Overheard at Work

[facepalm]

A former coworker and I were discussing the business idea of developing a totally bare-bones, minimalist apartment building in a really good school district. I'm talking like 100 sq ft. apartments (or whatever is the minimum to meet city code) that are technically a residence but are realistically unliveable. They would be rented solely as a mailing address to get access to the good school districts without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra housing cost.

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits. Where I work parents have to bring in a utility bill as proof of residence, to keep parents from trying to game the system. Some still do, and an occasional few get away with it. Generally, other parents will report someone trying to game the system.

We did, or rather I went along with my wife lying as to our address, when my kids entered middle school.
Also changed the date on my daughters birth certificate to get her in kindergarten a year earlier.
 I don't regret it, she graduated 4th in her class and both kids were accepted to a state university.
Daughter now has two BS degrees and working on a Masters now.
Wonder if that's cause she had better schools with great teachers, or she just works hard?
You decide!

Your daughter is a success because you cared about her education and took steps to support her. And I'm betting there were other measures you took to ensure her success. Parental involvement in their child's education is a reliable predictor of academic success. Of course her hard work contributed, as did having excellent teachers.

I had to edit a bit of the post to simplify it, forgive me in advance if I misattributed anyone's quote.

[zolotiyeruki]

Your daughter is a success because you cared about her education and took steps to support her. And I'm betting there were other measures you took to ensure her success. Parental involvement in their child's education is a reliable predictor of academic success. Of course her hard work contributed, as did having excellent teachers.

What I've heard is that the most reliable indicator for academic success, head and shoulders above any other, is parental involvement.  More than any demographic, socioeconomic, or other factor.

[LennStar]

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits.

If you are interested in the zoning topic, put aside half an hour for my article and the 2 linked sites on the bottom of it.

https://steemit.com/life/@lennstar/why-japan-has-walkable-neighborhoods-and-the-us-has-not

[Dave1442397]

At this base, cafeteria dues are mandatory and very expensive ($570 a month).

I had no idea that you had to pay for your food in the military - I thought it was part of the deal that you got food, shelter and clothing. $570 a month is about what our family of three spends on food, so $570 for a single guy is just crazy. To pay that and then go spend more money on food is even worse.

[cheapass]

A former coworker and I were discussing the business idea of developing a totally bare-bones, minimalist apartment building in a really good school district. I'm talking like 100 sq ft. apartments (or whatever is the minimum to meet city code) that are technically a residence but are realistically unliveable. They would be rented solely as a mailing address to get access to the good school districts without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra housing cost.

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits. Where I work parents have to bring in a utility bill as proof of residence, to keep parents from trying to game the system. Some still do, and an occasional few get away with it. Generally, other parents will report someone trying to game the system.

Sure, all of those details would have to be worked out in advance. Maybe people would occupy a few of them and that would be the advertised/intended purpose but the unstated opportunity would be a cheap-ass apartment for families to rent to get into a good school district. I'm sure the electricity bills would be cheap if they spend most of their time in another location.

[shelivesthedream]

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits.

If you are interested in the zoning topic, put aside half an hour for my article and the 2 linked sites on the bottom of it.

https://steemit.com/life/@lennstar/why-japan-has-walkable-neighborhoods-and-the-us-has-not

Those Urban Kchoze articles have been hugely influential in the way I look at the world. I would seriously recommend that people check them out.

[mm1970]

A former coworker and I were discussing the business idea of developing a totally bare-bones, minimalist apartment building in a really good school district. I'm talking like 100 sq ft. apartments (or whatever is the minimum to meet city code) that are technically a residence but are realistically unliveable. They would be rented solely as a mailing address to get access to the good school districts without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra housing cost.

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits. Where I work parents have to bring in a utility bill as proof of residence, to keep parents from trying to game the system. Some still do, and an occasional few get away with it. Generally, other parents will report someone trying to game the system.

Sure, all of those details would have to be worked out in advance. Maybe people would occupy a few of them and that would be the advertised/intended purpose but the unstated opportunity would be a cheap-ass apartment for families to rent to get into a good school district. I'm sure the electricity bills would be cheap if they spend most of their time in another location.

In my land of families that are either broke, or have too much money than they know what to do with...

My husband's coworker's neighbor owns a small home in the "best" school district.  That he does not live in.  Only so his kids can go to that school.  They live in a different district.

