Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252955 times)

nobodyspecial

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1464
  • Location: Land above the land of the free
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12750 on: March 13, 2016, 01:59:12 PM »
Is there anything at a pharmacy that actually requires a chemist ?
Synthesis of Aspirin and Acetaminophen is probably an undergrad lab exercise but you aren't likely to be making up many of the drugs sold.

It's a good job other professions didn't get in on this, I would hate to have to wait for the in-store metallurgist at home depot to sell me some bolts. Although down in Oregon you do need the station's specialist petrochemical hydrodynamicist to pump the gas
   
« Last Edit: March 13, 2016, 02:01:03 PM by nobodyspecial »

LeRainDrop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1834
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12751 on: March 13, 2016, 03:52:22 PM »
Sometimes I feel lucky that my job requires me to be present for a certain number of hours a day and that's it. I'm a retail pharmacist; I have to fill whatever prescriptions need to be filled that day, and then aside from that get whatever else done that I can. If I work extra to finish up some project, I can leave early another day when the other pharmacist is there. And I hardly ever have meetings and have an average of one 10-minute conference call a week that I'm not actually even required to be on. 

On the other hand, it would be nice to have a lunch break, particularly when working 12-hour days, but there are always tradeoffs.

Why are you guys so slow?  My wife once had to wait an hour for a prescription that merely required taking the bottle off the shelf and putting it in a bag.  No formulation required.  5 seconds.


LOL!!! I concur.  A person can be at a pharmacy with 1 person at the register and the Pharmacist is standing in the back looking rite at you and was doing nothing when you walked up. With no other customers there you give the person at the register your Rx and then you are told to come back over an hour later. WTF???????  LOL!!!  :  ) Just put the fucking pills in the little bottle.

LOL!  All kidding aside, though, I honestly would be interested to hear what a typical day is like for a pharmacist, what duties they perform, how long those things take, etc.  I've heard for years now how well-trained pharmacists are in high demand and that you can make a good living as one.  I'm sure it's too late for that drastic of a career change for me now, but being a pharmacist seems like something I might have enjoyed had I gone down that track earlier in my life.  Any pharmacists want to weigh in on this?  Thanks!

ETA:  Sounds like I should give major props to the pharmacists at my local grocery store because when I drop of a prescription in-hand, they always turn it around in 5 minutes, 10 minutes tops.

Sibley

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7408
  • Location: Northwest Indiana
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12752 on: March 13, 2016, 05:18:09 PM »
Heard this from a friend: in her firm there was a big meeting because the budget of a project didn't add up. It was off by a couple of cents. One coworker said it was probably due to rounding up somewhere along the project and hey, it was only a tiny bit over. But that was too obvious and clear cut for upper management! They hired an external auditor, who in the end concluded that the diverging numbers were indeed due to rounding up. Costs of this investigation: 10k.

To an accountant, being $0.01 and $1,000,000.00 off is the same thing.   If the books don't add up, the books are wrong.  If the books are wrong, it could be because of a simple error or it could be someone doing something wrong - for a whole lot more than that $0.01.

Yes. Want to make an accountant lose their mind? Have something be off by $0.01. It doesn't matter - if it has to balance, it has to balance.

Cressida

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2376
  • Location: Sunset Zone 5
  • gender is a hierarchy
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12753 on: March 13, 2016, 05:50:14 PM »
This really hasn't been my experience at all. I've always routinely written off adjustments under $1, under $10, under $100, depending on context. If you're making a payment of $1K and you only have support for $900 of it, that's a problem. But if you're booking a tax accrual of $1M and your calculation is out of balance by $100, who cares? Move on.

That said, I once had a manager reject a journal entry because it contained a $0.01 adjustment for which I had not provided support. Everyone who heard about it thought it was ridiculous, though.


dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12754 on: March 13, 2016, 06:56:34 PM »
Is there anything at a pharmacy that actually requires a chemist ?
Synthesis of Aspirin and Acetaminophen is probably an undergrad lab exercise but you aren't likely to be making up many of the drugs sold.

It's a good job other professions didn't get in on this, I would hate to have to wait for the in-store metallurgist at home depot to sell me some bolts. Although down in Oregon you do need the station's specialist petrochemical hydrodynamicist to pump the gas
 

Not a chemist? But some creams, drops, and, such need to be mixed to the proper strength.  They might not have every prescription in ready-to-use form.  I suspect that are also supposed to review allergies or something like that.  They probably also work on orders for the next day that are refilled or called ahead.  They might call the doctor if it's a more restricted substance.  But nothing that would take an hour to grab a pre-mixed bottle of citric acid off the shelf and slap the label on.

nanu

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 345
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Cambridge, MA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12755 on: March 13, 2016, 07:01:24 PM »
It's a good job other professions didn't get in on this, I would hate to have to wait for the in-store metallurgist at home depot to sell me some bolts. Although down in Oregon you do need the station's specialist petrochemical hydrodynamicist to pump the gas
 
Same in New Jersey - can't pump your own gas around these parts.

