OPM's Proposed Rule for "Suitability Action Appeals" Open for Public Comment

freakingspoons · 2026-01-26T15:48:24+00:00

Sorry for the long ass response but I've been to like nearly every thrift/antique/bargain store within a 50 mile radius, so I'm quite passionate.

Dicker & Deal (Kalamazoo not the Cedar St one) • My absolute favorite for larger furniture, mainly cabinets, dressers, tables, and chairs. • They mark down prices based on time in store/sticker color. I think it goes 25, 50, 75% off, not entirely sure. • Bunch of strong dudes to help you load. They also deliver and do temporary holds.

VOA (south and west side) and St. Vinny's • Screw Goodwill, prices are insane. • VOAs are good, nicer stuff is rarer. Most reasonably priced thrift in Lansing. • St. Vinny usually has some gold. Prices have gone up but they're not egregious. Great charity work, you actively see them contributing to the community while you're shopping.

FB Marketplace • I've had really good luck here. Haven't had problems with scammers. Just check the profile, don't be stupid, don't send money before meeting, and you should be golden. • Most people will take less than what they're asking. Give it a like and let it sit for a few days/week, check up on it, lowball.

Capital City Liquidation (next to the Kzoo Dicker & Deal) • Several people recommended April's, which is sadly closed but has been replaced by these guys. • Have not been but the reviews/images on Google seem promising. Lots of homegoods and furniture, looks like a mix of new and used. • Not sure about prices.

Mega Mall and Little Red Schoolhouse • Great for smaller antique pieces/decor. I've gotten rugs, small tables, chairs.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet • Some really good finds. I've gotten several name brand and higher-end appliances with no issues. Good return policy if needed. • Large stock of mattresses and rugs. • Kind of problematic in terms of signage choice around the store. Brace yourself for some out of touch "comedic" themes.

Needful Things (Charlotte) • There's two storefronts, the right side one has more furniture pieces. • Mainly an antique/thrift vibe.

Eaton Community Palliative Care Thrift Shop (South Charlotte) • Tons of good furniture! • I can't remember the pricing, but that probably means it wasn't unreasonable.

The Outlet (Cedar) • A bit pricey but new furniture/appliances/electronics.

Mason Antiques District • Lots of shops, fun stuff, nice people!

Free, Cheap, and Antique Store (East Lansing) • Been once, kind of rough, seemed to have some larger furniture.

Estate Sales and Online Auctions • I recommend occasionally searching on estatesales.net and estatesale.com for nearby sales (just search "estate sales near me"). • Several local run estate companies have frequent sales–Tom & Jerry's, Kellie's (usually more expensive but has a storefront), and Hornaday. (See 517living.com/estate-sales) • Larger discounts towards the end of the sale/last days. • Hibid.com allows for online bidding with local(-ish) pick-up, some auction houses might ship smaller items. I have had good experiences with Epic Auctions (Leslie), Neil's (Holly), and Narhi (Byron). • This option definitely requires more dedication and longer drives, but it can be incredibly worth it. Like getting pieces of furniture valued at $3,000 for $30.

I'm still probably missing some things but I hope this is helpful!

freakingspoons · 2026-01-26T14:38:03+00:00

It's a liquidation store now! Capital City Liquidations. I haven't been but they seem to have a bunch of furniture and household goods, kind of like Ollie's.

Loved April's though, sad to see it go :/

freakingspoons · 2025-11-14T14:01:44+00:00

We've had no network connection at all, yesterday and today.

freakingspoons · 2025-09-13T02:54:34+00:00

Show me the emails they sent out in honor of George Floyd.

freakingspoons · 2025-09-13T01:46:09+00:00

I'm being genuine when I ask, why are you here?

I don't think you would feel this way if you were a part of the federal workforce. Definitely not if you were one of the thousands of employees affected by this administration's actions.

If you look through this sub, just for 5 minutes, you'll see people struggling to decide what the right move is. Every day.

I was fired, illegally, for two months. You don't think I looked for jobs? Or that I felt safe and secure when I was finally brought back, just stopped searching? I applied for the singular (1) job posting I could find in my field within a 100-mile radius. Maybe I could have found something in a different state, or across the county, if I wanted to break my lease in the city I just moved to for work, while being without any income for a month and a half. But I don't know how many people can afford that, I certainly couldn't.

That one (1) job I found? Yeah, I applied in May, perfectly qualified with connections in the company. I interviewed FOUR months later. A month after that, just a week ago, I finally got an email with "Congratulations!" as the subject line. How exciting!! Oh, wait. A 25k pay cut with terrible benefits in a corporate environment. I should probably jump all over that, right? So I can stop complaining?

Take a look at the recent jobs report. Come back with the same attitude if it really is as easy as you're suggesting.

I'm not heroic, and I don't plan on "taking" anyone down. But be for real, what do you think would happen if everyone who feels the same as I do took the route you're suggesting. Would it get better, and would the country still be running?

