Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253192 times)

Prairie Stash

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16300 on: January 06, 2017, 11:05:01 AM »
So dumb question; does everyone keep an extra set of rims with their winter tires as well, or do they get mounted and unmounted every year?

I think every person in Norway has an extra set of complete wheels. That is easiest to change twice a year, or more often if the weather is unstable in spring.

Thanks. An additional expense I don't factor into my car purchases.
Not necessarily, there's another solution. Winter tires shouldn't be swapped on low annual mileage vehicles according to the tire manufacturers recommendations. Since winter tires are meant to make cars safer, lets not endanger people. Tires should be replaced at 7-10 year intervals regardless of wear due to ozone destroying the side walls which can cause blowouts. In practice, my winter tires are rated for 60,000 km, I drive under 5,000 km/year meaning they will be due for replacement before they wear out. Its assumed most people drive 20,000km/year, that's the reason this is rarely discussed, most people wear out their tires long before sidewall damage becomes significant.

Chrysler, Ford and GM all recommend original tires should be replaced after 6 years, other place vary but in general old tires are bad. Most often its the spare tires that are the worst, in used cars they can be pretty old.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=138

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16301 on: January 06, 2017, 12:30:23 PM »
So dumb question; does everyone keep an extra set of rims with their winter tires as well, or do they get mounted and unmounted every year?

I think every person in Norway has an extra set of complete wheels. That is easiest to change twice a year, or more often if the weather is unstable in spring.

Thanks. An additional expense I don't factor into my car purchases.

Not a big one though over the life of a car. I can keep my "summer" tires longer because I'm not using them in the winter; the winter tires last longer because I'm not using them in the summer. The wheels are cheap steel wheels found on craigslist. I paid $350 for my wheels AND snow tires on my last car.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16302 on: January 06, 2017, 01:30:19 PM »
Yes, in the long run the costs are about the same.  It is a lot easier on the tires to not be taken on and off rims twice a year.  And selling a car, there is more value if both sets of tires are included, you can ask for more money (or save the set not on the car and sell separately).  Wouldn't UV damage also depend on how much time the car is outside when there is UV light?  Here there is almost no UV in the sunlight in winter.  A car that is garaged most of the time (i.e. instead of parked in the sun, not talking driving time) should also have better tire life.

I don't understand Prairie Stash's quote: Winter tires shouldn't be swapped on low annual mileage vehicles according to the tire manufacturers recommendations.   Winter tires should be on a car when temperatures are cold, and all seasons should be on the car the rest of the time.  Maybe summer tires where summers are super hot, but then I would guess in those places the winter is when the all seasons are needed.  I don't see how mileage has anything to do with what tires are on the car, driving conditions (temperature) matter.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16303 on: January 06, 2017, 01:58:35 PM »

I don't understand Prairie Stash's quote: Winter tires shouldn't be swapped on low annual mileage vehicles according to the tire manufacturers recommendations.   Winter tires should be on a car when temperatures are cold, and all seasons should be on the car the rest of the time.  Maybe summer tires where summers are super hot, but then I would guess in those places the winter is when the all seasons are needed.  I don't see how mileage has anything to do with what tires are on the car, driving conditions (temperature) matter.

I think he's just saying that tires in general can wear out (age out) before they've hit their mileage "limit".

gimp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16304 on: January 06, 2017, 02:00:57 PM »
Tires should be replaced at 7-10 year intervals regardless of wear

...

Chrysler, Ford and GM all recommend original tires should be replaced after 6 years, other place vary but in general old tires are bad. Most often its the spare tires that are the worst, in used cars they can be pretty old.

I agree with everyone else and disagree with you. Six years for tires you need to get you around corners. That's the limit. Eight is if you're driving only in straight lines and never braking or accelerating hard.

kms

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16305 on: January 06, 2017, 02:05:54 PM »
I have another story, this time it's my wife contributing :-)

She's just started a new job and while she does try to bring her own lunch every day occasionally she does go out for lunch with her colleagues solely for the aspect of socializing and getting to know them, which makes sense.

Anyway, she was approached by one of her colleagues yesterday morning and asked whether or not she felt like going out to lunch later that day and how she felt about Sushi. Her response was somewhere along the lines of "Sure why not, I can't afford going out every day but it's been a while so let's do it". To which her colleague apparently responded "Yeah, I can't really afford it either but I checked my bank account on monday and realized I had a little bit of money left in my savings account, so this week I'm eating out every day!"

cheapass

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16306 on: January 06, 2017, 02:08:21 PM »
I have another story, this time it's my wife contributing :-)

She's just started a new job and while she does try to bring her own lunch every day occasionally she does go out for lunch with her colleagues solely for the aspect of socializing and getting to know them, which makes sense.