Lyngi

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 219
  • Age: 54
  • Location: USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12756 on: March 13, 2016, 07:52:25 PM »
My work day at the pharmacy yesterday.  (Saturday-a 12 hour shift, only one pharmacist-me and 2 technicians).  Arrive at 8:45am.  100 prescriptions in line to be filled.  25 of those have to be pre-checked by me before anyone else can work on them.  Five new prescriptions already waiting to be typed.  15 prescriptions left over from last night,  the closing pharmacist couldn't be bothered to finish them.  An order of drugs waiting to be checked in,  recorded in the special book, and put away.  Again, last night's pharmacist couldn't be bothered.  We have to also go back and re-check new prescriptions one last  time, there are 400 of those waiting.  Ding-ding-ding  9am and we're off!!   Windows open.  A few customers come, I help them,  they're really nice,  we chat a bit.   Best part of my job.    Day starts good, my tech's are counting and typing and things are going smoothly.    Sometimes we do get prescriptions that just need a label slapped on, but we gotta make sure it's the right label on the right drug for the right person and billed to the right insurance and not too much money for you to afford.   Any prescription that is controlled has to be counted, double counted and if it's the "hard stuff" counted again .   I prefer the "slap a label on" prescriptions  and I prefer for you to have a zero copay.   It make me sad to have to explain that you have a high deductible plan and yes, it really does cost that much. 
         Prescriptions come to us in several ways:  people drop off written prescriptions, refill bottles.  New rxs come in by phone call, messages left, faxes come and doctors transmit electronic prescriptions.  Over the next 5 hours we work,  Time for a bathroom break.  I eat a chicken tender for lunch--standing  up.  No lunch break for me, no 15 minute breaks,  I work straight through, no sitting down because there is too much to do.  At 2pm we get 7 totes full of drugs to be put away.  500 items-  takes us 3 hours or so.  By the evening we've filled around 200 to 220 prescriptions (this is a normal Saturday)   And we've sold 100 to 150 prescriptions to people.   FYI,  on Monday we can fill 500 to 600 prescriptions.    I get a chance to finish up that order left over from Friday.  I eat a little dinner, still standing up.   I get another bathroom break.    I make up a new order for next weeks drugs.    We all double check all the 400 new rxs left over, plus all the new rxs typed today.   We end up putting back about 60 prescriptions that people didn't come and get.  We close the windows at 9pm, the  tech's take out the garbage.  I stay an hour over to finish up work I didn't get a chance to do during the day.  Why??  I'm the boss and it's my responsibility.  I'm also salaried, so I don't get paid to stay.   
      I really do like my job,   My customers are my friends.  A  story from Saturday:   a lady called us, we know her well,  she knew her dad was coming to the store and she wanted him to get some cleaner.  So we tracked him down and gave him the message--he is a sweetheart. 
   

Astatine

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3676
  • Location: Australia
  • Pronouns: they/them
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12757 on: March 13, 2016, 08:15:53 PM »

      I really do like my job,   My customers are my friends.  A  story from Saturday:   a lady called us, we know her well,  she knew her dad was coming to the store and she wanted him to get some cleaner.  So we tracked him down and gave him the message--he is a sweetheart. 
   

I count my local pharmacist as part of my medical team. So helpful, so supportive. I've gone through some major health issues in the past few years and they have been awesome. More helpful sometimes than the specialised services at the big hospital.

And there is an after hours chemist who is also amazing. I'd just gotten out of hospital during the Xmas shutdown so I couldn't easily access my oncologist or chemo ward, my GP was away and I couldn't access my other specialist. There was an after hours GP but I forgot about that service in my panic. I was gettin a bad (very rare) side effect from one of the drugs the hospital sent me home on and I didn't know what to do. The after hours chemist was AMAZING. Took my complicated medical history, my lack of medical support that day because it was a public holiday where nothing was open, did a whole bunch of research and gave me actionable advice. Amazing service, and the pharmacist had never met before. <3 (I also looked Very Cancer Patient at the time which may have helped)

Tl;dr pharmacists are awesome
« Last Edit: March 13, 2016, 08:18:37 PM by Astatine »

notquitefrugal

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 193
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12758 on: March 13, 2016, 08:37:01 PM »
I was gettin a bad (very rare) side effect from one of the drugs the hospital sent me home on and I didn't know what to do. The after hours chemist was AMAZING. Took my complicated medical history, my lack of medical support that day because it was a public holiday where nothing was open, did a whole bunch of research and gave me actionable advice. Amazing service, and the pharmacist had never met before. <3 (I also looked Very Cancer Patient at the time which may have helped)

Wow. Hope you are better now!

JordanOfGilead

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 426
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12759 on: March 14, 2016, 06:14:07 AM »
The worst part for me is, I'm just a facilitator type for most meetings. I publish an agenda, collect inputs, produce a slide deck, get everyone there on time, and then I'm expected to say nothing from start to finish. Sometimes I witness conflict based on complete misunderstandings, and it's not my place to set it right. Sometimes I know for a fact the discussion we're having isn't what we're supposed to be there for... doesn't matter. And when one guy in particular takes every meeting into overtime by blathering on about dumb shit, and then makes a show of apologizing at the end, I can't stand up and say "fuck off, if you really care then don't do it EVERY TIME!" hehe...

Good lord, that sounds like the worst position ever.
that sounds almost identical (at least in the functionality aspect) to my job. I feel you man.

JordanOfGilead

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 426
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12760 on: March 14, 2016, 06:19:26 AM »
As I see it some people will pay hundreds or thousands for lighter equipment just to shed a few grams, I still have 5000g to shed before starting to pay for light equipment.

Good line! It's a bit of a standing joke among runners here that cyclists will spend thousands on a lighter water bottle or something, rather than just lose a few pounds. Cycling is very popular among middle-aged men in Britain and there is definitely a culture of "all the gear and no idea" competing with your friends to have the most expensive bikes.
There is a similar running joke among auto enthusiasts about "weight reduction, bro." When the driver weighs 300lbs, but tears the carpets out of his car (5-10lbs maybe) for weight reduction ...

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12761 on: March 14, 2016, 08:02:26 AM »
As I see it some people will pay hundreds or thousands for lighter equipment just to shed a few grams, I still have 5000g to shed before starting to pay for light equipment.

Good line! It's a bit of a standing joke among runners here that cyclists will spend thousands on a lighter water bottle or something, rather than just lose a few pounds. Cycling is very popular among middle-aged men in Britain and there is definitely a culture of "all the gear and no idea" competing with your friends to have the most expensive bikes.

Weight weenies.
London City MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra). The competition is on spending, that's how Banksters do it!

maco

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12762 on: March 14, 2016, 08:33:39 AM »
As I see it some people will pay hundreds or thousands for lighter equipment just to shed a few grams, I still have 5000g to shed before starting to pay for light equipment.

