Overheard at Work

[jinga nation]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

[mm1970]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

+1

I spend so many hours at work, I really want to like my coworkers. 

As far as hanging out with them outside of work
- did that a ton while in the Navy, many were in my wedding
- still go on regular walks with someone I worked with in the late 1990s and then again in 2012-2014
- still run with and hang out with one of my besties from the job in between

Seriously, my best friends these days are either parents of my kids' friends or former coworkers.

[Proud Foot]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

For the most part I agree, however my "work friends" are the ones who I actually enjoy working with, interact with more often, and would go out for lunch with if asked. Everyone else is a co-worker. So far none of my work friends have become friends after we were no longer co-workers.

[Sydneystache]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

My experience too. Work friends become work enemies if issues of resources and politics are involved. Let's keep it professional. Once I or they leave the organisation, happy to be besties because they want your friendship outside of your boss/status/rank.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth. Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

No, that's not bad... That is horrendous. I have about that much in retirement, and I've never made that much and am only 28.

Maybe at 28 you haven't faced what this guy has. You sit there in judgement but for all you know he's supporting elderly parents, or a disabled sibling, or has even had monumental medical bills himself. What you see is just a hear-say snap shot of someone's life, and life is complicated, my young friend. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. I know a dozen people in my city that have lost everything, who WERE insured and WERE saving hard, because the city was destroyed by a quake. I know a man who lost his house, his restaurant and his son in the space of 3 minutes. Sure, there are a lot of stupid people making stupid decisions around but I don't think you can claim superiority based on how much someone supposedly has in their retirement account!

Based on the fact that this is a thread more or less specifically for that, why can't I? Besides, the rest of the post was this (emphasis mine):

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!
Me: You could invest it.
CW: I have some investments*.

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth.  Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

This CW is also the same one that said I should do financial advising, but when I offered to help him for free, he refused.

I sincerely hope that you, and the rest of the people on this thread, have no cause to regret your smug attitudes. In my experience, 28 is a particularly smug age. It's an age that many people manage to arrive at, thinking they have this whole adult life thing down, but with very little real experience of the huge shifts that life can throw at you with no warning. You're at peak smug. It's downhill from here, and I hope for you sake that this happens by simply witnessing life at it's worst and not by experiencing it yourself.

[Feivel2000]

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth. Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

No, that's not bad... That is horrendous. I have about that much in retirement, and I've never made that much and am only 28.

Maybe at 28 you haven't faced what this guy has. You sit there in judgement but for all you know he's supporting elderly parents, or a disabled sibling, or has even had monumental medical bills himself. What you see is just a hear-say snap shot of someone's life, and life is complicated, my young friend. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. I know a dozen people in my city that have lost everything, who WERE insured and WERE saving hard, because the city was destroyed by a quake. I know a man who lost his house, his restaurant and his son in the space of 3 minutes. Sure, there are a lot of stupid people making stupid decisions around but I don't think you can claim superiority based on how much someone supposedly has in their retirement account!

Based on the fact that this is a thread more or less specifically for that, why can't I? Besides, the rest of the post was this (emphasis mine):

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!
Me: You could invest it.
CW: I have some investments*.

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth.  Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

This CW is also the same one that said I should do financial advising, but when I offered to help him for free, he refused.

I sincerely hope that you, and the rest of the people on this thread, have no cause to regret your smug attitudes. In my experience, 28 is a particularly smug age. It's an age that many people manage to arrive at, thinking they have this whole adult life thing down, but with very little real experience of the huge shifts that life can throw at you with no warning. You're at peak smug. It's downhill from here, and I hope for you sake that this happens by simply witnessing life at it's worst and not by experiencing it yourself.

You are pretty much ignoring the facepunch worthy part:

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth. Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

No, that's not bad... That is horrendous. I have about that much in retirement, and I've never made that much and am only 28.

Maybe at 28 you haven't faced what this guy has. You sit there in judgement but for all you know he's supporting elderly parents, or a disabled sibling, or has even had monumental medical bills himself. What you see is just a hear-say snap shot of someone's life, and life is complicated, my young friend. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. I know a dozen people in my city that have lost everything, who WERE insured and WERE saving hard, because the city was destroyed by a quake. I know a man who lost his house, his restaurant and his son in the space of 3 minutes. Sure, there are a lot of stupid people making stupid decisions around but I don't think you can claim superiority based on how much someone supposedly has in their retirement account!

Based on the fact that this is a thread more or less specifically for that, why can't I? Besides, the rest of the post was this (emphasis mine):

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!
Me: You could invest it.
CW: I have some investments*.

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth.  Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

This CW is also the same one that said I should do financial advising, but when I offered to help him for free, he refused.

I sincerely hope that you, and the rest of the people on this thread, have no cause to regret your smug attitudes. In my experience, 28 is a particularly smug age. It's an age that many people manage to arrive at, thinking they have this whole adult life thing down, but with very little real experience of the huge shifts that life can throw at you with no warning. You're at peak smug. It's downhill from here, and I hope for you sake that this happens by simply witnessing life at it's worst and not by experiencing it yourself.

You are pretty much ignoring the facepunch worthy part:

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!

I saw it. I'm commenting on overall attitude, not a particular conversation. That's why I originally mentioned that people are making stupid decisions, but judging on retirement account balance is a bit rich. So to speak.

[With This Herring]

Shelivesthedream, what situation stuck you in a room with that horrid woman?

