Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

@kyfdx said:

I love Costco, but the closest one is 17 miles away, in a direction that I rarely travel. I only joined to buy hearing aids in 2020. And, a set of tires needed during that year.

Did I hear you right?

FWIW, the closest Costco to me is in the Burgh, maybe a 10 mile drive. Sam’s is less than 4 miles away. TP is TP as far as I’m concerned.

jmonroe

No Costco’s near me and Sam’s doesn’t sell gas. Boo Hoo.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

@driver100 said:

I won't ask what kind of places you are going to......that take cash only

But I will.

I use my credit card for just about everything and if possible I avoid “cash only” places. They are saving the credit card fee but that isn’t reflected in their prices as far as I can see. So they are double dipping. Nice work if you can get it.

jmonroe

I was an all cash business because I didn’t want the extra hassle of the credit card companies. I like to think I kept my prices as low as possible regardless, at least some people thought so and told me my stuff was a bargain. Some folks gave me funny looks when I wouldn’t take credit card but the best were the ones who wanted to use their phones and couldn’t understand when I told them I didn’t have a phone, smart or dumb.

If driver100 showed up with $1 dollar bills I would welcome that because we always ran our of change.

Actually a Canadian $1 bill looks like this:

henryn

We have a dollar coin here in the USA. But you never see them. I actually bought a roll of them a few years back, but I gave up trying to use them as merchants had never seen them and would not accept them.

laurasdada

Alas, Costco has become a road trip for me. I maintain my membership as there are Costco's on routes to places near and far.
I joined BJs, through my company, for half price membership. And a $10 credit on my membership account. So far, BJs premium has been .09 more PUG than Costco. But, I haven't yet filled up with BJs. There's not a big savings at local BJs vs other local stations, some no-name, 7-11 and even name brands.

I'm pretty much all credit card all the time. Take advantage of the float, nice cash back (e.g. 4% on gas) and pay in full every month. Free money!

venture

Why would anyone care, what someone else uses on their hot dog? I like sauerkraut and pepper, if available, but I don't give a rats patoot, what you use.

jmonroe1

@laurasdada said:
Alas, Costco has become a road trip for me. I maintain my membership as there are Costco's on routes to places near and far.
I joined BJs, through my company, for half price membership. And a $10 credit on my membership account. So far, BJs premium has been .09 more PUG than Costco. But, I haven't yet filled up with BJs. There's not a big savings at local BJs vs other local stations, some no-name, 7-11 and even name brands.

I'm pretty much all credit card all the time. Take advantage of the float, nice cash back (e.g. 4% on gas) and pay in full every month. Free money!

We have a BoA Visa card that has a cash rewards program. Just 2 weeks ago I asked to get my cash. Got a little over 1200 bucks. If I had to guess I’d say it took us around 3 years to accumulate that amount. Now the account is just about empty. Kept about $300 in there to qualify for the bonus points gimmick they offer.

I refer to my credit card as my “Convenience Card” nice to use a banks money (really the merchants money) better than mine. But man, you otta see Mrs. j’s eyes when she opens that bill some months. I have to remind her you have to pay when you play. Still a good deal as far as I’m concerned.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@venture said:
Why would anyone care, what someone else uses on their hot dog? I like sauerkraut and pepper, if available, but I don't give a rats patoot, what you use.

You sound like a very easy going kinda guy. Mrs. @venture must brag to her friends that you’re a total joy to live with.

jmonroe

driver100

venture said:

Why would anyone care, what someone else uses on their hot dog? I like sauerkraut and pepper, if available, but I don't give a rats patoot, what you use.

Somethings are just wrong and should not be allowed....like ketchup on steaks or hot dogs.

When I had my sleepover at Tampa Airport I lined up for a Wendy's hamburger, the first one I have had in about 15 years. Is that actually classified as food? The FFs were alright, but tasted like they had been reconstituted partially from some kind of potatoes. It was Saturday night and the next day being Sunday Chic-Filet wasn't open, at least the last time I had one it seemed like actual food.

tjc78

@driver100
Why is something wrong if people like it?

abacomike

I have been a Costco member for 15 years. The major reason I maintain my membership is for their PUG. They are about 45 cents a gallon less than most gas stations. I fill up once every other week (about 12 gallons or about $5.00 savings each fill-up). $10.00 a month means it covers my membership after 6 months.

But I do buy my ground coffee at Costco at a $2.50 savings over Walmart or Publix. Same for my Hebrew National hot dogs - savings of $3.00 on 22 hot dogs. Their cheeses are sold in bulk and their prices are phenomenal compared to grocery stores on cheddar and Swiss.

