Author Topic: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)  (Read 5086909 times)

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6800 on: October 27, 2019, 01:30:23 AM »
We used up our ready cash buying (all paid in full) two low mileage used cars and two houses, one for charity and one for our daughter's adopted grandmother.    We'll have to budget very strictly for the next 6 months.

Your daughter has adopted a grandmother??? *very confused look*

Our daughter has Down syndrome.  None of the "real" grandparents or step-grandparents involved ever gave a damn about her.
The only one that's still living only bothered to learn how to say her name correctly a year ago.  Our daughter was born in 1973.   Pretty pathetic, isn't it?

We have a wonderful lady who is her caregiver during the workday.   She's been taking care of our daughter for a over a dozen years and she (and her whole family) treat our daughter as family.   So our daughter adopted her as her grandmother.   We endorse her choice wholeheartedly.
Oh, that breaks my heart. If I lived in your vicinity, I'd put myself up for grandma adoption so she could have an extra one.
If you were in my region I'd offer my son too, but my was very accepting after the initial bout of despondency at the diagnosis.

My dad, if anything, was more accepting at first than with my other son. May also be because my granddad (his dad) passed away not too long before that and he considered it his job to welcome him to the family...

Adopting a grandparent is an old habit. When I grew up, in my street, an elderly couple were the new grandparents for a young boy a few houses ahead. The boy didn't have any grandparents anymore.

But that the real grandparents don't want to known their own grandchild is so wrong.

PMG

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6801 on: October 27, 2019, 08:32:48 AM »
My recent MMP is also laundry related.  I'm in the middle of a multi week work project that I need to wear "paint clothes" for 5 days a week.  I've got 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. I get dirty enough that I can't rewear things, and I can't wash paint clothes in with my partners nicer clothes.  So, that's two extra loads of laundry per week.  I could fix it by buying more clothes, and that's my dilemma. It's just a temporary project!  I don't need more clothes!  But it seems so wasteful to do two extra loads of laundry each week!

And now it is raining all weekend. We always air dry. We just check the weather and wait a day or two to do laundry if we need to. But I don't have that option with my paint clothes!  There is a dryer in this rental.  We often complain about how much space it takes up and wish we could get rid of it, but I guess I'll be using it this weekend.
Sometimes I blow up the page to make the font bigger. It means I can read the text more easily while I'm lolling in bed, but I can't see who wrote it. My first thought was "It's thrift store time." Then I moved the page to see the author. #nevermind and #preachingtothechoir, lol. I know you'll figure out a creative and super cost-effective solution..

BTW, my fave thrift store has everything 75% off today before they close to prep for the season changeover.  Not sure if I'll even bother to go. Don't really need anything...

I think once I get through this coming week the work will be cleaner and I'll be able to rewear things.  It has been such a silly dilemma. I just don't want to buy more, have more, store more! I did buy a heavy thrift shop sweater so I don't have to worry about ruining my nice ones. I'm balancing keeping a small wardrobe, dirty work and trying to look at least a little put together when I show up at the office to turn in paperwork.  Shew. 

Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?

Alfred J Quack

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6802 on: October 27, 2019, 08:56:35 AM »
But that the real grandparents don't want to known their own grandchild is so wrong.
Unfortunately, the older generations still view Down syndrome as a very severe disability, regardless of the steps made by programs such as early intervention. The problem is generally that they grew up without exposure because back then the kids were put away in a home and ignored most often.

  I don't think new dryers are anymore efficient than old ones. I'm talking about electric, I'm not sure about gas although, I'm not finding any break out either.
  The only thing that I found mentioned that could cause them to use less electricity, is have a moisture sensor that turns the machine off when clothes are dry. But when I dry, I usually keep pretty close track so I can get my shirts out just before they are dry.
 I did find this, "Newer dryers are no more efficient than old ones, which is why the federal Energy Star program doesn't rate them."
A modern heatpump dryer takes about twice as long and can use something like 150-200W of power to heat the wash with which it extracts moisture. An old style dryer can use up to 2000W for 45-60 minutes per drying session.
Also, an old style dryer is the number 2 or 3 cause for fires since it is chock full of fibre from the dry-cycle and a nice hot element to ignite it with. For that reason the manual says you need to clean it after every use.

RWD

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6803 on: October 27, 2019, 09:44:37 AM »
A modern heatpump dryer takes about twice as long and can use something like 150-200W of power to heat the wash with which it extracts moisture. An old style dryer can use up to 2000W for 45-60 minutes per drying session.
Wow, that's a huge difference!

