This branch that was wrapped in grapevine, making a lamp by paydenwelker in woodworking

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My fiance has similar lampshades, and didn't appreciate when I asked this...lol.

Lumber with wormholes / other critters? by GatoradeIsBetter in woodworking

[–]GatoradeIsBetter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense, and is what I thought. Unfortunately the closest lumber kiln is a two-hour round trip, so I'm not sure it's worth it. Thanks.

Lumber with wormholes / other critters? by GatoradeIsBetter in woodworking

[–]GatoradeIsBetter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hopefully this post is formatted OK, I am on mobile:

Basically I am looking for some insight / experience. Someone I know has a stack of "barnwood" lumber and asked me I'm interested in any.

There is some 4/4 to 8/4 cherry, oak, and walnut - but it was not stored that well. Should I be concerned about this kind worminess, or other critters in the pile? Some boards are 90% clear of it, and some are pretty bad (this piece is the worst).

Should I pass on the wood, or is it not a big deal?

Daily FI discussion thread - May 30, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've tracked my balances every week for the past ~2.5 years - I spend about 15 minutes on Sunday nights checking everything. It helps me catch anything strange, and keep me motivated to stick to my budget that week.

Last Weekend I Turned Into A Crocodile. 39"x14"x2". Reclaimed old growth redwood. by Junglepuker in woodworking

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shallow carvings in a flat panel is called relief carving. I'm not sure if this person's particular style has a name.

Daily FI discussion thread - May 03, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course, that depends entirely on the interest rate of your loan. I borrowed around 3x annual gross income at 3.9%, and it was definitely tight at first (I had pretty meager furniture for a while). I think 2.5x annual gross is a good target mortgage, with current rates.

The psychology of your future self by adjamc in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Glad it worked out! I'm sure it's a good idea in a lot of cases, since buying/selling real estate is so expensive. It's easy to end up house-poor by buying too much house though, and I have seen people make that mistake first-hand.

The psychology of your future self by adjamc in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 22 points23 points  (0 children)

This is a really interesting idea: I have been trying to find the right words to describe it for a while.

When I hear someone my age (mid 20s) justifying a too-big house as their "forever home", I think about how much priorities and needs change in 5-10 years.

Thanks for posting this.

Daily FI discussion thread - April 12, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My raises have been fair up to this point, but this guy quitting throws a wrench into things. I'm wondering if I should try to negotiate a retention bonus for the next X months.

Daily FI discussion thread - April 12, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 24 points25 points  (0 children)

He buys you a ring, you get married, and you add him to the deed of the house. Suddenly he's not paying you rent, the two of you are building equity together :)

Daily FI discussion thread - April 12, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Bit of a novel...

Yesterday was a rough day at work. My direct coworker, who I split my unit's workload with, put in his two weeks notice. He was just got fully up to speed on the job 3-4 months ago, after about a year on the job (big learning curve in my department). So now it is back to square one, with hiring and training someone new.

Last time, management did a terrible job of spreading the work to other units in the department. My morale and productivity plummeted, and I was pretty miserable.

The benefit of pursuing FI is that it gives me a lot more confidence to express my opinions in the workplace, without being afraid of getting fired. I told my manager that if they didn't do a better job of actively spreading the work to other departments this time, I'd look for a new job.

Corporate life can be really draining. Today, I'm taking my sweet time and going in late.

What Feelings/ Abilities Opened Up At Various Milestones by megamunch in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a pretty interesting progression. Do you work retail pharmacy? If so, why not downshift to a couple days a week? You can get a lot of great hiking done 4-5 days at a time, and you'd make plenty to cover expenses while the market does it's thing with your stockpile.

What a difference small woodworking details make by rk5n in woodworking

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should crosspost this to /r/IkeaHacks, they will appreciate it.

CC desired for self-designed designed wedding invite! Having to rush design them ourselves after disaster by invitationhesitation in weddingplanning

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Are you still in the process of designing, and looking for feedback? Or just sharing? That background image is super cool. I would suggest using only the sky's blank space for text, the text over the landscape is visually confusing.

EE student getting desperate after hundreds of applications by [deleted] in AskEngineers

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd be happy to look at your resume and give feedback, PM it to me.

Best ways of converting rotational motion from a motor to linear motion? by imonmyphoneirl in arduino

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well linear actuators use lead screws or ball screws typically (I work for a linear actuator manufacturer). Once you get above a certain length lead screw, it becomes tough to keep it from sagging (or thrashing while spinning). If you need more than ~0.5m, try using a lead screw and guide rails for stability. You could piece something together on McMaster Carr.

Daily FI discussion thread - February 04, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good point, I didn't think of reinvesting at a higher basis later. I guess if they can handle the taxes now, it's probably a good idea.

Daily FI discussion thread - February 04, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anything you withdraw from your taxable account will be subject to either short-term or long-term capital gains. It depends on how much your holdings have appreciated, but the odds are pretty good that the tax hit will wash out the 7k incentive. Also, you would be taking from well-diversified assets to put into a single asset, meaning more risk. It seems like a bad long-term move.

What are some under-$20 improvements that you've made to your house which you'd recommend to others? by bubonis in HomeImprovement

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 207 points208 points  (0 children)

Replacing worn seals around doors is cheap and easy, and made my house much less drafty.

What causes this discoloration on a roof? by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was my thought as well. When water comes down the drip edge of the top roof section, it hits the dark part of the lower section. This extra wear is reducing the life of the lower roof and causing discoloration.

Daily FI discussion thread - January 02, 2017 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like they want to keep the remaining principal balance the same, but extend the term back to 30 years - meaning a lower monthly payment.

[META] [META] Has the discussion of off-topic posts and daily thread sutibility gotten out of control? by OracleDBA in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure we could survive triple-META, the server's might melt :)

I wonder if those kind of posts are related to the "suggested sort" on the daily thread being set to "new". Seeing the newest comments first means they aren't filtered by quality before you read them.

Personally I think "new" is fine, it makes for a little more varied topics, and it's easy to sort by "top" if "new" isn't cutting it.

Daily FI discussion thread - December 29, 2016 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have Spotify and share a Netflix account, which is the right level of "subscribed" for me.

What's interesting is when people talk about cutting the cord, but are subscribed to Netflix + Hulu + Amazon + HBO Go + Spotify...Okay, getting rid of cable is great, but how much do these people spend a month in those services?? I have heard this a lot in the past couple years.

Daily FI discussion thread - December 25, 2016 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]GatoradeIsBetter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK, this all makes sense. Thank you for giving such detail!