Overheard at Work

[BJacks]

Brand new to the forums. Just finished reading this entire thread over the last month or so and had to create an account in order to post.

CW1 recently told me that she was still paying of an impromptu road trip with her daughter that she put on a credit card six years ago. She said she was okay with it because ‘the trip was really needed at the time’.

Our company is doing a voluntary layoff right now and they sent out emails earlier this month. She was so happy when she got hers because she thought that meant that the company thought that she could afford to retire. When I told her that I got one as well she was genuinely confused and then upset.

She is dating the father of her first child and said that even when he moves in (dating less than a month mind you and the kid is 25) she wants him to keep his place because it’s nice to have place for the weekend and the views are so awesome. This is an apartment that he is just renting.

CW2 is a hot mess.

She has three vehicles and a travel trailer all with payments on them. About 100k in vehicle debt as far as I can tell.
3 of the 4 were bought in the last year or so despite their other numerous debts which include lawyers, family, and the IRS.
They bought the suburban when I was out of maternity leave or I would have tried to talk her out of it. The idea was that it would tow their brand new trailer. Turns out it didn’t have the right axels so her husband went out and bought a brand new truck.

She spent $1500 on a birth photographer when she had no money saved to get her through maternity leave and was calling all her different lenders to get payments deferred.

They are now selling their house to pay off some of their debts. To get their house ready for sale, since they didn’t have the money upfront, they are working with a realtor whose husband is a contractor. The contractor is fronting the cost of the new flooring and will be paid out of the proceeds of the sale. To the tune of 14k. On top of regular realtor fees. She was being pressured into accepting an offer that was lower than she was comfortable with because the realtor wanted her money back. I don’t think they got 14k more than they would have if they hadn’t done the floors.

She’s expecting to come out with about 50k from the sale when all is said and done. She is planning on paying off some of their non-vehicle debt and has recently began considering getting rid of the cheapest vehicle they own (10k). She is going to keep 15k to put down on the next house. They are looking in the 450k price range.

They are planning on renting until they find a new place because there isn’t anything on the market that they like. She was considering a place on a lake that was $700 more a month than her mortgage. Now she’s considering a place that’s actually smaller than their current home but it’s still over $200 more a month than the mortgage. They will be signing a year lease not sure how that will play out.

They go out to eat multiple times a week and at work she participates in the program where you scan your ID at the cafeteria and the money is taken out of your next check. Her breakfast will easily be $8.

Her step daughter asked why they didn’t just pay off the lawyer and she said ‘People don’t just pay off 30k in a year’. She and her husband make about 150k a year base salary + overtime together.

[Alfred J Quack]

Brand new to the forums. Just finished reading this entire thread over the last month or so and had to create an account in order to post.

CW1 recently told me that she was still paying of an impromptu road trip with her daughter that she put on a credit card six years ago. She said she was okay with it because ‘the trip was really needed at the time’.

Our company is doing a voluntary layoff right now and they sent out emails earlier this month. She was so happy when she got hers because she thought that meant that the company thought that she could afford to retire. When I told her that I got one as well she was genuinely confused and then upset.

She is dating the father of her first child and said that even when he moves in (dating less than a month mind you and the kid is 25) she wants him to keep his place because it’s nice to have place for the weekend and the views are so awesome. This is an apartment that he is just renting.

OK, run this by me again. She's dating the father of her first child for a month but the kid is 25 so they've been dating for 25 years now?

Mustachian co-worker and I are looking online and just baffled at the suggested price of the new iPhone 8 (over $1k) when another co-worker walks up, sees it and says, "I'll be getting one." 

I tell him it's over a thousand dollars, he just shrugs and says, "It'll be worth it," and walks off.

I know for a fact he has an iPhone 7 and considering we have known each other for over 10yrs, I know his finances are a total mess, mostly due to a previous drug problem, for which he wiped out his 401k/savings to pay for rehab a few years back.

Like, WTF?

Yeah, I'm a bit of a phone geek myself but at least I pay for the phone up front with a €3 per month subscription. Even being a phone geek I don't get people *needing* a new phone every year. The iPhone gets regular updates and at least 3 major updates so software wise it'll be nearly if not exactly the same as the current model for a couple of years. At work we still use the iPhone 5, admittedly they are starting to fall apart for mose (ab)users but mine is still fine albeit being slow.

