Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252496 times)

NumberCruncher

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10350 on: September 11, 2015, 07:16:24 AM »
I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10351 on: September 11, 2015, 07:24:59 AM »
I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

To cool down the atmosphere. Haven't you heard of global warming? Do your part. This is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
/foam

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10352 on: September 11, 2015, 07:32:02 AM »
I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.

I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

Le Barbu

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10353 on: September 11, 2015, 07:39:15 AM »
A CW who carpool with me lended 4,500$ 2 years ago to her 29 years-old-baby for her to buy a car. The loan carry no interest but my CW is not debt free so she pay some interest on her side. Anyway, she "needed" to upgrade the main bathroom and need some $$ so, she brings her daugther to the bank and have her borrow 8,000$ @ 12.25%!!! This way, she can repay the 1,500$ remaining to Mom, clear the CC's balances and enjoy life! Listening that story, I just tought that's 1k$ of interest charge (cuz I now assume the loan to be repaid in about 10 years if ever repaid!)

Gee, how can you be in the ditch that much at 29 with a good paying job, no kidz, no house, a used car, living in a not so expensive area??? I'm clueless about this kind of shit!

MrMoneyMaxwell

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10354 on: September 11, 2015, 07:46:13 AM »
Also the account that I was to buy it from has money sitting around idle in it and the old head doesn't like that because he's afraid that if we don't buy something on the account soon someone will think that we don't want or need the money that we're not using or spending. Therefore to show the world how much we need that money he plans to spend some of it on things that we definitely don't need.

Is this a real concern? If idle money sits too long does someone cut back the department funding?

I know at some companies if you don't spend all the money they give your department then you get less funding the next year. Mostly because plenty of other departments will claim to not have enough funding so some of your department's funds will be allocated to them instead. You reach equilibrium once everyone claims to be underfunded.

This is how it works in a school district. Use it or lose it and see your budget get slashed next year.

And this is how it works in the military.  I've got some stories about how our budget was consumed near the end of a quarter that would make the average 'fiscal conservative' taxpayer think very hard about defense being exempt from budget cuts.

Yep. Our chief would make a point to buy new chairs/desks for everyone in the shop if there was money left over at the end of the year. It was really enlightening.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2015, 07:59:07 AM by MrMoneyMaxwell »

bsmith

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10355 on: September 11, 2015, 08:06:09 AM »
Quote
Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

    I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.

Le Barbu

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10356 on: September 11, 2015, 08:20:38 AM »
Quote
Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

    I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.

If people just stop iddling their car/truck/SUV when stopped for more than 5 minutes, the barrel price would drop to 20$ in no time. Even more if everyone would just use their car in an efficient way. I have always been aware of driving the least I can but after reading this blog, when drive like 25% less/year and then save 150 gallon of fuel every year with no impact on our lifestyle level. 

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10357 on: September 11, 2015, 08:39:59 AM »
I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.
So in the US its allowed to
a) run the engine when not necessary
b) have the engine run when the car is not under control of the driver?

Land of the free! Home of the stupid.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10358 on: September 11, 2015, 08:43:24 AM »
I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.
So in the US its allowed to
a) run the engine when not necessary
b) have the engine run when the car is not under control of the driver?

Land of the free! Home of the stupid.

You can even run the engine when no one is in the car at all.

tanzee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10359 on: September 11, 2015, 08:47:12 AM »
I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

To cool down the atmosphere. Haven't you heard of global warming? Do your part. This is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
/foam


You know, I have no idea.  I never asked him about it. I hated most of my co-workers and this guy was alright so I was just excited to be working with someone who wasn't a jerk interpersonally.  Maybe he was kind of a jerk to the planet, but I didn't bother asking.  Just figured he was sticking his middle finger up to liberals who believe in global climate change (like myself).  Not that human caused climate change is anything to "believe" in.  Rather a fact that you can either acknowledge or pull the wool over your eyes about.  But I wasn't going to debate it with this guy. 

tanzee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10360 on: September 11, 2015, 08:52:27 AM »
I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.
So in the US its allowed to
a) run the engine when not necessary
b) have the engine run when the car is not under control of the driver?

Land of the free! Home of the stupid.

Yeah, the justification is usually "individual rights" or some such nonsense.  The externality to the the planet and the rest of the populace is apparently not a factor. 

