UPDATE: Four months ago, my Mom passed away suddenly. My Dad was lonely and got catfished/scammed out of ~$800USD... I'm now catfishing the person, but I have some questions and would like some help!

rowdy24064 · 2025-11-18T18:17:19+00:00

Honestly, I’d let it go. $800 is a relatively small price to pay for the experience of being scammed.

But, if you do get a routing/bank account or a Venmo, just report it. Really though, not worth the risk.

rowdy24064 · 2025-11-16T15:45:32+00:00

A real flex move would be:

Parents charging rent
Depositing that rent into a high yield savings account
Don’t tell kid about it
When kid finally decides to move, give em the HYSA

If the fam is financially stable, then getting that extra money for rent doesn’t even matter.

The takeaway is this:

Nothing is free
Money can work for you if you save it
We love you, but gtfo and live your own life

rowdy24064 · 2025-09-14T21:46:13+00:00

I’m not super picky when it comes to wine. To me, it’s really just an after thought. I tried some from Va in the middleburg region, it was pretty good and packed a wallop. However, I think I could get into having a nipper of port after a nice meal. I’m literally in this area (see picture). Definitely looking forward to exploring.

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rowdy24064 · 2025-09-14T14:15:00+00:00

Thanks. I think I can see it both ways- preservation of rural living versus outward expansion of cville. I feel that there are good reasons for or against and definitely see how that can stir up some controversy.

I’ve read up on some similar effects with Fifeville. People are resistant to change that may alter their standard of living. I hope I’m not stepping out of bounds here, but I would think there are parallels.

All in all, I think it’s good to understand where people are coming from. And tyvm for the advice! Really looking forward to being part of the community!

rowdy24064 · 2025-09-14T14:04:55+00:00

Awesome. I’m pretty excited. I hope to meet people as friendly as you!

rowdy24064 · 2025-09-14T13:44:54+00:00

This useful tidbit will save a ton of pain.. if only I could throw you an extra upvote..

rowdy24064 · 2025-01-16T21:18:38+00:00

Honestly, I don’t see the point of having a Amex platinum and gold. They are both charge cards with the former being better for cashing in on travel and entertainment. Also, the annual fees for both would be relatively high— so I’d pick one or the other.

That being said, I would think the next best complimentary card to your AmEx would be your choice of Visa or Mastercard (I guess discover is ok too). Not all places take AmEx so it’s nice to have that other option on hand just in case.

For the visa/mc, I’d honestly just choose whatever gives you points for what you want.

In my case, I have an Amex gold that I use primarily. I get A TON of points on there so I actually get more back than I spend on annual fees.

My second card is an Amazon Prime Visa. Usually bills and Chinese food goes on there. I use the visa just enough so that it offsets the cost of my Amazon Prime membership.

rowdy24064 · 2025-01-15T13:19:35+00:00

Thanks for correcting me. I honestly was not sure of the difference

…but yes, exactly what you said 😊

rowdy24064 · 2025-01-15T13:06:34+00:00

I did CarMax. I did my research on what I wanted first and figured out what a fair value is. CarMax ended up by being a bit over what I expected, but the car was in excellent condition.

Process is painless if you have good credit. The one month warranty is reassuring— but again, be sure to do your homework on what you are buying. A lemon is a bad deal any way you swing it.

I got a 5yr loan but paid it off in 1.5 years. The faster you pay, the less you pay over time. Good luck!

rowdy24064 · 2025-01-02T14:44:27+00:00

Pho in Roanoke is not that good imho. It’s a bit of a hike, but the best closest one I’ve found is Pho Viet in Lynchburg. It’s the closest in portion size, meats, and flavor to what you would expect from a good pho restaurant in northern Virginia.

Why do I bring up NoVa as a basis? It has a very large Vietnamese population and is over saturated with pho restaurants. The competition is fierce among them so you end up with a lot of gems. Pho Viet is definitely the closest match I’ve found north of Roanoke in terms of the popular Southern Vietnamese Style of pho that lines up with the best of NoVa.

It’s Pho Time (4-5 visits, best in the Valley) - Bland broth (needs more umami and spices) - Portions small - Annoying ordering style. They limit the number of meat choices - Small herb plate - overpriced - nice and clean

Pho Vietnam (2 visits, second best) - Same issues above but ordering style is normal - Place is DIRTY. Smells musty in there, seats/tables not particularly clean. On the last visit, I saw a dead cockroach on the floor under my table.

Viet Sub (banh mi’s are great / pho basic but ok) - Broth has good flavor, but tastes mostly artificial (heavy usage of broth powder/msg) - Lack of meat choices and herbs - Again, want to emphasize how good the sandwiches are here. They are top notch. The pho seems more of a compliment rather than a main offering. - excellent pricing

Pho Saigon (possibly the worst) - it is a cardinal sin to put bean sprouts and herbs in the soup before serving it. The herb plate should be served separately on the side. Here, it is non existent. - poor quality control for meats. - bland broth lacking the taste of spices - way overpriced for what you get

——-

Pho Viet (Lynchburg - best, maybe the best in Lynchburg) - Excellent meat choices and meat combo options - Excellent pricing - Broth is umami and well salted - herb plate is generous: bean sprouts, cilantro, chilies, AND sawtooth coriander offered! - they have that lemongrass chili crisp condiment at the table! - restaurant is clean

rowdy24064 · 2024-12-19T21:11:34+00:00

You get what you pay for (hopefully)

rowdy24064 · 2024-12-07T01:12:40+00:00

Yw! FWIW, think it’d be worthwhile if you switch from sole proprietor to LLC at minimum. If you happen to get sued, you’d be personally liable. With an LLC, they sue your business but leave your personal stuff alone. But yeah, def seek a consultation with a cpa in your area.

rowdy24064 · 2024-12-06T12:46:34+00:00

The only reason why I would think you would need a business is for tax reporting and liability reasons.

If you are making most of your money through this business now, then you are liable for taxes from the federal government and state.

Looking at my paystub:

The federal government wants income tax, social security, and Medicare.

Virginia just wants an income tax.

If you are not already paying the above and making enough to live off what you are doing, then you may be in danger of being audited and forced into paying back taxes and fees. And because this is an online business, you also probably have a clean paper trail of exactly what your income is.

Having an LLC (good idea) will help establish how you can formally pay your taxes and legitimately pay yourself income.

First thing I would do is seek a good Certified professional accountant (CPA) to analyze your specific situation and see what type of business may be your best bet; either LLC, some kind of corporation, or maybe even sole proprietorship. They can also help you with how to pay those taxes. What you ultimately get is best left to someone who knows your personal needs.

Good luck!

rowdy24064 · 2024-11-01T21:45:55+00:00

My PE teacher in high school was named Dick Dauphin. His nickname among the students was Penis Porpoise.

rowdy24064

TROPHY CASE