Author Topic: Epic FU money stories  (Read 2798252 times)

trailrated

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Epic FU money stories
« on: May 22, 2014, 10:41:35 AM »
After reading the blog for quite some time I keep seeing people talking about their FU staches (being different than their FIRE amount) as having the security to "stick it to the man" and walk off the job without stress if they want to.

This being said, I have never seen a story about using that FU money. Please, share your stories!!

trailrated

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2014, 01:28:34 PM »
So nobody has ever thrown down a stack of papers and rode off into the sunset?

Russ

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2014, 01:57:20 PM »
three hours isn't exactly a long time to wait for a response...

my FU money has allowed me to be very picky about the jobs I take. haven't actually had to tell anybody to fuck off yet though.

SisterX

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2014, 02:01:51 PM »
Oh man, I don't have any stories.  But I will say that last week I came this close to having an epic one.  I even had my quitting rant all planned out in my head, something about how my boss is a crazy, sociopath bitch and no amount of money is worth putting up with someone like her.  Then I took 2 deep breaths and reminded myself that having my husband get through this 2nd degree without loans is far, far more important than telling that woman exactly what I think of her.  It would have served her right to be left in the lurch (seriously, she needs me) but not exactly worth it on our end.  We could squeeze by until graduation, barely, but I'd rather get the classes all paid for by work before I give my epic rant.  :(

mxt0133

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2014, 02:04:49 PM »
My FU money allowed me to get married, quit my job, and move across the country in the middle of the financial crisis.  That experience solidified my resolve to reach FI.  Since then my wife has been able to quit her job and be a SAHP, spend six weeks overseas to explore the possibility of living abroad for a few years, and allow me to take it 'easy' career wise to be able to spend more time with the kids while they're young.

DoubleDown

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2014, 02:08:25 PM »
Man, I would have loved to witness a real life Jerry McGuire or Al Pacino in "And Justice For All" ("I'm out of order??! YOU'RE out of order!!").

A former coworker of mine just got fed up a couple of weeks ago and quit without a FIRE plan, just FU money. He didn't think he had enough to quit forever, and really has no idea. He just knew he had enough to last several years at least, and he was fed up, so he gave a week or two notice and left. I actually told him, "You're gonna be okay, you have FU money!" (he had never heard the term before).

bacchi

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2014, 02:31:35 PM »
It's not epic but I have quit on a whim more-or-less and immediately walked out of the building. It was very satisfying. Nothing soothes the soul like quitting a toxic job.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2014, 02:49:27 PM »
This isn't an FU money thing, but a former coworker of mine when I was cooking professionally still told the best "Quit with Extreme Prejudice" story I've ever heard.

He was working at a very, very popular restaurant - the place du jour. He was saute, which is one of the linchpin positions on a restaurant line - very busy and very fast moving. It was Friday, 7:40, the place was packed with 3 more hours of packed to go.

The chef came in and started screaming about something. Maybe an order came back, I don't know. But insane screaming rants were a pattern, apparently. About five minutes into this screaming abuse, my coworker decides he's had enough, takes off his apron, throws it on the star-top (picture an 8 burner stove, with all burners all on high), tells the chef to go fuck himself and just walks out the back door. He was done.

The flaming apron sealed it for me.

trailrated

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2014, 02:50:14 PM »
three hours isn't exactly a long time to wait for a response...


Good point, I get impatient. Loved reading the rest of the responses!

kyanamerinas

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2014, 03:05:27 PM »
2 years expenses saved allowed me to rent my own place nearer my partner after just 2 months freelancing. Perhaps not the most dramatic or wisest move but i love freelancing and couldn't do it without that reassurance of back up.

Cheddar Stacker

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2014, 03:49:30 PM »
I'm coming up on a major crossroads in my career/at my company. I've been reluctant to post details about it here in case there are any closet mustachians in my real life that know who I am or might have ways of figuring it out.

Long story short, I've built a nice FU stache, and plan to double it before this crossroads occurs in a few years. It will be nice to have the option to take the road less traveled if I feel the need.

