GlockSpock

I've taken a look at quite a bit of budgeting finance software. A few years ago I purchased Quicken Essentials for my Mac. At the time I loved it, even switching banks to get one that offered "Direct Connect" for free. I felt I was really on top of my finances. However, I suppose because I never really saw any change in my financial decisions (and thus outcome), I eventually dropped Quicken Essentials.   I gave Mint (Mint.com) a try. It's free! It is ok. It will aggregate most any service (Bank, Auto Loan, Student Loan, etc) automatically. This was its main selling point to me. It offered "budgeting tools", but once again it never really caused any change in my financial decisions.   More recently, I've decided that budgeting and finances are something that I am going to take seriously 100%. I did some research, and finally found what is called "YNAB". First, let me just state that it is Windows/Mac (partly Linux) compatible. There are also iOS and Android apps that sync (via Dropbox) and integrate perfectly with the desktop app.   Now let me explain a bit about the "theory" behind YNAB. YNAB makes your finances plain and simple: In order to spend money on something, you are having to take that money from somewhere else. Unlike Quicken/Mint,etc, YNAB encourages you to only focus on money that you have now (instead of intangible numbers that you will receive in the future). Essentially, you enter each paycheck as it comes in, all that money gets set as "Income to Budget". You can then take that money and place it into each budgetary category that you wish. Then, as you make transactions, you can see each category's remaining balance. If you over budget (budget more than your income), it lets you know quite plainly that this money has to come from somewhere. You can either reduce and shift your category totals, or YNAB can subtract that "negative balance" from next months "Income to Budget".   An example of this would be:   I make $500 this month but budget and spend $600, and then next month I make $500 again. Since there was $100 over budgeted, next month my "Income to Budget" amount will be $400 to make up the difference. It doesn't have to be this way, but it helps you remember to pay yourself back if you spend more than you make this month.    Another huge principal of YNAB is to only spend "seasoned" money. I used to essentially live paycheck to paycheck. I'd take extra money and siphon it to my savings account, feeling this was the best thing to do. I'd look 2 months ahead at what paycheck I would get vs. what bills to pay, and I'd set bills to pay on the dates that I were to receive the paychecks. This was very stressful, as it required me to constantly be looking for and bill I might not have accounted for, thus throwing all my payments out of whack. YNAB suggests saving up a "buffer". Essentially, a buffer is a full month's income. Once this has been set, you use that money to budget for the current month. Then, any paychecks you receive you mark as "Income Available for Next Month". Then at the very beginning of next month, you can open YNAB and budget everything you need for the month with a full month's income that you already have. This takes 99.9% of the stress out of bill pay, and you also come out a few cents to a few dollars ahead due to interest earned. I always knew that if I had roughly $2000-3000 as a "safety net" in my checking account that I would be able to slide right through paying bills, but I never actually took the initiative to build the checking account to that. YNAB motivated me to do so.   There are essentially 4 rules to YNAB:   Give Every Dollar a Job Save for a Rainy Day Roll With the Punches Live on Last Month's Income I would encourage anyone that might not be as financially well of that they'd like to at least give YNAB a try. They offer a free 34 full-featured demo, and free classes where you can win a free copy of the software. I'd say download the free trial and see if it improves your finances and budgeting in the 34 days they give you. Also, signup for at least the first "class" on their website. It is a live web class, and will help you get started. Plus you might win a free copy!   There is also a $6 off coupon here: http://ynab.refr.cc/DKV5LHR (whenever you decide to make your purchase, click that link and the coupon will automatically apply).   Let me know if anyone has any questions or concerns! 

  This reminds me of the time I had my iPod Classic stolen. I filed a police report with the serial number. I watched Craigslist very much for a while, and eventually saw one that could have been mine. I went back and forth with the guy over text for a while, and very lightly but repeatedly asked for the serial number to take a look at which model it was on Apple's website. He'd never give it to me, which honestly if when I try to sell something someone kept pushing for a serial number I probably wouldn't give it either!   I had a friend text the same guy, but took a different approach. I had him ask the seller if it had some specific music on it, some obscure stuff. This guy wasn't too keen on answering those questions. Overall I guess the seller just wanted cash for the iPod:)   Never did get that thing back:(

So I am assuming a turret press would likely be a good purchase? Not interested in progressive, but turret presses can speed things up quite a bit over a single stage, can't they?

