Overheard at Work

[Chris22]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Yes, moderately expensive. Given that we are talking about people with 7-8-9 figure net worths, $50-75k is a moderately expensive car. For instance, many of the wealthy I knew drove E-Class Mercedes, which is halfway up the MB prestige scale, and costs about 25-50% the most expensive models.

[mtn]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Yes, moderately expensive. Given that we are talking about people with 7-8-9 figure net worths, $50-75k is a moderately expensive car. For instance, many of the wealthy I knew drove E-Class Mercedes, which is halfway up the MB prestige scale, and costs about 25-50% the most expensive models.

And when you consider you can option a Camry up to $38k.

[Shor]

My mum keeps on saying that our 2006 Honda Accord and Civic need to be upgraded. She says "You're an Engineer and your wife is an Accountant, so you need a Lexus or BMW or something high-end."

My go-to response when people tell me I need to do/buy something is 'what will happen if I don't?', which is hard to counter since nothing will happen.

That response is pure gold!
I refuse to let it slip away in to this wishy-washy foam of butter chicken and "reasonably priced" clown cars!

[dragoncar]

Thanks for the tip!  I have all those spices...just need to give it a shot!

Let us know how it turns out.

Also, please bear in mind that it won't taste the same as you'll find in restaurants and at the wedding you went to. Most restaurants I've been to use way too much just the right amount of butter and cream.

Fixed that for you...

I only use 1 cup cream no matter how much I'm making because I get the shelf stable cream from trader joes (cheaper per oz than a fresh pint and can have on hand at random
Moments)

I also use boneless skinless chicken breast cut into tiny cubes instead of the bone-in thighs.  Just personal preference.  Small cubes cook much faster and have greater surface area per lb to absorb marinade

[Kitsune]

I also use boneless skinless chicken breast cut into tiny cubes instead of the bone-in thighs.  Just personal preference.  Small cubes cook much faster and have greater surface area per lb to absorb marinade

Skinned and de-boned thighs, cut into cubes. All the flavour, none of the dryness. :)

[Making Cookies]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Moderately expensive compared to a Bugatti. Or Ferrari. ;)=

[RWD]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Moderately expensive compared to a Bugatti. Ore Ferrari. ;)=

Or even just higher end luxury cars, doesn't even have to be something special. Examples: Audi A8 W12 - $138k, BMW 750I Xdrive - $97k, Cadillac Escalade ESV AWD Platinum - $95k, Lexus LS 600H - $120k, Mercedes S600 - $169k.

[Chris22]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Moderately expensive compared to a Bugatti. Ore Ferrari. ;)=

Or even just higher end luxury cars, doesn't even have to be something special. Examples: Audi A8 W12 - $138k, BMW 750I Xdrive - $97k, Cadillac Escalade ESV AWD Platinum - $95k, Lexus LS 600H - $120k, Mercedes S600 - $169k.

Exactly.  Some dude worth high 7/low eight figures who chooses to drive an E-class Mercedes instead of an S600 or Maybach is the same, to me, as a $100k/yr "Mustachian" who choses a $12k Honda Fit instead of a $25k Accord or $35k Pilot.  No it's not the absolute cheapest option, but it's way under what they could afford to spend.

[HairyUpperLip]

Me: We'll ride our bikes. It's only about 5 miles.
CW: But it might rain.
Me: So we'll get wet?

No matter how many times I use that line I still get a little thrill of being a laconic badass. It has that real "Then we'll fight in the shade" ring to it.

I get similar comments about rain every time I show up on a motorcycle.  Though I get to say "You may be right." and have Billy Joel playing in my head. :D

Taking my 2 year old out of the car in the rain with my MIL and FIL in the car too.

MIL - "Oh no, it's raining... She'll get wet. " (as I start to take out my daughter)
Me - "It's okay, we got one of the water proof kids."

[HairyUpperLip]

I completely agree, after all my mom makes the best Indian food in the world and she lives in the suburbs!

