Overheard at Work

[dragoncar]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

[Jouer]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

I've never heard of gap insurance (Canada). I do know some people who have written off their car and got less from insurance than they owed on their loan.

[dragoncar]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

I've never heard of gap insurance (Canada). I do know some people who have written off their car and got less from insurance than they owed on their loan.

It’s basically a rider that pays at least your loan balance.  The only time I ever bought a new car it was only like a $100 one-time fee

[Dave1442397]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

Wow, that's just nuts. As for buying furniture from World Market, if it's all like the stuff at their Reno store, I wouldn't touch it. I like World Market because they always have a good variety of foreign chocolate & candy, which I like to sample. The furniture, what I saw of it, seemed like cheap crap.

[dragoncar]

Best day of my life was when the local world market moved to a new location and liquidated their old location. Got a ton of cheap wine and beer, and my parents bought the wine display racks for super cheap.

Also I have a west elm couch RIP me Amirite?

[Hedge_87]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

Wow, that's just nuts. As for buying furniture from World Market, if it's all like the stuff at their Reno store, I wouldn't touch it. I like World Market because they always have a good variety of foreign chocolate & candy, which I like to sample. The furniture, what I saw of it, seemed like cheap crap.

My wifes step-dad (Is step father-in-law a title?) bragged about how he did this years ago. When my mother-in-law and him got married of course they opted for a destination wedding. I was umm.... very reluctant to go. We had just bought a house of our own on home and where putting most of our extra money into renovating our country house with good bones but needing TLC. The first winter we where there we had snow blow in under one of the doors because the guy before did not install it properly. He was kinda pissy that I prioritized that over going on a fancy pants beach vacation. Then he said, "Well you could just take out a personal loan to go on the trip". I don't think so buddy.

[frugalfoothills]

Best day of my life was when the local world market moved to a new location and liquidated their old location. Got a ton of cheap wine and beer, and my parents bought the wine display racks for super cheap.

Also I have a west elm couch RIP me Amirite?

All joking aside, have you been happy with your West Elm couch? I am going to have to replace a sectional pretty soon and feel like I've looked at a million options. There's a West Elm outlet nearby and was thinking I might be able to snag one at a reduced outlet price, but I've read some not awesome reviews about them.

Sidenote....... couch shopping is the literal worst.

[honeybbq]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

[honeybbq]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

[Davnasty]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

[RetiredAt63]

Reading the above Escalade story reminded me of something similar at work.  A co-worker had to go to one of the company vehicles to get some paperwork.  It is parked in the back lot, about 100 yards from the office.  She got in her car and drove to the company car instead of walking.  She did it twice.  No words.

Does she have knee/hip problems? Before my physiotherapy I would have been in agony by the time I reached the company car, let alone walking back again.

[Hula Hoop]

An American colleague who is in his early 60s and plans to work "forever."  We were chatting around the coffee machine at work and he told me that he had hoped to send his three kids to college here in Europe where a quality education is a lot cheaper.  His three kids grew up in Italy but at least 2 of them went to expensive American private school for high school.  All three are perfectly bilingual.

Anyway, a few years ago the oldest kid went with her (also American) mother to her home state where they toured the mother's very expensive private alma mater.  The oldest kid was "in love" with this private college and decided to go there instead of the free or incredibly cheap colleges here in Italy or elsewhere in Europe.  So he and his wife forked out the crazy private US college tuition.  The kid has now graduated from this US college and moved back to Europe where she does a job which she could more easily have gotten with European credentials (she had to go through a long process to convert her US degree to a local European one).

So kid #2 obviously had to go to private college in the US too and he is currently over there studying.  Taking out loans and being supported by my colleague and his wife.  And kid #3 is just finishing high school and plans to go the same path.

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education. 

[RetiredAt63]

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education.

It's called language immersion.  Live your life in a new language, you will acquire that language.  Plus the culture - hope your kid enjoys the camp.

[Hula Hoop]

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education.

It's called language immersion.  Live your life in a new language, you will acquire that language.  Plus the culture - hope your kid enjoys the camp.

Yeah, I know.  My point was that both me and my colleague are native speakers of English raising kids in Italy.  My kids and his kids were all born here.  They are all bilingual as we speak mainly English at home and they function in the outside world in Italian.  However, he chose to spend $$$$$ on private American school, English language summer camps (which cost an arm and a leg here) and above all private college in the US  to try to make his kids bilingual.  We are doing none of that yet our kids are still bilingual due to the way they're being raised. 