So if I take everything correctly, it would be probably $.10 to $.20 a round, roughly. Sound right? 

  I think you are going to have to break everything in that list down into an expense sheet. That is how the what if game works, right?

I am thinking about reloading. I have always loved the idea, I just haven't committed to it. Now I think I'd like to purchase the equipment as I can afford it. However, what I'd like to know is roughly the CPR of reloaded ammo.   Assuming that the brass is "free", what CPR can you conclude in a quality 9mm target round?   Powder=$ Primer=$ Jacketed Bullet=&   I'd like to be able to purchase what I can from dlm37015.    Granted, I know that I am quite a ways off from actually starting, first I will probably purchase a good manual and start reading. I guess right now I am just looking for motivation to actually get started. I hate paying $21.95 for 50 rounds of target 9mm, but have admittedly purchased $43.90 worth of ball 9mm in order to shoot a bit in the previous month (I love to shoot, but have held off from doing so since everything has been crazy). I felt like I was splurging on a $50 steak or something, and it lasted about the same length too. I now am thinking I could have put that $43.90 in a jar and started looking for reloading equipment (about $200-$400 worth I suppose). But really it is the CPR for 9mm, 5.56mm, and potentially .357 that has me interested.

If I had enough money to purchase that Glock without regretting it, I'd purchase that gun just to take a picture of my local FFL's face when he did the transfer!   :squint:

I don't know if anyone else has though to check, but look at his other awesome auction!   http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=350689030

  Well, I'm not saying that he is always wrong, I think he may be right about some things. Maybe more than we would like to admit in some cases. Just be aware that he is pretty much the definition of tin foil. 

I suppose the question is what do you attempt to accomplish by prosecuting. Are we trying to punish negligence or deter negligence?    When I was a kid I was waiting in the car to go someone with my Dad. I thought it'd be cool to try and shift the gears in the car (key was in the ignition but was not started). I put it in neutral, and the vehicle started rolling backwards down the hill. By father caught on very quickly (he was inside but heard me yell). He caught up to the vehicle and managed to apply the brake. However, what if he was inside and could not hear me and the car rolled all the way down the hill. Now, it'd be a long shot but in certain scenarios either myself or someone else could have died. Should we punish father's who leave their 5 year old kids in the cars for 5 minutes before a trip in that scenario? Where do we draw the line between negligence that can be prosecuted and negligence that is considered an accident? Knives left on the counter? Bathtubs left unlocked? Toys that present choking hazards kept unlocked?   If you are trying to deter negligence, well if the thought of loosing a precious child does not cause someone to keep guns out of reach from their children, do you think that criminal actions would? Perhaps, but to me the though of a loved one accidentally dying because of my negligence is scarier than the though that I might serve jail time.   Also, charging an adult for leaving a gun out and a child dying isn't too far off from charging an adult for "allowing thieves access" to a gun in their house or car.

  But that isn't enough. After wrapping your body in tin foil you should technically wrap yourself in alternating layers of plastic wrap and more tin foil in order to create a Faraday like affect. Of course this won't work if you leave any gaps, so you must cover yourself completely.

Consider though what the cost of capital punishment could be in regard to imprisonment. I don't necessarily agree with all cases of capital punishment, but in those cases that we do use it, why prolong it so long? Take the very bottom most case:   Brooks went to a car lot under the pretense of wanting to test drive a car. A mechanic accompanied him on the drive. Brooks stopped to pick up a co-defendant. The mechanic was put in the trunk of the car. Brooks and his co-defendant went to a motel. The mechanic was brought out of the trunk and taken into a motel room. The mechanic was bound with coat hangers, gagged with adhesive tape, and shot in the head, causing his death. Brooks and the co-defendant fled the scene.     Accepted into death row on 4/25/1978, executed 12/07/1982.   Consider the cost of feeding and boarding him for a day and compare it to the cost of a 9mm ball cartridge. Which is cheaper? Funeral you ask? Who would be responsible for his funeral if Charlie Brooks, Jr had died accidentally in a car crash? Here Charlie Brooks, Jr, by the very looks of it, apparently planned 1st degree murder against someone. If anyone should pay for his funeral and the 9mm ball cartridge that takes his life, it should be anyone that cares to see him put into the ground vs cremated or the like.    It could be much, much cheaper.

