Yep. I understand that only dollars above the bracket cut off get taxed at the higher rate. But we'd prefer to put pre-tax money in FSA or 457 and not have any dollars enter the higher tax bracket.

I substitute. It pays for medical bills. We make sure we stay in our current tax bracket by using my husbands salary to contribute to an FSA, and a 457 (sort of a 401k for teachers). Those are both pretax. That means that my salary doesn't push us jointly into a higher tax bracket.

Not sure where you are located, but where I am (west coast) best practice is to cover a raised bed with compost or a cover crop. You could put straw or leaves on top of the compost. Best practice is also NOT to turn the soil. Soil has a structure, micro organisms and other life that if best left alone. If there's heavy clay or gopher runs you want to collapse, using a broad fork for aeration is useful. I'm not a die hard no-till person, but I work at an organic garden that is for food production and they do no-till and the soil is wonderful (despite being in an area of clay) and the harvest is impressive. We keep beds covered with compost and straw there.

Just ordered that book from the library!

I assumed they'd have a credit card. My daughter travelled a ton professionally and co-worker advised her to keep cash on her person while travelling. It was very needed a few times. Not really what a mom wants to hear, but I'm so thankful for that co-worker's advice.

This is intriguing! I wonder if hotels in Europe do the digital key as well. I put my minor on an overnight train in Europe because they were not old enough to check into a hotel. But I will remember your tip for another time!

I've flown through Charlotte a lot and though it is large, the people are friendly. There is a very nice area to sit and wait just outside the USO lounge. It's up some stairs so it's out of the way, and there are rocking chairs. My kids have all flown by themselves internationally at age 17. They need to know how to ask for directions, they need to know to look confident, they need to who to approach if they need help. The less luggage the better. Walk them through what happens at security, what they need to know about what they can take through security( for example, no water bottle with water in it). They should have cash on their person for whatever eventuality.

I've had massive hair loss for 6+ months. Free T4 is 1.1 and TSH is 2.4. Both are considered 'normal' by run-of-the-mill doctor. Does anyone have experience with thyroid issues and know anything more about numbers like mine? Thank you.

https://worldrelief.org/ also has partners in the region. My daughter worked for them in disaster response. Excellent organization.

Probably not the inspiration you were looking for. We live in a small house, this is our only eating space, in the corner of our kitchen, and it's also where all of my garden harvest comes in.

Well done for listing the tires for someone who might use them. I love that things don't go straight in the landfill. I hear your frustration, I sell on FB marketplace often and it is really annoying. I'd rather have someone delete the. "Is this available" and instead say "I'm interested" but I have also accidentally hit that button myself so I know how easy it is to do. Sometimes I'm intending to delete the auto reply and instead it sends. I hope someone picked up the tires from you.

I don't know if it varies by state, but in the state I am in, the moment a student enrolls in CC, privacy immediately kicks in. Even a student under 18 is protected by privacy laws. So in my state a student under 18 needs to sign a FERPA if the parent needs to have any dealings with the college-academic, health or financial. I understand that some students need to be protected from their family, but the privacy laws in my state are a pain. And the FERPA has to be submitted to every different department-academic, financial, health-it's not one form for the college, it's one form per department. When your student signs the FERPA in each department, get a copy at that very moment, and ask where it will be kept and who to contact if it can't be found. Every phone call you make is, "Hi, my name is x, my student's name is y, there is a FERPA on file, I'll give you a moment to go and find that." We did this for 6 years.

I am so sorry. As far as diet for preventing/improving cancer outcome, other than the common sense stuff of eating well balanced diet rich in fruits and veg, minimal meat/dairy, and little to no crap, I don't think there's anything else. Of course there are thousands who would be happy to sell you a book outlining whatever their 'miracle' diet is. And of course people have recovered/entered remission/been cured and many are happily attributing it to whatever they did diet-wise, but I'm not convinced it's what the ate/didn't eat. My mother has chased health her whole life. She has eaten more healthfully than any person I have ever known or even heard of. Not a grain of sugar has passed her lips in more than 50 years. Not a single antibiotic. Every known supplement has been used/consumed, no matter how unpleasant. Every item in her house is non toxic, bought after much research. Every skin care/shampoo/soap/household cleaner is primo non toxic/free of everything, etc. And lo and behold, last year she was diagnosed with 4 different and likely significantly life shortening diseases. My dad on the other hand eats crap and is overweight and at the same age as my mother, has zero medical problems. They have lived in the same place and house for 50 years. And yet, my mother is still buying the next diet book that promises her that THIS diet (I'm not talking weight loss diet, I'm talking exclude/include x, y, z diet) will be the answer. So if I even had any faith in the 'eat right, take the right supplements' for curing this, that or the other problem, I do not have any faith now. Maybe she would have been sicker sooner if she hadn't done "all the right things." But she has spend her whole life chasing health and a small fortune on books and supplements and primo food and she is not at all happy. If I had cancer, I would eat clean, and do whatever the well respected oncologist that I had chosen said to do. From my own chronic illness journey, I think stress has a larger role in sickness and health than I ever knew. I would address that. And get the support that I and my family needed to walk through the situation. All the very best to you and your husband and family.

