Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1112990 times)

dcheesi

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1850 on: December 03, 2019, 05:34:05 AM »
I stopped by Starbucks in the middle of my run yesterday morning because I was out of coffee beans. I normally buy Peet’s but I figured I’d i went in I couid get them do the correct grind for my French press.

Anyway, I go to the counter and tell the lady I want to buy a pound of beans and she looks at me blankly. I had to specify coffee beans, and then she had to turn to a colleague to ask how/do they do that. Sheesh.
That's because nobody really likes Starbucks' nasty burnt-tasting coffee beans! Which is why they drown it in sweetened flavorings and whipped cream...

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1851 on: December 03, 2019, 09:24:15 AM »
I stopped by Starbucks in the middle of my run yesterday morning because I was out of coffee beans. I normally buy Peet’s but I figured I’d i went in I couid get them do the correct grind for my French press.

Anyway, I go to the counter and tell the lady I want to buy a pound of beans and she looks at me blankly. I had to specify coffee beans, and then she had to turn to a colleague to ask how/do they do that. Sheesh.

I'm surprised they actually do. I thought it was a cafe, not a grocery store.  (That may sound strange, but in countries with a reduced sales tax for e.g. eating stuff the beans may have a different tax rate than the (service!) coffee you drink there. Without special rules that also means that a food truck pays different taxes depending if you eat the food at their tables or take it with you. Tax code is fun, isn't it?)

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1852 on: December 03, 2019, 10:05:45 AM »
Turns out the beans aren’t nearly as good as I was hoping. Yes, kind of a burnt flavor. I got a bag of Peet’s yesterday.

partgypsy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1853 on: December 03, 2019, 10:09:34 AM »
Turns out the beans aren’t nearly as good as I was hoping. Yes, kind of a burnt flavor. I got a bag of Peet’s yesterday.

Yes it's well known they overcook their beans.
Check out Intelligenstia black cat coffee

Hirondelle

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1854 on: December 03, 2019, 01:28:33 PM »
Biggest topic of discussion at work today — the nearest Starbucks has closed down and now people will have to walk an extra three minutes to the next nearest Starbucks that’s one block down the street. Apparently that news ruined a lot of people’s day.

The consolation is that at least Starbucks delivers so you can just order it online and pay the extra delivery fee.

It's practically a third-world country if you have to walk an extra block for Starbucks!

These people would hate Australia then :)

Imagine them visiting Italy!

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1855 on: December 03, 2019, 06:00:09 PM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1856 on: December 03, 2019, 08:57:01 PM »
One of my coworkers to another: "The problem with going to Costco this time of year is that I came home with a new 50 inch TV...  Well, we'd been talking about getting a new one for our bedroom."

The same coworker recently returned from a cross-country trip to visit his daughter where she attends a public university.  He's probably 10 years older than me and at the same pay grade.  I guess he'll be working at least a few more years.

Funny, I shop at Costco roughly once a month and have never had that problem.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1857 on: December 03, 2019, 09:00:20 PM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

How sad. We lost a rescue kitty at 2.5 years of age from a genetic heart defect. That was about 5 months after we spent $1000 with no regrets on cancer treatment for a pet rabbit (who is still very much alive and recovered). Sometimes pet spending isn’t rational. Hopefully the friend didn’t go into debt.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1858 on: December 03, 2019, 09:34:44 PM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

How sad. We lost a rescue kitty at 2.5 years of age from a genetic heart defect. That was about 5 months after we spent $1000 with no regrets on cancer treatment for a pet rabbit (who is still very much alive and recovered). Sometimes pet spending isn’t rational. Hopefully the friend didn’t go into debt.

Sorry about your cat and I'm happy for you and your rabbit!  I wouldn't be surprised if they were in debt.  I'm surrounded by people that are pretty careless with their money(I work at a dealership).  They also have families though, so I don't entirely blame them for being in debt.  Some have had illnesses and job transitions.  The shiny cars and fancy kittens make me less sympathetic though. 

I've received a small amount of envy for my financial position, but I don't brag about it, they just see occasional trips to Asia and get jealous.  But they don't focus on my shitty old car or my homemade lunches or my cheap ass clothes.