  With the candlestick in the bedroom?

I have heard of and am interested in GSSF. I've heard something about discounts after a certain amount of time. What other benefits are there to joining? I also notice that they can take the Glock armorer courses. That is something I am very interested in, but is it something worth obtaining (certification) for an everyday Joe (ok my name is actually not Joe).

  Well, they will work with most any Sprint phone (except iPhones). You can have your number ported to them for free (keeping your existing number). If you signup with that link above, you will get $25 off your phone order or your billing statement. If you already have a Sprint phone, it should be easy to try them. There are some issues with using a prepaid phone with them though, but they should be able to answer whether a certain phone will work if you provide the ESN.   Lets say I go crazy one month and use twice what I expect to (1000 minutes, 2000 texts). It would only be ~35. It really is a good deal, and since you get free roaming to Verizon you generally get as good of service as Verizon (although "roaming" can be "odd" at times. It isn't a full-proof experience).

Just for anyone that might be interested, I am extremely happy with Ting as as a "dumb phone" provider.   500 Minutes 1000 Text 0 Data <$25 a Month   I've contacted them on quite a few "issues (questions)", and their support has responded very quickly and solved all of them. I kept my same number from Verizon. They also provide free voice and text roaming to Verizon, and it simply takes away from your tier that you choose. Everyone should at least take a look and see what their bill would be for your selected usage. It's not for everyone, but I am 100%, 10/10/ 5/5, and two thumbs up satisfied.

Guido! I know him. His real name is Enrique...short for Eric. He isn't Mexican though.

I wish no harm on anyone, but I do wish that someone that is planning on doing harm to someone attempt to do it to her. That way she could use it to defend herself and her child, and then maybe the light would click and she'd join our side.   I doubt that it would "end well" if it were to happen.

  I've been wanting to get down there for IDPA, but I just haven't got around to it yet. I need to...I really need to.

To think someone was going to trade that Python for $100 gift card :rant:

I love the idea of the TruGlo TFO's, but I have my reservations about their construction and durability. I've read so many stories about the tubes falling out. If I knew that they would hold up, I'd probably go with them.   I suppose what I'll do is see what Trijicon says tomorrow regarding a replacement. That (money) may be the determining factor!

LOL. I was actually taking a look at their RMR's earlier today. I'd like to try one someday!

  Interesting. If you weren't in Nashville, I'd ask to take a look at them. I understand the benefit of having a wider open rear site, but the flip-side to that is it seems more difficult to me to center the front. I guess that's the different between defensive sights and target sights. I will certainly do some more research into them.

  I am interested in the HD's. What makes you like them so much, and have you any experience with the Bright & Tough line? 

Six months ago I went with the GL01's. Well I was shooting yesterday and doing mag change drills. When I do those, I place two rounds in each magazine, and see how quickly I can shoot those two rounds, drop the magazine, reload, and then get back on target. Well, after doing one of the reloads, I bring my gun back to get on target, and I'm missing a front sight!    Seriously. The front sight was gone. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I didn't bump the sight on anything, I'm sure of that. I believe the bolt that holds the front sight to the slide broke (it seems awfully short now). My gunsmith (who installed the sights) seems to think this is what happened. I will be contacting Trijicon tomorrow.   However, my gunsmith also keeps pushing TFO's. Well, I order everything from Amazon, and he mostly knows that. So it isn't necessarily him trying to sell me the sights, but it is what he recommends. He showed me a G31 with the TFO's on it. They do indeed look very nice. However, I have always been a Trijcon fan. Yet the little bolt sent by Trijicon seemed to have failed when the gun heated. So I am considering purchasing the TFO's and then if I get a replacement from Trijicon, I can sell the GL01's for a few bucks.   But overall I feel Trijicon is better built than the TFO's. However that "feeling" is negated by the fact that the Trijicon's indeed broke!   What do you all think?