Yup, and i have to say pet insurance has really improved in the last 10 year or so since we had our lest dog. I had it back then, and it was more akin to dental insurance.

Our new puppy arguably has better insurance than i do, and I have pretty good insurance.

As all the others have said, its a shitty commute to most places in NJ, and unless your job is in Newark or JC, the chances of you being able to take mass transit door to door is virtually nil. At the minimum you are already looking at 2-3 connections, and a long ass ride as is even if you did work in JC\Newark.

If you work in NJ, the only benefit of living in the city is, well, you live in the city. If you are already living in the city, there are tons of jobs available to you within the city that will be a very easy commute.

Also where you live in brooklyn or queens matters. There are places 10 minutes to manhattan with a subway right outside your door, and places in the far boonies which are like hour rides into the city.

I don't know if i would call that ridiculous. its like, inflation levels.

99 or so, i was 21. Was making around 40k a year. Rented a decent place in bumblefuck with a buddy that was maybe 1500 bucks a month or so if i remember right.

I was in a relationship already so it wasn't like I cared if i was someplace happening. It did suck if you wanted to go to the bar, as this was long before uber, and local cab services sucked and were crazy expensive. Money was still tight (long commute, crappy car stuff was always breaking on, etc) but I was able to make it work and it was a very positive experience.

Was only there for a bit over a year before i changed jobs and moved on to greener pastures, with a brief window of moving back home for a few months between places.

Fun story. When we were renovating our basement, i found several hundred captain morgan bottles behind one of the walls. My best guess is a previous owner was hiding a drinking problem, and was slipping them up past the drop ceiling and behind the finished wall which stood about a foot off the foundation wall. it was about a 15 foot section that was filled to the top with them from floor to ceiling. (so far i haven't discovered wherever he moved on to after he ran out of room).

i figured even at like 5 cents a pop i had a good 100plus bucks there in deposit fees.

Short story, nobody in NJ will pay for them, and its illegal to try and return them to another state (and places do have limits as to how much they will take at one time, and can request ID if something smells fishy).

I called our public works department, explained the situation to them, and they just sent a truck out for me. Now every time i see one of them, they salute me and go "Captain"

The point of the certification for a lay person is the instructor going, "Yes, you understand it, have demonstrated proper knowledge and technique, and you can be confident that you will be able to do this correctly if necessary"

and if you can't, well you don't get the certificate, and that should tell you something.

With something uncertified, maybe you just get a pat on the back.

a common example may be trying to perform it on a person with an obstructed airway.

I understand what you are saying, if they are in cardiac arrest an imperfect compression is better than no compression, but an important part of CPR is identifying when to do it. Likewise being able to do it correctly is

Edit: is going to tire you out a lot less quicker than trying to wing it.

I'd be hesitant to take a non-certified one. Yes, it costs money, but that money ensures the trainer knows what they are doing, and the trainer giving you a cert gives you confidence that YOU know what you are doing.

While CPR isn't rocket science, methods have changed, and if you do it incorrectly or in a case where it isn't what is immediately called for, you potentially can do more harm.

I mean if you are serious about it, 70 bucks seems like a small price to pay to make sure you are going to be helpful in a situation like that.

That said, when we had our kid a while back, our hospital offered an infant CPR course (i'm already certified, but wouldn't consider myself qualified to teach someone else) which i believe was free, and i believe didn't carry any certification attached to it.

Edit: Meant to add my wife did take it, and everything they taught her was in line with what i was taught.

check your town, some have their own ordinances on the book, but its rare in bergen. I know fairlawn has a cap on increases, but most towns do not, and fall under the state law.

The state law is vague, but is intended to prevent a landlord from jacking up rent specifically to force someone to move out. 350 a month isn't going to pass the test for it, especially if the landlord can show similar market rate places that have recently rented for that.

Costs for landlords have gone up drastically, and many are still licking wounds from the pandemic\eviction freezes, and now need to factor that into their costs.

I'll do it for 400 :)

I have to wager its just a few screws\clips that keep it in place and is probably designed to be reversible as to what side you want the stationary panel on, and is cake to remove.

Assumingly you have the model number if you bought the replacement panel, i'd just do a quick google for the install instructions, and they probably tell you what exactly you need to do.

Edit: Anderson is pretty good about having full manuals online https://www.andersenwindows.com/for-professionals/documents/

Since you aren't replacing the frame, it isn't anything crazy, and shouldn't require more than a screwdriver and the like. Chances are there is a youtube video out there explaining your exact door.

I'd order it, give it a go myself, and if i couldn't sort it out, call a local handyman or your handy friend.

If its the frame and you have never done one before and don't have anyone who has to help you out, i'd spring for a pro, because exterior doors, especially once the house is a few years old and settled, are always a bitch.

Just did a quick google. Its on the southern side of the sack. A lot of the development and "rejuvenation" of the sack is more on the northern end around the hospital. Its also more residential in the north, and happening than the south.

Its safe, worst you have to worry about is someone busting into your car, but if you can swing it, especially if you are younger, i'd look more towards the northern end of town. That is where you will find the good bars, food, etc, and is more convenient for the train.

DMV will let you know. I suspect the answer is yes though.