Dicey

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6804 on: October 27, 2019, 09:49:53 AM »
Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?
Have you ever tried making your own? If you do the powder, it's easy to make a smaller batch. I did it for years with good success. Here's a random Google grab:

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/#natural-laundry-soap-recipe

PMG

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6805 on: October 27, 2019, 11:37:38 AM »
Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?
Have you ever tried making your own? If you do the powder, it's easy to make a smaller batch. I did it for years with good success. Here's a random Google grab:

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/#natural-laundry-soap-recipe

And then I'd have to store multiple boxes of stuff!?  hah!  Trust me, I've thought of every complaint to make it more difficult than it needs to be!  I did homemade soap of quite a few years (part of why I am at a loss of what to buy now), but it didn't always do well in cold water, which leads to another mustachian dilemma!  I don't want to wash in warm water just to make frugal soap more effective! I'm going to have to compromise on something!

Dicey

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6806 on: October 27, 2019, 01:09:14 PM »
Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?
Have you ever tried making your own? If you do the powder, it's easy to make a smaller batch. I did it for years with good success. Here's a random Google grab:

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/#natural-laundry-soap-recipe

And then I'd have to store multiple boxes of stuff!?  hah!  Trust me, I've thought of every complaint to make it more difficult than it needs to be!  I did homemade soap of quite a few years (part of why I am at a loss of what to buy now), but it didn't always do well in cold water, which leads to another mustachian dilemma!  I don't want to wash in warm water just to make frugal soap more effective! I'm going to have to compromise on something!
Okay, I'll try again. I think you can buy laundry soap in bar form. Another option might be to buy a small container, maybe with a coupon or at the Dollar Store. Later, buy an econo size and refill the small bottle. Store the large bottle somewhere you don't see it. Lastly, perhaps a coworker, friend or neighbor would consider splitting  the purchase of a large size.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6807 on: October 27, 2019, 02:01:54 PM »
But that the real grandparents don't want to known their own grandchild is so wrong.
Unfortunately, the older generations still view Down syndrome as a very severe disability, regardless of the steps made by programs such as early intervention. The problem is generally that they grew up without exposure because back then the kids were put away in a home and ignored most often.

  I don't think new dryers are anymore efficient than old ones. I'm talking about electric, I'm not sure about gas although, I'm not finding any break out either.
  The only thing that I found mentioned that could cause them to use less electricity, is have a moisture sensor that turns the machine off when clothes are dry. But when I dry, I usually keep pretty close track so I can get my shirts out just before they are dry.
 I did find this, "Newer dryers are no more efficient than old ones, which is why the federal Energy Star program doesn't rate them."
A modern heatpump dryer takes about twice as long and can use something like 150-200W of power to heat the wash with which it extracts moisture. An old style dryer can use up to 2000W for 45-60 minutes per drying session.
Also, an old style dryer is the number 2 or 3 cause for fires since it is chock full of fibre from the dry-cycle and a nice hot element to ignite it with. For that reason the manual says you need to clean it after every use.

Also, a modern dryer turns itself off when finished. With the old dryer, I had to choose a time for it to run. Ofte I choose an hour to be sure the laundry was dry. In same cases that was probably too long. And sometimes too short.

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6808 on: October 27, 2019, 02:57:47 PM »
My recent MMP is also laundry related.  I'm in the middle of a multi week work project that I need to wear "paint clothes" for 5 days a week.  I've got 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. I get dirty enough that I can't rewear things, and I can't wash paint clothes in with my partners nicer clothes.  So, that's two extra loads of laundry per week.  I could fix it by buying more clothes, and that's my dilemma. It's just a temporary project!  I don't need more clothes!  But it seems so wasteful to do two extra loads of laundry each week!

And now it is raining all weekend. We always air dry. We just check the weather and wait a day or two to do laundry if we need to. But I don't have that option with my paint clothes!  There is a dryer in this rental.  We often complain about how much space it takes up and wish we could get rid of it, but I guess I'll be using it this weekend.
Sometimes I blow up the page to make the font bigger. It means I can read the text more easily while I'm lolling in bed, but I can't see who wrote it. My first thought was "It's thrift store time." Then I moved the page to see the author. #nevermind and #preachingtothechoir, lol. I know you'll figure out a creative and super cost-effective solution..

BTW, my fave thrift store has everything 75% off today before they close to prep for the season changeover.  Not sure if I'll even bother to go. Don't really need anything...

I think once I get through this coming week the work will be cleaner and I'll be able to rewear things.  It has been such a silly dilemma. I just don't want to buy more, have more, store more! I did buy a heavy thrift shop sweater so I don't have to worry about ruining my nice ones. I'm balancing keeping a small wardrobe, dirty work and trying to look at least a little put together when I show up at the office to turn in paperwork.  Shew. 

Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?

Because a washing machine is attached to a drain and a water supply it's usually placed some distance from the wall. I buy one big box of washing powder a year and it comes in a tall and narrow box. I used to live in a small apartment and my box fit exactly in the gap between the machine and the wall.

Sibley

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6809 on: October 27, 2019, 03:09:41 PM »
My dryer broke, for the 3rd time. Everyone says "get a new one".

