u/smokeyfires9

Hello everyone, I’m not sure if my idea is reasonable or even possible but I thought I’d start here as I’m not sure who to even ask. I am 29 years old with a wife and 2 children. My work experience and education are a bit scattered as a I have a bachelors degree in International Affairs but I joined the fire department after college and have been full-time firefighting for the past 6 years. I have realized I have a passion for boats, being on the water and the maritime industry in general. I have also been thinking of leaving the fire service for something that pays better for awhile.

My question is, is there any possible way I could break into a maritime career with my background? I live 4.5 hours from the nearest coast, although there are some large lakes near where I live. I would be willing to back to school if necessary or some form of technical training. What would my options be and what are some career paths you would recommend looking into? Thanks in advance.

I’m looking at either a 15’ aluminum flat bottom or a 14’ fiberglass tri-hull. I like the idea of aluminum for durability and ease of repair, but my #1 priority is stability. I don’t want to feel tippy on the water and I’m afraid the aluminum boat will not be as stable as the tri hull.

What are your thoughts on these 2? Pros and cons for both?

I am curious if anyone else has seen this in their department. Where I’m at (Southeast US) our pay has not kept up with the rest of the country as far as the fire department goes. We are behind the times on pay and schedule (most departments here are on 24/48). I know of a decent amount of guys in my department (at least 10) who work full-time at 2 paid fire departments. They work one 24 hour shift at my department, immediately get off and leave to go to their second department and work another 24 hour shift, followed by one day off and then repeat.

This is fairly common where I’m at and I’m curious if anyone else has folks who do this in their department.

Hey everyone, my wife drives a 2002 Toyota RAV4. It has 114k miles and we were recently told by the shop that it needs the timing chain tensioner replaced due to a super loud rattling noise it was making. They quoted me at $2200 for the repair.

I am trying to decide if it’s worth putting $2200 into a 24 year old car vs cutting my losses, selling the car and getting something else. I also fear that they could go in to do the tensioner and find more problems with the car and it turn into a money pit.

Any advice on how to proceed?

Hey everyone, I am seeking advice on what to do in my current situation. I have made some stupid financial decisions in the past but I have recently started taking finances more seriously. I worked hard to get myself debt free except my mortgage which is a nice feeling. I am married and have two small children, but this is my question.

When I bought our house I was in such a hurry to just find something that I overextended myself and we are definitely house poor now. My mortgage takes up about 60% of my income. It’s brutal. After groceries, gas, insurance, utilities etc. I have no money leftover to save and feel like I’ll never be able to get ahead.

I have heavily considered selling our house and starting over but I’m not even sure I have enough money saved up to pay for closing costs/realtor fees and everything. Plus in my area, I don’t think I’d even be able to find a house that’s any cheaper than what I have now. So I’m at a loss on what I should do.

Seeing if anyone has any ideas of where to move from here so I don’t have to live house poor forever. Thank you.