Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1112842 times)

Miss Piggy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1548
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #350 on: February 09, 2019, 09:56:51 PM »

 It gets stale like bread.

That made me laugh

I've also read (on the internet, of course) that it can mold. So yeah, it's gotta be spent before it goes bad.

ditheca

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 309
  • Age: 40
  • Location: ST GEORGE, UT
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #351 on: February 09, 2019, 10:22:21 PM »
Wait... 49 people... in HOTELS, and MEALS, and GIFTS, FOR A WEEK? (Please note my tone of my voice rises until it hits a screech at the end of the sentence....)

I knew I shouldn't be grumpy at getting stuck with the bill for Christmas Dinner!  I certainly wasn't planning on hosting my brother, parents, grandparents, and in-laws...

$200+ for that meal probably extended my time to FIRE by less than a day... small price for keeping the peace.

Prodigal Daughter

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 115
  • Location: The Great Plains
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #352 on: February 11, 2019, 08:29:23 AM »
Ya'll. I'm sure this thread is lousy with coworker car buying examples, but I'm so astounded that I just have to share. Also, because it's probably not appropriate for me to gossip about AT work...

Our new coworker, who is 23 or 24 was buying her first (well, second) car. Meaning, she's been driving the same old Toyota since high school that has over 200,000 miles, etc. We all gave her some advice and tried to point her in the right direction. One of my coworkers even sold used cars for a few months after she graduated from college over a decade ago, and she has great advice about how to deal with dealerships if you are going that route.

Cut to this morning. She's STOKED about her new used car. It's a 2018 RAV4. Which, of course, is a much newer and more expensive used car than I would ever buy, but she shares a house with roommates and has no kids and so I'm not going to judge too much.

But then she starts telling us about her extended warranty, gap coverage, and how her payments are only $455 a month. It took ALL MY WILLPOWER not to drop my jaw. THEN, my other coworker (whom I must mention is the NICEST and MOST WONDERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD and would give you the shirt off her back, so I feel terrible saying this) goes "oh yeah, gap insurance, that's legit".

I am DYING over here. I refused to s*** on her happiness about her new car, but oh my god. It made me grateful that I've always bought cheaper cars and also always done a ton of research before ever going through the car buying process.

Sugaree

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #353 on: February 11, 2019, 09:10:47 AM »
Ya'll. I'm sure this thread is lousy with coworker car buying examples, but I'm so astounded that I just have to share. Also, because it's probably not appropriate for me to gossip about AT work...

Our new coworker, who is 23 or 24 was buying her first (well, second) car. Meaning, she's been driving the same old Toyota since high school that has over 200,000 miles, etc. We all gave her some advice and tried to point her in the right direction. One of my coworkers even sold used cars for a few months after she graduated from college over a decade ago, and she has great advice about how to deal with dealerships if you are going that route.

Cut to this morning. She's STOKED about her new used car. It's a 2018 RAV4. Which, of course, is a much newer and more expensive used car than I would ever buy, but she shares a house with roommates and has no kids and so I'm not going to judge too much.

But then she starts telling us about her extended warranty, gap coverage, and how her payments are only $455 a month. It took ALL MY WILLPOWER not to drop my jaw. THEN, my other coworker (whom I must mention is the NICEST and MOST WONDERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD and would give you the shirt off her back, so I feel terrible saying this) goes "oh yeah, gap insurance, that's legit".

I am DYING over here. I refused to s*** on her happiness about her new car, but oh my god. It made me grateful that I've always bought cheaper cars and also always done a ton of research before ever going through the car buying process.

At least she's (probably) not stretching it out to a 7 year loan...


Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt here.

Prodigal Daughter

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 115
  • Location: The Great Plains
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #354 on: February 11, 2019, 09:56:38 AM »
Ya'll. I'm sure this thread is lousy with coworker car buying examples, but I'm so astounded that I just have to share. Also, because it's probably not appropriate for me to gossip about AT work...

Our new coworker, who is 23 or 24 was buying her first (well, second) car. Meaning, she's been driving the same old Toyota since high school that has over 200,000 miles, etc. We all gave her some advice and tried to point her in the right direction. One of my coworkers even sold used cars for a few months after she graduated from college over a decade ago, and she has great advice about how to deal with dealerships if you are going that route.

