Author Topic: Epic FU money stories  (Read 2798563 times)

bbqbonelesswing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3250 on: September 21, 2020, 06:18:16 AM »
An observation: reading these stories, it seems quite common for the reaction of a boss or colleague to be, did you win the lottery? as if that would be the only logical explanation for quitting a job, or at least the first one that comes to mind. As if it is utterly unimaginable to the ordinary person that someone could simply have saved money and invested it. Sad commentary on the current state of the world. This is why we need to teach basic financial literacy in schools. [/ soapbox]

This was the reaction I got last time I quit a job. A few years ago I was working at a restaurant while studying to switch careers into IT. It was a pretty sweet gig as far as they go, with mostly college kids on staff who would drop shifts all the time. This was great for me as I could pick those extra shifts up and stack my schedule, and made pretty good money. The downside was that it was a corporate chain with an obsession over secret shopping. We'd get shopped constantly, and anything less than 100% was deemed a failure.

Anyway, one day I get some shoppers at my table and don't give the full-on corporate-approved greeting, so I get a 90%. This warrants a meeting with the GM, who puts me on a 4-seat section for the upcoming weekend as punishment. This is totally bullshit as a double-double over the weekend would net me like $500, sometimes more. Having that small of a section would cut that drastically. So I just said I have bills to pay, I can't work for nothing all weekend. Our GM wouldn't budge so I said, "Ok, that's fine, this will be my last shift. I quit." As soon as those words came out of my mouth her tone totally changed to concern- "But how are you going to pay your bills? Are you going to be ok?" Ok? I have 6+ months of expenses saved up in cash, I'm going to be just fine!

I took the next few months off to continue studying, then landed a new job where I'm still working today. Between jobs I came in to eat there a few times and one manager would always ask how I was doing or if I had found another job yet. I would just tell him no, I was temporarily retired. I think that made him really depressed to hear.

Job hopping is pretty common in the restaurant industry, but good money management isn't. Most of the people I've worked with, front and back of the house alike, spend whatever they make. On top of that, most of the folks I worked with at this place were college kids or alcoholics, so it was apparently shocking that I had actually saved anything at all. I'll never forget the absolute shock and confusion on this GM's face- priceless.

BikeFanatic

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3251 on: September 21, 2020, 06:27:58 AM »
As a former restaurant worker and shopper, I love this story, I never gave bad reviews as a shopper except once and it was nearly as scathing as it could have been. Restaurant work is very hard and you can’t be perfect and walking on eggshells all the time with each customer.
Makes me think I can retire normally at work or just up and quit if they push me too hard, but likely I will just calmly retire with two weeks notice.

bbqbonelesswing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3252 on: September 21, 2020, 06:36:48 AM »
As a former restaurant worker and shopper, I love this story, I never gave bad reviews as a shopper except once and it was nearly as scathing as it could have been. Restaurant work is very hard and you can’t be perfect and walking on eggshells all the time with each customer.
Makes me think I can retire normally at work or just up and quit if they push me too hard, but likely I will just calmly retire with two weeks notice.

I think of two weeks notice as a courtesy. It's nice to give your boss a little time to plan before you go. But if they don't respect you, fuck em.

DS

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3253 on: September 21, 2020, 06:47:15 AM »
So strange to think of a workplace with "punishments."

AMandM

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3254 on: September 21, 2020, 10:25:35 AM »
So strange to think of a workplace with "punishments."

I agree. What is mgt thinking?  "This will teach a good lesson! Next time a customer comes in, bbqbonelesswings will remember the risk of a 4-seat shift and will make sure to give the proper greeting!"
or maybe
"Customer greeted improperly--bad!  Bbqbonelesswings deprived of income--balance of badness restored!"

AMandM

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3255 on: September 21, 2020, 10:42:32 AM »
On not having work to do:

One summer in high school I worked for an office temp agency. One gig was as a receptionist, where I sat at a desk near the entrance, which was also the traffic hub of the office. I answered the phone, directed visitors, and typed up letters (on a typewriter--this was long time ago). Since there were few phone calls, fewer visitors, and still fewer letters, I took my paperback out of my bag and read while I waited for work to show up. After a few hours, my supervisor took me aside and said it was bad for other people's morale to see me having reading for pleasure instead of working, so I was not to read any more. I pointed out that I was accomplishing everything I was hired for, but he said that was irrelevant, it wasn't fair for others to feel like I was being paid to have fun. He actually said he'd rather I just sit idle.

I did not have FU money or the concept of it, but I do remember thinking that this was only bearable because it was a two-week assignment. I could not have stood the boredom of literally doing nothing on a permanent basis. From then on, when there was nothing to do, I'd stick a sheet of paper into the typewriter and start typing a letter to a friend. I'm still kind of pleased with 17yo me for this solution that made me look like I was working. Nowadays I'd have a computer and could read books online without fear of discovery.


