Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Sibley]

New one today. I've been getting a ton of emails, etc from my employer's 401k provider. Then they mailed me stuff. I had skimmed the emails, saw that it wasn't urgent, so set it aside. I just read all this stuff. Employer is switching around the 401k stuff. Shifting everyone to Vanguard Target date funds and some other funds. So now, I have to spend the time to figure out what all these options are, decide what is best for me, and navigate the system to get everything setup. Then remember to come back in mid January after the blackout period and confirm it all worked right.

I do the set it and leave it for a reason. Bah.

[zygote]

MPP

The plan is to retire at the end of March 2019, unfortunately after many years of good service, my work pants are giving up on me in non- repairable ways.  I do not want to buy more work pants for 4 months of work, as I wont really need them after working stops. 

Loren

eBay??

Stop wearing pants to work and retirement will naturally follow

Ooh, that's a much better answer than mine.

That's why I come to the forums, the quality and practically of the advice that I get.  You all truly speak to me.  Fired, here I come, to be FIREd sometime there after :).

Being a tall female makes buying clothes hard.  Being in a lab setting makes it even more difficult.  Four more months!

Wait, you work in a lab?  So your clothes are effectively invisible between your neck and your knees?  I always hated having to dress "business casual" then wear a lab coat all day.  What's the fucking point of dressing nice?

I also work in a lab and solve that problem by not dressing nice. Jeans for me!

Anyway, I came in here to post my problem of surprise free lunch. It'd be great, except for the part where I have planned out my groceries/meals for the week too well. If I eat the free lunch and save the one I brought for tomorrow, some of the groceries I already bought will go bad before I have a chance to eat them.

[Loren Ver]

MPP

The plan is to retire at the end of March 2019, unfortunately after many years of good service, my work pants are giving up on me in non- repairable ways.  I do not want to buy more work pants for 4 months of work, as I wont really need them after working stops. 

Loren

eBay??

Stop wearing pants to work and retirement will naturally follow

Ooh, that's a much better answer than mine.

That's why I come to the forums, the quality and practically of the advice that I get.  You all truly speak to me.  Fired, here I come, to be FIREd sometime there after :).

Being a tall female makes buying clothes hard.  Being in a lab setting makes it even more difficult.  Four more months!

Wait, you work in a lab?  So your clothes are effectively invisible between your neck and your knees?  I always hated having to dress "business casual" then wear a lab coat all day.  What's the fucking point of dressing nice?

I also work in a lab and solve that problem by not dressing nice. Jeans for me!

I use to be all lab all the time.  then my rotation was pretty small.  Lab coats are great!
Now I am lab and non-lab, so I get both.  I always have to be ready to go in the lab (special shoes that are hard to find, clothing types and lengths) but also do lots of meetings with nicer business casual (so the shoes have to look good too).

So I compromised.  I found a sale after black Friday and got nice jeans (actually long enough!!).  I raked leaves in them that weekend and now I wear them to work.  I think that is a win.

LV

[LifePhaseTwo]

@Loren Ver - I’m a 5’11” female and I feel your pain re finding clothes that are long enough. I’ve been able to get tall sizes at Old Navy online - super cheap during their many sales.

[Loren Ver]

@Loren Ver - I’m a 5’11” female and I feel your pain re finding clothes that are long enough. I’ve been able to get tall sizes at Old Navy online - super cheap during their many sales.

@LifePhaseTwo I am 5'11" as well, with size 12 wide feet.  Thank you for the hint.

One time, many years ago, I went into an Old Navy store, and the store lady took one look at me and said "we don't have clothes for people like you."  Haven't been to an Old Navy since :).  Maybe now they do!

LV

[LifePhaseTwo]

@Loren Ver - I’ve only seen their tall sizes online; I haven’t seen them in the physical stores. But the tall woman specialty stores where I live are few and far between, and the prices are way too high, so I’ve been willing to shop online, and so far it’s worked out.

