Top 10 Best Free Fun Games that Don't Need WiFi

games you can play without wifi on ipad

games you can play without wifi on ipad - win

Stadia vs Luna vs GeForce Now vs xCloud

Hey all...I've been pretty exhaustively trying all the current streaming services. I know this is a Stadia group but I thought if anyone out there is curious about what the experience is like on other services, perhaps you could benefit from a layman's experience using each service and trying to make it my "main" service. Like I said, I'm a layman, not a professional reviewer, so there's a lot of things I'm still learning, but having tried all three of the major services, here's my thoughts.
Edit: Please bear in mind this is not an exhaustive list, just some thoughts based on a couple of months of on and off testing. I'm certainly not trying to sway or influence anyone's purchasing decisions, just giving some general thoughts that might help when trying to decide which service to look into. I know not everyone can get ahold of / rush out and buy all of the devices I have listed here - I happen to work for a tech company so I have a lot more devices floating around than most other people. Your mileage, of course, may vary!
I know there's also Steam Link, but since that requires you to have a PC capable of playing the game in the house somewhere, I'm not considering that a streaming service.
Testing Devices:

Amazon Luna

Notable Games: Control, lots of highly rated indie titles (Blasphemous, Bloodstained, Iconoclasts)
To be fair, I only have about 6 hours on Amazon Luna, but they've been pretty excruciating. My wifi averages about 75-90 MBps, and about half of the games I tried suffered from lag and graphical smear, mostly the Ubisoft+ games. The indie games played fabulously well. Luna is probably the service I have the least to say about. It's $6 a month for Luna on it's own, so it's kindof like the "also-ran" effort - it's cheap, but might be the most forgettable of the bunch. The user interface is better than GeForce Now, worse than Stadia, and unlike Stadia it doesn't seem like Luna can be enhanced with browser extensions.
I have Ubisoft+, so I tried to play Immortal: Fenyx Rising on Luna and it was absolutely horrible. Smeared graphics, dropped frames, input lag, the works. It was the only experience across all of the big three services that was literally unplayable. This seemed to be a problem only with the Ubisoft games, however, I have to stress.
Pros
Cons

GeForce Now

Notable Games: Cyberpunk 2077, Control, Immortals: Fenix Rising, Metro series, Destiny 2 (all paid)
I picked up an nVidia Shield specifically for GeForce now, but my wife and I have ended up using it primarily for Kodi and to watch Netflix more than playing any games on it. I'll just say it straight out - GeForce Now sucks ass. It's a broken, shoddy, inconsistent mess. It's actually WORSE on the Shield than it is on PC, because there are so many times when I needed a keyboard to do anything. I tried playing Immortals: Fenyx Rising on GFN on my Shield which required me to log into Ubisoft+. I'm fine with that, since you only have to do it once...but using the Shield remote that came with my Shield, the on-screen keyboard never popped up, forcing me to track down a second keyboard from in my garage and plug in. After I plugged in the physical keyboard....THEN the onscreen keyboard popped up and just mirrored what I pressed on the physical keyboard. What? Why?
Games are all over the place as well. Witcher 3 was a nightmare - every time you try to play the game, it wants to install the DLC packs onto whatever virtual machine you've been assigned. Then when you can play, it dips so far under 30 fps it's literally better to just play it on a budget PC with Hairworks off.
Plus the Shield ain't cheap - it was like $200 at Best Buy, and didn't include a controller. $100 more gets you a Series S, and $100 LESS gets you a Stadia-enabled Chromecast WITH a solid as hell controller, just for comparison's sake.
Pros
Cons

Google Stadia

Notable Games: Cyberpunk 2077 (paid), Hitman: World of Assassination (Pro), Destiny 2 (Pro), Red Dead Redemption II (Paid)
Stadia is easily the best overall, but it still has its cons. I came to Stadia thanks to Cyberpunk 2077 so I have the most hours played on Stadia of the big three services. Stadia on the Chromecast Ultra seems to me to be the hands down best way to play streamed games currently.
Of all the services, Stadia was the one that felt the least like a "me-too" service and more like a dedicated platform. Almost all of the other services felt like a way for corporations to dip their toe in the water and figure out if there's money to be made, while Stadia feels like someone who really grasps and cares about gaming is at the helm.
Pros
Cons

Xbox Game Pass / Game Pass Unlimited / Gold / Live / Play Anywhere / xCloud / Whatever it's being called these days

Notable Games: Nier: Automata BAG Edition, Dragon Quest XI S, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
Xbox Game Pass gets added to this list on a pure technicality.
So, technically Xbox Game Pass isn't a streaming service, but I include it because on Android, there actually is a "cloud" option for playing your console Game Pass library. The Cloud streaming works surprisingly well, but you're limited to either an Android tablet or phone because it doesn't seem to work properly on Android TV. I've heard you can sideload onto the nVidia Shield, but that was beyond the scope of what I was trying to accomplish with these reviews...I just want something I can pick up and play. So, yeah if you don't mind playing on your phone, Game Pass Cloud is actually probably the best of the bunch in terms of ease of use and game selection. There are so many things I want to play on Game Pass it's actually a little overwhelming. However, I don't want to stare at a 5" screen for hours to do so.
Pros
Cons
Whew! I actually had way more to say on this topic than I thought, I guess. I've probably spent more time and energy on this than I should have, but working from home has given me a lot of time on my hands, so hopefully my experiences can help save someone else some time and effort. Would love some counterpoints as well!
submitted by eldamien to Stadia [link] [comments]

I am a 32 year old RN making $57,450, living in rural MN and I get a colonoscopy this week