If it wasn't for the ocean I'd swear you'd met my 17-year-old daughter. I've been completely unable to teach her anything resembling a work ethic. She thinks she'll inherit money from my parents, or from me, simply because my parents are very well off and she's the only grandchild.

This being the case, I would assume that you would leave everything to charity and try to convince your parents to do the same.  Perhaps the Dave Thomas Foundation?

[coolistdude]

This isn't so much overheard at work, but seen. I have an intern that I am grateful for (hard working nice guy). What I've observed is that some of the lowest paid employees drive the newest cars. I talked about cars with my intern, which is always a bit awkward since I am the only person at work with 1 car in the family, and it is in the bottom 1/3 in cost (if you count the security guard and a few others). He explained that he bought an almost new Nissan Altima (currently 3 years old). I don't feel jealous, it just puzzles me. Maybe his personal business has made him wealthy and he only interns for fun, I don't know. It just does not make sense for him, a guy without kids or spouse (has girlfriend) to open up the wallet so much.

Then there is my friend with a fancy Nissan almost undriveable due to being super low (he uses it for drifting), who also owns a huge, raised brand new (well, maybe 1 year old now) full size pick up truck. This fella is a single parent. I'm not sure if he still owns the fancy motorcycle. What cracks me up about the truck is that our parking lot is pretty lame and hard to park large vehicles. He makes good money but I think what comes in, also goes out.

Then there is our security guard. This guy has probably a '95 Honda Accord, and an early 90s Pathfinder. It sounds like that one of the vehicles belongs to his wife, and it just depends who has it. All day this guy sees above average cars come in and out of the parking lot, since that is his job. I can only imagine when he talks to his wife he says "man, these people sure know to blow money."

Cars are definitely a status where I live.

[shelivesthedream]

Shelivesthedream, what situation stuck you in a room with that horrid woman?

If it wasn't for the ocean I'd swear you'd met my 17-year-old daughter. I've been completely unable to teach her anything resembling a work ethic. She thinks she'll inherit money from my parents, or from me, simply because my parents are very well off and she's the only grandchild.

This being the case, I would assume that you would leave everything to charity and try to convince your parents to do the same.  Perhaps the Dave Thomas Foundation?

A two hour coach journey to another city. I was travelling alone and the two of them sat right behind me and she instantly started her two hour monologue about how hard her life was. Her poor friend/colleague hardly got a word in edgeways. Still, apart from having to pick my jaw off the floor multiple times it made the time pass...!

[bigalsmith101]

The other day, I saw my previous co-worker drive by my house in one of our old work trucks. I called him up on the phone to bitch about our old jobs.

I asked him, "You ever get that settlement you were talking about so often while I was still working there?" He says, "Oh hell yea. I ended up getting $8,500 man!" This was an car accident in which he claimed injury, though admittedly lied.

He then continues, "Of course, I had to pay my mother-in-law the $4200 she loaned me to fix my car, and then I paid off a little other debt, but I did get my motorcycle man! I rode it to work today!"

He bought a 15yr old motorcycle with 50k miles on it for $2200. He can't work on anything mechanical himself.

He's 47yrs old.

[Playing with Fire UK]

I saw it. I'm commenting on overall attitude, not a particular conversation. That's why I originally mentioned that people are making stupid decisions, but judging on retirement account balance is a bit rich. So to speak.

AnnaGrowsAMustache, your views are commendable. You are right that in this thread we don't know everything about our colleagues and we see snippets of their lives and we comment on them. But this is what we do on this thread, we are mean, we are bitchy, and we extrapolate people's intentions from the pieces of behaviour that we see. And then, after venting our frustrations here, we go to work and are polite and courteous to them.

If this is bothering you as much as your post suggests then this board might not be the place for you. 

[kelvin]

The other day, I saw my previous co-worker drive by my house in one of our old work trucks. I called him up on the phone to bitch about our old jobs.

I asked him, "You ever get that settlement you were talking about so often while I was still working there?" He says, "Oh hell yea. I ended up getting $8,500 man!" This was an car accident in which he claimed injury, though admittedly lied.

He then continues, "Of course, I had to pay my mother-in-law the $4200 she loaned me to fix my car, and then I paid off a little other debt, but I did get my motorcycle man! I rode it to work today!"

He bought a 15yr old motorcycle with 50k miles on it for $2200. He can't work on anything mechanical himself.

He's 47yrs old.

If he would take the time to learn something mechanical, this could be a good option. The only reason I haven't done it myself is because Canada = snow. Some of those older model motorcycles will drive forever - it's road accidents that kill them, not anything mechanical. They're cheaper to own + maintain than a Honda. 

[cavewoman]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

I get what you're saying mate, but just not sure why you called it out?  Work friend designates the difference between someone I will eat lunch with, take a walk on break with, etc, vs someone I will only really speak to about work and mild pleasantries in the hallways.  Maybe I'm the one getting caught up in semantics, WRT work friends, but YMMV, IMHO :)

Also, this work friend had to take kitty back to the vet yesterday :( At least it was the regular vet and not the ER vet and hopefully kitty makes a full recovery. We spoke about this after she came back from going out to lunch with other co-workers (when I miss 3 hours of work I will not take a lunch to save annual leave) and had 2 (!!) Starbucks drinks on her desk.

Typing that out, I get why people may question a work friendship with someone with such different values, but how a person spends their money is only one facet of their personality.  I'm only here to share the cringy parts with you all, it's not like I spend a lot of work time talking about money/judging their decisions.  That's what this thread is for!