Dicey

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3256 on: September 21, 2020, 10:49:41 AM »
I had something similar happen once at a job. Customer complained becauseI  momentarily stepped away from helping him to assist a mama with a baby, and my manager slashed my hours. Literally, no hours from M-F, so I scheduled a trip. Then manager asked me to work the Wednesday. "Uh, sorry, I'll be out of town." Another customer got wind of what happened and wrote a letter praising me to the Store Manager. Two weeks later, I was named "Customer Service All-Star", which meant my (professionally photographed, at the company's expense) picture hung on the wall for all to see and my employee discount went from 20% to 33% for an entire year.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2020, 05:13:21 AM by Dicey »

Zamboni

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3257 on: September 21, 2020, 11:17:32 AM »
So strange to think of a workplace with "punishments."

It's weird to explicitly dole out "punishments" to workers, and it is especially strange to think that way when dealing with a good employee in a field where there is chronic shortages and high employee turnover. My other half had a similar thing happen where a restaurant manager demoted a server to busboy for a day to "teach a lesson" for a one time very minor thing . . . other half just quit on the spot, so then they were short handed for at least the next week. Other half then walked down the street and was hired by the competing place on the spot. Didn't even miss a shift.

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3258 on: September 21, 2020, 01:06:24 PM »
So strange to think of a workplace with "punishments."

It's weird to explicitly dole out "punishments" to workers, and it is especially strange to think that way when dealing with a good employee in a field where there is chronic shortages and high employee turnover. My other half had a similar thing happen where a restaurant manager demoted a server to busboy for a day to "teach a lesson" for a one time very minor thing . . . other half just quit on the spot, so then they were short handed for at least the next week. Other half then walked down the street and was hired by the competing place on the spot. Didn't even miss a shift.
There are a lot of bullies and people with (often well deserved) insecurities that find their way into middle management.
They take it out on whomever they can.

FU money is a wonderful thing.

Zamboni

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3259 on: September 21, 2020, 03:37:46 PM »
^Yeah, it's weird how much many people will put up with in terms of overwork and abusive management.

I just quit a part of my job because I was hating it. The way I phrased it to my boss was "I gave this new role a try, but it's just not a good fit for me, so I'm going to go back to doing my old job. Please transition this to someone else over the next two weeks."

Could the boss have fired me? Sure. Did it happen? Nope. In fact, pretty much everyone at work who hears the news says "Good for you!" I think my stock went up at the company more than it went down, honestly.

BicycleB

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3260 on: September 21, 2020, 04:43:01 PM »
^Yeah, it's weird how much many people will put up with in terms of overwork and abusive management.

I just quit a part of my job because I was hating it. The way I phrased it to my boss was "I gave this new role a try, but it's just not a good fit for me, so I'm going to go back to doing my old job. Please transition this to someone else over the next two weeks."

Could the boss have fired me? Sure. Did it happen? Nope. In fact, pretty much everyone at work who hears the news says "Good for you!" I think my stock went up at the company more than it went down, honestly.

Wow, that's brilliant! Epic indeed, @Zamboni.

evanc

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3261 on: September 21, 2020, 07:08:28 PM »
Some years ago (10?) DW worked for a company A but had ambivalent feelings about it. The pay was so so, and the commute was a killer. On the upside, it had decent healthcare and 401(k) benefits. All things considered, she started looking for a new job and found what appeared to be a perfect fit and Company B, which would be only a 10 minute drive (compared to the 1.5 hours each way with company a). Not only with the commute significantly improve, but the pay was actually higher at Company B. No brainer, right? First day at work, right away, she can tell this is not what she signed up for. The manager is yelling at people, everyone seems scared, and there is no training. Red flags left and right. She tries to stick it out for a couple of days, but quickly realizes this is clearly not where she needs to be. She called me in tears, says she cannot do this, it is not what she signed up for, etc. and basically left the office, ostensibly to “check the mail” (this was one of the new job duties) and never returned.  HR calls, wants to know what happened, and DW explains verbal abuse, the lack of training, etc. company b HR is very understanding And asks if there is anything they can do to bring her back - my gut says they were not surprised at anything they heard, which is probably why there was a vacancy in the first place. She says thanks but no thanks.

Same day, calls up her former boss (don’t burn those bridges if you don’t have to) from company a and negotiates a return at a higher salary and new job title. She had previously attempted to negotiate a wage increase but was told that it was impossible. After she left, however, magically there was money now available in the budget. Turns out, they were more than happy to have her back and were dreading the process of replacing her. She was also able to negotiate a couple of weeks delayed start for what we now refer to as her “unemployment vacation.” She needed the time to decompress from the company b trauma (and thanks to not living paycheck to paycheck, it was no big deal to us).

To this day, we still have a chuckle every once in a while about “going to check the mail.” I told her, just imagine the other people in that office. You are an urban legend for sure.