One day early. Buckle up, it's a long one!
Trigger warning: digestive & anxiety issues, medical procedures
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: PERA account $7,389.65
Equity: roughly $45,000 (house and vehicles)
Savings account balance: $523
'Secret' cash stash: about $800 between us which we pretend doesn't exist.
Checking account balance: $2,318
Credit card debt: $6404.47 🤯
Student loan debt: $30,593.72 for my associate's in nursing and one semester of my BSN which I have no plans to finish.
Current clinic bill: $814. I have about $620 left in my flex account from last year that I need to use so I'll probably pay this off this month.
Section Two: Income
Income progression: It's been pretty straightforward for me. I worked at McDonald's in high school (minimum wage) and came back after one semester of college. I was eventually promoted to shift manager in 2007 (I think $9.50/hr). I got my CNA license in 2008 and started working at a nursing home ($10.65/hr). Gradually increased over the years. When I got my LPN license in 2016, I bumped up to around $16.50/hr. Another bump for my RN license at the end of 2017. I started at $26.50 and now make $28.75 base. I work 12 hour nights so I get $.50 differential from 6p-10p and $1 for 10p-6a. This is considered a joke of a differential btw. We get time and a half on holidays. I do truly love my work but I'm so burnt out. I've been in long term care for so long that I'm not sure how to even do anything else at this point.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: ~$2700, more if I work a holiday or pick up a shift
Taxes: ~$700 Health insurance: $303 (family plan with high deductible) Retirement contributions: 6.5% of my pay HSA: $192.30 Flex: $46.16 Clinic bill payment: $100 Life/STD insurance: $54.42 Christmas account: $50
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: generally $0. I do sell some craft items on the side but I don't hustle.
Child support: supposed to be $531 but I get what I get most of the time.
I am married but we do not have a joint account. B's gross is $41,600/year. He recently started a new job and got a $4.50/hr pay increase. He's also a volunteer firefighter and gets paid once a year from that, although last year's check was only $750. He carries dental and vision insurance for us and has a flex set up, about $170/month.
Section Three: Expenses
Rent / Mortgage / HOA fees: $0. 2 bed 1 bath home we share with my daughter (Z, she's 8) full time and B's stepson (E, he's 14) part time. We own outright.
Property tax: $497 this year, B pays.
Car registration: $206 this year for my car, goes down a bit every year.
Home & car (3) insurance: $237, B pays. We just combined everything a few days ago so we might split this. ETA after getting the first bill, I will pay *$265/6 months* for my car and half of the SUV, about $175/6 months.*
Savings contribution: lol, whatever comes from my round up rule
Debt payments: CC bills $400, B's pellet grill $35 (was a Christmas present). B has no debt.
Electric: fluctuates with the climate, last month was $245!!! We are trying to figure out ways to reduce this. B pays.
Gas: $50 now on the yearly plan, B pays.
Watesewegarbage: ~$60, B pays.
Wifi: $59, I pay.
Cellphone: $290, I pay for 5 lines.
Babysitter: $180
Student loans: in deferment, not making payments
Meds: around $50, paid with flex money.
Monthly subscriptions: Hulu, HBO, Pandora, Design Bundles, razors, Netflix, Apple storage, NYT, Cricut Access, Disney+, Amazon subscribe and save items, my entire life, $250. I pay.
Amazon Prime: $124/year, I pay.
Pet expenses: averages around $100 between food, haircuts, shots and insurance for my youngest pup, I pay.
Car payment: $405.27 for my car. We paid cash for our used SUV in December, and B's truck is old and has been paid off for years.
Groceries: around $400, B tends to grab things here and there and I get the big hauls.
School lunch: free this year! Thanks USDA!
Extracurriculars: Z opted out of any extracurriculars this year due to COVID.
Regular therapy: nope
1/16 Saturday
3:30 AM: I'm awake but I refuse to get out of bed. Cruise Indeed and Facebook for jobs. I recently put in my 30 day notice so I need to find something ASAP. I've put in probably 6 online applications already. Print out two applications, three copies of my resume, and create two cover letters. Why do I have to fill out all my info on an application when they can find it on a resume? Get a year of a resume and cover letter making site for $24.99 because I'm terrible at both. Buy some new Brumates that I don't need $67.93 and see that my yearly Prime payment has been pulled. Watch YouTube and fall back to sleep around 5.
8:20 AM: B crawls into bed after work and snowblowing basically the entire yard. Cuddle for a while so he can leech my body heat before I go upstairs. I need to wash my hair. Fall into an internet hole of Facebook and NYT while lounging with the dogs.
Noon: B comes upstairs. I didn't wash my hair. We need some groceries so decide to drive the hour to the nearest town with a Walmart AND a Menards - it's the 15% off bag sale right now. Throw in some dry shampoo, brush my teeth and get dressed. Change the water jug in our machine (our tap water is sketch), let the dogs out and head out.
1:18 PM: Gas is up to $2.34/gallon. Cringe thinking about filling up the SUV. My car is a hybrid but doesn't like Minnesota winters. B and I debate bringing our cat to the vet during the drive. She has FIV and has been losing weight, but we decide against it as there's not much we can do at this point anyways. She's still happy so 🤷‍♀️
2:34: Check out of Menards. $99.15 on a new door lock with keypad, sanding blocks and paper, disposable condiment cups, and Armor All wipes after 15% off and B's $15 return credit that he forgot to use. B gets LED bulbs, grill brushes, motor oil, a door latch for our porch, something for his brother's toilet and a propane tank exchange. Only saw one guy without a mask, so I'd call that a win.
3:05: $15.98 after coupons at Joann's on more tumbler supplies (e-6000 spray, 5 taklon brushes) and one roll of clearance ribbon. Realize I have my Christmas money in my purse and forgot to use it. B goes to Harbor Freight for more tools he doesn't need and a sporting goods store for a gift card for his best friend's birthday.
3:32: We decide to go to Perkin's, hoping they won't be too busy in the off hour. The hostess is wearing her mask under her nose and I'm so annoyed. I have some weird stomach issue going on, so I just get two eggs and toast. B tells me he should be able to get the first COVID shot this week, and I tell him I still haven't changed my mind (we both already had COVID during an outbreak at our workplace). I've been 'not preventing' pregnancy for almost two years. At this point, I'm too anxious to get the vaccine, and there is just not enough data available on pregnant/TTC women to change my mind. My time limit is my birthday, so if I'm not pregnant by then I'll be getting the vaccine in August. $28.87 +$5 tip.
4:47: Check out of Walmart with wet cat food, pop, milk, butter, Mac and cheese, cereal, snacks for the kiddo, chips, ketchup, tator tots, Gatorade, Hawaiian Punch and deli meat. $88.65. Every time I ask B if we need something, he says we have it at home. Also, no grapes? Usually a Walmart trip sends me into an anxiety attack but the store is pretty empty today.
5:09: My favorite stop of the day: the liquor store. The store at home is so crazy expensive so this is a treat. I get Truly Iced Tea and two different kinds of hard coffee to try for $41.91. B picks up three cases of beer.
5:18: B stops for gas ($37 🥴) and we head for home. Buy some vape juice online, $86.59. Yeah yeah, I know. My gut hurts, I'm super bloated and I just want to nap. We talk about our options regarding my medical procedure that is coming up and decide to try and get it done while we're still on my work insurance. I had a positive FIT test so now I have to have a colonoscopy. I'll end up maxing out the deductible but I'll get it half off if we can pay the bill within 30 days. I'll get my PTO paid out at the end of my 30 day notice, so we should be able to swing it. Not really sure we have a great option at this point as B doesn't want me to take on another payment. He is so anti debt, and I have $6500 in CC debt. We are opposites in so many ways.
6:20: Get home and unload the SUV. The dogs are going WILD. I feel like garbage and immediately get into pajamas. Give the cat a can of wet food and she eats a few bites. I still can't find a type she really enjoys. I also hook up the drinking water fountain I bought for her a few days ago. B installs the new door lock and I'm thrilled to have a keypad again. The old one stopped working a few months ago. Pay an invoice for a bulk order of keychain tassels from a wholesale group, $19. Basically do nothing for the rest of the night.
9:45: I'm falling asleep in my recliner. I decide to do my nighttime routine (rinse face, No7 HydraLuminous Gel Cream, Algenist Complete Renewal Eye Balm) and go to bed in hopes of feeling better tomorrow. I skip brushing my teeth because I'm nursing a ginger ale. Watch some YouTube and fall asleep around 10:30.
Daily total: $478.07
1/17 Sunday
2:09 AM: I wake up for the second time tonight with nightmares. I rarely have them so I'm annoyed. B isn't in bed to cuddle with either. I go upstairs to use the bathroom and find him in his recliner. Realize I forgot to take my meds last night (antidepressant, probiotic, omeprazole, hair skin & nail vitamin, Lysine supplements, allergy pill) so grab those along with two Goli gummies and a lorazepam to help me calm down. My gut still hurts, and I'm so over this. Browse the internet and watch YouTube again to fall asleep.
3:55: Wake up to stomach cramps and know my colon is going to empty itself out. Park myself in the bathroom for half an hour and try not to pass out. I'm not sure if it's just IBS or something worse going on, but I'm glad I'm getting it checked out.
7:17: Still awake. I am stressed by the potential of not having a job for a few weeks, my health, and the current state of everything else in the world. Decide to compound this by opening my NYT app. I am so hopeful Joe can start turning things around.
12:17 PM: I must have finally fallen asleep because B comes down to ask if I want to go to South Dakota today. We check out local case rates by county and decide we are probably safe. We are about the only ones who wear our masks in public over there. I must admit that going through this pandemic feels much different out here in the boonies than it does in the city. We had a large surge in cases for about 4 weeks in November-December, and now we are back down to about 2-3 new cases a day. Our local businesses work hard to keep us safe, in part because they don't want to be known as the place so-and-so got COVID. Ah, small town gossip. We do our part try to support them as we really can't afford to lose any businesses in our area. I shoot a text to Z's dad to confirm I'm picking her up in the morning.
1:28: I finally get out of bed and wash my hair, which is my least favorite chore. I brush it out before my shower, use some Head and Shoulders 2 in 1 to combat my winter dry scalp, finish it off with SheaMoisture Purple Rice Water conditioner. I decide to heat style it today, so I use two heat protection sprays. To brush, wash, condition, brush again, dry and curl my hair takes 1.5 hours. Now I remember why I never do this.
3:30: We hide in the corner of the bar for the meat raffle. I really love coming here because the money they raise goes to local charities. We also have drinks and supper. I get a BLT chicken wrap, and we win 3 free drink tickets. We head out around 6. $50 + $10 tip, this comes out of my Christmas money. B goes to the drivethru on our way home and gets me a frozen hot chocolate. Yuuuum.
8:45: For some reason I can't keep all the school calendar changes straight. Z was supposed to be off tomorrow, but I just realized she does have school. I message Z's teacher to let her know Z won't be there, since she has her yearly physical tomorrow after being rescheduled 3 times. Do a quick nighttime routine, take my meds and head downstairs for YouTube and sleep. Hoping for a decent night of it!
Daily total: $60
1/18 Monday
3:05 AM: I'm awake, but for no particular reason this time. Working the night shift really messes with your sleeping schedule. I must have been snoring because B has gone upstairs to sleep in E's room. I clean the litter box and decide to fire up my laptop and Cricut machine to get some projects done I've been procrastinating. I finish a water bottle for B, a stash jar for a friend, create a couple Valentine's mock ups for my business page and seal some glitter signs. I grab a couple SVGs on Etsy $1.38. My mom sees my Snapchat and we message over the woes of insomnia.
6:20: I have come to the realization that buying craft items and actually using them are two separate hobbies. I lay in bed with the cat and doze.
8:40: Leave the house to go pick up Z. Her dad lives about 25 minutes away. On the way home we stop at Casey's for random snacks, $7.64. The clinic calls and we schedule my colonoscopy for Thursday. I have to get some blood drawn later this morning when I bring Z to her appointment. I also have to have a CT with contrast so I'll figure out when I can get that done as well. I take a quick body shower when we get home.
10:55: Bring Z to her well child check-up. I think they asked us about 100 questions, and some of them were super weird for an 8 year old. She finally gets her flu shot and only spills a few tears. No major issues so that's a win! She does miss a few sounds on her hearing test, but we decide to just watch it for now. I get my blood drawn when we're done with her appointment and talk to the radiologist about my CT. He says my prior authorization hasn't gone through yet and he'll call me when we can get it scheduled. We're both hopeful it can get done tomorrow. Then I talk to the surgical nurse to get my pre-op instructions. Finally leave the clinic around 12:45. Pick up my surgical prep from the drugstore, $52.06 (!!!) from my flex account. Z requests cheese pizza for lunch so I oblige.
1:17 PM: I get a call about a job and set up an interview for Wednesday afternoon.
4:10: I bring Z down to the local salon for a haircut. I can't go in (COVID restrictions) but Z loves the feel of a fresh cut so I don't worry. Her hair dresser is her classmate's mom and my old neighbor. $18 + $7 tip.
6:30: B has a fireman's meeting tonight, so Z and I have mac and cheese per our tradition. B hates it so we usually only eat it when he's gone. I make Z have an apple on the side so we can make at least one good food choice today. The Bachelor is on tonight! I usually hit the Reddit stream but I got a late start tonight so I skip it.
9:05: Make sure Z brushes her teeth and hug her goodnight.
10:20: My oldest (and crankiest) dog just cannot be pleased tonight. She keeps wanting to go outside, but it's cold and snowy and she doesn't like either of those things. Sigh. Do my usual nighttime routine, take my meds and go to bed. Fall asleep around 11.
Daily total: $33.99
1/19 Tuesday
6:45 AM: Success! Finally got some sleep. Good thing I woke up though, because I forgot to set an alarm. I wake up a very cranky Z at 7 and make sure she gets ready for school. We are very fortunate that our school district is small, and Z has been going to school in person, full time, all school year. She never complains about wearing her mask either. I drop her off at 8, then B and I bring our SUV to the mechanic. I think B is dropping me off at home but instead we go out for breakfast downtown. I have a pancake, scrambled egg and side of fruit. I hear the regulars (old guys who come in every morning for coffee) talking about signing up for their COVID shots. This is a good sign! B pays, $16.04 + $3.96 tip.
9:01: I get an email that a hospital position I applied for has already been filled. Dang. It's still snowing, so I plan for a lazy day. B goes outside to snowblow.
9:55: The radiologist calls and tells me we can get my CT completed. We decide to do it right away this morning. I run up to the clinic to grab my contrast drink and set a timer so I drink the right amounts during the right time frames. It tastes like flat, flavored water. My stomach doesn't seem to appreciate it much. Hopefully this doesn't become a problem when I'm in the CT machine.
11:00: Get my CT done. I get an IV in my arm and the radiologist pushes Lord knows what into my veins, but it makes me feel like I wet my pants 🤣 He lets me check out the images when we're done. It only takes about 15 minutes and then I head back home. I sit around with B for a while, then I go downstairs to make a few crafty things and fill an order. I put a couple more things on my business page as well. During this time B brings his truck out to the mechanic and brings home the SUV. They put in a 'Minnesota approved' battery, the repair cost was $220. I offer B half but he declines, saying "let's see what the truck costs first."
2:45 PM: I get so distracted crafting that I almost forget to go pick Z up from school. She gets in the car and tells me she had the best day ever! I ask what happened, and she says she didn't get strawberries at lunch. Oh... she was being sarcastic. She picks up her room and puts away her laundry when we get home. We don't do much this afternoon.
7:00: B makes supper tonight, nothing fancy. A chicken patty for me and corn dogs for him and Z. I'm staying away from roughage to make my life easier tomorrow. Z gets ready for bed and I tuck her in at 8:45. Shortly after, B leaves for work. I go downstairs to work on a Valentine's day order.
Daily total: $0
1/20 Wednesday
12:45 AM: I have spent far too long organizing files on my computer. I call it a night. I look up my CT report and it doesn't show anything urgent or explain why there's blood in my stool. Sigh. Normal routine and bedtime.
7:05: I'm up. IT'S INAUGURATION DAY! B is already in bed. He tells me he has the chills, is nauseated, and his arm is killing him. I tell him his COVID shot is working and bring him some ibuprofen. I wake up Z and she gets ready for school. While I'm waiting, I take a body shower, let the dogs out and feed them. Drop Z off at school at 8, deliver a Valentine's Day order (+$20!) and go home to watch the inauguration while eating mini wheats.
10:45: I watch Kamala get sworn in and I get tears in my eyes. Such a historic moment.
11:45: I make myself scrambled eggs and drink a Dr. Pepper. After this, it's only clear liquids until tomorrow afternoon. B helps me give my oldest dog a haircut. You'd think we were killing her the way she cries. She's been getting haircuts every 2-3 months her whole life and still can't sit still.
2:00 PM: I have a virtual interview. The job sounds so interesting but it involves a lot of travel, and I'm not sure that would work with my family. I pick up Z from school when I'm done. She tells me "happy Joe Biden day!" when she gets into the car. We talk about the possible new job and she's not into the idea of me being gone.
5:00: B leaves to go work on his brother's house. He's been there on and off all week. He also got the night off for his floating holiday. I take my meds early so they have time to get into my system. I mix up the colonoscopy prep: two packets of powder into one liter of water. I make dinner for Z while I'm in the kitchen.
6:45: COLONOSCOPY PREP IS NASTY. Like, the taste of the drink is so disgusting and it's making me nauseated. I know it's important to keep it down, but it's also important to drink it within the one hour timeframe. Uuggghhhhh. It ends up being one hour and 45 minutes. B comes home around 8:30 and gets Z into bed.
9:00: The best way to describe how I feel is early labor. The cramps come and go and are so intense I have to take deep breaths. It's so exhausting I end up falling asleep.
Daily total: $0
1/21 Thursday
12:30 AM: IT'S TIME.
6:00: I slept between bathroom trips, but now it's time to mix up my second liter of prep. Yes, I have to do this to myself all over again. This time, I have to make sure to drink it all within the one hour timeframe.
7:30: Everybody is awake and chaos ensues. Did I mention we only have one bathroom? Z is trying to get ready for school, B wants to shower and I'm, well, you know. I get my entire liter of prep down in 65 minutes. B is still not feeling well from his COVID shot.
8:45: I manage a body shower although I had to get out once for the toilet. I am basically a zombie at this point. B drops me off at the hospital at 9:10. When I get there, they are running behind so I have to wait half an hour before I get into my room.
10:05: My nurse blows my vein and I have a panic attack. We are starting this day off great. A second nurse comes in and gets my IV in right away, thank God. Things move pretty quickly from here. By 10:30, I'm in the OR getting the good drugs. By 11:20, I'm awake enough to remember what's going on and drinking water so they'll pull my IV. The surgeon comes in and tells me they didn't see anything abnormal, but they did take some biopsies so hopefully I get some answers. By 12:05, I'm walking out the door.
12:15 PM: I am absolutely starving. B takes me out for lunch. I have a tuna sandwich and a 7Up. Our total is something around $17. I throw him $5 for the tip.
1:00: We're home. We spend the afternoon watching movies and laying around. My stomach is still pretty upset from all the torture. B picks up Z from school since I'm not supposed to drive yet. When she gets home, she regales me with the tale of getting hit in the face with a hulu hoop in gym. She actually has a fat lip!
5:00: I get a jar of my favorite eye cream on a BST board, $20.
6:00: B heads out to work and I make supper. We have tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches tonight. Comfort food for the win.
9:00: Z has a quarter in her tonight. We play a couple games on her iPad before I stick her in the shower and then in bed. I promptly fall asleep in the living room.
Daily total: $25
1/22 Friday
3:30 AM: Move downstairs to our bedroom.
8:00: After work, B picked up E and they come home. The dogs are frantic. I eat a bowl of cereal and hang out with Z, since she doesn't have school today. We make funny drawings of each other and she reads me some knock knock jokes. I also get two more interviews set up for next week. I head back to bed around noon. I have to go back to work tonight. I have a block schedule: 7 off, 3 on, 1 off, 3 on, 4 off, 3 on. Our pay periods are adjusted for the night shift, so if I work the weekend that's my 36 hours for the week.
4:30 PM: I'm up. I take a shower and wash my hair. B makes pizza for the kids, another traditional meal timing in our house. He leaves for work at 5:30. I am dreading work. I have been exhausted after every shift no matter if it was busy or not. I'm not sure if it's my actual job, or just the night shift catching up to me. Either way, I'm looking forward to a new position. Also, getting ready for work is a chore these days. I use Fog Block on my glasses, then put side shields on. I hook my two masks up to my ear savers. Then I find two bottles of hand sanitizer and two pens to put in my pockets because I always lose one somewhere along the way. I pack my bag (water bottle, energy drink, iPad, shoes, snacks and supper) and start my car. I say bye to the kids and head out at 5:45.
6:00: Work is already a shit show and I just clocked in 5 minutes ago. I'm so annoyed and I just don't want to be here. But you better believe I'm going to suck it up and be happy for my residents. They are usually pretty happy to see me after my long stretch off.
11:45: I buckle up for what's going to be a very long shift.
Daily total: $0
Weekly total: $597.09
Food + Drink: $177.07
Fun / Entertainment: $60
Home + Health: $203.44
Clothes + Beauty: $45
Transport: $0
Other: $111.58
Reflection: This was a normal week considering its events. Obviously I don't usually buy a new door lock, and I typically only stock up on vape juice every 6 months or so. I'm heavily into my depression spending, but with everything going on in the world I've cut myself some slack. I'm only going to live once! *ETA our cat passed away this evening, 1/25. We are very sad but are happy we got to give her a good life for the last 3 years.
submitted by samj732 to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

