Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253243 times)

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17000 on: March 23, 2017, 02:01:38 AM »
A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Freckles080808

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17001 on: March 23, 2017, 04:07:22 AM »
So this wasn't strictly overheard at work, but in a discussion with a former colleague.

"So we were looking at our monthly costs, and realized we were paying all this money for gym memberships that we never really used.  And we wanted to spend money in line with our priorities.  So we decided to rent space in a wine cellar."

This made me chuckle :-)

force majeure

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17002 on: March 23, 2017, 05:06:21 AM »

"I don't know where the money is going, I have 3 days until pay-day, I am coasting along on gas fumes"

This guy sits near me at work, manages to spend about $20 / day on snacks and soft drinks. The vending machine was created with him in mind.

I fell like doing the sums for him and giving it to him between the eyes...

Listen pal, $20 per day is $4520 each year you are throwing away, out of your nett income.
Over 10 years that's $45200 wasted on junk food.

marty998

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17003 on: March 23, 2017, 06:06:53 AM »
A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Won't be long until the Banks securitise these loans and sell them off as AAA rated to your pension funds.

marielle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17004 on: March 23, 2017, 06:24:18 AM »

"I don't know where the money is going, I have 3 days until pay-day, I am coasting along on gas fumes"

This guy sits near me at work, manages to spend about $20 / day on snacks and soft drinks. The vending machine was created with him in mind.

I fell like doing the sums for him and giving it to him between the eyes...

Listen pal, $20 per day is $4520 each year you are throwing away, out of your nett income.
Over 10 years that's $45200 wasted on junk food.

What? How? That's like 10-15 snacks or sodas a day, at least. There's no way. Is he 500 lbs? Does he not eat a real lunch or breakfast and subsist off the snacks?

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17005 on: March 23, 2017, 11:03:35 AM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

Clean Shaven

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17006 on: March 23, 2017, 11:06:42 AM »
A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.

http://www.rentawheel.com/

« Last Edit: March 23, 2017, 11:08:49 AM by Clean Shaven »

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17007 on: March 23, 2017, 11:08:27 AM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17008 on: March 23, 2017, 11:21:01 AM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

They're nasty for sure, but I keep one or two on hand at the office and at home. Why? Migraines. If you feel a migraine coming on, chug one or two of them. Migraine gone. Doesn't work with coffee, coke, mt. dew, or other energy drinks (Monster, etc.), only RedBull.

YMMV, this could be a complete placebo. It works for me though.

MrMoogle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17009 on: March 23, 2017, 11:40:25 AM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

They're nasty for sure, but I keep one or two on hand at the office and at home. Why? Migraines. If you feel a migraine coming on, chug one or two of them. Migraine gone. Doesn't work with coffee, coke, mt. dew, or other energy drinks (Monster, etc.), only RedBull.

YMMV, this could be a complete placebo. It works for me though.
I don't get generic headaches much, but when I do, caffeine always helps me.  It's the rare time when I'll go look for a soda.

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17010 on: March 23, 2017, 11:54:24 AM »
I believe I've only had Redbull when it has had vodka in it (back in my college partying days).  To the point where if I smell redbull say, at the office, I immediately wonder why someone is drinking at work, until I remind myself people can drink it straight. 

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17011 on: March 23, 2017, 12:04:37 PM »
I think energy drinks have a good thing going for them, they cost a ton and it seems like everyone but us drinks them like they're water. I don't get it, there's rarely a time when I have to be that alert. I know people at my gym that will use it to get a better workout and I always just want to look at them and tell them, "You do realize that once you start using it, you won't be able to stop, because this will become your default state?"

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17012 on: March 23, 2017, 12:15:40 PM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

They taste like I imagine shampoo tastes! And shampoo is cheaper at the Dollar store.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2017, 12:18:56 PM by Tasty Pinecones »

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17013 on: March 23, 2017, 12:20:09 PM »
I believe I've only had Redbull when it has had vodka in it (back in my college partying days).  To the point where if I smell redbull say, at the office, I immediately wonder why someone is drinking at work, until I remind myself people can drink it straight.
You too eh?
I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.
Somehow I like me a little bit of Monster Energy, maybe a quarter can. Dunno why though.

infogoon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17014 on: March 23, 2017, 01:44:53 PM »
I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17015 on: March 23, 2017, 01:54:44 PM »
I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.

Or stratosphere. That actually made me pucker a bit. I loved it!!

FIT_Goat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17016 on: March 23, 2017, 04:45:07 PM »
One of the firefighters at the station drinks a minimum of 4 energy drinks a day.  He brings like 6 cans with him each shift.  I am not sure of the exact brand he drinks, I never pay that much attention because I never drink them.  But, we're probably talking $2 a can.  So, $12 a shift.  That's about $1,465 a year, assuming he only drinks them while at work (unlikely).

