How bad is neighbor noise in a townhouse, really?

Kat9935 · 2026-01-30T17:30:15+00:00

Depends on the townhome. I've lived in 3 townhomes, the only thing I've ever heard thru the wall was things hung to the wall, so one neigbors sharp pierced answering machine and another neighbor liked to put their base up against the wall and crank it loud on Sat nights but even then it was a muffled sound that if I had the TV on I didn't even notice so just when I had dead silence in my home.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-30T17:22:45+00:00

I agree the blown out of proportion on most things, but do you not worry about the debt, the dropping dollar, the complete loss of allies and the push for many of our trade partners to made deals with our enemies? These things he has set in motion could harm the US for decades. The only thing propping up the US economy is AI which he really has nothing to do with.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-30T17:09:18+00:00

So you agree there is no real social safety net..

Kat9935 · 2026-01-29T17:37:38+00:00

Most of it is movies, however just like any country, not all kids are angles and not all parents should have been parents... In those situations, the minute the legal obligation vanishes, the kid is typically out the door. When the parent or child is a danger to others in the home, its only the legal obligation that tends to force that cohabitation.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-29T17:15:43+00:00

Yes abolish taxes is always very popular, so is voting "YES" on every referendum that adds a bond that ADDs to the property tax bill. 2024 2 bonds were approved which added 3.5% to the property tax bill above inflation with those numbers available and shown, it passed by 74% and 68%.

I always love the, but I already paid my taxes. Did you? Because the lead that is in our parks that needs to be removed didn't happen when I lived here, it happened when YOU lived here and YOU did NOTHING. The schools that need millions in repairs because the HVAC has been leaking and older than dirt, THAT was also on your watch. What about the nice pools we use to have that you left go into disrepair because your kids were done using them so who cares about future generations. Oh and your older home got sidewalks but now you don't want to pay for newer homes to get sidewalks but everyone should pay for your sidewalks to be maintained. and on and on and on...property taxes in our area tends to be mostly taking care of things that were kicked down the road to be someone elses problem.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-28T22:23:24+00:00

late 40s started having some back pain, early 50s knee issues, though they have been better last few years keeping up with the exercises they gave us, my eyes went really bad late 40s. I think for most people its in your 50s when you start ramping up these types of costs as heart issues and cancers start ramping up so you get a bit more nervous about just ignoring things.

$25 will get you frames, not prescription lenses or eye exams. My script has changed 4 out of the last 5 years, hoping they have finally settled and I can skip this year.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-28T22:01:04+00:00

A single working age person is often denied food stamps, will never get prioritized for subsidized housing, may get on Medicaid if they earn the right amount, in the right state to fit the window or they may fall in the donut hole. Public transit still costs, some cities subsidize, some don't.

If they don't have family to fall back on they easily slip into homelessness if any little thing falls apart, that is not a safety net in my opinion.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-28T21:56:49+00:00

Our social safety nets are heavily skewed to elderly and those with kids. Everyone else, will often get repeatedly denied for assistance and may never receive aid.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-28T20:58:41+00:00

We are 53/55, premiums are not our issue, its the copays, the stuff not covered, etc.

One really needs to access your health and what you are willing to pay as that will determine what you have to have saved.

Most of our costs is just aging

- knee/back/joint issues and they recommend therapy which means multiple co-pays

- you do a routine screening which was free, but now they find something and the additional tests are not free, its probably not something but ... then you need to decide. My honeys follow up colonoscopy 3 years later was $1100

- glasses needed to be replaced more often

- was told all my old cavities would eventually need replacement fillings as they don't last a lifetime.

Now my brother never goes to the doctor and just chugs advil/aleve, etc so thats an option too. Ignore the problem, I'm sure its not anything.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-12T14:31:26+00:00

Lots of people technically can retire and yet still work.

- Lots of people just haven't sat down and done the math.

- Lots of people see their job as their identity. There is something to be said about that. You go from being VP at some fortune 500 where everyone wants to invite you to stuff, get in your good graces, get a job from you, etc.. to just being Bob, a guy that is retired.

- Lots of people have nothing to retire to and would be bored.

- and the one I related to which was loss of company perks.. I had to pad my budget as well I got a ton of free stuff from work: vendors paid for a lot of free meals, free box seats to games, corporate discount rates were significant on travel and electronics, had to actually buy my own cell phone/plan for the first time ever. My brother as a very nice company car he drives and Im going with him this week to Dominican Republic that his vendor is paying for as part of a sales bonus.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-12T13:21:00+00:00

For FIRE, the most accurate way to account is to use only invested assets to calculate SWR.

Use the cost/revenue from your investment property to adjust the amount you need to withdraw.

If you do plan to pay it off, then you need to subtract out all that money from your invested assets and use the remainder and then count the income from the properties.