Observations of someone who switched from eero to Ubiquiti/UniFi

I was an eero user for a little over two years and decided to try out Ubiquiti’s UniFi line of networking gear. I’ve had my UniFi setup for about two weeks and thought I’d share my experience.
Motivation: The reason for me moving over to UniFi was not for stability as one might expect. For my eero setup I had a Gen 2 Pro and two beacons and a Gen 2 cupcake that had a hardwired backhaul. So I didn’t experience all of the stability issues that the eero 6 people had (are having). The main reason for me moving was because I wanted more control and insight into my network. Over the last year I’ve gotten into home automation and have accumulated dozens of WiFi light switches, plugs, locks, etc. All in all I have about 60 clients connected to my network at any given time. Managing these clients, seeing what they’re doing, what they’re connected to, etc. was virtually impossible to do in the eero app. And because I had all of these IoT devices, I wanted to make sure they were as segregated as possible from my main network. I thought about using the guest network in eero but that’s an all or nothing network and I still needed to have some targeted connectivity to the main network.
UniFi Setup: My house is not that big (~1800sqft single story) so my coverage needs are not that big. I do have a detached office that I built as my COVID summer project which has CAT6 run to it (the office is what had my eero cupcake). Another important point is that wireless speed is not that important to me. Most devices that I have that need the speed (server, iMac, work laptop, game consoles) are are all hardwired into Ethernet ports in my office.
I decided to go with a UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) as my main router. It includes a gateway/router, a wireless AP, a 4-port switch, and a cloud key controller (the software component that monitors and controls your network). This is placed dead center of the house and provides good coverage for pretty much every room. For my office I got the USW-16 PoE switch to handle all of my servers, desktops, and other hardwired connections. Finally, I got the UAP-AC-IW access point to give wireless connectivity to the office and backyard (this, like most UniFi AP’s, is powered via PoE).
Setting these up was surprisingly easy. I did the initial configuration of the UDM while attached to the eero network and just did a double NAT. I created three wireless networks (main, IoT, and NoT) and initially configured them to be on the same vlan for simplicity sake. I added all of my clients to the new networks and then cutover, removing the eero and connecting the cable modem directly to the UDM. I then installed the 16 port switch (replacing an old unmanaged TPlink switch) in the office, connected everything, and the UDM immediately saw it allowed me to “adopt” it into the network. I then installed the AP in the office and again, it was immediately recognized and adopted.
The most time consuming part by far was getting all of the clients connected to the new network because they were different SSID’s and passwords. Had I kept the same SSID/password as my eero, the whole process would have taken less than hour.
Pros of the UniFi: 1. Control. OMG the control you have over your network is amazing. The ability to create multiple SSID’s and attach them to different networks provides security for the IoT devices that you’re just not sure about. You can create complex firewall rules at multiple levels to make sure traffic doesn’t get in/out when you don’t want it to. 2. Insights: You can easily search on any attribute (IP, name, MAC address) and you see real time stats and info on your devices. You can easily force a device to connect to a specific AP or force a disconnect if you’ve roamed and want your client to pickup a new AP. And you can do this from your phone or computer. 3. Threat Management: if something suspicious either tries to enter or leave your network, it’ll tell you. I gotta say, I was a little freaked out when I saw potential exploits being aimed at my IP (mostly all automated) as soon as I was connected but the UniFi simply drops the packets at the front door. And if it’s a false alarm, you can easily suppress that particular signature without disabling all together. 4. You schedule when you want firmware updates to happen (need I say more?) 5. No reliance on cloud. You can use their cloud service to connect to your network and configure but it’s not mandatory. You can easily turn that off and just have local access. 6. Everything is modular. If I decide I want a WiFi 6 AP, I just have to add the AP. I don’t need to buy a whole new routesystem.
Cons of the UniFi: 1. This is enterprise grade software/hardware in that it gives you more configuration options than you probably need. While initial setup was basic, it does get pretty daunting when you look at all the the things you can do. You do need more than just a basic level of network admin experience to get the most out of it. 2. Stability is a problem for UniFi too. You can tell they jam as much functionality as they can as fast as they can. Not all firmware is rock solid. I updated the switch’s firmware a few days after I had everything installed and I started getting random reboots. After trying to troubleshoot I eventually downgraded the firmware (yes you can do that!) and things seem to be better now. 3. The network stats/insights don’t seem to be that accurate. At one point it said my iPad had downloaded 200GB in less than 5 minutes. 4. Tons of products and it’s not clear what you need. I never thought I’d say it but this is a case where there are almost too many options. Go look at their website and just browse the AP’s...they over 20 different AP’s you can buy. This is partially why I went with the UDM...so I didn’t have to make too many decisions.
Conclusion: So far I’m pretty happy with the switch and I’m enjoying playing around with the new features. As I said it’s only been a couple of weeks so we’ll see if that remains. I have three kids at home doing school so stability is everything to me. I still have my eero hardware and won’t hesitate to go back if things start going south. If you’re thinking of switching and have a knack for networking, I would definitely recommend giving Ubiquiti a try. Just be prepared. If all you want is a turn key, set it and forget it network, I would still recommend eero to all my non-techy family and friends.
submitted by fender4645 to eero [link] [comments]

I am 25 years old, make $122,000, live in New York, NY and work as a product manager.

