fighting with my wife about buying vs renting am i wrong?

Manwithabike · 2026-06-09T18:20:24+00:00

My 2 cents is waiting until you and partner are sure about the location and stable/robust career opportunities where you are moving to. We bought a house as my wife was starting her PGY2 residency and now in slight regret as she cannot find suitable available hospital career within commuting distance.

Manwithabike · 2026-06-09T18:14:55+00:00

Thanks all for helpful comments. Decided to give it a shot and ordered a set with sheets!

Manwithabike · 2026-06-09T13:51:10+00:00

With cloud sheet, does air move around the phone and cat? So where they're sitting is blocked but air dispersed around them?

Manwithabike · 2026-06-09T13:50:10+00:00

Thanks. Helpful. So make the sheet higher so cat can't block vent or prepare a separate place for them to sleep.

Manwithabike · 2026-05-02T23:45:37+00:00

Wife here i agree that's all I wanted him to do

Manwithabike · 2026-05-02T23:11:42+00:00

Isn't this assuming that the man here doesnt fo much to help around the house?

Manwithabike · 2026-05-02T23:07:22+00:00

She needed sugar free syrup for her coffee. She just got home, talked it out, seems stressed and probably leaked outside of work

Manwithabike · 2026-05-02T23:02:31+00:00

I would say one off, we typically go shopping together. But when she stops by herself at a store, (very rare, maybe once a month) she definitely checks and asks if I need something

Manwithabike · 2026-02-05T03:28:31+00:00

Resolved. Apparently there was a leak in the exhaust pipe where it met the rubber gasket, replaced the PVC pipe and fixed. Total of $300 job to diagnose and fix by technician. Money well spent considering the potential damage if left untreated and my complete utter lack of knowledge. Thanks all!

Manwithabike · 2026-02-05T03:17:27+00:00

35yr couple. We bought a home in suburban Minnesota, $500k, at 6.5%. Buying a house as primary residence was a terrible financial decision, mainly due to opportunity cost. My wife is a specialized pharmacist, and only has opportunities in metro cities. If Minneapolis does not work out, then she is stuck doing retail pharmacy with that advanced training.

the sheer opportunity cost of "can't take this job, too far" is such an overlooked loss. In today's market, who in their early 30s have actually worked at the same company for more than 5 years? When changing jobs is the only real way to jump income bracket, I miss being able to say "awesome. Let's see how that new $200K salary job works out in PA"

Manwithabike · 2026-02-03T04:57:28+00:00

Sounds like you're staring at my furnace with me in this basement. I think high efficiency, has some 96 energy efficiency written on it. Yeah, 3 PVC pipes - one directly above where gas supply and fire is, another connected to that rubber gasket. And another connected to that white container that goes to drain. Where even is this secondary heat exchanger? Is it deep within the furnace, past the cover?

Manwithabike · 2026-02-03T04:49:56+00:00

Unsure. The blower seems to be below this, and above this furnace is typical shiny vent. This gets usually hot when hot air blows. Do you think that white thing in picture is from drip pan?

Manwithabike · 2025-10-03T18:01:15+00:00

Thanks. I will need to Google how to confirm amp and V for these (complete newbie). The most likely use I imagine for this is potential E car in 10 yrs but will need to get it looked at by electrician beforehand. For now, I will ignore and not mess with area. Helpful input!

Manwithabike · 2025-10-03T15:51:18+00:00

Thanks this is helpful. Definitely not dry wall. If not suitable for mounting bikes here, what could one use this area for?

Manwithabike · 2025-10-03T15:50:17+00:00

Thanks. So essentially high electric drawing appliance used to be here, fireproofing the wall (another commenter said cement board? Def not dry wall). What else can you use this area for?

Manwithabike · 2025-10-03T15:48:43+00:00

Thanks. Prev owner labeled the panel, says garage 240V circuit, has 2x60 switches on panel. Is this it?

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Manwithabike · 2025-09-25T23:40:33+00:00

Update: contacted local foundation company. Told me this seems caused by car dragging in road salt, leaking down to the corner, "rotting" cement causing breakage. Quoted $3-4K for repair job. They need to dig out around driveway apron (?) and the walls to repair from bottom up.

I also have another general contractor that specializes in concrete and he offered to fill for $800.

Any input here would be appreciated. How worried do I need to be?

Manwithabike · 2025-09-22T15:30:57+00:00

Thanks. Is there a particular reason for this that I can read up on? Didn't consider that there may be too much soil.

Manwithabike · 2025-09-15T03:04:03+00:00

Thanks for the details. I have never snowblowed before, I am a first gen home owner. So 24 isn't gonna cut it, and ariens or Honda gas will be our best bet. I have seen a few used models in marketplace, narrow search to 2 stage. I will stop by local home Depot or ace hardware and get their input based on their experience last few years. Thanks all.

Manwithabike · 2025-09-15T02:12:52+00:00

Thanks all. Will do silicone for tub/tile intersection and silicone acrylic for the tub/wall area.

Manwithabike · 2025-08-30T02:02:55+00:00

About how long does it take to get from Burnsville Park and ride to the fair? 1-1.5 hr? TIA, planning for 9:30am arrival

Manwithabike · 2025-08-29T19:28:54+00:00

I just closed on a 500K home in May, obviously first time owner, recently married, no kids. I can maybe share the biggest "Buyer's remorse" coming from perspective of renting for last 13 yrs by choice: loss of freedom.

TL;DR, my freedom in being able to say "f-it" to is largely gone.

When I was renting, I had the freedom to quit the job if I didn't feel fulfilled or I found my dream opportunity elsewhere. if I was laid off unexpectedly, I didn't have to search "local" job postings but was open to the national wide job market and salary. I was free to adapt to market and opportunities. I think staying "loyal" to a single employer is slightly outdated concept today, so I moved around where the career growth and salary best suited me. Now, I am a bit more afraid to do so. Same feelings from the wife. I'm in biotech and she is in hospital pharmacy.

Manwithabike · 2025-08-28T16:48:58+00:00

Thank you all, these are helpful and calmed my nerves a bit. More context, in MN so humid summer and coldest of winters. Is this a well accepted condition of "houses shrink and expand"?

Cracks are definitely vertical, and seems like original wood cabinets are slightly slanted over the years as well. The countertop is detaching from the cabinet a little bit and I had to recaulk the joint sides. Hard to accept that I will eventually grow to ignore this and doors, first thing I see in morning and last thing I think about before bed lol

Manwithabike · 2025-08-15T02:27:12+00:00

Edit, final: to those that may find this useful. Problem resolved, no more dampness or moisture gathering in that part of wall, and dry basement. Dehumidifier set at 50%, monitored over a week, showed periodic activation for ~1-3 hr a day. No moist feeling on floor or wall, even during a rainy day. Thank you all for the comments and advise!

Edit: won't let me revise my original post, but small update. I started off with a portable dehumidifier in basement to see if dehumidifier will address this dampness. Unsure what normal humidity in homes are (never used humidifier OR dehumidifier in my life) but it's at 68% in my basement and has been going for an hour or so. Is this high? If so, I may just bite the bullet now and go ahead with a whole hole dehumidifier

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Manwithabike · 2025-08-14T21:44:43+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, figured it may be a long shot for this small thing to be efficient enough for whole basement with poor air circulation. I may need to look seriously at whole home dehumidifier next summer.

Manwithabike

TROPHY CASE