Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

bwia said:

Snake--it seems as though you are running a free tax clinic. Even H&R Block and the other tax services around the Boston area charge much more. As a CPA, my minimum fee is $500. I don't normally do taxes but when I do the returns are so complex that I charge a steep fee for research.

One little bit of advice, think long and hard about the home office deduction. Like many government freebies it comes with its added layers of complexity that will bite you in the posterior when the property is sold down the road.

We tend to beat the Blockheads in price by about 10% give or take. The vast majority of my tax returns aren't so complex that I have to do much, if any, research and they take under an hour to complete (an hour and a half for the most complex). A lot of what you would call cookie cutter tax returns.

To give you an idea the last return I did was an $83 return, it was one W2 and unemployment and that was it. No deductions, no EIC, no credits, no dependents nothing. If it weren't for the unemployment it would have been the most basic you could have done. He was in and out in 20-25 minutes.

Why so long? I do my son's 1040EZ in 10.

Do you have to have your son fill out a client data sheet? Do you make notes in your system regarding answers he gives to certain questions like health insurance requirements? Do you go over some of the other services you offer your son? Do you have a guarantee for your son and have to explain it and offer a higher level guarantee? Do you go over his options of paying his preparation fees? Do you go over the different options on how he can get his refund back? How much paperwork do you have your son sign for legal reasons? Do you go over all the paperwork he has to sign?

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

bwia said:

Snake--it seems as though you are running a free tax clinic. Even H&R Block and the other tax services around the Boston area charge much more. As a CPA, my minimum fee is $500. I don't normally do taxes but when I do the returns are so complex that I charge a steep fee for research.

One little bit of advice, think long and hard about the home office deduction. Like many government freebies it comes with its added layers of complexity that will bite you in the posterior when the property is sold down the road.

We tend to beat the Blockheads in price by about 10% give or take. The vast majority of my tax returns aren't so complex that I have to do much, if any, research and they take under an hour to complete (an hour and a half for the most complex). A lot of what you would call cookie cutter tax returns.

To give you an idea the last return I did was an $83 return, it was one W2 and unemployment and that was it. No deductions, no EIC, no credits, no dependents nothing. If it weren't for the unemployment it would have been the most basic you could have done. He was in and out in 20-25 minutes.

Why so long? I do my son's 1040EZ in 10.

Do you have to have your son fill out a client data sheet? Do you make notes in your system regarding answers he gives to certain questions like health insurance requirements? Do you go over some of the other services you offer your son? Do you have a guarantee for your son and have to explain it and offer a higher level guarantee? Do you go over his options of paying his preparation fees? Do you go over the different options on how he can get his refund back? How much paperwork do you have your son sign for legal reasons? Do you go over all the paperwork he has to sign?

Yes to all of the above.

Didn't mean to offend. Hey how about this, we go halfsies on this: I'll pick you up on the way to the nearest city:

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/misc/index.jsp?targetPage=ShelbyGTH.jsp&cks=419072450&emailid=FP_FASTNEWS

imidazol97

snakeweasel said:

Don't speed when going up a grade? Most people slow down when going up a grade as they don't compensate for the pull of gravity. I would think that few cops set up speed traps at the top of hills.
Now going downhill you pick up speed and that's where I would think speed traps would logically be placed.

When I used to do frequent traveling on interstates, it was my opinion cops like to set up past the crest of a hill and fairly far on the downside. Gives time for the car to overspeed after cresting the hill.

But their radar is reading the speed back up toward the top of the hilll. On the uphill side the driver or cruise control has added throttle opening. When the car levels out and starts on the downhill, a driver doesn't let up enough in advance of a speed increase due to downhill coasting.POW the radar has read the car's speed over the minimum setting.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

bwia said:

Snake--it seems as though you are running a free tax clinic. Even H&R Block and the other tax services around the Boston area charge much more. As a CPA, my minimum fee is $500. I don't normally do taxes but when I do the returns are so complex that I charge a steep fee for research.

One little bit of advice, think long and hard about the home office deduction. Like many government freebies it comes with its added layers of complexity that will bite you in the posterior when the property is sold down the road.

We tend to beat the Blockheads in price by about 10% give or take. The vast majority of my tax returns aren't so complex that I have to do much, if any, research and they take under an hour to complete (an hour and a half for the most complex). A lot of what you would call cookie cutter tax returns.