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dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1860 on: December 03, 2019, 10:35:48 PM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

And here I was thinking $1100 isn't that much for a fancy kitchen.  Reading comprehension fail

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1861 on: December 03, 2019, 10:56:48 PM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

And here I was thinking $1100 isn't that much for a fancy kitchen.  Reading comprehension fail

I didn't even know it was a thing.  It was some type of purebred something or other.

It's just a cat people.   How much variation can they have?

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1862 on: December 04, 2019, 02:18:12 AM »
A friend of a co-worker spent $1100 on a fancy kitten.  It died at two years of age due to genetic defects.

(Somewhere between 30 and 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized. )

And here I was thinking $1100 isn't that much for a fancy kitchen.  Reading comprehension fail

I didn't even know it was a thing.  It was some type of purebred something or other.

It's just a cat people.   How much variation can they have?

Major cat person here. I don't understand the designer animal thing either. The point of having a cat is having a little furry buddy. They need me and I need them. The ones that need me most are the shelter cats.

talltexan

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1863 on: December 04, 2019, 08:29:41 AM »
My co-worker's daughter is 21 years old, and appears to have a good work ethic in supporting herself through school by working in bakeries in the south part of the city. I estimate she's in the $14-$18/hour neighborhood.

And, she bought a $4,000 dog.

DadJokes

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1864 on: December 04, 2019, 08:42:37 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1865 on: December 04, 2019, 09:18:03 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

DadJokes

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1866 on: December 04, 2019, 09:40:23 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

DadJokes

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1867 on: December 04, 2019, 10:16:29 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

If you're regularly being misunderstood by multiple readers, then possibly yes.

As far as I know, it's just been one reader. But I'll start doing that to avoid the vengeful ire.

Edit: added a disclaimer to signature
« Last Edit: December 04, 2019, 10:41:34 AM by DadJokes »

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1868 on: December 04, 2019, 10:25:42 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Perhaps I will steal the dog and sell it for $400, gently used.

Edit: I think rescues have nicer souls anyway.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1869 on: December 04, 2019, 10:28:40 AM »
My co-worker's daughter is 21 years old, and appears to have a good work ethic in supporting herself through school by working in bakeries in the south part of the city. I estimate she's in the $14-$18/hour neighborhood.

And, she bought a $4,000 dog.

That averages to 250 hours-per-dog before tax.

partgypsy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1870 on: December 04, 2019, 10:47:07 AM »
There are some people who are into a particular breed, and even do dog shows, trials, hunt with them, etc. So for them it's their hobby and passion and they are using or keeping the dog for what it was bred for. There are also some people who are allergic to dogs or need a non-shedding dog, hence the poodles, labradoodles and goldendoodles. I understand that.

I don't understand the whole, I think labs are cool so I'm going to buy a $400 Labrador even though I don't do bird hunting!  There are so many lab mixes, etc in the shelters.Even more so for breeds like bulldogs and king cavalier spaniels, teacup styes that are so inbred you are also purchasing a lot of medical costs and heartache along with the dog. So many dogs that are rescues or look pretty close to that breed, but without all the health issues, you can find at a shelter.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2019, 10:49:51 AM by partgypsy »

insufFIcientfunds

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1871 on: December 04, 2019, 11:31:47 AM »
What specific breed of dog costs $4k? I'm just curious.

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1872 on: December 04, 2019, 11:32:44 AM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

If you're regularly being misunderstood by multiple readers, then possibly yes.

As far as I know, it's just been one reader. But I'll start doing that to avoid the vengeful ire.

Edit: added a disclaimer to signature

LOL @ "vengeful ire"

And double-LOL at the passive-aggressive signature line.

Davnasty

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1873 on: December 04, 2019, 12:05:25 PM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

If you're regularly being misunderstood by multiple readers, then possibly yes.

True, that's a good general rule.

But in this particular case I think "shows up with torches and pitchforks" is a common figure of speech. If someone needs to explain that a figure of speech isn't literal, it kind of defeats the purpose of their colorful language.

Personally I'd say figures of speech don't need preemptive explanation, but if someone is confused by it then a polite response to clarify is fine. No reason for either party to take offense due to a misunderstanding.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1874 on: December 04, 2019, 01:24:44 PM »
What specific breed of dog costs $4k? I'm just curious.