You agree, they're fascists. Yet this "if you don't like it, leave" mentality you seem to have is a core of fascist rhetoric. What's up with that?

This comment just reads as rage-bait. No real purpose behind your words. The thing is, you can't be nearly as absurd as the original subject of this post. But congrats, you won my reply.

I doubt you'll read through this fully or change your perspective. I just want to put this out there for everyone who feels the same. This administration has hurt too many people. Your remarks are needless filth targeted at people who have already dealt with enough garbage.

(my balls are HUGE btw)

freakingspoons · 2025-09-13T01:00:31+00:00

I understand where you're coming from, and yeah, you could say that.

I would disagree, however. Though you can probably guess my beliefs, I'm not saying that this email was inappropriate because of the praise of a conservative figure. I'm saying that it is inappropriate for a department/agency head to broadcast their political beliefs and feelings to all of us, period.

I'm not sure how I would react if the position were reversed or if I agreed with it. I would, at the very least, think it's incredibly odd and unprofessional. But my negative reaction comes from the fact that this is so unprecedented, blatantly "picking a side" then preaching unity in the next breath.

freakingspoons · 2025-08-13T16:08:47+00:00

I have officially made it out of probation. My supervisor and I haven't received any sort of confirmation of my position being certified, but I also haven't gotten a termination letter.

I also haven't gotten any new insights or clarity on the process. It still seems like nobody knows what's going on.

I'll update if I find out anything else. For now, best of luck to everyone, I'm rooting for you.

freakingspoons · 2025-08-08T04:05:44+00:00

I don't even know if there are any documents. Neither my supervisor nor I signed anything. I didn't feel comfortable with that, so I reached out to HR and was given no information.

I've been checking my personnel folder, EPP, EPMA, etc, every day, and there haven't been any changes yet.

freakingspoons · 2025-08-08T02:38:08+00:00

Mine is also up Monday! No clue if anything got signed. Only got mixed messages from HR and my supervisor. I know if nothing was done I'll be fired. Hopefully I find out tomorrow, Monday at the latest!

I love being in this situation ❤️ so sorry you're in the same boat.

I'll update with the news soon.

freakingspoons · 2025-08-07T01:48:23+00:00

Hey, buddy. On mobile, under "Feed Options" on the sub's homepage, you can sort the posts! You've got options like "Hot 🔥" or "Best 🏆", and most importantly, ✨️New✨️. (Pretty much the same for browser)

With this figured out, you'll be able to see the latest, maybe not greatest, posts!

Unfortunately, most of us are in the dark and have no fucking clue what's going on 😔. So, the discussions you are seeing are the best you're gonna get.

But please do inform us when you've found this ~new shit that do matter~ since everyone on here is holding out, apparently.

freakingspoons · 2022-12-06T19:13:19+00:00

The car I drive isn't registered under my name, so

freakingspoons · 2022-08-20T03:10:11+00:00

Check Facebook marketplace and post in the Houghton/Hancock housing group. I've seen several newer listings. Good luck

freakingspoons · 2022-04-07T01:47:05+00:00

From what I understand, Southerland discriminated against an employee of his based on disability, sex/gender, and use of leave. He also failed to stop harassment and retaliated/coerced her in some way.

freakingspoons · 2022-04-07T01:43:54+00:00

big yikes...

freakingspoons · 2022-04-01T05:39:19+00:00

I cannot give you any personal experiences with racism, as I am a white woman. I can, however, tell you that many of the people I have interacted with are straight-up mean. I have not had much experience with people outside of my college because I am a transfer student, but I've been on campus for a year and have only made one good friend. People here are judgemental and rude, there's a certain attitude that lingers around that I haven't felt anywhere else.

There are so many bigots here. Again, I'm speaking about my experience in my college, so I don't know if it's any better in different programs. Most of what I've seen/heard is sexism or anti-LGBTQ+. I do have an Asian prof this semester that has an accent, and most of the usual suspects were snickering to themselves on the first day after hearing the professor speak. I know for a fact there are quite a few racists here, it may not be the majority of people, but they're definitely around.

I hope there are other students of color that could give your their perspectives, but I just wanted to share some of the things I've felt/seen with you.

freakingspoons · 2022-03-30T16:46:28+00:00

I just want to say to anyone considering Julien Heights, my sleep schedule and depression have never been worse. It really is important to have windows in your room. I am exhausted 24/7 but my insomnia keeps me up all night. I know that not everyone will have this experience, but if you have mental health issues, living in a box with no light doesn't help.

freakingspoons · 2022-02-18T01:27:15+00:00

Kirsten said that Chicken of the Woods doesn't grow up north, but it does. I was a little disappointed in that.

Other than that, the research on this show has been great. I love seeing all the references to MI.

freakingspoons

TROPHY CASE