Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Linea_Norway]

Here in Norway we have 3 stately TV channels that you have to pay for (the payment is not optional, even if you don't watch). The channels are free of commercials, so they are nice to watch. I really hate watching commercials.
But my problem is with my colleagues. They talk about all the other commercial channels that you have to pay extra for. At our house we of course don't have these extra channels. We also receive TV by antenna and not by the fiber net, which would cost a lot extra. I find it hard to not be able to talk along with them. And I need to explain often that I only have the 3 state channels. They don't seem to understand the concept.

I have also never dared to say aloud at work or to our neighbours that we don't have a mortgage, even though we now live in a pretty expensive house. I'm sure my colleagues were worried about me buying a house for that price. But as long as you can pay it cash and can sell it for the same price, the house is not more expensive to live in than amy other house.

[Linea_Norway]

Another thing... I often read/hear about tips to save money as written in newspapers and presented by consumer TV series. But whatever they suggest, I do that already. There is very little left to save of the obvious things.

So therefore I am watching this site now. Maybe I'll get some new ideas here.

[RWD]

But as long as you can pay it cash and can sell it for the same price, the house is not more expensive to live in than amy other house.

Do you not have real estate tax that scales with property value in Norway? And even then, wouldn't insurance and/or maintenance likely be more for a more expensive house?

[Playing with Fire UK]

But as long as you can pay it cash and can sell it for the same price, the house is not more expensive to live in than amy other house.

Do you not have real estate tax that scales with property value in Norway? And even then, wouldn't insurance and/or maintenance likely be more for a more expensive house?

"Just for fun" folks. It isn't mandatory to either solve or create mustachian people problems.

[Linea_Norway]

But as long as you can pay it cash and can sell it for the same price, the house is not more expensive to live in than amy other house.

Do you not have real estate tax that scales with property value in Norway? And even then, wouldn't insurance and/or maintenance likely be more for a more expensive house?

Yes, we have property value taxes. But houses are taxed much cheaper than money on the bank. Like the first part of the house is only taxed for 10% of the value. The next part 20%. Money on the bank is 100% taxed. So owning a house is a benifit.

[jtriplett]

I have "hedonically adapted" to the idea that biking to work is the norm. This week I had to suffer through an entirely clownish car commute for 5 consecutive days. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind and have had a headache every day.

I can't figure out how people do this everyday and even worse, I can't complain about it to anyone in real life because it's the norm for most people.

This is so true for me, ask me to drive in traffic (especially during rush hour) and I go bonkers, get headaches, and a weird get-me-out-of-this-traffic claustrophobia.

[BlueHouse]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

[gaja]

But as long as you can pay it cash and can sell it for the same price, the house is not more expensive to live in than amy other house.

Do you not have real estate tax that scales with property value in Norway? And even then, wouldn't insurance and/or maintenance likely be more for a more expensive house?

Yes, we have property value taxes. But houses are taxed much cheaper than money on the bank. Like the first part of the house is only taxed for 10% of the value. The next part 20%. Money on the bank is 100% taxed. So owning a house is a benifit.

Property tax is at a completely different level in Norway than in the US. The municipalities choose if and how high they want to set the tax level, but it can't exceed .7% a year. Most municipalities also set a deduction, to make sure the cheapest houses (usually poorest people) don't get taxed. My current house has a market value of ~$300 000, but my tax baseline is set at less than $100 000, and I pay .49% tax on that amount. I don't think it is fair that we pay so little, but asking the municipality to increase our tax base would probably be bad for our neighbours, so I have avoided it so far. The difference between a big expensive house, and a smaller and cheaper one, are not very large. In addition, electricity costs about $.1/kwh, and water meters are not common. If you have a positive net worth, it is as Linda describes; you get taxed a very low percentage if you have a million or more, and property is taxed lower than cash.

As to the "mandatory" TV payment: If you don't have a TV receiver, you don't have to pay it. We watch all our TV online, and could refuse to pay for the state channels. But they are good quality, and also provide balanced and reliable news. So we choose to send them the $200/year.

[dragoncar]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

[Paul der Krake]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

Are you guys in the habit of receiving personal checks for thousands of dollars?

