Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252556 times)

Albert

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1400 on: January 12, 2014, 04:37:47 AM »
I makes a difference when you pay monthly bills. I will get 3 pay checks this month. That means I will end up with almost +1000 more by the end of the month. Granted I am saving it all, but it still makes a difference.

Why does it matter in how many instalments you divide your yearly income? Unless you are saving nothing it shouldn't matter much. Perhaps some small differences in taxes depending on where you live.

Gray Matter

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1401 on: January 12, 2014, 05:33:06 AM »
Why does it matter in how many instalments you divide your yearly income? Unless you are saving nothing it shouldn't matter much. Perhaps some small differences in taxes depending on where you live.

If your spending/budget is based solely on "spend as little as possible," then it doesn't matter.  But if your spending/budget is influenced at all by your income, then it can make a huge difference, because your budget would be based on a smaller number and then these checks would seem like a "bonus" that you could either save or do something substantial with.

Even if your spending isn't influenced by it, there is the psychological impact of getting something that seems "extra" even though you've earned it and it was yours all along.  And I'm just speculating here, but let's say you had that salary spread out among all your checks and you saved the same amount each month, the impact of seeing your savings grow little by little may not be as exciting as seeing it take two big leaps in the year.

So...from a pure practical perspective, it doesn't/shouldn't matter.  But from an emotional perspective, it does/could.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1402 on: January 12, 2014, 07:23:43 AM »
Yes it's a concept that accurately describes this situation
No it doesn't. Computing ratios with zero denominators are meaningless, and infinity, which is used only for limits by people who understand what it actually means, brings no insight here, because there's no concept of motion or an asymptote. Saying it has increased infinitely is incorrect technically and still incorrect when used in a fuzzy handwave way.

Can't say I agree with you.  His odds of winning increased infinitely.

Daley

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1403 on: January 12, 2014, 08:15:29 AM »
Yes it's a concept that accurately describes this situation
No it doesn't. Computing ratios with zero denominators are meaningless, and infinity, which is used only for limits by people who understand what it actually means, brings no insight here, because there's no concept of motion or an asymptote. Saying it has increased infinitely is incorrect technically and still incorrect when used in a fuzzy handwave way.

Can't say I agree with you.  His odds of winning increased infinitely.

I think what Grant is trying to say (and I agree with him here), is that infinite is the wrong word to use. The appropriate thing to say in this situation is, "His odds of winning increased finitely." The statistical odds of winning are now measurable and greater than zero, but still so quantitatively minute, they might as well still be represented by the pure absence of quantity as opposed to the boundlessness of the infinite.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 08:33:39 AM by I.P. Daley »

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1404 on: January 12, 2014, 08:40:06 AM »
Why does it matter in how many instalments you divide your yearly income? Unless you are saving nothing it shouldn't matter much. Perhaps some small differences in taxes depending on where you live.

If your spending/budget is based solely on "spend as little as possible," then it doesn't matter.  But if your spending/budget is influenced at all by your income, then it can make a huge difference, because your budget would be based on a smaller number and then these checks would seem like a "bonus" that you could either save or do something substantial with.

Even if your spending isn't influenced by it, there is the psychological impact of getting something that seems "extra" even though you've earned it and it was yours all along.  And I'm just speculating here, but let's say you had that salary spread out among all your checks and you saved the same amount each month, the impact of seeing your savings grow little by little may not be as exciting as seeing it take two big leaps in the year.

So...from a pure practical perspective, it doesn't/shouldn't matter.  But from an emotional perspective, it does/could.

As someone who budgets each paycheck as it comes in and gets paid biweekly, 10 out of the 12 months I get 2 paychecks.  I use these two paychecks to budget my monthly expenses for the upcoming month and then bank the rest.  In the 2 months that I get extra pay checks, I get to save more.  I'm not sure why it's confusing for someone to see why people enjoy this.  You're conveniently ignoring monthly bills.

Vitai Slade

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1405 on: January 12, 2014, 08:43:10 AM »
Yes it's a concept that accurately describes this situation
No it doesn't. Computing ratios with zero denominators are meaningless, and infinity, which is used only for limits by people who understand what it actually means, brings no insight here, because there's no concept of motion or an asymptote. Saying it has increased infinitely is incorrect technically and still incorrect when used in a fuzzy handwave way.

