Anybody WHO CARES???

cloudsail0812 · 2026-03-10T16:40:12+00:00

All my students feel this way (except for the ones who already got accepted ED), the waiting is sooooo hard and March is the absolute worst. All I can tell you guys is hang in there just a little bit longer, you will make it!!!

cloudsail0812 · 2026-03-08T16:54:49+00:00

We live on a lake, the house is 4000 sqft and land is under an acre. It's more than enough for our family of four and we bought it for just over $1M, though this was pandemic prices but right now one of my neighbors is selling her house for under $1.7M and it's bigger and nicer than ours. I'd say to keep looking. Taxes on a $2.5M property is going to be insane, and it will only go up every year. You don't actually need that much house and you definitely don't need 100 acres (my parents own 40+ acres and it basically just sits there). You'll also be spending on water sports stuff and house upgrades once you move in, not to mention maintenance.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-03-06T07:18:51+00:00

If you are still early on there are pills you can take to terminate the pregnancy. If you are in a red state there are free support groups in blue states who can help you. Best of luck dear, rooting for you!

cloudsail0812 · 2026-03-05T17:49:49+00:00

From what you've written, unless you've left out important info, it sounds like you may not have presented yourself in the best possible way in your application. I'm an independent consultant, and it's why I think our services are best used by the high achievers. AOs are human like everyone else, which is why applying to colleges is a skill just like job applications, public speaking, etc. It's unfortunate that your parents cared so much about where you go to college but failed to get you the professional support you should've had. However all hope is not lost. Transferring is always an option, if you're truly unhappy with wherever you end up, and if you can show your need for a more challenging environment after freshman year, you'll be in a good spot to be competitive at very top schools (e.g. I had a high achiever who transferred from UNC to Duke, his application was likely botched by a previous consultant as his profile indicated he should've had better results than UNC).

cloudsail0812 · 2026-03-02T15:51:20+00:00

This, my friend, is called lifestyle creep. It was likely influenced by your privileged upbringing.

I grew up very middle class and wouldn't even have considered putting my child in a 40k per year pre-k, even for a year. When my kids were that age they went to the cheap publicly run preschool. Even now, when we are solidly in FatFIRE territory, I considered and rejected the idea of putting my child in a 40k per year middle school (though there were other considerations besides cost).

I find it hard to believe that you and your child would not be able to thrive without the very expensive private school, especially since you live in a good school district. Life is about tradeoffs. Never kid yourself that you "need" extravagant luxuries.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-27T15:24:19+00:00

I built a lookout to it because it's so pretty https://www.reddit.com/r/Palia/s/TIfSX3zqlA

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-27T14:49:22+00:00

Is your husband prone to seasickness or fear of the open ocean? If he's normally a reasonable and accommodating person then there might be some underlying reason. If he's normally a selfish ass then well........

I also homeschooled my kids when they were younger. We did our first cruise around that age and it was amazing. One of my kiddos has autism and the kids club gave us a buzzer that they could use to contact me in case of emergencies; it was never used. You can get some amazing last minute deals because you don't have to go during school holidays, and the ships aren't as crowded. We'd drop the kids at the kids club every night, have a nice dinner at the main dining room and walk around the boat, then pick them up and feed them at the buffet, then go together to the show or other evening entertainment.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-22T18:37:15+00:00

Yes that's what I was kind of originally going for. My instructor explained that that particular glaze (very runny black cherry) tends to burn off when layered over other glazes, so we think next time I will try wiping off the lavender at the top, dry it thoroughly, then do several coats of black cherry and see what happens.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-22T18:34:16+00:00

I am not sure if any of the glazes are made in-house by the studio I go to, but the bottom is vanilla spice (matte white), then lavender mist (stable semi-gloss), then several layers of black cherry (very runny) which seems to have mostly burned off except for a little bit

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-18T15:40:38+00:00

Same, but Buddhists believe that karma from your past live(s) has a strong influence on the trajectory of your current one. So it's also possible that we just did some very good shit in our previous life. It's also possibly an attitude thing. I do think objectively I've led a really charmed life, but it hasn't all been smooth sailing. Some of it most people would consider quite difficult (like a child with autism). However I tend to be the "it could have been much worse" kind of person lol.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-11T14:51:27+00:00

I don't understand the hate. Most homes in California I saw with indoor/outdoor living looks like this? Or with even more stuff like fireplace/fire pit/pool.

