Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253015 times)

Nudelkopf

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #750 on: September 20, 2013, 06:58:30 PM »
There was a meeting after work on our superannuation fund (like, Australia's retirement savings accounts). Asked my supervisor if he was going. And he said he was happy that he had enough money for "booze and smokes", so he was happy and didn't care about the future. What??

mariarose

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #751 on: September 20, 2013, 10:38:19 PM »
I have an Overheard at Work!  Just tonight as I was stocking perishables, 2 women (one of whom I knew) with 2 small children parked their shopping carts close to me. The woman I did not know was on her cell phone, making a complicated pizza order.  I greeted the woman I knew, and asked if there was anything I could help her with whilst glancing (out of sheer curiosity, I admit) into their shopping carts. 

Sure enough, they were both full of convenience foods. Breakfast foods, Ramen bowls, garlic bread, frozen pizzas, lasagna, Banquet Chickens, sandwiches, Tater Tots, precooked stuffed potatoes, precooked Mac and Cheese, already prepared meatloaf (cook 10 minutes in the microwave)  That sort of thing. 

As I went back to my stocking, I could not help but wonder...."Why not just go home and cook some of that junk food you are already buying?  Why add the expense of a complicated pizza order to pick up on the way home with 2 small cranky kids?"

Anyway, that was my story tonight.  Maybe they were having a get together?  But it sure seemed to me as though they were ordering pizza because convenience food they were already buying (like Crustables and Digiourno pizza) were too much bother tonight.

ender

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #752 on: September 21, 2013, 12:16:06 PM »
Snowblowers (and their shelters) are very antimustachian.  That is the point.

Hmmm, for many people they are perhaps one of the most mustachian purchase they COULD make in terms of cost/value.

If your driveway can be shoveled in 10 minutes? Sure. But if each time it snows it's 1+ hours to shovel (assuming it's not currently snowing, there were many a times when I was younger we would shovel WHILE it was snowing because it's a heck of a lot easier to do that than wait until 12+ inches fall), it falls pretty squarely into the "saves you lots of time per $" type of purchase.

Jamesqf

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #753 on: September 21, 2013, 12:21:18 PM »
You have never had a 150 ft driveway to shovel after a foot or more of snow (not counting the drifts that could get insane) O.o

Nope, but I did have a ~75 ft driveway to shovel when I was a kid, and often got more than a foot of snow.   

Quote
There are times when a snowblower is indeed the answer.

Not if you have a 150 ft driveway, though.  Then the answer is to buy an older Toyota 4WD pickup with a plow blade.  Won't cost that much more than a mid- to upper-end snowblower (the sort you'd need to do that 150 ft in reasonable time), and you can use it for all sorts of other chores as well.

Jessie

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #754 on: September 21, 2013, 07:34:00 PM »
One of my coworkers whom is 40+ (and still with student loans...) was talking about his samsung galaxy note and the otterbox case he bought for it, saying "you have to protect your investment". I understand buying a quality case if you're going to buy a more expensive phone (try as I might, some days I can be clumsy and a dropper), but your phone is not an investment.

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #755 on: September 21, 2013, 11:37:49 PM »
One of my coworkers whom is 40+ (and still with student loans...) was talking about his samsung galaxy note and the otterbox case he bought for it, saying "you have to protect your investment". I understand buying a quality case if you're going to buy a more expensive phone (try as I might, some days I can be clumsy and a dropper), but your phone is not an investment.

Damn. He's totally internalized the Otterbox marketing! They use that exact "protect your investment" line on their billboards.

AlmostIndependent

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #756 on: September 22, 2013, 10:04:17 AM »
One of my coworkers whom is 40+ (and still with student loans...) was talking about his samsung galaxy note and the otterbox case he bought for it, saying "you have to protect your investment". I understand buying a quality case if you're going to buy a more expensive phone (try as I might, some days I can be clumsy and a dropper), but your phone is not an investment.

I've been around coworkers who refer to ridiculous purchases as "investments." My personal favorite was someone who dropped a small fortune on an absurdly large TV and then referred to it as a "good investment."

I don't say anything anymore. It's not worth it.

pachnik

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #757 on: September 22, 2013, 11:51:55 AM »
I can't imagine referring to a television set as an investment.  We really do need personal finance courses in high school if this is the stuff people are coming out with. 

I agree with you and wouldn't say anything about it either. 

