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Slumlord Update

We’re six weeks into our new lives as slumlords. Our tenants moved in late in January for a lease that started February first.

Our tenants are paying $1200/month for a two bedroom, 1 bathroom house and 2 of the 3 stalls in the garage. This is in a first ring suburb. The house itself is a bit under 2 miles from the border of Minneapolis.

The rent is on the lower end of the curve for the size and location, and my wife has known the tenants for years.

Of the $1200 we get each month, here are our fixed expenses:

Water/sewer/garbage: $170 per quarter
Property taxes: $2359 for last year

That’s $253.25 per month we pay for the property.

The tenants pay gas, electric, and cable.

That leaves $946.75 in profit for us each month. Yay!

But wait.

Two days after moving in, the new boiler went out. It was a pain in the butt, but the company fixed it for free. They even loaned our tenants some space heaters, since this happened when it was -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

A couple of days after that, the drain pipes coming from the bathtub gave out. Eighty-year-old cast-iron pipes do that. $325 for that fix.

The paint we put in the kitchen is peeling? $250 and a day of painting.

Part of our project with Sammy has him maintaining the property. For the winter months, he’s been cleaning out the snow every time it falls. $425 for February and March. Welcome to Minnesota. I’m not sure this is going to be a continuing part of the property service next winter.

Sink clogged further down that we can reach with our pipe snake? $125.

3 feet of snow melting faster than the ground underneath is thawing, allowing water to seep through the basement walls? We don’t know, yet. That fix has to wait until the snow is gone.

Of the $1893.50 “profit” we’ve received so far, we’ve had to pay out $1125. Of the remaining $768.50, we’re setting aside $500 per month for future repairs, which we expect to keep making for at least a few months.

Hooray for a -$231.50 profit! It makes all of the work for the last 10 months worth it.

Sammy’s Story, Part 4

Business, Finance, Life

If you haven’t been following along with Sammy’s story, please take a few minutes to do so here, here, and here.

Photo of underside of electric lawn mover (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We left off in September, with the yard done and the house almost ready to rent. Sammy and his guys worked their butts off getting the work done. It cost more than we had expected, but it got done.

Over the winter, we hired the crew to handle the snow at both of our properties. We paid Sammy a flat fee and he made sure the driveways and sidewalks were clear every time it snowed. We started paying him in November, and ran through until March, so he got a pretty good deal and we didn’t have to worry about the snow.

When spring came, Sammy told me he needed to take a break from his business. Putting a yard care business on hold when spring hits is a bad idea, but it happened. He was dealing with some problems with his housing and couldn’t focus on anything else, even though the money would have helped him a lot.

When he lost his apartment, we let him store some of his things in the extra garage stall at the rental. This stall was reserved in the lease for us to use, and was the base of operations for the yard care business, since he was using our lawn mower and snow blower anyway.

And that was the last we saw of him for a month.

When we started nagging him to take care of his stuff, he kept telling us that he wanted to keep his business going, but he couldn’t, yet.

Then he’d leave his stuff for another month.

By the end of the summer, he’d gotten most of his stuff out and we’d only hear from him if he thought he could borrow money from us, which didn’t happen.

Finally, my wife called him and told him to get his crap out by the end of September.

Or else.

A week into October, we found out that he’d spent September in jail. Supposedly, he broke up with his(literal) crackhead girlfriend and she called the police and made up stories. He got arrested and couldn’t make bail.

Last week, he came to borrow our trailer to get the last of his stuff out, then returned it in the evening without moving any of his stuff. He said he was moving the stuff he had stored elsewhere and he’d be back on Monday.

Monday? Nothing.

Our relationship with Sammy has gone from helping him launch a business that helps fatherless teens, recovering crackheads, and the homeless to lies and getting begged for money.

My wife is ready to put his stuff on the curb.

What would you do? Toss his stuff? Give him another chance?

The Value of Hiding Money From Your Spouse

Finance, Relationships

I have a confession, but it’s probably not going to be a big shocker if you read the title of this post.

Acceptance marks displayed on top left of this... — Acceptance marks displayed on top left of this sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I hide money from my wife.

Some of you just started screaming at your monitor that I’m a horrible person.

That’s cool.

You’re wrong, but the fact that I got that reaction out of you makes me smile.

Ok, I might be a little bit horrible, but not because I hide money.

My wife has an admitted shopping problem. If she thinks we’re broke, she shops less. That’s a win and allows me to save up for our long-term goals and provide for our financial security.

I don’t lie about it. If she asks how we’re doing, I tell her. At least in general terms.