The closest Costco to me is 1.6 miles. Right now their PUG is $4.29 and RUG is $3.79 a gallon. Definitely worth the $60 per year membership fee.

explorerx4

Loaded up for first step in move.

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

Loaded up for first step in move.

Gonna take a lot of trips, when you compare the size of the house to the size of the U-Haul.

stickguy

Cute little trailer. that is the box Uhaul that I can ever tow with my Maverick!

if we finally get the new house, plan to have that first before having to be out of this place. and I will get the biggest (26'?) Uhaul and fill that to the brim and take a first load. enough stuff to get the new house liveable, leaving the bare minimum of furniture stuff behind. Then take the rest later, either another truck or a big pod.

I am curious how much capacity we will really need. wife still has too much "stuff" but that will just be extra boxes mostly and those pack well in a truck. We don't intend to move much furniture though or any appliances. Those eat up your cargo space!

if I can't fit everything in 2-26' trucks, she really needs to leave more stuff on the curb.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
Cute little trailer. that is the box Uhaul that I can ever tow with my Maverick!

if we finally get the new house, plan to have that first before having to be out of this place. and I will get the biggest (26'?) Uhaul and fill that to the brim and take a first load. enough stuff to get the new house liveable, leaving the bare minimum of furniture stuff behind. Then take the rest later, either another truck or a big pod.

I am curious how much capacity we will really need. wife still has too much "stuff" but that will just be extra boxes mostly and those pack well in a truck. We don't intend to move much furniture though or any appliances. Those eat up your cargo space!

if I can't fit everything in 2-26' trucks, she really needs to leave more stuff on the curb.

We took one 26’ truck and one 15’ out of a 4 bedroom ranch with a basement, attic and shed. That’s after filling a dumpster. Only furniture was three bedroom sets and one living room set. No appliances. Since we have moved we thinned down even more “stuff” we found we didn’t need, but now we have a lot more furniture.

jmonroe1

@abacomike said:
I have been a Costco member for 15 years. The major reason I maintain my membership is for their PUG. They are about 45 cents a gallon less than most gas stations. I fill up once every other week (about 12 gallons or about $5.00 savings each fill-up). $10.00 a month means it covers my membership after 6 months.

But I do buy my ground coffee at Costco at a $2.50 savings over Walmart or Publix. Same for my Hebrew National hot dogs - savings of $3.00 on 22 hot dogs. Their cheeses are sold in bulk and their prices are phenomenal compared to grocery stores on cheddar and Swiss.

The closest Costco to me is 1.6 miles. Right now their PUG is $4.29 and RUG is $3.79 a gallon. Definitely worth the $60 per year membership fee.

We also get the Hebrew National 3 pack of hot dogs at Sam’s. I’m pretty sure there are 7 dogs in each package. If I’m right our local Sam’s is screwing me out of 1 dog. We also like the Sam’s brand of sliced ham steaks (also in a 3 pack). Those are great at breakfast with our eggs or pancakes or waffles. Just gotta make sure we don’t buy the kosher dogs and ham steaks at the same time. I’m pretty sure there is a law about mix-and-matching those items in the same shopping cart.

FWIW, Those are the preferred brand of dogs we buy. In a pinch we’ve gotten Nathan’s. Both are very good with brown mustard.

jmonroe

andres3

henryn said:

I have seen a few places that don't take cash, or only take an exact payment in cash (no change). They explain this is because of a coin shortage. I was in the lobby of a Chase bank recently, which happens very infrequently these days. I noticed a sign saying that rolled coins were not available. I asked the bank teller if they were equipped to handle loose coins, and they're not. I used to know where there was a machine that took loose coins, but that store has since closed and I have no idea where to take loose coins.

I have quite a bit of change stockpiled around here, it's not accumulating the way it used to, but there's still several containers full of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. And they will never be rolled up, at least not by me. Which I suppose is why we have a coin shortage.

A quick internet search lead me to "Coinstar", they are the makers of the machines. And if you can find one, not easy, they are now charging 11.9%. Which is pretty d_____ high, if you ask me.

A little more searching online, and I found a location not too far away that has a Coinstar machine that will accept coins in exchange for an Amazon gift card with no fee. This might work.