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #758 on: September 22, 2013, 12:15:05 PM »
I can't imagine referring to a television set as an investment.  We really do need personal finance courses in high school if this is the stuff people are coming out with. 

I agree with you and wouldn't say anything about it either.

I wouldn't refer to a tv as an investment.  But you could look at it as an asset that pays entertainment dividends.

pachnik

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #759 on: September 22, 2013, 12:31:13 PM »
I guess the word 'investment' is getting some pretty flexible use! 

In a way, my work clothes are an 'investment' because I can't wear jeans, casual stuff to work.  I need a proper work wardrobe.  But I also only have five or six outfits for the fall/winter season and maybe about the same number of outfits for the spring/summer season.  A lot of it comes from thrift stores or inexpensive stores.  Last fall, I did end up going to a more upscale store to buy 2 new outfits for fall/winter because the stuff I already had was very worn out and needed to be replaced.  I expect to wear these outfits until they wear out. 

But I have certainly worked with people (mainly women) who had huge wardrobes and as I shared up-thread, someone I worked with who was of retirement age said to me that the difference between the two of us was that I had money in the bank and that she had an extensive wardrobe.  I'll take the $ in the bank any day, by the way  :)

pachnik

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #760 on: September 22, 2013, 12:48:51 PM »
Hi Serpentstooth,

No, I never heard anything about having a small wardrobe except for the comment that I shared above. I work 5 days a week and wear something different everyday.  I work as an assistant in a law firm and most other assistants don't really have a lot of $ to spend on clothing.  So among my peers I probably look okay.   

I can't imagine an employer saying something to you about your wardrobe - seems kind of inappropriate and personal.   Maybe different work environments have different expectations about an employee's wardrobe?   

CALL 911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #761 on: September 22, 2013, 08:38:13 PM »
10 year old says: "I like reading too. I used to use my Kindle Fire a lot, but now I use the Kindle. My mom says if I take the Fire to school, it may get stolen. Also, I hope the iPhone 6 comes out soon, because then I think I can get my Dad's iPhone 5".

NumberCruncher

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #762 on: September 23, 2013, 06:33:37 AM »
10 year old says: "I like reading too. I used to use my Kindle Fire a lot, but now I use the Kindle. My mom says if I take the Fire to school, it may get stolen. Also, I hope the iPhone 6 comes out soon, because then I think I can get my Dad's iPhone 5".

So. Many. Things. Wrong. O.o


zinnie

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #763 on: September 23, 2013, 02:17:33 PM »
Overheard at work happy hour, in reference to the house my husband and I own:

"I don't know how anyone in California ever buys a house." This came from a guy who has a $300/month gym membership and pays a personal trainer a weekly fee as well. He is at least five years older than us, and he was completely in awe that we were able to buy a house.

Then the conversation went into how the military must have given us money (they did not), did we have a VA loan (no), did our parents give us money (no), how were we able to afford a house? My husband said something along the lines of "pretty simple, instead of spending our money, we kept it, and then we had enough." Obvious enough, right? The guy was absolutely baffled by this concept :)


Frugal_is_Fab

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #764 on: September 23, 2013, 07:10:59 PM »
I can't imagine referring to a television set as an investment.  We really do need personal finance courses in high school if this is the stuff people are coming out with. 

I agree with you and wouldn't say anything about it either.

I know a lot of women who refer to their wardrobes as investments. I have some very nice clothes from my pre-Mustachian days, and I adore them, but they are NOT APPRECIATING IN VALUE. Therefore they are not investments.



I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

sherr

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #765 on: September 24, 2013, 06:48:24 AM »
I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

But.. she's joking right? Surely it must be a joke. Right? Please?

Half-Borg

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #766 on: September 24, 2013, 06:55:30 AM »
But after years of losing, the chances rise to win. Everybody knows that!

some1

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #767 on: September 24, 2013, 07:02:58 AM »
The lottery is no investment. However, I can sort of understand why people play the lottery. It's a matter of personal believe: if you're a total atheist like me, the lottery is only about stochastics, and playing just doesn't make sense. However, if you believe in things like fate and luck, then you have to give it a chance, and playing the lottery every once in a while is excusable.

I can't imagine referring to a television set as an investment.  We really do need personal finance courses in high school if this is the stuff people are coming out with. 

I agree with you and wouldn't say anything about it either.

I know a lot of women who refer to their wardrobes as investments. I have some very nice clothes from my pre-Mustachian days, and I adore them, but they are NOT APPRECIATING IN VALUE. Therefore they are not investments.



