Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1112815 times)

firstmatedavy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2350 on: March 02, 2020, 06:43:59 AM »
It depends on your doctor.

If it's important to you and you have the means, the solution is to fire your doctor. (Or more realistically, go to a different doctor for that one thing.)

I know there's a lot of people for whom this is too difficult or not worth the effort - I'm coming from a place of anger at medical gatekeeping, no one *should* have to switch doctors to get the care they need. But sometimes it's seriously worth it. (I've never done it for sterilization, but for stuff like getting surgery for something my first doctor wanted to keep treating with medications that weren't working.)

Reading everyone's stories, I'm so mad about this.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2020, 06:53:56 AM by firstmatedavy »

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2351 on: March 02, 2020, 06:52:54 AM »
It depends on your doctor.

If it's important to you and you have the means, the solution is to fire your doctor. (Or more realistically, go to a different doctor for that one thing.)

I know there's a lot of people for whom this is too difficult or not worth the effort - I'm coming from a place of anger at medical gatekeeping, no one *should* have to switch doctors to get the care they need. But sometimes it's seriously worth it. (I've never done it for sterilization, but for stuff like getting surgery for something my first doctor wanted to keep treating with medications that weren't working.) I'm not sure how one finds a doctor willing to do a certain procedure without having to go to a ridiculous number of appointments, but I wonder if that's something the internet would help with? That's where I found a provider for the one other thing I needed that people tend to have feelings about.

This is assuming that you live somewhere that finding a new doctor isn't a burden.  In my town, we had three OBGYNs.  One of them had been in business so long that she delivered me and hasn't taken new patients in years.  The other two are more or less the same in terms of what services they offer to whom (for example, both are notorious for refusing to schedule anatomy scans until after the 20 week mark which makes terminating a pregnancy more difficult to obtain if something shows up on that scan).  The next closest doctor was 30 minutes away.  Of course, now that the hospital is closed they've all moved their offices to the next town over so there are a handful of other choices, but none truly local anymore.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2352 on: March 02, 2020, 10:47:43 AM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

Not me. I just come here for a preview of retired life... Wishful thinking. Getting there though.

Monerexia

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2353 on: March 02, 2020, 01:21:39 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2354 on: March 02, 2020, 01:55:32 PM »
^^^^ Only if it's done as a hysterectomy. Snipping the Fallopian tubes is done via laparoscopy.

Still a general, still an overnight stay, and still an invasive surgical procedure in the abdomen. You get a small infection from this you are in a VERY different place from a man who gets a small infection from a vasectomy. People treat this stuff like it's no drama because we generally don't kill people in surgery anymore. However, that doesn't reflect the recovery and issues in recovery at all. Abdominal surgery is a big deal.

I've been told it's possible to combine this with a C-section, so that would require no extra abdominal surgery in many cases.

Of course surgery is always something to be careful about, but I don't think sterilization of the male partner is something that can ever replace sterilization of the female herself - if the woman is the one who doesn't want or medically shouldn't go through pregnancy she should have the option for permanent anticonception, not the male she is currently with.

I just checked the official guidelines in my country and they state that there is no randomized study available that compares the safety of female sterilization to other methods of birth control, that sterilization is generally safe and the general anesthetic is the biggest risk factor.

A C section is MASSIVE surgery. You could combine anything with it. Hell, lop a leg off and it's not that much more serious! It wasn't that long ago that C sections killed 100% of patients. Even today, although obviously the survival rate is nearly 100%, the post op is not a lot of fun for many people.
[...]

