Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[boridi]

Things didn't work out at job in first half of 2019 and started a lower paying job in the second half of 2019. Lower paying job plus a lot of pre-tax contributions at both jobs means taxable income is much lower, so I have $2500 worth of space for long-term capital gains at the 0% rate.

Gains aren't subject to wash-sale rules, so take advantage of any unrealized gains you have!  Might consider selling and re-purchasing the same investments, to "step up" your basis, without paying tax on it!

The sell and repurchase is happening on Dec 30! More of a silver lining than a problem, I guess.

[secondcor521]

Things didn't work out at job in first half of 2019 and started a lower paying job in the second half of 2019. Lower paying job plus a lot of pre-tax contributions at both jobs means taxable income is much lower, so I have $2500 worth of space for long-term capital gains at the 0% rate.

Gains aren't subject to wash-sale rules, so take advantage of any unrealized gains you have!  Might consider selling and re-purchasing the same investments, to "step up" your basis, without paying tax on it!

State income tax may be owed on the "0% gain".  And any realized capital gain affects ACA premium tax credits and FAFSA EFC.

[pdxmonkey]

I need an odd $9 part that isn't available locally. I don't have Amazon prime and u can't think of what else to get to total $25 or more to get free shipping. So it's been sitting in my cart for a week and will probably sure there a while longer until there is something else I need. This is silly because I have the money at this point.

I consider myself FI at this point. I'm getting close to being able to pull the trigger. Based on the 4% rule I can spend $400 more a month this year than last year. I'm not sure if I can find a way to spend that much more without being frivolous, but if I don't that's a very good thing as that could potentially be the amount needed for healthcare in RE.

[Threshkin]

I need an odd $9 part that isn't available locally. I don't have Amazon prime and u can't think of what else to get to total $25 or more to get free shipping. So it's been sitting in my cart for a week and will probably sure there a while longer until there is something else I need. This is silly because I have the money at this point.

I consider myself FI at this point. I'm getting close to being able to pull the trigger. Based on the 4% rule I can spend $400 more a month this year than last year. I'm not sure if I can find a way to spend that much more without being frivolous, but if I don't that's a very good thing as that could potentially be the amount needed for healthcare in RE.

So don't spend it.  Invest it.  There is no requirement that you spend 4%.  There are also some pretty good arguments that 4% is too high, especially if you are younger and are looking at time frames of more than 30 years. go.

[rantk81]

I need an odd $9 part that isn't available locally. I don't have Amazon prime and u can't think of what else to get to total $25 or more to get free shipping. So it's been sitting in my cart for a week and will probably sure there a while longer until there is something else I need. This is silly because I have the money at this point.

I consider myself FI at this point. I'm getting close to being able to pull the trigger. Based on the 4% rule I can spend $400 more a month this year than last year. I'm not sure if I can find a way to spend that much more without being frivolous, but if I don't that's a very good thing as that could potentially be the amount needed for healthcare in RE.

I have Prime... but when I am in similar situations at other retailers (or where there is some kind of incentive to spend $xx more), I will search the site for any shelf-stable consumer-staple-type items that I know I use eventually "anyway", and stock up!  (As long as the prices for such items are in-line with what I'm accustomed to paying.)

[Sibley]

I ordered curtains for a bedroom. They came, and are not the color as advertised. Ok, it happens when you order online. Go to return them, and shit. Cash refund? Pay return shipping. Store credit refund? Free return shipping.

So now I have $38 in store credit at Joss and Main. I've looked. I don't like their stuff (I didn't pick out these curtains). Ugh.

If anyone would like to buy something there, let me know. I'm happy to work out an exchange of some sort.

[dragoncar]

I ordered curtains for a bedroom. They came, and are not the color as advertised. Ok, it happens when you order online. Go to return them, and shit. Cash refund? Pay return shipping. Store credit refund? Free return shipping.

So now I have $38 in store credit at Joss and Main. I've looked. I don't like their stuff (I didn't pick out these curtains). Ugh.

If anyone would like to buy something there, let me know. I'm happy to work out an exchange of some sort.