Section 0: Background
Hi everyone! I’m trying to tailor this a bit more to reflect the UK Money Diary style where I give context on the week before and reflect on it after. I also added in some of the questions from the recent thread about what Refinery29 should ask diarists (see here).
I wrote this the week of Thanksgiving; my partner and I stayed in NYC instead of going home to either of our parents’ homes. We wear masks and stay socially distant when we leave the house. I’m thankful that we live close to a park and live on a block where we know and enjoy talking to our neighbors.
This was a relatively normal week for us during a pandemic, save for me spending a bit more than normal and it being Thanksgiving. We’ve both lived in the city since college and have so-so relationships with our families, so we didn’t leave for “home” when the pandemic hit.
I also just named my boyfriend instead of giving him an initial. He’s the only person I actually saw this week, but the initials always throw me off when I read these.
What do money and success mean to you? What are your end goals?
It helps me to see money as a tool. I never resonate with people who say “money doesn’t buy happiness” because to a certain degree, it does. Money enables me to live the life I want.
I’m pursuing FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and hope to be financially independent (able to live off my investments) by my early 30s. To do so, I save 60%+ of my income per month. I want this because working for 40 years isn’t sustainable for me—I have a very cushy tech job and still get anxiety and rage about waking up every morning to work, the rat race, and being paid inequitably to male peers. I’d like to give myself the option to leave this world as soon as possible.
As an alternative, I could see myself successful if I open a product consultancy, where I advise early-stage startups on product management, what to build for their MVP, and product-market fit. I’m really interested in tech ethics and the questionable practices in venture capital, so I’d love to be in a place where I could be picky about what clients I take and help truly mission-driven businesses thrive. I could see this also working as a small business incubator—why not apply what works in startups to small businesses?
I don’t yet have a firm picture of what I’d like my life to look like when I retire. I’m interested in spending a lot of time reading, traveling to new places for extended periods of time, and potentially writing a book. I get extremely interested in niche topics. Right now if I had to guess, I’d be writing a book about the ways multi-level marketing companies (MLMs) manipulate women.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Definitely a saver. My partner is more of a spender, and we’ve influenced each other well. Seeing him spend money on himself for video games helps me realize I can spend more money on myself for things I just want (see my big purchase for myself this week).
In turn, seeing me save a lot of money has motivated him to up his 401k contribution and overall savings. He’s also interested in FIRE, although I’d say my timeline is more aggressive.
If you could go back in time, what's the one piece of financial advice you would give to your past self?
Learn about investing, look up the terms you don’t know, and start doing it as soon as possible. Ask questions to people you know or on the internet.
On to the diary!
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Section One: Assets and Debt
Investment Balance
$131,175
Equity if you're a homeowner
N/A, I rent in a HCOL city. No plans to own anytime soon
Savings account balance
$10,270
Checking account balance
$3,433 in checking account for bills
$2,518 in checking account for rent
Credit card debt
N/A. There’s $1,348 currently on my credit cards, but I pay them all off in full each month. My parents signed me up for a credit card as soon as I was old enough and taught me about how important it was to pay in full. In fact, I think this was so hammered into my brain that doing anything other than that each month was never an option. Because of this, I’ve always thought of credit cards as similar to debit cards—only spend money you have.
Student loan debt (for what degree)
I was fortunate to go to college on a full scholarship, including living expenses. I studied psychology and sociology, and I graduated without any student loan debt.
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Section Two: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $6,570/month
I maxed out my 401k early this year, so for 8 months I was contributing $2,500/month out of my paychecks. That ended in September, so it changed my monthly take-home from about $4,650 to $6,570/month.
Deductions:
Income Progression
I don’t have any other sources of income outside my main job. My partner makes a similar amount to me—about $117,000/year with bonus.
​
Section Three: Expenses
I live with my partner and we don’t have combined finances, but split many expenses 50/50. We use Splitwise to log transactions. He’s more laid-back about being paid back, but I’m much more “I don’t want to owe anyone anything, and I don’t want anyone to owe me anything” (I know, rigid, but I’m working on it!).
Splitwise is nice because it’d be ridiculous to Venmo request each other for a $4 coffee, but we can see how expenses are adding up. If someone has racked up a few hundred dollars of spending for both of us, the other person will cover our expenses for awhile. It works for us!
Rent
$2,200 for a 2 bed, 1 bath apartment in Brooklyn. We split rent 50/50.
Renters insurance
About $7/month for my portion. This covers all our possessions plus my boyfriend’s watches. He pays 75% of it because half of the monthly cost comes from the extra watch overage.
Savings contribution
I try to have about $10,000 sitting in my savings account at any given time, because it makes me feel safe in case of an emergency. I also like the freedom it enables, in case I wanted to leave my job and take a significant amount of time off. This is already at the $10k I want, so I don’t contribute to it monthly.
Investment contribution
It varies but on average I contribute $2,500/month to my brokerage account and Roth IRA (combined).
Donations
I try to donate about $200/month, but it’s pretty sporadic. This month I donated to the Yellowhammer Fund and Northwest Abortion Access Fund. One of my major goals for 2021 is to step up my donations and create an actual strategy around them, potentially involving a donor-advised fund.
Gas/electric
Our gas is $20-25/month and electric is $50/month. I pay gas and Will pays electric, both go in Splitwise. About $37/month total for me.
Wifi
Our wifi is $60/month, which goes into Splitwise—I pay $30/month.
Cellphone
I’m still on my parents’ phone plan—sheesh! This is convincing me that I should Venmo them for it each month.
Subscriptions
I pay for Hulu with ads, $5.99/month. My boyfriend pays for Netflix and we share a Spotify family plan with a couple of his friends, which I chip in $4/month for.
I also pay for the budgeting software YNAB (You Need a Budget) which is $84/year. I only pay it once a year in September.
Medical
I recently had to go to the emergency room for an overnight stay and follow up with some specialists. (I’m okay!) Because of that whole shindig I’m expecting to max out my deductible (and potentially my out-of-pocket-max) right at the end of the year. This will be about $4,000, but none of the claims have come through yet so I’m not sure of the exact total. I have a category in my budget for my deductible, and the rest will come out of my emergency fund.
Physical therapy
This month I’m starting pelvic floor physical therapy for dyspareunia (pain with intercourse).
I’d tried everything the internet suggested (“just relaaaaaax”) before getting the courage to find a new ob-gyn and ask her about it. She had some recommendations, but ultimately physical therapy was the “last resort” option that I’m now exploring.
My new physical therapist comes highly recommended but is out of network with insurance. Each session is $250, and I’ll go once every 2-3 weeks for the next few months as part of treatment. If you’ve worked through this problem (or are experiencing it now!) I’d love to hear your experience.
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Section Four: Additional Questions
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Absolutely. My dad was the first in his family to attend college and my parents made pretty calculated decisions about where they would live so I could go to the absolute best public school possible. Over 90% of students at my high school attend a 4-year college, and we start talking about it freshman year. To say college was encouraged in my environment is an understatement.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My dad has worked in finance since I was about 10. He’s always been really knowledgeable about both higher-level economic concepts and the minutiae of personal finance. My family is frugal, too: we clipped coupons and got clothes on super-sale at Kohl’s and Goodwill. I know there was a period of time when he became self-employed and money got very tight for a few years, but the bulk of those worries were largely kept from me.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes. While we were comfortable, we lived in such an affluent place that our family was in “the middle class” of the town and it made me worry more about money than I probably needed to. Think The Stepford Wives for context.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
In college, I became maybe 80% financially independent as I had a scholarship and worked part-time during school and over the summer, but I was still on their insurance.
I remember being frustrated in college because even though I knew I was extremely privileged, my friends in college had their parents pay their summer apartment rent and gave them an “allowance” of spending money, and I was “limited” by the options I could afford with the job I had. My dad told me at the time, “This is frustrating but it’s preparing you for actually having to live off the money you make in the near future.” (Great, great advice Dad.)
I’m technically still financially dependent on my parents for my cell phone bill, but otherwise I pay for everything: rent, insurance, utilities, food, therapy, and all wants in the form of clothing, workout classes, etc. I could ask my parents for money if I absolutely needed to, but would use it as a last resort.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I have an account (mentioned above) that a family friend who’s a hedge fund manager, well, manages. I believe the initial deposit was $1000 over 10 years ago, but that money wasn’t mine either, it’s all a gift. It’s not very liquid—it’d take me several months (and some very good reasoning) to get any of that money withdrawn, since it’s supposed to be for “the future” (which I guess I could argue is now?).
I might receive a small amount of money when my grandmother passes, but it’d probably be around $1-2k, if at all.
​
Day 1 Wednesday, November 25, 2020
8:30am Wake up and shower, take my vitamin C gummies, then make coffee. I wasn’t much of a daily coffee drinker until my offices had it for free, and now I’m definitely addicted. I don’t really care if the coffee is shitty or not, I just put some milk in it and it’s great. Right now I’m trying to drink half or three-quarter cups so I can attempt to pull back my addiction a bit. I log onto work at 9am.
11:30am Eat leftovers from last night for lunch—quesadilla + Spanish rice. There’s an incredible Mexican restaurant by us, and now I am ruined for the tacos, quesadillas and nachos from any other place.
12:30pm Will picks me up in the U-Haul. We’re driving about 20 min away to pick up a butcher block desk he bought off Craigslist, which ends up being from a small office that’s downsizing. The desk is $150 which he pays for. We love the office’s style (and the owner is super nice!) and walk around while he shows us what else he’s trying to get rid of.
We end up buying an extra-large ZZ plant and two side tables from him for an extra $120, way less than we would have paid for the quality elsewhere. My half will be $60, and I’ll split the U-Haul too, $44.51. $82.26
2:45pm That ended up taking a lot longer than we expected! We get back and unload the van, then I bring stuff inside while Will returns the van to the U-Haul location. I jump back onto work—so much for a slow afternoon before Thanksgiving. AWS is down, which powers a lot of our engineering work (and a lot of the internet!) so a lot of our teams are basically twiddling their thumbs. We chat about how to message the outage to customers.
5:45pm Will starts making dinner (braised chicken and veggies) and I sit down to read with a strawberry Chobani, but I end up just reading Reddit and searching for new podcasts to listen to.
7:45pm Dinner was great! Now…ice cream.
9:43pm I remember that my mom sent me ideas for her and my dad’s Christmas presents, so I order on Etsy and Amazon. My dad gets a mug with an Ernest Hemingway quote (“write drunk, edit sober”) ($21.54) and a book on writing ($16.63), and my mom gets this food warming tote contraption she wanted ($43.52). We’ve been paring down Christmases over the years—this year I asked for the Europe version of Ticket to Ride. $81.69
11:15pm I finish up the first episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with some white cheddar Cheez-Its to snack on. After, I start on the dishes from dinner. I listen to the Product Market Misfits podcast while I do dishes—the episode with Kristen Anderson from Catch is great, highly recommend if you’re tired of just hearing stories about stereotypical Silicon Valley tech companies.
Day 1 Total: $166.69
Day 2 Thursday, November 26, 2020
10am Wake up super late since I stayed up scrolling on my phone too late last night. We make coffee and set out for a long walk around 11:15am.
12:05pm At the end of our walk, we swing by our local liquor store and buy 4 bottles of wine (red, white, rose, champagne). Will pays, total is $63.15 for everything. We haven’t had wine in the apartment for ages and I’m excited to have some stocked up. $31.57
12:30pm Get back from the walk, shower, then turn on football. I actually don’t really care about any NFL teams (I like college football a lot more), but it’s such calming background noise for me that I find myself looking for games when I have downtime. We also recently found out that Will’s friends’ dog only has a few months to live, so we order some jerky treats and a squeaky toy for him. $14.07
2:30pm We head out to the restaurant we’re going to for Thanksgiving lunch, a local place a short walk from our apartment. They’re doing a prix fixe menu of the classics—turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and a phenomenal tarte Tatin with ice cream for dessert.
We eat outside under heat lamps. It’s super cozy. With our bottle of wine and tip the total is $208 (I try to tip over and above the norm because it’s a pandemic and Thanksgiving). My half will be $104.
5:53pm Get back from the restaurant. We have a ton of leftovers which is awesome (I think it’s excessive frugality, but I almost expect to stretch takeout or restaurant meals into two meals). Exchange some texts with my friends about their socially-distant Thanksgiving celebrations.
I turn on the Washington vs. Cowboys game right at the halftime show, which is Kane Brown with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They’re all wearing masks (except for Kane) and it’s so odd to see them dancing in masks. I mean, I’m glad they’re wearing them, but it just seems like we could have gone without the halftime show this year.
9:21pm I order contacts from Contacts Direct. I got a new prescription but didn’t have a great experience with the eye doctor, so I’m hesitant about this order—only ordered one box of 90 lenses for each eye instead of a year’s worth of lenses. I’ve been getting headaches pretty frequently, so I’m hoping getting a new pair of glasses and alternating those (instead of wearing my contacts for 16 hours a day, every day) will help. $29.98 after insurance benefits
Day 2 Total: $179.62
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Day 3 Friday, November 27
8:56am Wake up super last minute, run to sign onto Slack and then start grinding coffee beans. I’m online and drinking a big mug of coffee by 9:10. (So much for half cups.)
10:45am Come up for air from work and grab the stuff to make a bagel. Everything bagels and plain cream cheese are my go-to combo.
12:03pm I grab a bag of clothes to drop off at the donation bin and a couple library books to return. The library is about a 25 minute walk so it’ll be a nice lunch break diversion.
12:56pm After the library I stop by the grocery store for some paper towels and sponges, since we’re almost out. Total is $22.62, my half is $11.31
1:09pm When I get home I jump back into work and put the USA vs. Netherlands game on my second monitor. By the 75th minute, the US is up by 2 goals so they start putting in some younger players—it’s fun to see Midge Purce and Sophia Smith play! I also throw some bagel bites in the oven for a quick snack and promise myself dinner will be healthier.
4:23pm I zone out of work and start playing Among Us. I end up playing for over two hours. We open a bottle of wine at some point and I get super tipsy.
6:50pm Turn on the tail end of the Notre Dame vs. UNC game. It turns into Jeopardy, which turns into Wheel of Fortune, which I’m not mad about. P isn’t as into the game shows and leaves to microwave a plate of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner and play video games.
8:40pm Finally getting hungry after my bagel bites and Cheez-Its this afternoon and make a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers—turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and cauliflower. Yum.
Will and I end up getting in a tiff about the mess in our apartment so we take a break, cool down and talk it through. I watch a couple episodes of Sister Wives and go to bed around 1:30am.
Day 3 Total: $11.31
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Day 4 Saturday, November 28, 2020
10:05am I stayed up late (again) so it’s nice to sleep in. I play Among Us for awhile and have a couple rounds where I’m the impostor and get some great kills and wins. I run out into the living room and celebrate with Will. We laugh because it’s silly how much we love the games we play. Around 10:45 I start making coffee.
11am We desperately need new sheets because our fitted sheet has a huge hole at Will’s feet (and it’s growing). I search a women’s personal finance group I’m in on Facebook for recommendations and we end up buying a queen sheet set from Belk. Total was $100.71 with their sale. $50.35
1pm I was planning on returning a package to the post office today, but forget it closes at 1pm on Saturdays so I decide to run to Target instead. I have a lampshade to return and want to look for a shower caddy as well. I also have an old iPad to return, which Will tells me I can do at Best Buy. He finds an old iPod and flip phone I can take too.
Take the MTA there ($2.75 for a single fare). When I get there, it’s a madhouse and I remember that I have sillily (is this a word?) decided to come on the weekend of Black Friday. I stand in the returns line for about 15 minutes and get $10.89 back, but ditch the idea of trying to look for a shower caddy. The checkout line looks like 100 people long. -$8.14 because of return
Next I go to Best Buy, but who am I kidding—the line to get in the store is even longer than the Target checkout line. I walk back to the subway and get on to go home. $2.75
2:30pm Since Best Buy was a no go, I search for electronic recycling around me on the way home just to see where I could drop off the devices I have. Apparently there’s an EcoATM not too far from my subway stop. It’s more for selling devices, but if they can’t give you money for something, they’ll recycle it, which is exactly what I wanted. I put each of the pieces in the scanner, and end up getting a whopping $2 total (for Will’s old iPod). Still cool because I was just expecting to recycle it all. I’ll give Will the $2.
2:44pm There’s a Dunkin nearby so I pop in to grab a couple donuts ($2.90). There’s a woman outside asking for money, so I give her $5 cash. $7.90
3:00pm Last stop—our favorite deli is nearby and Will mentioned he wanted to get bacon there recently. I get a 1/2 lb and salivate on the way home. This is one of those things I won’t put in Splitwise because it’s small and because it’s fun to get for P as a tiny little present. $3.50
3:45pm Once I’m home I’m super hungry from only eating carbs all morning so I have a snack of carrots, hummus and some pepperoni. I head back out to drop off a bag of clothes and shoes at a drop box a few blocks away. The neighbors are outside at the park near our house so I stop and chat with them for a few minutes. Their kids are the cutest.
6:47pm For dinner I make a ham and cheese sandwich (panini style with rosemary butter) and more carrots and hummus. I put on another episode of Sister Wives. These people are so fascinating to me—first off, I think the husband is completely full of himself. But I’m also so curious about the wives. There are a lot of talking head testimonials where the parents explain that they’re “oppressed” because they’re different and want to go public so the world can see polygamy as a valid family style (I’m only on season 2).
I know they’re probably playing up the “we love our other sister wives and have so much fun together even without Kody” aspect because people expect sister wives to be catty and hate each other, but I can’t help but wonder why they need to be in plural marriage to get the same friendship they seem to value so much. I also doubt they’d extend the same grace and tolerance they want to people who are “different” because they’re LGBTQ, or “different” because they’re in an open relationship or marriage.
9:15pm I mix together oatmeal chocolate chip cookie batter and put some cookies in the oven. While I’m waiting, I browse Zocdoc for well-reviewed providers—I want to make a podiatrist appointment for a lingering toe issue and an audiologist appointment for a routine hearing screening. I got the idea to make these appointments since I’ll hit my out-of-pocket max with the hospital visit, making them free or very discounted. I make two appointments for next week.
I also lust over a Farm Rio puffer jacket that feels overpriced but I just love. Maybe I’ll buy it tomorrow since they’re having a 30% off sale.
Day 4 Total: $64.50
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Day 5 Sunday, November 29
8:58am Wake up and switch between scrolling on Reddit and playing a few Among Us games. After a bit Will gets out of bed and makes coffee for us.
9:45am Will finishes the movie he started last night and we start on breakfast. We’re making the bacon I bought yesterday, breakfast potatoes with onions, and a fried egg for Will (I can’t stand the taste or smell).
11:00am Yum! Breakfast was great. I watch a couple episodes of Sister Wives and mull over buying that ridiculous but amazing puffer jacket from Farm Rio. I’ve still been thinking about it since last night and I might take the plunge.
1:25pm I get a jolt of motivation to work out and do a 20 minute Sydney Cummings video on Youtube. I heard about it from a recent Money Diary posted here! After it’s done I’m so, so tired. I stretch and unpause my episode of Sister Wives.
2:22pm I help Will move the butcher block slab for his desk out to our backyard. We live on the first floor of a single-family home that was converted into apartments, so we get the backyard too—it’s awesome to have outdoor space in the city. P works on sanding it and applying poly for the next couple hours.
5:07pm Will suggests pizza for dinner and I am always, always down for pizza. I order pickup from the spot down the street—one grandma, one cheese and 2 orders of garlic knots come to $38.60. We’ll have leftovers for tomorrow too. $19.30
5:50pm We pick up the pizza and dig in. While we’re eating we turn on the Chiefs vs. Buccaneers game; Will has a few players on his fantasy team in this game.
6:57pm I sign up to write letters to Georgia residents encouraging them to vote in the Senate runoff elections in January. This is through Vote Forward—I did 20 letters for the general election in November and want to participate again. I’ll print the letters at a local coffee shop since we don’t have a printer at home.
Will sends me this Reddit comment about campaign finance since we’ve been talking about it recently. I decide I’m convinced by the argument and set up a $5 monthly donation to Brand New Congress. $5
8:19pm After texting back and forth with my friend all day, I buy the puffer jacket—so excited. She encouraged me to get it and is pumped for me too. $228.64
I also notice my paycheck has started processing in my checking account (I get paid tomorrow), so I enter the amount in YNAB and budget it all. I earmark about $1500 to go into my brokerage account tomorrow. I won’t include it here as “spending” since it’s included in the overview section above.
Day 5 Total: $252.94
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Day 6 Monday, November 30
8:43am Wake up and turn on my Slack. Will started the coffee process and I finish it up by pouring the water into our Chemex and letting it steep (I know there’s a coffee-centric word for this...).
8:56am I check my Citi card and my YouTube TV trial rolled over—I was going to cancel it this morning, which I thought was the last day. I email support to see if they’ll refund me, because (I promise I’m not just saying this!) I did have a pretty bad experience. The Roku app was glitchy for us every time we watched something. Maybe they’ll feel nice today! $64.99
9:35am After responding to a few work messages, I run out the door to the post office to avoid a long package line. I did the Warby Parker 5-day home try on and have to return my box of glasses today. I found a pair I really like and am excited to get in the habit of wearing glasses again, instead of just my contacts.
Thankfully the line is only a few people long. The employees are also super nice every time I go, so I try to be really pleasant too. The lines are usually long and I’ve seen more than one adult have a fit at this post office. It’s rainy today and I couldn’t find our umbrella, so my flimsy rain jacket gets pretty soaked through on the walk back.
11:35am My podiatrist appointment is supposed to be tomorrow morning, and they call me to tell me since I haven’t hit my deductible, I’ll have to pay out of pocket for the visit. I explain that I’m 100% going to hit my deductible, the claims from the hospital just haven’t processed yet. I ask her to bill my insurance first for the visit, then I can pay whatever ends up not being covered (if anything). She agrees!
Maybe this is standard, but I’ve never had it happen before—even if I haven’t hit my deductible, I’ve always been to offices that bill insurance first, then I pay the remaining balance.
1:05pm Lots of meetings today. I break for lunch and heat up the braised chicken with veggies. It’s definitely on its last good day, so I’m glad I used it up. Still yummy!
2:20pm Woohoo! Get an email that my YouTube TV charge was refunded. -$64.99
Will ran to Home Depot today to buy some tools for his desk and also got a shower curtain liner since ours is ripping. I go to put it up in the bathroom but my arms are so sore—like I got my flu shot type of sore.
5:05pm Sign off work after trying to wrangle a supremely frustrating SQL query. I don’t get it but figure I can ask our analyst team for help tomorrow. Will will have a late night working, so pizza and Sister Wives is in my near future.
While watching, I update YNAB to reflect the end-of-month balances for my investment accounts. I get a huge dopamine hit by seeing my net worth number go up. I’m also anticipating it going down a bit next month because of my medical bills, so I relish the moment.
8:09pm It suddenly dawns on me that my arms are sore because I worked out yesterday. It’s so rare now that I literally forget when I do it. Ha!
9:15pm We watch the Eagles vs. Seahawks game and I absentmindedly play Among Us. I end up getting ...bullied by a person playing it? They get mad that I figured out they were the imposter and start saying all these schoolyard-type digs throughout the next couple rounds, but level 100 of cruel.
I’m embarrassed by how sad it makes me but think maybe it’s a good thing I don’t immediately know what to say to bully people back. Such a weird experience. I end up going to bed around 11:30.
Day 6 Total: $0
​
Day 7 December 1, 2020
7:07am Wake up late for my alarm at 7. I’m up a lot earlier today because my podiatrist appointment is first thing. I get dressed in the dark, kiss P goodbye, grab my water bottle and run out the door to the subway by 7:30. $2.75
8:10am Get to my stop and swing by Starbucks before the appointment. I get a vanilla latte and the bacon cheddar and egg sandwich. Total is around $10 but I have a gift card loaded onto my Starbucks app.
My spending here went way down when I switched jobs to an office not close to a Starbucks, and then stopped going into an office at all.
8:30am My appointment goes great, if a little painful when she numbs my toe. I had to get an ingrown toenail removed. I danced ballet and pointe for years so I’m (unfortunately) used to them, but this one was terrible. The doctor and I bond over both being dancers with bad feet and they schedule me for a follow up two weeks out.
She actually says there’s been a rise in these procedures because people aren’t getting pedicures since the pandemic and aren’t cutting their toenails well! Wild.
I look silly on the subway in December wearing Birkenstocks and socks with a huge toe bandage. It looks like one of those cartoon characters who stubs their toe and it becomes 10x bigger than their other toes. $2.75
9:40am I get off at the stop before mine to stop at Rite Aid. I grab Neosporin, band-aids and epsom salt and check my notes for anything else she mentioned about caring for my toe. $12.97
10:00am When I get home, I hop into work and working with our engineers on a promotion for the New Year. I also catch up with Will since he stayed up late last night and I got up early for my appointment. He says he ended up staying up until 3:30am (!!) cleaning up his tools, working on his desk and putting up the shower curtain. I’m floored that he is functional right now after waking up at 8.
12:15pm Heat up the last of the pizza for lunch, along with hummus and carrots.
5:20pm Work is average-paced for the rest of the day. Not doing nothing, not totally over my head. Will puts in potatoes for baked potatoes to have later, which we’ll pair with a salad. We’re getting close to needing a grocery run again, so the meals are becoming more of a mishmash.
We listed a couple things on our local Buy Nothing group last week, so a woman comes by to pick up a wifi router we can’t use anymore. Would totally recommend looking up if there’s a group in your area—they’re usually on Facebook.
6:30pm After dinner I watch more Sister Wives and look up RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit one of my friends shared for Giving Tuesday. They buy unpaid medical debt from collections, so $1 ends up paying off $100 of someone’s medical debt. I give $50 to the Arkansas campaign, which will clear $5,000 of medical debt.
As Will said earlier today, “medical billing in America is a racket” so I really hope this helps clear a burden from an individual or family. Doing this reminds me to check my insurance portal, which is steadily going up as each separate claim comes in. Ahhhh, modern healthcare! $51.49
At the end of each day please tally up your daily expenses. Then at the end of your diary please tally up all expenses in the following categories:
Total: $719.33
​
Reflection This week felt like a big spending week for me. I checked YNAB and since January, I’ve spent about $1600 per month, not including rent—so about $400/week. That’s why this week’s $719 feels so high!
Writing this diary helped me understand how many things I have going for me. I’ve recently been in a huge funk—about my health, my performance at work and my relationships with family, friends and P. Going to the hospital, needing physical therapy to have sex and being in a pandemic will do that to you.
I was able to zoom out a bit and understand how stable and gratifying my life is. That being said, I’m so glad this community exists. I really love it and learning about all your spending and saving habits. Thanks for being here and sharing :)
submitted by throwaway_md765951 to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

