Happiness not from Concentrate

Groundhog Day

2026-02-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

Back in 2017, I took a break and pursued a system. Perhaps, I need to revisit those thoughts.

Everything is expensive, so once again looking at cutting costs and finding means to easy money

2025-12-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

First, expenses are compounded from the shear existence of being a family of five. Children have become of driving age, so insuring the licensed drivers is one thing, but having a means for them to commute without mom and dad giving up their car means adding a car.

We became a 3 car family again in 2021. We demoted the '11 Dodge Journey to our son shortly after we added '18 VW Atlas.

We are now a 4 car family, demoting our '13 VW Passat to our daughter when we added '25 VW Taos.

Maintenance costs on the older 2 VWs have come up.

Started donating plasma again. Easy money, but I've notice the plasma center is more crowded than the last timeframe I frequented back in '17-'18.

Aside from cutting our unused gym membership, there isn't really much to cut from our budget without getting in the weeds about nickels and dimes.

I've dabbled with upside. It's like using Ibotta or an offer from a credit card in that you have to CLAIM an offer AND use a specific CC on file or take and submit pictures of a receipt. Having to submit credit cards seems like possible scam, but Sam's Club uses the same concept for its extra cashback for plus members.

Upside is FREE money that I get back for getting gas or food I would have bought anyways... thus WIN-WIN. I actually got a third back when I bought FIVE GUYS. Sure, Five Guys is expen$$$$$ive, but my kid wanted fries for his birthday meal, so I got $8 back when I bought 3 orders of fries.

Shutdown in name only

2025-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

I am not affected by the government shutdown though I work for the government.

The farce is hard to explain. The uncertainty exists, but my circumstances aren't easy to explain beyond my organization has a budget that's separately funded.

I feel bad for the furloughed, but they'll get back pay.

The whole shutdown is meaningless in the grand scheme considering the back pay.

Dizzy start

2025-08-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Woke up dizzy and stiff. Figured not worth trying to get ready for work so I called off. Woke up 6 or hours later and showered. Felt dizzy still but noticed everything was out of focus like a migraine so I took migraine medicine and did little. Meh. Didn't exactly feel much better but all the stiffness I felt earlier subsided after walking a few miles.

Spending the morning with my mother and her new laptop

2025-08-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Windows 10 is going out of service in October, so my mom asked me to go computer shopping with her.

She got her last computer while my dad was still alive in December 2014! I guess Windows 7 allowed her to upgrade to 10. Impressive for a machine to be active that long. I think XP lasted a long time too because my previous desktop was XP was purchased in '06 and we got our last desktop in '17. I could be wrong about how long it lasted. I vaguely recall having a WiFi adapter for that machine but I gave it to my parents before they got the now replaced laptop. I think that machine died and we just used a laptop. I could be wrong.

Computers have come so far in the years that it's funny to think what once was fast is so slow now in comparison.

I could go on about the computer shopping but why? Who really shops for something that has been mostly replaced by the SMARTPHONE?

Meh. Bought same Lenovo laptop computer I got for my kid earlier in the week. It had same specs as the machine my other kid had from last July when her keyboard ceased working so I knew it was a good deal for the price.

Best Buy. Micro Center. Only places we buy computers really, aside from that Sam's Club buy.

Cost of everything is variable. I got my machine for $299 on Tuesday while we spent $329 today. Mom was stressed about TARIFFS!

Lenovo is what I have for myself. They have decent warranties that can be upgraded until the 1st year's expires so the Geek Squad isn't something I needed purchase.

Must suck being old and thinking weird stuff that isn't relevant anymore.

Mom doesn't understand how my family all has computers... how do we afford to replace them and such.

We don't exactly.

Sure the kids each have a personal laptop, but it was necessary to have a computer during COVID during the virtual learning days of 2020.

We bought a camera for the desktop in our son's room and got a couple laptops for the girls. Neither laptop was a cheap Chromebook but they were affordable especially since we had COVID checks flowing in.

When our son started college, we got a Samsung or HP laptop for him. I think he split the cost.

He was still using the desktop which made my doing taxes and other stuff not simple on a phone mean I needed a laptop of my own. I got a small Lenovo from Micro Center for myself during a Labor Day sale in '23.

