On 10/14/2013 5:22 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 10/14/2013 1:23 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>
>> If you like luxury cars, you might want to consider a used Land Rover or
>> Jag. The depreciation on those things is absolutely fabulous. :-)
>
> Cheap to buy, but expensive to maintain. Crazy prices for parts.


Not just the price. Sometimes the parts are hard to get. My brother had
a friend who had a Volvo and his car was in the shop for more than a
month waiting for parts, and that was just a couple years ago.

On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 21:47:33 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

> You don't want to stuff food scraps into a garbage disposal. It's not
> like you're trying to fit as much as possible into a suitcase. Don't
> overload the garbage disposal! That's a sure way to create a problem.

That's a good synopsis.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:40:02 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> Salad greens shouldn't be put down and they would fall into the stringy
> category.

That's crazy. If you can't grind up lettuce, you shouldn't be allowed
to have a disposal.

> I used to put them down with no problems, but plumbers have told
> me not to put them down. Don't know one way or the other about rinds for
> sure. But I wouldn't try it.

The concept is pretty simple. Cut them into smaller pieces, don't
over load the disposal and keep the water running.


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:09:05 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> I don't think I've ever replaces a catalytic converter and I do keep up on
> maintenance.

I have and can tell you they are very expensive to replace.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 09:47:59 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:

> We're still using a 1980 F250. We have replaced the exhaust system.
> My husband replaced the radiator and water pump. Aside from oil
> changes, gasoline, insurance and new tires, we have no other cost on
> it.

We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
dealers.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 08:10:37 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:40:21 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
> >7 years is the magic time when thing need to be replaced and catalytic
> >converters are costly. If you've never had. to replace one you've
> >either been lucky or ignored the need.-
>
> I've never had to replace on and I've had cars as long as 200,000
> miles. I traded a Buick that was 15 years old and still had the
> original exhaust system.

You've obviously been lucky.

> I had one Mercedes and won't have another unless I traded it before
> the warranty ran out Repairs are ridiculously expensive and they are
> no more reliable than other cars. It was a nice car to drive, but
> expensive to keep.
>

They are, but they are also reliable. Before she moved to a
retirement home, my next door neighbor had one that was at least 20
years old and it was still doing strong. I think she still has it
(that place has a garage where residents can park their "wheels"), but
I doubt she drives much anymore... they have busses that go literally
"everywhere" the residents want to shop and I know she takes those
with her friends quite often.

We traded the first in after the 4 year - 50,000 mile warranty ran
out. This one is a real dream (not a nightmare) so far. Hubby claims
we're going to keep this one "forever" (to put his money where his
mouth is, it's a purchase and not a lease) but I'm sure he'll change
his mind sooner or later after the warranty expires, because buying a
new car is entertainment for him.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 08:38:33 -0400, Nancy Young
> wrote:

> If I was selling one privately, I'd consider having it detailed to be
> a good investment.

Even when you're turning in a lease! It's like returning in a rental
car... they go over it with a magnifying glass and subtract $$
whenever they find a hint of something that says the car isn't brand
new. It's much easier to sell the darned thing on your own - we've
never lost money, broke even only once and came out (significantly)
ahead the rest of the time, so it's not that big of a deal.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:51:59 +0100, dsi1
> wrote:

>
> It's good to have a plumber in the family. In my case, I'm the plumber,
> cook, appliance repair guy, automobile repair guy, chauffeur, go-fer
> guy, and computer tech. I guess that's why they allow me to live here. :-)

I think you've not only made yourself useful, you're probably
indispensable! Hubby is not even a shadow of Mr. Fix-It. How my son
turned out to be that way is still beyond me.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:46:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> We have computer programmers in the family but that's about it.

I wish I had someone who could help me sending pictures via "smart"
phone text message - they act like they know everything, but when I
need specifics... they know nothing.