Cut to this morning. She's STOKED about her new used car. It's a 2018 RAV4. Which, of course, is a much newer and more expensive used car than I would ever buy, but she shares a house with roommates and has no kids and so I'm not going to judge too much.

But then she starts telling us about her extended warranty, gap coverage, and how her payments are only $455 a month. It took ALL MY WILLPOWER not to drop my jaw. THEN, my other coworker (whom I must mention is the NICEST and MOST WONDERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD and would give you the shirt off her back, so I feel terrible saying this) goes "oh yeah, gap insurance, that's legit".

I am DYING over here. I refused to s*** on her happiness about her new car, but oh my god. It made me grateful that I've always bought cheaper cars and also always done a ton of research before ever going through the car buying process.

At least she's (probably) not stretching it out to a 7 year loan...


Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt here.

I know! I did a rough calculation and it's probably a 5 year loan...but damn. That's a long time to be locked into $455 payments!

HamsterStache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 100
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #355 on: February 11, 2019, 10:22:23 AM »

My husband had to explain to a coworker what Aldi actually was. The coworker thought it was a "about-to-expire" food discount store.


Nothing wrong with those either!

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #356 on: February 11, 2019, 10:41:54 AM »
Gap insurance in indeed legit if you don’t have a lot of money

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6693
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #357 on: February 11, 2019, 01:26:33 PM »
She's STOKED about her new used car. It's a 2018 RAV4.

She could have still had more or less a new car had she gone for a three year old off-lease. Those still only have 40K miles and the payment would be much lower. 40K miles ain't nothing when a modern car will last north of 250K miles if well kept.

I've even seen 15 year old cars with low miles. That can be a real money saver done right.

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #358 on: February 12, 2019, 01:21:29 AM »
I've even seen 15 year old cars with low miles. That can be a real money saver done right.

I once bought a 10 year old car with low mileage and well kept. We used it as car number two, for driving short distances to the train station, which is a bit too far to walk to. The car is now in it's 19th year. Last year it needed a new wheel bearer, but that is the only repair we have had in all those years.

cassafrass

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 56
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #359 on: February 12, 2019, 08:16:29 AM »

But then she starts telling us about her extended warranty, gap coverage, and how her payments are only $455 a month.

Not overheard at work, but this car payment reminds me of something I over-read in a moms' group:

A mom was complaining about the cost of childcare - which I agree is expensive, but (for me) a necessary and justified expense. But then she lost me when she said, "$2000/mo? That's ridiculous! It's even more than my car payment!"

Whaaaat?? The idea that someone has a monthly car payment anywhere near that amount is totally shocking to me. I thought bills like that were for movie stars and CEOs! I'm still begrudgingly paying off my husband's $155/mo payment and it hurts every time I see the money leave our account.

And the thought that anyone would be surprised and indignant about paying more for childcare than their car was a little saddening. Priorities people!

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #360 on: February 12, 2019, 08:26:55 AM »
But on-topic - coworkers were discussing budgeting with the usual "I-can't"-isms, and one of them cited among reasons budgets didn't apply well to their situation was that they keep having changes in their circumstances that throw off their planning: a promotion, a raise... how does MORE income throw off a budget?

Well DUH! A person has to spend all of it. Can't leave any money in the bank account at the end of the month. It gets stale like bread.

Nope. It goes bad like milk. Too bad they don't turn it into tasty cheese.

jimmymango

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 43
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #361 on: February 12, 2019, 10:21:38 AM »
I made many bad car decisions (and decisions in general) when I was younger, all of which started during the height of gas prices after Katrina. Sold the (paid-off) truck my dad gave to me because the cost of gas was killing me for my 90 minute (!) commute. Bought a 1981 Toyota Celica with 220,000 miles on it, into which I had to immediately invest thousands of dollars to repair. To be fair, I loved that car so much, even though the thing could barely go 70 without feeling like the engine was going to 'splode and didn't have working seatbelts when I got it (what was I thinking?!)...when you were on a winding back road low to the ground shifting with the 5 speed, you felt like you were a Formula 1 driver. One day in a rainstorm when I hadn't rolled the window up using the special technique you needed to get a good seal and subsequently sat down in a puddle, I donated it to Kars for Kids (the jingle is now stuck in my head again). This would be a great weekend project car now that I'm in a far different and better stage of life, but alas...