P.S. she still works for company a, but in the last 10 years has switched roles/departments 3 times, each with a significant pay increase. We relocated much closer, cutting commute time by 2/3, and she was able to negotiate 2 days/wk WFH in an office culture where WFH is virtually unheard of (at least pre-COVID). Meanwhile, almost everyone she works with just stays in the same position and never really gets more than COLA pay increases. Squeaky wheel, people! But more to the point of this thread, FU money gave us options. But for the FUM, some of those risks would likely been but daydreams. Cheers, mustachians!

ysette9

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3262 on: September 21, 2020, 08:20:35 PM »
Some years ago (10?) DW worked for a company A but had ambivalent feelings about it. The pay was so so, and the commute was a killer. On the upside, it had decent healthcare and 401(k) benefits. All things considered, she started looking for a new job and found what appeared to be a perfect fit and Company B, which would be only a 10 minute drive (compared to the 1.5 hours each way with company a). Not only with the commute significantly improve, but the pay was actually higher at Company B. No brainer, right? First day at work, right away, she can tell this is not what she signed up for. The manager is yelling at people, everyone seems scared, and there is no training. Red flags left and right. She tries to stick it out for a couple of days, but quickly realizes this is clearly not where she needs to be. She called me in tears, says she cannot do this, it is not what she signed up for, etc. and basically left the office, ostensibly to “check the mail” (this was one of the new job duties) and never returned.  HR calls, wants to know what happened, and DW explains verbal abuse, the lack of training, etc. company b HR is very understanding And asks if there is anything they can do to bring her back - my gut says they were not surprised at anything they heard, which is probably why there was a vacancy in the first place. She says thanks but no thanks.

Same day, calls up her former boss (don’t burn those bridges if you don’t have to) from company a and negotiates a return at a higher salary and new job title. She had previously attempted to negotiate a wage increase but was told that it was impossible. After she left, however, magically there was money now available in the budget. Turns out, they were more than happy to have her back and were dreading the process of replacing her. She was also able to negotiate a couple of weeks delayed start for what we now refer to as her “unemployment vacation.” She needed the time to decompress from the company b trauma (and thanks to not living paycheck to paycheck, it was no big deal to us).

To this day, we still have a chuckle every once in a while about “going to check the mail.” I told her, just imagine the other people in that office. You are an urban legend for sure.

P.S. she still works for company a, but in the last 10 years has switched roles/departments 3 times, each with a significant pay increase. We relocated much closer, cutting commute time by 2/3, and she was able to negotiate 2 days/wk WFH in an office culture where WFH is virtually unheard of (at least pre-COVID). Meanwhile, almost everyone she works with just stays in the same position and never really gets more than COLA pay increases. Squeaky wheel, people! But more to the point of this thread, FU money gave us options. But for the FUM, some of those risks would likely been but daydreams. Cheers, mustachians!
That is a great story. Three cheers for your awesome SO, and for you for supporting.

Zamboni

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3263 on: September 21, 2020, 10:47:55 PM »
Haha good for her for ghosting that job!

bbqbonelesswing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3264 on: September 22, 2020, 08:43:02 AM »
Good for her just walking away! No need to put up with that. I'm sure she wasn't the first or last to bail.

rpr

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3265 on: September 22, 2020, 10:43:50 AM »
^^ @evanc --

What a great story.

PS: I love this thread.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3266 on: September 22, 2020, 12:05:16 PM »
As a former restaurant worker and shopper, I love this story, I never gave bad reviews as a shopper except once and it was nearly as scathing as it could have been. Restaurant work is very hard and you can’t be perfect and walking on eggshells all the time with each customer.
Makes me think I can retire normally at work or just up and quit if they push me too hard, but likely I will just calmly retire with two weeks notice.

I think of two weeks notice as a courtesy. It's nice to give your boss a little time to plan before you go. But if they don't respect you, fuck em.

Not exactly an FU Money story, but I watched an FU story unfold several years ago at a former work-place that is related to this.

A very well respected, very senior Chief Engineer at my old company was paramount to literally every technical decision that was made at the company. If any important changes were to be made, tweaks to various pieces of hardware, changes in software, etc., it was essentially required to go talk to this person and get his buy-in before going into a formal decision making meeting (a standard meeting with mostly manager-types and contractors). As you could imagine, this person was completely overloaded and often worked long hours to make sure he gave each person adequate time to learn about their recommended change. Despite a great positive attitude and sharp mind, he was overworked, underpaid, and didn't feel like he was getting the respect he deserved as having such of an important position in the company.

One day, on a Friday, I went to talk to him at ~6pm (the only time I could find a 15 minute period free on his schedule) about an upcoming hardware change-project I was leading. In typical fashion, he listened to my overview of the project and gave excellent feedback and advice. At the end of our discussion, when I asked him if he would support me during a formal change meeting on Monday (I had just set up the meeting and sent out invitations), he said "I definitely support this change, but I just sent in my notice to leave 20 minutes ago. I won't be with the company on Monday, so I won't have that authority anymore. But it's been great to work with you, BuffaloStache". He didn't say anything else about it, smiled, and quickly hurried off to his next meeting.

I was dumbfounded to say the least, but I incorporated all of the changes/pieces of advice that we discussed and planned to push ahead. When Monday came around, I went into the conference room and set-up the Teleconference software as was customary for these types of meetings. After logging in, I was shocked to see the Chief Engineer's name on the attendee list! When I asked about it, he said "I work for [oversight contractor company name] now, and look forward to the presentation". The collective jaws of every manager in the room fell to the floor. After the meeting, he called me to tell me that he switched jobs and was getting paid more to work mostly remotely and enjoy a lot greater flexibility. He said that the company often signed him up for incredibly difficult tasks without giving him any time to think about it, so he figured he'd do the same with his departure. That guy is a corporate hero to me.