Joss and main is part of a big parent company.. (way fair) take a look at their other stores maybe you can use it there

[Dicey]

I need an odd $9 part that isn't available locally. I don't have Amazon prime and u can't think of what else to get to total $25 or more to get free shipping. So it's been sitting in my cart for a week and will probably sure there a while longer until there is something else I need. This is silly because I have the money at this point.

I consider myself FI at this point. I'm getting close to being able to pull the trigger. Based on the 4% rule I can spend $400 more a month this year than last year. I'm not sure if I can find a way to spend that much more without being frivolous, but if I don't that's a very good thing as that could potentially be the amount needed for healthcare in RE.

In our experience, often the same item on eBay plus shipping comes out ahead of Amazon. Worth a look.

[BTDretire]

I take dates out in a 23 year old truck with 508,000 miles on it

508k miles!  That is fantastic.  What kind of truck?

That post is from five years ago and surfhb has deleted their account so unfortunately we may never know.

I did some forum searching just for you. It was a 1993 Toyota Pickup:

My 93 Toyota Pick Up could have been retired many times but I decided to fix the issue instead.....512,000 miles and still going.

Wow, at the rate I put miles on my 97 Toyota truck I'll be driving it in, 2067.
I'll be driving it a little slower though, I'll be 111 yrs old.
It's only got 110,000 miles on it now.

[Dicey]

I take dates out in a 23 year old truck with 508,000 miles on it

508k miles!  That is fantastic.  What kind of truck?

That post is from five years ago and surfhb has deleted their account so unfortunately we may never know.

I did some forum searching just for you. It was a 1993 Toyota Pickup:

My 93 Toyota Pick Up could have been retired many times but I decided to fix the issue instead.....512,000 miles and still going.

Wow, at the rate I put miles on my 97 Toyota truck I'll be driving it in, 2067.
I'll be driving it a little slower though, I'll be 111 yrs old.
It's only got 110,000 miles on it now.

My MPP is that sometimes people who's stories you are enjoying just disappear. @surfhb is one, @serpentstooth is another. And man, I miss @sol, even though he warned us he was going.  Sometimes, people you're rooting for get themselves banned, like dagiffey01 or boarder42.

It's like I know I've forgotten something, but can't quite remember what. In my mind, they're all FIRE and living happily ever after, but the vague sense of loss is real.
.
MPP indeed.

[dragoncar]

My MPP is that sometimes people who's stories you are enjoying just disappear. @surfhb is one, @serpentstooth is another. And man, I miss @sol, even though he warned us he was going.  Sometimes, people you're rooting for get themselves banned, like dagiffey01 or boarder42.

It's like I know I've forgotten something, but can't quite remember what. In my mind, they're all FIRE and living happily ever after, but the vague sense of loss is real.
.
MPP indeed.

Don’t worry, I heard they are all living upstate on a farm.  Lots of space to run around.  Living the FIRE life.  Boarder has a huge mortgage

[Dicey]

My MPP is that sometimes people who's stories you are enjoying just disappear. @surfhb is one, @serpentstooth is another. And man, I miss @sol, even though he warned us he was going.  Sometimes, people you're rooting for get themselves banned, like dagiffey01 or boarder42.

It's like I know I've forgotten something, but can't quite remember what. In my mind, they're all FIRE and living happily ever after, but the vague sense of loss is real.
.
MPP indeed.

Don’t worry, I heard they are all living upstate on a farm.  Lots of space to run around.  Living the FIRE life.  Boarder has a huge mortgage

Lol, I know for a fact that B42 has re-fi'd at least once since being shown the door here.

Glad to hear everyone's doing fine ;-)

[Imma]

Today is a lovely sunny day and I'm home all day. Perfect day for line drying.... But I don't have a full load of laundry :(

[Alternatepriorities]

Last quarter I waited to pay myself from my business earnings until after I knew how to optimize the taxes. I saved myself a couple thousand dollars by doing so...

MMP: We're refinancing our house. The bank is concerned our checking account doesn't have enough money to close. We have plenty of cash, but it's in the wrong accounts and moving it triggers alarms which requires more research by them and delays things. The stupidest part is that I probably missed out on as much money in capital gains as I saved in taxes with the market run up since the beginning of Q4... On second thought The stupidest part is we have enough physical cash (bought stuff for family on CC and they gave me cash) to cover closing but depositing it would just raise another flag.