Can't say I agree with you.  His odds of winning increased infinitely.

I think what Grant is trying to say (and I agree with him here), is that infinite is the wrong word to use. The appropriate thing to say in this situation is, "His odds of winning increased finitely." The statistical odds of winning are now measurable and greater than zero, but still so quantitatively minute, they might as well still be represented by the pure absence of quantity as opposed to the boundlessness of the infinite.

Except it's not finite. It is immeasurable. You cannot measure the difference between zero and one in this scenario because one is infinitely larger than zero. Therefore, infinite IS the correct term to use, not finite.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 08:45:21 AM by Vitai Slade »

Miamoo

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1406 on: January 12, 2014, 08:50:01 AM »
I love my extra paychecks! Also in like 2016 I may get three extra paychecks (ie an extra paycheck for the year, although likely each paycheck will be less).

So you are one of them! ok, sir, carry on and enjoy that extra money!



And I'm another one!  Budget based on a 4 week month.  Extra checks are stashed.  dragoncar . . . I don't have a 2016 calendar handy (and I'm lazy, slow on the uptake) . . . what happens in 2016?

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1407 on: January 12, 2014, 09:04:50 AM »
Re: The extra paycheck...

If people spend what they get (or more), an extra paycheck in a month makes no difference, because they live paycheck to paycheck.

If people have become disciplined enough to do a monthly budget that's based upon a typical month's budget, then the two extra paychecks are just that, extra money beyond the normal budgeted needs.

If people have become disciplined enough to totally control their spending, they are no longer extra paychecks, they're just part of the plan.

Daley

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1408 on: January 12, 2014, 09:23:04 AM »
Except it's not finite. It is immeasurable. You cannot measure the difference between zero and one in this scenario because one is infinitely larger than zero. Therefore, infinite IS the correct term to use, not finite.

And if the odds of winning the $200 million powerball jackpot were 1:1, I might consider agreeing with you. The issue with your approach is that one is still a finite number. The gap between nothing and one is still only one, not infinity, and there are measurable statistical odds of winning.

grantmeaname

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1409 on: January 12, 2014, 09:33:37 AM »
Can't say I agree with you.  His odds of winning increased infinitely.
You're entitled to that opinion or any other that you like, but nobody arguing your side in this whole thread has been able to point to a single valid mathematical concept that supports the notion. The only place where infinity is somewhat relevant is limits, and there's no limit being taken or considered here. We're not considering the odds of winning with one ticket against the odds of winning with smaller and smaller fractions of a single ticket, we're considering the odds of winning with one ticket against the odds of winning with zero tickets. There's no limit.

Miamoo

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1410 on: January 12, 2014, 09:44:09 AM »
Gray Matter said . . . .

"Even if your spending isn't influenced by it, there is the psychological impact of getting something that seems "extra" even though you've earned it and it was yours all along.  And I'm just speculating here, but let's say you had that salary spread out among all your checks and you saved the same amount each month, the impact of seeing your savings grow little by little may not be as exciting as seeing it take two big leaps in the year.

So...from a pure practical perspective, it doesn't/shouldn't matter. But from an emotional perspective, it does/could."

Guess I'm still in that camp.  4 week monthly budget includes all living expenses, savings and investments  Re: The emotional perspective, I still think of it as a treat of sorts.  Yes, I get all happy when I can add that $ to the stash.




iris lily

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1411 on: January 12, 2014, 10:09:39 AM »
...If people have become disciplined enough to totally control their spending, they are no longer extra paychecks, they're just part of the plan.

Yes.

To repeat: I've never budgeted. I spend on what I want. And I don't want much, relatively speaking 'though for sure I've got gazingus pins (iris, lilies, dogs, wine.)
« Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 10:13:14 AM by iris lily »

Jamesqf

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1412 on: January 12, 2014, 12:09:56 PM »
You have zero lottery tickets. They decide they are going to pull numbers until you hit (This is the multiply by zero part). What is your chance of eventually winning?

Answer: 0%

Now you have one lottery ticket. They decide they are going to pull numbers until you hit. What is you chance of eventually winning?

Answer: 100%

The thing of it is, the difference between zero and one on a number line is infinite. You can divide it up as many times as you want and there is still going to be a number between whichever two numbers you divided. This means that because zero will always stay a constant zero and one is infinitely higher than zero, your chances of hitting are infinitely larger if you have one ticket vs. zero.

