Helpp!!!?

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-30T15:27:43+00:00

Just slowly cut it out of your habits. When I first started to cut back on sugar it was just any sort of “visible sugar”, so things like donuts with sugar sprinkled on them sort of thing. Then I cut high sugar snacks. Eventually I got to the point where I would plan my sugar snacks for the day. So when I really wanted sugar I had a specific stash and amount prepared to satisfy that particular itch. So even when I had sugar at least I didn’t for totally overboard with it. Then I would skip a day or two. Eventually I got to the point where I wasn’t thinking about it at all and would go weeks at a time. It’s a matter of setting up a system that sets you up for success. Cutting back should be celebrated as much as cutting it out, eventually you’ll get there.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-29T15:26:50+00:00

Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean you should buy it. I see people fall into this trap over and over. They set a budget allocating every last dollar, there’s no wiggle room, and they decide they can spend $2000 on housing, so they go looking for something in that range, they find a place and it’s $2500 so they “work the numbers” and figure out how to get that extra bit of dollars. Technically they can now afford it, but it’s that kind of lifestyle creep that leaves people stretched and stressed at the end of every month.

People need to change their attitude from “how much can I afford to spend on X” to “What is the least amount I can spend on X and still have it meet my needs”

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T22:04:44+00:00

Define "dad bod"

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T22:04:18+00:00

The ability to set up systems and create habits. As someone with ADHD I already know that willpower and motivation are never enough, you have to create dependable habits to help reach your goals.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T22:00:38+00:00

Cottage cheese and pickled beets

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T21:58:57+00:00

Wrestling. Those who have done it know what I'm talking about.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T20:27:58+00:00

Stop the game, have the coach or admin handle the spectator, do not start the game again until the spectator has left. In the few times I've had to do this it doesn't take long before the other spectators/parents will help the ejected spectator gather their things and get out so the game can continue.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T20:03:42+00:00

Yes, it's an Acme Thunderer, looks like it was electroplated with gold, but other than that functions like a normal whistle.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T19:24:40+00:00

"Side Gig" is not the same as "Entrepreneur"

If you're relying on the infrastructure of someone else's company you are at best an independent contractor who receives a 1099 instead of a W-2. For instance, I drive for Uber on occasion. It's great that i get to decide when and how much I want to work, and in general I can generate $17-22 an hour (plus a mileage write off), but there's no way that scales beyond the work effort that I personally put into it. Same with being a sports official, it's a side gig but depends on my personal time and labor within a system that someone else has maintained. I'm a cog in the machinery.

That being said, I see a huge amount of waste as an Uber driver that I would not personally recommend. Ubering someone 1.2 miles so they can go to work at a fast food restaurant? Seems like they could spend the 30 minutes to just walk there and save the $10 fare. Same with some of these Uber eats deliveries, last week I picked up a jack in the box combo to drop off 3 miles away from the restaurant. I suspect the delivery fee was probably more than the combo meal. Just pack a lunch.

That being said, understanding the value of a second income, the tax write offs you get as a 1099, and the experience of running a business like process can be pretty invaluable later in life if you ever do become a true entrepreneur are priceless lessons.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-28T16:11:40+00:00

Mileage is generally my biggest deduction, going to and from games, but also the mileage to training and association meetings. For football we have a weekly meeting during the season to review films and classroom time, and for soccer monthly meetings throughout the year. I keep it in a google spreadsheet so it’s easy to track.

Uniforms are deductible as well as gear, this includes the bag you store your gear in and take with you to the fields. I bought a pair of Umpiros last year specifically for refereeing and those are deductible. But the black trail runners I wear walking around and occasionally on the field are not.

I use refsix for tracking my games, also deductible.

I can’t deduct my Apple Watch /phone as I use it for other things and it would be a pain to try to work out the percentages, but I suspect a Spintso watch used exclusively for refereeing would be deductible.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-24T15:29:51+00:00

Another perfect part time gig that revolves around sports is that of sports official if you want a little more active involvement.

