I'm struggling to figure out where I am going wrong with this probability problem: You and your sister each baked 12 times in the last 30 days. You picked the 12 days randomly, but you never baked more than once each day. So did your sister. What is the probability that both of you baked on the same day? You can laugh at my approach, which follows; I won't mind. Odds you baked on a particular day: 12/30 or 40% Odds your sister baked on a particular day: 12/30 or 40% Odds you both baked on a particular day: 40% x 40% = 16% Odds that you both baked on the same day during the 30 days: 16% x 12 = 192%

50/50 is fair. You were both backing out and collided. Both of you are at fault. The fact that you were backed out farther isn't relevant. If you were driving down the aisle and a car backed into you, then the backer was at fault. I have only ever dealt with my own car insurance company. That's what I pay them for. If you are not at fault, your own insurance company should still negotiate with the other insurance company for your payment. With shared fault, you can still go this route but I suspect that you would get the $250 from the other insurance company and the other $250 would be subject to your own deductible (mine is much higher than $250) AND it would go on your record and could impact your insurance rates. I would have just let it go from the beginning.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota and other roadside America attractions. I don't consider myself well traveled but have seen most of the domestic locations/things mentioned so far. Interesting that some of the things people really want to see I've taken for granted as just part of everyday life.

Just that. If she got a job or a handout, she would continue spending as she has been and she wouldn't learn how to not spend. With no income or handouts, she'll be forced to find other things to do with her time besides shopping/spending. She can experience for herself that it can be done.

I'm OK with weird or odd but those baseboard photos are just wrong. That would upset me way more than the finish. I hope the GC can reach a solution for you with the sub.

I'm going to suggest a different approach than most of the previous posters. I would not be encouraging a job to earn spending money. I believe that gaining some experience in NOT SPENDING is what is actually needed. She has already proven that she can earn money. She has no experience in not spending it. Experienced adults will sometimes challenge themselves to a "no spend" period of time to really push the boundaries of how long they can go without spending money. This young woman's needs are covered. She needs her own "no spend" experience.

A charge off should drop off your credit report seven years after it is charged off. Assuming this is a credit card charge off, check the following link for the statute of limitations in your state. It is between 3 and 6 years for most states, some are longer. Beyond this time, you can't be sued for this debt. http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-state-statute-limitations-1282.php I understand the moral obligation of paying your debts, but there is a reason that there is a timeframe for how long it can affect your credit rating and ability to be sued. As a society, we forgive these financial mistakes after a period of time. Since it has been 5 years already, I would strongly consider the option of simply waiting it out. I would use extra funds available now to really solidify the financial stability of my family (emergency fund, retirement fund, college fund, etc.). Contributing an amount equal to the original debt to a charity of your choice is also an option.

These folks are primarily entertainers.

I vote tech with no guilt. If he's happy, you will be relaxed and more likely to have a good time. Sometimes it is OK to take the easier way rather than working hard at alternatives to keep him happy. Do a couple things you think he will like and let him zone out with tech while you and your friend enjoy the other things.

I understand completely if you do not want to share more details than you already have, but it really depends on what the "big mistake" was, when it happened, and what has happened since then. If it is an unpaid debt, for example, there is generally a time limit for when it will drop off your credit report. This time limit is generally from the time the debt was considered "active." Even coming to an agreement with the debt owner and paying it off now may be WORSE because it would re-start the time it can show up on your credit report.

So sorry this happened to you. Sounds to me like you did everything right in the time and space that you had. We one time had a man in a large pickup truck intentionally run into us when we were stopped at a light, backed up, and hit us again. I was so mad because we had young children in the car. I jumped out with a pad of paper and pen, and yelled not nice things at him as I ran behind his truck to write down his license plate number and the make/model of his truck. I got the info before he drove off and we pulled into a gas station to call the police. Looking back, that wasn't a very bright thing for me to do: jumping out where I was in danger if he decided to run me over, yelling at him risking causing a more violent reaction from him, etc. I should have just done what I could to get my children safely away from him/the situation.

It's unusual for the Hive to be so overwhelmingly on one side of an issue - cashing/keeping the gift, in this case. Thank you, everyone. It really helps.

This is awesome and I love directions like this. Then I know that I'm still going the right way, even if it isn't time to do anything yet. I once had a co-worker that gave directions this detailed. He was very observant and able to describe everything that I would see. I miss him. I just remembered another set of directions I've received, this time from my brother. He described the road I would be traveling on T-ing into another road. He said, "Now, you will feel like you need to turn right but turn left." I don't know how he knew that but sure enough, when I got to that intersection, right felt the correct way to go.

DH's parents recently sent us $1,000. They haven't done anything like this in the past so I'm wondering what is up. They first said it was to help pay for a HVAC system we recently had to replace. DH told them that we had that covered so they then said it was a birthday gift and we could use it for whatever we want. We aren't cashing the check and DH told them as such. I don't think it is pride on our part because if DH's parents were well off, I'd accept with a heartfelt THANK YOU. However, they don't have much and are careful with their own spending to the point FIL puts off filling needed prescriptions when he is in the "doughnut hole" of his drug benefits. I'm only guessing but maybe they gave $1,000 to DH's sister for something she needed and want to keep things equitable. I don't want to ask SIL in case she had not gotten such a gift. Just wondering what the board members would do.

My grandmother once told me to "Turn left at the intersection where that girl was hit." I'm sure a local that was familiar with the local news from years past would have understood. . .

I scrutinize all Aldi produce carefully and only buy if it looks good and I plan to use it in a day or two. Exceptions include carrots and cabbage which last a long time and the bagged salad which holds up well until I open the bag. Berries and asparagus can be found rotting/molding on the shelf at times. Ugh. The cost difference is enough that I still take the time to look but I do end up buying produce elsewhere as well.