Le Barbu

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10361 on: September 11, 2015, 08:56:49 AM »
I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.
So in the US its allowed to
a) run the engine when not necessary
b) have the engine run when the car is not under control of the driver?

Land of the free! Home of the stupid.

You can even run the engine when no one is in the car at all.

I'm in Canada and in winter time, I know a lot of people who start their F-150 engine in the morning and shut it down when they come back home (guys on the road, stopping-by to their clients place's for 1-2 hours. So they drive about 200km/day but the truck runs for 10 hours total. When you ask why, the answer is always somthing like "I'm not to poor to freeze my ass every time I get in my truck dude!" OK then...

GuitarStv

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10362 on: September 11, 2015, 09:22:05 AM »
When I lived in Northern Ontario most people would leave cars running when you go in to the grocery store.  But our grocery store didn't have outlets for block heaters, and sometimes you couldn't get your car started when it dipped below -40.

FatCat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10363 on: September 11, 2015, 09:35:06 AM »
I think the laws on this vary - there may be places where it is against the law to leave an unattended vehicle running.
But in the snow belt, it is common to start your car in the winter and let it run a bit (unattended) to heat up before you leave.

I'm curious about this. In places where it's illegal, is it still legal with remote starters? I thought the issue was that thieves would get in the running car and drive off. This was taking up a lot of police time so they made it illegal to run the cars with nobody in them so thieves won't be able to steal them so easily. With remote starters, this isn't an issue so it should still be legal to run your car as long as the key isn't in it.

runningthroughFIRE

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10364 on: September 11, 2015, 10:05:40 AM »
A day or two ago I heard two of my coworkers discussing stocks in the neighboring cube.

CW1: Have you seen X stock recently?  It's a disaster.
CW2: Is it? *checks online* $@&%, I bought a bunch of those the other day.
CW1: I'd get rid of it if I were you.  Put the money into something better.
CW2: I don't really know what to do, should I just throw it into an index or something?
Me: That's where I put most of my money.
CW2: *mumbles something about indexes having low returns

WTF?!? If you know you don't know what you're doing, then indexes are exactly what you should do!  I usually figure they're finance analysts and enjoy it, so they're in theory qualified to be dabbling in the markets, but this is just plain stupid.

Skalm

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10365 on: September 11, 2015, 10:10:03 AM »
Got a new partner to work with. This is incredible.

Hasn't filed taxes in 8 years.
$0 savings, except for when he needs to mod out his car.
Bought a $700 car for his girlfriend's daughter.
Plans to retire in his $20k/year job (there's a pension that with SS will equal that amount when he's 66.
Doesnt take advantage of almost-free college.

He seems really content for the most part, he just seems annoyed that he can't afford a better car and can't keep money saved for a $2k mod for his current car.

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10366 on: September 11, 2015, 10:35:11 AM »
A day or two ago I heard two of my coworkers discussing stocks in the neighboring cube.

CW1: Have you seen X stock recently?  It's a disaster.
CW2: Is it? *checks online* $@&%, I bought a bunch of those the other day.
CW1: I'd get rid of it if I were you.  Put the money into something better.
CW2: I don't really know what to do, should I just throw it into an index or something?
Me: That's where I put most of my money.
CW2: *mumbles something about indexes having low returns

WTF?!? If you know you don't know what you're doing, then indexes are exactly what you should do!  I usually figure they're finance analysts and enjoy it, so they're in theory qualified to be dabbling in the markets, but this is just plain stupid.

"I dumped that stock because the price fell" doesn't sound like someone who knows what they're doing. Reminds me of a commercial I heard a few years back: "The price of gold has never been higher, BUY NOW!"

A fool and his money are soon parted.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10367 on: September 11, 2015, 10:59:39 AM »

Just think if people had the option to opt out of SS how many would do it?
Like. A. Shot.  That 12.5% of my salary would return a heck of a lot more per month after 20/30/40 years than I'd ever get out of SS.  Not to mention the flexibility I would gain in my ER plans.

