Author Topic: Epic FU money stories  (Read 2795102 times)

Bikeguy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #700 on: November 01, 2015, 05:28:46 AM »
I have read this thread over the course of two days and a fire has been lit. I am more determined than ever to stash away my own FU money because you never know what could happen.

I just need to pay these stupid CCs off first, but with the help of my tax refund coming up I will hopefully be CC-debt free by April or May of 2016! Then I can really start building that stash and paying down some student loans.
Agreed you should pull ahead paying the CC.  If due a refund, you can change your exemptions amount upward and each is worth roughly $50 a month.   So,  change from 1 to 9 and you'll get an extra $400 a month in your paycheck that you can use to pay the credit cards down now.  In January, adjust exemptions to cover $600 in taxes per exemption.  For example, if you are at 1, and will get $1900 back,  change to 4 for the year.   You'll get your money in each paycheck, about $150 extra a month,  and won't give the government an interest free loan.

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RWD

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #701 on: November 01, 2015, 09:41:35 AM »
Agreed you should pull ahead paying the CC.  If due a refund, you can change your exemptions amount upward and each is worth roughly $50 a month.

Wouldn't it only be $50/month if you're in the 15% tax bracket? If you're in a higher tax bracket each allowance you claim will reduce your withheld tax more.

Bikeguy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #702 on: November 01, 2015, 09:48:18 AM »
Agreed you should pull ahead paying the CC.  If due a refund, you can change your exemptions amount upward and each is worth roughly $50 a month.

Wouldn't it only be $50/month if you're in the 15% tax bracket? If you're in a higher tax bracket each allowance you claim will reduce your withheld tax more.
You are correct.  Was a few years ago when I did it.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/IRS-Tax-Forms/Fatten-Your-Paycheck-and-Still-Get-a-Tax-Refund/INF12107.html

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AmandaS1989

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #703 on: November 02, 2015, 06:54:19 AM »
I know its stupid to do it, but I don't want to change it. For one, I'm always afraid that I won't have enough withheld and I'll owe the government money. Second, I'm afraid to being tempted to blow that extra money instead of saving it or using it to pay off debt. I just don't trust myself. If I have a big chunk of money to put on a bill all at once it's more satisfying to me than just chipping away at it. I know I should facepunch myself for that but that's how I am.

Bikeguy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #704 on: November 02, 2015, 07:43:14 AM »
I know its stupid to do it, but I don't want to change it. For one, I'm always afraid that I won't have enough withheld and I'll owe the government money. Second, I'm afraid to being tempted to blow that extra money instead of saving it or using it to pay off debt. I just don't trust myself. If I have a big chunk of money to put on a bill all at once it's more satisfying to me than just chipping away at it. I know I should facepunch myself for that but that's how I am.
I respect that decision.   Better to avoid any temptation and guarantee the CCs  get paid down.

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AmandaS1989

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #705 on: November 02, 2015, 08:00:14 AM »
I know its stupid to do it, but I don't want to change it. For one, I'm always afraid that I won't have enough withheld and I'll owe the government money. Second, I'm afraid to being tempted to blow that extra money instead of saving it or using it to pay off debt. I just don't trust myself. If I have a big chunk of money to put on a bill all at once it's more satisfying to me than just chipping away at it. I know I should facepunch myself for that but that's how I am.
I respect that decision.   Better to avoid any temptation and guarantee the CCs  get paid down.

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Thank you Bikeguy. Anyways I have the CCs paid off now. I got a debt consolidation loan from LendingClub a few weeks ago and am only paying 10.98% interest instead of 20% and 25%. I just have the one CC with a balance of $820-something that is interest-free until July so I'm paying about $20 above the minimum to help pay it off in time. After I pay off the loan from LC, a PLUS loan and the remainder on my phone at tax time I'll have about $250/month extra to pay off that last CC and to really pay down my SLs. I'm hoping to refinance most if not all of my loans with Earnest as most of them are 6% or higher. A few are below 5% so depending on what rate I'm offered I might just refinance some of them.

mm1970

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #706 on: November 02, 2015, 11:41:44 AM »
Have another (small) epic FU story, along the lines of FU money not having to be about quitting, but just standing strong.  I was pulled into the CEOs office by my boss, which peaked my interest, as that never happens.  Apparently, our company is going to be moving the office across the country, and as I'm the head IT person, I was one of the first told since I'll need to help plan and coordinate things.  Relocation assistance will be offered to everyone.  So in front of the CEO my boss asks if I'd be interested in moving to X location.  I just say 'No.'  We look at each other for a while as he's not sure what to say.  'Why not?  Nice city, nice area, etc etc'.  'No thanks'.  Then he finally says 'well, telecommuting might also be an option for you'.  'Yea, thought that might be the case' (in my head, not out loud).  The CEO and CFO both have families in school here, I know they're sure as hell not moving across the country.  The place we're moving to is actually a really good location, I wouldn't mind moving there at all, but I was willing to call their bluff in order to not box myself.  And I have been thinking about finding another job that would let me telecommute so I can live anywhere, or be nomadic, so this might work out even better.
This was nice.