I also tried to convince my sister it was cheaper to buy the phone up front with a sim-only subscription. I got told off because she wouldn't pay 500,- for a phone. But having a 2 year subscription of 50,- per month is fine, even when I explained she'll be paying the phone twice over...
In this regards it's a good thing we had a law change regarding phone's included in subscription. Companies are now obliged to register the cost of the included phone as a loan with a maximum 14% anual interest rate. One ad was recently checked and appearently the interest for that subscription with phone came in around 520%... Hopefully sheeple will start thinking twice about the true cost of a subscription with phone included.

[pattycakepdx]

My coworkers aren't too bad compared to a lot of the others on this thread, but they have their moments...

One coworker was complaining to me about how she recently refi-ed her student loans and her monthly payment went up and now it's hard for her to afford. I'm not sure how much debt she has, but her loans are from undergrad and grad school, so I think it's significant. To be fair she is the lowest paid person in our department of the low-paying non-profit we work for. BUT in the same conversation, she was also telling me about 2 separate vacations that she has coming up! Both vacations will definitely involve air travel and a lot going out to eat and a "treat yo'self" type mentality. She also goes out for lunch way more often than she brings it in, and drives to work everyday even though she lives less than 2 miles from our office. Girl, if you can't afford the minimum payment on your student loans, you can't afford to take 2 fancypants vacations in 4 months!

She is also my cautionary tale about grad school. She's the only person in my department with a masters degree, but is the lowest ranking and lowest paid in the department. I love the idea of grad school because I like school, but career-wise, I don't feel like I can justify it and definitely wouldn't do it if it meant taking on any debt at all.

[JordanOfGilead]

My coworkers aren't too bad compared to a lot of the others on this thread, but they have their moments...

One coworker was complaining to me about how she recently refi-ed her student loans and her monthly payment went up and now it's hard for her to afford. I'm not sure how much debt she has, but her loans are from undergrad and grad school, so I think it's significant. To be fair she is the lowest paid person in our department of the low-paying non-profit we work for. BUT in the same conversation, she was also telling me about 2 separate vacations that she has coming up! Both vacations will definitely involve air travel and a lot going out to eat and a "treat yo'self" type mentality. She also goes out for lunch way more often than she brings it in, and drives to work everyday even though she lives less than 2 miles from our office. Girl, if you can't afford the minimum payment on your student loans, you can't afford to take 2 fancypants vacations in 4 months!

She is also my cautionary tale about grad school. She's the only person in my department with a masters degree, but is the lowest ranking and lowest paid in the department. I love the idea of grad school because I like school, but career-wise, I don't feel like I can justify it and definitely wouldn't do it if it meant taking on any debt at all.

I was always taught that if you have to pay for grad school yourself (no scholarship or employer tuition pay) then it's not going to help your career and is a waste of money.

[cheapass]

I was always taught that if you have to pay for grad school yourself (no scholarship or employer tuition pay) then it's not going to help your career and is a waste of money.

My wife paid for her MBA (~$40K) and it has propelled her career and salary much more quickly than if she had relied on her undergrad (marketing).

I think it probably makes sense in certain fields and from certain schools. For example, a Harvard MBA can come out of school earning $150K. Pretty quick to pay off student loan debt at that rate.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Our company is doing a voluntary layoff right now and they sent out emails earlier this month. She was so happy when she got hers because she thought that meant that the company thought that she could afford to retire. When I told her that I got one as well she was genuinely confused and then upset.

Now I'm genuinely confused.

That's not what it means?

/s

[BJacks]

Brand new to the forums. Just finished reading this entire thread over the last month or so and had to create an account in order to post.

CW1 recently told me that she was still paying of an impromptu road trip with her daughter that she put on a credit card six years ago. She said she was okay with it because ‘the trip was really needed at the time’.

Our company is doing a voluntary layoff right now and they sent out emails earlier this month. She was so happy when she got hers because she thought that meant that the company thought that she could afford to retire. When I told her that I got one as well she was genuinely confused and then upset.

She is dating the father of her first child and said that even when he moves in (dating less than a month mind you and the kid is 25) she wants him to keep his place because it’s nice to have place for the weekend and the views are so awesome. This is an apartment that he is just renting.

OK, run this by me again. She's dating the father of her first child for a month but the kid is 25 so they've been dating for 25 years now?

No, she had a kid with him 25 years ago and things didn't work out. She got married to another man, had another kid, got divorced, and recently started seeing her 1st child's father again.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Colleague talking about a family she knows, divorced parents and teenage twins.

The twins just turned 16 and asked their dad for Macbooks.

Money has been tight since the divorce, so he gave them each sunglasses and $50 in a card, and said they would talk about computers later.

All my colleagues went on and on about how 16 is such an important birthday and the father is a cheapskate for not giving them what they wanted.

