Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253361 times)

TheGrimSqueaker

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2604
  • Location: A desert wasteland, where none but the weird survive
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11050 on: November 01, 2015, 01:50:48 PM »
A colleague of my gf refused a full time teacher's job in University which would be a lot less stressful and a lot more free time throughout the year.

She said 100k/year wasn't enough.  She has no children but she drives a luxury car and has a nice condo and nice cottage around an expensive lake area.  Nice clothes to go with that.

And it's not like she was making 500k, the set back wouldn't be all that big.

I don't know that academia is "less" stressful than other work disciplines. There's more catty infighting there than in your average for-profit corporation. Everyone's trying to get tenure, competition can be cutthroat, and there's no long-term guarantee of employment. The free time isn't necessarily free, just unpaid time people are expected to use to do their own research. Overall, just existing in an adjunct job is stressful.

The only university professors I've ever met who are happy with their jobs either love to teach, or they got tenure back before the big trend to hire adjunct teachers hit, or they're about to retire, or they come from family money or else have regular jobs in the industry such that they only teach part-time.

If someone offered me a raise to teach at the local university, I'd turn it down simply because I can't stand office politics.

TomTX

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5345
  • Location: Texas
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11051 on: November 01, 2015, 08:27:34 PM »
Since we're talking about jeans, where all do the men on here buy theirs? I hate shopping and will just rely on gifts for the most part for my jeans, but I will need to get a new pair soon and am dreading going to the mall. How much do you normally spend on a good pair of jeans? I tend to wear one or two pairs and alternate between them as I sit in an office and don't really do much physical exertion while at work.

Costco. Kirkland brand. $13. Mostly desk job, so I wear them for a week and wash. Or immediately after a day in the field where I'll be sweating a lot and it is often dusty/dirty. After wash, they get tumbled in teh dryer 1-2 minutes to get the wrinkles out and then hung to dry.

They last a long time.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 08:29:13 PM by TomTX »

BarbeRiche

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 69
  • Location: Montreal
    • BarbeRiche
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11052 on: November 01, 2015, 09:40:53 PM »
A colleague of my gf refused a full time teacher's job in University which would be a lot less stressful and a lot more free time throughout the year.

She said 100k/year wasn't enough.  She has no children but she drives a luxury car and has a nice condo and nice cottage around an expensive lake area.  Nice clothes to go with that.

And it's not like she was making 500k, the set back wouldn't be all that big.

I don't know that academia is "less" stressful than other work disciplines. There's more catty infighting there than in your average for-profit corporation. Everyone's trying to get tenure, competition can be cutthroat, and there's no long-term guarantee of employment. The free time isn't necessarily free, just unpaid time people are expected to use to do their own research. Overall, just existing in an adjunct job is stressful.

The only university professors I've ever met who are happy with their jobs either love to teach, or they got tenure back before the big trend to hire adjunct teachers hit, or they're about to retire, or they come from family money or else have regular jobs in the industry such that they only teach part-time.

If someone offered me a raise to teach at the local university, I'd turn it down simply because I can't stand office politics.

Not wanting to do it for the reasons you stated is completely understandable,  I would never question that.  It's just the fact that she said herself that it would be less stressful (I assume her job is + i know she puts in 50-60h+/week) and that she couldn't do it for only 100k/year.  Being healthy, without children, that's the part that makes it hard for me to understand.

For guaranteed employment I guess it depends from country and position but this was a full-time unionist position with full pension and 100k salary.

Squirrel away

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1041
  • Location: United Kingdom
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11053 on: November 02, 2015, 04:03:50 AM »
I'm from Italy and trust me, instead of one Villa you would want to own three apartments: one in Rome, one in the alps, and one on the beach (I would probably pick Sicily or Sardinia).
Italy is so freaking diverse you would love a piece of everything.

I imagine the food is delicious too.:)  Someone told me that Lake Garda is stunningly beautiful.

Sorry, off topic.:P

Seppia

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 616
  • Age: 43
  • Location: NYC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11054 on: November 02, 2015, 04:38:22 AM »
Well I am from lake Como so I cannot recommend Garda lol
Pic taken this summer.