Anyway, she was approached by one of her colleagues yesterday morning and asked whether or not she felt like going out to lunch later that day and how she felt about Sushi. Her response was somewhere along the lines of "Sure why not, I can't afford going out every day but it's been a while so let's do it". To which her colleague apparently responded "Yeah, I can't really afford it either but I checked my bank account on monday and realized I had a little bit of money left in my savings account, so this week I'm eating out every day!"

That's why they call it "disposable" income after all. You gotta get rid of it, otherwise it sits around and rots just like produce!

frugledoc

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16307 on: January 06, 2017, 03:36:43 PM »
Some good new posts but please people let that tire foam be short lived.

crispy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16308 on: January 06, 2017, 05:46:48 PM »
Too on the nose, crispy?

Yep. Even she made as joke about it.

gimp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16309 on: January 06, 2017, 06:50:16 PM »
Some good new posts but please people let that tire foam be short lived.

Bro, I will tire you out talking about rubber.

For example, did you guys know that tires have gotten massively better over time? A large reason why classic muscle cars were actually pretty shitty to drive (especially by modern standards) is that their tires sucked. If you put modern rubber on a late-60s muscle car, it will feel amazing compared to how it used to.

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16310 on: January 06, 2017, 10:44:04 PM »
Some good new posts but please people let that tire foam be short lived.

What, you're tired of treading through threads of tires?

BuffaloStache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16311 on: January 06, 2017, 10:49:01 PM »
If you put modern rubber on a late-60s muscle car, it will feel amazing compared to how it used to.

There is a seriously inappropriate joke just waiting there... :-P

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16312 on: January 06, 2017, 11:03:00 PM »
If you put modern rubber on a late-60s muscle car, it will feel amazing compared to how it used to.

There is a seriously inappropriate joke just waiting there... :-P

Like...   If you put modern rubber on a late-60s muscle, it will feel amazing compared to how it used to...

crispy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16313 on: January 07, 2017, 01:48:10 PM »
I started a new job in November because my old company was having major financial issues. I found out yesterday that old company decided to shut down my division and restructure. All employees are being asked to interview for the few new jobs so 2/3 will be unemployed and the other 1/3 will take a paycut.  I was sharing this news with my new coworkers who were all sympathetic and many expressed how difficult one it would be to be hit with a sudden job loss. One guy later approached me and let me know he sold Primerica on the side so if I had the contact info for any of my former coworkers he would be glad to help them rollover their 401k and share a business opportunity... Really dude?  At least I know to avoid him I the future. Fortunately most of my new coworkers are good people (even if they occasionally wear ugly leggings!).
« Last Edit: January 08, 2017, 11:10:37 AM by crispy »

BuffaloStache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16314 on: January 07, 2017, 11:20:42 PM »
I had to google Primerica because I wasn't sure what it was... Wow- trying to offer what I'm sure are high fees or commissioned investment products and 'financial advising' to people who just lost their jobs is pretty low.

DutchGirl

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16315 on: January 08, 2017, 01:44:06 AM »
My mother bought me one... (...) And unfortunately she got a plan rather than a pay-as-you-go. (Considering how rarely I use the thing, $50/month is far too much.)

Let me get this straight: she bought you a phone for say $200 or so, and then she had you sign up for a plan that costs $50/month for probably two years? (Total amount: $600/year, $1200 if it's a two year plan). That's ... a terrible gift. You should have refused, and you should *not* have signed the contract for the plan.

I bought a $65 phone (a wiko) and pay $9 per month for my plan (the plan includes 1000 MB of data of which I use 700, and 200 minutes of which I use 50-150).

Again, I think it's a terrible gift. Make sure she never does it again.

My uncle once, in 1986 or so, gave me and my siblings a puppy, without any previous discussion with my parents. We, the kids, loved it. Looking back, it was a terrible gift. My parents took care of the dog for 16 years, it became a part of our family, but given that it was a mixed breed, it cost my uncle probably $30 or so at that time, and my parents had at least $400/year costs because of it (food, shelter, vet).

I think your mother's gift is getting close. At least she didn't buy you a living, breathing thing.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2017, 01:54:46 AM by DutchGirl »

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16316 on: January 08, 2017, 06:51:06 PM »

My uncle once, in 1986 or so, gave me and my siblings a puppy, without any previous discussion with my parents. We, the kids, loved it. Looking back, it was a terrible gift. My parents took care of the dog for 16 years, it became a part of our family, but given that it was a mixed breed, it cost my uncle probably $30 or so at that time, and my parents had at least $400/year costs because of it (food, shelter, vet).

I think your mother's gift is getting close. At least she didn't buy you a living, breathing thing.