[dragoncar]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

Are you guys in the habit of receiving personal checks for thousands of dollars?

Not frequently, but sometimes.  For example, as I mentioned Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Just got a check for the balance in the mail.  Ironically, under Chase's eDeposit rules, the check would be too big to deposit, but Ally had no problem taking our money.  Pays more in interest too.

[soccerluvof4]

I get so much done and have so much time that naps become something I have to fight off

[HappyMargo]

I get so much done and have so much time that naps become something I have to fight off

Oh man, that is *precisely* the type of Mustachian problem I would love to have!
:Jealous:

[Linea_Norway]

My "problem" is that I recognize so many things in this thread as my personal dilemma's.

[UKMustache]

Our fridge freezer broke this weekend.
I tried to repair it but found there were a number of faults and it wouldn't have been sensible to try and fix them all.

As we no longer buy mountains of food we don't need, we've replaced it with a much smaller and more economical ex-display unit (which I got for a bargain price in cash). 

The problem is that I had previously decorated around the huge wasteful fridge, I couldn't move it alone so just painted around it.

Now the smaller unit it in it looks pretty ridiculous as it's clear what I've done (kitchen was blue and is now cream). 

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

[Linea_Norway]

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

Paint shops can measure the color. But you'll need to bring them a sample, which might be difficult. Haven't you kept the paint tin you used last time?

[Metric Mouse]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

Are you guys in the habit of receiving personal checks for thousands of dollars?

I keep them lying around the house like the guy in Caddy Shack. :)

[UKMustache]

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

Paint shops can measure the color. But you'll need to bring them a sample, which might be difficult. Haven't you kept the paint tin you used last time?

Unfortunately not, as the blue was tough to cover with cream I just kept adding coats until I ran out of paint.  I'll take a look when I get home though and see if there's a corner behind an appliance I can get a sample from :)

[LennStar]

The color will have changed from time anyway.

[shelivesthedream]

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

Paint shops can measure the color. But you'll need to bring them a sample, which might be difficult. Haven't you kept the paint tin you used last time?

Unfortunately not, as the blue was tough to cover with cream I just kept adding coats until I ran out of paint.  I'll take a look when I get home though and see if there's a corner behind an appliance I can get a sample from :)

Embrace it! Get a nice stencil and create a little work of art on your wall! I'm guessing the old colour shows to both sides and on the top in a strip, so you could paint a picture frame :P Or some nice laurel leaves.

[UKMustache]

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

Paint shops can measure the color. But you'll need to bring them a sample, which might be difficult. Haven't you kept the paint tin you used last time?

Unfortunately not, as the blue was tough to cover with cream I just kept adding coats until I ran out of paint.  I'll take a look when I get home though and see if there's a corner behind an appliance I can get a sample from :)

Embrace it! Get a nice stencil and create a little work of art on your wall! I'm guessing the old colour shows to both sides and on the top in a strip, so you could paint a picture frame :P Or some nice laurel leaves.

haha, I love this idea.
It's not really 'in a strip' it is actually more like 'in jagged lines as far as I could put the brush without touching the fridge'

:D

I've looked online at paint prices and it's going about £17 ($21) to paint the whole kitchen again, the upside being that it shouldn't need doing again for a few more years!

[Playing with Fire UK]

I'm probably going to have to re-paint the whole kitchen as I can't remember what paint I used last time!

Paint shops can measure the color. But you'll need to bring them a sample, which might be difficult. Haven't you kept the paint tin you used last time?

Unfortunately not, as the blue was tough to cover with cream I just kept adding coats until I ran out of paint.  I'll take a look when I get home though and see if there's a corner behind an appliance I can get a sample from :)

Embrace it! Get a nice stencil and create a little work of art on your wall! I'm guessing the old colour shows to both sides and on the top in a strip, so you could paint a picture frame :P Or some nice laurel leaves.

haha, I love this idea.
It's not really 'in a strip' it is actually more like 'in jagged lines as far as I could put the brush without touching the fridge'

:D

I've looked online at paint prices and it's going about £17 ($21) to paint the whole kitchen again, the upside being that it shouldn't need doing again for a few more years!

