so waht ya doin today?

[Ian]

Yes, carpet in the reloading room. I'm clumsy and have occasional flare-ups of carpal tunnel syndrome which leads to the sudden unexpected dropsies of things like rifles and tools. A layer of low-pile industrial, fire-resistant carpet put right down on the concrete allows rolling chairs to work, makes the tunes sound better, and gives things dropped a chance to survive.

 

[Winelover]

I have a industrial size (4'x6') thick rubber mat at the reloading bench. Rest of shop is concrete that has been sealed.

 

[462]

That we haven't had any bank credit cards, since 2001, doesn't mean we carry fat and bulky wads of paper money. We each have a debit card tied to the bank checking account. No borrowing, no fees, no fuss, no muss.

I put down foam matting round the reloading bench. I'm naturally clumsy, so dropped primers, bullets, brass, bits and pieces of hardware, tools, etc., are protected when they land and are easily found.

 

[Rick]

That we haven't had any bank credit cards, since 2001, doesn't mean we carry fat and bulky wads of paper money. We each have a debit card tied to the bank checking account. No borrowing, no fees, no fuss, no muss.

I put down foam matting round the reloading bench. I'm naturally clumsy, so dropped primers, bullets, brass, bits and pieces of hardware, tools, etc., are protected when they land and are easily found.

That's what I do, ATM cards on each checking account. No checking account fee's either with both automatic deposits and over the minimum balance.

I tried carpet once many years ago, that will never happen again. Not ever. I have a hard rubber on the floor and the bench top, completely impervious to any chemical I've found so far and un-effected by molten lead. Great stuff, pricey but great stuff. Don't know yet how long it lasts, it's only been down there about 30 years so far.

 

[Winelover]

ATM cards? Debit cards?? I'm in the minority. Never had one. I use CC's and get paid to use them. For longtime, I was getting better interest than I could at the bank. Definitely, more than a checking account is paying.

Staying out of debt is easy...............don't purchase anything you can't pay for. I was raised, that way. Never paid a penny in interest, ever. Purchased new vehicles, every 5-6 years................saving in between purchases for the next one. Never owned a used car. Bought my first house, paid cash. I didn't run out to the suburbs, like everyone else. I stayed in Detroit..........where we both worked.

Built my retirement estate, when the bottom fell out of the economy, in 2009............banks weren't giving out loans for land or building. The hell with them. All it takes is discipline and some sacrifice and a plan...................pays off big time, later in life.

 

[Rick]

I'm in the minority.

And there folks is the understatement of 2019. John and Cindy both have always been good with money, to an exceptional degree. Extremely rare in my experience. I'm sure he's right, pays off big time but I say that only from observation not experience.

 

[Hawk]

My wife was a loan officer at a bank before she retired.
We always keep one small loan and One credit card that we pay off entirely each month. It gives us a credit history that we can use if we need it.
House is paid for, cars are paid for, everything is paid for.

 

[uncle jimbo]

I also don't have any debt. Everything paid off years ago. I do have one credit card that I use for purchase on the internet or large purchases local. And that is only so I have a buffer is something goes sideways in the deal or faulty in the product. And yes, it gets paid off every month if I use it.

 

[fiver]

having never made large sums of money and quite often working minimum or just above minimum wage jobs [usually 2 at a time] taught me the values of pain versus dollar amounts. [and the value of overtime]
I was gonna be damned sure I needed it if I was going to pay an extra 10 or 15% to get something.

 

[Pistolero]

Smokeywolf - VERY impressive that your college boy is going to be only $5K in debt, he is probably 1 in 100 managing
that well. I did my masters degree, too, and it was a good move, for me. I really felt like there was a good bit more
about metallurgy and materials, plus some more higher end math that I needed before I felt like I had met my own
personal standards of knowledge and was ready to stop doing it. Each person has to figure it out for themselves, sounds like
he has that figured out.

Medicine.....one good friend's daughter went that route. Went really well except that she flushed 1/4 million down a
fancy back east college rather than go to the state college where her father is a prof and could get her free tuition!
People were telling her since she was a teen that she should be a Doc, and she resisted hard until she graduated college
and then looked around and was finally mature enough to see what all the adults who knew her could see already.....
she was cut out to be a doc.
THEN went to the Med School where her father teaches, so made up for the college cost a bit. She is now a praticing doc with
a husband and little boy, so it sorta worked out. Long hard row to hoe, though.

Bret - my wife has done most of our financials, but I have mostly run our investments and retirement, but in close
consultation with her. But she knows more about day to day stuff by far than I do, and does all the tax returns.

Bill

 

[smokeywolf]

Bill, the Mrs. spent probably 1,000 hours studying, planning and helping College Boy line up his scholarship and grant money. We do think it will be good for him to have at least a little financial responsibility for his education. While College Boy is much more mature and reasonable than the average college freshman, it was I who told him that if he ever wanted to rise to upper management or even middle management in his chosen field, aerospace engineering, he'd need his MS.

Trying to influence the younger of my two teens to go into veterinary medicine, as it might get very difficult for MDs if we ever go to socialized medicine. Also, lower school costs, lower startup costs if he opens his own practice and far less exposure and costs related to malpractice suits.

 

[Ian]

Trying to influence the younger of my two teens to go into veterinary medicine, as it might get very difficult for MDs if we ever go to socialized medicine. Also, lower school costs, lower startup costs if he opens his own practice and far less exposure and costs related to malpractice suits.

You tell him I know two small-animal vets who will back that statement up 100%. Not to get political, but it ain't "if", it's "beginning" and "going to continue". Not good for MDs.

 

[Hawk]

Our Daughter wanted to be a Vet, but at 5'-4" and 110 lbs., she was just too small to handle the larger animals that they had to deal with.
Instead, got her degrees in Bio Medical Science and Clinical Labratory Science and runs the lab for a large hospital in Fort Worth.
Sorry, just had to brag on her for a minute.
You might not have noticed, but I'm really proud of her.

 

[Bret4207]

Hawk, we have a vet like that here. She specializes in smaller livestock, sheep and goats mostly with swine and whatever else thrown in and does part time kitties and doggies. She said the kitties and doggies pay the bills and the livestock sets up the future. Won't touch a cow unless forced and rarely a horse. She has more confidence in the farm future than I do.

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

With the recent warm weather (mid 30's) i have started shooting the loads i made up this winter. Darn Magnetospeed has not been doing its job. Tonight i wrote to the Co. and requested a shipping label to send my unit in to be checked.
Last summer it worked like a champ. Even on my cast bullets.

 

[popper]

You raise them right, you have a reason to be proud. Don't ever feel bad about it. Know too many that I'm glad I don't own.
Come-on Kev, just ordered one!

 

[Ian]

Did it outight quit or what? Did you take the memory card out? Battery leak? Cord bad?

 

[462]

Kevin,

I think it's a case of electrons not liking Arctic-like temperatures.

 

[Brad]

Smart electrons

 

[Rick]

Smart electrons

Look who's saying that?