Yikes! Yeah I had a good friend joke that she was going to buy me a puppy when I bought my house and I nearly freaked out. My friend was kidding, but she is capable of doing something like this without thinking about the consequences. I would love to get a dog someday but when I do it'll be when I am home more and it'll be an older dog from a shelter.

kayvent

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16317 on: January 08, 2017, 07:13:37 PM »
I just thought of a guy I used to work with back in my old job in NJ!

He said he wasn't paying off his student loans because he was so good at picking stocks that he'd been beating the market since he graduated college. He also lived in a really pricey Manhattan neighborhood and owned a car. He used to tell everybody, especially the twentysomethings like me, about all of his super rich classmates who made like $300k+ right out of college on Wall Street or in startups, and would buy him really expensive champagne and scotch all the time because he was just such a great guy.

I'm pretty sure he was making $95,000 at the most. Which is a lot, even for NYC, but when you have a car, loans, and work out of state (NJ, which basically double-taxes out of state workers), everything about his lifestyle screamed that he was one or two mistakes from being in an awful place.

He may have said that but was he? I am curious. The last seven years have been killers and excluding the nosedive in 2008/2009, we've been stellar since 2002 too. When I hear people say they are great investors I often don't hear them actually comparing their results against an index.

Step37

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16318 on: January 08, 2017, 07:35:08 PM »
My mother bought me one... (...) And unfortunately she got a plan rather than a pay-as-you-go. (Considering how rarely I use the thing, $50/month is far too much.)

Let me get this straight: she bought you a phone for say $200 or so, and then she had you sign up for a plan that costs $50/month for probably two years? (Total amount: $600/year, $1200 if it's a two year plan). That's ... a terrible gift. You should have refused, and you should *not* have signed the contract for the plan.

I bought a $65 phone (a wiko) and pay $9 per month for my plan (the plan includes 1000 MB of data of which I use 700, and 200 minutes of which I use 50-150).

Again, I think it's a terrible gift. Make sure she never does it again.

My uncle once, in 1986 or so, gave me and my siblings a puppy, without any previous discussion with my parents. We, the kids, loved it. Looking back, it was a terrible gift. My parents took care of the dog for 16 years, it became a part of our family, but given that it was a mixed breed, it cost my uncle probably $30 or so at that time, and my parents had at least $400/year costs because of it (food, shelter, vet).

I think your mother's gift is getting close. At least she didn't buy you a living, breathing thing.

This made me lol. My mom got me a puppy for my 21st birthday - I REALLY, REALLY wanted a dog and I maintain that it is still the best gift I've ever received... BUT, in 20+ years hindsight, obviously not a smart move financially. Ah well, we made it through:)

A couple years after the puppy gift, I was given another expense from my parents, a cell phone! I probably wanted this, too, but that REALLY is a terrible gift if not specifically asked for! It was many years before I had a job that took over the expense of the phone. It never occurred to me back then that it was a silly, unnecessary expense.

I'm definitely following an MMM lifestyle now (as much as I'm able with a 30-minute car commute!), and I just shake my head at my parents. They're well-off financially, so I will never have to look after them in that respect. The 12 acres of huge house, three garages and multiple outbuildings FULL OF STUFF concerns me greatly, however, and they have no plan whatsoever to deal with it. Anyway, this is a discussion for a different thread.

EricNYC

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16319 on: January 08, 2017, 07:45:41 PM »
I just thought of a guy I used to work with back in my old job in NJ!

He said he wasn't paying off his student loans because he was so good at picking stocks that he'd been beating the market since he graduated college. He also lived in a really pricey Manhattan neighborhood and owned a car. He used to tell everybody, especially the twentysomethings like me, about all of his super rich classmates who made like $300k+ right out of college on Wall Street or in startups, and would buy him really expensive champagne and scotch all the time because he was just such a great guy.

I'm pretty sure he was making $95,000 at the most. Which is a lot, even for NYC, but when you have a car, loans, and work out of state (NJ, which basically double-taxes out of state workers), everything about his lifestyle screamed that he was one or two mistakes from being in an awful place.

He may have said that but was he? I am curious. The last seven years have been killers and excluding the nosedive in 2008/2009, we've been stellar since 2002 too. When I hear people say they are great investors I often don't hear them actually comparing their results against an index.

I really don't know for sure! We didn't get into a deep discussion about it. Somehow student loans came up, I mentioned I'd paid mine off, and he said that it wasn't worth it for him because he had such a good understanding of the stock market. Given he was a champion-level BSer otherwise, I'm not sure that any of that was true.

cheapass

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16320 on: January 09, 2017, 08:11:24 AM »
I really don't know for sure! We didn't get into a deep discussion about it. Somehow student loans came up, I mentioned I'd paid mine off, and he said that it wasn't worth it for him because he had such a good understanding of the stock market. Given he was a champion-level BSer otherwise, I'm not sure that any of that was true.