Anyway, this is not a Face Punch Me thread, so to the point at hand...

Received this text from my wife today: "I just heard one of the nurses say to another nurse, 'Do you have a credit card? Can I use your credit card to book a vacation and I'll pay you $50 a week?'"

So much wrong with the statement and the thought process (or lack of) that lead to the statement...I'm can't stop thinking about this.

chicagomeg

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1196
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #362 on: February 12, 2019, 10:35:51 AM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.


dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #363 on: February 12, 2019, 12:06:22 PM »
But on-topic - coworkers were discussing budgeting with the usual "I-can't"-isms, and one of them cited among reasons budgets didn't apply well to their situation was that they keep having changes in their circumstances that throw off their planning: a promotion, a raise... how does MORE income throw off a budget?

Well DUH! A person has to spend all of it. Can't leave any money in the bank account at the end of the month. It gets stale like bread.

Nope. It goes bad like milk. Too bad they don't turn it into tasty cheese.

Fun fact: Cheddar isn't naturally yellow.  They add a food coloring so it will be more visible in case of an airplane crash.

TVRodriguez

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 773
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #364 on: February 12, 2019, 12:29:33 PM »
Received this text from my wife today: "I just heard one of the nurses say to another nurse, 'Do you have a credit card? Can I use your credit card to book a vacation and I'll pay you $50 a week?'"

No words.

bluebelle

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 645
  • Location: near north Ontario
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #365 on: February 12, 2019, 12:48:10 PM »
Received this text from my wife today: "I just heard one of the nurses say to another nurse, 'Do you have a credit card? Can I use your credit card to book a vacation and I'll pay you $50 a week?'"

No words.
cannot compute.....cannot fathom.....the optimist in me wants to believe your wife over-heard a joke.

oldmannickels

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 249
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #366 on: February 12, 2019, 01:33:53 PM »
The co-worker in the office next to me is leaving after 20+ years where I work. I thought good for him kids out of college, trying something new. Heard through the grapevine that he had to leave so he could access his 401k to pay of debtors.

ixtap

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4553
  • Age: 51
  • Location: SoCal
    • Our Sea Story
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #367 on: February 12, 2019, 01:36:46 PM »
The co-worker in the office next to me is leaving after 20+ years where I work. I thought good for him kids out of college, trying something new. Heard through the grapevine that he had to leave so he could access his 401k to pay of debtors.

Wouldn't it be better to keep the job and pay the penalty on the 401k??

oldmannickels

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 249
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #368 on: February 12, 2019, 02:06:34 PM »
The co-worker in the office next to me is leaving after 20+ years where I work. I thought good for him kids out of college, trying something new. Heard through the grapevine that he had to leave so he could access his 401k to pay of debtors.

Wouldn't it be better to keep the job and pay the penalty on the 401k??

Some plans don't allow "in service" distributions. He applied and got denied and that's how we all know.

Maenad

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 643
  • Location: Minneapolis 'burbs
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #369 on: February 12, 2019, 02:57:25 PM »
Hold up, maybe she’s a millennial and it’s avocado toast, which is why she can’t afford a house
OT, but a friend noticed I was making avocado toast once and said, "You own a house, you're allowed."

okits

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 13000
  • Location: Canada
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #370 on: February 12, 2019, 10:21:08 PM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #371 on: February 13, 2019, 01:34:23 AM »
I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

The website doesn't let me read the article as long as I don't switch off my ad-blocker, which I won't do. :-(

But what a concept. I understand that the concept sells, apart from the absurd price...
When I ever buy flowers (a few times a year), I usually buy roses, because they normally last longer than most other flowers.

mustachepungoeshere

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2404
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #372 on: February 13, 2019, 01:45:28 AM »
And the thought that anyone would be surprised and indignant about paying more for childcare than their car was a little saddening. Priorities people!

Well, at least a car is useful. /s

AMandM

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1673
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #373 on: February 13, 2019, 08:23:27 AM »
Received this text from my wife today: "I just heard one of the nurses say to another nurse, 'Do you have a credit card? Can I use your credit card to book a vacation and I'll pay you $50 a week?'"

