The average person knows the name Freon, not R-22 or R-410A, so they use it. It's not really a scam or bait and switch. It's offering something "free" that you may or may not need if your system needs repair. You can be sure their prices will cover their refrigerant costs, so it's probably no deal in the end.

Yes, we do!! I am always telling him how much money I saved HIM --- even though it is OURS. I cannot think of one project we have ever done that has not taken 5x the time and cost twice the money! We try to DIY whenever we can, as we figure that for the most part if someone else can do it, so can we. It is also a standing joke among our friends as although I am really good at spending my own money, I am even better at spending someone else's. So if I go shopping with a friend, I always make it a point to tell how much money we "saved". My threads are still on this page - UPDATE ON PATHETIC BATHROOM and BEDROOM UPDATE. I think that maybe I spent $175 on all of the materials and hardware. I found those rods at a Value City here that is closing --- I paid $4.00 each!! One of my next plans is to update my backyard. We have a big cement slab there that used to be the kids' basketball court. It is now just an eyesore. I also want to take out the flagstone patio that we had put in about 8 years ago. I SHOULD have done it myself as these guys ripped me off for $1,500 and didn't even put a base under it. It is all uneven. But these are not projects I will do myself. I don't have the back-power anymore - - and concrete was never my forte anyway!!

I can see all sides on this very thorny issue, actually. And I agree with forms' summation: "All that being said, there is no formula that is fair to everyone in every situation." I guess I'm most inclined to agree with the following statements: -Kathline: "If its not proportional, then you can have the situation of one sibling living in a nice house with dad and the other one in a ratty slum with mom...or any variation thereof." And: "Support money is for the children, not for the ex spouse." -Sieryn: "why should Dad in that situation be responsible for Mom's standard of living?...she shouldn't be able to stiff her kids..." -Ima: "the kids have the right to benefit from both parent's standard of living. If dad has a higher income, even if they share custody, the child should get something to bring his/her standard of living up a little." I think the crucial thing to remember here ---which seems to get most often forgotten--- is that CS is for the KIDS. Remembering this *not only* means that the CP has an obligation to make responsible choices and not squander their kids' money... but it ALSO means that the NCP with a larger income shouldn't be a cheap-a$$. The way it SHOULD be is that the NCP with more money says to him/herself: "I am doing well materially, far better than the parent my child lives with. There are very few things more important to spend money on than making sure one's own child has a happy life... It is still my child, even though I am no longer married to his/her other parent and my kid doesn't happen to live with me in my new house. I WANT my child to benefit from the fact that I do well, not to spoil him/her but to be able to give him/her what s/he needs to have a full happy life with as many options as possible. I WANT to be able to help ensure that my kid's living situation is as good as I would make it if s/he lived with me in my house." But I guess the sad part is that this awareness of parental responsibility (and just plain loving care) somehow gets forgotten. The mentality too often becomes "out of house, out of mind", or that somehow the child is LESS their child because of the divorce with the child's parent. So, hence, "less obligation" in their mind, which is why legally-mandated CS exists in the first place! Sometimes, too, there are greedy CP's who spend all the CS on themselves. This is how it so often happens that there are deadbeats (custodial AND non-custodial!) who skip out on CS (or squander it all) and rationalize to themselves why they should go cheap on their own kid, or do the bare minimum for the kid that's demanded of them by law. After all, "The kid's OTHER PARENT isn't helping the kid... why should I?" Meanwhile, there's the kid, in the middle, being denied all sorts of things as retaliation to the other parent. Both parents see the other as not giving the kid enough, so they feel like giving even less, and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: the kid IS being cheated!!! Clearly we can't always trust parents to do right by their kids, to be unselfish and responsible, so we do need a system. But the problem seems to be mostly with THIS SYSTEM as it currently stands. Was it Organicmaria who recently said that in some countries the CS-like fund is set up to ONLY be accessible by the children? I can see where the realities of that would be hard to implement (i.e. a 4-year old shopping for his/her own groceries), BUT I basically agree with the intention of making sure it's going to the kids. If there was some, more practical, way of having more tight control of exactly where the money's going, I think many more NCP's with more money would feel more comfortable sharing the wealth. (Not to let them off the hook from doing so, regardless of the system!) The saddest thing is when these NCP's are so loathing of the idea of CP getting thier grubby mitts too much on it that they'd rather see their own child go without. The system REALLY needs to address this problem b/c it's frankly disgusting and heart-breaking.

