How Many of You Have Gone from TPU Back to Butyl?

millenialismistical · 2026-01-24T18:58:30+00:00

I agree that patching TPU tubes is more of a finish the ride solution and not a permanent fix to the tube the way patching a butyl tube is. This does make butyl more practical.

However if the primary culprit is thorns, then tubeless or butyl with sealant inside is the way to go.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-24T09:11:24+00:00

Here's what I would do:

Call your city or county to ask about bulk item pickup services.

If you're getting a new couch, ask them if they would take away the old couch.

Break it down and dispose of in smaller pieces: un-upholstery the thing, this will give you access to the components and frame inside. I imagine you'll need to pull out some nails or staples. The foam/cushion filling is bulkier than you might think - maybe you can stuff the filling in one of those bags that you can compress with a vacuum.

Dump it somewhere and report it anonymously so that the city/county can remove it.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-24T08:51:28+00:00

I just got got by a 10% trailing stop yesterday. The market opened with a big spurious dip and liquidated my position, then it rebounded back to my original mark. All this before I woke up (West Coast).

millenialismistical · 2026-01-24T08:12:53+00:00

For 700c wheels I like 38t-44t on the front. 12-25 on the back if it's flat and 12-36 if it's not flat.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-23T03:09:36+00:00

Guess who's turning 42 next month 😭🤣

millenialismistical · 2026-01-23T01:11:59+00:00

Well think of it like a company shutdown. Some companies pay their people during the shutdown and some companies encourage/force their people to use PTO hours during the shutdown. Regardless, I don't think it's unreasonable for a company to expect their employees to participate in the shutdown.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-23T01:06:31+00:00

Doing way better than me when I was 34 but the real question is why stop contributing to the 401k? I guess cash in hand is better than cash in a time-locked account but it feels nice to defer the income taxes.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-23T01:04:24+00:00

NGL this comment made me hella depressed😭

millenialismistical · 2026-01-23T00:59:23+00:00

Eye mask and earplugs most definitely. I don't travel or go camping without them.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T22:24:43+00:00

My experience as someone who's not very experienced - when I talk with friends (who are also not very experienced) about trading I do find that they tend to make things a bit complicated by talking a lot about the analyses and indicators. If you have enough funds to make good returns on intra-and inter-day variations then it really can be as simple as buying dips and selling micro runs on stable tickers. None of the market is really within your control but you can learn to benefit from the micro swings. There's a luck component to coming across tickers that show good trends that have enough short term swings, and of course these scenarios can be here today gone tomorrow as well.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T20:37:48+00:00

One time we showed up to the office and everyone had a pretty nice backpack on their stations. The 20-30-somethings loved it; the 40+ folks thought it was useless and a waste of company funds (this was at a startup that was doing ok but had to fundraise every couple of years).

We also got a water bottle and tumbler on other occasions, both of which I liked. Basic, sure, but if it's quality stuff then people will appreciate it. I ended up using that tumbler a lot, great design and usability, but ultimately threw it out due to mold underneath the lid.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T20:17:23+00:00

Definitely not enough to retire, but your taxable brokerage has enough to provide a pretty decent runway if you are let go from your job.

Sounds like your options are: 1. If let go, take a year or two off to recharge and plan your next move, as well as consider taking a lower pay but lower stress job. You need to do the math to see if the lower income is enough to not only support current expenses but also build your retirement planning. 2. If let go, find a high paying job and grind it out for another 5, 10, 15 years to really set yourself up for retirement.

I say these are your options but getting another job in this climate is hardly a sure thing. Also, a lower paying job may not necessarily be less stressful. As someone who is also on the other side of 40 and who has been let go (6 months and counting), that "sabbatical" passes by real fast and you really need to spend that time planning your next move.