Our younger daughter had a cheaper $199 laptop that we had to pay to get a fan fixed in '23 then it had the keyboard die a year after she dumped water on it. It was replaced with clearance Lenovo machine that was nicer than mine and only $268.

We tried to upgrade the older daughter's laptop in '23 to Windows 11 when we did her sister's (and fan fix) but it wasn't viable.

I've been eyeing Best Buy deals of the day regularly looking for a replacement machine, so $299 wasn't an impulse buy.

It's not like the old days when a computer was always $999 or more, while we're not replacing machines every year, but only when they cease to function.

We don't replace phones often either. I've had the same phone since before Covid! Motorola is a good brand for our family it seems.

We use Mint Mobile so having an affordable unlocked phone is important more than bells and whistles.

We recently switched our ISP from Spectrum to Altafiber. We used to spend $39.99 when Time Warner was the provider but Spectrum jacked up the price to $88 a month.

Altafiber came into the neighborhood and offered twice the speed for a fixed $70 rate for THREE years. We had the installation done and then cancelled.

It took an hour plus the next day to be free of Spectrum. I called and talked 35 minutes with them STALLING and trying to keep me by saying they can be competitive but I kept telling Guillermo in Texas we already signed a three year contract. Then when I dropped off the equipment, I had to wait in line and the woman knew Altafiber without me saying where I was taking my business.

If you want to lower your price with Spectrum find a reasonable/plausible means to leave and try to bluff cancelling Spectrum. They will probably cave to whatever the "competition" is giving as teaser rates because they are hemorrhaging customers. Do not bluff with bogus rivals, numbers or deals. Spectrum asks 30 minutes of survey questions about your decision to cancel and know why exactly and to whom they are hemorrhaging customers.

It costs them WAY more to lose a customer than to give a loyal customer a deep discount, hence I suggest bluffing a better rate if you are content with the service beyond the price creeping up every month or so.

taking a day off

2025-06-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Thursday), someone was taken away from work by EMS. It has been warm enough in my facility to have heat breaks declared, so I think it was heat related.

My wife told me I should seriously consider taking Friday off. She said I have been exhausted. I felt like garbage as the day went by and determined she was right.

Woke up today with stiff upper body and stiff hips. I called off and went back to sleep for another 5 hours.

I didn't do much of anything. Just rested.

Meh, Iran

2025-06-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Everything entropic is inevitable. Iraq was a mistake. Iran is probably a mistake. Are they the same? Everything is dumb.

I remember '03 buildup and overflow into Iraq. I was meh because Hillary Clinton was for it. She was a senator "from New York," as well as the former first lady of the previous administration, thus privy to things beyond normal people.

I didn't realize HOW EVIL SHE REALLY is.

Weekend stress

2025-06-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Weekends are times for relaxation and catching up on oddball stuff not finished during the week.

I work in a warehouse doing warehouse things so I really don't feel like mowing my lawn on days I work.

I enjoy mowing the lawn. My green grass gives me a sense of accomplishment... but lately, people have been letting their dogs take dumps in my front lawn throughout the week.

A couple weeks ago, we bought signs stating: "please pick up after your pets" Two other neighbors have signs stating to stay off the grass or stop having your dogs poop on our lawn, so we bought a spray can to add vinegar an pepper to further dissuade.

A dog left a pile next to our sign.

Frustrating.

I went to add more spray to yard since it had rained... the sprayer didn't work. It wouldn't keep pressure... probably due to vinegar messing with seals.

Frustrated, I decided it was cool enough to mow. Mower starting making low on fuel sound so I filled it for it to not start from pulling the cord.

The recoil ignition starter was BRAND NEW this season. The cord had broke when I tried mowing back in spring, but I hadn't put it on correctly to work so I bought one off Amazon. ALL of the parts said they worked on my Toro but none were made by Briggs-Stratton or Toro and had comments that said they worked a few times or the holes needed redrilled to align.

The part I had did the latter, and worked for a month. I got frustrated and went back to my spray can problem. I duct and Teflon taped some things and the pressure came back and IT WORKED.