Except: it was free! I'm about $250 into it so far. And it was built in 1992. This thing is a tank. So unless the repair guy tells me its terminal (and he would, he did it for the washer), I'm fixing it. And I keep getting weird looks from everyone.
There's a high likelihood your fincances and the environment would be better off with a newer, more efficient one. Have you looked at how much power it is using? Newer doesn't mean it has to be brand new.

Power is minimal. Gas? Comparable to a new one. And I really don't want to buy a crappy new dryer when this one just needs a bit of work. Most of my clothes are line dried. Mostly it's sheets and towels that I put in the dryer.

Edit: I clean out the lint trap every time I run it, and periodically check the dryer vent. Still not going to buy an expensive new heat pump dryer when I have a perfectly good dryer (once it's fixed). Reduce, reuse recycle applies to the physical appliance too.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2019, 03:17:47 PM by Sibley »

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6810 on: October 28, 2019, 08:27:58 AM »
My dryer broke, for the 3rd time. Everyone says "get a new one".

Except: it was free! I'm about $250 into it so far. And it was built in 1992. This thing is a tank. So unless the repair guy tells me its terminal (and he would, he did it for the washer), I'm fixing it. And I keep getting weird looks from everyone.

Mine were built in 1993.  I'm so not looking forward to having to eventually replace them.  I know I'm not going to get anywhere near 25 years out of anything built in the last decade. 

My HVAC unit is the same way.  We found the manufacturer's sticker from 1989 on it when we had some work done this spring.  Though I suspect that it might be more cost-effective to replace it with something more energy efficient and appropriately sized.  I have a sinking fund for said replacement, but I don't wanna spend it right now.

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6811 on: October 28, 2019, 08:35:01 AM »
Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?
Have you ever tried making your own? If you do the powder, it's easy to make a smaller batch. I did it for years with good success. Here's a random Google grab:

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/#natural-laundry-soap-recipe


We tried this for about 6 months.  The easiest way to crumble the soap bar is to cut into 8ths and microwave it.  It fluffs up and then crumbles.  It will make your microwave smell like soap though (my husband is a collector of things so we had a spare microwave to devote specifically to this).  We found it very rough on our clothes and since neither of us have that many to start with, we decided to go back to regular detergent. 

merula

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6812 on: October 28, 2019, 09:36:20 AM »
I used to grate laundry soap in my food processor and never had any issues with efficacy, but I was using Fels Naptha rather than a "natural" soap.

I'm currently using a liquid mix of dish soap, washing soda and Borax (6 oz borax, 6 oz washing soda, 4 oz dish soap, 4 cups boiling water). It doesn't take up any extra storage space because I keep all three ingredients on hand for other cleaning purposes.

Dicey

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6813 on: October 28, 2019, 10:54:15 AM »
Soap nuts are another option that don't take up much space. I just scored a bunch at my dollar store. Now, I notice the price on eBay is really dropping vs. Amazon. That probably means a lot of other bargain shoppers bought them and are making a few bucks selling them on line.

Just Joe

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6814 on: October 28, 2019, 01:34:00 PM »
But that the real grandparents don't want to known their own grandchild is so wrong.
Unfortunately, the older generations still view Down syndrome as a very severe disability, regardless of the steps made by programs such as early intervention. The problem is generally that they grew up without exposure because back then the kids were put away in a home and ignored most often.

  I don't think new dryers are anymore efficient than old ones. I'm talking about electric, I'm not sure about gas although, I'm not finding any break out either.
  The only thing that I found mentioned that could cause them to use less electricity, is have a moisture sensor that turns the machine off when clothes are dry. But when I dry, I usually keep pretty close track so I can get my shirts out just before they are dry.
 I did find this, "Newer dryers are no more efficient than old ones, which is why the federal Energy Star program doesn't rate them."
A modern heatpump dryer takes about twice as long and can use something like 150-200W of power to heat the wash with which it extracts moisture. An old style dryer can use up to 2000W for 45-60 minutes per drying session.
Also, an old style dryer is the number 2 or 3 cause for fires since it is chock full of fibre from the dry-cycle and a nice hot element to ignite it with. For that reason the manual says you need to clean it after every use.

Also, a modern dryer turns itself off when finished. With the old dryer, I had to choose a time for it to run. Ofte I choose an hour to be sure the laundry was dry. In same cases that was probably too long. And sometimes too short.

We've had two old fashioned electric dryers that could sense when the clothes were dry and will switch off automatically. Works pretty good.

Keep an eye on the dryer vent tube. When i finally checked our's a couple of years ago it was surprising how full of lint it was. It was an aluminum foil tube. We trashed that and installed a steel vent pipe similar to a stove pipe. Stayed quite clean.
« Last Edit: October 28, 2019, 01:37:58 PM by Just Joe »

ABC123

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6815 on: October 30, 2019, 12:15:08 PM »
My recent MMP is also laundry related.  I'm in the middle of a multi week work project that I need to wear "paint clothes" for 5 days a week.  I've got 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. I get dirty enough that I can't rewear things, and I can't wash paint clothes in with my partners nicer clothes.  So, that's two extra loads of laundry per week.  I could fix it by buying more clothes, and that's my dilemma. It's just a temporary project!  I don't need more clothes!  But it seems so wasteful to do two extra loads of laundry each week!

