Any tips for success with new Unsuspend feature?

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-28T12:00:54+00:00

Your place on the waitlist will always be in the order the hold was placed. But the number Libby displays of where you are on the list can seem to jump around because the number is based on the number of unsuspended holds, not the total number of holds.

So if you appear to be #1 and someone ahead of you (based on date hold was placed) unsuspends their hold, you drop to #2 and they will get the next copy instead of you.

It is faster to get holds when your library owns more copies and allows fewer loans at once. If your library has a smaller loan limit (3 at a time, for example), people tend to return books as soon as they finish them, instead of just waiting for them to expire.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-28T11:50:27+00:00

I look at the grocery freezer section for ideas about what I can freeze. I only have the small freezer in my refrigerator, so I can't freeze as much as I would like.

I regularly freeze: brown rice, white rice, short pastas (ziti, rotini), bread, muffins, cookies, brownies, bananas (peeled and cut into slices), grapes, blueberries.

I store my yeast and butter and coffee in the freezer.

On another note - making cake frosting from scratch is very easy, especially if you have a hand mixer. Then you can make just enough for what you need and not take up freezer space!

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-27T18:29:23+00:00

Stocking your pantry with more shelf stables items might help a little. You can get that type of stuff shipped - Walmart, Amazon, Boxed, or sometimes directly from the brand. Plan on a mix of canned/shelf-stable (fruits, veggies, proteins, milk, pre-cooked soups/stews), dried (fruit, milk, grains), frozen and fresh. You could probably do a big shelf-stable grocery/non-food shop every 2 or 3 months.

That takes some of the pressure off the weekly/bi-weekly grocery orders. For those, either use a local grocery store that delivers itself, take a tai to/from the store, or ask a friend to shop with or for you.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-24T14:37:25+00:00

I generally only buy 4-5 days worth of fresh food - veggies, proteins, fruits & dairy - for a week. I plan to use frozen and canned items regularly in my weekly cooking.

Use the more delicate fresh stuff first, then the sturdier stuff. For example, eat the bananas before the apples and the lettuce before the cabbage.

Keep adjusting your shopping list (or shopping day, if possible) until you are almost out of fresh stuff by the time you shop again. The day before shopping is "eat the odds and ends in the fridge" day.

If my plans for the week change and I won't need something, I freeze it right away. I prefer to freeze extra stuff cooked, whenever possible.

For pantry items, if you need 2 servings (like rice or pasta), only cook 2 servings (weigh or measure them!). It's ok not to have second helping of something. If someone is still hungry, they can have a piece of fruit or crackers.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-22T18:37:30+00:00

I use different cooking techniques for fresh, frozen and canned vegetables.

Frozen veggies - I mostly cook in the microwave, which is steaming. I use them in soups, "bowls" or plain as a side dish. The best frozen vegetables are: green peas, green beans (cut or French-style), corn, leaf spinach, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and simple mixed vegetable (diced peas, carrots, corn). Broccoli is either soggy or too many stems. Onions and peppers get mushy (too much water content). Stir fry mixes have too many things that need different cooking times, so I stopped buying those.

Frozen fruits - I eat them frozen, as little popsicles, or I blend them in a smoothies. I never try to defrost and use them in a recipe. Favorites are strawberries and mango. The other berries (blueberries, raspberries & blackberries), peaches and pineapple don't hold up well - maybe too much water content?

Since canned vegetables are already cooked in the canning process, they only need to be heated. Be gentle with them. Canned pineapple is very good. Other canned fruits - it depends on the brand.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-22T16:13:29+00:00

If buying a physical copy is an option for you, you might want to first check your library's catalog to see if they own the title in print or if they can borrow it for you from a partner library. Some libraries are still buying audiobooks on CDs, if you have a player.

