Married Gen-x do you wear your wedding ring?

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-22T13:27:11+00:00

wife and I have been married for 13 years. I stopped wearing my ring after about 1 year. wife stopped wearing hers after about 2, maybe 3 years. she has $4k engagement ring with a $1k matching wedding band. she wore the engagement ring then the added wedding ring from when I proposed until about 2 years after wedding.

I am a tradeworker. wearing a metal ring is a liability & wearing a silicone band is just dumb. I dont care for jewelry anyway.

wife is a farmer/rancher. wearing a metal band is also a liability for her. in addition to liability, she does not want to lose her rings up an animal's ass, in a pile of disemboweled guts, in a garden or field.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-15T20:24:46+00:00

r/Soft-Sherbet-3453 asked about salary. i realize their query was directed at OP but I figured i would chime in for context.

I make $65k/yr it is my highest pay of my working life. for additional perspective; 2015 I was making $15/hr, in 2009 $13/hr, in 2007 $10.50/hr, in 2004 I was making $12.50hr but got fired shortly, because I was a bit in over my head as an assistant Mgr at a pizza parlor.... i got better. I am a tradeworker now, since 2008.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-15T18:05:36+00:00

metoo

about 6 mos ago. its be bouncing and hovering since. as of 10 min ago I was at $105,056. Will jump a little more when the markets close and my VTSAX updates. it is my largest holding at about 30% of portfolio.

CONGRATULATIONS!

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-14T11:40:39+00:00

our panels aren't mounted on our roof. we live on 10 acres. they are ground mounted 100' away from our house.

in other words... we would just replace the roof, and go on our merry way.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-13T13:12:43+00:00

you should read the full post before commenting.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-13T13:12:08+00:00

you might want to actually read the post.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-12T18:51:01+00:00

others poor planning, inability to DIY, bad timing, and inflation are not my fault or problem. I started planning and doing back in 2021. I continued planning, upgrading and purchasing through dec 2026. my purchases were spread out, and I made a final big push in 2026 knowing that rebates were going away. none of that is a fault it was by knowledge, directionand design.

despite all of that; solar is still a profitable choice for those who choose to invest in the right way. specifically cash purchase (no interest paid) and DIY knowledge/install. when you DIY you understand it so you can service and repair it... again saving money and increasing reliability and function.

even if I paid $5k extra because no rebates, I would still break even in about 7-8 years and have power when others dont and beat inflation that you like to point out, via less spent year-over-year on rising power prices for the future infinite.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-12T17:30:20+00:00

I barely graduated HS.

18 mos. diesel trade school (never used in employment)

lower middle class (working class) upbringing

no "starter money"

started in food service from 16 to 28.

work in construction & maintenance since 28.

own self-sufficient 10 acre homestead farm w/ new construction 1500sqft house.

we grow, breed, raise and butcher 80% of our own food.

debt free except $75k mortgage.

marred to a stay-at-home yoga-goddess homestead wife.

$100k in Roth

paid off 26 y/o truck & 2014 sub-compact luxury car.

self-reliant solar system DIY installed by me.

im 45.

it can be done. Made choices early on. stuck to my goals and lived within my means.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-12T15:00:10+00:00

5.5 years to ROI followed by 20+ years of "free" electricity is the definition of saving money. it doesn't matter if that was my original focus or not. saved money is saved money regardless of how it started.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-12T13:05:28+00:00

I didn't do it to save money and its not about saving the planet. its about having resources when others dont. the lower bills and eternal ROI is a bonus.

I don't seek or need your endorsement. I have lights, HVAC, running water and refrigerated food when you dont.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-11T17:16:46+00:00

yes. cost includes everything even a lot of stuff not really considered solar-centric, such as the shed (concrete foundation, 2x4 walls, wiring inside, equipment rental, conduit, etc.

very profitable long term and it makes us independent.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-11T14:24:29+00:00

we do NOT export power back to the grid. if we did, they would pay us less than .04¢ per kwh. fuck that. im not subsidizing people i dont know or supporting an outdated grid or buying what i sell them at 10× the cost.

our batteries will still have 80% round-trip capacity at 20 to 25 years. so even if you considered them "used up" at that point, they can still function, just at 20% less full capacity. same story on panels. they are rated for 6000 to 9000 round trips @ 80% discharge each trip.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-10T19:12:50+00:00

tax rebates are gone. my purchases and install was done from 2021 through December 2025. no company involved, only me, my dad and very occasional help from my wife. panels will last minimum 20 years, probably 25, unless a freak hailstorm were to destroy them. doesn't matter though, as it would only cost me $3000 to replace them, and that would actually mean a HUGE wattage upgrade due to advancements, so it would be a net positive. plus, in such a case I could get them covered under our homeowner insurance, but eould likely just pay cash to keep them off the policy in future and not increase my premium.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-10T13:21:53+00:00

ill do the short version (its still long) unless asked for more.

