Author Topic: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians  (Read 21172 times)

Ghzbani

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« on: August 07, 2015, 11:55:52 AM »
So the thought occurred to me this morning that some of us have jobs that only exist because Antimustachians like to spend money so much. So in that vein, what jobs have you had where you, for lack of a better phrase "took advantage" of antimustachian tendencies?

Ghzbani

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2015, 12:03:16 PM »
Back in college, I worked weekends doing wood restoration work in people's houses (things like cabinets, wood floors, pianos, etc.). I was always amazed by how much the company charged people for 10 to 16 man hours of work when most of the time all we did was nicely stain, seal, and glaze people's cabinets. We'd charge like $1200 USD to do a small kitchen and people would tell us how great we were because we saved them thousands on having to buy new cabinets!

What made it worse was that I actually was paid much better per hour doing this work (about $15 an hour) vs my first job out of college (about $12 an hour).

On a side-note, it really made me think about life after seeing the insides of so many high-income houses.

EricP

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 477
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2015, 12:04:14 PM »
Not a job, but basically all of our gains in the stock market are due to AntiMustachian behaviors.

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2015, 12:25:17 PM »
People seem to think that gubermint is coming after confederate flags, so I've had lots of customers begging for them. So I found a supplier and having them drop-shipped straight to my customers for a good return (prepaid). Everyone is happy.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2015, 01:03:11 PM »
People seem to think that gubermint is coming after confederate flags, so I've had lots of customers begging for them. So I found a supplier and having them drop-shipped straight to my customers for a good return (prepaid). Everyone is happy.
OMG please tell me the flags are all made in China.

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2015, 01:06:01 PM »
People seem to think that gubermint is coming after confederate flags, so I've had lots of customers begging for them. So I found a supplier and having them drop-shipped straight to my customers for a good return (prepaid). Everyone is happy.
OMG please tell me the flags are all made in China.

Of course they are!

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2015, 01:13:15 PM »
Of course they are!
MURICAAAAA!!!! *drools* FREEEDUUUMBB

boarder42

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9332
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2015, 01:17:46 PM »
i currently work as an engineer at a consulting firm and our job is to retrofit and build and upgrade existing/new food and consumer product plants.

i scalp tickets.  - 4-5k a year not even trying - could easily make this full time

I have a buddy with betting systems for daily fantasy.  we run it like a business and profit off of it.  (we're about a year away from doing this full time)  - suckers just giving us money here b/c they think they can just make up a lineup and win.

Kitsunegari

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 477
  • Location: Quebec, CA
  • Penny wise, pound foolish
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #8 on: August 07, 2015, 01:52:27 PM »
My SO is a goldshmith. He makes money from people thinking shiny stones have intrinsic value.

fb132

  • Guest
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #9 on: August 07, 2015, 01:55:02 PM »
The stock market is the perfect way for mustachians to make money off antimustachians, while most people tend to sell low and buy high, mustachians don't follow that pattern at all. Mustachians simply invest regardless how the market is going.

cloudsail

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 556
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2015, 02:05:39 PM »
I work in the engineering department of a fashion retailer.  I'm constantly amazed at how much people are willing to pay for our clothes and accessories.  We get 40% employee discount and most of the clothes are still too expensive for me.

One Noisy Cat

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 227
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2015, 02:43:16 PM »
During summers of my less-than-brilliant-career-years I worked in a hamburger stand.


music lover

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 652
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2015, 02:45:31 PM »
The entire take-out coffee industry relies on people willing to pay $2 - $5 for a 10 or 20 cent product.

2ndTimer

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4607
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2015, 03:16:17 PM »
I "take advantage" of nonMustachians every time I visit the thrift store, the used book store or Habitat for Humanity.  Also when I go to a fancy campground where the RV spaces are really expensive, pitch my tent in an $8.00 space and then use all the amenities.

Paul der Krake

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5854
  • Age: 16
  • Location: UTC-10:00
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #14 on: August 07, 2015, 03:24:08 PM »
From the tech startup world: a not insignificant chunk of SaaS product revenues comes from customers who forget to cancel after their 30 day free trial. Some get charged for years without ever using the product.

forestbound

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 256
  • Location: midwest
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #15 on: August 07, 2015, 03:45:01 PM »
I work in marketing/advertising, need I say more? YOU MUST HAVE THIS ____ BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU (feel, look, be, taste)  AWESOME! I should feel really bad for all the people that buy all the stuff I've sold, maybe I will once I've FIRE'd, until then... BUY! BUY! BUY!

