Home Improvement Today?

As much fun as that would be, it would probably destroy everything.

 

HD sent me a letter today to inform me that the new minimum interest rate on their credit card is now 29.99%. I haven't used their card in over a year.

 

Lowe's did that to me too, wont be using that card again.

 

Must be all of them, i got a card offer...0% interest on transfers first year, 18.99% to 29.99% variable after that...

 

Hmmm… I wonder what rate it will be…? Could it be 29.99% ????…. lol

 

Home Depot deal. This is a nice little compressor. I slept on this deal last year and was going to use reward dollars to snag one. They went up to $129… I missed out. I still went ahead and got it though. If you need a decent compressor. Get one now on this deal.

 

I like my air tools but when I was working I got the company to get battery nailers. Depending on what you do they are huge time savers. A couple times I'd have to drive 3hrs in sub 0 temp's drag out the air compressor and have to wait for it to warm up to use it. But my job was a service tech on windows and doors. It made a huge difference in the time spent at different job sites.

 

i don't even pay attention to what the interest rate is on my menards or home depot cards. i won't use them at all if the financing rates come into play.

i only ever use them if i'm buying something(s) over $300, which is 0% financing for 6 months. i usually have the money for the item, but spreading the cost over 3-5 months allows me to use that money elsewhere to better benefit.

and for the most part, i only buy things that large when the menards 11% is active, and then use the rebate money for the next purchase.

 

When at Menards always put your name in on the truck or whatever they are giving away. My neighbor across the street her brother does some remodeling and there almost every day. About a year ago in October he got a strange email asking for a copy of his DL congratulating him on winning a 23 Silverado or he could go to the nearest store and show them this email. He was thinking it was kinda creepy the way it was written so when he went to the store they took his info and offered an informal congratulation. Telling him he would get further emails on when it would be available to pickup and photo opp. About 2 months later it happened. But he had started putting his name in about 2yrs previous. Just an FYI.

 

my understanding is that when one wins a vehicle, they're personally responsible for paying a prize tax on the MSRP of the vehicle, which can be substantial(a lot like lottery winnings, many times somewhere near 30-40% the total cost). i don't enter simply because there's not any vehicles that they offer for the cost of the tax that i'd be happy to have.

most are chevy/ford products i'd end up selling immediately, and then it counts as 'profit' on year end taxes, which gets taxed even more... better to not even deal with it if i don't need to.

and even if that's all wrong, the root of it is that nothing they give away for free is something i want to keep, and i hate selling vehicles, so there's minimal benefit to winning something i don't want and must sell immediately.

 

That thinking is the only reason I have a few cards. I got my Google Store card about 6 years ago. I get a new phone every other year and have for over a decade. 3 phones ago Google was pushing the Google Credit thing hard. I looked into it and they partnered with Syncrony Bank for the card. Rates where super high but 0% for 12 months on any device bought directly from the Google Store. It's a no brainer. I can easily pay off the phone now but $100 a month for months with no fees let's me use the other $700 for other thing.

Like paying off my cards that actually do have interest rates. Which I do every month. It's been quite a few years since I've had to carry a balance on those and hope it stays that way. Credits a tool and you've obviously figured out how to use it. lol

 

It just income tax based on the tax bracket you are in. Like you said on MSRP. I'm not a fan of the vehicles offered either but, that Doesn't stop me from entering. I'm not going to sweat the 12g in potential taxes. I'll figure a way to reduce it, by turning it into a business asset and writing it off or something like that.

 

you make it sound so much more glamorous!

really though, schools can't teach money management as well as just plain making mistakes, and figuring it out. there's a whole lot of mistakes and lessons learned to get to the point of having specific cards for specific locations!

 

A friend reached out recently and asked if I could help replace a failing sump pump. Went over yesterday afternoon to help with a simple swap out. It was hard plumbed to 1.5" PVC, but there was enough flex/movement to do the exchange. The pipe went up about 4' from the pump, then over about 20', then down into a Y on the main house drain (city sewer). All supported with brackets/hangers. While swapping the pump, the PVC felt heavy. Upon further inspection we discovered that the entire run of pipe was clogged with clay based sediment. YIKES!!

Ended up replacing everything all the way to the Y in the main drain line. Got home around midnight.

 

Soundsign I'm not trying to make it sound glamorous. They only need your email.(Menards) I know my way around a few schedules on tax forms. I'm not intimidated by them. Normally it's just income tax, if you have the money put extra in a IRA, MSA, or education fund to reduce the tax. Instead of a bank mortgage you just have a different lein holder, the IRS, at ruffly a third of It's value. It's no different than defaulting on loans by filing bankruptcy. The lender has the right and obligation to file a 1099 for the money they were owed. If I was in those accounting departments I'd be filing those on everyone who stiffs them, few do.

 

i know you're speaking english, but i really have no idea about any of that stuff. other than the fact that my normal tax guy just retired last year, i normally just hand over the stack of forms and receipts for job-related expenses, and let him do his thing.

 

Anyone ever heard of https://mccombssupply.com/?

Lancaster PA company?

It’s the only place I’ve found with range heating elements for less than $25. HomeDepot has 3 different ones listed for under $17 but all auto cancel 2 hours after ordering.

 

Amazon for under 17.00 heating element

 

Basement HVAC question - I'm going to finish the basement in my rambler style house. We want a bedroom down there to escape the summer heat. How do I deal with the heating and cooling? I have a high efficiency heater/AC with a multi-speed blower. It doesn't make sense to cool/heat the upstairs at night, and I want it comfortable upstairs and down depending on the time of day. I've looked briefly at home automation solutions, but I have issues with a system that requires internet access just to set the temperature.

Suggestions, search terms greatly appreciated.

 

Zone controllers?