Chemical sterilisation of women is an option that men don't have. That's the point you seem to be willingly missing. You can have an subdermal implant, you can take a pill, half a dozen other options. I'm not even including shitty options like IUDs. Any of those is ALWAYS preferable to surgery. Of course the option to get pregnant or not should be in the hands of women. No one is disagreeing with that. But there better be a damn good reason why you would subject a patient to that risk when there are other very good options available. And if surgery comes down to being the only realistic option, let's see if the male partner will take one for the team first. Women don't have to have surgery to manage birth control. So why the hell would you? (Not including particular medical issues that really do make surgery the best option)

I don't really think this is a fair representation of what I said. I certainly never said that sterilisation is preferable to other forms of contraception. It's certainly not - sterilisation means you're going back to natural periods and many women don't want that. I haven't heard of sterilisation being the nr 1 preferable option for anyone. Actually according to my own doctor, the pill, if used correctly, is safer to prevent pregnancy than sterilisation.

But taking hormones isn't an option for loads of women - I don't know any statistics but just in my group of friends 4 ladies that I know of have been told by their doctor they can't have hormonal birth control anymore. And outside of sterilisation there are few other reliable non-hormonal options. I have a friend who used an app to predict her fertile days (spoiler: yes she got pregnant) and another friend used a women's condom, but apparantly that's a much bigger hassle than a condom for men. I think all women understand the fear of pregnancy and not having access to a reliable form of contraception that you can control must be terrifying. Especially if there's a medical risk in case you get pregnant again. One advantage of living in a small country in Europe is that it's easy to get around. I know one person who travelled abroad to get a sterilisation in s less strict country, but you need to have some money to be able to afford that.

I know C-sections are dangerous - my mother and I nearly died from it. But that's not my point. If sterilisation is a procedure that can easily be combined with a C-section, why aren't women offered that option ( at least not generally where I live, hopefully in other countries it's easier)? The particular friend I keep referring to, because I'm still pissed off at how terribly she was treated by her doctors - she was told never to get pregnant again and that she couldn't have a sterilisation during her C-section because she might regret it during the same conversation that she was having after an unplanned pregnancy because she isn't allowed to take hormones and condoms failed. They already had more kids than they planned for, medically advised not to get pregnant and not a lot of reliable options to prevent pregnancy. I don't know a better case for sterilisation than this friend, and she didn't get it because she was too young (early 30s) so she may regret it.

Of course a doctor should warn about regrets for any elective procedure, but regret shouldn't be a legal ground to sue a doctor. You don't sue your tattoo artist when you regret that.

PMG

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2355 on: March 02, 2020, 02:25:07 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

We had a young woman in our office who was denied implant birth control by her doctor because “If you can swallow a pill, then you’ll take a pill.” She was career and education focused, trying to get established on her own financially and wanted the security of the implant during a time in her life when it wasn’t easy for her to take daily pills.

We had another applicant who told us in an interview that the reason she wanted to leave her old job was because her boss was pushing her to stop taking birth control due to her boss’s religious beliefs. That is certainly not her boss’s business and she eventually ended up unemployed then on a different career path largely due to that.


solon

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2356 on: March 02, 2020, 02:34:06 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Careful, you're not allowed to think Obstetrics and Urology are gross.

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2357 on: March 02, 2020, 02:36:00 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

We had a young woman in our office who was denied implant birth control by her doctor because “If you can swallow a pill, then you’ll take a pill.” She was career and education focused, trying to get established on her own financially and wanted the security of the implant during a time in her life when it wasn’t easy for her to take daily pills.

We had another applicant who told us in an interview that the reason she wanted to leave her old job was because her boss was pushing her to stop taking birth control due to her boss’s religious beliefs. That is certainly not her boss’s business and she eventually ended up unemployed then on a different career path largely due to that.

A boss who is happy for a female employee to get pregnant? Now that's a first.

I use birth control and am medically not able to have kids. One time when someone started the bullshit speech about how women should have kids because God created us to be mothers, I said, well, He didn't choose to bless us that way. That was a very succesful conversation ender.

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2358 on: March 02, 2020, 02:38:01 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Careful, you're not allowed to think Obstetrics and Urology are gross.

"Not allowed"

Goodness, how fragile.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2359 on: March 02, 2020, 03:11:44 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Careful, you're not allowed to think Obstetrics and Urology are gross.

