Author Topic: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)  (Read 5086800 times)

riverffashion

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2300 on: December 11, 2015, 07:01:15 PM »
An all employee e-mail went out yesterday reminding us that the 27th paycheck of the year will hit our bank accounts on December 31st.

I was so pissed at myself when I realized that I'd set things up to max my 401k in 26 paychecks, so nothing is going in on that 27th paycheck.  My employer only puts in a match on paychecks where I am contributing, and does not true-up at year end, so I screwed myself out of $70.88 by not looking more closely at the list of pay dates when it was posted back in January.

That is hilarious and definitely a MPP.  I bet many people don't max the 401(k) and they never have occasion to even think of this problem.  Even among people who max the 401(k), I bet very few would even realize they left money on the table.

Absolutely a MPP!

gaja

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2301 on: December 12, 2015, 01:21:58 PM »
One of the aunts tried to get my youngest daughter (7, soon 8) to tell what she wanted for christmas, but DD is happy with what she has and has a hard time thinking of anything she wants. In the end we settled on a pencil case, since she is drawing so much that she runs out of pencils and wears out cases.

riverffashion

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2302 on: December 12, 2015, 01:41:57 PM »
One of the aunts tried to get my youngest daughter (7, soon 8) to tell what she wanted for christmas, but DD is happy with what she has and has a hard time thinking of anything she wants. In the end we settled on a pencil case, since she is drawing so much that she runs out of pencils and wears out cases.


I love that!
(And pencil cases are pretty cool ;) )
Had a red one with hello kitty as a girl, then later replaced with a pink one with some other sanrio fuzzy animal, don't remember which. Came with sharpener, scissors, erasor, scotch tape and idk what in Little drawers inside . Was super stoked!

TomTX

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2303 on: December 12, 2015, 03:28:09 PM »
MD5 has weaknesses, but they are commonly misunderstood. They are also irrelevant to dragoncar's proposed use of MD5. dragoncar is just using MD5 to generate an opaque token. If you wanted to bruteforce a token generated through that method, the only algorithm you could use is exhaustion over the entire 5-hex-character search space. Knowing that the token was generated by MD5 (as opposed to another hashing algorithm that generates a hex string) would not narrow down the search space unless MD5 has a vulnerability such that certain characters were more likely to appear in the first 5 hex digits than other characters. MD5 has no such vulnerability so the use of MD5 is not relevant to the analysis of the security of dragoncar's proposal. See Bruno Rohée's reply to this Stack Overflow question.

Note that dragoncar's idea is insecure for other reasons. In this post, I comment only on the use of MD5 as opposed to another hashing algorithm.

This is just so hot.

Cape Town Girl

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2304 on: December 12, 2015, 06:26:53 PM »
The fact that I cant find awesome thinking people like you guys in South Africa. Our parents (husband and I) dont know the journey we are on because we want to keep our finances/goals private and also because they will think we are nuts. The other problem is constantly being compared to siblings because they are "so successful with their fancy cars and houses" and why are we "struggling". My husband and I also prefer giving the impression that we have no money because family here get themselves in debt etc and expect help from anyone and everyone that has money.

With This Herring

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2305 on: December 14, 2015, 11:26:29 AM »

I was talking to a neighbor on our doorstep, when his three year old son sneezed violently and the dad asked me for a tissue. I never buy Kleenex - only have old fashioned handkerchiefs , so I handed him a wad of toilet paper. I felt slightly embarrassed when the dad noticed what it was, not sure why.
+1
Hey, I used to think I was the only person in this country using handkerchiefs... but there are 2 of us! :) I always get the "what the hell is that?!?" when I pull one out in public.

+1 I am a Cdn. user of handkerchiefs.  I started using them rather than Kleenex a few decades ago when I developed some allergies.  My mom gave me a bunch of my grandma's handkerchiefs and said using these will easier on my nose.  She told me that the wood fibre in the Kleenex would just cause more irritation.  So been using handkerchiefs ever since even though the allergies left. 