Whoa, whoa, whoa --- hold the phone --- my Mom holds that same title...
..which she stole from my grandmother... how did your mom get it too?!?

By making the best butter chicken in the world.

Well then, apparently our moms need to have a butter chicken cook off and see who will really hold the belt.  :)

Btw, my mom asked me to come over after work to help with a few things. She has butter chicken ready for me to eat for dinner!!!

Lucky guy, living the good life. :)

[HairyUpperLip]

Yeah it's not a terrible difficult dish to make. I haven't seen the NYT recipe, but just in case, here are some things my mom does

1. Marinate chicken in yogurt
2. take chicken out and broil
3. Then add broiled chicken to the sauce
4. Add heavy whipping cream (believe this is her last step)

Ahh, see - now I know my Mom's is better - Here is my Mom's steps -

1. Marinate chicken in yogurt
2. take chicken out and broil
3. Then add broiled chicken to the sauce
4. Add heavy whipping cream (believe this is her last step)
5. ADD LOTS OF PYAAR*!


*pyaar - hindi for love. Love is the key ingredient to a delicious meal! :)

[Inaya]

Of course, getting drenched and then going into hyper-chilled work setting in wet clothes is no comfy. But that's what raincoats and umbrellas are for - I had neither ....

This, 1000 times. I keep spare clothes at work in case of office spills. But they don't help me at all until after the hour-long freezing-cold train ride. If it's rainy enough to get through my trench coat, an umbrella won't help. On these days, I take the long way to work (2 hours) because it's better than being soaking wet and cold for 90 minutes. (The commuter train station is a 20 minute walk, but the El station is only 2 blocks so I don't get nearly as wet if I run.)

Being desert-born and bred, I used to adore taking walks in the rain--the heavier the better. But that was when I could go right back inside and change and get all the way dry.

[mtn]

Me: We'll ride our bikes. It's only about 5 miles.
CW: But it might rain.
Me: So we'll get wet?

No matter how many times I use that line I still get a little thrill of being a laconic badass. It has that real "Then we'll fight in the shade" ring to it.

I get similar comments about rain every time I show up on a motorcycle.  Though I get to say "You may be right." and have Billy Joel playing in my head. :D

Taking my 2 year old out of the car in the rain with my MIL and FIL in the car too.

MIL - "Oh no, it's raining... She'll get wet. " (as I start to take out my daughter)
Me - "It's okay, we got one of the water proof kids."

Good one. I sometimes wonder why we are so averse to being out in the rain. As an adult, it has usually been about how my hair will look post-rain. Of course, getting drenched and then going into hyper-chilled work setting in wet clothes is no comfy. But that's what raincoats and umbrellas are for - I had neither ....

Wet clothes is the answer. Unless they're wool, they're uncomfortable in most settings. Raincoats make me sweat. Umbrellas are good though.

[BFGirl]

So I think that I may have the best story yet.

So I'm an attorney at a mid sized law firm in the US.  Today an attorney was fired after one of the partners learned that this attorney had been borrowing money (over one thousand dollars) from his paralegal over the last six months without ever paying her back.  Mind you, this guy was making close to $200k a year.  However, he would constantly complain of not having money and resorted to ask his paralegal for cash.  After months of her trying to get paid back, she took the matter up the chain of command.

His wife was a SAHM, they drove brand new Lexus, and owned a very nice beach front condo.

What a jerk!  Of course, I hope the paralegal will still have a job if her attorney is no longer there.

[mm1970]

Thanks for the tip!  I have all those spices...just need to give it a shot!

Let us know how it turns out.

Also, please bear in mind that it won't taste the same as you'll find in restaurants and at the wedding you went to. Most restaurants I've been to use way too much just the right amount of butter and cream.

Fixed that for you...

I only use 1 cup cream no matter how much I'm making because I get the shelf stable cream from trader joes (cheaper per oz than a fresh pint and can have on hand at random
Moments)

I also use boneless skinless chicken breast cut into tiny cubes instead of the bone-in thighs.  Just personal preference.  Small cubes cook much faster and have greater surface area per lb to absorb marinade

What is this magic??