So trailrated, feel free to PM me in a few years to see if my FU stache came in handy and created a story worth reading. I've actually strongly considered sending a PM to a few of you mustachians to see how you might handle my situation, so if anyone is intrigued enough and willing to read a fairly long, complex, and hopefully confidential story send me a PM.

feelingroovy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2014, 03:59:31 PM »
Not an epic leave, but a few years ago DH had a job that paid well but bored him to tears. 

One month into my 3-month maternity leave, I took my departing in-laws to the airport.  I drove home thinking, "two more months home alone with a toddler and a baby."  God help me.

When I got home, I was shocked to find DH was there.  Tuns out half the company got laid off, including him.  We high-fived.

His severance covered us just until I got back to my 3-day-per week job, so we never had to touch the stache.  Those two months with both of us home were the best.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2016, 08:37:25 PM by feelingroovy »

Dr. Doom

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2014, 04:05:29 PM »

I walked out of the highest paying job of my life at the tail end of 2006, IT work for a big financial company.  (Completely transparent hint:  VWELX without the V)

I'd been there about three and a half years.  First two years were good because I had a decent manager who showed signs of being a real human being once in a while.

Third year, I get a new manager, and he's a total Fbag.  He had his last name on his license plate.  Guys on his team instantly began working 65+ hours a week instead of an already demanding 50ish.  The company paid really well so I stuck with it.  It's only work, right?

Wrong.  He started calling all of his guys on home phones, cell phones, etc. to discuss any issues he could think of at any time.  I started to think of him as a terrorist because you never knew when the next attack was coming.  He would frame the calls in the guise of "production support" because part of our role was to provide after-hours support for systems and services that needed to be available.   But many of the topics were not directly related to outages and were really just beatings.  He was a micromanager, a control-freak, and a grade-A douche who hid his insecurity behind his overbearing and driven public persona.  God help his children.

The final straw came when I got a call on Sunday Dec 23rd in 2006.  We had an outage on Saturday and I'd been involved in fixing it.  My girlfriend (now wife) was helping me decorate a small, pathetic looking christmas tree.  We were trying to put work behind us and enjoy one quiet day to ourselves, without any office nonsense, prior to the upcoming week, which was going to be full of family visits and travel.  Just one goddamn quiet day, you know? 

I pick up the phone and he starts complaining about the work I did the previous day, Saturday.  (Saturday mind, you -- work I put in on a non-standard day.  I should also add it was the 6th Saturday in a row that I'd worked.  This was fairly typical for the job.)  He says I need to remember to "fall on my sword" as soon as I get back to the office on Dec 26th -- tell everyone that the Saturday problem was my fault and I'm taking the proper long term corrective actions to resolve it.  (The problem wasn't actually my fault but he wanted me to take responsibility for it anyway.)

I remind him it's Sunday, and we're coming up on Christmas, and ask if there's any current problem that needs to be resolved.  (I'm really asking:  are any systems down?  Is there any business related reason for this call or is this just a friendly Sunday afternoon beating?)  He says yes, the problem is we have too many outages and the perception of the team is negative.   I tell him we should talk about this Thursday live instead of two days before Christmas and hang up the phone.

My SO is furious.  I'm furious.  It's no longer a nice quiet day.  I try to let it go over the holidays but the anger sits in my stomach like a fruitcake from Big Y.  I can't see how I can make it through another year at this place, despite the incredible salary and benefits.

Thursday after Christmas I get into the office and my manager immediately shows up in my office to talk about Visibility, Perception and Politics.  I cut him off and say I'm leaving.

"Leaving, what you don't feel well?"
"No, leaving the company."
He takes a step back.  I'm sitting in my cube and he's standing in front of me.  "Where are you going?"  His eyes are really wide.
"Nowhere."
"You don't have another job lined up?"
"No."
"Is it the salary?"
"No."
"It is, isn't it?  I could work with HR to see if we could work something out."
"No, it's not.  You know what it is."  I'm staring at him with my arms across my chest.  He's clearly uncomfortable, kind of wavering on his feet, but I feel terrific.  I'm thinking:  Today's the last day I'm ever going to have to look at you or hear your voice.