I can't judge the addiction to caffeine.  I drink around a pot of brewed coffee each day.  But, the cost is killer.


Rural

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17017 on: March 23, 2017, 06:12:22 PM »
I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.


 Me, I love the taste of Redbull, or I did for the original formula – maybe it's changed in the last five years or so. I haven't had one in about that time, and in the years preceding I had a total of maybe four of them, but to me they taste like liquid sweet tarts.  But I don't buy them and I drink them, because that shit's expensive, high sugar, and dangerous.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17018 on: March 24, 2017, 03:24:09 AM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?
It's intentionally that expensive, to aim at the "it's expensive so it must be good" crowd, same as probiotic yoghurts and that stuff.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17019 on: March 24, 2017, 09:47:15 AM »
A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.
...

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17020 on: March 24, 2017, 09:49:58 AM »
A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.
...

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

Seasonal tires for people with nowhere to store them?

cheapass

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17021 on: March 24, 2017, 09:58:24 AM »
I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

I'd venture a guess that it's kind of like renting a TV from Rent A Center. If you don't have the cash flow to buy big, flashy 20" wheels and be "rollin' on dubs" than you can just rent the "dubs", problem solved.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2017, 10:00:34 AM by cheapass »

Clean Shaven

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17022 on: March 24, 2017, 11:31:38 AM »



I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

Cars come with wheels and tires here in the US. But they don't come with gigantic 24" shiny wheels and silly rubber band tires wrapped around them.

There's a market for these things, apparently. And there are predatory marketers and lenders willing to take advantage of it.

frugalnacho

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17023 on: March 24, 2017, 01:33:18 PM »
Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.
I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

Go find a stray dog with a dirty butthole.  Lick said butthole.  Give $4 to the dog for the privileged of licking its butthole.  Repeat ad nauseum.  Spend additional money on clothing with advertisements for the dog's butthole.

That is essentially red bull. 

Kimera757

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17024 on: March 25, 2017, 08:19:33 AM »
Warning: picayune alert. This happened almost ten years ago, and I spent a bit of time reconstructing the memory. I had a co-worker in my low-paying job. She had it worse than me (always having to miss work due to illness, and there were no paid sick days).

She signed up for direct deposit (like me, she'd started with biweekly cheques), but accidentally gave payroll the information for the wrong bank account. She owned up to that part, but seemed furious about the situation she'd ended up in. Not because cheques were bouncing, or missing pre-authorized withdrawals, or anything like that.

She was ticked because the "wrong" bank account never had more than $4 in it before. It usually was at $0, but she would transfer $4 into it by the end of the month to pay for the bank charge. She was spending $4 per month on a bank account she wasn't using. She didn't say how much her regular bank account cost per month. It's only $4, but that's $4 you just don't need to waste. I don't get some people.

LivlongnProsper

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17025 on: March 27, 2017, 11:12:33 AM »
Several stories have been published recently about the high percentage of people that couldn't come up with $500 or $1000 in an emergency. A coworker's story made me think she is one of those people. She wanted to attend a concert with her daughter and tried to get tickets through an online outlet that she normally used. She ended up using a reseller site which kept giving her error messages when she tried to buy tickets. Turns out the site was putting a hold on her card each time she attempted the purchase which amounted to about $2100. She recalled her absolute panic stating she would not have been able to afford her mortgage or food for her kids without that money. After several hours on the phone with her bank and the reseller she got everything straightened out. It is sad to me that $1800 ($2100 minus the $300 she intended to spend) would completely disrupt her financial life. I know she makes decent money for the area but I also know she spends it just as fast.

NorthernDreamer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17026 on: March 27, 2017, 11:57:32 AM »
Our finance person at work told me that she doesn't invest in RRSPs any more since "they don't return much". To be fair, we do have a workplace pension, but the way she was speaking was like there is only ONE way to invest in RRSPs - maybe she was thinking GICs? Ummm, what? I had no idea what to say. I do know she seems to live paycheck to paycheck, so I don't think that is her reason for not investing....

And the other day my mom told me that TFSAs are "not worth it" since you barely get any returns. My jaw hit the floor. I had no idea my mom is so uneducated in these matters. I tried to explain that TFSAs do not have to be just a "high" (1%) interest savings accounts, that we invest in index funds in ours, etc. Her eyes glazed over and I could tell she doesn't care. She'll have a pension but has told me she will "need" to work until 65 or 67. She's 61 now. It makes me sad.