He sounds like a real savant. I mean, professional investors that spend 12 hours a day studying fundamentals/technicals can't beat the market but this guy has a gift!

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16321 on: January 09, 2017, 08:39:23 AM »
I really don't know for sure! We didn't get into a deep discussion about it. Somehow student loans came up, I mentioned I'd paid mine off, and he said that it wasn't worth it for him because he had such a good understanding of the stock market. Given he was a champion-level BSer otherwise, I'm not sure that any of that was true.

He sounds like a real savant. I mean, professional investors that spend 12 hours a day studying fundamentals/technicals can't beat the market but this guy has a gift!

Yes: for BS. Who knows, he may have a future in politics.

HydroJim

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16322 on: January 09, 2017, 10:53:54 AM »
"we're living in a depression and they don't want you to know"

This guy is a very anti big government and conspiracy theory kind of guy. The same guy says he doesn't contribute to his HSA and 401k because "you don't control your own money, they do"

Meanwhile, he sits on his butt all day and probably makes over $100k annually.

Sigh.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16323 on: January 09, 2017, 04:39:13 PM »
My mother bought me one... (...) And unfortunately she got a plan rather than a pay-as-you-go. (Considering how rarely I use the thing, $50/month is far too much.)

Let me get this straight: she bought you a phone for say $200 or so, and then she had you sign up for a plan that costs $50/month for probably two years? (Total amount: $600/year, $1200 if it's a two year plan). That's ... a terrible gift. You should have refused, and you should *not* have signed the contract for the plan.

I bought a $65 phone (a wiko) and pay $9 per month for my plan (the plan includes 1000 MB of data of which I use 700, and 200 minutes of which I use 50-150).

Again, I think it's a terrible gift. Make sure she never does it again.

My uncle once, in 1986 or so, gave me and my siblings a puppy, without any previous discussion with my parents. We, the kids, loved it. Looking back, it was a terrible gift. My parents took care of the dog for 16 years, it became a part of our family, but given that it was a mixed breed, it cost my uncle probably $30 or so at that time, and my parents had at least $400/year costs because of it (food, shelter, vet).

I think your mother's gift is getting close. At least she didn't buy you a living, breathing thing.

Had the "you don't need a cellphone yet" discussion with our tween not 5 mins ago. No need for one. We can afford it but why? I share my pay-as-go with the tween whenever necessary b/c I don't really need a mobile except for emergency calls from school/activities for Dad's Taxi service.

Its more about keeping up with the Janes and Johnnys than anything else... This won't be fun...

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16324 on: January 09, 2017, 07:14:40 PM »
Its more about keeping up with the Janes and Johnnys than anything else... This won't be fun...

Unfortunately, that's not going to be the case for the current generation.  As all of your kid's friends get cell phones, they're going to start communicating constantly via text, and if yours isn't part of that communication circle, they are going to feel (and possibly be) very left out.  Might not need a data plan, but a cheap smartphone w/ texting may go a long way.  As a kid that felt left out a lot, it's not a good feeling and it has long-lasting effects, so please don't dismiss it out of hand.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16325 on: January 09, 2017, 09:51:17 PM »
I know. I was the out of the loop kid growing up too. I became a more independent person for it but I know our tween is motivated to be more social than DW or I at that age... Not sure it will grow his independence or just frustrate him. His best tween friend got a new iPhone this past Christmas. -eye roller-

I'm open to any suggestions from everyone...

financialfreedomsloth

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16326 on: January 10, 2017, 02:21:46 AM »
I know. I was the out of the loop kid growing up too. I became a more independent person for it but I know our tween is motivated to be more social than DW or I at that age... Not sure it will grow his independence or just frustrate him. His best tween friend got a new iPhone this past Christmas. -eye roller-

I'm open to any suggestions from everyone...
Moto G's are pretty good phones. And while not an iphone should be acceptable enough to be in the hip category. The Samsung galaxy class has some models aimed to young people as well, huawei honor is also a cheaper sub brand of huawei aimed at younger people. Ask what kind of phones his friends are using (off course eliminating the expensive iphone).

Perhaps devise a 'point' system, offer him a choice between three phones at three different prices and 'points' and then let him earn it via chores in the house/garden.

Good moment to teach him about budgetting: go with a pre paid data plan in the beginning so he learnes to control his data use (explain that on wi fi is 'free' but the mobiel date costs money). Texts and data is what they use, so no need for lots of call minutes. Here in Belgium they have pre paid bundles targetted to teenagers, 10 euro for insane data and texts volume and it is good for a month. If they blow the volume in 10 days, well it will be wi fi only until the end of the month then ..

