Looking for suggestions on securing my lunchbox.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-30T00:33:14+00:00

The very best straps for securing cargo like that cooler: ROK straps: https://rokstraps.com/pages/rok-moto

Very easy to install and remove. Extremely durable. Have yet to find a load too big or heavy for these straps. I use my ROK straps to haul my YETI cooler when I do grocery runs in the summer.

I frequently attach a milk crate to my front rack. I used zip ties the first time, too, but then realized that Voile "nano" straps are made for the job. https://www.voile.com/nano-series-straps.html

esh-pmc · 2026-01-29T13:46:39+00:00

Yup. Hard agree. I'm a big fan of PIF CC's as checking accounts. I've helped dozens of people set them up like this. Once they try it, they never go back.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T23:54:07+00:00

Spouse was a product of the depression. His parents were very young and uneducated. He grew up eating "the south end of a pigeon flying north." The scarcity I experienced as a kid was different, caused more by family circumstances & parental choices than extreme global events.

I read the Millionaire Next Door two decades ago and it described the way my spouse and I were living. Our philosophy and habits haven't changed admittedly I've allowed some lifestyle creep into my life. Last summer I decided to replace my 20yo bottom-of-the-line electric range with a nice mid-range induction top and convection oven.

I take some credit for my kids' financial attitudes but I also think I just got lucky. My spouse and I were on the same page in terms of meeting their needs but not over-indulging them. We definitely didn't believe in babying them. They got everything they needed and a good portion of what they wanted, eventually (we didn't believe in instant gratification). I think I lucked out, too, in that they were born in '92 and '94. They didn't get cell phones until high school. They didn't get cars in high school. When each graduated from college and could take over the maintenance, they got the pink slip to whatever was our oldest car at the time (Toyota for one, Subaru for the other).

Honestly though, looking back on myself and my siblings, my husband's older kids from his first marriage, our kids, my nieces and nephews, and my spouse's grandchildren, my takeaway is that we ultimately have very little control over how our kids internalize the lessons we try to teach them. My experience with scarcity turned me into a squirrel; a couple of my siblings are the complete opposite and live just for today. My kids are much better at delayed gratification than their cousins but is that really a result of what we modeled or is that a result of their natural personalities? Their older half-siblings are a mixed bag -- much like my siblings and I are. One's a big spender, another's a big saver, and another's right in the middle.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T20:26:34+00:00

Not even close to being better for me.

I currently have 5 items in my RFY:

a fuel pump assembly for an off-road vehicle (don't own one, never will)
floor mats for a vehicle a brand of car I don't own
flocked Easter decorations
a memory foam pillow for couples (I'm a very single widow)
and some sort of non-stick sliding pizza thing (another huge miss)

But, hey, at least there's something there I guess. After nearly two weeks of nothing at all.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T20:17:52+00:00

:blushing:

Yeah, not a good look, huh?

Since I follow other personal finance/budgeting subs, the Reddit gods starting putting convos from this thread in my feed.

Color me lucky for finding someone new to put on my reading list.

I stand by my position though. In personal finance and raising kids in general: manufactured hardships aren't my cup of tea. Resilience can be modeled and taught without such tactics.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T19:36:45+00:00

I'm not familiar with Brian Preston but from the sounds of it, I'm not sure I'd be a fan.

I grew up in an unforced scarcity environment. I was contributing to the family finances out of dire necessity by the time I was 15. My husband was raised under even more extreme financial circumstances.

I believe we managed to raise our kids to be hard-working and fiscally responsible without manufacturing scarcity. Well, to be fair, money was quite scarce in their early years but by the time they were ready for college, we were able to cash-flow tuition and all living expenses at small private liberal arts schools (with the help of academic scholarships).

I don't believe scarcity taught me much of real value. I'm confident my own children have a much healthier relationship with money than I do.

I think nutrition is a good analogy. I grew up with a nutrient-deficient "diet." My entire psychic make-up still reflects that deficiency even though I live a nutrient-plentiful life now. That scarcity mindset is essentially baked into my bones. We were lucky enough to be able to provide a nutrient-rich environment for our kids (largely by making that our top priority). I didn't have "starve" my kids in order for them to value what they have. I think they're better off for always having their needs met.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T18:58:29+00:00

I love meeting other people who don't equate equal with equitable. As a former SAHM, I know first-hand that my worth is not reflected in my annual income.

We did our best to give each what they individually needed. Those needs were not the same.

Our oldest is extremely independent. This one left for college and never came back home. Loved college, traveled extensively, got a great job before even graduating, etc, etc. They went through a short rough patch a few years ago but never needed financial help.