RecoveringCarClown

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #707 on: November 03, 2015, 10:19:56 PM »
This story is not super awesome but this thread needs to keep going, so might as well tell it.

So Bob is a pretty new guy, but he has the knowledge to do the job.  Now there are two parts to his job, the most important 80% of it (part A) is what he needs to do and what management cares about.  First couple years go ok.  End of year three or four, Bob begins to slip up on part A while he works on pet projects and the 20% (Part B).  You see Bob likes working on B while it is only an enabler for A.  Anyway, this comes to a head when Bob gets reprimanded for screwing up A again while spending a ton of time on B.
Next Friday comes and after everyone is long gone, Bob cleans out his desk and sends an email to his boss which happens to be off that day anyway. He writes a pretty long manifesto about all the things that are wrong and how he was working to fix it. He ends it by saying that he resigns.

Bob works in a professional industry and two weeks notice is customarily the minimum and some give a month or more to help transition projects or train new people. We typically have a party or drinks or something to wish them well, etc. Now here is the weird part, we never see Bob again, EVER.  He sent the email and never came back. His boss called him and asked him to come in and help for a week with a transition.  Bob, politely declines, says that he left all company property and that there was no reason to come back.
I have seen countless employees leave in a few different companies, but Bob is the first to disappear into thin air.  I'd like to think he had a stash but no one will ever know!       

mistershankly

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #708 on: November 03, 2015, 10:30:30 PM »
I have seen countless employees leave in a few different companies, but Bob is the first to disappear into thin air.  I'd like to think he had a stash but no one will ever know!     

Great story!  I like to call that move "The Shawshank"... "the man up and vanished like a fart in the wind".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX6FmJAbdAg


Astatine

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #709 on: November 03, 2015, 11:27:57 PM »
I have nothing to contribute. Just posting to follow.

Imonaboat

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #710 on: November 04, 2015, 06:33:18 AM »
It's not FU money related, but similar:

When my friends and I were all 16-20 we all got a job at a new fast food store. There were 12 of us that included all positions from server up to assistant manager, it was great times and we rode into work together and had a blast.

They screwed over one of our friends on pay and refused to even look at it, so we all walked out. They had to close that location down for almost a week over $30 and a 15 minute review to find the error.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2015, 06:37:34 AM by Imonaboat »

FiguringItOut

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #711 on: November 04, 2015, 09:04:27 AM »
It's not FU money related, but similar:

When my friends and I were all 16-20 we all got a job at a new fast food store. There were 12 of us that included all positions from server up to assistant manager, it was great times and we rode into work together and had a blast.

They screwed over one of our friends on pay and refused to even look at it, so we all walked out. They had to close that location down for almost a week over $30 and a 15 minute review to find the error.

This is AWESOME!!!

russianswinga

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #712 on: November 11, 2015, 04:43:30 PM »
They screwed over one of our friends on pay and refused to even look at it, so we all walked out. They had to close that location down for almost a week over $30 and a 15 minute review to find the error.

Ahh the power of collective bargaining

Gone Fishing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #713 on: November 19, 2015, 12:15:52 PM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

SingleMomDebt

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #714 on: November 19, 2015, 12:17:40 PM »

If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

Nice. made me chuckle.

Faraday

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #715 on: November 20, 2015, 10:52:45 AM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

That will be delicious.

Riff

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #716 on: November 20, 2015, 11:51:12 AM »
This is probably my favorite thread on the forum.

G-dog

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #717 on: November 20, 2015, 12:05:16 PM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

That will be delicious.

I am still surprised when bosses come up with these ideas, they are usually trivial kind of PITA events, but they are disruptive, take time, and add no value (usually). But they are astonished (!!!) if you speak up. It is the kind of thing that gets you labelled...

Gone Fishing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #718 on: November 20, 2015, 12:11:59 PM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

That will be delicious.

I am still surprised when bosses come up with these ideas, they are usually trivial kind of PITA events, but they are disruptive, take time, and add no value (usually). But they are astonished (!!!) if you speak up. It is the kind of thing that gets you labelled...

Sweet.  I like labels!  I am always telling my wife to label the bags of meat before the go in the freezer!

G-dog

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #719 on: November 20, 2015, 12:40:27 PM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

That will be delicious.