Any breed, if you get it purebred from the "right" breeders can cost that much.

I don't know how much my brother spent on his purebred pointer, but it was definitely an unmustachian amount for "a dog". But he was specifically looking for a male and specifically looking at the lines, to the point that he had hunted with 5/6 of his dogs parents and grandparents before he made his decision. It is his hobby, so it definitely makes sense to me.

There are also certain situations where I can see that it would make sense to get a well-bred puppy from a breeder rather than rescuing. I/my parents when I was a kid have now rescued 4 dogs, and we got 1 from a breeder as well. 3 of the 4 rescues would be EXCELLENT with small children. 1 of them would not be, but you wouldn't have known it based on when you met him and based on the rescue organizations knowledge of him.
You are getting a mystery with a rescue dog. Certain breeds will do better than others, but you can eliminate a lot (but not all) of the risk if you do your research and get a bred puppy. Of course, from what I've seen most do not do the research and most litters are not actually well bred, but I am certainly not eliminating getting a puppy from a breeder for my kids if the situation is right for it. Rescuing will be the preferred method, but it isn't the right way for every situation.

Similarly, my brother (the same who spent a lot on his dog) also fosters Pointers. I think they've had about 17 of them at this point. He'd tell you some stories, but the gist of it is that quite simply, rescuing and fostering isn't always as easy as the internet makes it out to be and sometimes getting a well bred puppy is the better option. This is especially true for certain breeds, like pointers, where they're neurotic and high strung as a baseline. This is of course made worse by bad breeding and inbreeding, but he's written certain breeds off entirely due to that.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1875 on: December 04, 2019, 02:32:34 PM »
What specific breed of dog costs $4k? I'm just curious.

Any breed, if you get it purebred from the "right" breeders can cost that much.

I don't know how much my brother spent on his purebred pointer, but it was definitely an unmustachian amount for "a dog". But he was specifically looking for a male and specifically looking at the lines, to the point that he had hunted with 5/6 of his dogs parents and grandparents before he made his decision. It is his hobby, so it definitely makes sense to me.

There are also certain situations where I can see that it would make sense to get a well-bred puppy from a breeder rather than rescuing. I/my parents when I was a kid have now rescued 4 dogs, and we got 1 from a breeder as well. 3 of the 4 rescues would be EXCELLENT with small children. 1 of them would not be, but you wouldn't have known it based on when you met him and based on the rescue organizations knowledge of him.
You are getting a mystery with a rescue dog. Certain breeds will do better than others, but you can eliminate a lot (but not all) of the risk if you do your research and get a bred puppy. Of course, from what I've seen most do not do the research and most litters are not actually well bred, but I am certainly not eliminating getting a puppy from a breeder for my kids if the situation is right for it. Rescuing will be the preferred method, but it isn't the right way for every situation.

Similarly, my brother (the same who spent a lot on his dog) also fosters Pointers. I think they've had about 17 of them at this point. He'd tell you some stories, but the gist of it is that quite simply, rescuing and fostering isn't always as easy as the internet makes it out to be and sometimes getting a well bred puppy is the better option. This is especially true for certain breeds, like pointers, where they're neurotic and high strung as a baseline. This is of course made worse by bad breeding and inbreeding, but he's written certain breeds off entirely due to that.
A few of my friends have recently paid for bred puppies.  I didn't really ask all of them WHY they wanted a purebed "whatever".  In one case, it was looking for a hypoallergenic dog.  The others?  Dunno.  A few friends have driven thousands of miles or flown to pick up a puppy.  A few more have been breeding dogs like pugs or dalmations.

We adopted a shelter dog just last week.  Not free!  She was $75, plus we bought a few things there.  We will also need to get her vaccinated and checked out by a vet soon.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1876 on: December 04, 2019, 03:27:45 PM »
What specific breed of dog costs $4k? I'm just curious.

Any breed, if you get it purebred from the "right" breeders can cost that much.

I don't know how much my brother spent on his purebred pointer, but it was definitely an unmustachian amount for "a dog". But he was specifically looking for a male and specifically looking at the lines, to the point that he had hunted with 5/6 of his dogs parents and grandparents before he made his decision. It is his hobby, so it definitely makes sense to me.

