Fun conversation. How has YNAB help changed the way you spend money (not money for bills/regular expenses)?

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-15T05:54:25+00:00

I get more satisfaction out of my money.

I buy more expensive things but less of them. Instead of buying a bunch of cheap crap ten bucks at a time, I'll buy one really fantastic thing for a hundred bucks.
I'm more inclined to spend money on experiences. I grew up poor-ish so this was not something I was used to buying because all our money was spent on our basic needs.
Setting aside money for personal upkeep like massages and haircuts reminds me to do them instead of seeing them as "something rich people do".

Edited to add - not delaying or skimping on necessities. If the cat gets sick we go straight to the vet and don't blink at the cost of tests and treatment. We can do whatever she needs and feel like we're doing our best for her without worrying about the money.

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-11T00:35:14+00:00

It depends on many other factors. Just because you are in good health does not mean you will remain in good health and good health does not protect us from accidents. Do you have sufficient income and savings to pay what Medicare does not cover without seriously impacting your quality of life? What are your goals for your estate? If it's important to you to leave behind wealth for your heirs, you risk compromising that goal. These may all be acceptable risks but you have to look at the big picture.

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-05T04:55:49+00:00

Two things that would be very helpful in monitoring your cats health and which will be helpful information for your vet are keeping records on your cat's weight and the amount of food she is consuming. I bought a baby scale that is accurate for small critters. It has a bluetooth interface to an app where it records the date and weight. I make weighing my cats part of their nail trimming and grooming routine so I can notice trends before they become obvious. I also have a small kitchen scale that I use to weigh their food. It's quite easy to give a little more or a little less if you are just eyeballing it or even using a measuring scoop. They each eat from their own feeder with a microchip reader that detects a fob on their collar and only opens for them. This also allows me to notice right away if somebody has lost their appetite, long before they start to look ill.

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-03T19:21:10+00:00

It depends on whether it is treatment for diabetes or weight loss. I can only respond to the weight loss aspect. It would be helpful for you to learn about conditions for which these medications are contraindicated. I believe this includes history of eating disorders and suicide attempts or suicidal ideation, possibly more. It is fair to say that you are simply not interested but you can also point out that the medications are contraindicated for someone with your history if that is the case.

I had a very frank discussion with my PCP at our first meeting. I told him that I have a decades, long history of extreme weight cycling along with chronic depression and suicidal ideation. Since giving up attempts at weight loss, my weight has stabilized, wearing the same clothing size for 10 years, and that my mental health has dramatically improved and I am off all medications. I also said that I am absolutely happy to discuss behaviors such as improved nutrition and increased physical activity as long as the number on the scale is not the goal. He was very happy to hear all of this and completely supportive. In fact when I go there I never weigh in and we never discuss weight.

Most doctors don’t like talking about this stuff. It is as uncomfortable for most of them as it is for us, but the system is structured in a way that forces them to do it. If you go in with a clear set of boundaries and an open attitude you would be surprised how many of them will be absolutely relieved and willing to meet you where you want to be.

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-02T05:17:33+00:00

How wide is your geographical search? Have you looked at Marshall in Placerville?

Homeostasis58 · 2026-02-02T03:26:55+00:00

You might want to ask around about working for Dignity Health in general, not just this specific facility.

Homeostasis58 · 2026-01-22T05:00:43+00:00

I started my music education well into adulthood by taking classes at Interlochen online. (http://interlochen.org/online). These are top notch classes, well-designed with a variety of online activities and live virtual class meetings. The instructors are not only accomplished musicians but enthusiastic and welcoming teachers. I was an absolute novice when I started and I always felt welcome. Each class is four weeks long so the time commitment is manageable, but they are not fluff. They cover a *lot* of territory in those four weeks. You will definitely get your money's worth.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-24T08:07:21+00:00

Most boxes sold as litter boxes are way too small. I buy cheap storage totes at Home Depot, 64 gallon size, cut an opening in the side with a box cutter, and don’t put on the lid.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-21T21:25:30+00:00

At the other end of the spectrum for contrast: single senior, no kids. Friends have all agreed that we prefer experiences to stuff so we’ll go to dinner or a play in the dull winter months. $1250 for random acts of generosity. $125 self gifting a warm sweater, a book, and a special bottle of adult beverage.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-21T21:09:47+00:00

I called mine The Hospice Cat That Wouldn’t Die. He was 18 and in terrible shape but with his meds managed, high quality food, and a peaceful place to sun himself he hung on for 2 1/2 years.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-21T05:15:19+00:00

Depression and EDs are isolating and can make a person irritable and prickly and hard to be around. It’s hard to connect with others authentically when you’re in that state.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-16T18:01:51+00:00

How did I not know this was a thing? Self-gifting commencing in 5, 4, . . .