KittyCat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10368 on: September 11, 2015, 11:14:33 AM »
I'm sitting there mentally counting down from $270... waiting for the "well, I'm in the hole for the month now" conversation that we usually have around the 20th to start...
That must make for an amusing activity :)

KittyCat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10369 on: September 11, 2015, 11:17:39 AM »
I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.
Bargaining to get you to loan money. Wow, that'd make me uncomfortable =x

Phenix

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10370 on: September 11, 2015, 11:47:02 AM »
I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.
Bargaining to get you to loan money. Wow, that'd make me uncomfortable =x

My 18 year old brother-in-law tries to bargain with me to lend him money.  He had a terrible habit of over drawing his checking account so his parents took matters into their own hands and took over his account.  Now he gets a set amount every Sunday based on what he and his parents agree on with his budget.  It's great that they are forcing him to save a portion of his paycheck for retirement, school, insurance, gas, etc. but I can't count the number of times he calls me on Friday asking for $20 to get him through the weekend.  When I tell him no, he always offers to pay me back double when he gets his money for the following week on Sunday.  He could easily tell his parents he needs an extra $20 from his account to get him through the weekend, but when they ask where his money for the week went, he doesn't want to tell them he blew it on pot.  So he sits at home bored all weekend instead.

KittyCat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10371 on: September 11, 2015, 11:57:19 AM »
My 18 year old brother-in-law tries to bargain with me to lend him money.  He had a terrible habit of over drawing his checking account so his parents took matters into their own hands and took over his account.  Now he gets a set amount every Sunday based on what he and his parents agree on with his budget.  It's great that they are forcing him to save a portion of his paycheck for retirement, school, insurance, gas, etc. but I can't count the number of times he calls me on Friday asking for $20 to get him through the weekend.  When I tell him no, he always offers to pay me back double when he gets his money for the following week on Sunday.  He could easily tell his parents he needs an extra $20 from his account to get him through the weekend, but when they ask where his money for the week went, he doesn't want to tell them he blew it on pot.  So he sits at home bored all weekend instead.

I wonder if he'll stop asking you at some point (if he hasn't already) seeing that you've been unwilling thus far. Kudos to the parents though; they're saving his life from becoming a complete mess!

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10372 on: September 11, 2015, 12:25:13 PM »
A day or two ago I heard two of my coworkers discussing stocks in the neighboring cube.

CW1: Have you seen X stock recently?  It's a disaster.
CW2: Is it? *checks online* $@&%, I bought a bunch of those the other day.
CW1: I'd get rid of it if I were you.  Put the money into something better.
CW2: I don't really know what to do, should I just throw it into an index or something?
Me: That's where I put most of my money.
CW2: *mumbles something about indexes having low returns

WTF?!? If you know you don't know what you're doing, then indexes are exactly what you should do!  I usually figure they're finance analysts and enjoy it, so they're in theory qualified to be dabbling in the markets, but this is just plain stupid.

Is it an age thing? I was at a trade show this week and a bunch of other exhibitors were grumbling about their stocks and when I mentioned that index funds might be where to go, they nearly laughed me out of the room. Most of the people are twice my age and likely just thought I was a young idiot. My thought is that they might have it reversed as I will hit FIRE in 10 years, meanwhile they are 60+ and still working (and they aren't working because they just love it, if you know what I mean).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10373 on: September 11, 2015, 12:32:21 PM »
I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

My MIL blasts the AC in her house and leaves that back door open to easily get out to the patio and back.

bsmith

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10374 on: September 11, 2015, 12:42:25 PM »
Quote
Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

JLee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10375 on: September 11, 2015, 12:51:20 PM »
Quote
Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

If I'm in a cold place, I'll often have the heat on in the car and windows open too. Heat is effectively free, though.

My AC works just hard enough to maintain a certain temp, but I have a facepunchworthy-fancypants-clownmobile. :)

runningthroughFIRE

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10376 on: September 11, 2015, 01:51:23 PM »
A day or two ago I heard two of my coworkers discussing stocks in the neighboring cube.

CW1: Have you seen X stock recently?  It's a disaster.
CW2: Is it? *checks online* $@&%, I bought a bunch of those the other day.
CW1: I'd get rid of it if I were you.  Put the money into something better.
CW2: I don't really know what to do, should I just throw it into an index or something?
Me: That's where I put most of my money.
CW2: *mumbles something about indexes having low returns

WTF?!? If you know you don't know what you're doing, then indexes are exactly what you should do!  I usually figure they're finance analysts and enjoy it, so they're in theory qualified to be dabbling in the markets, but this is just plain stupid.