Even a 2BR fixer in the "best" district is $1.2M.  In the district where they actually physically reside, $1.2M will get you a bit more of a house.  (Generally there is a $150k to $250k delta between those two districts).

[BFGirl]

We are having a baby shower at work for a co-worker.  I'm one of the hostesses, but the other two basically planned the whole thing while I was on vacation, sigh.  We are apparently spending $145 for a custom frou frou cake that won't even be eaten at the party but will be sent home with the mom-to-be.  Now I am all about supporting independent artisans in whatever field and I know that some of these cakes take a lot of time to make, but really, $145 for a cake the guests won't even get to enjoy???  We will be having cupcakes for the guests that surround the cake.  I'd rather use that money to buy a more useful gift for the mom-to-be.  I want the shower to be nice, but I just don't understand spending that on a cake and then not serving it to the guests.

[ketchup]

We are having a baby shower at work for a co-worker.  I'm one of the hostesses, but the other two basically planned the whole thing while I was on vacation, sigh.  We are apparently spending $145 for a custom frou frou cake that won't even be eaten at the party but will be sent home with the mom-to-be.  Now I am all about supporting independent artisans in whatever field and I know that some of these cakes take a lot of time to make, but really, $145 for a cake the guests won't even get to enjoy???  We will be having cupcakes for the guests that surround the cake.  I'd rather use that money to buy a more useful gift for the mom-to-be.  I want the shower to be nice, but I just don't understand spending that on a cake and then not serving it to the guests.

Yeah that seems kind of dumb.  If someone gave me an entire cake to bring home, I'd probably just say fuck that and slice it up right there, take a piece, and let my coworkers at the rest.

[shelivesthedream]

We are having a baby shower at work for a co-worker.  I'm one of the hostesses, but the other two basically planned the whole thing while I was on vacation, sigh.  We are apparently spending $145 for a custom frou frou cake that won't even be eaten at the party but will be sent home with the mom-to-be.  Now I am all about supporting independent artisans in whatever field and I know that some of these cakes take a lot of time to make, but really, $145 for a cake the guests won't even get to enjoy???  We will be having cupcakes for the guests that surround the cake.  I'd rather use that money to buy a more useful gift for the mom-to-be.  I want the shower to be nice, but I just don't understand spending that on a cake and then not serving it to the guests.

Because what does mum-to-be even do with an entire cake? Unless this is her twentieth child (in which case presumably she would be so over baby showers) there are just not going to be enough people at home to eat it. Cake for breakfast is great one day - not so much for a week.

[BFGirl]

We are having a baby shower at work for a co-worker.  I'm one of the hostesses, but the other two basically planned the whole thing while I was on vacation, sigh.  We are apparently spending $145 for a custom frou frou cake that won't even be eaten at the party but will be sent home with the mom-to-be.  Now I am all about supporting independent artisans in whatever field and I know that some of these cakes take a lot of time to make, but really, $145 for a cake the guests won't even get to enjoy???  We will be having cupcakes for the guests that surround the cake.  I'd rather use that money to buy a more useful gift for the mom-to-be.  I want the shower to be nice, but I just don't understand spending that on a cake and then not serving it to the guests.

Because what does mum-to-be even do with an entire cake? Unless this is her twentieth child (in which case presumably she would be so over baby showers) there are just not going to be enough people at home to eat it. Cake for breakfast is great one day - not so much for a week.

I'm not positive but I think it is a 7" cake with a 4" topper, so it's not even that much cake to begin with.  It's basically a $145 perishable centerpiece.

[Dollar Slice]

I work in a small office (3 rooms, 4-7 people depending on the day). We have two new people who were given the nicest room to themselves. So far I've observed:

1. Coins in their garbage can
2. Dumping the recycle in the trash, and dumping trash in the recycle
3. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off lights
4. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off air conditioner (window unit)

I got some new recycle bins for the office that are bright blue and marked with recycle symbols, and I'm hoping they were simply confused about which bin(s) to use. I'm usually the last to leave so I've been shutting off lights and A/C if I notice that they're on. Today everyone's left and one of the new guys left the A/C on and shut the door to that office. So I'm thinking he is trying to give me a hint that it should be left alone...? Presumably so it's not hot when he comes in tomorrow morning. But what an incredible waste to leave the A/C on for 16 hours because you can't spend 30 minutes letting it cool down. :-(

[mustachepungoeshere]

Colleague came to work in new boots that retail for $945 then complained she didn't have enough money to get her fridge repaired.