[Taran Wanderer]

Don’t you love people / organizations that are so formula driven in the name of good decision making that they can’t make a good decision when it doesn’t fit their formula?

[Alternatepriorities]

Don’t you love people / organizations that are so formula driven in the name of good decision making that they can’t make a good decision when it doesn’t fit their formula?

I wonder how many of us Mustachians have run into some version of this problem when buying a home... Of course it worked in my favor in 2011 when i bought a "vacation home" with my sister. Normal job with sufficient income? Check! Credit score? Check! 20% down? Check! Yes, Mr. Alternatepriorities it appears you check all the boxes you can buy a vacation home 3k  miles from your job and let your sister take care of it for you. You just need to visit your sister vacation home once a year...

[zolotiyeruki]

Don’t you love people / organizations that are so formula driven in the name of good decision making that they can’t make a good decision when it doesn’t fit their formula?

I wonder how many of us Mustachians have run into some version of this problem when buying a home... Of course it worked in my favor in 2011 when i bought a "vacation home" with my sister. Normal job with sufficient income? Check! Credit score? Check! 20% down? Check! Yes, Mr. Alternatepriorities it appears you check all the boxes you can buy a vacation home 3k  miles from your job and let your sister take care of it for you. You just need to visit your sister vacation home once a year...

Heh, we did the same thing when we last moved--our new "vacation" home (1,000 miles away), is three times the size of our old permanent home, but we were under the debt-to-income ratio, so we were ok!

[Sibley]

I ordered curtains for a bedroom. They came, and are not the color as advertised. Ok, it happens when you order online. Go to return them, and shit. Cash refund? Pay return shipping. Store credit refund? Free return shipping.

So now I have $38 in store credit at Joss and Main. I've looked. I don't like their stuff (I didn't pick out these curtains). Ugh.

If anyone would like to buy something there, let me know. I'm happy to work out an exchange of some sort.

Joss and main is part of a big parent company.. (way fair) take a look at their other stores maybe you can use it there

In case anyone is curious - yes, the store credit is transferable to wayfair. Which is more to my liking anyway.

[SwordGuy]

Don’t you love people / organizations that are so formula driven in the name of good decision making that they can’t make a good decision when it doesn’t fit their formula?

I wonder how many of us Mustachians have run into some version of this problem when buying a home... Of course it worked in my favor in 2011 when i bought a "vacation home" with my sister. Normal job with sufficient income? Check! Credit score? Check! 20% down? Check! Yes, Mr. Alternatepriorities it appears you check all the boxes you can buy a vacation home 3k  miles from your job and let your sister take care of it for you. You just need to visit your sister vacation home once a year...

Heh, we did the same thing when we last moved--our new "vacation" home (1,000 miles away), is three times the size of our old permanent home, but we were under the debt-to-income ratio, so we were ok!

Just went thru my first mortgage post-FIRE.    It was awful.

On day one I told them I wasn't drawing on my stock and bond portfolio (other than RMDs) because we lived frugally.   So all they had to do was tell us how much income we needed and Voila!, it would be arranged for the next business day. 

The goobers diddled for 2 weeks and couldn't do it.   Niggled on depreciation on our rental properties.  (They were wrong!)   Niggled on other pointless crap.   

Finally, I started reading the online Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae guidelines for asset based loans and told them how much I was taking out and from where.   Then, suddenly, they discovered we had enough money.

This is despite the fact that we could pay cash for the property and another 3 1/2 just like it if we wanted to.

Lordy!   If it wasn't for having to pay taxes on taking out all that money during one year, I would have told them FU and paid cash.

So, I strongly advise reading those guidelines BEFORE starting to shop for a house if you're going to use an asset based loan.   Then, set your budget and set up your automatic withdrawal so that it shows up on two bank statements in a row.   Then look for the property.    Don't count on those goobers being able to figure it out for themselves.