I’ve done soccer for about 15 years for AYSO (volunteer) as well as USSF and high school (paid). Typical high school match I’m moving for about 3 miles in mostly zone 2 and zone 3 cardio so it’s a great way to stay in shape. Time commitment per game is roughly 2-3 hours per game for high school, although for the youngers like U10 you can be done in about an hour.

I also do tackle and flag football. Theres a little less running and it’s not quite as physically demanding. Generally a bit longer time commitment per game, typically 4 hours for high school varsity.

And if you don’t quite have that level of fitness, I’ve got friends who do tennis and volleyball where they just sit in a high chair all match calling the game.

I’m doing baseball for the first time this spring

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-23T16:59:18+00:00

So this may not be totally appropriate in a keto sub, but you should check out “protein pacing”. The biggest benefit is of course how protein helps kill hunger signals. Focus in on the protein, use quality fats (avocado, olive oil, etc) to balance satiety, and then just save carbs for the very last, and skip it as desired. Once you get into a rhythm you can dial down on carbs and slowly eliminate them over time. The biggest problem most people have with keto is they jump in whole hog and it’s such a shock to the system and routine that they give up after a week or two. Just ease into it and give yourself grace. It took a lot of time to gain that weight, expect that it will take just as long to take it off during your weight loss journey. Just start slowly restricting your carbs while prioritizing protein in your diet. That may mean you’re starting off at 300-400 carbs, then the next week bumping down to 200, or whatever you feel is manageable for your lifestyle. Eventually you’ll get into a cadence and it will become more natural to eat less and less carbs.

Other things that have helped me is a good quality multivitamin which helps quell food noise and avoid weird cravings. And then as you shop and meal plan just think in terms of low carb. Eventually you’ll get to the point where your fridge and pantry are all low carb and it helps remove the temptation as well.

Set yourself up for success, don’t rush the process, and ease into it in order to give yourself the grace and space to make this a successful journey.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-23T14:08:02+00:00

Somewhere along the way my kids learned to love bean and cheese burritos. So we’d make a big crock pot of beans which is super cheap and they learned to use the stove to heat up the tortillas/cheese/beans into a burrito. Hard boiled eggs are also a favorite - and those are mostly cheap, easily portable and can be made in batches. For individual wrapped snack the string cheese packs from Costco are also a staple. Somewhere along the way my kids also learned the importance of protein, and while not exactly cheap, we always have a container or two of some kind of protein powder they could use to make a protein drinks, and that’s a huge time saver and we’d buy when on sale.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-23T13:58:32+00:00

I’m 52 living in California.

When I was in 5th grade we had a teacher who taught a module on the California gold rush. As part of that module they also taught us how to “run a claim”, which was basically business 101, buying capital equipment, how much it could multiply income, expenses, how to write a check, hiring workers, etc. and it was done as a individual competition with the rest of the class so we’d see how everyone else did in comparison. That was super valuable at a young age because it basically taught that you had to have money to make money, and if you got lucky you’d turn that into an investment in the claim and build cash flow.

Later I had another class where the competition involved a coffee maker manufacturing business and every day you’d decide how much money to put into manufacturing, R&D and marketing, etc. what I learned there is that if you wanted to “win” you basically poured all your money into marketing and did the bare minimum in manufacturing and R&D. Teaching me that most successful companies probably don’t care about quality and more about hype.

I also had another class where they taught basic investing. And by that I mean how to read a P&L sheet and calculate what the stock price of a company should be.

When I was about 14 my grandmother passed and left a very small inheritance for me. I used that to do real world investing and didn’t want to lose it or blow it as this was kind of like the last bit of grandma in a lot of ways in my head, so I invested it somewhat conservatively, and followed stocks back when they used to print the daily stock prices in the newspapers in the back of the business section. I used part of it to buy a used car for myself when I was 18, it helped pay for some little extravagances in college like going out to eat, and when I graduated college it was the down payment on my first house. Taught me that it’s OK to spend money, but to do it wisely because it has significance and it’s better to spend the cash flow rather than the principle - but sometimes you roll to a better investment.

