Running Bear's February 2023 Coffee Shop

[TLOC]

When deciding to move, and moving to Maui seems like a logical choice to me, you have to weigh up the Pro's and con's as I'm sure you have.

End of the day it's simply down to two things, "can I afford to live there" and "will I be content/happy" living there", as you've mentioned, your "services" as far as the grandkids go seem to be winding down, Terry no longer has her Horses, which is making her "antsy" as you say, and moving round the country 3 or 4 times a year also seems to have lost it's lustre for you both.

You have property there that affords Terry her obvious pride and joy of the Horses, and you of your Trains, Golf etc.
More expensive day to day maybe, but if you count the cost of moving around 3 or 4 times a year, I think would offset that. especially if you own those properties, you could then sell them off or rent them out year round, which would definitely offset the extra cost's associated with Maui.

But this is a decision that you and Terry, and other family members perhaps, will need to discuss at some length, but seeing as you have been discussing this with your friends for some time, gives me the impression you already know what you want to do.

Chris, the thing about being on Maui is how boring it can be. The island is small. The weather is wonderful. Yes the humidity is high all the time but the Tradewinds really smooth it out. I love to golf, but I’m 70 and I sure don‘t have the desire, energy or need to play every day. In my 20’s and 30’s before the kids were born, absolutely I could play every day all day and many times did. The other frightening thing for me about golf is the gambling aspect. I am a recovering gambler and I have lost and won unspeakable amounts over the years on the golf course. Now when I play along side with the brother as a partner in tournaments I ignore and do not financially participate in the side bet gambling of golf. I don’t want that as a daily challenge.

True Terry has her horses but when she is out there for her stints under 200 days she has friends who go along as does my sister, so she has company. But my sister can no longer ride and that became pretty apparent when they were there in January. I will ride because Terry wants to ride. I disliked riding as a kid the times we did it with my mom and dad. But, Terry loves it and I will do it. The island is not big, it’s not the friendly place it should be. The natives dislike the tourists and don’t trust the folks that come in and buy the island up.

This has been thought about and talked about with our family for years. That’s why the family compound idea years ago. We would each have property around the brother’s house and each build in our own time. That was being done. Then my Brother in Law passed, 5 years ago on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon. My sister felt bad coming out to the islands without him. Building houses even before Covid was an expensive nightmare. “Island time” is real. Workers on the islands work at a pace that is unknown outside of the Islands. It’s pathetic but it is what it is. When the brother called and said we had an unexpected offer on his house, our place and the sister’s unbuilt property it didn’t take much thought after seeing the offer to say yes. Thankfully the brother had a known property a mile higher up then we were originally but between us the 20 acres was perfect for us visiting. No one ever thought my brother would leave the desert of Arizona to move to Maui full time. That of course changed when his g/f had her cancer operations.

So yes, we have discussed this for years. I am willing to give up my boredom to be with my wife who is happier than hell out there. If she could convince the daughter and her hubby it would be great. But they are real social beings and without the tons of friends they have here, out on the Islands, it won’t work for them. The land owners on Maui are mid 50’s and up.

If you asked me tomorrow though my answer about going would/could be different. Terry knows my reservations about going and the last couple days has changed her tune about me giving into her desires! We will go in March and see how things play out. It will be us and no friends at first are coming out. My coaching friend can’t come out until late April and then for 2 weeks at most at a time until the end of July. In August he is back to full time work mode. He has no real desire to retire for another 3-4 years. My other local good friend is my Endocrinologist’s hubby who is in India without her until April. He just retired at 75, she is 56 andis a big mucky muck in the local Healthcare system with no desire to return to India. That is an issue for them to resolve, we are staying out of that. So it’s complicated and interesting

 

[TLOC]

He is right. I was haunted by that from 1978 until 2002...You do need to have someone on the inside with sufficient pull to help ya out, when things are tight. Afraid it's only going to get worse, before it gets better.

I have a different take on mortgages, credit cards and money.

I believe depending on age say 30’s and 40’s you go for the most money and biggest house you can get. Your income “should” grow. You should know at that age if you are staying in the area. You most likely have a working partner and the kids have been born. Being house rich equals out over the years. IMO the house is your best savings account. 50% of Bonuses, wage increases and inheritances if any should be applied to the mortgage.

I believe in strict budgeting and I do not believe in carrying available high balance credit cards. Card cards are for the family groceries and purchasing gasoline for the vehicles. They should be paid in full monthly.

I believe in only 15 year fixed mortgages. I think the “ARMs” should be illegal and are predatory practices. I believe in re-financing if rates drop 2% less then what you have.

Up to age 30, rent.