I would paint black Friesian splodges on the fridge, paint grass looking green paint around the gap (covering the jagged lines) and then paint a sun over the fridge in the blue area so the fridge looked like a cow in a meadow.

[Metric Mouse]

I would paint black Friesian splodges on the fridge, paint grass looking green paint around the gap (covering the jagged lines) and then paint a sun over the fridge in the blue area so the fridge looked like a cow in a meadow.

I just read this in the voice of Bob Ross. :D.  Made my morning.

[UKMustache]

I would paint black Friesian splodges on the fridge, paint grass looking green paint around the gap (covering the jagged lines) and then paint a sun over the fridge in the blue area so the fridge looked like a cow in a meadow.

I'll suggest this to Mrs UK and report back :D

[BlueHouse]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

Are you guys in the habit of receiving personal checks for thousands of dollars?

yes. .


Ally might be a good option for personal. I already have a personal savings acct there.

[dragoncar]

BoA reduced my mobile banking deposit limit from 50k to 10k with no warning. I first noticed on wed, so I thought it had to do with trump winning the election, but it turns out, it's just another "benefit" that they offer. I qualify for gold status and if I enroll in some program, then they will raise my limit to 20 or 30k. What a great offer! 
No one could explain why I had been getting all the benefits of a higher deposit limit for the past few years. Or why they reduced it. I may fight this one.

You can't fight stupid.  Switch to something like Ally that has a 50k/day - 250k/month limit.  We did that after Chase closed my wife's account with no warning.  Sure, we could "fight" them and make them reopen the account... but why fight them just to give them our business?

Are you guys in the habit of receiving personal checks for thousands of dollars?

yes. .


Ally might be a good option for personal. I already have a personal savings acct there.

the only downside is there's no place to deposit physical cash

[Greenway52]

I would paint black Friesian splodges on the fridge, paint grass looking green paint around the gap (covering the jagged lines) and then paint a sun over the fridge in the blue area so the fridge looked like a cow in a meadow.

I just read this in the voice of Bob Ross. :D.  Made my morning.

Haha. I was thinking the same thing.

[StartingEarly]

Don't forget the happy little tree.

[Sanne]

And remember there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents.

[runningthroughFIRE]

My MMM problem this morning: Bonuses were paid out significantly higher than I had anticipated for Q3, which means this paycheck has enough taxable income in it to bump me back up into the next federal tax bracket.  The way our payroll system calculates withholdings is by assuming earnings will be the exact same over 24 pay periods, so they withheld at a higher rate and now I'm giving the federal government a ~$250 interest free loan.

[secondcor521]

Usually credit card companies distinguish between cards using the last four or five digits.  "The AMEX ending in 12345", for example.

I do credit card offers.  So many that I, by chance, have two AMEX cards with the same ending five digits.  This causes confusion when I try to talk to AMEX about the newer card.

In other news, my Lexus with 145K miles is too old for Uber.

[Kitsunegari]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

[Cannot Wait!]

My FIRED MPP today - it was so gorgeous out that I couldn't decide whether to hike or kayak.

[Gin1984]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

Lol, I just did this when looking at a twin bed for my daughter on Craigslist.  The discounts were not good enough.

[Freckles]

Me too!  What other people mention as "cheap" I'm appalled by!

[G-dog]

My FIRED MPP today - it was so gorgeous out that I couldn't decide whether to hike or kayak.

You have all day - you can do both!  Enjoy!

[TrMama]

This is probably more of a "you know you're mustashian when" problem but I think it's hilarious. Yesterday my office told us all about the company Christmas party being held in 10 days. The short notice means that I already have plans. My plans include cleaning horse stalls in exchange for free riding time.

Yes, I'd rather shovel actual horseshit than go to a work party.

[frugalnacho]

This is probably more of a "you know you're mustashian when" problem but I think it's hilarious. Yesterday my office told us all about the company Christmas party being held in 10 days. The short notice means that I already have plans. My plans include cleaning horse stalls in exchange for free riding time.

Yes, I'd rather shovel actual horseshit than go to a work party.