[scottish]

Then there is my friend with a fancy Nissan almost undriveable due to being super low (he uses it for drifting), who also owns a huge, raised brand new (well, maybe 1 year old now) full size pick up truck.

Drifting?   This is where you drive around and try to break the wheels loose?   Preferably at high speeds?

[coolistdude]

Then there is my friend with a fancy Nissan almost undriveable due to being super low (he uses it for drifting), who also owns a huge, raised brand new (well, maybe 1 year old now) full size pick up truck.

Drifting?   This is where you drive around and try to break the wheels loose?   Preferably at high speeds?

Yeah. Where you lose traction during a turn but maintain control of the turn. It is so low that it will bottom out over speed bumps. He can't even leave the parking lot without taking up both the entrance and the exit, since he will bottom out otherwise..

[SimpleCycle]

My wife started a new job fairly recently, and her coworkers do Starbucks trips twice daily.  Not only is there free office coffee, but they have one of those machines that makes fancy coffee drinks.

[Abe]

We have a Starbucks in our hospital. It must be one of the busiest in the city, even though the hospital is littered with free coffee machines, and has multiple other cafeterias that sell way cheaper coffee. Also, everyone waiting in line complains about how much Starbucks costs. My mind!

[paddedhat]

The wife and I call our local Starbucks, "the intelligence test", because during peak coffee demand times, you have to be an idiot to waste 10-15 minutes at their drive-thru. If you are familiar with PA. NJ. or MY. it's particularly stunning, since there is a freakin' WAWA within sight of this mess.  This store is a recycled commercial property at the intersection of the busiest four lane surface street in the region, and a side street that is impossible to access during peak drive time, no traffic light, no lane dividers or turning lane, and massive traffic counts. If anybody ahead of you has a left turn signal on, you might want to grab your knitting, as you will have time to whip up a hat or maybe a sock, before it's your turn. The lot is often too full to access, and there is typically an entire loop of cars circling the building, waiting in the drive-thru line. If you actually park and walk in the store, you're double boned, since you will have to split the drive thru line to back out, and it's typically jammed too tight for that to happen. Once you score your burned, overpriced cup, you are at least five minutes of slow crawling away from rejoining the flow of traffic. If this place was my only option, I would simply quit drinking coffee. It's like Tim Horton's for stupid people.

[neverrun]

Hey, hey, hey, back off the Timmies.

[Marty]

..there is a freakin' WAWA within sight of this mess.

Mmmmmm...Wawa hoagies...Thanks for reminding me that it's Hoagiefest right now!

[PMG]

About Starbucks,  I was in a large airport waiting for a flight when a woman came racing in yelling that she needed a coffee. She stood right next to a comparable chain (I can't remember what brand it was now) literally shouting that she needed a Starbucks until a security guard came and gave her directions. No way to know what that was really about but it blew my mind. To be that desperate but pass up the coffee next to you for Starbucks.

It reminded me of former coworkers and classmates who knew the Starbucks menu by heart but didn't know how to order a drink anywhere else and I wonder if some people think these things are only available at Starbucks? 

I might understand it if it tasted good, or the service was amazing or if it had a nice atmosphere.

[Cheddar Bob]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

Count me in this camp.  I'm in an industry, accounting, that isn't really Mustachian-friendly.  My boss has talked about how he feels like he doesn't see any of his paycheck, that it all goes to car payments, rent, insurance, etc, and he probably makes at least $150k.  I'm in a HCOL area, but still it's pretty ridiculous.  The Mustachian lifestyle was brought up once, but everyone seemed to agree that living on $40k (!) annually would be way too difficult/limiting.

Also, in general, I think it's really hard to develop friendships with coworkers because you have to be so cautious about controversial topics, which seem to be everything these days (or maybe it was always this way?).  There is a mainstream view for everything and to go against that invites judgment and ridicule.  For example, people at my company constantly make anti-Trump statements/jokes.  I'm not a fan of Trump, but it just gets really annoying.

And then of course the sharing of your personal life.  In my company these conversations seem to be subtle (and occasionally not subtle at all) competitions to brag about who has the best house/spouse/car/etc.  I'm a young single person who doesn't go out to bars every weekend, so some people wonder what is wrong with me. 

If I happen to hit it off with a coworker and we have similar interests, then absolutely I would puruse a friendship outside of work.  But in general I don't look to become friends with coworkers.  Just because we're in the same office for 40+ hours a week doesn't mean we have to be friends.

[paddedhat]

Hey, hey, hey, back off the Timmies.

Oh, quite the opposite, my good friend. There is a rational reason to wait in line for Timmies. Wasting fifteen minutes of your morning commute blocking the Starbucks parking lot, not so much. Intelligence test, pay $4 for a cup of burnt and bitter, waste a quarter hour of your life=fail.

[paddedhat]

..there is a freakin' WAWA within sight of this mess.

Mmmmmm...Wawa hoagies...Thanks for reminding me that it's Hoagiefest right now!

One of the great parts of being FIREd is leaving the northeast and hiding in Florida in the winter. A few years ago it got even  better, WAWA decided to branch out to central FL. It was all good until I was in the land of Palm trees and left a shiny new WAWA with a Philly pretzel. It was awful, fetted dreck. Philly my ass. I later asked about the tasteless mulch that that had been erroneously placed in the WAWA Philly pretzel wrapper, that I purchased?  Turns out they "bake" then in Tampa. Apparently the contracted the work to a tire recycling facility or something, since it sure as hell wasn't made in a bakery.  Apparently the sacred tastiness of PA. does not travel well, as on several occasions I have also had a Yuengling, brewed in Florida, that would of made a warm, skunky Busch lite taste good.