[Raymond Reddington]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

And to think, they could have gone with a very new and very unMustachian Chevy Tahoe or Suburban for 50K and gotten basically the same car, just without the stupid trim and the Caddy/Escalade branding!

[RWD]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

And to think, they could have gone with a very new and very unMustachian Chevy Tahoe or Suburban for 50K and gotten basically the same car, just without the stupid trim and the Caddy/Escalade branding!

Pretty sure the only reason they chose the Escalade was due to the branding and nothing to do with the basic capabilities of the vehicle. There's a good chance the Escalade in question was purchased used, as they've been around since 1999. There are a couple hundred or so for sale on Autotrader for less than $10k. Still a terrible choice for a vehicle due to fuel economy and such.

[Just Joe]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

Reconstructed wreck with high mileage and 84 month loan perhaps.

[LennStar]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

Gosh!

Looked it up too. This one, right?
https://www.onepeloton.com/bike

I like the "Get the bike for NO MONEY DOWN with Peloton financing."

Thought it was just the US brand for what I have gotten used (and cat haired) for 20€ instead of the 200-300€ new.
It is great for winter (cold and sometimes dangerous), summer (allergy and easily sunburned) and the spontanious 10-minute ride whenever I want (good for my knee).
So I do get some use out of it.

But no, this isn't a fucking bike, this is an entertainment suite with the excuse of moving your legs instead of sitting still! For ten times the price of my model in new!

A-MA-ZING!

[Raymond Reddington]

Sidenote....... couch shopping is the literal worst.

This. It took us months to settle on a couch. Then when we did (Wayfair), it was on back order for 4 months and we finally got it. We are happy with it, but it was a giant pain in the ass. And there are so many horrible couches out there. So many places with leather (high maintenance and looks bad when it gets old), these ridiculous entertainment unit type couches with cupholders and everything else (I like to hold my wife on the couch, not reach over an immobilized wheelchair with food try and four cupholders just to hold her hand), and the "bargain" couches are all chintzy, too small, or made of uncomfortable material.

And on that note, never, ever, go to Bob's Discount Furniture. That store is terrifying. All the worst couches, being hounded by 10 different salesmen the second you walk in the door, unsupervised little kids running around, and random gorilla statues as decorations. I will never go there again.

I hope this couch lasts forever.

[Roadrunner53]

Bob's is the worst with the sales people stalking you. You can tell them you are just looking and they will follow you around and lurk. As soon as you even look interested in something they spring out of their hiding spot and start babbling about the furniture. Horrible, horrible! Never go there!

[Gin1984]

I finally have one to post and funny enough two happened within a week of each other.
First, I mentioned to someone that I saw when I started that we were capped at 30% of income to our 401k and two people responded with, well who can save 30% unless their spouse is independently wealthy.  I'm over here going, me.... And that is how you get wealthy.  Sigh.

Then, another person was asking another coworker about our tuition reimbursement and so I mentioned the could use their 529 to lower their taxes and was told, "I have enough tax deductions".  I just ok, and walked away.

[runbikerun]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

Gosh!

Looked it up too. This one, right?
https://www.onepeloton.com/bike

I like the "Get the bike for NO MONEY DOWN with Peloton financing."

Thought it was just the US brand for what I have gotten used (and cat haired) for 20€ instead of the 200-300€ new.
It is great for winter (cold and sometimes dangerous), summer (allergy and easily sunburned) and the spontanious 10-minute ride whenever I want (good for my knee).
So I do get some use out of it.

But no, this isn't a fucking bike, this is an entertainment suite with the excuse of moving your legs instead of sitting still! For ten times the price of my model in new!

A-MA-ZING!

This is surreal. Actual professional cyclists use direct drive turbo trainers with inbuilt power meters, which start at around five hundred dollars. A fair number of them use Zwift, which is fifteen dollars a month. Even if you're completely satisfied that indoor riding for fitness, hooked up to a screen, is a legitimate thing to spend money on, you can get a better setup for well below half the price.

[Primm]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

Gosh!

Looked it up too. This one, right?
https://www.onepeloton.com/bike

I like the "Get the bike for NO MONEY DOWN with Peloton financing."

Thought it was just the US brand for what I have gotten used (and cat haired) for 20€ instead of the 200-300€ new.
It is great for winter (cold and sometimes dangerous), summer (allergy and easily sunburned) and the spontanious 10-minute ride whenever I want (good for my knee).
So I do get some use out of it.

