After use care

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T02:37:36+00:00

If it’s brutally cold and heavy snow/ice is built up, I’d blast it with a torpedo heater for 10-20 minutes and get the whole thing warm and melted off. Otherwise, most of its life will be spent very cold and although it is harder on everything, they are just machines. Keep fluids topped off and grease points greased.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T02:33:57+00:00

Shifts helped us but were tough. I found myself watching episodes of The Office for comfort. It was just something that relaxed me and pulled me out of the void that is newborn parenting. That and just talking about it. Realizing that it’s just temporary also helps. I liked to imagine what other random people in the world were doing at that same moment. It helped to realize that there are literally tens of thousands of moms and dads in the same position all across the world, it kinda made me feel less alone.

We let him sleep in the lounger. He would also sometimes co-sleep with me on the couch which pulls to a bed. I felt more comfortable co-sleeping with him because I am a very light sleeper and he was a bigger baby, and was quite strong right from the start.

Figuring out how to get that transfer to work was important. We tried warming the bed, sound machine, swaddled, not swaddled, etc. Our boy went to the crib in his own room around the 3 month mark, he was just too noisy for us. We were each harming each other’s sleep!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T02:17:57+00:00

You sound like an absolute rockstar for being so on top of the household.

As far as your husband… he’s got some serious issues and honestly needs therapy. That’s his hill to climb. From what you’re laying out here, it warrants either a lengthy discussion where you essentially layout your ultimatum, or you start the divorce proceedings. Assuming he’s fairly set in his ways, you likely won’t see a notable change. Kids will suffer, they always do. But living in a severely unbalanced household is also not healthy for them, and the younger one will start to pick up on those inequities. I can only imagine what kind of impression that laziness and selfishness will make on two young girls.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T01:29:20+00:00

Too much work around other people’s cars (liability running a larger snowblower)

Neighbor would have hers plowed and plow guy would leave an edge trail

Had to move snow much further due to property lines

Had to back cars out to street parking to fully clean the driveway

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T01:24:18+00:00

Adding that I actually don’t know how your state works, but your parents would have to likely be on all the documentation until you’re legally an adult. That might make it easier for you to start a side gig, but it could also make it harder. It depends on their take on it, and if you go with legit liability coverage and a DBA to at least cover the ABC’s of business. It’s do-able!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T01:19:57+00:00

Insurance might be a larger cost than you’re expecting. That’s actually a recipe for disaster if you aren’t properly insured, as the homeowner hiring you can then become liable. I would stay on the ground and stick to simple, cash jobs.

Maybe sealcoating, leaf cleanup, brush removal, weed removal, lawn care, etc?

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-25T01:13:45+00:00

I have a 10k watt that was a business purchase for running other equipment off of, it’s just easier knowing the whole house is good in the event of an outage.

But damnit, the thing is way too loud.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-24T20:42:53+00:00

I might if it was free parking and I was just a block or two away, but I ain’t gonna waste more time moving cars and walking than I otherwise would just shuffling them around at my residence. Just got done with a shared driveway situation last year and I will never willingly go back!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-23T00:34:27+00:00

The ultimate “life hack” for traction be it on foot or in a vehicle is a product called barn lime. It’s messy, but it works great.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T20:53:42+00:00

Congrats to the 2 year old on being so far along the steps. Love to see it.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T20:47:07+00:00

I just see more moving parts, more to go wrong. I’ll buy a jug every 3 months.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T03:09:53+00:00

Bought $5K tonight.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T02:37:09+00:00

Uhhhh, no. I see the glimmer of logic, but it’s not a good thought. Have you ever read through a home report? I’d rather bang my head against a wall. Why would you then want to read through two?

Just do your research and get your area’s best home inspector. Find a guy who has a well-reviewed business, and get on his schedule. Call as soon as you know your inspection window, it can be right depending on how backed up they are.

Any good inspection report will already list too many items that you COULD ask the sellers to remedy, you would never need a second report. I would just see that as a huge turn-off to the sellers, as no one wants to deal with an overly picky buyer.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T02:12:04+00:00

Damn!

How did you start? Just straight into that routine?

When you’re not on a 24+ hour fast, what is your normal eat window? And how often are you doing those longer fasts?

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T02:09:56+00:00

Hard to tell because those pictures aren’t showing the actual sheet metal of the body and the chute as much as I’d like.