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/14/2013 1:07 AM, sf wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 18:02:53 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 14:52:04 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I am picturing what my mom does. Stuffs food down there with her hand
>>>> while
>>>> it is running. I have tried to tell her that is not smart. She won't
>>>> listen. I used to use a fork or something but once in a while I would
>>>> drop
>>>> it in and it would make contact with the blades. This house came with
>>>> a
>>>> plastic stuffer. Works well.
>>>
>>> No problem here, We've always had a batch feed. Top is locked when
>>> running. You can still get a spoon or fork in there though, then put
>>> the top on.
>>
>> Egad! I've lived with garbage disposals all my life and I have
>> absolutely no idea what you people are talking about. They are a
>> simple machine that pulverizes food waste so you can flush it down the
>> drain. Whatever it is that's so hard to understand about that concept
>> is beyond me.
>>
> I've had one replaced but it didn't have a "lock". I don't even know what
> that means.
>
> Then again, I've never heard of a garbage disposal "stuffer". For what?
> You don't want to stuff food scraps into a garbage disposal. It's not
> like you're trying to fit as much as possible into a suitcase. Don't
> overload the garbage disposal! That's a sure way to create a problem.

How do you get it down to the disposal if you don't stuff it down? It
doesn't just go down there. The rubber flaps stop it. So unless it is
fairly liquid, it won't go down.
>
> Run cold water through it before, during and after use. Works for me.
>
> Don't expect it to pulverize *everything*. Use some common sense about
> what you put into it. Really, I've never had a problem.
>
> Compost heaps are a wonderful idea. I am not allowed to have a compost
> heap where I live. So I depend on the the garbage disposal. Without it
> I'd have some rather stinky vegetable scraps between trash pickup. No
> thanks.

We are supposed to put our food scraps in the yard waste in a Biobag. But
that doesn't work well with mashed potatoes and gravy.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:40:02 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> Salad greens shouldn't be put down and they would fall into the stringy
>> category.
>
> That's crazy. If you can't grind up lettuce, you shouldn't be allowed
> to have a disposal.
>
>> I used to put them down with no problems, but plumbers have told
>> me not to put them down. Don't know one way or the other about rinds for
>> sure. But I wouldn't try it.
>
> The concept is pretty simple. Cut them into smaller pieces, don't
> over load the disposal and keep the water running.

Hmmm... This one says no potatoes, pasta or rice. I don't recall a problem
with those things. Also no meat!

http://food.thefuntimesguide.com/201..._disposals.php

This one says you can put eggshells, small amounts of meat, rice and pasta.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html

But this one says no rice and noodles.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html

This one says no pasta or rice and no lettuce.

http://plumbing.about.com/od/garbage...getthatout.htm

Gah! This one says eggshells and coffee grounds are fine but all of the
others say no coffee grounds. Am pretty sure I have put those down. And it
say stuff like grits and mashed potatoes are fine. And cooked grains are
fine. Whoa! And no popcorn. I've put tons of that down.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/wha...rbage-disposal

So... Very confusing.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:46:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> We have computer programmers in the family but that's about it.
>
> I wish I had someone who could help me sending pictures via "smart"
> phone text message - they act like they know everything, but when I
> need specifics... they know nothing.

Dunno. Mine sends via email. Old non smart phone would send them even
though I had no Internet. Angela's phone would not. And husband's phone
would send but not accept them. We all have the same carrier.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:46:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> We have computer programmers in the family but that's about it.
>
> I wish I had someone who could help me sending pictures via "smart"
> phone text message - they act like they know everything, but when I
> need specifics... they know nothing.

Oh! Daughter taught me. It's dead easy .... when you know how

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:40:02 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Salad greens shouldn't be put down and they would fall into the stringy
>>> category.
>>
>> That's crazy. If you can't grind up lettuce, you shouldn't be allowed
>> to have a disposal.
>>
>>> I used to put them down with no problems, but plumbers have told
>>> me not to put them down. Don't know one way or the other about rinds
>>> for
>>> sure. But I wouldn't try it.
>>
>> The concept is pretty simple. Cut them into smaller pieces, don't
>> over load the disposal and keep the water running.
>
> Hmmm... This one says no potatoes, pasta or rice. I don't recall a
> problem with those things. Also no meat!
>
> http://food.thefuntimesguide.com/201..._disposals.php
>
> This one says you can put eggshells, small amounts of meat, rice and
> pasta.
>
> http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html
>
> But this one says no rice and noodles.
>
> http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html
>
> This one says no pasta or rice and no lettuce.
>
> http://plumbing.about.com/od/garbage...getthatout.htm
>
> Gah! This one says eggshells and coffee grounds are fine but all of the
> others say no coffee grounds. Am pretty sure I have put those down. And
> it say stuff like grits and mashed potatoes are fine. And cooked grains
> are fine. Whoa! And no popcorn. I've put tons of that down.
>
> http://www.doityourself.com/stry/wha...rbage-disposal
>
> So... Very confusing.