[Imma]

A friend of mine is going through that bullshit now. Their new build is mostly self-funded and DIY with a tiny mortgage and the option of extending that a little bit. They need like 25k extra but because they've passed a certain time limit they can't extend that mortgage but need to apply for a new one. And they need to raise a new downpayment. Doesn't seem to matter they've paid cash for most of the build and that when finished, it will be worth 6 figures more than what they owe. Looks like saving up the money to complete will be quicker than getting a mortgage.

If they hadn't done this silly thing of building their own home at a low cost, they would quality for a mortgage on an existing home twice as high as the mortgage they are requesting now because that would fit in the neat categories that the bank uses.

[BTDretire]

My first MPP, This my first year of retirement.
 I paid in two quarterlies this year, I forgot the first one, paid some extra on the 2nd one, paid the 3rd one and skipped the 4th. Total about $6,900.
 Now, because almost all of my income is from LTCGs and my total income is under $103,150, I'll owe zero taxes, if I have it figured correct.
 I gave my money to the government for nothing.

[simple money]

The bruises I got on my arms from fixing the washing machine myself.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

The bruises I got on my arms from fixing the washing machine myself.

Hahha, this made me chuckle. I've had many, many mustachian bruises.

[Mighty Eyebrows]

they would quality for a mortgage on an existing home twice as high as the mortgage they are requesting now

Ah yes.

Rule number one: The bank is not your friend. Any financing you happen to get is a bonus. Don't expect mortgages to be easy, especially in the future...

Rule number two: Bank employees, like government employees, are not there to make your life easier. They aren't malicious (mostly), but it is just up to you to figure out the system, because they (probably) won't really help you.

Rule number three: Occasionally you meet awesome helpful people, but don't count on it.

It all comes back to the basic Mustachian truism: You make your own luck!

[Monerexia]

they would quality for a mortgage on an existing home twice as high as the mortgage they are requesting now

Ah yes.

Rule number one: The bank is not your friend. Any financing you happen to get is a bonus. Don't expect mortgages to be easy, especially in the future...

Rule number two: Bank employees, like government employees, are not there to make your life easier. They aren't malicious (mostly), but it is just up to you to figure out the system, because they (probably) won't really help you.

Rule number three: Occasionally you meet awesome helpful people, but don't count on it.

It all comes back to the basic Mustachian truism: You make your own luck!

So true! First home I bought I had over 20% down and kept wondering when they would ask me how much I wanted to put down. Kept going through the process for six weeks or so and get to closing and it's a little over 3% and I'm thinking okay, I guess I'll just put that down and maybe use the money for something else or pay down the mortgage later. Turns out of course they roped me into PMI and I didn't discover this for about three years until I got a clue. Never once did they bring up I could save a boatload of money with a bigger down payment. Seems like that's the first thing you'd tell somebody.

[Sugaree]

The free, mostly unmaintained, app that I've been using for the last five years to organize recipes and create shopping lists announced via email yesterday that they were moving to a subscription model.  I'm perturbed for a few reasons.  The first is the developers basically ghosted the app for more than two years and are now surprising everyone with this.  Secondly, if I'd seen some sign of new development (or, you know, fixing the problems with the current app) I might be willing to pay for it, but given the past flakiness I'm not at all convinced that any new development will take place.  For that matter, I'd be perfectly happy to use an as-is, ad-supported version and their advanced features could be a subscription-based add-on.  Third, why in the world would anyone use a $36/year product when a similar enough product exists for a $5 one-time fee?  Finally, the email that everyone got says "But, don't worry, if you decide to activate your subscription at a later date, your recipes will be waiting for you."  That just feels like they are trying to hold our recipes hostage (there is no native export option, though there are a couple of ways around this). 

[rantk81]

The free, mostly unmaintained, app that I've been using for the last five years to organize recipes and create shopping lists announced via email yesterday that they were moving to a subscription model.  I'm perturbed for a few reasons.  The first is the developers basically ghosted the app for more than two years and are now surprising everyone with this.  Secondly, if I'd seen some sign of new development (or, you know, fixing the problems with the current app) I might be willing to pay for it, but given the past flakiness I'm not at all convinced that any new development will take place.  For that matter, I'd be perfectly happy to use an as-is, ad-supported version and their advanced features could be a subscription-based add-on.  Third, why in the world would anyone use a $36/year product when a similar enough product exists for a $5 one-time fee?  Finally, the email that everyone got says "But, don't worry, if you decide to activate your subscription at a later date, your recipes will be waiting for you."  That just feels like they are trying to hold our recipes hostage (there is no native export option, though there are a couple of ways around this).

