Author Topic: Overheard on Facebook  (Read 6082411 times)

Giro

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2350 on: June 04, 2015, 11:57:06 AM »
My homophobic, condescending, judgmental c*nt of a SIL keeps posting her hate-filled rants about homosexuality.  I've totally had it.  So, today I posted "The end is near, I will now be spending all of my money on blow and GT-R's."

so it would be pretty anti-mustachian but since she told me the end was near, I figured I may as well go all out. 

 


Zikoris

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2351 on: June 04, 2015, 12:36:10 PM »
Seconding the backpack system. We acquired a lot of free cloth bags over time and eventually just gave them all away because they're not practical for biking or walking longer distances at all. My nice hiking backpack that distributes weight properly and has snaps and belts to hold it snug against me if I'm jogging or biking over bumps does a better job than those things ever could.

MBot

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2352 on: June 04, 2015, 01:48:03 PM »
My area has a FB page for people wanting to sell stuff, like a local Craigslist.  I just saw someone post an ad to sell an RV for $19k.  Someone replied back asking if they would take monthly payments.

/facepalm

Every time I think I've heard/seen it all, posts like this remind me that no, I haven't.

My husband just got an email about our used Honda Fit for sale for $4900.. asking if he could take it now - and then pay $200/month until it was paid off, because the emailer JUST started his new part-time call-center job.

Ha ha.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2353 on: June 04, 2015, 02:15:57 PM »
cloth bags .... they're not practical for biking or walking longer distances at all.
Cloth bags are for transporting groceries between Trader Joe's/WholeFoods and the back of your Volvo/Hybrid SUV.

Because you wouldn't dream of driving a pickup but small cars aren't safe....

Gen Y Finance Journey

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2354 on: June 04, 2015, 02:32:12 PM »
My homophobic, condescending, judgmental c*nt of a SIL keeps posting her hate-filled rants about homosexuality.  I've totally had it.  So, today I posted "The end is near, I will now be spending all of my money on blow and GT-R's."

so it would be pretty anti-mustachian but since she told me the end was near, I figured I may as well go all out.

Do we have the same SIL? :)

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2355 on: June 04, 2015, 03:12:01 PM »
cloth bags .... they're not practical for biking or walking longer distances at all.
Cloth bags are for transporting groceries between Trader Joe's/WholeFoods and the back of your Volvo/Hybrid SUV.

Because you wouldn't dream of driving a pickup but small cars aren't safe....

Cloth bags are perfectly fine for loading groceries into a bike trailer or, I assume, panniers. Can't shop for a family of four with a backpack!

No-stache

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2356 on: June 04, 2015, 03:18:15 PM »
Honestly I like getting free plastic bags, I use them for scooping my cats litter boxes! I also out them in small trash baskets.

THIS. Exactly this. And why would I want to BUY bags when I can get them free? Also, because I generally don't have enough plastic bags for cat duty, I swipe some from the bag recycle at Kroger or Walmart.

Davin

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2357 on: June 04, 2015, 04:18:22 PM »
...  So, today I posted "The end is near, I will now be spending all of my money on blow and GT-R's."
...

I give up, what is a GT-R? I may need to get one (or more) before the end!

Zikoris

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2358 on: June 04, 2015, 04:28:07 PM »
cloth bags .... they're not practical for biking or walking longer distances at all.
Cloth bags are for transporting groceries between Trader Joe's/WholeFoods and the back of your Volvo/Hybrid SUV.

Because you wouldn't dream of driving a pickup but small cars aren't safe....

Cloth bags are perfectly fine for loading groceries into a bike trailer or, I assume, panniers. Can't shop for a family of four with a backpack!

Back when I had panniers I just brought them into the grocery store with me and loaded them up at the register, then snapped them back onto my bike and left. Also sometimes brought my basket in the store as well and did the same. Between that and my bike rack (and my boyfriend's identical setup), I was pretty much set. These days a backpack and more frequent trips seems to work well though.

RWD

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2359 on: June 04, 2015, 05:17:56 PM »
...  So, today I posted "The end is near, I will now be spending all of my money on blow and GT-R's."
...

I give up, what is a GT-R? I may need to get one (or more) before the end!