[RyanAtTanagra]

Colleague came to work in new boots that retail for $945 then complained she didn't have enough money to get her fridge repaired.

Did you laugh as you pointed out the obvious?  That would be one of those times my usual quiet demeanor would fail.

[mustachepungoeshere]

... new people

...one of the new guys

FNG is taking liberties!

[BuffaloStache]

The minimalist apartment idea would simply not fly due to zoning restrictions. Most local building codes specify minimum and maximum densities. You would never be granted the permits.

If you are interested in the zoning topic, put aside half an hour for my article and the 2 linked sites on the bottom of it.

https://steemit.com/life/@lennstar/why-japan-has-walkable-neighborhoods-and-the-us-has-not

Thanks for this! Very good read.

[CutTheFat]

Cw has been with company just shy of 4 years.  She just purchased the 3rd new vehicle since she started working with us.  Neither of the 2 cars were even paid off when she traded them in.  This is the same cw that I have mentioned previously.  It just amazes me!!! 

[rdaneel0]

This wasn't overheard it was said to me, and it was totally bizarre.

CW: I'm going to see [insert movie name] tonight!
Me: Oh cool, have fun! What's it about?
CW: You haven't heard of [insert movie name]??!?!?
Me: No, I don't really go to the movies that often. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Hunger Games.
CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.
Me: (stunned) Wow, you feel bad for me?
CW: Yeah. That's ridiculous.

I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

[MgoSam]

CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.


I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

I would be too. My warehouse manager hasn't seen a movie in the theater in like 10 years. Now I have a friend that loves movies WAY TOO MUCH imho. He watches about like 150+ a year but even then I don't really say anything as it is his life and if that's what he wants to do then who am I to stop/judge him.

[ketchup]

This wasn't overheard it was said to me, and it was totally bizarre.

CW: I'm going to see [insert movie name] tonight!
Me: Oh cool, have fun! What's it about?
CW: You haven't heard of [insert movie name]??!?!?
Me: No, I don't really go to the movies that often. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Hunger Games.
CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.
Me: (stunned) Wow, you feel bad for me?
CW: Yeah. That's ridiculous.

I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

Wow.  As if movie theaters are the only place to watch movies...  I'll hit the movies maybe 0-2 times a year these days (I think Rogue One was the last), but we'll watch plenty in the comfort of our own home.

[MindfulMoney]

This wasn't overheard it was said to me, and it was totally bizarre.

CW: I'm going to see [insert movie name] tonight!
Me: Oh cool, have fun! What's it about?
CW: You haven't heard of [insert movie name]??!?!?
Me: No, I don't really go to the movies that often. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Hunger Games.
CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.
Me: (stunned) Wow, you feel bad for me?
CW: Yeah. That's ridiculous.

I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

That's sooooo weird that they find this small fact "embarrassing" for you. Judgmental much? I mean a lot of people, even non mustachians don't go to the movie all the time. It's expensive for even big spenders.

We only go when it's a movie we have been looking forward to and specifically an action that will enhanced the experience by being in a big theater.

Still I'm stunned they had such a reaction. In fact you could reverse the conversation and that's me talking about how weird it is they are so opinionated and condescending about your movie attendance! Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dollar Slice]

Haha - Not knowing what movies are out is actually a badge of honor.  It means you don't subject yourself to ridiculous ads that tell you what to buy, watch, eat, drink and think.

For a while I was having issues with moving images (movies, TV, video games etc.) triggering migraines, so I pretty much just quit all movies and TV some years ago and never looked back. I can't even tell you how many conversations I've sat through that go something like...

Person: Have you seen [movie/TV show]?
Me: No.
Person: Oh. How about [movie/TV show]?
Me: No. I don't really watch movies or TV.
Person: OK, but I bet you've seen [movie/TV show]!
Me: No, honestly, I don't even own a TV and I haven't been to the movies in years. 
Person: But you can watch online right? Netflix and Hulu and stuff?
Me: Just assume any question starting with "have you seen" is going to be answered with "no," and let's move on.