I believe my sister is being severely manipulated into isolate. Possible mental illness. Help

Note*\* This was originally posted in RBI but it was suggested to me that I post it here. You can read any other comments and things there.
Hey ya'll, this may be a longer post that I'll explain the best I can, so stick with me here. Not sure if this is the right subreddit, so feel free to direct me elsewhere. But PLEASE read until the end. I need help. I am out of options and ideas.
My family and I are genuinely concerned and there seems to be no apparent solution, and it seems to be becoming a very serious issue.
Some background from my perspective...circa 2013: This has been developing for probably about ~10 years at this point. The sister (now 31F, then 22) we are worried about I'll call "B." Well, about 10 years ago, I was about 13 (now 23F), and B was living at home with my parents, brothers, and I while she was finishing up her degree. B has always been one of the more outgoing people in our family, always going on dates, going out with friends, and almost always out of the house. She was never a trouble maker, truly just social. She loved to study abroad and travel, too. She would always be the one to suggest going out to eat with the family, playing games, going to see movies, go to church, etc. I truly think her life goal was just to be loved by a godly guy, have kids, and live an amazing life. (This is all important later). Well, anyway, as the younger sister who did anything her older sister said, B confided in me with things she didn't want to tell our parents.
Enter: potential (most likely) manipulative and abusive boyfriend.
B told me one day about this guy that she met online. She had done quite a bit of online dating (keep in mind this was before Tinder and Hinge existed), so this was nothing out of the ordinary. But, B told me that she didn't think our mom or our family would like him because he was black, so she asked me to not say anything. I, of course, loved that I was in on the secret, so of course I didn't say anything. Never had any reason to. Now, our family is not racist. Maybe our southern aunt and grandpa to some extent, but our family would definitely be welcoming of a significant other of another race. However, B has always been sort of dramatic and stubborn, likes to hyperbolize, and has a bit of a victim complex. Anyway, she told me she met him on an online dating site, and kind of a sketchy sounding one at that. I don't quite remember the name, but it wasn't Match or OkCupid or any of the mainstream ones. I expressed that it sounded kind of sketchy, especially because he only had one low quality photo of him on his page, and she told me that he has said he has to keep a "low profile" because he "worked for a top secret and exclusive level of the government" and can't give out much of his information at once, or else he would be in danger or in trouble or something along those lines. So...yeah, I know. Big catfish vibes for sure, but he truly had her convinced of this.
So, a short while had passed, maybe a few weeks or so, and B calls me into her room all excited and shows me all these gifts this man had sent her. A brand new iPad, jewelry, clothes, you name it. She said he could afford it all, again, because of his so-called top secret military job, and she was eating it up. He even sent me, the little naive 13 year old, an Amazon gift card as a thanks for "keeping their secret," which would've been really cool at the time had it not given me an extremely weird feeling. Because...you know...it's super fucking sketchy. Anyway, she didn't explicitly tell me much after that, other than answering a few questions I asked about if she was ever going to get more photos or video call him or meet him in person one day, all to which was a resounding no because, again, "his top secret military job that apparently doesn't allow anyone to see him or know where he lives because he's that important" or whatever. Ok, fine, get catfished for all I care. I figured she'ed eventually figure it out the more he pushed it off. Boy was I wrong.
Eventually, maybe a few months later after she graduated college, B got a job teaching in a small town nearby us, about 40 minutes away, and moved out on her own. This ended any sort of conversation we ever had about this man, but my family and I still frequently visited B, as well as her coming to visit us, in her time on her own. However, while working there for about 2-3 years, her environment and school admins became aggressively toxic to the point where she quit, and found a new job down in Texas. My family now theorizes that she became so entangled with this boyfriend because of her truly shitty situation and stress with work, which led her to be so vulnerable to be taken advantage of and lied to. (Again, she just wanted to be loved by a godly guy, and he had been telling her that he was Catholic and wanted all the same things she did, yadda yadda yadda). By the next time we saw her right before she moved to Texas, she finally started to tell our family about this guy, probably only because she was now wearing a promise ring from him. He had promised her that as soon as he got out of his "top secret military job" that he was going to come live with her, they'd get married, have kids, and love the Lord together, blah, blah, fucking blah. So, she was hooked, and now moving over 1,000 miles away from us. (Side note--my mom didn't tell me this until recently, but she was genuinely terrified that that would be the last time we ever saw B, because all of us knew how weird it was that she never met him, saw him, or called him, and now she would be far, far away from any family.)
Moving forward, our family always got together for Christmas, and B would come each year during the summer as well since she was a teacher and obviously her schedule allowed that. She loved being with family during the holidays. However, as the years went on, her personality shifted quite a bit--very subtly at first, and then more drastically into recent years (which I'll touch on later). She would hardly let us come visit, especially my other older sister who lived in Houston who asked her constantly. The only time I recall seeing her apartment is when my mom and I went to Texas for some testing I needed to do in my junior year of high school. While we visited her, I asked her, without my mom, about the boyfriend because she was still wearing the promise ring. I asked her if they'd met, how he was, when he was going to be done with his job, and so on. She said they had met once in person and that she still didn't know when he would be done, but she was willing to wait no matter how long because she knows he is the one for her and that, I quote, "If I have to choose between my man and my family, I'm going to choose my man every single time." ...Which kind of came out of no where since no one was asking her to choose, but I digress.
Now, moving into present day...this is where things really start to get extremely weird and convoluted, and where my family and I realized something needs to happen, and soon.
So, probably about 3-4 years ago, we all started to notice B becoming very, very protective over her cell phone. She wouldn't let anyone touch it, look at it, and held it very close to her while she texted on it. She then proceeded to tell us that she no longer wanted us to text or call her or be a part of family group chats because "she doesn't use texting" and it "interrupts her classroom when we try to contact her or send messages during the day." We tried to explain that you can, you know, put your phone on silent or vibrate, but she instantly became very hostile and said that we needed to stop. She always has her phone sounds turned on, and as soon as she gets in incoming message, she immediately drops what she is doing do pick it up and respond. She never, ever responded to or contacted any of us from that moment on, with the exception of my mother's cell and or our home landline. None of us, besides my mom, would ever hear from her during the year (besides holidays when she was with us in person). The only way we could ever speak to her is if we called her from our mom's cell or the house landline.
Here's a list of other recent things we began to notice while she was with us for holidays, or just other facts about what we know of the situation, I'll be as brief as possible so this doesn't go on forever:
Now this is the most confusing and interesting part of the story that I discovered:
One time, this past summer (2020), she left her phone on the counter while using the restroom, so I looked at it, and shockingly, her messages were open. Huge freaking jackpot. I'm all for respecting people's privacy, but this all has been too damn weird for me to not look. I was definitely rushing and totally wish I would've taken photos, but she was going to come back any moment. Here's what I saw:
So, now, here we are. This shit is super fucked, and we don't know what to do. We have had many failed attempts to talk to her, all of which are abruptly shut down. My mom has even sent her a burner phone with instructions on how to contact us. I don't know if we just aren't being aggressive enough, but again, we don't want her to suddenly leave and never hear from her again. At this point, my other siblings and I have all sadly accepted that it's likely we will not have her as part of our lives for long, especially as we all get older and start our own families, but how can we include her if she is so shut off from us? It just seems like classic abuser manipulative bullshit to me, but I don't know what to do. I wish I could hack her phone somehow and just see what's in those messages more closely. Or smack some sense into her, because not one healthy relationship functions like this, so I have no clue why she has fallen so hard into this. Or if there's something more sinister going on. We are all so sad. We love our sister, and we don't want her to waste the best years of her life being a recluse to society, which she basically has at this point since this start when she was 22 and she is now almost 32. There's probably a lot that we don't know, either, which makes it worse.
So what do you think? Is he blackmailing her? Threatening to kill us? Is her phone bugged?
What should we do?
Any and all thought or suggestions are welcome. Thanks for getting this far. I will make edits if necessary to clarify.
EDIT: Clarifying a few things...
It has been brought to my attention that you cannot delete messages on Google Hangouts, so unless I am wrong about the app they use, or if they use the "foldering" technique and are on the same account, I am unsure. Again, I have only ever been able to briefly look at her phone while unlocked. I once thought they used WhatsApp, but most recently am pretty sure I recognized the Hangouts icon.
She truly does act pretty normal and like she used to a good chunk of the time. She plays video games with us, cooks with us, quilts, etc. Even when I've called her (on my mom's phone) she always answers and is alert and cheery, but again, the conversation is limited to 30 minutes, which is why I theorize a bugged phone.
The church we attend is the Catholic Church. So no "religious leader" or anything of that sort. However, she does often ask my mom clarifying questions about the faith and what we believe, all of which would usually be pretty common knowledge for a Catholic who attends church every week and makes it a priority. Also, she does believe in some very odd end-of-the-world things that revolve around the catholic faith but are not confirmed by the Catholic Church in any way, but she chooses to believe them anyway, so take that as you will. IMO she does not follow the Church teaching correctly.
An additional detail I forgot to add: She has told me that their relationship "is a chaste one," and has mentioned "eventually" getting married to him. Again, adding to a narrative of extremest faith and things of that sort, so I assume if they ever have met, they don't have sex. (Which is weird because idk any guy who would be in a relationship for 10 years and not want to have sex or attempt to get married). I do know she had sex a decent amount up until the point of meeting him, so not sure if she feels some sort of guilt, but any truly healthy Catholic relationship does not function this way...or any relationship every for that fact.
Mental illness & schizophrenia is definitely not out of the picture. I suffer from PTSD and depression, and I know how difficult it can be to be confronted out it. It feels embarrassing, and you can't controls those emotions. This is why we are unsure of how to proceed. With the limited time we get to see her, it's unlikely she would willingly go to a therapist due to the fact she won't even leave the house for anything other than church. Not sure if we should confiscate her phone and keys while we attempt to speak to her or what.
My oldest sister and brother are beginning to get very angry about the situation, which I believe is out of fear of the unknown, being shut out, and all that, so I am wary of having a big conversation because emotions run high in our family because we never learned how to express emotions or talk about difficult subjects when we were growing up. Definitely something we need to work on, but it's very easy for us to get defensive and avoid these situations without regard for each other.
submitted by jmoney_throwaway to AskPsychiatry [link] [comments]