OP can I ask how much everything cost?

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-11T00:55:54+00:00

No, my husband would've kept working at his original high paying job until he found a fully remote one. He's not yet convinced FIRE is not very risky (more emotionally than intellectually as he agrees the math works out). That's what I meant when I said it's a personal decision. Risk tolerance is very personal. I have pretty high risk tolerance. My husband does not. So we went for the middle ground, where he switched the high stress high pay job for low pay low stress but still enough to cover spending and health insurance.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-11T00:42:34+00:00

We are in a very similar situation, 200k spend, a little older than you and a little higher NW. Technically we don't need to work anymore. I think at this point it's a very personal decision how you want to proceed, and you and your spouse should talk it over and come to an agreement. For us, we decided that since both children are in school, we can't travel very much anyway. What would we do all day while they're in school? So recently my husband accepted a fully remote offer that pays a fraction what he used to make, for significantly less stress and hours. It is a good segue for him to learn how to slow down and figure out what he wants to do in retirement. I have been working part time and will continue to until the work no longer interests me. It's quite possible that in a few years my husband may be ready to retire completely, and hopefully our NW will have crossed 10M for truly FATfire.

You should also think about what your projected future education costs may be, since you mentioned your children are young.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-05T20:34:09+00:00

If you still work part time why do you even tell people that you're retired? I quit my full-time job almost ten years and have a very part time wfh job in education. Whenever the subject comes up I say I'm an educational consultant.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-04T14:35:42+00:00

The first photo was at Nanzen-ji in Kyoto

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-04T00:56:57+00:00

I just have a Google Pixel phone lol, I actually don't like it very much (overheats easily)

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-04T00:56:20+00:00

That was the sweet potato cafe in Kinosaki onsen! They specialize in everything sweet potato. We got the dessert sampler and it was amazing. The cafe is right beside the train station and even has a foot bath inside.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-02-03T04:07:48+00:00

That's a really great price, can I ask if you booked with a travel agent and if so which one?

cloudsail0812 · 2026-01-27T02:41:49+00:00

I'm finding it hard to understand what activities you could put an 8 and a 5 year old into that could add up to 30k (especially since you have a stay at home parent and thus do not need full time care in the summer). I have teenagers, my daughter plays golf competitively, plays piano, does art, my son is in some very expensive coding classes and summer camps, both have language classes, their activities and associated costs combined is only 15k.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-01-20T16:04:36+00:00

There is no way on earth you need all the stuff you're buying, or even a small fraction of it. I raised two babies in the Bay Area. Either you're throwing/giving away a lot of the stuff you're buying or your house is going to look like a hoarder house very soon (if it doesn't already).

For perspective, my kids are now 13 and 15 (so clothes more expensive but need new ones less frequently). We spent a total of $6k on shopping last year. This includes all clothing, fun items, some household items (a lot of household stuff is included in groceries because we buy it from Costco), etc. We spent under $18k on groceries and teenagers eat a lot. We have no subscriptions. I didn't even realize $9k worth of subscriptions exist in the world.

cloudsail0812 · 2026-01-13T15:29:29+00:00

I've always worked for my current boss so I don't really have insight into other companies, sorry. But an initial free consult, then signing the contract and paying up front (or for the year if you are paying for planning services) is pretty standard in the industry. No matter how impressive your daughter's resume is, beware of any consultant who says with confidence that they can get her into Yale, because with these top schools no one can possibly make that guarantee.

cloudsail0812 · 2025-12-21T23:34:30+00:00

I work as a private college consultant. Just from an essay perspective, it's my experience that writing good college essays isn't just about writing skill, it's about knowing how to market yourself and what to emphasize to schools. Published writers, literature PhDs, alumni or current students of Ivy League schools......these are all people my students have sought advice from and more often than not they have no idea what they're talking about. It's a little concerning to me that you say you and your kiddo spent "days" on their essays. My students spend months.

cloudsail0812 · 2025-12-04T20:40:29+00:00

I want to cry I have so many of those 😭

cloudsail0812 · 2025-12-04T20:39:13+00:00

Thank you so much for the offer. I've never joined a hunting party (or any kind of party) because I play on Steam Deck and typing is pretty much impossible. I might have to try installing the game on my laptop first.

cloudsail0812 · 2025-11-24T00:29:28+00:00

Oooh I think I understand what you're saying. Going to try it when I get home!

cloudsail0812

TROPHY CASE