My mom has a stockpile of handkerchiefs from the 'old country' and we've been in Canada for 50+ years.  I guess my MMM people problem is that it is next to impossible find new women's handkerchiefs these days.  Sometimes I buy them at flea markets where older people are downsizing.

+1 I use handkerchiefs!  I started with them at age 20 or so, right before I finished college.  My first one was a garage sale find.  Subsequent ones have been packs from the men's underwear section of Walmart (the only place nearby I have been able to find them).  Once they are out of the packaging and washed, you can't tell they are "for men."  And my nose runs a lot less since I started using them instead of paper tissues.

Chai tea that husband bought me as a surprise was a total disappointment ... my homemade chai is way, way better. I didn't tell him that, though .. didn't want to hurt his feelings :-/

You are telling us this and you didn't include a recipe for yours?  SHAME!



My MPP:  I quit my job effective one week ago.  As this timing lines up with when I usually take a couple weeks off of work, no one outside my office or DBF knows yet.  I'm not quite at my FIRE goal yet, but I am close enough that I'm happy working part-time (maybe 30 hours per week, and only work I enjoy) until I hit it.  I'm trying to figure out how to tell my parents that I have quit and have little interest in working full-time again when I'm only in my late-twenties.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2306 on: December 14, 2015, 06:38:25 PM »
You refer to outsourcing a service as "buying a short-term servant" without thinking twice, and your workmates accuse you of being a snob with 'an upper-class attitude'.

Venturing

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2307 on: December 14, 2015, 08:04:55 PM »
I've had the same problem. Thankfully I can log into my internet banking while talking to them Nd check it there


Here's a Mustachian problem for you....

My credit card was stolen today and used to buy $1500 of electronics.
Luckily the fraud department caught it and froze the card.
I wound up calling the fraud department and they asked a series of questions to try to make sure it was me and not an imposter.

One of the first questions was "what is the credit limit on the card?"

I told her I had no idea and that I thought it was somewhere in the ballpark of  XX dollars, but that since I always pay it off completely at the end of every month I've never once thought to look at what the credit limit might be.  She seemed suspicious from that point forward and ultimately told me that I would have to the bank in person with my ID to clear it up.

Venturing

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2308 on: December 14, 2015, 08:10:04 PM »
Because I grocery shop at Costco and Aldi we have a dire shortage of plastic shopping bags to line the trash cans around here.

I have the same problem. Thankfully my husband was given a gift voucher to a 'fancy' supermarket. I chose some things and then went through the self serve line so that I could put each item in its own bag.

When the power company puts you on to the higher 'Holiday home' rates because your usage is so low that they don't believe it can be a permanent home.

Or when you literally can't think of a single thing to give your young daughter for Christmas. But we are spending it with family so it wouldn't be acceptable to have nothing at all under the tree for her. I'm going to wrap up a couple of her existing items that still look new. Hopefully my husband doesn't recognise them. He is quite proud of my frugal ways and would cheerfully announce to everyone what I'd done.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2015, 08:38:28 PM by Venturing »

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2309 on: December 14, 2015, 08:14:41 PM »
When the power company puts you on to the higher 'Holiday home' rates because you're usage is so low that they don't believe it can be a permanent home.

Haha how'd you convince them otherwise?

Venturing

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2310 on: December 14, 2015, 08:42:38 PM »
When the power company puts you on to the higher 'Holiday home' rates because you're usage is so low that they don't believe it can be a permanent home.

Haha how'd you convince them otherwise?

By going into long and boring detail about why it was so low :) it probably helped that, coincidently, I was the one who had written the policy that they were trying to enforce

Threshkin

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2311 on: December 15, 2015, 09:35:48 AM »
When the power company puts you on to the higher 'Holiday home' rates because you're usage is so low that they don't believe it can be a permanent home.

Haha how'd you convince them otherwise?