PLEASE tell me the other nurse said no right away!

markbike528CBX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1899
  • Location: the Everbrown part of the Evergreen State (WA)
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #374 on: February 13, 2019, 09:52:26 AM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

I have a negative reaction to cut flowere.   Eww... severed sex organs for purely viewing pleasure.. 

Associations llke The Bobbits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt come to mind. 

Sugaree

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #375 on: February 13, 2019, 10:25:20 AM »
I think I just outed myself at work.  The guys were having a discussion about how sometimes working too much overtime will push you into the next tax bracket (obviously they don't understand marginal tax brackets and I didn't have it in me to explain it).  The discussion turned to how much it would take to max out our TSP and without thinking I blurted out how much it would take, to the penny.  At least one of them was also under the impression that the agency match counted toward that limit.  I think this stemmed from some badly explained info from a retirement seminar years ago.

ixtap

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4553
  • Age: 51
  • Location: SoCal
    • Our Sea Story
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #376 on: February 13, 2019, 10:27:09 AM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

I have a negative reaction to cut flowere.   Eww... severed sex organs for purely viewing pleasure.. 

Associations llke The Bobbits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt come to mind.

I also have a negative reaction to flowers: watery eyes, sneezing, asthma in the worst cases ...

jimmymango

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 43
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #377 on: February 13, 2019, 11:28:05 AM »
Received this text from my wife today: "I just heard one of the nurses say to another nurse, 'Do you have a credit card? Can I use your credit card to book a vacation and I'll pay you $50 a week?'"

PLEASE tell me the other nurse said no right away!

I could not stop thinking about this and my wife later said she wasn't sure if the person was joking or not. With the nonsense I see people pull (a grandmother in her 30s [went to high school with her] creating a GoFundMe page to raise $5,000 because she's pregnant again and the dad is...surprise surprise...not in the picture), I'm inclined to think this was a real request. Because why not owe someone $50/week instead of save $50/week to pay for a vacation? You deserve the vacation now!

Pencil_Stash

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #378 on: February 13, 2019, 11:34:36 AM »
My boyfriend's coworkers/friends were complaining about getting an advance on their paychecks before Christmas (paid 1.5-2 months pay all at once).  They were upset because - as we all know - that means you have to make the money last longer...

Here's the cringey bit:
Later I asked my boyfriend if that was normal for his coworkers and he said, "Yeah, before I met you I would literally put everything on my debit card and spendspendspendspendspend until it was declined.  Check the date.  'Oh shit it's only the 21st.'"
« Last Edit: February 13, 2019, 11:36:39 AM by Pencil_Stash »

ixtap

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4553
  • Age: 51
  • Location: SoCal
    • Our Sea Story
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #379 on: February 13, 2019, 11:41:05 AM »
My boyfriend's coworkers/friends were complaining about getting an advance on their paychecks before Christmas (paid 1.5-2 months pay all at once).  They were upset because - as we all know - that means you have to make the money last longer...

Here's the cringey bit:
Later I asked my boyfriend if that was normal for his coworkers and he said, "Yeah, before I met you I would literally put everything on my debit card and spendspendspendspendspend until it was declined.  Check the date.  'Oh shit it's only the 21st.'"

I once worked with a guy who would borrow $20 bucks pay me back the next pay check, borrow $20, pay me back...

I wonder how people who work as wait staff do overall? I literally had cash in my pocket every shift, but had to keep most of it to pay rent.

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #380 on: February 13, 2019, 11:45:00 AM »
i bought a ladie's and bag at a store once for Xmas.
i did not know that some women just buy like a handbag every day. 
the woman in front of me had to try 3 credit/debit  cards before one was accepted

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #381 on: February 14, 2019, 03:04:12 AM »
i bought a ladie's and bag at a store once for Xmas.
i did not know that some women just buy like a handbag every day. 
the woman in front of me had to try 3 credit/debit  cards before one was accepted

Sometimes the card or the terminal just doesn't work correctly. I recently had to try different cards in a grocery shop before one of them worked. Nothing wrong with the coverage on them.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2019, 08:00:31 AM by Linda_Norway »

AMandM

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1673
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #382 on: February 14, 2019, 07:54:29 AM »
Because why not owe someone $50/week instead of save $50/week to pay for a vacation? You deserve the vacation now!