[mm1970]

Exactly.  Some dude worth high 7/low eight figures who chooses to drive an E-class Mercedes instead of an S600 or Maybach is the same, to me, as a $100k/yr "Mustachian" who choses a $12k Honda Fit instead of a $25k Accord or $35k Pilot.  No it's not the absolute cheapest option, but it's way under what they could afford to spend.

This brings up an interesting question.

What about the "$100k/yr mustachian" who is worth 7 figures?

One refers to income, the other refers to net worth.

It's interesting to see what people think you should drive, based on how old you are, how much you make, and what your net worth is.

I'm sure most people think we should be driving *much* nicer cars, and these are people who have no idea of our net worth.

[mtn]

Exactly.  Some dude worth high 7/low eight figures who chooses to drive an E-class Mercedes instead of an S600 or Maybach is the same, to me, as a $100k/yr "Mustachian" who choses a $12k Honda Fit instead of a $25k Accord or $35k Pilot.  No it's not the absolute cheapest option, but it's way under what they could afford to spend.

This brings up an interesting question.

What about the "$100k/yr mustachian" who is worth 7 figures?

One refers to income, the other refers to net worth.

It's interesting to see what people think you should drive, based on how old you are, how much you make, and what your net worth is.

I'm sure most people think we should be driving *much* nicer cars, and these are people who have no idea of our net worth.

The used E-class?

Or more likely, the used Lexus since it is more reliable.

[Chris22]

Exactly.  Some dude worth high 7/low eight figures who chooses to drive an E-class Mercedes instead of an S600 or Maybach is the same, to me, as a $100k/yr "Mustachian" who choses a $12k Honda Fit instead of a $25k Accord or $35k Pilot.  No it's not the absolute cheapest option, but it's way under what they could afford to spend.

This brings up an interesting question.

What about the "$100k/yr mustachian" who is worth 7 figures?

One refers to income, the other refers to net worth.

It's interesting to see what people think you should drive, based on how old you are, how much you make, and what your net worth is.

I'm sure most people think we should be driving *much* nicer cars, and these are people who have no idea of our net worth.

I'm a huge car nut, so I think you should drive what makes you happy (within your reasonable means). 

I don't ascribe "good choice" or "bad choice" to cars, I ascribe it to situations and preferences.  I think an enthusiast who gets a lot of happiness from driving a $40k BMW 3-series is making a very good choice, and a person who is a status seeker and a "badge whore" who spends $40k to drive a BMW 3-series (while knowing nothing about the car beyond the badge) is making a very bad choice, even if their financial situations are identical.  The zillionaire who buys the latest Ferrari and drives it 500 miles and leaves it in his garage to collect dust is acting foolishly, while the guy who pours his heart and soul and scrimps and saves and sacrifices so he can have a ratty old Ferrari is maximizing his happiness (I see both daily on the FerrariChat web site).

[plainjane]

I only use 1 cup cream no matter how much I'm making because I get the shelf stable cream from trader joes (cheaper per oz than a fresh pint and can have on hand at random
Moments)
I also use boneless skinless chicken breast cut into tiny cubes instead of the bone-in thighs.  Just personal preference.  Small cubes cook much faster and have greater surface area per lb to absorb marinade

What is this magic??

Welcome to the rest of the western world.  It's UHT. (If you are not familiar with UHT, once open, it needs to go in the fridge - which is a good reason to just use the whole container in this case.)
http://www.thekitchn.com/new-product-trader-joes-shelf-stable-whipping-cream-177946

Bringing back to the topic, UHT half&half at work is great, because then the office manager just buys in bulk and doesn't need to worry about keeping the fridge stocked on a weekly basis.

[SeaEhm]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

Will be in Chicago next month so I may have to stop by this place.