By going into long and boring detail about why it was so low :) it probably helped that, coincidently, I was the one who had written the policy that they were trying to enforce

That is funny Venturing.  Hoist by your own petard!

dragoncar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2312 on: December 15, 2015, 01:08:22 PM »
When the power company puts you on to the higher 'Holiday home' rates because you're usage is so low that they don't believe it can be a permanent home.

Haha how'd you convince them otherwise?

By going into long and boring detail about why it was so low :) it probably helped that, coincidently, I was the one who had written the policy that they were trying to enforce

That is funny Venturing.  Hoist by your own petard!

Hey, read the forum rules.  Don't call venturing a petard that's horrible some people are petarded and they can't help it they were born with a lack of oxygen


Sam E

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2313 on: December 17, 2015, 03:55:16 PM »
Mustachian problem I just discovered today: I use my car so little and fill the tank so infrequently that when people complain about gas prices I can't join the conversation for the simple reason that I can barely remember what gas cost a month ago when I last filled up. Gas costs 2.75 per gallon? Is that trending up or down? No idea. Lots of awkward nodding and blind comiseration while I hope someone changes the subject.

GreenSheep

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2314 on: December 17, 2015, 04:13:39 PM »
Mustachian problem I just discovered today: I use my car so little and fill the tank so infrequently that when people complain about gas prices I can't join the conversation for the simple reason that I can barely remember what gas cost a month ago when I last filled up. Gas costs 2.75 per gallon? Is that trending up or down? No idea. Lots of awkward nodding and blind comiseration while I hope someone changes the subject.

Yes! Me too!

And even when I was driving way too far to work, I always wondered why gas prices were so interesting to people. You still have to go to work. You still have to go to the grocery store, or wherever else your car takes you. Other than maybe postponing a road trip, I don't think most people really change their driving habits in response to gas prices. It's just an inane topic of conversation.

Zikoris

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2315 on: December 17, 2015, 04:20:23 PM »
Mustachian problem I just discovered today: I use my car so little and fill the tank so infrequently that when people complain about gas prices I can't join the conversation for the simple reason that I can barely remember what gas cost a month ago when I last filled up. Gas costs 2.75 per gallon? Is that trending up or down? No idea. Lots of awkward nodding and blind comiseration while I hope someone changes the subject.

That applies to a lot of things as well - when people tell me they got a good deal on something for $X, nine times out of ten I have to ask what the "normal" amount would be because I genuinely have no idea. There are so many things I've never in my life bought, like gasoline (or car anything), alcohol, any kind of meat or animal products, and most consumer goods.

Luckily, people don't seem upset by it and happily give me baseline numbers.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2015, 04:22:08 PM by Zikoris »

MoneyRx

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2316 on: December 17, 2015, 04:47:52 PM »
Missed out on a leftover giant salad from a work meeting to take home because I can't carry it on my bike. Probably would have fed me for a week.

Zikoris

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2317 on: December 17, 2015, 05:31:16 PM »
Missed out on a leftover giant salad from a work meeting to take home because I can't carry it on my bike. Probably would have fed me for a week.

I love office scavenging! I work in a very big office and there are large catered lunches at least a couple times a week. As a vegan I have less scavenging options than other people, but sometimes manage to get a pretty good haul! My favourite things to bring home are raw ingredients that I can make into other things, like the leftover cut up vegetables from a veggie platter, but there's also sometimes this delicious roasted vegetable quinoa salad that my boyfriend is crazy about. I get a wrap or sandwich once in awhile and bring that home for dinner, but generally those are a hot commodity. Leftovers from fruit platters are also great.

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2318 on: December 17, 2015, 11:16:28 PM »
People like to complain about things they perceive as having no control over.  Gas prices are an easy target.  It's easier to complain about gas prices than to actually think about driving less to keep their total cost of driving the same.

Sanne

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2319 on: December 18, 2015, 12:32:28 AM »
People like to complain about things they perceive as having no control over.  Gas prices are an easy target.  It's easier to complain about gas prices than to actually think about driving less to keep their total cost of driving the same.

