Pretend Chat 2.14

[Jacqui]

Okay stocked up on handwarmers, but thinking 30 won't be enough. New batteries and a lantern. Dog and cat food stocked. Bottles of water filled. Two propane bottles and your little ones. New propane heater still in box. Hmmm sorta ready, if the ice takes out power.

 

[Jacqui]

The moon was so pretty this morning, tonight it is hiding in and out of clouds like in some horror movie.

 

[Yvonne G]

I guess my car insurance company thought my heart needed a shock to make sure it is running properly. My bill this year jumped up from about $500 annually to a little over $900 annually. When I called them they told me it was because CAR FAX told them I drive about 10,000 miles a year, so the premium goes up accordingly.

Folks - my truck is a 2005. That's an 11 year old vehicle. My odometer reading at this moment (I'm rounding up and down all the numbers because it's easier to type) is 45,000 miles. If you divide 45000 by 11, the average I drive a year is 4100 miles. Actually since I've limited my driving to once a week, I now only drive a little under 1000 miles a year. But take the average. If my average is 4100 miles, how on earth can CARFAX say my mileage is 10,000 miles a year?

They say that CAR FAX gets the information from the mileage shown when I take the truck in for servicing. Someone needs glasses, because I got out my service booklet and there's just no 10,000 miles a year anywhere in that book.

Thank goodness they downsized it for me and so now it only went up $150, but I can get that down a few bucks if I take their safe senior driver test. I paid $580 for the past three years. And now all of a sudden it's over $700. Too bad my Social Security check didn't increase at that rate. Last year I got a $2 increase and this year no increase at all.

In order to keep living in the manner to which I've become accustomed (and that's mighty frugal), I'm going to have to sell those Aldabras. They eat the most.

 

[Len B]

Okay stocked up on handwarmers, but thinking 30 won't be enough. New batteries and a lantern. Dog and cat food stocked. Bottles of water filled. Two propane bottles and your little ones. New propane heater still in box. Hmmm sorta ready, if the ice takes out power.

Don't forget you can heat things up in your car and on the motor also, just don't do it in a closed garage.

 

[Big Charlie]

I guess my car insurance company thought my heart needed a shock to make sure it is running properly. My bill this year jumped up from about $500 annually to a little over $900 annually. When I called them they told me it was because CAR FAX told them I drive about 10,000 miles a year, so the premium goes up accordingly.

Folks - my truck is a 2005. That's an 11 year old vehicle. My odometer reading at this moment (I'm rounding up and down all the numbers because it's easier to type) is 45,000 miles. If you divide 45000 by 11, the average I drive a year is 4100 miles. Actually since I've limited my driving to once a week, I now only drive a little under 1000 miles a year. But take the average. If my average is 4100 miles, how on earth can CARFAX say my mileage is 10,000 miles a year?

They say that CAR FAX gets the information from the mileage shown when I take the truck in for servicing. Someone needs glasses, because I got out my service booklet and there's just no 10,000 miles a year anywhere in that book.

Thank goodness they downsized it for me and so now it only went up $150, but I can get that down a few bucks if I take their safe senior driver test. I paid $580 for the past three years. And now all of a sudden it's over $700. Too bad my Social Security check didn't increase at that rate. Last year I got a $2 increase and this year no increase at all.

In order to keep living in the manner to which I've become accustomed (and that's mighty frugal), I'm going to have to sell those Aldabras. They eat the most.

You can save money by getting only the minimum insurance required if you own your truck. Our Suburban is a 1999. It is the same age as Charlie! We are only covered for liability. That means it only pays if the other person gets injured or their car is damaged. It doesn't pay if our car is wrecked, but since it is an old car, if it were damaged, they would claim it was totaled and only give us what it was worth, not what it would cost to fix it. We pay $300 a year to drive 7000 miles annually.

My husband's social security increased this year to the exact amount that Part B insurance increased, so the amount we get is the same. Funny how all our expenses are going up but Social Security doesn't think so.

 

[JoesMum]

How much is expected?