Seeing MacGyvered the sprayer, I went back to the mower. The new starter wasn't catching when pulled, while the old one wasn't recoiling when pulled. I MacGyvered the old cord and the thing started. I moved 3/4ths of my lawn without stopping since the cord was extended. Weird metal sound came from the mower so I didn't think I could get it started again if I hand wound the cord again.

Mower is 20 years old. I was hoping to buy a new one at the end of the season when the sales start... I'll check with a Toro dealer to see if I can get a real replacement part.

It's been HOT and humid, so it's been chill indoors and grill food on grill to keep house cooler.

I have 3 propane tanks. One is hooked to the grill and is low. One is hooked to the fire pit and is probably above half full. The third is empty. I grilled Friday and Saturday expecting the need to swap out the tank and get 2 refilled but it never occurred.

I refilled the empty and got Little Caesar's pizza, since today was the last day for Pretzel crust.

I usually take one of the older cars for propane since the tank rolls around in the Atlas. Journey got maybe a mile from the house when the ENGINE light came on.

It ran normal thus seemed fine, so I ran my errand and went to Auto Zone later to get the code checked.

Evap leak code, so it could be a number of things that could be causing it. The rando guys at Auto Zone lamented as much. I think our Sebring had that code for the last few years we had it, so I'm assuming it's weather related, so what more can I do? My son drives the car just to work and back a few miles a day... and we have AAA.

Frustrating.

I have to do a couple things this week it seems.

Schedule changes

2025-06-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've a flexible schedule in that I can start anytime between 6:30-8:30. I get in at the earliest and leave as soon as 3pm. I've always worked this schedule aside for the 2 years we were shutdown.

My wife gets home closer to 6, so I do dinner and chauffeur duties when she can't.

My daughters take music lessons. One plays guitar while other has singing and drums. Three lessons between them each week, but only two days a week do we go since they overlapped.

They both were on Wednesday until winter when guitar girl had a schedule conflict and moved to Friday at same time as drums.

Guitar girl's pre-existing conflict reemerges in July so I looked into moving back to Wednesday. Opening was not convenient with other child's lesson, so I moved both of her lessons to Thursday back to back.

Today is the first scheduled Friday off from music lessons in years. Nice to come home and be able to take nap.

Rioting

2025-06-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

I fail to understand rioters. We're at a time when martyrs can be made by the use of patsies being in the right place at the right time.

I don't condone violence, but anyone could use the opportunity of "chaos" to create a catastrophe to paint false images of authoritarian behavior.

Nothing about the rioting is organic. Pawns are probably being played with hopes of blood in the streets it seems for their end game is nonsense or unacceptable to the general population.

Living well isn't cheap but garbage is expensive too

2025-06-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

My older daughter is having a couple parties this weekend for friends groups.

We don't drink name brand soda, so I was shocked that a 2 liter of Coca-Cola is going for $2.99.

I very rarely drink soda. I'm a coffee, water and milk(protein) sort of person. I've tracked my calories for the last 15 straight months. My calories serve purpose. I feel like garbage when drinking a coke anymore.

I don't eat sweets like donuts and ice cream as much but I have a problem when it comes to fresh baked cookies or Peanut M&Ms.

Crazy to think I weighed as much as I do now when I used to work at a car wash or at FedEx and ate a container of Moose tracks ice cream and a dozen chocolate donuts from Aldi almost every day when I got home. No fruits or veggies.

Turning 40 made that diet impossible. I don't eat nachos daily like I used to, but there are weeks where I do. I don't eat junk unless I've been good for a stretch.

In college after dorm days, I used to not eat meat during the week. Basically, I ate oatmeal and rice and then ate steaks and hamburger on weekends. Is that binge eating? Probably... the way I ate, but when I was 21, I drank beer most days and didn't really eat meat aside from Taco Bell. Weird to think I had a drinking problem but people thought it.

Ambrose Bierce

2025-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've a couple friends I met through my current job. They were hired a couple years ago, but one left within his first year. Long story, but we try to get together and bowl once a month.

We were good about the monthly meeting up until I couldn't physically do it and thus... well, we went an extended period between bowling so we had the idea to do a book club and cigar night.

