u/ElizabetSobeck

Similarities:
- first year head coach in place, with very disappointing showings so far and some (idiotic) fans already calling for coaching changes
- promising QB1 on the surface, but disappointing performance so far- again some (maybe not so idiotic) fans calling for QB2 to take over asap
- embarrassing o- and d-line plays so far, despite seemingly good talent on the team
- both teams 3-2 right now, with 2 losses coming against big ten opponents in the last 2 weeks

However, differences i see:
- Michigan’s QB1 is perhaps the most hyped QB of his class, with one of the highest NIL amounts- I think the expectation for Underwood is much higher than Becht
- Michigan wont a natty recently so their fanbase probably not as miserable as the psu fanbase

So far, PSU has only faced weak competition, but we looked as dominant as we were expected to, which is good. Our defense, usually never an issue historically, showing really good metrics with the first year DC who joined from USC, and our offense / passing game looked not bad. But better competition starts now, with USC and Michigan games likely going to be the true indicators of how good our team is. But seeing Michigan and USC and their recent struggles against Rutgers and weak schools, i think PsU has good chances this season.

Hopefully we make the playoffs, get lucky with balls bouncing our way for a few games and hopefully win one!

Always had this number $19k monthly expenditure level in my head. Yesterday i finally sat down and pulled all my YTD credit card and bank account transaction records, combined them all and analyzed YTD spend patterns.

Shockingly the average number was $27k. Spent the next hour or so, combing through the data and also getting chatgpt help. In 2026, my family had a lot of one off purchases and spend that we wont have going forward (sending money to family; moved to another city so moving cost, few pieces of furniture, down payment for a new car, new car insurance, etc) so i removed these all. Now the YTD monthly spend was $22k. Felt better but still want to look for ways to optimize. Here is how the $22k roughly breaks down to:
- $8k in mortgage and property tax
- $5-6k in childcare ($3k per month for one kid daycare, $2-3k in part time nanny cost)
- $1200 per month on dining out / coffee / food delivery- We used to spend a ton more on this category as undisciplined serial food delivery orderers, like $2-3k per month (i know) but $1200 is after we cur down aggressively on them
- online / retail shopping: $1800, includes random household replenishments we order off Amazon, toddler clothes and shoes, toys and books (which we started cutting down on), diapers, other things
- Utilities: likely $1k per month on average, combination of gas electricity and water
- lawn mowing: $300 per month
- cars: two leases with $900 combined lease payment across both cars, insurance is $250-300 per month, gas is prob $100
- groceries: $1800. We shop from costco, whole foods, Trader Joe’s, etc and while we are price conscious about brands we pick, we dont actively try to manage this category as we think its important for the kids
- random things in the house requiring repairs and whatnot. In 2026 YTD, lots of repair costs towards plumbing, yard, doors and windows, etc- Nothing approached thousands of $ range, but little issues here and there that i could not repair myself, they have piled up in 2026 (average $300-800 per issue resolved in my mind)

Any feedback or insights on where to cut down would be appreciated. In my mind, its dining out / food delivery/ grocery.

===Edit===
Adding few more info:
- HHi fluctuates from $400-450k annual on lower end to $550k+ on higher end, due to part of the income coming from own business. My family thinks of $20-21k per month as the baseline, minimum monthly cashflow amount, hence why i want to reduce current spend level below 20k
- Childcare is for two toddlers. One is already going to free public school but since the schedule ends early, we need nanny support since both parents work. The daycare $3k cost is close to average rate in our neighborhood. In two years, if the younger one starts attending school, childcare will decrease to just part time nanny (but likely replaced by after school program and sports expenses, as our friends advised)
- car lease payments are $500 and $400 per month, and we need two cars for work, so one potential option is end the leases when we can and purchase a modest used car to eliminate $900 spend
- $1800 per month on groceries breaks down to $900 monthly from costco (includes food but also most other household items), $100 per month on wine/beer, $100 per month from bakeries and bagel shops, and $700 from regular grocery stores like TJ, whole foods etc

My toddler is having a long battle with seizures. It started when he was around a year old, when the first fever induced seizure appeared. It looked so scary when it happened. And from that point on, the toddler has been averaging 3-5 febrile seizures each year. Sometimes the kid gets sick with fever but no seizure thankfully, sometimes the seizure comes, almost always in the first 24 hours of the fever.

Last year, he had a very first seizure episode when his temperature was normal. The neurologist ordered another EEG and the test detected a bit of epileptic flashes in one of the parts of the brain. So need to keep close eyes on the kid at all times. The specific part of the brain the signal appeared in, seems associated with visual stimulations. Might be the reason the kid really loves staring at bright lights, like flashing toys and even the sun directly.

The kid has been taking increasing dosage of Keppra for a few years now. I am reading all these negative side effects about Keppra, but the kid is doing mostly alright. Hoping that in the long term, seizures will start disappearing and the kid can lead a normal life, thats all i am hoping for. Thankfully, while his early seizures as 1-2 yr old were sever fully body ones, his recent seizures looked more focal / quieter version, and also shorter in duration.

We have another MRI scheduled in coming weeks and also ordered gene testing.

$400k HHI couple both 40 yrs of age with two young toddlers. Just crossed the $900k threshold across several retirement accounts we have.

VHCOL housing and childcare for toddlers leading to lower savings than we’d like. Half of the HHI is w2 with max contributions and employer matching to 401k, while the other half of HHI is own business so not currently putting anything from that income stream towards retirement.

We are not aiming to retire early, so 65-67 yrs would be what we are thinking now. Currently retirement accounts have high allocation on stocks rather than bonds and other safer options, because we are not going to be touching our retirement accounts for at least 25 yrs.

We feel behind on retirement readiness, when we compare our current income level versus our retirement accounts balance. Any advice or perspective appreciated!

Any advice appreciated.

Need replacement washer and dryer set for a 5 cubic ft+ size, and shortlisted options to these two:
- WM8980 from costco, $2400 for washer and dryer set after all discounts
- WM5800 from LG partner website. $1750 for the set after stacking discounts

Any opinions on either models? WM8980 is slightly larger but WM5800 technically more modern? Another concern is directly ordering from LG has much shorter return period and worsr warranty than costco

Thankyou!!!