"100% of people who do not save money do not have any!"--Dave Ramsey

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

I only ever remember using one sick day--for any purpose--and I was legitimately sick. When I came in the next day the administrative assistant said "You sounded horrible on the phone!"

Which sounds like you routinely go to work sick. Most people do.

People at my company have no excuse. We don't have a set number of sick days and you don't have to provide an excuse. The policy is "If you are sick stay home. If you are well come to work". The only time HR is going to be involved is it you are out long enough to qualify for short term disability.

A lot of companies have combined sick days and vacation days so they don't feel the need to police sick days and just have PTO (Paid Time Off). I feel this just makes people more likely to work when sick because they can officially use every PTO day for vacation.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'll be 40 this year too. My body started breaking down when I was 30 and I questioned if I'd ever walk again due to a pinched nerve in my back. 2 months and 30 lbs of unintentional weight loss later I regained function and climbed Mt. Rainier.

I'm in much worse shape now with no excuse other than having a kid and being slightly depressed/unmotivated with Covid protocols.

COVID has been the opposite for me. Early last summer my wife's company started streaming workouts first thing in the morning. My wife and started doing those workouts and then subscribed to Peloton directly. Now we do a 20 - 45 minute free weight workout every morning along with yoga 2 - 3 times a week. We also started running together every day about lunch - although my running dropped off in the winter. (I can't get motivated to run in the rain)

With COVID protocols in place and travel pretty much banned we spent way more time than normal hiking, backpacking, fishing, etc on the weekend. We also started burning some vacation days during the week to go cross-country skiing last winter.

Work from home has been great for me. I'm saving 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day by not commuting so that leaves plenty of time to exercise.

I also pinched a nerve in my back when I was about 30. It caused problems on and off for about a decade and finally got so bad I was considering seeing a doctor for surgery. My general practitioner suggested yoga. My wife and I joined a yoga studio and did about 3 session a week. After about a month the back pain was gone. If I slack off on the yoga it starts coming back - which is my signal to hit the mat.

[redpoint5]

The first year of my job I travelled often for training, so it was fun and I interacted with many people. Most of my job is work from home, with weeks at a time of no person to person contact. Before Covid I staved off lack of motivation from lack of social contact by working from a coffee shop a couple times per week. That's gone now, so I might see people once a month when I travel to a customer site.

Free time is consumed by endless projects. Nature has added some by threatening to burn down the house last year, and then toppling trees and branches this year. This weekend I finally finished putting up the section of fence that was destroyed by an oak branch.

My gym went bankrupt during Covid (24hr), so I haven't been to a gym in over a year. I'll have to get the motivation to work out at home.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The first year of my job I traveled often for training, so it was fun and I interacted with many people. Most of my job is work from home, with weeks at a time of no person to person contact.....

For most of COVID both my wife and I have been working from home so that helped out a lot for interpersonal interactions.

It was actually a good test. We plan on travelling full time in a year or two and I was a bit nervous about being together 24 / 7 / 365. Yes, we have been together for 26 years but never together 24 hours a day every day. It worked out well and I've enjoyed spending a lot more time with her.

6 weeks ago she started a new job and has been working from the office. That has made the work days pretty lonely sitting at home by myself.

[Xist]

I don't check SLP groups anymore. People always ask questions without doing any research and people respond without reading the previous comments, so you get the same questions and answers over and over.

However, one continuing counsel is to spend lots of money on therapy materials.

There is a company called Super Duper that makes wonderful speech materials, but I would never recommend them unless you had a sponsor donating them for you. Everyone says "Keep the receipts and deduct it!"

One game that benefitted one client at school cost over $50.

I am in the 12% tax bracket, so buying one game to benefit one client would still cost over $45 after deductions.

An obvious person gave me the obvious response: "Check Amazon!"

That was the Amazon price. I didn't find it cheaper elsewhere.

That is one problem with speech-specific materials, there are something like 100-200k speech therapists, but 3.7 million teachers, and teaching materials are excessively expensive. When I worked at schools I asked teachers about teacher supply stores and the instructors always responded they didn't have any idea who could afford to shop there--certainly not school employees.

My old supervisor insisted on changing my reports, which were in my name, and on my license, and refused to tell me what she changed, so our boss got me a new supervisor, who almost never has me change anything, and has changed my paperwork zero times.

The boss admitted that rejecting every progress report for the same reason, but refusing to tell me the reason, was much more work for my supervisor than having me fix the first couple and write the rest differently.

I just wanted to know what her rules were so I could follow them, but I don't see how my paperwork would improve under my new supervisor, and I want to be the best therapist that I can.

However, she actually attempts to meet the legal requirement of supervising me--you know, the major part of her job title and description. The frustrating part is that after each observation she tells me to buy stuff. Things that, as I established, are usually expensive.

Unfortunately, each material would be useful for no more than a few clients.

Sometimes just one and sometimes just for a while.

Yes, I am rolling in the money with my eight weekly clients.

She also acted upset that I am doing teletherapy, which is the families' preference.

One client would be in the first grade if he weren't developmentally delayed. He never sits still. Sometimes flashcards work. Sometimes it works better to have him identify body parts and common objects. Sometimes I can get him to say "No nose!" when he won't say "Nose!"