He finally manages to say, "You should think about this.  Someone your age shouldn't leave your job."
And I said "I know exactly what I'm doing here.  Don't worry about me.  Worry about replacing me, because you'll need to."

The conversation went a little longer than that but not much.  They ended up escorting me out, probably because my manager knew I was angry and I had tons of passwords to critical systems and hey you never know.

I got a much better job a month later.  20% overall comp. package cut but 40% reduction in work and 100% removal of my old manager.

No regrets.  I feel obligated to add that it was actually a fine place to work, lots of bright people and interesting technologies.  But even decent jobs become intolerable when you're working under a toxic egomaniac workaholic inhuman prick.

One of the things I'm now fond of saying is that people usually don't leave their jobs.  They leave their managers.   

marty998

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2014, 05:02:59 PM »

deborah

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2014, 05:05:36 PM »
FU money enabled me to continue to live the life I chose after being hit by a bus.

Wolf_Stache

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #15 on: May 22, 2014, 05:29:46 PM »
Dr. Doom, that is epic. I have to agree that EVERY time I've quit a job its been because of the managers or personal reasons (ie moving, school, ect), NEVER because of the job itself.

One place where I worked a guy went to lunch and just never came back. It was actually a decent place to work, I only left to get my Masters Degree, but I truly regret it now - the Masters wasn't worth it and I loved that place.

ch12

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #16 on: May 22, 2014, 06:20:43 PM »
...

YOU DA MAN.

Dr. Doom's story was amazing. At-will employment FTW.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2014, 04:43:25 PM by ch12 »

CarDude

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #17 on: May 22, 2014, 06:57:31 PM »
FU money enabled me to continue to live the life I chose after being hit by a bus.

Eek. What happened there?


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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #18 on: May 22, 2014, 06:58:31 PM »
Oh, and it's not epic, but I've turned down a number of jobs over the years simply because I didn't need the money enough to put up with the coworkers...or commutes. It never gets old.

2527

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #19 on: May 22, 2014, 07:07:02 PM »
My dad had a real estate partner who was really pissing him off.  He told her that if she didn't shape up, he would stop paying his half of the mortgage, and let the apartment building go into foreclosure.  She said, "You can't do that, you'll ruin your own credit rating."  He said, "I'm 60 years old, I don't need this apartment building, and I don't need a credit rating, and I'll be happy to ruin my to ruin yours."

After that, she toed the line.

Daisy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #20 on: May 22, 2014, 07:31:43 PM »
Not as epic as Dr. Doom - that was an awe-inspiring story - but here it goes:

I was working at a company I was unhappy at. A couple of things happened:

1. My project was losing funds and I was bored, so I interviewed internally for two projects that were on the upswing. Project 1 was more interesting, but had a boss that everyone warned me about. Project 2 was less interesting. Project 1's manager interviewed me. He was very cordial, but did mention during the interview that it wasn't a 40-hr a week job. When I asked, he mentioned about 55-60 hrs. I heard him out politely. Now, others that worked for him had warned me that he was a micro-manager and asked for things that weren't necessary. I was impressed that at least he was upfront with what he expected. After sleeping on it one night, I went in to work the next day and told him that I couldn't work more than 40-hr weeks. I would work more hours during a crunch time, but not consistently. Then he tried to negotiate with me and said I could do it on the weekends. I politely turned him down and took the offer on Project 2. He looked at me totally surprised with my answer.

2. Project 2 then started to lose funding. Well, I knew if layoffs were going to happen that I would be a target. Some layoffs happened in other groups and based on some emails that went around, I knew our group would be hit. So the week before I expected it, I made sure to empty out my desk, computer, etc. Then when I came in on Monday morning, I got called into HR for them to tell me I was being laid off and had to leave. As I was signing the paperwork (totally jovial on the upcoming "break" I had planned and knowing that as soon as I left the office I would be hanging out at the beach):

- I noticed the date was 6/6 when I was signing the paperwork and openly joked about how weird a coincidence that was (HR lady was perplexed with how relaxed and humorous I was being).