Giro

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17027 on: March 27, 2017, 02:29:52 PM »
This might come with a bit of backlash.  My coworker is a 65 year old divorced woman.  She has VERY little in an IRA from on old job.  I'm talking a few thousand bucks.  She currently "cannot afford to contribute" to her company's 401K at all.  She is trying to get her expenses down so that she can retire "within the next few years" and live on Social Security.  She will have her mortgage until she dies.  She just bought the house a few years ago and leased a new car last year. 

Her 12 year old, 20+ pound overweight Labrador fell hill and needed hip surgery.  She took a second mortgage against her home to pay for the surgery.  It was over $4k.  She talked to me for hours about this surgery before scheduling it and I tried to be supportive but I had to be a friend too.  I told her to think long and hard about this and ask herself if she could truly afford it.  She got mad and told me that I was a cruel person and didn't love animals or "probably anyone but myself".  She no longer speaks to me like she used to. 

We kill millions of dogs in this country every year - healthy dogs, young dogs, Labrador dogs.  I'm sure she loves her dog.  But, there's a point where you need to ask yourself tough questions.  She could have rescued a healthy, young Labrador and put her old dog down.  The 12 year old with the new hip is going to have continuing expenses regarding his health care that she cannot afford. 

In her situation, this makes ZERO sense. 

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17028 on: March 27, 2017, 03:34:42 PM »
This might come with a bit of backlash.  My coworker is a 65 year old divorced woman.  She has VERY little in an IRA from on old job.  I'm talking a few thousand bucks.  She currently "cannot afford to contribute" to her company's 401K at all.  She is trying to get her expenses down so that she can retire "within the next few years" and live on Social Security.  She will have her mortgage until she dies.  She just bought the house a few years ago and leased a new car last year. 

Her 12 year old, 20+ pound overweight Labrador fell hill and needed hip surgery.  She took a second mortgage against her home to pay for the surgery.  It was over $4k.  She talked to me for hours about this surgery before scheduling it and I tried to be supportive but I had to be a friend too.  I told her to think long and hard about this and ask herself if she could truly afford it.  She got mad and told me that I was a cruel person and didn't love animals or "probably anyone but myself".  She no longer speaks to me like she used to. 

We kill millions of dogs in this country every year - healthy dogs, young dogs, Labrador dogs.  I'm sure she loves her dog.  But, there's a point where you need to ask yourself tough questions.  She could have rescued a healthy, young Labrador and put her old dog down.  The 12 year old with the new hip is going to have continuing expenses regarding his health care that she cannot afford. 

In her situation, this makes ZERO sense.

Unfortunately, it isn't her situation that is the sad part here--it is the labs. The poor animal should have been put down, and I say this as someone who doesn't cry at funerals but has taken days off of work when my pets have passed.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17029 on: March 27, 2017, 05:08:34 PM »
I had been wondering how people live paycheck to paycheck in my lcol town - luckily a coworker enlightened me the other day. Total numbers calculated by the engineers in this convo from her descriptions...

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Every 2 weeks they have (a couple?) nights at the pub, drinks + betting = $1000

That’s about $3000 a month total



I think I was in shock for the rest of the day....

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17030 on: March 27, 2017, 06:02:42 PM »
She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

marielle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17031 on: March 27, 2017, 06:59:39 PM »
One of the younger guys(22yo - I think) told me today that for the past four months, since his girlfriend got a new job farther from their apartment, they have not made one meal at home, other than a breakfast here or there on weekends. So at least, Monday through Friday they eat 2-3 meals out - each.

He said they decided yesterday to change that and he prepped food for the whole workweek. I'm glad about that but how the heck do you go four months without cooking more than a quick breakfast?

Most Americans do this regularly. It might not be all restaurant food but also frozen meals that just need microwaving. Its easy to forget that there's people that don't cook, but it's actually the norm. That's why kitchens and pantries are so tiny unless you buy a 2000+ sqft house. :/ At least that's my theory anyway, since the kitchen should be the most important part of a house but isn't anymore.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17032 on: March 27, 2017, 07:36:29 PM »
She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

« Last Edit: March 27, 2017, 07:40:20 PM by briesas »

nnls

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17033 on: March 27, 2017, 11:04:12 PM »
She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

yes here in Australia, cigarettes here are about $1 each. And the price goes up every year, but people continue to smoke even though its crazy expensive and bad for you. I do not understand it.

Even tobacco that you roll yourself is expensive

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17034 on: March 28, 2017, 07:36:47 AM »
She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

yes here in Australia, cigarettes here are about $1 each. And the price goes up every year, but people continue to smoke even though its crazy expensive and bad for you. I do not understand it.