[TheCatWhisperer]

A tourist approached me on the street asking where the best women's boutiques were in my city. I had nothing to even suggest because all my clothes come from Goodwill.

[Bracken_Joy]

A tourist approached me on the street asking where the best women's boutiques were in my city. I had nothing to even suggest because all my clothes come from Goodwill.

I think this says you dress well though!

[SeaEhm]

Went to the store to purchase some items.

Go to the check out and saw that I had to pay 10 cents for a shopping bag.

Realized that walking to the store made things a bit trickier.

I said screw it. I was going to carry all the stuff home.

My wife wasn't too happy as she wanted to buy a bag. 

She carried one of the items, I carried the rest of them.  Nice exercise though.  The baby shampoo bottle did start to wear a lot more as time went on, haha

[TomTX]

A tourist approached me on the street asking where the best women's boutiques were in my city. I had nothing to even suggest because all my clothes come from Goodwill.

Well, tell her you get them at this "trendy"  "exclusive" "vintage" "Socially conscious" "upcycling" place and give her directions.

[Linea_Norway]

Went to the store to purchase some items.

Go to the check out and saw that I had to pay 10 cents for a shopping bag.

Realized that walking to the store made things a bit trickier.

I said screw it. I was going to carry all the stuff home.

My wife wasn't too happy as she wanted to buy a bag. 

She carried one of the items, I carried the rest of them.  Nice exercise though.  The baby shampoo bottle did start to wear a lot more as time went on, haha

We do this sometimes when we only buy a few items and only need to carry it towards the car. But I normally carry 2 reusable shopping bags in my handbag and use them most of the time when I shop.

[LennStar]

A tourist approached me on the street asking where the best women's boutiques were in my city. I had nothing to even suggest because all my clothes come from Goodwill.

So you didnt show the way to Goodwill???

[Threshkin]

This is probably more of a "you know you're mustashian when" problem but I think it's hilarious. Yesterday my office told us all about the company Christmas party being held in 10 days. The short notice means that I already have plans. My plans include cleaning horse stalls in exchange for free riding time.

Yes, I'd rather shovel actual horseshit than go to a work party.

Is there a difference?

[TheCatWhisperer]

A tourist approached me on the street asking where the best women's boutiques were in my city. I had nothing to even suggest because all my clothes come from Goodwill.

So you didnt show the way to Goodwill???

Nope. My little secret :)

[Kitsunegari]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

Went to the thrift store again because I *really* need a robe de chambre, but I didn't manage to get myself to spend that money. I can use a hospital vest, no? 

[PMG]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

Went to the thrift store again because I *really* need a robe de chambre, but I didn't manage to get myself to spend that money. I can use a hospital vest, no?

Do you sew at all and have an old sheet? There are some fairly simple DIY robe instructions out there. I'm considering making one out of a linen table cloth I have...

[Zikoris]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

Went to the thrift store again because I *really* need a robe de chambre, but I didn't manage to get myself to spend that money. I can use a hospital vest, no?

Do you sew at all and have an old sheet? There are some fairly simple DIY robe instructions out there. I'm considering making one out of a linen table cloth I have...

That's funny - it reminds me of being a teenager, when I lived in a remote, isolated village where it was very hard to buy anything. I got a job at the cafe in the general store, but needed to provide my own aprons, and nobody in town sold any (plus I didn't have any money, hence the job). My mom was able to sew me a couple from an old bedsheet and an old pillowcase, and they actually looked pretty good - I got compliments on them from customers all the time.

[Kitsunegari]

Went to the thrift store to buy a robe de chambre, found the 10$ price outrageous, didn't buy it. I'm afraid my standards over retail are getting unrealistic...

Went to the thrift store again because I *really* need a robe de chambre, but I didn't manage to get myself to spend that money. I can use a hospital vest, no?

Do you sew at all and have an old sheet? There are some fairly simple DIY robe instructions out there. I'm considering making one out of a linen table cloth I have...

That's actually a good idea... I do have a machine, but I never actually used it yet. It will probably come out crap... then again, is to be used a couple of days, then just around the house... I might give it a try!