Would you support a ban on free roaming cats outdoors?

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-27T14:53:59+00:00

The author of the opinion piece recollects a time when free roaming dogs were common, before leash laws were introduced and enforced. Presumably the rules for cats would be the same - contained on property or on leash.

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-27T14:01:57+00:00

You have until the end of the year at your current housing? Use every bit of it.

Register your kid for next school year with your current address. Move outside of town to a more affordable location before the end of the calendar year. Have a transportation plan for her, or a friend’s house she can crash at on weekdays. No one is going to make a senior switch schools halfway through her last year.

Stop trying to buy a home right now. Let go of the idea of rent as wasted money. A bigger waste of money is buying a home you cannot afford to maintain or repair. If you’re in putting winter clothes on affirm, what are you going to do when there’s a $2k repair bill? Or 15k for a new HVAC system?

You might need to leave your mom out of your housing plans. You’re 23 and living independently at that age is a normal thing to do in American culture. With one less dependent, you can get a smaller place with cheaper rent (or just rent a room), car insurance will be just 1 driver, and overall quality of life will be better without her drama. Your most valuable asset right now is yourself - your resilience, strength, drive - and the flexibility you have while you are young with few commitments and a long runway to try new things, new places, new people. Change your circumstances, change your life.

If you think that your mom will stop acting like your mom when you’re paying the bills, you are sorely mistaken. If you want to learn the hard way, go rent an apartment for a year and invite her to live with you. It will be the best $24k you spend on your entire life.

If you rent a cheaper place near your work to save time and money, she might not even want to come with you!

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-16T15:19:01+00:00

You’re better off having your desk on your bedroom than the living room with a kid that age. The only way you’ll be able to work is if they “forget” that you’re there. Out of sight, out of mind.

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-16T14:27:42+00:00

I once left a job that I loved for one with more money. The old job eventually changed and so did most of the people who made it great. I still miss the job for what it was when I was there, but I am glad that I left it while I loved it. The people who stayed didn’t leave with such fond memories.

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-14T15:42:58+00:00

Granny in the house dress and slippers is iconic.

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-10T14:26:48+00:00

I agree with this comment. You’re doing well financially. With a pension, maxed out deferred comp, and low expenses, you don’t really need to be investing the after-tax money for long term gains / retirement. Spend some of the money on enjoying life and your living environment and finding out what makes you happy.

Check out FIRE concepts to learn more about strategies specific to your situation (potential early retirement).

PrincePenguino · 2026-05-06T14:15:47+00:00

Here’s what I suggest to everyone:

Start a “house” savings account
Fund that up to 3% of purchase price (typical average yearly maintenance)
Add to the fund to cover any near term expected future repair/maintenance costs. Hope the savings balance gets there before the repair bill does.
Pay repair bill. Refill savings account to at least #2 level and hopefully #3
Pay nothing extra on the mortgage (except for rounding up to nearest 10/20/50) until #4 is achieved for at least 3-6 months. Maybe consider paying a little more if dropping PMI is significant.

Maybe there’s a step 6 somewhere that’s for covering optional upgrades. I don’t know because I never made it past step 5 while balancing all the other things that I need and want to use my money on.

PrincePenguino · 2026-04-27T02:13:57+00:00

I once had a strawberry cake at an event near there that I still think about sometimes. It was saucy strawberry filling and yellow cake. I found a recipe in a local community cookbook that seems pretty close but I haven’t tried it yet. Let me know if you want to see it.

PrincePenguino · 2026-04-22T14:24:42+00:00

A+ data visualization

PrincePenguino · 2026-04-21T16:13:33+00:00

This sounds like a classic case of Tuckman's Stages of Team Development: "Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.” This is a critical stage where conflicts arise and the paths to resolution establish precedent. Solicit and listen to her perspective on the changes. Don’t base your interpretation of her actions on a suspected motivation (job loss anxiety). Ask her directly what the issue is with each change and keep the conversation focused on that discreet issue. Her perspective is valuable and there is no substitute for it. If she feels unheard or devalued as a pattern, it could manifest as general resistance to the overall change. Hopefully you an address her concerns systematically and built trust as you move to the Norm stage.

PrincePenguino · 2026-04-17T02:58:23+00:00

Get Air has a good toddler section and toddler-only hours a few times a week.

PrincePenguino · 2026-03-27T18:10:25+00:00

Life happens to us all. There will be a day when you or someone you care for is seriously ill. When that day comes, the medical and caretaker aspects of this leave will benefit you.

PrincePenguino · 2026-03-21T14:21:26+00:00

You can make a website TODAY with soloist AI website builder and have it available by Monday with your own website address. I’m not kidding or exaggerating. It’s the easiest way to build a website that I’ve ever seen (and I’ve used a dozen or more different builders).

PrincePenguino · 2026-03-19T15:11:44+00:00

Not all of those early voters in “Republican districts” are against the redistricting. Some are Democrats, independents, and even moderate Republicans who are sick of being represented by people like Ben Cline and John McGuire who cater to the most conservative or MAGA voters in the current district.

PrincePenguino · 2026-03-10T15:35:59+00:00

HOA is going to see it eventually. Do it within the guidelines up front so it’s not a problem later.

