peejman

Welcome!

I think of minimum wage and a living wage as 2 different things. Minimum wage is for those with no skills or experience, such as high school kids getting their first job. Once they gain some skills and experience, their value should increase to earn a living wage. I know it doesn't work that way, but it should.

I had to explain the difference to my kids a few years ago, mostly because they wanted to wish their grandpa a happy Memorial Day. No, we wish grandpa a happy Veteran's Day.

Missing the floorboard vents. I miss those.

That sounds about right. My high school job paid $5.25/hr and gas was $0.79/gal. Gas has gone up 4x so pay should be about $21/hr to match. Minimum wage was never meant to be career, but that's a different thread.

Double tap

My wife and I did the same thing before we got married... crappy apartments, sketchy roommates, cheap cars, Ramen, and hamburger helper. We were both super happy when we got our own apartment after we got married. Our first big purchase was a washer and dryer. So nice to not have to go to the laundromat. So yeah, some suffering through less than ideal life makes one appreciate it more when you can finally get decent stuff. It's about not keeping up with the Jones's and keeping your eye on the prize. That said, life is much more expensive now. I have a 16 yr old and we're in the process of figuring out a car for him. I recall my sister getting a $2000 car when she turned 16 in 1988. $2000 then is $5000 now. What you get today for $5000 is much worse than what my sister got back then. Along the same lines, if we were moving now, we wouldn't be able to afford the house we've lived in for 15 years. Housing costs are outrageous.

I've had decent luck with the Autozone gold batteries. The cold snap killed the one in my car, but I got a free replacement under warranty. Look for one that allows you to check/add water. Some are "maintenance free" and don't last as long.

Hiking boots have gone up like everything else. I'd suggest you go to a local outdoors place and try on what they've got. Seems like a lot of them come with garbage insoles, so think about adding some decent footbeds to the list.

This new Priest album is excellent.

Yeah.... we've got a few seedlings growing but nothing in the ground. Rainy and busy.

Similar, yes. I like leather, but that's way too big for my taste. That looks like a CR123 flashlight, mine is closer to a micro-streamlight. I've seen a few on Amazon or just Google image searches, but nothing that really jumped out at me.

My teenagers are quite capable of the math necessary to balance a check book. My parents told me to think of it not as a credit card, but a convenience card. I have the money, just not in my pocket. I've only paid interest on 1 monthly bill in 30+ years. I forgot to pay it when our 2nd kid was little. I looked at the bill the next month and was shocked because it was double what it normally is. It didn't take long to figure out why, I just plain forgot to pay it. So I got to add a little stupid tax to the bill. Oops. I plan to get my older boy a credit card in the near term. He's driving and hoping for a summer job so it's time to introduce him to personal finance that's more involved than the peanut butter jar in his room.

I've carried a Leatherman Blast for years. I wanted the smallest thing I could find with both scissors and pliers, plus the screwdrivers and such. Its super handy but I rarely use the blade, as I have a pocket knife for that. I've been on the hunt for a belt sheath that will hold it and a AAA flashlight.

It is legal to bury a relative yourself on your property in TN. Just have to get a permit through the coroner's office. It's not required to go through a funeral home.

The Native Howl... those guys are great. Similarly, a friend had these guys play at his wedding. Great fun waltzing to bluegrass Black Sabbath...

Kingfish is a great player, singer, and song writer. I wish I'd been able to see him when he was in town a while back. Missed Eric Gales too, but got to see Joe B.

Y'all should have seen it from the air. I flew into TYS at 10:30 last night.....

They just can't accept the fact that its not the object, its the person. My grade school teachers asked to borrow my pocket knife because they knew it was sharp.

I carry a Shield 1.0 with an Apex trigger and Hogue sleeve. Just couldn't get used to the hinged trigger. Otherwise it's good. I have a custom leather OWB holster that's super comfortable.

Our feeders have been out for about 2 weeks. Saw the first bird a couple days ago.

Not necessarily. The German marks may have been removed and refinished over. It has the communist Yugoslavia crest on the receiver so it's most likely post WWII.

Glad you're here to tell the tale. Prayers for a good recovery.

The black tooth grin, of course. Crown and Coke, heavy on the Crown.

My older boy likes Lego kits. I kinda think of them as cheating as I just had blocks (lots and lots of blocks) and had to use my imagination to build stuff. He's got Darth Vaders helmet, the Apollo lander, the Charger from F&F, a Vette, and a few others. Guy I used to work with had the Millennium Falcon.