"Not allowed"

Goodness, how fragile.

Why would anyone thing Obstetrics and Urology are gross?  Important basic biological functions.  And a boss thinking someone should not be on birth control seems to be perfect for this thread.  Yikes!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2360 on: March 02, 2020, 08:13:08 PM »
Broke colleague who swings between "look at my new shoes" and "ugh, can't afford to buy food till payday" is now talking about buying a dog.

A $3500 dog.

She lives in a unit, pets aren't permitted and she already has a cat.

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2361 on: March 02, 2020, 08:23:57 PM »
Broke colleague who swings between "look at my new shoes" and "ugh, can't afford to buy food till payday" is now talking about buying a dog.

A $3500 dog.

She lives in a unit, pets aren't permitted and she already has a cat.

If only there was a gold medal for being stupid, she could sell hers and solve her money problems.   For a few months, anyway.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2362 on: March 02, 2020, 09:12:07 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Careful, you're not allowed to think Obstetrics and Urology are gross.

"Not allowed"

Goodness, how fragile.

Why would anyone thing Obstetrics and Urology are gross?  Important basic biological functions.  And a boss thinking someone should not be on birth control seems to be perfect for this thread.  Yikes!

Eh I think proctology is gross and that’s also related to important basic biological functions

Are we not allowed to be fragile now?  Sounds a bit a like social darwinism

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2363 on: March 02, 2020, 09:20:59 PM »
I keep clicking the updates hoping to find something here that someone overheard at work.

We're all retired though

And this puts you in the running for Non-Sequitur of the Month--don't worry though it's early days someone is sure to best you.

If we are retired, sequitur that we do not overhear thing at work.  Don’t worry, it’s late here so maybe I’m reading too much into your comment

Well this is Overheard at Work thread, and whenever I click recently I get Obstetrics and Urology haha

Careful, you're not allowed to think Obstetrics and Urology are gross.

"Not allowed"

Goodness, how fragile.

Why would anyone thing Obstetrics and Urology are gross?  Important basic biological functions.  And a boss thinking someone should not be on birth control seems to be perfect for this thread.  Yikes!

Eh I think proctology is gross and that’s also related to important basic biological functions

Are we not allowed to be fragile now?  Sounds a bit a like social darwinism

I don't about "being allowed" to be fragile, and granted this could have gone elsewhere, but knowing the basics is important to our health.  Ignorance is not bliss. 


Cassie

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2364 on: March 02, 2020, 09:54:21 PM »
I thought tubal ligation was common after having your last kid right after birth. It was for my generation if you had at least two kids. Women should be in charge with no male interference even if you never had kids.

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2365 on: March 02, 2020, 10:42:36 PM »
Here is how this thread topic got started, in case people have forgotten...

Quote
Anyone else hear the craziest things while at work?

Today it was, "Well the commutes gonna be a lot longer, but it was only $100 more per month for a 3 bedroom"

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2366 on: March 04, 2020, 12:59:08 PM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}


Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2367 on: March 04, 2020, 03:10:27 PM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

fell-like-rain

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2368 on: March 04, 2020, 05:01:18 PM »
One of my coworkers was complaining today about all the money they spend. $10 Uber each way to the train station, $8 commuter rail each way, $15 lunch... “I’m spending almost $50 a day just to be in this office!”

I suggested biking to the train station might be an option, and he said “nah, it’s way too far- almost 2 miles! And I’d rather pay $10 for the Uber than spend a thousand dollars on a bike.” And then started complaining about how terrible the train service is and that we should call our legislators to demand improvements.

 I thought about mentioning that my bike cost what he spends on Ubers in 2 weeks, or that even an unfit person could manage 2 miles in 15 minutes, but some conversations are not worth having.

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2369 on: March 04, 2020, 05:05:04 PM »
One of my coworkers was complaining today about all the money they spend. $10 Uber each way to the train station, $8 commuter rail each way, $15 lunch... “I’m spending almost $50 a day just to be in this office!”