I am still surprised when bosses come up with these ideas, they are usually trivial kind of PITA events, but they are disruptive, take time, and add no value (usually). But they are astonished (!!!) if you speak up. It is the kind of thing that gets you labelled...

Sweet.  I like labels!  I am always telling my wife to label the bags of meat before the go in the freezer!

Hahahahahaha! You are so organized!

okits

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #720 on: November 20, 2015, 12:58:31 PM »
Not quite epic, but the new boss wants to move everyone's offices around.  Everyone else has been "yes men" trying to curry favor.  I told him no thanks!  If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

That will be delicious.

I am still surprised when bosses come up with these ideas, they are usually trivial kind of PITA events, but they are disruptive, take time, and add no value (usually). But they are astonished (!!!) if you speak up. It is the kind of thing that gets you labelled...

So Close, it sounds like you have less than six months left.  A fun game would be to see how many labels you can pick up (difficult, disruptive, subversive, eccentric, wildly attired) before you quit.  You'll probably be able to pick up a ton just by saying what you really think and doing what you really want. 

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arebelspy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #721 on: November 20, 2015, 01:01:05 PM »
Fun as it sounds, no need to unnecessarily burn bridges.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

MandalayVA

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #722 on: November 20, 2015, 01:07:43 PM »
Today Mr. Mandalay reminded me of how I left my job prior to this one.

I was in upper echelon customer service for an entertainment company.  I loved the job, I loved my supervisor, and my coworkers were awesome.  However, my supervisor was involved in a very serious car accident and wouldn't be back for months while he was recuperating.  The powers that be did a little shuffling, and so Felicia came to preside over the group.

Felicia was the living embodiment of Dolores Umbridge.  She was all smiles and sweet voice, but she remains the nastiest person it's ever been my misfortune to know.  My group had heard horror stories about her for ages, and now we started to live them.  She wrote people up for the stupidest shit.  How stupid?  Try coming back from lunch 75 SECONDS late (yes, she counted).  Laughing while talking with customers ("you really must be more professional, dear"--this was me BTW).  She wrote one woman up for combing her hair at her desk.  And then of course the "dear."  There were regular outbursts of "Are you KIDDING me?!?!?!" coming over her cube wall.  And God, she nitpicked EVERYTHING, but management backed her up without question.  After roughly a month I didn't know whether I was going to go suicidal or homicidal, even though unlike my coworkers I'd only been written up once.  After Mr. Mandalay heard me coming in from work, slamming my purse on the counter and screaming "GAAAAAH FUCKING FELICIA!!!!" for the twentieth time he said over dinner "if you're that fucking miserable, quit.  We've got enough saved, we'll be okay for a while."

I was still nervous, so I vowed to myself that Felicia would have to do something heinous before I'd pull the trigger.  I only had to wait three days.  Felicia wrote me up for "dressing inappropriately."  This was a call center, so we could wear what we wanted as long as it was clean and in good taste.  I am the most conservative dresser on the planet.  The "inappropriate" garment in question was a University of Virginia sweatshirt.

Why did Felicia find it offensive?

She went to Virginia Tech.

I am TOTALLY not kidding. 

I stood up, ripped up the form and said "I quit."

"Dear, I don't think you can afford to quit," Felicia said.

I still remember beaming and saying "Actually, Felicia, I can" and the stunned look on her face as I left her cube.

I heard later on that Felicia ended up getting transferred to the Kansas City branch of the company.  I wonder how many people she wrote up for wearing Jayhawks shirts ...

Gone Fishing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #723 on: November 20, 2015, 01:09:35 PM »
Fun as it sounds, no need to unnecessarily burn bridges.

Agreed.  I have been dropping a few more frugal hints, though.  Like how I am going to mount my own tires this weekend and how I butcher my animals for meat...


mm1970

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #724 on: November 20, 2015, 07:00:35 PM »
Today Mr. Mandalay reminded me of how I left my job prior to this one.

I was in upper echelon customer service for an entertainment company.  I loved the job, I loved my supervisor, and my coworkers were awesome.  However, my supervisor was involved in a very serious car accident and wouldn't be back for months while he was recuperating.  The powers that be did a little shuffling, and so Felicia came to preside over the group.

Felicia was the living embodiment of Dolores Umbridge.  She was all smiles and sweet voice, but she remains the nastiest person it's ever been my misfortune to know.  My group had heard horror stories about her for ages, and now we started to live them.  She wrote people up for the stupidest shit.  How stupid?  Try coming back from lunch 75 SECONDS late (yes, she counted).  Laughing while talking with customers ("you really must be more professional, dear"--this was me BTW).  She wrote one woman up for combing her hair at her desk.  And then of course the "dear."  There were regular outbursts of "Are you KIDDING me?!?!?!" coming over her cube wall.  And God, she nitpicked EVERYTHING, but management backed her up without question.  After roughly a month I didn't know whether I was going to go suicidal or homicidal, even though unlike my coworkers I'd only been written up once.  After Mr. Mandalay heard me coming in from work, slamming my purse on the counter and screaming "GAAAAAH FUCKING FELICIA!!!!" for the twentieth time he said over dinner "if you're that fucking miserable, quit.  We've got enough saved, we'll be okay for a while."