But no, this isn't a fucking bike, this is an entertainment suite with the excuse of moving your legs instead of sitting still! For ten times the price of my model in new!

A-MA-ZING!

This is surreal. Actual professional cyclists use direct drive turbo trainers with inbuilt power meters, which start at around five hundred dollars. A fair number of them use Zwift, which is fifteen dollars a month. Even if you're completely satisfied that indoor riding for fitness, hooked up to a screen, is a legitimate thing to spend money on, you can get a better setup for well below half the price.

Enter Matthew Hayman, Paris-Roubaix, 2016. Broke his arm 6 weeks before the race, trained on Zwift and a turbo trainer, went on to win the race.

So not only do actual professional cyclists do it, they do it with some success.

[runbikerun]

That was a cracking race to watch, especially with the bonus of seeing the win go to such a diligent domestique. I didn't mean to imply that I'm unconvinced of the merits of indoor training - God knows I spend enough time on the turbo in the winter!

The more I think about this, the more ridiculous the product is. Not only is it two to three times the price of the setup Hayman used to successfully train for the biggest one-day race on earth, it's about ten times the price of a basic DIY setup. Get a cheap turbo for a hundred or so, get a cheap training wheel for about the same if you're expecting to do a lot of time on it, and stick your laptop in front of the bike. Go to YouTube, type in "train with GCN", and get to work...

[SynestheticSymphony]

One of the tech support guys (FlakeyGuy) who sits beside me is absolutely terrible with money. Both he and his wife work full-time, yet they are absolutely buried in debt due to their excessive spending.

Of course, in addition to eating out for every meal, he also makes daily trips to the gas station across the street for their overpriced, single-pack snacks and soda. Also, being in a position with lots of downtime, his team has a tendency to bring in games and things to occupy their time. Naturally, if someone brings in something new, he always ends up buying one too.

Two of his notable conversations come to mind:


FlakeyGuy: "So, I've started part-time at McDonald's in the mornings before I come to work here. I want to add the extra income to get ahead."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "I got another tattoo on my chest! It only cost $350!"


FlakeyGuy: texts OtherCoworker "Hey, OtherCoworker, would you be able to loan me $1,700? Our ferret got slammed in the door. It needs surgery if it's going to have a chance to live, and we don't have the money right now."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "My daughter was in town last week. I went out and bought her the newest Playstation and a bunch of games because her mother is always buying her stuff and I want to do it too."

[SynestheticSymphony]

One of the tech support guys (FlakeyGuy) who sits beside me is absolutely terrible with money. Both he and his wife work full-time, yet they are absolutely buried in debt due to their excessive spending.

Of course, in addition to eating out for every meal, he also makes daily trips to the gas station across the street for their overpriced, single-pack snacks and soda. Also, being in a position with lots of downtime, his team has a tendency to bring in games and things to occupy their time. Naturally, if someone brings in something new, he always ends up buying one too.

Two of his notable conversations come to mind:


FlakeyGuy: "So, I've started part-time at McDonald's in the mornings before I come to work here. I want to add the extra income to get ahead."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "I got another tattoo on my chest! It only cost $350!"


FlakeyGuy: texts OtherCoworker "Hey, OtherCoworker, would you be able to loan me $1,700? Our ferret got slammed in the door. It needs surgery if it's going to have a chance to live, and we don't have the money right now."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "My daughter was in town last week. I went out and bought her the newest Playstation and a bunch of games because her mother is always buying her stuff and I want to do it too."

This can't be real. No way, no how.

Believe it. This guy is among the most irresponsible, impulsive people I know. His lack of self-awareness is disturbing beyond belief.

EDIT: To give credit where it is due, he is also very kind and charming and willing to share anything with anyone. He just completely lacks financial sense and any sort of work ethic.

[MgoSam]

One of the tech support guys (FlakeyGuy) who sits beside me is absolutely terrible with money. Both he and his wife work full-time, yet they are absolutely buried in debt due to their excessive spending.

Of course, in addition to eating out for every meal, he also makes daily trips to the gas station across the street for their overpriced, single-pack snacks and soda. Also, being in a position with lots of downtime, his team has a tendency to bring in games and things to occupy their time. Naturally, if someone brings in something new, he always ends up buying one too.

Two of his notable conversations come to mind:


FlakeyGuy: "So, I've started part-time at McDonald's in the mornings before I come to work here. I want to add the extra income to get ahead."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "I got another tattoo on my chest! It only cost $350!"