Yes. I suppose you just need to follow the instruction on your particular
one. I had one when my kitchen was refitted, but in the end hated it and DH
took it out.

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:50:08 -0700, sf > wrote:



>We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
>it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
>dealers.

I hate doing that. I despise everything about car dealers from sales
to service.

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "sf" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:40:02 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Salad greens shouldn't be put down and they would fall into the stringy
>>>> category.
>>>
>>> That's crazy. If you can't grind up lettuce, you shouldn't be allowed
>>> to have a disposal.
>>>
>>>> I used to put them down with no problems, but plumbers have told
>>>> me not to put them down. Don't know one way or the other about rinds
>>>> for
>>>> sure. But I wouldn't try it.
>>>
>>> The concept is pretty simple. Cut them into smaller pieces, don't
>>> over load the disposal and keep the water running.
>>
>> Hmmm... This one says no potatoes, pasta or rice. I don't recall a
>> problem with those things. Also no meat!
>>
>> http://food.thefuntimesguide.com/201..._disposals.php
>>
>> This one says you can put eggshells, small amounts of meat, rice and
>> pasta.
>>
>> http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html
>>
>> But this one says no rice and noodles.
>>
>> http://www.ehow.com/facts_4923121_ca...-disposal.html
>>
>> This one says no pasta or rice and no lettuce.
>>
>> http://plumbing.about.com/od/garbage...getthatout.htm
>>
>> Gah! This one says eggshells and coffee grounds are fine but all of the
>> others say no coffee grounds. Am pretty sure I have put those down. And
>> it say stuff like grits and mashed potatoes are fine. And cooked grains
>> are fine. Whoa! And no popcorn. I've put tons of that down.
>>
>> http://www.doityourself.com/stry/wha...rbage-disposal
>>
>> So... Very confusing.
>
> Yes. I suppose you just need to follow the instruction on your particular
> one. I had one when my kitchen was refitted, but in the end hated it and
> DH took it out.

I rather need mine because one person who lives here always throws food in
the sink and leaves it despite being told not to do that. He did it when we
didn't have a disposal and it was a pain to have to pick it all out.

On 10/15/2013 6:03 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:50:08 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
>> We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
>> it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
>> dealers.
>
> I hate doing that. I despise everything about car dealers from sales
> to service.
>
I hate doing that, too. I guess car dealers think because I'm a woman I
don't know what I want. The last time I shopped for a new car (2002) I
told the salesman exactly what I wanted: a small car with manual
transmission. He waxed rhapsodic about this new model, you'll love
this! It was the absolute antithesis of what I was looking for. (It
was something akin to a mini-van with automatic transmission.) I guess
he was hard of hearing.

Jill

On 10/13/2013 10:34 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 10/13/2013 8:31 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> I have never had a new car nor could I ever afford one.
>
> Easier than you think to buy new. It may or may not be best for your
> situation, but you can get better interest rates on new cars and longer
> terms. If you keep cars for a long time it is a good value, even with
> depreciation.

I agree, Ed. My experiences with buying *used* cars was always as if I
just bought someone elses' headache. I don't care how carefully that
used vehicle was maintained, if it's got lots of mileage it will quickly
became *your* headache. I don't like throwing away money.

Jill

On 10/14/2013 9:40 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:45:57 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 10/13/2013 8:31 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have never had a new car nor could I ever afford one.
>>>
>>> Easier than you think to buy new. It may or may not be best for your
>>> situation, but you can get better interest rates on new cars and longer
>>> terms. If you keep cars for a long time it is a good value, even with
>>> depreciation.
>>
>> I can't afford a car payment at all. We are having to pay almost $400 a
>> month for my husband's car and I think that's just obscene!
>
> Lease payments are far more obscene... at the end of the lease you
> have nothing and need to begin RENTING all over again... 95% of the
> late model vehicles on the road today are leased/rented.
>
I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them
every month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but
in the end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?