Good line! It's a bit of a standing joke among runners here that cyclists will spend thousands on a lighter water bottle or something, rather than just lose a few pounds. Cycling is very popular among middle-aged men in Britain and there is definitely a culture of "all the gear and no idea" competing with your friends to have the most expensive bikes.
When I went to buy a bike, I was very interested in weight because I'm a weakling. Losing weight wouldn't have helped any. The previous bike I had weighed 40% of my body weight! I could only just sort of drag it up the stairs out of the basement. I could lift one tire off the ground by a couple inches, but the only chance I had of getting both tires off the ground was to lean it into my stomach then do a back bend so my hips were a fulcrum. Attempting to get it onto the rack on the front of the bus after I gave up on a hill ended with the bus driver getting out and lifting it onto the rack for me (when I tried to tip it back out of the rack, using my leg as extra leverage, I tore my skirt). At the time, I was one of those girls whose ribs you could easily count.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12763 on: March 14, 2016, 12:21:30 PM »
"most of our meetings are bloated pieces of shit" made me lol.  That's how I see meetings too.  Sometimes the tech team will get together in the meeting room and rock some shit out, but for the most part it's a lot of nothing getting accomplished and taking a long time to do it.  I'm constantly fighting my company wanting to promote me into a management position, mostly because I would gouge my own eyes out if I had to deal with meetings all day.
The worst part for me is, I'm just a facilitator type for most meetings. I publish an agenda, collect inputs, produce a slide deck, get everyone there on time, and then I'm expected to say nothing from start to finish. Sometimes I witness conflict based on complete misunderstandings, and it's not my place to set it right. Sometimes I know for a fact the discussion we're having isn't what we're supposed to be there for... doesn't matter. And when one guy in particular takes every meeting into overtime by blathering on about dumb shit, and then makes a show of apologizing at the end, I can't stand up and say "fuck off, if you really care then don't do it EVERY TIME!" hehe...

If I moved up the chain, at least I'd have a voice, but the bullshit would get exponentially worse, and at this point even the financial motive for advancement is marginal. I just won't be there long enough for it to add up to real money... so I spend my free time and mental energy on investment strategies and other outside stuff. I keep my boss happy, which isn't hard, and he takes care of me... my teammates are great and most of my peers across the other shops are cool when we collaborate... the rest of it, I just do my best to tune out and ignore.

Ha, I'm not sure who has it worse, me or you.

I'm in this great position now - maybe this is the life of a project manager?  But - I have no control over anything or anybody. But I get asked ALL THE TIME if we are going to meet a schedule, and if not, why.

1.  We had a test problem.  Things were blowing up.  They sat for 12 days because the device guy was deciding what to do.  And maybe he decided and forgot to tell the guys who work for him.
2.  Then the data guy didn't review the data.  So 7 days go by.  I realize this (note I was out for 3 of those 7, and sick for a few others), and do the review myself
3.  The person who is supposed to ship them waited 10 days.  Even though I asked for it to happen earlier.

Etc etc, this works for everything we do.
- stuff is delayed at our offshore assembly house.  Because we are small peanuts and they will work on bigger projects first
- stuff is delayed at test because we do not have capacity and mgt won't agree to pay for more

I mean, it's all about too much stuff to do, and not enough people and LITERALLY nobody works for me.  I'm used to just going in and doing things myself to get them done.  Can't do that.  Can only pester.  Have I mentioned that I'm working on a ton of different projects, they are ALL really important (per mgt), but nobody who actually does the work even works for me?

I can work hard to remind people to move the stuff.  I can keep track so that we don't forget anything.  But I can't actually make people work.

Confirmed: this is the life of a project manager.

Double points if your boss then asks you what can be done to get things working and you manage to refrain from answering "next time, don't hire blithering idiots who can't do their damned jobs".

Patience: not my strong point.
I'm hoping I get better at being a project manager.  I think I'm better at people managing or just "doing".

My very very first project with this boss - we were really tight on a date.  "Will we have these done by December 1?"  And I work the schedule backwards, and tell him "very likely not".

So then we specifically work at pestering every person in the chain to finish by December 1.  And management is very concerned whether we will make it by December 1.  And the COO specifically.  We do make it by December 1.

But we do this, LITERALLY, on EVERY PROJECT.  EVERY PROJECT has "stretch goals" and unrealistic timelines.  My very first question / comment to my boss with this project was "who the fuck picked that due date?  Because *I* wasn't on the project then and *I* didn't pick it and if I had been, *I* would have started the manufacturing one month earlier." (It was our VP.)

Ugh.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12764 on: March 14, 2016, 12:26:34 PM »
My work day at the pharmacy yesterday.  (Saturday-a 12 hour shift, only one pharmacist-me and 2 technicians).  Arrive at 8:45am.  100 prescriptions in line to be filled.  25 of those have to be pre-checked by me before anyone else can work on them.  Five new prescriptions already waiting to be typed.  15 prescriptions left over from last night,  the closing pharmacist couldn't be bothered to finish them.  An order of drugs waiting to be checked in,  recorded in the special book, and put away.  Again, last night's pharmacist couldn't be bothered.  We have to also go back and re-check new prescriptions one last  time, there are 400 of those waiting.  Ding-ding-ding  9am and we're off!!   Windows open.  A few customers come, I help them,  they're really nice,  we chat a bit.   Best part of my job.    Day starts good, my tech's are counting and typing and things are going smoothly.    Sometimes we do get prescriptions that just need a label slapped on, but we gotta make sure it's the right label on the right drug for the right person and billed to the right insurance and not too much money for you to afford.   Any prescription that is controlled has to be counted, double counted and if it's the "hard stuff" counted again .   I prefer the "slap a label on" prescriptions  and I prefer for you to have a zero copay.   It make me sad to have to explain that you have a high deductible plan and yes, it really does cost that much. 
         Prescriptions come to us in several ways:  people drop off written prescriptions, refill bottles.  New rxs come in by phone call, messages left, faxes come and doctors transmit electronic prescriptions.  Over the next 5 hours we work,  Time for a bathroom break.  I eat a chicken tender for lunch--standing  up.  No lunch break for me, no 15 minute breaks,  I work straight through, no sitting down because there is too much to do.  At 2pm we get 7 totes full of drugs to be put away.  500 items-  takes us 3 hours or so.  By the evening we've filled around 200 to 220 prescriptions (this is a normal Saturday)   And we've sold 100 to 150 prescriptions to people.   FYI,  on Monday we can fill 500 to 600 prescriptions.    I get a chance to finish up that order left over from Friday.  I eat a little dinner, still standing up.   I get another bathroom break.    I make up a new order for next weeks drugs.    We all double check all the 400 new rxs left over, plus all the new rxs typed today.   We end up putting back about 60 prescriptions that people didn't come and get.  We close the windows at 9pm, the  tech's take out the garbage.  I stay an hour over to finish up work I didn't get a chance to do during the day.  Why??  I'm the boss and it's my responsibility.  I'm also salaried, so I don't get paid to stay.   
      I really do like my job,   My customers are my friends.  A  story from Saturday:   a lady called us, we know her well,  she knew her dad was coming to the store and she wanted him to get some cleaner.  So we tracked him down and gave him the message--he is a sweetheart. 
 