The next time you receive a traffic citation fine go to the court clerk with a wheel barrow full of your coins to pay it. Works like a charm; not that I would know, but I got a kick out of it when I saw it on the internet.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:

Cute little trailer. that is the box Uhaul that I can ever tow with my Maverick!

if we finally get the new house, plan to have that first before having to be out of this place. and I will get the biggest (26'?) Uhaul and fill that to the brim and take a first load. enough stuff to get the new house liveable, leaving the bare minimum of furniture stuff behind. Then take the rest later, either another truck or a big pod.

I am curious how much capacity we will really need. wife still has too much "stuff" but that will just be extra boxes mostly and those pack well in a truck. We don't intend to move much furniture though or any appliances. Those eat up your cargo space!

if I can't fit everything in 2-26' trucks, she really needs to leave more stuff on the curb.

We took one 26’ truck and one 15’ out of a 4 bedroom ranch with a basement, attic and shed. That’s after filling a dumpster. Only furniture was three bedroom sets and one living room set. No appliances. Since we have moved we thinned down even more “stuff” we found we didn’t need, but now we have a lot more furniture.

we should be down to just our bedroom set, the spare room (our daughters old one, but some debate over whether we need both dressers). a couple of mattresses with just a metal frame. one couch and a couple of chairs and our kitchen table and chairs. a few small pieces other than that. so furniture wise, probably equivalent to a 2 bedroom apartment?

venture

jmonroe1 said:

@venture said:

Why would anyone care, what someone else uses on their hot dog? I like sauerkraut and pepper, if available, but I don't give a rats patoot, what you use.

You sound like a very easy going kinda guy. Mrs. @venture must brag to her friends that you’re a total joy to live with.

jmonroe

Live and let live, buddy.

qbrozen

Not as adventurous but I can’t wait to load the Wrangler on Sunday for our MB trip. I have both a roof bag and a hitch platform with bag. Should look interesting.

Come to think of it, I should have just gotten a tow bar to drag the Fiat behind and load that up. Ha.

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
Cute little trailer. that is the box Uhaul that I can ever tow with my Maverick!

if we finally get the new house, plan to have that first before having to be out of this place. and I will get the biggest (26'?) Uhaul and fill that to the brim and take a first load. enough stuff to get the new house liveable, leaving the bare minimum of furniture stuff behind. Then take the rest later, either another truck or a big pod.

I am curious how much capacity we will really need. wife still has too much "stuff" but that will just be extra boxes mostly and those pack well in a truck. We don't intend to move much furniture though or any appliances. Those eat up your cargo space!

if I can't fit everything in 2-26' trucks, she really needs to leave more stuff on the curb.

Two 26 footers should work for you.

When I moved back from SC, I hired 3 guys to remove the house furnishings and pack the trucks. The guys worked at the U-Haul place and made money on the side doing that. Best money I ever spent. I’m not kidding, paid the lead guy $45 an hour (in ‘97) and he paid his 2 helpers from that. They packed both trucks in a day and a half. Only took the fridge and there was a lot of space left in the second truck. Could have gotten by with a smaller second truck. Son #1 drove one of the trucks and I drove the other. Son #2 drove his Mother back to the Burgh in my ‘80 Park Ave. The following day I had arranged for 5 guys from one of those manpower places to unload the trucks. They started at 8:30 AM and we’re finished by 1:30 PM. Easy peasy.

I hope your move goes as well as mine.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Loaded up for first step in move.

You might want to invest in stability bars for that rig. There are a lot of YT videos on people who didn’t.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

explorerx4 said:

Loaded up for first step in move.

Gonna take a lot of trips, when you compare the size of the house to the size of the U-Haul.

He could try something bigger.

henryn

The closest Home Depot has a "manpower pool" out in the parking lot. I don't know how much they get per day, the last time I used that sort of manpower it was $100 and lunch for the day. That was several years ago, I'm sure it's more now. I found a guy there who could tape and float, and did a good job. Communications was a little difficult, but we managed.

driver100

tjc78 said:

@driver100

Why is something wrong if people like it?

I agree tjc.....I was just being difficult.
My older brother who I rarely agree with would put a sunny side egg on toast and then put marmalade on top....which sounds ridiculous, but actually it is pretty good! I used to like ketchup on a steak a long time ago. I couldn't care less what people do with their food....if you enjoy it go for it.

driver100

Michaell said:

explorerx4 said:

Loaded up for first step in move.

Gonna take a lot of trips, when you compare the size of the house to the size of the U-Haul.

Good point, that U-Haul looks like it could hold the equivalent of 1/4 of one of those 3 garages.

oldfarmer50

Well, one more thing taken care of, I hope.