TL;DR- Vitally important Chief Engineer quit on a Friday afternoon with absolutely no advanced notice, and then started on Monday at a contractor company essentially overseeing his previous work for higher pay and mostly remote.

ysette9

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3267 on: September 22, 2020, 02:30:20 PM »
As a former restaurant worker and shopper, I love this story, I never gave bad reviews as a shopper except once and it was nearly as scathing as it could have been. Restaurant work is very hard and you can’t be perfect and walking on eggshells all the time with each customer.
Makes me think I can retire normally at work or just up and quit if they push me too hard, but likely I will just calmly retire with two weeks notice.

I think of two weeks notice as a courtesy. It's nice to give your boss a little time to plan before you go. But if they don't respect you, fuck em.

Not exactly an FU Money story, but I watched an FU story unfold several years ago at a former work-place that is related to this.

A very well respected, very senior Chief Engineer at my old company was paramount to literally every technical decision that was made at the company. If any important changes were to be made, tweaks to various pieces of hardware, changes in software, etc., it was essentially required to go talk to this person and get his buy-in before going into a formal decision making meeting (a standard meeting with mostly manager-types and contractors). As you could imagine, this person was completely overloaded and often worked long hours to make sure he gave each person adequate time to learn about their recommended change. Despite a great positive attitude and sharp mind, he was overworked, underpaid, and didn't feel like he was getting the respect he deserved as having such of an important position in the company.

One day, on a Friday, I went to talk to him at ~6pm (the only time I could find a 15 minute period free on his schedule) about an upcoming hardware change-project I was leading. In typical fashion, he listened to my overview of the project and gave excellent feedback and advice. At the end of our discussion, when I asked him if he would support me during a formal change meeting on Monday (I had just set up the meeting and sent out invitations), he said "I definitely support this change, but I just sent in my notice to leave 20 minutes ago. I won't be with the company on Monday, so I won't have that authority anymore. But it's been great to work with you, BuffaloStache". He didn't say anything else about it, smiled, and quickly hurried off to his next meeting.

I was dumbfounded to say the least, but I incorporated all of the changes/pieces of advice that we discussed and planned to push ahead. When Monday came around, I went into the conference room and set-up the Teleconference software as was customary for these types of meetings. After logging in, I was shocked to see the Chief Engineer's name on the attendee list! When I asked about it, he said "I work for [oversight contractor company name] now, and look forward to the presentation". The collective jaws of every manager in the room fell to the floor. After the meeting, he called me to tell me that he switched jobs and was getting paid more to work mostly remotely and enjoy a lot greater flexibility. He said that the company often signed him up for incredibly difficult tasks without giving him any time to think about it, so he figured he'd do the same with his departure. That guy is a corporate hero to me.

TL;DR- Vitally important Chief Engineer quit on a Friday afternoon with absolutely no advanced notice, and then started on Monday at a contractor company essentially overseeing his previous work for higher pay and mostly remote.
Hahaha... love it

mm1970

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3268 on: September 22, 2020, 05:37:38 PM »
As a former restaurant worker and shopper, I love this story, I never gave bad reviews as a shopper except once and it was nearly as scathing as it could have been. Restaurant work is very hard and you can’t be perfect and walking on eggshells all the time with each customer.
Makes me think I can retire normally at work or just up and quit if they push me too hard, but likely I will just calmly retire with two weeks notice.

I think of two weeks notice as a courtesy. It's nice to give your boss a little time to plan before you go. But if they don't respect you, fuck em.

Not exactly an FU Money story, but I watched an FU story unfold several years ago at a former work-place that is related to this.

A very well respected, very senior Chief Engineer at my old company was paramount to literally every technical decision that was made at the company. If any important changes were to be made, tweaks to various pieces of hardware, changes in software, etc., it was essentially required to go talk to this person and get his buy-in before going into a formal decision making meeting (a standard meeting with mostly manager-types and contractors). As you could imagine, this person was completely overloaded and often worked long hours to make sure he gave each person adequate time to learn about their recommended change. Despite a great positive attitude and sharp mind, he was overworked, underpaid, and didn't feel like he was getting the respect he deserved as having such of an important position in the company.

One day, on a Friday, I went to talk to him at ~6pm (the only time I could find a 15 minute period free on his schedule) about an upcoming hardware change-project I was leading. In typical fashion, he listened to my overview of the project and gave excellent feedback and advice. At the end of our discussion, when I asked him if he would support me during a formal change meeting on Monday (I had just set up the meeting and sent out invitations), he said "I definitely support this change, but I just sent in my notice to leave 20 minutes ago. I won't be with the company on Monday, so I won't have that authority anymore. But it's been great to work with you, BuffaloStache". He didn't say anything else about it, smiled, and quickly hurried off to his next meeting.

I was dumbfounded to say the least, but I incorporated all of the changes/pieces of advice that we discussed and planned to push ahead. When Monday came around, I went into the conference room and set-up the Teleconference software as was customary for these types of meetings. After logging in, I was shocked to see the Chief Engineer's name on the attendee list! When I asked about it, he said "I work for [oversight contractor company name] now, and look forward to the presentation". The collective jaws of every manager in the room fell to the floor. After the meeting, he called me to tell me that he switched jobs and was getting paid more to work mostly remotely and enjoy a lot greater flexibility. He said that the company often signed him up for incredibly difficult tasks without giving him any time to think about it, so he figured he'd do the same with his departure. That guy is a corporate hero to me.