[Hirondelle]

For the tall ladies; think of places where it'd be easier to get stuff for tall people. I'm a tiny person with midget feet and I always tend to buy my shoes when on vacation as it's easier to get them. In my own country I'm stuck at the children's department most of the time. I wouldn't care for stuff like jackets, but shoes are often full of glitter and I hate glitter. For tall people I've heard sometimes the male section can have good options, but that will depend on your curviness as well.

I guess these things aren't too feasible to do regularly, but I've found international default sizes to be a very interesting way to enhance my clothes-shopping pleasure (which I hate in general).

[Slow&Steady]

@Loren Ver - I’m a 5’11” female and I feel your pain re finding clothes that are long enough. I’ve been able to get tall sizes at Old Navy online - super cheap during their many sales.

I am definitely not 5'11", I am 5'3", I have the opposite problem.  I can almost never find pants that don't have to be hemmed/tailored before I can wear them.  I have recently learned that Maurice's has short and tall options, I believe in both jeans and dress pants.  I am not sure what the inseam is on the tall option or what type of inseam you would need at 5'11" but it might be worth looking into.  Their prices are not all that frugal but they do run a buy one get one (maybe the 2nd is half off, I don't remember) pretty often.

[DaMa]

@LifePhaseTwo I am 5'11" as well, with size 12 wide feet.  Thank you for the hint

I wear a 12 narrow.  Thank god for Zappos!  Before that I used to go to this great shoe outlet in Frankenmuth, Michigan where I found Naturalizers in my size (closed years ago).  Then there was Nordstroms where I could get Munro shoes.  Not many shoe lines even come in a 12N.

For talls, I used to shop JCPenneys.  Also Lands End has pants you can have hemmed to a specific length.

[Sugaree]

How about Mustachian People's family problems.  Like when you realize that you've slowly been acclimated to cooler and cooler temps, but you can't say anything because the thermostat has been set to 62 degrees for weeks and you're just now noticing.

[Rosy]

SO and I switched jobs around the same time - significant pay bump!

Our old jobs paid biweekly, with an offset schedule, so we got a paycheck every week. Our new jobs pay us monthly within 2 days of each other. It makes it hard to feel wealthier! We only get to budget once a month now, instead of having something to play with every week. Having all this money makes budgeting less fun...

I totally feel your pain. I switched jobs last month and went from monthly to weekly payment. All my bills + transfers to savings and investments were automatic so I cancelled a lot of them. I'm transferring savings + investments manually now until I've found the most convenient new bill paying routine.

Switching pay periods is painful. 95% of my working life I was paid on the 1st of the month, those few occasions I was forced to do bi-weekly were awful. I felt like I never had any money.
Weekly paychecks were a nuisance - one week didn't quite pay the rent for the month, ugh:(

[Paul der Krake]

Anything other than monthly is silly. I pay all my bills monthly. Until that changes, there is no reason for my paycheck not to follow the same pattern.

[dragoncar]

Anything other than monthly is silly. I pay all my bills monthly. Until that changes, there is no reason for my paycheck not to follow the same pattern.

I remit my contractual obligations thrice-annually, but instead demand my compensation oct-fortnightly.

[Dicey]

Anything other than monthly is silly. I pay all my bills monthly. Until that changes, there is no reason for my paycheck not to follow the same pattern.

I used to be 100% commission, paid monthly, so I always lived on last month's money.  I've also been semi-monthly, bi-weekly and weekly. I agree that monthly is/was* easier. I have noticed there are more and more "Choose your payment due dste" options than ever. This would have been really helpful back in the days when my variable semi-monthly paycheck (also 100% commission) often didn't even cover my whole mortgage payment. Ugh, I don't miss those days.

*"was", because FIRE means no paycheck - hooray!

[aGracefulStomp]

I'm taking two months off between jobs, which I can easily afford as I had a month of leave saved up which, as I save half my income, completely funded my two months off. I also have 6 months emergency fund and I use YNAB so I live on last months income, so I effectively have 7 months worth of expenses saved.