My family uses Google Docs and Google Keep to share and organize lists and things... no cost!

[Sugaree]

The free, mostly unmaintained, app that I've been using for the last five years to organize recipes and create shopping lists announced via email yesterday that they were moving to a subscription model.  I'm perturbed for a few reasons.  The first is the developers basically ghosted the app for more than two years and are now surprising everyone with this.  Secondly, if I'd seen some sign of new development (or, you know, fixing the problems with the current app) I might be willing to pay for it, but given the past flakiness I'm not at all convinced that any new development will take place.  For that matter, I'd be perfectly happy to use an as-is, ad-supported version and their advanced features could be a subscription-based add-on.  Third, why in the world would anyone use a $36/year product when a similar enough product exists for a $5 one-time fee?  Finally, the email that everyone got says "But, don't worry, if you decide to activate your subscription at a later date, your recipes will be waiting for you."  That just feels like they are trying to hold our recipes hostage (there is no native export option, though there are a couple of ways around this).

My family uses Google Docs and Google Keep to share and organize lists and things... no cost!

I've looked into that.  I have found an app that is currently free and will import recipes from the other app.  I suspect that he's going to get a huge bump in bandwidth soon because of this and will have to start charging too.  But at least he has an export option with a couple of different formats.  I'd started building an Access dB to hold my recipes and create my shopping lists (this is the most important feature to me), but actually getting all  400+ recipes that I'd collected into it has proven difficult.

[frugalnacho]

The free, mostly unmaintained, app that I've been using for the last five years to organize recipes and create shopping lists announced via email yesterday that they were moving to a subscription model.  I'm perturbed for a few reasons.  The first is the developers basically ghosted the app for more than two years and are now surprising everyone with this.  Secondly, if I'd seen some sign of new development (or, you know, fixing the problems with the current app) I might be willing to pay for it, but given the past flakiness I'm not at all convinced that any new development will take place.  For that matter, I'd be perfectly happy to use an as-is, ad-supported version and their advanced features could be a subscription-based add-on.  Third, why in the world would anyone use a $36/year product when a similar enough product exists for a $5 one-time fee?  Finally, the email that everyone got says "But, don't worry, if you decide to activate your subscription at a later date, your recipes will be waiting for you."  That just feels like they are trying to hold our recipes hostage (there is no native export option, though there are a couple of ways around this).

My family uses Google Docs and Google Keep to share and organize lists and things... no cost!

I've looked into that.  I have found an app that is currently free and will import recipes from the other app.  I suspect that he's going to get a huge bump in bandwidth soon because of this and will have to start charging too.  But at least he has an export option with a couple of different formats.  I'd started building an Access dB to hold my recipes and create my shopping lists (this is the most important feature to me), but actually getting all  400+ recipes that I'd collected into it has proven difficult.

We use Our Groceries for shopping lists.  It's free and it syncs with multiple devices and updates in real time.  We have on going lists for a number of stores.

For recipes we use a combination of allrecipes and printed hard copies.  We also usually put it into an email and email it to ourselves in case we ever need it in the future.

[imadandylion]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

@Sugaree  It's a small fee (but one-time/lifetime) per device ($4.99) but my husband and I did some research on meal planning apps (that help manage shopping lists) and we settled on Paprika. However, you only need one account and can sync to all devices, so it's pretty nice. I think if you have IOS/apple phones you can just share the app instead of re-buying them on multiple phones via family sharing (of apps). Unfortunately Android phones/Google does not allow family sharing of many apps including this. The app is totally worth it, though.

[ixtap]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

[Sugaree]

@imadandylion, I looked at the demo version of Paprika last night.  I do like almost everything about it and would actually be willing to pay a one time fee for it.  I especially like the in-app browser and recipe import.  So easy.  Right now though, I've settled on RecipeSage because I was able to import my recipes into it.  I may end up using them in conjunction with each other for awhile. 