Regarding cars, some people think cars have one purpose - to get you from point A to point B.  Other people feel that cars provide more.  If people don't agree on what a car's purpose is, then it is challenging for them to agree on its value.


If I was worth 8 figures with a nice yearly income, I would have a ferrari to park in my garage.  I would go in the garage and stare at it everyday just as people stare at art that hangs on the wall.  I would just personally have this artwork sitting in the garage.

Some kids like to collect (not play with) Hot Wheels.  ;)

[Inaya]

Welcome to the rest of the western world.  It's UHT. (If you are not familiar with UHT, once open, it needs to go in the fridge - which is a good reason to just use the whole container in this case.)
http://www.thekitchn.com/new-product-trader-joes-shelf-stable-whipping-cream-177946

Bringing back to the topic, UHT half&half at work is great, because then the office manager just buys in bulk and doesn't need to worry about keeping the fridge stocked on a weekly basis.

Once open, does it have a longer fridge life than regular milk?

[MgoSam]

Some kids like to collect (not play with) Hot Wheels.  ;)

Not just kids :-).

A buddy of mine runs a retail business. His neighbor sells Hot Wheels and my friend says that it appears he's doing very well for himself.

[chesebert]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

[Chris22]

Some kids like to collect (not play with) Hot Wheels.  ;)

Not just kids :-).

A buddy of mine runs a retail business. His neighbor sells Hot Wheels and my friend says that it appears he's doing very well for himself.

Yup.  No trip to the grocery or Target is complete without a glance at the Hot Wheels to see if there is something cool there.  I'm slowly corrupting my daughter and nephew as well, $.97 at a time. 

[onlykelsey]

Some kids like to collect (not play with) Hot Wheels.  ;)

Not just kids :-).

A buddy of mine runs a retail business. His neighbor sells Hot Wheels and my friend says that it appears he's doing very well for himself.

Yup.  No trip to the grocery or Target is complete without a glance at the Hot Wheels to see if there is something cool there.  I'm slowly corrupting my daughter and nephew as well, $.97 at a time. 

I think you may actually have hit on something here.  I had zero interest in hot wheels as a kid (mostly because my male cousins used them as weapons on each other), and I have more or less zero interest in cars.  I do like driving a manual and changing my own oil, and enjoy having a clean/detailed car, but am not at all a brand whore or appreciative of cars that cost more than my little manual Honda did.  Said male cousins work as mechanics.

[chesebert]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Moderately expensive compared to a Bugatti. Ore Ferrari. ;)=

Or even just higher end luxury cars, doesn't even have to be something special. Examples: Audi A8 W12 - $138k, BMW 750I Xdrive - $97k, Cadillac Escalade ESV AWD Platinum - $95k, Lexus LS 600H - $120k, Mercedes S600 - $169k.

I can't believe people pay this much for new cars these days. You can find perfectly good A8/750/S550 that's a few years old with low miles for 30-40k.

 

[Inaya]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

[chesebert]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

Aldi and local ethnic stores - I take public transportation...

[briesas]

Finally, a story I can share...

Struggling former co-worker/ recent grad stopped in today. She  recently left her (part time) job at my company to take a part-time one-year grant project job which pays under 30K for the year. She brought a dozen donuts with her -- from a new gourmet bakery in town. The cost for the dozen? $35!!! She said she was surprised by the total cost of her order, but "oh well, it's payday..."

This is in a small, midwestern, not particularly HCOL city.

[Chris22]

s. I know personally very rich people who drive old Mercedes or old Volvo and do not care about car brand because they are excited for their life and success, for their families and friends and they do not need to show that to others. (Others see it anyway, lol)

How do you think rich people get old Mercedes and Volvos?  By buying new ones a long time ago.  My experience with old money/wealthy people, and I grew up in a place with lots of them, is that they would buy moderately expensive cars (think $50-75k in current money) and keep them like 10 years.  Lots of Mercedes and Volvos (esp. wagons in both brands), as well as high-end American cars and large American SUVs.  And Toyota Land Cruisers, stealthy rich people LOVE Land Cruisers.

