Covid19 Spare time

KARNUT · July 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

"You don’t know what you need till you know." I will add that it is good to plan for the unknown. I was almost in my 50's before I started really taking the prospect of my senior years seriously. Prior to then I would contribute to my pension and plan for retirement but in a half-assed manner. The thought of reaching and thriving in my senior years was not part of my reality. My parents, like Karnut, purchased and built real estate for retirement. They never lived in their retirement home but proceeds from the sale financed their final years. My three kids are all in their 40's and Covid gave them all a little taste of an extended period of no work and restricted mobility. The one that is still spending ahead of his next pay check is finally starting to get a little motivation to think in future terms. If you have spare time or cash, think of the future you. Your extra effort now will be remembered and appreciated when your need is much greater.

The financial planners are nuts for the most part…. Mostly. Wants and needs come to play. I live in an acreage subdivision with no HOA. We are between two high dollar planned community’s living in those types of community’s like 55 plus community’s are expensive. My taxes are reasonable so are my expenses. I don’t live any different than when I was working. Except I vacation 4 times a year. That’s covered by two SS checks and one rent house. It’s on my property in the back with its own driveway. It can’t be seen. At this rate with my property appreciation. My kids will end up with more than me. The ira is there to pick up the slack if one of us passes too soon. Losing that SS. Millions hardly. It takes less than the advisers tell. Depending on where you end up. I rather look at trees than someone’s house. And pay high fees for the pleasure.

Claire Buenavides · July 6, 2021

Everything is gradually returning back to normal. I am not working from home anymore and a lot of people go out without a mask since the majority had their vaccine shot.

Donstar · July 6, 2021

11 hours ago, Claire Buenavides said:

Everything is gradually returning back to normal. I am not working from home anymore and a lot of people go out without a mask since the majority had their vaccine shot.

We are moving closer to "normal" but it will be a long time, if ever, before all the masks, signage and barriers disappear. I suspect retailers will keep most of the protective plexi-glass barriers as part of their "new normal". I am fully vaccinated but haven't eased off on wearing a mask/hand washing/physical distancing. I am happy that innocent retailers are no-longer obliged to confront those not wearing a mask.

KARNUT · July 6, 2021

That happened in Texas, Florida many, many months ago. More and more the mask wearing is being questioned. Slowly truths are emerging. But if mask wearing makes a person comfortable, fine. My late father likened it to running a hose from your exhaust pipe to the interior.

Donstar · July 7, 2021

My wife and I went for an extended drive yesterday now that travel has opened up. After about an hour of highway driving, she spotted a travel trailer in a roadside lot she wanted to view! ( I would enjoy spending my free time personalizing a mini-home on wheels and was surprised RV's were on her radar! ) It turned out that the one she spotted looked much better driving past at highway speeds. However, we did see a trailer on the lot that looked exactly like our previous '19 Minnie Winnie. Upon closer inspection, not only did it look like our old trailer, it was our old trailer! I'm sure I could have had her seriously re-think the enjoyment we had with this trailer if they weren't charging thousands more than our new purchase price! It is an indication of very strange times when a travel trailer can be an appreciating asset!

Donstar · July 15, 2021

A road trip south is not yet an option so we decided to seize our usual summer holiday time to replace our floors. We have an "open" floorplan and a single story home. We are going with luxury vinyl plank due to its versatility. A few days ago we even found a pattern/color that we both liked! Yesterday while we were negotiating an install, I learned about "wear layers". The product we chose has a rating of 6 mil. and is a Home Depot recommended brand! My research tells me this rating should be more like 12-20 mil! I am suspecting that our selection would probably meet our needs but once the floor is installed we can't take it back!

Grumpy Bear · July 15, 2021

On 7/7/2021 at 3:07 PM, Donstar said:

It is an indication of very strange times when a travel trailer can be an appreciating asset!

This will be like every other "Bubble" and will burst.

aseibel · July 15, 2021

Donstar,

We also chose the Lifeproof LVP from Home depot. I wanted distressed and character. The Mrs. wanted light grains. We managed to agree on the Trail Oak color. I love the way it looks.

But one warning, if you drag a chair (or anything really) across it and there is any sand on the floor, it scratches pretty easily. I have never used a broom and dustpan so frequently in my life. But I want to keep this floor looking nice for a while.

I wouldn't recommend for people with large dogs. Kids are even questionable. But it sure looks and feels nice.

Grumpy Bear · July 15, 2021

We put one in a few years ago. About 10 minutes after the install a plate gets dropped and.......

Donstar · July 15, 2021

39 minutes ago, aseibel said:

Donstar,

We also chose the Lifeproof LVP from Home depot. I wanted distressed and character. The Mrs. wanted light grains. We managed to agree on the Trail Oak color. I love the way it looks.

But one warning, if you drag a chair (or anything really) across it and there is any sand on the floor, it scratches pretty easily. I have never used a broom and dustpan so frequently in my life. But I want to keep this floor looking nice for a while.

I wouldn't recommend for people with large dogs. Kids are even questionable. But it sure looks and feels nice.

