How are You Spending the Stimulus Money?


I haven't had new eye glasses in a looooooooog time . I recall last time it took a while to get used to the new script I had to change back to my older ones now and then seems the same this time. Last time I had to renew my drivers license and go in was 2010 . I tried to look at on line eye charts as before and I was not sure so 10 years ago I got an exam and they said I would pass with my old glasses so I didn't get new ones. I can't find the eye chart I found years ago. I can see better far yet with bifocals even in 2001 I was told I needed trifocals because there is a certain distance between close and far that's a bit blurry I just didn't do it and didn't this time I used the 10 year old script instead.

Once when you were young they treat you as a child then once you become old you are right back there with their over 70 rule forced to not be able to get a new license every 10 years. I needed glasses in second year of high school because I could not see the black board of wall clock. I went for years without them until I drove to a place for a job and they gave me an eye test there and the fellow asked how I found my way there , I told him land marks . I could see well enough to drive I just couldn't read addresses and street signs. Couldn't get the job without them and by the time I was able to go to sears and get a pair that good job was gone. I can't even remember when I had to have the eye glass restriction placed on my license.
 
I don't mean to be personal, but if you don't want to answer that's perfectly ok.

I didn't set out to spend my share of our stimulus money on more toys, but that's what it amounts too.

I've had a lot more time on my hands since this pandemic hit us. My wife was nervous about me working as an Amazon contractor so I have cut back drastically. My online sales all but dried up. If I had known to stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer I would be busy. I don't even go to more than one grocery store any more and when I do go I only go once a week.

I've had a lot of time on my hands!

Here is where much of my share of our stimulus money went.

I pre ordered this from Lionel
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And 4 of these with different road numbers from Lionel
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I ordered this from Mr. Muffins Trains
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I also ordered these from Lionel
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in australia we don't get stimuluas money.
 
I found out that I actually qualify for some kind of essential services payments.
People here are jumping at it but I refused it, they’re just going to claw it back come tax time anyway.
If I do get any extra cash tho I’ll be spending it on more track, if Jerome hasn’t gotten it all (?)!
 
As of May 24th, the wife's car was paid off with additional "stimulus" money. I gave up 20% of my pay and hours, to be able to collect 20% of unemployment and the $600 per week additional funds. That $600 for the first 4 weeks paid off the car. The next 4 weeks will be tacked onto buying down the principle on the house. At this point, the wife and I are better off than before the pandemic hit. I'm usually on the losing end. There is talk they are looking at extending an additional 4 weeks.

And if congress passes another tax free stimulus, even more on the house.

I am aware there are tax repercussions on the unemployment money. I think that it will reduce our refund next April, but not yet sure to what extent. We are saving a portion in case the tax man comes looking next year.
 
I had to replace my 2005 Prius with 195k on the clock with a 2010 Prius with only 68k on the clock, which my wife came across. I did have 2K left over from insurance payout on the 2005 when someone opened a car door as I was passing by, along with 500 check from mom for my birthday. I got $1500 by selling the old Prius to the dealer. All tha totalled $4000 that went toward the newer Prius which price was $5950, so the 2400 from stimulus covered the remainder - which included tax, registration, license etc. The old car was going to need to be replaced sometime this year or at worst next, but since my wife found the 2010 Prius with only 68k for a great price (rebuilt title). Wife and I don't have any car payments which is nice.

Speaking of car payments, I've heard many are now 7 years because the loans are on super expensive pickup trucks, which around here, people use to commute to work in - crazy.
 
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Speaking of car payments, I've heard many are now 7 years because the loans are on super expensive pickup trucks, which around here, people use to commute to work in - crazy.

Yep. Auto Mortgages! Because most folks buy a car based on the payment size vs what they can actually afford. If you can't pay for it in 36-48 months, you can't afford it. The last new vehicle I bought cost more than my first house. Crazy indeed!
 
Yep. Auto Mortgages! Because most folks buy a car based on the payment size vs what they can actually afford. If you can't pay for it in 36-48 months, you can't afford it. The last new vehicle I bought cost more than my first house. Crazy indeed!
The car I just bought cost twice as much as my first house. But instead of paying cash, I financed more than 1/2 of it because I got the zero percent financing deal. And I took that over the maximum time allowed. Time cost of money an all that financial stuff.
 
Speaking of credit...when we purchased Cathy's convertible, the dealer had a 12 months no interest or payments. Even since we intended to pay cash for the vehicle we took advance of the offer.

We signed the papers and the finance guy thanked us and we were done. I asked him how come no credit check and let us leave the showroom in an expensive vehicle??? He replied that while we test drove the vehicle they checked our car we drove there in for any un-repaired damaged to the body and how clean the interior was and we passed on both tests. The condition of a vehicle 98% of the time fore-tells the individual's credit rating.

This was in January 2002.