I suggested biking to the train station might be an option, and he said “nah, it’s way too far- almost 2 miles! And I’d rather pay $10 for the Uber than spend a thousand dollars on a bike.” And then started complaining about how terrible the train service is and that we should call our legislators to demand improvements.

 I thought about mentioning that my bike cost what he spends on Ubers in 2 weeks, or that even an unfit person could manage 2 miles in 15 minutes, but some conversations are not worth having.

It depends on the 2 miles. I could make it to the train station on my bike, but I would just be walking it up hill to get home. Even the super fit ones who bike it on a regular basis don't make it look easy!

TheFrenchCat

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2370 on: March 04, 2020, 05:11:10 PM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

Ugh, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be by living like this.  I've never been paycheck to paycheck, so it's never mattered much to me how frequently I was paid.  I'm curious though, @Wrenchturner why is it annoying to be paid three times a month?  Does your employer not have direct deposit?

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2371 on: March 04, 2020, 05:25:34 PM »
One of my coworkers was complaining today about all the money they spend. $10 Uber each way to the train station, $8 commuter rail each way, $15 lunch... “I’m spending almost $50 a day just to be in this office!”

I suggested biking to the train station might be an option, and he said “nah, it’s way too far- almost 2 miles! And I’d rather pay $10 for the Uber than spend a thousand dollars on a bike.” And then started complaining about how terrible the train service is and that we should call our legislators to demand improvements.

 I thought about mentioning that my bike cost what he spends on Ubers in 2 weeks, or that even an unfit person could manage 2 miles in 15 minutes, but some conversations are not worth having.

Yikes. That person wants to be broke. I spent $40 on my bike via Craigslist. A 2-mile ride is easy.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2372 on: March 04, 2020, 05:43:25 PM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

Ugh, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be by living like this.  I've never been paycheck to paycheck, so it's never mattered much to me how frequently I was paid.  I'm curious though, @Wrenchturner why is it annoying to be paid three times a month?  Does your employer not have direct deposit?

I have direct deposit, but having my income jump by 50% for ~three months out of the year is annoying because it means I have to go out of my way to invest it.

Davnasty

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2373 on: March 04, 2020, 09:30:04 PM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

Ugh, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be by living like this.  I've never been paycheck to paycheck, so it's never mattered much to me how frequently I was paid.

I've only ever worried about the timing of a pay check once when I didn't have enough to pay rent. Luckily the landlord let me pay late with no fee.

It was so stressful.

Siebrie

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2374 on: March 05, 2020, 02:30:39 AM »
An overheard at my old work:
My former employer offered a very generous company car budget once you reached a certain level in the company. My new Legal Director colleague wanted to look for a car within that budget, but her Legal Vice President colleagues persuaded her to take the company car budget, add her own budget (the amount she would normally privately spend on a car) and get as large a car as she could afford. She did....
She also sold her own car (that makes sense, of course) at a loss (of course), and then left our company within 6 months, as she didn't get along with our micromanaging supervisor.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2375 on: March 05, 2020, 04:34:15 AM »
One of my coworkers was complaining today about all the money they spend. $10 Uber each way to the train station, $8 commuter rail each way, $15 lunch... “I’m spending almost $50 a day just to be in this office!”

I suggested biking to the train station might be an option, and he said “nah, it’s way too far- almost 2 miles! And I’d rather pay $10 for the Uber than spend a thousand dollars on a bike.” And then started complaining about how terrible the train service is and that we should call our legislators to demand improvements.

 I thought about mentioning that my bike cost what he spends on Ubers in 2 weeks, or that even an unfit person could manage 2 miles in 15 minutes, but some conversations are not worth having.