It's not formal, yet. We just threw the idea out there without any NAYs. Somehow Ambrose Bierce was picked as the author to read. We chose Negligible Tales.

Two of us had to get copies from a library to read. I've read most of these Negligible Tales, and I am struck by the idea i could write better than Bierce.

It's interesting having friends. I've not really had any since college, aside from whom I married, or course.

Why doesn't everyone use Ibotta?

2025-06-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Free money is being left on the table...WHY?

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I asked Grok what else I could use to get cashback. Here are some of the best apps like Ibotta for earning cashback on your purchases in 2025, based on their features, ease of use, and reward potential:

Fetch Rewards
- Best for: Earning points on any receipt, especially groceries.
- How it works: Scan any grocery or retail receipt to earn points, no need to preselect offers. Points are earned for purchasing products from partner brands (e.g., Kraft, Pepsi) at any store. You can also earn bonus points for special offers or referring friends.
- Cashout: Redeem points (3,000 points = $3) for gift cards to retailers like Amazon, Target, or donate to charities.
- Why it’s great: Simpler than Ibotta since you don’t need to select offers beforehand, and it has a lower redemption threshold ($3 vs. Ibotta’s $20). Can be used alongside Ibotta for maximum savings.
- Source:
Rakuten
- Best for: Online shopping.
- How it works: Earn cashback (1-12%) by shopping through the Rakuten app or website at over 3,500 partner retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and Macy’s. Offers a browser extension for automatic deal alerts and occasional double/triple cashback promotions.
- Cashout: Paid quarterly via PayPal or check, with a $10 welcome bonus for new users.
- Why it’s great: Extensive retailer network and no receipt scanning required. Ideal for frequent online shoppers.
- Source:
Checkout 51
- Best for: Grocery shopping with generic offers.
- How it works: Browse weekly offers, purchase qualifying items at any store, and upload your receipt to earn cashback. Offers are often for essentials like eggs, milk, or bread, and aren’t tied to specific retailers.
- Cashout: Redeem at $20 via check or PayPal (PayPal in testing).
- Why it’s great: More versatile than Ibotta with generic offers, but fewer online shopping options and a similar $20 cashout threshold.
- Source:
Shopkick
- Best for: In-store engagement and low cashout minimum.
- How it works: Earn “kicks” (points) by walking into stores, scanning barcodes, submitting receipts, or shopping online at partners like Amazon, Walmart, or Sephora. Can link a credit card for extra kicks.
- Cashout: Redeem kicks for gift cards starting at $2 (e.g., Target, Amazon).
- Why it’s great: Unique earning methods (e.g., store visits, scanning) and a low redemption threshold make it versatile. Can be used with Ibotta for additional savings.
- Source:
Dosh
- Best for: Passive cashback on travel and retail.
- How it works: Link your credit/debit card to earn cashback automatically at participating stores, restaurants, or travel services (e.g., Macy’s, Ulta, hotels). No receipt scanning required.
- Cashout: Redeem via PayPal, bank transfer, or gift cards at $25.
- Why it’s great: Hands-off approach, ideal for travel and dining, but retailer availability varies by location.
- Source:
Receipt Hog
- Best for: Gamified rewards for any receipt.
- How it works: Scan receipts from any store (e.g., Costco, McDonald’s) to earn coins. Additional coins from surveys, sweepstakes, or “Hog Slots.”
- Cashout: Redeem 1,000 coins for PayPal cash, Amazon, or Visa gift cards.
- Why it’s great: Fun, gamified experience, but rewards accumulate slower than Ibotta, and it has a $20 cashout threshold.
- Source:
Swagbucks
- Best for: Multiple earning methods beyond shopping.
- How it works: Earn points (SB) by scanning receipts via the “Magic Receipts” feature, shopping online, taking surveys, or watching videos. Partners include Walmart, Amazon, and restaurants.
- Cashout: Redeem for gift cards or PayPal cash at $3 (300 SB) or $25 for PayPal.
- Why it’s great: Versatile with many earning options, but points accumulate slower for receipt scanning compared to Ibotta.
- Source:

Tips for Maximizing Cashback:

Stack Apps: Use multiple apps (e.g., Ibotta + Fetch + Shopkick) for the same purchase to maximize rewards, as long as receipts aren’t uploaded to multiple Prodege apps (Swagbucks, Tada, etc.).
Link Loyalty Cards: Apps like Ibotta and Dosh allow linking store loyalty cards for automatic cashback without receipt uploads.
Check Offers Regularly: Offers expire, so check apps before shopping to ensure eligibility.
Combine with Credit Cards: Use a cashback credit card alongside these apps for 3-6% additional savings.
Privacy Note: Review each app’s privacy policy, as they may collect purchase data or location info.