To give you an idea the last return I did was an $83 return, it was one W2 and unemployment and that was it. No deductions, no EIC, no credits, no dependents nothing. If it weren't for the unemployment it would have been the most basic you could have done. He was in and out in 20-25 minutes.

Why so long? I do my son's 1040EZ in 10.

Do you have to have your son fill out a client data sheet? Do you make notes in your system regarding answers he gives to certain questions like health insurance requirements? Do you go over some of the other services you offer your son? Do you have a guarantee for your son and have to explain it and offer a higher level guarantee? Do you go over his options of paying his preparation fees? Do you go over the different options on how he can get his refund back? How much paperwork do you have your son sign for legal reasons? Do you go over all the paperwork he has to sign?

Yes to all of the above.

Didn't mean to offend. Hey how about this, we go halfsies on this: I'll pick you up on the way to the nearest city:

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/misc/index.jsp?targetPage=ShelbyGTH.jsp&cks=419072450&emailid=FP_FASTNEWS

Hey I'm game and according to that link they will be available here in Chicago. We can take a road trip down Route 66 (passes just a few miles from my house). There are a few places along that road where we could really open that baby up.

driver100

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

stickguy said:

Mike, I would have lost it at Walmart over that. First politely tell the woman that no, I was waiting, she can take my small (under 20!) order. If she didn't, I would have yelled at every manager type I could find.

Though I also would have probably gone to a different line before that!

I hate Walmart for that reason. Checkout is always a mess. But dang, they have really cheap insulin!

Couldn't you just throw dollar bills at them at around 115% of what you think it might cost to cover margin of error, and walk out with your items?

You could have done that but the legal term for that is theft.

If you leave legal tender on the register worth an equal amount to what you take; how is that theft? If it is a retail store it is a fair assumption the items on the shelves are for sale at the marked prices. You couldn't do this for just anything, but at a store intended to sell items, it seems fair enough.

If any of you want to leave a suitcase filled with 100,000 dollars, my S4 that isn't for sale, well, your welcome to "steal" it at that amount.

If I throw $100000 at you and drive away the problem might be NO BILL OF SALE, NO TRANSFER PAPERS, NO OWNERSHIP.

Same with store, with no bill of sale (receipt) you may have trouble proving you paid for the item...,,,,,,,,,not worth the hassle.

Another problem is...stores use the cash registers as a form of inventory control...no one knows what you just bought if you throw the money at the cashier, it hasn't deducted those items from the stores inventory.

driver100

abacomike said:

I had to stay at home all day because the plumbing department had to enter every condo unit to check for leaking faucets and/or pipes.  It seems that water usage for the 48 units in my building has been well above expected or anticipated levels.  Security was making the rounds with the plumbing department in order to gain access to condo units where the owners were not at home for the inspection.  Security has a master key for both the bolt locks and the doorknob locks.

When they showed up at my unit, I asked them if they had found any units with major leaks.  They said that they had - and all of the units are owned by Canadians or absentee owners who were not going to repair the leaks until September/October.  I asked them how they handle those cases. They responded that they are sent a certified letter explaining that the owner either repairs the leak(s) or the Condo director will have a plumbing contractor repair/replace the defective plumbing (toilets, faucets, water pipes, etc.).

The guys told me the least cooperative owners were the Canadians.  Any comments driver?

NO

abacomike

driver100 said:

I had to stay at home all day because the plumbing department had to enter every condo unit to check for leaking faucets and/or pipes.  It seems that water usage for the 48 units in my building has been well above expected or anticipated levels.  Security was making the rounds with the plumbing department in order to gain access to condo units where the owners were not at home for the inspection.  Security has a master key for both the bolt locks and the doorknob locks.

When they showed up at my unit, I asked them if they had found any units with major leaks.  They said that they had - and all of the units are owned by Canadians or absentee owners who were not going to repair the leaks until September/October.  I asked them how they handle those cases. They responded that they are sent a certified letter explaining that the owner either repairs the leak(s) or the Condo director will have a plumbing contractor repair/replace the defective plumbing (toilets, faucets, water pipes, etc.).

The guys told me the least cooperative owners were the Canadians.  Any comments driver?

NO

That's what I thought.  I would think the Canadian owners would do whatever was necessary to maintain their property.  I guess not!

imidazol97

abacomike said:

It seems that water usage for the 48 units in my building has been well above expected or anticipated levels.

