Phew 2023 already, how the heck did that happen? Hmm what can I report for 2023?

Starting with a weeklong cleanse, then back to keto. I was doing this in the fall and then work blew up and I had to travel all over the place and said to hell with it, I'll get a fresh start in the new year. I was ordering out WAY too much so need to get back to a routine for my sanity.

Upcoming trips! Going back to New Orleans at the end of the month for my cousin's wedding - staying walking distance to Frenchmen and plan on hanging out there and going back to Magazine St during my free time. Will take the list we had back in the summer and knock a few more off it. Then a string of work trips Feb/March - DC, Indianapolis, and a conference. Want to plan a personal DC trip in March/April probably just a long weekend to see my friends and hit some museums (Air and Space has reopened!). The big one is Germany at the end of May/beg of June - friends moved to Kaiserslautern so I'm planning about 10 days out there (free tix thanks to airline miles ftw) and will also do a side trip to Paris maybe. More stuff the second half of the year I'm sure and also expect random work trips to pop up as well, but at least I'm covered for the next 6 months lol.

Sign up for their budget billing (called Easy Way) immediately.

No, this house is on Fountain St and the construction started very recently

I would be so sad if RRR ever went away, it's a constant source of entertainment and people are batshit crazy lol

List of Manayunk happenings here - https://www.instagram.com/p/CmrwJAvJdNI/?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=

I've been following this story on Rants and Raves, the photos are absolutely insane the amount of damage they've done to her property. They even tried to give her a check for $1k for her troubles

I would like to bathe in those potatoes ty

I had it last week but thankfully it didn't turn into anything major and went away after a few days. Sounds like it's been going around :(

Yesterday was my year anniversary of moving back to Manayunk! The first meal I ordered while I was unpacking boxes was from Taqueria Amor so in celebratory fashion, stopped in last night to check out their Senor Grinch setup! Unfortunately it was so super packed that we only stayed for a drink and then got dinner elsewhere. Def check it out if you have a chance, the decorations are up until the 2nd (and they're open all weekend too!).

Our street cat is being put down today :( He's an older dude (at least 13) and got pretty sick over the past few weeks. My neighbors took him in on Xmas Eve and got him to the vet the other day, and unfortunately the best thing to do is to let him go. The girls who have him have been so nice and have brought him over a few times so we could say goodbye. The street won't be the same without him, we have another street cat that's his bff but she is more feral and won't let anyone touch her. I hope she'll be ok without him too :(

No, your mortgage servicer usually has the money in escrow. They pay the property taxes each year and your monthly payment to them may go up (or down) depending on how much the taxes are that year. You may want to double check with your servicer because you may have been paying the property taxes twice. I have never had to pay my taxes myself.

I had a nightmare experience trying to get the exemption this year so I feel your pain lol

You should be able to easily find out if it's been approved on the property website you linked. Scroll down to the section where it says "Valuation History" and if there is an amount under "Exempt Improvement" that means it was approved.

LOL I just drove past the Manayunk post office like a half hour ago, saw the tape and was wondering wtf was going on

The other one was CBS3 (as usual) - hovering near the hospital but they both just left. No idea what for

I also see a lot of used/empty candles gifted! A lot of people will reuse them to make their own candles and such. It's the gift that keeps on giving lol

Post on your local Buy Nothing group

Doesn't matter if you have a tow sign or not. Due to a major issue with predatory tow practices in Philadelphia, a car must be ticketed to be towed. No tow company will touch a private tow request like this without a ticket

Source: had a paid off street parking spot with signs and still had to call police to ticket

https://www.dmv.pa.gov/Driver-Services/New-Resident-Relocation-Information/New%20Residents/Pages/default.aspx

Not knowing where on City Ave you're commuting to so FYI that the Green Lane bridge is an absolute shitshow in the mornings

Oh weird, I've had it for over 10 years (originally got it when my dog needed end of life care to the tune of about $3k) and I've never had any issues with it at all. I've taken out two car loans and two mortgages during that timeframe and have never had a limit drop or anything. I don't think I've ever even had to call their customer service for issues. No idea why that happened to you.

I only use it for routine care because I have 3 dogs, so annuals + stool tests + hw bloodwork + shots x 3 = $1000 usually. In your case, I really would use it as a backup for medical emergencies if you don't go with an insurance plan. I personally cannot justify the cost of insurance x 3 for something I'd basically never use. Yes I know, in a catastrophic incident it would be worth it. But that's why I'm happy with Care Credit - no monthly fees and I have 2 years to spread out the payments in the rare times I would need it.

Just piggybacking on this, another potential to consider is to get something like Care Credit. You still pay full price for stuff, but you get to select your payback timeframe (mine is 2 years) so it's 0% APR as long as you pay it off in that timeframe (if you don't, the APR is super expensive). I have done this in lieu of pet insurance and it has worked great for me. It's also nice because I have 3 dogs and get their annuals done altogether, so I put that on CC and then can just spread out the payments over a few months rather than get hit with one giant bill.

I have a friend that got the Banfield plan in another state a few years ago and tbh it just seemed like a ripoff. I'd def compare and contrast some options to see what works best for you!

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

Oh that's totally reasonable, thanks!

Can you give a ballpark cost you paid? I'm also needing a structural engineer in the spring and just want to get an idea how much it's going to put me back

In addition to the great suggestions thus far, a gift certificate for a dinner cruse on the Spirit of Philadelphia. I've gotten these for family members in various cities and they're always a big hit