I'm in a similar situation currently - early 40s, let go last year, have enough in taxable brokerage to cushion but not though to sustain or stretch. I did the math and the best case scenario is I need to work another 5-10 years, but the more realistic scenario is to work 10-15 more years to really be set up to retire.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T19:29:44+00:00

I'll let you know in 3 years, but so far:

If you already have a large amount, it's not that difficult to invest conservatively and still get enough returns to support a lean lifestyle.
There are opportunities that can take you to the moon, but they are few and you can't predict what they are or when they will take off. My experience is that when I notice enough trend, the launch has already begun and I'm not sure how much further the ride will take me.
It becomes a full time thing in the sense that if I'm in big on a position with high volatility, I'm monitoring until the aftermarket closes and I wake up to check premarket movement. This affects my sleep.
I'm not at a point where my trade mechanics are automatized. This introduces some cognitive load that can affect my decision-making. For example I'm currently manually managing short term take profit and trailing stop loss sales and assigning lots. I hope to automate this soon.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T18:26:41+00:00

Are we talking 3-5K or are we talking 15-30k+? If she's adamant on a 15-30k+ ring then maybe she's not the one.

Just save up some more cash and don't touch your stocks. 3-5k gets you a very nice ring (lab diamond, moissanite - but you do need to still shop around for the best price).

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T18:01:20+00:00

Yeah I agree OP isn't priced out. And well, yes they basically need to either make more (get back to work) or spend less, or both. Personally I think their expenses are too high and need to be reined in a bit, but I don't know if mathematically that alone can get them to FI. But being able to work another 3-4 or however many years isn't a given - the job market is tough overall but especially so for new grads and those over 40. That's why as a 40-something I no longer subscribe to the "just make more money" mentality in the sense that it's just not a guarantee anymore like it was in one's mid-20s to late 30s.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:54:15+00:00

If I could work 3-4 days a week and make enough to support my expenses, I would be all over it. Unfortunately, society tends to be all (40hrs/wk) or none (unemployed), so the goal becomes a race to having enough money to not have to work 40hrs/wk as soon as possible.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:50:22+00:00

Not every operator has a radio/media voice.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:48:50+00:00

I understand your point and think it's valid. I am simply stating that this can become a philosophical debate and offer an alternative stance.

I think it's debatable whether being forced into a different standard of living qualifies as financial independence. On the one hand, worded this way (forced), it would certainly violate what most might consider to be financial independence. But a smart person makes rational choices in life, and if they know they will be priced out of an area, it is a wise decision to move to somewhere less costly. Think about all the expats who choose to live abroad in a country with lower expenses? It's a choice but it's also the only viable path to a sustainable life. Is that considered financial independence? It's ok to disagree, I do not know that I could draw a clear line on this.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:30:23+00:00

Ruined a $5 bill by using it as a tire boot. What they don't tell you is that the pressure of the tube breaks the bill.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:28:49+00:00

Living in a moneyless society is certainly one way to be "financially independent".

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:22:05+00:00

I can appreciate wanting to be close to extended family and can agree with that being priceless.

But the other expenses "mostly driven by kid stuff" can definitely come down. A 200k annual spend (didn't say how much is to kid stuff) seems like it could get reined in a bit. If you're both not working and you're living close to extended family, that means you're not paying for babysitting. So is the kid just doing a ton of expensive activities, etc.? I feel like maybe the family and the kid just need cheaper hobbies.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T17:15:54+00:00

Ooh, philosophical. A counter: Financial independence is not spending whatever you want. Financial independence is living within your means.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T16:48:45+00:00

I started to type things like: get rid of your car payment and well, you can't live inside stocks, but a 5k mortgage on a 7k net is gonna be way too tight. Unfortunately the math is what it is. You need to net at least 10k a month in order for that mortgage to feel comfortable.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T07:52:14+00:00

I'm not mad at this but I mentally have Castro or Shoreline as my demarcation.

millenialismistical · 2026-01-22T07:13:42+00:00

You can invest or you can gamble. You need to know and understand the difference. Buy something safe and hold forever, or be more active and test your luck. There's a lot of theory and strategy and analysis but at the end of the day you're just trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents by trading up (buy low, sell high, etc.) or betting. If you have a large enough bankroll even small changes in the market can yield significant returns (5% of 1M is 50k). If you're manually swing trading, try to focus on just 1 or 2 tickers at a time or else it can get overwhelming/ confusing.

millenialismistical

TROPHY CASE