Sharing it with others also brings accountability. I greatly value the input I receive from my friends, but often the most valuable input they give me is asking me how the project is going. This motivates me to keep working on it so I can tell them about the next step the next time I see them.

Lithium Ion.

With all these replies my faith in crucial is beginning to be restored. I was contemplating whether I would even use the replacement unit when they sent it, but it looks like I just got really unlucky.

With all these replies my faith in crucial is beginning to be restored. I was contemplating whether I would even use…

Maybe I'll have to give them another chance in the future, but I figured it was time to try something different. Also, I've got a good 3-2-1 backup strategy (3 copies, 2 different types of media, 1 offsite) but it still requires downtime every time it crashes to send for a replacement and restore 500Gb from a backup…

Maybe I'll have to give them another chance in the future, but I figured it was time to try something different.…

That side is all perspective. For us, my wife wanted to stay home and home school our kids and I wanted her to do so as well, so we budgeted for that and have lived our entire married life as though we had only one income, even before we had kids and had two incomes. When we consider how much it costs to raise kids…

I have to say, I like crucial memory, but I don't trust their SSD's. I bought a 512GB drive just under 2 years ago, and it has completely failed (data unrecoverable) on me twice. I am in the process of sending it back for a return, again. Maybe they have gotten better, but I bought a 1Tb Samsung EVO because I just…

I have to say, I like crucial memory, but I don't trust their SSD's. I bought a 512GB drive just under 2 years ago,…

The problem is this is a synopsis of a summary article about the actual survey, which itself isn't even all that granular. In the original study they mix daycare (more for kids 0-5 years old, after that it is only summers), private school (only an expense for middle and upper class) and school books & supplies.…

I was referring to data the actual govt. report rather than the summary. You can find the link at the top of the NerdWallet article.

Worth pointing out, this is the cost partially including daycare/ private schooling.

They missed one I recently discovered - large items that are <$100.

If you are looking for a large or awkward shaped item that isn't too expensive they a hard time hiding the shipping price in the cost of the item, which often makes them more expensive. I bought a table, slide, and little car for my daughter in the…

It depends on what books you are interested in reading. An old kindle or nook is barely $50, and you have free access to 1000's of classic books. You won't get the latest novels unless you buy them, but you can get a heck of an education reading from Homer to the 1900's, and there are free copies of nearly every book…

Its also not a bad idea to ask them what assignments you can get started on even if you can't attend until you get in. This shows even further commitment to the course, and makes sure that if you get in you won't start out behind. Plus, if its a class you'll have to take eventually, you'll use the work even if it…

Very True.

In the classes I teach, there are some rooms where we are up against fire code, and students coming after I have explicitly said they need to go through the wait-list process and cannot attend may not hurt their odds of getting into the class, but gives a bad impression to a professor and certainly doesn't…

Oh I wasn't whining, I was debating with myself whether something that nice is worth that much time...

Gorgeous, but that looks like a lot of work...

I converted a "damaged" kitchen cabinet to a media center about a year back. It was missing its drawer, which I replaced with a mesh screen (screen door material). I then proceeded to do similar to this video. I spent <$100 for a nice "damaged" wooden cabinet at Lowes, put a $15 piece of nice wood on top for a counter…

Study Skills - so true.
In my freshman college courses, especially ones in their first semester, I have come to realize that while half of my job is to teach them the material, the other half is to teach them how to study. I bring up various study tactics in the middle of my Chemistry class, and in office hours spend…

The problem isn't just that they don't teach these things - they also try to un-teach you if you are starting to know them. I distinctly remember getting a problem wrong in elementary school when it asked how many items you could buy if you had a certain amount of money and each cost a fixed amount. I added in tax…

Easy way to cut out a lot of those costs - don't have a car. My folks to drive me to college at the beginning of school (they wanted to see me off anyway) and picked me up for break and at the end of the semester. I never had to pay for parking, maintenance, and only had to chip in a couple bucks for gas if I wanted…

At most campuses those are either gross, expensive, or both. The university I teach at actually has really good food, but they are expensive - starting at $6-7 for breakfast, and getting to almost $10 for dinner... that said, its good enough I have my wife and daughter join me once a week for lunch, and while we don't…