- As I was signing the paperwork, the fire alarm sounded and we all had to evacuate the building. The HR people couldn't believe they now had to spend even more time with me as they escorted me out before bringing me back in to finish signing the paperwork. While we were all outside, I was able to say goodbye to everyone and mentioned I was in the process of being laid off - in front of the HR people.

« Last Edit: May 22, 2014, 07:35:19 PM by Daisy »

LalsConstant

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #21 on: May 22, 2014, 09:23:08 PM »
Well I've left a couple of jobs because there was some awful stuff going on, but I had no kind of FU money when I did it (I kind of did the second time but it's complicated), so I don't have a story of my own.

But when I was still working at Wal-Mart, I was witness to the Legend of Frank.

Frank was an older, white haired gentleman who was already a hero, he'd had a long military career and the truth is, he was one of the best employees the store had.  But he had his terms.  He had the only job at Wal-Mart he cared to have, and he worked the only shift he cared to work.

But he'd done so well for so long, no one had a problem with this.  Thing is Frank did not need the money, at all.  He had a military pension, his house was paid for, and he was actually delaying Social Security for a bigger payment because he didn't need it.  He worked for reasons that aren't fathomable to me.  He used the money he made to buy fishing lures and gave a chunk of it away to the Children's Miracle Network and stuff like that.

Now I have good and bad things to say about Wal-Mart.  Right now I'm going to say one of the bad things.

I don't know if this is by some evil design (I doubt it, never ascribe to malignancy that which can be explained by incompetence) or what, but it seems every once in a while some goober in Arkansas, for the hell of it, decides to change the way employees are scheduled or what jobs exist and what they do, and the usual effect of this is it tends to make older, more highly paid workers quit or find themselves in situations where they have to resign because they have a personal situation where they can't start working nights instead of mornings or something like that.

As a graduate of business school myself, I call that MBA thinking, and I say that pejoratively.  Actions like this are necessary sometimes but what I saw was something that some overpaid executive cooked up on a spreadsheet to make it look like he/she found a way to save money when in fact he/she was only shuffling people around and causing operational risks.  If (s)he'd paid attention in business school he'd realize what he/she was doing was in fact pointless.

This is what happens when people under intense pressure to justify their huge six or even seven figure salaries who have never worked in a Wal-Mart store, who think of the company not as people and stores and trucks and groceries and merchandise but rather as abstract numbers, make decisions about the jobs of people they will never meet.  I'm sure these corporate people are perfectly nice people, but I doubt very much that the $11 an hour workers whose fates they manipulate are more than an idea or a piece of the data to them.  Dunbar's number.  Wal-Mart has 2 million employees.  You do the math.

Well anyway, someone decided that Frank's job was too cushy and he needed a new schedule.  They basically took his job and another job, cut half the responsibilities and work from each, and switched them so you wound up with this weird situation where the new job had some of both of the old jobs.  And while it wasn't a completely illogical way to do things, it didn't make sense to the people who actually did this work.  This was a "I'm a smart corporate executive and you are a lowly peon, do what I say" initiative.

When this happens, they usually call you in to an office to tell you it's happened right before the schedules showing the changes come out.  That way they can say they gave you advance notice without really giving you any ability to deal with it.  It's a shitty thing they do because they know so many of their good employees won't quit because Wal-Mart is all they have.

But it didn't pan out for them this time.

Frank looked across at the overnight manager and said no, I won't do it.

The manager, who was a real douchebag, said yes you will and you'll like it (witness as unreliable but I can definitely imagine this guy saying that).

Frank looked at him and unclipped something from his belt and something from his shirt pocket.  He then opened his wallet and removed something.

"Here's my box cutter.  Here's my discount card.  And here's my badge.  That's everything I have of yours.  I'm going home."

Three hours into his shift, Frank turned around and walked out the front door of Wal-Mart and into a legend, vanishing in the darkness of the parking lot.  It threw the rest of us into chaos because we had to pick up the slack, but none of us complained, for he was our hero.  Because at some point, every single one of us had wanted to do that.