Squirrel away

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1041
  • Location: United Kingdom
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11055 on: November 02, 2015, 04:48:16 AM »
Wow, it looks gorgeous Seppia.:)

On topic - my husband works with men who constantly use the gambling apps at work, one of the young men he works with was up by £9,000 the other day and then lost it all. The younger staff are not on great salaries either so that would be about four months of wages.

Seppia

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 616
  • Age: 43
  • Location: NYC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11056 on: November 02, 2015, 05:27:10 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

Pooplips

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 462
  • Age: 37
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11057 on: November 02, 2015, 06:00:12 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

MoonShadow

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2542
  • Location: Louisville, Ky.
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11058 on: November 02, 2015, 06:01:43 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Never pay more for your helmet than your head is worth.

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11059 on: November 02, 2015, 07:47:28 AM »
I helped a new coworker enroll in the 401k. He freaked out when he saw the list of about 20 funds and had to take a mental health break. "I was a humanities major so I would never have to deal with this crap." Sensing the severity of the situation, I steered him towards a target date fund even though the expense ratio is a lot higher than the index funds offered in our plan. (A discussion about expense ratios would have likely triggered another freakout.) Finally got him signed up, contributing more than the minimum to get the full match, and he breathes a sigh of relief and says something about how socialism is greatly underappreciated.
Speaking from experience in my first full-time job in 2004, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of fund options from Principal. I asked my HR person if there was a guide to selecting funds. She said that if you don't know what to pick, then simply select between the Aggressive to Conservative portfolios. Or pick a little bit of each of the 15-20 funds. Some just divide contribution by the number of funds for their allocation (many engineers did that). It was only 18 months later when I moved to a bigger company that my boss started teaching me and I started reading finance forums. This year I made my parents move their 401k accounts from Ameriprise to Vanguard, and they went from 20 funds to a TSM/TBM portfolio. After I explained to my wife about ER, AA, and other fund terms, at her next annual 401k peddler meeting, she asked the dangerous questions. I think she embarrassed the John Hancock reps.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2015, 08:15:57 AM by jinga nation »

Papa Mustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1650
  • Location: Humidity, USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11060 on: November 02, 2015, 07:50:37 AM »
So we had a benefits discussion at work in preparation for open enrollment and transition to our new overlords' medical plan. We have a HDHP that turns out to be a sweet deal ($1800 for the year for me and DW, they put in $3k towards the HSA, payroll deductible HSA contributions, etc). So one of the guys joked that his wife was gonna go to Khols and buy stuff with the HSA. The representative didn't mention how you can withdraw at 65 like an IRA, typical stuff. Anyways, just people not understanding how it works and freaking out. The representative did a decent job considering.

$6000 oop maximum for in network stuff ( everything else covered). 50% of out of network stuff covered after maximum and all preventative things are covered 100%. Not bad I think.

Its just scary how many "intelligent" and "educated" people are out there but can't understand how to manage their finances or see through the political shenanigans endlessly discussed on talk radio or 24 hour news.

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11061 on: November 02, 2015, 08:20:26 AM »
So we had a benefits discussion at work in preparation for open enrollment and transition to our new overlords' medical plan. We have a HDHP that turns out to be a sweet deal ($1800 for the year for me and DW, they put in $3k towards the HSA, payroll deductible HSA contributions, etc). So one of the guys joked that his wife was gonna go to Khols and buy stuff with the HSA. The representative didn't mention how you can withdraw at 65 like an IRA, typical stuff. Anyways, just people not understanding how it works and freaking out. The representative did a decent job considering.

$6000 oop maximum for in network stuff ( everything else covered). 50% of out of network stuff covered after maximum and all preventative things are covered 100%. Not bad I think.

