Ben Lee (u/the_ben)

Posts

Caught off guard at a Chase branch in Chicago last fall

I was at a Chase branch in Chicago last October waiting to deposit a check from a client. The teller asked if I wanted to set up digital alerts for low balances. I brushed it off at first, but she showed me how much I was paying in overdraft fees over the previous six months. It came to over $180 just in small charges I never noticed. That simple conversation changed how I check my accounts now. I set up daily balance texts and saved $50 the next month alone. Has anyone else had a bank employee point out a fee pattern you were missing?

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c/custom-home-builders•

the_ben•1d ago

That moment a homeowner showed me their Pinterest board and I wanted to run

I had this couple in Denver ask me to build them a custom shed last month. They showed up with a Pinterest board full of $80,000 tiny houses with cedar shake roofs and copper gutters. Their budget was $8,000. The guy kept saying he wanted 'that rustic modern vibe' and pointed at a photo of a hand-carved front door. I tried to explain that door alone would eat half their budget. The wife got quiet and finally admitted they watched too many renovation shows on Saturday mornings. I ended up building them a basic 8x12 with barn doors and T1-11 siding. They actually loved it in the end but man that first meeting was wild. Has anyone else had a client whose expectations just didn't match reality at all?

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c/autism•

the_ben•2d ago

Vent: Wasted $250 on a 'sensory-friendly' weighted blanket that barely counts as a blanket

The thing is maybe 3 pounds and the fabric feels like sandpaper against my skin, so now I'm stuck using my old lumpy comforter again - has anyone else fallen for those overpriced autism products on Amazon?

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c/diy-renovations•

the_ben•4d ago

Cut a support beam during a kitchen reno in Phoenix last year

I was demoing a wall in a 1950s house and accidentally notched into a load bearing beam with my sawzall. Had to call a structural engineer for a $400 fix and now I always check with a stud finder before cutting anything.

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c/bookbinders•

the_ben•5d ago

Stumbled on a 1920s ledger book at a garage sale in Dayton last Saturday

Snagged it for $3. The binding was shot - staples rusted through, covers hanging by threads. But the pages were intact. Handwritten accounts of a local hardware store from 1922 to 1926. Now I'm thinking about rebinding it myself. First time doing something this old. Any tips on cleaning decades of dust and grime off ledger paper without wrecking it?

2 comments

c/autism•

the_ben•7d ago

Paid $200 for noise cancelling headphones and they actually made my overstimulation worse

Everyone told me noise cancelling headphones were a lifesaver for sensory issues, so I bought a pair from Sony last month. But the weird pressure feeling in my ears when the cancellation kicks in actually makes me more anxious, not less. I ended up returning them after three days and went back to my old $20 foam earplugs. Now I'm sitting here wondering if anyone else has this reaction or if I'm just unlucky. Do you use headphones or earplugs for overstimulation?

2 comments

c/butchers•

the_ben•16d ago

Why does nobody talk about how much blood you lose when breaking down a whole hog?

I've been cutting primals for years but finally broke down my first whole hog last weekend at a workshop near Columbia. I always figured it was just a little messier but I lost almost 2 quarts of blood on the floor before I even got to the shoulders. That changed my whole plan for doing it at home because I never thought about drainage and floor prep like that. Has anyone else been surprised by how much blood cleanup factors in when you start doing whole animals?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

the_ben•18d ago

Pro tip: Skip the switchbacks on Iceberg Lake trail in July

Everyone says to stick to the main route over Ptarmigan Pass, but I cut through the old avalanche chute on the north face last season and saved about 2 miles. The scramble was loose rock but doable with trekking poles and no snow. Has anyone else tried that side route or is it just me who thinks the main trail is overrated?

3 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

the_ben•25d ago

Pro tip: Don't let a customer watch you fix their dryer unless you like stand-up comedy

Last Tuesday I was out in Phoenix fixing a noisy dryer for a lady named Carol. I pulled off the back panel and found a kids toy car jammed in the belt pulley. Carol stood right behind me the whole time and kept yelling out guesses like "Is it a mouse nest?" every 10 seconds. When I held up the Hot Wheels car she just laughed and said her grandson must have been playing hide and seek with it. Has anyone else had a customer try to micromanage you while you work?

2 comments

c/censored-culture-chat•

the_ben•26d ago

Just realized a 1984 book club group got shut down in my town 3 years ago

My library had a tiny banned books discussion group that met in the back room. A parent complained about the sex scene in 1984 and the whole thing was canceled after 2 meetings. Has anyone else seen local reading groups get targeted like that?

3 comments