Well that's easy. It's the guy who spends his time in the tub playing and splashing.

driver100

Mike, I think the guy was being a bit nasty...he could have said Snowbirds as they may put off a repair if they aren't going to be around anyway. But, if he did really know it for a fact that Canadians were putting off a repair it could be because the Canadian Dollar is only worth about 70 cents, and that hurts the budget for a lot of Canadians.

I am not as badly hurt as I own US stocks that pay dividends in US dollars, and that covers our basic expenses.

It may be a fact and may not, but, I would like to see some statistics before I actually believed it.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

It seems that water usage for the 48 units in my building has been well above expected or anticipated levels.

Well that's easy. It's the guy who spends his time in the tub playing and splashing.

Bingo - the Canadian couple with the husband who loves to splash in the tub!  They just went back to Canada and I think they are the ones security was referring to.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:

It seems that water usage for the 48 units in my building has been well above expected or anticipated levels.

Well that's easy. It's the guy who spends his time in the tub playing and splashing.

That was a great one imid....doubt if he was a Canadian.

abacomike

driver100 said:

Mike, I think the guy was being a bit nasty...he could have said Snowbirds as they may put off a repair if they aren't going to be around anyway. But, if he did really know it for a fact that Canadians were putting off a repair it could be because the Canadian Dollar is only worth about 70 cents, and that hurts the budget for a lot of Canadians. I am not as badly hurt as I own US stocks that pay dividends in US dollars, and that covers our basic expenses. It may be a fact and may not, but, I would like to see some statistics before I actually believed it.

The couple below me - the ones whose sons flew down from Toronto, just left for home with mom and dad.  Thinking about how much water is used in taking a bath, not to mention the splashing water, it could be the cause for all that water usage!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

Well that's easy. It's the guy who spends his time in the tub playing and splashing.

That was a great one imid....doubt if he was a Canadian.

I didn't mean to imply anything about where he was from. But as I recalled the post the
fellow with dementia had the water running into the tub, probably the drain open and was
splashing it out onto the floor as fast as it came in. Do that for several hours a day
and you've got lot of water above average.

I recall one landlord east of Cincy when I was in apartments, was there crawling out
from under the single story group next to mine. He often talked to me when I was
out working on the car. He said the water use in that group of six was up. He was
looking for a leaking pipe under the building. I think one of the renters didn't like
him and was just running water through the tub. the landlord was somewhat of
a [insert your own non-permissible content]. LOL

Friend of our was here a couple weeks back. She mentioned their water bill was
doubled for the previous quarter.
Later she told me that the plumber found the water was running through the toilet overflow.

driver100

Mike, it is possible that Canadians and/or snowbirds would be inclined to leave some repairs until they return in October or November. People tend to put off things if they can, especially repairs. Why spend money today if you don't have to?

Also, keep in mind, this isn't these people's first homes so they aren't going to be as careful with it. Anyway, why make a repair if you aren't around and you could spend all that money and then a hurricane could come through when you are away?

driver100

On a more positive note....I tried the automatic parking feature for the first time tonight. You drive by slowly, the blue P is lit up. Stop, press OK, car will say on instrument panel put car in reverse to park and touch OK.

Car will reverse and it goes in at a really steep angle, and the wheel really turns fast and hard, but it parked the car perfectly and about 2 inches from the curb.

berri

Hey I'm game and according to that link they will be available here in Chicago. We can take a road trip down Route 66 (passes just a few miles from my house). There are a few places along that road where we could really open that baby up.

Stopping in "Pontiac" ?

driver100

Imid....I just meant the fellow splashing in the apartment sounded more like a permanent resident, not a Snowbird or Canadian (it would be difficult for that fellow to travel). I thought what you said about him using all the water was very funny.

I read you got through I-75 TN OK and the road was repaired, but was it one lane or two? Did traffic jam up at that point or was it clear sailing so to speak?

berri

Bingo - the Canadian couple with the husband who loves to splash in the tub! They just went back to Canada and I think they are the ones security was referring to.

Abracadabra Aba, you made them disappear like magic

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

On a more positive note....I tried the automatic parking feature for the first time tonight. You drive by slowly, the blue P is lit up. Stop, press OK, car will say on instrument panel put car in reverse to park and touch OK.

Car will reverse and it goes in at a really steep angle, and the wheel really turns fast and hard, but it parked the car perfectly and about 2 inches from the curb.

