Many of my respectable peers decide to take up the legwork to learn income tax filing.

Tax consultants proclaim they can help us save on tax, because the legwork is too complex for the average American. If the process is so complex then Consultant A vs Consultant B may get me different tax savings, meaning there’s a high chance (80%) that my chosen consultant will NOT get me the best tax savings.

If it’s so hard to get the max savings, then don’t aim for the max, and accept imperfection, and try it yourself.

I believe my tax profile is simpler than most tax payers, so the value-add of consultants is lower.

Light rail stations become dangerously cold, and a health hazard esp. during the long wait outside peak hours.

While waiting in the cold, I once felt impoverished living in Bayonne instead of downtown JC.

• Tip: Avoid taking it at night, when temperatures plummet
• Tip: remember waiting time is longer outside the very brief peak hours
• Tip: if dangerously cold and windy waiting at the unheated stations, then consider taking reverse train to Hoboken (seats), NewPort and wait there in-door.
  • Exchange place is tricky because by the time you see the train it’s often too late. Better use the phone at the station to confirm timing of next train to Bayonne

[[predictable irrationality]] calls it “ownership” trap. The U.S. marketing experts, based on research and experiments, believe in the “puppy effect”. Salesmen are trained to encourage new, unconvinced customers to bring home the new product and try it without risk. They emphasize and reassure customers you can easily return it with no questions asked.

“Returns are gladly accepted.”

We as customers need to act as new customers to the shop or the product, unfamiliar with the them, and unconvinced.

If you have a membership with a buying record, they will be more willing to believe you.

The bigger franchise shops are very generous with returns. They have learned from experience that some percentage of customers abuse the system, but the return policy generally increases their revenue and profitability.

• — A few factors in favor of the try-buy policy and generous return policy
• factor — the more fancy products may have a low acceptance rate, so perhaps 1 out of 5 customers actually like it enough to keep it. In such a case, the manufacturing cost is negligible compared to the cost of attracting the right customers. The manufacturer doesn’t mind throwing away an opened and returned item
• fact — most customers are busy and don’t bother to return small ticket items even if they don’t like them
• factor — some percentage customers forget to return within the grace period
• factor — some percentage of customers misplace the item or the receipt
• factor — some percentage of customers damage the product and unable to return

Example product — whey

 

sound proof wall, so I could call family without going downstairs?

LG2 fridge in room can be useful, but it’s arguably better if in the kitchen.

LG2 Buying a cheap simple table should be enough

LG2 landlord collocating — can fix things quickly, but it’s better to avoid collocating.

The savings add up and could help me pay down the mortgage.

–health–

1. make time for regular exercise and stay in-tune to the signals from your “system”, so you feel confident and more clearly know when to see doctor
2. understand and bring in your own medicine for fever, cold, throat, or buy what pharmacy recommends.
3. locate good traditional Chinese doctors in Chinatown
4. check cholesterol in Singapore only

–housing — my #1 expenditure during phase 1/2–

• rent: either stay with owner or become sub-landlord

–food — my #2 expenditure during phase 1/2–

1. eat healthy n cheap. For the unfamiliar food, buy generously and store in fridge. Condition yourself to eat some and be prepared to discard the rest — a price to pay for the health benefit.
   1. bring to office fridge: cut onion, cucumber, tomato, cheese, boiled egg
      1. possibly bring a knife to office too
   2. unflavored wheat bread is most healthy, slowest to saturation, and relatively cheap
   3. chia seeds
   4. raw onions, tomato, cucumber – one only
   5. cleaned, shredded lettuce sold as salad base
   6. 凉拌 veggie
   7. lotus root powder, corn flour
   8. milk, soy-milk, yogurt
   9. subway is good — 1) pick as little unhealthy stuff as you like 2)Can keep for a day 3)non-messy 4)least effort
   10. boiling and steam? healthy but too much effort keeping, cleaning, wash-up….
   11. frozen dumping and steamed bun
2. avoid cheap but unhealthy
   1. sausage, canned meat
   2. fast food
   3. biscuits
   4. street food with heavy dressing — usually designed for the mass market consumer who aren’t so particular about diet control
3. control the “big feast” having multiple dishes. limit to at most once a week.
4. skip lunch in office
5. subway eat fresh (like my boy says)
6. eat more tasty on flights and back in SG 🙂

http://local.dmv.org/new-york/branch/the-bronx-dmv-office and http://local.dmv.org/new-york/branch/dmv-office-harlem are reachable by train. On Thu room closes 5.30.

Based on https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/get-learner-permit

1. fill up form in advance
2. prepare for written test. https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/drivers-manual-practice-tests says Chapters 4 – 11 are tested. The same site also has sample questions.
   • Note There is no additional fee to retake the written test, and there is no limit to how many times you can take it.
3. make reservation online to avoid queuing
4. arrive 10 min before
5. Once you have a learner permit, you must take a pre-licensing course or a driver education course

The current New York written drivers test is composed of 20 questions. You must get at least 14 questions (70%) correct

Budget for road practice before/after the license? $4k. Buying a car is mostly for building confidence. The secondary justification is convenience and mobility. I guess once a person tastes that mobility, she would want to have it even in Singapore — it’s addictive.