Post Your Wins

[disneysteve]

I went to Las Vegas last week and got this.

I'm leaving today for 5 days in Atlantic City for a conference. I don't expect to do much gambling but I'm sure I'll do some. I'll report back if I get any good wins. Of course, the net result is almost always a loss, but nobody likes to talk about that. It's more fun to focus on the wins.

I keep forgetting about this thread. Yesterday, I sold a LEGO set to a guy on Marketplace. I had it posted to ebay also. It went for $160 which is less than I was asking on ebay but I don't have to pay the 15% fee and I don't have to pack and ship it. When he got here, he saw that I have a bunch of other sets and said that he would be interested in all of them. When I get back from my trip, I will make a list of everything I've got and come up with a price to ask for everything. It's going to be upwards of a $600 transaction probably.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I went to Las Vegas last week and got this.

[Fishindude77]

I only lost $100 at trip to the casino last weekend

[james.hendrickson]

All,

I got a coupon in the mail for a free bag of coffee. I totally walked a couple of miles to the store and got the free coffee - and I didn't buy anything else.


Two wins - free coffee and exercise.

[kork13]

That’s great! You probably saved even more than $1k. We had a new backsplash put in last summer (also due to demo damage from something else). It was nothing fancy and cost $4k.

You're almost certainly correct. I was kinda in denial about the likely need to redo the backsplash, so I was almost certainly way low-balling what it would cost. For the size of our project,. $1k would probably only cover the materials let alone installation labor.

We got a local handyman to address the gap between the new counters & existing backsplash -- should only cost about $450 all-in to get it done & end up looking great -- he's gonna install schluter around it all, basically a metal trim to frame the backsplash. Should look really nice.

[disneysteve]

I just got $13.91 from Rakuten. They have a great program. Our biggest problem is forgetting to use it. We could be earning so much more.

[jenn_jenn]

Today we're getting new countertops put in for the kitchen & master bathroom -- existing counters were hideous, laminate that got covered by a thin layer of concrete... Then never got sealed. So they're chipped, stained, and overall aggravating to look at.

So we finally gave in & started the replacement process. We got a reasonable price on the project (~$5k), but we've been worried about the backsplash. It looks just fine, a decent tile, but the demo process often damages the backsplash tile, which would likely force us to replace the it. That would likely mean $1000+ in extra costs.

The install team arrived today, and they were able to tear out the hideous stuff WITHOUT DAMAGING THE TILE!!! Incredibly thrilled. There will be a small (¼ inch) gap below the existing backsplash, but filling that in is a far cheaper & easier fix. We're excited to see how the new counters turn out, and relieved at the significant cost avoidance.

That’s great! You probably saved even more than $1k. We had a new backsplash put in last summer (also due to demo damage from something else). It was nothing fancy and cost $4k.

[kork13]

Today we're getting new countertops put in for the kitchen & master bathroom -- existing counters were hideous, laminate that got covered by a thin layer of concrete... Then never got sealed. So they're chipped, stained, and overall aggravating to look at.

So we finally gave in & started the replacement process. We got a reasonable price on the project (~$5k), but we've been worried about the backsplash. It looks just fine, a decent tile, but the demo process often damages the backsplash tile, which would likely force us to replace the it. That would likely mean $1000+ in extra costs.

The install team arrived today, and they were able to tear out the hideous stuff WITHOUT DAMAGING THE TILE!!! Incredibly thrilled. There will be a small (¼ inch) gap below the existing backsplash, but filling that in is a far cheaper & easier fix. We're excited to see how the new counters turn out, and relieved at the significant cost avoidance.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

Congratulations and wow! I promise in another 15 years you'll be living a life you couldn't even dream about.

[Thrif-t]

My older Subaru was making a lot of noise from the rear. Turns out wheel bearings were shot. Replacing the bearing on my vehicle is a nightmare. A bearing costs $50. Or, what I did was replace the entire assembly (the whole part that holds your wheel to your car.). This part costs $140, but simplifies things. Replaced both sides and now it's quiet again. After shipping and tax it was around $350. I don't know what a shop would charge but it would be at least double that.

I can tell ya, my daughter just had to get a new left wheel bearing on her 05 camry it was $450 at the shop. You did good

[rennigade]

My older Subaru was making a lot of noise from the rear. Turns out wheel bearings were shot. Replacing the bearing on my vehicle is a nightmare. A bearing costs $50. Or, what I did was replace the entire assembly (the whole part that holds your wheel to your car.). This part costs $140, but simplifies things. Replaced both sides and now it's quiet again. After shipping and tax it was around $350. I don't know what a shop would charge but it would be at least double that.

[scfr]

Picked up an extra shift at work this week and last.

Got an Am-Ex offer for $25 off a grocery order pickup at Fred Meyer.

[disneysteve]

Thank you! We have a tax preparer do our taxes. Do I need to take the form with me to meet with the tax preparer?

You don’t need to bring your own forms to have your taxes done. The preparer will have everything and it’s all electronic now anyway. It’s all done online.

[crazyliblady]

I think the minimum is $50 if you do paper I Bonds (buy with tax return). Minimum $25 for electronic I Bonds.

Thank you! We have a tax preparer do our taxes. Do I need to take the form with me to meet with the tax preparer?

[bjl584]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

Thank you for the update, and the motivation to keep going.
Great work, and keep it up