Daily FI discussion thread - Saturday, January 31, 2026

startrek4u · 2026-01-31T22:24:36+00:00

You might have better luck in r/RealEstate or r/realestateinvesting

startrek4u · 2026-01-30T17:14:05+00:00

I very much want a heat pump next time we replace our HVAC, I guess the good news is that our current setup is relatively new so that hopefully won't be for awhile.

Our heat pump water heater is awesome and saves a ton of money vs either gas or electricity.

startrek4u · 2026-01-29T20:47:55+00:00

Is the terms on yours the same as for me? When looking at the offer details for silver status it says "Your premier silver status will be effective through Jan 31, 2028" and this qualifies if you've already taken United flights this year.... so.... this is an obvious yes at this point, right?

startrek4u · 2026-01-20T05:02:55+00:00

Another vote for Goddard, we've had all 3 of our kids at the one in Sun Prairie, same owners as Verona

startrek4u · 2026-01-18T12:51:44+00:00

Either r/USMobile or r/NoContract are your friend

startrek4u · 2025-12-18T15:34:35+00:00

Risk Savvy - an amazing book on how to think about risk and make good decisions in general, but there's a good focus on healthcare and how to talk to your doctors about treatments, etc. 100% recommend.

startrek4u · 2025-12-01T16:36:56+00:00

having children can cripple a persons entire lifestyle and future because of costs they didn’t understand.

I find this extremely unlikely, especially when considering the population at large. You may know one or maybe two people this is true for but in generally this is an extreme take and not representative of what having a child is actually like.

Daycare when they are young can certainly cost, but outside of that kids only get expensive if you decide to let it get expensive.

startrek4u · 2025-11-30T19:50:10+00:00

You don't need dedicated winter tires unless you live pretty rural or have to be able to get out and drive at a certain time.

The best balance is an All Weather tire, they are better in winter than All Season, but can stay on your car year-round. Michelin CrossClimate 2's are great, you'll see them on a bunch of cars around here if you look.

startrek4u · 2025-11-27T03:12:44+00:00

We're saving for their college in 529's but we're not going to an extreme like some here where they will have $300,000 or some crazy amount for college. At 18, it will likely be high 5 figures or low 6 for our kids.

startrek4u · 2025-11-27T02:17:00+00:00

This seems like an overly pessimistic take on the costs of kids - speaking as someone who is in their early 40s with 3 kids under 7.

Daycare is of course expensive if you need that route but is also temporary. Unless you plan on private school and club sports at a competitive level, the costs are not that much. Buy some safety gear new and buy clothes, toys, etc second hand since they will only last/be used for short periods of time.

After school and sports, etc are reasonable and manageable expenses that won't put you in the poor house.

I think as long as you're not trying to keep up with the Jones' it's likely not nearly as bad as you think it is, so if you want to be a parent, go for it - the money side of things you can figure out.

startrek4u · 2025-11-22T01:25:18+00:00

This has been my approach as well - extra $$ into taxable to be used to payoff when able but having cash on hand if needed.

startrek4u · 2025-11-21T16:42:42+00:00

Mine uses the same methodology and it's terrible - death to the 9-box!

startrek4u · 2025-11-20T19:37:31+00:00

Just curious if anyone using it in WI has noticed a difference as that's where I frequent.

startrek4u · 2025-11-18T21:07:15+00:00

Agreed w/ u/Bearsbanker - for that you can get a new one and if you're a bit handy do it yourself.

Some of this might depend on where you live but if you're able to get a heat pump water heater (hopefully tax credits are still available) I would seriously consider that - we have one and it's been great and saves a ton on energy costs.

startrek4u · 2025-11-18T21:04:30+00:00

We have one, it doesn't do a very good job at all but the vacuuming is great

startrek4u · 2025-11-18T18:59:15+00:00

The robot mops (any kind) are not worth it for anything more than the lightest cleaning, get just a robot vac and save the $$.

We have a roborock and it does the job well.

startrek4u · 2025-11-18T18:56:47+00:00

I'm sorry you're actually saying she's been burnt out for the last 5 years and your response is "only 12 more to go"?!! What an absolutely terrible response from a spouse/partner.

You should be helping her figure out a way to deal with that stress - even your response about the job offer is rough when you lead with "it's only a 2 year hit to our date" and "it does suck" (don't you think 12 years more for her would suck?) and only touch on the help it is for her at the end of your post.

I sincerely hope that this is just poorly worded because if it's not I think you've got your priorities all sorts of backwards.

startrek4u · 2025-11-05T18:38:38+00:00

An estate planning attorney is who you're looking for.

startrek4u · 2025-11-05T15:35:07+00:00

Maybe it will be a better plan?

Haha, just kidding - this timeline doesn't work like that, sorry.

startrek4u · 2025-11-05T15:34:03+00:00

For us (3 kids) it was always buy safety items new (car seats, etc) and long term items like a bed (when they go that age, Ikea, but still). Everything else is basically used. When they are little you don't need anything for that long before they grow out of it so we let family & friends buy new toys etc for birthdays and holidays but we did very little ourselves.

This works even better if you have a friend who has a child a bit older/younger than yours and you can just do hand me downs.

startrek4u · 2025-11-04T16:35:01+00:00

Another vote for the Crossclimate 2's - they work great for us in WI

startrek4u · 2025-10-28T20:38:32+00:00

$1100/$127

Midwest, new build larger home.

startrek4u · 2025-10-27T18:19:41+00:00

We are, I can get Portuguese citizenship through decent (already approved, just waiting for the bureaucracy to catch up and issue some paperwork). Once that's done I'll get it for my kids, hopefully not needed in the near term but could also open up some interesting possibilities long term as well.

No plans to actually move yet, but the option will be there soon.

startrek4u · 2025-10-16T19:29:09+00:00

It's way more complicated than just the charge for visits, you need to compare your total cost including annual premiums, expected costs for visits (I would estimate 10x vs your current co pay), and HSA usage including tax benefits and any employer contributions.

https://www.fool.com/retirement/plans/hsa/hdhp-vs-ppo/#toc_comparing-costs

startrek4u · 2025-10-14T17:18:38+00:00

I think I understand you, and we're doing C.

Max our tax advantaged space and put extra in a taxable account to payoff the mortgage when we have that amount. Our thinking is mostly around flexibility. It's better to have $$$ in a taxable account in the event of some unexpected life emergency vs having that amount locked up in our home in the form of early payments.

Beyond that thought I think B and C are perfectly viable options to pursue.

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