It depends on the 2 miles. I could make it to the train station on my bike, but I would just be walking it up hill to get home. Even the super fit ones who bike it on a regular basis don't make it look easy!
In that case you can buy a cheap electrified bike for $500 shiny new! It pays for itself after just a quarter, probably does not take more time than waiting for the Uber driver and is a lot healthier!

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2376 on: March 05, 2020, 04:35:46 AM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

Ugh, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be by living like this.  I've never been paycheck to paycheck, so it's never mattered much to me how frequently I was paid.  I'm curious though, @Wrenchturner why is it annoying to be paid three times a month?  Does your employer not have direct deposit?

I have direct deposit, but having my income jump by 50% for ~three months out of the year is annoying because it means I have to go out of my way to invest it.

We get paid twice a week and I think it's funny to watch co-workers go on about their "free paycheck" during those months.  But then they also tend to forget that there will be months where the "first" paycheck of the month won't be until 7th or 8th.  My budget system is set up a a little different so I don't really notice how many paychecks I get in a given month.

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2377 on: March 05, 2020, 06:33:37 AM »
The key to an every-other-week paycheck is to set a monthly budget for 2 paychecks (instead of 1/12th annual pay) and get a paycheck ahead on expenses.   That way, you're never waiting on the "next paycheck" to pay the bills, they come out of the last paycheck.  Once that happens, it's a whole lot less stressful.

The nice thing is that if someone sets their monthly budget based on 2 paychecks, within 6 months there will be a 3 paycheck month and they'll now be a paycheck ahead.

And about every 6 months they can get one more paycheck ahead. Over the course of 5 years that's 10 paychecks ahead, or a 5 month emergency fund.   Don't even have to know about how to invest...

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2378 on: March 05, 2020, 07:54:06 AM »
Suggest going to a monthly paycheck schedule and wait for the hand wringing...

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2379 on: March 05, 2020, 08:00:01 AM »
Suggest going to a monthly paycheck schedule and wait for the hand wringing...

Yep.

I actually liked having a monthly paycheck schedule when I was in grad school. Now, my contract companies all pay monthly but on different days. I wish I could set things up to have all of the deposits arrive on the same day.

ChickenStash

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2380 on: March 05, 2020, 08:02:40 AM »
This probably belongs in the MPP thread, but I'll jump on board that the 2-week checks are mildly annoying. Every bill I have is defined monthly (or 3/6 monthly) and usually due the same business day (+/- a weekend) so having the actual pay date moving around means I have to keep a greater slush amount in my checking account to make sure things are covered. Add to it that the 3rd paycheck in a month is a different amount (no insurance deductions) and things get wonky and upset my sense of order. lol

My previous employer paid monthly on the last Friday of the month. It was glorious. Every check was the same, on the same (business) day. Never heard anyone there complain about budgeting for it, though. Most of my coworkers were frugal by normal society's standards - not by this community, though. :)

sherr

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2381 on: March 05, 2020, 09:21:46 AM »
CW:  I like getting paid every two weeks.  It's so much easier to plan that way
me:  ...
CW:  Once I worked somewhere that they paid twice a month - the 15th and the 30th.  I hated it!
me: ...
CW:  It's so hard to plan around that.
me:  ...
CW:  If the 15th fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the check until Monday!
CW:  I used to go out a lot more, and you can imagine if I didn't get paid until Monday, then that made going out all that much more difficult
me:  {don't ask, don't ask, don't engage and maybe he'll just stop talking}

Some people can't seem to get past basic arithmetic.  If you told this person that credit cards offer 30 days interest free, you'd probably see them maxed out in days.

I would rather be paid twice a month.  The three paycheck months are kind of annoying.

Ugh, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be by living like this.  I've never been paycheck to paycheck, so it's never mattered much to me how frequently I was paid.  I'm curious though, @Wrenchturner why is it annoying to be paid three times a month?  Does your employer not have direct deposit?

