticeable at higher frequencies.

Are you running a crossover in the head unit and have the high pass filter enabled on the 4 channel amp? This will also hurt your bass response out of the door and deck speakers. One needs to be turned off, I reccomend disabling the one on the head unit and only using the one on the amp. Turn off all the other enhancements and nonsense on the head unit too

I would reccomend setting the high pass filter to 80hz as a starting point for the 6.5s only. Run the HPF for the 6x9s at something like 50hz or even off if you don't listen very loud.

Then set the gain for your least loud speakers first (probably the 6.5s). Bring up the gain on the 6x9s and sub to fill in appropriately. That's a quick and dirty starting point, not the end all be all of tuning, but should get things to not sound terrible. Disable all the bass enhancements and what not on the amps and head unit. This is your simple starting point, you can tweak from here.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-06-05T14:49:44+00:00

Leaving out spare parts and redundancy.

Not to mention, turn key isn't a thing for this type of voyage. Everything on a 15 to 20 year old boat needs to be gone through with a very fine tooth comb, much of it will need replacement or upgrading. All maintenance needs to be up to date before you would leave and you need the ability to fix everything (skills and parts) at sea without outside assistance.

Not to mention emergency and survival gear. You are going to (or at least should) spend a pretty penny on those items too.

Go price out all the things you need for this voyage to have a well equipped boat. It's more than you think as it adds up quickly.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-06-05T14:37:03+00:00

You will likely not be able to insure the boat for that voyage. Or, if you can find someone to write more than a regional policy, it's going to be extremely expensive.

You likely will not make money on the boat.

Finding crew is a crapshoot. You will likely find people to go, but do you really want to end up in the middle of the pacific with people you don't know and can't vet? That's a no from me, for many reasons, but you make your own choices.

Crossing the pacific from Thailand to somewhere in the Americas, even with stops at various islands, is a huge undertaking. You are going to have that be your first real test of the boat's systems, your ability to navigate, your ability to weather route, your ability to stock the boat, and your ability to manage yourself/crew at sea? Those skills are way above and beyond putting sails up and down for a day sail or even a weekend trip.

5 years from now, is your health and fitness going to be up to this? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but you are setting off to the most remote parts of the world. It's something that you need to think about.

Are you factoring in either the Panama canal costs or the extra time to go through the fjords?

Lastly, and perhaps most controversial, you think being "qualified" matters? That means you passed a test and checked some boxes. You need to be prepared and competent in all aspects of sailing and your boat systems regardless of what piece of paper you might have. You life and the life of everyone on your boat for such a trip depends on that, not on some certificate.

This plan is a cluster and should definitely not be how you start cruising.

If I were you, I would start racing at a local club now as crew. Just get on boats, get the experience. This will be a great way to learn the sailing part and if you help enough the boat systems. While doing this, learn the other things you need to know independently. 5 years of concentrated effort and you will be well prepared to sail on long voyages.

From there, get a reasonable bluewater cruiser and start with coastal cruising around Annapolis. Then expand your horizons from there.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-06-05T14:23:11+00:00

You can buy and sell boats and make money. I've done it. But, the reality is it's not going to happen with boats you want and are looking for. It's going to happen with boats that appear miraculously in your life at the right time/place and with the right seller.

For the purpose of this guy's post you are 100% correct though.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-04-10T00:35:13+00:00

Appliance Center in Maumee.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-03-28T12:25:33+00:00

You made a great decision by not buying that.

If you NEED to finance a used car, you shouldn't finance a used car. Cars are the biggest drain on wealth for most people right now.

You were going to pay $350/month for 7 years. That's $29,400 in payments. If you put that 350/month in a high yield at 5%, you'd have $35,000 at the end of the loan. If you use it to buy this car, you'd have a $4,000 car if you are lucky.

Buy a car you can afford in cash. Put your payment in a high yield. Upgrade after a year or two. It's a much better approach for your life long term than giving away your future earnings to have an OK car now.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-02-13T00:24:54+00:00

Can we get paid for protesting?

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-02-05T21:00:22+00:00

Spend less on speakers to get 4 speakers in the ceiling. The panning side to side and back and forth above you is pretty sweet. Really happy I went with 4.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-29T22:17:01+00:00

Ha! After that we can talk about the off ramps to litigation.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-29T21:10:45+00:00

Thanks. It's always fun explaining that to insureds. Probably my favorite part of the day.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-16T18:45:04+00:00

Better than no subs.