[MgoSam]

Agreed Bender. I only see ads when watching live sports and it feels very odd now.

[FIREfly34]

Person: Have you seen [movie/TV show]?
Me: No.
Person: Oh. How about [movie/TV show]?
Me: No. I don't really watch movies or TV.
Person: OK, but I bet you've seen [movie/TV show]!
Me: No, honestly, I don't even own a TV and I haven't been to the movies in years. 
Person: But you can watch online right? Netflix and Hulu and stuff?
Me: Just assume any question starting with "have you seen" is going to be answered with "no," and let's move on.

Ugh, I was just going to post something like this in MPP. It's so effing annoying

[theadvicist]

Even worse is when you say you don't watch such-and-such show, and they go on to describe it to you in detail! Like, I didn't care enough to watch the original, made by professionals. I definitely don't want to listen to you badly rehash it.

[LennStar]

Even worse is when you say you don't watch such-and-such show, and they go on to describe it to you in detail! Like, I didn't care enough to watch the original, made by professionals. I definitely don't want to listen to you badly rehash it.

I do not know (or have heard of) a single missionary that was stopped by this in his Holy Duty.

[Kashmani]

That's kinda what these threads are for. If you bought it with cash, kudos to you! That's great. If you had to get a loan and didn't have the cash outright, then sorry but you simply got more car than you could afford. Sure it turned out fine for you and most other people, but there are also thousands who have screwed themselves because they bought a depreciating asset on credit then lost their jobs or couldn't afford the payments.

Also, pretty much every engineer I am referring to here already had a car. Some of them have three cars and keep all of them. One guy has FIVE running cars.

I thought this was all a given considering the forum we are on...

I think pets are stupid.  They are a depreciating asset and do nothing but lengthen your time to retirement.  Let's mock everyone who owns a pet!  Especially folks that have more than one!

Australia's peak body of super funds ran numbers on this recently.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/retirement/2017/07/05/dog-cat-costs/

Apparently a fish is the most mustachian pet.

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

[Raenia]

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

Oh yes, you certainly can buy a cat.  To keep things on topic:

One of my coworkers is a big cat person.  She already had two adult cats (both rescues, I believe), but she really wanted a kitten of a particular breed.  She found a local breeder with a good reputation, and bought a kitten for ~$200 (I think, I'm a little hazy on the details).  After a few months of back-and-forthing with the breeder, she finally gets the kitten home, and it proceeds to have massive health issues and eventually dies of some kind of genetic disorder.  Breeder says oh-so-sorry to have that happen, of course you can have a new kitten from my next litter to compensate.  CW says yes, BUT the new litter isn't even born yet and they won't be ready to come home until at least November-ish... so in the meantime, CW goes to the shelter and adopts ANOTHER kitten to "tide her over" until the purebred is ready.  She went from two cats to four, plus tons of vet bills for the sick one.

[ducky19]

That's kinda what these threads are for. If you bought it with cash, kudos to you! That's great. If you had to get a loan and didn't have the cash outright, then sorry but you simply got more car than you could afford. Sure it turned out fine for you and most other people, but there are also thousands who have screwed themselves because they bought a depreciating asset on credit then lost their jobs or couldn't afford the payments.

Also, pretty much every engineer I am referring to here already had a car. Some of them have three cars and keep all of them. One guy has FIVE running cars.

I thought this was all a given considering the forum we are on...

I think pets are stupid.  They are a depreciating asset and do nothing but lengthen your time to retirement.  Let's mock everyone who owns a pet!  Especially folks that have more than one!

Australia's peak body of super funds ran numbers on this recently.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/retirement/2017/07/05/dog-cat-costs/

Apparently a fish is the most mustachian pet.

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

I just found a kitten at work hiding under a freight container yesterday. My wife had implemented a "no more pets" policy (we have one dog and one cat), but we're experiencing a heat wave and I knew she wouldn't make it through the next couple of days without intervention (no food or water in sight, 92+ degrees). I called the wife and she reluctantly understood that leaving her there was a death sentence, so long story short we are back up to two cats, one dog. Incidentally, it was our anniversary so my wife named her "Annie" - also fitting since she was a little orphan. Every one of our pets has either been a stray or a rescue, I swear they love and appreciate you in a way store bought pets never could. Sorry for pulling us back off topic, but I found her at work, so that... kinda counts...?

