Olivia Moore (u/olivia_moore)

Posts

My $40 rain barrel from the city program is already paying off this spring

I picked up one of those discounted rain barrels from the Everett public works sale back in March for like $40. Hooked it up under a downspout in my backyard last weekend and after that big storm Thursday it filled up in just a few hours. Used that water yesterday to soak my tomatoes and peppers instead of turning on the hose. Has anyone else tried these city rain barrels or know if they do another sale later this year?

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c/boilermakers•

olivia_moore•24d ago

Glad I listened to that old timer in Baton Rouge

Met a retired boilermaker named Chet at a welding supply shop back in March. He told me to stop chasing amperage and pay more attention to my arc length on vertical joints. Tried it on a 3/8 inch plate job last week and my beads came out cleaner than they have in two years. Has anyone else had good luck with a tip that sounded too simple at first?

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c/diy-home•

olivia_moore•24d ago

Serious question about old window insulation kits I ignored for too long

I was talking to my neighbor Dave last Saturday while we were both out raking leaves. He mentioned he swapped out his storm windows for those 3M plastic kits on his whole house and saved $40 on his heating bill in just December alone. I always thought those kits were kind of a waste of time, like they wouldn't really do much. But he showed me his thermal camera readings and the difference was wild, like 10 degrees warmer near the glass after he put them up. Now I'm wondering if I should do my living room windows before next month hits. Has anyone else seen real savings with those kits or is it just hype?

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c/daily-dilemmas•

olivia_moore•25d ago

Hit 100 days of keeping a mood tracker and the pattern was depressing

I started tracking my mood daily back in March because I felt like I was just grumpy all the time. Wanted to see if it was really that bad or just in my head. Turns out I was in a low or neutral mood 78 out of those 100 days. The only times I felt good were weekends after I got more than 7 hours of sleep. Kinda mad I spent money on that app just to confirm I'm tired and boring. Has anyone else actually found a use for this data besides feeling worse?

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c/ethical-frontiers•

olivia_moore•26d ago

That time a nurse told me my grandma's health data was being sold without consent

I was sitting with my grandma in a hospital in Chicago last fall, helping her check in on a tablet. A nurse walked over and casually said "you know, some of those vitals get shared with researchers, but nobody really reads the consent form." I asked if we could opt out and she just shrugged. That moment hit me hard - here's her heart rate and oxygen levels being sold to who knows who for drug trials or whatever. The hospital never warned us, and my grandma just wanted to get better. Has anyone else had a medical worker spill the truth about patient data privacy?

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c/dredge-operators•

olivia_moore•29d ago

Switched from hand signals to radios on the dredge last season

Ngl I used to think hand signals were fine for communicating with the deck crew, but after a close call with a stuck cutterhead in June I finally switched to using cheap two-way radios. Has anyone else had luck getting older crew members to actually wear them instead of leaving them on the bench?

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c/diy-home-projects•

olivia_moore•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about using pressure treated lumber for interior basement framing?

I spent 6 months finishing my basement in Columbus using regular pine studs like an idiot. The moisture meter read 18% after a rainy week and I saw mold spots forming behind the drywall. A contractor buddy came over and just pointed at the base plate. Said I should have used pressure treated for anything touching concrete. I ripped out three full walls and lost $400 in materials. Has anyone else learned this the hard way with their own basement?

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c/budgeting-wins•

olivia_moore•1mo ago

The envelope trick that finally stopped my grocery overspending

I kept blowing my grocery budget every month until I started pulling out $250 in cash each week and leaving my cards at home. It sounds old-school but I actually spent $40 less last month just by feeling the money leave my hand. Has anyone else tried cash-only for a category and seen it work?

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c/everett-wa•

olivia_moore•1mo ago

Got a $200 pressure washer from Costco and it barely cleaned my driveway

I bought a cheap electric pressure washer last month thinking it would save me money, but it took me three hours to do what a gas one could do in 30 minutes. Anyone else have better luck with a specific brand around here?

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c/secret-selves•

olivia_moore•1mo ago

Just realized I was apologizing for asking questions at work for over a decade

My coworker pulled me aside after a meeting last Thursday and said my constant 'sorry but can I ask...' made me look unsure, and she was right. Now I just say 'can you clarify that part?' and people actually listen better. Has anyone else had to retrain how they talk after a single comment?

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