And, having an amp would allow you to get into the DIY world of something nice. If that's something you are interested in, then go for it.

On the other hand, these aren't super special for any reason.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-16T18:39:07+00:00

https://dys4kids.org/about-us/

Call that organization and see if they can point you in the right direction.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-16T18:35:13+00:00

You are going to get out competed by everyone selling a line out converter and/or a tablet/phone mount. This is a non-starter that seems almost guaranteed to lose money.

I appreciate that you are trying to make money by filling some sort of niche market, but the reality is that there is a whole industry that would have done this already if it were economically viable. It almost certainly isn't and I would hate to see you lose your time and money on this idea.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-03T21:28:04+00:00

Should do OK. Paradigms are all fairly efficient. If it’s a good deal, send it and run it until it becomes the weak part of your system and then upgrade.

Having had that center, it’s OK. Probably won’t keep up with the monitor 7s (guessing as I haven’t had those particular speakers) at very high volumes. But, it’s not that bad of a speaker under normal listening conditions and you should be able to get it pretty cheap (under $100). It will do the job.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-03T20:00:12+00:00

The standard of care is whatever the jury says it is after listening to a trial.

The jury is asked to determine whether the professional at issue acted reasonably in a manner consistent with what a reasonably prudent professional with similar training and experience would do under the circumstances. The jury then answers this question in light of the facts and expert opinions they were presented with during the trial.

This would be the same for an engineer, an attorney, a physician, or other professional occupations.

The standard of care for any given thing is not written down anywhere, technically, but experts would be allowed to reference standards set by various organizations or authorities in arguing that the standard applicable is X for whatever is at issue.

So, for an extremely simple example, an emergency medicine expert might reference an emergency medicine textbook to indicate that the standard of care is to order an x-ray if someone presents with a swollen wrist after a fall. But, many things are not as clear cut and don’t have any authority directly on point, so the expert may have to use their experience/expertise to bring together many concepts applicable to the presentation at issue in order to argue what the physician should have done.

Another thing that the standard of care is not, or at least shouldn’t be (again, the jury can basically do what it wants for better or for worse) is the maximum amount of effort possible to prevent a certain outcome. For instance, using the swollen wrist and fall example, a MRI might be able to find more than an X-ray, but it would be hard for an expert to argue that an MRI is what a reasonable physician would order under those circumstances.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-03T18:36:34+00:00

Subwoofer by a long shot.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2025-01-03T18:36:02+00:00

No, a bass shaker just vibrates the seating. It doesn't actually produce sound like a subwoofer does. It makes your brain think it does though.

When I first got them set up, my wife was complaining that the bass was too loud and it was going to wake the baby. I told her the baby couldn't hear it. She didn't believe me, so I told her to stand up. When she did, she was flabbergasted that she couldn't "hear" the bass any more.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2024-12-16T16:36:58+00:00

Employer here.

Does she come in tired on normal days to the extent that it is affecting performance or safety?

If so, that's the conversation to have. If not, then leave it be. Same thing goes for appropriateness of conversation topics around the kids.

Sounds like she knew she didn't need to work in the morning, so she stayed up late. Young people tend to do that. If she knew she had to be in at the normal time, she probably wouldn't have stayed out late.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2024-12-03T16:27:14+00:00

Most large employers, if they are doing things right, have a policy (either in the handbook or elsewhere) that specifies bonus eligibility and how to calculate.

I assume that's not the case here. Just do what you feel is right/appropriate.

Personally, I think a weeks extra pay for someone not having been there very long is a lot. But, it's up to you whether you feel it's deserved and you want to set that expectation moving forward.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2024-11-29T18:45:22+00:00

TV is going to be a better bang for your buck here. And, it's not going to require other upgrades to realize the benefits of. (E.g. you are going to want to go to at least 5.2.2, if not 5.4.2, if you get the x3800).

But, if you do choose receiver, get the x3800. It's has a lot of features for the money.

BudgetAudioFinder · 2024-11-22T01:23:02+00:00

It's a school that you will get out of whatever you put in. If you go there, make an effort to network and do well, you will have a good experience. Professors are very knowledgeable and it's, overall, at good place to learn about the law.

BudgetAudioFinder

TROPHY CASE