People have been very stressed about how I am financially affording my holiday. Many people have offered to try and hook me up with a job over summer, or have joked that I can sleep on their couch in the second month when I can't afford rent.

I've tried to explain that I had leave saved up and also have an emergency fund, but it doesn't quite seem to click/outside of comprehension.

Now I just nod and say that I'll take them up on the offer "if my finances start to look a bit dodgy".

I don't anticipate that I'll have to take anyone up on their offer...

[Linea_Norway]

I'm taking two months off between jobs, which I can easily afford as I had a month of leave saved up and, as I save half my income, completely funded my two months off. I also have 6 months emergency fund and I use YNAB so I live on last months income, so I effectively have 7 months worth of expenses saved.

People have been very stressed about how I am financially affording my holiday. Many people have offered to try and hook me up with a job over summer, or have joked that I can sleep on their couch in the second month when I can't afford rent.

I've tried to explain that I had leave saved up and also have an emergency fund, but it doesn't quite seem to click/outside of comprehension.

Now I just nod and say that I'll take them up on the offer "if my finances start to look a bit dodgy".

I don't anticipate that I'll have to take anyone up on their offer...

Haha. Some of my colleagues have a bit of similar reaction to my decision to work 80%. Obviously people have trouble imagining that someone doesn't spend their entire income.

[shelivesthedream]

I would like a big cardboard box for my son to play in. We have no plans to buy or upgrade any large household items any time remotely soon. I guess we'll just hope it doesn't rain the day after Christmas when all our neighbours will put out their new giant TV boxes.

[gaja]

I’ve been testing some carbon footprint calculators, but couldn’t get the results to make sense. Then I realized; when they ask you to enter your income, they will calculate 100% of that as spending on stuff. When I subtracted savings, it removed several tons from my footprint. Now I only have to figure out how to account for us using 50% of “normal” water consumption, and keeping our house at a temperature several degrees below the lowest alternative in the questionnaire.

[Linea_Norway]

I’ve been testing some carbon footprint calculators, but couldn’t get the results to make sense. Then I realized; when they ask you to enter your income, they will calculate 100% of that as spending on stuff. When I subtracted savings, it removed several tons from my footprint. Now I only have to figure out how to account for us using 50% of “normal” water consumption, and keeping our house at a temperature several degrees below the lowest alternative in the questionnaire.

;-)

I think that most people will indeed spend whatever they make in the same year. E.g. they save up every month for a vacation later in the year, or for a home improvement.

We are the small group if weirdos that plan to spread our income out over multiple years and thus buying less stuff each year.

[Hirondelle]

What kind of calculators have you been using Gaja? All the ones I've seen just ask you how much you spend on X. Because different product categories have very different footprints (e.g. electronics, meat or car/flights high, public transport and plant-based food low).

[SquashingDebt]

My thoughts lying in bed the other night, paraphrased:

"Ahh, it's so nice that I paid off my student loans in 2018 and am now debt free....  ah crap, I'm not debt free, I owe Rachel $5!" 

[Trifle]

So I have an HSA, to which I contribute from pre-tax payroll deductions.  I'm planning to FIRE at the end of January (yay!) and I was hoping to front-load the entire annual limit of $7000 into the account before I go.

I called the HSA administrator, and they said "sure you can do that, but it takes 30 days to make a change to your payroll deductions."  I asked when I could make the request, and they said "After the first of the year."  So in other words -- if I'm leaving at the end of January I won't be able to fill up my HSA with payroll deductions.  So ridiculous, antiquated and clunky.   My only other option is to write a check, which they allow.  But that's after-tax money, and then I guess I have to wait until tax filing time in 2020 to get my money back via tax credit.

Definitely a MPP . . .

[gaja]

What kind of calculators have you been using Gaja? All the ones I've seen just ask you how much you spend on X. Because different product categories have very different footprints (e.g. electronics, meat or car/flights high, public transport and plant-based food low).

Some Norwegian ones, mainly ducky.eco. Also tested one from uk with the same issue, but can’t remember the name now. CO2 footprint from food and electricity varies from country to country, so it is often difficult to use calculators from other countries.