I was still nervous, so I vowed to myself that Felicia would have to do something heinous before I'd pull the trigger.  I only had to wait three days.  Felicia wrote me up for "dressing inappropriately."  This was a call center, so we could wear what we wanted as long as it was clean and in good taste.  I am the most conservative dresser on the planet.  The "inappropriate" garment in question was a University of Virginia sweatshirt.

Why did Felicia find it offensive?

She went to Virginia Tech.

I am TOTALLY not kidding. 

I stood up, ripped up the form and said "I quit."

"Dear, I don't think you can afford to quit," Felicia said.

I still remember beaming and saying "Actually, Felicia, I can" and the stunned look on her face as I left her cube.

I heard later on that Felicia ended up getting transferred to the Kansas City branch of the company.  I wonder how many people she wrote up for wearing Jayhawks shirts ...
this was pretty awesome, even for someone who went to VA tech

Vee2001

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #725 on: November 20, 2015, 10:55:33 PM »
Worked as a mid-level manager at a Federal agency.  Organization did poorly on an inspection and inspectors pointed at a number of poor decisions by our Director-level leadership as the root cause.  Numerous subordinates brought the exact same issues to them prior to the inspection but the Directors always knew better.  They had a habit of taking credit for success and pushing blame for failures to others and were stressful people to work for, so I had already been looking at my options and planning an exit strategy.

Get called into a private meeting with one of the Directors who asked me to write a letter to HR saying it was my fault we did poorly on the inspection and request a demotion to a lower graded position because I was in over my head.  I declined.  He said that if I didn't then I would be let go.  I reminded him that I passed my probationary period and they had to prove cause to fire me (after the 1 year probationary period, you're supposed to have job protection).  The Director said that he had already talked to HR, that they can play paperwork games and let me go as a non-disciplinary action that would bypass the protections I'm supposed to get (unethical but not surprising from these people).  I told him to go ahead and do that. 

He was like, "No, you don't understand, we want to keep you.  You can keep doing the same stuff you are now but at the lower position.  In a couple years we can promote you back."

I said, yes, I understand that and, no, I will not write that letter to HR.  That I'd rather get let go than keep working for him.  Needless to say, he wasn't happy.

They do the non-disciplinary action and give me 30-day notice of termination.  Then they take away all of my job duties and move me into, essentially, a converted closet to work out of for the last 30 days.  I don't argue the move and use the 30 days to finish a bunch of coursework that had built up in a correspondence course I was taking.  Then HR notifies me that they will not give me the (mediocre) severance payment because I was being let go for poor performance.  I remind them that it was their choice to use the "non-disciplinary" method to let me go and, if they use that method, I get the severance.  I mentioned a few of the methods I could escalate the issue (congressional complaint, etc) and they quietly gave me the severance.

This is where the planning and exit strategy came into play.  Thanks to the non-disciplinary type of termination, I qualified for unemployment.  Thanks to qualifying for unemployment, I could sell the bank-owned foreclosure I had bought and fixed up a year prior for $120k profit and not pay taxes (usually you have to live in the property for 2 years to get the profit tax free).  I had also already lined up a place I could live for an extended period rent-free. 

So, in the end, I got $120k real estate profit tax-free.  I chilled out on unemployment for a bit over a year (this was during the downturn and I think unemployment lasted for 99 weeks or so), relaxed, traveled a bit, hung out with friends and played lots of video games.  I applied for jobs but only stuff that paid well and looked interesting, I was pretty picky.  Between unemployment and passive income, I was actually cash positive by about $3.5k/month.  A bit after a year one of the interesting jobs panned out and I've been doing that ever since.  Unhappy about all the shenanigans that happened but very happy of the line of action I took and being able to say FU.

G-dog

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #726 on: November 21, 2015, 06:54:54 AM »
Worked as a mid-level manager at a Federal agency.  Organization did poorly on an inspection and inspectors pointed at a number of poor decisions by our Director-level leadership as the root cause.  Numerous subordinates brought the exact same issues to them prior to the inspection but the Directors always knew better.  They had a habit of taking credit for success and pushing blame for failures to others and were stressful people to work for, so I had already been looking at my options and planning an exit strategy.