TL;DR- Vitally important Chief Engineer quit on a Friday afternoon with absolutely no advanced notice, and then started on Monday at a contractor company essentially overseeing his previous work for higher pay and mostly remote.
I love this

nawhite

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3269 on: October 01, 2020, 09:00:09 AM »
I was working in IT for a company and my workload had been dropping precipitously for the past few months. Basically me and my team had automated our outsourced most of our tasks and most of my coworkers could see what was happening and were leaving left and right. Over a year we went from 15 to about 7 people on staff due to attrition and none of the positions were backfilled because there was so much less work to do. While this was going on I negotiated basically unlimited unpaid time off but when I asked to go to 3 days a week, HR said sorry we can't do that.

At the same time, I found MMM about 8 years ago and had saved a ton of money. Like 70% of my FIRE number. Also, over the past 3 years I had been slowly growing a side business teaching whitewater kayaking on nights and weekends. So this year, when quarantine started to get lifted (our state called it "Safer at home and in the vast outdoors") they included guidelines for outdoor guides. Within 4 days I had 15 calls for full day lessons and the calls kept coming. With that much of a backlog, I decided to give notice at the IT job two weeks later. In order to help with the transition I agreed to a 1 month notice period and to be available for consulting for a couple days in case something came up.

On my last day, it became clear that my manager thought that I was just going to consulting in order to try to get the 3 days a week thing I wanted before and he wanted to figure out how to schedule my 3 days per week indefinitely. I don't remember the exact words I used in a one on one meeting with him that day but it was something along the lines of "Sorry man, too little too late. I'll help with the transition but I don't need the money, I'm out."

PS: Kayak lesson demand was insane and I was just going by the seat of my pants trying to keep up and accepting some requests that I probably shouldn't have or should have been combined together. I made close to $20k this year during an abridged (due to covid) 4-month teaching season. I'm taking the winter to make some changes to make it more repeatable and lucrative but getting $40k in 6 months of work won't be crazy for next year. Sure it's not my IT salary but I don't care. I like this more and I really don't need the money. And all my gear is a business expense now haha.

ysette9

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3270 on: October 01, 2020, 02:42:13 PM »
Wonderful!

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3271 on: October 01, 2020, 02:43:08 PM »
Way to go @nawhite !

LightTripper

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3272 on: October 01, 2020, 03:23:42 PM »
Great story - must have been very satisfying :)

Warlord1986

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3273 on: October 02, 2020, 08:09:38 PM »
I was working in IT for a company and my workload had been dropping precipitously for the past few months. Basically me and my team had automated our outsourced most of our tasks and most of my coworkers could see what was happening and were leaving left and right. Over a year we went from 15 to about 7 people on staff due to attrition and none of the positions were backfilled because there was so much less work to do. While this was going on I negotiated basically unlimited unpaid time off but when I asked to go to 3 days a week, HR said sorry we can't do that.

At the same time, I found MMM about 8 years ago and had saved a ton of money. Like 70% of my FIRE number. Also, over the past 3 years I had been slowly growing a side business teaching whitewater kayaking on nights and weekends. So this year, when quarantine started to get lifted (our state called it "Safer at home and in the vast outdoors") they included guidelines for outdoor guides. Within 4 days I had 15 calls for full day lessons and the calls kept coming. With that much of a backlog, I decided to give notice at the IT job two weeks later. In order to help with the transition I agreed to a 1 month notice period and to be available for consulting for a couple days in case something came up.

On my last day, it became clear that my manager thought that I was just going to consulting in order to try to get the 3 days a week thing I wanted before and he wanted to figure out how to schedule my 3 days per week indefinitely. I don't remember the exact words I used in a one on one meeting with him that day but it was something along the lines of "Sorry man, too little too late. I'll help with the transition but I don't need the money, I'm out."

PS: Kayak lesson demand was insane and I was just going by the seat of my pants trying to keep up and accepting some requests that I probably shouldn't have or should have been combined together. I made close to $20k this year during an abridged (due to covid) 4-month teaching season. I'm taking the winter to make some changes to make it more repeatable and lucrative but getting $40k in 6 months of work won't be crazy for next year. Sure it's not my IT salary but I don't care. I like this more and I really don't need the money. And all my gear is a business expense now haha.

My new hero.

AO1FireTo

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3274 on: October 02, 2020, 08:13:40 PM »
I was working in IT for a company and my workload had been dropping precipitously for the past few months. Basically me and my team had automated our outsourced most of our tasks and most of my coworkers could see what was happening and were leaving left and right. Over a year we went from 15 to about 7 people on staff due to attrition and none of the positions were backfilled because there was so much less work to do. While this was going on I negotiated basically unlimited unpaid time off but when I asked to go to 3 days a week, HR said sorry we can't do that.

