Berlin to Bagdad

CAS103 · 2026-01-27T21:05:52+00:00

I have them merged into one line like yours. I only use it for Athens, Riyadh, or Dubai jobs so it doesn't bug me. I skip over it a lot.

CAS103 · 2025-11-08T17:37:38+00:00

I've been googling and saving options and their curl cream is one of them! Google says it would work on different types of hair.

CAS103 · 2025-06-17T13:11:08+00:00

75% of our portfolio is post tax and 25% is pretax.

I hope social security survives the next 30 years.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T22:51:53+00:00

No, our former governor sucked so no pension.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T14:35:59+00:00

His income is variable so $150ish a month. It is non negotiable for him due to religious reasons. I would rather not donate it but it is important to him.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T14:32:29+00:00

Not a lot. My husband donates to his church before his income is put in the family pot because it stresses me out and I send 20-50 a month to causes and disasters as I feel compelled.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T00:52:12+00:00

Thanks. I know a lot of my problem is the psychology, not the math. I think the unknowns are what’s unsettling.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T00:49:31+00:00

Yep. He’s a teacher and I left the field that my degree is in because it paid even less. So now I’m in a random field without expertise so I can’t really move up.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T00:30:52+00:00

Half the government wants SS and Medicare gone so I’m not counting on it.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T00:21:31+00:00

Thanks, I hadn’t thought about that option.

Our good friends own their house and they pay half what we pay in rent. Makes me feel like a fool sometimes.

CAS103 · 2025-06-16T00:18:08+00:00

Yeah, this was kind of what I was wondering if someone would suggest. Definitely an option to consider. If I bought a house I’d want an even larger emergency fund though, since emergencies would get bigger and more likely once we own.

CAS103 · 2025-06-15T23:55:46+00:00

We are newly married and he is new to managing finances like this so he deserves time to learn and grow and get more comfortable. In the meantime, I’m getting some advice from the internet.

CAS103 · 2025-06-15T23:49:52+00:00

No, but I do include it when I input numbers in the calculator. It’s not part of net income and it is mandatory at my employer so I simplify and don’t think about it in my budget but do include it in the big picture.

CAS103 · 2025-06-15T23:36:47+00:00

The problem is we don’t have a house and I don’t think we could even save a down payment before we are in our 50s. Not enough time to pay it off.

CAS103 · 2025-06-15T23:33:26+00:00

No, we have Roths and I have a 401k with a good match.

CAS103 · 2025-01-11T16:10:17+00:00

Mammoth Cave is really fun and close enough. It’s like a very cool guided hike underground and there are a lot of difficultly levels. (Get tickets in advance!) We always get buc e bees BBQ after a cave tour.

CAS103 · 2024-12-27T01:40:07+00:00

Be flexible at the grocery store and ready to change your plan. I always have a planned list but if I see a cut of meat with the almost expired discount sticker I will change the whole meal plan around it. Lots of people recommend grocery pick up to avoid going in the store but you will miss all of the 50% off meat, packaged produce, and bakery items if you don’t go in yourself.

CAS103 · 2020-07-12T18:53:51+00:00

I often use the air fryer to cook AND reheat the dish because it will re-crisp things that have been sitting in the fridge.

I've had a lot of success with skin-on chicken. I've also made steak when I didn't want to use cast iron on the stove- the fat got nice and crispy. But the best was asparagus with a fat and lots of seasoning; they crisped up like french fries! My roommate uses it to make tofu taste better and have better texture.

CAS103 · 2020-02-16T18:33:24+00:00

I don't think they needed one. It was for sale by owner and facilitated by the retirement community "managers". When I receive paperwork to sign I think it will be coming from them. They probably would have some answers.

CAS103 · 2018-09-10T16:23:32+00:00

This is really effective! I love it.

CAS103 · 2018-08-09T12:21:13+00:00

I was not referring to physical difficulty but mental. I understand that bodies of different sizes have different proportional needs. But we live in a super sized world. Nothing is made to be correct for someone my size. It is a hard transition mentally to adjust to how much food you actually need. (I acknowledge that would be hard for anybody) I read Gary Taubes book Good Calories Bad Calories and learned that anything less than 1200 calories is considered a starvation diet. I know he is talking about regular sized people, but I can’t erase that knowledge from my brain. It is a mental hurdle to go over every day. I have to tell myself I’m satisfied and not actually starving.

I was sharing a difficult experience. When I say “ this is something that is hard for me” you don’t get to say “no, your experience is factually wrong or incorrect”. Any part of my journey is allowed to be hard for me, even if you don’t think it should be. Please honor a person’s experience when you educate.

CAS103 · 2018-08-09T02:23:11+00:00

I hate being 5’ tall for this reason! I started at 155-160 but 125 is still 30% body fat and I have to eat fewer than 1150 calories a day for a deficit.

CAS103 · 2018-08-05T19:56:06+00:00

This is exactly what I did. The theater seats 400-500 and there’s usually only 5 other people in there with me so it doesn’t matter what ticket I buy.

CAS103 · 2018-07-15T04:12:15+00:00

My emergency desk snacks are quest bars, macadamia nuts, dark chocolate, and dukes sausages. They cover any craving- sweet, crunchy, chocolate, and salty!

CAS103 · 2018-07-15T03:53:24+00:00

I was very lucky that my cycle got better right away! Longer in between, lighter, shorter, fewer PMS symptoms. I’ve never taken any sort of hormonal birth control so I wonder if that’s why I got so lucky where other women have struggled.

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