I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[punkin]

My SW second bonus from the oersonal card posted. I really need a n.v ew card for MSR but I am not ready for a 15K spend on CIP. I really need to think about what makes sense.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

My SW second bonus from the oersonal card posted. I really need a n.v ew card for MSR but I am not ready for a 15K spend on CIP. I really need to think about what makes sense.

If you use a support link from P2, the application comes up for the CIP with the 80k $5k spend. If you don’t have a P2 you can use a link in our private reddit group

 

[DisneyMandC]

I’m wondering if your student loans are federally held, and if so whether you could take advantage of the 60-day student loan interest waiver while your refinancing is still pending.

DeVos directed servicers to retroactively stop assessing interest on federal student loans starting March 13, according to the press release. For at least 60 days, loans held by federal loan servicers will have a 0% interest rate.
...
For those continuing to make payments, your payment amount will not change during the interest-waiver period. Instead, the entire payment amount will go toward your principal balance, meaning you will make more progress toward paying off your debt than you normally do.

https://www.thebalance.com/trump-waives-federal-student-loan-interest-4799751

And if anyone here is on Public Service Loan Forgiveness and can afford to continue to pay over the next 60 days, you should continue to do so. Not paying your monthly payment during this time will be two less qualifying monthly payments towards forgiveness.

 

[DisneyMandC]

We're chugging along over here, mostly working from home. DH and I both went into work one day last week. Both of us had less than 10 people in the office. I went by the grocery store when I went to work and picked up a few more things. I feel bad not ordering from any local restaurants, but I don't even know that I trust doing that right now. I might make a run out to my chinese place this week. We'll see.

In the meantime, my house is super clean and I'm keeping up with laundry and dishes better than ever before!

 

[calypso726]

Yeah I like all of that. And I like Twilight! lol Let me know some of the ones you've liked.

Chiming in: I hear good things about Brandon Sanderson for Fantasy and I am now half way through Elantris which is good. I had read the Wheel of Time and when the original author, Robert Jordan passed away, Brandon Sanderson finished the series and I thought it was very good. So now I'm reading his works. I have a tendency to binge authors and book series how some people binge tv shows. My reading tastes are rather eclectic now and I no longer stick to a few genres.

If you like dystopian and haven't read Ready Player One, it was way better than the movie. Hand Maid's Tale is fantastic. The Stand, by Stephen King is a great read. I will assume you've read the Hunger Games series, if not, it is phenomenal!

Urban Fantasy: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews , Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, Sandman Slim if you like anti heros by Richard Kadrey, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neil.

 

[hlhlaw07]

And if anyone here is on Public Service Loan Forgiveness and can afford to continue to pay over the next 60 days, you should continue to do so. Not paying your monthly payment during this time will be two less qualifying monthly payments towards forgiveness.

It will actually be three less qualifying payments. Anytime you stop making a payment, the first one you make after you start back up does not count as a qualifying payment. I’ve never not made a payment, but FedLoan and the DoE have screwed me out of many qualifying payments through putting my loans in unwanted and unrequested forbearances that I learned this rule through experience.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Chiming in: I hear good things about Brandon Sanderson for Fantasy and I am now half way through Elantris which is good. I had read the Wheel of Time and when the original author, Robert Jordan passed away, Brandon Sanderson finished the series and I thought it was very good. So now I'm reading his works. I have a tendency to binge authors and book series how some people binge tv shows. My reading tastes are rather eclectic now and I no longer stick to a few genres.

If you like dystopian and haven't read Ready Player One, it was way better than the movie. Hand Maid's Tale is fantastic. The Stand, by Stephen King is a great read. I will assume you've read the Hunger Games series, if not, it is phenomenal!

Urban Fantasy: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews , Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, Sandman Slim if you like anti heros by Richard Kadrey, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neil.

I recommended Ready Player One to two people yesterday haha. If anyone here likes audiobooks, I would venture to say Ready Player One may be the best audiobook I've ever listened to. Wil Wheaton is a master.

 

[DisneyMandC]

It will actually be three less qualifying payments. Anytime you stop making a payment, the first one you make after you start back up does not count as a qualifying payment. I’ve never not made a payment, but FedLoan and the DoE have screwed me out of many qualifying payments through putting my loans in unwanted and unrequested forbearances that I learned this rule through experience.

I didn't know that- good to know! Yeah, I make sure to specifically request no deferment or forbearance when submitting my income for qualification every year. They did defer my loans one time, but there was some other issue with qualifying my income that they were having trouble with.