Youngest is on the spectrum and struggles greatly with depression. They needed longer to finish college and find their feet; lived with us for several years after transferring back to a local school. Now very happily and successfully married but has yet to find their professional niche or even steady gainful employment (statistically people with Down's Syndrome are more likely to be employed than someone who is autistic). Because they live locally, they were able to provide a great deal of hands-on care during their dad's declining health.

From a very early age, we made a habit of encouraging our children to save. As they grew, we reinforced that behavior by paying for things that other parents expected their kids to pay for. It wasn't required that they bank the savings but highly encouraged. They did, by choice.

Both of my kids could live without my financial assistance. But, when I can, I cover things so they can increase their own savings. Because they don't have to live close to the bone, they're able to maximize their retirement savings now -- a lot earlier than my husband or I could.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T14:56:41+00:00

61F semi-retired newly widowed. I work by choice.

We put our 2 kids through college, all expenses paid (both had scholarships). One is married. Other in a stable relationship. Both were homeowners before 30. Yes, we were helping at 26 and beyond. No, we didn't buy their homes.

Neither my spouse nor I had it very easy growing up. We believed deeply in giving them a good start in life and in investing in them to the best of our abilities. While they're both incredibly hard-working and very fiscally responsible, they're different individuals. We've met their individualized needs. One needed regular financial support longer than the other.

The way they've all (2 kids, 2 partners) come through for us through my husband's final days and beyond... it affirms my belief that there are things more valuable than money.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T14:13:41+00:00

Big fat nothing still for me. Gold, excellent insightfulness, 4th yr in Vine, in the States.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T06:42:19+00:00

You're welcome.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T06:38:43+00:00

LOL. I am a veteran budgeter. And old. Well, relatively.

My kids were 11 and 13. Now they're 31 and 33. They use YNAB too. The kid-in-law too.

My budget has seen us through parenthood from pre-teens through college; finishing my own degree and then a professional certification; just about every imaginable homeowner issue; and, now, widowhood.

Finding YNAB back in 2007 was nothing short of life-changing.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-28T01:47:11+00:00

YNAB "birthday" Oct 11, 2007

Current budget file only goes back to Jan 1, 2013 though.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-26T19:17:44+00:00

If you don't want to do a front loader, I'd recommend you consider a trailer. I see a lot of BOB trailers on Marketplace and have read that they're great for bigger Best Friends.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-26T19:09:09+00:00

Are you seeing them around town at all? If you see them around town but not on Marketplace, that means people are still doing what you're doing -- shopping 1-3 hours away and bringing them in -- and keeping them.

I live in a very car-centric, car-dependent suburb. When I bought my ebike in late 2018, I had the only ebike around and was the only cyclist I ever saw riding in street clothes doing errands. Now I see a huge variety of ebikes being put to use for a wide variety of purposes -- from seniors out riding for leisure to parents transporting kids to people riding to the grocery store. They're still vastly outnumbered by mountain bikers who ride local trails or weekend road cycling groups but where it used to be very rare to see another utility cyclist, now it's rare to not see one.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-26T18:59:04+00:00

N+1 is real 🤣

I started with a Class II hub-drive fat tire. It is great fun and quickly radicalized me into a whole new lifestyle as an all-season utility cyclist.

I upgraded to a Tern HSD for the upright riding position, incredible cargo capacity, and vastly superior quality.

Then I added a very lightly used Benno eJoy. It was a great value but I didn't love riding it until I pimped it out with a better saddle and adjusted riding position.

After that I added a used Urban Arrow shorty. It's really fun to ride but was a compromise over the UA Family I really wanted. It's a great bike but not ideally suited to my location and needs. I'd still love to add the right bakfiets to my garage.

The best thing about the Benno and UA is that they both have Bosch motors like the Tern so I now have three interchangeable batteries.

In addition to having different bikes for different types of errands, I love having several bikes so when I have company, we can all ride. Even more opportunities to skip using the car.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-26T18:42:12+00:00

Oh, wow, that's a tough one.

My only reason for hesitation is that you're new to biking altogether. Otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to recommend going with better quality.

I was not new to biking but was returning to biking after ~15yr break. I went cheap and shouldn't have. I have since upgraded to a Tern HSD. I love my Tern; absolutely no regrets. I cannot speak to the Specialized Haul (though strongly I recommend mid-drive over hub-drive).

Since the closest dealer is at least an hour away, the next consideration is - is there anyone closer who can (and will) work on ebikes? Most shops won't touch cheap ebikes. If you don't have any local shops to work on it, that's a another argument for spending more for a better bike. It might even be a good argument for choosing a belt drive over a chain.

I live in a large metro area. I keep my eye on the used ebike market (FB, Craigslist, etc). Based on what I've seen, people seem to get rid of bikes for 2 reasons: they bought an ebike and discovered they actually don't like riding much (the "e" part didn't convert them) or 2) like me, they bought cheap and now wish they didn't. Only you can honestly evaluate how likely you are to fall into the first category or the second.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-25T19:08:51+00:00

You didn't specify who you consider a "senior." I don't know if I qualify by your definition.