[sui generis]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

I have this problem with walking everywhere.  Particularly because I have had surgery on my feet so definitely never walk any distance in anything other than athletic shoes with custom orthotics.  But if we are going out to a nice dinner or event, I'd like to wear something nicer!  I don't have a purse big enough to put my athletic shoes in when I get to a restaurant (nor often the space in the restaurant to put a purse that's big enough!), but if an event has a coat check, I do do that.  Otherwise, I very rarely dress up nowadays because everywhere we go requires walking to get there, so I just don't get to :(

[imadandylion]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

[dhc]

Had a baby this year and forgot to re-do W4s, so unlike most people who'd be thrilled at a surprisingly large refund, I'm annoyed at myself for giving the government an interest-free loan.

[eyesonthehorizon]

Despite recklessly buying whatever fancy treats I felt like having over the holidays and a few monster meals out, I'm behind schedule [clarity edit: underbudget] since the summer in spending on car maintenance, gas, entertainment, alcohol, restaurants, and groceries, even on a fairly mustachian budget of about $310/mo for all the above... but significantly overbudget on charity. (Best kind of oops?)

[horsepoor]

https://mobile.twitter.com/reachrachelkahn/status/1219974522792808448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1219974522792808448&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgod.dailydot.com%2Fhr-letter-employee-car%2F

Not sure if the link will work, but MPP : employer assumes financial problems because you drive an ugly old beater.  Of course they should be more concerned about the people who have expensive car payments and mortgages...

[RWD]

https://mobile.twitter.com/reachrachelkahn/status/1219974522792808448

Not sure if the link will work, but MPP : employer assumes financial problems because you drive an ugly old beater.  Of course they should be more concerned about the people who have expensive car payments and mortgages...

There has been some speculation that that is fake:
https://jalopnik.com/that-awful-email-about-an-employees-old-car-may-not-be-1841161501

Discussion on these forums:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/'it's-perfectly-legal-for-your-boss-to-tell-you-to-drive-a-nicer-car'/

[Hirondelle]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

What kind of clothes can't you wear if you're on a bike??

[ixtap]

We bought a pan when we moved into this condo ~18 months ago, but the non stick is already coming off the bottom. I went out and about, determined to spend real money on a pan that would last longer than that. The pan I liked the size and shape of the best was sitting below a sign that said $29.99. Oh, well, I thought, I hope it lasts at least a couple of years until we can move back on the boat, where already we have a complete set of good pans. When I got to check out, it was $10 off, for some reason. I can't even spend money when I try.

Yes, I keep the good pans on the boat. That is home and I have carefully chosen pans that fit in the odd spaces available on a boat.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Yes, I keep the good pans on the boat. That is home and I have carefully chosen pans that fit in the odd spaces available on a boat.
[/quote

I'm with you on keeping the good pans on the boat. Because it's home. Same reason we have things like linen napkins and real plates. Hope to share an anchorage with you sometime soon!

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

What kind of clothes can't you wear if you're on a bike??

How about nearly every item of a corporate women's wardrobe? As well as getting helmet hair and having to fix makeup every time you get off the damn thing. Some of us are expected to present a certain way, and bikes are just not practical as a mode of transport during the day. To and from work, maybe.... IF you're prepared to drag all your makeup and hair stuff around with you AND don't wear anything that requires ironing.

[Zikoris]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

What kind of clothes can't you wear if you're on a bike??

How about nearly every item of a corporate women's wardrobe? As well as getting helmet hair and having to fix makeup every time you get off the damn thing. Some of us are expected to present a certain way, and bikes are just not practical as a mode of transport during the day. To and from work, maybe.... IF you're prepared to drag all your makeup and hair stuff around with you AND don't wear anything that requires ironing.

Ehhh, I think that's very location-dependent. I've seen plenty of corporate-looking women (and men) on bikes throughout most of Europe, as well as a lot of Asia. Somehow they figure out how to do it. Even in my city, in the corporate offices I've worked in there have always been women who biked to work - they mostly just kept both their clothing and personal stuff at work.

Some women also just say "fuck you" to the makeup/hair industry and opt out entirely. I personally haven't put on makeup in like, 15+ years - my boyfriend of ten years has literally seen me with makeup on once, when someone did a makeup demonstration on me, and I've worked in fancy corporate offices for the last eight or nine years without issues.

