[What happens if we don't buy health insurance?]

Our penalty is the same as the cheapest bronze plan. But it has a $6000 pp deductible, so we can't afford to use it. If I saved the premium amount we could actually go to the doctor on a sliding scale.

 

I am having a medical problem right now for which I really need a prescription drug, but can't afford to go.

[Long Shot--expensive boarding schools]

St Johnsbury Academy is a private/public that is geared toward arts and culinary. If they want a strong math/tech program it wouldn't be a good fit.

 

It is one of our public school choices, but we decided to homeschool instead.

[I paid $60 for my turkey]

It is unkind to paint yourself morally superior to those who cannot afford to make the same choices as the wealthy. 

 

We don't host any holidays because that is expensive.

[Have you ever driven far to get a car?]

I drove 3hrs r/t to pick up used tires for Dh this week.

[I paid $60 for my turkey]

I think we'll be having hamburgers and hotdogs.  And five different types of pie.

 

But I did get a turkey 20lb turkey for $12 at the supermarket because that is the kind of food we can afford.  I plan to have it for the winter holiday.

[Yeast for bread machine]

I keep my yeast in the freezer, and when measuring water temperature before adding to the pan, I always make it a bit extra warm to account for the cold pan.

[I want to dance.]

I don't like to dance. Like club-style free dance where I'm just supposed to move to the music in a random way that also looks good? No thanks! My logical mind wants structure and predictability. So I take a dance class for exercise and fun. They show me what to do, and I try to copy. I have found out that I like contemporary dance better than hip hop.

[Can we talk PIE? What are your favorites? Any recipes to share?]

Anyone have a peanut butter pie recipe that doesn't use coolwhip? Yuck.

[It's not about the Nail]

just deal with your real problems.

What is wrong with this message? I think it's perfectly reasonable, and more than a bit ridiculous not to do so.

 

If you (general) want to monologue, get a diary.

[Have you ever driven far to get a car?]

I have driven 3-4 hours each way, and probably will again. My current vehicle I bought in Philadelphia over internet, phone, and fax. I flew down and drove it 8 hours home, by myself.

[Is American Girl the way to go, for a doll with hair that can handle being brushed?]

Have you thought about a styling head instead of a whole doll if her interest is only in styling the hair?  Those often come with all kinds of accessories, and you can get theme heads (like Frozen) or even a pony. 

[Confession: I'm a browser-tab junkie...]

Window 1: 3 pinned, 13 others open

Window 2: 2 pinned, 9 others open

 

[If You Live in a State Without an Income Tax...]

TN: Our property taxes are pretty reasonable. (I pay $1500 a year for a 2000sq ft home, a barn and nearly three acres, in the county).

 

Our sales tax (city and county together) runs around 9.25%. I don't know how that compares with other places though.

We pay double that for essentially the same thing, but there is no sales tax - only rooms and meals.

[Is a septic and well water system a costly/annoying home feature in your opinion?]

I grew up with well water & septic systems. They do tend to go together since they're in places that don't have a town/city sewer system.

 

Make sure that the well has a backup generator on the pump or any time you lose power, you'll lose water. My parents waited YEARS to put a generator on their well even though we had regular blackouts any time there was a major storm (and in New England, that was several times per year). 

 

The septic system needs to be pumped every so often (6 months?) so you'll need to figure that cost into your annual housing maintenance budget.

 

Well water should be tested annually. They did have to install a reverse osmosis system when the EPA under President Clinton tightened the water quality standards and the well was over the more stringent limit for arsenic. So if the house you're looking at already has a RO system, you'll be looking at maintenance costs for that, but then you probably won't have to worry so much about water quality.

 

Our septic guy says pumping every 3-5 years is fine if your system is healthy, but it also depends on the number of people, the size of your system, and what you put into it.  No garbage disposal, don't dump grease, etc.

 

[If your middle schooler left campus to protest WWYD]

I would join them.

[Is there name/word for this kind of person?]

Read the rest of the thread...

If it hadn't been there my whole life I'd think it was the beginning of dementia. But she was raised in competition with an older sister who was the favorite, when teen girls were expected to have a tiny waist. She was not allowed to gain weight when pregnant.

 

So I don't know if it was enculturation or insecurity or a bit of OCD. Her house is always spotless, too. Mom says she was treated like a slave as a child. I guess my grandmother used to go around with a white glove to check for dirt. She also says that she was abused, and choosing not to eat was the only control she had over her body. That kind of upbringing must leave some psychological scars.

[Is there name/word for this kind of person?]

The word would be my mother in law.

Everything in her life revolves around weight and her diet. And everyone else's weight.

Are you my sister in law? Because it's my mother. She has always been obsessed with her weight and that of everyone around her. Since I was a little kid she has always struggled with her weight, yoyoing between a healthy weight and probably 30-50 lb overweight. She has tried a bazillion diets, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers more than once, but almost never exercises. I watched her tell a dietician a pack of half truths when being discharged from a cardiac stent... I drove her home and she asked for high sodium grocery store soup for dinner after telling them she eats low salt. She buys fudgesicles because one is low calorie, but I watched her eat three of them after dinner the last time I was there. She only takes one helping of food at mealtimes, but it is probably 2-3 servings of everything. Smh. It is definitely not a healthy living obsession.

 

For many years, every time I talked to her on the phone she'd ask me about my weight, what size clothes I wear, and then tell me about this person or that person's weight. It was very judgemental. I stopped answering her questions or engaging in the conversation, and I finally spoke up and told her that her obsession with everyone's weight (even strangers) was unhealthy. Now she does it less frequently, but it's still there. When she does lose a bit of weight she buys pants with elastic waistband so that she can fit into "a smaller size" than with a regular waist so she can brag about it.

 

A couple years ago a friend tried to sell me on one of those coaching diet plans (another whole kettle), and I told her flat out that I would not spend my life focused on weight. After watching my mother destroy my sister's health as a child (self fulfilling prophecy) I will not model this weight-value-judgement for my own children.

 

Thanks for giving me a place to get this off my chest. I thought I was the only one who dealt with that particular crazy.

 

Her other obsession is her dog's elimination habits, which she shares in great detail... ugh.

[Talk to me about Massachusetts]

Wanted to debunk lack of DE in NH. Face to face is starting to improve, and Running Start is open to all, but there are also a lot of cheap college credits to be had online through estart.

[People calling for and end to the Electoral College]

This is supposed to be a government of the *people*. Not the states. Not the cities. Not some random group of electors. It is the votes of each *citizen* that should count. And it is obvious that right now they don't count.

[High Crimes and Misdemeanors]

Some of them are actual law breaking misdemeanors, while high crimes would be treasonous actions.

 

Something considered immoral or a mental illness is neither.

[the political board, where to find?]

I didn't find it either.

[Grammar - Direct Object Question from JAG]

A lot is a group of items.

[Can we talk about chopping veggies?]

I love my alligator chopper - fruits or veges in large or small dice all the same size in a matter of seconds.

 

A mandolin is also a kitchen must have for a lot of slicing.

[s/o food for election--music for election night]

Seriously sung by Leslie Odom Jr.

[Staying off FB]

Purged my friends list today.