[mrmoonymartian]

Got a modest pay rise today. Instead of immediately celebrating because more money = more consumption, I had to come home and update FIRE spreadsheets to see how much extra freedom it was worth. Cutting 6 months off my compulsory work time? Great! Now I can celebrate.

[Cherry Lane]

So I have an HSA, to which I contribute from pre-tax payroll deductions.  I'm planning to FIRE at the end of January (yay!) and I was hoping to front-load the entire annual limit of $7000 into the account before I go.
...

What are your health insurance plans for the rest of the year? If you aren't sticking with an HSA-eligible plan, you can't contribute the full amount anyway. If you have an eligible plan for the month of December, you are treated as if you had such plan for the whole year and can contribute the full amount. But if you do not, then your allowed contributions are prorated by the number of months you had such a plan.

[Gerard]

I forgot how to turn on my TV.

[Hirondelle]

I forgot how to turn on my TV.

That's a good one! I don't have a TV myself but I forgot how to turn on my parents'. Last year I was there and I wanted to watch the olympics while no one else was home. I literally had to call my mom and ask "How do I turn on the TV?" as if I were a 3 year old child :p. TVs have gotten so much more complicated over the years!

[markbike528CBX]

I can't tax loss harvest my index investments because they've all gone up  by a factor of 1.5 to 3.

I'm retaining some big individual stock losers -98%  to remind me how stupid I've been. OBE, COHN

[aetherie]

One of my credit cards is giving 5% cash back at gas stations next quarter. Can't take full advantage of that when we hardly ever buy gas...

[K-ice]

I can't tax loss harvest my index investments because they've all gone up  by a factor of 1.5 to 3.

I'm retaining some big individual stock losers -98%  to remind me how stupid I've been. OBE, COHN

I sadly have some big individual stock losers as well but with BNE and VET and about a 75% and 50% loss respectively.

But I tell myself the lower they go, the less of a percentage of my investment portfolio these silly single stocks are. 

[RWD]

One of my credit cards is giving 5% cash back at gas stations next quarter. Can't take full advantage of that when we hardly ever buy gas...

Chase Freedom? I was thinking the same thing.

[Hirondelle]

I don't turn on the heat when it's unnecessary, which means it's only on when I'm home and even then not to a high temperature as I've gotten fairly resilient to the cold.

Now I wanted honey in my tea and it's all cristalized within a few weeks from buying it due to the cold :o

[dragoncar]

One of my credit cards is giving 5% cash back at gas stations next quarter. Can't take full advantage of that when we hardly ever buy gas...

Chase Freedom? I was thinking the same thing.

Walgreens visa gift cards.  You pay $506 for $500 load but get 25k points which could be worth up to $37.50.  I done this the last few quarters from supermarkets, drugstores, etc.  kinda a pain since they are suspicious of gift card purchases and limit to $500 “per product” but still worth the trip for the sweet points

We have five freedom cards in the household and have the CSR so we did enjoy the $562 in travel funds.  Sadly we were able to spend the gift cards pretty quickly

[pdxmonkey]

I don't turn on the heat when it's unnecessary, which means it's only on when I'm home and even then not to a high temperature as I've gotten fairly resilient to the cold.

Now I wanted honey in my tea and it's all cristalized within a few weeks from buying it due to the cold :o

boil it. Or just stick it in your tea still crystalized.I transfer my honey into a mason jar with a lid instead of the container it comes in. That way when it inevitably crystalizes because I don't use it often I can still scoop it out for things where it being crystalizes doesn't matter. And if I do need to decrystslize it I can just stick the jar in a pot of water and not worry about it melting like the plastic container it comes in.

[dragoncar]

I don't turn on the heat when it's unnecessary, which means it's only on when I'm home and even then not to a high temperature as I've gotten fairly resilient to the cold.