I am 30 years old making $135,000 live in San Francisco, CA and work as a Scientist

Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $25,000; I didn’t start contributing until last year. I got out of grad school end of 2017, and once I got my first job I focused on saving up a good emergency fund since I live in such a HCOL city.
Savings account balance: $25,000; $20K emergency fund, $5K for car down payment (I’ll be making this purchase soon)
Checking account balance: $1,300; I try to only keep bill money in there + $500 buffer, payday is in a few days so this is low
HSA balance: $3,600; Since I chose the HSA plan at work, my company fills it up to the deductible every year. This is my money to keep, and this has been racking up after a few years of low medical expenses. It came in handy when I had to have surgery this year, I was able to pay exclusively from this account.
Credit card debt: none, I pay balances off each month
Student loan debt: $20,000; This is all from undergrad tuition: my living expenses were paid by working and some help from my parents, my grad school was paid with fellowships. Payments have been suspended during COVID. My original plan was to pay it off this year, but COVID and everything else has made me rethink that. Instead, I’ve decided to put money toward moving (with rent prices down I was able to move to a much nicer place for only a little more) and putting a hefty down payment on a reasonably priced car. With help of my bonus and tax refund I can definitely clear my debt in 2021, but I’ll wait until we know more about what Biden plans to do about student debt.
​
Section Two: Income
Income Progression:
• During college: $10K-13K a year; this was through various part time jobs in retail + working at a lab at my university later in college. It wasn’t much but it paid for my living expenses. I’m really glad I worked in college, although I wish maybe I had worked a little less so I could have more of a social life. Regardless it set me up to be a lot more independent than most of my peers
• Grad school: $30K a year stipend; Right after college I went straight into grad school to get a PhD in biomedical science. Programs in this field usually cover tuition and provide a stipend since you’re working in the lab of your advisor. Tip for anyone looking at getting a PhD in this field: if a school offers you admission but won’t cover tuition and stipend through research or teaching assistantships, DON’T DO IT. It’s a red flag, plus you’re better off minimizing debt if you want to stay in academia.
• First job in biotech: $97K salary + up to 10% bonus; Once I graduated, I got a job at a biotech company on the peninsula. I didn’t negotiate because I didn’t know that I had any leverage to since I was just coming out of school. Turns out negotiating really isn’t part of the company culture and people really are paid the same market rate for the same work within the company so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Typically get a 5% cost of living raise every year.
• Promotion early this year: $123K salary + up to 10% bonus; this was something that was expected, my boss and I had been in discussions about my work
• Unexpected raise: $135K salary + up to 10% bonus; Recently got an unexpected pay raise, I suspect this was pre-emptive since I’ve recently picked up extra work that makes me more marketable. I probably would have asked for this eventually, but they beat me to it. My company works really hard to make sure people feel well-compensated and appreciated, which really helps when the workload gets stressful.
​
Main Job Monthly Take Home:
Deductions:
• Roth 401K: $1,125 a month (10% gross salary)
• Medical/dental: covered 100% by work.
Monthly take home after deductions: $6,300
​
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: $2,900; I live alone in a one bedroom apartment with my cat. Moved from a studio this summer, I would never had been able to get a place this nice (nice building, remodeled kitchen+bathroom) without the COVID rent drops.
Renters insurance: $15
Savings contribution: $1000 a month at least. Right now that goes towards a car down payment. After that, it’ll be split to extra debt repayment (to pay student loan faster) and short terms savings like for vacations.
Student loan: $300 a month (suspended due to COVID)
Donations: $175 a month; Split amongst food banks, KQED, ACLU, and planned parenthood. Every time I get a raise I pick up a new donation. I also gave about $2K this year in ad hoc donations.
Electric: ~$35 a month. Steam heat (radiator) is free in my building so this doesn’t fluctuate in winter.
Wifi: ~$35 a month
Cellphone: $110; includes iphone payment that ends in a year
Subscriptions: $50; Netflix, hulu, amazon prime, hbo max (I really should cut on of these)
Car insurance: $100; Two years ago I gave my car back to my family for my brother to use after I moved to SF, but I still came back and drove it enough for me to need to keep my own insurance on it just in case. When I buy the new car it’ll get transferred to that one.
​
Day One (Monday)
8:00 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and I’m technically awake but still so tired. I cuddle with the cat and catch up on youtube for a while before I get up and make some tea.
9:00 a.m. — I settle in the start the day: mostly just triaging emails and dealing with some small tasks so I can get them off the list. I’ve been working from home since March; I work in data analysis, so my computer is my lab. For the most part it’s been pretty successful, but sometimes I fall for the lure to work in my pajamas. After about an hour of work I quickly shower and get ready for my first meeting.
12:00 p.m. — My meetings are done so I heat up lunch- today its pasta leftovers from last night, along with a coke. I spend the break watching a West Wing episode, I’ve been bingeing recently and I’m almost done!
2:30 p.m. — I hit a lull in work, so I get my bags and mask and walk to the grocery store. The best part of working from home is being able to go do errands on off hours, especially now that we’re all trying to avoid crowds. I listen to podcasts on the way over: this time I’m catching up on the Wall Street Journal Money Briefing.
2:45 p.m. — I buy my groceries for the week: ingredients for chopped salads, a few snacks, and a few frozen meals. Since I have a lot of leftover pasta to eat, I don’t need as many things as I usually do, so I use the opportunity to stock up on a few staples. You have to think ahead when you have to carry everything home every week! $48.76
3:30 p.m. — I get home an put everything away. I eat a lacey cookie and make sparkling water out of my sodastream while I settle back into work. Right now I’m doing all the prep for a big analysis coming up soon, so it’s a lighter week. Once that data comes in, I’ll be working like crazy.
6:00 p.m. — Done for the day! I decompress and play silly games on my phone, then get up to make dinner while I watch more West Wing on my iPad. Tonight’s dinner is chopped salad with romaine, cucumber, tomato, green apple, bacon, blue cheese, avocado, and balsamic dressing. I only need part of the green apple for the salad so I slice the rest to eat on the side. I also crack open a shandy to have with dinner.
8:00 p.m. — My period is coming and I have a hankering for sweets. I warm up a slice of pancake bread I got today and try a little bit of the peppermint bark liqueur I found this weekend. This combo is everything!
9:30 p.m. — I’m trying to go to bed earlier so I turn off the TV, settle into pajamas, and read before bed while cuddling with the cat. Right now I’m reading Dying: A memoir by Cory Taylor. I turn out the lights at 10 and listen to the Dear Hank & John podcast on a sleep timer.
Day One total: $48.76
​
Day Two (Tuesday)
7:30 a.m. — Even though I went to bed relatively early I still wake up exhausted. I hit the snooze button a few times before getting up, making tea, and getting ready.
11:00 a.m. — Done with morning meetings so I take an early lunch, more leftover pasta. I also clean up around the house for a little while, it’s hard for me to concentrate in a messy environment.
2:00 p.m. — Feeling sluggish so I make another cup of tea before my last meeting.
3:30 p.m. — My meeting is over, so I take a minute to take care of some life admin before I get back to work. I write out my rent check, drop it off in the office downstairs, and send my mom a link to an immersion blender since she wants to know what I want for Christmas. I see Naturalizer is having a 50% off sale on boots so I buy 2 pairs. My boots wore out last season and I still haven’t replaced them. I also set up a monthly donation for the Oakland food bank (see monthly expenses). I recently got a raise and want to up my donations. Since I already give to SF food bank I thought I’d spread the love. $107.43
6:00 p.m. — The last thing I need to do for work today requires running some code for a while, so I start that before making dinner. Tonight it’s another chopped salad and some sparkling water. I eat while watching more West Wing.
8:00 p.m. — Pre-period cravings are kicking my ass (or at least that’s my excuse). I have another slice of pancake bread and some tea while browsing NPR’s 2020 book concierge and tagging books on my libby account. I also text my boyfriend for a while and we make plans to hang out later this week (standard COVID note: he also lives alone/WFH and we live in walking distance to each other, so we consider ourselves one bubble).
10:30 p.m. — I get ready for bed and read more of my book. Light’s out by 11.
Day Two total: 107.43
​
Day Three (Wednesday)
7:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and the cat jumps into bed immediately for cuddles. We hang out for a few minutes then I get up, make tea, and start getting ready for the day.
9:00 a.m. — I start work, this morning it’s a bunch of code to review. Queue staring at my screens for three hours.
12:00 p.m. — Lunchtime! More leftover pasta, I’m getting bored of these leftovers but I don’t want to waste food. I have that and some more sparkling water.
1:00 p.m. — I recently got a new ipad, and I need to drop off the old one at Fedex to get the trade-in credit. I walk over to drop it off and enjoy the fresh air. On the way back I order a peppermint mocha from Starbucks on the mobile app. I try to order from the million independent coffee shops near my house most of the year, but the holiday drinks bring me back to Starbucks every time. During the walk I listen to podcast about Biden's cabinet picks with some interesting discussion about foreign policy. I don't know enough to have a strong opinion yet, but I would like to learn more! $5.50
4:00 p.m. — I just spent a good chunk of my afternoon talking with so many people just to make a small update to code. So frustrating! I'm tempted to make a drink to have while I finish work, but I resist and just have more sparkling water.
4:30 p.m. — I get a call from the medical center I got a procedure from last month. They said they sent me a statement, but they somehow not only got my street number wrong but also the zip code. I pay the $140 bill using money in my HSA (that's money put in by my company, so I don't count as an expense).
6:00 p.m. — I just spend way too much time ironing out another issue, I’ve earned my drink. I crack open a beer and make another chopped salad for dinner. Tonight I’m drinking a Baked Hawaii pastry stout from Temascal brewing. It’s absolutely delicious, but halfway through drinking the can I realize it’s 11% ABV!! Tonight just got interesting.
9:00 p.m. — Turns out drunk at home me isn’t that interesting: I spend the night watching West Wing and texting a friend. I’m in bed by 11ish.
Day three total: $5.50
​
Day Four (Thursday)
7:30 a.m. — I get up and make tea like I always do. I decide to actually get ready properly with makeup and jewelry today so that’s new.
9:00 a.m. — Start work, this morning I’m working on an internal presentation.
11:00 a.m. — I prep an apple and peanut butter for a snack.
12:00 p.m. — I heat up the last of leftover pasta for lunch. Good, I’m really getting sick of it.
1:00 p.m. — I sit down for my meeting. I present the first half, then spend second half munching on a few sour jellybeans I had left from last week.
3:00 p.m. — I make more tea and move to the couch to finish up my workday. I also customize my imperfect produce order for next week. I don't actually get a ton of produce from them, but I really like some of their meat and dairy options. I get apples, oranges, kiwi, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, avocados, bread, salmon, chicken breast, bacon, snack cheese, and some peppermint chocolate covered pretzels. That, plus my hello fresh coming next week, will be most of my food a few weeks. Those will get charged to my account next week when they’re delivered. I try to spend $250 a month of groceries, but craft beer and fun cheese sometimes make me go over.
5:30 p.m. — I’m sick of working, so I get changed out of sweats into decent clothes and walk over to my boyfriend’s place. I stop by the market on the way over to buy tea and a can of water chestnuts (the only other thing I need for meals next week). $7.58
6:00 p.m. — I get to my boyfriend’s place just as the food delivery arrives, I get chicken tikka masala, rice, and garlic naan. I only eat half so the rest is saved for leftovers. We split a stone espresso stout and talk. Since vaccine schedules look so good and cancellation policies are great, it makes sense to consider booking a trip to Hawaii for late summer. We agree to think about it and pull the trigger before Christmas. $25 for Indian food
7:00 p.m. — I’m not a fan of the stout so I open up a cider. We settle in and watch TV
9:45 p.m. — Technically we're under a 10pm curfew, although I can't really figure out what that means this time. I'm tired anyway, so I say goodbye to my boyfriend and walk home. No one is out, so I walk home with my mask off. Something about being in nice clothes and without a mask on hits harder than it probably should. I miss normal city life so much. Just as I think that a big-ass raccoon pops up walking on the next block, which ironically never happened to me in normal city life even though it totally sounds like it would. Luckily the raccoon is more scared of me than I am of it, and I make it home in one piece.
10:30 p.m. — I make a cup of decaf tea and settle into bed. I decide to start a new book Survivor Song, I find zombie-ish apocalyptic books oddly comforting right now (finished Severance by Ling Ma a few weeks ago). This one is about a rabies-like disease, really glad that raccoon ran away earlier.
3:00 a.m. — Oops, got so engrossed with the book I stay up incredibly late to read the whole thing in one sitting. I reset my alarm to 9. WFH for my company has its perks!
Day four total: $32.58
​
Day Five (Friday)
10:30 a.m. — I accidentally sleep through the alarm and wake up in a panic. It isn't the end of the world, but I still go straight to my laptop while still in pajamas and start work. There was a mini crisis early this morning that luckily I wouldn't have been much help in, but I spend the rest of the morning dealing with that and various other fires.
12:00 p.m. — I shower and get dressed. Lunch today is frozen lamb vindaloo for lunch and a coke to try and perk me up.
1:00 p.m. — I’m still predictably exhausted, so I make some tea and try to power through a task before a meeting.
3:00 p.m. —More tea and a lacey cookie before meeting.
6:00 p.m. —I still have more work to do but I'm drained, so I call it a night. I heat up last night's Indian food, grab some more sparkling water and catch up on youtube to decompress.
8:00 p.m. —I clean up a little round the house while I watch the new Grey’s Anatomy. I can’t believe I’m still watching this show.
11:00 p.m. — Watched more West Wing while curled up on the couch. I head to bed; I want to get up at a decent time.
Day five total: $0
​
Day Six (Saturday)
8:00 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I stay in bed browsing the internet on my iPad.
9:00 a.m. — I get up, make some tea and prep breakfast. Today I try the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes from Damn Delicious. My resolution this year was to make 50 new recipes and I’m on track to make it! These pancakes are fantastic, I’ll definitely make them again. I pack up the leftovers to bring to my boyfriend’s house later.
10:00 a.m. — I settle in on the couch and spend the rest of the morning playing games on my ipad and listening to podcasts.
12:30 p.m. — I jump in the shower and get ready. I’m training for when we’re back in real society again, so I actually do my hair and makeup today. Today I play with eyeshadow and do a purple smokey eye. My boyfriend texts to say that he already ate lunch so I heat up frozen lamb vindaloo for lunch.
1:30 p.m. — Time to head to my boyfriend’s house. I pack up my overnight bag and the pancakes, put my boots on, and head out. I drop my stuff off at my boyfriend’s house and we head out to walk around the city. We started doing this when the pandemic started, it’s a great way to spend the afternoon. On the walk I finally see the parrots of Telegraph hill, although we aren’t at telegraph hill. They’re really cute, but so loud, I’m glad I don’t live closer to them!
3:00 p.m. —We stop by a place to get Irish coffee but the line is massive (this is the last weekend of outdoor dining, so everyone is out). I don't want to wait in line, so we keep walking to find somewhere else to go.
3:30 p.m. — We see a Mexican restaurant and decide to stop for snacks and drinks. As a bonus the tables are really spaced out and there aren’t a ton of people seated. We want to help businesses out and enjoy a last weekend being able to eat outside, but it seems counterproductive to eat at a crowded place. We get 2 margaritas each and split some appetizers, making sure to tip extra. $51.26
5:30 p.m. — As we walk back towards my boyfriend’s apartment, we see that the cocktail bar he really wanted to try has a ton of tables available. We pick a table far away from the others and have 2 more cocktails each. I also get some garlic shrimp noodles. We each tip extra here too. $66.71
7:00 p.m. — We trudge up the hill and head to my boyfriend’s apartment. I buy some snacks and a la croix at a corner store on the way. $7.00
7:15 p.m. — We spend the rest of evening watching TV and sobering up. We end up going to bed pretty early, around 10.
Day six total: $124.97
​
Day Seven (Sunday)
9:00 a.m. — I wake up and laze around in bed for a while. After I get up we eat the leftover pancakes and I help my boyfriend with some chores that require 2 people (there are a few disadvantages to living alone).
11:00 a.m. — I gather my things and walk home. Once I’m there I drop off my things, and head straight back out to grab a few items. I’m out of body wash so I walk to Walgreens to buy that and a soda. On the way home I realize I don’t have any food for today (Hello Fresh is coming tomorrow), so I pop into the deli and get a sandwich and some chips. The sandwiches are huge so it’s enough food for lunch and dinner. $27.20
3:00 p.m. — The rest of day is spent alternating between cleaning and hanging out on the couch. I look at my email to see that Aerie is doing 10 for $35 on underwear, so I fill up my cart with 10 pairs + a swimsuit and sweater. I haven’t bought any clothes this year, but now things are starting to wear out so I need to replace things all at once. $89.47
7:00 p.m. — I toast up the other half of my sandwich. I spend the rest of the evening reading and watching TV, I’m in bed by 11.
Day seven total: $116.67
​
Total for week: $435.91
Grocery + Dining Out: $239.01
Fun + Entertainment: $0
Home + Health: $10
Clothes + Beauty: $196.90
Transportation: $0
Lastly, reflect on your diary: This definitely was a more expensive week than normal. I’ve been delaying buying clothing for a long time, so I finally have started to catch up. I tend to do that after I get a raise. This was also the last week of outdoor dining for SF so I used this as an excuse to eat out more, I feel so bad for all the workers about to get laid off again.
​
Have a happy and safe holidays everyone!
(Edited because I found a few typos I missed when I proofread, so embarrassing! TA me from 4 years ago would be so ashamed haha)
submitted by nisodi90 to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