I've recently started some medications that speed bone loss so I've been reading up on this quite a bit. Calcium carbonate is cheaper but should be taken with food. Calcium citrate is more expensive but better absorbed than carbonate if you take it between meals. It is best to break up your calcium supplements throughout the day rather than taking it all at once because you will only absorb so much at a time. The vitamin D (be sure it is D3 and not D2) can be taken all at once. It helps you use the calcium more efficiently. There are lots of studies looking at other supplements to help bone health but the calcium and vit D are the only ones my doctor is recommending at this point. The impact of exercise on bone density is very interesting. Not all exercise seems to help. Swimming is awesome in many ways but doesn't help your bone density. You need weight bearing exercise and not even all of that is helpful. There are mixed results from running, for example. Best bets at this point seem to point to sudden high impact - like jumping - to force your bones to add density. Yep, I feel a bit silly but I make it a point to jump up as high as I can several times a day and land on a hard surface. Don't do them all in a row though, a bit of time between each jump is supposed to help.

I've been successful in using a low carb higher fat (similar to Diet Doctor) diet. I lost my extra weight and feel good and love the food. I'm still eating the same diet but am now on medications that cause weight gain and I'm finding that my diet is not enough. So, I've started intermittent fasting. I've read that it is often best to "mix it up" and not have a single eating schedule that you follow all the time. So, sometimes I'll fast for 17 hours (7 pm to 12 noon, essentially just skipping breakfast), sometimes I'll fast for 24 hours (eat dinner then don't eat until dinner the next day), and sometimes I'll eat a regular breakfast-lunch-dinner schedule. I weigh myself regularly and adjust my fasting accordingly. Up a bit? Longer fasts over the next few days. Down nicely? Enjoy three meals a day. I'll repeat some of what was stated earlier. Fasting will be much easier if you are already on a low carb diet. Otherwise, with the blood sugar swings, you will feel much more hunger. I do still sometimes get hungry but it is around the time I would normally be eating a meal. I'll have a cup of tea or coffee and once meal time is past, I'm just fine. I have an intellectual crush on Dr. Fung. I think he is brilliant.

I really do think this shift to more openness is a great thing. I've noticed it time and time again with classmate discussions my DDs have shared with me. Even something as trivial but personal as menstruation. We may have discussed it in private with our female friends but it certainly wasn't shared in mixed company and I would have been horrified for a random classmate to know I was having my period. DD20 does not have this hangup. She will reach into her backpack and grab out a feminine pad to carry in her hand as she walks down the hall to the bathroom. When a classmate once asked her for a feminine hygiene product and a male classmate walked up and asked what they were talking about, the first classmate turned to him and said "Tampons. We are talking about tampons." The male was not embarrassed and was ready and willing to join in the conversation.

Wow! Good for you. It's amazing how much slack we are able to provide other people who make honest mistakes but we can be so hard on ourselves. I'm loving these stories and will share the new ones with DD later tonight. She did hear back from the instructor who reassured her that it was fine and that she would see her Wednesday.

Thank you, everyone. I shared your responses with her and she's feeling better about it all. I'm sure once she's had a chance to attend class on Wednesday, all will be well. We both got a chuckle out of the 109-115 vs 115-109 confusion. I'm sure it wasn't funny for that poor student.

She is quite upset with herself. She's a dual enrollment student at the community college and the two course sections are at the same time, in the same building, and in adjacent rooms. She somehow attended the wrong one. She has now emailed both instructors explaining what happened and apologizing. She was able to print off the syllabus of the correct section from online. Next class is Wednesday. Anything else that she should do?

A few things for clarity: 1. Keep your own records! Schools report differently on the 1098-T and you do NOT need to report those values on your taxes as long as you have your own records to back it up. 2. Any grants/scholarships (not loans! I know that wasn't mentioned here but some people think they need to report loans on their taxes.) that are RECEIVED in the 2017 calendar year (posted to student account or given directly to the student) are counted in that year, regardless of when you spend them. Any amount DETERMINED BY YOU not to be applied to qualified expenses is taxable TO THE STUDENT (given that the grant/scholarship doesn't specify where it must be applied). 3. If the Spring 2018 bill appears on the student portal in 2017 but isn't due until 2018, it is UP TO YOU when to pay it so evaluate when it would be most beneficial to your specific tax situation. 4. It is often beneficial to allocate a portion of the scholarship amounts to non-qualified expenses (even if you have room to allocate it to qualified expenses) and have the student pay taxes on it in order for the parent to claim the maximum AOTC. That's because the tax credit is larger than the tax obligation. This is allowed, per the IRS, and there is a nice governmental paper written on how to go about it that I've posted before. I'll see if I can find it again and post the link. Even if the student is living at home, you can claim amounts for transportation, personal expenses, etc. as non-qualified expenses for this purpose. The school's "total cost of attendance" estimates are good back-up documentation for the amounts you use. https://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Documents/Pell%20AOTC%204%20pager.pdf 5. Don't rely on a tax preparer or accountant to understand any of this. You are much better off researching it for yourself. The software companies usually do a fair job as well but you need to understand how it should work in order to verify that the software package is treating it correctly. Good luck! Disclaimer - I am not a tax or education expert. Just a parent who has waded these waters before. Use any of the above information at your own risk.

Not knowing for sure is the hardest part. Be sure you are on the cancellation list at the dermatologist. You don't really need a dermatologist to do a skin biopsy so consider seeing if you can get in to see your primary care provider sooner. You could even have the results back in time for your derm visit.

Once I have the charge reversed and a new card, I consider it the option/responsibility of the credit card company to pursue it further. I've been made whole.