I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

Kira

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #768 on: September 24, 2013, 08:35:49 AM »
I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

You are playing crappy lotto games then. My office pool wins $3 every now and then. So evidently we are lucky bastards :) I consider the $2 per week I pay for it to be my "peace in the office" payment, I would get tons of crap from my coworkers about it.

Oh and when the inevitable "what would you do if we won" conversations come up, I am the only one who wouldn't quit their job. I might go part time but I like my job a lot. But then I would probably also be the only one who wouldn't be broke again in ten years.

mpbaker22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #769 on: September 24, 2013, 08:56:36 AM »
There's a new woman on my team.  She has 2 kids and is in her 30s.  I'm single in my early 20s.  I'll call her woman A.

Woman B - he (me) said he would gladly take 4 days a week back when furloughs were being sent out. (I work for a private company, but just talking about government furloughs).
Woman A - Well he doesn't have any kids.  I couldn't do that because I pay $700/month on childcare.
Me - Where do you live (actually not knowing since she's new)
Woman A - States name of town.
Me - (having never heard of it).  I've never heard of that, where is it?
Woman A - It's in such and such direction.  It's exactly 42.x miles from here.
Me - Ah, so that's what is preventing you from taking one day/week pay cut, not the childcare.


At least she responded with understanding to the last comment I made.  Even with a mustachian vehicle, that's $4,000+/year just commuting to work.

mikefixac

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #770 on: September 25, 2013, 10:17:56 AM »
Friend is turning 50. To celebrate she's going to Maui at a $700/night resort.

While talking she mentioned she recently went to see a palm reader who told her money slips through her fingers.

It took me a few days to process this. Evidently it means she's powerless to save money.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2013, 10:21:12 AM by mikefixac »

Mega

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #771 on: September 25, 2013, 11:29:22 AM »
Friend is turning 50. To celebrate she's going to Maui at a $700/night resort.

While talking she mentioned she recently went to see a palm reader who told her money slips through her fingers.

It took me a few days to process this. Evidently it means she's powerless to save money.

Wow, that is a badass awesome palm reader! I could never imagine saying something like that to a customer. How much did the palm reader charge?

Lol

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #772 on: September 25, 2013, 11:57:02 AM »
I can't imagine referring to a television set as an investment.  We really do need personal finance courses in high school if this is the stuff people are coming out with. 

I agree with you and wouldn't say anything about it either.

I know a lot of women who refer to their wardrobes as investments. I have some very nice clothes from my pre-Mustachian days, and I adore them, but they are NOT APPRECIATING IN VALUE. Therefore they are not investments.

Hey now. Stocks, bonds, funds, etc. can all depreciate.  They can be an investment (if they ever plan on selling them in the future, but we all know they'll just go into storage), but they would be a poor one.

RMD

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #773 on: September 25, 2013, 12:22:03 PM »
...We really do need personal finance courses in high school...

My high school did back in the late 80s.  I was shocked that it wasn't required for everyone. One of the most important classes I ever took..and I still have the workbook around somewhere.

I have my "overheard at work" in another thread I started this moring...~100 people in my department are losing their jobs and the vast majority are in denial.  I couldn't possibly list everything I'm hearing and seeing.  It's insane around here...

sol

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #774 on: September 25, 2013, 02:29:41 PM »
Wow, that is a badass awesome palm reader! I could never imagine saying something like that to a customer. How much did the palm reader charge?

Agreed, that's a pretty ballsy palm reader.  "Money slips through your fingers" is almost as direct as "you believe in ridiculous superstitions" when coming from someone who takes your money in exchange for a ridiculous superstition.  Somehow I doubt your local neighborhood pastor would be so bold.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #775 on: September 25, 2013, 02:54:21 PM »
Wow, that is a badass awesome palm reader! I could never imagine saying something like that to a customer. How much did the palm reader charge?

Agreed, that's a pretty ballsy palm reader.  "Money slips through your fingers" is almost as direct as "you believe in ridiculous superstitions" when coming from someone who takes your money in exchange for a ridiculous superstition.  Somehow I doubt your local neighborhood pastor would be so bold.

Awesome.