Starting at ~$102k:
http://www.nissanusa.com/sportscars/gt-r

Wings5

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2360 on: June 04, 2015, 10:15:49 PM »
My homophobic, condescending, judgmental c*nt of a SIL keeps posting her hate-filled rants about homosexuality. 

Did just just pass judgment on her?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2361 on: June 05, 2015, 10:25:11 AM »
Here the plastic bags (that you are charged $0.05 for) are so flimsy that there is usually a hole in them by the time you get home.  I used to use plastic grocery store bags for garbage, now I have to buy bags just for that. Way back when (yes I am that old) we had the choice of paper or plastic, or bringing your own, so I used whatever was appropriate.

I don't get why people would even want to use the plastic bags.  They only hold a few items, the handles breaks etc...  You need 15 of them vs only 5-6 cloth ones.  They are terrible.  I shop without my reusable ones every so often so I get get a supply of bags for trash can liners and I hate it.

Threshkin

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2362 on: June 05, 2015, 10:39:05 AM »
Here the plastic bags (that you are charged $0.05 for) are so flimsy that there is usually a hole in them by the time you get home.  I used to use plastic grocery store bags for garbage, now I have to buy bags just for that. Way back when (yes I am that old) we had the choice of paper or plastic, or bringing your own, so I used whatever was appropriate.

We still have that choice here.  If i don't bring my own bags I request paper because it composts better.

katstache92

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2363 on: June 05, 2015, 11:41:24 AM »
Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags, as far as production goes, not taking recycling into account.

Biodegradable plastic bags break down into small plastic pieces and if they get mixed in with plastic bags that are being recycled it can make the whole load unusable.  I guess if you have your own compost pile then they would be preferable.

Source - I once worked somewhere that looked into switching to biodegradable bags.  Although, I guess most of what we learned was from salesmen, so take this info with a grain of salt and do your own research, because who knows how accurate the sales info actually is.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2364 on: June 05, 2015, 11:58:28 AM »
Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags, as far as production goes, not taking recycling into account.

Biodegradable plastic bags break down into small plastic pieces and if they get mixed in with plastic bags that are being recycled it can make the whole load unusable.  I guess if you have your own compost pile then they would be preferable.

Source - I once worked somewhere that looked into switching to biodegradable bags.  Although, I guess most of what we learned was from salesmen, so take this info with a grain of salt and do your own research, because who knows how accurate the sales info actually is.

Yeah you really have to define "worse" in this context.  Paper bags are typically made from mostly recycled materials

Sibley

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2365 on: June 05, 2015, 12:15:29 PM »
Honestly I like getting free plastic bags, I use them for scooping my cats litter boxes! I also out them in small trash baskets.

Me too! They're great for the litterboxes. Why would I pay for bags just to fill them with cat pee and poo and throw it all out? I do double them, they always have holes, but still. Anytime I get more than I can use I just throw a big bag of them into the recycling.

katstache92

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2366 on: June 05, 2015, 12:18:58 PM »
Yeah you really have to define "worse" in this context.  Paper bags are typically made from mostly recycled materials

It's really in the production that paper bags are worse than plastic, at least as far as I know.  Recycled materials are great, but in making paper you use an amazing amount of water plus a whole host of chemicals regardless of the fiber being virgin or recycled.  So the real wins for recycled material are keeping things out of landfills and not cutting down trees.  I worked in a paper mill for a while (I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, I still don't know actually) and the amount of chemicals being used was staggering, at least to me.  Unfortunately I don't know anything about producing plastic other than - it uses oil.

But again, the whole "paper bags are worse than plastic" is based on a few sales conversations.  So it's entirely possible that their margin on plastic bags is better than paper bags and that's why they were recommending plastic.  Who knows.

katstache92

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2367 on: June 05, 2015, 01:31:58 PM »
Thanks Philociraptor!!  That is a really interesting process.  I had no idea shooting plastic bubbles into a tower was part of how plastic bags are made, that's awesome!