And now it is raining all weekend. We always air dry. We just check the weather and wait a day or two to do laundry if we need to. But I don't have that option with my paint clothes!  There is a dryer in this rental.  We often complain about how much space it takes up and wish we could get rid of it, but I guess I'll be using it this weekend.
Sometimes I blow up the page to make the font bigger. It means I can read the text more easily while I'm lolling in bed, but I can't see who wrote it. My first thought was "It's thrift store time." Then I moved the page to see the author. #nevermind and #preachingtothechoir, lol. I know you'll figure out a creative and super cost-effective solution..

BTW, my fave thrift store has everything 75% off today before they close to prep for the season changeover.  Not sure if I'll even bother to go. Don't really need anything...

I think once I get through this coming week the work will be cleaner and I'll be able to rewear things.  It has been such a silly dilemma. I just don't want to buy more, have more, store more! I did buy a heavy thrift shop sweater so I don't have to worry about ruining my nice ones. I'm balancing keeping a small wardrobe, dirty work and trying to look at least a little put together when I show up at the office to turn in paperwork.  Shew. 

Many of my "problems" come when I am combining frugality with living in a very small home.  We need laundry detergent.  Haven't bought in 8 years?? What do buy!? Larger quantities are more cost effective, 100 loads should last us a year... but couldn't it be in a smaller container!?! Where am I supposed to put that massive bottle?

This seems like the perfect time to "rent" some clothes from Goodwill.  Buy some cheap clothes, wear them a few times, then donate them back when you are done with the messy project.

blackd1

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6816 on: October 30, 2019, 12:18:17 PM »
The food always stuck in my mustache ;\

Uturn

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6817 on: November 02, 2019, 06:44:58 PM »
I had to lie on an application for a rental today.  It was online and would not take 0 for car payment and revolving cc. I put $1 each.  Then I got to the checkbox that verifies all information is true and correct. I did not want to check the box. 

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

oldladystache

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6818 on: November 02, 2019, 07:19:01 PM »

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

I would prefer to do it that way. I'd just have an extra (I have 4 now) savings account at Ally that I put enough in to cover the rent. They would have access to that account but no other.

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6819 on: November 03, 2019, 01:43:08 AM »

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

I would prefer to do it that way. I'd just have an extra (I have 4 now) savings account at Ally that I put enough in to cover the rent. They would have access to that account but no other.
In Germany it is totally normal that rent is taken from your account. Why not? If that guy takes out too much, you just click the box to take it back.
It is totally strange that a country that uses so much plastic to pay still uses cheques (I never have used a single one) and pays rent in cash. (Not least that would mean you have to go to your landlord each month?? Way too much trouble, they are 400m away ;) )

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6820 on: November 03, 2019, 03:10:14 AM »

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

I would prefer to do it that way. I'd just have an extra (I have 4 now) savings account at Ally that I put enough in to cover the rent. They would have access to that account but no other.
In Germany it is totally normal that rent is taken from your account. Why not? If that guy takes out too much, you just click the box to take it back.
It is totally strange that a country that uses so much plastic to pay still uses cheques (I never have used a single one) and pays rent in cash. (Not least that would mean you have to go to your landlord each month?? Way too much trouble, they are 400m away ;) )

Yes, that would be totally normal in NL as well. I don't pay rent but my mortgage is on direct debit and so are all of my regular bills (phone, health insurance, energy, water, internet). I think it's extremely convenient, I just put a set amount of money in my bill-paying account every month and all my bills pay themselves automatically. Even my monthly investments are on direct debit. The only thing I actively do with my bank account is buying groceries and at the end of the month, transferring leftover spending money to savings and investments account.

You can always take the money back if you disagree and there's a big incentive for companies to follow the rules: if they keep sending in incorrect direct debits the bank may cancel their direct debit contract completely and that would be a very big inconvenience for the company.

From a business perspective direct debit is also way easier. I used to do bookkeeping for a company that had most invoices paid by direct debits and it's a bliss not to have to match every single payment to every single invoice (because so many people don't use the correct description with their payment).

RetiredAt63

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6821 on: November 03, 2019, 07:23:28 AM »
I used direct debit for my mortgage. My last apartment took cheques. This one does direct debit, so much easier. And with online banking it is easy to check and make sure the transfer went through correctly.