I am fascinated in the whole mystical shyster sideline and actually do know how to read tarot cards and a bit about palm reading... but mostly I watch "tells" that people have. I read tarot at our Halloween parties and it's always prefaced with a short speech about how this is for entertainment purposes only and there's no real evidence that this is anything more than a guessing game... and then proceed to knock their socks off with my "second sight." If you actually know a person somewhat and are a good listener and observer, it is downright amazing what you can tell them about what their future holds.  :D

Went to a "real" psychic with a friend that really believed once. I made sure to strip off any jewelry and guard against other things that would give her a clue about myself and surprisingly my reading was quite vague. I ended up reading the psychic's cards and then discussing the best way to refinish hardwood floors. :)

galliver

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #776 on: September 25, 2013, 03:04:00 PM »
Read on Facebook (and made me kinda sad)

Person was asking if anyone could loan her $2200 to have her daughters wisdom teeth removed.

Mind you She and her Husband are late 30's.  They are self employed and earn a good amount of money (at least it appears so from the outside, I'm not privy to their actual earnings.)

The worst part was in the comments from a 40 something lady. She wrote:

"Who has that kind of money just laying around?"

Hopefully they figured something out for the kid...

Wow. I got mine out this summer, and although I had insurance (parents+student) that was supposed to cover at least 80% of it, I felt so much better having the cash in my savings to do it in a pinch. This felt especially good when the multiple insurances decided to conflict and it took months to resolve... It seems totally ridiculous that people in their late 30s wouldn't have an EF! I would feel so worried and fearful all the time without mine!

---

OaW story: A few weeks ago, a new student joining my lab (new to town) recounted his encounter at the hardware store. He got into a discussion with the cashier (an undergraduate student) about transportation options. She told him she "never takes the bus because she's from a rural area" and instead drives to campus and pays at the meters. Buses are "free" (required $56/sem fee for all students), run every half hour, and go all over town. Parking is $.75/hr, limited to 2 hrs. Parking permits are $660/year.

Almost all grad students I know regularly walk, bike, or bus to campus.

Hunny156

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #777 on: September 25, 2013, 03:49:53 PM »
Friend is turning 50. To celebrate she's going to Maui at a $700/night resort.

While talking she mentioned she recently went to see a palm reader who told her money slips through her fingers.

It took me a few days to process this. Evidently it means she's powerless to save money.

Ugh, this instantly reminded me of my MIL.  Doesn't have a pot to p*ss in, but was determined to throw herself a big fancy party for her 60th birthday.  Engraved invitations and the whole nine.  Both her children live out of state, and are way too frugal to waste the time & money flying in for a self-indulgent party.  Not too sure where they picked up their financial acumen, but that's a whole other story.  What really annoyed us was when she asked us to send cash in lieu of a birthday gift, to help pay for this party!

We politely informed her that we had already purchased a gift, and mailed it to her.  My brother in law begrudgingly sent her a check for twice his usual gift budget.  My mother in law took out a loan for the rest of the party, which she is still paying off today, 4 years later.

Frugal_is_Fab

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #778 on: September 25, 2013, 07:17:14 PM »
I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

But.. she's joking right? Surely it must be a joke. Right? Please?


I guess she is joking on some level, but she is mid 60s and I don't think she has money to retire.   She faithfully runs this lotto pool and goes to Vegas regularly.   She has different people rotate buying the tickets to see "who is  lucky"   and buys at the "lucky stores" that have had past winners.     The whole thing makes me want to cry.   At a former company , the main runner of the lotto pool was a late fifties woman with loads of debt and no savings looking for a miracle too.   She ended up getting laid off and now works at Home Depot for close to minimum wage.   I look at all this as a cautionary tale to make my own luck and get financially independent.     This is the main reason I won't play lotto, it's false hope for the masses.

Jwesleym

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #779 on: September 25, 2013, 08:23:18 PM »
I think I can beat out all of this investment talk with the most absurd use of the word "Investment" yet.   The woman at my office who runs the lotto pool refers to the cash she collects as "Our lotto investment".   100% loss so far.  Awesome investment don't you think????  (By the way, I don't play :-)

But.. she's joking right? Surely it must be a joke. Right? Please?


I guess she is joking on some level, but she is mid 60s and I don't think she has money to retire.   She faithfully runs this lotto pool and goes to Vegas regularly.   She has different people rotate buying the tickets to see "who is  lucky"   and buys at the "lucky stores" that have had past winners.     The whole thing makes me want to cry.   At a former company , the main runner of the lotto pool was a late fifties woman with loads of debt and no savings looking for a miracle too.   She ended up getting laid off and now works at Home Depot for close to minimum wage.   I look at all this as a cautionary tale to make my own luck and get financially independent.     This is the main reason I won't play lotto, it's false hope for the masses.