Even tobacco that you roll yourself is expensive

Then you do not understand addiction.

talltexan

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17035 on: March 28, 2017, 01:21:50 PM »
My co-worker had a plan all set to sell her house and buy a new house, with closings on the same day.

Of course, a problem is developing with the buyer's financing. She's rescheduling:

1. closing to sell,
2. closing to buy,
3. delivery of furniture,
4. work she's doing to swap out fixtures in her own house immediately before #1...

I understand that there's a delicate balance to these real estate transactions, but the further I get down this list, the more the problem seems self-created to me.

RWD

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17036 on: March 28, 2017, 02:04:53 PM »
My co-worker had a plan all set to sell her house and buy a new house, with closings on the same day.

Of course, a problem is developing with the buyer's financing. She's rescheduling:

1. closing to sell,
2. closing to buy,
3. delivery of furniture,
4. work she's doing to swap out fixtures in her own house immediately before #1...

I understand that there's a delicate balance to these real estate transactions, but the further I get down this list, the more the problem seems self-created to me.

The bolded part above may not be legal. The buyer should reasonably expect anything bolted down during their inspection to remain unchanged when they take possession. Unless otherwise stated in the contract, of course.

Sdeeze

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17037 on: March 28, 2017, 02:40:44 PM »
Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

marielle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17038 on: March 28, 2017, 05:13:38 PM »
To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

Doesn't seem much different than just driving an old car that gets 10-12 mpg with terrible emissions, or a sports car with bad gas mileage. Unless you think that's just as bad. If the car was on its last leg and it needed a $1000 repair just to fix the emissions, to be honest I wouldn't fix it either. Not sure what's worse, driving an old car with bad emissions and "reusing/reducing" waste or buying a new car. Regardless I feel like it's a moot point anyway..there's way more effective ways to help the environment than anything car related, for example reducing our dependency on animal agriculture which creates significantly more emissions than all of transportation combined.

Cowardly Toaster

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17039 on: March 28, 2017, 05:47:10 PM »
Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

If you care that much, don't drive a car. And putting some extra CO into the atmosphere is a very minor environmental sin.

CmFtns

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17040 on: March 28, 2017, 06:20:53 PM »
Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

If you care that much, don't drive a car. And putting some extra CO into the atmosphere is a very minor environmental sin.

I agree was expecting some unmustacian money story... Instead of spending $1k to fix your catalytic converter you could buy $1k in carbon offsets to plant trees or whatever and offset far more co2 than your broken car makes.

RidetheRain

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17041 on: March 29, 2017, 11:19:18 AM »
Ok. So this isn't so bad, but it's the principle of the thing.

My office has a mix of two companies. My client and my contracting company. The client has a really lax dress code (jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops are all cool) while my company has a typical business-casual code. No big deal, you gotta look professional for the client. The benefit of this difference means that we can occasionally have a "jeans-week" for big events like finishing a deliverable, holidays, etc. We can also occasionally purchase "tickets" for wearing jeans that are put towards charity events. All good - charity mixed with comfy clothes is something I can absolutely get behind at $5/day.

What I can't get behind is the fact that they have stopped using money from the "tickets" for charity and started using them for things like an office pot-luck or a client-only brunch. At that point, it became paying $5/day for the privilege of wearing jeans when you have perfectly good work pants. What a complete waste of money.

I should mention that my clients are wonderful people and some of them noticed the ridiculousness and purchased tickets as well despite having no need for them since they can wear jeans every day. Financial solidarity is much appreciated.

MillieLincoln

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17042 on: March 29, 2017, 04:26:26 PM »
RidetheRain- What a strange idea!! It is kind of neat when applied to charity, but strange to be able to pay to modify the dress code. Considering it's funding potlucks, though, I agree- work pants are good 'nuff.


My overheard-at-work is on my next-door cubicle buddy: he was trying to get me to pre-order a Nintendo Switch ($300 + extra controllers + games), seemed skeptical at my choice to get a $150 Moto instead of the gotta-have-it $600 iPhone (and the expensive plan to go with), and was showing off his new $300 fancy backpack for our office's travel season (the office provides us with basic backpacks/luggage for free).

We travel 2-5 days at a time, 4-6x per year, for a total of about 8-15 days. The Switch, iPhone and backpack ($1200+) were all justified for making traveling more comfortable and fun, even though our office covers everything we need while we're out.

Another co-worker was complaining in February about money being tight because she was paying back her credit-card-financed Christmas presents.