A good story of using Kindle Fire Kids Edition with 4 year olds

There are lots of problems posted to this subreddit, I thought I would share some of my success with the Kindle Fire 7 and my 4 year old twin girls. Hopefully some here can share their experiences.
My girls love the tablets, but I've had to curate the content with an iron fist.
Here's how they're set up:
What do my girls do with the tablets?
Problems
What I would like to do
I strongly suspect I'll be replacing these with iPads when they get older, that will have its own challenges, although at least books will work... but until then, the girls love the tablets and the content is mostly positive and helpful.
submitted by _mgjk_ to kindlefire [link] [comments]

What cultural and/or technological traits would you consider essential for someone in your custom personally defined cohort to have?

What cultural and/or technological traits would you consider essential for someone in your custom personally defined cohort to have?
If you could personally create your own birth cohort based on your specific personal experiences growing up, which cultural and technological traits would you say that someone would need to have in order to be included in your cohort?
I am not asking about which birth years could relate to you, but rather what traits a given person would need to have to relate to your personal experiences, regardless of whether your experiences are "typical" or "normal" for someone born when you were.
Based on my personal experiences, my list of traits would be like this:
​
  1. Grew up using VHS and switched to DVDs later, but couldn't live without Netflix or Disney+ as an adult.
  2. being familiar with Mid and Late 2000s culture (2005-2008)
  3. being familiar with Mid 2000s fashion (ie. low rise flared jeans, chunky highlights, etc.)
  4. Grew up with colourful iMac G3 computers but primarily uses an iPad as an adult
  5. Grew up with CRT tvs and analog television broadcasting
  6. Primarily listened to Electropop music during their Preteen and Teen years but is also nostalgic for the music that was popular in the Early/Mid 2000s.
  7. Grew up listening to CDs but couldn't live without music streaming as an adult.
  8. Grew up around Flip Phones but got a Smartphone/Iphone as a teenager.
  9. Grew up during the early days of social media and was primarily exposed to Facebook, Instagram etc. as a preteen and teen. Does not associate well with Tik-Tok or Late 2010s social media.
  10. Can vaguely remember Dial-Up internet but primarily grew up with Broadband. Can vividly remember a time before Wi-Fi was available in public places but could not live without WiFi as an adult.
  11. Grew up playing games on the Gamecube
  12. Can remember experiencing or witnessing Homophobia and Racism as a Preteen/teen but came of age as society became more tolerant. Of course, we still have a very long way to go with this.
​
​
https://preview.redd.it/394po6ftjra61.png?width=792&format=png&auto=webp&s=b68f403e1ae6f093832f17cf28faa8ee688e9d35
https://preview.redd.it/v9bo05lvjra61.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=f7673ef720de287ab866d82c591ff836faf8a40f
https://preview.redd.it/4ygtk8ktkra61.png?width=940&format=png&auto=webp&s=b6e01f3964655a25cebaa283394b6cfa664d2f39
​
​
These are the essential traits that someone would need to have to be in my personalized cohort.
What cultural and technological traits are unique to your personal Childhood and Coming of Age experiences?
submitted by MaryElizastar1 to generationology [link] [comments]

Photo/Video Editing low-budget build ~€600

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
Most important use will be photo and video editing, so I need to be able to run adobe apps (or at least Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere Pro & InDesign), DaVinci Resolve, etc. Generally nothing too crazy, I'm not an animator. That said I would like to learn some basic VFX stuff for short films.
I'll be doing a lot of college work, I often have lots of pdfs open at the same time and I'd like to be able to do that quickly and seamlessly so as not to interrupt my concentration when essay writing.
Being able to do some light gaming would be nice. I've being "buying" all the free games on Epic for a while now without being able to actually play them. Would like to be able to play Cities Skylines, Sea of Thieves, Fortnite, GTA 5, Sims 2/3/4 (although I know 3 is an absolute nightmare to run).
The gaming aspect is definitely NOT the priority here, it's really a bonus if I can play some games on low or medium settings. Most important are the photo/video editing and office-type uses.
What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
€600-€700 but preferably under €600
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
asap
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
The tower itself, and if the monitor can be included too that would be cool
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
France. Can also do UK/Ireland
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
All I have is a logitech mouse and keyboard. Nothing fancy
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
I don't think so. Maybe later down the line but this isn't a factor for the forseeable future
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
As much storage as possible I guess, since I work with RAW files and am looking to make more films this year and move to making photography a more lucrative gig
What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.
I'm not totally sure what this means. I'll definitely need wifi and ethernet. Let me know if more info on this is needed
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
I can't really afford to have preferences at the moment lol. I'm not a fan of fancy lighting setups/rgb, lime green "gamer"-marketed things. But if I can get the components I need for the right price and it happens to be lime green and lit up like a christmas tree I'm not going to care.
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
No
Extra info or particulars:
I get that this is an extremely low budget. I've found myself in a situation where my old powerhorse 2012 macbook has finally given up. I've been wanting to switch to a desktop + cheap laptop type config for a while, and now I've been forced to do so at a time when I don't have a whole lot of money to do so. I have about €1000 to both build a pc, and I think I'm going to go for an ipad with 3rd party keyboard for the "laptop". I'm hoping to upgrade the pc build gradually as and when I have the money available, but right now I just need something that works, even if it's not the fastest or most powerful.
submitted by mrsmiaowmiaow to buildapcforme [link] [comments]

Arc+Sub+Ones, Mantel Mount, Sony x900h, Apple TV 4K and Wall Feature Build - Plus Thoughts on Atmos and the Sonos Addiction

