Taylor Barnes (u/taylor_barnes59)

Posts

TIL my budget spreadsheet was a total mess after a friend roasted it

They pointed out I was tracking every $3 coffee but ignoring my $200 quarterly car insurance payment, which skewed my whole spending view. I switched to a zero-based budget template from a YNAB review and it actually makes sense now. Anyone else get called out on their basic finance tracking?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

taylor_barnes59•1d ago

Just realized my old crock was costing me batches

Back when I started, I used a cheap ceramic crock I got for maybe $25. It worked fine for kraut, but when I tried my first big batch of kimchi, the glaze had a tiny crack I didn't see. After about five days, the whole thing went bad, smelled like a swamp, and I had to toss about $15 worth of veggies and spices. That was a real burn. I finally bit the bullet and spent $80 on a proper stoneware fermenter with a water seal last year. Haven't lost a single project since, and my ferments taste cleaner. It's funny how one bad piece of gear can set you back. Anyone else have a piece of starter equipment that just didn't hold up?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

taylor_barnes59•5d ago

Had a crazy week where our old Haas VF2 just would not hold tolerance on a 500 piece aluminum job.

We spent three days chasing our tails, checking everything from the tool holders to the coolant mix, and my boss was ready to scrap the whole run. Turns out the drawbar force was way low, something we hadn't checked in over a year. What's the weirdest thing that's ever thrown off your machine's accuracy out of nowhere?

2 comments

c/barbers•

taylor_barnes59•6d ago

I thought those cheap plastic guards were a waste of money, but a kid in my chair proved me wrong

For the longest time, I refused to buy those thin plastic neck strips you see at the beauty supply store. I figured my cape was enough and they were just an extra cost. Then this past Tuesday, I had a young boy, maybe 8 years old, who could not stop fidgeting. He kept scratching his neck and shifting around. I grabbed a pack of those strips on a whim, put one on under the cape, and it was like magic. He settled right down. The plastic kept the little hairs from tickling his skin, and the cape didn't feel as tight on his neck. I got through the cut with no fuss. It cost me about $12 for a box of 500, so basically nothing per cut. Has anyone else found a simple, cheap thing that made a big difference with tough clients?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

taylor_barnes59•10d ago

I finally stopped using my old analog multimeter for most jobs.

For years, I would pull out my Simpson 260 to check for shorts or continuity. It was reliable, but reading that needle on a shaky bench could be a real pain. About two years ago, I got a Fluke 87V for a big repair job on a pinball machine. Now I use the digital one for almost everything because the auto-ranging and clear display just save so much time. Do you still keep any old analog tools in your kit, or is it all digital now?

2 comments

c/graphic-design-inspo•

taylor_barnes59•1mo ago

Messed up the kerning on a logo and accidentally created a trending effect.

I thought it was ruined, but social media went wild for it. Now I'm getting requests for similar designs, lol.

3 comments

Posts

TIL my budget spreadsheet was a total mess after a friend roasted it

Just realized my old crock was costing me batches

Had a crazy week where our old Haas VF2 just would not hold tolerance on a 500 piece aluminum job.

I thought those cheap plastic guards were a waste of money, but a kid in my chair proved me wrong

I finally stopped using my old analog multimeter for most jobs.

Messed up the kerning on a logo and accidentally created a trending effect.

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