I don't have experience with any of those, but I see you have a slaatva latex in your list and I purchased a Sleep EZ latex mattress 2 years ago. Prior I had a memory foam from a company called Isoform Bergad who no longer makes mattresses. The memory foam was ridiculously comfortable to sleep in, it formed to your back perfectly. But edge support was horrendous, and while having sex it was literally working against you. I think the latex is a good compromise, it has more springiness and more edge support, while still contouring to your body better than a spring mattress.

Are the showers getting longer? My old water heater did fine until my eldest daughter became a teenager and her showers tripled in time duration. With 3 daughters (and one son) I upgraded from a 40 gal to an 80 gal to future proof the house.

At 37 years old you absolutely need to be saving for retirement, especially if you have nothing saved yet. You're 25-30 years away from retirement which isn't as far away as it sounds as far as saving. And I'll be blunt, even turning that $70k into $1 million isn't going to be enough.

If your company offers a 401k and you aren't maxing it out I'd do that first and use this money to subsidize the lost income. Also a Roth IRA is a great option if you aren't over the income limit, $6500 is the most you can contribute annually. Both of those other tax advantages which is why you should focus on them first, but after that I'd just go through a regular taxable brokerage and put it in an index fund which tracks the s&p500.

Nope, I'd never pay a dime of that off early.

Invest that $70k and it could be worth $1,000,000 in 30 years.

Which is a much better return than saving $80k on interest.

You need to get in contact with other banks and credit unions then. A dealership probably isn't going to hold a car for 2 weeks.

You should call them and see how they operate. But yes, essentially you're buying with cash.

Im my experience it depends on the bank. PNC gives me a blank check good for up to the amount I asked and was pre-approved for. With my credit union it was more verbal "hey you're approved for this amount and if you find a vehicle have the dealership contact us".

But every time so far the dealership has been able to meet or beat the rate I found. They REALLY want the $50 or whatever it is kickback that they get from the banks and credit unions they use. Often it's the same ones I was working with.

Actually camelback makes pretty good bottles too. I have a metal thermos type I got for free and use it when I'm working outside. Last year I forgot it'd left it on my truck, found it 200ft from my driveway. It's scratched up but still works fine.

I had one for about 10 years I used camping, wade fishing, kayaking, etc. It got dropped on rocks, tossed around and never failed. Eventually I switched to camelback bladders for that kind of stuff but I have a buddy who still uses his nalgene bottle whenever we go kayaking or wade fishing together.

The original nalgene bottle is still a really good option.

These are pretty decent.

Same, got a set of shredded latex pillows with my sleepez mattress. At first my wife and I were like "these are weird" but we decided to give them a shot. I love it now. She still prefers a more firm pillow under her head but likes the shredded latex pillow between her knees at night.

I have the shearling lined which is really a thinsulate lower and shearling inside the leather upper.

They're made a little oversized as well, I normally wear a 10.5, I went with a 10 and have room for a thick pair of wool socks still.

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/513858?page=mens-llbean-boots

For not having an aggressive tread they do really well. Great on ice, not bad on mud and snow but they also don't clog with mud and snow like most my other boots do.

Ll Bean original bean boot. Either insulated or uninsulated and double up on socks, but they're still made in Maine and built to last. I've got the 10" shearling lined ones, on my 4th year and they still look new. They're like an insulated sneaker to walk and drive in, I don't know that I'll ever buy a pair of thick treaded hunting boots again.

I've been using these daily working from home for just over a year, the sole still has a lot of life left.

https://www.minnetonkamoccasin.com/pile-lined-hardsole-men?sku=747647002706&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DJKcjBgueEliL8vwawqtQbp8qoFFwTeKldy9TP7m1jPMmsWnoYQCuoaApuREALw_wcB

I'm in the US, but my parents still have a nearly identical sled to those from my childhood. It's at least 35 years old and still gets used by the grandchildren.

He's trying to upsell installation. Lvp is incredibly easy to install.

Probably, but I don't believe there is a "buy for life" vacuum. Miele is often touted as the cream of the crop and it wasn't any better than any other vacuum I've owned. It was worse in fact when you consider the cost of ownership and how easily it clogged.

When I can't buy a cost effective vacuum, sure. I'm not paying $500 for a vacuum to take a shit in 18 months when a $100 vacuum will last 12 months.

Just buy a $100 vacuum every year. I had a Dyson, got tired of fixing it. Thought a Miele was the ticket, I've taken it apart countless times, I've never had a vacuum so prone to clogging but so difficult to disassemble. Made it 18 whole months (and two heads) before my wife refused to use it anymore.

Now I just buy a new $100 vacuum every year. She's happy. I'm happy.

I still have a 5th gen classic which lives connected to my truck. Somewhere around here is a nano, haven't used it in years but I bet it still works.

I had a nano shuffle, loved it. Light weight enough to clip it to my shirt collar and run, I also used it while riding my motorcycle a lot as well because I could pause/skip with gloves on without looking.

I don't know if they have slip resistant soles, but I've always gotten a lot of life out of ecco shoes.