Bob W

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2942
  • Age: 65
  • Location: Missouri
  • Live on minimum wage, earn on maximum
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #16 on: August 07, 2015, 04:02:03 PM »
One of the best threads ever!

cbr shadow

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 478
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2015, 04:13:07 PM »
When I pirate music/movies.
<popcorn>

Zikoris

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4536
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
  • Vancouverstachian
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2015, 05:32:08 PM »
Years ago I worked for a collection agency, and you can bet most of those debts were run up through bullshit spending. I made REALLY good money doing that since there was commission - I'm finally closing in on the amount I made back then in non-commission work several years later.

Sloeginfizz

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 87
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #19 on: August 07, 2015, 05:40:31 PM »
Sort of. I work as a legal assistant in a firm that specializes in foreclosures. Not terribly proud of that but they made the best offer for my first position after getting my paralegal certificate.

candygirl

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Location: Canada
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #20 on: August 07, 2015, 06:32:18 PM »
I work for a bank in the credit card division. Absolutely fascinating industry tbh.

pachnik

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1894
  • Age: 59
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #21 on: August 07, 2015, 07:13:27 PM »
Sort of. I work as a legal assistant in a firm that specializes in foreclosures. Not terribly proud of that but they made the best offer for my first position after getting my paralegal certificate.

Well +1 I guess.  I work in foreclosure too.  Have for many years. 

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #22 on: August 07, 2015, 09:26:52 PM »
Sort of. I work as a legal assistant in a firm that specializes in foreclosures. Not terribly proud of that but they made the best offer for my first position after getting my paralegal certificate.

Well +1 I guess.  I work in foreclosure too.  Have for many years.

Why not be proud of it? It's not like you are a predator that gave people loans that you knew they couldn't afford...that would be bad. Instead, you are just monetizing the fact that some people don't pay off their foreclosure.

stlbrah

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 430
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #23 on: August 08, 2015, 08:25:05 AM »
If it wasn't for consumption, I would predict that undisciplined people would just find some other way to demonstrate their lack of discipline. Obese doubling in size, etc.

Gerard

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1570
  • Location: eastern canada
    • Optimacheap
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #24 on: August 08, 2015, 09:36:18 AM »
I "take advantage" of nonMustachians every time I visit the thrift store, the used book store or Habitat for Humanity.  Also when I go to a fancy campground where the RV spaces are really expensive, pitch my tent in an $8.00 space and then use all the amenities.

Yeah, this is more like what I was thinking of. I take advantage of the existence of nonMustachians every time I get a big-ass signup bonus for a credit card I'm not going to carry a balance on, or when I buy chicken legs or soup carcasses for cheap because somebody else is willing to pay six times as much for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Or by airbnbing in neighbourhoods that are too poor or too brown for twembly wabbits. Or buying a small house.

I could go on and on....

ambimammular

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 424
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Indiana
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #25 on: August 08, 2015, 01:24:14 PM »
Stuff I sell on Etsy. A little yarn, some fluff, and a sprinkling of crocheting talent makes great baby shower gifts. As darling as the stuff I make is, I wouldn't purchase it at half the price I market it for.

I'd really like to get my stuff into a high end boutique. Handmade on the label really sells.

Ferrisbueller

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 75
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #26 on: August 08, 2015, 02:39:22 PM »
When I pirate music/movies.
<popcorn>

Sorry but this is theft. Plain and simple.

Syonyk

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4610
    • Syonyk's Project Blog
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #27 on: August 08, 2015, 10:20:38 PM »
Mostly small electronics repair & refurb.

I still can't believe that people are willing to pay me $25 to swap a $10 battery in a Nexus 5 - but I've done dozens of these.  Though, to be fair, they're paying for my expertise at that point - I can do the swap, zero broken snaps, in 5 minutes.

... need to order more batteries, now that I think about it.

But I do a lot of small electronics repair, and a non-trivial amount of people will give me broken phones/laptops/etc for free.

Also selling stuff for people on eBay for 20% of the profits.  Takes me 15 minutes for small stuff (I take good photos), often nets me $50+.

And electric bike repair lately.  Amazing bikes, obtained for cheap-to-free, because they've got bad batteries.