Yup this. It's easier if you "can't" do anything about it. "I'm the victim here!"

JrDoctor

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2320 on: December 18, 2015, 12:55:35 AM »
Lecture yesterday at lunch on duty of candour.  Had a free lunch, got two packed sandwiches, three apples and a banana on the way out.  And got paid for going.  Only left half an hour late yesterday as well.

merula

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2321 on: December 21, 2015, 08:19:12 PM »
Mustachian person problem: I was out doing some final Christmas shopping this morning. I stopped at the gas station and bought $50 worth of gift cards, and then went to Goodwill, where my card was declined.

I paid the $4 in cash, and called the credit card company on my way out. They put a hold on my account because of "unusual activity" and wanted me to verify the $50 transaction.

I buy gas so infrequently, and my car is compact enough, that what is a twice-weekly expense for some is a transaction worthy of fraud protection for me. Oh well. I'm just mad that I won't get the cash back from Goodwill. That's $0.04 I'll never see...

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2322 on: December 21, 2015, 09:22:04 PM »
Mustachian person problem: I was out doing some final Christmas shopping this morning. I stopped at the gas station and bought $50 worth of gift cards, and then went to Goodwill, where my card was declined.

I paid the $4 in cash, and called the credit card company on my way out. They put a hold on my account because of "unusual activity" and wanted me to verify the $50 transaction.

I buy gas so infrequently, and my car is compact enough, that what is a twice-weekly expense for some is a transaction worthy of fraud protection for me. Oh well. I'm just mad that I won't get the cash back from Goodwill. That's $0.04 I'll never see...

You should get a 2% credit card. Fidelity Amex is good because you can enroll it in Amex offers available on Twitter. Of course, there are some merchants that don't take Amex. The other option is the Citi Double Cash (Mastercard), which earns 1% at time of purchase and 1% when you make a payment.

I'm surprised that $50 is a fraud alert for you if this is the same card that you use to pay gas. Typically when you swipe your card at the pump it puts a temporary hold for some predetermined maximum which varies by gas station (typically $100, sometimes $150) because it doesn't know how much gas you're going to put in. It then later adjusts the transaction for the correct amount.
But I'm fairly certain that the cc company can't differentiate a temporary hold from a real purchase (could be wrong about this) so they should already expect $100 transactions on the card...

GreenSheep

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2323 on: December 22, 2015, 08:03:45 AM »
I've started getting gas so infrequently that I have to look at the little marker on my dashboard to remember which side of the car I need to put near the pump.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2324 on: December 22, 2015, 08:30:08 AM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Hadilly

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2325 on: December 22, 2015, 08:50:54 AM »
Greensheep: putting a marker on is an excellent idea! I have that same problem when getting gas.

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2326 on: December 22, 2015, 08:53:07 AM »
Greensheep: putting a marker on is an excellent idea! I have that same problem when getting gas.
Your car already has that marker. I'm pretty sure this was discussed on the thread at some point.

slugline

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2327 on: December 22, 2015, 09:33:33 AM »
Greensheep: putting a marker on is an excellent idea! I have that same problem when getting gas.
Your car already has that marker. I'm pretty sure this was discussed on the thread at some point.

Mustachian problem: Missing out on the the gas gauge arrow because you drive an old car.

riverffashion

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2328 on: December 22, 2015, 09:50:37 AM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......

Threshkin

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2329 on: December 22, 2015, 10:02:53 AM »
Greensheep: putting a marker on is an excellent idea! I have that same problem when getting gas.
Your car already has that marker. I'm pretty sure this was discussed on the thread at some point.
Mustachian problem: Missing out on the the gas gauge arrow because you drive an old car.
My 2000 Dodge Van (141K miles) has the marker on the wrong side.

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2330 on: December 22, 2015, 01:26:47 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......
Doesn't that depends on the book?
There are some books I would glaly apid only 10$ ;)

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2331 on: December 22, 2015, 01:37:47 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......