Especially if you owe the $50 a week to a coworker, who probably won't have the guts to come after you if you're having hard time finding that $50 this month....

dcheesi

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1309
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #383 on: February 14, 2019, 09:20:09 AM »
i bought a ladie's and bag at a store once for Xmas.
i did not know that some women just buy like a handbag every day. 
the woman in front of me had to try 3 credit/debit  cards before one was accepted

Sometimes the card or the terminal just doesn't work correctly. I recently had to try different cards in a grocery shop before one of them worked. Nothing wrong with the coverage on them.
Yeah, my main rewards card has gotten flaky, presumably from overuse. It can take two or three tries to get the chip to work, and sometimes it has to fall back to using the mag-stripe (still an option in the US). Sometimes I'll just switch cards instead, even though the rewards aren't as good on the other card I carry.

Slow&Steady

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 698
  • Location: Midwest
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #384 on: February 14, 2019, 10:01:19 AM »
I just went down to HR to ask if I could change my 401k contribution on just my bonus.  I have now learned that not only can I NOT change my 401k contribution for my bonus, bonuses do not contribute to the 401k at all, not even at my current selected contribution rate!!

It was suggested to me to just up my contribution rate for the next couple of regularly scheduled paychecks, when I asked what the max contribution % I was allowed was, HR had to look it up.

The main reason that I wanted to divert most of my bonus to 401k was to stop the standard 50% from being deducted for taxes.  We are expecting something to happen this year that will make our tax liability basically 0 and I don't want to give the IRS an interest free loan.  Even if I up my current contribution rate and decrease what is currently be withheld for taxes (already set pretty low due to expectations) there is still the fact that I am giving the IRS a pretty hefty interest free loan in March that I probably won't get paid back for 12-14 months. I am annoyed!

flipboard

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 291
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #385 on: February 14, 2019, 10:10:11 AM »
]Yeah, my main rewards card has gotten flaky, presumably from overuse. It can take two or three tries to get the chip to work, and sometimes it has to fall back to using the mag-stripe (still an option in the US). Sometimes I'll just switch cards instead, even though the rewards aren't as good on the other card I carry.
Have you tried asking for a replacement? I think most card companies give you a free replacement for damaged cards every so often (e.g. at least once a year).

The alternative is to attach it to Apple/Android Pay on your smartphone, and pay contactless. Although when I last visited the US I noticed hardly any shops actually offer contactless (whereas it's ubiquitous here where I live).

SunnyDays

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3484
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #386 on: February 14, 2019, 10:20:26 AM »

My husband had to explain to a coworker what Aldi actually was. The coworker thought it was a "about-to-expire" food discount store.


Wish we had Aldi's in Canada!  I once called Maple Leaf about an old can of ham I found in a relative's cupboard and was told that it was actually good for 2 YEARS past the expiry date.  So I imagine other company's products are similar.  I also heard that the taste and nutritional value may be altered, but that nothing canned will ever make you sick as long as there are no dents in the tin.  Now, I'm way less concerned about dates.

Nothing wrong with those either!

Sugaree

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #387 on: February 14, 2019, 10:22:07 AM »
]Yeah, my main rewards card has gotten flaky, presumably from overuse. It can take two or three tries to get the chip to work, and sometimes it has to fall back to using the mag-stripe (still an option in the US). Sometimes I'll just switch cards instead, even though the rewards aren't as good on the other card I carry.
Have you tried asking for a replacement? I think most card companies give you a free replacement for damaged cards every so often (e.g. at least once a year).

The alternative is to attach it to Apple/Android Pay on your smartphone, and pay contactless. Although when I last visited the US I noticed hardly any shops actually offer contactless (whereas it's ubiquitous here where I live).

The Apple/Android/Google Pay thing has gotten better as of late.  I can pretty much pay for everything except gas with my phone.  Which is good, because I tend to keep my credit cards locked in a drawer in my office because there is a certain person who lives in my house who don't seem to grasp the concept that you don't buy something with a card that you can't pay off immediately. 