Not rude. It's the potential buyer that is rude. Sell to whoever shows up first with the cash. Then delete the listing and all the conversations associated with it will go away! I sell a lot on FB marketplace and have learned not to hold for anyone.

I am sorry for your loss.

Thank you all. Some great ideas and I also had a few of my own while I read the replies.

Thank you, thank you. You made me laugh in a great way. So so true. "The stinky lotion, the uncomfortable shoes, the games that take longer to set up than to play..." You hit the nail right on the head. I just had a bit of a purge of our garage. It feels good.

I like to think that when I get rid of things like craft stuff that I once used but never use now, that it is opening up space for new hobbies and possibilities. If the stuff isn't being used and never will by me, I very much like to think of the joy that it will give someone else. I just purged my closet. I tried every single piece on. If it had any issues- wrong fit/color/style for my body, stains, unmendable tears, etc, I let it go. I turned 50 this year and life is short-I don't to spend it wearing things that don't flatter me. It feels really good to only own what looks good on me, and that I like. I do only have 30 items hanging in my closet now. I hate shopping. My goal is to slowly build up a better wardrobe. Kids stuff-I hung onto a lot, and have purged a bit more several times over the years. The bins that seem to hold up the best for me are the black ones with yellow lids from Home Depot. I think I may have seen them at Costco too. I don't like them too big because then they're too heavy for me to lift. We moved from almost 2000 sq ft to 1000 sq ft. three years ago. I'm just about down to what actually fits here. If I had money I'd live somewhere bigger, or pay for better storage solutions in a house this size. Small space living requires one to be ruthless.

My mother has MAC lung infection (like TB but different bacteria) and is in a bad way with coughing, run down, frail, etc. I need some help thinking of things she could do. She must rest for her recovery, there is no pressing on to get better here, but she doesn't DO anything and so she's always restless and fretful. Some limitations: Her hands are badly off with arthritis, so stitchery and the like are not possible. Her cognition is patchy (from age, illness or cognitive impairment we don't know) and so following books is difficult, though she did seem to enjoy some YA fiction when she stayed with me. She has zero energy She is morally opposed to TV (don't even get me started on this one!!) She's not able to drive and won't/doesn't access rides. She will allow 2 people (her brother and SIL) to take her places but they aren't available much. She's starting 18 month treatment for this, which in itself can be grueling. I'd love some ideas of things to help her pass her time more pleasantly. So far I have more YA fiction. That's it. Has anyone had similar experience and gained valuable ideas for such a stage? Thank you!

I lived in England over 20 years. Yes, washer is usually in the kitchen. Most people I knew did not own a dryer. I cloth diapered my kids and didn't own a dryer. We dried clothes and diapers on the line every day that wasn't wet. When it was wet, we dried clothes on a folding drying rack indoors, or draped clothes over the radiators. Also many bathrooms have an "airing cupboard" where the hot water heater is, and clothes that are a little damp can go in there to finish drying. I own a dryer now in the US, and I use it about 4 times a year to dry fabric for sewing projects. Drying clothes on the line is my preferred way, it's easier on the clothes, completely free, and I enjoy hanging clothes out.

It sounds like your mother chooses to be unhappy. This is not your fault or your responsibility. I would immediately stop doing every single thing that she is able to do for herself. You will not change her dysfunction by functioning harder yourself. I'm also at a stage where my mother needs care. I have been working with a therapist myself to help me learn healthy boundaries, and hold to them. It has been really helpful. I'm also trying to carve out a life for myself-some part time work after being full time homeschool parent, some hobbies, time with friends. I try to think what I would want from my children when I am at the same stage my mother is at. I would want help to find/hire care so that I was safe. Or help finding an appropriate retirement community with a continuum of care. I would NOT want to watch any of my children ruin their own physical or emotional health looking after me.

Can you buy for the first and the second re-use? I had 2 at the same school, we bought for one and the second wore the same gown, we got her her own cap so she would have a momento. We've gone even more economical with college graduation gowns. My husband graduated college in 2004 ( he didn't go as an 18 year old, but went in his 30's). We kept his gown and 2 of our kids that attended their own college graduations also wore his gown. It has such memories now. I love it.

I went a long time ago. I don't have any standout memories, but it's not my thing. But I thought I'd mention that Leeds itself is not that glorious a place, so if you go you don't need to plan much time for other things in Leeds. If you like countryside, the Yorkshire Dales is within an hour-ish, and is stunning. There's also Hadrian's Wall further north. And many castles. York is nearby and has the Jorvik Viking museum which is pretty cool.

Praying.

Praying. Our daughter was the program manager for World Relief in Sudan. She was there last year. We are glad she isn't there now.