Get called into a private meeting with one of the Directors who asked me to write a letter to HR saying it was my fault we did poorly on the inspection and request a demotion to a lower graded position because I was in over my head.  I declined.  He said that if I didn't then I would be let go.  I reminded him that I passed my probationary period and they had to prove cause to fire me (after the 1 year probationary period, you're supposed to have job protection).  The Director said that he had already talked to HR, that they can play paperwork games and let me go as a non-disciplinary action that would bypass the protections I'm supposed to get (unethical but not surprising from these people).  I told him to go ahead and do that. 

He was like, "No, you don't understand, we want to keep you.  You can keep doing the same stuff you are now but at the lower position.  In a couple years we can promote you back."

I said, yes, I understand that and, no, I will not write that letter to HR.  That I'd rather get let go than keep working for him.  Needless to say, he wasn't happy.

They do the non-disciplinary action and give me 30-day notice of termination.  Then they take away all of my job duties and move me into, essentially, a converted closet to work out of for the last 30 days.  I don't argue the move and use the 30 days to finish a bunch of coursework that had built up in a correspondence course I was taking.  Then HR notifies me that they will not give me the (mediocre) severance payment because I was being let go for poor performance.  I remind them that it was their choice to use the "non-disciplinary" method to let me go and, if they use that method, I get the severance.  I mentioned a few of the methods I could escalate the issue (congressional complaint, etc) and they quietly gave me the severance.

This is where the planning and exit strategy came into play.  Thanks to the non-disciplinary type of termination, I qualified for unemployment.  Thanks to qualifying for unemployment, I could sell the bank-owned foreclosure I had bought and fixed up a year prior for $120k profit and not pay taxes (usually you have to live in the property for 2 years to get the profit tax free).  I had also already lined up a place I could live for an extended period rent-free. 

So, in the end, I got $120k real estate profit tax-free.  I chilled out on unemployment for a bit over a year (this was during the downturn and I think unemployment lasted for 99 weeks or so), relaxed, traveled a bit, hung out with friends and played lots of video games.  I applied for jobs but only stuff that paid well and looked interesting, I was pretty picky.  Between unemployment and passive income, I was actually cash positive by about $3.5k/month.  A bit after a year one of the interesting jobs panned out and I've been doing that ever since.  Unhappy about all the shenanigans that happened but very happy of the line of action I took and being able to say FU.

<bowing> we're not worthy!

albireo13

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #727 on: November 21, 2015, 07:45:30 AM »
So Close ...
  If you go around collecting labels maybe they'll let you go, with a package, instead of you quitting

albireo13

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #728 on: November 21, 2015, 07:53:05 AM »
I have been so close to quitting this year.  I am maybe 3yrs away from FIRE and have been interviewing with other companies.  I've had some offers but have decided it's not worth starting over in a new job.  I'll just hunker down and plow through the ever increasing corporate BS.
I have a decent engineering job with good benefits and I like the people I work with ... my peer level.
Unfortunately a few mini managers are experts at hen pecking and make the job in-fun. Also, the big company cultured rewards incompetence so, the managers tend to be corporate zombies ... walking about and muttering corporate-speak.
I feel like I am living in a Dilbert comic strip!

I am awaiting my turn to "retire". I need to come up with a fun, but constructive, FU event.

ShaneD

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #729 on: November 21, 2015, 07:14:03 PM »
It has taken weeks, but I have enjoyed reading this whole thread immensely.

I've walked off plenty of jobs with no safety net, but the one where I got to leave thanks to FU money is when I left my full-time job to go freelance. The company was dysfunctional and toxic, very dog-eat-dog culture dictated from the top, and stingy even with its most "valued" (as it were) employees. Always more and more responsibilities, loads of projects with unreasonable demands and deadlines, but never more money or recognition (except for the inept execs). You could rarely even take the vacation days you were allotted, yet you were expected to fall over yourself with gratitude for the peanuts you'd earned.

I kept the leaving process polite, friendly, and positive. When they called in need of help after I'd left, I told them it'd cost an amount more than 3x what I made as a salaried employee. They balked and freaked out. I wished them luck. They agreed to my asking price.

Even better: 9 times out of 10 when they call, I turn down the job.

As others have mentioned, one of the best benefits of FU money is the freedom to choose to say Yes or No.

Jellyfish

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #730 on: November 21, 2015, 07:39:35 PM »

When they called in need of help after I'd left, I told them it'd cost an amount more than 3x what I made as a salaried employee. They balked and freaked out. I wished them luck. They agreed to my asking price.


Awesome. This is what I aspire to...

civil

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #731 on: November 21, 2015, 08:06:21 PM »
Today Mr. Mandalay reminded me of how I left my job prior to this one.