I have purchased 3 lottery tickets in my life, I picked the numbers 1-6.  My friends at work said those numbers were less likely to come up.  I tried to show them the math, but they wouldn't believe my chances were the same as anyone else.  I thought it would be the coolest thing if I won with those numbers, but alas the math prevailed.

Christof

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #780 on: September 26, 2013, 03:09:11 AM »
I have purchased 3 lottery tickets in my life, I picked the numbers 1-6.  My friends at work said those numbers were less likely to come up.  I tried to show them the math, but they wouldn't believe my chances were the same as anyone else.

This combination really results in a lower payout... In Germany every weekend there are 40,000 players picking the numbers 1-6. Even if you win it's be more likely around 40 Euros, or so. 1999 the winning numbers were 2,3,4,5,6 and 26. 38,000 winners had 5 out 6.

sherr

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #781 on: September 26, 2013, 07:50:15 AM »
I have purchased 3 lottery tickets in my life, I picked the numbers 1-6.  My friends at work said those numbers were less likely to come up.  I tried to show them the math, but they wouldn't believe my chances were the same as anyone else.

This combination really results in a lower payout... In Germany every weekend there are 40,000 players picking the numbers 1-6. Even if you win it's be more likely around 40 Euros, or so. 1999 the winning numbers were 2,3,4,5,6 and 26. 38,000 winners had 5 out 6.

Right, it works the same way in the US too. So your friends were kind of right Jwesleym, but for the wrong reason. You don't want to pick common numbers because in the event that you do win you'll have to split it more ways. The same applies for dates or other numerical sequences. The "best" way you can choose lottery numbers is completely randomly.

mpbaker22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #782 on: September 26, 2013, 08:28:18 AM »
I have purchased 3 lottery tickets in my life, I picked the numbers 1-6.  My friends at work said those numbers were less likely to come up.  I tried to show them the math, but they wouldn't believe my chances were the same as anyone else.

This combination really results in a lower payout... In Germany every weekend there are 40,000 players picking the numbers 1-6. Even if you win it's be more likely around 40 Euros, or so. 1999 the winning numbers were 2,3,4,5,6 and 26. 38,000 winners had 5 out 6.

Right, it works the same way in the US too. So your friends were kind of right Jwesleym, but for the wrong reason. You don't want to pick common numbers because in the event that you do win you'll have to split it more ways. The same applies for dates or other numerical sequences. The "best" way you can choose lottery numbers is completely randomly.

No, the best way to choose lottery numbers is by filtering out all the non-random combinations and picking randomly from what remains ... i think.

Half-Borg

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #783 on: September 26, 2013, 09:15:03 AM »
My company pays 26.58€/month to any one retirement account you open. There is no fee and the money is tax-free. You don't have to put anything into it yourself, to get it.
A co-worker just explained to me that he doesn't want to open a retirement account because it is so much trouble figuring out what would provide the best return.

JUST PICK ANYTHING, DAMNIT. Every account is going to be better than leaving free money on the table!

Christof

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #784 on: September 26, 2013, 12:04:47 PM »
No, the best way to choose lottery numbers is by filtering out all the non-random combinations and picking randomly from what remains ... i think.

There's a whole lot of studies on this topic. In Germany there are 49 numbers to pick from. Many people apparently use their birthdate, so the numbers 1-12 are more frequently selected than the numbers 13-31 which are more frequently picked than 32-49.

MsSindy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #785 on: September 27, 2013, 08:04:38 AM »
Out of curiosity, did you ever get flack for having a small wardrobe? I've had employers get on my case about owning very few (always clean, neat and work appropriate) articles of clothing.

My quip would have been something like, "pay me more money and I'll gladly go out and buy a new pair of pants!"

Cromacster

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #786 on: September 27, 2013, 08:58:27 AM »
Out of curiosity, did you ever get flack for having a small wardrobe? I've had employers get on my case about owning very few (always clean, neat and work appropriate) articles of clothing.

My quip would have been something like, "pay me more money and I'll gladly go out and buy a new pair of pants!"

A story my grandfather once told me back when he worked for a large advertising company in NYC (back in the 50/60's ie Mad Men Esque)

Quote from his boss "Christ sakes, we just gave you a raise, go buy your wife a fur coat already"

oldtoyota

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #787 on: September 27, 2013, 12:09:07 PM »
One of my coworkers whom is 40+ (and still with student loans...) was talking about his samsung galaxy note and the otterbox case he bought for it, saying "you have to protect your investment". I understand buying a quality case if you're going to buy a more expensive phone (try as I might, some days I can be clumsy and a dropper), but your phone is not an investment.