Is it an age thing? I was at a trade show this week and a bunch of other exhibitors were grumbling about their stocks and when I mentioned that index funds might be where to go, they nearly laughed me out of the room. Most of the people are twice my age and likely just thought I was a young idiot. My thought is that they might have it reversed as I will hit FIRE in 10 years, meanwhile they are 60+ and still working (and they aren't working because they just love it, if you know what I mean).

Nope, not an age thing at all.  I'm the youngest in my department at 22, but these two are only 2 or 3 years older than I am.  I can understand goofing off in the markets with individual stocks if you enjoy it as a hobby and don't expect any real gains from it, but sadly that isn't the case here.  Who knows, maybe they're secretly raking it in.  I'll sleep nice and cozy with the knowledge that satistics is on my side.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10377 on: September 11, 2015, 02:08:26 PM »
One of my coworkers -- I can scarcely get through a day without there being something that you guys would enjoy.

Since my last post here, she has gotten engaged, so that's fun.  She talked for a few weeks about getting married in a local park, something simple and inexpensive.  Chafed at the idea that if she wanted to have a specific area of the park reserved on a specific day, she'd have to pay the parks department a reservation fee of around $250.  Then she toured a venue two hours away one weekend, and came back talking about how it was not a good deal at all.  $2,500 for the day and it's a long drive and they don't even handle the food, it's just a big field.  Compared to that, it seemed like such a better deal to hold the wedding and reception at this local restaurant/hotel, where it would only cost $4,000 including an appetizer bar (but not including the alcohol, of which there will surely be highly marked-up rivers).  So she booked that one.

The dress, kind of the same thing.  Lots of talk about how she wanted something simple and inexpensive. Then  she went dress shopping at bridal stores -- the kind that don't stock a single simple or inexpensive item.  She tried on a dress that she thought was ugly on her and it cost $2,000, so compared to that, the one that she liked better was a BARGAIN at $1,400 and she just had to buy it on the spot.

And then there was this week:

Monday, she was whining that she had gone overboard on both Friday and Saturday, spending well over $200 in bars over the course of the weekend, and now she was so broke she had only $270 left (after bills) to get through the rest of the month.  We have a similar conversation every month, but usually not until at least the 12th.  This was the 7th.

Tuesday, she whined that she was "forced" to go out to happy hour the night before because a friend needed to talk, and they stayed out late enough that it came dinner time and then she "had" to eat dinner there at the bar as well, and she's trying to cut back on that sort of thing but it's so HARD.

Wednesday, not much money talk but she did go out to buy one of her usual $10 lunches and make horrified faces at my homemade burrito.

Thursday (today), she took delivery of a food processor that she ordered online so that she could try out a trendy new recipe, but not this weekend because she's going camping with her fiance, and her big plan tonight was a shopping trip to stock up on all the yummy processed foods they might want to eat as camping treats. 

I'm sitting there mentally counting down from $270... waiting for the "well, I'm in the hole for the month now" conversation that we usually have around the 20th to start...
I'm reading this while eating my homemade salad for lunch (with "whatever I had left", meaning lettuce, beets, almonds, peppers, tomatoes, and homemade dressing).

But I REALLY wish I had popcorn.  This was popcorn worthy!

bsmith

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10378 on: September 11, 2015, 02:13:30 PM »
Quote
Quote from: bsmith on Today at 12:42:25 PM

    Quote

        Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

            Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

                I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


            But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???


    I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.


If I'm in a cold place, I'll often have the heat on in the car and windows open too. Heat is effectively free, though.

My AC works just hard enough to maintain a certain temp, but I have a facepunchworthy-fancypants-clownmobile. :)

Facepunch! You're weak.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10379 on: September 11, 2015, 04:04:24 PM »
Quote
Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

I guess that's true if you don't have an automatic system, and you're too lazy to adjust the AC as needed (i.e., turn it down when the cabin is cool).  But most AC systems DO use outside air anyways -- only the "MAX AC" setting sets the air to recirculate in the cabin.  Always thought that was a waste, so I usually mannualy set recirculation if I'm running the AC

agent_clone

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10380 on: September 11, 2015, 07:24:27 PM »
Quote
Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

I guess that's true if you don't have an automatic system, and you're too lazy to adjust the AC as needed (i.e., turn it down when the cabin is cool).  But most AC systems DO use outside air anyways -- only the "MAX AC" setting sets the air to recirculate in the cabin.  Always thought that was a waste, so I usually mannualy set recirculation if I'm running the AC
My car has a slider bar to set it to pull air from the outside vs recirculating it.  But yeah, its easy enough to adjust the temperatures of the AC as it either cools down or heats up over time... I know I do, for that matter often just adjusting the dial for level of airflow helps...

gimp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10381 on: September 11, 2015, 07:44:32 PM »
Quote
Quote from: bsmith on Today at 12:42:25 PM
If I'm in a cold place, I'll often have the heat on in the car and windows open too. Heat is effectively free, though.