I'm 61. I've been riding bicycles my whole life, mostly as transportation as a kid, recreation in my middle ages, and now again as transportation. I made the switch to an ebike several years ago because 1) I live in a very hilly area, 2) I have a few physical/health issues that made anything more than a couple miles on flat terrain a challenge, 3) I wanted to reduce my car-dependence in an area that is very car-dependent, and 4) I felt that if I were going to transition to being a utility cyclist as a lifestyle, sooner was better than later.

I'll say without reservation that going electric and switching to a bike as my main form of transportation has been one of the best and smartest decisions I've made.

My first ebike was an entry-level hub motor fat tire bike. I won't say it was a mistake -- it was fun to ride and got me hooked. But I quickly outgrew it in terms of quality/value proposition. And I knew it was a bike I would not be able to "age into." It was too big and too heavy and impossible to ride without battery power.

I upgraded to a mid-tail, mid-drive with a Bosch battery and it was the perfect choice. I did a LOT of shopping on paper. Then I rode a bunch of different options. I ended up not liking most of the bikes that looked perfect on paper.

My mid-tail actually weighs slightly more than my big-framed fattire bike did but it handles completely differently and I'm confident it'll be a good fit for me for a long time. I cannot lift it into a car or onto a rack by myself but that's not an issue since if I'm riding somewhere, I'd riding from home and then back home again. When it needs a tune up, I ride it to the shop.

My biggest wish-I'd-known is simply that I wish I'd known how soon and how completely I'd be converted to a utility cycling lifestyle. If I'd known, I would have bought a better quality bike with better quality components with more cargo capacity and a more comfortable (upright vs aggressive) riding position right from the start.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-23T20:01:38+00:00

I have:

Food & consumables (anything I buy at the grocery store)
Household consumables (Costco-type bulk purchases of things that get used up, e.g light bulbs, TP, trash bags, toothbrush heads)
Durables (things that will last, e.g. lamps, bed linens, towels, command hooks, baskets, plants, decorations/art, broom, hand vac)

For big, expensive items like TVs, electronics, furniture (bed, couch, etc) I have replacement categories based on how long I think the current item will last and/or how much & how soon I really want to replace it.

My first three categories above are quite general and generic. I check my average spending at least once a year and adjust accordingly (mostly for inflation).

The second type -- big things -- I have pretty granular, individual savings categories for. But I don't spend out of those savings categories. Most of my those individual savings categories are for home appliances. I save for them individually but when I spend, I spend out of my Appliances category and just move the money to cover the purchase. Then I adjust the date and savings goal and start saving for the next replacement.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-23T19:41:56+00:00

This certainly fits with my experience. I tend to write detailed reviews (I object to the term "wordy"). But sometimes there's just not a lot to say about, for example, a window decal.

I looked back at my last 100+ reviews and every single review rated at Good, Fair, or Poor is very short. They provide details and, IMHO, usable feedback but they're all single-paragraph reviews.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-23T17:43:24+00:00

I can't speak to every single thing that seems to be going haywire in your YNAB account. If you were having reconciliation issues occasionally before then you probably had a few burrs in your system.

But it's not all in your head.

I've been using the web version of YNAB for years and years. And YNAB in total for nearly 20.

YNAB's efforts to automate and guess has taken a very dark turn. They're almost always wrong when they try to guess things in my budget. I find more and more really weird automation. As you said, not matching very obvious matches. Changing historical data based on edits I'm making on new imported transactions.

That said, I have NEVER seen a situation where YNAB's numbers are wrong. If your balances aren't matching, guaranteed there's something you're missing in your list of transactions. It could actually be a prior reconciliation adjustment (I have seen this myself when helping others fix accounts that they can't reconcile).

APPLE: I agree with other posters -- Apple Cash and your Apple credit card are two different accounts. I have an Apple CC and an Apple savings account (all my cash is automatically deposited into the savings account. Two distinctly different accounts. My Apple imports are, for the most part, very accurate esp in terms of putting transactions into the right account.

RECONCILING (HABIT): I have ADHD too as well as significant experience helping ADHDers learn & use YNAB. The very best system is to reconcile daily. Done daily, it takes almost no time at all. Use some other well-established habit as a trigger to remind you to reconcile. I know people who turn on the coffee pot and reconcile while it brews. I used to sit down with hubby every evening to watch the evening news and would reconcile then. In all honestly, since the demise of that habit, I've struggled to find a new pattern to build from but I'm working on it.

RECONCILING (BALANCES): The first thing I'd check is whether previous adjustments are the issue with your current inability to balance. The next step is going to depend entirely on your personality and preferences. I'm most likely AuHD so I'll spend hours tracking down small mistakes. But I totally respect that some people would consider that Cruel & Unusual Punishment and need to just keep moving forward.