 

[calypso726]

I recommended Ready Player One to two people yesterday haha. If anyone here likes audiobooks, I would venture to say Ready Player One may be the best audiobook I've ever listened to. Wil Wheaton is a master.

It was an awesome audiobook and I will second you on his narration skills. However, as someone who routinely purchases an Audible platinum subscription more than once a year (yeah, I go through THAT many audio books) the best narrator I've ever listened to is Davina Porter. PlanePrincess also agrees. She is truly one of a kind. I think her narration, just as much, if not more-so, as Diana Gabaldon's writing, made me fall in love with the Outlander series.

 

[Judique]

I had some luck with my unbankable DVC points this morning! I'm a stalking expert in my own mind on the DVC points booking website.
I was able to book a Boardwalk View Studio in late September with them. The points expire Oct 1 and I doubt if I'll be able to go for 1 night myself. But it's a Saturday night during food and wine, so if everything is fairly normal by then, there is a chance to rent it out. I still have some hope that this will flatten by then. Considering food and wine and the Star Wars stuff, should be an okay night to try to rent.

 

[DisneyMandC]

It was an awesome audiobook and I will second you on his narration skills. However, as someone who routinely purchases an Audible platinum subscription more than once a year (yeah, I go through THAT many audio books) the best narrator I've ever listened to is Davina Porter. PlanePrincess also agrees. She is truly one of a kind. I think her narration, just as much, if not more-so, as Diana Gabaldon's writing, made me fall in love with the Outlander series.

I actually thought about her while I was writing my last post haha. While I'm not an Outlander fan, I listened to her read all 55 hours of The Mists of Avalon. She was excellent!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Dh puts almost all of his shirts and shorts in the hamper inside out and it drives me insane because I do all of the laundry and it takes twice as long to fold. I should just start putting it away inside out lol

I do leave his socks inside out. I just fold the matching ones together.

I quit folding clothes that were inside out. I stopped unrolling balled up socks (and just washed and dried them that way and refused to deal with them) when DH was still playing a LOT of basketball and would leave 2 pairs of sweaty balled up socks in the laundry that would STILL be wet inside 4 days later when I got around to laundry. Fixed the problem pretty quickly. I also don't fold my older kids' clothes now because a) they are old enough to do it themselves b) its a life skill and c) they WEREN'T BOTHERING TO PUT THEM AWAY after I had spend literal hours of my time folding laundry. They would just set the piles in their disgusting bedrooms.

IMHO it's too early to stock up on a lot of formula. First, if you are going to nurse your baby, you won't be bottle feeding at least much.

Second, if you end up bottle feeding, some babies may need to try a few different formulas to find out what works.

Third, the hospital will probably do some bottle feeding, depending on your nursing success and send you home with a small supply of what they've been able to feed your baby and probably a bunch of coupons.

Fourth, baby formula gets expensive very fast! So I advise you to put your heart into nursing, since your have the luxury of being at home. I don't think it's easy for anyone to get started, and you will need support to get started unless for some reason you have super powers.

Buy yourself some lanolin cream or whatever is suggested these days to soothe and protect the sensitive part between nursing. Be sure to wash with water between nursing. Read some books on this subject.

Lastly, every baby and mother is a different combination. What works for one may be very difficult for another. Your natural motherhood instincts will guide you through this. Trust yourself and let your husband support you. What it comes down to is that creating babies, giving birth to babies and nurturing babies is a natural process that often does not require intervention, although it sure helps for emergencies. Unless you have been advised that your are an at risk case, and I haven't heard you say that, everything will go as planned.

Oh, and that little bitty supply won't last a minute if you end up not nursing. That's when you head for the super duper cans of powder at Costco or Sam's once you determine 'if' you are going to formula feed and then buying a Sam's or Costco membership makes sense.

I bolded things I agree with. I'm nursing my 4th baby right now (she's 6mo old today) so if you have questions about anything you can always DM me.

Nursing/formula depends on the hospital you deliver in. In our hospital if you say you are breastfeeding they will NOT bring you any formula/bottles/pacis unless you specifically ask for them, and you might have to ask multiple times. The baby also doesn't ever leave your room unless there's some sort of procedure being done. There is no "nursery" at our hospital. Again, this depends on the hosptial. Most hospitals are very very pro breastfeeding these days, have a lactation consultant on staff, LDR nurses have some breastfeeding support training, etc. Your insurance will cover a breastpump as well. (My personal feeling is if you are going to commit to breastfeeding to not give a bottle or start pumping for 2 weeks so you don't accidentally mess with your supply or tax your poor tissues that will likely get a little sore.....a good latch at every feed will go a LONG way to minimizing soreness.)