Thank you! A few of the reviews also talk about ease of scratching. We chose Kentucky Oak by Lifeproof but it appears we won't be signing the contract. We have grandkids c/w dogs and our own dog. Combine this with Mrs. Donstar's love for rearranging furniture and I'm now hooked on commercial grade. Costco's in store selection of vinyl plank have a wear layer of 20 mil. I'll see if they have something online close in appearance to the Lifeproof product we liked.

Donstar · July 16, 2021

"Me time" in the later evening includes a remote control and YouTube. My recommended viewing list is now peppered with flooring videos. After these past few days, I'll never look at floors the same way! It is odd that non-wood floors are much more durable and far cheaper than the product they are trying to imitate! It was a short time ago that vinyl flooring in a living room was only found in very modest homes. Now, "luxury vinyl planks" are found in high-end homes. (Electric fireplaces have a similar history.) There are many instances where something made to imitate an earlier product becomes the new norm. If you also have some spare time, think about and share other examples. Here's another: When I rotate the tuning knob on my vehicles' radio, I often wonder who remembers replacing the string found attached to the other end of the tuning knob in an old radio?

KARNUT · July 16, 2021

5 minutes ago, Donstar said:

"Me time" in the later evening includes a remote control and YouTube. My recommended viewing list is now peppered with flooring videos. After these past few days, I'll never look at floors the same way! It is odd that non-wood floors are much more durable and far cheaper than the product they are trying to imitate! It was a short time ago that vinyl flooring in a living room was only found in very modest homes. Now, "luxury vinyl planks" are found in high-end homes. (Electric fireplaces have a similar history.) There are many instances where something made to imitate an earlier product becomes the new norm. If you also have some spare time, think about and share other examples. Here's another: When I rotate the tuning knob on my vehicles' radio, I often wonder who remembers replacing the string found attached to the other end of the tuning knob in an old radio?

I do enjoy have my phone at my disposal to get questions answered instantly. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind if the portable phone wasn’t portable. I wouldn’t mind if you were able still to get a rear drive GM full size car. Two door with a V8 with roll up windows, AC, and a stick. It seems the good old V-8 is being destroyed. Iv yet to buy a smart TV. I don’t want it to look at me. Of course my phone does that anyway. I do have a cabinet that used to house a short wave radio. Then it housed me stereo, with a turn table. All that’s become obsolete with the sound bar and Bluetooth speakers. Another thing I can do with my phone. Geez I could go on forever.

txab · July 16, 2021

On 7/15/2021 at 3:31 PM, Donstar said:

Thank you! A few of the reviews also talk about ease of scratching. We chose Kentucky Oak by Lifeproof but it appears we won't be signing the contract. We have grandkids c/w dogs and our own dog. Combine this with Mrs. Donstar's love for rearranging furniture and I'm now hooked on commercial grade. Costco's in store selection of vinyl plank have a wear layer of 20 mil. I'll see if they have something online close in appearance to the Lifeproof product we liked.

Post links to what you are looking at..... I've got to start looking into this as well

Donstar · July 17, 2021

16 hours ago, txab said:

Post links to what you are looking at..... I've got to start looking into this as well

I'll be happy to post anything that stands out. However, prices, products and availability can look quite different between big box stores popular in the US and Canada. It took me a long time to come around from genuine hardwood to laminate to vinyl. My appreciation for vinyl plank started about 10 years ago in the produce department of a new grocery store. The floor was stunning and I was very surprised to find out that it was a readily available vinyl plank. If flooring can look so real and so new after a few months of supermarket traffic, it would last indefinitely in my home. Like Grumpy, I've had the painful experience of damaging a new floor moments after install! If you haven't decided on vinyl plank there are many YouTubes on choosing between hardwood, laminate and vinyl flooring. If you've decided on vinyl here is a good little read to get started. https://floorcritics.com/vinyl-plank/ The common theme I've found is to pay particular attention to the wear layer. The higher the number, the better. In my region, Home Depot's popular seller has a wear layer of 6 mil. Lowe's and Costco's popular brands have a wear layer of 20 mil. I'm sure 6 mil would meet my needs but 12-20 will get me to the commercial quality that originally sold me on vinyl plank. My dog and I spend a fair bit of time in the dog house for crimes against our current laminate floors. Hopefully my time spent on research will result in greater peace for Star and me!

Donstar · July 19, 2021

I was watching videos appealing to the many DIYers choosing to replace their floors during the pandemic. People like me have the skills/tools to do such a job but the physical component is too much of a challenge. Now that restrictions have eased or have disappeared, I figure I can get a person in here for 3 or 4 days and replace the flooring. (Like I would have done if getting up from the floor wasn't at the top of my challenges!) Anyway, I guesstimated that I'd get a quote for labor at 3-4 days at approximately $100 per hour. ( I then rounded up to 40 hrs.) My first (so far) estimator confirmed it would be about a 3 day job with one installer. My vision of a single "re and re" line for labor was replaced by a three page itemized list of charges. The install rate of X can't be done unless you pay the uninstall rate of y but this requires the moving of furniture at A per unit. Of course baseboards have to be moved at P per foot and then will need to caulked at w per foot... etc. etc... I appreciate that there is much more to a new floor than clicking panels together but treating each task independently rendered my guesstimate less than half of the actual quotation. My search continues!