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16327 on: January 10, 2017, 05:15:29 AM »
I have started bringing my own lunch to work and eat it in the canteen with my colleagues who buy food there. Some people are asking why I do this. I have explained that a lunch with a fixed price makes that I tend to overeat. I also don't tolerate onions, so eating the soup causes me to get a bloating belly. And I also mention that I want to save 80 dollars a month. Then a colleague commented that our canteen is not expensive. No, it is not for what you get for it, but 80 dollars a month is still 880 dollars per year. Easily saved by bringing my own lunch. And I treat myself on a canteen lunch every now and then.

kms

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16328 on: January 10, 2017, 05:42:07 AM »
Moto G's are pretty good phones. And while not an iphone should be acceptable enough to be in the hip category. The Samsung galaxy class has some models aimed to young people as well, huawei honor is also a cheaper sub brand of huawei aimed at younger people. Ask what kind of phones his friends are using (off course eliminating the expensive iphone).
Unless it's a used iPhone, in which case I would look for used 16GB iPhone 6, 16GB iPhone SE, or 16GB iPhone 5s models that can be had for a reasonable amount of money. Unlike even the most expensive Android phones Apple supports its iPhones with new software and bugfixes for at least four to five years. You need to make sure that "Find my iPhone" is disabled before you hand over any money though, otherwise it'll be a very expensive brick (I would've said doorstop but it's so thin it slides right through). In other words: no eBay unless you can pick it up in person.

The other good thing about iPhones is that they're very high quality and can last very long if treated well. A significant percentage of Apple users doesn't keep theirs for more than two years, which means you can get two year old models for very good prices. The best time to buy is usually late September / early October, immediately after the latest and greatest iPhone had just been released. I bought my iPhone 6 Plus in September 2015 - a few days before the release of the 6s - for 60% of what the previous owner, who desperately needed money for a downpayment on the latest 64GB iPhone 6s Plus, paid for a mere 9 months earlier.  It's more than two years old now and still going strong, will be receiving updates for at least another two to three years, and the battery still last two full days of moderate or a full day of heavy use. My wife's is even better off: she's got an iPhone 6s that is covered by the most recent exchange program, which means somewhen around the end of this year, when her phone nears the two year mark, we'll get a brand-new battery for her phone for free :-)

iPhones can be the smart choice here if you get a good price for a used model.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16329 on: January 10, 2017, 09:28:23 AM »
I can attest to the long-living nature of the iphone. I get them through work, and my husband is still happily using a cast-off i-phone 4. I got a new 5 in, hmmm, 2012? So the 4 must be a couple of years older than that. It (and all apps) still works great, though he can't receive the very newest emotis, which is not a huge concern for a 36 year old.

A used iphone might also be acceptable as tween friends will assume parental hand-me-down. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to be swayed by what other people think, but I understand kids are very sensitive.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16330 on: January 10, 2017, 09:34:55 AM »
A used iphone might also be acceptable as tween friends will assume parental hand-me-down. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to be swayed by what other people think, but I understand kids are very sensitive.
This is what my parents did with my sister (19 and in college now).  She's rocking a 4S.

Oddly, iPhones tend to be the least-bad in terms of support and planned obsolescence.  It feels wrong, but it's true.  Most Android phones don't get updates past the one-year mark, and even flagship $700 ones tend to lose support after two years.

golden1

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16331 on: January 10, 2017, 10:21:09 AM »
My son is using a iPhone 5, and it is fine, just a little slow and stuttery on one app he likes (Pokemon Go). 

Quote
Unfortunately, that's not going to be the case for the current generation.  As all of your kid's friends get cell phones, they're going to start communicating constantly via text, and if yours isn't part of that communication circle, they are going to feel (and possibly be) very left out.

Agreed, it's the primary mode of communication now for teens and, as odd as it sounds, very helpful for socialization.  She has recieved last minute invites to places and is able to coordinate and schedule things.  At this point, the smartphone has gone from a luxury to a near necessary tool, and they don't have to be expensive. 

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16332 on: January 10, 2017, 10:31:45 AM »
A used iphone might also be acceptable as tween friends will assume parental hand-me-down. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to be swayed by what other people think, but I understand kids are very sensitive.
This is what my parents did with my sister (19 and in college now).  She's rocking a 4S.

Oddly, iPhones tend to be the least-bad in terms of support and planned obsolescence.  It feels wrong, but it's true.  Most Android phones don't get updates past the one-year mark, and even flagship $700 ones tend to lose support after two years.
The nice thing about android phones, though, is that there are independent developers out there that build new versions of the software for them, so many phones, especially flagship phones, can be updated long after the manufacturer (and carrier) abandon them.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16333 on: January 10, 2017, 10:51:11 AM »
A used iphone might also be acceptable as tween friends will assume parental hand-me-down. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to be swayed by what other people think, but I understand kids are very sensitive.
This is what my parents did with my sister (19 and in college now).  She's rocking a 4S.

