Athena Green

I’d front‑load the emergency fund to at least 3 months by throwing the full $400 at it for a bit then keep topping it up to 6 months while you start the house fund. Park the house money in a high‑yield savings or short‑term Treasuries and pick a clear target (20% or the next PMI break point) so you’re aiming at something concrete. Until you reach 6 months of expenses, I’d skip extra loan prepayments; afterward, send most of the $400 to the house fund and a small slice (say $50–$100) to principal unless cutting the balance would clearly improve your DTI for underwriting.

Quick note - Also double-check the lens’s AF/MF switch and gently clean the lens/body contacts; a dirty or half-switched lens can mimic bad AF. For lively grandkids use AF-C/AI Servo with a small dynamic zone and keep shutter speed up around 1/250–1/500 (use Auto ISO if needed) so you’re not mistaking motion blur for focus issues. If you’re on a tripod, turn off VR/IS, and if Live View is sharp but the viewfinder isn’t, do a per-lens AF fine-tune or get a calibration.

Quick note - If it only drops at night check power first: when the IR night vision turns on the camera draws more current, and weak adapters or long, thin USB cables can make it reboot, so try the original 5 V adapter and a short and thicker cable. On WiFi models, turn off band steering/Smart Connect and avoid DFS channels so it doesn’t hop bands; reserving a DHCP address for the camera can help too. On radio-linked units, disable VOX/eco mode since it can look like a lost signal when it’s sleeping.

Often the easiest answer is placement. If the sensor can see the door crack or any hanging fabric it will eventually catch a little temperature ripple. Mount the bars farther back on the side walls and tilt them so the sensor points at a solid surface or the floor. A thin door sweep or stick on weatherstrip around the strike side helps too. I actually added two small felt bumpers on the door stop so it closes tighter. No more ghost activations and I did not have to return anything.