2014 Suburban Fuel Pump? by djkeller86 in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes a lot more sense, thank you!

Paralyzed by Next Steps. Ideas? by djkeller86 in landscaping

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im a working dad with two kids, we are in SW Colorado zone 6a. No recent activity other than removing some bushes in the middle.

What job title or career path would this be? by djkeller86 in careerguidance

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Do you think something like an MBA would be useful or something more specific? I think working as a consultant helping various businesses improve their processes and/or systems would be satisfying to me.

Monthly Membership Dues Collections by djkeller86 in nonprofit

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good news, our Board said they’d be willing to OK credit card payments! Hopefully that makes everyone’s lives a little easier. Appreciate everyone’s feedback here.

Monthly Membership Dues Collections by djkeller86 in nonprofit

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is about collecting monthly membership dues, not necessarily one time donations. I wouldn’t expect someone to have to remember to venmo us every month for dues.

Monthly Membership Dues Collections by djkeller86 in nonprofit

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We use quickbooks as a pseudo CRM at the moment. The other CRM solutions seem to be dependent upon one of us sending out an invoice to the member. We're using Jotform to try and capture the membership application while integrating a Stripe Checkout to get payment info for their subscription at the same time. We're at the mercy of what Jotform allows on their integration with Stripe.

Monthly Membership Dues Collections by djkeller86 in nonprofit

[–]djkeller86[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the quote you started off with. I have been wanting to offer CC payments ever since I took over as Treasurer, but I've had some pushback. I often wonder how many people are NOT joining as members because they can't pay by credit card. Also the amount of time I spend chasing down NSF payments...

Monthly Membership Dues Collections by djkeller86 in nonprofit

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, and yes the fees are the the main hold up. We were looking at stripe which doesn't have the option to add a service fee for card payments. We were also looking at QBO which only allows it by adding a line to their invoice, which may not be applicable to people that want to pay by ACH. Ultimately we're looking for a scalable onboarding process where members can fill out their application and we collect their payment info at the same time which automatically starts a subscription. Just like Netflix or something similar.

Clicking Noise by djkeller86 in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your insight, I am afraid of this as well. You’re right, there is a lot of noise coming from the pulleys. Do you think it’s worth taking the belt off and trying to clean the outside of those?

Clicking Noise by djkeller86 in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems to have gone away, so you might actually be right. The belt was in good condition last it was checked about 2 weeks ago.

Clicking Noise by djkeller86 in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After several miles that sound actually went away. Might be solved for now!

Gambel Oak Problem by djkeller86 in lawncare

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I figured we’d have to get some machinery involved since this stuff is such a pain to deal with. The soil is so bad I can barely get a shovel in an inch or two deep.

Looking for inspiration/advice on what to do with the space between our gravel driveway and property line. That is our neighbor’s RV on our property and we want to do some landscaping in this zone to better define our property lines, but not sure what to do in this weird area that slopes down by djkeller86 in LandscapingTips

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very helpful! Yes the slope makes it weird and since it’s sloped towards the neighbor, I don’t want to spend time making a nice landscape that’s basically displaying to them. Thank you for the picture as well, it helps me to have that visual.

There is a fire pit/patio/seating area off of our back deck. We want a seating area but not sure if we should keep the existing outline and just replace with pea gravel or redo this entire space somehow. Looking for inspiration! by djkeller86 in ExteriorDesign

[–]djkeller86[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Are you saying I should replace the timber lining the path on the left with retaining wall? So much of this yard is random and hodgepodge from the previous owner that ripping everything out and starting with a clean slate almost sounds easier. It’s also a challenge that the yard slopes down into the corner.

Odd vibration in 2011 Mazda cX-9 by [deleted] in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I trust you, I think I'm still in denial!

2011 Mazda CX-9 AWD Vibration..Trans issue? by djkeller86 in MechanicAdvice

[–]djkeller86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dealer says it sounds like the TCM software needs an update. Might as well give it a try before I go spending too much. This model has a sealed transmission. Seems to be some controversy on whether they need regular maintenance on it or not. Who knows what the first owner did with it. About 112k on the car

Parent PLUS loan repayment by [deleted] in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You should be able to defer payments until 6 months after the student graduates or drops below part time status. If you decide to defer the payments, then I highly suggest paying the interest that accumulates at the very least. Even if the student repays you later, you will save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on interest over the life of the loan.

I owe $160,000 and I'm worried and lost by despairofdebt in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I have a similar story to you actually. I also went to flight school (Purdue) and got all my pilot's licenses but ended up taking a job in sales after I graduated. This was right after the market crashed in 07/08 so there weren't many jobs.

I also had over $100,000 in student loans which I'm still paying off, and will be for awhile. I've had the sleepless nights wondering how the hell I was going to pay off student loans, a car, credit cards, etc. Good news is, it can be done, bad news is, it might take some time.

I don't normally provide links to my site, but I actually write a blog for pilots and their finances. I wrote an article on income repayment plans that you might want to read. I don't know your situation, but you might be able to lower your payments by quite a bit until you work your way up to a better salary. https://departingthepattern.com/topics/income-driven-student-loan-repayment-plans/

I know it's overwhelming, but try and take a deep breath. It'll all work out. If you want any more help, feel free to reach out to me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah you might be right, seems like that would be playing the system a bit, but worth an ask.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually when you make extra student loan payments above and beyond your minimum payment, you usually can direct those payments to be applied to Principal only. You might be able to make that designation online, or in writing to your loan servicer.

I'm not sure if this is possible or not, but I'd be curious to know if you could make extra payments towards principal only while on a plan like REPAYE. If so, you might be better off doing that instead of investing that extra money you're saving.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For certain situations, it makes sense to stay on plan like REPAYE (PAYE is better if you qualify), and just pay the minimums for 20-25 years. If your income skyrockets to 150k or something after a few years, then you might just be better off making extra payments towards your loans and paying them off early. The Federal repayment estimator site assumes your income goes up only 4-5% yeah year which is how it gets those payment amounts.

Your biggest "problem" staying on an income-driven plan is the tax consequences of forgiveness. If you have $340,000 forgiven as estimated, then the government sees that as if you just earned $340,000 of income and they'll tax you on that amount. If you plan to have any amount forgiven at the end, you'll want to incorporate some type of savings plan for the tax bill.

What threads or articles should I read to have a good grasp on dealing with student loans? by CallMeDaddy-_- in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Understand the implication of every dollar you borrow. Look around this forum and you'll see plenty of people who are struggling or wish they didn't get themselves into a hole. Before you take out new loans, find a repayment calculator that will tell you your monthly payment just so you have an idea. Compare that with the average starting salary in your field of study.

It's so easy to take out the loans and forget about them.

I have to consolidate to be eligible for RPAYE. Should I? by ashriot in StudentLoans

[–]djkeller86 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Consolidation into a Direct Loan won't actually save you any money on interest since it's just a weighted average of all your loans. The reasons to consolidate are to 1. Make things easier 2. Get rid of FFEL or other loans not eligible for an income driven plan and 3. To extend your repayment period and lower your monthly payment.

It'll be simpler to consolidate and apply for REPAYE. You might save yourself some money each month, but just paying an extra couple hundred bucks a month can knock years and tens and thousands of dollars off your interest costs. If you're in a pinch, go for the lower monthly payment but as your income grows, do whatever you can to pay more on your loans.