[/ false argument]

The problem here is that you've created an example that is not numeric, but binary logic, so that the concept of infinity (or indeed, of percentages) simply does no apply.  The only possibilities are true|false.

Albert

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1413 on: January 12, 2014, 03:17:32 PM »
I don't budget in great detail maybe that's why it doesn't matter to me that much how in how many pay checks is my income divided. I'm paid once a month and I know that statistically I save about 50% (yearly average) after buying whatever I want/need to buy. That's good enough for me.

Cinder

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1414 on: January 12, 2014, 04:04:15 PM »
Gray Matter said . . . .

"Even if your spending isn't influenced by it, there is the psychological impact of getting something that seems "extra" even though you've earned it and it was yours all along.  And I'm just speculating here, but let's say you had that salary spread out among all your checks and you saved the same amount each month, the impact of seeing your savings grow little by little may not be as exciting as seeing it take two big leaps in the year.

So...from a pure practical perspective, it doesn't/shouldn't matter. But from an emotional perspective, it does/could."

Guess I'm still in that camp.  4 week monthly budget includes all living expenses, savings and investments  Re: The emotional perspective, I still think of it as a treat of sorts.  Yes, I get all happy when I can add that $ to the stash.

It's similar to teachers who have their pay checks distributed though the year instead of only when they work.  If people have forsight and plane ahead, it doesn't matter, but some people don't have the ability to, and they'll need a consistent amount coming in. 

I never use the 'budgeting' option for my electric bill, which varies widely in winter vs summer (or it hopefully used to, I love the attic being properly sealed!).  I always had some extra 'slush' in my spending that I DIDN'T spend right up to what I made each month, so it was never an issue, even when I had a $600 electric bill one month last year.  That puts me in the camp with albert above, but that's only one way of handling money.

Some people spend every dollar they make.. Some of them are mustachian (spending it on debt repayment, or toward a specific future budget goal, into an investment account, etc...).  Other people don't budget' at all, just evaluate purchases as they come up, and at the end of the month sweep whatever is left (minus a buffer) into their investment/debt repayment.   

I personally am to lazy to do a 'month by month budget for every dollar'.  So I look at last year, make any adjustments based on changes (things going up, things being dropped, etc) and average it out per month, and expect to pay somewhere around that much.  Other people do say 'I'll have a sewer bill for X and a water bill for Y ever third month, and mobile bill of Z' etc...

Zikoris

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1415 on: January 12, 2014, 05:20:50 PM »
Regarding "extra" paychecks - I get them twice a year(including this month - yay!) and like them a lot due to the way I keep records. I keep a monthly financial accounting/retirement journal, and it's just kind of cool to see a big spike in net worth. It also gives me a funny looking income graph on Mint, which in addition to other random income, makes my monthly income look wildly unstable to an outsider, and I find that kind of entertaining.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1416 on: January 12, 2014, 06:19:07 PM »
I love my extra paychecks! Also in like 2016 I may get three extra paychecks (ie an extra paycheck for the year, although likely each paycheck will be less).

So you are one of them! ok, sir, carry on and enjoy that extra money!



And I'm another one!  Budget based on a 4 week month.  Extra checks are stashed.  dragoncar . . . I don't have a 2016 calendar handy (and I'm lazy, slow on the uptake) . . . what happens in 2016?

Everyone who gets paid biweekly will eventually get a year with 27 pay periods.  Which year that happens depends on your individual schedule.  I've heard anecdotally that some companies just eat the extra paycheck rather than go to the trouble of mitigating it (paying less per paycheck or skipping a paycheck) although I find that hard to believe.

Edit: in some cases mitigation wouldn't make sense because you are being paid at the end of two weeks for two weeks worked.  So to could depend on whether your employment agreement is for an annual salary, a biweekly salary, etc.  luckily this happens rarely.  every 7 year I want to say?

Double edit: my memory sucks it's ever 11 years:
http://www.worldatwork.org/community/discussions/discuss.jsp?did=3587
« Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 06:23:12 PM by dragoncar »

grantmeaname

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1417 on: January 12, 2014, 06:22:31 PM »
I've heard companies mention a longer number of weeks in a quarter on a conference call to explain earnings anomalies before. I don't know how much to buy into it and how much it's just a convenient excuse, though.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1418 on: January 12, 2014, 06:35:14 PM »
I don't budget in great detail maybe that's why it doesn't matter to me that much how in how many pay checks is my income divided. I'm paid once a month and I know that statistically I save about 50% (yearly average) after buying whatever I want/need to buy. That's good enough for me.

