u/ShootinAllMyChisolm

We got hit by a series of expenses and, while our, EF is not empty it's rather low — 2/3 of where it should be. Our Sinking Fund is just straight depleted.

If I redirect our retirement savings and 529s contributions I'll have both fully funded by Jan 15, 2027. I get 8% direct contribution toward my retirement from employer, with no match necessary so that's still going in.

Is this a wise approach?

Over multiple games this year, multiple times in a game, the camera seem to be trained on the RB when the ball was actually pulled. I don’t remember this happening much in past seasons.

Is it just lower end crews working non-conference games?

I grew up in an American big city. We didn’t go to a particular church. We would go to one that fit our schedule that particular Sunday.

I didnt know other families through church. We didn’t have events that revolved around church like fish fries, summer festivals, I didn’t even know if there was a teen youth group at my church in the 90s. Before that, I lived in another country and it was similar. We went to church and left. It was for worship and not the center of our social lives.

My wife grew up in a small, rural American town and her experience is the opposite. All of the above events and more. Their close ties are through other people in their parish. Her grandfather helped build the original church.

Looking to hear what others’ experiences are like with church.

I applied to two highly divergent jobs (in finance/banking industry) and, shocker, am sitting with two offers.

So I'm "underemployed" right now in higher ed. I took a lower paying job at a prestigious university to help my kid get in and get free tuition. But the role has become untenable because of culture and leadership shift.

I applied to these jobs:

Role 1: With a super-regional bank with $500B+ in assets. $180K base comp plus bonuses. But it's 5 days in office, fast-paced, intense management role. Some travel across the region.

Role 2: With a local credit union. Less than $1B in assets. $85k salary plus bonuses. 5 mins from house AND hybrid anyway. IC role, less stress.

Benefits are comparable.

Current role is hybrid 3-2 with an hour commute each way. Family is currently very comfortable with me making $85K, hybrid role, and 35 days of PTO (plus 11 holidays). We can make paying for college work at that salary level. At $180K basically the kids can go to school wherever they want.

Paying for college is more or less the last piece of the financial puzzle. Retirement is well-funded and we're 15y away. We have no debt and expenses are low.

Personal goals are to improve my health. Be more present for my kids and wife. I'm not really a corporate climber.

Anyone else decline $100K or more before to just keep a comfortable life? $100K more in surplus income buys a lot of non-material things too (earlier retirement, access to colleges, more money for kids in the future, etc).

It’s been hot here lately 90* F+, and what would’ve been a boiling interior in my previous ICE cars, when I came back was surprisingly cool.

I DONT have climate control on while I’m out of the car but does the id4 automatically cool the car at a low level?

Initially, I theorized that since it doesn’t have an ICE generating heat that the ambient temp takes longer to heat up.

Curious on your experiences/knowledge on this

My portfolio and everything I’ve done exists in a single external drive. I’m debating whether to pay iCloud for more storage to keep my work up in the cloud or get a second external drive?

I’m thinking cloud, in case, God forbid, there’s a fire or flood that both don’t get lost forever.

Thoughts?

I've watched this series multiple times through. HOW have I missed this scene until now? I completely lost it.

What are your eating habits? Healthy habits? Amount of exercise and activity you get? What’s your mental health like?

I’m trying to get better about my health and I need people to model my behavior against.

How do I build a life around fitness? Instead of trying to fit it into my life—if that makes sense.

Haven’t seen it this empty since 2021 and the supply chain shortage issues. Whats going on? The other dealerships (different makes) seem full.

My dentist recommended I start using these, but the package they provide Oral-B/Sonicare/WaterPik are sooo expensive.

Do I need to spend the money on the name brand to protect my teeth and gum health? If I had to choose one, should I spend the money on the toothbrush or the water flosser? I can try to spread out the cost. Or can I go with more affordable models (off Amazon).

I drink about 1 drink per week. I don't smoke. I have high blood pressure.

I have wide flat feet and my feet ache these days at the end of the day. I still try to stay active — I played soccer today for an hour, covered 2.5 miles according to my watch.

Then I went to a bar and stood for like 3 hours.

I have a desk job but I stand mostly at work. When I’m in the office 3x/week I have an hour commute each way. So I want to stand.

At the end of the day, I lay down and notice my legs and feet are just achy.

I need shoes with better cushion. Any tips?

Also when I went to PT for a leg injury, they had me in this thing that inflates around your legs and pumps cold water to reduce inflammation —should I get one of those?

We always think of musicians. Maybe artists like Picasso. Are all talents sexy? Does it work both ways? Are people attracted to talent in women?

Are there talents, like building miniatures or dioramas or whatever, not sexy?

Are these worth attending?

My kid is a rising HS junior. Soccer isn’t a priority for us in college. But she’s targeting selective D3 schools.

She’s got interest from coaches for running track at these D3 schools. We haven’t really pursued soccer, but if it’s a way through admissions — we’ll consider it. So are these “ID CAMPS” I get emails for worth attending?

Or just a money grab?

I know it's the right thing to do, but still freaking out.

My kid is a rising junior. They are a student athlete as well. Aside from long hours and late nights, what are ways to study and prepare for tests effectively that you have observed from your successful (and well adjusted students)?

They have straight As in honors classes and a couple of APs. But the approach is, to me, brutal and unsustainable.

The character of our brand (a university) used to be high-end, nerdy but quirky. Now it’s becoming v corporate.

The goal is to increase prestige but I don’t think the branding has a lot to do with that in higher ed. It’s more of things like selectivity.

When you kill the fun, quirky things internally (like mascot use) then it becomes very sterile. Yeah we can’t have a hundred different logos and web pages that look different but that’s external-facing. We didn’t become a $90k school because of slick marketing—being true to our identity feels like a more authentic brand.

In my view, brands are living, breathing things like the collection of humans they represent.

Just hoping to have an interesting discussion on the nature and evolution of brands.

Parents aren’t pressuring me to go to Oberlin and take the lower price option. But we are middle class and they have savings set aside for college. But I have two younger siblings and the money can help them. Basically the difference can almost put another sibling through college.

We asked to match $$ but KC at their limit.

How do I sort out these conflicting emotions.