FlakeyGuy: texts OtherCoworker "Hey, OtherCoworker, would you be able to loan me $1,700? Our ferret got slammed in the door. It needs surgery if it's going to have a chance to live, and we don't have the money right now."

one day later...

FlakeyGuy: "My daughter was in town last week. I went out and bought her the newest Playstation and a bunch of games because her mother is always buying her stuff and I want to do it too."

This can't be real. No way, no how.

Believe it. This guy is among the most irresponsible, impulsive people I know. His lack of self-awareness is disturbing beyond belief.

EDIT: To give credit where it is due, he is also very kind and charming and willing to share anything with anyone. He just completely lacks financial sense and any sort of work ethic.

Yeah I've known people like him. Totally means well but completely irresponsible. I know a few guys that if they see anyone looking at anything new or fancy they have to have it, even if they don't like it or need it or can even afford it. And then they wonder why they're broke.

[frugalfoothills]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

Adding to my original list:

• This weekend he bought a Dyson vacuum. Was very excited because he got it on Super Deal from a 3rd party. It arrived with no handle so they are refunding him $100 to purchase one, but Dyson won't sell him just a handle as a replacement part
• He told me this morning they're looking at putting their home on the market next year. Says they're planning on selling it fully furnished. Says they "just really want to start fresh at a new place." Should be noted: this is a house in a basic subdivision, outside the limits of the major city we are near, in the $180k-$200k range. Not exactly the market for clientele looking to buy fully furnished homes...

As for the Peloton........ it is ordered and on it's way!

[fattest_foot]

All joking aside, have you been happy with your West Elm couch? I am going to have to replace a sectional pretty soon and feel like I've looked at a million options. There's a West Elm outlet nearby and was thinking I might be able to snag one at a reduced outlet price, but I've read some not awesome reviews about them.

Sidenote....... couch shopping is the literal worst.

Disagree. Bed shopping is so much worse.

[tyrannostache]

Oh man, the "good-hearted but bad with money" theme is cropping up hard in my life right now. One of my best friends in town has a shopping habit. He's always in the process of buying/selling something new-to-him (camping trailer, boat, scooter, motorcycle, truck, etc..). While he does a ton of thrift store shopping and buys most things used, the volume is crazy. This same guy will randomly show up at our house things like a little kids' bike, saying "Hey, this is too small for my kids, but I saw it at the thrift shop and thought Tyrannospawn1 could use it!"

This weekend, he told DH that he doesn't trust the stock market, so 100% of his retirement savings (less than $50K) is sitting in bonds. For the rest, he's banking on Social Security.

[SynestheticSymphony]

Oh man, the "good-hearted but bad with money" theme is cropping up hard in my life right now. One of my best friends in town has a shopping habit. He's always in the process of buying/selling something new-to-him (camping trailer, boat, scooter, motorcycle, truck, etc..). While he does a ton of thrift store shopping and buys most things used, the volume is crazy. This same guy will randomly show up at our house things like a little kids' bike, saying "Hey, this is too small for my kids, but I saw it at the thrift shop and thought Tyrannospawn1 could use it!"

This weekend, he told DH that he doesn't trust the stock market, so 100% of his retirement savings (less than $50K) is sitting in bonds. For the rest, he's banking on Social Security.

It's a little bit heartbreaking... Such people are so very kind, but the sharing is only to their detriment due to their other spending habits. :(

[Hirondelle]

Not direct co-workers of mine, but a group of people I semi-regularly hang out with who all work at the same hospital:

Part 1 -
CW1: I can't save at the moment. My rent is already over half my salary!
CW2: Then why do you live in such an expensive place?!
CW1: Well, I have cats that I want to give sufficient space (fair enough) plus it's harder to find a rental with a cat.
CW2: But you have a whole house, couldn't you take a flatmate for the 2nd bedroom?
CW1: I've had a bad experience with a flatmate before so I prefer living alone.

Part 2 -
Me: But still, after your rent there's $800 left, where does that go?
CW1: Well, taking care of the cats. And I spend a lot on food too.
Me: Like, how much? Just trying to help you here as it sounds like you're stressed about money..
CW1: Like $50/week?
Me: That's double my spend..
CW1: But I eat vegetarian! It's more expensive
Me: So do I..