Last I heard of Frank, he's doing a lot more fishing nowadays.

Dr. Doom

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #22 on: May 22, 2014, 09:23:39 PM »
Dr. Doom, that is epic. I have to agree that EVERY time I've quit a job its been because of the managers or personal reasons (ie moving, school, ect), NEVER because of the job itself.

One place where I worked a guy went to lunch and just never came back. It was actually a decent place to work, I only left to get my Masters Degree, but I truly regret it now - the Masters wasn't worth it and I loved that place.

To the guy who just disappeared.. wow.  He missed an opportunity to really enjoy himself.  Confrontations can be fun if you're calm and in control. 

I've been in my industry close to 15 years and one point repeats:  It's not what you do so much as who you have to work with that most directly affects your happiness.  I had some functionally horrible jobs in my late teens (dishwasher, retail) that were made OK because I worked with great people who supported each other and laughed about stuff to relieve stress and fatigue.  But at the same time, functionally great jobs can be rendered miserable by the company you are forced to keep.

Still, congrats on your masters.  Even if there isn't a direct financial payoff, I'm sure that there's some value in it.  I've always semi-regretted not pursuing any edu post-BS.   Learning is awesome.

KatieSSS

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #23 on: May 22, 2014, 09:34:01 PM »
Thank you, all, for these wonderful stories! I really needed to read this after a day like today, where I want to walk right out. I didn't and that is a good thing, but all the more reason to keep building the 'stache :) Someday I will be Frank or Dr. Doom. And it will be glorious.

limeandpepper

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #24 on: May 22, 2014, 09:38:15 PM »
Three hours into his shift, Frank turned around and walked out the front door of Wal-Mart and into a legend, vanishing in the darkness of the parking lot.  It threw the rest of us into chaos because we had to pick up the slack, but none of us complained, for he was our hero.  Because at some point, every single one of us had wanted to do that.

Wow I think this is my favourite story so far! It's like the Shawshank Redemption. (And I have always felt that emotions of The Shawshank Redemption would be an appropriate analogy to my feelings the day I finally break free from my workplace, haha!)

I'll be quitting my job soon, but I doubt it would be epic, as my company genuinely doesn't seem to care about people coming and going. They just make the people left behind work harder. My current draft of my resignation letter has something along the lines of "...new adventures call, and I have decided to embark upon an indefinite sabbatical" - I'm still not sure if I should include that, but it sure feels good to write it down!

pdxvandal

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #25 on: May 22, 2014, 10:29:02 PM »
I left a job 6 years ago, although it wasn't because of FU money.

I had been there about a year at this place where the "leadership" would treat employees unethically i.e., "promoting" someone they didn't like, then asking them to train their replacement for a month ... and then lay off that "promoted" person. Shady financial dealings, dumb office politics, firing someone during their cancer treatments, etc.

So, I'd found a newer, better job and decided to leave the d-bags. Only instead of 2 weeks' notice, I gave them a one-minute notice on a Friday at 4:59 p.m. via a short two-sentence email. And this was 5 minutes after I sent a far friendlier email to the colleagues I respected. So the brass was the last to know. It felt great. No regrets.

Bateaux

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #26 on: May 23, 2014, 06:21:24 AM »
My FU Money allows me to post my opinions to social networking sites that might get me fired.

Basenji

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #27 on: May 23, 2014, 06:58:30 AM »
One of the things I'm now fond of saying is that people usually don't leave their jobs.  They leave their managers.

Amen. I was at wits end at one point with my manager (but I really liked my actual job and the company) and then just when I was sending out resumes and doing interviews we had a reorganization and I suddenly worked for a whole new chain of bosses. Although the new immediate supervisor isn't the best manager, it's still waaaay better.