Its just scary how many "intelligent" and "educated" people are out there but can't understand how to manage their finances or see through the political shenanigans endlessly discussed on talk radio or 24 hour news.
If you can turn off your TV, talk radio (finance BS gets peddled on sports and general talk radio), the mainstream media finance sites, you can actually read intelligent sites like Bogleheads, MMM Forums, and FatWallet Finance.
Many people are intelligent, educated, AND lazy. It is that third factor that rakes in the fees for their financial advisors.
My co-workers love to spend a few hours every week on fantasy football. Come basketball season, obsess over brackets.  But can't stand the thought of a couple of hours every quarter on rebalancing portfolios and managing YOUR OWN money. Classic outsourcing scenario, because learning about ER is too much complicated numbers, as compared to sports statistics.
They all have THAT GUY who does wonders for them, including free wine and dine at restaurants. Instead of taking the company match and Vanguard funds, they'll give it to Ameriprise/UBS/DoubleItUp, with the front/back loads and high ERs.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2015, 09:51:56 AM by jinga nation »

Papa Mustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1650
  • Location: Humidity, USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11062 on: November 02, 2015, 09:26:13 AM »
Costco. Kirkland brand. $13. Mostly desk job, so I wear them for a week and wash. Or immediately after a day in the field where I'll be sweating a lot and it is often dusty/dirty. After wash, they get tumbled in teh dryer 1-2 minutes to get the wrinkles out and then hung to dry.

They last a long time.

Wrangler Riggs ripstop or denim. $40 a pair but they wear forever for me. Am looking to get the price down the next time I buy a round of clothing (I spend $200 on pants and I'm good for 12-18 months, 6 to 8 months later I might buy a round of shirts). Just bought six pair.

I an an engineer that in a day's time could be welding, machining, moving equipment, repairing tech (computers/machine shop equipment), training or attending meetings. I need to look decent though nobody gives me grief if I show up in shorts and a T-shirt b/c I'm working some dirty task that day and it's hot outside. I do have

Older clothes for those days where I expect to get dirty, newer clothes for the days when I'm more certain to stay clean.

Papa Mustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1650
  • Location: Humidity, USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11063 on: November 02, 2015, 09:50:18 AM »
I'm from Italy and trust me, instead of one Villa you would want to own three apartments: one in Rome, one in the alps, and one on the beach (I would probably pick Sicily or Sardinia).
Italy is so freaking diverse you would love a piece of everything.

I imagine the food is delicious too.:)  Someone told me that Lake Garda is stunningly beautiful.

Sorry, off topic.:P

I loved driving around Lago di Garda.

Italy was the best part of my military service. Lived in Italy for three years. Lived out on the economy and had a $1500 car. Drove that thing from one end of the country to the other many times just wandering around.

I want to take my family back for a multi-week visit and visit with old friends someday. Want to rent a car of course so we can go the places that trains and buses don't usually go.

I looked the other day and the cost would be about $12K for the four of us to go.

That was paying full retail - staying in hotels, renting a fairly nice car, etc. Will price it again someday where we rent a tiny apartment and eat from grocery stores, and so forth to see how much I could shrink the cost. I want our kids to see a bit of the world in their time. I come from people too scared to leave the country.

I think seeing the world instead of seeing the TV version is a worthwhile thing. The view from the couch is very different than reality. There are scary things happening in the world but the TV version seems like condensed chaos all the time. Sort of like the evening murder report aka the local news in a big city.

"Last night 5 people were murdered..." (in five different rough parts of the city, murdered by rough people they probably knew all because the victim and the murderer all kept bad company... And so - the city is safer than the evening news implies...)
« Last Edit: November 02, 2015, 10:00:12 AM by Joe Average »

Papa Mustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1650
  • Location: Humidity, USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11064 on: November 02, 2015, 09:58:48 AM »
If you can turn off your TV, talk radio (finance BS gets peddled on sports and general talk radio), the mainstream media finance sites, you can actually read intelligent sites like Bogleheads, MMM Forums, and FatWallet Finance and high ERs.

THANKS! New website for me (FWF). Yeah you are correct. My coworkers worry about college football and NASCAR. Whatever makes them happy I suppose. ;)

BarbeRiche

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 69
  • Location: Montreal
    • BarbeRiche
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11065 on: November 02, 2015, 11:37:05 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

Haha!  I'm sure he didn't lie, he doesn't have the extra money.

That's why he paid for the bike and helmet with a financing.

seathink

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 109
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Los Angeles
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11066 on: November 02, 2015, 04:49:48 PM »

I think seeing the world instead of seeing the TV version is a worthwhile thing. The view from the couch is very different than reality. There are scary things happening in the world but the TV version seems like condensed chaos all the time. Sort of like the evening murder report aka the local news in a big city.