Greg
 
I had to replace my 2005 Prius with 195k on the clock with a 2010 Prius with only 68k on the clock, which my wife came across. I did have 2K left over from insurance payout on the 2005 when someone opened a car door as I was passing by, along with 500 check from mom for my birthday. I got $1500 by selling the old Prius to the dealer. All tha totalled $4000 that went toward the newer Prius which price was $5950, so the 2400 from stimulus covered the remainder - which included tax, registration, license etc. The old car was going to need to be replaced sometime this year or at worst next, but since my wife found the 2010 Prius with only 68k for a great price (rebuilt title). Wife and I don't have any car payments which is nice.

Speaking of car payments, I've heard many are now 7 years because the loans are on super expensive pickup trucks, which around here, people use to commute to work in - crazy.

yeah...today alone - here in C-bus Ohio - I saw at least 15 Ford F-250's; Jeeps, and Dodge Rams that were ready for a rock crawl in Moab, but had never seen anything more aggressive than the driveway apron of the Pressboard Estates "mansion" that they live at...

I am just looking for a little Toyota Tacoma to get me through winters and to back country mountain bike trails, and I can't even get one for under $34000...
 
Regarding auto loans and such, a few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend and he referenced some recent articles suggesting that there might be an auto loan bubble. Apparently, there has been quite an uptick in subprime auto loans over the last several years, without credit or income verification--as even mentioned above. The shock of the current pandemic, with a large number of people suddenly unable to make car payments, could create havoc in the financial sector. It won't be as bad as the housing crisis, I imagine, but there are some banks and financial institutions that are apparently very highly leveraged on auto lending.

I am just looking for a little Toyota Tacoma to get me through winters and to back country mountain bike trails, and I can't even get one for under $34000...

Is that what they're going for these days? I got mine in 2012, and while I don't remember exactly what I paid, I don't think it was nearly that much.
 
But back to the original topic, as promised I hit up our local hobby stores once they re-opened. This was a couple weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting what I picked up:

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Walthers MILW 52-seat coach, to go with my mid-50s generic Milwaukee Road passenger train.
UTLX tank car.
Set of 3 Accurail 40' steel reefers, for a late 50s ATSF reefer block I sometimes run. I've been adding a few other road names to give the Santa Fe billboard cars some color contrast. Accurail doesn't have as much detail as some other brands, but I like them because they're easy enough to put together on a coffee table while watching a movie.
Atlas Gold Line RS1 in Minneapolis & St. Louis colors, DCC and sound. Was a little surprised to find this, and it doesn't fit in with what I "model," but I figured I should at least have a few hometown roads on the layout (I live near Minneapolis). And had to add one of their boxcars to go along with it.

In fact, the tank car is the only thing really close to what my layout is aiming for (generic 1980s-90s western with an emphasis on SP). But, I'm not a stickler, and it's fun to have a few "retro" trains that pass through once in a while.

I visited these LHS's right before the protests started. Hopefully they made it through ok, one night on the news I recognized an auto parts store going up in flames that is right next door to one of these shops. When I get a chance, I'll head back up into town to check on them.
 
I am just looking for a little Toyota Tacoma to get me through winters and to back country mountain bike trails, and I can't even get one for under $34000...

I've been watching for the right replacement for my '09 Colorado, and finding to get a New truck equipped the same way mine is (a WT with automatic trans) will cost me nearly twice what I paid in '09. Even used trucks hold value. I'm hoping the Hertz bankruptcy filters a lot more vehicles soon.
 
I've been watching for the right replacement for my '09 Colorado, and finding to get a New truck equipped the same way mine is (a WT with automatic trans) will cost me nearly twice what I paid in '09. Even used trucks hold value. I'm hoping the Hertz bankruptcy filters a lot more vehicles soon.

It's all these blasted microchips we feel bound and determined to stuff into everything. The touch screens, Navigation, multiple computers, and all that stuff that's nice but not necessary that run the prices to the moon. I was recently looking at a new car, but scrapped the idea. I work from home now and the car sees maybe three trips a month to the airport and some errands here & there. It was just going to be too much money for something that wouldn't see that much use. The math didn't justify the outlay.

I also wouldn't look for much relief from the Hertz bankruptcy. Dealers will snap those vehicles up. They are starving for used car inventory. My dealer called me and asked if I was ready to trade my Pacifica yet. I told him hell no! Cars usually stay with me 10 years or more. Dealerships hate me!
 
Everything is much more expensive than I would think. I paid under $16,000 for my little 2015 Chevy City Express cargo van. To replace it I would have to pay $24,000 and up. The Mercedes Metris I like is over $28,000. Chevy does not offer the City Express any more.
 
Espeefan: I agree that we have way too much stuff connected to the internet anymore. IOT has way too much integration into everyday life and not necessarily in a good way. I keep thinking one of these days some appliance is going to ask me" What are you doing Dave?" LOL (a reference to 2001 A Space Odyssey)

As far as a used truck, I'm not in a hurry to start making payments again, We just made the last one on the wife's car a month ago, and like you, I keep cars for a long time, the last 2 we got rid of, we had for 13 and 12 years respectively and the truck I've owned for 11 years and will probably be the last new one I buy. Yeah, they hate me too.....
 



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