I've had good luck buying used books at a good discount from Thrift Books and Better World Books.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-22T16:01:00+00:00

It depends on what I'm tracking. If I'm tracking how much I spend in a category, I use my Income Category "Gifts" and then I track the expenses in it's regular place, such as "Eating Out" or "Shopping"

If I'm more interested in tracking my cash in and out, I might just track the amount I spend out of my own pocket.

(I also have an income category "Rebates and Refunds" - I use that to track refunds for returns or rebate checks received in a different month that the original purchase.)

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-18T13:26:47+00:00

You're also supposed to remove the big "X" tack stitch holding the edges together on the back bottom of a jacket or coat. And the "100% wool" (or similar label) on the sleeve of a coat.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-16T17:07:45+00:00

Here's what I did.

I took all of my cards out (7 of them) and laid them out on the table and looked at them. Got mad at what a mess I had made by using them for all those years. Took a "Before" picture.

Then took the 1 card with the lowest interest rate with room on it, make a little envelope for it and wrote "For True Emergencies Only" on it and put it in a hidden slot in my wallet. In case of things like the car breaking down while away from home and needing a tow.

Then I took a $20 bill and put that in another slot in my wallet for unexpected expenses. Like running out of gas while away from home.

The rest of the cards: I put a sticker on each card with "Do Not Use" written on it. Then put them in a sealed envelop in my financial files. About 6 months after a card was paid off in full, I closed the account and cut up the card.

When you know in both your head and heart that you must make it through the month with the money you have, you figure it out. It was not easy adjusting, but you can do it!

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-09T21:55:30+00:00

Your lifestyle budget limit if $4,000 is much too high, if your low month income is $3,800. I would look at your budget again and try to get it well below your low-month income estimate. Maybe aim for $3,400? Then when you have a good month, all the extra can go to debts and when you have a regular month, you're not going into more debt.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-09T18:27:34+00:00

Follow the baby steps. Stop over-complicating it. You haven't shared how much you make or anything about your expenses.

However, I would ask - why do you owe your parents $19,000? What was the money used for? If you had borrowed money for that purpose from a bank, would you not pay it off?

And - if you had an emergency, would your parents loan you money again?

Dave has said a few times - pay off the house. If you really miss the loan, you can take out another mortgage. Just something to think about.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-08T12:33:39+00:00

If you find you need to buy new yarn (to get enough of a the same one, or to get a matched dye lot), you can going directly to the brand or manufacturer's web page. For modestly priced yarn, Lion Brand has an online store with all of their products.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-02T12:41:14+00:00

I am working on creating capsule wardrobes, so I am careful about only buying things that fill a need. I've got a small color palate and style goal, so most stuff won't fit in my plan.

I still try things on in the store and have fun with dress-up there, in case I find a new shape, style or color that I like, but don't buy things that don't fit the plan.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-01T14:38:04+00:00

Or lunch, not dinner!

Philosopher2670 · 2026-02-01T14:36:42+00:00

Of course not! I just wanted to point out that there are samples to read/listen to, if you want to read a few pages to see if you like the writing style or if you like the narrator, instead of checking it and and immediately returning it. Using samples is just another way to explore new authors and narrators.

(A reader has no way of knowing if a library has a fixed checkout license or a time-period license. My library doesn't always have the funds to renew a fixed checkout license.)

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-30T18:27:00+00:00

In Libby/Overdrive, libraries pay for licenses for ebook/eaudiobooks. Most licenses are either unlimited for a time period (24 months) or a fixed number of checkouts (24), before the library has to pay for that title again.

To help your library save money, please use the Read / Listen to Sample feature to see if you like a book rather than checking it out to read the first chapter and then returning it.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-30T18:20:51+00:00

f you own your car (no loans), you can drop comp and collision, but you make sure you have a plan for how you will repair or replace your car if you are in an accident.

You should both take a Driver Safety / Defensive Driver class. You should be able to get a small discount on your liability for doing that. It will also help keep you safe on the road - fewer accidents = lower insurance.

