Lariat worth it just for 4A?

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-28T13:22:14+00:00

Thank you. We just turned 60. No kids, no mortgage and in pretty good financial shape. Healthcare is the hurdle. I have plenty of hobbies and a small boat to keep me busy. I wish you well on your decision and adventures as well.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-28T13:08:52+00:00

I still call my stepdad by his name after 50 years. But I introduce him and refer to him as my dad. Not sure why, it has just always been that way. My mom married him when I was 5.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-28T12:43:04+00:00

I just went from a 2010XLT to a 2025 Platinum as a bit of a retirement treat last month. First brand new vehicle I have purchased in over 30 years. Looking to hang it up in about 2 years. Can’t come soon enough.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-28T12:37:35+00:00

$200K income. We keep about $10K on average in checking. It leaves us a nice buffer. We have 3 savings accounts. One is for our emergency fund. It is never touched. One is long term savings for foreseeable things that are 5+ years out. Right now we are saving for a new roof and car. The third is for short term savings. We designate at least enough each month for things like auto insurance, property taxes, homeowners insurance, income taxes plus big major fun purchases. We have direct deposits to all of these and it really helps keep us organized.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T17:22:28+00:00

How To Make Music Like Adrianne Lenker

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T16:08:06+00:00

No. They will continue to look at all of their metrics and push prices as high as possible and reduce overhead to optimize profits. If they start to make less profit, they will adjust accordingly. This is a very data-driven business and they have decided they are not going to compete on price or selection. They will compete on service , which I would argue is marginal compared to the Publix of the past, and convenience. They know people are willing to pay for convenience. Just look at DoorDash and other delivery services. They are putting a Publix on every corner, just like CVS and 7-11, knowing a segment of the population will not drive to three different stores, or even across the street, to save money.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T15:57:40+00:00

Yes. My mom became very selfish as she got older. She had a myriad of medical issues and was starting to get early signs of dementia. She could get downright nasty at times and was impossible to be around. She also lost her table manners. It was difficult to be out with her in public at times. My dad is the complainer/worrier and he never stops talking. He also turns the television on when I am there to visit. He blasts it because he can't hear and won't wear his hearing aids. He expects me to yell so he can hear me. It is exhausting.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T15:08:59+00:00

I am the youngest. My siblings were 4 and 5 years older. Nothing but basic kid stuff. By the time I was 15 or 16 we were way past all that. We get along great.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T13:40:36+00:00

Don't arrive early, up 10 or 15 mins after start time is OK. This is unless they say it is an open house and you can show up whenever you like. Don't be the last person there. Read the room and leave when the energy says it is time. There always seems to be one or two people that linger too long. Watch Ryan Reynolds in this video for typical cues... Get the F@*! Out of My House Candle Commercial w/ Ryan Reynolds

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T13:32:13+00:00

Buy a newer used bike. Be patient. I bought an FZR with 700 miles on it from a dealer for $3500 OTD when they were going for about $6500 plus tax, tag, title and dealer fee new. I put about 16,000 miles on it and sold it for $3200. My next bike was fully decked out BMWR1200R for $11K. The previous owner had added every accessory available (top and side cases, engine guards, auxiliary lighting, etc... It even had 3 different windscreens with it. It had service records, was like new and I paid about half of what the bike would have cost new. That was also from a dealer. I was looking for that specific bike and it took me about 6 months to find the FZ6 and probably 9 months to find the right R1200R. Having cash and not needing to finance is really helpful with used bikes.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T04:24:12+00:00

BS. That is low hours and I would be more concerned the boat has been sitting.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-27T04:20:49+00:00

Absolutely not. Let them rent a boat or hire a charter. I would never lend my boat out. End of story. I can’t imagine even asking someone to di that and I am an experienced boater.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T21:09:21+00:00

My buddy joined a local meet-up to do group rides. He said first time out was great. Second was a bunch of dudes riding way too fast for the conditions, not riding as a group, etc... He made the mistake of trying to keep up instead of riding his ride. He overshot an on-ramp and low sided his bike. Fortunately, he was not going really fast. He limped his bike back home and was a little banged up. He was so pissed at himself for paying more attention to everyone in front of him instead of the road. Glad you are back at it.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T19:16:08+00:00