Raenia

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6822 on: November 03, 2019, 07:50:59 AM »

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

I would prefer to do it that way. I'd just have an extra (I have 4 now) savings account at Ally that I put enough in to cover the rent. They would have access to that account but no other.
In Germany it is totally normal that rent is taken from your account. Why not? If that guy takes out too much, you just click the box to take it back.
It is totally strange that a country that uses so much plastic to pay still uses cheques (I never have used a single one) and pays rent in cash. (Not least that would mean you have to go to your landlord each month?? Way too much trouble, they are 400m away ;) )

Yes, that would be totally normal in NL as well. I don't pay rent but my mortgage is on direct debit and so are all of my regular bills (phone, health insurance, energy, water, internet). I think it's extremely convenient, I just put a set amount of money in my bill-paying account every month and all my bills pay themselves automatically. Even my monthly investments are on direct debit. The only thing I actively do with my bank account is buying groceries and at the end of the month, transferring leftover spending money to savings and investments account.

You can always take the money back if you disagree and there's a big incentive for companies to follow the rules: if they keep sending in incorrect direct debits the bank may cancel their direct debit contract completely and that would be a very big inconvenience for the company.

From a business perspective direct debit is also way easier. I used to do bookkeeping for a company that had most invoices paid by direct debits and it's a bliss not to have to match every single payment to every single invoice (because so many people don't use the correct description with their payment).

I think this may be a EU vs US thing - here, it is not at all easy to get back the money if too much was debited.  The bank views it as you gave this company access and therefore it is your responsibility, not theirs.  There is no "click the box to take it back."  You have to dispute it with the company (not the bank, who will not help), and persuade them to refund you.

For this reason, I've always been told to use the 'push' method, where you set up an auto-pay on your end which you can cancel, rather than give the company direct-debit access, where they 'pull' the payment from their end.  It is easier to correct errors when you control the auto-pay than when the company does (you can stop payment on the check through your bank), as they have no incentive to fix their errors promptly if they take too much by direct debit.

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6823 on: November 03, 2019, 07:59:54 AM »

I also checked no to allowing them to pull my rent from my bank account.  Is this normal?  Do landlords insist on this?  My monthly spend is 2x the rent and my monthly income gross is 6.5x rent.  I have a 800+ FICO.  Why should I be treated like a slug and allow strangers access to my account?

I would prefer to do it that way. I'd just have an extra (I have 4 now) savings account at Ally that I put enough in to cover the rent. They would have access to that account but no other.
In Germany it is totally normal that rent is taken from your account. Why not? If that guy takes out too much, you just click the box to take it back.
It is totally strange that a country that uses so much plastic to pay still uses cheques (I never have used a single one) and pays rent in cash. (Not least that would mean you have to go to your landlord each month?? Way too much trouble, they are 400m away ;) )

Yes, that would be totally normal in NL as well. I don't pay rent but my mortgage is on direct debit and so are all of my regular bills (phone, health insurance, energy, water, internet). I think it's extremely convenient, I just put a set amount of money in my bill-paying account every month and all my bills pay themselves automatically. Even my monthly investments are on direct debit. The only thing I actively do with my bank account is buying groceries and at the end of the month, transferring leftover spending money to savings and investments account.

You can always take the money back if you disagree and there's a big incentive for companies to follow the rules: if they keep sending in incorrect direct debits the bank may cancel their direct debit contract completely and that would be a very big inconvenience for the company.

From a business perspective direct debit is also way easier. I used to do bookkeeping for a company that had most invoices paid by direct debits and it's a bliss not to have to match every single payment to every single invoice (because so many people don't use the correct description with their payment).

I think this may be a EU vs US thing - here, it is not at all easy to get back the money if too much was debited.  The bank views it as you gave this company access and therefore it is your responsibility, not theirs.  There is no "click the box to take it back."  You have to dispute it with the company (not the bank, who will not help), and persuade them to refund you.

For this reason, I've always been told to use the 'push' method, where you set up an auto-pay on your end which you can cancel, rather than give the company direct-debit access, where they 'pull' the payment from their end.  It is easier to correct errors when you control the auto-pay than when the company does (you can stop payment on the check through your bank), as they have no incentive to fix their errors promptly if they take too much by direct debit.

Yeah that sounds like a good reason to avoid direct debits over there! I can just open my internet banking app on my phone and undo any direct debit that was debited from my account in the last 60 or 90 days (not sure which) and I will get the money back immediately. Of course if I do that without a valid reason, I still owe that money to the company and they'll go after me for the payment, but at least I'll have my money back. A bank doesn't want the reputation damage from a rogue direct debit customer so they will certainly take measures when there's a suspicion of abuse by a company. I have set up auto-pay to some of my own accounts but it's not convenient to pay bills from big companies, because every bill has a unique invoice # so you'd have to update your auto-pay every month or risk them not being able to process the payment.

In a previous job I did a lot of international money transfers, and transfers within the EU all went perfectly, Australia was no big deal, but the American banking system is really a lot different than ours - it takes a long time for payments to arrrive and sometimes they don't arrive at all even if you've entered the correct details for the recipient into the system.