$50,000 to $75,000 is MODERATELY expensive for a new car?  Really?

If it costs 4 to 6 times the price of a perfectly good new car, it's not moderately expensive in my book.  It's insanely expensive!

A $75,000 car for 10 years averages to $7,500 per year assuming a cash or 0% interest purchase.

I could buy a perfectly good new car for just 2 years of that cost and be investing $7,500 a year for the next 8 years!

At 8% compounded annually, that's about $79,776 in savings!

Or, to make it a more fair comparison, let's assume we have $75,000 in cash to buy the car and only spend $15,000, leaving $60,000 to invest.
In ten years we could expect that to be about $129,535.   

That's a darn expensive car!

Moderately expensive compared to a Bugatti. Ore Ferrari. ;)=

Or even just higher end luxury cars, doesn't even have to be something special. Examples: Audi A8 W12 - $138k, BMW 750I Xdrive - $97k, Cadillac Escalade ESV AWD Platinum - $95k, Lexus LS 600H - $120k, Mercedes S600 - $169k.

I can't believe people pay this much for new cars these days. You can find perfectly good A8/750/S550 that's a few years old with low miles for 30-40k.

Honestly most of those cars are leased.  And really, I know you guys all don't want to hear it, but really if you want to drive a newer one of these cars all the time, leasing really is the way to go.

[mtn]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

Are you anywhere near a Pete's, Trader Joe's, Aldi, or Ethnic Grocery? We have a car so we just go to Mariano's or Costco, both of which I love.

[MgoSam]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

Are you anywhere near a Pete's, Trader Joe's, Aldi, or Ethnic Grocery? We have a car so we just go to Mariano's or Costco, both of which I love.

Or you might be better served by ordering from one of the grocery delivery services. I don't know what their prices and quality are like, but I imagine that they can't be more expensive than WF.

[Inaya]

They don't have a website, so here's their Yelp page: www.yelp.com/biz/five-faces-ice-cream-shop-chicago . Hubs and I sometimes go there for lunch on Saturdays since we're in the area for the farmers market anyway.
ETA: Spoiler alert, they're not an ice cream shop.

I must have gone past that place a zillion times. Will try them out this weekend.

I thought the farmers' market is a joke.....minimum selection and overpriced produce.

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

Aldi and local ethnic stores - I take public transportation...

I've never been terribly impressed with Aldi's produce. Ethnic stores are almost always worth a trip--any specific recommendations? I love Devon Market up in Roger's Park, but it's kinda way too far for any sort of regular shopping trip.

There's a TJs near us too, but it's tiny so the selection is extremely minimal. And mostly involves 5 lb bags rather than individual items (which will mostly rot before I can use it).

I adore Mariano's. The nearest one is a mile away--that's pretty much where my produce comes from November through April. Walking is really the only way to get there, so carrying capacity is limited. I haven't been in a while--I wonder if they've been affected by the Kroger buyout.

I'm pretty happy with the farmers market--which is a little under a mile from me. The produce is high quality and generally much fresher than at a store, and I can get exactly as much as I need. I get much of my beef from one of the vendors there as well--again, pricey, but better than Jewel and cheaper than WF. Plus it's in the same direction as a lot of my other weekend errands, so I can get several things done at once. Mariano's is exactly the wrong direction for anything except grocery shopping.

[jinga nation]

Where do you usually get your produce? My only other realistic options (i.e., not requiring public transportation) are WF, which is way more expensive and not as fresh. Or my local Jewel which is laughably terrible--like moldy-on-the-shelf terrible. Oh and Target, which costs almost as much as WF (convenience tax) but is almost as bad as the Jewel in quality.

Patel Brothers is my usual place, apart from the friendly farmer's market family-owned place.
http://www.patelbros.com/locations.html

House of Spices also has a few locations in major US cities.