[RWD]

Some women also just say "fuck you" to the makeup/hair industry and opt out entirely. I personally haven't put on makeup in like, 15+ years - my boyfriend of ten years has literally seen me with makeup on once, when someone did a makeup demonstration on me, and I've worked in fancy corporate offices for the last eight or nine years without issues.

I think I've seen my wife with makeup only 2 or 3 times in the sixteen years I've known her, and one of those was our wedding. I much prefer her without it too. She regularly bikes to work where she is expected to be presentable (lots of interactions with other people). Hasn't been a problem, even here in the summer with our high heat/humidity.

[Monerexia]

Credit union running no fee 3% balance transfer special until the end of the month. Only had 3K parked at 0% until April so transferred that but now wondering what I can pre-buy for the year on another card, transfer balance  to this one to get the 3% then pay it off. I have no debts and no needs. Not good.

[PhilB]

Ehhh, I think that's very location-dependent. I've seen plenty of corporate-looking women (and men) on bikes throughout most of Europe, as well as a lot of Asia. Somehow they figure out how to do it.

It's a simple secret, but surprisingly hard to do if you're used to energetic cycling - just ride slowly then you don't get sweaty, but still go 3 times faster than walking.

[SwissMiss]

Ehhh, I think that's very location-dependent. I've seen plenty of corporate-looking women (and men) on bikes throughout most of Europe, as well as a lot of Asia. Somehow they figure out how to do it.

It's a simple secret, but surprisingly hard to do if you're used to energetic cycling - just ride slowly then you don't get sweaty, but still go 3 times faster than walking.

Completely agree. I biked to work for many years in the dreaded women’s corporate attire. I rode my bike very slowly, carefully avoiding any sweat. When my office was further away, that didn’t work as well. So I simply changed at work. No problem at all.

[Hirondelle]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

What kind of clothes can't you wear if you're on a bike??

How about nearly every item of a corporate women's wardrobe? As well as getting helmet hair and having to fix makeup every time you get off the damn thing. Some of us are expected to present a certain way, and bikes are just not practical as a mode of transport during the day. To and from work, maybe.... IF you're prepared to drag all your makeup and hair stuff around with you AND don't wear anything that requires ironing.

I'm a women.

I have biked in skirts, shorts, dresses, bikinis, jeans, snowboots, flipflops and so on. I'm in Europe and we're all able to do it. Our prime minister even gets to work by bike. Every woman I know has biked to a corporate job if the distance was doable. Bikes are pretty damn practical. As said by other posters, biking at 10 mile/hr doesn't get you sweaty yet it's 3x faster than walking.

Make up is optional. At least the level of make-up that would get damaged by the average bike ride (assuming no pouring rain ofcourse). If you wonder how I know? People here bike to galas with full make-up and fancy dresses and heels. Personally I'd not like to work in a place where full face make up is expected anyways, unless the guys'd wear it too ;)

Come have a look and see how great bikes are :)

I have to admit in my country we don't wear helmets for biking so that's not a problem, although even with helmet I'd be fine with my own haircut.

[raincoast]

My Mustachian problem: Not being able to wear certain outfits that I want to wear because I have to cycle everywhere, because we don't have a car. And I'm too cheap for a Lyft or public transportation. Those costs add up!

We just put a change of clothes in the panniers.

Not really practical to change every time though if you're meeting up with people, going to an event, etc.

What kind of clothes can't you wear if you're on a bike??

How about nearly every item of a corporate women's wardrobe? As well as getting helmet hair and having to fix makeup every time you get off the damn thing. Some of us are expected to present a certain way, and bikes are just not practical as a mode of transport during the day. To and from work, maybe.... IF you're prepared to drag all your makeup and hair stuff around with you AND don't wear anything that requires ironing.

Ehhh, I think that's very location-dependent. I've seen plenty of corporate-looking women (and men) on bikes throughout most of Europe, as well as a lot of Asia. Somehow they figure out how to do it. Even in my city, in the corporate offices I've worked in there have always been women who biked to work - they mostly just kept both their clothing and personal stuff at work.