"Last night 5 people were murdered..." (in five different rough parts of the city, murdered by rough people they probably knew all because the victim and the murderer all kept bad company... And so - the city is safer than the evening news implies...)

+1

My favorite is when the news imports murders/crime from other cities. Even in LA we don't have a murder every night. I've been at friends's houses and the 11 o'clock will open with a brutal double murder... in Kansas City. Couldn't we celebrate LA being murder-free instead? Sigh.

LeRainDrop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1834
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11067 on: November 02, 2015, 06:48:55 PM »
Well I am from lake Como so I cannot recommend Garda lol
Pic taken this summer.

OMG, now I am aching to go back to Italy!  What a beautiful picture, Seppia.

Eric222

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 902
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11068 on: November 03, 2015, 05:51:10 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Helmets are important!!!  And you should buy a new one whenever you are in an accident.  Um....I don't know about motorcycle helmets, but the price of a bicycle helmet does not always == the quality of the helmet.   So 2% of salary on a helmet, can you go give him a face punch?

I wish I had a 401k match :(.  Can I have his?

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11069 on: November 03, 2015, 07:20:50 AM »
One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Helmets are important!!!  And you should buy a new one whenever you are in an accident.  Um....I don't know about motorcycle helmets, but the price of a bicycle helmet does not always == the quality of the helmet.   So 2% of salary on a helmet, can you go give him a face punch?

I wish I had a 401k match :(.  Can I have his?

Horseback riding helmets are like this.  In the last 5-10 years, designer helmets from $500-1500 have become *the thing*.  Some of them might be a tiny bit lighter or more well-ventilated, but I have a $70 one that is so comfortable I pretty much forget it's on my head.  And yeah, first time you fall off, that sucker needs to be replaced. Or after 3-5 years of normal use it needs to be replaced. The safety testing and ASTM requirements show that the $1500 helmet does not provide any more protection than the $70 one. 

druth

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 333
  • Location: 'sota
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11070 on: November 03, 2015, 07:25:37 AM »
It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

powersuitrecall

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 515
  • Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11071 on: November 03, 2015, 07:43:03 AM »
Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2015, 07:47:29 AM by powersuitrecall »

RWD

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6499
  • Location: Arizona
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11072 on: November 03, 2015, 07:58:57 AM »
Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.

Wow! I think his costs are on the high side based on this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/39310-how-much-do-you-spend-on-power-for-your-hot-tub.

mtn

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1343
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11073 on: November 03, 2015, 08:26:11 AM »
It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

In car racing helmets--similar to motorcycle helmets--often times the cost goes along with extra features or comfort. They don't get safer the more you spend.

meg_shannon

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 167
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11074 on: November 03, 2015, 08:39:28 AM »
It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

In car racing helmets--similar to motorcycle helmets--often times the cost goes along with extra features or comfort. They don't get safer the more you spend.

This is true for carseats as well. Most parents will spend a bit more for some comfort because the baby may be more likely to sleep in the seat. (I would have paid a lot if someone could have guaranteed my LO would sleep).

powersuitrecall

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 515
  • Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11075 on: November 03, 2015, 08:53:43 AM »
Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.

Wow! I think his costs are on the high side based on this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/39310-how-much-do-you-spend-on-power-for-your-hot-tub.

Perhaps he's exaggerating, but our winters do tend to be nippy (as in several weeks of -20 C).

Dollar Slice

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9598
  • Age: 46
  • Location: New York City
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11076 on: November 03, 2015, 03:21:31 PM »
Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Taran Wanderer

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1402
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11077 on: November 03, 2015, 09:38:26 PM »
He only got written up for that bomb threat?  Wow.

LifeAtTheLodgeHouse

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11078 on: November 03, 2015, 11:48:12 PM »
Small thing, grating on me.

In work everyone has reusable cups, awesome idea as it saves the environment and you save 50c every time you buy a coffee (don't worry I squashed that habit upon stumbling onto MMM). Everyone has these cups: www.keepcup.com and I do too, however my sister in law's work got free cups that are in a blue and black and not the "fancy" multicoloured ones and she snagged one for me of THE SAME BRAND, but blue and black.

CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I DO NOT NEED A NEW CUP. My cup is perfectly fine and even if it wasn't, I have other thermal cups. I will NOT be buying a new cup!!!

I feel like the drink and drugs advert - Just say no. Do not give in to peer pressure!!
« Last Edit: November 04, 2015, 12:28:04 AM by LifeAtTheLodgeHouse »

Suncoast

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 33
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11079 on: November 04, 2015, 04:06:40 AM »
Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

11ducks

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 573
  • Location: Duckville, Australia
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11080 on: November 04, 2015, 04:38:37 AM »
Small thing, grating on me.

In work everyone has reusable cups, awesome idea as it saves the environment and you save 50c every time you buy a coffee (don't worry I squashed that habit upon stumbling onto MMM). Everyone has these cups: www.keepcup.com and I do too, however my sister in law's work got free cups that are in a blue and black and not the "fancy" multicoloured ones and she snagged one for me of THE SAME BRAND, but blue and black.

CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I DO NOT NEED A NEW CUP. My cup is perfectly fine and even if it wasn't, I have other thermal cups. I will NOT be buying a new cup!!!

I feel like the drink and drugs advert - Just say no. Do not give in to peer pressure!!

Just buy the cup man. All your friends have one. One won't hurt, it'll help you relax.
You too good to buy a cup like the rest of us? Cup chicken? Bwok bwok bwok.....

MandalayVA

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1569
  • Location: Orlando FL
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11081 on: November 04, 2015, 06:47:25 AM »
We had our open enrollment last month.  A new plan was offered that raised the total HSA contribution so I jumped on that.  The woman who sits behind me didn't really get what a HSA was, so I explained it to her.  She wrinkled her nose.  "I get enough taken out of my paycheck for taxes, I won't fool with that."

This coming from someone who spends fifty bucks a week on scratch-off lottery tickets, more than her HSA contribution would cost.

/headdesk

Beaker

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 334
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11082 on: November 04, 2015, 08:17:34 AM »
We had our open enrollment last month.  A new plan was offered that raised the total HSA contribution so I jumped on that.  The woman who sits behind me didn't really get what a HSA was, so I explained it to her.  She wrinkled her nose.  "I get enough taken out of my paycheck for taxes, I won't fool with that."

This coming from someone who spends fifty bucks a week on scratch-off lottery tickets, more than her HSA contribution would cost.

/headdesk

But... the HSA causes you to have less taxes taken out of your paycheck.

We just signed up for the HDP & HSA through my wife's office. The sum of the company incentives, tax savings, and premium savings is more than the deductible on the plan. Such a good deal.

Dollar Slice

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9598
  • Age: 46
  • Location: New York City
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11083 on: November 04, 2015, 08:46:02 AM »
Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

I would expect the 2nd guy to act surprised/confused if it wasn't true, but he just nodded, "oh, yeah, right." Plus, I was just eating a sandwich in a park and he came and sat right next to me with his friend, so it wasn't like I was being a creeper and listening in on them. You can't fail to hear someone talking 18 inches away.

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11084 on: November 04, 2015, 09:16:33 AM »
Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

I would expect the 2nd guy to act surprised/confused if it wasn't true, but he just nodded, "oh, yeah, right." Plus, I was just eating a sandwich in a park and he came and sat right next to me with his friend, so it wasn't like I was being a creeper and listening in on them. You can't fail to hear someone talking 18 inches away.

I remember chatting with a good friend of mine and realizing that a couple was listening in on our conversations so I started to mess with them. My back was to them so I winked at my friend and asked her about the baby and she casually said something like, "Oh I threw it out with the bathwater," and we proceeded to chat about how great our lives are and uped the ridiculousness until it became apparent that we were messing with them.