I was in upper echelon customer service for an entertainment company.  I loved the job, I loved my supervisor, and my coworkers were awesome.  However, my supervisor was involved in a very serious car accident and wouldn't be back for months while he was recuperating.  The powers that be did a little shuffling, and so Felicia came to preside over the group.

Felicia was the living embodiment of Dolores Umbridge.  She was all smiles and sweet voice, but she remains the nastiest person it's ever been my misfortune to know.  My group had heard horror stories about her for ages, and now we started to live them.  She wrote people up for the stupidest shit.  How stupid?  Try coming back from lunch 75 SECONDS late (yes, she counted).  Laughing while talking with customers ("you really must be more professional, dear"--this was me BTW).  She wrote one woman up for combing her hair at her desk.  And then of course the "dear."  There were regular outbursts of "Are you KIDDING me?!?!?!" coming over her cube wall.  And God, she nitpicked EVERYTHING, but management backed her up without question.  After roughly a month I didn't know whether I was going to go suicidal or homicidal, even though unlike my coworkers I'd only been written up once.  After Mr. Mandalay heard me coming in from work, slamming my purse on the counter and screaming "GAAAAAH FUCKING FELICIA!!!!" for the twentieth time he said over dinner "if you're that fucking miserable, quit.  We've got enough saved, we'll be okay for a while."

I was still nervous, so I vowed to myself that Felicia would have to do something heinous before I'd pull the trigger.  I only had to wait three days.  Felicia wrote me up for "dressing inappropriately."  This was a call center, so we could wear what we wanted as long as it was clean and in good taste.  I am the most conservative dresser on the planet.  The "inappropriate" garment in question was a University of Virginia sweatshirt.

Why did Felicia find it offensive?

She went to Virginia Tech.

I am TOTALLY not kidding. 

I stood up, ripped up the form and said "I quit."

"Dear, I don't think you can afford to quit," Felicia said.

I still remember beaming and saying "Actually, Felicia, I can" and the stunned look on her face as I left her cube.

I heard later on that Felicia ended up getting transferred to the Kansas City branch of the company.  I wonder how many people she wrote up for wearing Jayhawks shirts ...

At my last job, our on-the-job training included a series of competency exams before we were given access to the computer systems. One exam involved writing some short computer programs, and a grader had to check the security of our programs. I had to get a new grader - the main grader wouldn't pass me because he attended Va Tech and I attended UVA.

I've seen UVA people do this to Hokies, too. Really, people. It's just a school. Let's all get back to making fun of West Virginia already.

PseudoStache

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #732 on: November 21, 2015, 09:03:38 PM »
Haven't seen this movie... but saw the clip on Reddit and immediately thought of this thread...  The numbers are not mustachian, but still....

http://youtu.be/xdfeXqHFmPI
(NSFW: Language....sorry if a repost)

shelivesthedream

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #733 on: November 22, 2015, 03:28:32 AM »
Haven't seen this movie... but saw the clip on Reddit and immediately thought of this thread...  The numbers are not mustachian, but still....

http://youtu.be/xdfeXqHFmPI
(NSFW: Language....sorry if a repost)

Love this! I wish that everyone aspired to be in the position of fuck you, if not to RE. I think the world would be better if people weren't so afraid.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #734 on: November 22, 2015, 08:33:24 AM »
- the main grader wouldn't pass me because he attended Va Tech and I attended UVA.
That must be a real problem for them, if you want the best scientists and engineers in the world working on your project but half went to VaT and half went to UVA and you can only pick one.

Presumably you have to hope that the second raters who went to Cambridge/MIT/Caltech will happily work with those losers who only got into Oxford/Harvard/Stanford.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #735 on: November 22, 2015, 09:30:16 AM »
- the main grader wouldn't pass me because he attended Va Tech and I attended UVA.
That must be a real problem for them, if you want the best scientists and engineers in the world working on your project but half went to VaT and half went to UVA and you can only pick one.

Presumably you have to hope that the second raters who went to Cambridge/MIT/Caltech will happily work with those losers who only got into Oxford/Harvard/Stanford.

My husband went to two traditionally rival universities for undergrad and postgrad. It fucks with your mind. (We met during undergrad. The first university was clearly better.)

civil

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #736 on: November 24, 2015, 04:10:58 PM »
- the main grader wouldn't pass me because he attended Va Tech and I attended UVA.
That must be a real problem for them, if you want the best scientists and engineers in the world working on your project but half went to VaT and half went to UVA and you can only pick one.

Presumably you have to hope that the second raters who went to Cambridge/MIT/Caltech will happily work with those losers who only got into Oxford/Harvard/Stanford.

My husband went to two traditionally rival universities for undergrad and postgrad. It fucks with your mind. (We met during undergrad. The first university was clearly better.)

