Non-Typical Solutions

Bill......I remember when a sheet of 3/4 oak veneer plywood went from 30 bucks to 60 bucks almost over night.....all driven by the spotted owl......which in my mind was government meddling.......so many things as you say have their effect on prices and costs rising!!!

Sounds like you worked yourself into a higher tax bracket. Instead of giving up the income, you need to get involved with a good financial planner if that's the case. Between things like sep IRA's & solo-401k's there's little reason to give the gov so much money that it's not worth earning. I dumped a small fortune into those things this year. The upside is that it dropped me down 2 tax brackets and while I certainly won't get a refund I probably won't have to write a check. The down side is I can't touch my money until I'm 59. But if I wrote that check to Uncle Sam instead I'd never see it again. Not smart enough to know the ins and outs of it all but getting rid of 4 boys definitely had something to do with my finances ! At a very sketchy point in life! I am collecting retirement as of last year, went back to work for the school district under a contractor ESI program, will hire back next year to get my insurance coverages. Wife will do the same thing this coming year except she will be completely retired and get to stay home after 30 years of teaching. We have rolled my retirement over into an investment account.....low risk set up. Now I get to worry about what Bill was talking about with the wage increase....at some point my intake is going to be relatively fixed....... Is there any wisdom at all in using one of our pots of money to get completely out of debt....car, house, etc. to minimize what I need a month to survive??? I know.....getting advice for spending money from a bunch of hunters.....go figure!!!

Last summer I didn't do much work for anybody but my wife.....the pay is better than most paying jobs, and I don't have to report it to IRS. I finally discovered that everything I was earning during the summer months in reality was just going to Uncle Sam.

Up until 2008 my plan to teach school during the winter months and build cabinets during the summer had worked out pretty dang good. Best of both worlds!!! Then I had to go work out at the pig farm to keep me busy during the summer!!! I absolutely loved building cabinets very gratifying. Up until about two years ago I hired out for trim charging $10.00 an hour, last two years I upped it to $15.00. I don't enjoy it as much as I used to, eyes getting bad and hands not so steady and dam......I have gotten slow!!!

I have absolutely NO problem with any business owner raising their prices as much as they feel like. Their business, not mine. Free market, supply/demand, etc... If they claim it is due to min wage increase, well I suppose that is their business too (I can't necessarily claim to understand their business model, costs, etc...). It's not like I am forced to go to their business, and if the prices get too high I will stop. Regarding the minimum wage debate in general, I suppose that I'm against it for many of the same reasons folks have sited on this thread. (Though I do remember as a kid making $3.10 per hour at the local grocery store in Kearny, I was SUPER happy when the minimum was raised to $3.35! ) Times have definitely changed! S. When I was 10 my dad and his business partner would pay me .25 cents an hour, but I had to be working, not hunting birds with my BB gun.......When I got older and asked for a raise my dads partner, who was the one writing the checks told me he would double my wages......2 X 0 = 0.................that was always my answer when I asked for a raise working for my dad......no matter what the pay......and working on a pig farm there were jobs you couldn't hire people to do........

And you got more last night right??? Best of luck to you.......we have had enough cold....now time for spring and mowing the lawn again!!!

Dang snow.......time to go to work.....good luck!!

Those eye guards definitely get in the way don't they??? Looks like too much fun in Mexico!!!

Exactly.....

Post up how much snow you really have this morning??? Snowflake.........000000000000 inches.

If it were only that easy right??? Enough for now God......agh.....we need more now God!!! Great picture, hang in there cause now comes the cold!!!

Couple of pics......I am guessing this truck driver wasn't all that impressed with the snow levels. Kudos to the road crew for getting that road cleared.......absolutely beautiful scene to see so much snow!!!

Nice....as we came back over the rim Sunday I was very impressed with the snow accumulation, it is what we dearly need and it looked great!!!

Somebody got pissed that is for sure.......don't mess with my ladies.........amazing how that buck pushed that lifeless body uphill.....lots of adrenaline going right there!!!

BOB.....can you take the talent you have and give me some numbers to help me work through that logic??? Pay more for menial, low skill, low education jobs and make everything better? That wage increase just s@#t on your higher education, high skilled, had to work to get paying job. Decreases any incentive to motivate any already unmotivated person to improve themselves . I would like to hear more about your theory on how this helps anybody, not really interested in itching you out just trying to understand!!! Your take on Trump's pick for Education secretary ?????? I am not a traditional thinker as far as education is concerned, I came from a farming/ranching home and I have earned most of my money working with my hands. I am a college is not for everyone person and I hate the bureaucracy that has taken over educating out kids. Teachers have become babysitters for the nations problems and they have very little to say about what a kid really needs. If Senator Lieberman doesn't like that DeVos is not from the "educational" pool of people, then I am for the selection. Education is as corrupt as the VA or any other Federal agency that has been allowed to put mandates on programs and then provide no funding to take care of those mandates. Never heard of the woman but if she is savy in business and can incorporate that with what a 5th grade teacher really needs in the classroom, I am all for the appointment!!!

BOB.....can you take the talent you have and give me some numbers to help me work through that logic??? Pay more for menial, low skill, low education jobs and make everything better? That wage increase just s@#t on your higher education, high skilled, had to work to get paying job. Decreases any incentive to motivate any already unmotivated person to improve themselves . I would like to hear more about your theory on how this helps anybody, not really interested in itching you out just trying to understand!!!

Been thinking about quitting teaching and going to work for the marijuana(couldn't even spell it) farm.......less worries, better pay, better benefits, and walk around happy all the time!!! I really would like someone to explain the rationale behind the wage increase.........does not make a lick of sense....I bet Lark could explain it!!!

Thanks, that is the one I was looking for most.....I just barely googled forest lakes weather cam and it is like......dang why didn't I think of that....

We are trying to head down to the valley today and I never trust the weather reports. I will get gone while the sun is up and slow drive whatever I have to, thanks for everybody posting!!!

Who can forget that day!!!

PYB day - Pack Your Bags and get out if you don't like it!!!

I have laughed during this whole election process......how bad it sucks to be from Snowflake hearing about the snowflakes.....they really have hurt our already troubled reputation!!! :lol:

At Cordes???

Kids at school are like....Hey Mort you know Trump is going to be made president today......I'm like more importantly......Obama is out!!! Great day indeed.....

Enough to warrant cancelling school last night???? We were hoping for a late start here but it didn't happen and didn't need to happen!!!