Now I wanted honey in my tea and it's all cristalized within a few weeks from buying it due to the cold :o

boil it. Or just stick it in your tea still crystalized.I transfer my honey into a mason jar with a lid instead of the container it comes in. That way when it inevitably crystalizes because I don't use it often I can still scoop it out for things where it being crystalizes doesn't matter. And if I do need to decrystslize it I can just stick the jar in a pot of water and not worry about it melting like the plastic container it comes in.

Anyone try making "creamed honey"?  My understanding is that if you put mix regular honey with creamed honey it will take on the crystalline structure of the creamed honey. 

[Hirondelle]

I don't turn on the heat when it's unnecessary, which means it's only on when I'm home and even then not to a high temperature as I've gotten fairly resilient to the cold.

Now I wanted honey in my tea and it's all cristalized within a few weeks from buying it due to the cold :o

boil it. Or just stick it in your tea still crystalized.I transfer my honey into a mason jar with a lid instead of the container it comes in. That way when it inevitably crystalizes because I don't use it often I can still scoop it out for things where it being crystalizes doesn't matter. And if I do need to decrystslize it I can just stick the jar in a pot of water and not worry about it melting like the plastic container it comes in.

Yes that's what I'll do. It's not a big deal overall as for tea it will just dissolve anyway (I felt it sweetened my tea to a lesser extent tho?). I buy honey in glass bottles so I usually just put in in the thermos I save the water for my 2nd cup of tea in :)

I was just surprised to find out my honey had crystallized so quickly as this usually only happens if I don't use it for a long time!

[soccerluvof4]

Our health Insurance is making us change for prescriptions from Walgreen's to either Walmart or CVS. Since we don't have CVS near us from the Thread I started in "Other Topics" least Favorite places to go I now am going from my least favorite in Walgreen's to my second least favorite Walmart. I guess I should look at that as a positive...

[Roadrunner53]

I never gave this any thought but my Costco Citi Visa card gives 4% rewards for gas. But my question is, if I make a purchase AT a gas station like $50 in deli purchase or other stuff inside the gas station, would those purchases give me a 4% reward? I am doubtful about that but curious!

I don't purchase much gas so this reward goes mostly unused. So sad...

[rantk81]

Our health Insurance is making us change for prescriptions from Walgreen's to either Walmart or CVS. Since we don't have CVS near us from the Thread I started in "Other Topics" least Favorite places to go I now am going from my least favorite in Walgreen's to my second least favorite Walmart. I guess I should look at that as a positive...

Let me guess... Aetna?
For me, it's been nothing but problems since my employer sponsored plan switched from BCBS to Aetna. :(

[Brother Esau]

But my question is, if I make a purchase AT a gas station like $50 in deli purchase or other stuff inside the gas station, would those purchases give me a 4% reward? I am doubtful about that but curious!

I'm not sure if the reward would still count for purchasing stuff inside the gas station (although I don't see why not) but the wicked high prices would negate the benefit of the reward.

[Roadrunner53]

But my question is, if I make a purchase AT a gas station like $50 in deli purchase or other stuff inside the gas station, would those purchases give me a 4% reward? I am doubtful about that but curious!

I'm not sure if the reward would still count for purchasing stuff inside the gas station (although I don't see why not) but the wicked high prices would negate the benefit of the reward.

I never 'shop' at gas stations but a lot of them have deli's and other odd ball stuff. I never paid much attentions because I usually pay at the pump. But, if I could get 4% rewards for purchasing something somewhat useful, it would be worth looking into.

[dragoncar]

But my question is, if I make a purchase AT a gas station like $50 in deli purchase or other stuff inside the gas station, would those purchases give me a 4% reward? I am doubtful about that but curious!

I'm not sure if the reward would still count for purchasing stuff inside the gas station (although I don't see why not) but the wicked high prices would negate the benefit of the reward.

I never 'shop' at gas stations but a lot of them have deli's and other odd ball stuff. I never paid much attentions because I usually pay at the pump. But, if I could get 4% rewards for purchasing something somewhat useful, it would be worth looking into.