When my work transitioned from twice-monthly to bi-weekly paychecks a bunch of people flipped out. The only legitimate (IMO) complaint was that a bunch of bills are defined monthly (utilities, credit card, car payment, mortgage, alimony, child support, etc.) and so if you are living paycheck-to-paycheck on those monthly bills then bi-weekly paychecks make life harder because the amount you get monthly goes down until you hit the three-paycheck month.

That's at least logical, if not the most mustachian thing in the world. There was also a bunch of conspiracy-theorizing about how $employer was just keeping money longer so they could gain more interest on it, which if course makes absolutely no mathematical sense since they're actually truing-up with you more often, meaning that $company would get less money in interest. The number of completely math-illiterate people in senior positions was eye-opening, and they would just double-down and argue harder when you proved them mathematically wrong.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2020, 09:44:07 AM by sherr »

wellactually

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2382 on: March 05, 2020, 09:31:48 AM »
I've been paycheck to paycheck on bi-monthly and bi-weekly and it didn't make too much difference. It's hard no matter what. Dragging yourself out of that is incredibly difficult.

Now, both DH and I get paid bi-weekly and we're on opposite weeks. So we get a paycheck every Friday. That is pretty awesome. We're not paycheck to paycheck anymore, but it's nice to not have to keep a huge buffer in checking for cashflow.

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2383 on: March 05, 2020, 09:39:28 AM »
When I was paycheck to paycheck, I liked bi-weekly. I managed for 10 months out of the year and the other two months gave me a bit of a breather/ chance to catch up.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2384 on: March 05, 2020, 12:49:50 PM »
When I was paycheck to paycheck, I liked bi-weekly. I managed for 10 months out of the year and the other two months gave me a bit of a breather/ chance to catch up.

My property tax is due semiannually in a way that kind of lines up with the third paycheck of the occasional two-paycheck month, so I enjoy the luxury of simply earmarking a portion of that extra paycheck for the property tax.

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2385 on: March 05, 2020, 08:47:33 PM »
For most of my career I was paid weekly, so I always budgeted on a weekly basis. I still have our vanguard contributions come out weekly though we both are now paid every two weeks, and on the same day at that.

I’m sure it is less than optimized, but we just keep a bunch of cash sloshing around in checking so I never have to think about lumpy payments. My brain space is finite and I’d rather actively manage something else.

bostonjim

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2386 on: March 06, 2020, 01:29:17 PM »
Sad thing is that these days, the amount of interest you get on savings accounts makes it hardly worth the effort to move money back and forth for cash flow reasons.  I usually just leave a bunch of money in the checking account and then when it gets too big transfer a bunch up to an investment account.

Jouer

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2387 on: March 06, 2020, 02:15:44 PM »
Sad thing is that these days, the amount of interest you get on savings accounts makes it hardly worth the effort to move money back and forth for cash flow reasons.  I usually just leave a bunch of money in the checking account and then when it gets too big transfer a bunch up to an investment account.

MMM World Problems


charis

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2388 on: March 06, 2020, 06:09:54 PM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2389 on: March 06, 2020, 08:30:13 PM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.
I notice payday because I LOVE PAYDAY. I have no problem dancing around the office every two weeks singing about payday. It's the entire reason that I'm there ffs.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2390 on: March 06, 2020, 09:08:57 PM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.

Same. Husband gets paid W-2 income weekly and works somewhat variable hours. I get paid on three days per month (contracts with three different companies) in varying amounts, which means it's difficult to automate finances to allocate 30% of my gross to the account for quarterly taxes and 30% of all net into various savings accounts (beyond 401k and some HSA out of husband's check). So yeah, it's much easier to know when payments come in so that everything gets allocated right away.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2391 on: March 06, 2020, 11:17:55 PM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.
I notice payday because I LOVE PAYDAY. I have no problem dancing around the office every two weeks singing about payday. It's the entire reason that I'm there ffs.

I can’t believe you like money too... 