For more details, you can explore these apps on their respective websites or download them from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Always verify offers and redemption terms before signing up.

Timing the markets revisited

2025-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Long term planning means no short term freak outs.

I'll track the markets and my retirement out of habit, but I'm not doing anything drastic. A tinker here and there, but it's miniscule.

I struggle to be still.

Death of another coffee maker.

2025-04-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

5 years ago, I bought a Hamilton Beach flex brew coffee maker. It died recently. It clogged on March 17th. Vinegar cleared the clog, but it started having a puddle beneath it so I guess the vinegar did more than clear the clog.

It was a good machine. I thought about buying another since it was roughly the same price as it was 5 years ago, but I got my emergency coffee maker out to think it over.

Emergency coffee maker is okay. Was almost surprised it worked after being in my barn 5 years. It makes coffee fine, but it's my emergency coffee maker for a reason. I don't like its display. The delay feature also annoys me.

Having a coffee maker last 5 years is a miracle so I ordered another H-B flex brew.

David Copperfield

2024-08-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

A number of events occurred since my last entry. Back in February, I was told not to come to work for an undetermined period. I finally finished reading David Copperfield, because I was told to be available to work at a moment's notice. I can't really go into details, but I got help from the union and was able to keep my job.

Around Easter, my mom told me my grandma who lives in Naples, Florida broke her knee and was in a rehab facility. I hadn't seen her since before my dad passed, so I figured I should make plans to see her as soon as possible, rather than when it's most convenient. Probably weird to most people, but we normally take our primary vacation in October during fall break.

My wife and kids had never flown, so it was a big deal. Since it was my mom's mother, wife thought we should invite her to come.

Key West has always been a place of wonder, so we figured we'd go there since we'd be "close."

My mom was reluctant to go until we said we were going to go to Key West.

I wasn't happy. Finding accommodations for a family of five is hard enough, but 6 seemed a bit too much.

I found a flight to Key West with a flight back from Ft. Myers for $217 a person for the first full week of June. Our hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, in Key West was amazing!

After 4 nights in Key West, we took the Ferry to Ft. Myers Beach. Our hotel in Ft. Myers was okay, but the visit with my grandma was eye opening.

My grandma was home, but she wasn't her normal self. For being 92, she always had spunk, but she was much different.

I knew it would be the last time I would see her. She passed away the first weekend of August.

I'm glad we went to Key West first. Being ignorant of my grandma's actual condition, we were able to enjoy it.

I really didn't want to take my mom, but I'm glad she got to see her mom. She didn't get back in time when grandma was put into Hospice. Mom was in the airport waiting for her flight when my aunt told her.

Other events occurred since January, but they're more trivial.

keeping track of events

2024-01-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

Time skips a bit when you get older.

I blame phones for filling in the void that existed.

I've been trying to read David Copperfield for a year or two. I lost the ability to read for any stretch of time. I get distracted.

I couldn't sit and read when I was young. I remember thinking Wrinkle Time looked interesting, but "moron" was used and I had never heard the word before so I looked it up. I never got back to the book.

Think I majored in English literature so that I could hone the ability.

I can't listen to music when I read anything of depth. I need quiet. Sucks. I really want to finish David Copperfield. I never finished it when I had Nineteenth Century English Novel class twenty odd years ago. It weighes on me that I didn't finish it.

I sold back all the books I read and finished, but I kept the ones I liked and those I never finished.

I don't really have interest in. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, but I have it.

I have the Chaucer and Arthurian Legends stuff, but my Middle English is rusty. I used to have to read it aloud to get a feel for it. The rhyme and meter makes it seem logical to be read aloud.

Yes, I'm probably retarded in some fashion, but once I learn something I remember it for no reason.