[Prairie Stash]

Hey, hey, hey, back off the Timmies.

Oh, quite the opposite, my good friend. There is a rational reason to wait in line for Timmies. Wasting fifteen minutes of your morning commute blocking the Starbucks parking lot, not so much. Intelligence test, pay $4 for a cup of burnt and bitter, waste a quarter hour of your life=fail.

In Canada a Starbucks Venti (20 oz, largest size available) coffee is $2.17, Tim Horton large (20 oz)is $1.99, the X-Large is 24 oz, $2.19. You can tell which people don't actually pat attention to prices when they say Starbucks costs $4 for a coffee. If you're going to mock people, at least get it right.

Waiting in either drive thru is a fail.

[dmac680chi]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

Count me in this camp.  I'm in an industry, accounting, that isn't really Mustachian-friendly.  My boss has talked about how he feels like he doesn't see any of his paycheck, that it all goes to car payments, rent, insurance, etc, and he probably makes at least $150k.  I'm in a HCOL area, but still it's pretty ridiculous.  The Mustachian lifestyle was brought up once, but everyone seemed to agree that living on $40k (!) annually would be way too difficult/limiting.

Also, in general, I think it's really hard to develop friendships with coworkers because you have to be so cautious about controversial topics, which seem to be everything these days (or maybe it was always this way?).  There is a mainstream view for everything and to go against that invites judgment and ridicule.  For example, people at my company constantly make anti-Trump statements/jokes.  I'm not a fan of Trump, but it just gets really annoying.

And then of course the sharing of your personal life.  In my company these conversations seem to be subtle (and occasionally not subtle at all) competitions to brag about who has the best house/spouse/car/etc.  I'm a young single person who doesn't go out to bars every weekend, so some people wonder what is wrong with me. 

If I happen to hit it off with a coworker and we have similar interests, then absolutely I would puruse a friendship outside of work.  But in general I don't look to become friends with coworkers.  Just because we're in the same office for 40+ hours a week doesn't mean we have to be friends.

I dislike Trump too but have a friend who every time I talk to him he mentions Trump. I've gotten to the point where I can't talk politics with him as its rather annoying. I think people tend to just accept everything they hear. Not saying Trump is right but at the same Tim I'd rather not get in drawn out conversations about his impeachment or not. I have family that voted for Trump, I still like them despite our opinions being different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[paddedhat]

Hey, hey, hey, back off the Timmies.

Oh, quite the opposite, my good friend. There is a rational reason to wait in line for Timmies. Wasting fifteen minutes of your morning commute blocking the Starbucks parking lot, not so much. Intelligence test, pay $4 for a cup of burnt and bitter, waste a quarter hour of your life=fail.

In Canada a Starbucks Venti (20 oz, largest size available) coffee is $2.17, Tim Horton large (20 oz)is $1.99, the X-Large is 24 oz, $2.19. You can tell which people don't actually pat attention to prices when they say Starbucks costs $4 for a coffee. If you're going to mock people, at least get it right.

Waiting in either drive thru is a fail.

Seriously, what rock do you live under? I have stood in lines at coffee shops, Starbucks included, and the majority of folks end up requesting far more than a black cup of basic brewed coffee, Their trendy selections are quite a step up from a plain old coffee, and believe it or not, this silliness runs four bucks (USD) on up. So, I have it right, and I'll mock away, thank you very much.

[coconutindex]

One of my colleagues was during the lunch break telling us about her weekend. It was her friend's birthday. The friend had been asking her for a long time to join her in an obstacle race (running 6km with obstacles like climbing a wall and wading through mud and such. She gave the friend for her birthday a night in a hotel for both of them, a party and two tickets for such an obstacle race. Afterwards there was also a lot of party and a lot of alcohol in a country where alcohol is the most expensive in the world. My colleagues was also telling us about all the races she was planning to do. Obviously a lot of her money is going to that sort of events. She is not a big spendypants in general, but obviously prioritizes her spending in this sort of stuff.

I think this must be a typical Norwegian way to spend your money. My coworkers seem to be forever hopping on planes to travel to competitions or even just to spend a week cycling or whatnot somewhere warm. At least they're in great physical shape! But definitely an expensive way to break a sweat. I even read somewhere about a woman paying a rather obscene amount (13 500 euros) for the privilege of running a marathon on the North Pole!

[icbatbh]

Not overheard as such, more of an observation.

Over the last month or so in the UK we've had a couple of "heatwaves" with temperatures sometimes reaching around 32°C (89°F). I arrived at work this morning to discover that a colleague had left a portable air conditioning unit on all night so that it wasn't too warm in the office when he walked in. On a number of occasions over the last few weeks he has been sitting at his desk with his fan on full blast while wearing his outdoor coat.

This same colleague is the first to get out the electric convector heaters as soon as the weather turns slightly colder at the beginning of Autumn.

Apart from being a huge waste of energy and money, I think this also demonstrates the fact that there is a growing weather wussy culture in the UK, presumably due to the fact that the media are always seriously dramatising the weather here.

[Linda_Norway]

Today at the lunch break I was telling about my summer vacation to come. I had to answer the same person several times that "yes, I will be sleeping in a tent". Obviously this is not completely normal behaviour for a person of my age (44) with no children.

[shelivesthedream]

Not overheard as such, more of an observation.