I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
could figure out why.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/14/2013 9:40 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:45:57 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> On 10/13/2013 8:31 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have never had a new car nor could I ever afford one.
>>>>
>>>> Easier than you think to buy new. It may or may not be best for your
>>>> situation, but you can get better interest rates on new cars and longer
>>>> terms. If you keep cars for a long time it is a good value, even with
>>>> depreciation.
>>>
>>> I can't afford a car payment at all. We are having to pay almost $400 a
>>> month for my husband's car and I think that's just obscene!
>>
>> Lease payments are far more obscene... at the end of the lease you
>> have nothing and need to begin RENTING all over again... 95% of the
>> late model vehicles on the road today are leased/rented.
>>
> I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
> You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them every
> month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but in the
> end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?
>
> I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
> could figure out why.

Yeah. I worked with a woman who not only leased cars but rented her
furniture. A friend of mine once wanted to rent a dining table because she
couldn't afford to buy one. Another friend came with us to the rental
place. We did the math for her then pointed out if she would just do
without the table for a few weeks then put aside the amount of money she
would have spent on the rental, she could *buy* the table! In the end, she
found one of those wooden wheel things that they used to wrap wire on. Not
sure they even exist now. She got it for free. She did have to buy some
chairs though.

On 10/14/2013 11:48 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:09:05 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> I don't think I've ever replaces a catalytic converter and I do keep up on
>> maintenance.
>
> I have and can tell you they are very expensive to replace.
>
I've heard that. I think perhaps they contain some expensive
metal (?) and it's been a target of thieves. Ditto some headlights,
commuters come back to their car, no headlights.

nancy

On 10/15/2013 12:33 AM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 08:38:33 -0400, Nancy Young
> > wrote:
>
>> If I was selling one privately, I'd consider having it detailed to be
>> a good investment.
>
> Even when you're turning in a lease! It's like returning in a rental
> car... they go over it with a magnifying glass and subtract $$
> whenever they find a hint of something that says the car isn't brand
> new.

I leased a car once. We needed a new car, but we were also looking
to buy a house, and the down payment they wanted on car loans
would have derailed our plans. For four years I fretted over
a scratch it got in a hail storm, worried about any wear and tear.

I found out I'd really rather own my car than have to feel like
I'm driving someone else's.

>It's much easier to sell the darned thing on your own - we've
> never lost money, broke even only once and came out (significantly)
> ahead the rest of the time, so it's not that big of a deal.

It's the way to go. I don't care for the process but it's a no
brainer. We did sell the Acura back to the dealer last year. Path
of least resistance kind of thing, and we got a decent price.

nancy

On 10/15/2013 7:16 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 10/14/2013 9:40 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:

>> Lease payments are far more obscene... at the end of the lease you
>> have nothing and need to begin RENTING all over again... 95% of the
>> late model vehicles on the road today are leased/rented.
>>
> I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
> You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them
> every month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but
> in the end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?
>
> I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
> could figure out why.

You can lease a lot more car than you can afford to buy. Looks
good driving around in a pricey new car every few years.

When we leased a car, there was no down payment, aside from maybe
a few hundred dollars in fees or something. I really don't remember
the details, but I promise not thousands of dollars down.

nancy

On 2013-10-15 6:03 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:50:08 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
>> We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
>> it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
>> dealers.
>
> I hate doing that. I despise everything about car dealers from sales
> to service.
>

Some things have to be changed as part of routine maintenance. You get
some leeway with filters, depending on usage. Air filters can be blown
out and used a little longer of the vehicle has not been used in dusty
conditions. I get a lot of life out of brakes because I don't do much
city driving, and I usually drive a standard and use the transmission
for slowing.

Some things MUST be changed regularly, like timing belts. Some engines
will simply stop working when the timing belt snaps. In other engines, a
bad timing belt can cause serious engine problems. It is relatively
cheap to replace, but can be very expensive to neglect.