At the same time, I found MMM about 8 years ago and had saved a ton of money. Like 70% of my FIRE number. Also, over the past 3 years I had been slowly growing a side business teaching whitewater kayaking on nights and weekends. So this year, when quarantine started to get lifted (our state called it "Safer at home and in the vast outdoors") they included guidelines for outdoor guides. Within 4 days I had 15 calls for full day lessons and the calls kept coming. With that much of a backlog, I decided to give notice at the IT job two weeks later. In order to help with the transition I agreed to a 1 month notice period and to be available for consulting for a couple days in case something came up.

On my last day, it became clear that my manager thought that I was just going to consulting in order to try to get the 3 days a week thing I wanted before and he wanted to figure out how to schedule my 3 days per week indefinitely. I don't remember the exact words I used in a one on one meeting with him that day but it was something along the lines of "Sorry man, too little too late. I'll help with the transition but I don't need the money, I'm out."

PS: Kayak lesson demand was insane and I was just going by the seat of my pants trying to keep up and accepting some requests that I probably shouldn't have or should have been combined together. I made close to $20k this year during an abridged (due to covid) 4-month teaching season. I'm taking the winter to make some changes to make it more repeatable and lucrative but getting $40k in 6 months of work won't be crazy for next year. Sure it's not my IT salary but I don't care. I like this more and I really don't need the money. And all my gear is a business expense now haha.

My new hero.

Wow this is a pretty cool.  Must have been cool feeling to know that you now had the power.  I think that is what we are all really striving for here, to gain control so we can live life on our terms.

Blondetuco

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3275 on: October 08, 2020, 04:12:08 PM »
I relocated across the country and started a new job right as COVID was hitting. Unfortunately I missed a lot of red flags early-on: my manger wouldn't look me in the eyes during the interview and she was replacing 2 of her 3 reports after she joined the company a couple months earlier. The offer came as the state shut down, so I jumped at it.

What followed was 6 months of toxicity. Other than some odds-and-ends she asked me to handle, we didn't talk responsibilities or expectations until I scheduled my own one-on-one after the first month. She began working from home, and called me insubordinate for problem solving with the on-site managers and "going behind her back". She openly discussed firing the "useless" floor technicians because they didn't complete tasks that they were never assigned. I was once called brainless on a managerial email chain after I followed her lead on something and she flip-flopped her stance.

Without pinching back the budget, I have about 17 months of cash on-hand (looking to buy a house). I told her Monday that I was leaving, politely said I would do happier in another environment, and the conversation ended cordially. The next day, I get on a conference call and see it's just my boss and co-worker. Somehow forgetting that this is not a private call, she begins belittling me to her other report. My work is sloppy, she's tried repeatedly to get me to fix it but I won't listen, I might not get replaced because "what does he even do here??". The other managers and supervisors begin joining the call and overhear this. Reality set-in when she said "Is anyone else on here yet? I better check before I say anything else....oh......"

I called her the next day to say that I heard everything that was discussed. I explained that she's entitled to those opinions of me, that I haven't been enthusiastic about my work either, but I would prefer that she privately give that feedback to me. Her response was "I'm sorry you overheard it, but I meant every word". I explained that I have been respectful of her during my exit interview and when the other managers asked why I was leaving. Her response was "Thank for for taking the high road, but I can't do the same while trying to correct your mistakes".

The next day I schedule a meeting with our facility's HR, share the highlights of my time with the company, and receive her contact information to provide to potential employers. Apparently everyone has seen this behavior from the fringes, but this is the first time someone put forward a formal complaint. She encouraged me to word all of this in an email to her manager and the HR rep that conducted my exit interview. Writing that email was the happiest 30 minutes of my employment.

At 2pm I sent her an email: "I've decided that today is my last day of employment. My laptop and keys are on my desk. I have already let HR know, and you can talk to them if you have any questions".

bbqbonelesswing

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3276 on: October 08, 2020, 04:58:53 PM »
I relocated across the country and started a new job right as COVID was hitting. Unfortunately I missed a lot of red flags early-on: my manger wouldn't look me in the eyes during the interview and she was replacing 2 of her 3 reports after she joined the company a couple months earlier. The offer came as the state shut down, so I jumped at it.

What followed was 6 months of toxicity. Other than some odds-and-ends she asked me to handle, we didn't talk responsibilities or expectations until I scheduled my own one-on-one after the first month. She began working from home, and called me insubordinate for problem solving with the on-site managers and "going behind her back". She openly discussed firing the "useless" floor technicians because they didn't complete tasks that they were never assigned. I was once called brainless on a managerial email chain after I followed her lead on something and she flip-flopped her stance.

Without pinching back the budget, I have about 17 months of cash on-hand (looking to buy a house). I told her Monday that I was leaving, politely said I would do happier in another environment, and the conversation ended cordially. The next day, I get on a conference call and see it's just my boss and co-worker. Somehow forgetting that this is not a private call, she begins belittling me to her other report. My work is sloppy, she's tried repeatedly to get me to fix it but I won't listen, I might not get replaced because "what does he even do here??". The other managers and supervisors begin joining the call and overhear this. Reality set-in when she said "Is anyone else on here yet? I better check before I say anything else....oh......"