I used to be in the same boat but then we switched to bi-weekly which created 2 months where I had to "deal" with the "extra" $$.  On average, I'd be getting the same per month, but in reality, 10 out of the 12 months were less.  It doesn't matter since we saving every month, but it does matter to the people who are living paycheck to paycheck.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1419 on: January 12, 2014, 06:37:29 PM »
Some people spend every dollar they make..

I guess this is where my wife and I are.  We don't spend every dollar but we do budget every dollar (down to the penny).  That way, we really know where our money is going.  We're much earlier on the age/money curve though, and I can only assume it won't be as important when we have a bigger nest egg/reduce our spending even more!

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1420 on: January 12, 2014, 06:54:00 PM »
Yes it's a concept that accurately describes this situation
No it doesn't. Computing ratios with zero denominators are meaningless, and infinity, which is used only for limits by people who understand what it actually means, brings no insight here, because there's no concept of motion or an asymptote. Saying it has increased infinitely is incorrect technically and still incorrect when used in a fuzzy handwave way.

Can't say I agree with you.  His odds of winning increased infinitely.

I think what Grant is trying to say (and I agree with him here), is that infinite is the wrong word to use. The appropriate thing to say in this situation is, "His odds of winning increased finitely." The statistical odds of winning are now measurable and greater than zero, but still so quantitatively minute, they might as well still be represented by the pure absence of quantity as opposed to the boundlessness of the infinite.

How many fucks I give that a phrase many people here seem to understand intuitively may be mathematically undefined = limit of 1/x as x->infinity.

jrhampt

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1421 on: January 13, 2014, 06:48:42 AM »
I love my extra paychecks! Also in like 2016 I may get three extra paychecks (ie an extra paycheck for the year, although likely each paycheck will be less).

So you are one of them! ok, sir, carry on and enjoy that extra money!



And I'm another one!  Budget based on a 4 week month.  Extra checks are stashed.  dragoncar . . . I don't have a 2016 calendar handy (and I'm lazy, slow on the uptake) . . . what happens in 2016?

Everyone who gets paid biweekly will eventually get a year with 27 pay periods.  Which year that happens depends on your individual schedule.  I've heard anecdotally that some companies just eat the extra paycheck rather than go to the trouble of mitigating it (paying less per paycheck or skipping a paycheck) although I find that hard to believe.

Edit: in some cases mitigation wouldn't make sense because you are being paid at the end of two weeks for two weeks worked.  So to could depend on whether your employment agreement is for an annual salary, a biweekly salary, etc.  luckily this happens rarely.  every 7 year I want to say?

Double edit: my memory sucks it's ever 11 years:
http://www.worldatwork.org/community/discussions/discuss.jsp?did=3587

We're having one of these 27 paycheck years at my company.  What they did is to divide our annual salary by 27 instead of 26, so our paychecks are lower than they were last year.  They are giving us 2 extra vacation days to placate some of the people who are unhappy about this.  I have never run into this situation before, so it's all new to me.

Fireman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1422 on: January 13, 2014, 07:52:06 AM »
I'm interested in the 27 paycheck phenomenon (never thought about it really) so I ran my calendar out several years.  Turns out in 2021, if i'm still working for this department, i'll get three paychecks in January, July, and December.  I'm used to two 'extra' checks a year here.  You get paid as you otherwise would but health insurance benefits and one of the retirements aren't paid out.  Additionally, leave isn't accrued on the extra paychecks.  Since i'm a non exempt employee and work variable hours, these paychecks are extra to me even though I plan for them in my income/expenditures spreadsheet.

Half-Borg

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1423 on: January 13, 2014, 08:01:13 AM »
Back to topic:
A co-worker of mine is looking for a new dinig table. He went to furniture store and described some of the features the table must have and the employee pointed him to some 400€ table including chairs.
He said he wanted a grown-up table, told the employee to leave and decided to buy a 3000€ one.
3000€ for a freaking table? Something a 12 year old can build all by himself?

jefffff

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1424 on: January 13, 2014, 11:55:05 AM »
You have zero lottery tickets. They decide they are going to pull numbers until you hit (This is the multiply by zero part). What is your chance of eventually winning?