Over the last month or so in the UK we've had a couple of "heatwaves" with temperatures sometimes reaching around 32°C (89°F). I arrived at work this morning to discover that a colleague had left a portable air conditioning unit on all night so that it wasn't too warm in the office when he walked in. On a number of occasions over the last few weeks he has been sitting at his desk with his fan on full blast while wearing his outdoor coat.

This same colleague is the first to get out the electric convector heaters as soon as the weather turns slightly colder at the beginning of Autumn.

Apart from being a huge waste of energy and money, I think this also demonstrates the fact that there is a growing weather wussy culture in the UK, presumably due to the fact that the media are always seriously dramatising the weather here.

Tell me about it. I know we love to complain about the weather, but it's supposed to be *complain*, not *do stuff about*. We get about three scorchers a year, we are well able to suffer through them. And don't get me started on winter! The people walking round outside in flimsy Primark polycotton and fabric ballet pumps when it's chucking it down. And then they come inside and turn the heating way up. I cannot believe it is that hard to buy a wool jumper or a pair of actual shoes.

[JordanOfGilead]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

With as much as I travel for work, often in groups with my co-workers, it makes life a lot easier to be friends with at least a couple of them. Doesn't hurt that I went to school with a handful too.

[jinga nation]

..there is a freakin' WAWA within sight of this mess.

Mmmmmm...Wawa hoagies...Thanks for reminding me that it's Hoagiefest right now!

One of the great parts of being FIREd is leaving the northeast and hiding in Florida in the winter. A few years ago it got even  better, WAWA decided to branch out to central FL. It was all good until I was in the land of Palm trees and left a shiny new WAWA with a Philly pretzel. It was awful, fetted dreck. Philly my ass. I later asked about the tasteless mulch that that had been erroneously placed in the WAWA Philly pretzel wrapper, that I purchased?  Turns out they "bake" then in Tampa. Apparently the contracted the work to a tire recycling facility or something, since it sure as hell wasn't made in a bakery.  Apparently the sacred tastiness of PA. does not travel well, as on several occasions I have also had a Yuengling, brewed in Florida, that would of made a warm, skunky Busch lite taste good.

I live in Tampa. We don't eat WaWa. Go get a Tampa Cuban sandwich from a local shop or at least a Publix.
I drink cold Yuengling's, brewed here, right across from my alma mater USF.
But then I drink a lot of local craft/microbrews, however, I'm not a beer snob.

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

Count me in this camp.  I'm in an industry, accounting, that isn't really Mustachian-friendly.  My boss has talked about how he feels like he doesn't see any of his paycheck, that it all goes to car payments, rent, insurance, etc, and he probably makes at least $150k.  I'm in a HCOL area, but still it's pretty ridiculous.  The Mustachian lifestyle was brought up once, but everyone seemed to agree that living on $40k (!) annually would be way too difficult/limiting.

Also, in general, I think it's really hard to develop friendships with coworkers because you have to be so cautious about controversial topics, which seem to be everything these days (or maybe it was always this way?).  There is a mainstream view for everything and to go against that invites judgment and ridicule.  For example, people at my company constantly make anti-Trump statements/jokes.  I'm not a fan of Trump, but it just gets really annoying.

And then of course the sharing of your personal life.  In my company these conversations seem to be subtle (and occasionally not subtle at all) competitions to brag about who has the best house/spouse/car/etc.  I'm a young single person who doesn't go out to bars every weekend, so some people wonder what is wrong with me. 

If I happen to hit it off with a coworker and we have similar interests, then absolutely I would puruse a friendship outside of work.  But in general I don't look to become friends with coworkers.  Just because we're in the same office for 40+ hours a week doesn't mean we have to be friends.

I dislike Trump too but have a friend who every time I talk to him he mentions Trump. I've gotten to the point where I can't talk politics with him as its rather annoying. I think people tend to just accept everything they hear. Not saying Trump is right but at the same Tim I'd rather not get in drawn out conversations about his impeachment or not. I have family that voted for Trump, I still like them despite our opinions being different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In addition to the "in polite company" rules of not talking about politics and religion, add sex, money, and science (especially if you live in conservative areas or the south).

I work in the DoD, in the IT field, and you'd be surprised how many people are anti-science, pro-<insert mainstream religion>. IDGAF on people working 2nd careers after their military retirement, blowing money and propping up the economy. They ain't planning on FIREing, that concept is even more alien than outer space aliens.

[infogoon]

The wife and I call our local Starbucks, "the intelligence test", because during peak coffee demand times, you have to be an idiot to waste 10-15 minutes at their drive-thru... It's like Tim Horton's for stupid people.

So, it's like Tim Hortons?

[LennStar]

For example, people at my company constantly make anti-Trump statements/jokes.

Gallows humor.

If you see a not only totally incometent, but also bloody idiotic man laboring under adviseimmunity being the head of your state, you can only survive with either Stockholm Syndrome or a near-lethal dose of sarcastic humor.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I disagree. I think political jokes should stay out of work.

(I voted against Trump)

[honeybbq]

Re: Starbuck's.

On a very rare instance I'll hop over to Starbuck's with my co-workers. I always order a large drip coffee. First, they always have to clarify... "you want... drip?" because literally NOBODY actually orders "coffee" at Starbuck's. Second, when they ask me if I want room for cream they often ask me twice because they can't believe it when I say no. I actually want black coffee. That's right. I want coffee and I want to to taste like coffee. Shocker.