[jordanread]

I found her at work, so that... kinda counts...?

Overheard at Work: "Meow"

[paddedhat]

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .
I didn't even know one could buys cats...

My uncle got tossed out of a vet's office once, due to expressing this philosophy. He and my aunt took their rescue cat in, to deal with an obstructed bowel. The cat was rescued from a farmer that was going to kill it. It enjoyed a long easy life. The vet started the estimate at $400, but warned it might higher. Uncle tells the vet to put it to sleep, since there are plenty more free ones where that one came from. His idea was not well received. My aunt stayed behind to calm the vet down and negotiate a solution.

[Mr. Green]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

They're frequently stolen, though, and they aren't known for being kind to furniture or easy to housebreak.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

[golden1]

I bought cats, Maine Coons from a breeder.  Not my most mustachian moment, I’ll grant you, but my husband really wanted that particular breed.  I did manage to get them at a reasonable price from a hobby breeder.  She did a fantastic job - these kittens are incredibly well socialized.  Actually the cost of buying them was about half the cost of the spay/neuter and vaccinations in total.  And I went to the “reasonable” vet in my town. 

My new workplace has provided lots of entertainment.  One of the techs I work with, super nice kid and hard working, has a bad sneaker and clothes habit.  He works two jobs back to back, this one and another part time job to pay for it plus support his kids (he has 4).  He was talking about how he wanted a hoodie that cost $900.  And to think I felt bad about buying a pullover that cost $20 the other day....  He also has a closet full of sneakers, probably hundreds. 

[ducky19]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

[JordanOfGilead]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

Two words: Eurasian Lynx

[RWD]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

$119, nice and cheap! We spent about that much per month of ownership of one of our cats. About $11.5k over eight years. The vast majority (~$10k) was from diagnosis and cancer treatment over the last year and a half of his life.

[ducky19]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

$119, nice and cheap! We spent about that much per month of ownership of one of our cats. About $11.5k over eight years. The vast majority (~$10k) was from diagnosis and cancer treatment over the last year and a half of his life.

To be fair, the vet didn't want to vaccinate yet as she thought the cat was fighting a respiratory infection (cold) and didn't want to crash her immune system. She did a blood test to make sure she was safe to be around the other pets, cleaned the bulk of the ear mites out of her ears, and gave us a topical treatment for fleas/ear mites for both cats. Will go back in a month for shots, and will probably have her spade a month or so after that - so the bills will keep coming!

[DarkandStormy]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

[cheapass]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

"It's time to upgrade"... meanwhile, Apple's marketing department is jumping around high-fiving each other. "We got another one, hahaha!"

[marielle]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

[ketchup]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

I have a 7 and this is seriously the dumbest thing about it. >_>

[cheapass]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

[ketchup]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

[Proud Foot]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

Don't forget the front flash so she can take selfies in low light!

[MustachiansWitness]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

Yep, and the problem with the adapter is you can't charge and play music at the same time. I frequently connect my iphone to my speakers at home via auxiliary cord, and like to charge it at the same time. I'd be doubtful that the 7 made any strides in the battery life department, either.

[ketchup]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

Yep, and the problem with the adapter is you can't charge and play music at the same time. I frequently connect my iphone to my speakers at home via auxiliary cord, and like to charge it at the same time. I'd be doubtful that the 7 made any strides in the battery life department, either.

I do the same thing in the car on long roadtrips, and it's pretty frustrating.  I've overall found battery life to be excellent, but my metric is my previous phone, which had hilariously bad battery life (half dead by 3pm with zero usage).  My iPhone 7 will last two days on a charge with reasonable use, and at minimum one day of heavy use.

[infogoon]

If you'd like to do away with the AUX cord in the car, Bluetooth adapters are super-cheap these days. Here's one that I use, it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NGYVRMW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My favorite part is that it has a slide power switch, so I can just leave it switched on. Some other models require a button to turn on.

[ketchup]

If you'd like to do away with the AUX cord in the car, Bluetooth adapters are super-cheap these days. Here's one that I use, it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NGYVRMW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My favorite part is that it has a slide power switch, so I can just leave it switched on. Some other models require a button to turn on.

Thanks.  I might get something like that, but I'm already piping my phone's audio through a cassette adapter in my car, so I'm a bit reluctant to add extra points of failure. :)