With all that button pushing and fooling around you could have parked it yourself twice.

suydam

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

On a more positive note....I tried the automatic parking feature for the first time tonight. You drive by slowly, the blue P is lit up. Stop, press OK, car will say on instrument panel put car in reverse to park and touch OK.

Car will reverse and it goes in at a really steep angle, and the wheel really turns fast and hard, but it parked the car perfectly and about 2 inches from the curb.

With all that button pushing and fooling around you could have parked it yourself twice.

The steering wheel really cranks.....it waits until the last minute before starting to turn, and it feels like it would be hard on the mechanism though jmonroe says it is built to take it. If I did it I would go in at a 45 degree angle, not an 80 degree angle, so it would be smoother, and I would feel better about having control. I also had to apply the brake as we were backing toward the car behind us...it should stop but we were pretty close when I decided to brake myself.

I agree, I could do it easier and with less stress, doing it myself.

But, it can be fun, if there is someone behind you waiting for you to park you can do it automatically and hold your hands up in the air and wave and show him you aren't using your hands....just hope you don't hit something!

driver100

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

abacomike

driver100 said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

...but was it one lane or two? Did traffic jam up at that point or was it clear sailing so to speak?

We have not traveled to TN yet. I'm watching on the internet to see what's happening.

One lane per the initial press release. And traffic was slowed back about a mile or more in the late afternoon when I looked. Slowed but at no point in line did it show dead stopped traffic. Often with backups, there's a wave effect that increases in magnitude toward the back of the slow line--the drop in speed ripples back through the line as cars run up onto the very slow traffic and overreact. Eventually the cars at the back hit a dead stop, and then start to creep forward at the normal speed through the restriction. I would expect traffic yesterday and traffic through Sunday to be higher than normal because of returning spring break traffic hitting that area in late afternoon. Saturday and Sunday will be heavy.

Even having a 2 mile slowdown averaging 25 mph to get through the one-lane part is better than either detour routes or the alternative of Chattanooga-Nashville-Louisville for other, about 45 miles longer. I'd like to see TN do what they do north of Knoxville several years ago when they put up a sign saying "Merge NOW" about 1.5 miles back. Then a State Patrol car was sitting up nearer the end of the left lane. I was hoping he'd stop anyone trying to run to the front of the line to bully their way in to the line of those who waited properly and had already merged.

My solution for the "left lane bullies" is to have a sign saying Merge Now and then have portable spike strips set up close to the end of the left lane to puncture the tires on the cars of those who want to cut into the line at the front. LOL

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

14 out of hundreds! In our community we have 76 units, about half are owned by snowbirds, of those about 20% or 6 are owned by Canadians. That number is probably a lot higher than average, because one Canadian bought a unit 25 years ago when these places were being built, and he told his friends and so 4 were sold to his friends...which is unusual.

Canadians and Snowbirds are a positive for Florida, we pay about 1/3 more in property tax, and we buy spend for 5 or 6 months of the year. Many restaurants and stores wouldn't survive without us. What the guy said could be true, but, I'd like to see some proof....sounds like a silly comment to me.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

...but was it one lane or two? Did traffic jam up at that point or was it clear sailing so to speak?

One lane per the initial press release. And traffic was slowed back about a mile or more in the late afternoon when I looked. Slowed but at no point in line did it show dead stopped traffic. Often with backups, there's a wave effect that increases in magnitude toward the back of the slow line--the drop in speed ripples back through the line as cars run up onto the very slow traffic and overreact. Eventually the cars at the back hit a dead stop, and then start to creep forward at the normal speed through the restriction. I would expect traffic yesterday and traffic through Sunday to be higher than normal because of returning spring break traffic hitting that area in late afternoon. Saturday and Sunday will be heavy.

Thanks for the info imid.

I have this alternative but it sounds like going straight through is worth taking...as it might be less than an hour of a hold up.
we drove back to cleveland area from orlando : i75 to chattanoga, then to Nashville, then back to lexington to i75; added about an hour but did not have to deal with then closed i75 in tennessee

It will be busy on the weekend, but we leave on Friday April 1st weather permitting along the I-75 corridor and it will be even busier as all the RVs, trailers, Motor Homes and regular vacationers head back at the end of their rental terms at the end of the month! Most go on the 31st but many get to stay overnight as the next group arrives later in the day on Friday the 1st.

PF_Flyer

Hooray! It's Snow Tire Freedom Day!!