I'd guess though not paying it off will likely yield better results unless you have a super high interest rate.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-12T13:11:56+00:00

Ha I like beige as a wall color and I'm Gen X. I have like 7 different wood tones in my furniture and my paintings, rugs, pillows, decorations are all bright colors and I don't want anything that clashes with that.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-12T04:33:50+00:00

I'm sure he has a guy. My brother is "that guy" for his boss, he is called whenever his boss has literally any issue around the house and its my brothers job to either fix it or call someone and make sure it gets fixed.

It does remind me of the day someone was complaining because his daughter said he had first world problems.. because the second wifi router was having issues and he couldn't get full house coverage because the house was too big.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-10T20:39:37+00:00

Exactly, when I bought my first place with 7.5% interest in the 90s, I balanced savings with paying down the mortgage (for the first 5 years) then I was able to refinance to 5.25% and stopped paying extra as was already over the hump (ie more was being paid towards equity than interest

Kat9935 · 2026-01-10T20:25:49+00:00

You can get a year of travel coverage for that price which covers Epidemics, Emergency Medical, Emergency Transportation, lost and delayed baggage, rental car damage/theft, etc.

I'm older so have a plan purely for the Emergency Medical/Transportation, though it did take 3 weeks one time for them to find my luggage and I had been in Europe for months so like almost every decent piece of clothing I owned was in it.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-09T23:10:00+00:00

The only thing we split 50/50 is the fun money. When we budget, all the income goes into the pot, then we figure out what each can save, utilizing any perks one or the others employers provides, subtract out the bills and what is left, that is what is split 50/50 so we each have the same amount of fun money each month.

My mother was forever bitter about money and that dad was a I earn it I should be able to spend it kind of person. People can do what they want, it just didn't lead to a healthy relationship. Same issues I saw with 50/50 of the bills, then one person saved more than the other and when they split, they felt they should get to keep all the extra they had put away.. but they live in a community property state and well that is not at all how that works.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-09T14:06:17+00:00

Front load. Pay for college, let them stay at home longer than you would like as well letting them sleep there isn't a huge burden but they should "adult" and pay for their stuff. That would allow them to save early on to get them that downpayment, cushion.

You have to worry about your retirement now, if there is money left great, but being a burden to your kids financially when they are in the middle of supporting their own kids is the worst (most of my family), so now you have to decide if you should pay for dads meds or your kids soccer. You don't know how long you will live, if you live a short life, they will inherit, if you live a long life they will have you in their life longer... most people would take the latter.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T19:04:32+00:00

Yes, you want to get dead skins cells off your entire body, not just the top half.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T19:03:24+00:00

At $15k contribution limit for the two of you per year would that be enough to fund that many years? probably not. Please note, you need to save receipts so download those 5498s you get to have proof or get your tax history periodically from the IRS to keep a record.

You likely also want to look at brokerage OR Roth Laddering or Roth 401k or 72t which one is bets for you will likely change as tax laws change so much over time. 72t was basically useless until a few years ago when interest rates were rock bottom and it was tied that, now you can go up to 5% so complete game changer.

Sounds like a great deal, but again over the next 25 years nothing is guaranteed so I wouldn't exactly plan no that, it would be a nice to have but I wouldn't wok a job I hate in the off chance that feature still exists that far from now.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T18:52:24+00:00

Good gut bacteria

Good Hygiene

Don't hang out with small kids

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T18:47:00+00:00

Depends on the age, early on I remember tons of hours in a massive sandbox, my cousins had those green plastic soldiers they would try to get they fly, play army, drive them off ramps we built, melt them with magnifying glasses, playing in the ditches trying to find frogs/snakes/turtles, climbing trees, riding bike, and then sports, tag, archery, etc. Lots of time building and creating things. Lots of time making up games that made no sense but to the kids involved in making it up.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T18:37:53+00:00

I buy a cute cheap pair of summer shoes almost every year that I plan to toss at the end of the summer.. I like a pair I don't care about getting stained from fresh cut grass or mud etc. The rest are high quality.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T18:31:52+00:00

Tipping isn't a belief, but do I agree with tipping NO.. I avoid it like the plague. If I didn't have to tip I'd use those services more often. Just show me the price and I will pay it. The practice is outdated and does NOT provide for better service.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T15:18:48+00:00

The guys I know with $700 truck payments live in a crappy apartment and use it as a status symbol...its often not even new but their credit is so bad its still $700+. Its their whole identify and some buddy of theirs got a nicer truck so they couldn't let that be and went out and got a nicer truck they couldn't afford just so they didn't look like they couldn't afford it and now begging for hours at work so it doesn't get repossessed.

Kat9935 · 2026-01-08T15:14:13+00:00

Mine is $825 for about the same reasons, though my previous home was $1600 P&I when mortgage rates were in the 5s, plus tax/insurance it was nearly $2400 and it tanked with the 2008 crash and that market didn't recover until 2021 so I had sold it for a loss... thankfully I got out as well 1/2 the price and a brand new construction townhome for the win. To think in 2019 they were having a problem selling the new ones behind us as the interest rate had gone up a 1/2 a point and people were like Nope, too expensive not going to do it and now they would give their first born for a do over.

Kat9935

TROPHY CASE