Oh, and +1 to knowing I am going to be FI in a limited number of years makes me lighthearted and able to deal with BS better at work.

iris lily

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #28 on: May 23, 2014, 07:20:19 AM »
My FU Money allows me to post my opinions to social networking sites that might get me fired.

hahahaha!


frompa

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #29 on: May 23, 2014, 07:42:45 AM »
Wow.  These responses are incredible, as much for what they DON'T say as for what they do.  As a self-employed person for the last several decades, I have a more direct and controllable relationship to my work -- sure there are daily frustrations, but for the most part I can focus on what needs to be done, do it on a schedule that suits me, don't have a manager or HR to deal with, etc..  What I hear from my self-directed perch as I read everyone's stories is a powerful undercurrent of the fear and intimidation inherent in most corporate work places.  And haven't I seen it plenty with my own family and friends? It seems that for most of us work makes us dependent on whims and strategizing by invisible others who have no knowledge of or care for the real human lives they affect, with HR as the ever-willing henchmen (and -women.)  Dependency is too weak a word, slavery too strong a word, but it's somewhere in the middle there.   I find these responses moving.   

Paul der Krake

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #30 on: May 23, 2014, 07:47:33 AM »
Dependency is too weak a word, slavery too strong a word, but it's somewhere in the middle there.
Servitude?

frompa

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #31 on: May 23, 2014, 07:51:43 AM »
Yes, "servitude" with an "involuntary" in front of it.  That seems about right.

arebelspy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #32 on: May 23, 2014, 08:00:16 AM »
Yes, "servitude" with an "involuntary" in front of it.  That seems about right.

Don't fool yourself.  It's voluntary.
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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #33 on: May 23, 2014, 08:06:52 AM »
I've got two.  One is from a former co-worker and one is my own.  I don't know if I had FU Money, but I had a new position lined up already within the same company so i wasn't afraid to have something bad happen.

A co-woker was supporting an older web site the company had developed.  There were pager alerts that came out almost nightly, if not multiple times a night. He had already put requests in to have the alerts disabled since they could be handled at 8 AM (it was a repeated alert for the same issue) when he got in and before they needed to be addressed for business reasons.  He didn't need the pager going off all night.  The managers refused.  The bill came in and the Sr. VP was PISSED!  He came down and started berating my co-worker.  The response was epic.  The co-worker took his pager out and handed it to the Sr. VP and said: "You can take the pager and do the support then."   The Sr. VP backed down and said lets try to find another solution.

As for me.  Well, I was on web development team that required "occasional" off hours support.  In the good times, we had 6 people rotating so it was once very six weeks.  But the company decided to offshore the development work and are team dwindled down to 3 and then 1.  Yes, I was the tech lead by that point and I was the last one left.  For weeks at a time, I would get calls in the middle of the night 3-4 times a week.  I would have to be on site for nightly releases every couple of weeks.  My fiancé at the time was getting furious as was I.  She told me to turn the phone in, I told her I was just in it for a little longer.  The straw that broke the camels back was when I got calls 4 nights in a row for things the team should now be able to handle.  I walked into my manager's office and handed him the cell phone and said: "I'm here between 9-5 and will be happy to handle the transition as needed.  I am no longer accessible after those hours.".  His response was mouth agape.  He didn't take me to HR. He didn't do anything.  A week later I was starting my new position in the company, 5 months later I was called back in due to an issue on the site which is a whole different story.

DrDoom is right - most people leave companies because of management and co-workers, not the actual job.  I wanted to convert our sites to more updated technology, management didn't want to do that.  Even with the history of offshoring, I would have done that because it would have been a great learning experience.  Thanks to them, though, I am now doing application security work and much better off!

tooqk4u22

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #34 on: May 23, 2014, 08:30:49 AM »
I have been offered jobs that make quite a bit more money but wasn't a fit - people would say I can't believe you are not taking it.  And I would respond "Making a change for $10, $20, or $30k is not worth it or that important to me"  People are always dumbfounded.

So FU money gives you the ability to leave but it also gives you the ability to stay.

Of course if I was in a shitty situation I would be all over it.