Yes, one of my best friends is a pharmacist.  She worked retail a few years, and now is an a clinic.

A lot of people don't realize the paperwork involved - checking on the patient, the doctor, checking for allergies, interactions with other medications.  Then there is insurance (we, for one, have double insurance).


LeRainDrop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1834
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12765 on: March 14, 2016, 01:26:31 PM »
My work day at the pharmacy yesterday. . . . I really do like my job,   My customers are my friends.  A  story from Saturday:   a lady called us, we know her well,  she knew her dad was coming to the store and she wanted him to get some cleaner.  So we tracked him down and gave him the message--he is a sweetheart.

I count my local pharmacist as part of my medical team. So helpful, so supportive. I've gone through some major health issues in the past few years and they have been awesome. More helpful sometimes than the specialised services at the big hospital. . . .

Tl;dr pharmacists are awesome

Yes, one of my best friends is a pharmacist.  She worked retail a few years, and now is an a clinic.

A lot of people don't realize the paperwork involved - checking on the patient, the doctor, checking for allergies, interactions with other medications.  Then there is insurance (we, for one, have double insurance).

Lyngi, thanks for sharing.  Great customer service like your and Astatine's teams provide really stands out.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2016, 01:28:43 PM by LeRainDrop »

Merrie

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 463
  • Location: Midwest
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12766 on: March 14, 2016, 06:44:10 PM »
Thanks Lyngi for saving me the trouble of responding to this thread lol.

solon

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2359
  • Age: 1823
  • Location: OH
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12767 on: March 14, 2016, 06:54:33 PM »
All this love for pharmacists ignores the original question. Why do you need to be a chemist to work in a pharmacy?

candygirl

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Location: Canada
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12768 on: March 14, 2016, 07:31:55 PM »
So not overheard or seen at work but while washing the car this weekend.... Neighbour with 3 20ish kids at home had 2 separate large food delivery orders show up within 5 minutes of each other...they seem wealthy but still!!! We went in our house and make home made pizza and had a good laugh.

PrinsKheldar

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 25
  • Location: North of the wall
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12769 on: March 15, 2016, 12:57:00 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

stylesjl

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 68
  • Age: 34
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12770 on: March 15, 2016, 02:55:47 AM »
First time contribution to the wall, I got a new co-worker whom I overheard discussing when she going to get paid for the first time (we normally get paid monthly at my work place). Anyway she then says "I've only got three dollars to my name and car with half a tank of petrol [gasoline]" and this was one week after she got the final pay check from her previous job!

She then proceeded to talk about a time where she blew something like $300 in a single weekend (she did acknowledge that was a waste of money though).

nnls

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1132
  • Location: Perth, AU
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12771 on: March 15, 2016, 03:13:46 AM »
First time contribution to the wall, I got a new co-worker whom I overheard discussing when she going to get paid for the first time (we normally get paid monthly at my work place). Anyway she then says "I've only got three dollars to my name and car with half a tank of petrol [gasoline]" and this was one week after she got the final pay check from her previous job!

She then proceeded to talk about a time where she blew something like $300 in a single weekend (she did acknowledge that was a waste of money though).

$300 in  a weekend? thats nothing. I work with people who think nothing of blowing $1000 in a night at the casino. It becomes an amount worth noting when its over $2k

Completely ridiculous

Rollin

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1230
  • Location: West-Central Florida - USA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12772 on: March 15, 2016, 07:11:26 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

When I hear about or see that kind of behaviour I think that we are all doomed! Just ridiculous...

Daleth

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1201
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12773 on: March 15, 2016, 07:39:37 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

That is so FUNNY. Omg what kind of person chooses to do that??!

JordanOfGilead

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 426
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12774 on: March 15, 2016, 07:46:38 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

When I hear about or see that kind of behaviour I think that we are all doomed! Just ridiculous...
Not all of us. Somebody is making a buttload of money off of people like that ;)

maco

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12775 on: March 15, 2016, 08:42:51 AM »
All this love for pharmacists ignores the original question. Why do you need to be a chemist to work in a pharmacy?

Or was the poster using the British term for pharmacist, which is chemist. In any event, chemistry is a key basis for pharmaceuticals (drugs), along with biological sciences (how the drugs act in the body, targets, metabolism, etc.).
The difference between a US pharmacy and a UK chemist really confused my old British boyfriend. I said I'd bought something at CVS, and he made a joke about the version control system, and I said "no, the pharmacy." Then he was very confused by why I was buying snacks and shampoo at the chemist. And yeah, from what I remember on visits there, chemists are *tiny* and only have medicine, not all the convenience store stuff American ones have.

druth

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 333
  • Location: 'sota
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12776 on: March 15, 2016, 09:32:32 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

I walk further than that to and from the train that takes me to work.

MgoSam

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3684
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12777 on: March 15, 2016, 09:37:29 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

A good friend of mine lives in the heart of downtown St. Paul. For me this is great as I can use his ramp to park when going to downtown for free. I just found out that he doesn't actually park at his ramp, he parks at a different one because it's easier to get out of. I can't imagine how much he is paying for this additional parking spot. For what it's worth, he can afford it, but still.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3053
  • Location: Emmaus, PA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12778 on: March 16, 2016, 11:12:33 AM »
Our 401(k) has a 0.02% ER broad market fund. I was talking about how great that was when a co-worker chimed in that he moved everything to a higher-fee fund because it had the best performance over the previous year.

cerat0n1a

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2319
  • Location: England
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12779 on: March 16, 2016, 11:41:33 AM »
The difference between a US pharmacy and a UK chemist really confused my old British boyfriend. I said I'd bought something at CVS, and he made a joke about the version control system, and I said "no, the pharmacy." Then he was very confused by why I was buying snacks and shampoo at the chemist. And yeah, from what I remember on visits there, chemists are *tiny* and only have medicine, not all the convenience store stuff American ones have.

