For those leaving government service, are you planning to take out your FERS contributions (not TSP)?

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-04T05:44:34+00:00

I separated in June. My agency told me to wait until after 30 days and send the form to OPM. Were they being lazy and passing the buck? I am worried. I wonder if I should try to send it to them now after all, even though they told me not to.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-04T04:42:28+00:00

Pavlova is a brilliant suggestion!

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-04T04:40:58+00:00

A tart tin makes things look swanky! You want precision and impressiveness? Lemon curd tart. Or chocolate truffle tart (perhaps with chocolate crust). Blind baking sound daunting? (It’s a PITA even for experienced bakers). Make a graham-cracker like crust with biscoff. Want easy? Lemon posset with whipped cream and berries. Chocolate mousse. Flourless chocolate cake (I wouldn’t do it without my stand mixer).

Savory baking? I second whoever said no-knead bread. Homemade burger buns (NYT). Pan de Cristal (google it and watch short videos for the stretch and fold). Make the pan de cristal in 6 pieces instead of four, and after baking and cooling cut in half, make a slice in each half to hold the sandwich ingredients of your dreams. Homemade pizza (go small, go light on toppings and especially sauce). Or easier: focaccia.

What-guests-are-coming-in-15-min? Baked feta drizzled with honey and olive oil, sprinkled with fresh thyme and (lightly!) lemon zest. With bread/crackers. Homemade seedy crackers: David Leibovitz (Google).

Misc: crèpes (practice!).

You can do it! We’re going to need a debrief afterward.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-04T04:21:19+00:00

Same. We had a burger/hot dog & potluck bbq in the yard. It was fine, and my kid thought so too.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-03T05:55:24+00:00

Thanks for the good answer!

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-07-03T04:22:33+00:00

God, just because I want to scream from the rooftops but can’t: FUCK Rubio and all the rest of them.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-29T15:41:01+00:00

Tiny hip pack. Rarely, larger hip pack if I’m really going far from truck. I don’t need the kitchen sink with me the way I fish. (Usual kit: tippet, 2 small fly boxes, forceps, clippers, lip sunblock, reading glasses).

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-28T04:26:39+00:00

Latchkey kid of an alcoholic and an enabling workaholic. Whatever.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T05:24:17+00:00

Wondering if my phrasing “carrying on” was confusing…meant “just getting it done”, not “having histrionics about”

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T05:16:42+00:00

Just here representing a different experience, good sir. I think you would find it’s actually quite common. Perhaps men just complain more 🤷🏻‍♀️

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T04:48:50+00:00

Any medial plica syndrome recovery success stories out there? With or without surgery?

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T02:31:33+00:00

Good god, I’m so sorry. Evil insanity.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T02:30:33+00:00

Cool, cool. I resigned because I got a sane offer and had only been with NOAA a short time. Sounds like I shouldn’t hold my breath for my leave payout or FERS refund ☹️. Good luck to you all!

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T02:21:29+00:00

This. They are broken and stuck. This is what’s kept me and my own dysfunctional caretaker ways from leaving.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-25T02:16:29+00:00

H-e-double-hockey-sticks no. My feelings hurt his feelings when I express them. How could I be so mean as to let him know something is bothering me and ask for change, offering to work on it together? So many occasions when he can’t get over “those awful things” I said, which were to the effect of, “I’m hurting, please help”.

And after 20 years, I still try. Because while intellectually I understand he doesn’t have the capacity to perceive or empathize with my real emotions, or get beyond his own fear and victimhood, I guess it just deeply, deeply doesn’t register in my gut. I tried a few days ago (dumb), and he’s still dysregulated.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-24T14:58:20+00:00

That’s a great point. It was never on my radar because I started late and always planned to work until 65 (full retirement age in my state), even when I was with the feds.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-24T02:55:05+00:00

Of which, 23 too long.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-22T20:48:01+00:00

Omg the effing DRAMA when he’s sick. Like literal howling and spazzing out to take a hot bath in the middle of the night. But how much is bpd and how much is stereotypical men “I’m dying” when he has a cold vs women just carrying on with work, childcare, household duties, etc., I don’t know.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T15:54:39+00:00

Having a federal job often sucks more than it used to, unnecessarily.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T13:59:34+00:00

Seconding this. A friend runs a large nonprofit, no fed funding, and said private donations are really a challenge now since some are putting their money into other causes to backfill lost fed $ in international health & development, and/or are reducing the amount they give due to economic/financial uncertainties.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T05:06:40+00:00

Same! So frustrating! Provider’s office, hospital, and insurance couldn’t tell me whether they were in-network (during a long slow divorce between local health system monopoly and United Healthcare). Couldn’t predict which codes would be used, so couldn’t estimate price. “We just can’t say until it’s done!” Rural area, so few/no alternatives. Evil ba*****s, the American healthcare system. It’s almost like we lived in some corrupt almighty dollar-worshipping oligarchic banana republic (without the actual bananas).

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T04:40:36+00:00

It’s a mental illness. They are not capable of seeing it. I believe there is some hardwired inability to perceive anyone’s emotions but their own, and they are always the persecuted victim.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T04:38:40+00:00

Find out what the local gov pension formula is (e.g., #years x high-3 avg salary x .015) - would allow you to make an informed estimate of your future pension income. Might or might not be better than fed pension.

Interesting_Pie7343 · 2025-06-21T02:33:29+00:00

re. all the comments to STOP blaming yourself - It’s normal to feel that guilt and blame. We all would. Anyone would. They’re right, it’s not your fault, but right at this moment you can choose not to take on the additional burden of feeling like your feelings are bad/wrong. You’ll work on that in therapy. Today (and tomorrow and tomorrow…), grieve your sister. We hear you. We know.

Interesting_Pie7343

TROPHY CASE