Arc+Sub+Ones, Mantel Mount, Sony x900h, Apple TV 4K and Wall Feature Build - Plus Thoughts on Atmos and the Sonos Addiction
https://imgur.com/lTeW1Hx
TV/Arc in Up Position Using Mantel Mount MM540
TV/Arc in Down Position
A generous friend who was moving gifted me a used Sonos One (Gen 1) in May, and it started me down a fun, investment heavy road into Sonos this year. I had an old 1080p Samsung 55" TV, not optimally placed (left of my fire place/living room) and a polk sound bar and sub. With the pandemic and all the shows my family is watching and the extra gaming I'm doing, I thought I would do a proper build.
I have had a blast getting this all set-up and learning from this subreddit. Figured I would share what I did and what I learned.
LIVING ROOM BUILD OVERVIEW
  • Arc (connected via ethernet and eArc)
  • Sub (Gen 2) connected via ethernet. Got it on sale for $699 CAD in the summer.
  • A Gen1 One (the one gifted to me) and a Gen2 One for rears connected via wifi.
  • Sony x900h 65". Supports Dolby Vision, Atmos, eArc, 120hz VRR (though VRR is coming later)
  • Mantel Mount 540 Enhanced.
  • Gigabit ethernet switch hidden behind media console.
  • Apple TV 4K, Nintendo Switch and Gaming PC.
After I was gifted the Sonos One, I figured I would replace my Polk Soundbar with a Sonos surround system so I bought a Playbase on sale ($599 CAD) and an extra One, hoping I would not need a sub. The Playbase sounded amazing but I found it needed more low end plus the soundstage was too narrow for my liking. The problem was that my stand wasn't deep enough to fit an arc. I bought the sub and just enjoyed it with the playbase and my 1080p TV for most of the summer.
THE MOUNT AND PLACEMENT
Pulled Back View of the Mount and Cable Mangement
M5 40MM Screws (with the black washer) Connected to the Arc Mounting Holes
Steel L-Bracket For Support
Might Paint the Brackets Black But You Can't Really See Them
Pushed Forward Enough For The Upfiring Speakers
Then I came across Mantel Mount on this subreddit and it opened up a whole bunch of possibilities. Credit to u/matthew19 and his post for the inspiration. It got me thinking I could put my TV, speakers and couch in a much more balanced and natural listening position without my fireplace melting it down. When November rolled around and Black Friday sales started, I was able to land an Arc, Sony X900h 65" and Mantel Mount for $2,650 CAD and was ready to get to work.
  • I've posted a few pictures that show how I made the Mantel Mount work with the Arc.
  • The MM540 enhanced does NOT need any extra hardware to mount the Arc. That said, if you mount it direct on the soundbar mount of the MM540 you either have to lower it by 5 inches as recommended by Sonos to not block the upfiring speakers or push it forward.
  • I decided to push it forward because I wanted the Arc to sit closer vertically to the TV (I think it looks nicer without a gap), plus keeping it closer to the TV meant I could have the TV at the lowest possible viewing position (due to the way the mount works) which my wife and I prefer.
  • I used a few extra spacers that were provided by the mantel mount for TV mounting, plus washers to get the Arc pushed out far enough so the upfiring speakers are no longer blocked. I used M5 40mm screws to connect to the Arc mounting holes, plus two steel L brackets I bought from a local hardware store to bear the weight of the Arc that I connected to the MM540's soundbar mount. The M5 screws prevent it from sliding forward and bear a little weight.
  • I did trueplay with the mount/tv/arc in the down position as this is where it is most of the time we watch TV and listen to music but I find everything still sounds great when the TV is raised up.
  • The TV/Arc in up position has the additional benefit of protection from my 3 and 6 year olds. They have whacked my old TV/soundbar with toys and left marks on them (no cracks at least).
WALL FEATURE
Work in progress on the wall feature. You can the small gap on the left side where the cables will go.
After getting the TV and mount installed, I was looking up ideas on how to hide the wires and came across this blog (cameras and chaos) where a couple built a wall feature to hide the cables and provide some design interest.
http://camerasandchaos.blogspot.com/2012/04/tv-wall-mount-is-done.html?m=1
Because my media console is to the left and there is a fireplace below, getting cables and power into the wall would have been a huge project with either cutting into studs or going into my attic. I would have also needed an electrician to run power to follow code. I decided to do the wall feature instead.
  • I used a bunch of 1.75" wide MDF slats, cut them to size, measured/levelled, mounted using nails/glue/caulk, hid the cables to one side beneath the slats and painted along with the Mantel Mount covers.
  • In the wall feature I put in a power extension cable (which I believe is safe as I have not installed it inside the wall), two ethernet cables and two HDMI 2.1 cables (though not certified, they seem to handle 4K 60hz fine, so we will see if they can handle 120hz if I ever get a PS5 or better graphics card on my PC). You can see the cables just sticking out the bottom left of the wall feature above the moulding.
ARC - SOUND, MUSIC AND ATMOS
  • The arc has given me a MUCH wider sound stage which is a big improvement over the Playbase. I totally agree with many posts I've read that alone, the Playbase is slightly better as it offers more low end, but it is an awkward form factor and the sound stage is too narrow if you are used to a wider soundbar or separate left/rights. The Arc + Sub is much better which isn't a shocker given the price and using two separate components.
  • Getting Atmos going required the eArc update on my Sony x900h. Once that was done, just had to hook it up via HDMI 3 to the Arc, and voila. Atmos time.
    • I find that Atmos from the arc does indeed provide a much more immersive, bubble like experience to the sound. You can tell the difference between an Atmos movie and a standard 5.1 movie which just feels more 2 dimensional. But the vertical speakers' effects aren't very overt, it's more subtle. You aren't going to suddenly start noticing effects like helicopters or rockets flying above you constantly during a movie. It's not as obvious as when your rear surround speakers play an effect like a ship flying by. I'm not sure if movie sound producers are just not using the vertical effects as much as rear effects?
    • I wasn't sure it was working so I was looking around for bunch of Atmos test files. I first ended up here https://thedigitaltheater.com/dolby-trailers/. But it didn't work, my Sonos app showed LPCM 7.1 but not Atmos.
      • I learned that with my Apple TV 4K, it only supports compressed AC3 Atmos streams. To play uncompressed TRUE-HD/ 7.1 Atmos test files from the site above, I had to connect my Gaming PC through HDMI or use a Bluray player which I don't have.
      • I actually found this test file worked the best (it's encoded with AC3 atmos) to isolate the upfiring speakers from the Arc to see how they sound. When I tested this with my wife we clearly thought there were speakers playing sound from the ceiling, it was so cool!
      • https://www.heimkino-atmos.de/.cm4all/uproc.php/0/TraileDolby%20Atmos/dolby-test-tones_5_1_2.mp4?_=15dddc34420&cdp=a
      • My TV is angled slightly forward, and even then it felt like the ceiling "speakers" were maybe 3 feet in front of the TV (we are sitting about 10 feet from the TV). I'm guessing in a true atmos setup with ceiling speakers it would be positioned more above the seating area.
    • A couple of scenes in movies I've streamed on my Apple TV where I've noticed the up firing speakers clearly:
      • Black Panther on Disney+: When T'Challa arrives back in Wakanda at the beginning of the movie and his ship is landing. You can hear the engines/the ship above.
      • Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Extended iTunes : I was giddy when they released this last week and upgraded my old HD purchase to 4K, Dolby Vision/Atmos. When Merry/Pippin set off the big dragon firework at Bilbo's birthday you can hear fireworks crackling above.
  • Music. Sounds great (maybe a little sibilant but i don't mind). I think listening to two Sonos ones in stereo plus a sub is a cleaner music listening experience with better soundstage.
    • For music, set the rears to "full" instead of "ambient". The rears create an even wider sound stage for music. After TruePlay and sitting at the place where you tuned the speakers, everything is just so nicely balanced and immersive.
    • I love how the sub opens up the arc and ones to focus on mid/high frequencies. People often talk about how the sub adds low end, but adding the sub improves every Sonos speaker you pair it with in the other ranges and you can hear such a big difference by just toggling the sub on or off.
REARS AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PLAYBASE?
  • I've placed them at the back wall of the room in the dining area about 10-11 feet away from my main seating area. I've seen that Dolby recommends them to be much closer and while I have places that could work well, I really enjoy having them at the back corners for music so it fills the whole room. Really nice sitting for a meal and having the music surround us.
    • The left rear is on a floating shelf that is at the exact height of the right surround. It's about 6 inches further back though but I am assuming Trueplay dealt with the slight difference.
Rears on the raised counter and floating shelf.
  • I moved the Playbase along with my old 55" 1080p TV downstairs to our small gym/kids play room where I had an old 40" 720p TV with no external speakers before. A nice upgrade for workouts. I am actually really glad I got the playbase because it gives enough low end to not require another sub and sits nicely under my old TV. It's niche, but for anyone wanting a really simple sonos system and can place a TV on top I'd actually recommend it over the beam or arc if it is a smaller room. It sounds great for music and movies, and still looks really good. Not everyone has space for a sub and I imagine the sub can be too loud in condos etc.
GOING FULL SONOS
  • Before I was gifted the One, I was always intrigued by Sonos and loved how they sounded when I heard them. That said, I had set up whole home audio with a bunch of old speakers and Apple Airport Expresses running Airplay 2 plus Apple TV and thought it was good enough.
  • The problem was, I could never get my wife to use the speakers. It sounds ridiculous, but the step of having to turn an amp, soundbar or whatever on first before streaming music was enough friction that she just listened to music off her iPhone ALL THE TIME. It sounded terrible and drove me crazy.
  • When I got the One and Playbase and saw her start using them I knew I had to go full Sonos.
  • Overall, here are my thoughts on Sonos.
    • So, so easy to use and the sound quality and cost of the Ones are just a magic combo. Let's admit it, the ones are the gateway drug.
    • They look great, especially the sub.
    • The app is ok. I find I am constantly wanting to mess around with levels and checking if Atmos is working and wish it was easier to get at the functions i want so i can quickly toggle things.
    • Sonos radio is ok, I think the stations sound great but i find I keep going back to Apple Music because I can't skip tracks.
    • Trueplay seems to work really well to balance things out and adapt to rooms. I found it works better on my iPad than iPhone.
  • I am completely addicted. I also paired up two Ones and a sub for my home office which I will post about later but now I feel like I'm looking for excuses and possibly a mortgage to:
    • Stick a Sonos One or Pair of them in each room that doesn't have a speaker yet.
    • Get a Sonos Five or pair of them to see how they sound with a sub and how they compare to my ones+sub.
    • Play around with two subs paired in a home theatre (saw they released that feature today). I'm afraid to bring my white Gen 3 sub up from downstairs to try it.
    • Pray for the feature of making my arc a center channel and adding two fives as left/right channels for my living room.
  • Side note: I also convinced my parents to get a Beam and bought my in-laws a Sonos One for Christmas because they, like my wife used to, listen to music off an iPad (cringe).
This is my first ever post on any reddit so post some questions, comments or ideas!
submitted by Han-Yolo44 to sonos [link] [comments]

games you can play without wifi on ipad video

Top 25 Best OFFline Games 2019 #2 Android & iOS - YouTube How To Play Japanese Games on ANY iPhone/iPad [iOS] 25 Games To Play On Your Phone With No Wifi! 2018 - Elle'n ... How to play DOS games on iPad, iPhone, and iOS without ... Top 25 FREE OFFLINE iPhone & iPad Games iOS No internet ... Top 10 local Multiplayer Games for Android (LAN, WiFi ... iPad Games with Keyboard Support - YouTube Top 25 Best Free iOS Games Free-To-Play iPhone & iPad ... Ryan Plays Tag with Ryan Game on iPad with Mommy! Ryan VS ... 25 Best FREE OFFLINE iPhone & iPad Games of 2018-2019 No ...

Temple Run 2, Angry Birds 2, Candy Crush Saga, Plant Vs Zombies 2, Dots & Co, Subway Surfer, Shadow Fight 3, Flow Free, Sudoku, and Asphalt 8: Airborne are the best free “No WiFi games” for iPhone and iPad. However, we also have an extensive list of best offline iPhone games that don’t need WiFi. Are you looking for the best games that don't need WiFi? These are the best games that don't require WiFi and you can Play these free games without WiFi. Asphalt 9, Hungry Shark, Fallout Shelter, Crossy Road, Plague, Duet, Gangster Vegas, Limbo, etc. are Games that do not require the data connection. Concept of Free Games Without WiFi Or No Wifi Games Free. No wifi games or free games without wifi are the type of games which you can play without wifi or with no internet connection. Nowadays as we know mobile internet connection pack prices are at the pick, and most of the data consumed by this high-graphic games, even if you have enough data connection but sometimes you are at some place 30 Best Offline Games For iPad (Play Without Internet) It’s not always easy to find awesome games for iPad that can be played offline. iPads are the best devices for games because of the large screen size. Although iPhone screens are getting bigger with each release, nothing beats the iPad. Whether you’re on a long flight, taking the subway to work, or simply can’t access your network from your current location, you might want to be on the lookout for some excellent mobile games you can play while on the run, Whether on your commute, traveling to a faraway vacation, or bored while waiting in line at your local coffee shop, these games for both iOS and Android offer something In the list, you’ll find hidden objects mystery games that do work without WiFi allowing you to enjoy them while you’re on a plane, hiking, or any distant spot on earth that still doesn’t You can play this game without Wi-Fi where you are fighting in the world of alien invasion. You have to race as fast as possible that you have to escape from the following threat. Compared to other games, Breakneck not only offers one of the best 3D graphics but also combines crackling action. Play Games Without WiFi Required Dec 6, 2010. i am going on a road trip and i have the ipad that does not have 3g. I was wondering if any of you know of some fun games that dont require wifi in order to be played. What is even better is that players can set the length of the game itself — so you can have fun behind the clock or just play a couple of spins and then go to bed — no matter how, when, where, and what you want — online casino is always there! Top 7 free slots Providers . Since 1994, everyone can find different games from Microgaming. Perhaps one of the biggest breakout games in 2014, Monument Valley is a great iPad game to play when you don’t have a WiFi connection.

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Top 25 Best OFFline Games 2019 #2 Android & iOS - YouTube

Want to play all the Japanese games you've seen on Let's Play Japan but don't know how to access the Japanese iOS store? Here's a tutorial showing you how to... Ranking the 25 best free-to-play iPod, iPad and iPhone mobile games currently available in the Apple iTunes Store. These are the top-rated free-to-play iOS v... Learn how to play DOS games on your trusty iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or other iOS device. Hey Guys! Hope you enjoyed our 25 games to play with no wifi! What's your go to game when you don't have wifi? 20 Games To Play On Your Phone With No Wifi -2... Ryan Plays Tag with Ryan Game on iPad with Mommy! Ryan VS Mommy Who scores higher Challenge!Ryan has made a game for you! Parents, you can DOWNLOAD the new ... Best iPadOS Games with keyboard support! Watch more iPad videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9H5Z-IdZ8M22NWJt8YlovK3Qa2I8-1gTJoin the Apple Gamin... Ranking of the best free-to-play iOS mobile games that you can play even without an internet connection; the top-rated free offline iPhone, iPad & iPod games... Register now at whatoplay.com: https://bit.ly/2yZFomFhttps://whatoplay.com/ios/free/ - Complete list of all free-to-play iOS games.Our updated ranking of the... No internet? No problem! There are too many offline games, but look through them to find the best ones for your Android and iOS phones. Here are our choices.... Here are the best of 2018 local multiplayer android games that you can play with your friends on the same Wifi or bluetooth network. All these games can be p...

games you can play without wifi on ipad

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