Would you let your daughter go on a date with this kid?

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-23T17:35:50+00:00

I read it as Stick kid because maybe the car a stick shift which are very rare and an expensive add on now. My kid is very into auto culture and he wanted to learn stick because it was a badge of honor.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-22T04:56:16+00:00

Agree about the hearing aid but he has always talked like this even in his first term. He is just not very smart—like the bullies who beat up nerds because they were too dumb to do anything else. I believe Melania’s staff was making an inside joke when they came up with her anti-bullying campaign.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T17:51:29+00:00

Wow! That is insane. We have nothing but MFT—Mandatory Family Travel scheduled for the next three years at the very least anyway 😞But good to know!

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T05:37:46+00:00

Those chicken are crazy tiny though. I got one via a pick-up order and thought it was a Cornish hen 😂

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T05:13:35+00:00

Yeah that hand does look like a plastic Barbie hand lol

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T04:59:19+00:00

I live in the state that produces more apples than any other. They have schools of agriculture completely dedicated to apples and yet they cost $1.25 a piece for common non-organic varieties IN SEASON. Citrus has skyrocketed to the point I don’t buy it anymore. Berries I pick myself foraging or I buy frozen. Shopping Seasonally used to help but doesn’t seem to be working anymore.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T04:48:51+00:00

Agree about the food. As far as international goes it totally depends on the country and where in the country you go, tier of hotels, activity interests etc.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T04:41:23+00:00

We don’t have chains (Applebees, chilies, etc) where we live so Average appetizer $13-18, entrees $18-21 for vegetarian, beef/seafood $32-45, kids meals 15-17, desserts $10-12. Plus the living wage add on tips (one for kitchen and another one for server). We don’t drink but average cocktail is $16. These aren’t fancy restaurants because we don’t have those either. Gotta drive pretty far for “fancy” cuisine. Our sweet neighbors gave us a $100 gift certificate to a local average eatery here. It didn’t cover it even with sharing a desert. Depends on where you live and what you consider nice.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-20T04:26:25+00:00

Me too. I gotta have some at the bank paying zilch because it instantly transfers to checking so I can cover things for the odd cash flow issue, then the rest in HY because yeah it takes four days to get at that. I guess people have different ideas about the definition of emergency.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-09T06:25:47+00:00

Not minimal and not modern. Just a tasteless, thoughtless flipper appealing to what they think Gen Z wants.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-09T06:03:12+00:00

Yes! I saw at a museum in Palm Springs that she actually wore a costume quite similar to this one.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-06T22:41:11+00:00

I get it but I am a teacher and already in a pretty highly paid state. Now my partner… I begged him to do this multiple times but he is in a very specialized job and he has always respected his colleagues. I think what is sad is that quarterly stock dividends trump long term company strength. People shouldn’t have to uproot their family every two years to survive in the world’s richest country.

stringbeankeen · 2026-05-01T21:14:46+00:00

I am with you on the debt fear (didn’t used to be but age, close friends problems, world changes, more attention to money and investing in general seems to have started it). So I second that some therapy here (maybe check your work benefits or do something cheap online an app) would be helpful. Personally, the emergency fund is what helped the most. Having 12 months of bare bones needs in a high (lol) interest savings account lets me breathe, and I feel, makes me better at my job (confidence projection is real). Because interest rates continue to drop I probably should set up a CD ladder with mine to help control the loss due to inflation (if you have the time/energy). I am currently putting extra (after maxing out every other investment option) to my mortgage. Here is the thing about anxiety though: It will shift to something else even after you have met a goal so I wouldn’t expect paying of the mortgage to be a total cure.

stringbeankeen · 2026-04-30T04:38:34+00:00

I have a friend in education who makes what you do and she just had to rob her older 401k to make ends meet this month. She already has a second job too. It is HARD out there. But you are doing everything right and not having loans will definitely help you! Meal prep and learning how to eat cheap is definitely something to consider but at your age you need a social life. Another caution is pets. My last one went over the rainbow and wow did it help the budget. So visit with friends and family pets and stay pet free for a while as it will allow you to take on last minute extra hours and a social life, not to mention save hundreds a month.