Vorpal

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #35 on: May 23, 2014, 08:37:35 AM »
[Tale of Awesomeness]

I knew I liked you :)  I enjoy your blog, too.

wild wendella

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #36 on: May 23, 2014, 08:49:30 AM »
My husband used his FU money to walk away from a perfectly good job so be could move two hours away to live with me a month before our son was born and be a stay at home dad for a while.  OK, it wasn't actually designated as 'FU' money; he views it as his 'saving for a house' fund.  Regardless, having a $ cushion allows you the freedom to take risks you wouldn't ordinarily consider, because with the cushion they are no longer so risky.

Now almost two years later, he is still a stay-at-home dad and we haven't touched his stash.  :)
« Last Edit: May 23, 2014, 08:51:56 AM by wild wendella »

brewer12345

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #37 on: May 23, 2014, 09:25:50 AM »
Not exactly an FU story, but...

I bailed in January right after the holidays.  There were aspects of the job that were very off-putting (travel), but the important parts of the job were interesting and generally worthwhile.  The problem was everything else.  Endless meetings and conference calls for absolutely no reason.  Reams of useless make-work that did nothing but help the officer class substantiate to their superiors that they had firm control over everything.  A work culture that was so Neolithic it was unbelievable.  A workforce that was equipped to travel all the time and execute independently in the field was not trusted to work from home (where 90+% of the job could be done) at all.  Just last year they finally changed the policy that said that if you did not make it to the office regardless of the weather (we have white out blizzards here) you would be charged a vacation day even if you worked from home.  This was all completely unnecessary, but there was no way to get them to change it.

My direct manager was easily the best I have ever worked for, but like me he was a prisoner of the system.  I took pains to give them 2 weeks' notice, make the transition as easy as I could, spent time schooling up someone who could fill in for me and left on cordial terms.  To this day I don't think they have any idea why I left.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #38 on: May 23, 2014, 09:46:12 AM »
If OMY Syndrome doesn't get the better of me, my "FU" later this year will likely be a pathetically polite and thankful one. I have had more than enough of this job (two near fatal close calls, and endless other indignities), but I do realize that the salary they have given me for the past 24 years has helped put me in a position to ER for good at 42.

So yeah, a most boring "FU" to my overseers is likely...

biscuitwhomper

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #39 on: May 23, 2014, 11:01:03 AM »
I like this thread, as it reminds me of the greatest, yet most unexpected benefit of retiring early.

I now get to choose with whom I associate.

With so much bad behavior out there, this is huge.

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #40 on: May 23, 2014, 11:21:58 AM »
I think FU money is something that employers should encourage. Who would you want working with you, people who actually want to be there or people who feel like they have no choice? Don't companies always say they want engagement? I don't think engagement happens when people feel trapped.

Love the WalMart guy story. A great example of how financial stability/security preserves our dignity. When you are enslaved to paycheck-to-paycheck living, you may need to set your dignity aside if you want to eat that month.










Dr. Doom

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #41 on: May 23, 2014, 12:27:35 PM »
... all the stuff

Dope.  Noisy pageouts+horribly structured on-call rotations have been an issue just about every place I've worked.  Pushing back is completely reasonable and necessary for sanity. 

I find it amazing that in every case, management is completely shocked when workers refuse to put up with obviously horrible working conditions.  That's how rarely people complain. 

All hail FU money.

« Last Edit: May 23, 2014, 12:34:59 PM by Dr. Doom »

MoneyCat

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #42 on: May 23, 2014, 01:42:45 PM »
We've only had FU money for a short time now, so I don't have any stories to tell yet.  I am working a job I enjoy right now and this thread has made me realize that I have the financial flexibility now to not have to work jobs I hate anymore.  In the old days, I worked some pretty dangerous jobs where I risked physical injury all the time.  Now, I can be choosy about what jobs I will take and that makes life so much better.

seanc0x0

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #43 on: May 23, 2014, 01:51:50 PM »
I think FU money is something that employers should encourage. Who would you want working with you, people who actually want to be there or people who feel like they have no choice? Don't companies always say they want engagement? I don't think engagement happens when people feel trapped.

Love the WalMart guy story. A great example of how financial stability/security preserves our dignity. When you are enslaved to paycheck-to-paycheck living, you may need to set your dignity aside if you want to eat that month.