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6824 on: November 03, 2019, 12:22:56 PM »
Quote
I think this may be a EU vs US thing
Yeah, fucking nobody-wants socialism or superior free market capitalism ;)

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6825 on: November 03, 2019, 03:28:10 PM »
I know someone who's a landlord, and they have a very strong preference for direct debit (or some other sort of auto-pay), because it dramatically reduces the risk of non-payment.  There are all manner and sorts of situations where the tenant might forget (or "forget") to pay their rent, or spend their paycheck too quickly (they set it up so that rent goes out of the account on pay day), or something else.  There's no desire on my landlord-acquaintance's part to treat their tenants unfairly, it's simply a risk-mitigation strategy in a world where eviction is a long and expensive process, and a certain subset of the population knows how to exploit the system for as much free rent as possible.

nancyfrank232

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Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6826 on: November 03, 2019, 06:01:35 PM »
I know someone who's a landlord, and they have a very strong preference for direct debit (or some other sort of auto-pay), because it dramatically reduces the risk of non-payment.  There are all manner and sorts of situations where the tenant might forget (or "forget") to pay their rent, or spend their paycheck too quickly (they set it up so that rent goes out of the account on pay day), or something else.  There's no desire on my landlord-acquaintance's part to treat their tenants unfairly, it's simply a risk-mitigation strategy in a world where eviction is a long and expensive process, and a certain subset of the population knows how to exploit the system for as much free rent as possible.

The landlord is lucky that their tenants didn’t realize that this is illegal. Landlords are not allowed to refuse rent payments by check
« Last Edit: November 03, 2019, 06:04:10 PM by nancyfrank232 »

TomTX

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6827 on: November 03, 2019, 07:09:03 PM »

The landlord is lucky that their tenants didn’t realize that this is illegal. Landlords are not allowed to refuse rent payments by check

Your local laws are not universal.

nancyfrank232

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Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6828 on: November 03, 2019, 07:11:45 PM »
Your local laws are not universal.

True. Post the state that your landlord is in and we can do a quick check
« Last Edit: November 03, 2019, 07:17:00 PM by nancyfrank232 »

Step37

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6829 on: November 03, 2019, 09:27:22 PM »

The landlord is lucky that their tenants didn’t realize that this is illegal. Landlords are not allowed to refuse rent payments by check

Your local laws are not universal.

Also, he said “they have a very strong preference for direct debit,” not that checks are refused...

nancyfrank232

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6830 on: November 04, 2019, 01:18:46 AM »
Also, he said “they have a very strong preference for direct debit,” not that checks are refused...

True. Thankfully the landlord’s preference for direct debit is meaningless to tenants who know better

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6831 on: November 04, 2019, 11:33:13 AM »
Your local laws are not universal.

True. Post the state that your landlord is in and we can do a quick check
Please post the state where you are required to accept other stuff than official money please.

Alfred J Quack

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6832 on: November 04, 2019, 11:52:35 AM »
Also, he said “they have a very strong preference for direct debit,” not that checks are refused...

True. Thankfully the landlord’s preference for direct debit is meaningless to tenants who know better
This may be true but as a private landlord I would seriously ask myself whether I would want to have a renter that is vehemently opposed to direct debit.

I also work for a professional renter (10k+ units) and we don't even accept cash payments but appearently it has happened in the past that we accepted false cash, fraudulent cash or were heisted afterwards. You pay with your bankcard in our premises or by direct debit or you can rent somewhere else.

Uturn

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6833 on: November 04, 2019, 12:00:35 PM »
This may be true but as a private landlord I would seriously ask myself whether I would want to have a renter that is vehemently opposed to direct debit.

My reluctance is I had a business double debit and it took months to get my money back. I just don't like the idea of someone else having access to my money. 

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6834 on: November 04, 2019, 01:40:30 PM »
In the UK for regular payments we have direct debit, where you authorise the recipient to pull money from your account, and standing order, where you push money out of your account. One could pay rent via standing order automatically each money and (unless there were a major bank error which it would be on the bank to fix ASAP) retain total control over how much went out and when. Having to pay by cheque or cash sounds bizarre to me.

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6835 on: November 05, 2019, 04:35:44 AM »
This may be true but as a private landlord I would seriously ask myself whether I would want to have a renter that is vehemently opposed to direct debit.

My reluctance is I had a business double debit and it took months to get my money back. I just don't like the idea of someone else having access to my money.

In the Netherlands (and I assume in the entire EU since these type of rules usually come from Brussels) as a consumer you get back the money the next business day. Even if the company who issued the direct debit doesn't have the money in its account anymore - you get the money back from the bank and they go after the company. B2B rules are different, but consumers are protected very well in the EU.

The banking system is so reliable that no one uses cheques or cash for any major payment. I am nearly 30 and I literally haven't seen a cheque in my whole life. A neighbour bought some leftover DIY supplies from us and they paid us by transferring the money to us through their internet banking app while we were all standing in our shed. That's not considered odd at all anymore.

