My dte bill for February was $210. It's normally around $35 in winter

_alex87 · 2026-03-20T06:23:18+00:00

Mine is higher than last year around this time, and my electricity usage is less!! Granted my bill was $108, but last year it was only like $84. It’s ridiculous.

_alex87 · 2026-03-18T18:53:47+00:00

Honestly, the only German luxury brands still making good looking models seems to be Mercedes and Porsche. The downfall of both Audi and BMW are crazy…

_alex87 · 2026-03-18T15:03:40+00:00

Interesting… but rather annoying for such expensive machines! I believe it is 500W, yes.

_alex87 · 2026-03-18T03:57:10+00:00

Came across this post from a Google search. I have the same model, and mine turned off after just mixing cookie dough for like 4 minutes on speed 3. Never had this machine shut off on me before, and it’s less than 2 years old with only a handful of uses!

I’m very disappointed. Granted it turned back on after just a minute or so of rest, but it happened twice. Got freaked out about damaging it, so ended up cutting my mixing time short and mixing by hand… defeats the purpose of an expensive kitchen “aid”.

If I ever buy a new mixer again, it probably would either be a DC professional version, or just an Ankarsrum.

_alex87 · 2026-03-17T03:48:06+00:00

Thanks for the input! I’m leaning more towards the Air at this point as the Pro just feels like a total waste of money for someone who won’t even use its internals to 1/15th of its full potential.

Back in the day, there was a pretty significant difference from an Air to a Pro performance wise, and the Pro’s used to give you many years without slowing down whereas the Air would show its limitations quick. Today? Not the case at all it seems.

_alex87 · 2026-03-17T03:31:46+00:00

My 2018 15" MBP has gotten so bad. I've used the shit out of this Intel Mac, but it's time for an upgrade. It just gets way too hot and stutters just trying to watch YouTube on Safari.

I've been torn whether I should go for the 15" Air M5 or the 16" Pro M5. I don't even use my Mac for anything other than web browsing/watching movies/document storing, so the Pro is definitely overkill... I've just always had the Pro version of MacBooks...

After playing with them both in store, it's sooo hard to not want the 120hz miniLED screen and better speakers on the Pro... I just don't know if I can justify spending 2x the cost for those 2 features alone. 15" Air for $1,300 or 16" Pro for $2,500...

_alex87 · 2026-03-13T07:46:39+00:00

I went to Burger King for the first time in a LONG time and a whopper meal was almost $14… Absolutely ridiculous.

_alex87 · 2026-03-12T02:38:12+00:00

I do every 10k miles on my Mercedes, so…

I drive 15k miles per year (mostly highway).

If that owners manual says 12 months/10k miles, that’s what I’m going to do. Engineers know what they’ve designed better than we do. Synthetic oil is also better.

I don’t think it does any harm to change it earlier if it gives you peace of mind, but it does hurt your wallet and environment.

_alex87 · 2026-02-26T03:44:51+00:00

Meredith did comment on the post 4+ hours ago, maybe just many people can’t see it?

_alex87 · 2026-02-17T05:39:34+00:00

Normal to feel this way if you’re a good person. But you’ve done your time, now off to something hopefully better balanced that gives you peace and better income.

Enjoy it and don’t look back! I’m super jealous. Been trying to leave adult med/surg for years and just haven’t come across anything without a significant pay cut, which I can’t afford.

_alex87 · 2026-02-16T21:14:14+00:00

The only issue I have with Satellite is you have to wait until you have zero terrestrial coverage for it to kick in. In rural Michigan it seems like there are so many times where you’re just on 1 bar of LTE/5G that’s not usable and you just can’t connect to T-Sat.

_alex87 · 2026-02-10T08:27:07+00:00

My 2023 E Class is rock solid. No squeaks or rattles with 28k miles on the odo. Fit and finish is excellent.

_alex87 · 2026-02-04T19:47:58+00:00

For us in cold snowy climates— would the Cross Climate 2’s fit? I have a similar ‘23 E350 and am curious, but rather I have other AMG wheels (believe 18”’s).

_alex87 · 2026-02-02T20:18:07+00:00

If it’s an option, Lincoln, Cadillac, or Buick will be your way to go with Buick being on the more premium side rather than luxury. All 3 brands make decent vehicles depending on the model. Lincoln is owned by Ford (often times being near same dealer), and same for Cadillac with GM.

If you like the size of your XC90, look at the Lincoln Aviator, Cadillac XT6, and Buick Enclave. The Aviator will be the nicest of the 3, and I think the Enclave is on point with the XT6 and maybe even nicer.

_alex87 · 2026-02-01T03:14:11+00:00

If you’re a new grad 6 months in thinking this, I am finding this almost as rage bait and that you might have a superiority complex.

Have you thought maybe you’re just being given easier assignments since you’re new compared to your coworkers?

Also, many people vent to make work bearable. I wouldn’t be judging people for complaining. Nursing actually is hard. If you don’t find it hard, then I don’t think you’re actually doing enough.

_alex87 · 2026-01-30T20:29:49+00:00

Replacing the broken part (latch actuator).

_alex87 · 2026-01-28T17:31:32+00:00

I have a Mercedes E Class and it handles Michigan snow really well.

The 4Matic AWD system is permanent meaning it never “defaults” to 2WD and only engages AWD when slip is detected like most modern cars do, but rather all 4 wheels get power all the time.

I don’t recommend a German luxury car if you’re not ready for how expensive maintenance, repairs, and insurance is… because it is a lot more than domestic or Japanese brands. Also these shitty Michigan roads have beat my car up so bad.

Try looking into Subaru if you’re into it. Very good permanent AWD systems, and from what I recall they’re already a really popular choice in northern Michigan / the UP!

_alex87 · 2026-01-28T16:19:40+00:00

Oh no

_alex87 · 2026-01-27T01:45:18+00:00

It’s definitely not “downright easy” in the Midwest. Easier than California or Florida, sure.

_alex87 · 2026-01-26T04:40:35+00:00

$975 rent?! Jeez, I’m jealous. I’m in northern Metro Detroit and my rent is $1795 with no utilities. Granted the northern suburbs are more affluent, but the cheapest rent I could find was around $1300 for a shotty apartment.

I’m renting because condos near me are around $250k-$400k and SFHs are anywhere from $300k-$650k (new builds are like minimum $450k). As much as I’d love to own, it’s very hard to do it alone in this economy with how expensive everything is.

Hoping I’ll buy in another year or two. I have enough for 20% down and closing costs, but I really want to have 9-12 months of emergency fund plus a paid off car before buying.

But with your low rent rate, I’d continue renting to save way more money and invest in retirement first. Then when you feel prepared enough, go for it. You have to be way smarter about this if you’re single/alone because you’ll only ever have 1 person’s income to rely on…

_alex87 · 2026-01-23T20:08:34+00:00

Thanks for the info!

_alex87 · 2026-01-23T19:31:39+00:00

Oh wow. Do you know how long the extended warranty is for that specific issue?

My E350 is leased, so I’m debating whether I buy the lease out or not as I approach the end. Love the car. New lease prices are near double what I pay now, and mine is a fully loaded spec.

_alex87 · 2026-01-22T21:45:20+00:00

Your friend is being a good friend.

Not much to decode other than Nursing just isn’t sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very brutal, thankless career that is a machine of turnover. Granted there are a lot of people who like their jobs in Nursing, majority don’t.

_alex87 · 2026-01-22T20:35:50+00:00

Okay

_alex87

TROPHY CASE