On 10/15/2013 8:02 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
> On 10/15/2013 7:16 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 10/14/2013 9:40 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>>> Lease payments are far more obscene... at the end of the lease you
>>> have nothing and need to begin RENTING all over again... 95% of the
>>> late model vehicles on the road today are leased/rented.
>>>
>> I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
>> You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them
>> every month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but
>> in the end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?
>>
>> I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
>> could figure out why.
>
> You can lease a lot more car than you can afford to buy. Looks
> good driving around in a pricey new car every few years.
>
> When we leased a car, there was no down payment, aside from maybe
> a few hundred dollars in fees or something. I really don't remember
> the details, but I promise not thousands of dollars down.
>
> nancy

I'm going by the ads I see on television these days. The small print
says something like *$5000* down. If I'm going to give them $5000 I may
as well just put that towards buying/owning a car. Of course these are
ads for luxury cars, not the comfortable but utilitarian cars I buy.

Jill

On 10/15/2013 7:41 AM, wrote:

> Yes agreed, I have done that with my ten year old. The mechanic who
> changed my tires twice a year usually suggests regular things that
> it's time to do to keep it in good shape. Those timing belts being
> one. I hate it but figure it's the cost of reliability.

We are telling our age when we talk about "timing belts". Back in the
day there were separate belts for water pump, generator (later
alternator), air conditioning and power steering. Things evolved and
some engines were designed so that one belt ran more than one item.

Now it is a "serpentine" belt and in many cases, one belt runs
everything. It breaks... nothing runs. I replace it every 50,000 miles.

George L

On 10/15/2013 8:40 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 10/15/2013 8:02 AM, Nancy Young wrote:

>> When we leased a car, there was no down payment, aside from maybe
>> a few hundred dollars in fees or something. I really don't remember
>> the details, but I promise not thousands of dollars down.

> I'm going by the ads I see on television these days.

Definitely. I was clarifying that I leased with no money down,
otherwise what would be the point, we were conserving cash for a
house down payment.

>The small print
> says something like *$5000* down. If I'm going to give them $5000 I may
> as well just put that towards buying/owning a car.

I agree. You have to do the math with the payments and the down
payment to see how much it will cost you over the life of the lease.
Sometimes the large down payment comes with small monthly payments.

> Of course these are
> ads for luxury cars, not the comfortable but utilitarian cars I buy.

You are definitely not a lease candidate. Heh. And good for you.

nancy

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:50:08 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
>>We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
>>it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
>>dealers.
>
> I hate doing that. I despise everything about car dealers from sales
> to service.

Me too. I hate all the "smoke blowing" the salespeople do.

Cheri

jmcquown wrote:
>
> On 10/14/2013 9:40 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> > Lease payments are far more obscene... at the end of the lease you
> > have nothing and need to begin RENTING all over again... 95% of the
> > late model vehicles on the road today are leased/rented.
> >
> I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
> You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them
> every month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but
> in the end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?

No kidding. Just buy the car and when the lease would have run out,
you'll own the darn car. Leasing cars is about as silly as buying
bottled water, imo.

Gary

On 10/14/2013 6:39 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:51:59 +0100, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> It's good to have a plumber in the family. In my case, I'm the plumber,
>> cook, appliance repair guy, automobile repair guy, chauffeur, go-fer
>> guy, and computer tech. I guess that's why they allow me to live here. :-)
>
> I think you've not only made yourself useful, you're probably
> indispensable! Hubby is not even a shadow of Mr. Fix-It. How my son
> turned out to be that way is still beyond me.
>

I was one of those kids that was always taking stuff apart. My dad was
always fixing stuff around the home too. He was a plumber, well at least
he was in the plumbers and pipefitters union. Mostly, he worked on large
building air conditioning ducts in Hawaii and radar defense systems on
Pacific atolls which would be as far from Mario and Luigi as you could
get.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:18:21 +0100, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:46:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> We have computer programmers in the family but that's about it.
> >
> > I wish I had someone who could help me sending pictures via "smart"
> > phone text message - they act like they know everything, but when I
> > need specifics... they know nothing.
>
> Oh! Daughter taught me. It's dead easy .... when you know how

It worked at first. I ran out of data last month and nothing worked,
not even when I was connected to wifi and it still doesn't work right
even though it's a new month. As I said, they know nothing. I handed
my phone to one, said "you do it" and she couldn't. We're on
different carriers, different plans, different types of phones.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 06:03:09 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:50:08 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
> >We're of the mind that if it ain't broke, there's no reason to replace
> >it... until hubby gets bored and wants to do the new car dance with
> >dealers.
>
> I hate doing that. I despise everything about car dealers from sales
> to service.