Basically, I'm willing to do fiddly work that most people can't or won't do. :)

minority_finance_mo

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 784
    • Minority Finance
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #28 on: August 08, 2015, 10:36:01 PM »
I charge between $75 and $90 an hour as a recent graduate to rich parents for test prep for their kids. The money is great, I provide a service, and their kid gets into the school of their dreams - everyone is happy. Now would I ever pay so much for tutoring? Heck no. But glad someone is willing to do it!

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #29 on: August 10, 2015, 12:04:32 PM »
Of course they are!
MURICAAAAA!!!! *drools* FREEEDUUUMBB

The vast majority of flags are imported from China nowadays.

On a side note, one of my customers that just got it in loved it and ordered another 1500....

Ghzbani

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #30 on: August 10, 2015, 12:08:36 PM »
I charge between $75 and $90 an hour as a recent graduate to rich parents for test prep for their kids. The money is great, I provide a service, and their kid gets into the school of their dreams - everyone is happy. Now would I ever pay so much for tutoring? Heck no. But glad someone is willing to do it!

The private tutoring class of jobs have always puzzled me a bit (and I currently PT as an SAT tutor), especially in areas with decent schools. There are plenty of alternatives to private tutors; text books (usually provided by the school), teachers (many of which are totally willing to help a kid study for the test), or even just youtube videos to name a few.

And yet here parents are, paying $50 an hour (on top of any registration fees or the like) just so I (a guy with virtually no teaching background) will help their kids by reviewing stuff they've been taught in class.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #31 on: August 10, 2015, 02:28:56 PM »
When I pirate music/movies.
<popcorn>

Sorry but this is theft. Plain and simple.
Congratulations: you have just become trollb8.

justjenn

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 44
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #32 on: August 10, 2015, 06:44:23 PM »
Working for a divorce attorney. It's unbelievable how many people are willing to throw tens of thousands of dollars away in attorney's fees just to make sure they get their "fair share" of the marital useless shit. Somehow they couldn't grasp that it would be cheaper to just buy a new couch than to spend $300/hr for their lawyer to fight for it.

It was also the job that peeled back the curtain for me in terms of how most "rich" people live their lives. It really surprised me how the majority of seemingly wealthy clients were drowning in debt. I was in college and naive.

Andrew928

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 103
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Montana
  • Life Is Good
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #33 on: August 13, 2015, 08:42:21 AM »
Bail Bonds...enough said.

fitfrugalfab

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 172
  • Location: NoVa
    • FitFrugalFab
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #34 on: August 13, 2015, 08:48:15 AM »
I was a barista at Starbucks.  Obviously I wasn't making any money off of other people's purchases, but it baffles me when I saw regulars everyday, sometimes twice a day, who would spend $7+ every time! Thankfully I got free drinks during my shift and a 30% discount otherwise. Needless to say, now that I don't work there I don't drink Starbucks.

Welshrabbit

  • Guest
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #35 on: August 13, 2015, 09:40:51 AM »
Bail Bonds...enough said.

Any cool stories??!!

Andrew928

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 103
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Montana
  • Life Is Good
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #36 on: August 13, 2015, 10:05:26 AM »
Nothing special so far, stereotypes really are true in this business though without a doubt.

The bums are usually the most entertaining thing to happen at night, this one lady used to come around and dance in front of the window and another guy tried to get into the office banging on the windows with a box cutter but a quick call to Santa Ana PD fixed that. Every once in a while a client will get killed by the police or they will find a their body in a ditch but that's about as exciting as it gets.

There are normal people that mess up with things like DUI and Domestics but the majority are leeches on society who I hope to never see again.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 10:12:18 AM by andrew928 »

lakemom

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 401
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #37 on: August 13, 2015, 12:11:23 PM »
I own/operate a self-storage facility. 'nough said!

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #38 on: August 13, 2015, 12:13:51 PM »
I own/operate a self-storage facility. 'nough said!
What's your ROI like? We looked hard at one for sale here and it seemed like the best the guy had ever managed was like 15% gross - while working 20 hours or more managing the place. We normally beat that on multifamily rentals with far less management overhead. Still can't figure out if he was doing it wrong or just paid way too much for his facility.

economist

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 59
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #39 on: August 22, 2015, 09:38:22 AM »

Why not be proud of it? It's not like you are a predator that gave people loans that you knew they couldn't afford...that would be bad. Instead, you are just monetizing the fact that some people don't pay off their foreclosure.