Damn. He's totally internalized the Otterbox marketing! They use that exact "protect your investment" line on their billboards.

Creepy!

oldtoyota

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #788 on: September 27, 2013, 12:12:59 PM »
Overheard at work happy hour, in reference to the house my husband and I own:

"I don't know how anyone in California ever buys a house." This came from a guy who has a $300/month gym membership and pays a personal trainer a weekly fee as well. He is at least five years older than us, and he was completely in awe that we were able to buy a house.

Then the conversation went into how the military must have given us money (they did not), did we have a VA loan (no), did our parents give us money (no), how were we able to afford a house? My husband said something along the lines of "pretty simple, instead of spending our money, we kept it, and then we had enough." Obvious enough, right? The guy was absolutely baffled by this concept :)

Have you seen the Steve Martin Saturday Night Live skit about debt? Very funny.

oldtoyota

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #789 on: September 27, 2013, 12:17:52 PM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #790 on: September 27, 2013, 01:22:15 PM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

Methinks the "thingie" was not a new and more efficient water heater then.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #791 on: September 27, 2013, 01:44:19 PM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

I am interested in beautiful expensive thingies and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.  Seriously, what's the thingie?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #792 on: September 27, 2013, 07:19:26 PM »

Have you seen the Steve Martin Saturday Night Live skit about debt? Very funny.

It's called "Don't buy stuff you cannot afford" and it is hilarious.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #793 on: September 27, 2013, 08:52:16 PM »
Hi Serpentstooth,

No, I never heard anything about having a small wardrobe except for the comment that I shared above. I work 5 days a week and wear something different everyday.  I work as an assistant in a law firm and most other assistants don't really have a lot of $ to spend on clothing.  So among my peers I probably look okay.   

I can't imagine an employer saying something to you about your wardrobe - seems kind of inappropriate and personal.   Maybe different work environments have different expectations about an employee's wardrobe?

If the boss ever said something about not having a big enough wardrobe then is the perfect time to ask for a big raise to pay for it.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #794 on: September 28, 2013, 08:51:24 AM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

Methinks the "thingie" was not a new and more efficient water heater then.

My new and more efficient water heater actually is kind of beautiful.

oldtoyota

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #795 on: September 28, 2013, 10:05:13 AM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

I am interested in beautiful expensive thingies and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.  Seriously, what's the thingie?

It was an overhead light for the kitchen.

ender

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #796 on: September 28, 2013, 10:16:04 AM »
One of my coworkers showed me a "thingie" he's buying for his house. It's $1,000. Granted, the thingie is beautiful, but my main thought was that this person will not be retiring early.

I am interested in beautiful expensive thingies and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.  Seriously, what's the thingie?

It was an overhead light for the kitchen.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/HA779VC/A/philips-hue-connected-bulb-starter-pack

??

nawhite

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #797 on: September 30, 2013, 10:07:40 AM »

Have you seen the Steve Martin Saturday Night Live skit about debt? Very funny.

It's called "Don't buy stuff you cannot afford" and it is hilarious.

Link to the sketch http://vimeo.com/60345640#at=0

galliver

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #798 on: September 30, 2013, 10:40:51 AM »

Have you seen the Steve Martin Saturday Night Live skit about debt? Very funny.

It's called "Don't buy stuff you cannot afford" and it is hilarious.

Link to the sketch http://vimeo.com/60345640#at=0

Watched it this weekend, it was great. I was cracking up, my boyfriend was listening across the table and shaking his head.

Jack

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #799 on: September 30, 2013, 05:58:38 PM »

Have you seen the Steve Martin Saturday Night Live skit about debt? Very funny.

It's called "Don't buy stuff you cannot afford" and it is hilarious.

Link to the sketch http://vimeo.com/60345640#at=0

Watched it this weekend, it was great. I was cracking up, my boyfriend was listening across the table and shaking his head.

I've got a great idea for the "but wait, there's more!" add-on: a face punch in a box!

It's like a jack-in-the-box, except you turn the handle when you're tempted to buy something... and then it punches you in the face like you're a cartoon character.

It's brilliant, I tell ya! And for only nine easy payments of what the fuck were you thinking?!