Not much. Up to two inches. Currently less than an inch. Unfortunately it was very wet in the hours before and that has now frozen. It is treacherous out this morning.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Here outside of Silverton, maybe 35 miles south of Portland, Oregon we got maybe 4" of snow that's pretty much all gone. But then Portland barely to our north got hit with a good 12" of sticking snow. Kids enjoying snow days off and Portland zoo animals playing in the snow! Good times for all of us in the banana belt. Trust me, it could have been us with all that snow and mayhem.
It is COLD though. 22°f or -6°c outside. I've got my outside pipes for the water tank wrapped in an electric blanket for good measure.

 

[Jacqui]

Good morning!

 

[Jacqui]

Don't forget you can heat things up in your car and on the motor also, just don't do it in a closed garage.

With it coming as ice, not counting on even being able to open doors to get into the car. lol

 

[Jacqui]

Not much. Up to two inches. Currently less than an inch. Unfortunately it was very wet in the hours before and that has now frozen. It is treacherous out this morning.

so hidden ice under snow issue.

 

[JoesMum]

so hidden ice under snow issue.

Yup. Very slippery. The sun has just come out and it's started melting again. It would be nice if it could all go before we get the snow due tonight.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Good morning all, we're getting more ice.

And Happy Friday the 13th

 

[leigti]

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Yeasturday Tina showed us all her tortoise snowfall. Well I figured I'd show y'all ours here on bouts 50 miles south. and here I am, 60 miles north of Maggie and I'm showing 20°f here and 23°f where she's at.
ME
Maggie Regardless, lots to do and plenty of couch to surf from. I'm just glad I'm not living in Portland where the snow depth is 9" to 14" depending on the forecaster you watch. LOL.

 

[Jacqui]

Yup. Very slippery. The sun has just come out and it's started melting again. It would be nice if it could all go before we get the snow due tonight.

Do folks there know how to drive in the stuff (as is it normal for your area)?

 

[JoesMum]

Do folks there know how to drive in the stuff (as is it normal for your area)?

That's a moot point.

I grew up with snow and have no problems driving in it. But that was a long way (by British standards) north of here, over 30 years ago, before climate change made our winters milder and wetter.

Where I live now in the far south, drivers have never been used to snow and, a bit like the southern US states probably, the authorities are less equipped to cope when it happens.

Even those back home in Yorkshire are less used to it now. Snow used to lay and fall for weeks on end and now there may be a couple of bad weeks each winter.

 

[leigti]

Yeasturday Tina showed us all her tortoise snowfall. Well I figured I'd show y'all ours here on bouts 50 miles south. View attachment 197107 and here I am, 60 miles north of Maggie and I'm showing 20°f here and 23°f where she's at.
ME View attachment 197108
MaggieView attachment 197109 Regardless, lots to do and plenty of couch to surf from. I'm just glad I'm not living in Portland where the snow depth is 9" to 14" depending on the forecaster you watch. LOL.

I am about 300 miles east of you.

 

[Momof4]

You can save money by getting only the minimum insurance required if you own your truck. Our Suburban is a 1999. It is the same age as Charlie! We are only covered for liability. That means it only pays if the other person gets injured or their car is damaged. It doesn't pay if our car is wrecked, but since it is an old car, if it were damaged, they would claim it was totaled and only give us what it was worth, not what it would cost to fix it. We pay $300 a year to drive 7000 miles annually.

My husband's social security increased this year to the exact amount that Part B insurance increased, so the amount we get is the same. Funny how all our expenses are going up but Social Security doesn't think so.

Have you shopped around lately?
We insurance shop every few yrs to get low premiums. We're with Geico now.

 

[Big Charlie]

Have you shopped around lately?
We insurance shop every few yrs to get low premiums. We're with Geico now.

That's who we are with too.

 

[Yvonne G]

Have you shopped around lately?
We insurance shop every few yrs to get low premiums. We're with Geico now.

I've been with Triple A for 47 years. I'm afraid to change.