It's actually quite risky for the renter to pay by cash, I've heard stories about asshole landlords who receive rent in cash and then go after the renter for unpaid rent - the renter can't prove they paid as there's no paper trail and they get evicted and have to pay twice.

SansSkill

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6836 on: November 05, 2019, 05:27:20 AM »
This may be true but as a private landlord I would seriously ask myself whether I would want to have a renter that is vehemently opposed to direct debit.

My reluctance is I had a business double debit and it took months to get my money back. I just don't like the idea of someone else having access to my money.

In the Netherlands (and I assume in the entire EU since these type of rules usually come from Brussels) as a consumer you get back the money the next business day. Even if the company who issued the direct debit doesn't have the money in its account anymore - you get the money back from the bank and they go after the company. B2B rules are different, but consumers are protected very well in the EU.

The banking system is so reliable that no one uses cheques or cash for any major payment. I am nearly 30 and I literally haven't seen a cheque in my whole life. A neighbour bought some leftover DIY supplies from us and they paid us by transferring the money to us through their internet banking app while we were all standing in our shed. That's not considered odd at all anymore.

It's actually quite risky for the renter to pay by cash, I've heard stories about asshole landlords who receive rent in cash and then go after the renter for unpaid rent - the renter can't prove they paid as there's no paper trail and they get evicted and have to pay twice.

Yup it's great having consumer protection, I actually used it recently.
My ex-landlord's administration system thought I hadn't paid rent in a specific month of 2017 and rectified it by collecting it.
They noticed and sent me an email telling me to transfer it back myself as it is the fastest option.
I opened my mobile banking app and pressed literally one button and the money was back.

AerynLee

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6837 on: November 06, 2019, 04:56:18 PM »
I want to take advantage of my ridiculous amounts of home equity from my house appreciating about 50% since we bought it 4 years ago, but my current interest rate is 2.75% which makes a cash-out refinance (at 3.8%) or a HELOC (at 5%+) unappealing

Brother Esau

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6838 on: November 06, 2019, 05:11:05 PM »
I want to take advantage of my ridiculous amounts of home equity from my house appreciating about 50% since we bought it 4 years ago, but my current interest rate is 2.75% which makes a cash-out refinance (at 3.8%) or a HELOC (at 5%+) unappealing

first world problems :-(

Step37

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6839 on: November 06, 2019, 07:25:54 PM »
This week’s MPP is trying to not show obvious delight when telling others that my husband got laid off from his job on Monday. People have a really hard time wrapping their head around a 49-year-old who’s fine with it and was more than likely going pull the pin in the new year anyway. Now, he’s paid for the next two months AND retired early. I may have to revisit the threads about this particular “problem” and figure out how best to convey that it really IS okay (more than okay). I’m glad to have this Mustachian Place of Understanding.

SwordGuy

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6840 on: November 06, 2019, 09:31:21 PM »
This week’s MPP is trying to not show obvious delight when telling others that my husband got laid off from his job on Monday. People have a really hard time wrapping their head around a 49-year-old who’s fine with it and was more than likely going pull the pin in the new year anyway. Now, he’s paid for the next two months AND retired early. I may have to revisit the threads about this particular “problem” and figure out how best to convey that it really IS okay (more than okay). I’m glad to have this Mustachian Place of Understanding.

"My husband was going about to turn in his notice to retire, but then his employer laid him off and PAID HIM NOT TO COME TO WORK ANYMORE!    Is this a great country or WHAT!!??"

pdxmonkey

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6841 on: November 07, 2019, 12:04:55 AM »
This week’s MPP is trying to not show obvious delight when telling others that my husband got laid off from his job on Monday. People have a really hard time wrapping their head around a 49-year-old who’s fine with it and was more than likely going pull the pin in the new year anyway. Now, he’s paid for the next two months AND retired early. I may have to revisit the threads about this particular “problem” and figure out how best to convey that it really IS okay (more than okay). I’m glad to have this Mustachian Place of Understanding.

"My husband was going about to turn in his notice to retire, but then his employer laid him off and PAID HIM NOT TO COME TO WORK ANYMORE!    Is this a great country or WHAT!!??"
I dream of getting laid off with a nice severance. My employer doesn't give nice severance historically though so it seems unlikely. I'm probably on the several more years plan in any case while I figure the health care situation out. Spent under 4% last year. Now I'm in the lifestyle inflation phase, but still under 4% this year. I'm allowed to buy absolutely anything at the thrift store... All the things. Even if they're silly. Letting myself spend a minor amount more at the regular store, but still pretty frugal there. No longer what many people would consider painfully so.