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

14 out of hundreds! In our community we have 76 units, about half are owned by snowbirds, of those about 20% or 6 are owned by Canadians. That number is probably a lot higher than average, because one Canadian bought a unit 25 years ago when these places were being built, and he told his friends and so 4 were sold to his friends...which is unusual.

Canadians and Snowbirds are a positive for Florida, we pay about 1/3 more in property tax, and we buy spend for 5 or 6 months of the year. Many restaurants and stores wouldn't survive without us. What the guy said could be true, but, I'd like to see some proof....sounds like a silly comment to me.


I was wondering driver100, when you bought your Florida home a few years ago I assume you paid with Canadian dollars which at the time were worth more relative to the U.S. dollar. Now that the U.S. dollar is worth so much more could you sell your property for U.S. dollars and make a killing on the exchange rate when you converted back to Canadian currency?

tommister2

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

Reminds of one of my favorite movie lines. "There are two things I can't stand: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch" --Nigel Powers

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

14 out of hundreds! In our community we have 76 units, about half are owned by snowbirds, of those about 20% or 6 are owned by Canadians. That number is probably a lot higher than average, because one Canadian bought a unit 25 years ago when these places were being built, and he told his friends and so 4 were sold to his friends...which is unusual.

Canadians and Snowbirds are a positive for Florida, we pay about 1/3 more in property tax, and we buy spend for 5 or 6 months of the year. Many restaurants and stores wouldn't survive without us. What the guy said could be true, but, I'd like to see some proof....sounds like a silly comment to me.

I was wondering driver100, when you bought your Florida home a few years ago I assume you paid with Canadian dollars which at the time were worth more relative to the U.S. dollar. Now that the U.S. dollar is worth so much more could you sell your property for U.S. dollars and make a killing on the exchange rate when you converted back to Canadian currency?


Yes! We bought 5 years ago when the Cdn $ was about 94 cents against US $.
Today Cdn $ is worth about 75 cents, went as low as 70 cents a few weeks ago.
If we sold now we would gain about 20 cents for every $ or about $30k....probably my best investment going.
I am just sorry I didn't buy two places or a more expensive place. Also the values have gone up about 15 to 20% and I haven't counted that as well.

One other thing I found out....down the road there is a seniors center and if you are 55 or older they provide free lunches 5 days a week. The lunches sound very good, chops, chicken, steaks, ribletts, vegetables, fruit etc.

Is this a great country or what?

*Just to clarify...we pay our property taxes but we don't go there for a free lunch...don't want to take advantage of a service some people badly need.

**One other point, I told my tennis friends I was returning to Canada next Friday, and I explained we are only allowed to stay in the US for 6 months maximum. They said if I asked to stay longer they would gladly vouch for me as being a good citizen.

nyccarguy

@driver100 - there are pluses and minuses to FLA residents as far as the snowbirds are concerned.  Yes everything you say is true.  They do help the economy tremendously, shop locally, pay taxes (sales tax & property tax).  Snowbirds also cause massive amounts of traffic.  I have very good friends who live in Naples.  They tell me during the (snowbird) season, it is like rush hour traffic all day every day.  A short 5 minute drive quickly becomes 45 minutes.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

One other thing I found out....down the road there is a seniors center and if you are 55 or older they provide free lunches 5 days a week. The lunches sound very good, chops, chicken, steaks, ribletts, vegetables, fruit etc.
*Just to clarify...we pay our property taxes but we don't go there for a free lunch...don't want to take advantage of a service some people badly need.

Very commendable. There are many who consider a "free lunch" at everyone else's expense is owed to them. LOL

I recall a barber when I was young and the idea of senior discounts was just starting. I mentioned that to her. Her response was that in her shop (of 3 barbers) she didn't do that because the ones who actually deserved a discount were too proud to ask for the senior price while those who didn't need it would hop right on it. Very wise lady. I remember her name to this day.

graphicguy

driver...quite interesting you mentioned the currency differences between the Canadian and U.S. dollar. My company signed some contracts when the Canadian dollar was on par with the U.S. dollar. The tech industry has always used U.S. Dollars as the currency we do business in. As such, in our contracts, we stipulate that long term contracts are subject to currency fluctuations.

Recently, some of those contracts signed with Canadian provinces are getting invoices that are about 30% higher than what they originally budgeted. I'm fielding 10 calls a week stating our invoices are wrong. When I explain to them what's going on, they somehow think my company is trying to screw them.