They're also one of the very few really regulated places - competition between them is really restricted and they're only allowed to sell certain things at the counter and so on. The village where I live has the doctors/health centre for all of the surrounding villages - 6 or 7 miles in each direction. They can supply drugs to the patients that live in the most outlying villages, which are outside the territory of the pharmacy in the village, but not to people in the village itself. All a bit ridiculous post-internet.

Just heard one of the senior guys here explaining that he has several thousand pounds worth of unclaimed expenses from previous work trips and isn't sure if he'll get round to filling out the forms because he can't find the receipts. Justifying it on the basis that he probably saves some money off the trips because he has to eat anyway.

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2694
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12780 on: March 16, 2016, 01:46:26 PM »
Our 401(k) has a 0.02% ER broad market fund. I was talking about how great that was when a co-worker chimed in that he moved everything to a higher-fee fund because it had the best performance over the previous year.

https://www.sec.gov/answers/mperf.htm

Quote
This year's top-performing mutual funds aren't necessarily going to be next year's best performers. It’s not uncommon for a fund to have better-than-average performance one year and mediocre or below-average performance the following year. That's why the SEC requires funds to tell investors that a fund's past performance does not necessarily predict future results.

Perhaps co-worker doesn't know that one should compare funds against a benchmark.

PrinsKheldar

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 25
  • Location: North of the wall
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12781 on: March 17, 2016, 04:43:56 AM »
Hi,

I just need to share this. My office is in center of town and I have a work colleague that rescently purchased an appartment in the most expensive part of town, and also very close to our office. He wanted the convenience of living close to work he said. Sure, thats a fine idea! He now lives only 800 meters from the office. That is perfect, by all means!  Sadly, because his appartment is in the most central part of town parking is offcorse a big issue, so he rents a parking spot in a garage under the appartment complex for 100$ / month... Well, thats another proof that cars are crazy expensive to own i thought...

But this is not the most crazy thing... I just learned that this colleauge of mine actually drives his car to work!..! 800 meters, through the heart of the city, the most costly way to drive! Not only occationally but frequently, actually so very frequently that he rents ANOTHER parking spot in ANOTHER garage next to the office building for ANOTHER 100$/month.. ...This is 800meters from his home, from his first parking spot... I'm speechless! I'm stunned...

That is so FUNNY. Omg what kind of person chooses to do that??!


Yes, I also see it as a bit funny in some tragic kind of way ... Funny, but sad.

Kitsune

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1853
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12782 on: March 17, 2016, 08:43:15 AM »
The look on my colleague's face when I said that my family didn't eat at McDonald's because it's too expensive for our budget (never mind our health)...

And then she argued that 15-20$/meal was REASONABLE. You guys. That's a grocery bill of over 500$ per month, ONLY for dinners! Add in lunches and breakfasts, and the occasional snack and bottle of wine, and you're looking at over 800$ WTF??!


Justification for saying McDonald's is too expenive: we're looking at 5$/person, plus a happy meal for the toddler... say, 12$CAD for dinner for 3? I haven't eaten there in years, but said colleague said she usually counts 7-8$/person when she goes there, and Google gives me numbers between 4$US per person and 9$CAD per person, so assuming 5 seems safely on the frugal end of things. Let's be fair, huh.

Last night, we had tofu stir-fry: block of tofu at 1.50, 1/4 of a large bag of frozen vegetables 2.20, 1.5 cup of rice out of a 10kg bag... maybe 20 cents? Sauce = soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic, and either peanut butter if we want a peanut sauce or maple syrup if we want something sweeter, plus a bit of cornstarch... 50 cents on the high end? So, 4.50$CAD for dinner for 3 plus lunches for the adults.

Tonight, we're splurging: merguez sausages, roasted asparagus, and fresh bread. Yum! I made the bread in the stand mixer last night: flour (10kg bag for 7$, so... maybe 20 cents worth, on the high end), yeast (1lb brick for 3$, lasts a year), and water. Asparagus are in season: 1lb for 1.50$. Merguez, well, those are the good ones, so they're a bit pricy: 5$, assuming 3 sausages for each of the adults and 1 for the toddler. Under 7$ for that meal.

I maintain: McDonald's is actually too expensive for our budget.

(And I'm feeling REALLY smug about my pantry right now, it is SUCH a lifesaver, budget-wise)
« Last Edit: March 17, 2016, 08:44:50 AM by Kitsune »

dsmexpat

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 223
  • Age: 35
  • Location: New Mexico
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12783 on: March 17, 2016, 09:27:19 AM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12784 on: March 17, 2016, 09:29:45 AM »
The look on my colleague's face when I said that my family didn't eat at McDonald's because it's too expensive for our budget (never mind our health)...

And then she argued that 15-20$/meal was REASONABLE. You guys. That's a grocery bill of over 500$ per month, ONLY for dinners! Add in lunches and breakfasts, and the occasional snack and bottle of wine, and you're looking at over 800$ WTF??!


Justification for saying McDonald's is too expenive: we're looking at 5$/person, plus a happy meal for the toddler... say, 12$CAD for dinner for 3? I haven't eaten there in years, but said colleague said she usually counts 7-8$/person when she goes there, and Google gives me numbers between 4$US per person and 9$CAD per person, so assuming 5 seems safely on the frugal end of things. Let's be fair, huh.

Last night, we had tofu stir-fry: block of tofu at 1.50, 1/4 of a large bag of frozen vegetables 2.20, 1.5 cup of rice out of a 10kg bag... maybe 20 cents? Sauce = soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic, and either peanut butter if we want a peanut sauce or maple syrup if we want something sweeter, plus a bit of cornstarch... 50 cents on the high end? So, 4.50$CAD for dinner for 3 plus lunches for the adults.