Oh man, engagement.  That word is a loaded one around here, I tells ya!  The HR dept is always sending crap around talking about creating an 'engaged workforce', then when it comes time to negotiate a new collective agreement, they fight tooth and nail to keep the wage increases below inflation. Sure makes us feel engaged!

That said, I did just realize I'm 25 days from hitting my 5 weeks of vacation per year, so it could be worse.  :)

Still working on the FU money. I barely have 2k in the FIRE fund (but at least it's positive!)

rujancified

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #44 on: May 23, 2014, 03:01:02 PM »
Love this thread. Don't have anything to add just yet, unfortunately.

My current work situation is generally easy, but utterly uninspiring and heavily bureaucratic. My boss is great and looks out for me, so I suppose that's why I stick around.

We're a few years away from FU money being stached up, but I look forward to plotting out a exit strategy.

Free at 55

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #45 on: May 23, 2014, 03:07:36 PM »
I used FU money in 2011 to take a sabbatical. I had just turned 51. I walked into my boss's office and said: I need to tell you something. I'm taking a year off". He said: "We don't allow that here". I said: "I'm not asking for you permission. I'm just doing it." He said: 'We can't guarantee that you can have your job back" I said: "I can't guarantee that I'll want my job back!". He asked: "How can you possibly afford to do this?" I said: "That's really a personal question, but I can tell you it involves savings and investments". Man, this dude was pissed. The president of the company called me to wish me the best and asked me to call him when I returned from my walkabout to discuss some opportunities. I ended up returning to a different department 15 months later. Higher pay. Promotion. I quit again 2 years later. They transferred me to another division. Higher pay. Another promotion.
Frugality pays.
I'm preparing for another world tour.

trailrated

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #46 on: May 23, 2014, 03:12:59 PM »
I used FU money in 2011 to take a sabbatical. I had just turned 51. I walked into my boss's office and said: I need to tell you something. I'm taking a year off". He said: "We don't allow that here". I said: "I'm not asking for you permission. I'm just doing it." He said: 'We can't guarantee that you can have your job back" I said: "I can't guarantee that I'll want my job back!". He asked: "How can you possibly afford to do this?" I said: "That's really a personal question, but I can tell you it involves savings and investments". Man, this dude was pissed. The president of the company called me to wish me the best and asked me to call him when I returned from my walkabout to discuss some opportunities. I ended up returning to a different department 15 months later. Higher pay. Promotion. I quit again 2 years later. They transferred me to another division. Higher pay. Another promotion.
Frugality pays.
I'm preparing for another world tour.

Thank you for sharing, that is quite inspiring to someone young and starting out!

Storapa

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #47 on: May 23, 2014, 03:49:59 PM »
Some great stories here.

I call my stash MBs (stands for Money Bananas).  It feels like I'm working at zoo sometimes. I'm just one of the chimps, chasing the others about, hanging about in my tyre etc. Once a month they chuck in some MBs.  I've been so close to telling them to stick the job.  I now know that it's my FU stash.  It feels great to have it sitting there ticking over. 

Keep the stories coming. 

PS... Storapa is Swedish for Big Monkey.......


Allison

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #48 on: May 23, 2014, 06:56:49 PM »
After crying at work for the 6th time in 6 months, I got a nasty phone from my boss who was the 3rd to hold that position in 1 year.  He went into a meeting after the phone call and I sent him an email saying that this was obviously not working out.  Put my badge on my desk, apologized to my coworkers and walked out.  I heard later that he got out the meeting, saw my email and wondered if it was real.

Three days later I had a job offer in my dream city for a 25% raise.  FU money covered a month of moving and relocation fee before the new paychecks rolled.  Also allowed me to take a week long vacation 4 weeks after I started at the new job.  Best feeling ever to be able to handle all that without financial stress.

brewer12345

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #49 on: May 23, 2014, 06:59:35 PM »
After crying at work for the 6th time in 6 months

Thanks for the reminder.  I used to end up in tears about twice a week before I quit.  Must have been silly seeing a grown man hop out of a truck at the train station lot with tears running down his face.  Not at all since I quit.