It's been something of a nightmare, but whenever there's a large currency fluctuation, this happens. It's just not much fun to tell people to review the contracts they signed two years ago.

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

@driver100 - there are pluses and minuses to FLA residents as far as the snowbirds are concerned.  Yes everything you say is true.  They do help the economy tremendously, shop locally, pay taxes (sales tax & property tax).  Snowbirds also cause massive amounts of traffic.  I have very good friends who live in Naples.  They tell me during the (snowbird) season, it is like rush hour traffic all day every day.  A short 5 minute drive quickly becomes 45 minutes.

I don't know if the Tampa-St. Pete area becomes as congested as Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach areas. This is the time of the year when snowbirds usually return to their place of origin, whether that be Chicago, New York, New Jersey or Canada. Traffic congestion begins to ease and it is easier to get into a restaurant without long waits. But Florida has also become a summer tourist attraction over the years. It really isn't that much hotter down here than it is in the Midwest or Northeast. Admittedly, we do get a bit more humidity. The summer tourist season usually begins in July and runs through August. But right around mid-October to early November, snowbirds return and traffic gets pretty bad.

abacomike

The worst part of summers down here in Southeast Florida is the Thunder Storms we get just about every day between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Last night, we had damaging thunderstorms with high winds that toppled hundreds of trees. We lost some trees here in our Condo Community. Our Rainy Season usually begins in mid June and runs through mid Novembers. Yesterday, we had over 2 inches of rain.

So summer tourists schedule their days around the weather - mornings from 9:00 AM-ish until 1:00 PM-ish, going to the beach is usually OK. But, at 1:00 PM, the beaches usually empty out and people go to malls, shopping, out for dinner, etc., because invariably, it will rain in mid afternoon to around 6:00 PM. The downpours can become torrential.

I have asked my son and his SO if they would like to come here in June/July for a week. 95 degrees is cool for them since they live in the desert where temps average 105+. Unfortunately, it does get humid.

My son said that if he comes here, he expects to be able to borrow my car so they can go out at night and sightsee during the day. I said - no problem! Little does he know that I would rather rent them a car instead of giving him my CLS to "sightsee" in. Rates on rental cars down here in the summer are very reasonable - it just won't be a Mercedes CLS.

abacomike

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

14 out of hundreds! In our community we have 76 units, about half are owned by snowbirds, of those about 20% or 6 are owned by Canadians. That number is probably a lot higher than average, because one Canadian bought a unit 25 years ago when these places were being built, and he told his friends and so 4 were sold to his friends...which is unusual.

Canadians and Snowbirds are a positive for Florida, we pay about 1/3 more in property tax, and we buy spend for 5 or 6 months of the year. Many restaurants and stores wouldn't survive without us. What the guy said could be true, but, I'd like to see some proof....sounds like a silly comment to me.

No, 14 out of 48 condo units in my building. Another 10 units are owned by snowbirds from the northeastern US. The rest are full time residents.

stever

Don't mind me, I'm just sitting here cringing about taking a pleasure trip and having to drive on I-75 around Chattanooga. When I visit family there, I really avoid it like the plague - it was awful back in the mid 70s when I lived there and now it may even be worse than Knoxville's malfunction junction ever was.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

Generalizations about whole groups of people are ridiculous.

True, Like i say, snowbirds may tend to put off repairs, as people tend to do that. Unless the Canadians greatly outnumber other snowbirds I would want to see some statistical information. Not saying it isn't possible, just sounds a bit simplistic.

Not that it really matters, but we have 14 Canadian families who spend 5 months here!

14 out of hundreds! In our community we have 76 units, about half are owned by snowbirds, of those about 20% or 6 are owned by Canadians. That number is probably a lot higher than average, because one Canadian bought a unit 25 years ago when these places were being built, and he told his friends and so 4 were sold to his friends...which is unusual.

Canadians and Snowbirds are a positive for Florida, we pay about 1/3 more in property tax, and we buy spend for 5 or 6 months of the year. Many restaurants and stores wouldn't survive without us. What the guy said could be true, but, I'd like to see some proof....sounds like a silly comment to me.

I was wondering driver100, when you bought your Florida home a few years ago I assume you paid with Canadian dollars which at the time were worth more relative to the U.S. dollar. Now that the U.S. dollar is worth so much more could you sell your property for U.S. dollars and make a killing on the exchange rate when you converted back to Canadian currency?