The internet era and the information age has changed all that. Buying
a car used to be more like camel trading (he knows how to walk away),
but now you have everything you need to know at your fingertips and
can deal from an informed basis. Dealerships even have people who
only deal with internet queries and he's done that too. A couple of
emails and you have a brand new car below sticker. They'll even drive
the new car to you and pick up the old one (if you're trading it in).
You sign the papers in your home, not their place of business.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 07:16:22 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

> I agree, Sheldon! I don't understand leasing personal vehicles, either.
> You have to put a downpayment of thousands of dollars, then pay them
> every month, pay for maintenance (keep records!). You pay for it, but
> in the end you own NOTHING. Uh, what?
>
> I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
> could figure out why.

1. It's a write off
2. He doesn't keep them forever and it boils down to the same monthly
payment as if he was purchasing
3. He knows how to sell them on his own and can get enough in profit
to pay off the lease and put a down payment on a new lease.

That way he's always driving a new car that's under warranty and he
has no expenses for ordinary car maintenance.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:42:34 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> On 10/14/2013 6:39 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:51:59 +0100, dsi1
> > > wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> It's good to have a plumber in the family. In my case, I'm the plumber,
> >> cook, appliance repair guy, automobile repair guy, chauffeur, go-fer
> >> guy, and computer tech. I guess that's why they allow me to live here. :-)
> >
> > I think you've not only made yourself useful, you're probably
> > indispensable! Hubby is not even a shadow of Mr. Fix-It. How my son
> > turned out to be that way is still beyond me.
> >
>
> I was one of those kids that was always taking stuff apart. My dad was
> always fixing stuff around the home too. He was a plumber, well at least
> he was in the plumbers and pipefitters union. Mostly, he worked on large
> building air conditioning ducts in Hawaii and radar defense systems on
> Pacific atolls which would be as far from Mario and Luigi as you could
> get.

As a kid, my son didn't build anything beyond Legos or take things
apart. I was kind of worried about his future because I didn't see
any passions - other than the police department. I didn't want him to
do that because they are more disrespected than teachers and you can
get killed on the job. It turned out that I shouldn't have worried
although I did. He worked at Schwab for 12 years, going as high as he
could in his department without someone at the top quitting or
transferring. He suddenly quit his job last year and took a fire
academy course... another thing that left us shaking our heads because
people are shooting firemen now too. At least he put that training to
work, because there was a rather large fire at scout camp this summer
that he and another gentleman put out. Thank god he'd had wild fire
training or else it would have been yet another fire in a National
Forest on the six o'clock news. He's working for a non-profit at the
moment, but has irons in the fire to get back to the corporate life at
a much better salary than before. In the mean time, I guess you could
say that he's living his fantasies.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:42:34 -1000, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
>> On 10/14/2013 6:39 PM, sf wrote:
>> > On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:51:59 +0100, dsi1
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >> It's good to have a plumber in the family. In my case, I'm the
>> >> plumber,
>> >> cook, appliance repair guy, automobile repair guy, chauffeur, go-fer
>> >> guy, and computer tech. I guess that's why they allow me to live here.
>> >> :-)
>> >
>> > I think you've not only made yourself useful, you're probably
>> > indispensable! Hubby is not even a shadow of Mr. Fix-It. How my son
>> > turned out to be that way is still beyond me.
>> >
>>
>> I was one of those kids that was always taking stuff apart. My dad was
>> always fixing stuff around the home too. He was a plumber, well at least
>> he was in the plumbers and pipefitters union. Mostly, he worked on large
>> building air conditioning ducts in Hawaii and radar defense systems on
>> Pacific atolls which would be as far from Mario and Luigi as you could
>> get.
>
> As a kid, my son didn't build anything beyond Legos or take things
> apart. I was kind of worried about his future because I didn't see
> any passions - other than the police department. I didn't want him to
> do that because they are more disrespected than teachers and you can
> get killed on the job. It turned out that I shouldn't have worried
> although I did. He worked at Schwab for 12 years, going as high as he
> could in his department without someone at the top quitting or
> transferring. He suddenly quit his job last year and took a fire
> academy course... another thing that left us shaking our heads because
> people are shooting firemen now too. At least he put that training to
> work, because there was a rather large fire at scout camp this summer
> that he and another gentleman put out. Thank god he'd had wild fire
> training or else it would have been yet another fire in a National
> Forest on the six o'clock news. He's working for a non-profit at the
> moment, but has irons in the fire to get back to the corporate life at
> a much better salary than before. In the mean time, I guess you could
> say that he's living his fantasies.