 

[amalone1013]

Sorry guys, but those stupid pad/insert things in sports bras are such a pain, so I started safety pinning them before I put them in the wash and I no longer have a problem with them folding in half inside the bra and stuff.

Genius!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Are you still going to DL this summer?

Decision pending. Have not canceled anything but taking a wait and watch approach. I hope with all my heart that things will be improved but deep down I fear they won’t.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

The role of the federal government is to protect its citizens. That doesn't just mean through military actions. It also means through health crisis, especially a pandemic. The CDC sent guidance about a strange new pneumonia in very early January. Perhaps some hospitals looked at this, but the take cues from the federal government. At times of crisis, the federal government becomes essentially a massive purchasing department. Governors assess what is needed at the state level and the feds are supposed to listen and help get the items - posthaste.

You wouldn't want a hospital to order 3,000 extra ventilators just because. That is very expensive and healthcare costs are already out of control. So it is a delicate balance.

I agree it is bad the bulk of our essential PPE is made in China. Demand shocks are a thing.

I work in healthcare too, on the administrative side.

As far as being prepared most hospitals/healthcare facilities have protocols in place but can’t just “stock up” Where would they put a year’s worth of masks? Ventilators, at least in our facility, are contracted. For instance we have 15 vents on site all the time. After that we rent additional units as needed. We have had years of flu where we needed additional vents and were able to rent them although I recall they had to be brought in from out of state. If demand is up, there will be no additional units to acquire. Hospitals can’t be expected to store 2, 3, or 10 times their usual needs ‘just in case.’

 

[RoyalJay]

Chiming in: I hear good things about Brandon Sanderson for Fantasy and I am now half way through Elantris which is good. I had read the Wheel of Time and when the original author, Robert Jordan passed away, Brandon Sanderson finished the series and I thought it was very good. So now I'm reading his works. I have a tendency to binge authors and book series how some people binge tv shows. My reading tastes are rather eclectic now and I no longer stick to a few genres.

If you like dystopian and haven't read Ready Player One, it was way better than the movie. Hand Maid's Tale is fantastic. The Stand, by Stephen King is a great read. I will assume you've read the Hunger Games series, if not, it is phenomenal!

Urban Fantasy: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews , Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, Sandman Slim if you like anti heros by Richard Kadrey, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neil.

The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson is really good, highly recommended. I too like how he finished up Wheel of Time. I haven’t tried his other stuff yet because they all seem like the start to a new series. After being burned by waiting for Martin and Rothfuss to finish theirs, I tend to wait until series are complete before starting. Happy reading!

 

[amalone1013]

Yeah I like all of that. And I like Twilight! lol Let me know some of the ones you've liked.

And I didn't mean to sound like I was ragging on Twilight lol, I have all of those books and have read them many times. Just meant they weren't too much of the same storylines... like they weren't copied.

Here's some I like:
Jaymin Eve - I like lots of hers, including The Walker Saga
Supernatural Prison Stories
NYC Mecca Series
Hive Trilogy
Storm Princess Saga
Secret Keepers
She has some others that are on my list to read too. I've also read Curse of the Gods and enjoyed, but its also a reverse harem story sooooo.... lol. I swear I enjoyed it for more than that

Leia Stone (a lot of times these authors will team up on a series and then I'll just keep expanding into the other author's catalogue)
Matefinder Series
Fallen Academy

Shannon Mayer
Rylee Adamson Series
Venom Trilogy
Elemental Series

Heather Hildenbrand
Heart Lines Series

McKenzie Hunter
Sky Brooks Series
Legacy Series

Bella Forrest (dystopian)
The Gender Game Series
The Girl Who Dared Series, comes after Gender Game

Becky Monson (chick lit)
Thirty Two Going on Spinster series
Others

RS Grey chick lit/rom coms

Tate James - Kit Davenport series

Tara Myers - Secrets of Sanctuary mysteries

 

[CyndiLouWho]

@Haley R no! If you end up needing it the hospital will send you home with some and provide it the whole time you are there. Having a preemie I had to supplement at first and they kept me well stocked and sent me home with plenty so I could make sure to have some in case I still needed it. Some babies can only have one kind or another so I’d not spend $$ until he is here and you know more!

