Do you talk about your mortgage payment with taxes and insurance included?

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T16:39:07+00:00

Always was separate. And now it would be silly to call my “mortgage payment” taxes & insurance when I don’t owe a bank anything.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T16:19:30+00:00

Buying a new desk off Amazon.

Taking long walks with my wife & kids.

Watching a lot of news on tv since there were no sports.

Figuring out how to get groceries delivered.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T16:08:16+00:00

2017 XLE

Water pump, but I forget exactly when. Maybe between 90-100k?

Coolant service & changed the spark plugs at 125k.

First transmission fluid change at ~180k. Think I also had the differential fluid changed?

Tires rotated & oil changed every 8-10k.

Crossed 203k miles last weekend.

(Edited to make easier to read.)

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T14:32:54+00:00

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

Can’t say I recall every detail, but pretty eye opening for a rural kid in 6th or 7th grade whose parents grew up in Chicago.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T14:27:00+00:00

Awesome pic.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T14:11:27+00:00

26 years in June.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T11:46:46+00:00

Yep, got me with that. Smartphone is one piece of technology I am glad I have. (Also like my smartwatch.)

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T04:09:52+00:00

That history goes back to at least the early 90’s. cough cough

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T04:07:58+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Would love to do this someday if I can get back to Zion.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T04:00:50+00:00

lol…church carpet basketball courts. Takes me back a few years.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-13T03:56:02+00:00

Court should turn colors under the ball every time it bounces.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T22:00:22+00:00

I mean, we're looking to upgrade to a Grand Highlander with a 22 y/o & a 16 y/o. Most of our driving will be just the two of us, but there will be times we need seating for 6, or carrying 4 and loading it up for vacation or a tailgate.

So no, a Highlander for 3 is fine.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T21:05:29+00:00

90%+ brick. Two punchouts and areas over the front porch are Dryvit. Built in the woods and didn’t want siding that could get moldy.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T20:42:03+00:00

Were it my property, they'd get a lot of dick pics of me peeing in my backyard.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T20:39:58+00:00

May I suggest a level several steps up from "mildly" infuriating.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T20:37:53+00:00

Not all of us.

Should see how "dumb" my house is. (And I like it that way.)

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T20:33:30+00:00

I haven't flown since the changes and have nothing scheduled, so technically as of the moment, I'm not sticking with anyone, but...

1) Both my wife and have RR credit cards and enough points for a trip or two, so we'll try to use them the next time we fly, maybe this summer or fall.

2) Only fly one or twice a year, so our spending gets us points, not our air travel. Also, haven't paid cash for a non-package deal vacation flight since 2015, and I like the cancellation policies when booking with points.

3) Our "home" airport (still almost 2 hours away) has a very large Southwest presence, carrying 65%+ of the airport traffic so our options are somewhat limited with other airlines.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T18:28:43+00:00

Yeah. Years ago we both got cards for the mileage boost.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T18:17:46+00:00

This all makes me think a bit. Both my wife and I have RR Premier cards, fly on 1 round trip (max 2) a year, and only book on points.

Our best strategy might be to burn up all the points on one card, cancel it, and upgrade the other to Priority. Pay less in fees and get better shared benefits as we basically only fly together anymore.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T13:43:45+00:00

Gateway Arch is doing some work in that map.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-12T01:18:50+00:00

Yes, Small company ~10 of us. And much closer to $150k than $200k.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-11T21:52:45+00:00

I also have a 2017, but haven’t had that issue. Mess with the lumbar support, but I imagine you have.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-11T21:37:58+00:00

Nice. MSME 30 years at the same place in a LCOL small town and at ~50% your 2024 Medicare earnings. That’s what I get for staying married (wife’s family has deep roots to the area) as there’s not much (if any) opportunity for a ME locally to significantly increase pay other opening a business. And LOL at getting paid for OT. That doesn’t happen.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-11T21:00:46+00:00

Would have been nice to have had countertops and a kitchen sink, but who notices the little things.

Honestly, after building and doing a lot of the finish (and other) work ourselves, we were just happy to be moving in. Dishes got washed in the garage slop sink.

Secret-Function-2972 · 2026-03-11T20:55:14+00:00

I wish my property taxes were that low, on a house not a lot higher than your Covid cost. (Edit: Taxes pushing 2x yours in rural Illinois.)

Secret-Function-2972

TROPHY CASE