Good luck to him if that is what he really wants to do! Why fantasy?
Without dreams no one would do anything, let alone anything different!


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 10/15/2013 9:11 AM, George Leppla wrote:
> On 10/15/2013 7:41 AM, wrote:


>
> We are telling our age when we talk about "timing belts". Back in the
> day there were separate belts for water pump, generator (later
> alternator), air conditioning and power steering. Things evolved and
> some engines were designed so that one belt ran more than one item.
>
> Now it is a "serpentine" belt and in many cases, one belt runs
> everything. It breaks... nothing runs. I replace it every 50,000 miles.
>
> George L


No, timing belts are not the same as the serpentine belt. They are
internal and turn the camshaft. Most engines have timing chains that do
not need replacement, but many have internal belts.
http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?br...cation_id=3487
If you have an interference engine and the belt brakes, the valve smash
the tops of the piston and the engine is pretty much trash.

On 2013-10-15 8:40 AM, jmcquown wrote:

> I'm going by the ads I see on television these days. The small print
> says something like *$5000* down. If I'm going to give them $5000 I may
> as well just put that towards buying/owning a car. Of course these are
> ads for luxury cars, not the comfortable but utilitarian cars I buy.
>
>
There are also mileage limits, and when you go over those miles there is
a heft charge per mile. My brother used to lease a car for business
because he was able to write off most of the lease as a business
expense, but he usually ended up switching cars with his wife when he
got close to the limit. My niece's boyfriend always wants her to drive
when they go on trips with their dogs because the mutts will mess up his
nice car, but she is almost miled out on her lease and still has time to
go on it.

On 10/15/2013 8:40 AM, jmcquown wrote:

>>> I worked with a woman whose husband always leased their cars. I never
>>> could figure out why.
>>
>> You can lease a lot more car than you can afford to buy. Looks
>> good driving around in a pricey new car every few years.
>>
>> When we leased a car, there was no down payment, aside from maybe
>> a few hundred dollars in fees or something. I really don't remember
>> the details, but I promise not thousands of dollars down.
>>
>> nancy
>
> I'm going by the ads I see on television these days. The small print
> says something like *$5000* down. If I'm going to give them $5000 I may
> as well just put that towards buying/owning a car. Of course these are
> ads for luxury cars, not the comfortable but utilitarian cars I buy.
>
> Jill

Leasing terms can vary and I've seen them with no money down and with
large down payments. I figure if I can put down $5000, I can buy and at
least end up with a hulk to scrap.

You can even rent tires now. You pay a lot of money in the end, but no
money down, no credit checks. Like the furniture rental places.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:34:49 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> Leasing terms can vary and I've seen them with no money down and with
> large down payments. I figure if I can put down $5000, I can buy and at
> least end up with a hulk to scrap.

Leasing is nice because you have the entire lease to test drive it and
decide if it's worth keeping any longer and buy it then. We did that
many times too.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 15 Oct 2013 17:35:56 +0100, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> Good luck to him if that is what he really wants to do!

This one will be as if it was custom tailored to his strengths and
interests. I'm really excited about the proposition - hopefully, it
will materialize. Until then, he feels like he's accomplishing
something worthwhile for society on this job. The pay sucks, but it's
high in job satisfaction.

> Why fantasy?
> Without dreams no one would do anything, let alone anything different!

True, but his RL dream jobs are too dangerous AFAIC. I am his mother
and I want him to be safe.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.