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2368 on: June 05, 2015, 01:39:33 PM »
Yeah you really have to define "worse" in this context.  Paper bags are typically made from mostly recycled materials

It's really in the production that paper bags are worse than plastic, at least as far as I know.  Recycled materials are great, but in making paper you use an amazing amount of water plus a whole host of chemicals regardless of the fiber being virgin or recycled.  So the real wins for recycled material are keeping things out of landfills and not cutting down trees.  I worked in a paper mill for a while (I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, I still don't know actually) and the amount of chemicals being used was staggering, at least to me.  Unfortunately I don't know anything about producing plastic other than - it uses oil.

But again, the whole "paper bags are worse than plastic" is based on a few sales conversations.  So it's entirely possible that their margin on plastic bags is better than paper bags and that's why they were recommending plastic.  Who knows.

So what if it uses water and chemicals?  Are the chemicals polluting?  Is the water being drawn from a drought stricken area?  In other words, telle how the environment is being harmed, compared to plastic bags.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2369 on: June 05, 2015, 04:47:10 PM »
When we had the choice, I could reuse the paper bags several times, and then they were used to hold paper recycling when it went out.  The plastic grocery bags were sturdy enough to be reused a few times, or be used for kitchen garbage, or picking up after the dog or doing the cat litter.  I would happily pay the 5 cents every so often to get some solid bags, but that is no longer an option.  Bulk Barn, on the other hand, has good solid reusable plastic bags.

Andy_in_Aus

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2370 on: June 06, 2015, 02:51:56 AM »
Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags, as far as production goes, not taking recycling into account.

Biodegradable plastic bags break down into small plastic pieces and if they get mixed in with plastic bags that are being recycled it can make the whole load unusable.  I guess if you have your own compost pile then they would be preferable.

Source - I once worked somewhere that looked into switching to biodegradable bags.  Although, I guess most of what we learned was from salesmen, so take this info with a grain of salt and do your own research, because who knows how accurate the sales info actually is.

Skeptoid recently did an article spelling out the form and against for all different types of grocery bags.

Bottom line - Plastic bags if used again at least once for garbage, or pet litter and then put into landfill beat all others.

Source: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4460

geekette

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2371 on: June 06, 2015, 07:41:09 PM »
When I don't need plastic bags for kitty litter (they're still free here), I carry some envirosax like this.  I got them years ago on some half price sale.  They hold a LOT, they're washable, and the best part is, they roll up and snap closed into a small roll.  I usually have a couple in my pocketbook. 

Foamy...

merula

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2372 on: June 06, 2015, 09:56:12 PM »
Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags, as far as production goes, not taking recycling into account.

Biodegradable plastic bags break down into small plastic pieces and if they get mixed in with plastic bags that are being recycled it can make the whole load unusable.  I guess if you have your own compost pile then they would be preferable.

Source - I once worked somewhere that looked into switching to biodegradable bags.  Although, I guess most of what we learned was from salesmen, so take this info with a grain of salt and do your own research, because who knows how accurate the sales info actually is.


Skeptoid recently did an article spelling out the form and against for all different types of grocery bags.

Bottom line - Plastic bags if used again at least once for garbage, or pet litter and then put into landfill beat all others.

Source: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4460

I read that link. I'm not sure that all of the factors of paper versus plastic have been taken into account, so I'll have that aside.

"When the UK Environment Agency did a life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags (PDF) they found that non-woven polypropylene bags needed to be re-used at least 11 times to have lower global warming potential than single-use HPDE, or High-Density Poly-Ethylene, bags. Cotton shopping bags need to be used at least 131 times."

That makes some logical sense; reusable bags require more energy at the outset, so they should have a higher "payoff period". But using that to disqualify reusables as good option is ridiculous. I have probably twenty reusable bags, and use them for everything. I haven't had any wear out in the 10 years or so that I've been using reusables, I only lose them when I use them to give someone something and they don't get returned. Back of the napkin math, my bags have been used at least 300 times each, on average, so well past the point where they're better than single-use.

I steal plastic bags out of my neighbor's recycling bin to use as bin liners. I've considered doing the same with the collection box at the grocery store, but thankfully haven't had to go that far.