Well there were other coupons too- the idea was just that it was 'free' because of this coupon.

All the others were for restaurants or kid related things, so we passed.

Zikoris

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2332 on: December 22, 2015, 01:38:25 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

I don't think we could even carry that much food. We've gotten up to $50 or $60 in one trip, but that involves backpacks for both of us and the cat stroller at max capacity for both weight and volume, including some sort of balancing act on top of the rain cover. Maybe if we wore two backpacks each?

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2333 on: December 22, 2015, 01:42:39 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

I don't think we could even carry that much food. We've gotten up to $50 or $60 in one trip, but that involves backpacks for both of us and the cat stroller at max capacity for both weight and volume, including some sort of balancing act on top of the rain cover. Maybe if we wore two backpacks each?

It's easy if you buy a lot of meat.

Uturn

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2334 on: December 22, 2015, 01:56:07 PM »
I can't keep up with my podcasts because I don't spend that much time in the car anymore. 

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2335 on: December 22, 2015, 01:57:30 PM »
I can't keep up with my podcasts because I don't spend that much time in the car anymore.

I blast music from my phone while I ride my bike.

riverffashion

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2336 on: December 22, 2015, 01:58:05 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......

Well there were other coupons too- the idea was just that it was 'free' because of this coupon.

All the others were for restaurants or kid related things, so we passed.

I would have passed. Finding great deals on groceries and other necessities is easy in my area without paying extra for it.  I also don't have kids or go out much, like you.

riverffashion

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2337 on: December 22, 2015, 02:08:16 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......
Doesn't that depends on the book?
There are some books I would glaly apid only 10$ ;)

I might add that in my area we have abundant access to free coupon books of all sorts. The use I find mostly for these are the discounts on smog test or oil change. Or deals on a tent or something.
To be honest, the coupons at cost I hav been offered hav come from solicitations at my business, and are either for garbage or , reading the fine print on something appealing , i find its a ripoff. So I'm biased:) .  you are right I'm sure, that quality books exist, apologies if I offended anyone sincerely.

BDWW

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2338 on: December 22, 2015, 05:12:40 PM »
A neighbor was selling "savings books" that you got your money back on with just one coupon.
The book cost $10.

The coupon was $10 off a $100 purchase at the grocery store I use. 

Except we NEVER spend close to that in a single trip!

Wow what a bunch of BS! And to think people actually buy those things......
Doesn't that depends on the book?
There are some books I would glaly apid only 10$ ;)

I might add that in my area we have abundant access to free coupon books of all sorts. The use I find mostly for these are the discounts on smog test or oil change. Or deals on a tent or something.
To be honest, the coupons at cost I hav been offered hav come from solicitations at my business, and are either for garbage or , reading the fine print on something appealing , i find its a ripoff. So I'm biased:) .  you are right I'm sure, that quality books exist, apologies if I offended anyone sincerely.

I'm wondering the reason your neighbor was selling them? Around here, a few coworkers sell coupon books. They are always in support of little leagure/boy scouts/etc. The businesses agree to use the coupons, and the $10 book price goes to the cause(little league).

If they're just selling the books to sell them, that's a little weird.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2339 on: December 22, 2015, 06:55:40 PM »
For little league.

Heather in Ottawa

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2340 on: December 22, 2015, 09:44:24 PM »
Since its close to the freezing point here, wearing layers is necessary for biking. on wet days I generate about half a load of laundry of filthy clothes, and i get so gritty i hose myself and my bike down in the yard. With gas being as cheap as it is, my little optimizer voice is wont stop wondering whether biking is saving any money on wet days (on dry days, outer layers can go a few rides between washes, and i can wear a bit less since I'm not soaked). I really don't want to feel so compelled to figure out how much a load of laundry costs - there's no reason I need to know, because it won't change my laundry use.