Tonight, we're splurging: merguez sausages, roasted asparagus, and fresh bread. Yum! I made the bread in the stand mixer last night: flour (10kg bag for 7$, so... maybe 20 cents worth, on the high end), yeast (1lb brick for 3$, lasts a year), and water. Asparagus are in season: 1lb for 1.50$. Merguez, well, those are the good ones, so they're a bit pricy: 5$, assuming 3 sausages for each of the adults and 1 for the toddler. Under 7$ for that meal.

I maintain: McDonald's is actually too expensive for our budget.

(And I'm feeling REALLY smug about my pantry right now, it is SUCH a lifesaver, budget-wise)
This hurts my brain.

Just goes to show that people have their own priorities.  It takes time and effort and planning to get to the point where you are on meal planning, and with a pantry.  If you are starting from nowhere - then not only can you NOT do that, but you'll say stuff like "It's cheaper to eat out!"  (Because you'll be figuring out how much it costs for a pound of ground beef, plus buns, plus salad mix, plus salad dressing, plus.... and figure that the cost to make "one meal" is more than going to McDs.)

Lot of people don't want to put in the effort and weren't raised that way.

(It's always fascinating to me.  I am pretty good at winging it in the kitchen.  It saves a TON of money.  This frees up money for "other things".  I donate a lot of money and time to the school.  I have friends who spend more money eating out, on vacation, or on dates but cannot afford to donate to the school.  Or choose not to.)

zolotiyeruki

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5591
  • Location: State: Denial
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12785 on: March 17, 2016, 09:32:29 AM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.

dsmexpat

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 223
  • Age: 35
  • Location: New Mexico
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12786 on: March 17, 2016, 09:42:14 AM »
Hell, I should have contacted McDonalds to become a brand ambassador first. If I'm going to do something I might as well get paid for it.


On a possibly related note, there's a company called dietbet which I've been exploiting pretty hard in the last three months too. Basically you and a bunch of other random strangers put money into a pool and bet that you'll lose x percent of your body weight in y months. Losers lose their stake, winners divide the pool between them.

I am extremely averse to losing money so I threw a lot of money in and then every time I felt like pizza I got to ask myself if I was willing to forfeit all that money for the pizza. I have shitty food discipline but extremely good financial discipline so I am smashing these bets with ease and clearing about $100/month in winnings. It's not much but it's working extremely well for me.

ransom132

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 91
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12787 on: March 17, 2016, 09:49:26 AM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.
I heard the samething with a scientist who did the samething, except he only ate twinkies, oreos and all the junk food and proved his point that it is possible to lose weight by eating junk food. However, with that said, it is not recommended it because of the lack of vitamins and minerals that comes from veggies and fruits...also eating alot of stuff with sugar in it can contribute to diabetes even if you eat 2000 calories of junk food per day. He only did it to show that it is possible to eat fast food and still lose weight.

mtn

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1343
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12788 on: March 17, 2016, 10:04:24 AM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.
I heard the samething with a scientist who did the samething, except he only ate twinkies, oreos and all the junk food and proved his point that it is possible to lose weight by eating junk food. However, with that said, it is not recommended it because of the lack of vitamins and minerals that comes from veggies and fruits...also eating alot of stuff with sugar in it can contribute to diabetes even if you eat 2000 calories of junk food per day. He only did it to show that it is possible to eat fast food and still lose weight.

There was an education video that I watched from Eastern Illinois University that followed two graduate students (I think they were a weightlifter and a former gymnast, male and female respectively) who ate nothing but fast food for 30 days. They both were healthier in every single metric at the end of the month, and these were two healthy people to begin with. They were relatively liberal in what they called fast food (a deli sandwich counted, for instance) but it was very enlightening.

Kitsune

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1853
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12789 on: March 17, 2016, 11:17:35 AM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.
I heard the samething with a scientist who did the samething, except he only ate twinkies, oreos and all the junk food and proved his point that it is possible to lose weight by eating junk food. However, with that said, it is not recommended it because of the lack of vitamins and minerals that comes from veggies and fruits...also eating alot of stuff with sugar in it can contribute to diabetes even if you eat 2000 calories of junk food per day. He only did it to show that it is possible to eat fast food and still lose weight.

There was an education video that I watched from Eastern Illinois University that followed two graduate students (I think they were a weightlifter and a former gymnast, male and female respectively) who ate nothing but fast food for 30 days. They both were healthier in every single metric at the end of the month, and these were two healthy people to begin with. They were relatively liberal in what they called fast food (a deli sandwich counted, for instance) but it was very enlightening.

No food is 'healthy', in and of itself - you, as a person, can be healthy, and eating a varied diet in reasonable quantities tends to help with that, but it's definitely not the only metric. (Nor, I'd argue, is being fat or not - you can be thin and desperately unhealthy, and you can be fat and healthy by every metric that you can measure.)

Also, the people who continually argue that 'everything homemade is better, because it's homemade!' drive me up the wall, TBH. SOMETIMES it's better/healthier/cheaper/whatever to make it yourself. I'd trust a good bakery to make a better croissant than I can make, for example.

BUT: having the tools and knowledge to do it yourself gives you more power to potentially make it better and potentially save money. Whether it's worth it is always depends.

I'd definitely argue that making routine meals at home is ABSOLUTELY worth it (more fresh fruits and veggies for less time and money!), but other people disagree. *shrugs*


Kitsune

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1853
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12790 on: March 17, 2016, 11:23:53 AM »
New Overheard at Work (god, it seems like my job is a freakin GOLDMINE of these these days...)

Colleague, last week: "I have 3 kids under 5, of COURSE I need full-time daycare plus a nanny to help with drop-offs or pick them up and help cook dinner (neither she nor her husband cook), PLUS a cleaning lady who spends AT LEAST a day a week at the house! After all, my husband and I are both professionals, we can afford this, and it's absolutely worth it for quality of life!" (To be fair: she and her husband are probably making 120KCAD pre-tax, and daycare is heavily subsidized in Quebec, so ok, if you can afford it, that's your deal.)