Argyle

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2373 on: June 07, 2015, 01:57:04 AM »
Well, I have some cloth shopping bags inherited from my mother, who was using them as long ago as the 1960s.  So I think they've met their 131-use targets and then some.  With the number of cloth bags being given out as freebies at events and conventions all over the place, I'm perplexed as to why most people don't just have their own supply which means that using plastic is even more pointless.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2374 on: June 07, 2015, 05:30:13 AM »
I find the fabric bags are too bulky so they only go with me when I remember them.  These, on the other hand, live in my purse (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=2,42194&p=62658).  They also wash easily and air-dry fast, so no worries if something leaks/spills in them.
What bugs me about our local plastic bags (most stores, all grocery stores) is that they are so flimsy that they don't last even the trip home from the store, in the car - I would hate to have to actually use them to carry things any distance.  And this means they are definitely one-use bags, such a waste.

10dollarsatatime

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2375 on: June 07, 2015, 08:00:13 AM »
I find the fabric bags are too bulky so they only go with me when I remember them.  These, on the other hand, live in my purse (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=2,42194&p=62658).  They also wash easily and air-dry fast, so no worries if something leaks/spills in them.
What bugs me about our local plastic bags (most stores, all grocery stores) is that they are so flimsy that they don't last even the trip home from the store, in the car - I would hate to have to actually use them to carry things any distance.  And this means they are definitely one-use bags, such a waste.

I have some kind of like that.  I think they were 75 cents at ikea.  They're just right for sticking in a pocket for a walk to the grocery store.

ender

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2376 on: June 07, 2015, 08:32:39 AM »
A much more meaningful reason in the "cloth vs plastic" bag discussion is how that impacts the rest of your life.

I suspect that for many people, once you start using cloth bags you start being more aware of waste(s) in the rest of your life.

From that perspective I think cloth bags win hands down, 100% of the time.

Joshin

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2377 on: June 07, 2015, 01:20:10 PM »
Eh, that Skeptoid link is missing parts of the picture. Plastic bags are having a major impact on the inland waterways around me, as far as actually clogging up the water treatment plant(at least according to an engineering buddy who has the job of keeping the plant running). I also volunteer with our local clean river and lake group, and the plastic in the water is posing a hazard to both wildlife in the water (clogging up reed  beds and other hiding/feeding areas) and issues with local humans trying to enjoy the water. So yeah, it just depends what part of the picture you want to look at.

There's enough reusable bags already out there that we could likely stop producing new bags now and be good for a good long while. That solves the production issue of reusable bags right there. As for me, I use the cool collapsible crates I found at a thrift store, and I use them for more than just groceries so I'm sure they have more than worked off their manufacturing costs. Two fit perfectly into my grocery cart.

/foam

4alpacas

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2378 on: June 07, 2015, 03:33:02 PM »
I find the fabric bags are too bulky so they only go with me when I remember them.  These, on the other hand, live in my purse (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=2,42194&p=62658).  They also wash easily and air-dry fast, so no worries if something leaks/spills in them.
What bugs me about our local plastic bags (most stores, all grocery stores) is that they are so flimsy that they don't last even the trip home from the store, in the car - I would hate to have to actually use them to carry things any distance.  And this means they are definitely one-use bags, such a waste.

I have some kind of like that.  I think they were 75 cents at ikea.  They're just right for sticking in a pocket for a walk to the grocery store.
I have one of the ones from IKEA too.  It's lasted 2.5 years.  I use it at least once a week.  It fits in my purse, so I use it for any shopping or any time I find things that I need to carry.

Malaysia41

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2379 on: June 09, 2015, 03:14:45 AM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward. 

cerebus

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2380 on: June 09, 2015, 03:42:15 AM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

Not a fan of garishly coloured landscapes?

katstache92

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2381 on: June 09, 2015, 09:56:47 AM »
"Wooo. Student loans payoff amount officially under 10k.  If only I could say the same about my credit cards..."

Someone offered to trade their balance for his, plus give him a $2k taco bell gift card.  His response, "well, I've gotten my taco bell spend down to $400/year, so that would last 5 years!"

partgypsy

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2382 on: June 09, 2015, 11:26:57 AM »
Eh, that Skeptoid link is missing parts of the picture. Plastic bags are having a major impact on the inland waterways around me, as far as actually clogging up the water treatment plant(at least according to an engineering buddy who has the job of keeping the plant running). I also volunteer with our local clean river and lake group, and the plastic in the water is posing a hazard to both wildlife in the water (clogging up reed  beds and other hiding/feeding areas) and issues with local humans trying to enjoy the water. So yeah, it just depends what part of the picture you want to look at.