At least it's a thought that is easily silenced, because I still prefer a rainy bike ride on a chilly day to driving the car.

lemanfan

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2341 on: December 23, 2015, 03:34:08 AM »
I can't keep up with my podcasts because I don't spend that much time in the car anymore.

Me too!  I put my car in winter storage and since then I haven't been able to keep up. :)

Sanne

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2342 on: December 23, 2015, 04:39:49 AM »
I can't keep up with my podcasts because I don't spend that much time in the car anymore.

Me too!  I put my car in winter storage and since then I haven't been able to keep up. :)

I always listen to podcasts while running, riding my bike and cleaning in the house.

Sam E

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2343 on: December 23, 2015, 05:40:06 AM »
Since its close to the freezing point here, wearing layers is necessary for biking. on wet days I generate about half a load of laundry of filthy clothes, and i get so gritty i hose myself and my bike down in the yard. With gas being as cheap as it is, my little optimizer voice is wont stop wondering whether biking is saving any money on wet days (on dry days, outer layers can go a few rides between washes, and i can wear a bit less since I'm not soaked). I really don't want to feel so compelled to figure out how much a load of laundry costs - there's no reason I need to know, because it won't change my laundry use.

At least it's a thought that is easily silenced, because I still prefer a rainy bike ride on a chilly day to driving the car.

You should think about investing in a waterproof outer layer. I have a jacket, rain pants, and shoe covers that are all waterproof and my layers never get soaked through like that. There's also an added bonus of the waterproof layer protecting better against the wind so I stay warmer with slightly less layers in the first place.

merula

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2344 on: December 23, 2015, 08:59:22 AM »
Mustachian person problem: I was out doing some final Christmas shopping this morning. I stopped at the gas station and bought $50 worth of gift cards, and then went to Goodwill, where my card was declined.

I paid the $4 in cash, and called the credit card company on my way out. They put a hold on my account because of "unusual activity" and wanted me to verify the $50 transaction.

I buy gas so infrequently, and my car is compact enough, that what is a twice-weekly expense for some is a transaction worthy of fraud protection for me. Oh well. I'm just mad that I won't get the cash back from Goodwill. That's $0.04 I'll never see...

You should get a 2% credit card. Fidelity Amex is good because you can enroll it in Amex offers available on Twitter. Of course, there are some merchants that don't take Amex. The other option is the Citi Double Cash (Mastercard), which earns 1% at time of purchase and 1% when you make a payment.

I'm surprised that $50 is a fraud alert for you if this is the same card that you use to pay gas. Typically when you swipe your card at the pump it puts a temporary hold for some predetermined maximum which varies by gas station (typically $100, sometimes $150) because it doesn't know how much gas you're going to put in. It then later adjusts the transaction for the correct amount.
But I'm fairly certain that the cc company can't differentiate a temporary hold from a real purchase (could be wrong about this) so they should already expect $100 transactions on the card...

This is a 5% card for certain categories that I regularly spend in. I have an AMEX with good benefits, too, but my Goodwill doesn't take AMEX. I've done the CC churning thing and it's just too much hassle to keep track of.

This card shows pending transactions, and I've never seen a gas hold, so I don't think it works that way. Maybe for debit cards?

johnny847

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2345 on: December 23, 2015, 09:11:00 AM »
Mustachian person problem: I was out doing some final Christmas shopping this morning. I stopped at the gas station and bought $50 worth of gift cards, and then went to Goodwill, where my card was declined.

I paid the $4 in cash, and called the credit card company on my way out. They put a hold on my account because of "unusual activity" and wanted me to verify the $50 transaction.

I buy gas so infrequently, and my car is compact enough, that what is a twice-weekly expense for some is a transaction worthy of fraud protection for me. Oh well. I'm just mad that I won't get the cash back from Goodwill. That's $0.04 I'll never see...

You should get a 2% credit card. Fidelity Amex is good because you can enroll it in Amex offers available on Twitter. Of course, there are some merchants that don't take Amex. The other option is the Citi Double Cash (Mastercard), which earns 1% at time of purchase and 1% when you make a payment.