Oddly, iPhones tend to be the least-bad in terms of support and planned obsolescence.  It feels wrong, but it's true.  Most Android phones don't get updates past the one-year mark, and even flagship $700 ones tend to lose support after two years.
The nice thing about android phones, though, is that there are independent developers out there that build new versions of the software for them, so many phones, especially flagship phones, can be updated long after the manufacturer (and carrier) abandon them.
This is very true, but most people don't want to mess with that, myself included (and I say that as an IT guy by trade and a tinkerer by nature).  It's also hard to gauge which phones will end up popular enough for such things.

EDIT: not trying to start some Apple v. Android food fight.  They both have their ups/downs and are for the most part these days equivalent.  I'm currently an iPhone user but have had Android phones for years before that.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2017, 10:53:02 AM by ketchup »

JordanOfGilead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16334 on: January 10, 2017, 12:54:37 PM »
A guy at work is just telling us he has purchased a bike for $10000 and is now trying to work out how to tell his wife. He is considering telling her he has quit smoking and he will use his smoking money to pay off the bike, but he was telling us this just after he came back from having a cigarette so not too sure how that will work out for him

 He also doesnt have a licence so the shop wont let him take the bike (that he is paying for) until he gets his learners permit

$10,000 on a presumably-new bike which is about to get dropped by a learner rider? Winning.

LAMS bikes tend to have solid re-sale value because there is always a cohort of new riders who need to do their time on a 650, but he could have had reasonable learner bike for a third of that price.

yes new, on 2% interest. He didnt want a second hand one because he wouldnt have been able to get a loan for it

And doesn't he deserve a new bike as a treat for quitting smoking...? Oh, wait.

It gets worse really, since earlier this year they refinanced their mortgage to consolidate all their debts (I think they had about 50k in personal loans/ car loans/ cc debt) and by the sounds of it they will be back in the same position in another 12 months

And he has now lost his job, so I am not too sure how he will go
Most dealerships have used motorcycles. I just picked up a 2013 with 2000 miles on it for 2k less than it is worth. Besides, if he needs a loan, he can't afford it, right?

GrumpyPenguin

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16335 on: January 10, 2017, 01:01:51 PM »
A used iphone might also be acceptable as tween friends will assume parental hand-me-down. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to be swayed by what other people think, but I understand kids are very sensitive.
This is what my parents did with my sister (19 and in college now).  She's rocking a 4S.

Oddly, iPhones tend to be the least-bad in terms of support and planned obsolescence.  It feels wrong, but it's true.  Most Android phones don't get updates past the one-year mark, and even flagship $700 ones tend to lose support after two years.
The nice thing about android phones, though, is that there are independent developers out there that build new versions of the software for them, so many phones, especially flagship phones, can be updated long after the manufacturer (and carrier) abandon them.
This is very true, but most people don't want to mess with that, myself included (and I say that as an IT guy by trade and a tinkerer by nature).  It's also hard to gauge which phones will end up popular enough for such things.

EDIT: not trying to start some Apple v. Android food fight.  They both have their ups/downs and are for the most part these days equivalent.  I'm currently an iPhone user but have had Android phones for years before that.

I feel the same way.  I used to be an Android tinkerer, rooting and installing ROMs found on xda.  It can be fun, but not only is there bugs in the underlying OSs, additional bugs can creep in along the whole process, as well as additional incompatibilities.  It eventually got tiresome for me, and I found myself moving to a used iPhone 6 a while back. I'm happy to have something that should "just work" for much longer than the average Android shelf life.

infogoon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16336 on: January 10, 2017, 02:36:44 PM »
The nice thing about android phones, though, is that there are independent developers out there that build new versions of the software for them, so many phones, especially flagship phones, can be updated long after the manufacturer (and carrier) abandon them.
This is very true, but most people don't want to mess with that, myself included (and I say that as an IT guy by trade and a tinkerer by nature).  It's also hard to gauge which phones will end up popular enough for such things.

EDIT: not trying to start some Apple v. Android food fight.  They both have their ups/downs and are for the most part these days equivalent.  I'm currently an iPhone user but have had Android phones for years before that.

I feel the same way.  I used to be an Android tinkerer, rooting and installing ROMs found on xda.  It can be fun, but not only is there bugs in the underlying OSs, additional bugs can creep in along the whole process, as well as additional incompatibilities.  It eventually got tiresome for me, and I found myself moving to a used iPhone 6 a while back. I'm happy to have something that should "just work" for much longer than the average Android shelf life.