There's enough reusable bags already out there that we could likely stop producing new bags now and be good for a good long while. That solves the production issue of reusable bags right there. As for me, I use the cool collapsible crates I found at a thrift store, and I use them for more than just groceries so I'm sure they have more than worked off their manufacturing costs. Two fit perfectly into my grocery cart.

/foam

Actually I think this is the best solution yet, crates or cardboard boxes ala Costco shopping.

Dollar Slice

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2383 on: June 09, 2015, 05:49:19 PM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.
I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).

Melody

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2384 on: June 10, 2015, 05:54:24 AM »
"Wooo. Student loans payoff amount officially under 10k.  If only I could say the same about my credit cards..."

Someone offered to trade their balance for his, plus give him a $2k taco bell gift card.  His response, "well, I've gotten my taco bell spend down to $400/year, so that would last 5 years!"

It's been a while since I had a taco bell but isn't the 1lb burrito like $2? So 200lbs of burrito a year???
Even if he's having the fancier menu items it's at least one full meal a week? And I'm guessing he goes to other fast food places too????

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2385 on: June 10, 2015, 08:28:45 AM »
"Wooo. Student loans payoff amount officially under 10k.  If only I could say the same about my credit cards..."

Someone offered to trade their balance for his, plus give him a $2k taco bell gift card.  His response, "well, I've gotten my taco bell spend down to $400/year, so that would last 5 years!"

It's been a while since I had a taco bell but isn't the 1lb burrito like $2? So 200lbs of burrito a year???
Even if he's having the fancier menu items it's at least one full meal a week? And I'm guessing he goes to other fast food places too????

I have from time to time, gotten a full meal at T-Bell for like $1.07 (a bean burrito with a glass of water). Meanwhile, I've seen people order $5, for the same thing but with steak instead and a large pop. It is easy to spend a lot of money at places if you aren't thinking about it. I can't recall the last time I ordered pop, it is such a ripoff and absolutely terrible for you.

Melody

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2386 on: June 10, 2015, 09:08:50 AM »
Yeah I agree... Although if they sold beer I would be all for it!!!
This is why I manage to get so much restaurant food and takeaway into a quite small food budget... With couponing, not buying the drinks and sticking to the specials it doesn't have to cost a tonne to eat out.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2387 on: June 10, 2015, 11:26:57 AM »
"Wooo. Student loans payoff amount officially under 10k.  If only I could say the same about my credit cards..."

Someone offered to trade their balance for his, plus give him a $2k taco bell gift card.  His response, "well, I've gotten my taco bell spend down to $400/year, so that would last 5 years!"

It's been a while since I had a taco bell but isn't the 1lb burrito like $2? So 200lbs of burrito a year???
Even if he's having the fancier menu items it's at least one full meal a week? And I'm guessing he goes to other fast food places too????

I have from time to time, gotten a full meal at T-Bell for like $1.07 (a bean burrito with a glass of water). Meanwhile, I've seen people order $5, for the same thing but with steak instead and a large pop. It is easy to spend a lot of money at places if you aren't thinking about it. I can't recall the last time I ordered pop, it is such a ripoff and absolutely terrible for you.

This is how a lot of fast food joints get ya.  There's always some crazy overpriced item, that is not substantially different from another cheaper it, but costs twice as much or more.  Think Big Mac vs mcdouble.  At Taco Bell, they have some $6 nachos if I recall correctly.  That's not much better than an actual Mexican place.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2388 on: June 10, 2015, 01:07:36 PM »
Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags, as far as production goes, not taking recycling into account.

Biodegradable plastic bags break down into small plastic pieces and if they get mixed in with plastic bags that are being recycled it can make the whole load unusable.  I guess if you have your own compost pile then they would be preferable.