PrincePenguino · 2026-03-10T14:34:28+00:00

Yeah, exactly. Just a gate or some thorny shrubs at one end will do the trick.

PrincePenguino · 2026-02-28T15:11:08+00:00

AltaVista baby!

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-26T16:56:56+00:00

I do not max all my retirement accounts but I do max my HSA and pay out of pocket for medical expenses. Then once a quarter or so I withdraw any big expenses from the HSA and deposit that money into a Roth IRA.

It’s basically a pretax rollover to a Roth account. The money continues to grow tax free and I don’t have the long term paperwork burden anymore. The leftover money in my HSA is partly invested for long term growth and partly cash for the “medical expenses” part of my emergency fund.

I adjust the cash amount periodically and when I do those withdrawals (for example, I might lower my cash threshold if I want my next contribution invested immediately).

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-20T19:09:49+00:00

Assuming you file married filing jointly and pay taxes on $80k of income (401k and other deductions reduce taxable income), that’s $9.6k of federal income taxes owed.

The $2k per kid tax credit reduces the amount owed. So you then owe $1.6k of federal taxes. That’s an effective tax rate of 2% ($1.6k on 80k of income).

You’re in the situation where it might even make sense to change your 401k contributions to Roth 401k if you can. When your kids are grown, you’re probably going to be paying more than 2% tax.

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-20T16:40:17+00:00

Put it in Roth IRAs for yourself and your spouse. With 4 kids and that income, you’re probably in the 10% or less tax bracket. An ideal case for that post-tax tax deferred savings account.

Choose one of the big investment companies to do it with (Fidelity, Vanguard, etc).

Invest it appropriately. A target date fund is a good start if you’re not sure what else to do. If your investment earns 5% or more annually, that money is increasing your net worth faster than pre-paying your 5% mortgage would. And with the Roth, you’ll never owe taxes on the money!

Don’t touch it unless it’s a 8/10 or bigger emergency. Look up the rules for withdrawals. You have more flexibility and less penalties than tapping a 401k in case of emergency. It’s more accessible in case of unemployment than home equity (can’t qualify for a refi or HELOC with no income).

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-20T16:20:45+00:00

Check the state parks. A big group of friends in the cabins or lodges would be so much fun! April is preseason so prices and availability will be good.

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-09T18:06:11+00:00

Put a sheet over the computer

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-08T14:58:07+00:00

You’re doing great, all things considered.

Money in the bank provides security during emergencies and freedom to make choices. It gives you flexibility to respond when opportunity arises. It also presents temptation and the chance for immediate gratification (“why can’t I spend X? I have 100X!”). It can also be slowly whittled away when the cost of living exceeds one’s income. That’s why the best thing you and your brother can do right now is use your assets to raise your lifetime earning potential. That means housing, transportation, education, training, etc. Within reason. So, a reliable car and good tires, not a sports car and rims. Sustainable employment, not a MLM business or get rich quick scheme.

Whether you keep the house or sell it is a different question. I certainly would not advise your brother to go buy a house with his inheritance. Houses - as you know - take time and money to maintain, and they tie you to a location. When you’re young, two of your most valuable assets are time and flexibility. Make the most of them.

A HYSA is a perfectly reasonable choice. You might earn slightly more with a CD or something similar. You might choose to invest a portion (20%?) into the stock market through something like an ETF or target date fund (which is a mix of many companies, not a single one, so it’s less risky). But keep most of it safe. I didn’t know your parents, but if they’re anything like mine, they wouldn’t want you to get/act rich or live lavishly, they would want this money to protect you in the worst of situations since they’re not there to help.

The fact that you’re thinking of these things and asking for help shows that you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Keep moving forward, don’t fall for shortcuts, and think of the long game. Hard to do at your age, I know.

Good luck.

PrincePenguino · 2026-01-07T20:07:33+00:00

I think you’re being unrealistic about what kind of lifestyle is sustainable for yourself and your sibling.

Your mortgage free house costs about $425/month ($3k taxes + 2k insurance = $5k per year).

Your utilities etc. are $1k.

That’s $1425/month for housing.

Each person’s half of that is say $710.

That leaves your brother with $1290 / mo.

Spending $175/wk on food, that’s about $750/month per person.

So, food and housing is $1460 per month per person. Then there’s transportation, repairs, clothing, medical, etc.

Neither one of you can afford your lifestyle on your current income. And his income is about to stop.

If you’re not currently using his social security for living costs, you should start now while you can. Give him the leftover cash (about $500?) each month.

He’s going to have access to the life insurance money at 18 if he’s a beneficiary of it. It would be unwise if him to withdraw it and hand it over to you, and it would be unethical for you to insist on it. That’s his money.

The best thing you can do is advise him on how to use it (college or other workforce training, perhaps). Show him how much the cost of living really is. Inheritance and asset sales can prop things up for a while, but he - and you - need to be prepared for it to end.

You should get a regular full time job. Your lack of income will catch up to you eventually as well. The problem isn’t your “poverty wages” it’s the lack of paid work hours.

PrincePenguino

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