After age 50 and the mortgage (remember it’s a 15 year mortgage) is paid off continue paying 50% at least of what the monthly payment was into a savings/stock/wealth management plan.

It’s unbelievable to me that folks get to age 60, the house still has a mortgage because it’s been refinanced a couple times but on 30 year terms. They can’t retire because they have no or little savings. That is a failure of our culture, our education systems and ignorance.

Believe me, I know this is difficult but it’s achievable especially if you start out with this mindset.

Our 1st house in 1979/80 had a 18% mortgage. Never heard of refinancing until after 3 years of paying 18%. A banker friend of my brother while golfing told me about it. He literally stopped in the fairway and told me to bring Terry into his bank on Monday and he would help us.

My last 21 years before retirement I worked in the Consumer Collection Business. Yep, a bill collector but I was in sales. I worked with the Clients turning over the debt. But I have collected, 18 months of misery for me, but I was told to learn the business from the ground up. I did! I have heard every story known to man about bad debt. Nobody thinks not paying the bills is a good thing and most are embarrassed by it. USA healthcare is financially terrible for most Americans.

My wife and I told the kids, if you want to be wealthy, be your own boss. They had their own check books at age 12 and credit cards at 16. They were taught by us all the lessons we had to learn the hard way, by experiencing them. We spared them of that. It took them both into their 30’s to grasp that mom and dad were right, they now are both very successful

Finally, times have changed, especially since Covid. I know this though can still be viable, it just needs to be handed down to the next generations

 

[NYC_George]

I have always laughed at that show, anyone who worked in North Jersey, knows the real "Curse of Oak Island" is in Newark, NJ

Is it booby trapped like Oak Island?
Swal

 

[Bruette]

I hope you had a great Birthday Patrick!

 

[Chrιstιaη]

Hello Happy Members !
Just for the record:
4' x 6' = 1219mm x 1828mm
4' x 8' = 1219mm x 2438mm
and 4m x 6m = 13' x 19'
Hope I'm clear...

 

[Chrιstιaη]

Today it's Valentine's day. So we need a love song. Have a wonderful day !

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning, and happy Valentine's Day.
It's clear and 40.

 

[santafewillie]

I have a different take on mortgages, credit cards and money.

I believe depending on age say 30’s and 40’s you go for the most money and biggest house you can get. Your income “should” grow. You should know at that age if you are staying in the area. You most likely have a working partner and the kids have been born. Being house rich equals out over the years. IMO the house is your best savings account. 50% of Bonuses, wage increases and inheritances if any should be applied to the mortgage.

I believe in strict budgeting and I do not believe in carrying available high balance credit cards. Card cards are for the family groceries and purchasing gasoline for the vehicles. They should be paid in full monthly.

I believe in only 15 year fixed mortgages. I think the “ARMs” should be illegal and are predatory practices. I believe in re-financing if rates drop 2% less then what you have.

Up to age 30, rent.

After age 50 and the mortgage (remember it’s a 15 year mortgage) is paid off continue paying 50% at least of what the monthly payment was into a savings/stock/wealth management plan.

It’s unbelievable to me that folks get to age 60, the house still has a mortgage because it’s been refinanced a couple times but on 30 year terms. They can’t retire because they have no or little savings. That is a failure of our culture, our education systems and ignorance.

Believe me, I know this is difficult but it’s achievable especially if you start out with this mindset.

Our 1st house in 1979/80 had a 18% mortgage. Never heard of refinancing until after 3 years of paying 18%. A banker friend of my brother while golfing told me about it. He literally stopped in the fairway and told me to bring Terry into his bank on Monday and he would help us.

My last 21 years before retirement I worked in the Consumer Collection Business. Yep, a bill collector but I was in sales. I worked with the Clients turning over the debt. But I have collected, 18 months of misery for me, but I was told to learn the business from the ground up. I did! I have heard every story known to man about bad debt. Nobody thinks not paying the bills is a good thing and most are embarrassed by it. USA healthcare is financially terrible for most Americans.