Facepunch! You're weak.

Heat is essentially free. I have definitely turned the heat on a little with windows open - you know those warm summer night drives, where at 2 am it dips to 60; the open windows feel so good, but the cold starts to get through to the bone? It's pretty nice to turn the heat on.

Not AC and windows, though.

Hedge_87

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10382 on: September 11, 2015, 07:52:33 PM »
Quote
Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

I guess that's true if you don't have an automatic system, and you're too lazy to adjust the AC as needed (i.e., turn it down when the cabin is cool).  But most AC systems DO use outside air anyways -- only the "MAX AC" setting sets the air to recirculate in the cabin.  Always thought that was a waste, so I usually mannualy set recirculation if I'm running the AC
My car has a slider bar to set it to pull air from the outside vs recirculating it.  But yeah, its easy enough to adjust the temperatures of the AC as it either cools down or heats up over time... I know I do, for that matter often just adjusting the dial for level of airflow helps...
My slider bar is broke so it takes reaching way underneath the dash to change it (not safe while the vehicle is in motion ) so it stays on recirculating all the time unless I open the windows.

bsmith

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10383 on: September 11, 2015, 08:44:52 PM »
The facepunch was for the fancypants clown car.

firelight

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10384 on: September 11, 2015, 10:16:58 PM »
Quote
Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

    I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.
Not sure why that truck owner had the engine on but I've done it a few times  before. In my defense, I was pregnant and needed a place to rest. Though I was parked in the shade of a tree, since the outside climate was 100+, I ran the AC for the 30 minutes I was in the car resting. Did I waste fuel? Yep! Can I have found somewhere else to where I'd have had to trek my prego body so I can avoid this? Maybe but it would have cut in on my resting time. Will I do it again? Yep! Those 30 minutes were a life saver for me to work through the rest of my day without straining myself.

So not everything is about money.

jordanread

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10385 on: September 11, 2015, 11:26:43 PM »
[...]
So not everything is about money.

We here are more about thinking things through. If running the AC was that big of a deal while pregnant (and you thought it through), more power to you. If you drive a truck for no reason, just imagine I said something super mean and feel bad about being you. ;)

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10386 on: September 11, 2015, 11:35:29 PM »
Also the account that I was to buy it from has money sitting around idle in it and the old head doesn't like that because he's afraid that if we don't buy something on the account soon someone will think that we don't want or need the money that we're not using or spending. Therefore to show the world how much we need that money he plans to spend some of it on things that we definitely don't need.

Is this a real concern? If idle money sits too long does someone cut back the department funding?

I know at some companies if you don't spend all the money they give your department then you get less funding the next year. Mostly because plenty of other departments will claim to not have enough funding so some of your department's funds will be allocated to them instead. You reach equilibrium once everyone claims to be underfunded.

This is how it works in a school district. Use it or lose it and see your budget get slashed next year.

And this is how it works in the military.  I've got some stories about how our budget was consumed near the end of a quarter that would make the average 'fiscal conservative' taxpayer think very hard about defense being exempt from budget cuts.

Yep. Our highly chief would make a point to buy new chairs/desks for everyone in the shop if there was money left over at the end of the year. It was really enlightening.

It's not just government; this happens in corporations, too. If you didn't spend part of your budget--no matter what the reason--that "proves" you didn't need it and so you get less next year. Doesn't matter if the workload is going up, either.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2015, 11:40:32 PM by NoraLenderbee »

firelight

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10387 on: September 11, 2015, 11:36:11 PM »
[...]
So not everything is about money.

We here are more about thinking things through. If running the AC was that big of a deal while pregnant (and you thought it through), more power to you. If you drive a truck for no reason, just imagine I said something super mean and feel bad about being you. ;)
I drive a compact car and calculated it would take me an extra half gallon of fuel over a course of five months that I needed to rest during lunch break. Totally worth it! :)

That said, I was just offering a different perspective for idling cars or trucks, not justifying ALL such cases.

jordanread

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10388 on: September 12, 2015, 12:10:01 AM »
I drive a compact car and calculated it would take me an extra half gallon of fuel over a course of five months that I needed to rest during lunch break. Totally worth it! :)

That said, I was just offering a different perspective for idling cars or trucks, not justifying ALL such cases.