Jouer

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 501
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #388 on: February 14, 2019, 11:10:24 AM »
Hold up, maybe she’s a millennial and it’s avocado toast, which is why she can’t afford a house
OT, but a friend noticed I was making avocado toast once and said, "You own a house, you're allowed."

Excellent joke! I sometimes make avo toast for my wife, a millennial. I like to jokingly ask if I'm allowed to have some given I'm GenX.

dcheesi

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1309
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #389 on: February 14, 2019, 11:21:06 AM »
I just went down to HR to ask if I could change my 401k contribution on just my bonus.  I have now learned that not only can I NOT change my 401k contribution for my bonus, bonuses do not contribute to the 401k at all, not even at my current selected contribution rate!!

It was suggested to me to just up my contribution rate for the next couple of regularly scheduled paychecks, when I asked what the max contribution % I was allowed was, HR had to look it up.

The main reason that I wanted to divert most of my bonus to 401k was to stop the standard 50% from being deducted for taxes.  We are expecting something to happen this year that will make our tax liability basically 0 and I don't want to give the IRS an interest free loan.  Even if I up my current contribution rate and decrease what is currently be withheld for taxes (already set pretty low due to expectations) there is still the fact that I am giving the IRS a pretty hefty interest free loan in March that I probably won't get paid back for 12-14 months. I am annoyed!
The counterpoint to this is when 401K is applied to the bonus, and it screws up people's carefully planned out contribution rate.

If your company match is X% of salary and paid per-paycheck, then if you hit your max early you may miss out on matching payment for the last few checks of the year. So many folks will tweak their contribution % to hit the max right at the end of the year.

Then, if the bonus is equivalent to multiple paychecks, and 401K is applied to that, then you may get the standard X% of salary in match there, only to lose 2 or 3*X% in matching at the end of the year (after hitting your max 2-3 paychecks early).

If it's mid-year, then you may be able to lower your contribution % for the rest of the year, but if it's near the end of the year that might not be feasible.

[In any case, this sounds more like a candidate for the MPP thread. We now return you to your regularly scheduled workplace shame and comedy, already in progress...]
« Last Edit: February 14, 2019, 11:23:38 AM by dcheesi »

Slow&Steady

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 698
  • Location: Midwest
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #390 on: February 14, 2019, 11:40:58 AM »
I just went down to HR to ask if I could change my 401k contribution on just my bonus.  I have now learned that not only can I NOT change my 401k contribution for my bonus, bonuses do not contribute to the 401k at all, not even at my current selected contribution rate!!

It was suggested to me to just up my contribution rate for the next couple of regularly scheduled paychecks, when I asked what the max contribution % I was allowed was, HR had to look it up.

The main reason that I wanted to divert most of my bonus to 401k was to stop the standard 50% from being deducted for taxes.  We are expecting something to happen this year that will make our tax liability basically 0 and I don't want to give the IRS an interest free loan.  Even if I up my current contribution rate and decrease what is currently be withheld for taxes (already set pretty low due to expectations) there is still the fact that I am giving the IRS a pretty hefty interest free loan in March that I probably won't get paid back for 12-14 months. I am annoyed!
The counterpoint to this is when 401K is applied to the bonus, and it screws up people's carefully planned out contribution rate.

If your company match is X% of salary and paid per-paycheck, then if you hit your max early you may miss out on matching payment for the last few checks of the year. So many folks will tweak their contribution % to hit the max right at the end of the year.

Then, if the bonus is equivalent to multiple paychecks, and 401K is applied to that, then you may get the standard X% of salary in match there, only to lose 2 or 3*X% in matching at the end of the year (after hitting your max 2-3 paychecks early).

If it's mid-year, then you may be able to lower your contribution % for the rest of the year, but if it's near the end of the year that might not be feasible.

[In any case, this sounds more like a candidate for the MPP thread. We now return you to your regularly scheduled workplace shame and comedy, already in progress...]

Excellent points!

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #391 on: February 14, 2019, 11:57:05 AM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

I have a negative reaction to cut flowere.   Eww... severed sex organs for purely viewing pleasure.. 