Yes! We bought 5 years ago when the Cdn $ was about 94 cents against US $.
Today Cdn $ is worth about 75 cents, went as low as 70 cents a few weeks ago.
If we sold now we would gain about 20 cents for every $ or about $30k....probably my best investment going.
I am just sorry I didn't buy two places or a more expensive place. Also the values have gone up about 15 to 20% and I haven't counted that as well.

One other thing I found out....down the road there is a seniors center and if you are 55 or older they provide free lunches 5 days a week. The lunches sound very good, chops, chicken, steaks, ribletts, vegetables, fruit etc.

Is this a great country or what?

*Just to clarify...we pay our property taxes but we don't go there for a free lunch...don't want to take advantage of a service some people badly need.

**One other point, I told my tennis friends I was returning to Canada next Friday, and I explained we are only allowed to stay in the US for 6 months maximum. They said if I asked to stay longer they would gladly vouch for me as being a good citizen.


That last point is interesting. I haven't traveled outside the U.S. since before visas were required to go to Canada. Last time I think I only had to show a driver's licence and answer some perfunctory business or pleasure questions.

What did you need to enter? I assume the 6 months limit is to determine your permanent residence status. I know if I lived in Florida for 6 months and one day I wouldn't have to pay NY state income tax.

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Is this the C4 Vette you guys were talking about?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5506677506.html

That's a nice set of options and the first year for OBD-II diagnostics. However, seller is swinging for the seats and at that asking price, the car isn't really for sale.

Look here--same car, with Grand Sport option, with more miles, granted, but still $12,000 cheaper!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/5475639881.html

So it's the Grand Sport option that's the holy grail?

------------------------------------------------------------

Well I guess, kinda sorta, if that's what owners want to believe, but really it's the ZR1s that are worth any money. It's more about the last C4s being the most improved overall.

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

imid said:

I recall a barber when I was young and the idea of senior discounts was just starting. I mentioned that to her. Her response was that in her shop (of 3 barbers) she didn't do that because the ones who actually deserved a discount were too proud to ask for the senior price while those who didn't need it would hop right on it. Very wise lady. I remember her name to this day

imid,

In a way, I agree with what you said but it isn't up to her to decide who should ask for a senior discount and who shouldn't. If it's offered to seniors then all can play.

I have come to find out that there are a lot of places that don't advertise a senior citizen's discount but will give it to you if you ask. Therefore, I now ask.

This secret, of sorts, came to my attention from Mrs. j. She has been going to swimming aerobics at LA Fitness for about 7 years now. This group of ladies often go to lunch and one time when she was paying her bill one of the women asked her why she didn't ask for a senior discount. She said she didn't know it was offered and was promptly told, almost scoldingly by several of these women, about asking because not all stores/restaurants advertise it but if you ask you get it. Gee, almost like buying a car, huh?

These businesses have adjusted their prices to account for the discounts, so they can well afford to give it. The people who should be irate are those who are paying higher prices to allow for these discounts but aren't getting it. I think this proves that there is no such thing as a "free lunch". However, I would not be going to the "free lunch" that 'driver' said is given to seniors down the road from him. There is a point where I draw the line and this would be one of those.

jmonroe

stever

That's the issue - when you're old enough to get the discounts your memory is so bad you forget to ask.

Best bang for the buck is the Senior Pass for national parks and monuments and the like. $10, have to be 62 to get it. Got mine on my birthday at White Sands, a nice quick little road trip away from here.

suydam

Yes! That was a nice surprise when we visited Volcano Park in Hawaii.

tifighter

So I came home from pickleball last night to find this in my driveway-


Driver was arrested for a DUI and taken before I got home. Tagged two other cars up the street before resting here. Wife was gone too, so no cars in the driveway, thank goodness. That pillar saved the house.

bwia

driver100 said:

On a more positive note....I tried the automatic parking feature for the first time tonight. You drive by slowly, the blue P is lit up. Stop, press OK, car will say on instrument panel put car in reverse to park and touch OK.

Car will reverse and it goes in at a really steep angle, and the wheel really turns fast and hard, but it parked the car perfectly and about 2 inches from the curb.