Colleague, this week: "My accountant just did my taxes and we owe almost 5K! Our line of credit is maxed out, we have no savings, and my car needs major repairs! I don't know what I'm donna do!!"
Me: "... Maybe cut down on the household staff and learn to cook your own dinners and clean your own house? That'd loosen up a good 1K/month, no?"
Colleague: "Oh, no, I couldn't do that! The household help is too necessary!"
*headdesk*

This, you guys, THIS is what happens when you try to live like an aristrocrat without the inherited money.

ohyonghao

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 638
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Hillsboro, OR
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12791 on: March 17, 2016, 11:58:32 AM »
On a possibly related note, there's a company called dietbet which I've been exploiting pretty hard in the last three months too. Basically you and a bunch of other random strangers put money into a pool and bet that you'll lose x percent of your body weight in y months. Losers lose their stake, winners divide the pool between them.

I am extremely averse to losing money so I threw a lot of money in and then every time I felt like pizza I got to ask myself if I was willing to forfeit all that money for the pizza. I have shitty food discipline but extremely good financial discipline so I am smashing these bets with ease and clearing about $100/month in winnings. It's not much but it's working extremely well for me.

Glad to hear you like Diet Bet, I used that the year before and was able to purchase some bike equipment from the proceeds :-D  It really was a motivator to lose a lot of weight.  Now I'm at the point where it would be a struggle to lose 4% or 10% of my body weight.  Keep up the good work.  In a year when you look back at the first pictures it's amazing the amount of change that has happened.

serpentstooth

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1213
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12792 on: March 17, 2016, 12:07:52 PM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.
I heard the samething with a scientist who did the samething, except he only ate twinkies, oreos and all the junk food and proved his point that it is possible to lose weight by eating junk food. However, with that said, it is not recommended it because of the lack of vitamins and minerals that comes from veggies and fruits...also eating alot of stuff with sugar in it can contribute to diabetes even if you eat 2000 calories of junk food per day. He only did it to show that it is possible to eat fast food and still lose weight.

There was an education video that I watched from Eastern Illinois University that followed two graduate students (I think they were a weightlifter and a former gymnast, male and female respectively) who ate nothing but fast food for 30 days. They both were healthier in every single metric at the end of the month, and these were two healthy people to begin with. They were relatively liberal in what they called fast food (a deli sandwich counted, for instance) but it was very enlightening.

No food is 'healthy', in and of itself - you, as a person, can be healthy, and eating a varied diet in reasonable quantities tends to help with that, but it's definitely not the only metric. (Nor, I'd argue, is being fat or not - you can be thin and desperately unhealthy, and you can be fat and healthy by every metric that you can measure.)

Also, the people who continually argue that 'everything homemade is better, because it's homemade!' drive me up the wall, TBH. SOMETIMES it's better/healthier/cheaper/whatever to make it yourself. I'd trust a good bakery to make a better croissant than I can make, for example.

BUT: having the tools and knowledge to do it yourself gives you more power to potentially make it better and potentially save money. Whether it's worth it is always depends.

I'd definitely argue that making routine meals at home is ABSOLUTELY worth it (more fresh fruits and veggies for less time and money!), but other people disagree. *shrugs*

Michael Pollan (or Mark Bittman?) once said that if you cooked all your own junk food yourself, you wouldn't get fat.

I always felt this displayed a lack of skill in the kitchen, a lack of imagination, or both.

Kitsune

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1853
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12793 on: March 17, 2016, 12:53:51 PM »
I've been dieting since the New Year, both money and food, and I'm going to speak up in support of McDonalds. Portion sizes have inflated pretty hugely over my short lifetime (and I imagine even more so for the older posters) but that doesn't mean you actually have to order the biggest portion. The one next to my work is currently showing 2 cheeseburgers as the smallest meal and has a new double quarter pounder (so I guess half a pound) option but if you walk in and ask them to make you a cheeseburger they'll do it. It's a easy self contained lunch that costs $1.07 and has enough calories to get you to dinner but not enough to kill you.

Today I'm eating leftovers and my lunch probably costs about $2-$3 (pork loin roasted in a teriyaki sauce with rice) and while it's better than a burger it's certainly not cheaper.

McDonalds is certainly too expensive if you decide to eat 2000 calories of it in one sitting and doing that won't do your heart any good either. But that's not a strike against McDonalds, that's user error. I've lost 23lb so far this year and am saving about 85% of my gross income while including fast food in my diet.
That's a good point--there's a science teacher who lost 60+ lbs while eating exclusively McDonald's.  He did it by simply limiting his diet to 2000 calories/day and exercising 45 minutes/day 5x/week.
I heard the samething with a scientist who did the samething, except he only ate twinkies, oreos and all the junk food and proved his point that it is possible to lose weight by eating junk food. However, with that said, it is not recommended it because of the lack of vitamins and minerals that comes from veggies and fruits...also eating alot of stuff with sugar in it can contribute to diabetes even if you eat 2000 calories of junk food per day. He only did it to show that it is possible to eat fast food and still lose weight.

There was an education video that I watched from Eastern Illinois University that followed two graduate students (I think they were a weightlifter and a former gymnast, male and female respectively) who ate nothing but fast food for 30 days. They both were healthier in every single metric at the end of the month, and these were two healthy people to begin with. They were relatively liberal in what they called fast food (a deli sandwich counted, for instance) but it was very enlightening.

No food is 'healthy', in and of itself - you, as a person, can be healthy, and eating a varied diet in reasonable quantities tends to help with that, but it's definitely not the only metric. (Nor, I'd argue, is being fat or not - you can be thin and desperately unhealthy, and you can be fat and healthy by every metric that you can measure.)

Also, the people who continually argue that 'everything homemade is better, because it's homemade!' drive me up the wall, TBH. SOMETIMES it's better/healthier/cheaper/whatever to make it yourself. I'd trust a good bakery to make a better croissant than I can make, for example.

BUT: having the tools and knowledge to do it yourself gives you more power to potentially make it better and potentially save money. Whether it's worth it is always depends.

I'd definitely argue that making routine meals at home is ABSOLUTELY worth it (more fresh fruits and veggies for less time and money!), but other people disagree. *shrugs*

Michael Pollan (or Mark Bittman?) once said that if you cooked all your own junk food yourself, you wouldn't get fat.