I'm surprised that $50 is a fraud alert for you if this is the same card that you use to pay gas. Typically when you swipe your card at the pump it puts a temporary hold for some predetermined maximum which varies by gas station (typically $100, sometimes $150) because it doesn't know how much gas you're going to put in. It then later adjusts the transaction for the correct amount.
But I'm fairly certain that the cc company can't differentiate a temporary hold from a real purchase (could be wrong about this) so they should already expect $100 transactions on the card...

This is a 5% card for certain categories that I regularly spend in. I have an AMEX with good benefits, too, but my Goodwill doesn't take AMEX. I've done the CC churning thing and it's just too much hassle to keep track of.

This card shows pending transactions, and I've never seen a gas hold, so I don't think it works that way. Maybe for debit cards?

I brought up the 2% card because you mentioned 4 cents you'd never see again - which would imply a 1% card.

Using a 2% card doesn't fall under the purview of cc churning.

The gas hold is changed to the correct amount once you're done filling (basically instantly). The way I know this hold actually occurs is I have large transaction alerts set on my cards. Whenever I go to fill up, I get an email alert saying I was charged $100. Then when I check my card when getting home, it shows the correct amount.
And think about this logically for a second. If they make you swipe your card before you fill, they might as well check that you have enough money to pay.

I have never used a debit card to fill up gas. In fact, I have never used a debit card to make a purchase once I got my first credit card.

EDIT: Here's a link on the gas station holds.
« Last Edit: December 23, 2015, 09:13:16 AM by johnny847 »

fattest_foot

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2346 on: December 23, 2015, 03:34:29 PM »
It's that time of the year again, which means I got a Starbucks gift card from my team lead at work.

Last year my wife and I ended up giving a bunch that we had accumulated over the years as gifts to other people. I guess we'll start a new collection of them.

Rural

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2347 on: December 23, 2015, 08:11:51 PM »
It's that time of the year again, which means I got a Starbucks gift card from my team lead at work.

Last year my wife and I ended up giving a bunch that we had accumulated over the years as gifts to other people. I guess we'll start a new collection of them.


Shit. I completely forgot I have one from the summer in a desk drawer. Now I don't have anybody to give it to this year. Guess it'll have to wait till next December.

Heather in Ottawa

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2348 on: December 23, 2015, 09:38:42 PM »
Since its close to the freezing point here, wearing layers is necessary for biking. on wet days I generate about half a load of laundry of filthy clothes, and i get so gritty i hose myself and my bike down in the yard. With gas being as cheap as it is, my little optimizer voice is wont stop wondering whether biking is saving any money on wet days (on dry days, outer layers can go a few rides between washes, and i can wear a bit less since I'm not soaked). I really don't want to feel so compelled to figure out how much a load of laundry costs - there's no reason I need to know, because it won't change my laundry use.

At least it's a thought that is easily silenced, because I still prefer a rainy bike ride on a chilly day to driving the car.

You should think about investing in a waterproof outer layer. I have a jacket, rain pants, and shoe covers that are all waterproof and my layers never get soaked through like that. There's also an added bonus of the waterproof layer protecting better against the wind so I stay warmer with slightly less layers in the first place.

The damp is internally generated, even though i wear waterproof. Im my own mobile sauna. Socks, gloves, shoes, headwear... All soaked, all gritty. i ride some fairly long distances, and the road shoulders have all the filth from any recent sanding. The ride is fun, the laundry not so much.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #2349 on: December 23, 2015, 10:08:31 PM »
The damp is internally generated, even though i wear waterproof. Im my own mobile sauna. Socks, gloves, shoes, headwear... All soaked, all gritty. i ride some fairly long distances, and the road shoulders have all the filth from any recent sanding. The ride is fun, the laundry not so much.
nudity + goretex - the perfect combination ?

Although here in the Pacific North West  - Goretex is considered formal evening wear