Thirded. I've been a Linux user since the 90s. I know and love tinkering. And I use an iPhone because I'd rather my smartphone be an appliance rather than a project.

gimp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16337 on: January 10, 2017, 03:00:48 PM »
Independent / third-party ROMs for android phones do exist, but they tend to be hobbyist in nature. If you're the guy who runs linux on all your machines, great! If you just want basic shit, not so great.

The real issue isn't features, it's security. You can live without features. But every time a really bad bug gets discovered for android, a bunch of people who paid $700 just a year or a year and a half ago get told "sorry, we don't care about you."

Every high-end phone these days can live a long time - aluminum is strong - but iphones and amazon devices are the only ones that get updated for more than three years are so. (Yep, amazon really cares about security, believe it or not.) Even nexus/pixel devices will only get maybe two years of support. Anything from samsung might get a year and a half. Anything from anyone else ... you'll be lucky to get three software updates before they drop you. And then the next big security bug that gets discovered affects you, forever, until you trade the phone in.

Iphones have a high resale value for a reason.

In any event, fortunately/unfortunately (pick one), in today's connected world, a young teen or just-before-teen (tween?) isn't getting a phone to keep up with the joneses, it's to constantly talk to classmates and friends. If you remember running around outside all day with your friends, today you'd be IMing them all day. To look down on it as not needed, because "you don't need to call us [parents] because you're only going to school and sports practice," is doing them a disservice. If you don't want them to constantly talk with their friends, that's all well and good, but you should know precisely what you're forbidding, and not misunderstand the situation.

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16338 on: January 10, 2017, 03:18:02 PM »

Thirded. I've been a Linux user since the 90s. I know and love tinkering. And I use an iPhone because I'd rather my smartphone be an appliance rather than a project.

+4

+5.

Used to love it.  Hell, I was into custom ROMs on Pocket PCs/Windows Mobile 2003, the first real smartphones, years before iPhones and Android phones existed. And did the whole thing with XDA and Android, too.  Now I'm mostly tired of tinkering.  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
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Fomerly known as something

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16339 on: January 10, 2017, 04:13:25 PM »
Today I saw a former co-worker who retired from the government and now works for Ford:

FCW:  Things are great, I get a company car and I get a great deal on leasing 3 Ford vehicles.  So I plan on one for myself and getting my kids each one.  I'm probably going to get my daughter a new Mustang.

NR thinks to self, and you wonder why you needed to get a high paying post government retirement job.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16340 on: January 11, 2017, 01:45:49 AM »
I feel the same way.  I used to be an Android tinkerer, rooting and installing ROMs found on xda.  It can be fun, but not only is there bugs in the underlying OSs, additional bugs can creep in along the whole process, as well as additional incompatibilities.  It eventually got tiresome for me, and I found myself moving to a used iPhone 6 a while back. I'm happy to have something that should "just work" for much longer than the average Android shelf life.

I bought a (then) last-year's model of a Samsung Galaxy S4 active, with Android system. It does indeed have some stupid flaws. E.g. If I choose my phone to switch automatically to the fastest mobile data net (4G), my normal phone coverage goes down a lot. So much that I can't have a decent phone conversation in a place with suboptimal coverage, like my work. If I switch to my phone to only use the slow data net, I have excellent phone coverage. Earlier I used to switch between these systems, but now the switching takes so much time, that it is not reliable anymore. It has become an issue.
The external storage card was blocked to access by downloaded apps. I have earlier researched the internet and hacked the phone to fix that, which worked for some time. But after a year or so the WIFI stopped working. At some other time the sound during phone conversations didn't work. The phone had to be repaired twice (still guarantee, so for free).

Compared to my previous phone, which was an older LG Android with too little memory to store anything at all, I love my current phone for the parts that work properly. But I find that connection between data net and phone net extremely annoying.

financialfreedomsloth

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16341 on: January 11, 2017, 01:49:22 AM »
Today I saw a former co-worker who retired from the government and now works for Ford:

FCW:  Things are great, I get a company car and I get a great deal on leasing 3 Ford vehicles.  So I plan on one for myself and getting my kids each one.  I'm probably going to get my daughter a new Mustang.

NR thinks to self, and you wonder why you needed to get a high paying post government retirement job.
What a great employee for Ford he is, working, getting paid and then giving most of his paycheck back to them! In the beginning of the industrial revolution you had factories providing housing for their workers and company stores selling food and other items to the workers. Some had good intentions with this but for most it was just a way of getting as much as possible of the paid wages back and thus getting the labor as cheaply as possible. Seems to me that Ford has at least one history major working for them …

Metric Mouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16342 on: January 11, 2017, 02:15:39 AM »
Today I saw a former co-worker who retired from the government and now works for Ford:

FCW:  Things are great, I get a company car and I get a great deal on leasing 3 Ford vehicles.  So I plan on one for myself and getting my kids each one.  I'm probably going to get my daughter a new Mustang.