It's certainly possible, but the only way to find out is to try a small purchase.  That being said, I am skeptical a 4% discount on gas station purchases would ever make up for their convenience-store markup

[APowers]

But my question is, if I make a purchase AT a gas station like $50 in deli purchase or other stuff inside the gas station, would those purchases give me a 4% reward? I am doubtful about that but curious!

I'm not sure if the reward would still count for purchasing stuff inside the gas station (although I don't see why not) but the wicked high prices would negate the benefit of the reward.

I never 'shop' at gas stations but a lot of them have deli's and other odd ball stuff. I never paid much attentions because I usually pay at the pump. But, if I could get 4% rewards for purchasing something somewhat useful, it would be worth looking into.

It's certainly possible, but the only way to find out is to try a small purchase.  That being said, I am skeptical a 4% discount on gas station purchases would ever make up for their convenience-store markup

Agreed. Though you may be able to buy gift cards for a cc churn and get a bonus 5% that way.

[Morning Glory]

It depends on the gas station. We have a local chain that has a few items such as milk and bananas cheaper than any grocery store. They also give a 10% discount for using their credit card in store.

Purchases at Mills Fleet Farm count as fuel for Discover card category bonus points, so you could try the Costco card there.

[Roadrunner53]

I am not an advocate of shopping at a gas station, but if you can churn money why not! If you might buy deli grinders on a Friday night, that might add up to $40. Some chips and some other junk might jack it up to $50. Not a million dollars but each little purchase adds up.

[Threshkin]

I am not an advocate of shopping at a gas station, but if you can churn money why not! If you might buy deli grinders on a Friday night, that might add up to $40. Some chips and some other junk might jack it up to $50. Not a million dollars but each little purchase adds up.

Or don't buy anything at all.  Not spending money is a much more effective way of saving than "saving" by spending less.

All this hype about "saving" through sales, discounts, and rebates is bullshit.  You are not "saving" you are spending!

[NoVa]

I had a high quality plastic spork. It broke today, snapped in half after only about 20 years of use. Now I have to find a replacement. :)

Buy a metal one, it will last the rest of your life:

https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Peak-SCT-004-Titanium-Spork/dp/B000AR2N76/ref=asc_df_B000AR2N76/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584482455124439&psc=1

my MIL broke two of my camping forks in 6 months. 
oh, first world problems

Update: I placed it on my Amazon wishlist and one of my friends got it for me, so crisis resolved, we now have a titanium spork!

[Freedomin5]

This Christmas, I made a few DIY gifts (winter toques) for DD and our helper. I had extra yarn, so yesterday, I made a hat for myself. Today, we went out with friends, and I wore my new hat. One friend commented that she really liked my hat, so I gave her my hat. It was snowing. She didn’t have a hat, and I had a hood on my jacket. My sisters also saw my hat and now they each want one as well.

So because I Mustachian-ly DIY’d my own hat, I now have to make three extra hats. I may even have to buy more yarn. 😱

[I-Ranger]

First snow storm in my new house, and as I'm shoveling my driveway, my neighbor on one side snow blows my sidewalk while the other comes over and snow blows the rest of the driveway for me.

I thank them both and am obviously grateful for their generosity, but how do I tell them that I prefer to shovel for exercise and enjoyment without sounding like an ungrateful dick?

I guess I'll just have to wake up earlier and beat them to it. :)

[Roadrunner53]

First snow storm in my new house, and as I'm shoveling my driveway, my neighbor on one side snow blows my sidewalk while the other comes over and snow blows the rest of the driveway for me.

I thank them both and am obviously grateful for their generosity, but how do I tell them that I prefer to shovel for exercise and enjoyment without sounding like an ungrateful dick?

I guess I'll just have to wake up earlier and beat them to it. :)

In about 5 years the novelty of shoveling snow will wear off then you will have no offers to help. Let them do it and maybe do something for them without being asked. Or buy them a gift cert at a grocery store or a bottle of booze. If you want to shovel, please come to my house! I have 3 long sidewalks and a two driveways! Not to mention out on the road where my mailbox is. Oh, and out back where the oil delivery comes must be shoveled.