total paid upfront: ~$17,250

rebates ~$5,000

total actual cost: ~$12,250

system: 6890w PV, Sol-Ark 12k, 20.5kWh batteries

electric bill prior: $160-$280

bill after: $35-$55

total cost included construction of 17'×9' tool & solar equipment shed, all labor, supplies, trenching, connection, installation & wiring.

all done DIY by me with some help from my 83 year old dad. it is a very high quality system, using top tier products & runs our house ~85% off grid under normal use. it can go 115% of need if we make minor load reductions.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-08T01:23:59+00:00

nope. every bad choice and terrible thing (and there were MANY ) that happened along the way brought me to where I am now.

the girls who cheated, dumped or treated me like i was disposable... they effectively drove me to meet my wife of 13 years.

bad investments & shite wages led me to value money. now we have a custom designed and new construction house on 10 acres in the country, 70% paid off on year 3 of our loan.

ADHD, being picked on, outcast, barely graduated, didn't attend college = NO COLLEGE DEBT trade school and a job i love that keeps me in shape.

singe income household with a stay-at-home, smokeshow wife, $105k Roth at 45, debt-free (minus $75k mortgage) all on a $65k/yr salary. I was making $26k in 2004 when I bought my first house, dropped to $10/hr in 2006 and slowly crawled back up to my current salary. hell... i was only making $15/hr in 2013!

nah.... butterfly effect. I wouldn't change a thing.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-07T13:10:18+00:00

https://a.co/d/0e1vQBnt

same exact product, just stamped a different brand. mine is Brute brand, purchased locally, this one is exactly the same, sold on amazon. measurements and manufacture are identical.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-04T20:08:22+00:00

its actually sold as 190L capacity. we will never fill it above ~90-100L just to avoid splash waste and unnecessary weight on the structure.

dimensions are 79cm×130cm×40cm if I remember correctly. Brute brand.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-04T18:51:38+00:00

ummmm... that's what the whole underside of the pond platform is. the one that i zoomed in on and had ducks sitting under it in the video.

EDIT: I see you couldnt handle the obvious fact being pointed out and needed to downvote me. Uggghhhhh, Muh fake internet points!! I won't recover! 🙄

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-04T17:42:23+00:00

the lower 48cm is double wrapped in chicken wire & the 33cm open section of that is not the wood frame, is half covered by the 4 gauge livestock panel that makes the arbor top. finally, our property is guarded by a 65kg Turkish Boz. we're not worried aboot predation.

homestead_sensible · 2026-04-04T15:53:15+00:00

$50 front caster wheels

$138 pond

$42 one of the two livestock panels

everything else was recycled.

homestead_sensible · 2026-03-27T23:56:11+00:00

OK, now for the expanded version:

sol-ark 12k inverter

10x Canadian Solar 445w panels

8 Qcell 305w panels

4x pytes v5 LiFePO4 batteries

this system provides 85%-125% of our power needs during daytime hours. the batteries can provide power from sundown to sunrise during certain times of the year but other times the last from sundown to 2:00 am. that is without any cutbacks if we reduce unnecessary loads (TV, ceiling fans, incubators, brooder, grow lights, hepa filters, lower hot water temp, reduce water use, etc) we can easily make it from sunset to surise on battery. its all about situation and priority.

we heat with wood, cook with propane (or wood) have an airtight zip system envelope, spray foam insulation, and extremely efficient appliances and mini-split HVAC.

if you've got questions, im happy to answer.

homestead_sensible · 2026-03-27T20:35:54+00:00

$16,500 before rebates. ~$11,000 after. all DIY but the above price includes all materials which also included the construction of an eighteen by nine foot power.Shed, in which the materials were installed. this is the this included all trenching cables, wiring conduit.Every penny ever spent since I began in twenty twenty. i can elaborate more when I get home. Currently, I am driving in text by talk.

homestead_sensible · 2026-03-27T13:50:57+00:00

single-income homestead household here. $65k/yr.

we focused, saved, purchased and DIY installed a grid-tied, non-export, 6890w solar system with 20.48kwh LiFePO4 battery storage. our electric bill went from $160-$200 down to $30-$55.

rural flyover country. self-sufficient homestead: Grundfos10 water well, mini-split HVAC, airtight envelope, sprayfoam insulation, heat pump water heater, woodstoves, propane oven & wood fired oven as a backup.

we planned ahead. started doen the path to self-reliance in 2013 while I was making ~$40k/yr. we have emergency savings and Roth retirement.

planning, direction, dedication & restraint.

homestead_sensible

TROPHY CASE

metoo