Answer: 0%

Now you have one lottery ticket. They decide they are going to pull numbers until you hit. What is you chance of eventually winning?

Answer: 100%

The thing of it is, the difference between zero and one on a number line is infinite. You can divide it up as many times as you want and there is still going to be a number between whichever two numbers you divided. This means that because zero will always stay a constant zero and one is infinitely higher than zero, your chances of hitting are infinitely larger if you have one ticket vs. zero.

[/ false argument]

The problem here is that you've created an example that is not numeric, but binary logic, so that the concept of infinity (or indeed, of percentages) simply does no apply.  The only possibilities are true|false.
This is a dumb argument to have and none of us should be having it. So here are my thoughts on the matter! (Sorry...)

Probabilities relating to events occurring in the physical world can never truly be 0 (or 1). In this particular example, one is excluding that one might be gifted a lottery ticket, or find one on the ground, or sleepwalk and buy one without realizing it. These are all rare events but that doesn't matter at all, they make the probability nonzero. There, now we don't have to have an argument over how appropriate the colloquial use of the word infinite was in that one context(hint: this was the only thing y'all disagreed on, nothing is gained by determining who is right).

If you think the probabilities not being 0 thing is interesting you can read a more full, thoughtful explanation here:
http://lesswrong.com/lw/mp/0_and_1_are_not_probabilities/

Jamesqf

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1425 on: January 13, 2014, 12:10:34 PM »
Probabilities relating to events occurring in the physical world can never truly be 0 (or 1). In this particular example, one is excluding that one might be gifted a lottery ticket, or find one on the ground, or sleepwalk and buy one without realizing it.

On the contrary, in the physical world the fact that any given lottery ticket either is or is not a winner is perfect binary logic.  How you obtained it is irrelevant.

the fixer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1426 on: January 13, 2014, 12:11:28 PM »
The real problem IMO is it's a misleading and illogical use of math to prove a point. "1 is infinitely larger than 0" is a statement that considers only the percentage difference between two numbers, but it's ignoring the absolute difference (1 - 0 = 1), the denominator (you're actually looking at 0 versus 1 in a very-large-number), and whether the difference is statistically significant. It's cherry-picking only the pieces of math that support your conclusion.

I can use the same math to make equally stupid arguments. For instance, driving your car is stupid for all of the following reasons:
  • You might get in an accident when you drive your car. No, I'm not going to consider the actual odds and probability of damage/injury, I'm just going to say that the odds are infinitely higher of getting into an accident if you drive versus if you do not.
  • If you're walking, you're going to see money left on the ground but when you're driving you'd never see it. So you have an infinitely higher probability of finding a $100 bill on the ground if you walk to where you're going versus if you drive. You even have an infinitely higher probability of finding a briefcase containing 1 MILLION DOLLARS!

exranger06

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1427 on: January 13, 2014, 01:09:59 PM »
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI

Can we please drop it and get back on topic??

Insanity

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1428 on: January 13, 2014, 01:15:52 PM »
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI

Can we please drop it and get back on topic??

http://xkcd.com/386/

grantmeaname

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1429 on: January 13, 2014, 01:32:17 PM »
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI
You don't have to read the thread.

Recon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1430 on: January 13, 2014, 01:48:16 PM »
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI
You don't have to read the thread.

Yeah, but it's annoying coming into this thread - which, IMO, is one of the best on the forum - and seeing that it's cluttered up with a bunch of people arguing about something that is completely unrelated (statement of fact) and largely irrelevant (statement of opinion.)

Russ

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1431 on: January 13, 2014, 02:16:34 PM »
To those of you complaining about those arguing about the lottery ticket:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/10/07/how-big-is-your-circle-of-control/
;-)

Insanity

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1432 on: January 13, 2014, 02:21:55 PM »
To those of you complaining about those arguing about the lottery ticket:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/10/07/how-big-is-your-circle-of-control/
;-)

But aren't we supposed to help people get rid of clutter by spreading the word?  Isn't it hypocritical if we can't keep our own message board threads clutter free????

</sarcasm>

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1433 on: January 13, 2014, 02:25:59 PM »
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI
You don't have to read the thread.

