sevan

Thanks for posting this question. I can't provide any helpful answers, but I plan to move out of the US in the future and was not aware of this issue. I will be adding this to my long-term planning list.

I also go back to Skyrim constantly; it is probably my most played game. I have a hard time making a definite suggestion because I sit here many nights and wonder which game I want to play and frequently find that I don't want to play any of them (so I scroll Lemmy instead). That said, below are a few that might be possibilities and I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's suggestions so I can find my next game too!

You could check out the Dungeon Siege or Torchlight series. They're both Diablo-style gameplay, but in a super generic RPG setting. They're both older, cheaper, and okay game series.

The Overlord series is fun, its kind of a reverse RPG where you are the bad guy terrorizing the locals with your minions. The gameplay mainly revolves around directing your minions more than direct combat. It is a bit simplistic, but I really enjoyed it.

I'm not a fan of the Witcher series, but lots of people love it and it seems to check most of the boxes you're looking for.

I agree with the Oblivion suggestion. I'm always conflicted on this one because I think it is a better game than Skyrim in terms of quests and interactions, but the gameplay is a bit dated and there were some questionable design decisions that resulted in some major overhaul mods being built to completely redesign the leveling system. I would love to have Oblivion, but with Skyrim graphics and mechanics (mostly).

Kingdoms of Amalur definitely seems like it hits everything on your list. I struggled to stay interested in it long enough to finish it (I think I finished it), but I'm not sure why since it has all the elements I enjoy from other games.

Similar to KoA, Dragon's Dogma seems to have all the typical things I like in a game, but I've played it twice and not made it out of the starting region either time. I'm not sure what it is that causes me to lose interest so fast. There's nothing I can point to and say I dislike.

Greedfall is super weird (to me) and not quite a fantasy RPG, more like medieval fantasy RPG. It is generally an open world game, but not as open as Skyrim (fewer side-quests, semi-linear main quest line). I thought it was an okay game, the main thing that frustrated me is that there were some areas of the game where you could make decisions with major story impacts and other areas where you were not given any choice in the narrative. As a result, I sometimes felt like my character was taking actions that were not in alignment with the narrative I had created for him. I appreciated that the game seemed unique and not just copying something else that was successful and I think I played it on GamePass at the time, so it was kind of like playing it for free. :)

If you have any debt (credit cards, auto, student loans), I would pay that off before adding more than the 12% to retirement.

If you are debt free and have some short-term savings, I would contribute to a Roth IRA before adding to the 401k. At a mid 5 figure income level, the tax savings from the 401k aren't that impressive. Meanwhile, the IRA gives you some flexibility to draw funds for a first time home purchase, major medical expense, or potentially the option to withdraw prior contributions without penalty. You then have the flexibility to invest according to your knowledge and risk tolerance.

I would probably only choose the 401k if the tax reduction was meaningful and I earned too much for a traditional IRA (those 2 things typically coincide). Another possibility is if your company has a good ESPP program, ideally one that allows you to sell shares immediately after they are purchased (no minimum holding period). If there is a holding period (my employer requires 1 year), you have to think very hard about how much risk you are taking on during that time.

My goal is to remain employed and hopefully earn at least as much as I did last year. My company is on the reorg merry go round at the moment and it is likely my department will be reorganized again before we even complete the changes from the last round.

I would prefer not to change jobs at the moment, but if it happens I am hoping to find something quick to maintain my current savings rate. While I can afford to take some time off, I'm more interested in getting to my FI goal quickly.

The propagation method you mentioned is called air layering and it might work for you if done right (lots of videos out there show how to do it). Another possible option is taking cuttings from new growth (lots of videos on this too). Some trees respond better than others to each method. You could also try taking seeds from the fruit and growing them, but if the source tree was grafted, the seeds won't give you what you're looking for and you won't know for a very long time.

I would probably start with cuttings unless the trees need to be pruned anyway, in which case I would put some air layers on the branches that need to be pruned. As mentioned, the tree may not be as hardy on its own roots if it was grafted, but many grafted trees are just fine on their own roots.

Thanks, this is a great deal!

I also use a double edge safety razor, but have an electric razor also for a quick morning shave. Other things I do:

• I cut my hair with clippers I bought 15+ years ago for the price of 1-2 haircuts. This probably only works for people with simple, short hair, but has saved me thousands of dollars compared to getting a monthly haircut at $20+

• We put a basket with cloth napkins next to the dining table and a basket with washcloths on the kitchen counter and have drastically reduced the quantity of paper towels that we use

I've thought about it, but right now everything works exactly the way I need it and the only complaint I have is the occasional pop-ups from MS trying to get me to upgrade to win11 or switch my browser. My main uses for my devices are games and I just started back to school, so MS Office is nice to have. So, it's hard to justify putting in the effort to change things now, especially when I know how to use MS products very well, particularly modding games.

My desktop and laptop are both eligible to upgrade, but I keep declining and will likely switch to linux when win10 support ends.

Having paid off student loans feels great, I would always choose that first over investing, even if I could get a better return. Being debt free also gives you freedom to make life changes that might not be an option when you have payments due. I also strongly agree with the comment on considering taxes on profits; the return required to get a better net outcome investing will likely require more risk of loss.

I also use it for YouTube videos of things that I don't want Google making recommendations on. For example, if trying to fix something and need to watch a video, I don't want to have home improvement videos in my feed for the next 6 months.

sigh...I'll have to settle for riding piggy back on vasco.