I plan to spend more traveling in retirement, otherwise it's likely I could stay at home retire in a year and cover healthcare as well. Assuming I can find healthcare for$300/month or so.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6842 on: November 07, 2019, 03:56:48 AM »
This week’s MPP is trying to not show obvious delight when telling others that my husband got laid off from his job on Monday. People have a really hard time wrapping their head around a 49-year-old who’s fine with it and was more than likely going pull the pin in the new year anyway. Now, he’s paid for the next two months AND retired early. I may have to revisit the threads about this particular “problem” and figure out how best to convey that it really IS okay (more than okay). I’m glad to have this Mustachian Place of Understanding.

"My husband was going about to turn in his notice to retire, but then his employer laid him off and PAID HIM NOT TO COME TO WORK ANYMORE!    Is this a great country or WHAT!!??"
I dream of getting laid off with a nice severance. My employer doesn't give nice severance historically though so it seems unlikely. I'm probably on the several more years plan in any case while I figure the health care situation out. Spent under 4% last year. Now I'm in the lifestyle inflation phase, but still under 4% this year. I'm allowed to buy absolutely anything at the thrift store... All the things. Even if they're silly. Letting myself spend a minor amount more at the regular store, but still pretty frugal there. No longer what many people would consider painfully so.

I plan to spend more traveling in retirement, otherwise it's likely I could stay at home retire in a year and cover healthcare as well. Assuming I can find healthcare for$300/month or so.

My company is offering people nice packages to quit voluntarily. But unfortunately it isn't offered to people in my department, as we are only hiring new people because we have so much to do. So no package for me. :-(

DadJokes

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6843 on: November 07, 2019, 06:08:22 AM »
It'd be great if you could get yourself let go with a nice severance instead of retiring. It looks like Financial Samurai did an article on that. That might also fall under the category of unethical ways to save money if you are able to actually engineer the situation.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6844 on: November 07, 2019, 08:06:43 AM »
At my last job in 2011 I was laid off and given a small severance package. That was when unemployment was at an all time high and the Federal Government extended unemployment. I collected for 73 weeks! Prior to that it was as high as 99 weeks but by the time I reached 73 weeks, that was it. I would have rather worked and kept my job but it wasn't meant to be.

gaja

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6845 on: November 07, 2019, 04:22:20 PM »
The car suddenly stopped, and we had to pay $1800 to get it back on the road. So my plans to save 5 figures this month are down the drain. Will still be able to save many times as much as normal, but I was looking forward to the big number.

SwordGuy

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6846 on: November 07, 2019, 05:39:10 PM »
The car suddenly stopped, and we had to pay $1800 to get it back on the road. So my plans to save 5 figures this month are down the drain. Will still be able to save many times as much as normal, but I was looking forward to the big number.

Just to put things in perspective:

"Net Worth Percentile Rank : A net worth of $10,000 for ages 18 to 100 ranks at the 24.88th percentile"

Think about that.   What you almost saved in one month is more than 24.88% of American households have as a total net worth.

Source:

https://personalfinancedata.com/networth-percentile-calculator/?min_age=18&max_age=100&networth=10000#results

gaja

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6847 on: November 07, 2019, 10:41:04 PM »
The car suddenly stopped, and we had to pay $1800 to get it back on the road. So my plans to save 5 figures this month are down the drain. Will still be able to save many times as much as normal, but I was looking forward to the big number.

Just to put things in perspective:

"Net Worth Percentile Rank : A net worth of $10,000 for ages 18 to 100 ranks at the 24.88th percentile"

Think about that.   What you almost saved in one month is more than 24.88% of American households have as a total net worth.

Source:

https://personalfinancedata.com/networth-percentile-calculator/?min_age=18&max_age=100&networth=10000#results


Yes, and that is why this is a MPP :)

Five figures in one month is not normal for us. It is because I finally took time to send inn travel expenses, pto, and overtime for the last year. It will be a long time before we can see that type of number again.
« Last Edit: November 07, 2019, 10:45:14 PM by gaja »

Alternatepriorities

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6848 on: November 08, 2019, 11:33:53 AM »
I've been helping a group of friends understand their finances and had to lead a budgeting discussion last night...

MPP: We don't budget, we just spend as little as practical, earn more than we spend and invest the surplus... So we had to invent a budget. I named it our "fudget".

Imma

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Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #6849 on: November 08, 2019, 01:42:57 PM »
I've been helping a group of friends understand their finances and had to lead a budgeting discussion last night...

MPP: We don't budget, we just spend as little as practical, earn more than we spend and invest the surplus... So we had to invent a budget. I named it our "fudget".

Yeah that's what I've always done too. Sure I van  give you average past spending per category because I have an app for that (I mainly use it to keep track of my fluctuating income) but I never plan ahead. I pay my bills, invest a set amount, and then spend as much of the remainder as is necessary that month. I don't seem to need a whole lot and what's left at the end of the month is then also transferred to savings/investments. But there's really no planning ahead in the sense of having an pre-determined eating out budget or a clothing budget that some of my friends have.