There are also certain situations where I can see that it would make sense to get a well-bred puppy from a breeder rather than rescuing. I/my parents when I was a kid have now rescued 4 dogs, and we got 1 from a breeder as well. 3 of the 4 rescues would be EXCELLENT with small children. 1 of them would not be, but you wouldn't have known it based on when you met him and based on the rescue organizations knowledge of him.
You are getting a mystery with a rescue dog. Certain breeds will do better than others, but you can eliminate a lot (but not all) of the risk if you do your research and get a bred puppy. Of course, from what I've seen most do not do the research and most litters are not actually well bred, but I am certainly not eliminating getting a puppy from a breeder for my kids if the situation is right for it. Rescuing will be the preferred method, but it isn't the right way for every situation.

Similarly, my brother (the same who spent a lot on his dog) also fosters Pointers. I think they've had about 17 of them at this point. He'd tell you some stories, but the gist of it is that quite simply, rescuing and fostering isn't always as easy as the internet makes it out to be and sometimes getting a well bred puppy is the better option. This is especially true for certain breeds, like pointers, where they're neurotic and high strung as a baseline. This is of course made worse by bad breeding and inbreeding, but he's written certain breeds off entirely due to that.
A few of my friends have recently paid for bred puppies.  I didn't really ask all of them WHY they wanted a purebed "whatever".  In one case, it was looking for a hypoallergenic dog.  The others?  Dunno.  A few friends have driven thousands of miles or flown to pick up a puppy.  A few more have been breeding dogs like pugs or dalmations.

We adopted a shelter dog just last week.  Not free!  She was $75, plus we bought a few things there.  We will also need to get her vaccinated and checked out by a vet soon.

Hypoallergenic, fine (if it really is, and isn't just a doodle that they think is because it had a poodle sperm donor), but I get annoyed with breeding pugs, English bullodgs, etc.; these are dogs that probably shouldn't exist anymore. And Dalmations are really not great dogs for a family. Annoying as all get out when people get dogs for image reasons.

When we rescued 2 elderly dogs, I think the fee was waived for one of them and it was still $300. But I looked at it as a donation to keep the rescue running. After all, they have to care for the dogs and everything. Owning a dog is a large financial commitment one way or another. Dog food, vet visits, boarding when necessary... it adds up, and it can seriously impact your life. On the other hand, I know our dog has probably saved my wife from serious depression. The value and true unconditional love that a dog brings to our lives - or at least for my wife and I - is priceless.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1877 on: December 04, 2019, 03:45:44 PM »
Paying a shelter is money well spent.  And I agree there are reasons to buy a purebred. 

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1878 on: December 04, 2019, 04:31:35 PM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

If you're regularly being misunderstood by multiple readers, then possibly yes.

As far as I know, it's just been one reader. But I'll start doing that to avoid the vengeful ire.

Edit: added a disclaimer to signature

I don’t think kris is literally seeking to harm you in return for a perceived injury.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1879 on: December 05, 2019, 06:13:43 AM »
Adopting from an animal shelter can cost as much as $600 in some places.

Ask me how I know..

I suspect that my "free" puppy is going to run me at least that much in the first year. 

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1880 on: December 05, 2019, 12:29:17 PM »
Adopting from an animal shelter can cost as much as $600 in some places.

Ask me how I know..

I suspect that my "free" puppy is going to run me at least that much in the first year.

In this case the $600 was straight adoption fee only.  The money goes to support a rescue league I believe in and the dog came spayed and with all her shots so no big deal, but the fee was before any follow up vet visits or "canine comfort" purchases.

Canine comfort can definitely run into big bucks if you're susceptible to the diderot effect.  IE: I know she already has a water bowl, but this one is soooo cute. Repeat for leash, bed, toy, winter coat, whatever.

Well, we already have a lot of the canine comfort items.  She's gotten some new toys and a kennel.  It's the vetting that I'm counting on being expensive.  From what little I know of her history, she's probably going to have to have all her shots and be spayed.  And that's assuming she's heartworm negative (she likely has not been on preventative up until now).