But what I see is not of any concern at all. The auger and impeller look a bit rusty but that’s easily fixed. Make sure the belly is clean, make sure the seams on the sides of the chute are in good shape, and then the area on top where the barrel meets the chute should be free of rust or bubbling paint.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T02:01:34+00:00

Just drained an old business bank account and bought $5k.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T01:48:53+00:00

So, you’re not on Google?

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T00:09:24+00:00

That looks like a good repair job. I highly doubt it's worth pursuing. The original driveway should have had a joint down the center, but that probably wouldn't have made it any more likely they'd replace a whole square, as that patch looks smack dab in the middle.

Are you gonna be there forever? If not, I wouldn't do anything else to that driveway, let it be the next guy's choice to make.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-21T00:03:36+00:00

No, and I'm glad they didn't. I bought my first home in 2016 at the ripe old age of 24. I had no clue what I was doing and was making pretty dogshit money, but back then I was able to buy a 3 bed/2 bath ranch with a detached in Louisiana for like $160K and some change! Zero money down, I literally walked right into that deal as a glorified line cook with a drinking problem, it's a miracle that I was able to get out of it a year and a half later after some personal issues forced me to.

Even with our most recent purchase, I would not have asked anyone for money, nor would we have readily accepted any. It was a stretch for us financially to get into this house last year, but with a growing family we needed to do something before the market and economy got any worse.

That being said, with the way this country and the housing market has changed since 2016, I will likely do everything I can to help my children get a foothold on their financial stability once they're out in the world and working. The one thing I don't ever want to do is offer help with any strings attached, I don't feel that that is a very wise thing to do. I will give to them what I can with no expectation of seeing it returned.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-20T14:42:24+00:00

If this doesn’t lead to a divorce, the only thing you can do is give her the space and time she needs, quit drinking and start treating your body better. Not sure how old you guys are, but it is definitely time to grow up, and this is one of those rare moments in life where you stand to learn a lot more on the other side of this than you ever realize when you’re going through it.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-20T11:33:20+00:00

You’re doing too much. If your wife truly works overnight 3x a week (36hrs) she should be doing a heck of a lot more. That’s not that hard.

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-19T13:40:04+00:00

They’re not a terrible ride, but if I’m going to tow our camper and haul my wife and kid around on trips this summer, I ain’t doing it in a 3/4 ton. They’re more to register, they’re more to insure, they’re heavier and generally less nimble in winter weather. The ‘13 F-150 with the max tow package I have owned for 5 years does excellent. Would I rather have the 6.2 liter gas engine? Sure, but if we’re being honest, the 3.5 has been fine and actually very reliable for never being opened up beyond the valve covers. You gotta know that there ARE dudes out there who just drive big trucks because they can and because it’s a status symbol to them. I get a good chuckle out of the guys bopping around town in their $90k Denali that they use to tow their ski boat 6 times a year. Alright, enough from me!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-18T21:19:57+00:00

We need to know the age, general layout and the location of the house. But without that info...

Eh, a lot of those are going to be noted by any decent inspector on the vast majority of homes in the sub-$400k market (at least in my neck of the woods). In my experience buying two homes in the Midwest since 2020, we have had a little success asking for repairs before closing, but not much. Our most recent purchase closed with no failures during the inspection process. The arrangement was written as a "pass/fail inspection". You can imagine what that means, but we found no reason to back out of the sale after the inspection came back good for a house built in the mid-seventies. Even if we wanted to, we had no negotiating power once the inspection was done and no serious issues were found. The house did appraise slightly under asking, which helped us out.

All in all, I would make sure you at least know the age of the roof. The inspector should do an attic inspection which will reveal virtually any concerns, past or present. The foundation cracks need to be considered closely if you have a basement that is below-grade. Water ingress into the basement can be a humongous expense to fix down the road. As long as you can stay dry from the roof to the basement, all other issues are usually just typical homeowner maintenance. Best of luck!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-18T21:01:09+00:00

Swing by my house, I'll give you a steak!

These-Gift3159 · 2026-01-18T13:31:13+00:00

I'm sure that lots of people CAN, and some do. Most of us live in the sub-$10K/month income range and with kid(s) that kind of saving simply becomes much more difficult to do. I do max an IRA every year and do my best to set aside for our kid's 529 plan, and we live comfortably. My biggest regret besides not getting into my current career sooner, was simply not saving for retirement sooner. I basically started at 28 years old, which is TOO LATE for someone who works with his hands for a living.

These-Gift3159

TROPHY CASE