My wife and I told the kids, if you want to be wealthy, be your own boss. They had their own check books at age 12 and credit cards at 16. They were taught by us all the lessons we had to learn the hard way, by experiencing them. We spared them of that. It took them both into their 30’s to grasp that mom and dad were right, they now are both very successful

Finally, times have changed, especially since Covid. I know this though can still be viable, it just needs to be handed down to the next generations

Tom O - This philosophy pretty much parallels mine. I waited until age 29 before we bought our first home, which we still live in, though I always considered it a home and not an investment. As I posted recently, this was 1981 and the mortgage rates were exorbitant at the time. Property was a 10 year note and house was 15. Refi rates didn't drop below the 10% that we were paying until after the land was paid for and there were so few years left on the house that it wasn't worth the fees or time. That money then went into a college fund savings account instead of affording a more luxurious lifestyle. We used credit cards as intended for a few years when we had all three kids in college at the same time, two in private universities, the oldest got a Master's degree. Extra years for her. After that the money was all diverted to the retirement account, credit cards were paid off and a few home improvements were done. Over the years, we always discussed finances at the dinner table so the kids understood budgeting etc. It worked as none of them came back home after graduating college. Other than those college years, we always paid cash for everything except the house and cars. We now use the AMEX card for convenience rather than need, and pay it off monthly and avoid all finance charges. I took full advantage of 401(k) for the last 15 years before retiring early at 63. Still have several money market accounts since I was limited in the 401(k) and IRA contributions. My train budget over the years was an automatic payroll deduction that also allowed me to pay cash for the train shed. I've paid cash for cars since 2002. The miser in me keeps me from buying that Corvette that I have wanted all my life, even though I could pay cash. I'd probably have trouble getting in and out nowadays anyway!
I realize that not all folks have had the opportunity to do this, but I know many that did have the chance and blew it; always buying bigger homes and more expensive cars to keep up appearances. That's why they're still working today at age 70+.
End of boring post!

 

[TLOC]

Tom O - This philosophy pretty much parallels mine. I waited until age 29 before we bought our first home, which we still live in, though I always considered it a home and not an investment. As I posted recently, this was 1981 and the mortgage rates were exorbitant at the time. Property was a 10 year note and house was 15. Refi rates didn't drop below the 10% that we were paying until after the land was paid for and there were so few years left on the house that it wasn't worth the fees or time. That money then went into a college fund savings account instead of affording a more luxurious lifestyle. We used credit cards as intended for a few years when we had all three kids in college at the same time, two in private universities, the oldest got a Master's degree. Extra years for her. After that the money was all diverted to the retirement account, credit cards were paid off and a few home improvements were done. Over the years, we always discussed finances at the dinner table so the kids understood budgeting etc. It worked as none of them came back home after graduating college. Other than those college years, we always paid cash for everything except the house and cars. We now use the AMEX card for convenience rather than need, and pay it off monthly and avoid all finance charges. I took full advantage of 401(k) for the last 15 years before retiring early at 63. Still have several money market accounts since I was limited in the 401(k) and IRA contributions. My train budget over the years was an automatic payroll deduction that also allowed me to pay cash for the train shed. I've paid cash for cars since 2002. The miser in me keeps me from buying that Corvette that I have wanted all my life, even though I could pay cash. I'd probably have trouble getting in and out nowadays anyway!
I realize that not all folks have had the opportunity to do this, but I know many that did have the chance and blew it; always buying bigger homes and more expensive cars to keep up appearances. That's why they're still working today at age 70+.
End of boring post!

Not boring WILLIE. We also did dinner TOGETHER and had the financial discussions. Up until Covid every 3 months the family as a whole, me, wife, daughter, son, sister, BIL, niece, SIL and brother got together and discussed our joined businesses. That is part of why even 5 years later I cannot believe one of our kids didn’t take over the property management company. They knew how profitable it was. That would be what is now called a side hustle…

 

[TLOC]

Good morning Crew and Happy Hallmark Valentines Day. Terry asked yesterday on the grocery run if it was ok not to give the cards. I said sure, you know even without a card how much I love you. She said sweet but no luck for you anyway…

Today as celebration we are hitting a new to us brunch place. The place opened in 10/2022 to great reviews. The food is brought out by robots but the serving is done by a human. I have been looking forward to this place. The menus are at

goldennestpancake.com

Some weathering before we leave at 10:30AM

House chores when we come home around 2 and then back to the weathering bench.

After fighting with my insurance company for over a year I have been approved for 12 months the use of a Continous Glucose Monitor. A patch on my arm will continuously monitor my blood glucose levels in real time. I have used one during 2-2 week trial periods but now I will have one full time. No more pin pricking the fingers. This is a great tool IMO for diabetics

enjoy the day

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

Bright, clear and sunny today, with a high temp near 60°.

Happy Valentines day to one and all. It's a double whammy for me as it is also SWMBO's birthday. Have no fear, I've been on top of this for 2 weeks!