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1881 on: December 05, 2019, 12:43:57 PM »
Our first dog came free from a friend/coworker.  They had purchased her from a breeder for something like $1200 but couldn't keep her any longer.  We had never heard of the breed before we got her and ended completely falling in love with her and the breed. When we decided to get a 2nd dog, we found a breed specific rescue so we could both rescue a dog but get the same breed as our first dog.   When people see us in public, they probably think we spent $$$$ on our fancypants dogs.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1882 on: December 05, 2019, 12:52:08 PM »
I'm sure people assume I paid out the nose for mine too.  I've got a full-blooded, registered golden retriever.  He was a Craigslist find after the breed-specific rescue turned us down for having an intact male (he almost died from the anesthesia so it was determined that it was probably best that he not go under again).  The new puppy is mostly chocolate lab.  She wandered up to my brother's house a few weeks ago.  When we finally tracked down her owners, they told us they didn't want her back (this is why puppies make bad gifts). 

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1883 on: December 05, 2019, 01:06:24 PM »
I'm sure people assume I paid out the nose for mine too.  I've got a full-blooded, registered golden retriever.  He was a Craigslist find after the breed-specific rescue turned us down for having an intact male (he almost died from the anesthesia so it was determined that it was probably best that he not go under again).  The new puppy is mostly chocolate lab.  She wandered up to my brother's house a few weeks ago.  When we finally tracked down her owners, they told us they didn't want her back (this is why puppies make bad gifts).

They just let her go?! How awful and heartbreaking. People suck.

We've been talking about adopting another cat. I think now we'll wait until January so that we can adopt someone's abandoned/surrendered Christmas present. 

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1884 on: December 05, 2019, 01:12:34 PM »
I'm sure people assume I paid out the nose for mine too.  I've got a full-blooded, registered golden retriever.  He was a Craigslist find after the breed-specific rescue turned us down for having an intact male (he almost died from the anesthesia so it was determined that it was probably best that he not go under again).  The new puppy is mostly chocolate lab.  She wandered up to my brother's house a few weeks ago.  When we finally tracked down her owners, they told us they didn't want her back (this is why puppies make bad gifts).

They just let her go?! How awful and heartbreaking. People suck.

We've been talking about adopting another cat. I think now we'll wait until January so that we can adopt someone's abandoned/surrendered Christmas present.

She was a gift from an adult child to the youngest child.  I don't think the child's mom was consulted about this decision.  She was being kept in a poorly secured fence.  She got out and they found her and put her back in the fence.  I guess they didn't fix the fence well enough because she got out again.  This is when she ended up at my brother's house, eating the cat food off their porch.  No collar, no chip.  They have six dogs already so I agreed to take her until her owners could be found.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1885 on: December 05, 2019, 01:44:39 PM »
Our first dog came free from a friend/coworker.  They had purchased her from a breeder for something like $1200 but couldn't keep her any longer.  We had never heard of the breed before we got her and ended completely falling in love with her and the breed. When we decided to get a 2nd dog, we found a breed specific rescue so we could both rescue a dog but get the same breed as our first dog.   When people see us in public, they probably think we spent $$$$ on our fancypants dogs.

Curious what breed?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1886 on: December 05, 2019, 02:09:17 PM »
Our first dog came free from a friend/coworker.  They had purchased her from a breeder for something like $1200 but couldn't keep her any longer.  We had never heard of the breed before we got her and ended completely falling in love with her and the breed. When we decided to get a 2nd dog, we found a breed specific rescue so we could both rescue a dog but get the same breed as our first dog.   When people see us in public, they probably think we spent $$$$ on our fancypants dogs.

Curious what breed?

Me too. 

I understand falling in love with a breed.  I loved the breed characteristics of our first dog that our second and third dogs were also that breed.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1887 on: December 05, 2019, 04:25:26 PM »
I guess I need to go hide my $600 dog before everyone shows up with torches and pitchforks.

No one is going to literally murder you for paying for a dog.

But that doesn't mean people can't have opinions about it.

Do I need to follow up my posts with a bazinga or something to indicate that I'm not serious?

If you're regularly being misunderstood by multiple readers, then possibly yes.

...going to look up what a bazinga is... Oh - a TV show reference. Never watched Big Bang (yet).