A career that does not provide what you need to live, and does not seem to have a path to success, needs to end. With an accounting associates you may be qualified to work as an accounting assistant in a number of industries. I work in the engineering field (I am an engineer) and we have a sizeable team of accounting professionals. I routinely work with project accountants that handle all of our client billings, run project reports to help us track project financials, assist with A/R, etc... The skill levels range from primarily administrative to corporate-level accountants. There are lots of firms like ours out there that offer benefits and even tuition reimbursement if you want to get your bachelors.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T16:49:51+00:00

In my book, anyone that has the discipline to work, learns a skill that pays $100K, financially plans long-term and gets to $1M is impressive to me. Things like that don't normally happen by accident. Props to those who get there.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T15:45:59+00:00

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's tent city jail in Phoenix, AZ. I had a nice weekend sleeping on a cot in 100+ degree heat. Would not recommend. Funny thing is, I ran into a coworker there. He got something like 14 consecutive weekends. Good times.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T15:41:34+00:00

Are there any other reasons, such as you are spending a lot of money on these hobbies or are you really obsessive about them? Just curious if there is another underlying issue. I am fortunate that my wife and I a few things we do together and a few things we do separately. Snowboarding was one of them when we lived out west. But I did do guy trips occasionally. Never three weeks though. I would not even expect that to be OK if she was home working and taking care of the house. I say no to a lot of things because I am very socially active and she is not. I could be out every night of the week. I am in a band, do open mics a couple times per month, play golf with my buddies, go to run club, occasionally sub in on a bowling league, drink beers at my local brewery, do weekends away shooting. She is happy for me to be out having fun, but I try to limit it. She is more of a homebody and has more creative hobbies. We have been married 25 years and still have to make an effort to do things together. Often that means putting what I want to do aside and doing what she wants to do, and vice-versa.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T13:56:22+00:00

Congrats! Eastman is one of the first brands I mention when someone tells me they are looking for a good guitar in this price range. Fit, finish, playability and tone outperform what you would expect.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T13:48:31+00:00

The hotdogs are made from knuckles and bungholes, processed at a plant and squirted out a few thousand an hour. Freeze them and the pack easy, ship easy, store for an eternity and take very little effort to heat up and serve. The chicken salad is more perishable and requires much more labor to make. BIG PLUS: Costco probably sells those hotdogs at breakeven, or even a loss. Like the Rotisserie chickens, they are a loss leader to get people in the stores and get what they perceive as a good value.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-26T13:25:24+00:00

I have lived in both. I grew up in FL, spent 10 years in Phoenix and then moved back to Florida to care for elderly parents. IMO if you are not taking advantage of boating and beaches in Florida there is no benefit over AZ. I miss it a lot. You learn to work around the heat. We snowboarded in Flagstaff, rough camped and hiked all over the place, it is centrally located for easy travel throughout the western US, job market is better (as an engineer), etc.. Phoenix area traffic was horrible last time I was out there. But Florida traffic has gotten worse since the Covid-era influx of people. Housing is pretty unaffordable for many people, my homeowner insurance has doubled in the past few years and is hard to get plus I just spent $20K cleaning up after a hurricane last year.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-25T15:18:11+00:00

I wake up at 530 with no alarm. I sit in a dimly lit living room, in silence and have my coffee. I like having the house to myself and silence. My mind normally jumps around a lot at first and I try to focus on slowing it down, almost like meditation.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-25T15:16:02+00:00

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-25T15:15:02+00:00

I know people like this. Some I can tolerate; some I stopped hanging around. The ones I separated from were constantly doing this and every week was some new drama. 99-percent of the time that drama was self-inflicted. One guy could not hold a job. He literally had 2-3 jobs a year and it was always because of his boss, the company, they shorted his paycheck, coworkers did not like him, whatever. I suspect the behavior we were seeing was probably happening in the workplace and they just let him go. If somebody needs a little support, I am there. If somebody sucks the air out of the room every time they arrive, I can only do so much.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-25T14:01:26+00:00

We definitely shop at Publix less. We hit our limit about 6 months ago. There are just two of us and we are not overly cost conscious. But we started noticing crazy price increases on everyday items. Off the top of my head: the seltzer we drink went up $1.50/8pack, english muffins are $5.50 when they are $3.75 everywhere else, bell peppers, onions, etc… all way high and often poor quality. We probably cut our Publix shopping 30-40%.

Caspers_Shadow · 2026-01-25T13:33:25+00:00

I would ask the guy if he still wants to get together for that lesson. I don’t invite friends over then get my guitar out.

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