Sweet--but you forgot to mention how long that maneuver took? As I age I am beginning to lose my depth perception and parallel parking is becoming more and more difficult for me. Depending on the situation, I simply forgo a close parking opportunity and instead find a parking space that I can confidently negotiate.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

@driver100 - there are pluses and minuses to FLA residents as far as the snowbirds are concerned.  Yes everything you say is true.  They do help the economy tremendously, shop locally, pay taxes (sales tax & property tax).  Snowbirds also cause massive amounts of traffic.  I have very good friends who live in Naples.  They tell me during the (snowbird) season, it is like rush hour traffic all day every day.  A short 5 minute drive quickly becomes 45 minutes.

Traffic in Florida is terrible in the winter. Even the lawyer ads on TV talk about how accidents go up because of all the snowbirds. We lived in a fairly open area but now houses are going up all around us. I don't know where all the newcomers are going to come from, but they are building 1000s of new homes everywhere you go now. If we go North or South on I-75 we are in a traffic jam more than half the time. And, the drivers are bad all over but I think Florida has the worst...and not just the old geezers (like me), the younger ones are even worse because they will take big chances to weave in and out.

I agree, but it is like yogi Berra said about restaurants:

No one goes their anymore because it is too hard to get in.

suydam

I just had cataract surgery -- and got my depth perception back!

imidazol97

stever said:

That's the issue - when you're old enough to get the discounts your memory is so bad you forget to ask..

LOL.

E.g., Wendy's and ChickFilA in some areas have a senior discount. In others, you get a funny look from the teenager behind the counter.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Traffic in Florida is terrible in the winter. Even the lawyer ads on TV talk about how accidents go up because of all the snowbirds. We lived in a fairly open area but now houses are going up all around us. I don't know where all the newcomers are going to come from, but they are building 1000s of new homes everywhere you go now. If we go North or South on I-75 we are in a traffic jam more than half the time. And, the drivers are bad all over but I think Florida has the worst...and not just the old geezers (like me), the younger ones are even worse because they will take big chances to weave in and out.

Well, based on my short crosstown drive here on I75, it's gonna be very crowded in the south for the next week until some leave to head back north. Lots of cars heading south, and Sunrise campers, and Sunset campers, and 5th wheels. Ohio plates. Michigan plates. Didn't notice any Canadians at noon. They hit here later in the day based on distance. Typical of Good Friday from lots of schools having the day and next week off and folks just traveling like we will be on Monday.

Local ChickFilA was overwhelmed last evening with folks stopping who had left the North Land (Michigan) after school or midday and were stopping along I75 as they travel. There were lots of kids today with families and out-of-area plates at ChickFilA.

bwia

Someone sent me this and I feel compelled to share with the Edmunds community.

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.
A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it to regain a normal rhythm.

In this way, heart attack victims can get help or to a hospital.

Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!

driver100

graphicguy said:

driver...quite interesting you mentioned the currency differences between the Canadian and U.S. dollar. My company signed some contracts when the Canadian dollar was on par with the U.S. dollar. The tech industry has always used U.S. Dollars as the currency we do business in. As such, in our contracts, we stipulate that long term contracts are subject to currency fluctuations.

Recently, some of those contracts signed with Canadian provinces are getting invoices that are about 30% higher than what they originally budgeted. I'm fielding 10 calls a week stating our invoices are wrong. When I explain to them what's going on, they somehow think my company is trying to screw them.

It's been something of a nightmare, but whenever there's a large currency fluctuation, this happens. It's just not much fun to tell people to review the contracts they signed two years ago.

And that is a big problem for a lot of businesses. One of the easiest to use as an example is a paperback book. They usually have a US price of say $9.99 and a Cdn price of $10.99 when our dollar was worth 95 cents US. It takes a few months to readjust but that $$9.99 book will be $12.99 very shortly.

One way you can protect yourself (the travel company does this all the time - gives the price in US dollars) is to give quotes in US dollars, but you do have to do it in bold letters or you could be accused of being unfair. If you are competing with a Cdn company and have to quote in CDN dollars, you will be at a disadvantage because the CDN company pays their employees in CDN dollars and so can roll with the currency.

The low CDN dollar does help our export business and makes things like building cars cheaper, it hurts when you import though. No easy answer GG but, many American companies really need to do their homework on these issues. Sometimes you don't have to charge the full exchange rate difference to compete, because many costs of doing business in Canada will be 25% less if you are paying in US dollars. For example, if you have a Canadian employee making $1000 a week it is really costing you $750.