Our dog was cheap but the price to fix her up after an accident is well into the nice used car territory.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1888 on: December 05, 2019, 06:21:01 PM »
I got an SPCA dog.   The shelters here have pitbull mixes, husky mixes, cane corso, and other agressive breeds.  The few that arent' were actually flown in from another country (I am not supporting killing local animals and flying in out of country ones), and a few with special "quirks" which is why they are given up. 
The spay and neuter program has been very successful around here, that is evident.

What the cost with my dog is -- ok, maybe $1000 all in for adoption fee, vaccinations, crate, toys and food (and a private trainer sessions because of those "quirks").

What the higher cost is?   
It is very difficult to have a dog without a car.


I can leave her at home to run errands, or take her with me in a car.   We can't bike to all the best walking spots. I need a car to take her to the vet.

I also can't rent a place around here if I have a dog, so locked into higher cost place away from apartment buildings and more into suburbia where a bike or car is needed.

auntie_betty

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1889 on: December 05, 2019, 10:21:50 PM »
Quote

Last time I traveled overnight for work I traveled with three other coworkers. I put the whole thing on my credit card for the points and convenience. Rather than wait for them to get it together and make the arrangements I could choose a comfortable place to stay close to our destination which I did.

Employer reimbursed each person individually and each person passed the money to me - except one. Two months later the highest paid member of that trip as yet to reimburse me though they have publicly promised they would. A couple of hundred bucks more or less. That person is over me on the pecking order.

I won't take the initiative to be efficient again.

This seems a crazy way of doing things - surely the person incurring the debt should get paid?

About 15 years ago, before we had company credit cards (which were automatically paid by the company) I worked away with a colleague for around four weeks. His own credit card was maxed so I picked up the bills and loyalty card points. Accumulated enough for a free hotel night. Used the night. Went to a property exhibition in the hotel. Booked a v cheap inspection trip (from UK to Spain). Bought an apartment off plan (we'd vaguely talked about buying somewhere and one we saw ticked all the boxes). When we took ownership I sat on the terrace the first night, watched the sun set over the mountains and announced I didn't want it as a holiday home, I wanted to live there. That was 2007, when I was 46. Set myself a target of retiring before 60. Had always wanted to retire early but this was tangible so motivation was high. Worked my guts off and spreadsheet obligingly showed retirement age coming down to 58. Then 56, 55, 54. Went at 53, moved to Spain and never looked back. All because Rupert liked a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.
Cheers Rupert :)

Back on topic - as I'm FIRE'd I've no work to overhear but I heard this a few days ago while back in the UK. Two people discussing lottery wins and whether to take the lump sum or 30k a year.
Person 1. I'd have to have the lump sum as 30k would just get lost in normal day to day expenditure.
Person 2. You're right, it's not enough to make a difference.
Neither looked well-heeled. I had to resist the urge to shake them. Choose a lump sum if you think it works out best but to use the rationale that 30k would just be extra pocket money?

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1890 on: December 06, 2019, 04:32:42 AM »
I got an SPCA dog.   The shelters here have pitbull mixes, husky mixes, cane corso, and other agressive breeds.  The few that arent' were actually flown in from another country (I am not supporting killing local animals and flying in out of country ones), and a few with special "quirks" which is why they are given up. 
The spay and neuter program has been very successful around here, that is evident.

What the cost with my dog is -- ok, maybe $1000 all in for adoption fee, vaccinations, crate, toys and food (and a private trainer sessions because of those "quirks").


I live in an area that's known to be a cesspool of people not fixing their animals and we have the same issues with shelter variety.  We've got a lot of pit mixes around here too.  My brother has one and she's the biggest snugglebug ever, but my city makes owning one so damn difficult that I won't do it.  For example, my city allows my dog to be unleashed as long as he's in my yard, under my control, and I'm with him.  If he were a pit, he'd have to be leashed at all times and I *think* they also require a taller fence, but don't quote me on that.  For the record, I can see where this would cause a problem because my idea of "under my control" is probably different than other people's.  The golden is free to run around the yard when we're out there (but won't because he's a velcro dog), but the puppy still stays on leash until I trust her not to take off down the street.


LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1891 on: December 06, 2019, 09:53:16 AM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1892 on: December 06, 2019, 11:02:25 AM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

I very often get the vibe from people in our culture that they buy things just because... I dunno, because they haven't bought anything yet today? I think there's a not-insubstantial percentage of people for whom the idea of not spending money for an entire day would make them feel panicky/anxious.

imadandylion

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1893 on: December 06, 2019, 12:07:20 PM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

My criticism with advice like that which are similar to those pie charts you see on Pinterest on how to budget your money is that they always include a "spending" budget. They usually like to suggest a percentage of what your monthly/biweekly income should go towards. Basic living expenses make sense, and savings, but they always include discretionary spending and this kind of leads to normalizing the amount of spending. More often than not, if a total money "beginner" tries to search on google questions to learn about money management, there are a slew of articles and images depicting the suggested ranges to be spent on certain things. There's a lot of information that tries to be helpful but somehow ends up doing more harm...

These "budgets" typically include things like transportation, entertainment, and "miscellaneous." I honestly believe that some people take this to mean, that if they look at their finances or otherwise tweak their monthly spending to fit those suggested percentages per category that they're doing well or "OK" with their money. Like for instance, "Oh, my rent is 25% of my budget! That fits in! Great. No need to change anything here." That train of thought coupled with the fact that a lot of people just haven't been exposed to very many ideas and the opportunities that saving vastly more money can afford, it's hard for them to think there's something better. A lot of people do what they think is best based off what they know at the time, often without question or consideration that there could be a better or different way.

Also, consumerism is normalized, so it's not really so surprising that people are buying things they don't need or are having issues distinguishing that. A lot of times people won't realize this until they're in debt.

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1894 on: December 06, 2019, 12:47:34 PM »
To add on to this, the entire concept of retirement savings in mainstream financial media is purely as a percentage of current income. You save 5-10% of your income for retirement, you retire when you've saved 20, 25, 30 times income. No one mentions spending. Why? Because the default is that you're spending every single penny you have outside of that 5-10% of retirement savings, and you couldn't possibly stop spending that much after you retire, so retirement income needs to be your prior income less retirement savings and any obviously work-related expenses like dry cleaning.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1895 on: December 06, 2019, 12:49:57 PM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

I very often get the vibe from people in our culture that they buy things just because... I dunno, because they haven't bought anything yet today? I think there's a not-insubstantial percentage of people for whom the idea of not spending money for an entire day would make them feel panicky/anxious.

I'm fascinated by this too.  I agree with your point about a  consumerist mindset.  It also seems that people buy ideas or emotions or something, rather than items.

Consider a car loan: I work with dozens of people who buy new cars every couple years, presumably rolling over their loans.  This seemed silly to me because I didn't understand why someone would pay five figures for heated seats or new rims, when their existing car does 95% of the new one.  But if you only look at payments, you might think it's worth it. (Of course, it isn't)

So really it comes down to the fact that people don't save the capital to buy an asset like a car, so they're always playing this psychological financing game with themselves.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1896 on: December 07, 2019, 01:16:02 AM »

I'm fascinated by this too.  I agree with your point about a  consumerist mindset.  It also seems that people buy ideas or emotions or something, rather than items.

That is certainly true for ads today. The industry has learned that people don't buy stuff, they buy emotions. That is why in car ads you will never see (except maybe the PS) and actual data about the car until the very end for 2 seconds. The rest is all landscape and maybe smiling faces.

Just yesterday I saw an ad by the McD. A mother had lost her child, searched for it etc. She also asked at a McD but you could see the company logo for only 1 second. It only reappeared in the last moment after the happy reunification.
See the trick here?

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1897 on: December 07, 2019, 11:21:36 AM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

I very often get the vibe from people in our culture that they buy things just because... I dunno, because they haven't bought anything yet today? I think there's a not-insubstantial percentage of people for whom the idea of not spending money for an entire day would make them feel panicky/anxious.

I'm fascinated by this too.  I agree with your point about a  consumerist mindset.  It also seems that people buy ideas or emotions or something, rather than items.

Consider a car loan: I work with dozens of people who buy new cars every couple years, presumably rolling over their loans.  This seemed silly to me because I didn't understand why someone would pay five figures for heated seats or new rims, when their existing car does 95% of the new one.  But if you only look at payments, you might think it's worth it. (Of course, it isn't)

So really it comes down to the fact that people don't save the capital to buy an asset like a car, so they're always playing this psychological financing game with themselves.