MishMash

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 731
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11085 on: November 04, 2015, 11:21:04 AM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after I'm done eating lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2015, 11:24:16 AM by MishMash »

MishMash

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 731
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11086 on: November 04, 2015, 11:33:00 AM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

Hell yea I rescued the cream cheese!  That honey almond spread is not going to waste.  They had opened it up to the rest of the office earlier in the day, the "can't use a tea kettle, and will probably end up burning down the office" crew ate a couple each but no one else really wanted any, we are a small office, probably a dozen people at maximum capacity, and there were only 3 people in the office for the meeting so I have no idea why they thought 3 dozen was a smart idea in the first place. 

And the cream cheese? Did you rescue that also?
This made me laugh. And why didn't they put out the leftovers for the rest of the office rather than toss them?

I feel better knowing that at least these bagels will not go to waste!

frugalnacho

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5055
  • Age: 41
  • Location: Metro Detroit
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11087 on: November 04, 2015, 11:37:25 AM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

And the cream cheese? Did you rescue that also?
This made me laugh. And why didn't they put out the leftovers for the rest of the office rather than toss them?

I feel better knowing that at least these bagels will not go to waste!

Many people are averse to "old" food or leftovers.  Those bagels were for breakfast, and now breakfast has passed, therefore they are old and no longer good, toss 'em.

A few weeks ago we were at my wife's friend's house for dinner.  They were making guacamole, and had the avacados all smashed up.  They opened up the guacamole seasoning, poured half of it in the bowl, and threw the rest of the package away.  I called them out on it immediately, "wtf are you doing? Why would you throw the guac seasoning away? It's a  dry seasoning...why don't you just fold it back up or put it in a zip lock and use it next time?"

They just stared blankly at me as if they never even considered you could potentially save the dry mix that you didn't use.   I seriously considered taking the packet out of the garbage and putting it in my pocket to take home.  My wife agreed with me, but thought it was a social faux pas to retrieve the unused portion so we just let it go.  So wasteful though.

former player

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8724
  • Location: Avalon
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11088 on: November 04, 2015, 12:03:44 PM »
I remember chatting with a good friend of mine and realizing that a couple was listening in on our conversations so I started to mess with them. My back was to them so I winked at my friend and asked her about the baby and she casually said something like, "Oh I threw it out with the bathwater," and we proceeded to chat about how great our lives are and uped the ridiculousness until it became apparent that we were messing with them.

I have always hoped that a line from a conversation between two middle-aged women that I overheard on the train once had a similar inspiration -

"She killed them two years later, you know, but that's beside the point.  And they was lovely children, too."

dude

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2369
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11089 on: November 04, 2015, 12:19:19 PM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after I'm done eating lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

Not quite dumpster diving/trash picking, but at my wife's company's holiday party last year, there was a shitload of quality seafood, including a whole tray of lobster rolls left over.  I asked the waiter what they were going to do with them, and he said they had to toss them.  Like hell you will.  I asked for them to go.  Nobody else there wanted to "stoop that low" because they are all so hellbent on keeping up appearances.  I took those suckers home, and emptied the lobster salad from the rolls into a large bowl. Easily 3-4 lbs of lobster salad.  Street value $100-$120.  ;-)  I ate lobster salad with breakfast, lunch and dinner for several days and loved every ounce of it!

LifeAtTheLodgeHouse

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11090 on: November 04, 2015, 01:05:04 PM »
Small thing, grating on me.

In work everyone has reusable cups, awesome idea as it saves the environment and you save 50c every time you buy a coffee (don't worry I squashed that habit upon stumbling onto MMM). Everyone has these cups: www.keepcup.com and I do too, however my sister in law's work got free cups that are in a blue and black and not the "fancy" multicoloured ones and she snagged one for me of THE SAME BRAND, but blue and black.

CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I DO NOT NEED A NEW CUP. My cup is perfectly fine and even if it wasn't, I have other thermal cups. I will NOT be buying a new cup!!!

I feel like the drink and drugs advert - Just say no. Do not give in to peer pressure!!

Just buy the cup man. All your friends have one. One won't hurt, it'll help you relax.
You too good to buy a cup like the rest of us? Cup chicken? Bwok bwok bwok.....


