IntenseDebate - Colleen

5 hours ago @ Crasstalk - Hump Day Open Thread · 3 replies · +7 points

Would someone come over and magically take down and put away my Christmas tree for me? Everyone who is still at chez momo suddenly remember that they had a zoom meeting for work during the time I can take down the tree.

Things that make me go hmmmm (and stabby)

1 day ago @ Crasstalk - Fresh Week Open Thread · 0 replies · +3 points

Well, that is actually true depending on your physical and financial health. Once we off load our kids from my husband's work health plan, we are moving to a high deductible HSA plan. We thought about doing that last year, but since it was the year of orthopedic surgery, I feel pretty lucky we didn't. But given that my husband and I are over 55, between the two of us, we can sock away over $10k pretax this year - his health plan has a 6/1 change over date.

My daughter who is gainfully employed is healthy as a horse and is on a high deductible plan with an HSA. She does have us as a backstop of some serious shit goes down (and not everyone does), but she was able to sock away $4300 tax free in the HSA account last year. Her employer gave her half and it is fully vested. As she has worked there two years, she has over $8,400 in that account.

For now she has managed to just pay for her health care costs out of pocket - oh to be young and single!

Now for #3, if he continues to play rugby post college in NYC, we would NOT encourage him to get an HSA. So he'll end up paying more because of the potential for sport injuries. But other than that, he is very healthy.

1 day ago @ Crasstalk - Fresh Week Open Thread · 1 reply · +4 points

Death trap on a highway, assuming it could get up to speed.

3 days ago @ Crasstalk - Weekly Politics Open T... · 0 replies · +4 points

To quote a friend of mine - this can be both a good thing (removal of a dictator) and a bad thing (Trump being Trump)

I have a few Venezuelan friends too and they are stoked. Hopeful.

3 days ago @ Crasstalk - Happy New Year Open Th... · 0 replies · +2 points

Do you have an Operation Hope near you? Ours in CT would take cooked food if you need that freezer space

5 days ago @ Crasstalk - Happy New Year Open Th... · 0 replies · +1 points

No it was pretty much the same breakdown on red/white/rose. Just the price per bottle was down. There biggest profit is in wine, not beer or spirits.

This shop is kind of unique in that it is pretty darn big (not Bevmo or Total Wine big, but certainly very large) and that they have highly trained wine staff. So they have previously sold a ton of wine in the $100+ range. That range was way down.

5 days ago @ Crasstalk - Happy New Year Open Th... · 2 replies · +3 points

Even bigger recession indicator - the liquor store I used to write wine tasting notes for in CT had a 8% decline in revenue. The same number of units of alcohol (more or less) were purchased, but the price point was lower per unit of booze. Was across all categories: beer, wine and spirits.

5 days ago @ Crasstalk - Happy New Year Open Th... · 1 reply · +8 points

We need to, as a country in general, get rid of the executive order except for very specific circumstances.

When you rule by the pen, it can be undone in a snap. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing via legislation. But that assumes a functioning government where both sides can find common ground.

2 weeks ago @ Crasstalk - Holiday Week Open Thread · 0 replies · +6 points

Get yourself a generator. Best money we have ever spent.

2 weeks ago @ Crasstalk - Holiday Week Open Thread · 0 replies · +2 points

Not a single drink was offered! Thankfully, I had a gummy in case of turbulence. I popped that right after I washed my hands after helping clean.

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