I think this holds true for mortgages as well. There's a feeling it's normal to spend an x% of your income on your mortgage. When your income increases you buy a bigger house. That's just the done thing. You need to reward yourself for all your hard work and what's a better reward than a home so big you can't keep it clean and well maintained on your own?

We've owned the same house for 5 years and our income has increased quite a bit over those years. People often ask if we're planning on moving to a bigger house. We are a childless couple in a 3-bedroom home (we each have a home office for our businesses). Our needs haven't changed, why would we want a bigger home? Thankfully I have quite a vague job description so people outside of my field aren't really aware of my income. When I tell coworkers we're happy where we are and don't want to move I can see from their face they don't believe me. Well, it's fine with me if they think I'm in debt or something :) eventually I'd like to move to a more rural location with maybe a bit of land but I really don't need a 5 bedroom house ever.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1898 on: December 07, 2019, 11:59:21 AM »
Not from work, just read, but still, a finance tip:

Trouble with spending too much? Make three categories.
1. Needed 2. Wanted 4. Superfluous
and make a budget for each.

Wait! WTF? Budget?

If you need, buy. You cannot not buy if you need, after all. Why a budget? But even more - a budget for things you _don't_ want? Why would you lose money for things you don't want???

I very often get the vibe from people in our culture that they buy things just because... I dunno, because they haven't bought anything yet today? I think there's a not-insubstantial percentage of people for whom the idea of not spending money for an entire day would make them feel panicky/anxious.

I'm fascinated by this too.  I agree with your point about a  consumerist mindset.  It also seems that people buy ideas or emotions or something, rather than items.

Consider a car loan: I work with dozens of people who buy new cars every couple years, presumably rolling over their loans.  This seemed silly to me because I didn't understand why someone would pay five figures for heated seats or new rims, when their existing car does 95% of the new one.  But if you only look at payments, you might think it's worth it. (Of course, it isn't)

So really it comes down to the fact that people don't save the capital to buy an asset like a car, so they're always playing this psychological financing game with themselves.

I think this holds true for mortgages as well. There's a feeling it's normal to spend an x% of your income on your mortgage. When your income increases you buy a bigger house. That's just the done thing. You need to reward yourself for all your hard work and what's a better reward than a home so big you can't keep it clean and well maintained on your own?

We've owned the same house for 5 years and our income has increased quite a bit over those years. People often ask if we're planning on moving to a bigger house. We are a childless couple in a 3-bedroom home (we each have a home office for our businesses). Our needs haven't changed, why would we want a bigger home? Thankfully I have quite a vague job description so people outside of my field aren't really aware of my income. When I tell coworkers we're happy where we are and don't want to move I can see from their face they don't believe me. Well, it's fine with me if they think I'm in debt or something :) eventually I'd like to move to a more rural location with maybe a bit of land but I really don't need a 5 bedroom house ever.

This is very true. When we were first looking at houses as newlyweds in entry-level jobs, people kept telling us to buy as much house as we could possibly afford (even if it was a stretch to make the payments) because it would be easier later when our wages went up. We ignored that advice and bought a 3-bed “starter” house well within our price range. I think people are surprised that we’re still in this house 16 years later, which is crazy because we have no kids and don’t need more space. The mortgage is even more affordable now. Why would I want to give up cash in savings and cash flow every month for something we don’t need?

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1899 on: December 07, 2019, 12:13:14 PM »

This is very true. When we were first looking at houses as newlyweds in entry-level jobs, people kept telling us to buy as much house as we could possibly afford (even if it was a stretch to make the payments) because it would be easier later when our wages went up. We ignored that advice and bought a 3-bed “starter” house well within our price range. I think people are surprised that we’re still in this house 16 years later, which is crazy because we have no kids and don’t need more space. The mortgage is even more affordable now. Why would I want to give up cash in savings and cash flow every month for something we don’t need?

It’s not terrible advice for someone who views a small house as a “starter” house and is likely to move again quickly.  The transaction costs add up, and over time homes get more expensive.  If they actually invested the difference, it would be way better to start small but as discussed here most people are going to spend whatever is left over after their mortgage.  In that case it just reinforces the aspect of forced savings that we have with mortgages