I'm now waiting to be told how all the cool kids are doing it...

cloudsail

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 556
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11091 on: November 04, 2015, 01:16:55 PM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after I'm done eating lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

Not quite dumpster diving/trash picking, but at my wife's company's holiday party last year, there was a shitload of quality seafood, including a whole tray of lobster rolls left over.  I asked the waiter what they were going to do with them, and he said they had to toss them.  Like hell you will.  I asked for them to go.  Nobody else there wanted to "stoop that low" because they are all so hellbent on keeping up appearances.  I took those suckers home, and emptied the lobster salad from the rolls into a large bowl. Easily 3-4 lbs of lobster salad.  Street value $100-$120.  ;-)  I ate lobster salad with breakfast, lunch and dinner for several days and loved every ounce of it!

Yeah, I'm an engineer so everyone is pretty frugal.  There was a long email thread once at my last company when someone realized that all the leftover food from the cafeteria was thrown out every night.  People were horrified at the waste, but it turned out there wasn't any other choice (like donating, etc.) due to food safety and liability reasons.  It's really too bad, I'm sure most people at the office would have welcomed the free leftovers.

o2bfree

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 271
  • Location: Pacific Northwest
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11092 on: November 04, 2015, 01:51:58 PM »
CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I had a similar experience with a staple remover. Mine had a little piece of the plastic broke off the grip, and the admin got all worked up about it. "You need a new staple remover!" "Your's is BROKEN, don't you want a new one?" Broken?! It still worked perfectly!

After a couple weeks a new one appeared in my in box. I just let it sit there, and it disappeared after a few days. That was 19 years ago, and the "broken" staple remover has served me well all this time.

Seppia

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 616
  • Age: 43
  • Location: NYC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11093 on: November 04, 2015, 02:06:31 PM »
If you're taking food of the garbage you're going too far in my opinion.

ambimammular

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 424
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Indiana
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11094 on: November 04, 2015, 02:12:11 PM »
I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

And the cream cheese? Did you rescue that also?
This made me laugh. And why didn't they put out the leftovers for the rest of the office rather than toss them?

I feel better knowing that at least these bagels will not go to waste!

A friend brought us a few bags of organic apples from an acquaintance's farm. He said the guy has forty plus trees that he does nothing with. The apples are varieties that don't market well, but taste amazing. I've done my applesauce canning for the year and have maybe two empty jars if I'm lucky, and I don't even know the guy that has the trees...but I can't stop thinking about all of those apples going to waste. They've been haunting me since I've learned of them.

Cadman

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 524
  • Location: Midwest
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11095 on: November 04, 2015, 02:15:11 PM »
Haha, this immediately sprang to mind... *edit: bagels in a box, I would have pulled them out, too!



« Last Edit: November 04, 2015, 02:24:43 PM by Cadman »

fiftyincher

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 45
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11096 on: November 04, 2015, 02:35:47 PM »
Haha, this immediately sprang to mind... *edit: bagels in a box, I would have pulled them out, too!



 it was not IN the garbage. It was above the garbage. Hovering. Like an angel.

Seppia

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 616
  • Age: 43
  • Location: NYC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11097 on: November 04, 2015, 03:19:46 PM »

If you're taking food of the garbage you're going too far in my opinion.

Even if it is in a box and none of the food actually touched anything else in the garbage can?

We had a reception on Saturday night and I packed up all the shelf stable items and took them home with me. Corn chips, carrot sticks, potato chips, peanuts... We won't be buying snack food for a while!

It is not a food safety issue for me, but a social norms one.
If I manage to "save" the leftovers before they're thrown away then no issues (I do this all the time when we cook at work), but once they're in the garbage, well I don't fish in the garbage.

o2bfree

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 271
  • Location: Pacific Northwest
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11098 on: November 04, 2015, 03:59:22 PM »
People where I work are always putting plates with unwanted food in the bus bins. Ticks me off double, once for the wasted food, and twice because there's a garbage can right there and they're too lazy to scrape the food off.

nanu

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 345
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Cambridge, MA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #11099 on: November 04, 2015, 04:24:52 PM »
Haha, this immediately sprang to mind... *edit: bagels in a box, I would have pulled them out, too!



 it was not IN the garbage. It was above the garbage. Hovering. Like an angel.
Listen, can I tell you something else? In my family, we used to eat out of the garbage all the time.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!