I called her the next day to say that I heard everything that was discussed. I explained that she's entitled to those opinions of me, that I haven't been enthusiastic about my work either, but I would prefer that she privately give that feedback to me. Her response was "I'm sorry you overheard it, but I meant every word". I explained that I have been respectful of her during my exit interview and when the other managers asked why I was leaving. Her response was "Thank for for taking the high road, but I can't do the same while trying to correct your mistakes".

The next day I schedule a meeting with our facility's HR, share the highlights of my time with the company, and receive her contact information to provide to potential employers. Apparently everyone has seen this behavior from the fringes, but this is the first time someone put forward a formal complaint. She encouraged me to word all of this in an email to her manager and the HR rep that conducted my exit interview. Writing that email was the happiest 30 minutes of my employment.

At 2pm I sent her an email: "I've decided that today is my last day of employment. My laptop and keys are on my desk. I have already let HR know, and you can talk to them if you have any questions".

I love that this is your first post here. Good for you!

Dicey

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3277 on: October 08, 2020, 11:07:07 PM »
I relocated across the country and started a new job right as COVID was hitting. Unfortunately I missed a lot of red flags early-on: my manger wouldn't look me in the eyes during the interview and she was replacing 2 of her 3 reports after she joined the company a couple months earlier. The offer came as the state shut down, so I jumped at it.

What followed was 6 months of toxicity. Other than some odds-and-ends she asked me to handle, we didn't talk responsibilities or expectations until I scheduled my own one-on-one after the first month. She began working from home, and called me insubordinate for problem solving with the on-site managers and "going behind her back". She openly discussed firing the "useless" floor technicians because they didn't complete tasks that they were never assigned. I was once called brainless on a managerial email chain after I followed her lead on something and she flip-flopped her stance.

Without pinching back the budget, I have about 17 months of cash on-hand (looking to buy a house). I told her Monday that I was leaving, politely said I would do happier in another environment, and the conversation ended cordially. The next day, I get on a conference call and see it's just my boss and co-worker. Somehow forgetting that this is not a private call, she begins belittling me to her other report. My work is sloppy, she's tried repeatedly to get me to fix it but I won't listen, I might not get replaced because "what does he even do here??". The other managers and supervisors begin joining the call and overhear this. Reality set-in when she said "Is anyone else on here yet? I better check before I say anything else....oh......"

I called her the next day to say that I heard everything that was discussed. I explained that she's entitled to those opinions of me, that I haven't been enthusiastic about my work either, but I would prefer that she privately give that feedback to me. Her response was "I'm sorry you overheard it, but I meant every word". I explained that I have been respectful of her during my exit interview and when the other managers asked why I was leaving. Her response was "Thank for for taking the high road, but I can't do the same while trying to correct your mistakes".

The next day I schedule a meeting with our facility's HR, share the highlights of my time with the company, and receive her contact information to provide to potential employers. Apparently everyone has seen this behavior from the fringes, but this is the first time someone put forward a formal complaint. She encouraged me to word all of this in an email to her manager and the HR rep that conducted my exit interview. Writing that email was the happiest 30 minutes of my employment.

At 2pm I sent her an email: "I've decided that today is my last day of employment. My laptop and keys are on my desk. I have already let HR know, and you can talk to them if you have any questions".

I love that this is your first post here. Good for you!
Another badass in the house!

RWTL

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3278 on: October 09, 2020, 04:15:45 AM »

At 2pm I sent her an email: "I've decided that today is my last day of employment. My laptop and keys are on my desk. I have already let HR know, and you can talk to them if you have any questions".

RWTL stands and claps....

DadJokes

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3279 on: October 09, 2020, 06:16:43 AM »
Sucks to go through all of that, but that's an excellent FU money story!

Blondetuco

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3280 on: October 09, 2020, 09:02:34 AM »
Thanks everybody. This blog/forum has changed my savings rate from 6% to 65% in the last three years. That job would have consumed me you all didn't preach this alternative.

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3281 on: October 09, 2020, 09:28:12 AM »
Thanks everybody. This blog/forum has changed my savings rate from 6% to 65% in the last three years. That job would have consumed me you all didn't preach this alternative.

@Blondetuco, now THAT's an epic story!  Good job!

mm1970

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3282 on: October 09, 2020, 10:05:49 AM »
Epic indeed

LennStar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3283 on: October 09, 2020, 11:34:58 AM »
It has just started. It takes a long time to make an epic. So far it's only a ballad at most.

Dicey

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3284 on: October 09, 2020, 06:40:44 PM »
It has just started. It takes a long time to make an epic. So far it's only a ballad at most.
We are here to encourage one another. Please don't minimize someone else's accomplishments. There is no nice reason for this.

solon

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3285 on: October 09, 2020, 09:08:06 PM »
It has just started. It takes a long time to make an epic. So far it's only a ballad at most.
We are here to encourage one another. Please don't minimize someone else's accomplishments. There is no nice reason for this.

I think he was just making a joke about the word epic.

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3286 on: October 09, 2020, 10:14:19 PM »
It has just started. It takes a long time to make an epic. So far it's only a ballad at most.
We are here to encourage one another. Please don't minimize someone else's accomplishments. There is no nice reason for this.


LennStar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3287 on: October 10, 2020, 01:05:48 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)

marty998

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3288 on: October 10, 2020, 04:27:42 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)

No one has ever heard the Greek National Anthem in full because it’s goes on for a good few days...