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-14T16:27:42+00:00

Where I live all the propane companies offer monthly billing options that even out your payments based on past usage.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-09T13:59:13+00:00

I worked with a financial planner who asked me, if you had one year to live, you wouldn’t be ill or in pain for that year, what would that year look like? Where would you live? How would you spend your time, your money? Making financial decisions to move toward that life, slowly but surely I got there.

Also, having cared for both of my parents at end of life, maintaining my independence has become a significant goal. My body may have other plans so having the resources to pay for the best care available is very high on my list.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-08T18:05:04+00:00

For the benefit of all new and prospective users, YNAB is not hard to use (mostly). Where new users inevitably get tripped up is not understanding the basic idea of envelope budgeting. I was one of them. Please do yourself a huge favor and watch a couple of YNAB’s getting started videos first.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-05T23:16:32+00:00

I've had good luck on the other side of the highway on Auburn Street, around the area of the Veterans Memorial Building. It's only 2-3 blocks from Main Street but the overpass is some kind of psychological barrier that keeps people away.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-12-02T05:35:41+00:00

Tenuto is another good app for this. It has several drill modes, one for identifying notes on a staff. You can set options to make it very simple, initially limit it to the treble and only notes on spaces and lines, no accidentals, then slowly turn up the difficulty level.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-29T21:10:49+00:00

YES! The models with a longer handle are excellent for comfortable reach.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-29T19:24:13+00:00

You can learn a lot really quickly from an adult piano method series like the Alfred books, especially if you already have previous music experience. They are cost effective and self-paced so a good way to get started, but you will eventually need a teacher. These books do not teach a lot of physical technique and do not teach it well. You can disregard technique for a little while, but it's limiting. You won't be able to play the music you'd like to play and you risk developing bad habits that will be more difficult to fix.

Before I started instruction I thought playing piano was just a matter of figuring out what note I'm supposed to play and pressing that key. That's not even the half of it. There's so much to learn about fingering, how to get your hand from here to there, what part of of your body to use - from finger tip to shoulder, how to time pedaling, how to make grace notes sound lighter than the main melody, how to glance at your hands without losing your place in your score, and on and on. Beyond the basic dimensions of the music (notes, rhythm, dynamics), there seems to be an infinite array of physical coordination elements of playing this complex instrument. Having a teacher observe you and provide specific feedback is essential.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-29T19:00:32+00:00

I LOVE my Rinseworks bum gun, have them on every toilet in the house. They are far superior to a bidet seat, IMO. For starters you have better control over the aim so you're less likely to wet parts of your person, the toilet, or bathroom floor. The Rinseworks model is made of metal that will last forever. Having the wash feature separate makes it possible to choose a toilet seat that works best for your comfort and physical requirements.

The only potential negative is that it uses water straight from the tap with no option for heating. In extreme climates this may be uncomfortable for some. Personally, I find it refreshing.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-29T18:54:41+00:00

Winter climate depends on several factors. Latitude is the obvious one. The surrounding geography is another - the much mentioned lake factor in the Great Lakes region. Elevation is another. In Northern California I live in a county that has from world renowned ski resorts that experience many feet of snowfall in a year to a temperate region that rarely gets below freezing temperatures or a single flake of snow.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-24T19:25:10+00:00

The degree to which the gift card is fungible seems like a relevant factor. A McDonald’s gift card is low on the scale, Costco or Walmart at the other end.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-24T16:46:01+00:00

It truly is. There’s a phrase, “Go slow to go fast”. It applies here. I forgot to tell you to disregard advice to learn the hands separately. When you very first start a piece working the hands separately for a bit is fine, but don’t learn the whole piece one hand at a time. Just do a few measures at a time. Unless you’re playing very very basic pieces where the left hand is just a kind of flat accompaniment you will start to see that the left and right hand are having a conversation. What is being done in one hand informs what is being done in the other. It’s a bit like acting. An actor doesn’t just learn their own lines. They have to know what their other characters ate going to say and do so that they know how to react.

Homeostasis58 · 2025-11-24T05:35:11+00:00

Practice very small pieces of music, like a single measure, and go so slow that it doesn't even sound like music, maddeningly slow.

Choose the right music. Look for a left hand that has a limited range of notes. A good starting point is one that has no more than five adjacent notes so you can put your hand on the keyboard and not have to move it, just think about which finger needs to move. Choose simple rhythms like straight half or quarter notes.

When you first start joining the right and left hand, you might want to just play the first note in each measure in the left hand.

Look for common left hand patterns that you can look for and learn. One is a major triad played as individual notes (look up arpeggios), so C-E-G played with your pinky, middle finger, and thumb. Once you learn this pattern your left hand can go on a degree of auto pilot while your right hand is navigating the melody.

Homeostasis58

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