We should hang out!

imadandylion

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2392 on: March 07, 2020, 09:07:25 AM »
I took a Lyft to a job site (company expensed) which I normally wouldn't, but I couldn't get a rental car in time. When we were on the highway, we must have passed by some large signage about car insurance premiums, because the driver immediately asked me, "Shocking, right? Well I pay much more for my car insurance than that!" He went on to say how his car insurance premiums doubled this year, so he has to pay $8,000 a year vs $4,000 from last year. "I have two luxury cars, but still!" (Said Lyft was a Mercedes Benz.) He said he'd have to call his insurance agent right after this ride. Throughout this ride, he mentioned he was retired, but drives Lyft part-time to make money, but then complained about the mortgage and other costs on his condo. He said apartments are icky, which is funny to me because condos basically are apartments.

So glad I don't have a car. But I've personally never owned a car so IDK. It just seems like a lot of trouble.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2393 on: March 07, 2020, 03:59:20 PM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.
I notice payday because I LOVE PAYDAY. I have no problem dancing around the office every two weeks singing about payday. It's the entire reason that I'm there ffs.

I can’t believe you like money too... 

We should hang out!

You'd be surprised at some reactions I've had. I had a manager years ago get all sniffy and tell me that it can't just all be about the money. I asked him how long he'd come to work if they didn't pay him.....

I had another co worker tell me that it was rude to dance around and act like I was only here because I was getting paid. My manager heard and said she was also only there because she was getting paid. Co worker thought we were both rude.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2394 on: March 08, 2020, 04:28:19 AM »
This paycheck schedule conversation comes up periodically on this site and the responses seem to be, don't notice payday because I don't live paycheck to paycheck, or everything is earmarked so I absolutely notice.  I am in the latter camp.  Nothing is really slush.  We send a narrow amount in the checking account to cover regular expenses and bills and everything else is direct deposited to savings, investment, or education accounts.

So I definitely know when payday is and we are purposely budgeted in a paycheck to paycheck manner, in that we pretend that the other accounts don't exist. I assume other folks in the accumulation phase do the same.
I notice payday because I LOVE PAYDAY. I have no problem dancing around the office every two weeks singing about payday. It's the entire reason that I'm there ffs.

I can’t believe you like money too... 

We should hang out!

You'd be surprised at some reactions I've had. I had a manager years ago get all sniffy and tell me that it can't just all be about the money. I asked him how long he'd come to work if they didn't pay him.....

I had another co worker tell me that it was rude to dance around and act like I was only here because I was getting paid. My manager heard and said she was also only there because she was getting paid. Co worker thought we were both rude.

Well..... it's unmoral to not work, right?

or so we have been told for ages by people who did not need to "work".

MissNancyPryor

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2395 on: March 08, 2020, 10:49:32 AM »
I loved payday too.  It was the reason I worked.  The art is to pretend you don't care and be a good sheep like the others so you can enjoy bigger and uninterrupted paydays.  Never underestimate that sniffy manager who would put your name on a short list to be booted with a downturn-  many people are jealous egocentric jack wangs who secretly harbor darkness in their hearts.  They are not happy for you, they don't want dancing over paychecks, they don't want drama in the workplace if dancing offends others.  They want sheep who stay in their place. 

I had the conversation once at age 25 with a boss who gave me the "I work for noble reasons" bullshit and when I asked if they would keep working the day after they won the lottery the answer was a hard NOPE.  But until that jackpot arrived that boss was going to keep the noble stick up their ass and pretend to be above it all.  And my name was put on the short list of uppity workers who were trouble and things were not very pleasant for me afterward.  Fortunately I left on my own accord but I learned the lesson.  I learned to fake it as long as required while keeping mental clarity that I was there for the little green rectangles.  Keeping it clear in my mind that I was trading bits of my life for those little green rectangles is what made FIRE an option at all.           
« Last Edit: March 08, 2020, 10:51:32 AM by MissNancyPryor »

SunnyDays

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2396 on: March 08, 2020, 04:05:18 PM »
I also loved payday.  Loved to see the savings racking up.  One co-worker said "It makes no difference because it's already spent."

