Post Your Wins

[disneysteve]

Would you have held the deuce where the jack is currently at on that $800 win above? A kicker of 2's, 3's or 4's with 4 aces would have paid $4000. My thinking is that holding the deuce would decrease my chances of getting 4 aces which is needed first, before getting a kicker, hence why I did not hold the deuce. Also, the random number generator (RNG) is constantly changing until the redraw button is pressed so if I held the deuce the time it took to press the button may have not resulted in the 4th ace arriving. Technical stuff but I believe that is how modern day video poker machines operate. Anyway, would you have held the deuce?

There's a reason it's called gambling .

There's no way to know what would have happened. And if the RNG truly doesn't pick the outcome until you hit the button even hesitating because you sneezed or got a text or took a sip of your drink could have made a difference. You take what you get.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Ha-ha, yes I was happy with the $800 but the greedy brain inside me keeps saying what if? (lol). The last paragraph describes how the RNG continues shuffling.

[scfr]

I took a planned step on my journey toward retirement and am now a 20-hour-a-week worker. I logged out of my 2nd (irregular) job for the last time today.

[disneysteve]

I took a planned step on my journey toward retirement and am now a 20-hour-a-week worker. I logged out of my 2nd (irregular) job for the last time today.

Congratulations! That's awesome. You will quickly come to wonder how you were managing to get anything done outside of work when you were full time. Enjoy the added freedom.

[disneysteve]

Two medical billing wins

1. I had an MRI recently. I don't remember the exact amount but they said it would be a little under $1,200. I got the EOB from our insurance company and their allowed rate is $982, about $200 less than I was quoted so I only need to pay that amount.

2. I got a lab bill today for $32.80. I went online to pay it and it said I had no balance. Turns out I had already paid that bill a couple of weeks ago and today's statement must have been generated before they processed that payment.

Not that it's necessarily a good thing, but I'm only $150 from meeting my deductible so at least the insurance coverage will start kicking in and the OOP charges will lessen.

[crazyliblady]

Two medical billing wins

1. I had an MRI recently. I don't remember the exact amount but they said it would be a little under $1,200. I got the EOB from our insurance company and their allowed rate is $982, about $200 less than I was quoted so I only need to pay that amount.

2. I got a lab bill today for $32.80. I went online to pay it and it said I had no balance. Turns out I had already paid that bill a couple of weeks ago and today's statement must have been generated before they processed that payment.

Not that it's necessarily a good thing, but I'm only $150 from meeting my deductible so at least the insurance coverage will start kicking in and the OOP charges will lessen.

Since you are retired now, I thought I would ask. Are you covered by Medicare? If you are, does it typically cover everything?

[disneysteve]

Since you are retired now, I thought I would ask. Are you covered by Medicare? If you are, does it typically cover everything?

No, I'm only 59, wife is 60, so we're 5 years from Medicare. We were on COBRA from my job until 12/31/23 and then went on an ACA plan on 1/1/24. The upside is that ACA is way cheaper than COBRA by $1,000/month. The downside is the ACA plan has a deductible and high OOP expenses where the work plan had neither so it somewhat balances out.

Actually, ACA will probably end up being even cheaper because I believe our income will come in quite a bit lower than the estimate I used when we signed up. That'll come back to us at tax time.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Consigned 35 items yesterday and donated another 10. But i also organized for selling more stuff next two weeks. I am feeling very happy that I cleaned my desk

[QuarterMillionMan]

Profitable night at my local casino. Ate free beef skewers & chicken skewers with baked potatoes & corn on the cobs for everyone.

[srblanco7]

I took a planned step on my journey toward retirement and am now a 20-hour-a-week worker. I logged out of my 2nd (irregular) job for the last time today.

Congratulations! I've really been enjoying my new 24 hr work week (M thr W). The long weekends just feel better.

Do you have a plan for the timing of exiting the first job and retiring?

[scfr]

Congratulations! I've really been enjoying my new 24 hr work week (M thr W). The long weekends just feel better.

Do you have a plan for the timing of exiting the first job and retiring?

Thank you!
The current plan is November 2027.

[Fishindude77]

I don't know if this is a win or just proof I'm now an old fart, but signed up for Medicare yesterday.
Will soon see some savings on our health insurance costs.

[disneysteve]

I don't know if this is a win or just proof I'm now an old fart, but signed up for Medicare yesterday.
Will soon see some savings on our health insurance costs.

Anything that lowers your health care costs is definitely a win.

I'm still 5 years away; 4.5 for the wife. I'm in no hurry to get there but for now at least we're enjoying ACA coverage which is half the price we were paying for COBRA, and probably even less than that once we do our 2024 taxes.

[Fishindude77]

Beaver for the win !
A buddy of mine traps and caught a few nuisance beaver last winter. He saved and butchered the meat from a couple and brought some out for a sampling last evening.
It was simply chunked up into chicken nugget size pieces and pan fried in an iron skillet with butter and was delicious. Almost like little bites of ribeye steak.

He sold the pelts for a few $$ and got some tasty table fare.

I've tried just about ever other kind of wild game but that was a first for me. Pleasantly surprised.

In other winning news from rural America ...... Our garden is really putting out the goods currently, picking green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and zucchini nearly every day.

[james.hendrickson]

Guys - my win is I maxed out my Roth IRA contributions for 2023 and 2024.