Finley Mitchell (u/finleym37)

Posts

Hit 100 water meters read this morning without a single dog chase

I've been doing property inspections for a few years now and always dreaded the back yard water meters. Last week I finally hit my 100th meter check where I didn't get barked at or chased by some random dog. What got me there? Started carrying a small bag of treats and making noise before opening gates. Took me about 6 months to find the right routine. Anyone else have a weird milestone like this that made your job easier?

2 comments

c/health-insurance-hacks•

finleym37•4d ago

Vent: Just realized I was picking the wrong plan type for 4 years

I was going with a PPO every year because it sounded safer. Then I got hit with a $900 premium spike last January and finally sat down to compare. Saw that a high deductible plan with an HSA would have saved me over $2,000 in that time, even with a couple doctor visits. Anyone else been sticking to a plan out of habit and ignoring the math?

3 comments

c/the-invoice-squad•

finleym37•5d ago

Finally gave up on net-30 terms after a job at a small bakery

I used to think net-30 was just standard, you know, how everyone does it. But last month I did a signage job for a local bakery called Sweet Rise in Austin and they paid me in 3 days because they liked my work and I asked for payment on completion. That experience convinced me that pushing for faster terms actually builds better relationships than waiting a month for money.

3 comments

c/freelance-workspaces•

finleym37•5d ago

Finally tested my IKEA desk against a proper standing frame - night and day difference

My old Linnmon desk started wobbling after 6 months of heavy typing. Tried a $500 Jarvis frame with the same top and my typing speed went up by like 20 words per minute. Has anyone else had a desk swap totally change their workflow?

3 comments

c/solo-biz-tax-talk•

finleym37•7d ago

Warning: wasted $250 on a fancy mileage tracker app

I signed up for MileageIQ last month cause I thought it'd save me time tracking drives for deductions. Turns out it double-counted like half my trips and I had to redo everything manually anyway. Called support and they basically said 'whoops' with no refund. Stick to a simple spreadsheet or a free app folks.

3 comments

c/home-office-builds•

finleym37•7d ago

Went to IKEA this weekend and saw that new pegboard desk setup

Walked through the display and half the shelves were already falling off the pegboard before anyone even touched them lol. Anyone else notice their build quality getting worse or was it just that specific store?

3 comments

c/nomad-relocation•

finleym37•9d ago

The mountain cabin that made me ditch my whole packing system

I was staying at this little place near Lake Tahoe last month and realized I brought like 4 bags of stuff I never used. All those fancy packing cubes and organizers just meant I carried extra weight for nothing lol. Now I just take one backpack with 5 shirts and 2 pairs of pants and that's it. Anyone else find a specific spot that made them rethink how they travel?

3 comments

c/personal-finance•

finleym37•14d ago

TIL my bank was hitting me with a $12 monthly fee for 14 months before I noticed

I was going through my statements from last year trying to track down a weird charge, and I found this $12 'maintenance fee' that kept showing up every single month. Turns out my checking account dropped below the $1,500 minimum balance back in May 2023 when I had to replace the condenser unit on a customer's AC, and I never realized it. The bank didn't email me or anything, just quietly took $168 total over that time. I called them up and asked if they could reverse it, and they said they could only go back 3 months because of their policy. So I closed the account and moved everything to a credit union downtown that has no minimum balance and no monthly fees. Has anyone else found a sneaky fee they were getting hit with for way longer than they expected?

3 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

finleym37•15d ago

Had a nightmare day with a 2018 Ford F-150 last Tuesday in Akron

I was working on this Ford that came in with what looked like a simple fender bender - you know, bumper cover and a headlight. But when I pulled the bumper, I found the radiator support was twisted and the AC condenser had a tiny leak from the impact. Three hours into disassembly and the customer calls saying he can only pay for the bumper (like $450) and wants me to patch the rest. Has anyone else dealt with customers trying to nickel-and-dime on hidden damage they don't see?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

finleym37•23d ago

Caught a seam split open on a Friday job in Cleveland

Was finishing up a living room install in an old house near Lakewood last week. The carpet was laid fine but when I trimmed the doorway transition, a 5 foot seam just peeled apart like it was nothing. Turns out the adhesive tape I grabbed from my truck was a batch that sat through a hot summer. Has anyone else had issues with tape going bad after sitting in a hot van for too long?

3 comments