It kept on going like this.. all of that while consuming fancy $5 special beers in a bar. Note: our salaries are low so saving $50/month on groceries would already be a huge deal for her. I genuinely wanted to help her as she sounded stressed about money, but she kept coming up with excuses on why she couldn't go to a cheaper gym, eat cheaper food, get a cheaper house or whatever expense I mentioned.

[wkumtrider]

Reading the above Escalade story reminded me of something similar at work.  A co-worker had to go to one of the company vehicles to get some paperwork.  It is parked in the back lot, about 100 yards from the office.  She got in her car and drove to the company car instead of walking.  She did it twice.  No words.

Does she have knee/hip problems? Before my physiotherapy I would have been in agony by the time I reached the company car, let alone walking back again.

No she is a perfectly healthy and young (early 30s).  She has no problem walking, she just doesn't like to.

[sleepyguy]

A pretty cool coworker of mine, very nice guy.  Complains a lot though about work, how he won't ever retire until 70 (I tell him I will retire before 50).

Pretty funny conversation awhile back...

cw: so we went to a outdoor convention this weekend.
me: cool, we like to go to those, i usually pick up stuff for my canoe or extra fishing gear.
cw: yeah we bought a camp trailer... great deal.
me: oh yeah, those are cool, the attache to the back of your car, can haul more stuff, instead of filling up your trunk.
cw: oh no, this is a full mobile home style, washroom, beds, etc
me: <silent>
cw: yeah it was a good deal.
me: if you don't mind, what did it cost you?
cw: 35k
me <silent>
cw: but sucks... if found out my truck can't handle it.
me <silent>
cw: i just bought a new truck, cost me 50k
me <silent>
me: so i guess retirement age moved back to 75 then, <haha>
cw: probably 80

haha, he's cool with me taking pokes at him, but his finances/budgetting are atrocious.

[Roadrunner53]

Is there such a thing as renting these trucks and campers rather than buying them?

[SynestheticSymphony]

A pretty cool coworker of mine, very nice guy.  Complains a lot though about work, how he won't ever retire until 70 (I tell him I will retire before 50).

Pretty funny conversation awhile back...

cw: so we went to a outdoor convention this weekend.
me: cool, we like to go to those, i usually pick up stuff for my canoe or extra fishing gear.
cw: yeah we bought a camp trailer... great deal.
me: oh yeah, those are cool, the attache to the back of your car, can haul more stuff, instead of filling up your trunk.
cw: oh no, this is a full mobile home style, washroom, beds, etc
me: <silent>
cw: yeah it was a good deal.
me: if you don't mind, what did it cost you?
cw: 35k
me <silent>
cw: but sucks... if found out my truck can't handle it.
me <silent>
cw: i just bought a new truck, cost me 50k
me <silent>
me: so i guess retirement age moved back to 75 then, <haha>
cw: probably 80

haha, he's cool with me taking pokes at him, but his finances/budgetting are atrocious.

Ouch, this makes my brain hurt. How can people be so casually impulsive with such a dramatic amount of money?

[boyerbt]

Is there such a thing as renting these trucks and campers rather than buying them?

Yes there is, it is similar to AirBNB and the like. www.RVshare.com

[RetiredAt63]

Reading the above Escalade story reminded me of something similar at work.  A co-worker had to go to one of the company vehicles to get some paperwork.  It is parked in the back lot, about 100 yards from the office.  She got in her car and drove to the company car instead of walking.  She did it twice.  No words.

Does she have knee/hip problems? Before my physiotherapy I would have been in agony by the time I reached the company car, let alone walking back again.

No she is a perfectly healthy and young (early 30s).  She has no problem walking, she just doesn't like to.

In this heat and humidity walking is not fun but for that distance it is certainly doable.  So  she does belong on this thread.  Silly girl, not appreciating what her body is capable of.

[Just Joe]

In this heat... HAHAHA... Canadian heat? Come south of the Mason Dixon line for a visit in July/August.

Actually its been really nice this week at times. Just jerking your chain.

[RetiredAt63]

In this heat... HAHAHA... Canadian heat? Come south of the Mason Dixon line for a visit in July/August.

Actually its been really nice this week at times. Just jerking your chain.

Right, eh?  When it is super hot and humid we like to say "If we wanted Florida weather we would move to Florida".   And the old standard, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity". Which is equally true in winter, it feels so much colder when it is damp.  ;-)

Of course as we enjoy (mostly) the heat, we know the true reality - winter is coming.

[Hedge_87]

In this heat... HAHAHA... Canadian heat? Come south of the Mason Dixon line for a visit in July/August.

