Not overheard at work, but sad story overheard at Car Repair Shop.
Background... I went in for a small issue with my wife's Prius. Woman next to to me, about 30, had small child sleeping on her. I asked if she wanted water or anything, since she was obviously there a while and couldn't move. She said she was getting a couple brakes replaced.
Things get bad for her... Mechanic comes over (runs the shop, super honest and knowledgeable guy) to her with a very worried look on her face and gives her a list of about 10 things that absolutely must be replaced, because it's super dangerous to drive otherwise. Says $1500 to fix the ABSOLUTE must do's.
Her: But I JUST had so-and-so fix almost all those things for me, I spent $500 on the fixes.
Him: Let's take a look at the car, I want to show you the things that you said were replaced. None of them are replaced...they go into the shop together.
A bit later, they come out and she's super bummed, obviously does not have $1500 to her name.
Then she says to me, "man, and I just bought the car because when I went to a dealership, I thought to myself, yeah, I can afford those monthly payments".
The whole situation made me feel bad. She seemed like a good person who cared a ton for her child, probably works very hard. Just has no money sense. Saving would probably be difficult for her anyway, as her income probably isn't anything near the norm on these boards, but it's so much harder when you don't know how money works in the first place.
She had no idea how to buy a car. She had no idea she was getting ripped off from her previous "mechanic". The best I could do was empathize with her and confirm to her that this mechanic is an honest, fair person, and that I'd trust him. And to wish her the very best.
I bet each day brings on stress-inducing money based decisions that are complete afterthoughts for me. It made me appreciate how lucky I am that something like going to a mechanic is in no way a stressful endeavor.