I can't do two things at once. I'm slow.

crowning achievement

2023-11-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

The root canal was uneventful. Had the temporary crown done today. I get the permanent crown by the end of the month.

Expensive.

I picked up a new skill at work, so I can work OT to help pay the dentistry bills. Don't need extra money, but paying over a thousand bucks for a tooth seems ridiculous.

Microwave isn't working again. The $180 in parts seemed to work, so I'm hoping it's something else that's simple or covered under the 10-year warranty.

I did a dumb thing when renewing MAX. I used the app to renew and Google Services circumvented my using Amex to pay directly, thus costing me $55 in cash back. I'm not happy with Max or Google.

Worrying about a few bucks here and there gets old.

pain update

2023-09-24T13:04:00.003-07:00

Following my weekend of pain, I called the dentist about the mouth pain during my lunch break.

I got in at 1:30 and they did the cold test for a tooth that bothered me back in March. I didn't feel it. Dentist said my nerve was dead in tooth, thus referred me to have a root canal elsewhere.

They gave me a script for amoxicillin.

I promptly went to CVS, got my script filled. I waited until after 3pm to call office to which I was referred.

Earliest appointment was the 16th of next month, but I'm unavailable until the next week.

A day after being on antibiotics, I started to feel much better. I was able to sleep and manage the pain with OTC pain meds like acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

Five days later, the pain is nearly all gone without needing OTC meds, and I'm questioning the need for a root canal.

misadventures in dentistry

2023-09-17T18:30:00.002-07:00

I had my teeth cleaned on Tuesday. The hygienist picked at my gums where my wisdom teeth used to be enough that they were swollen a couple days. Thursday night I couldn't sleep from having a sore gum area. I went home from work early when I started feeling my back tighten and have sciatic nerve jolts. Regardless, all day, my mouth head hurt whenever I laid down.

Same occurred Friday night, but my whole jaw and cheek were sore.

It occurred to me that the pain was such that I couldn't wear my retainer, so I figured the mouth guard I bought would be a good alternative to see if I'm grinding my teeth. The dentist suggested a mouth guard the prior visit but the pain was never relevant enough to use it. Seemed a hassle to mold it to my teeth. Less pain last and mostly pain free today. I don't think I have an infection, but I was in more pain than I had following anything dental, including my wisdom teeth and the broken tooth being pulled.

The older I get, the more I dislike dealing with anyone in dentistry.

Cancelled Paramount Plus and MAX

2023-09-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

September is streaming renewal month. I decided to do the annual route to save and did such one September probably 2 years ago.

Everyone raised rates since last time, so I cancelled to see if I got a better rate offer rather than auto renew at the higher rates.

Paramount Plus has an American Express deal that gives you $11 back for $11 spent for 3 months. I ended up passing in the monthly plan due the half-off promo that became available after my subscription ended. I used Ibotta, so I should get $4.50 on top of the $11 back from Amex, so my $59.99(plus $5 tax) will be $50 for a year. Saved at least $50 over last year's $99.99.

Max offered $7.99 a month rate for 3 months, which I will cease using before my Amex offer expires to get $25 back when spending $99 or more. I'm getting a buck back from Sam's Club now and will get $22.50 or so back from Sam's whenever I spend $150 for annual renewal. Not the same deal as $107.99 I got from HBO MAX, so I'm out $40 or extra, unless I get that deal again. $7.99 is better for the few months I can get it. Meh.

Google knows me well

2023-09-03T20:20:00.002-07:00

Yes. I know. Blogger is a Google entity, so the title is double meaning. All of my news feed is based upon google searches and such. Basically, google is trying to get me to buy something based upon my likes. I am looking for a laptop or a computer to do basic home office things. Nothing extravagant. I'm a notoriously horrible shopper. I lack impulse. I am an excessive saver. I like to window shop. I will never have a tiny house, yet I like looking at them. It's impractical given I'm comfortable in my house. I remodeled enough that the house isn't quite what it was when we bought before we had children or SUVs.

We're replaced 2 water heaters, 3 toilets, 2 porches, 2 dishwashers, 2 exterior doors, 14 light fixtures( 7 of which are ceiling fans), 3 sinks, all non basement flooring, all kitchen cabinets... I'm not doing anything beyond my current home.