It sounds to me like you did do the calculations and determined it was worth it for you. That's what we are all about. And your perspective was helpful, although I would say cars only. I get angry (ish) when I see trucks that have empty beds. Someone on these forums (I think) said that they would love to buy a skid loader (or something like it) and fill every empty truck bed with rocks and concrete.

Metta

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10389 on: September 12, 2015, 06:25:25 AM »
I'm in the market for a new phone (my current phone is in bad shape) and since I plan to buy a used phone I've been looking at other people's phones and asking questions about their experiences. We set aside $200 in the budget for this back in January. However, if I want to go over budget for a fancy pants phone (tech is my weakness) I need to cover the rest from my personal allowance.

I explained all this to one of my co-workers who asked why I didn't just order one of the new iPhone 6s phones and be done.

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

Other co-worker: "Yeah, I'd come home one day with a boat and no questions asked or answered."

Both men laughed.

I just looked at them, speechless. My husband and I discuss all purchases above about $25 except those we cover from our allowance (usually books, games, perfume). Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10390 on: September 12, 2015, 09:06:41 AM »
He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."
The correct answer to this is:

That is the reason why I have money to retire and you do not.

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10391 on: September 12, 2015, 09:21:04 AM »
I have a co-worker that buys a new unlocked cell phone every 6 months. Pretty much whatever the new hot smart phone is at the time, he goes out and buys it.

He also has a penchant for new cars. I have worked with him for about 3 years now and he has had 3 new cars during my tenure there. He started out with a Ford Focus which he traded in for Honda Accord after a couple of months. He had the Accord for about 2.5 years. He got a promotion and moved to a different department a few months ago. I just noticed about a month ago he traded the Accord in for an Audi S4! He has a vanity plate that makes it easy to tell what car is his.

His promotion has pretty much been flushed down the toilet on a flashy car. I'm sure he'll be upgrading his phone shortly too.

I want to be happy for him because he's actually a really nice and sharp guy, but he seems to have a bad relationship with stuff. It makes me sad seeing him on that treadmill. When I worked with him, he was always getting packages from Amazon and talking about how awesome whatever he just received was or would be. Then once the new shiny rush wore off, you could tell he was no longer happy. It was just another object on his desk or back home. I hope he wakes up soon and realizes that no amount of expensive new stuff is going to make him happy in the long term.

CabinetGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10392 on: September 12, 2015, 09:21:56 AM »
Was talking to a coworker of sorts the other day.  She is getting excited about visiting her sister in Seattle who is a travelling nurse.  She goes on to tell me that her sister has little to no living expenses, and that she actually gets paid a stipend above and beyond her salary for these expenses.

I was like holy shit!  This girls got it figured out!  She's probably saving  at least a couple grand a month.  Coworker goes on to tell me that their father is a financial advisor...so I'm like damn, she's set!  Then she drops this "yeah, my dad has her to put 500.00 a month away for savings, and if there's any money left at the end of the month, she can add to it...

At least she's saving...

wow, he must fucking suck at his job.

Or is this type of advice on saving money his "normal"?  Maybe he's convinced that this is sound advice and she'll be set by age 65? 

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10393 on: September 12, 2015, 12:48:54 PM »

Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

I guess it can depend. In my couple I have always been the numbers one, and I handle both my finances and my wife's (I have set up all her automatic investments for example).
She has very little idea of how much we (and I) spend per year but we trust each other with our tasks.
I would say the only thing that really matters in a relationship is honesty

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10394 on: September 12, 2015, 04:29:34 PM »
Was talking to a coworker of sorts the other day.  She is getting excited about visiting her sister in Seattle who is a travelling nurse.  She goes on to tell me that her sister has little to no living expenses, and that she actually gets paid a stipend above and beyond her salary for these expenses.

I was like holy shit!  This girls got it figured out!  She's probably saving  at least a couple grand a month.  Coworker goes on to tell me that their father is a financial advisor...so I'm like damn, she's set!  Then she drops this "yeah, my dad has her to put 500.00 a month away for savings, and if there's any money left at the end of the month, she can add to it...

