u/mooch91

Hi all,

Homeowner looking for a quality hose to meet some very specific requirements, thought it might be helpful to seek your advice here based on your experience in an industry which probably uses these types of hoses on the daily. Willing to spend what is needed for a quality product. I've also cross-posted this on another subreddit, but I'm looking to get to the right audience (professionals) for help.

Requirements are as follows:

• 3/4" hose, 100 ft length (will possible be doubled to reach 200 ft)
• Will be used strictly for watering off a dedicated irrigation well. I expect flow rates could reach 20-30gpm. Pressure is 60-80 psi.
• Will be used for higher-volume hand watering and single sprinkler setup in areas of my landscape which are not covered by in-ground irrigation.
• Will be stored on an Eley reel.
• Needs to be relatively easy to maneuver around a 2-acre hilly property. Weight and kinks can be a problem.
• Fittings need to be FULL FLOW 3/4", the fittings themselves can't be a bottleneck.
• Available in the USA.

The following do NOT look like good options from my research:

• Pure rubber - very heavy. I have 100 ft of rubber Craftsman hose (5/8") which is very difficult to move around, so I imagine 3/4" will be worse.
• Black hose - marks everything including my hands. This is my experience with the rubber Craftsman hose.
• Eley - Frequently recommended as a high-quality homeowner brand, but they don't make a 3/4", only a 5/8" hose.
• Flexzilla - Seems flexible and light but has some UV issues over time and their fittings are smaller diameter than the hose, creating a bottleneck. (see pictures - 5/8" hose - unbranded on left measures 9/16", Flexzilla on right measures 7/16").

Any brands and specific types of hose the golf courses or turf industry might use which I should check out?

Thanks in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/mqb81qrapmbh1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edcde56590c88eafbe149fca419b9c6631174f40

Hi all,

I have struggled with many house plants over the years. Trying to understand what I might be doing wrong.

One observation I've made is that I can plant a new plant in fresh potting soil, and water it for a few weeks or even up to a few months. The plant will look healthy and watering will seem right during that period - soil will dry out in between and indicate when the next watering is needed.

Then things will change. The health of the plant will start to fade and the soil will always have a wet/damp appearance and feel. It's almost as if the soil suddenly gets compacted, water-logged, or the plant just stops taking water from the soil. I've let the plants go, thinking they were over-watered, and the plant continues to fade while the soil never dries out.

As an example, I have a basil plant that was doing great for a few months with weekly watering. Then the above happened and the plant is declining. I moved it to a warm, dry area, haven't watered it in two weeks, and the soil still looks wet. I also have an arabica coffee plant I've been nursing for 5 years. Leaves are always brown and curling. I've put it outside this year in indirect light, and the soil just never seems to dry out. I believe I've re-potted it at least 3 times, thinking I had somehow oversaturated the soil.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I'm sure I've used different brands and types of soil, but probably have used the Miracle-Gro potting mix (standard yellow and green bag) or the moisture control version.

Much appreciated.

Hi all,

Hoping this is a good place for this question.

First year of 529 college plan withdrawals was a piece of cake. Since our child was on campus, all tuition, room/board, food, and supplies were withdrawn as "qualified" expenses.

Starting for the fall semester, though, our child moves off campus. I know that you are permitted to withdraw up to the school's published Cost of Attendance (COA) for room/board and food.

I have some questions for how this would work with the following scenarios:

• The school year and COA is broken into semesters which cover a period of 4-5 months each. So the COA contemplates room/board and food for only 8-9 months of a 12-month period. An off-campus lease is 11 or 12 months. Can the additional months' expense be withdrawn from the 529?
• An extension of the previous question... what if the student were living in the off-campus apartment and taking courses during the summer session? Can additional room/board or food be withdrawn from the 529? And how to determine what max value is permitted since the school's COA doesn't have any summer session values (only indicates they may be less than fall/spring semesters)?
• If our student takes summer courses while living at home with parents, can any room/board or food expense be withdrawn from the 529? There is a COA column for "with parent", which I assume means living at home, for each semester, but, again, not clear on how this applies to the summer.

I've asked my accountant and gotten vague responses. I've also searched online, and it would seem there is not standard guidance for these scenarios.

Thanks in advance. Since our son is ambitious and is planning on completing college in 3-3.5 years by taking summer and winter courses, we are finding we could be considerably over-saved if only permitted to take withdrawals for fall and spring expenses.

Hi all,

I've made some posts in r/Fire previously but coming here now to get some possibly different perspectives since I believe I comfortably fit in to the "ChubbyFIRE" category.

Sparing you many of the details, I am 52M, and my wife is 50F. I always intended to work until 55, as 55 is my employer's early retirement age (I have 26+ years with the same employer). It's the age at which my pension and medical benefits remain subsidized. Current financial analysis says our investments and spending put us in a good place to go now, if we want, but I don't want to lose the pension/medical subsidies. My wife plans to work another 5-6 years.

I'm facing a decision point currently. I can take a RIF buyout at 53 and retire very soon (which preserves the pension/medical subsidies and gives me 1.5+ years severance and benefits at fully subsidized cost) OR I can seek out a bridge position to hold me over until 55.

I flip-flop on this decision multiple times per day. I believe the facts and the math says it's a no brainer - RETIRE NOW - as the severance/buyout makes me nearly whole to my intended plan.

I believe my hesitation is purely emotional. The RIF buyout is somewhat involuntary, though I have options to secure an alternate position. At the highest level, my ego is feeling some pain, as it's tough to be in a position of being put out to pasture and not going on your own terms. I do have options for alternate positions, some of which appear really exciting, but all come with some concession - demotion (though at same base salary), more frequent travel, additional responsibility/stress, or possible relocation. Additionally, once I accept another position, I will likely lose the buyout option, making it more risky if a new position doesn't work out. Also, I don't really have something to "retire to" at this point (though this is a lesser concern for me).

Seeking your input on what the one or two key factors which really pushed you over the edge to RE, or, alternatively, what are the one or two things which held you back?

Thanks in advance - I think this perspective would be really helpful to me.