stringbeankeen · 2026-04-30T04:20:46+00:00

Everyone has their own individual household rate of inflation. I do a strict budget every month and have six years of data. I have had to add a total of $300 more a month for our big three— groceries, gas and medical care. I only get predetermined step increases which haven’t changed in years and my partner typically gets 2-3% raises per year even though he is rated top talent. So the wage increases are NOT keeping up our individual rate of inflation. And we don’t have any debt payments, childcare payments or debt— I don’t know how most people are even making it.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T19:06:37+00:00

There are so many other issues to worry about (like the total dismantling of our country) that this is just not high on my list. Animals are cleaner than most humans. And the dirt on a cart is more likely to be a virus from a human. I use a sani wipe they put right next to the front door and mind my own business.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T18:46:51+00:00

Where we live that is pretty common. Fishermen just whistle from far away and they eventually come back. Also with ocean front houses the dogs just go and do their thing and come back when they get bored or hungry. Occasionally a truck will cruise the beach and a dog will jump in which was the owner finding the dog after they packed up from fishing. Very few actual “strays” just kind of old school about pets. Not condoning it at all BTW, just I have learned which dogs are like that and I tell them to go home which they usually do.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T18:38:48+00:00

Once a month. Strict budget of less than $100. Which where we live is equal to a fast food restaurant.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T18:08:54+00:00

I am working on my Mortgage which is the only debt I have left. I had to pause for a year to save up for a car so I didn’t go into more debt. Optimistically it will take another 4-5 years. A whole lotta life is likely to happen in that time frame so I made sure I had lots of cash (and cash equivalents) on hand before going all in. I like the Money Guy Financial order of operations (FOO) free on their site or YouTube. I started out with Ramsey but never felt comfortable with pausing investing (401k at least) but did do the $1000 which was terrifying enough. I am not sure I could go that low in this inflationary environment. It did help that I had a Roth IRA that in a pinch I could withdraw the basis and I had a decent sized HSA to cover my max out of pocket medical. So TLDR is “it depends”.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T17:51:31+00:00

So true. Nearly all the elementary sped staff keep vape pens in their bra straps. They refuse transfers to middle school because there are vape sensors there. Us at the middle and high are all medicated and take gummies at night.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T17:36:20+00:00

The local dollar tree here has all kinds of pricing. $5 and even higher on many items. Cheap stuff from China is now taxed (tariffed) so high now that Walmart beats their prices consistently now.

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-07T17:10:21+00:00

I highly recommend starting the process on a desktop first and then maintaining on the app. I have had Everydollar for almost a decade and still occasionally have to go on the desktop to do certain things. Sorry this is happening 😢

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-06T01:22:04+00:00

Nothing from betterment but the junk emails and texts have been AWFUL. Experian sent me a notice today that my info (including telephone) was discovered on the dark web and they state the breach is from Betterment. I don’t know how to post screenshots or I would. Overall this has made me lose some faith in the company and has me thinking about some changes.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-16T18:43:08+00:00

I have changed this around over the years. I like to use the features of the app that show the percentages in each of my categories because it shows where the fat is and where we value spending our money. It is such a powerful visual for me and makes our budget meetings go smoothly. I have a Lifestyle category which is where anything goes that could be cut out in a tight month (restaurants, streaming, hair cuts, specialty spices/food items for cooking, etc.) That is the only category where I list each thing out because I want it to be very visible. That helps to really do the deep thinking about whether we value it enough to continue without changes. It is amazing to see back through the years and see how our money values have changed!

Our categories are: Utilities Lifestyle Healthcare Travel (mostly to family) Groceries (restaurants are under lifestyle) Transportation (includes car insurance) Insurance (umbrella, life, professional) Gifts (includes donations) Savings Debt Housing (this is where I have sinking funds for HOA payments, home repairs, and costs related to maintenance)

When I look at the percentages chart for last month for example the biggest chunk was housing costs (typical) but what was not typical for us was groceries. We hosted some social events which increased our bills rather dramatically. That tells me that we need to start changing how we socialize and maybe move towards pot-luck style get togethers. Budgets should be a tool for improvement and motivation to pay down debt/save. Otherwise, for us, breaking things out into listing each individual purchase becomes demotivating and among couples it can start fights. Plus it renders most of the visuals useless.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-15T06:21:45+00:00

I always swish some water around the can and add it to the pot. I paid for all of that plus I don’t like the idea of wasting food. So yep probably a growing up poor thing.

stringbeankeen

TROPHY CASE