[cheapass]

Had a great one at work today. Co-worker (salary ~$160K) was bitching about how their monthly expenses were so high. I told him one thing that helped us was to identify big spending categories with the credit card annual report, and then make adjustments like making food at home instead of going to restaurants.

"Well, my wife doesn't really cook."
 
SHE STAYS HOME ALL DAY. Well, I guess she does exert some effort picking out what SUV she wants to buy to replace the current one that is a couple years old. The new one is only $65K!

I feel bad for the guy, he drives over an hour to work every day to earn a high salary so she can spend it. Sad.

[mm1970]

Some kids like to collect (not play with) Hot Wheels.  ;)

Not just kids :-).

A buddy of mine runs a retail business. His neighbor sells Hot Wheels and my friend says that it appears he's doing very well for himself.

Yup.  No trip to the grocery or Target is complete without a glance at the Hot Wheels to see if there is something cool there.  I'm slowly corrupting my daughter and nephew as well, $.97 at a time. 

Funny, my 4 year old just got a box of 50 from grandpa for his birthday.
Or was that Matchbox?
Eh, one of them.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I am not at all frugal about eating out (I know, it's on me), but I will eat a protein bar on the way rather than ice cold nachos or an old hot dog at a sports game. Even in box seats at major NYC  games, I still haven't seen too much approaching actual food at games.

My personal weakness is for the poutine at the local minor league baseball stadium. I get it every time.

  I have never heard of poutine before, I looked it up and now wish I had a plate of it in front of me.

Here you go.

Edited to add: make sure you pronounce it "pou-TEEN", not "pou-TEN". Or you might get a surprise you don't like.

[Shalamar]

Here's one from my old job:

Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?
Me:  Um, probably.   Who's it for?
Her:   My ten-year-old niece.
Me:  Yikes!   Is the shirt really cool-looking?
Her:  Not really - it's plain white.
Me:   In that case, yes, $50 is way too much.
Her:  But it's from The Gap!
Me:   I still think that's a really expensive shirt for a ten-year-old.
Her:   (Flouncing away) Ohhh, what do YOU know?

[Rollin]

Exactly.  Some dude worth high 7/low eight figures who chooses to drive an E-class Mercedes instead of an S600 or Maybach is the same, to me, as a $100k/yr "Mustachian" who choses a $12k Honda Fit instead of a $25k Accord or $35k Pilot.  No it's not the absolute cheapest option, but it's way under what they could afford to spend.

This brings up an interesting question.

What about the "$100k/yr mustachian" who is worth 7 figures?

One refers to income, the other refers to net worth.

It's interesting to see what people think you should drive, based on how old you are, how much you make, and what your net worth is.

I'm sure most people think we should be driving *much* nicer cars, and these are people who have no idea of our net worth.

Ah, the marketing budgets have paid off.

[Rollin]

I just spoke to the attorney recruiter - she was lamenting about her Treasure Island beach house got flooded in the recent rains. Her permanent residence is in Dunedin, the same county and a 30 minutes drive north -.-

I attached a map for further face palming.

More like 35 minutes drive - oh the horror :)

And to lament that your property flooded during a rain event on the flat-as-a-pancake beach/peninsula shows that they don't know that most ground elevations out there are between 4 and 6 feet above sea level. With normal high tides reaching 2.5-3 feet every day, I wonder what happens to all that rain water when it hits the high tide at all the outfall locations. We got about 5 inches of rain last Thursday in about an hour. Flooding happens on the beach regularly, and that is just from rain event. Storm tides can get much much higher (Category 1 hurricane can be 6-8 feet above the tide).


Tides for Clearwater Beach starting with July 29, 2016.