Outdated inspection is a pretty minor ticket, and you have a window from when you register before it needs to be done. Its more of a "do you want to be stopped" question. Most cops will run your plate before stopping you, see the registration info, and go on their way while you are in the window.

I've been waiting all day for this post.

No you don't need it inspected. Registration needs to be done first.

Then, depending on the car you may need to go for inspection. (if its a couple of years old and not an EV, the answer is yes). YES, you may potentially get stopped without the inspection sticker, but unless you are a dick, no cop is going to write you a ticket for it once you explain stuff, and every court will throw it out if he does, as you will have 30 days to get it inspected.

No you can't drive it until you go to DMV to register it.

Edit: also you can't park it in a public space until its registered. So your driveway, a parking garage, whatever is where it needs to be. Even in your driveway some towns may have rules against an un-plated vehicle (again rarely enforced unless you are THAT guy).

Edit2: and if you HAVE to park it on the street, i'd stick a note in the window saying "just purchased, going to DMV tomorrow, please call with any questions" and your phone number. Again, depending on your town and the cop, it may save you a ticket or a tow.

I don't know, they spun the bar off to its own thing a few years ago (and its a good bar), but yeah, same place, across from the CVS shopping center.

probably 90% of problems in that town come from there. I always thought it was one complex, but regardless.

I wouldn't say the area is unsafe, but wouldn't be my first choice.

No....i got a TV for a steal at one of those maybe 10ish years ago. Basically you ordered it online, and they gave you a time to come to the warehouse to pick it up.

It was totally legit, through the manufacture (was Sharp) clearing out previous years stock. The exact tv was still on the shelves at the time for 3x what i paid.

I think the truth of the matter is with the internet the way it is, its easier and more economical for places to just sell excess stock to a wholesaler in one shot.

You get what you pay for.

Wife decided this year she wanted a photographer for our holiday card. I said that sounds like a waste of money. She found a groupon or the like, for 250 bucks.

The pictures were absolutely terrible and we didn't use them.

Safe Town, but there are some sketchy parts. The apartments across the street from the liquor store that used to have a hidden bar behind the back are basically where all the problems come from.

They have had some flooding issues in areas in recent years too to watch out for.

Its honestly something our school district struggles with. We have a reputation for great services, which is awesome, but then you become a magnet for it, and the costs and accommodations needed start spiraling.

No. I bought a new, nice snowblower the end of last season, and new skiing gear for the kid and I this year.

Yup, I load up on my soup for the year at the can-can sale. I'll usually have it for lunch once or twice a week. Full price its like 4 bucks a can, when it does go on sale outside of the can can, its still around 3 bucks.

Its about a buck during the can can sale.

Same thing for stuff like tomatoes, beans, etc. I'll buy a few cases of stuff, stack it in the basement, and get through the year with it.

Also handy to have around if you have a bad storm or whatever.

Also if you have the space, get a chest freezer. When stuff like french fries or whatever go on sale, we load up on them. They will last a long time if stored right.

Couple with a kid.

The weekly bill at shoprite is usually between 250-300 bucks. We eat out usually once a week, i work from home, wife takes her lunch to work from home 4 out of 5 times a week usually. Kid is half and half.

Then on top of it is usually a monthly costco run for some bulk stuff which is a couple hundred bucks.

I don't do a ton of coupon clipping, and we go with brands we know and prefer for most things, so there is some savings to be had if we dialed it up a bit. We also do our best to eat healthy so a lot of the cost is fresh stuff. You have to be pretty diligent about your meal planning if you don't want to waste a ton of stuff.

Like, tomorrow night i am having chicken fajitas for dinner. I really don't want them, i've honestly been meh about it all week knowing that is what it would be, but if i don't have them, about 20 bucks in food is going to get tossed, and then we will spend whatever on what we do eat. So fucking fajitas it is.

I'd talk to a planner first, who you are paying essentially a flat rate for, and who isn't making money based off where they tell you to put your dough. They can help you assess where you can take risks and how things will align with your goals, and start the conversation and help educate you as to where you go from there with investments.

Also anyone whose first bit of advice isn't, "ok, lets get the taxes straight on this, sort out any liabilities, retire any 'bad' debt, and then cool our jets for a bit and wrap our heads around it" isn't the right person.

Edit: to clarify, there are different fields, and licensing around financial planning, investment advisement, etc.

The #1 thing you need to ensure is that whomever you are taking advice from has a Fiduciary duty to you. (ie, your financial well being comes before them). They will require some form of payment direct from you for their time and advice, and not be people who say, "I'll manage that money, but i get X off the top".

Yes, but, well, he is booked solid for the next 20-30 years, and i don't know if he was able to hang on to his license.

But you seem to be on the right track already looking for ways to combine your needs to save some dough.

Edit: Serious part- What are you looking for? Just a basic accountant type person? A Financial Planner? An investment advisor? What type of structure are you looking for in fees?

The order is typically get a decent accountant to make sure you are maximizing advantages, if you like how that goes, get a planner who doesn't have skin in the game to get you on track to your goals and be able to check others work, and then once all of that is sorted, you get an advisor for, "ok, now i can take some risks, where do i go"