Source - I once worked somewhere that looked into switching to biodegradable bags.  Although, I guess most of what we learned was from salesmen, so take this info with a grain of salt and do your own research, because who knows how accurate the sales info actually is.


Skeptoid recently did an article spelling out the form and against for all different types of grocery bags.

Bottom line - Plastic bags if used again at least once for garbage, or pet litter and then put into landfill beat all others.

Source: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4460

I read that link. I'm not sure that all of the factors of paper versus plastic have been taken into account, so I'll have that onment Agency did a life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags (PDF) they found that non-woven polypropylene bags needed to be re-used at least 11 times to have lower global warming potential than single-use HPDE, or High-Density Poly-Ethylene, bags. Cotton shopping bags need to be used at least 131 times."

That makes some logical sense; reusable bags require more energy at the outset, so they should have a higher "payoff period". But using that to disqualify reusables as good option is ridiculous. I have probably twenty reusable bags, and use them for everything. I haven't had any wear out in the 10 years or so that I've been using reusables, I only lose them when I use them to give someone something and they don't get returned. Back of the napkin math, my bags have been used at least 300 times each, on average, so well past the point where they're better than single-use.

I steal plastic bags out of my neighbor's recycling bin to use as bin liners. I've considered doing the same with the collection box at the grocery store, but thankfully haven't had to go that far.

I read the UK study as well as part of my participation on a recycling and conservation committee for my town. The study even assumed that some of the plastic bags will be reused (I'm remembering 1.5 times per bag or something similar). 11 reuses on a polypropylene bag is really not that hard to get to!

mm1970

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2389 on: June 10, 2015, 01:12:09 PM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.
I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).
When he was super big I really liked his stuff. Never bought a print, but enjoyed postcards, some jigsaw puzzles (these were a challenge), and did a cross stitch once - that one was pretty fun.

DINK

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2390 on: June 11, 2015, 05:57:35 AM »
A woman I went to high school with posted on FB that her son emptied out a $40 bottle of shower gel while he was in the bathroom. What the hell kind of magic ass body wash costs $40 a bottle??



MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2391 on: June 11, 2015, 09:28:08 AM »
"Wooo. Student loans payoff amount officially under 10k.  If only I could say the same about my credit cards..."

Someone offered to trade their balance for his, plus give him a $2k taco bell gift card.  His response, "well, I've gotten my taco bell spend down to $400/year, so that would last 5 years!"

It's been a while since I had a taco bell but isn't the 1lb burrito like $2? So 200lbs of burrito a year???
Even if he's having the fancier menu items it's at least one full meal a week? And I'm guessing he goes to other fast food places too????

I have from time to time, gotten a full meal at T-Bell for like $1.07 (a bean burrito with a glass of water). Meanwhile, I've seen people order $5, for the same thing but with steak instead and a large pop. It is easy to spend a lot of money at places if you aren't thinking about it. I can't recall the last time I ordered pop, it is such a ripoff and absolutely terrible for you.

This is how a lot of fast food joints get ya.  There's always some crazy overpriced item, that is not substantially different from another cheaper it, but costs twice as much or more.  Think Big Mac vs mcdouble.  At Taco Bell, they have some $6 nachos if I recall correctly.  That's not much better than an actual Mexican place.

Yeah, I hear ya. The funny part is that most places don't make much money off of me. I came across as being really cheap when coming back from a camping trip a few weeks ago, we stopped for lunch at a place that's famous for its pies in Minnesota, and everyone ordered a lunch that cost at least $10, nearly everyone ordered coffee or a soft drink, and then ordered a slice of pie. There was a menu option for a sandwich, soup, and slice of pie for $8, and I ordered that. I got a weird look from one of the people, but no one said anything. My bill came out to be around $11 after tax and tip, which is still more than I wanted to spend but when in a group..., it is of only a little consolidation that my bill was likely half what everyone else spent.