FWIW some hospitals no longer do this. Our hospital does not. They have a strict no sample rule to avoid conflict of interest (I totally don’t agree that a patient can get Ensure at the hospital but not get a coupon to continue same at home).

 

[Judique]

I quit folding clothes that were inside out. I stopped unrolling balled up socks (and just washed and dried them that way and refused to deal with them) when DH was still playing a LOT of basketball and would leave 2 pairs of sweaty balled up socks in the laundry that would STILL be wet inside 4 days later when I got around to laundry. Fixed the problem pretty quickly. I also don't fold my older kids' clothes now because a) they are old enough to do it themselves b) its a life skill and c) they WEREN'T BOTHERING TO PUT THEM AWAY after I had spend literal hours of my time folding laundry. They would just set the piles in their disgusting bedrooms.




I bolded things I agree with. I'm nursing my 4th baby right now (she's 6mo old today) so if you have questions about anything you can always DM me.

Nursing/formula depends on the hospital you deliver in. In our hospital if you say you are breastfeeding they will NOT bring you any formula/bottles/pacis unless you specifically ask for them, and you might have to ask multiple times. The baby also doesn't ever leave your room unless there's some sort of procedure being done. There is no "nursery" at our hospital. Again, this depends on the hosptial. Most hospitals are very very pro breastfeeding these days, have a lactation consultant on staff, LDR nurses have some breastfeeding support training, etc. Your insurance will cover a breastpump as well. (My personal feeling is if you are going to commit to breastfeeding to not give a bottle or start pumping for 2 weeks so you don't accidentally mess with your supply or tax your poor tissues that will likely get a little sore.....a good latch at every feed will go a LONG way to minimizing soreness.)

You know your stuff! I was thinking of the latch issue but didn't want to get too graphic. I think it's probably the hardest thing for Mom to catch onto. The baby tries instinctively, but needs help with positioning, etc. I also believe that once they get that bottle and the milk flows so easily for them, they quickly get lazy about the nursing. But once they learn to nurse, that's what they want, not a bottle.

I nursed my 3 and recently was there through the attempts made for my 3 and 4 year old grandchildren. So as far as hospital experience, that's what I'm referring to - Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md. My own hospital experience is from 3 different hospitals - 2 different countries and 2 different states, so loads of variables.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Ours is on my list for sometime this week/next weekend if they are still opened. We'd just been there for my Mom's bday on the 8th, her's is the 9th, so I didn't want it this weekend. Got Italian from a small local chain last night so we had leftovers tonight. Not impressed and won't get from them again. Limited menu on DD all the time and I'd rather eat in for more options considering the price. My worry is our fav mexican place won't make it, they do already do some takeout so at least they're set up for it a bit. They don't have a website or a fb page so I'll have to call to see if they are open and without a menu Mom'll just have to pick a number from what she can remember she's ordered and be surprised I always get the same thing.

My worry about many places here. My absolute fave restaurant of all time is a tapas place we went to for our first anniversary almost 30 years ago. They first posted that they were just closing but at the end of this week, announced they will do carry out on Friday/Saturday/Sunday only. They are on DD and UE for now. I will order a couple times to support them.
FWIW I read that many of the meal delivery services are waiving fees for businesses to join now which I think is great.

I’m just trying to keep the little one from becoming feral, or a couch potato of the highest magnitude

This. So much. My son is mad that I even think he should do school work now. I’m mean. Honestly I can’t supervise his school stuff during the day while I work. I gave him a pass this past week, but his teacher is setting up a more structured plan starting tomorrow so I will be making sure he does more. The stuff the school put out last week was literally a list of websites. Nothing resembling a curriculum or plan.

. I get enough of that in literally every other aspect of my life.

Well, some of us are stuck at home with no one to talk to so here we are.

And, as I learned when I bought the wrong "flavor", you MUST have a receipt for returns. Apparent WIC (or similar) parents bought formula, and then returned it for cash. Luckily, I generally keep my receipts.

Stores here are sticking to a strict no return policy on everything right now.

Third, the hospital will probably do some bottle feeding, depending on your nursing success and send you home with a small supply of what they've been able to feed your baby and probably a bunch of coupons.

Some hospitals no longer do these things. No baby nursery, no nurses feeding your baby. Baby is in the room and fed by mom or dad exclusively. Some also do no samples or coupons. YMMV.