Today nothing seemed to work and my supervisor told me to use something else, so I ran into my brother's room and grabbed an armful of stuffed animals and toys. My client happily identified everything, but there were just 10 items.

My supervisor said "Just have 25-50 common objects in a tub and then other activities right next to you!"

She now wants me to buy dozens of items and keep them convenient under my bed?

Would one paycheck at the Disney store be adequate?

Mom is already campaigning for me to get rid of all of my stuff--including my work computer--and replace everything with a queen bed.

Buying a bed two sizes wider than serves any purpose, two sizes more expensive, is sheer insanity.

[oil pan 4]

My kids picking up talking slow. He's only 2. If he needs remote speech you're my first pick.

[ME_Andy]

Xist- you could pick up a bunch of items cheap at Goodwill.

[Xist]

Oil Pan, I appreciate that!

Half of kids with speech delays at 2.5 years of age catch up by 3, so many clinicians recommend waiting and seeing.

How many of the other half are further behind?

I generally don't recommend waiting and seeing if a problem goes away on its own. I think that parents should at least do what they can at home.

Some people strongly dislike Goodwill, but the big box thrift store is the only large one in our area.

It sounds more productive than trolling yard sales!

[Xist]

Someone posted it on 11/09/2019 for $79,000. It only has 520 square feet and needs many repairs.
They sold it for $65,000 on 06/05/2020, which I felt was twice what it was worth.
Someone posted it on 7/12/2021 for $215,000!

Here is the new listing: $215,000 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, and 520 square feet
1221 E Huning, Show Low, AZ 85901

I know that I shared pictures before, but I cannot find anything. Google cache just shows the new listing for most real estate sites, but I was able to find what I wanted:











I noted:

It looks like every window and door frame has cracks above and below the corner. It looks like someone replaced pieces of drywall in the kitchen with OSB. One door is missing a frame and it looks like they ripped out a window [or at least the inside trim], it ripped off the paint, and the new trim is smaller than the old stuff, so all of that needs to be patched. The baseboard in that room is missing and the blinds are broken. The floor is missing at least one linoleum tile, but I expected the entire floor to need to be replaced anyway. The shower enclosure does not look right to me. Clearly it needs to be re-grouted, but it looks like it came in pieces that fit together poorly. Also, it appears someone removed the window trim. That looks like Great Stuff with paint over it.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post623551
I shared these pictures that I took:


It used to have an okay lawn! They killed it and put in a pine seedling?!

Someone pointed out that there were foundation issues. I apologize, I forget who, but I zoomed in on the picture in question, and sure enough there was a 1" gap, and that explained much of the interior damage.

It appears they fixed the foundation, painted the house inside and out, and put in a 6' wooden fence. I had wondered how someone could fence it and they ran the fence from the corner of the house. There isn't a side yard on the side near the neighbor.

They removed the windows, apparently replaced the boards with dry rot, and replaced the flooring.

How much does that cost for 520 square feet?!

They rearranged the kitchen:



Huh. No window coverings, but that is less of an issue with a 6' fence. You don't always want sunlight, though!

Anyway, They removed the sink and cabinet under the window, and replaced the stove with an apartment-style washer and dryer. I think they replaced the small upper cabinet on the other side, put in a new lower cabinet with a small sink and butcher-block countertop.

The doors are new, too.

They moved the water heater from a lean-to on the outside to next to the laundry. I don't see a cooking stove, but I see a new heating stove!

They did a nice job in the bathroom!



They may have kept the original tub, although they definitely would have cleaned it up. They replaced the ugly and ill-fitting fiberglass enclosure with nice tile. They moved the sink across the room again and put in an 18" cabinet.

They put in new gravel off of the street and next to the house, as well as put in some plants.

It still has the old chain-link fence adjacent to the UPS store or whatever is next door, but there is a long wooden fence on the other side.

They are asking $403 per square foot!

If I had been proactive and got a 203(k) loan I would look into this! $160,000 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1,386 square foot 1661 N 22nd Dr, Show Low, AZ 85901

This house has been for sale for 6 days and I didn't have any idea!

$245,000 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 1,286 square feet 472 N 6th Ave, Show Low, AZ 85901
This has been for sale for the same price for 24 days. I am sure they have a buyer already!

$245,000 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,686 square feet 509 N 6th Ave, Show Low, AZ 85901
Huh. They never posted more pictures. There are only 8!

You may have noticed that that house allegedly has 400 square feet more than the other. There may be a 20x20 addition, but Google Maps doesn't show anything, although who knows how old that is?

This is the last house to sell on this street, with a similar floorplan. It sold on 3/15/2021: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,272 square feet 562 N 6th Ave, Show Low, AZ 85901

I had thought that was a fair price, but maybe they finally stopped rising in my area, or actually started calming the heck down?

This sold on 09/30/2020 for $227,500: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,272 square feet 688 N 6th Ave, Show Low, AZ 85901

[redpoint5]

Wondering about the bars on the windows. It's not like the area is Compton or downtown Portland is it?

[Xist]

I don't recall seeing bars on any other windows and one was missing! I took pictures of those two houses for sale.



Who wants a 520-square-foot house for $215,000 when you can buy a 1,276-square-foot house with a 2-car garage for $245,000?!