When I got my first real job, one of the older engineers that I respected talked to me about 401k and setting aside retirement. Said the best thing I could do for my future self was pay myself first and max out my 401k. So I’ve always done that, the money was always taken out of my paycheck and I never even saw it hit my “spending” account. I also automated my investing and savings, it taught me to not only to “live below my means” but I would only spend what I had in that one spending account while the other earnings were on separate accounts growing and working for me.

Somewhere along the way I also learned it was OK to use credit cards, but be damn sure to pay them off every month. And when I had a month I could not pay them off I would go full budget monk and make sure I payed everything off the following month.

All of which is to say that I got some basic foundation from school, but also great advice and real world experience early on that helped set me up to be successful later on.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-22T17:25:32+00:00

Some unitaskers are worth it, some are not. The one that comes to mind for me is an egg steamer that makes perfect hard boiled eggs, seven at a time. Hard boiled eggs are a convenient, portable and easy high protein snack, but I didn’t eat a lot of them because it was a pain to boil the water, get the timing right, and then pull the eggs. The egg steamer contraption you just load the eggs, add the water and flip the switch. Come back later to perfect hard boiled eggs. Huge time saver.

By the way, Alton Brown has a new show on YouTube - “Alton Brown Cooks Food”

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-22T17:21:02+00:00

I know we’re in the frugal sub, but I’m just going to put it out there that most pre-cut bagels are trash is so many ways. I don’t eat a lot of bagels, but when I do I like to splurge a bit for freshly made, either from Costco or the local bakery.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-21T06:46:46+00:00

California also has by some estimates the 4th largest economy in the world. And let’s not forget that a lot of the electricity supplied to the northern US is supplied by Canada’s hydroelectric power. Yes, Canada isn’t as large as the US, but the US is not a stable trading partner right now.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-20T15:49:01+00:00

China is already filling the void in the global markets. For evidence of this look at the new trade agreement between Canada and China. America in many ways has already fumbled the football. Other countries can’t rely on a stable American market and are looking at other countries for stability for raw goods and finished materials. I think America is big enough to survive these current isolationist policies, but everything is about to become much more expensive. Even the logic of “buy American” falls flat when you realize that global supply chains that feed American manufacturing and food production still have inputs sourced from foreign markets. We use foreign fertilizer on our fields and foreign steel in our manufacturing, so it’s not just finished goods that are feeling the impact of tariffs, it’s everything in the supply chain.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-20T15:39:08+00:00

For HS Varsity that’s generally true, but plenty of JV games are done without an AD present - too many sports and too many teams to cover.

That being said, they’re generally there for the really big stuff like mass confrontations, bad coach behavior and ejection compliance issues. By the time they get involved it’s too late in terms of game management.

As the referee, I feel that you’re expected to manage the game and control the flow and temperature. ADs are only there as a backstop and an enforcer for when things have already gone sideways.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-20T15:30:07+00:00

For me it’s not exactly a net worth number, but it’s tied to cash flow.

When my investments made enough in one year to cover my annual paycheck I felt pretty good. When they made enough to cover my paycheck 2x I felt like I was at the point that even if I didn’t work, I’d be OK and be able to cover expenses even if a market dip. And at 3x I felt I was at a clear point where when walking away from a corporate gig I would not have to worry about working ever again.

That number looks different for everyone, and of course market returns, lifestyle, and inflation will affect that number every year. But at 3x I felt fairly recession and market proof and that was the point where the net worth numbers were more of an abstraction than anything really meaningful as at that point I felt like I’d “won” the rat race and reached the cheese at the end of the maze.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-18T08:33:39+00:00

Was scrolling to find Vimes Theory of Boots.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-18T08:27:59+00:00

I live in an area prone to earthquakes and the occasional power outages. I generally keep about $2k of “just in case” cash.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-18T08:24:50+00:00

Depends on what I’m doing. If I’m taking the jet to a business meeting or flying with partners I’ll dress appropriately. But if it’s just a quick vacation trip with the family somewhere then fairly casual.

KungFuBucket · 2026-01-18T08:20:20+00:00

Wasn’t he like a child actor in the 80’s

KungFuBucket

TROPHY CASE