You might remember me telling about an old Hyundai that my son is babysitting for a friend who is serving overseas in the Army. What started out as a one year favor is now in it’s second year. We started it up once a month to keep the battery charged but as with any car not driven for such a long time, things are happening.

We went to start it one day and nothing. I figured a bad battery so I threw a new one in. Still nothing. The scan tool said code p0700 (transmission control module). The owner asked if we could take it to a Hyundai dealer but the service guy said a TCM would cost $2000. He would diagnose it for $150 with no guarantee it wouldn’t still cost $2k.

My son finally convinced his friend to take it to my transmission guy who was confident that it wasn’t the actual TCM and he would diagnose it for free. Off it went on the AAA hook.

Hopefully, we can get it fixed within this soldier’s budget and it won’t be taking up space in my driveway any more. I figure that I’ve done my patriotic duty and then some.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

We have a dollar coin here in the USA. But you never see them. I actually bought a roll of them a few years back, but I gave up trying to use them as merchants had never seen them and would not accept them.

That’s funny, when the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin came out in the 70s I had to convince people that it wasn’t a quarter. More recently I gave the kid at McDonalds a $2 bill and he ran to his manager to asks about the fake money.

jipster

@ronsteve said:

@kyfdx said:
It's been $0.70-$0.90 spread here for so long, that I'm shocked when I see $0.60. Only Costco is tighter than that (and, I'm not a member)

When the spread went to 60 cents here in Louisville a few years ago, that’s when I got a Costco membership. Lately my premium has been about the same price as others’ regular.

I think my membership pays for itself 2 or 3 times over each year.

The Costco on Bardstown Road? A month or so ago they had gas 60 cents less than competitors. Must of been for a short period. Was quite the line.

jipster

@kyfdx said:
I love Costco, but the closest one is 17 miles away, in a direction that I rarely travel. I only joined to buy hearing aids in 2020. And, a set of tires needed during that year.

They test your hearing at Costco then sell you the hearing aids? My dad's probably going to be getting some here in a few months. Should have done it 5-10 years ago.
Good quality hearing aids at discount price may be the motivation he needs.

stickguy

JM, I am definitely hiring some much younger and stronger guys to do all the heavy lifting. it will be beyond what me and the wife can handle! Never had to source that. Asking at the Uhaul center is a good idea. I know when you book the rental online they give you a page of local guys at different prices (usually 2 men for 2 hours for $XX. Money well spent. I don't mind doing the driving. Plan B is a Pod. get more time to load them.

and that truck is still a baby (though I have driven those a bunch moving my kids around). This is a truck. Been a while but this is the one I used to drive all the time carting around the HS band gear.

explorerx4

Went to bed early last night. Trip should be slower than usual.
My Explorer has the factory towing package, so it shut off Blis, rear cross traffic alert and backup sensors when I hooked up the trailer. Also has trailer anti sway and trans as Tow/Haul mode.
So far, hardest part is backing up. This is just a preliminary load of winter stuff we are dropping off at some storage we rented.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

JM, I am definitely hiring some much younger and stronger guys to do all the heavy lifting. it will be beyond what me and the wife can handle! Never had to source that. Asking at the Uhaul center is a good idea. I know when you book the rental online they give you a page of local guys at different prices (usually 2 men for 2 hours for $XX. Money well spent. I don't mind doing the driving. Plan B is a Pod. get more time to load them.

and that truck is still a baby (though I have driven those a bunch moving my kids around). This is a truck. Been a while but this is the one I used to drive all the time carting around the HS band gear.

Yeah, we got them too. I just didn’t want to intimidate him. For a pro like you I’d recommend a big rig.

ab348

@explorerx4 , could you refresh my memory on where you are moving and the motivation for changing houses? I always thought your property was very attractive.

kyfdx

jipster said:

@kyfdx said:

I love Costco, but the closest one is 17 miles away, in a direction that I rarely travel. I only joined to buy hearing aids in 2020. And, a set of tires needed during that year.

They test your hearing at Costco then sell you the hearing aids? My dad's probably going to be getting some here in a few months. Should have done it 5-10 years ago.

Good quality hearing aids at discount price may be the motivation he needs.

Yes.. the testing is pretty extensive with experienced personnel. When you go back to get the hearing aids, they custom tune them for your hearing. By appointment only. It was about 5 weeks before I could get in.

It's been two years, but it was $1500 for the replaceable battery model, and $1800 for rechargeable battery model. It's a wash, because of the battery cost. My friend got the exact hearing aids I have from his audiologist. The bill was almost $6000. I've had no issues in the two years I've had them. They said I could expect about five years before replacement is needed.

tjc78

@explorerx4 said:
Loaded up for first step in move.

