Dear LFTP: the 72-versus-78-degree thermostat war
- How do I talk to my roommate about the thermostat without coming off as a control freak?
A listener wants 77–78 degrees in summer while the roommate drops the AC to 72–73 whenever he leaves; the hosts side with the roommate: 72 is normal — HVAC companies are literally named '72 Degrees' — and 78 is 'old folks home temperature.' They dismantle the money argument (fridge, freezer, and dehumidifying all work harder in a hot house; 'electricity hates heat'), and Nathaniel pitches evaporative cooling: hose the house down and let evaporation carry the heat away — it works with free well water (a host notes Ben has two wells), and they plan a test on the 'Abe Lincoln' shed with the kids and a thermometer, calling the local expert tomorrow. Tangents: smart thermostats and government suspicion, power-company 'nasty grams,' homeschool daytime use, Independence Day 'no peace' impressions, and a car-climate war with the wife (full fan at 60 vs windows down). The pastoral counsel: preference is fine, but don't assert an unreasonable preference on the whole household — shut your own vent and live uniquely if you're the odd one out. The Secular answer: have the adult conversation; whose name is on the lease — and if no compromise, the two are incompatible: 'it's you, 78 degree man.'
More on Money
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Dear LFTP: the $4,200 loan that never came back
- How do I get past the sadness over the $4,200 loan my friend never repaid — do I just let it go?
The final Dear LFTP letter: a year ago a supposed friend asked to borrow money — her husband had left the country to renew his visa, her car was repossessed, she had no way to get to work.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Dear LFTP 2: unequal in-law cash gifts
- Am I petty for feeling less valued over unequal in-law cash gifts?
Mike reads the second letter: every year the writer's in-laws give cash to all children and spouses equally — except her, who gets half — while she hosts every celebration, visits weekly, and helps with repairs.
From No. 593 · Do You Hear What I Hear
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Dear LFTP: the stolen college fund and telling the 90-year-olds
- Should I tell my 90-year-old parents that their grandson stole my granddaughter's college fund?
Ben hands to Mike, who reads a grandmother's letter: her son helped himself to the college money the great-grandparents set aside for her granddaughter; she fears telling her parents, in their nineties, could shock them into a stroke.
From No. 586 · Nothing Personal
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Dear LFTP: the inheritance and the controlling husband
- Should a mother leave an inheritance to a daughter whose controlling husband will control it?
The second letter comes from a mother whose daughter married a controlling, rude husband; she wonders whether to leave a sizable inheritance knowing he will control it.
From No. 584 · When Vanek Was Here | Cambodia Testimony, Church Mission, Josiah Queen