Tom, Willie, good financial advice. I started off that way, buying my 1st house at 28, then 3 kids, then divorce, alimony (means she got all my money) child support and the market in 2007 killing what was left of the 401k. Then a second marriage followed by a second house, then a few years until another divorce. I somehow kept the house and lived off of Ramen and hamburger helper for a bit. Now years later, remarried with the youngest in college (SWMBO's child), we are getting it done. Yes, I may work til 67, heck I might even part time it til 70 but I'm making the best of the situation.
When I 1st read your posts, I felt a bit embarrassed on how things turned out, because I couldn't stick to the program. After I thought about it, I came to realize that after enduring all the knock downs, I still got up and continued to fight. SWMBO is due to retire from the county next year with a full pension (at 57) and wants a 2nd career, we are going to get there, we are just taking a different path.

BBL

 

[CGW121]

Nice day,clear, going up to 45. Maybe gonna work on the layout.
Mike

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All, again. Happy Valentines Day. Raining off and on with a warm temperature of 58°. During a lull around 0430, I checked the rain gauge and found 0.35" in it. Wind advisory is in effect all day today although right now it isn't too severe. Maybe 70° today, with 76° tomorrow. Thursday is the only unpleasant day temperature-wise in the ten day forecast.

Household chores took most of the morning yesterday, mostly stuff that I didn't want to do in the rain today. Wife went shopping alone, so I had no supervision, read that as no critiques. Outside it was a beautiful day and I admired the estate! I determined which projects I was blowing off in order to just walk around the place. I did however, install a new septic tank pump to replace the 21 year old model that finally failed last week.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I unpacked and evaluated the two boxes that my wife picked up at the post office. If you read my post last evening, you already know that they came from Chet with remnants from the Logan Valley RR layout. It was a good trade, a few Ben Franklins for some completed structures that will drop in my layout. Some trees, vehicles, animals and scenic details filled out the goodies boxes.
I started with a structure that housed Candy's Confectionery on the ground floor and the Law Offices of O'Neil and Prey on the upper floor. It made for a good starting point since I broke an awning taking it out of the box.

I need to look back through the box, or through my spare parts box to see if I have a replacement lamp for over one of the windows.

If not, I'll move the center one to the right and patch the brickwork.
Meanwhile I also did a little more painting on my unfinished park maintenance structure. I didn't start the doors because my eyes were already crossed from painting the windows and trim.

Patrick - Belated Happy Birthday.
Jeff - I am not familiar with N scale locos, but that's an interesting dilemma that you're having with that Dash8-40C. And three trucks now! Might be time to bite the bullet and send it in for warranty service, provided that you haven't already voided it. With Atlas, I doubt it.
Karl - It's really amazing to me to drive by the "Miracle Mile" of auto stealerships along I-35E. Hugh lots absolutely devoid of cars and trucks. Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Lexus, Accura, VW, Cadillac and Chevrolet. The only place that is at least half full is Ford. Is that any indication of demand??? NO Tesla dealerships in Texas.
Happy Birthday to your wife today.
Chet - Thanks for the interior view of the cafe, some of the stuff in there got loose on it's journey.
Sherrel - You must be bored. i see that you have replied to your own posts several times in the last week!!!
Jaz - Some rather eclectic scenes yesterday.
Joe - Unfortunately we have some political hacks around here, but they seem to be statewide idiots. Three time loser "Beto" hasn't learned his lesson yet.

Since I started posting this, a quick heavier storm moved through. Lasted about ten minutes and I now have 0.85" in the rain gauge. Looks like all clear now, just waiting on the wind advisory.
Everybody have a great day.

 

[JeffH]

The advice I received regarding mortgages...

Sign up for a 30 year loan, but make payments as if it was a 15 year loan. That way, if something bad happens, you can fall back to the lower payment amount without losing your house.

I've always had 30 year notes, but paid them off in less than 20. Today, I am debt free except a credit card I use daily and pay in full monthly.

My wife has a car payment, but only because it was 0% interest. I'll borrow money at zero percent for a depreciating asset like a car. If at all possible, never borrow money and pay interest to buy a depreciating asset.

 

[Boris]

Is it booby trapped like Oak Island?

Oak Island has been a career killer for so many people since Conrail came to be... Numerous booby traps and land mines.

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

It was a nice day yesterday. I did spend a couple of hours taking more paint off the little switcher I started. Issue I see is that AHM had soo much paint on it, I'm going to lose the grill details when I attempt my paint.

Rainy this morning where it's currently 48° going for a high of about 58°. Supposed to snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning, but it won't last as the ground temps are up.

BBL

 

[chadbag]

Hello Happy Members !
Just for the record:
4' x 6' = 1219mm x 1828mm
4' x 8' = 1219mm x 2438mm
and 4m x 6m = 13' x 19'
Hope I'm clear...

Yes.