Associations llke The Bobbits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt come to mind.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2594

sherr

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1541
  • Age: 38
  • Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #392 on: February 14, 2019, 12:32:53 PM »
I just went down to HR to ask if I could change my 401k contribution on just my bonus.  I have now learned that not only can I NOT change my 401k contribution for my bonus, bonuses do not contribute to the 401k at all, not even at my current selected contribution rate!!

It was suggested to me to just up my contribution rate for the next couple of regularly scheduled paychecks, when I asked what the max contribution % I was allowed was, HR had to look it up.

The main reason that I wanted to divert most of my bonus to 401k was to stop the standard 50% from being deducted for taxes.  We are expecting something to happen this year that will make our tax liability basically 0 and I don't want to give the IRS an interest free loan.  Even if I up my current contribution rate and decrease what is currently be withheld for taxes (already set pretty low due to expectations) there is still the fact that I am giving the IRS a pretty hefty interest free loan in March that I probably won't get paid back for 12-14 months. I am annoyed!

@Slow&Steady Just increase the number of deductions you claim on your W-4. Tax withholding is all an estimation game anyway. Just don't undershoot your withholding by more than 9% or you'll end up owing an underpayment penalty.

ysette9

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8930
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Bay Area at heart living in the PNW
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #393 on: February 14, 2019, 12:41:06 PM »
I am so grateful to my company. They make it easy (and even encourage) people to stick their entire bonuses into 401k. People front-load all the time and you don’t need to space it out over the entire year to get the full match.

But back to our regularly scheduled programming.

phildonnia

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 365
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #394 on: February 14, 2019, 02:27:39 PM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

I'm requesting cremated flowers at my funeral.

markbike528CBX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1899
  • Location: the Everbrown part of the Evergreen State (WA)
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #395 on: February 14, 2019, 09:23:41 PM »
Valentine's Day is upon us...

My coworker just got this weird box of roses from a company called Venus et Fleur. She kept exclaiming that they last a year so I had to google the company to see if that was real. The roses cost FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

All of her coworkers keep fussing over how beautiful they are and 3 people have sent pictures to their significant others. Another woman counted how many roses there were--I'm sure so she could figure out if it was the $300 or $400 arrangement.

I had to look this up.

Basically, they are embalmed flowers.  I have an involuntary “ew” reaction to that.  🤢

I have a negative reaction to cut flowere.   Eww... severed sex organs for purely viewing pleasure.. 

Associations llke The Bobbits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt come to mind.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2594

Thanks dragoncar.   I'm here for the confirmation bias, and that was awesome!

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #396 on: February 15, 2019, 11:58:19 AM »
A lady, in her late 50s/early 60s in the next row over: So how do Zero interest loans work? I think I might get one.

She's a govt employee in the DoD and not affected by the recent shutdown.

Apples

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1371
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #397 on: February 15, 2019, 05:58:49 PM »
I have a coworker who got a DUI in a crash that nearly killed him.  He drives farm equipment on my family's farm for a living, and my dad is looking into what exactly the insurance company says he can and can't do and still be an insured driver.  In the meantime, the basic assumption, by us, him, and everyone, is that he will likely be fired.  He has known this for 4 months, and will bring it up sometimes.  The house he lives in rent-free is tied to him being employed by the farm.  In the last 4 moths, he started selling his Jeeps (he buys cars for less than $1500 and does work on them and drives around in them for a while before selling them).  My thought:  wonderful, he's building up some emergency money in case he needs to get going quickly.  Then he buys a 3 year old Jeep on a 7 year loan for several hundred a month in payments, plus the increase in insurance and such.  WHAT.  That's such a terrible decision.  He has all sorts of little side things he does for money, but seriously buying this now is a terrible idea.  Gah.  It hurts to watch.

FI-King_Awesome

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 27
Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #398 on: February 15, 2019, 09:03:12 PM »
One idiot at work bought a new AMG only to sell it due to relo a little more than a year later. $55k down the drain.







Yeah, it was me.

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #399 on: February 16, 2019, 11:18:31 AM »
I feel so much better about paying $9 for a 5# bag of fancy, organic sprouted wheat flour after reading about $8 Vegemite toast!

This week, as part of a larger story, my co-worker told me her SIL and his wife are having a fight currently because she wanted to spend $200 for a custom "smash cake" for their baby's first birthday.  So like, a cake nobody is even going to eat.