I recall seeing free home water testing kits in home depot a while back. Not sure what those kits tested for but they were a means to sell you home filtration systems and plumbing stuff. But they were free. Maybe start there?
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I’m not a big fan of clickbait titles on Lemmy. OP since you read the article, you’d be doing the community a favor by changing the title or adding a summary for some quality discourse.
I just got a DIY kit quote for solar and it’s ~$18,000. That would mean a contractor installing is at least $25,000 if not more. That’s a big chunk of change upfront.
Piggybacking to also recommend realistically assessing if you might move prior to that breakeven point. I don’t know if solar panels have good ROI for house selling or not.
Outright purchase, finance, or lease are the 3 options for getting solar. Many people prioritize this on their wish list, save up, and eventually can afford to do so. There may also be subsidies, rebates, and tax credits (federal and/or state) that may apply. New York, for example, is eligible for a max federal credit of -$5700 and a state credit of 25% of your system value to your income taxes. So that would shave off a lot.
Fully agree with this. I’m currently interviewing and have reached the “reward phase” where 3-4 companies are offering me salary & benefits packages. I’ll likely be taking the lowest package with the farthest drive because that work interests me the most and offers interesting travel opportunities. Just a little heartburn on the salary though, but still more than what I’m making now by 15%. But yeah there’s a lot to weigh out.
I currently get Hulu+ and Disney+ free through my Verizon plan. Paying for Max, AppleTv, and Netflix, but cutting Netfix once I get done finishing up a few more shows. I think 3 tv subscriptions is my max limit. If one starts sucking for content then I’ll swap out. I think $25/month is super reasonable for tv entertainment.
Part of me quietly hopes the current strikes in Hollywood really starts to affect quality and quantity across the board and there’ll be some kind of price reset as a result. I’d also like more of a reason to stop watching tv as much and start going out to parks and stuff.
Single person here. I eat out nearly everyday but not necessarily at full service restaurants. A lot of times it’s fast casual fare that has fresh and healthy options - think Mediterranean plates, poke bowls, deli sandwiches, etc. A typical day is $15-$25 that covers two meals.
Yes, I could be saving some money by cooking at home but the time, gas, and energy I would need to spend makes it not worth it. I’ve also found that my attempts at cooking leads to a lot of food waste. A 2.5 lbs roast is equal to 2 weeks of meals for me and even though I could freeze some of it, I know from past experience that ill never pull it out of deep freezer storage. I’ll get bored of eating the same thing after a few days and then abandon everything.
I like eating out because I get to do a variety of foods throughout the week, enjoy the social aspect, and like to support good local businesses with my money. Some tips if you go this route:
I always bring my containers for leftovers. I get to pack things my way and I’m 90% more likely to eat my leftovers.
I always bring my own drink (when possible), usually water to cut down cost.
Sometimes I’ll bring my own dessert, like a snickers bar, to not be tempted to buy their desserts.
Current grocery prices have thoroughly discouraged me from any potential savings that may be had. My go to cheap homemade meal are chicken enchiladas and the 3 cans of enchilada sauce I needed were $4 apiece. $45 to make enchiladas all said and done, but more if we include gas and time. I could’ve gotten an overloaded enchilada plate from the Mexican restaurant down the street for $13. So completely agree with you on restaurant pricing seeming to be less affected than grocery pricing.
So to share a little more, the $15-25 per day spend isn’t the entire food spend picture for me. I typically will have at least 3-5 social/splurge events per month that will range between $60-$120. I live in a HCOL area so my housing cost is $3500/mo. If we calculate on the higher side if things (5 days × $120, and 25 days × $25), I spend about 35% of my housing cost on food so it is significant. However, it’s also the main source of my social entertainment so I justify my spending based on both that and eating necessity. I try to keep my daily food spend on the lower/reasonable side because I know I’ll have my splurge days.
The water from my faucets suddenly smells like stagnant pond water. How can I tell if it's to drink?
Hi all....
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How do people afford the upfront cost of solar?
I just got a DIY kit quote for solar and it’s ~$18,000. That would mean a contractor installing is at least $25,000 if not more. That’s a big chunk of change upfront.
Are you satisfied with your current pay?
Trying to get to know the community a bit more....
With the rising prices of Netflix and Disney+, are you considering cutting those subscriptions?
I was never a fan of the subscriptions model (I have never had a Spotify, Netflix, or any other similar services)....
[AskFinance] How often do you eat out, and does that impact your finances?
Asking the question as it seems to be a recurrent issue among finance-aware people....