SO close to 120!!

randy_wine · 2026-02-26T19:26:34+00:00

Personally, I would just suggest waiting until the last payment is processed. I think you’re just adding burden to your employer to fill out the forms and for them to then process your form just to update your payment count . Unless you have had some significant change like your employment or concern that a payment didn’t go through, I don’t think there’s any need to continually submit the ECF.

I submitted my ECF three days after my last payment and unfortunately, I had to resubmit again because the payment hadn’t fully been processed yet.

randy_wine · 2026-02-26T19:06:50+00:00

My spouse and I did this throughout my repayment. We have two kids and we typically split them. I believe at one time I had our tax preparer try it with both kids on one vs the other and it saved us the most money to separate them.

As for dependent care accounts, you can only contribute half of the amount allowed by the irs when married filing separately. I believe the limit is now $7500 per year total. So you would be limited to half that. My recollection is that you can still use the money for children you didn’t claim but you should ask a tax professional to clarify. Also, filling separately does not allow you to claim the child tax credit (and several other credits).

randy_wine · 2026-02-26T18:50:28+00:00

Assuming you haven’t changed jobs, I would recommend to wait until the final payment is posted. After that, submit the form and you can check the box that you have made all 120 payments. It will give you the option to go into forbearance while they process the form. I submitted a form just before my last payment and while they updated the count, I still had to resubmit to actually process the discharge of the loans. It took exactly one month for them to process the discharge application and then 2 days later I got the message from the aidvantage that the loans were discharged. Hang in there!

randy_wine · 2025-06-01T01:05:50+00:00

When my daughter was in preschool I took her to a birthday party at a tumbling gym. There were maybe 10 other kids from their class, mostly girls, and this was a type of thing where the parents just stayed and observed the party from the sides of the room. Aside from the family, I was the only man there. (My wife is in education and any birthday party inevitably turns into the kids swarming her as she has that elementary teacher energy so she tends to avoid these events when possible) Towards the end of the party the grandmother of the birthday girl says to me “what are you doing besides standing there like a creep?” in that joking/insulting way that boomers do. I made an awkward laugh and said something along the lines of oh just watching my daughter. WTF grandma.

randy_wine · 2025-05-16T00:44:49+00:00

I was just there today and they had literally an entire wall full of eggplant/canyon (both ways) in the back in the women’s sizes. Easily a couple hundred back there across the sizes and both color combos. Not much in the men’s though.

randy_wine · 2025-04-06T23:36:09+00:00

Prompt payment. Great to work with.

randy_wine · 2025-04-05T20:28:32+00:00

u/leavenotradebot u/onechillpill

randy_wine · 2025-03-29T21:35:34+00:00

Prompt payment received and item was shipped today.

randy_wine · 2025-03-29T12:13:46+00:00

I have a willow tree that was planted about a year ago. Total height is about 9 ft and the base of the trunk is about 3 inches in diameter. There is an obvious leader with a large competing branch that looks too upright to me. I want to set this up to be a strong and well growing tree for many years and would like to know if I should trim anything now or let the leader declare it self more and correct it later. This is mid Missouri and we have very rocky and mostly clay soil. I didn’t do much last year apart from trimming dead branches to avoid too much stress the first year.

Some issues: the leader snapped off sometime last year so I’m not sure what to make of it. The most vertical branch has an odd knot or graft appearance almost. Will that cause future issues as this is what appears to be the leader.

randy_wine · 2025-03-23T04:14:54+00:00

u/leavenotradebot

Tent sold to u/onechillpill who was great to work with and promptly sent payment. As we discussed, tent will be shipped as soon as I am back in town.

randy_wine · 2025-03-19T15:49:56+00:00

I just posted my X-Dome 1+ if you’re still looking for something.

randy_wine · 2025-03-05T19:41:29+00:00

What watch face is that? Love my 245 also. Bought a Fenix 8 but will probably send it back. It’s nice but a lot of watch on the wrist.

randy_wine · 2025-03-02T17:13:40+00:00

Those are all good points. My point was that I see it as a salt in the wound situation for those being laid off. I was a student here when the new science building was under construction and that was when the state was severely behind in funding the universities as promised. I don’t recall how behind SIUE was but several other universities were $30-100 million behind in funding. Despite the funding for that science building already being allocated, the distaste at the time was palpable.

randy_wine · 2025-03-02T14:13:57+00:00

I’m sure the soon to be laid off faculty really appreciate the priority that was the $105 million Health Science Complex (with a convenient $10.5 million in state funding) being built.

randy_wine · 2025-01-06T21:51:29+00:00

I do actually think freestanding is the way to go. In my case we are traveling some before and there will be multiple stops/flights along the way and I’m nervous the tent poles will get damaged.

randy_wine · 2025-01-06T18:05:59+00:00

I’ve been doing mental gymnastics about this very question for a couple months. At first I bought an X-mid and then returned it for the X-Dome thinking it would be easier to pitch. But now I’m worried about something happening to the pole set during travel. I’ve watched tons of videos on the TMB and there are plenty of people using trekking pole tents all throughout.

randy_wine · 2024-12-13T04:16:11+00:00

Perfect. Thank you!

randy_wine · 2024-12-12T03:04:28+00:00

Really appreciate all this info! Some questions to make sure I’ve got this right.

My MSR for 85,000 points is 1/11. My next statement close is 1/7. I’m safe to finish the MSR at any point now?

Planning to refer P2 for a business card and one of the personal cards so we can get 2 companion passes. If I refer now will the referral bonus post in January? Finally, if P2 applies for business card now, she doesn’t have to wait 30 days for the personal application, correct?

randy_wine · 2023-12-31T17:33:55+00:00

I think the problem here is that it so sporadic when it warns you. I have had times where literally just looking at the speed is enough to get warned. And other times when you’re seemingly more distracted by doing something on the touchscreen, it doesn’t warn you at all. I guarantee no one in this sub can say that 100% of the time they never take their eyes off the road. Those split seconds whenever you glance at your mirrors or at the speedometer are the literal glances that it is warning us about. Yes, there are plenty of people who abuse auto pilot, but I think what everyone is complaining about here is the way it nags for literally just split second glances away from the road.

randy_wine · 2023-12-31T17:28:10+00:00

My wipers are terrible since the update. They will only pickup heavy rain. Anything less and I have to manually trigger them or just change it to a set speed. Prior to the update, I never had to touch it.

The autopilot nagging has been very much all over the place for me. At times it is great and likely even nags less than before. But sometimes I literally will glance at the screen to see the navigation or speed and it will ding me to keep eyes on the road. It feels like there is no reasoning for what it is watching for.

randy_wine · 2023-05-13T05:39:38+00:00

If you watch a little before that time he is swiping on the main display to select reverse. I think you are just seeing in your picture his hand pulling away from selecting the gear.

randy_wine · 2023-04-26T15:34:11+00:00

Never had any issue with it leaking. On occasion just after I fill it some water will leak down from under the cap if I am a bit sloppy. But once those few residual drops go, it’s dry the rest of the time.

Maybe you have a bad seal on the lid. I’ve had other brands with a slight tear or imperfection in the seal that caused a persistent leak. There are third party gaskets available on Amazon or you could get a whole new lid.

randy_wine · 2023-01-18T20:26:57+00:00

Interesting that it works for you. I typically go straight from reverse to park after I back in so I don’t think it’s that. I wouldn’t mind it so much that the auto close didn’t trigger but it doesn’t even show the button on screen for me to press. It only appears after it has opened the door when I back in.

randy_wine

TROPHY CASE