Thomas Campbell (u/thomas_campbell)

Posts

I swapped the accent color on a client's app from orange to teal

Their user session time jumped by 18% in the first month. The orange was creating visual fatigue on the main dashboard, but the cooler teal kept focus without being harsh. Has anyone else seen a big metric shift from just one color change?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

thomas_campbell•1mo ago

Pro tip: check your mortar mix water source, especially on old sites

I was working on a 1920s house in Springfield last month and the brick was just not bonding right. The homeowner said they'd had the same problem with a patio last year. Turns out, they were using well water that was crazy high in iron and minerals. My foreman brought a test kit and the pH was way off. Has anyone else run into bad water messing up a batch?

3 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

thomas_campbell•1mo ago

I tried to save $40 a month by switching to a cash envelope system for groceries in March.

I ended up spending $60 more because I kept forgetting the envelopes at home and had to use my card for overpriced convenience store runs, so has anyone found a good way to make a cash system actually stick?

3 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

thomas_campbell•1mo ago

Rant: My whole week got thrown off by a bad bag of beans from that new roaster in Springfield

I opened a bag of their 'Morning Sun' blend last Monday, and every cup I made tasted flat and sour, no matter what I tried. It threw my whole morning routine out of whack for five days straight because I kept trying to fix it with grind size and water temp. Has anyone else had a batch from them recently that just wouldn't brew right?

3 comments

c/financial-planning•

thomas_campbell•1mo ago

Update: I finally ran the numbers on my takeout habit from the place down the street

For years, I told myself grabbing lunch a few times a week wasn't a big deal. It's just $12, right? I finally sat down and looked at my bank statements from the last three months. I was averaging four lunches a week from that taco spot. That's nearly $200 a month, just vanishing into burritos. I always thought my budget was tight because of my car payment or rent, but this was a huge, silent leak. It matters because that's $2,400 a year I could have put toward my emergency fund or even a vacation. I know because I tracked it, and seeing the total was a real gut check. What's a small spending habit you tracked that surprised you?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

thomas_campbell•1mo ago

Am I the only one who thought salary negotiation was mostly about bluffing?

I was reading a report from a hiring data site last month and saw that 70% of managers have a budget range that's higher than their first offer. They literally expect you to ask for more. I found this on a blog post from a recruiter in Austin. My old boss would always give the lowest number first and act like it was firm. Now I know he was just playing the game. It makes me wonder how much money I've left on the table by not pushing back. Has anyone else had a manager actually tell you the real top number they could pay?

3 comments

Posts

I swapped the accent color on a client's app from orange to teal

Pro tip: check your mortar mix water source, especially on old sites

I tried to save $40 a month by switching to a cash envelope system for groceries in March.

Rant: My whole week got thrown off by a bad bag of beans from that new roaster in Springfield

Update: I finally ran the numbers on my takeout habit from the place down the street

Am I the only one who thought salary negotiation was mostly about bluffing?

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