Dicey

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3289 on: October 10, 2020, 04:36:16 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.

SwordGuy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3290 on: October 10, 2020, 06:31:08 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.
I still think he was.  Let's ask.

@LennStar , were you joking with word play on word meanings or not?   

Dicey

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3291 on: October 10, 2020, 06:50:15 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.
I still think he was.  Let's ask.

@LennStar , were you joking with word play on word meanings or not?   
Aww, @SwordGuy, you're such a mensch!

LennStar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3292 on: October 10, 2020, 10:45:02 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.
I still think he was.  Let's ask.

@LennStar , were you joking with word play on word meanings or not?   

It was supposed to be a funny remark on (changing) words, yes.
The worst part is you bad guys have even infected German, I have heard people using "episch" the same way as in Englisch.
In 50 years kids will think the Gilgamesh Epos is a big mountain in the Himalajas or something like that... *sigh*

Sandi_k

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3293 on: October 10, 2020, 12:03:00 PM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.
I still think he was.  Let's ask.

@LennStar , were you joking with word play on word meanings or not?   

It was supposed to be a funny remark on (changing) words, yes.
The worst part is you bad guys have even infected German, I have heard people using "episch" the same way as in Englisch.
In 50 years kids will think the Gilgamesh Epos is a big mountain in the Himalajas or something like that... *sigh*

Get off my lawn! *waves fists wildly*

Does that translate into German as well?! :D

BicycleB

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3294 on: October 11, 2020, 04:54:51 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
Language evolves. The word in question has long since acquired additional shades of meaning. There's a grammar thread where your audience might be more receptive, but on this thread, you just sound pedantic.

@SwordGuy, as you can see, LennStar clearly wasn't joking.
I still think he was.  Let's ask.

@LennStar , were you joking with word play on word meanings or not?   

It was supposed to be a funny remark on (changing) words, yes.
The worst part is you bad guys have even infected German, I have heard people using "episch" the same way as in Englisch.
In 50 years kids will think the Gilgamesh Epos is a big mountain in the Himalajas or something like that... *sigh*

LOL

markbike528CBX

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3295 on: October 11, 2020, 10:21:11 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
To keep the pedantic tone of the thread alive, I would note that the Epic of Gilgamesh is Sumerian, not Greek. 
I realize what may have been meant was "story poems" = Greek , example from another culture- Gilgamesh.

LennStar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3296 on: October 11, 2020, 11:43:39 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
To keep the pedantic tone of the thread alive, I would note that the Epic of Gilgamesh is Sumerian, not Greek. 
I realize what may have been meant was "story poems" = Greek , example from another culture- Gilgamesh.
Roughly that. Gilgamesh is afaik the oldest one that has the name in it (and one of the best known).

And btw. the oldest written records at all we have are about debt forgiveness. Just in case you thought debt was a modern problem ;)

markbike528CBX

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3297 on: October 11, 2020, 05:17:24 PM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
To keep the pedantic tone of the thread alive, I would note that the Epic of Gilgamesh is Sumerian, not Greek. 
I realize what may have been meant was "story poems" = Greek , example from another culture- Gilgamesh.
Roughly that. Gilgamesh is afaik the oldest one that has the name in it (and one of the best known).

And btw. the oldest written records at all we have are about debt forgiveness. Just in case you thought debt was a modern problem ;)
Very probably in conjunction with taxes (fees, protection by "king", assessment .....etc etc..)

LennStar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3298 on: October 12, 2020, 03:04:11 AM »
I feel so old for still knowing the original meaning of epic... (hint: It is an really really long piece of literature, generally poem. And for the old greeks it was all of "story poems". Like the Gilgamesh Epic.)
To keep the pedantic tone of the thread alive, I would note that the Epic of Gilgamesh is Sumerian, not Greek. 
I realize what may have been meant was "story poems" = Greek , example from another culture- Gilgamesh.
Roughly that. Gilgamesh is afaik the oldest one that has the name in it (and one of the best known).

And btw. the oldest written records at all we have are about debt forgiveness. Just in case you thought debt was a modern problem ;)
Very probably in conjunction with taxes (fees, protection by "king", assessment .....etc etc..)
Not directly at least. Of course taxes existed (albeit not in the form we think of today) and were one expense you could not not do.
But it generally was about "richer getting rich on our debts, and we get into slavery as result". That's why debt forgiveness was invented - the literal blank slate (as those old guys wrote on clay tablets) to free people out of debt slavery before you run out of people who aren't slaves. It was a constant topic for thousands of years, as you can see in the "jubilee year" of the bible.
It's quite humbling to know that one of the biggest and oldest problems humanity has is one born out of our society (or our personal souls - greed) itself. Basically only starving is more dangerous...

shelivesthedream

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3299 on: October 12, 2020, 04:57:43 AM »
I actually heard a great sermon recently about debt in ancient Judea and people selling themselves into slavery for a certain period of time when they couldn't pay with money (and how that was different from being a foreign captured-in-war slave). Basically declaring bankruptcy, except that the debtor still "paid" the debt in some way. I was reminded of Shylock's pound of flesh. It was chilling, really.