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2397 on: March 08, 2020, 04:08:46 PM »
I loved payday too.  It was the reason I worked.  The art is to pretend you don't care and be a good sheep like the others so you can enjoy bigger and uninterrupted paydays.  Never underestimate that sniffy manager who would put your name on a short list to be booted with a downturn-  many people are jealous egocentric jack wangs who secretly harbor darkness in their hearts.  They are not happy for you, they don't want dancing over paychecks, they don't want drama in the workplace if dancing offends others.  They want sheep who stay in their place. 

I had the conversation once at age 25 with a boss who gave me the "I work for noble reasons" bullshit and when I asked if they would keep working the day after they won the lottery the answer was a hard NOPE.  But until that jackpot arrived that boss was going to keep the noble stick up their ass and pretend to be above it all.  And my name was put on the short list of uppity workers who were trouble and things were not very pleasant for me afterward.  Fortunately I left on my own accord but I learned the lesson.  I learned to fake it as long as required while keeping mental clarity that I was there for the little green rectangles.  Keeping it clear in my mind that I was trading bits of my life for those little green rectangles is what made FIRE an option at all.         

That's all absolutely true. Unfortunately, I'm shit at playing the game and pretending. Dancing around on payday is the least of my workplace issues. If there's a shortlist, I'm always on the frickin thing.

Love the term 'jackwang'. I'm going to use that.

Fomerly known as something

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2398 on: March 09, 2020, 05:48:17 AM »
I also live “paycheck to paycheck” because everything is allocated.  I have a golden parachute of a pension.  I am actively thinking about how I have to transition in 2025 from biweekly pay to monthly.  I’m use to first paycheck is mortgage and investments to vanguard second paycheck pays everything else (aka paid in full credit card which also is all utilities etc)

Magic Mocha

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2399 on: March 09, 2020, 09:26:00 AM »
Recently started a cushy office job in gov't contracting. There's a coworker I really don't understand, let's call her Gwen.

  • She's 32 with 2 kids - single, with shared custody of them with dad
  • No degree
  • High-level clearance
  • Makes at least 85k, likely more.

Our contract was recently won by a different company, which means we have to re-interview for our jobs and there's a chance some of us won't get hired. This is our last month on the current contract, but we've also known this transition has been coming since I got here 6 months ago, probably longer.

In those 6 months, her work schedule for our 9-5 job is:
  • Get in at 10
  • On good days, "work" from 10-3, with an hour lunch
  • On bad days, "work" from 10-11, then she's out of the office from 11-2:30
  • 2:30 - 3 Eat lunch (always a local restaurant or Uber Eats) & chat with us
  • Leave at 3.

Good:Bad Day ratio is probably 3:2. When she does work, it's at least 50% Instagram scrolling or chatting with her friends/boyfriend on the phone.

Unsurprisingly, she's not getting a recommendation from our boss to be brought onto the new contract. Her response to the lack of contact from the new company while the rest of us get emails & offers is a lot of worrying. Talking about her anxiety*, how she has never used LinkedIn and it's such a pain to re-type her resume, how she's got two kids to support*, and has nothing saved and will need to dip into her 401k after her Tax Return runs out, and she hopes God comes through for her. Nevermind that in the last 2 months she's been on a cruise and gone gambling a few times.

I hope I'm not being too uncharitable here. I feel like 85k is a lot of money given lack of a degree for a pretty easy office job with flexible hours that many of my friends would take and work hard at in a heartbeat.

*No disrespect to those suffering from anxiety or who have kids to support. I don't have either, but think they're both extremely legitimate factors. I can see why being extra tired from kids or irrational due to anxiety would make things harder, especially for a single mom. My issue is that I don't see any signs that these fears encourage her to do anything different or take personal responsibility where she can.

Bonus: She freely admits she owes over 100k in legal fees from custody battles over her kids.