Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

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SandiSAHM
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

LWolfT wrote: Mon Mar 06, 2023 8:08 am Oops! Well, stuff happens. (Assuming the new one is loaded with Windows 11. How do you like it?) I'm in the same boat as you on claiming computers as a business expense — or home office expenses, either.
I bought an office chair last year - the accountant cheered, the comedian. He's used to me claiming nothing but the space.

Windows 11... They moved my cheese again, and I'm getting a little old for that. It's different, especially for someone (a luddite!) who doesn't want cloud-based diddly and isn't impressed by the moving of tool access to new spots on the screen. DS, who spouts the specs of everything in the house in gibberish, is impressed (for what it is; his tools are more expensive, he likes Lenovo, whereas I refuse to pay those prices - but he runs Solidworks and needs more power than I'll ever need) - says it's more "intuitive" and tells me they're going to stop providing product keys for Windows 10 some time this year, so I guess they're forcing the issue OR it was his way of heading me off before I could ask "can you make this one do what that one..." It's fine. It's FAST, but I'm not sure if that's 11 or just that I haven't bogged this one down with my tedious 'stuff,' I haven't moved much over.

The first thing I did was set the default to a browser other than Edge and ditch McAfee in favor of something more proactive. It already says it needs to update (it's been in use for less than 12 hours and has been restarted 4 times since 'waking up,' LOL), but I'm working so it just has to wait.

I'm sure it'll be fine, but my brain sort of peaked with 2007. Vista was such misery that I cringe every time they say they've made things "better." :lol:
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Jackielou
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by Jackielou »

SandiSAHM wrote: Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:03 pm I bought an office chair last year - the accountant cheered, the comedian. He's used to me claiming nothing but the space.

Windows 11... They moved my cheese again, and I'm getting a little old for that. It's different, especially for someone (a luddite!) who doesn't want cloud-based diddly and isn't impressed by the moving of tool access to new spots on the screen. DS, who spouts the specs of everything in the house in gibberish, is impressed (for what it is; his tools are more expensive, he likes Lenovo, whereas I refuse to pay those prices - but he runs Solidworks and needs more power than I'll ever need) - says it's more "intuitive" and tells me they're going to stop providing product keys for Windows 10 some time this year, so I guess they're forcing the issue OR it was his way of heading me off before I could ask "can you make this one do what that one..." It's fine. It's FAST, but I'm not sure if that's 11 or just that I haven't bogged this one down with my tedious 'stuff,' I haven't moved much over.

The first thing I did was set the default to a browser other than Edge and ditch McAfee in favor of something more proactive. It already says it needs to update (it's been in use for less than 12 hours and has been restarted 4 times since 'waking up,' LOL), but I'm working so it just has to wait.

I'm sure it'll be fine, but my brain sort of peaked with 2007. Vista was such misery that I cringe every time they say they've made things "better." :lol:
I actually don't mind Windows 11 and really loved my Lenovo All In One.... That just got really slow and clunky. I am now using an Asus VivoBook, which is okay, quick most days (unless an update it needed), but being a laptop is really difficult for me to use. I keep hitting combinations of keys and then things totally disappear on me.
Jackie
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SandiSAHM
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Jackielou wrote: Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:49 pm I actually don't mind Windows 11 and really loved my Lenovo All In One.... That just got really slow and clunky. I am now using an Asus VivoBook, which is okay, quick most days (unless an update it needed), but being a laptop is really difficult for me to use. I keep hitting combinations of keys and then things totally disappear on me.
The tiny keyboards on some stuff! I can't do it.

Some don't even have 10-key. What is the point!?!
SandiSAHM
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

DH's new employer gave him a bonus for 2022. He was only there 3-1/2 months of 2022. I like the way they think! Nice, too, it more than backfills the $ we gave away. We use the expression you "can't outgive God," and it's proven true once again.

Our accountant offered to do the kids' taxes for free! Not going to stop him.

Cold here; has rained for 2 days. DH really wants to garden ;)
SandiSAHM
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

DH and I decided to try something, just to see how it works out. Someone we know spent $94 on take-out food that would feed them and their family of 4 for 2 dinners and leave enough for 2 of them to also have lunch another day.

I can't decide if that's a good deal, or not. It doesn't "feel" like a good deal. They, too, are vegetarian (we know a surprising number, some as a function of the culture in the specific area where they grew up - south and kind of to the west, in India - and many because where you have a lot of SDA you have mini blue zones full of mostly vegetarians).

I know that for the $94, they did not have to cook at home - however, they did have to drive to pick it up, they didn't decide to Uber Eats or what have you. So with the cost of gas instead of the cost of cooking, it probably was worse, $-wise to pick up rather than cook (28 mile round-trip), but NOT considering that...

Can we procure groceries to do 2 full dinners for 4 and one lunch for 2 under $94? I'm thinking YES, in a big way, with either $ or food left over - because, if not, we would pretty much be broke, right?

We're going to try it. Plan it, acquire the 'stuff' - nothing we already have, except spices, can be used - cook it, and see how far we can get $94 to go. Not telling them about it, of course, it's just an exercise in satisfying our own curiosity. I imagine some of the motivation was having two whole days 'off' from cooking, clean up, etc., because that is pretty near priceless :lol: so we're going to try to do it so that at least the first 10 servings of whatever are prepared at one time, to mimic having 'leftovers' and only having to clean up, beyond putting plates in a dishwasher, one time.

I was thinking out loud and said it's totally unfair because we can do minestrone and homemade GF foccacia and BAM, there's at least 8 servings of food for under $15. We have some lentil soup recipes that come in way under that $. SO - no soup for you! (us) during in the experiment. It has to be something in a plate rather than a bowl. Me and my big mouth.

Should be a learning experience, I haven't really done the math involved in meals in a while and haven't worked backwards from $X to last # of days for even longer. We just shop, and while we feel the *ow* of inflation a bit, we haven't really changed what we eat. Much of the higher-priced groceries beyond eggs, which we don't buy in the grocery store, are things we don't use anyway.
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LWolfT
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by LWolfT »

Well, for 2 nights of feeding 4 folks in a restaurant with leftovers, $94 isn't bad, but not something I'd want to make a habit of. (I'm going to assume tax and tip were part of that bill.)

I'm curious to know what you come up with. (My bet is that you'd come in under $94, or end up with more than 10 meals.)
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