I always felt this displayed a lack of skill in the kitchen, a lack of imagination, or both.


WTF.

Seriously.

Fries that I make at home are not any better for me than fries I order in a restaurant.

... the only caveat, I suppose, is that fries cost 1$ to order and are a significant pain in the ass to make, so I make then way less often than I'd order them in a restaurant.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12794 on: March 17, 2016, 01:07:43 PM »
Quote
... the only caveat, I suppose, is that fries cost 1$ to order and are a significant pain in the ass to make, so I make then way less often than I'd order them in a restaurant.

I'm pretty sure that was the point.  I don't remember which one said it.

There was a period of time when I decided that I was going to be that way with bread.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12795 on: March 17, 2016, 01:28:08 PM »
New Overheard at Work (god, it seems like my job is a freakin GOLDMINE of these these days...)

Colleague, last week: "I have 3 kids under 5, of COURSE I need full-time daycare plus a nanny to help with drop-offs or pick them up and help cook dinner (neither she nor her husband cook), PLUS a cleaning lady who spends AT LEAST a day a week at the house! After all, my husband and I are both professionals, we can afford this, and it's absolutely worth it for quality of life!" (To be fair: she and her husband are probably making 120KCAD pre-tax, and daycare is heavily subsidized in Quebec, so ok, if you can afford it, that's your deal.)

Colleague, this week: "My accountant just did my taxes and we owe almost 5K! Our line of credit is maxed out, we have no savings, and my car needs major repairs! I don't know what I'm donna do!!"
Me: "... Maybe cut down on the household staff and learn to cook your own dinners and clean your own house? That'd loosen up a good 1K/month, no?"
Colleague: "Oh, no, I couldn't do that! The household help is too necessary!"
*headdesk*

This, you guys, THIS is what happens when you try to live like an aristrocrat without the inherited money.
I can understand (and forgive) initial ignorance of causal relationships. Outright refusal to accept and act on new information illustrating causal relationships is inexcusable.

And if it takes one person a whole day to clean their house, I'm guessing they got one big enough for all three kids to play football indoors on cold winter days.

Kitsune

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1853
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12796 on: March 17, 2016, 01:30:51 PM »
New Overheard at Work (god, it seems like my job is a freakin GOLDMINE of these these days...)

Colleague, last week: "I have 3 kids under 5, of COURSE I need full-time daycare plus a nanny to help with drop-offs or pick them up and help cook dinner (neither she nor her husband cook), PLUS a cleaning lady who spends AT LEAST a day a week at the house! After all, my husband and I are both professionals, we can afford this, and it's absolutely worth it for quality of life!" (To be fair: she and her husband are probably making 120KCAD pre-tax, and daycare is heavily subsidized in Quebec, so ok, if you can afford it, that's your deal.)

Colleague, this week: "My accountant just did my taxes and we owe almost 5K! Our line of credit is maxed out, we have no savings, and my car needs major repairs! I don't know what I'm donna do!!"
Me: "... Maybe cut down on the household staff and learn to cook your own dinners and clean your own house? That'd loosen up a good 1K/month, no?"
Colleague: "Oh, no, I couldn't do that! The household help is too necessary!"
*headdesk*

This, you guys, THIS is what happens when you try to live like an aristrocrat without the inherited money.
I can understand (and forgive) initial ignorance of causal relationships. Outright refusal to accept and act on new information illustrating causal relationships is inexcusable.

And if it takes one person a whole day to clean their house, I'm guessing they got one big enough for all three kids to play football indoors on cold winter days.

Not even. She just feels like 'every week' tasks includes dusting baseboards, washing all the windows, etc. Things I do, if we're lucky, every 2-4 months.

TheGrimSqueaker

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2604
  • Location: A desert wasteland, where none but the weird survive
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12797 on: March 17, 2016, 01:31:23 PM »
All this love for pharmacists ignores the original question. Why do you need to be a chemist to work in a pharmacy?

Or was the poster using the British term for pharmacist, which is chemist. In any event, chemistry is a key basis for pharmaceuticals (drugs), along with biological sciences (how the drugs act in the body, targets, metabolism, etc.).
The difference between a US pharmacy and a UK chemist really confused my old British boyfriend. I said I'd bought something at CVS, and he made a joke about the version control system, and I said "no, the pharmacy." Then he was very confused by why I was buying snacks and shampoo at the chemist. And yeah, from what I remember on visits there, chemists are *tiny* and only have medicine, not all the convenience store stuff American ones have.

Being able to charge convenience store prices for small items that can be had much more cheaply at the grocery store has to allow for a gigantic sales margin on things besides medicines.

domo

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 37
  • Age: 38
  • Location: New Orleans
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12798 on: March 17, 2016, 02:18:55 PM »
Eh, pizza can be had far more cheaply from a restaurant than at home. Economies of scale, and all that. I don't want a pound of mozzarella (or pepperoni, or other topping) going moldy in my fridge. If I only buy the amount I need, it's way too expensive. A large pizza can be had for as little as $5-6, depending on the special.
However, can we stop talking about food? I am on a diet and I can't have any pizza right now.
Yes, I know if I worked out more, it'd be fine. When I was training for a 100-mile bike race I could put away an entire large pepperoni pizza by myself. That's one of the nice things about doing speed drills for 8 hours.

JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7509
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #12799 on: March 17, 2016, 02:33:14 PM »
Eh, pizza can be had far more cheaply from a restaurant than at home. Economies of scale, and all that. I don't want a pound of mozzarella (or pepperoni, or other topping) going moldy in my fridge. If I only buy the amount I need, it's way too expensive. A large pizza can be had for as little as $5-6, depending on the special.
However, can we stop talking about food? I am on a diet and I can't have any pizza right now.
Yes, I know if I worked out more, it'd be fine. When I was training for a 100-mile bike race I could put away an entire large pepperoni pizza by myself. That's one of the nice things about doing speed drills for 8 hours.

I ran the numbers on this when I was staying with my SO in Canada (and groceries are generally more expensive there)...I'm pretty sure we were around $3/pizza. Cheese was the most expensive part. You can freeze mozzarella, btw.