But yeah, most my coworkers have at least a $25/week habit (once per day) and some are more like $50+ (going multiple times, getting breakfast there, etc). 

Usually I just drink the free swill that's offered here.

[Acastus]

This isn't so much overheard at work, but seen. I have an intern that I am grateful for (hard working nice guy). What I've observed is that some of the lowest paid employees drive the newest cars. I talked about cars with my intern, which is always a bit awkward since I am the only person at work with 1 car in the family, and it is in the bottom 1/3 in cost (if you count the security guard and a few others). He explained that he bought an almost new Nissan Altima (currently 3 years old). I don't feel jealous, it just puzzles me. Maybe his personal business has made him wealthy and he only interns for fun, I don't know. It just does not make sense for him, a guy without kids or spouse (has girlfriend) to open up the wallet so much.

Then there is my friend with a fancy Nissan almost undriveable due to being super low (he uses it for drifting), who also owns a huge, raised brand new (well, maybe 1 year old now) full size pick up truck. This fella is a single parent. I'm not sure if he still owns the fancy motorcycle. What cracks me up about the truck is that our parking lot is pretty lame and hard to park large vehicles. He makes good money but I think what comes in, also goes out.

Then there is our security guard. This guy has probably a '95 Honda Accord, and an early 90s Pathfinder. It sounds like that one of the vehicles belongs to his wife, and it just depends who has it. All day this guy sees above average cars come in and out of the parking lot, since that is his job. I can only imagine when he talks to his wife he says "man, these people sure know to blow money."

Cars are definitely a status where I live.

A new car can be a good option, especially if you are not mechanically inclined. I do not want to put in the time to find a good used car, and I do not trust my instincts. I don't want someone else's lemon. A new car is a known quantity. It does not need any repairs for several years. Over 10-12 years, it will need tires, brakes, battery a couple times each, and some random repairs, but you can see most of these coming so costs are more predictable. I am assuming normal american driving at 10k/year or so. If you mostly bike, the thing could last 20 years. Keep your desires modest, drive it until it dies, and the overall cost can be reasonable.

If you buy a tricked out sports car, you are obviously spending too much, or it is a luxury you are choosing to prioritize.

[AnswerIs42]

Over the last month or so in the UK we've had a couple of "heatwaves" with temperatures sometimes reaching around 32°C (89°F). I arrived at work this morning to discover that a colleague had left a portable air conditioning unit on all night so that it wasn't too warm in the office when he walked in.

In our old office, someone once asked me not to turn the heating off on Friday night when I left, so it would still be turned on on Monday morning when they got in and they wouldn't have to wait for it to warm up.

I ignored them and turned the heating off anyway.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Talking to a young chap (early twenties) at work about lottery tickets. I worked out for him that if he saved the $15 a week he was spending on tickets, just in an ordinary bank account at 3%, he would have around $22,000 by retirement age. First he was shocked that it was 'only' $22,000, and declared that he'd rather have nothing and the chance of winning the lottery. Then he thought I was making things up when I pointed out that his and my chance of winning said lottery, him with a ticket and me without, were the same to 7 decimal places ie zero. Another round of shock when I suggested that he might be living on $22,000 a YEAR when he retired. No way anyone can do that, apparently, not possible. And THEN he proceeded to tell me that my calculations were stupid and I must not know that much about money because he was getting 17.5% interest in his employee matched retirement savings fund. 17.5% is the tax rate he's on for the scheme..... but I guess he's enrolled in the scheme, so that's something, right? Although it probably because you have to opt out in NZ, not in, so his laziness got him on it.

I also got told off by a colleague for even having the conversation because it's his choice what he spends his money on - which of course it is, but clearly that choice is based on a bit of ignorance. Where are you supposed to learn this stuff if people don't tell you???

[dmac680chi]

..there is a freakin' WAWA within sight of this mess.

Mmmmmm...Wawa hoagies...Thanks for reminding me that it's Hoagiefest right now!

One of the great parts of being FIREd is leaving the northeast and hiding in Florida in the winter. A few years ago it got even  better, WAWA decided to branch out to central FL. It was all good until I was in the land of Palm trees and left a shiny new WAWA with a Philly pretzel. It was awful, fetted dreck. Philly my ass. I later asked about the tasteless mulch that that had been erroneously placed in the WAWA Philly pretzel wrapper, that I purchased?  Turns out they "bake" then in Tampa. Apparently the contracted the work to a tire recycling facility or something, since it sure as hell wasn't made in a bakery.  Apparently the sacred tastiness of PA. does not travel well, as on several occasions I have also had a Yuengling, brewed in Florida, that would of made a warm, skunky Busch lite taste good.

I live in Tampa. We don't eat WaWa. Go get a Tampa Cuban sandwich from a local shop or at least a Publix.
I drink cold Yuengling's, brewed here, right across from my alma mater USF.
But then I drink a lot of local craft/microbrews, however, I'm not a beer snob.

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but some of the best people I know I met through work. There are different boundaries when we're actively working together, but I would've missed out on some great friendships if I had rejected all of the people I spend 40+ hours a week with.

No offense taken.
I have very good co-workers, technically fantastic, but peel back that layer to reveal the non-work person and I'll bipedal skedaddle.

Count me in this camp.  I'm in an industry, accounting, that isn't really Mustachian-friendly.  My boss has talked about how he feels like he doesn't see any of his paycheck, that it all goes to car payments, rent, insurance, etc, and he probably makes at least $150k.  I'm in a HCOL area, but still it's pretty ridiculous.  The Mustachian lifestyle was brought up once, but everyone seemed to agree that living on $40k (!) annually would be way too difficult/limiting.