My original comment was that if SWMBO said 4x6 is allowed, just interpret it as metric and go for 4mx6m

(It's a joke)

 

[Boris]

Unfortunately we have some political hacks around here, but they seem to be statewide idiots.

I think most places are burdened with their political hacks. Unfortunately for me they live next door. It was fun, however, watching one resign in disgrace, and see the other be beaten by the largest plurality in the town's history. (Which he somehow blamed on me).

Philosophy, not withstanding, high taxes, divorce settlements, college loans, and mortgages all affect personal finances. My property taxes are extreme, even with "rebates". That property tax money would have gone a long way toward paying off the mortgage.

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All, again. Happy Valentines Day. Raining off and on with a warm temperature of 58°. During a lull around 0430, I checked the rain gauge and found 0.35" in it. Wind advisory is in effect all day today although right now it isn't too severe. Maybe 70° today, with 76° tomorrow. Thursday is the only unpleasant day temperature-wise in the ten day forecast.

Household chores took most of the morning yesterday, mostly stuff that I didn't want to do in the rain today. Wife went shopping alone, so I had no supervision, read that as no critiques. Outside it was a beautiful day and I admired the estate! I determined which projects I was blowing off in order to just walk around the place. I did however, install a new septic tank pump to replace the 21 year old model that finally failed last week.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I unpacked and evaluated the two boxes that my wife picked up at the post office. If you read my post last evening, you already know that they came from Chet with remnants from the Logan Valley RR layout. It was a good trade, a few Ben Franklins for some completed structures that will drop in my layout. Some trees, vehicles, animals and scenic details filled out the goodies boxes.
I started with a structure that housed Candy's Confectionery on the ground floor and the Law Offices of O'Neil and Prey on the upper floor. It made for a good starting point since I broke an awning taking it out of the box.
View attachment 162036
View attachment 162037
View attachment 162038
View attachment 162039
View attachment 162040
I need to look back through the box, or through my spare parts box to see if I have a replacement lamp for over one of the windows.
View attachment 162041
If not, I'll move the center one to the right and patch the brickwork.
Meanwhile I also did a little more painting on my unfinished park maintenance structure. I didn't start the doors because my eyes were already crossed from painting the windows and trim.
View attachment 162042

Patrick - Belated Happy Birthday.
Jeff - I am not familiar with N scale locos, but that's an interesting dilemma that you're having with that Dash8-40C. And three trucks now! Might be time to bite the bullet and send it in for warranty service, provided that you haven't already voided it. With Atlas, I doubt it.
Karl - It's really amazing to me to drive by the "Miracle Mile" of auto stealerships along I-35E. Hugh lots absolutely devoid of cars and trucks. Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Lexus, Accura, VW, Cadillac and Chevrolet. The only place that is at least half full is Ford. Is that any indication of demand??? NO Tesla dealerships in Texas.
Happy Birthday to your wife today.
Chet - Thanks for the interior view of the cafe, some of the stuff in there got loose on it's journey.
Sherrel - You must be bored. i see that you have replied to your own posts several times in the last week!!!
Jaz - Some rather eclectic scenes yesterday.
Joe - Unfortunately we have some political hacks around here, but they seem to be statewide idiots. Three time loser "Beto" hasn't learned his lesson yet.

Since I started posting this, a quick heavier storm moved through. Lasted about ten minutes and I now have 0.85" in the rain gauge. Looks like all clear now, just waiting on the wind advisory.
Everybody have a great day.

Willie: I got to look through Chet's buildings. There were quite a few and I suspect that I did not see all of them. I almost pulled the trigger on a couple along with some pieces and parts - then I remembered that I currently have *many* kit buildings in boxes. So I didn't want to fill more boxes without knowing what I already have.

I knew that I needed more power and a bunch of Boxcars - so I got a 'quantity' deal for those from him - all is not lost: Logan Valley will still be alive! As of right now, I have no plans to change any of the Logan Valley stuff, paint, names or otherwise.

Later

 

[santafewillie]

Willie: I got to look through Chet's buildings. There were quite a few and I suspect that I did not see all of them. I almost pulled the trigger on a couple along with some pieces and parts - then I remembered that I currently have *many* kit buildings in boxes. So I didn't want to fill more boxes without knowing what I already have.

I knew that I needed more power and a bunch of Boxcars - so I got a 'quantity' deal for those from him - all is not lost: Logan Valley will still be alive! As of right now, I have no plans to change any of the Logan Valley stuff, paint, names or otherwise.

Later

Yes, he mentioned to me that you got all of the motive power. We had been communicating for over a year about the structures, but the shoulder surgery delayed things.