Any ways... I get articles like this : https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/savings-advice/things-to-stop-wasting-money-on-so-you-can-be-rich-in-10-years/amp/

I am beyond frugal. I get boxed in by bargain hunting, because I know I will use something eventually that is on sale now, but I don't need it yet.

Wolverine boots. I had a deal in American Express for cash back. I let it it expire. Now the boots I want are less than what the AMEX discount would have made them. The price isn't free shipping threshold so I'm not sure.

AMEX had a cash back deal for Dell computers. I let it pass because I don't want a Windows 11 in S mode.

I plan to renew: Paramount Plus, Disney Plus, Max. I already have Peacock. My Sam's club membership has a deal for Max that I can double up, just as I can probably use Ibotta to double up Disney Plus and Paramount Plus.

Ugh. Paying upfront for a year's service is cheaper, but it's a big dent in the wallet when you have everything up at the same time.

My mother got rid of her cable the other day. She took her boxes and told Spectrum to have them back. She didn't care for the $20 price hike. She already pared back her services, but yet they clawed back what they wanted.

Seems dumb to sweat about $20, but it adds up. Everything is going up. Taxes are going up because property values are inflated. Groceries are probably double what there were 20 years ago, but wages are mostly the same.

Sad.

Cable will cease to be. Big media will have to hustle for customers.

The Writers' strike is a big deal because they're not going to have jobs soon. They know it.

Not sad. They paint rosey picture when it's all a house of cards.

We're getting to a tipping point where no one can pay for items that make the economy run smoothly.

Weirdly, there's nothing going on regarding riots or uprising.

I feel the pinch of prices. I am anxious about a global meltdown like '08. Everything seems worse, yet nothing is burning.

Fine print scams

2023-07-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

I few weeks ago, I felt wronged. Peacock is discounted if you're a Sam's Club member and go through a hoop or two to get the cash back. I thought I added a card to my Sam's profile and linked it to the bonus page, but the latter page didn't fit on my screen, so I missed the submit button that completed the linking.

Not all apps are the same. Some have submit boxes. Some just have check ✔️ boxes. Sam's has a check box and a submit box.

I wasn't able to cancel Peacock to reorder then get the Cashback, so I went to my credit card and disputed the charge. They were very understanding. I got all the funds back but my card wanted proof of the deceit.

After a long back and forth with Sam's, I got a resolution to my satisfaction which made my dispute null. I am not angry with Peacock as much as I am with myself for missing the cut off elements of the discount process.

$40 isn't a lot, but I get bent out of shape about money regardless of the sum.

I like Sam's. I like my credit card. I will not renew Peacock. This was an impulse purchase, much like MLB dot TV was

Weirdly, Peacock annual rate went up $20 last week, so I saved an additional $20, much like my saving $60 when I cancelled MLB dot TV.

The $60 saved by cancelling MLB dot TV paid for Peacock, essentially.

I am joking when I say "saved." Saving only occurs when you are going to buy something regardless of the price, but you can get it cheaper. Two such examples are gasoline and Internet service.

The problem with free money

2023-07-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

Cashback deals imply cash being spent. I'm annoyed I fell for a scam that involved Peacock. Trying to get a refund, but they don't have customer service. I recommend avoiding such companies.

MLB dot TV

2023-06-23T16:59:00.003-07:00

Father's Day weekend brought about the discount price for MLB dot TV. I got the free 7 day trial with the intention of actually spending $59.99, but the Pirates are blacked out today while playing the Marlins due to Apple TV having the broadcast.

I was annoyed about the 10 game losing streak, but not being able to use the service for a game that has no business being blacked out given where I live and teams involved aside from evil Apple, I canceled.

I am reminded of when I bought a new laptop from Best Buy a few months ago. Seemed like a good price, but I was ignorant of Microsoft Windows 11 home in S Mode. It failed to work. After going through all the set-up prompts, the machine wouldn't let me do basic things. It must have crashed, because it was a black screen when I rebooted it. Returned the machine very disappointed. I am now firmly anti- Windows 11 Home in S Mode.