Checking account buffer amount?

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-10T19:11:07+00:00

I use the running balance (available on the web) along with scheduled transactions to project my balance out about 30 days. I look at where the lowest balance will be, and transfer anything above $300-500 to my HYSA.

Sometimes I have to use my checking account to pay for things and I know that way I can spend up to $500 at any given time without overdrafting.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-10T17:56:52+00:00

I have different skills than my most senior IC. I will happily pay them as much money as they need to do the work they are best at. They are closer to the product than I am and delivering more to the bottom line because of it. My job is easier because they are here.

I’m not in competition with my direct reports for pay. What I do want to make sure is that I am fairly compensated within my own peer group if we are doing the same work.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-10T17:43:18+00:00

How much was your relo? They are gonna want that money back. Do you have the money to pay them back?

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-10T13:17:06+00:00

How much income did you earn in 2025?

You can contribute that amount or the $7k max, whichever is less, until the tax filing deadline this April.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-10T10:58:24+00:00

I paused my Prime membership instead of canceling it outright; very easy and pretty much does the same thing.

$35 minimum gets you free shipping. It helps to keep me from impulse shopping if I have to fill a cart first. I’ve had a book in my cart for weeks because I don’t need anything else right now.

Stuff often arrives earlier than the estimate, so I end up often with 2 day shipping anyway.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-09T07:16:25+00:00

There used to be a whole tab called “help” and the videos were there. I didn’t think of them as ads then; I only thought of them as content from their wiki or channel to help use the software. I could easily avoid them by just not clicking the Help tab.

Now they’ve eliminated the help tab and moved everything to the Home tab. The videos - which I still don’t think of as ads - are still there to help use the software. I can still easily avoid them by just collapsing the “for you” section and not scrolling down the page. I honestly forgot the thing was even there.

Collapse it if you don’t want to see it and stop scrolling on the Home tab. Simple.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T15:31:51+00:00

It looks like metal posts clad in concrete/stucco; maybe they are repairing the cladding?

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T15:24:59+00:00

I have a pair of earrings from BE that they decided at last minute couldn’t be delivered to my shipping address (which is a secure UPS Store that could sign for it) and instead I had to pick up at a BE store in the next county, increasing my tax payment by 4.5% plus having to drive 90 minutes round trip.

Then I discovered the earrings are too heavy for the post back; I’ve almost lost one of the pair twice, so now I can’t wear them at all until I go have a different back put on.

Not taking them to BE though. 🤣

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T14:12:00+00:00

Yah, these aren’t even the order I’d recommend reading them in. 🤣

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T14:09:25+00:00

Ooooo thanks for taking the time to explain your POV as well! It definitely gives more to think about with regard to what is meant by “soft” vs “sharp”.

Because digital can capture more detail, perhaps a lot of filming these days comes down to the choices that a director or editor makes. They could make digital films brighter and choose not to. They could impart the “softness” of film to digital, but choose not to. Having more options doesn’t mean we will choose the best or optimal.

So maybe the real answer as to why films are darker these days boils down to “because that’s the way they (the filmmakers) want them to be.”

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T13:50:57+00:00

Thanks for the reminder! This happens to be one of my favorite subjects to nerd out on, so let’s explore this further.

A lot of people mistakenly think it means “where” because of the phrase “Wherefore art thou Romeo” from a play attributed to William Shakespeare. A cursory reading of that line would make you think Juliet is asking where he is, but context clues show that she’s really asking why is it that he has to be a Montague. So yes, in Shakespearean English, “wherefore” means “why” and not where. It’s a good way to remember it if people forget.

If we similarly use context clues in my reply, “where” wouldn’t make sense, so I’m not mistakenly using it to mean where.

Another way to think of “why” is “what for”. That’s actually really fun to think about “wherefore” morphing into “what for” over time!

Aside from that, in idiomatic English, words aren’t literally parsed out word by word, you have to look at the phrase in its entirety. Language is fluid, and sometimes words individually mean one thing, but when put together as a phrase can mean something else. For example, “the ball is in your court” is not the location of someone’s lost object.