Actually its been really nice this week at times. Just jerking your chain.

Right, eh?  When it is super hot and humid we like to say "If we wanted Florida weather we would move to Florida".   And the old standard, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity". Which is equally true in winter, it feels so much colder when it is damp.  ;-)

Of course as we enjoy (mostly) the heat, we know the true reality - winter is coming.

Like the game of thrones reference. :)

[UnleashHell]

Of course as we enjoy (mostly) the heat, we know the true reality - winter is coming.

oh crap.
Snowbirds!!!!

[Jouer]

In this heat... HAHAHA... Canadian heat? Come south of the Mason Dixon line for a visit in July/August.

Actually its been really nice this week at times. Just jerking your chain.

Right, eh?  When it is super hot and humid we like to say "If we wanted Florida weather we would move to Florida".   And the old standard, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity". Which is equally true in winter, it feels so much colder when it is damp.  ;-)

Of course as we enjoy (mostly) the heat, we know the true reality - winter is coming.

Yep, on Canada Day it was 35 but 48 with the humidity (95, 118 for our American friends). I love heat but I just about melted that day. Keep in mind, in winter is it routinely -25 to -30 (-13, -22). Don't ask why I live here....I surely do not know.

[ms]

Yep, on Canada Day it was 35 but 48 with the humidity (95, 118 for our American friends). I love heat but I just about melted that day. Keep in mind, in winter is it routinely -25 to -30 (-13, -22). Don't ask why I live here....I surely do not know.

+1 Why I live where the air hurts my face

[ysette9]

Overheard just now between two older white gentlemen at the water cooler:
“I don’t appreciate all of this diversity crap in the ethics training”.

The rest of the workforce: “Sigh”.

[DS]

Overheard just now between two older white gentlemen at the water cooler:
“I don’t appreciate all of this diversity crap in the ethics training”.

The rest of the workforce: “Sigh”.

Have they been saying that since 1990? Seems like they're a little behind. I feel like diversity isn't even in the trainings anymore because it's just expected.

[kina]

Not direct co-workers of mine, but a group of people I semi-regularly hang out with who all work at the same hospital:

Part 1 -
CW1: I can't save at the moment. My rent is already over half my salary!
CW2: Then why do you live in such an expensive place?!
CW1: Well, I have cats that I want to give sufficient space (fair enough) plus it's harder to find a rental with a cat.
CW2: But you have a whole house, couldn't you take a flatmate for the 2nd bedroom?
CW1: I've had a bad experience with a flatmate before so I prefer living alone.

Part 2 -
Me: But still, after your rent there's $800 left, where does that go?
CW1: Well, taking care of the cats. And I spend a lot on food too.
Me: Like, how much? Just trying to help you here as it sounds like you're stressed about money..
CW1: Like $50/week?
Me: That's double my spend..
CW1: But I eat vegetarian! It's more expensive
Me: So do I..

It kept on going like this.. all of that while consuming fancy $5 special beers in a bar. Note: our salaries are low so saving $50/month on groceries would already be a huge deal for her. I genuinely wanted to help her as she sounded stressed about money, but she kept coming up with excuses on why she couldn't go to a cheaper gym, eat cheaper food, get a cheaper house or whatever expense I mentioned.

She plays a good game of YesBut!

[merula]

Overheard just now between two older white gentlemen at the water cooler:
“I don’t appreciate all of this diversity crap in the ethics training”.

The rest of the workforce: “Sigh”.

Have they been saying that since 1990? Seems like they're a little behind. I feel like diversity isn't even in the trainings anymore because it's just expected.

At companies that do more than lip service? Absolutely.

At companies that only do ethics and diversity training so they can point to something when they're inevitably sued? Yeah, not so much.

"I don't see color" is still considered a reasonable approach to diversity in my company.

[plainjane]

Tidying up the office for an upcoming client visit, my boss picks up a framed copy of the iconic Obama poster and says, "we should probably remove this".
I replied, "Yes, it's depressing."
My boss sighed, I believe in agreement.
The office admin (aged 30) says, "Who is it?"

*sigh*

[draculawyer]

I recently found out that everyone I work with still has law school debt.  They’ve all been lawyers for 10-15 years, drive nice cars, take exotic three-week vacations every year. One woman I work with said “oh, yeah, the interest rate is really low so I’m not worried about it. I have like $400,000 in debt and that’s only a little bit of it, so.”