Also, in general, I think it's really hard to develop friendships with coworkers because you have to be so cautious about controversial topics, which seem to be everything these days (or maybe it was always this way?).  There is a mainstream view for everything and to go against that invites judgment and ridicule.  For example, people at my company constantly make anti-Trump statements/jokes.  I'm not a fan of Trump, but it just gets really annoying.

And then of course the sharing of your personal life.  In my company these conversations seem to be subtle (and occasionally not subtle at all) competitions to brag about who has the best house/spouse/car/etc.  I'm a young single person who doesn't go out to bars every weekend, so some people wonder what is wrong with me. 

If I happen to hit it off with a coworker and we have similar interests, then absolutely I would puruse a friendship outside of work.  But in general I don't look to become friends with coworkers.  Just because we're in the same office for 40+ hours a week doesn't mean we have to be friends.

I dislike Trump too but have a friend who every time I talk to him he mentions Trump. I've gotten to the point where I can't talk politics with him as its rather annoying. I think people tend to just accept everything they hear. Not saying Trump is right but at the same Tim I'd rather not get in drawn out conversations about his impeachment or not. I have family that voted for Trump, I still like them despite our opinions being different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In addition to the "in polite company" rules of not talking about politics and religion, add sex, money, and science (especially if you live in conservative areas or the south).

I work in the DoD, in the IT field, and you'd be surprised how many people are anti-science, pro-&lt;insert mainstream religion&gt;. IDGAF on people working 2nd careers after their military retirement, blowing money and propping up the economy. They ain't planning on FIREing, that concept is even more alien than outer space aliens.

Is that just a matter of how people are raised in bringing up sex, politics, or religion. I only have a few friends I'm willing to talk about that stuff with, never in usual company.  Still wild to me how people blow money like crazy!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Linda_Norway]

Talking to a young chap (early twenties) at work about lottery tickets. I worked out for him that if he saved the $15 a week he was spending on tickets, just in an ordinary bank account at 3%, he would have around $22,000 by retirement age. First he was shocked that it was 'only' $22,000, and declared that he'd rather have nothing and the chance of winning the lottery. Then he thought I was making things up when I pointed out that his and my chance of winning said lottery, him with a ticket and me without, were the same to 7 decimal places ie zero. Another round of shock when I suggested that he might be living on $22,000 a YEAR when he retired. No way anyone can do that, apparently, not possible. And THEN he proceeded to tell me that my calculations were stupid and I must not know that much about money because he was getting 17.5% interest in his employee matched retirement savings fund. 17.5% is the tax rate he's on for the scheme..... but I guess he's enrolled in the scheme, so that's something, right? Although it probably because you have to opt out in NZ, not in, so his laziness got him on it.

I also got told off by a colleague for even having the conversation because it's his choice what he spends his money on - which of course it is, but clearly that choice is based on a bit of ignorance. Where are you supposed to learn this stuff if people don't tell you???

I only told 3 people about the option of early retirement. One is an old friend and colleague who is more frugal than me in many ways. Except for spending a lot of his saving on going to concerts. The second is a young colleague who already told us he was very good at saving. The third is a colleague who is approaching his last decade at work before normal retirement age. I got the impression from talking to him before that he is doing financially very well. I asked him why he didn't retire early. But he thinks sitting at home with his wife all day is not his idea of having a good time. So he choose to work long hours for 4 days a week, sleeping at the office, and having a long weekend every week, living 2 hours driving from work. Still making 40 hours a week.

I am not sure we need to teach everybody about it. I think the general population might not grab it anyway, they just like spending. We should perhaps focus on those who show some interest in the subject.

[Feivel2000]

Over the last month or so in the UK we've had a couple of "heatwaves" with temperatures sometimes reaching around 32°C (89°F). I arrived at work this morning to discover that a colleague had left a portable air conditioning unit on all night so that it wasn't too warm in the office when he walked in.

In our old office, someone once asked me not to turn the heating off on Friday night when I left, so it would still be turned on on Monday morning when they got in and they wouldn't have to wait for it to warm up.

I ignored them and turned the heating off anyway.

Well, sweating or freezing is probably not part of their job description and if the employer is to cheap to install time controlled heating, that's what he get.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Talking to a young chap (early twenties) at work about lottery tickets. I worked out for him that if he saved the $15 a week he was spending on tickets, just in an ordinary bank account at 3%, he would have around $22,000 by retirement age. First he was shocked that it was 'only' $22,000, and declared that he'd rather have nothing and the chance of winning the lottery. Then he thought I was making things up when I pointed out that his and my chance of winning said lottery, him with a ticket and me without, were the same to 7 decimal places ie zero. Another round of shock when I suggested that he might be living on $22,000 a YEAR when he retired. No way anyone can do that, apparently, not possible. And THEN he proceeded to tell me that my calculations were stupid and I must not know that much about money because he was getting 17.5% interest in his employee matched retirement savings fund. 17.5% is the tax rate he's on for the scheme..... but I guess he's enrolled in the scheme, so that's something, right? Although it probably because you have to opt out in NZ, not in, so his laziness got him on it.

I also got told off by a colleague for even having the conversation because it's his choice what he spends his money on - which of course it is, but clearly that choice is based on a bit of ignorance. Where are you supposed to learn this stuff if people don't tell you???