Ha! That's awesome.
I find it's much easier to deal with the people who never cared about football. So many of these rivalries are about football. When dealing with VT football fans, I've had some success with pretending to not know what American football is. Then it's no fun to talk about it :)

Rollin

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #737 on: November 24, 2015, 04:31:06 PM »
Haven't seen this movie... but saw the clip on Reddit and immediately thought of this thread...  The numbers are not mustachian, but still....

http://youtu.be/xdfeXqHFmPI
(NSFW: Language....sorry if a repost)

Hadn't seen that.  That is good!

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #738 on: November 24, 2015, 05:19:41 PM »
When dealing with VT football fans, I've had some success with pretending to not know what American football is. Then it's no fun to talk about it :)

I don't give a rat's ass about collegiate or professional sports.   They could disappear from the face of the earth and I wouldn't notice if not for all the unhappy whining about it.

Despite not caring one whit, I can't help but have learned many of the names of the different teams and (approximately) which season is which sport, purely by osmosis.

So, if they start talking about football I'll ask a question like, "Football?  That's the big orange ball, isn't it?"
It really stops them cold and they don't bother me about this stuff anymore.

Well, most of them don't.  If they are really obnoxious about it, I'll make a comment like "Well, my sense of self worth isn't attached to how well a bunch of strangers carry a piece of dead pig across a field."

That's a real conversation stopper.


Faraday

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #739 on: November 24, 2015, 10:51:41 PM »
I don't give a rat's ass about collegiate or professional sports.   They could disappear from the face of the earth and I wouldn't notice if not for all the unhappy whining about it.

+1, sons too. I'm incensed at the thought that the NFL runs tax free.

Chaplin

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #740 on: November 24, 2015, 10:57:44 PM »
So, if they start talking about football I'll ask a question like, "Football?  That's the big orange ball, isn't it?"
It really stops them cold and they don't bother me about this stuff anymore.

Well, most of them don't.  If they are really obnoxious about it, I'll make a comment like "Well, my sense of self worth isn't attached to how well a bunch of strangers carry a piece of dead pig across a field."

That's a real conversation stopper.

I love messing with people this way. When a team is referenced, asking if it's the game where they have to bounce a lot, or the one with the weirdly shaped ball, is fun too.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #741 on: November 24, 2015, 11:20:21 PM »
I love messing with people this way. When a team is referenced, asking if it's the game where they have to bounce a lot, or the one with the weirdly shaped ball, is fun too.

What's the one where they have to bounce a lot?  Is there a women's division?

Gray Matter

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #742 on: November 25, 2015, 04:25:41 AM »
I don't give a rat's ass about collegiate or professional sports.   They could disappear from the face of the earth and I wouldn't notice if not for all the unhappy whining about it.

Despite not caring one whit, I can't help but have learned many of the names of the different teams and (approximately) which season is which sport, purely by osmosis.

So, if they start talking about football I'll ask a question like, "Football?  That's the big orange ball, isn't it?"
It really stops them cold and they don't bother me about this stuff anymore.

Well, most of them don't.  If they are really obnoxious about it, I'll make a comment like "Well, my sense of self worth isn't attached to how well a bunch of strangers carry a piece of dead pig across a field."

That's a real conversation stopper.

Swoon!  (Sorry, I have a thing for guys who care not one whit--or rat's ass worth--about sports.)

Rollin

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #743 on: November 25, 2015, 06:03:50 AM »
When dealing with VT football fans, I've had some success with pretending to not know what American football is. Then it's no fun to talk about it :)

I don't give a rat's ass about collegiate or professional sports.   They could disappear from the face of the earth and I wouldn't notice if not for all the unhappy whining about it.

Despite not caring one whit, I can't help but have learned many of the names of the different teams and (approximately) which season is which sport, purely by osmosis.

So, if they start talking about football I'll ask a question like, "Football?  That's the big orange ball, isn't it?"
It really stops them cold and they don't bother me about this stuff anymore.

Well, most of them don't.  If they are really obnoxious about it, I'll make a comment like "Well, my sense of self worth isn't attached to how well a bunch of strangers carry a piece of dead pig across a field."

That's a real conversation stopper.

A real annoyance huh?  Sounds like fun poking holes in other people's enjoyment.  Must be a blast hanging out with you.

Sorry for the extra foam...now on to Epic FU stories...

Not epic, but still building mine (i.e., FU money) and could go this very moment, but want to wait and see how the taxes shake out towards the end of the year.  Thankfully, it is a great place to work, but it is still a place that robs me of other options.  For example, today I am looking out at a beautiful clear sky and temps about 65F, yet I am at "work."  Would rather be our riding the bicycle, walking the dog, cruising the boat or motorcycle, hanging out with the family.  Ah soon - April 2016!
« Last Edit: November 25, 2015, 06:08:05 AM by Rollin »

bernardnb

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #744 on: November 25, 2015, 07:54:53 AM »
Quote
+1, sons too. I'm incensed at the thought that the NFL runs tax free.