Some women also just say "fuck you" to the makeup/hair industry and opt out entirely. I personally haven't put on makeup in like, 15+ years - my boyfriend of ten years has literally seen me with makeup on once, when someone did a makeup demonstration on me, and I've worked in fancy corporate offices for the last eight or nine years without issues.

I work at a large law firm and there is a huge spectrum in terms of how "made up" the female lawyers are. Many walk or bike to work and few of us wear makeup on a regular basis or do much to style our hair. My go-to hairstyle is a French braid, since it requires zero styling equipment, won't get tangled or squished under a bike helmet and still looks nice at the office, and I never wear makeup. I keep my work wardrobe at the office and change when I get there...some days. I have days when I'm just working alone in my office all day and I stay in the jeans I wore to bike in.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, though, so the the style expectations are very relaxed.

[imadandylion]

Eye rolls abound. I think some people don't understand the last three words of the thread title...

If people don't feel comfortable wearing certain clothes to cycle, that's okay. If it works for you to wear a sequined ball gown to cycle and you feel comfortable in that, then go for it... but don't be surprised when other people would rather wear jeans and a t-shirt or even just lycra. Because people aren't the same. And some people get heated even when they're not cycling fast. It just depends on the clothes, weather, elevation, and general level of exertion. It can't really be generalized.

Climate varies, obviously. I'm not a fair weather cyclist, so I go out in rainstorms and 107+ F degrees alike... I'm definitely going to be wearing practical clothing that still aims to be decorous to where I'm going. Spring here is like 72 degrees for like two days, then usually 85-110 for many, many months. So yeah, regarding comments like, "I'm from _____ country or I've seen whoever cycling in corporate attire." Cool! Me too - I've seen 'salarymen' cycling in a full suit. And eff it, you'd cycle too if you've been on the metro/trains there. But the major difference is that it was fall and they have lots of nice residential alleys to cycle through, whereas some people have to cycle in the street and fall is just a limited time of the year. So the expectation/attitude of, "I saw this and everyone should be exactly the same all over the world!" is kind of weird and disregards different situations.

Regarding my initial post, I meant I couldn't wear things like very long (mid-calf) cardigans and coats because they'd either get tangled up when I'm riding or just cause me to overheat, so I just opt for things that are comfortable, still relatively stylish, and doesn't unpractically flap around when I'm trying to cycle. In winter it's tricky because you don't want to wear a lot of clothes while cycling, and when you're off the bike, it's extremely cold so you'll definitely want the coat... and scarf... and boots. Not all clothes are decorous and appropriate. Like, I really like my hot pink sneakers for cycling but they're not really appropriate at work or coordinate well with the outfit, and I have a pair of boots that will work for cycling and walking around but they're not the best and I worry about ruining them, and I *do not* like to repurchase/shop too often and am highly picky. And no, I'm not going to stop caring about how I dress. I get that a lot of people here have such a 'free' life and attitude from such frivolous desires, but I like to look put together, and I don't even have a high bar for style, lol.

And no, not everyone wants to put a rack on their bike, get panniers, or wear a backpack just to go somewhere casually for an hour or two - but sometimes I will bring the backpack if needed. A lot of times I like to be minimalist and only carry my keys and phone around, but like... I'm not getting upset if other people want to carry a purse or backpack around, lol. When I worked at an office with shower/locker room facilities it's totally fine, but I recognize not everyone has the privilege of access to such facilities. I'm not going to cycle in flip flops because let's face it... that's stupid. As is cycling without a helmet. It had to be said. It's less about how it looks and more about practicality, especially in a city riding situation. You could damage your feet.

Regarding makeup, some people want to wear it, some people don't, regardless of their job situation. It's not that big of a deal. If you haven't worn it in a decade+ if ever, good for you. If you wear make up, also good for you! It really doesn't matter about what people think is expected of them at whatever job situation because people are just going to do what they're going to do. Some people want to look a certain way, some people don't care, and some people don't strive for perfection and accept a little frizz here and there, such as myself. You can't change other people by telling them stuff is 'optional,' lol. I think they know, but they're going to do what they want to do.

I don't like this weird standoffish attitude that some cyclists have, it can be off putting to both cyclists and the cycle-curious.