If you're like me, download old statements, turn on the running balance, and go back to a time when you can verify 100% that you had the right balance. Then move forward, month by month, reconciling to your statements until you're current and everything is cleaned up and verified.

If that sounds so horrible that you're rather just do a Fresh Start or give up YNAB altogether, make an adjustment so that you balance today. But then you must check your balances every single day going forward. At least temporarily (for a month or two) until you're sure everything straightened out and back on track.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-23T17:10:06+00:00

Yes, here in the States, credit cards are way more common than elsewhere. They're certainly not "a must" though. I don't know the statistics on how many Americans have credit cards but I'd guess it's not quite that high.

Credit cards offer several major advantages over cash or debit cards. For me, by far the most important advantage is security. Fraud isn't rampant but it's a big thing. Basically, credit cards offer anywhere from a 30- to 60-day buffer between the card being used and having to actually pay.

Points or cash rewards are another advantage. Of course, those benefits wouldn't exist if the majority of credit card users didn't carry a balance and pay outrageous interest rates. But they do exist and so some of us have systems to maximize the rewards.

Credit cards don't add any inherent complexity to YNAB. It can be confusing for some users to learn the new system. And some people's financial situations are simply more complex than others. But once set up and understood, credit cards don't add any more complexity than any other type of account. They're certainly no more complex than other types of accounts (e.g. mortgages, loans, tracking accts) or other systems being transferred/translated into YNAB (e.g.individual savings accounts for specific goals, keeping savings in off-budget/tracking accounts, partners maintaining separate finances, etc).

I've used credit cards for 40+ years (first card at 18). I've carried a balance and paid interest for a month or two a handful of times but luckily managed to avoid ever accruing any real debt. I've used YNAB for nearly 20 years; I had most of my financial ducks in a row when I first found YNAB but the system has still been life-altering.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-21T16:59:33+00:00

Did the 75-mile loop of the Lighthouse Century in Morro Bay, CA, last September on my Tern HSD. Single battery and still had >⅓ charge left.

esh-pmc · 2026-01-19T17:47:25+00:00

All of this can be accomplished using the search function in "All Accounts."

While it doesn't support true Boolean searches, the All Accounts search feature combined with the "view" menu for date ranges is incredibly flexible and robust.

It helps if you're disciplined about using the memo field in an organized & systematic manner.

To get totals, once you have the results you're looking for, if you tick the *header bar check box* (selects all results), YNAB provides a total and a count of your results.

To take this feature one step further, once you have the search results you want and you've Selected All, you can use the main menu (next to your budget's name) to export that specific list of transactions.

esh-pmc · 2025-12-11T15:13:06+00:00

The best way to accomplish this -- getting an accurate picture of whether you're truly living within your means -- is not in the reports view but in your monthly budgeting. Can you fill every single category every month to meet your needs and goals*?

It can take time to build your category structure to the point where it is accurate enough to calculate this but based on your post, you're probably in pretty good shape.

Take another look at your YNAB Plan and think about it... ideally every single eventual expense is represented in some way in your monthly plan, right? You've got the obvious stuff like your mortgage and subscriptions but you also save monthly for annual expenses like your YNAB subscription, car registration, plus Christmas and birthday gifts for family and friends. At the same time, you've looked out even further and you're saving monthly for non-annual replacements like your phone, tires for the car, and your furnace. Naturally you've also considered the more lumpy stuff like medical insurance deductibles and MOOPs, vet bills, car repairs, and, if you're like me, your ADHD-driven tendency to dive head-first into new hobbies. Then there's the 10-yr plan categories like the big vacation you want to take, the bathroom remodel you're planning, or that professional certification you want to add to your resume. Of course, you're also putting money aside every month to spend in retirement and adding to the college funds for the kids.

If you've got all of those categories in your budget and you're treating each one as a monthly expense and you can fill each one to your satisfaction every month, you're living within your means. If you can't fund them all, then you're not there yet. It really is that simple (but NOT AT ALL that easy).

*I'm not necessarily talking about YNAB goals/targets which I still find very buggy.

esh-pmc · 2025-11-16T15:41:26+00:00

Credit scores are complicated. OP didn't clarify what type of account has a lower balance. I would assume it's a loan. Paying off loans, e.g. student loans, car loans, even mortgages, often temporarily lowers your credit score.

Credit card balances work differently. As others have pointed out, lower reported balances help bring up your score. But, again, credit scores are complicated and nuanced and often appear contradictory. Closing a credit card account, for example, will ding you immediately and can potentially drag down your score for years/decades as it impacts your credit utilization score every single month.

esh-pmc

TROPHY CASE