But I didn’t tell her about my annual bonus, until we had a bunch of car repairs come up that would have swamped our emergency fund.

I also haven’t told her about the cash I’ve been stockpiling.

A couple of years ago, the power went out here for four days. It wasn’t just our house, it was 75% of everything within 5 miles of our house.

When the power came on in some places after a day or two, the phone lines were still down, which meant gas stations couldn’t process credit cards.

Quick, look in your wallet and tell me how much cash you have on you….

Most people live on their credit or debit cards.

Could you buy food or water if your plastic was gone?

I could that week, but not for long, so I started taking the cash payments from my side hustle and putting it aside. I’d come home, give my wife a little cash, keep a little cash for myself, and put at least 80% of it away. I absolutely refuse to touch that money for anything.

Part of the “set it aside and forget about” means not revealing its existence. It would be too easy to dip into it to pay the pizza guy or when we go to Rennfest.

So I don’t talk about, and it gets to sit all by itself in the safe, comfy and warm. It’s my security blanket, and nobody gets to touch my binky.

Tootsie – Does Beauty Have to be Expensive?

Celebrities

Cover of "Tootsie - 25th Anniversary Edit... — Cover of Tootsie – 25th Anniversary Edition

Many remember Dustin Hoffman dressed in drag in the classic film Tootsie, a movie that he now says made him realize how many women he’s missed out on meeting in life simply because he judged them by their looks. Every year women spend thousands of dollars on beauty products and cosmetics, hoping to increase their appearance and become attractive enough to the outside world. Although there are various degrees of beauty, it undoubtedly is usually determined by the amount of money spent to enhance features and upkeep the overall look.

Although natural beauty does exist in our society, it is few and far between to find a woman who needs a minimal amount of makeup and hair product to appear beautiful enough to meet society’s standards. Styled, highlighted hair is crucial for an attractive look, requiring professional services to be done on the hair by a salon. Although it may be cheaper to spend $5 on a box of hair dye at the supermarket, the hair won’t look as full or healthy without a professional technique applied. A woman’s hair is bound to look more attractive by spending the extra $100 by visiting a stylist who knows their craft.

The length of a woman’s hair often creates a more attractive look in the U.S., which is difficult to achieve with flat irons and curlers that create breakage and brittle hair from the heat. Women are now resorting to having hair extensions installed every three to five months to achieve beautiful hair that has a fuller texture and longer length, costing an average of $700. They can resort to shorter hair that saves a large amount of money, but they’re ultimately compromising a large part of their looks.

There’s a reason that celebrities appear more beautiful than the rest of the population, as their high school photos often show them to look like typical people. By spending thousands of dollars on personal trainers, stylists, and makeup artists, their appearance is immediately enhanced with the finest tools and products on the market. They are also able to have help with experts who have more knowledge on what creates the best look for their features.

Although beauty does not have to be expensive (just look at exotic women in Columbia and Brazil who are anything but high maintenance), it unfortunately is a requirement in the U.S. where rich housewives rule the reality shows and runways. True beauty is often defined by breast and waist sized, which few women can live up to, resulting in thousands of dollars spent on breast implants and liposuction, often impossible to attain otherwise.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but few men will argue that Angelina Jolie is unattractive or that Heidi Klum looks homely. The majority of men can agree when a woman is beautiful, and few women catch attention with a homemade manicure and dyed hair that came from a box. Perhaps going au natural will become a new trend in the coming years, but for now it’s expensive to be a woman, and even more costly to be a beautiful one.

Was Anderson Silva’s Loss At UFC 162 Due To Lack of Training?

Celebrities

One minute and twelve seconds into the second round of the UFC 162 main event, the fight world stood still. While Anderson Silva toyed around for much of the final minutes of the first round and the early second, Chris

Weidman caught the champion with a left hook, knocking “The Spider” out cold. It was the first time Silva had lost in his previous 17 matches and it ended his undefeated streak in the UFC. After losing, one must wonder if Silva grew tired, or overconfident with his winning streak. Did being the overall number one pound for pound fighter in the world make Silva train or prepare less for the fight?

For those who think that Silva’s loss had anything to do with inadequate training, you should probably take another look at the months leading up to the event and understand that it was no surprise that the UFC has a new Middleweight Champion.

Early this year, Anderson opened up his own gym in Torrance, California. While the gym will be used in the future to help bread younger MMA fighters, the last few months it has been used solely by Anderson and close friends, as he prepared for his fight against Weidman. When you are a champion like Anderson Silva, you know the dedication and effort that needs to go into a title defense. It doesn’t matter if it’s against an up and coming superstar or someone who has been around for years you need to prepare adequately. Because if you don’t, your opponent will.