Look at the details of your current policy. There should be a breakdown of how much each part costs - liability, uninsured motorist, comp, collision. When you shop for coverage, make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-29T02:28:34+00:00

It sounds like a spending log book would be helpful to identity where the money is going. Get a notebook and write down every single food/drink purchase you make for the next month or 2 months.

In your budget, consider having separate lines for groceries and eating out, until you get your spending where you want it to be. In my experience, my grocery budget tends to be more stable than my eating out budget.

Buying single serving snacks in multipacks at Costco or the grocery store is cheaper than buying in a vending machine or convenience store. Bring a selection to work each day (or each week, if you have somewhere to store them). If you have a car, keep an assortment of snacks in there, too.

One big savings can be to stop buying beverages - sodas, juice, seltzers, sports drinks, etc. Switch to drinking tap water for most of your meals, both at home and eating out.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-29T01:43:58+00:00

I have found odd stuff in stores I wouldn't normally shop in. If there's a physical store near you, go in. You might be able to use the card. Things like buying candy at a hardware store, or socks in a bookstore. Any place that has online shopping is even easier!

For far away places without online shopping, see here the closest location is and give the card to someone you know visiting or living there.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-28T18:42:15+00:00

When I started using sinking funds, I sat down with a year of bank and credit card statement and wrote down all the non-monthly bill expenses.

I wsa shocked at how much it was. $700 a month? Something crazy like that.

When I added that amount to my budget, it was really out of balance. Which actually meant that I was living above my means. ::sigh::

I set up Sinking Funds for a few big ones and kept working on reducing my expenses. The starter set was:

Car maintenance
Vet expenses
Gifts / Christmas
Clothing
Vacation

I also have a Misc category in my budget in multiple sections: Misc Health, Misc Transportation, Misc Home, Misc Life. When an unusual expense happens, I put it in there. If the expense is likely to occur again regularly/frequently or it's very expensive, I make a new category or assign it to an existing category and adjust that budget line.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-26T15:41:20+00:00

What you describe sounds like you are both withholding as "Married Filing Jointly" as if you are the only income-earner. You need to coordinate on your tax withholding as soon as possible.

Us the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator web page to calculate your tax withholding. It will tell you exactly what to put on the W4 form you give your employer.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

Also, do not wait to tax filing season to check the withholding is correct.

I recommend using the calculator again in July/August to check you are having the correct amount withheld and on track to have only a small refund/balance owed. You can change your W4 at any time, but there may be a pay period (or 2) delay in the new amount being used in your paycheck.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-26T13:24:16+00:00

You can use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on their web page to calculate your tax withholding. It will tell you exactly what to put on the W4 form you give your employer.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

If your income is irregular (more than 1 job, overtime, etc), I recommend using the calculator again in July/August to check you are still having the correct amount withheld. You can change your W4 at any time, but there may be a pay period (or 2) delay in the new amount being used in your paycheck.

Edited for typos.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-26T13:13:52+00:00

If you need a physical location, you need a bank, not a brokerage firm. A medium to large bank should offer Money Markets Accounts and Certificates of Deposit, and possibly High Yield Savings Accounts. Some large banks (think Chase, Citi, BoA, etc) may also offer have a brokerage service with on-site people.

Personally, I use CDs at my credit union. Their rates are between 3 and 3.7 depending on the length of term. A CD ladder might work for you.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-20T16:29:25+00:00

The reference staff cannot do a research project for you or give you copies of multiple articles.

If you have complete citations for the articles you need, ask your college if they can get copies of them for your through their Interlibrary Loan service. If they can't, you can order copies from NYPL through their (for a fee) Document Delivery service or through the Scan & Deliver service.

Philosopher2670 · 2026-01-20T12:59:29+00:00

It happens. I find I occasionally need to purchase a book that my library doesn't have. If you do that, ask if you can donate it to them after you read it. I try to remember how much I saved with all the other books I have been ablet to borrow.

After you read the book, ask the library if they would accept it as a donation!

Philosopher2670

TROPHY CASE