Miles Schmidt (u/miles_schmidt)

Posts

I thought getting a home inspection was just a box to check, but ours found a $5,000 plumbing issue.

Our realtor in Austin pushed for a full inspection on the cute bungalow we were under contract for. I almost skipped it to save cash, but we went ahead. The inspector found old polybutylene pipes that were about to fail behind the kitchen wall. The seller gave us a credit for the repair, which saved us from a huge surprise bill right after moving in. Has anyone else had an inspection find something major that changed the deal?

3 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

My grocery bill went from $95 to $65 a week after I started batch cooking beans.

For months, I was buying canned beans for every meal, which added up fast. I switched to buying a 2-pound bag of dry black beans and cooking them all on Sunday. Anyone else find a simple switch like that made a big difference?

4 comments

c/freelance-finances•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

Hot take: Freelancers who don't set a clear project scope are just giving money away

I lost nearly $800 on a website build last month because I didn't write down exactly what 'a few tweaks' meant after the main work was done. How do you guys handle scope creep without sounding like you're nickel and diming a client?

4 comments

c/botany-lovers•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

My neighbor told me to water my new fiddle leaf fig every single day, and after two weeks its leaves started turning yellow and dropping.

I switched to watering it only when the top inch of soil in the Chicago apartment is dry, and it's finally pushing out a new leaf after a month of looking sad, so what's the biggest plant care myth you've ever been told?

4 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

My neighbor's comment about my morning routine made me pause

I was out on my porch with my usual pour-over, and my neighbor Frank walked by. He said, 'You know, you drink that like it's medicine, not like something you enjoy.' I realized I'd been so focused on hitting the perfect grind size and water temp that I wasn't even tasting it. Now I make a point to just sit for the first three sips without thinking about the process. Has a simple shift like that ever changed your coffee moment?

4 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

Just hit 10,000 brake jobs in my career

I was cleaning out my old toolbox and found a notebook where I'd been making tally marks for every brake job since my apprenticeship. Counted them up and it came to 10,003. That's a lot of rotors and calipers. It hit me that I've probably spent over two full years of my life just doing brakes. The weird part is, I still get a customer at least once a month who insists their new pads are squealing because I did something wrong, not because they need to be bedded in. Anyone else have a number that made you stop and think about how much of this trade is pure repetition?

4 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

PSA: A talk with my insurance agent changed how I see my shop's dust

I was renewing my policy last week and mentioned I keep my cyclone collector clean. He said, 'That's good, but the fine stuff you can't see is what can really go up.' He told me about a claim he handled where a shop's air filter was clogged and a spark from a sander set it off. Now I'm looking at adding an air scrubber, something I always thought was extra. Has anyone put one in a smaller shop, like under 800 square feet?

4 comments

c/email-template-swap•

miles_schmidt•1mo ago

Vent: I had to pick between a long, fancy email or a short, direct one for a big pitch.

Last week, I was trying to land a listing for a house in the $750k range, and I spent two hours on a super detailed email. My partner saw it and said it looked like a robot wrote it. So I tried a new way, just three sentences saying I saw the house, I know the area, and I'd like to talk. I sent the short one. The owner called me back in 20 minutes, which never happens for me. Has anyone else had a client actually like the super short pitch better?

4 comments

Posts

I thought getting a home inspection was just a box to check, but ours found a $5,000 plumbing issue.

My grocery bill went from $95 to $65 a week after I started batch cooking beans.

Hot take: Freelancers who don't set a clear project scope are just giving money away

My neighbor told me to water my new fiddle leaf fig every single day, and after two weeks its leaves started turning yellow and dropping.

My neighbor's comment about my morning routine made me pause

Just hit 10,000 brake jobs in my career

PSA: A talk with my insurance agent changed how I see my shop's dust

Vent: I had to pick between a long, fancy email or a short, direct one for a big pitch.

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