Hi everyone. This is the original Dalda nearly 7 years later. Amazing things happen when you have an excellent lawyer who puts things in motion and types up divorce papers under 48 hours. I was finally able to get a divorce. I sent my stepbrother, his wife and nibling on a 6 months full paid vacation. He's too busy, so he took one month off each year to visit each continent except the two poles. LoL. I have set up a educational trust fund for nibling. So nibling can study whatever and wherever nibling wants. Stepbrother is extremely well off on his own, and did not want or need it. But he took care of my lovely mother and wonderful stepfather for years. My stepfathers best friend was my lawyer, stepfather was the man who got down on one knee at 60 years to me and my sister and asked our consent to become family. He knew everything about the inheritance even about the extra millions and kept mumm and guided me, mentored me. Bless him. As for my divorce, ex-H contested it, it dragged on for 8 months, he had a grandchild. Without him being in contact with me or dear daughter for 4 months, we were invited to the birth of the child via a call and text. I promptly congratulated and sent a gift. Then continuously for 2 months me and daughter were bombarded with a few hundred photos of the child. Daughter was completely abandoned by him, distraught and blocked him on all media. Step kids did not remove their possessions even after written notice, I had to pack all their stuff and delivered it to their respective residents via courier service. With proof of delivery and acceptance. I must mention here that ex-h in the end was physically abusive to me. For years I was told I'm too dumb to do a PhD, I wouldn't be able to cope with the family and studies and work. I did not know that he had been funneling money from my account to his for 16 years. He was mentally abusive, which I didn't understand then. But during my daughters therapy sessions I broke down and discussed myself with the therapist and they pointed out exactly how I was being manipulated and brainwashed for 16 years into being under his thumb. They sued me for financial support, mental torture abuse, they WANTED 1 million of the 2 my parents left me, my family heirlooms, access to my house and lost spectacularly. I must write one line from the judges verdict, it went somewhat like this, it seems unfortunate that Mr. X and two of your children have been consumed by greed. You have failed to show one valid reason why you should be granted one cent. As for Mr. X, you should be ashamed as you have forgotten that you have another 15 year old daughter. Daughter and I faced a lot of vile words, threats from ex. He went to her school and tried to force her to sign papers. Tried to make her understand how and why she should share her good windfall. On my 40th birthday, I had a call and had to urgently visit my father's lawyer, telling a shocked and crying me that Instead of 2 million, my inheritance came up to 18 million in total. As my father bless him, left everything he had to me and my sister a few years later, which unknown to us was left to us to be given when we reach 40. I heard from ex-in laws that they flipped. In anger stepdaughter screamed, and broke stuff, ex ranted for days how he should have just sucked up and left his adult kids be, his life would be so much better. Ex got married twice. Him and his son sued me again, and lost, Spectacularly again. At 16 daughter won a full scholarship (she has mama's brains) and went on to an ivy league college with 4 GPA. She's 20 and blooming. With my consent she has set up a trust fund for anonymous merit scholarships for underprivileged students, we also support a local women's shelter for abused women and children. I rented out my house, which was too huge for only two people and moved to a town near her college, was a able to get a much better job in my field, which I did not know I was capable of, went on to do my PhD and Post Doctorate on full merit scholarship, I'm still doing it, it is extremely hard work. And two years later of my divorce I met a wonderful man through my work, my daughter and his daughter. Yes, it's weird. We took it slow, we have been married for two years now. Smooth sailing so far. We both have similar experience with exs and near same financial backgrounds, education. I must mention my amazing stepdaughter gave near same amount to the scholarship fund for underprivileged children from her own business. She has been a positive influence on daughter and guide her like my brother did me and my sister, like a protective wing. We agreed on an airtight prenup. Life is and can be bliss if you have the guts to leave your abusive and greedy mooching partner.