I only told 3 people about the option of early retirement. One is an old friend and colleague who is more frugal than me in many ways. Except for spending a lot of his saving on going to concerts. The second is a young colleague who already told us he was very good at saving. The third is a colleague who is approaching his last decade at work before normal retirement age. I got the impression from talking to him before that he is doing financially very well. I asked him why he didn't retire early. But he thinks sitting at home with his wife all day is not his idea of having a good time. So he choose to work long hours for 4 days a week, sleeping at the office, and having a long weekend every week, living 2 hours driving from work. Still making 40 hours a week.

I am not sure we need to teach everybody about it. I think the general population might not grab it anyway, they just like spending. We should perhaps focus on those who show some interest in the subject.

Yeah, should have kept my mouth shut but watching a kid spending his wages on lottery tickets is like watching a kid playing with matches - at what point are they old enough that you don't say something?? At least now he knows what the lottery odds actually are, and if wants to continue buying tickets, it's an informed choice. I won't be commenting on that.

[Feivel2000]

Talking to a young chap (early twenties) at work about lottery tickets. I worked out for him that if he saved the $15 a week he was spending on tickets, just in an ordinary bank account at 3%, he would have around $22,000 by retirement age. First he was shocked that it was 'only' $22,000, and declared that he'd rather have nothing and the chance of winning the lottery. Then he thought I was making things up when I pointed out that his and my chance of winning said lottery, him with a ticket and me without, were the same to 7 decimal places ie zero. Another round of shock when I suggested that he might be living on $22,000 a YEAR when he retired. No way anyone can do that, apparently, not possible. And THEN he proceeded to tell me that my calculations were stupid and I must not know that much about money because he was getting 17.5% interest in his employee matched retirement savings fund. 17.5% is the tax rate he's on for the scheme..... but I guess he's enrolled in the scheme, so that's something, right? Although it probably because you have to opt out in NZ, not in, so his laziness got him on it.

I also got told off by a colleague for even having the conversation because it's his choice what he spends his money on - which of course it is, but clearly that choice is based on a bit of ignorance. Where are you supposed to learn this stuff if people don't tell you???

I only told 3 people about the option of early retirement. One is an old friend and colleague who is more frugal than me in many ways. Except for spending a lot of his saving on going to concerts. The second is a young colleague who already told us he was very good at saving. The third is a colleague who is approaching his last decade at work before normal retirement age. I got the impression from talking to him before that he is doing financially very well. I asked him why he didn't retire early. But he thinks sitting at home with his wife all day is not his idea of having a good time. So he choose to work long hours for 4 days a week, sleeping at the office, and having a long weekend every week, living 2 hours driving from work. Still making 40 hours a week.

I am not sure we need to teach everybody about it. I think the general population might not grab it anyway, they just like spending. We should perhaps focus on those who show some interest in the subject.

Yeah, should have kept my mouth shut but watching a kid spending his wages on lottery tickets is like watching a kid playing with matches - at what point are they old enough that you don't say something?? At least now he knows what the lottery odds actually are, and if wants to continue buying tickets, it's an informed choice. I won't be commenting on that.

While this guy clearly hasn't his finances in order and I don't want to the gambling advocate here, I was also surprised that it's only $22,000. I guess you calculated with 20 years?
$22,000 might be a year of living expenses but won't save you from poverty. Also, with 3% you need to invest the money so the 22,000 aren't guaranteed in 20 years.
On the other hand, he buys himself 52*20=1040 dreams and micro-get-aways. So he's not getting nothing for his $15.

Also, his chances to win the jackpot are almost as slim as yours, but the jackpot is not the only prize. If the chances are similar to the German GlücksSpirale, he would buy 3 tickets and would have therefore every week the chance to win
10$ @ 3:10
20$ @ 3:100
...
100,000$ @ 6:1,000,000
2,000,000 @ 6:10,000,000

Of course, this is no wise investment, more a tax for those who are bad at math, but after 20 years he won't have nothing and every week he is getting something for his money, even if it is not worth $15 for you.

Acting like your (partly our) values should be universal is no good basis for a discussion. The German ZenDepot Blog had a great article about this.
Independence (as in FIRE) is only one of 16 basics needs according to Steven Reiss and for many Saving and Independence is simply not a priority.

Okay, now back to slamming those who aren't following the only true and right values!

I once had a colleague who bought a 1500€ gaming laptop to play the Sims. He also bought a 2000+€ Porsche bike. He wasn't very much into biking, he just earned money for the first time in his life and couldn't stop spending it.
He was fired after failing a training course twice...

[shelivesthedream]

To play THE SIMS?!?!?! Wow. My old junk laptop played it just fine.

[cheapass]

I once had a colleague who bought a 1500€ gaming laptop to play the Sims. He also bought a 2000+€ Porsche bike. He wasn't very much into biking, he just earned money for the first time in his life and couldn't stop spending it.
He was fired after failing a training course twice...

Well, what else do you do with money besides spend it the second you earn it?

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I once had a colleague who bought a 1500€ gaming laptop to play the Sims. He also bought a 2000+€ Porsche bike. He wasn't very much into biking, he just earned money for the first time in his life and couldn't stop spending it.
He was fired after failing a training course twice...

Well, what else do you do with money besides spend it the second you earn it?

Spend it before it's been earned! Because credit is convenient.

[BuffaloStache]

To play THE SIMS?!?!?! Wow. My old junk laptop played it just fine.

This. Even my old machine can run the newest versions of it.