Yeah, but it's annoying coming into this thread - which, IMO, is one of the best on the forum - and seeing that it's cluttered up with a bunch of people arguing about something that is completely unrelated (statement of fact) and largely irrelevant (statement of opinion.)

Yeah we never go off topic in this thread.  Want to start a side thread for lotto maths?

grantmeaname

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1434 on: January 13, 2014, 02:33:14 PM »
I think everybody is pretty argued out. But it's not like there's a strict stay on topic policy in this forum, which is 1) broad by nature anyways, and 2) crawling with quantitative types.

msilenus

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1435 on: January 13, 2014, 02:50:45 PM »
I think everybody is pretty argued out. But it's not like there's a strict stay on topic policy in this forum, which is 1) broad by nature anyways, and 2) crawling with quantitative types.

I'm curious what the data is supporting your second claim.

fantabulous

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1436 on: January 13, 2014, 03:14:28 PM »
Back to topic:
A co-worker of mine is looking for a new dinig table. He went to furniture store and described some of the features the table must have and the employee pointed him to some 400€ table including chairs.
He said he wanted a grown-up table, told the employee to leave and decided to buy a 3000€ one.
3000€ for a freaking table? Something a 12 year old can build all by himself?

As a child, I never thought to make my own table during Thanksgiving to not have to sit at the kids table. If I ever become a mother, I think I'll set out an unassembled table for the kids. Aside from dimensions, what makes a table a grown-up table?

rocksinmyhead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1437 on: January 13, 2014, 03:22:35 PM »
Back to topic:
A co-worker of mine is looking for a new dinig table. He went to furniture store and described some of the features the table must have and the employee pointed him to some 400€ table including chairs.
He said he wanted a grown-up table, told the employee to leave and decided to buy a 3000€ one.
3000€ for a freaking table? Something a 12 year old can build all by himself?

As a child, I never thought to make my own table during Thanksgiving to not have to sit at the kids table. If I ever become a mother, I think I'll set out an unassembled table for the kids. Aside from dimensions, what makes a table a grown-up table?

Yeah, I'm not even sure how I would describe "features my dining table must have." Uhh... a flat surface large enough for several people to eat from? Four legs? Perhaps you want a specific shape, but what other kind of "features" do tables have?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1438 on: January 13, 2014, 03:25:47 PM »
I think everybody is pretty argued out. But it's not like there's a strict stay on topic policy in this forum, which is 1) broad by nature anyways, and 2) crawling with quantitative types.

I'm curious what the data is supporting your second claim.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/09/17/a-one-question-survey-who-are-the-mustachians/

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1439 on: January 13, 2014, 03:33:25 PM »
I think everybody is pretty argued out. But it's not like there's a strict stay on topic policy in this forum, which is 1) broad by nature anyways, and 2) crawling with quantitative types.

I'm curious what the data is supporting your second claim.


msilenus

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1440 on: January 13, 2014, 03:35:15 PM »
:)

Anatidae V

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1441 on: January 13, 2014, 04:29:55 PM »
This is kind of sad, since I'm the spendy one, and wasn't at work...
Had some friends around for a BBQ, and mentioned we were getting a new car. All of them wanted to know what was wrong with our current car! They know it's the same one ive had since we started uni together, so they're aware it's old. No comments about how spending money is good.

They've all stayed at home saving up deposits for houses, while my partner and I moved out of home (so we could live together). I seem to be quite out moustached by my friends!

Daniel

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1442 on: January 13, 2014, 05:14:04 PM »
I would just like to add something about (emotionally) why those two paychecks are great (at least where I am). 401k and health benefit premiums are divided by 24 to determine how much is taken out of each paycheck, so the extra paychecks those two months are much (hundred of dollars) larger, which just feels like a bonus! Also the mint thing is big, love to see those spiky months.

Jamesqf

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1443 on: January 13, 2014, 10:14:06 PM »
But aren't we supposed to help people get rid of clutter by spreading the word?  Isn't it hypocritical if we can't keep our own message board threads clutter free????

</sarcasm>

Who says?  The clutter Nazis?  Some of us think that a reasonable amount of clutter acts as a spur to creative thought.  The digression re lottery tickets seems a good example.