There's a fast food mexican place that is way better than T-Bell near my place, I go there at least once a week (I know face punch) for a burrito that costs about $2.79 with tax, and never get anything else. I'm somewhat known to the employees there who will start making that burrito as soon as I walk in, but the cashier always tries to upsell me...I've noticed that it has become more of a 'the manager makes us, rather than they expect me to,' look on their face as they do it.

partgypsy

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2392 on: June 11, 2015, 10:34:30 AM »
At the couple places where I am a "regular" they happily start getting my water ready as they get my order, as they know that's what I order. My kids, even if they get a free drink with the meal, order water 90+% of the time, as that is what they like to drink. In that case we ask for the apple juice boxes, so we can stick them in the fridge for general use (usually hubby ends up drinking them)

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2393 on: June 11, 2015, 10:58:20 AM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.
I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).
When he was super big I really liked his stuff. Never bought a print, but enjoyed postcards, some jigsaw puzzles (these were a challenge), and did a cross stitch once - that one was pretty fun.

I fear looking it up, how much do you reckon his prints cost?

Also, is anyone on here knowledable about art? I like art and am willing to buy original art, but at a strict limit. I see "limited edition" prints at galleries and other places that are marked for a ton of money...do they ever make sense to even consider purchasing? I realize that the quality of the print is likely a lot better than something from allposters.com, but I wonder if anyone actually makes money buying them and having them appreciate.

I like to buy original art if I ever see a piece I like that is not expensive (ie, under $150), but it rarely happens. I bought two paintings by an artist I liked before she moved and sold her works at a discount as she was somewhat in a hurry.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2394 on: June 11, 2015, 11:29:47 AM »
A woman I went to high school with posted on FB that her son emptied out a $40 bottle of shower gel while he was in the bathroom. What the hell kind of magic ass body wash costs $40 a bottle??
Two possibilities:
A) Pure unicorn tears
B) The same $1 shit as in any other bottle, with a cuter label and more TV ads.

Dollar Slice

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2395 on: June 11, 2015, 11:43:01 AM »
Also, is anyone on here knowledable about art? I like art and am willing to buy original art, but at a strict limit. I see "limited edition" prints at galleries and other places that are marked for a ton of money...do they ever make sense to even consider purchasing? I realize that the quality of the print is likely a lot better than something from allposters.com, but I wonder if anyone actually makes money buying them and having them appreciate.
There are a lot of different kinds of prints, it's important to know what sort of thing you're buying before talking about appreciation and collectibility... (I'm not enough of an expert to explain it, I just know enough to know that it's a complex topic.) There's an artist I'd love to have a print from but they are $500 and I can't quite convince myself... I do have a nice limited edition silkscreen print (from a relatively unknown artist) that I only paid about $50 for.

One of the biggest financial jaw-droppers of my life... I was browsing some art galleries, just for fun, and I saw a painting I loved. Really loved. It was maybe $1500? I can't remember, but something in that neighborhood. Too rich for my blood (this was back in my early 20s) and I didn't buy it.

A few years later I was at the same art gallery and this time thinking somewhat seriously of investing in a real piece of art because I was making more money and etc. Lo and behold, they had some new pieces from the very same artist that were really incredible. Price tag? Six figures... a 10,000% gain in a few years. Guess I have a good eye for art. :-/

4alpacas

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2396 on: June 11, 2015, 01:22:03 PM »
A woman I went to high school with posted on FB that her son emptied out a $40 bottle of shower gel while he was in the bathroom. What the hell kind of magic ass body wash costs $40 a bottle??
Two possibilities:
A) Diluted Pure unicorn tears
B) The same $1 shit as in any other bottle, with a cuter label and more TV ads.
Fixed it.  Pure unicorn tears will run at least $50/bottle.

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2397 on: June 11, 2015, 01:31:00 PM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

Years ago when a Thomas Kincaid prints store opened in the mall, i figured out that it's not THAT special if it's mass market art. It has closed down since.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2398 on: June 11, 2015, 01:50:42 PM »
My friend just posted this on FB:

Quote
Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

Years ago when a Thomas Kincaid prints store opened in the mall, i figured out that it's not THAT special if it's mass market art. It has closed down since.

Talk about a niche market.

Beaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #2399 on: June 11, 2015, 02:40:30 PM »
A woman I went to high school with posted on FB that her son emptied out a $40 bottle of shower gel while he was in the bathroom. What the hell kind of magic ass body wash costs $40 a bottle??

Maybe it was a 5-gallon jug?