NR thinks to self, and you wonder why you needed to get a high paying post government retirement job.

I just talked to a salesman at Ford - he has a brand new vehicle from them too. Said he gets a nice employee discount, but yeah, I'm sure it's still cheaper to drive a used beater.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16343 on: January 11, 2017, 06:25:57 AM »
Today I saw a former co-worker who retired from the government and now works for Ford:

FCW:  Things are great, I get a company car and I get a great deal on leasing 3 Ford vehicles.  So I plan on one for myself and getting my kids each one.  I'm probably going to get my daughter a new Mustang.

NR thinks to self, and you wonder why you needed to get a high paying post government retirement job.

I just talked to a salesman at Ford - he has a brand new vehicle from them too. Said he gets a nice employee discount, but yeah, I'm sure it's still cheaper to drive a used beater.

I friend of mine has a father who owns a good running car company. They could buy a Volvo cross country super big car for a good price. But they still had to take up a big loan on it. I really don't understand the concept of taking up car loans. The price of a car is so easily reduced to what you can actually afford.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16344 on: January 11, 2017, 12:51:11 PM »
Overheard at work. Coworker's do-nothing substance abusing son bought a car. She signed for the loan. Never paid her anything for the car. Now the car is 6-7 months behind on payments. She can't afford the car payment due to modest income and bills of her own.

I think I would have encouraged him to buy a used bicycle and deal with it...

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16345 on: January 11, 2017, 01:56:53 PM »
Kind of an "overheard at work": Consultant guy in his 40s walks up to my desk and asks "have you used your iPad while working remote? I'm having issues accessing some of the applications through it.."
I respond: "I don't own an iPad"
Woo!  #millenialwithoutanipad

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


JordanOfGilead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16346 on: January 12, 2017, 06:20:12 AM »
Kind of an "overheard at work": Consultant guy in his 40s walks up to my desk and asks "have you used your iPad while working remote? I'm having issues accessing some of the applications through it.."
I respond: "I don't own an iPad"
Woo!  #millenialwithoutanipad

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
-brags about no ipad-
-is accessing forum from mobile device-

lolol

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16347 on: January 12, 2017, 07:39:32 AM »
Kind of an "overheard at work": Consultant guy in his 40s walks up to my desk and asks "have you used your iPad while working remote? I'm having issues accessing some of the applications through it.."
I respond: "I don't own an iPad"
Woo!  #millenialwithoutanipad

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
-brags about no ipad-
-is accessing forum from mobile device-

lolol

My mobile device (smartphone) cost $50.   Can you get ipads that cheap?  I think that is where the brag is.  For many people who work, it isn't feasible/allowed to not have a smartphone.

(Also a millennial without any sort of tablet.)

boyerbt

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16348 on: January 12, 2017, 07:58:17 AM »
Kind of an "overheard at work": Consultant guy in his 40s walks up to my desk and asks "have you used your iPad while working remote? I'm having issues accessing some of the applications through it.."
I respond: "I don't own an iPad"
Woo!  #millenialwithoutanipad

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
-brags about no ipad-
-is accessing forum from mobile device-

lolol

My mobile device (smartphone) cost $50.   Can you get ipads that cheap?  I think that is where the brag is.  For many people who work, it isn't feasible/allowed to not have a smartphone.

(Also a millennial without any sort of tablet.)

Is it possible that an iPad or tablet is available from work? Per the original conversation it appears that the employee is assuming that FrugalFisherman10 also has an iPad. I know that I wouldn't assume that everyone within the office has one or would even ask specifically about an iPad unless I was fairly certain that it was commonplace.


I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #16349 on: January 12, 2017, 08:02:41 AM »

Is it possible that an iPad or tablet is available from work? Per the original conversation it appears that the employee is assuming that FrugalFisherman10 also has an iPad. I know that I wouldn't assume that everyone within the office has one or would even ask specifically about an iPad unless I was fairly certain that it was commonplace.

I guess I was also projecting my own assumptions. Lots of people at my office work remotely on their Ipads, but our company doesn't issue them.  Because the Ipad is so commonplace it is not at all uncommon to ask someone specifically about an issue with them.  We use PCs at work though, and everyone has a laptop to take home. But not everyone likes using those and prefer their own device. As long as it is registered and has the security app on it, we can use them.  (The vast majority of people use Iphones as their BYOD, but you certainly don't have to. As long as your phone is running the version of the software required by security, you can use anything.  I've had many people ask me Iphone questions, which I can sometimes answer, but I just have a cheap Android. When I had to upgrade due to my operating system out of date the phones they suggested were all in the $500-$600 range; but I found one for $50.)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!