It's only the administrative arm of the league that doesn't pay tax (and even that is over after this year).  The vast majority of the revenues are driven by the teams (tickets, merchandise and the HUGE tv deal).  The teams are not tax-exempt.

Sibley

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #745 on: November 25, 2015, 09:43:20 AM »
When dealing with VT football fans, I've had some success with pretending to not know what American football is. Then it's no fun to talk about it :)

I don't give a rat's ass about collegiate or professional sports.   They could disappear from the face of the earth and I wouldn't notice if not for all the unhappy whining about it.

Despite not caring one whit, I can't help but have learned many of the names of the different teams and (approximately) which season is which sport, purely by osmosis.

So, if they start talking about football I'll ask a question like, "Football?  That's the big orange ball, isn't it?"
It really stops them cold and they don't bother me about this stuff anymore.

Well, most of them don't.  If they are really obnoxious about it, I'll make a comment like "Well, my sense of self worth isn't attached to how well a bunch of strangers carry a piece of dead pig across a field."

That's a real conversation stopper.

A real annoyance huh?  Sounds like fun poking holes in other people's enjoyment.  Must be a blast hanging out with you.

Try talking about something else.

REAL WORLD EXPAT

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #746 on: November 25, 2015, 10:34:21 AM »

If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

Nice. made me chuckle.

Not an FU story but on a similar theme when I quit the last job I had I told them it was because they hired another British person (I live in the US). I'd been looking for another job for a while and it was just pure coincidence that the day I planned on handing in my notice HR is introducing this other British expat on his first day. Purely for shits and giggles when I handed my notice in to my boss that afternoon when he got in the office I told him it was because they hired another British person and that was my thing here in the company. They even went as far as saying they'd let the other guy go and which point I told them the fact they'd even thought about brining in another British person in was enough and I felt hurt and was obviously not fulfilling the token British guy role adequately (plus I did not want the new guy to lose his job here as I was leaving anyhow). Worked my notice and left, to this day they think that is the reason I left!   

Cookie78

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #747 on: November 25, 2015, 10:41:11 AM »

If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

Nice. made me chuckle.

Not an FU story but on a similar theme when I quit the last job I had I told them it was because they hired another British person (I live in the US). I'd been looking for another job for a while and it was just pure coincidence that the day I planned on handing in my notice HR is introducing this other British expat on his first day. Purely for shits and giggles when I handed my notice in to my boss that afternoon when he got in the office I told him it was because they hired another British person and that was my thing here in the company. They even went as far as saying they'd let the other guy go and which point I told them the fact they'd even thought about brining in another British person in was enough and I felt hurt and was obviously not fulfilling the token British guy role adequately (plus I did not want the new guy to lose his job here as I was leaving anyhow). Worked my notice and left, to this day they think that is the reason I left!

LOL

secondcor521

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #748 on: November 25, 2015, 11:35:20 AM »
We have a new "health and well-being" initiative at my company...there are signs up all over the place recommending we take the stairs instead of the elevator, more of those anti-germ handwash things installed at the top and bottom of all stairways.  They have also put up signs at the top and bottom of the stairways saying you "must" use the handrails.  I get personal safety and the potential company liability, but the word "must" goes beyond my limits of reasonableness.  I'm thinking about using that as the reason for my leaving.  Not particularly epic, but the last few posts here reminded me of it.

(Real reason is FU/FIRE money plus dissatisfaction with management.)

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #749 on: November 25, 2015, 11:45:01 AM »

If he moves me anyway, when I resign next spring, I will tell him that it was because he moved my office just to mess with him...

Nice. made me chuckle.

Not an FU story but on a similar theme when I quit the last job I had I told them it was because they hired another British person (I live in the US). I'd been looking for another job for a while and it was just pure coincidence that the day I planned on handing in my notice HR is introducing this other British expat on his first day. Purely for shits and giggles when I handed my notice in to my boss that afternoon when he got in the office I told him it was because they hired another British person and that was my thing here in the company. They even went as far as saying they'd let the other guy go and which point I told them the fact they'd even thought about brining in another British person in was enough and I felt hurt and was obviously not fulfilling the token British guy role adequately (plus I did not want the new guy to lose his job here as I was leaving anyhow). Worked my notice and left, to this day they think that is the reason I left!

While not FU, that's my favorite story yet, that's hilarious.  That poor guy, I wonder if word got around about you leaving over him and if there was any resentment towards him from others.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!