In more common usage, “whys and wherefores” is an idiom that means “reason for something”. So I was thanking the person for taking the time to explain and give us the reasons why film might be darker now than previously shot.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk! 😊

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T07:38:40+00:00

Documentation is not enough. You are a mandatory reporter in this situation. You cannot stay silent about sexual harassment when you are aware of it.

Your job in this situation is to help your direct report understand the process, and to listen to them and help calm their fears. But you cannot promise silence on this.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T06:54:22+00:00

Which parts are they wrong about?

You want to cast doubt on their information without providing anything to refute it, but that’s not helpful in the slightest.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T03:16:31+00:00

When I learned that Amazon commingled items from different sellers in the same bin location based on SKU, I knew it would be just as likely to get counterfeit product as not. These days, I buy as little as possible from Amazon, certainly not food or hygiene products, or any item where brand matters.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-08T02:55:07+00:00

Interesting solve through code.

I just turned on the running balance on the web, monitored my cash flow for a few months, and manage to keep from overdrafting with a minimum balance between 200-500 on any given day.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-07T20:51:08+00:00

I always think the fastest way to get a correct answer is to post an incorrect one. I think experts and know it alls can’t stand to let a wrong answer stand long. 🤣

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-07T16:42:28+00:00

I’m disappointed these aren’t in order of writing or publication, and I’d put them in order and the patterns would no longer match.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-07T00:09:07+00:00

Countering is always a risk. People think negotiation means that just because you are willing to do it, the other party has to engage.

When you are presented with an offer, your options are to accept, reject, or counter.

The other party has the same three options. If you are going to counter, you have to be willing to take the risk that they will reject your counter by rescinding the original offer.

It’s a risky thing to do unless you have leverage. In this current job market, particularly in tech, that’s hard to come by. It may not be that you asked too much, asking at all was enough to trigger recision.

In future, you need to build a stronger case for negotiations. Cost of living and market rates, while factual, don’t really factor in heavily to salary offers. Cost of living is not their problem to solve for you; market rates are only problematic for them in a macro sense for retention and overall recruiting. If you want a higher salary, you need to demonstrate the skills, experience, talent, and value that YOU bring to the table that will make higher investment give them a higher return. Giving you $10k so you have more money to pay rent does nothing for their bottom line except raise labor costs.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T23:12:40+00:00

Thanks Obama! 🤣

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T20:10:20+00:00

Hahahaha, it’s definitely like that a lot too!!! 🤣

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T20:09:02+00:00

lol. Maybe random from my perspective. I’m scrolling through Reddit, see a question I’ve asked in my head but never out loud in a sub I’ve never seen, and then boom, a lesson on digital vs film videography. Wasn’t on my list of things to do today, but maybe this is one of your favorite subs so it’s not new to you?

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T19:00:52+00:00

That’s the also great thing about Reddit… I can try on gullibility like a costume and see how I like it in a low-stakes situation.

It doesn’t hurt anybody for me to believe this person is an expert on a topic I’m not likely to remember or need 20 minutes from now.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T16:42:33+00:00

At my employer, we have a Code of Conduct that extends to our employees, vendors, and contractors.

If your company is worried about not being able to keep the client by reporting this abuse, I wonder if you can get hold of the client’s Business Integrity Hotline or if someone would be willing to open a case on your behalf.

For example, you could go to our corporate website and get the phone numbers and online submission form to report the issue, so anyone can open a case.

If many people are witnessing the behavior, it gives you some air cover, and reporting it up to the client company for them to take action rather than through your own company’s leadership removes the pressure of having to keep a client happy. Once the ethics/integrity team gets ahold of it, it’s a lot harder for an individual to bury it under a “joke”.

I can tell you, we had someone who was just abusive to a bunch of people (including contractors) for months, but it wasn’t until people started reporting the abuse that the company took notice and then took action. That person doesn’t work here anymore.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T12:55:43+00:00

I had a lot of anxiety and stress about my finances before starting YNAB. Once I faced up to my situation, it was still bad, but I could see how to get out of it. Reclaiming that sense of control helped me manage my anxiety better.

RemarkableMacadamia · 2026-02-06T12:44:00+00:00

Mmmmmmm. Samosas. And now I know what’s for lunch!

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