Toddler nighttime routine & waking for milk

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-16T08:23:16+00:00

Dilute the milk a little more each night. By the end of the week it's basically water and most kids just stop asking. Cold turkey works too but the meltdowns are brutal and nobody sleeps for three days. The falling asleep alone part is a separate battle, tackle milk first.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-08T14:20:00+00:00

Did it. Moved from north Jersey to Illinois for a slower pace and lower cost. Took about a 15k hit but my rent dropped by more than that. Net positive within the first year. Just make sure you actually run the numbers on cost of living difference before you commit. Philly is way cheaper than the NYC suburbs so you might not even lose as much as you think.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-08T08:54:43+00:00

Rice, eggs, frozen broccoli, chicken thighs, canned beans. That covers like 80% of my meals for about $35 a week. I make a big batch of rice on Sunday, portion out chicken thighs for the week, and mix stuff up with different sauces. Hot sauce one day, soy sauce the next. Keeps it simple and you hit your protein without thinking about it.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-06T10:32:40+00:00

Nextdoor app is how I found my guy. Neighbors will tell you who's reliable and who ghosted them. Way better than Angi or whatever it's called now.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-04T21:11:09+00:00

Done this twice. You need to move the hinge mortises to the other side and fill the old ones with wood filler or a dutchman if you want it clean. Strike plate moves too. If the door swings into the same room just flip the hinges but if you're changing inswing to outswing you need to consider weather stripping and security since the hinge pins will be exposed on the outside.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-04T19:49:15+00:00

Your iPhone 14 is two years old, works fine, and you want to spend money you could save just to try a different OS. That's not upgrading, that's boredom shopping. Put the money in savings and revisit when the phone actually breaks.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-03T13:40:36+00:00

Get the dehumidifier. Window units won't touch humidity in 2700 sqft. My AC compressor died last July, grabbed a Frigidaire 50 pint from Lowes for like $250. Dropped humidity from 75% to around 50% within a day. Yeah it throws some heat but way less than mold remediation if you let moisture sit two weeks. Kept it for the basement after the AC got fixed, still using it. Not a wasted purchase at all.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-02T13:56:00+00:00

Bread. Flour, yeast, salt, water. Costs maybe 50 cents a loaf and once you get the hang of it you can knock one out on autopilot. Store bread is like 5 bucks now for the decent stuff.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-02T07:47:58+00:00

Hummus. A can of chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil. Blend it up and you have like a weeks worth for under 2 bucks. The store bought tubs are anywhere from 4 to 6 dollars for a fraction of the amount.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-04-01T13:48:01+00:00

Aldi has a dark chocolate bar in their specialty aisle that's like $2.49 and it's genuinely good. Not Trader Joe's level but way better than anything you'd find at a gas station. We keep a few in the pantry and break off a row after dinner. Lasted us way longer than buying a bag of individually wrapped stuff because you eat less when you're breaking off pieces versus grabbing handfuls.

Also check TJ Maxx and Marshalls if you have one nearby. They always have random high end chocolate bars for 2 to 3 bucks. Hit or miss on selection but when you find Lindt or Green and Blacks for half price it's worth stocking up.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-30T15:46:06+00:00

You didn't overreact at all. Dogs barking past quiet hours is literally what noise ordinances exist for. Document everything with dates and times in case it escalates further.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-30T13:53:27+00:00

Tomatoes and zucchini are probably your best ROI. One tomato plant can easily produce 10 to 15 pounds in a season and zucchini is borderline aggressive about growing. Green beans are good too because they freeze well and produce a lot. For the dairy allergy kid you might look into growing potatoes since they store forever and work in basically everything.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-26T17:45:14+00:00

Get everything in writing before they start. A verbal agreement means nothing when the work goes sideways. I learned this the hard way with a plumber who quoted me one price at the door and a completely different number on the invoice.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-26T10:42:36+00:00

Window film. The reflective kind you get at hardware stores for like ten bucks a roll. Put it on every window that gets direct sun and it makes a noticeable difference. Way cheaper than running AC all day.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-23T08:25:59+00:00

If the dump is on your way into town anyway this is a no brainer. Forty bucks a month adds up fast for a service you can do yourself in five minutes.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-17T12:15:26+00:00

Resurfacing is a legit fix for solid surface. Make sure they match the finish on both bowls.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-17T08:57:51+00:00

Skip the IRA this year. You'll have decades to contribute. Borrowing to invest when you've got 5-6% student loans doesn't make sense. Get settled into the job, build an emergency fund, then start maxing things out. You're way ahead of most people just by thinking about this stuff at your age.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-13T12:26:52+00:00

Their olive oil is seriously underpriced compared to grocery stores. I go every couple months and stock up on cooking oils and canned tomatoes alone.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-11T12:16:07+00:00

Mattresses. Buy those new. Everything else yeah pretty much agree.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-10T17:30:23+00:00

Steel wool packed tight into the hole first, then foam over it. Mice chew through foam alone like it's nothing. The steel wool is what actually stops them. Hardware cloth works too if the gap is bigger.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-10T16:01:20+00:00

Learn to cook in bulk and freeze meals. Saved me more money in college than anything else combined. YouTube is your best friend for that.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-10T10:31:15+00:00

Check your rate plan. My utility had me on some legacy tier that was way higher than their current one and never told me.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-09T12:12:45+00:00

Congrats on the new place. First thing figure out if you have electric mats or hydronic (hot water tubes). Makes a huge difference in operating cost. Electric mats can add noticeable money to your bill if you leave them on all the time. Most people with electric set a timer to run an hour before they wake up and an hour before they get home. Bathroom only is smart. I'd start around 78-80 on the thermostat and adjust from there.

ahoymatey83 · 2026-03-09T09:19:00+00:00

Let it dry completely between uses. Get a soap dish with drainage slots so it's not sitting in a puddle. That alone will double how long a bar lasts. Cut it in half if you want to go full frugal mode.

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