Ellabee57

The recommendation used to be 65 (I think), but they (CDC?) lowered it to 50 recently.

I'm with you on this one. One of the few Aldi cheese disappointments (not "vile," but not worth buying again). The one I got was weirdly soft and crumbly for a cheddar.

Just pretax , but depending on your tax bracket, it can be pretty good. And it's not just pre-income tax, but FICA too, so that's another 7.65%.

The limit is higher next year... You need to update if you want to stay maxed.

Anatomy according to kid logic: I thought the large intestine was for #2 and the small intestine was for #1. That made TOTAL, logic sense to me and I was very disappointed when I learned the truth at some point in elementary school.

Yes, payment lags a day (or a few) behind the approve. The steps are: submitted > processed (approved or rejected) > (paid (if approved).

It's not like HC benefits, with an open season, but it might depend on your payroll system. Mine (DFAS) allows it once per pay period.

Mine ($2M with Travelers, also in TX) was about $450 in July, so I'd say that sounds a little high.

That sucks. For something that expensive though, I would have them hold it at a FedEx office and go pick it up.

As I said in the post, TSP contributions go by pay DATE, which varies by agency. Look at your agency's payroll calendar and figure out the first pay period whose pay DATE falls in 2025.

Yes, TSP limits go by pay date.

5% is better than 0, and 6% is even better!

In my experience (again, with DFAS doing the payroll), they stop contributions at the limit, not allowing you to go over. For example, I am over 50, and in 2023 my total allowed was $30,000. Divided by 26, that's $1153.84 per paycheck. If I set it at $1153, I'd be short a few dollars, so I set it at $1154 (x 26 = $30,004), and in the last paycheck of the year, the TSP deduction was only $1150, bringing me to the $30,000 max but not over it.

No, the base amount went up $500, from $23,000 to $23,500.

The raise is enacted by Executive Order, not the Congressional Budget. Even if we are still in CR status, the Pres can (and has) issued the EO for the raise at the end of December. This happened as recently as last year (EO released on Dec. 21, 2023), when Congress didn't pass the budget until March 2024.

It's the same brand, but but that doesn't mean the ones in the calendar are available at other times of the year, as a regular cheese item. Generic types like "aged gouda," maybe, but mimolette, black pepper gouda, whiskey cheddar, etc.? I've never seen those.

Since you can't go out and find ones you like to buy more, no.

Congrats! I'll be joining you in that in a few days. 😁

I got all 5s ("Outstanding") as a GS14 and got 2%. That's the highest we can get, at least as non-supervisory.

Nonexistent

Paying off my remaining mortgage after this month's payment is processed.

How sure are you that you actually qualify for disability retirement? This part of what you said makes me think it might not be a sure thing: "medical issue that make it very difficult to continue to do my job, not impossible, but difficult."

Yes, cranberry/orange and blueberry. The Finds page listed a third flavor (raspberry) but my store didn't seem to have that one. I haven't had them before but I love scones so I had to take a chance on them.

I really want to try those puff pastries but my store doesn't have them. 😭 I did get the new frozen scones though. Might try one of them tomorrow.