Agh!

kayvent

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17043 on: March 29, 2017, 06:37:16 PM »
My overheard-at-work is on my next-door cubicle buddy: he was trying to get me to pre-order a Nintendo Switch ($300 + extra controllers + games), seemed skeptical at my choice to get a $150 Moto instead of the gotta-have-it $600 iPhone (and the expensive plan to go with), and was showing off his new $300 fancy backpack for our office's travel season (the office provides us with basic backpacks/luggage for free).

As a slight aside, I always feel a bit jealous when Americans quote prices. The exchange rate (actually PPP) between USD and Monopoly money is horrible at the moment. The base model iPhone is 1050 CAD, Switch is 400 CAD, and the baseline plan for an iPhone is 120 CAD per month.

Lentils4Lunch

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17044 on: March 29, 2017, 07:18:54 PM »
One of my guilty little pleasures is looking up what my co-workers paid for their homes. I feel downright giddy when I see that they've paid $100k to $200k more than me for the privilege of owning a piece of the real estate pie in this very high cost of living metro area. Sure, our house is small and not in the fancy school district, but for me, it's our golden ticket out of the cube farm.

ducky19

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17045 on: March 29, 2017, 07:28:59 PM »
I've spent the last year listening to an employee of mine drone on and on about the pains of building a custom home. She and her husband combined might make what my wife and I make (she's a teacher at Headstart and is waaay underpaid), yet they spent over $400k on this house. We live in a LCOL area - median homes are in the $165k range - so this is definitely more house than they need for the three of them. We paid $210k for our place, which is less than half what they spent (last I heard with overruns, attorney fees, etc. they were approaching $459k). I was barely comfortable with $210k, but we also opted for a 15 year mortgage. Makes me kinda sad really, especially since they both work for the same company and literally have all their eggs in one basket.

Dave1442397

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17046 on: March 30, 2017, 06:05:49 AM »
One of my guilty little pleasures is looking up what my co-workers paid for their homes. I feel downright giddy when I see that they've paid $100k to $200k more than me for the privilege of owning a piece of the real estate pie in this very high cost of living metro area. Sure, our house is small and not in the fancy school district, but for me, it's our golden ticket out of the cube farm.

We bought our house in 2001 for $220k, and almost every one of my co-workers was buying a McMansion for $445k+. I remember the mortgage company telling me we could get a mortgage for close to $500k - no thanks.

JordanOfGilead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17047 on: March 30, 2017, 06:20:58 AM »
One of my guilty little pleasures is looking up what my co-workers paid for their homes. I feel downright giddy when I see that they've paid $100k to $200k more than me for the privilege of owning a piece of the real estate pie in this very high cost of living metro area. Sure, our house is small and not in the fancy school district, but for me, it's our golden ticket out of the cube farm.

We bought our house in 2001 for $220k, and almost every one of my co-workers was buying a McMansion for $445k+. I remember the mortgage company telling me we could get a mortgage for close to $500k - no thanks.
I paid 55k for mine in a lcol area and felt like it was more than I needed. I have friends (we are all 3-4 years out of college and I work with two of them) dropping 200k on houses and I can't wrap my head around it. One couple with no plans of having kids bought a 3 bed 2 bath. I understand wanting to have room for guests, but that seems a little excessive, especially considering I have a two bedroom 1.5 bath with a full basement for 25% the price.

infogoon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17048 on: March 30, 2017, 07:46:48 AM »
One of my guilty little pleasures is looking up what my co-workers paid for their homes. I feel downright giddy when I see that they've paid $100k to $200k more than me for the privilege of owning a piece of the real estate pie in this very high cost of living metro area. Sure, our house is small and not in the fancy school district, but for me, it's our golden ticket out of the cube farm.

I've mentioned this before, but my coworkers seem to alternate between calling my (perfectly nice, safe, middle-class) neighborhood "the ghetto" and complaining about their long commutes and huge mortgages. Look down all you want, you're the fool who still has a bank note on his house and car at 60.

farfromfire

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17049 on: March 30, 2017, 08:42:26 AM »
One of the younger guys(22yo - I think) told me today that for the past four months, since his girlfriend got a new job farther from their apartment, they have not made one meal at home, other than a breakfast here or there on weekends. So at least, Monday through Friday they eat 2-3 meals out - each.

He said they decided yesterday to change that and he prepped food for the whole workweek. I'm glad about that but how the heck do you go four months without cooking more than a quick breakfast?
That reminds me - a coworker of mine who earns 55k has been eating out every single meal for the 6 months he's been with us. Every meal!

Some are at a cheap cafeteria, some at expensive cafes, but between the meals and the obnoxiously noisy snacks he eats throughout the day, he easily spends 15k a year on food. While we complained about our 6-10 week reimbursement procedure, he told me he basically has no money in his checking. He's 32.