Your house is very similar to mine. 5 window colonial. Is it a center stairway too? Apparently the Ryan homes designer mirrored our model off of a center stair (because of the large chimney) colonial style from the 1800s.

driver100

I have heard only good things about getting hearing aids at Costco. The price is good and they seem to be very knowledgeable, and they have the latest top notch product. Many have commented that they either get free batteries or they get them for a low price.

snakeweasel

I have seen a few places that don't take cash, or only take an exact payment in cash (no change). They explain this is because of a coin shortage. I was in the lobby of a Chase bank recently, which happens very infrequently these days. I noticed a sign saying that rolled coins were not available. I asked the bank teller if they were equipped to handle loose coins, and they're not. I used to know where there was a machine that took loose coins, but that store has since closed and I have no idea where to take loose coins. I have quite a bit of change stockpiled around here, it's not accumulating the way it used to, but there's still several containers full of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. And they will never be rolled up, at least not by me. Which I suppose is why we have a coin shortage. A quick internet search lead me to "Coinstar", they are the makers of the machines. And if you can find one, not easy, they are now charging 11.9%. Which is pretty d_____ high, if you ask me. A little more searching online, and I found a location not too far away that has a Coinstar machine that will accept coins in exchange for an Amazon gift card with no fee. This might work.

The next time you receive a traffic citation fine go to the court clerk with a wheel barrow full of your coins to pay it. Works like a charm; not that I would know, but I got a kick out of it when I saw it on the internet.

Yeah but what to you do when they refuse the coins and you ate stuck with a wheel barrel fill of coins.

snakeweasel

We have a dollar coin here in the USA. But you never see them. I actually bought a roll of them a few years back, but I gave up trying to use them as merchants had never seen them and would not accept them.

That’s funny, when the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin came out in the 70s I had to convince people that it wasn’t a quarter. More recently I gave the kid at McDonalds a $2 bill and he ran to his manager to asks about the fake money.

There was a case where someone went to best buy and paid in $2 bills and they called the police on him.

henryn

We used to see more $2 bills. I can remember when the scrap metal buyers paid off in $2 bills. I recently picked up a bundle at the bank, and I have been paying the local guys who wash and wax my cars, blow out my gutters, etc, using the $2 bills. The kids get a kick out of it. I would use the $1 coins, but I know they would have trouble spending them. There don't seem to be any problems with the $2 bills.

oldfarmer50

I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

How much would they pay you?

jipster

@oldfarmer50 said:
I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

Well... did you let the conversation go far enough as to how much money you'd be paid? Could be changing your user name to NewMoneyOldFarmer.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

But I bet your 5G connection would be stellar! If you reconsider, be sure to get them to throw in free 5G with no data limit for life.

jmonroe1

@oldfarmer50 said:
I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

Nope, don’t do it. They’re probably only going to offer a hooptie price for ruining your property and your neighbors will come gunning for you too.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

How much would they pay you?

A lousy $600/month for a 100’ by100’ parcel but they would have to build a road across the property to reach it, so it would mess up everything and ruin it for future development if my kids ever wanted to sell.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I just had an interesting visit from a Verizon representative who asked if I would be interested in putting a cell tower in my back yard. I listened and even took a walk around the property with him just to be polite. From what he said were the sighting conditions it looks like it would pretty much devastate the property and be the view out my window.

No thanks.

But I bet your 5G connection would be stellar! If you reconsider, be sure to get them to throw in free 5G with no data limit for life.

Ha ha, I just got rid of my 3G TracPhone because they were no longer supporting it. My 4G phone will last me until it goes dark too.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

A lousy $600/month for a 100’ by100’ parcel but they would have to build a road across the property to reach it, so it would mess up everything and ruin it for future development if my kids ever wanted to sell.

Whaaa?? To rent and build on a quarter acre @$600/mo? Oh, hell no!

jmonroe1

@oldfarmer50 said:
A lousy $600/month for a 100’ by100’ parcel but they would have to build a road across the property to reach it, so it would mess up everything and ruin it for future development if my kids ever wanted to sell.

So I was right again. I’m sure everyone in here knew that.

jmonroe

kyfdx

I'd take the $600/mo deal, if they gave me an upfront payment for the next 100 years.

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
I'd take the $600/mo deal, if they gave me an upfront payment for the next 100 years.

Nah. That’s still a bad deal.