Along with his new gym and his sponsorships from corporations like Nike and Burger King, as well as his past experience, it’s highly unlikely that Anderson Silva failed to prepare for this fight. Instead, many people will consider Anderson’s change of attitude and arrogance in recent months as the major reason for his demise.

Before every UFC fight, the company broadcasts a special called “Countdown to UFC”. Those who watch Countdown To UFC 162 noticed a different type of Spider. Instead of an angry or determined Silva, he seemed more lax and easygoing about the upcoming main event. Unlike Weidman, who continually said he’d do anything to take the belt that was rightfully his. Furthermore, in an action that you almost never see between fighters who will soon face one another, Anderson admitted that Weidman was better at certain part of MMA, specifically wrestling. Admitting your opponent is good is one thing, but to outright give him information that tells him he is better than you at something, that’s completely different. Unlike Chael Sonnen, who lost to Silva in both of their matches, Weidman assured fans that he would press Silva and keep him on the ground, while making the event a wrestling match.

With all that said, no one would’ve expected that the fight would end in a knockout in the second round. Especially not with a knockout that Weidman would deliver. But throughout the fight, Silva taunted the now champion. Silva would lower his hands, slap his head, and verbally assault Weidman, attempting to get in his head. While this showboating is typical Silva 101, Weidman has seen it all before and didn’t allow it to effect how he would fight. Instead, he saw his opportunity when Silva lowered his hands and caught him with a hook that was heard around the world.

Anderson Silva loosing his title had less to do with his training, than it did with his attitude leading up to the event and during the fight. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for the passion that Silva showed during the pre-fight weigh in, some would wonder if he was prepared for the fight at all. Even after Weidman was crowned the new champion, Silva said he didn’t want a rematch and was not interested in going after championship belts anymore. While no one can be sure what this means, or what the future holds for someone who dominated MMA as we know it for so many years, hopefully Dana White or someone close to Anderson can inform him that if you disrespect your opponent in the octagon, you raise the probability of getting knocked out. No matter how hard you train, no matter what sponsors you have, no matter how loud the fans scream your name, all it takes is one punch to lose a fight. And in this case, to lose the title of the Greatest Fighter of All Time.

New 100 Dollar Bill – What Changed?

Business, News

The new $100 dollar bill was introduced to the world recently and Benjamin Franklin, the iconic figure who has traditionally graced the C note for decades, would, as a garish and innovative guy himself, completely approve.

What’s new about it?

The Federal Reserve added many clever designs to thwart counterfeiters. First of all, there’s lot more color. The older designs that were all variations of green, black and gray have been glammed up with oranges, copper and blues, all with the purpose of adding extra security.

A blue ribbon that runs vertically through the bill is actually hundreds of thousands of little liberty bells that change shape as the bill is turned different angles. So if you’re in the habit of giving crisp Benjamins to family members, you might want to show them how the bells change into “100s” right before their eyes. Cool, huh?

Is that a feather? No, it’s a quill. Not just any quill, it is put there, in a lovely shade of copper, to represent the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Phrases from that document are on the bill too, in tiny letters, so readers can get a micro-lesson in American history (and counterfeiters groan in frustration!)

If that weren’t enough, and it isn’t if you’re trying to one-up the bad guys, a colored ink well has another liberty bell in it. This bell changes from green to copper as the perspective on it changes, just like the 100 that’s next to it.

New textures along Franklin’s shoulder are also more than just a delight for the senses, they could also challenge any counterfeiter. Raised textures are all over the bill and makes holding a C note more fun than ever. With over three billion of these Benjamins in circulation, the government has no choice but to take every measure to protect its currency.

Franklin also makes an appearance in a watermark. If you hold it up to the light, you can see him again. What would he think of all these changes?

If you turn the bill over, besides seeing a bold 100 in bright gold/orange numbers, you’ll also see Independence Hall in Philadelphia, from the back. The back? Why would the Federal Reserve want a photo of this historic landmark where they keep the lawn mower and recycling bins? (Thankfully, they’re not in the picture.) Again, this is for the counterfeiters’ benefit. If you’re going to go to all the trouble of counterfeiting, now you’ll have to get Colonial architecture accurate. (Counterfeiting is a felony and can earn you some serious jail time. It’s not worth it, kids!)

The new $100 bill is a work of art, a technological achievement and a tribute to our great nation, and more specifically, a prominent figure in our history. Benjamin Franklin, inventor, printer, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Philadelphia’s most famous kite flyer, would probably be thrilled with the technological upgrades, the bling and all those Liberty Bells on the new $100 bill.

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