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon
           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

F   29      Low   1:49 AM     1.6   6:53 AM    Rise  2:52 AM      29
    29     High   8:08 AM     2.8   8:23 PM     Set  4:37 PM
    29      Low   3:27 PM     0.3
    29     High  10:11 PM     2.1

[Mr. Green]

Here's one from my old job:

Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?
Me:  Um, probably.   Who's it for?
Her:   My ten-year-old niece.
Me:  Yikes!   Is the shirt really cool-looking?
Her:  Not really - it's plain white.
Me:   In that case, yes, $50 is way too much.
Her:  But it's from The Gap!
Me:   I still think that's a really expensive shirt for a ten-year-old.
Her:   (Flouncing away) Ohhh, what do YOU know?

Wow, did I miss a business calling! Selling a plain white kid's t-shirt for $50?! Someone is getting rich.

[plainjane]

Here's one from my old job:
Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?

For a plain white tshirt - I'm willing to pay more if it is actually opaque.  (Likely less of an issue for a 10yr old, I agree)

[plainjane]

Welcome to the rest of the western world.  It's UHT. (If you are not familiar with UHT, once open, it needs to go in the fridge - which is a good reason to just use the whole container in this case.)
http://www.thekitchn.com/new-product-trader-joes-shelf-stable-whipping-cream-177946
Bringing back to the topic, UHT half&half at work is great, because then the office manager just buys in bulk and doesn't need to worry about keeping the fridge stocked on a weekly basis.

Once open, does it have a longer fridge life than regular milk?

My guess would be yes, but I've never tested it. 

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

Here's one from my old job:
Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?

For a plain white tshirt - I'm willing to pay more if it is actually opaque.  (Likely less of an issue for a 10yr old, I agree)

Maybe on that particular issue, but I've happily spent money buying clothes for my daughter that weren't...offensive compared to the hand-me-downs we got. Not $50 t-shirts though...just a bunch of plain shirts mostly from the "boy's" section at Kohl's.

(It's astonishing what sorts of things people put young girls in.)

[theadvicist]

Once open, does it have a longer fridge life than regular milk?

My guess would be yes, but I've never tested it.

With UHT milk it goes off just the same as normal milk once opened. The only difference is you can store it at room temperature for a long time beforehand. Once opened, treat as fresh.

[Rural]

Here's one from my old job:
Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?

For a plain white tshirt - I'm willing to pay more if it is actually opaque.  (Likely less of an issue for a 10yr old, I agree)

Side benefit of switching from bras to camisole tank tops is I no longer have to think about this (sorry if TMI, but there's a long bra thread just now where it came up). My previous solution was to wear black shirts instead of white. :)

[TravelJunkyQC]

Here's one from my old job:
Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?

For a plain white tshirt - I'm willing to pay more if it is actually opaque.  (Likely less of an issue for a 10yr old, I agree)

Side benefit of switching from bras to camisole tank tops is I no longer have to think about this (sorry if TMI, but there's a long bra thread just now where it came up). My previous solution was to wear black shirts instead of white. :)

It's also a wonderful benefit of not giving a f***. Although camisole tops are more appropriate in public than my solution :)

[SoccerLounge]

Last week at work: the dude who is divorcing (very beginning of the process) but decided to buy a $30,000 boat.

I have a feeling he may come to regret this decision.

[MgoSam]

Here's one from my old job:

Coworker:   Do you think $50 is too much to pay for a t-shirt?
Me:  Um, probably.   Who's it for?
Her:   My ten-year-old niece.
Me:  Yikes!   Is the shirt really cool-looking?
Her:  Not really - it's plain white.
Me:   In that case, yes, $50 is way too much.
Her:  But it's from The Gap!
Me:   I still think that's a really expensive shirt for a ten-year-old.
Her:   (Flouncing away) Ohhh, what do YOU know?

Wow, did I miss a business calling! Selling a plain white kid's t-shirt for $50?! Someone is getting rich.

Sounds like she was looking for validation.

On a side note, I think it's stupid to buy white things for kids. They will likely spill on them at some point.

[MgoSam]

Last week at work: the dude who is divorcing (very beginning of the process) but decided to buy a $30,000 boat.

I have a feeling he may come to regret this decision.

They do say that the two happiest moments occur the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it.