At least she's saving...

wow, he must fucking suck at his job.

Or is this type of advice on saving money his "normal"?  Maybe he's convinced that this is sound advice and she'll be set by age 65?

Keep in mind that financial advisers wouldn't get clients if they preached Mustachian values. And if people lived like Mustachians, they wouldn't need financial advisers. I actually looked into one, and realized that they would just tell me what I know, except they wouldn't have mentioned the Trinity study, and instead told me that I should work until I'm 65, unless I have like $2M dollars. My sister told me I would be crazy to retire with less than $2M, and her husband (a fucking business professor) agreed with him.

Um, hello...I don't live in the East Coast, nor do I have any children or plan on it. I'll retire when I want to, and it will be with a lot less than $2M, unless of course my business significantly picks up.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10395 on: September 12, 2015, 07:22:39 PM »
Convertible, top down, heat (engine waste heat)max, awesome

One must take advantage of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the Carnot cycle when one can.

tanzee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10396 on: September 13, 2015, 06:13:47 AM »
I'm in the market for a new phone (my current phone is in bad shape) and since I plan to buy a used phone I've been looking at other people's phones and asking questions about their experiences. We set aside $200 in the budget for this back in January. However, if I want to go over budget for a fancy pants phone (tech is my weakness) I need to cover the rest from my personal allowance.

I explained all this to one of my co-workers who asked why I didn't just order one of the new iPhone 6s phones and be done.

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

Other co-worker: "Yeah, I'd come home one day with a boat and no questions asked or answered."

Both men laughed.

I just looked at them, speechless. My husband and I discuss all purchases above about $25 except those we cover from our allowance (usually books, games, perfume). Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.


That kinda sounds like the "why do you have to work out?  you're already fit." line of reasoning.  Metta, I'd imagine your family's financial health is a direct result of your skill and effort in managing finances.  These fellas are missing that. 

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10397 on: September 13, 2015, 12:01:21 PM »
This isn't overheard "at work" but overheard "on my morning walk".  We were discussing school woes.  My three walker friends are all older (55-75).  School year just started, fundraising has begun.  We started discussing transfers and such.

One of the walkers grew up in my hood, went to the local school, and wondered why we didn't.  So we discussed the reasoning and why people transfer.  And the fact that a transfer is not guaranteed.  And the fact that maybe they should disallow transfers.

But anyway, from there, this is what came out of her mouth: "Well, I never had kids, so I shouldn't even have to pay property taxes to public schools."  Now, I've heard this argument before, but I said "you are paying because YOU went to public school."  She thinks she should get a discount on her taxes.

I said "you already do, it's called Prop 13!"  Seriously, there are people in our district who pay $1000 a year in prop taxes and the house next door pays $13k.  Prop 13 was passed to keep the elderly from losing their homes, but the other side of that is that you don't get to claim a discount on your taxes because you don't have kids. WTF??

I just shook my head.  I don't know how people don't even really understand it.  Everyone who has been a product of public schools needs to pay taxes to pay the system back.  It's how it works.

JLee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10398 on: September 13, 2015, 12:08:01 PM »
This isn't overheard "at work" but overheard "on my morning walk".  We were discussing school woes.  My three walker friends are all older (55-75).  School year just started, fundraising has begun.  We started discussing transfers and such.

One of the walkers grew up in my hood, went to the local school, and wondered why we didn't.  So we discussed the reasoning and why people transfer.  And the fact that a transfer is not guaranteed.  And the fact that maybe they should disallow transfers.

But anyway, from there, this is what came out of her mouth: "Well, I never had kids, so I shouldn't even have to pay property taxes to public schools."  Now, I've heard this argument before, but I said "you are paying because YOU went to public school."  She thinks she should get a discount on her taxes.

I said "you already do, it's called Prop 13!"  Seriously, there are people in our district who pay $1000 a year in prop taxes and the house next door pays $13k.  Prop 13 was passed to keep the elderly from losing their homes, but the other side of that is that you don't get to claim a discount on your taxes because you don't have kids. WTF??

I just shook my head.  I don't know how people don't even really understand it.  Everyone who has been a product of public schools needs to pay taxes to pay the system back.  It's how it works.

I was homeschooled and have no kids, but I still pay. :P

Rezdent

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10399 on: September 13, 2015, 12:14:28 PM »
I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!