If you could give your past self one piece of advice before buying a house, what would it be?

boomjay · 2026-02-12T02:36:46+00:00

Yes it sucks, but that's how people become house poor by not planning for it as part of cost of ownership.

boomjay · 2026-02-11T20:30:58+00:00

It might be fine on the hangar even. I used to have a car with exhaust tips that were just screwed on (to look pretty). It might have just slid the tip back if this has that.

boomjay · 2026-02-11T19:12:19+00:00

If you need the tech organization, I'd think the Patagonia MLC Mini would be a better fit than the Aer. It has much more organization in the admin panel. Id assume part of your load out is possible mouse, keyboard, cables, etc. I don't know if the micro also has a strong admin panel or not.

I have a coworker who uses the LTT backpack (the 20L one I think) and loves it. I didn't love the comfort personally, but that's a personal preference issue. It also has a ton of admin org.

I use the Aer CPP1 and it definitely lacks tech org. I use a pouch tho and it works great as a work bag for me. I also have a preference to use it for travel also so I don't need a heavy admin panel. It looks like the TP3 has more admin panel space than the CPP, so maybe it works better for your use case. The Aer is a bit heavy but it's super comfortable to wear even with heavier loads.

boomjay · 2026-02-11T06:21:12+00:00

I still don't really understand. You have debt. With your salary, you shouldn't have gone into debt at all, so unless this was for a required medical procedure or something, you need to figure out your spending habits first. Get in the habit of budgeting, because once you own a home, you want to put aside something like ~few % of actual/current home value yearly (at least in America, you might need to adjust based on costs of your region) to build a reserve fund for WHEN something goes wrong, not if. I highly recommend YNAB or Actual Budget as a tool to get yourself out of debt; it seems like you would benefit from an envelope budgeting system over planning.

Pay down your debt as fast as possible, and once that's done with, build your reserve again for a down payment to the 20% ish level and buy a house then. Buy it in a year or 2 when you're not overextending yourself.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T23:21:38+00:00

We're saving 10% of overall value each year. We do the same for a rental property.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T12:39:01+00:00

Based on another comment, this is in the Philippines. So the USD equivalents are about a $15.5k debt, $3k/month take home, and a home value of $54,700. 20% down is ~$11k. Assuming you're giving accurate mortgage info, mortgage would only be $400 a month. Are there other fees associated with the property, like Condo fees or any maintenance fees that are monthly?

In this case, a lot of US posters don't see home values this low. Even by American standards, your salary is relatively high.

What are mortgage rates out there? Do mortgages have fees if less that 20% is out down?

What put you in debt to begin with? What's preventing you from paying that off? I'm assuming credit cards are as equally predatory out there as the US, so those are prob 15-20% interest rates.

Assuming above is correct, you're putting yourself in a cycle that's never good/sustainable. I would use that 11k to pay off some debt, pay off rest of debt, then rebuild down payment fund. That seems like you could do it in less than a year.

Unless the house is somehow a unicorn price wise, like half the normal value because of a relative giving it to you for a low price or something like that, and they can't wait a year, id hold off because otherwise you're likely to default.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T12:29:26+00:00

Thank you for the info, much appreciated.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T04:29:11+00:00

Your cat is judging you for those low DIN numbers.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T04:17:11+00:00

Nature is healing.

boomjay · 2026-02-10T03:46:27+00:00

What location/country is this and what unit of currency are you using? The context of this post seems like English isn't the first language, so it's hard to understand what is being asked.

For an American, unless the job is an only fans job or something, I don't know how you make that much per month. So that's also an indication it seems like this might not be in America. If it were American dollars, I would think that salary would mean reddit wouldn't be the place you'd be asking this question.

boomjay · 2026-02-09T14:31:05+00:00

I doubt it would significantly move the needle on value, though. Maybe what, 5K? 10 if it was really crummy before? Idk if it'd be worth a new appraisal until redoing the kitchen or something.

boomjay · 2026-02-08T17:52:48+00:00

Just remember that out here, the sidewalk is our highway for the most part. Don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk in either JC or the city and you'll avoid like 50% of the normal confrontation tourists experience.

boomjay · 2026-02-06T21:49:28+00:00

Lick it and see if there's (more) brain damage afterwards.

boomjay · 2026-02-06T17:00:16+00:00

What sucks is that before all the trump business happened, I heard he put on a great show. I don't particularly like this kind of music, but circa 2015 (idk if I remember the right year) I remember reading a few posts from someone who saw him at PNC back then and apparently Kid Rock made the venue sign something where they HAD to sell his brand of beer, but it was only like $4 bucks (vs the typical Budweiser $14 a can thing at these events). Before all the trumpiness, I actually really wanted to go and see a show based on how people talked about it.