Half-Borg

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1444 on: January 14, 2014, 01:25:36 AM »
Yeah, I'm not even sure how I would describe "features my dining table must have." Uhh... a flat surface large enough for several people to eat from? Four legs? Perhaps you want a specific shape, but what other kind of "features" do tables have?
He wants a table wich is supported more in the middle, so that nobody has a table-leg between his knees, he also wants a pull-out table, if they host several people. It also has to fit in with their current furniture, color and stuff.

All valid points, but still...

wtjbatman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1445 on: January 14, 2014, 03:18:44 AM »
Last week a coworker rolled up in a 2014 Toyota Highlander. Male, Single, 32, no kids, lives in one bedroom apartment in a small city and drives 40 minutes to work (30 mile drive).

Kinda curious why he bought that, so I broached the subject gently (he's kinda sensitive)... "I've been driving around a rust bucket for the last ten years, I just wanted something new."

Alright, to each their own.

He still drives the rust bucket on days it's supposed to snow/storm.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1446 on: January 14, 2014, 06:14:08 AM »
Back to topic:
A co-worker of mine is looking for a new dinig table. He went to furniture store and described some of the features the table must have and the employee pointed him to some 400€ table including chairs.
He said he wanted a grown-up table, told the employee to leave and decided to buy a 3000€ one.
3000€ for a freaking table? Something a 12 year old can build all by himself?

As a child, I never thought to make my own table during Thanksgiving to not have to sit at the kids table. If I ever become a mother, I think I'll set out an unassembled table for the kids. Aside from dimensions, what makes a table a grown-up table?

Yeah, I'm not even sure how I would describe "features my dining table must have." Uhh... a flat surface large enough for several people to eat from? Four legs? Perhaps you want a specific shape, but what other kind of "features" do tables have?
Yeah, wow.  We bought our gigantic beautiful glass kitchen table at a used furniture store for $170, and I thought that was a bit spendy and excessive.  It has the features you just described!  Although it does have a nice feature too of "horrifies you to think about moving a giant piece of loose glass when you move at the end of the month".

LibrarIan

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1447 on: January 14, 2014, 08:39:57 AM »
A coworker of mine decided to tally up his monthly spending in regards to eating out at work. He'd buy lunch every day of the work week, often get coffee after that and then on weekends he might have gone out to eat some too. He totaled out to a horrific $6500/year on eating out all the time. So he is now packing. But this is where it gets even more crazy...

He brought it up to another coworker and said, "Yeah, I'm packing all the time now to save money."

The other guy said, "Now you have to buy your own groceries, so between going to the store and buying food you're not really doing anything better."

WHAT?!?!?! I thought he was joking. He was not. That guy still buys every day of his life. Poor him (literally).

mariarose

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1448 on: January 14, 2014, 10:41:33 AM »
[/url]
To those of you still arguing about the lottery ticket: This is how I feel when I read one of your posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI

Can we please drop it and get back on topic??

http://xkcd.com/386/

That was funny!  I liked this one too! =http://xkcd.com/163/

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #1449 on: January 14, 2014, 11:53:42 AM »
A coworker of mine decided to tally up his monthly spending in regards to eating out at work. He'd buy lunch every day of the work week, often get coffee after that and then on weekends he might have gone out to eat some too. He totaled out to a horrific $6500/year on eating out all the time. So he is now packing. But this is where it gets even more crazy...

He brought it up to another coworker and said, "Yeah, I'm packing all the time now to save money."

The other guy said, "Now you have to buy your own groceries, so between going to the store and buying food you're not really doing anything better."

WHAT?!?!?! I thought he was joking. He was not. That guy still buys every day of his life. Poor him (literally).

I see what the other guy might be thinking (hopefully), and I kinda agree.  If you don't change your eating habits at all -- i.e. you are cooking the exact same variety of food that you used to buy -- then it can get pricey fast.  Buying large variety in small quantities is often pretty expensive at the grocery store and you'll end up wasting some if you only eat 1-lunch worth of whatever you buy.  Sure, that's the dumb way to do it, but it's the best apples-to-apples comparison to eating out each day.  Going from salmon sanwiches and french fries with lime aoli on monday, chicken kiev with bacon roasted brussels sprouts on tuesday, etc. to ham and cheese sandwich on white bread every day of the week is a downgrade in more ways than one.  There's still a middle ground in there that will save you money without being boring.