I work for a bank in their Default Servicing, modifying the mortgages that have gone bad. So I literally am working on the mortgages we made to people who couldn't possibly afford it (think 3% down, 10 year interest only, needed two or three co-singers to qualify). I like to tell myself I'm cleaning up the mess other people have made, since most of the loans were made before I graduated college and started working.

The bonus is that most of the loans are from government agencies such as the FHA, USDA, VA, or Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. So I am living off the taxpayers as well.

RootofGood

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1361
  • Age: 43
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Retired at age 33. 5 years in, still loving it!
    • Root of Good
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #40 on: August 22, 2015, 09:55:10 AM »
I worked as a traffic engineer getting new developments approved.  Shopping centers, mega-malls, new suburban neighborhoods, gas stations, etc.  One year when Walmart was expanding rapidly, I'd say 70% of my workload was cranking out Walmarts.  Another year I was 70+% on sprawling oceanfront resort communities full of single family McMansions. 

I also had a small practice of getting huge companies out of having to apply for complicated air quality permits.  Basically proving that there wouldn't be enough of an air quality impact to require a full detailed air quality model.  Seeking the exemption was maybe $6-7k (and I could usually knock those out in a day plus a few hours BSing with the Air Quality folks a half mile from my house).  A full model might be $30-50k+ (and I'm not really sure how to do one ;) ). 

Everything I did was car-centric.  How much car traffic is generated and how can I keep my developers from being required to spend money improving the roads around their new development.  Oddly enough I sometimes had municipalities or the federal govt as a client fighting against other municipalities and the state government.  Though they rarely cared about wasted money on unnecessary crap compared to the Walmarts out there. 

Then I went into the toll road business (building a suburban freeway for MOAR CARS!!!!!).  I generally kept my mouth shut about not particularly liking to drive since, hey, it buttered my bread.  I rode the bus to work when I could which baffled most coworkers where we worked in the Highway building.  :) 

surething22

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 34
  • Age: 33
  • Location: Orange County, CA
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #41 on: August 22, 2015, 10:12:21 AM »
I work a second job at a casual neighborhood restaurant. Last night, most couples spent ~$70, some closer to $120 for dinner after tax/tip.

The restaurant doesn't really serve anything that couldn't easily be made at home for far less. Food markup is ~400%. Forget about alcohol.

ginastarke

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 112
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #42 on: August 23, 2015, 07:18:38 AM »
Syonyk , do you fix smashed screens?  I have an old LG I'd like to see if I could repair into a backup phone

Syonyk

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4610
    • Syonyk's Project Blog
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #43 on: August 23, 2015, 08:42:51 AM »
Syonyk , do you fix smashed screens?  I have an old LG I'd like to see if I could repair into a backup phone

Yeah. PM me details.

AZDude

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1296
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #44 on: August 24, 2015, 10:12:38 AM »
I spent a couple years at a large financial institution doing data mining in their card services department(credit cards). I got alot of remarks like "can you erase my credit card debt?" for awhile, until I started responding with a dry "no, but with a good financial plan you can do it yourself" type of response. It worked only in that people stopped asking the question, no one ever followed up legit financial questions.

Le Poisson

  • CM*MW 2024 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 16253
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #45 on: August 24, 2015, 10:24:06 AM »
My career depends on congestion. If everyone were to swap their cars for bikes, or even just carpooled I would be out of work.

Quick - go buy more SUVs!

Roboturner

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 535
  • Age: 35
  • Location: MCOL
  • No Snacks, Just Math
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #46 on: August 24, 2015, 11:19:35 AM »
I buy broken video game consoles, fix them and sell them. Should I feel bad that I sell these frivolous machines to people who then post "need to find money for rent?" maybe? Do I feel bad? No.


That being said... anyone want a PS4? :)

grantmeaname

  • CM*MW 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5960
  • Age: 31
  • Location: Middle West
  • Cast me away from yesterday's things
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #47 on: August 24, 2015, 01:56:48 PM »
Can't, need to find money for rent

AllieVaulter

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 304
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Portland, OR
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #48 on: August 24, 2015, 02:06:36 PM »
We currently have a side gig going, selling stuff on eBay.  Some of these people win the auction for a video game for like $6 and then ask if they can wait a week to pay because they have to wait until after pay day.  I want to shake these people!  Why are you buying games on eBay if you don't have any money!?!?!?!

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Mustachians Making Money Off Antimustachians
« Reply #49 on: August 24, 2015, 02:24:34 PM »

That being said... anyone want a PS4? :)

How much? I would mostly want it for it's Blu Ray player and internet connectivity.