thank you for bringing such joy to this forum and others (here's the link to your reusable toilet paper story)

I've fed myself for years, and solo son is here with me. They've planned a return of my visiting nurse who came about monthly to change catheters after my car died almost two years ago, I'd visited clinic for two or three years prior, I expect no ongoing need, as surgeon inserted a pipe through my prostate last fall and no catheters since, prior to the blood a couple of weeks ago. I knew how to change catheters, had done it once when a blockage, nurse not immediately available and lacked transport to hosp. urgent care. My prostate has long been large, about ten years ago when some guys were telling of their distaste for the doc putting finger up rearend to investigate, I laughed and asked, "You think you got problems - how'd you like to be your doc?"! They'd never thought about that! Sometimes if we can put ourselves into someone else's shoes for a while, it'll help us get some more neighborly view of life, and if more of us did it more often, it'd help build happier communities. Of 12 samples taken about then cancer found in 6 or 7 had 35 shots radiation, no chemo, managed without incident since, doc said he found no evidence of cancer when he put that pipe in last fall. When doc's happy - I'm happy. Prior to the surgery, when nurse called to instruct me, when she asked me to explain in own words what to happen, I said urethra yelling at prostate - "My job is to take urine to the outside world and you're squeezing so much that I can't do it - would you darn well stay in your own lane!". The nurse laughed, saying "That's the best one I've heard all day! I've gotta tell it to my friends!" I said, "Ma'am, you guys in health care have had huge pressures and stresses to deal with for over three years now and you've persisted and been there for us when we needed you, and if you find some stress relief in some of my humour, go for it!". Some lack of energy and stamina, but feeling well, next to no pain or difficulties, getting quite a lot of sleep. Was taking glucosamine sulfate to help with joints, I was off all my regular meds while in hosp. and now that I'm back on some discomfort in right shoulder improving. ole joyful

Mother's day has come and gone... so should this thread! I am struggling with some of the statements. I justified the reference to our levels of earnings by saying that most of the stuff that we buy using "credit" cards isn't deductible, so using them isn't going to increase our amount of after-tax cash on hand, which will have an impact on our pre-tax income, as well. Almost none of the things we buy are tax deductible, so this is simply not relevant... because it doesn't change between the alternatives. The only way this becomes relevant is if you are taking money out of your traditional IRA to use for interest payments... So the entire before tax / after tax logic pretzel only works for one specific thing that is not mentioned in the original post. Next, a 28% credit card rate is not equal to a 28% savings rate. This is the difference between compounding interest and effective interest. Even though the two are calculated the exact same way, and compounding is a type of effective, compounding grows but effective interest can shrink. Credit cards are basically rolling installment loans with an 8 year and 4 month payback and no early payment penalty. So the total interest you pay on a $5,000 purchase would be $5,892 over 8.33 years. People will often struggle to convert avoidable interest to investment returns, and most people shouldn't need to do this. The easiest way to do so is by using a version of the Modigliani-Miller theorem. If you want to equate a loan into an investment, then just hypothetically use the loan to purchase the investment and find the interest rate where the total payments on the loan = the total return of the investment. The equivalent investment rate of a 28% credit card, is 9.38%. However, if you are not working with the capital structure of a business, that is pretty useless information. Unless you are borrowing to invest, you should just avoid equating loans to investments. It isn't going to provide useful information. ---- Math questions are best solved with math and not an application of some vague wisdom. Interest is not that hard to calculate, so learn to calculate it. There are times when using your credit card is wise and there are times when it is not. Generally speaking though, balances on high interest credit cards are a symptom of another problem. Typically, either frivolous spending or insufficient income. So, if you can, work on that problem first and the credit card problem tends to fix itself.

GGrGreGreeGreetGreetiGreetinGreetingGreetings everyone. Again - my thanks to each of you for your good wishes. I m gratified that so many of you chose to offer yours. And I am thankful to those of you who offered personal comments. Thanks Oly. The address I used long ago was ths.gardenweb.com and recently when I want to change, I click on the name of the one I'm using, I move to Google, and the Houzz icon is there. So I guess I'm using the Houzz access now. @carolb_w_fl thanks for the suggestion. Son, who's lived with me for over a year, has one, says it's useful sometimes - but a bit of a nuisance to haul around in between, and I rather agree not so great when hitchhiking. This is my third winter coping with snow, and the cart would be mainly useful in other seasons. @lucille I thought of buying an electric bike a couple of years ago - but didn't. Thinking of buying a car - daughter and son in law who visited last summer found one in Georgia, but we chose not to take it - then. But the eventual almost certain move to the city, at triple current rent before son came, double the current $1,000.+ a bit or more, would be covered if it would allow us to continue living here for six months to a year longer. @martinca-gw I've lived on what was step-uncle's farm for, come March, 20 years, renting this old farmhouse from the purchaser following his death, about 6+ miles from the village where I went to high school and about 12 - 20 miles from London, Ontario, half way between Detroit and Buffalo or Toronto - a couple of hours drive from four of the Great Lakes. Landlord allows space for garden, cultivates it, a few years ago I ran almost a mile of rows, took veggies to a couple of churches I relate to, much smaller recently. Story of car broken in colliision no injuries, loss of licence, hitchhike to village, bus to city, thankful for enabling health, friends advise move to city, thankful can afford it, elsewhere on this thread. @Cherryfizz - Greetings! How have you been? How long ago was it that we met in Windsor, do you remember? It was my first face to face with Gardenweb folks. Have you connected with Dances recently? Were there others beside the three of us? When I see your name, it warms my heart - even though my active forgetter can't remember the real one! Good wishes to all of you for the year ahead. ole joyful