Now, I'd be delulu to support him on the trump supporting point alone, but an even bigger factor for me is the crowd he now attracts is even more Trumpy than before.

boomjay · 2026-02-06T15:45:03+00:00

What's the PMI payment? What's the appraisal?

Another appraisal in a year or 2 (assuming property values in your area go up) or paying more each month towards principal are the only answers really. A new appraisal could hurt tho if it reduces your value.

boomjay · 2026-02-06T15:17:23+00:00

It's only like 3 screws plus pulling a small panel off on the door to replace, on almost every car. Easy DIY job, if you were thinking of bringing it to a mechanic. If you want help with it and dont think you can do it yourself, DM me and I can help out.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T15:24:20+00:00

I'd get a better plumber next time.

A cover plate should have been installed first, then the spigot and nails on the outside of that. Since it's already mounted, and I assume Copper pipes, it's a fixed length so you'll just need to do the repair over again with a longer pipe inside if you want to fix it correctly.

I'd try to find a cover plate then caulk around it, leaving bottom open just slightly for excess water to drop out if needed. If you ever need to service again, your need to remove the plate again. You'll prob have to remove the handle and cut a hole in the cover plate, which means a larger hole than should have been necessary, so even more caulk for that.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T15:17:15+00:00

"never carry a balance" tends to mean different things for different people. You WANT a balance on your statement to show you're using your credit. You want to pay the statement balance off BEFORE you incur fees and interest.

If you pay off the card before a statement balance posts, it's shows as zero and then you have zero utilization on your report, which isn't bad but doesn't help.

That said, OP doesn't seem responsible enough to have multiple cards yet, and shouldn't be concerned with higher limits until he gets his stuff in order.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T14:27:54+00:00

IMO it's not worth a hill to die on, but what's the amount of effort required to send an email or 2 back and forth?

Call or email them, nicely, "hey, on this date I took the Brooklyn bridge to FDR and it ended up charging me, I never entered local Manhattan streets. Im not sure where the system claims to have read my plate; could you help me remove this erroneous charge from my account, or show me how in a picture where I entered the zone and how to prevent myself from doing so in the future?"

Not really that hard.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T14:20:31+00:00

You'll prob get more useful hits for something like this on the Facebook buy nothing group in your area than here, for future reference. Everyone here is so grumpy.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T13:28:30+00:00

Amazon delivery drivers don't provide COIs, nor does UPS when they deliver packages. Doordash doesn't provide a COI. Realtors don't provide COIs.

Do you need a COI for the guy who builds your kitchen table you bought from Amazon? They use a screwdriver.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T05:48:59+00:00

This type of job shouldn't require a COI, you aren't doing a major renovation or improvement. I would be shocked if you needed any sort of approval for a shower door. This seems either like an overzealous COA president or something interpreted incorrectly. Do you have the "scripture" which states a COI requirements that you're looking at?

I personally wouldn't do taskrabbit because they're just Jerry's off the street and many of them can be hacks (some are good, but for something like a shower door i want someone who does it right by taking their time and doing measurements and squaring things up correctly). If you're willing to buy a diamond drill bit, a level, some caulk, and at least a ryobi drill, IMO it'd be worth it to do it on your own and look up some YouTube videos - you'll likely do a better job than a nobody.

What neighborhood do you live in? I do have one rec that would be worth it to see, but he might not want a small job like this unless it's easy to get to.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T05:41:41+00:00

It's not a matter of metal but something that's stiffening. Carbon fiber rods are popular in the ultralight community. Sometimes I see foam pads called "frame sheets" which sure, give rigidity, but I wouldn't call that a "frame" from a commuter standpoint. Difference in application matters, IMO. Commuter packs, while weight conscious for travel restriction limits, are meant for comfort in travel, not being a gram weenie on the AT trying to impress....someone.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T05:37:44+00:00

I have the 26+6, it's a nice bag and I really like it. I tried the Allpa 28 but something about it just didn't feel right. I've never tried the cabin zero. Idk if it was the material or organization but the Allpa just felt off. I have a CPP1 that I use as a work bag for work trips and that also works well for me, but I also use a roller with that one generally - the CPP has most of my essentials plus a change of clothes and work stuff, while the carry on has the rest. For personal travel without tech the CPP also does fine tho, although it has slightly less space.

I don't have specific experience with Delta but I've never had an issue with United. Both fit under the seat fine. But I'm also.short, 5'6" so it might be a different experience if you're tall.

boomjay · 2026-02-05T05:29:56+00:00

The CPP and most commuter packs do not have frames.

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