I was appalled at their interpretation.

[Sanne]

Not quite overheard but a conversation with a colleague.  He’s new and from the same town and also bikes to work. I thought we had a MM mindset in common but then we had this conversation:

Him: So, we just saved 8 bucks today by riding our bikes
Me: And had a good workout
Him: Now we can spend that on an extravagant big lunch!
Me: Or just save it
Him: But if you save money you spend it anyway, just later
Me: *puzzled look* Well, I’d rather spend it on something I really think is important instead of a lunch at a restaurant that has no extra value to me
Him: But what are you saving for?
Me: Not something in particular, just nice to have something extra just in case something happens or if I don’t want to work any more or work less. I’d hate it of that’s what I wanted to do in the future and couldn’t do it because I didn’t have the money  (and gave an example of a girlfriend who recently had a baby and wanted to work less but couldn’t because of their finances).
Him: (He obviously still didn’t understand what I was going for) But that money isn’t going to get you far

So it’s okay to just spend all your money all the time because if you don’t you just spend it anyway, just later??

[arebelspy]

Sounds like you missed an opportunity.  Well, next time.  :)

[LalsConstant]

My coworkers aren't too bad compared to a lot of the others on this thread, but they have their moments...

One coworker was complaining to me about how she recently refi-ed her student loans and her monthly payment went up and now it's hard for her to afford. I'm not sure how much debt she has, but her loans are from undergrad and grad school, so I think it's significant. To be fair she is the lowest paid person in our department of the low-paying non-profit we work for. BUT in the same conversation, she was also telling me about 2 separate vacations that she has coming up! Both vacations will definitely involve air travel and a lot going out to eat and a "treat yo'self" type mentality. She also goes out for lunch way more often than she brings it in, and drives to work everyday even though she lives less than 2 miles from our office. Girl, if you can't afford the minimum payment on your student loans, you can't afford to take 2 fancypants vacations in 4 months!

She is also my cautionary tale about grad school. She's the only person in my department with a masters degree, but is the lowest ranking and lowest paid in the department. I love the idea of grad school because I like school, but career-wise, I don't feel like I can justify it and definitely wouldn't do it if it meant taking on any debt at all.

I was always taught that if you have to pay for grad school yourself (no scholarship or employer tuition pay) then it's not going to help your career and is a waste of money.

FWIW... I try to keep it a secret but I sort of have an MBA.   Technically what I have is an MPAcc (Master's of Professional Accountancy), but the only difference is one semester's worth of finance and accounting courses rather than one semester's worth of generic management and marketing courses.  That and you have to take Accounting and Finance to meet the prerequisites for that last semester: a generic MBA has no such requirements.  My alma mater considers the degrees so similar they will not let the same candidate be awarded both degrees.

Anyway for me it worked out because A) I specialised in skills there was a better market for and B) I didn't leave business school with any debt.  However I can safely say those who pursued generic marketing and management degrees tended to wind up selling cars or supervising fast food workers or other such jobs where one really does not need the degree to enter that field and I daresay the degree is both useless and a burden if it comes with onerous student debt.

You can do well with an MBA if you have a very specific niche opportunity or you go to a booty toity high falutin' school with a great recruitment program, but it's not a degree I recommend to the unwashed masses like myself unless you specialize in bean counting and come out of school Scot free.

[Footsore Rambler]

Thanks for the defense, ormaybemidgets.  (You're a fan of a certain large-scale band, perhaps? *grin*)

I've got a theory that ormaybemidgets is a fan of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZAuGkttzI

[infogoon]

You can do well with an MBA if you have a very specific niche opportunity or you go to a booty toity high falutin' school with a great recruitment program, but it's not a degree I recommend to the unwashed masses like myself unless you specialize in bean counting and come out of school Scot free.

I think a lot of the utility of an MBA is also dependent on what undergraduate degree you pair it with. I was always surprised to see people in my classes who did an undergraduate degree in Business and then straight into an MBA -- it seemed like an old school video game. "Now do the exact same thing, just a little harder."

[Maverick44]

I have this one coworker whom I really enjoy as a person, but is very bad with $.  She routinely says that she will work until she's 70. She and her husband together make at least $150K. She's just started weight watchers and through this realized that the drink she stops at Starbucks for every weekday morning is over half of her allotted daily points, so she decided to stop getting it. Great decision! However, then we had this conversation:

Her: Well, at least I won't be spending $ on that every day.
Me: Yeah, that's great! How much is it?
Her: 5 something.
Me: That's over $17,000 if you invested it for 10 years.
Her: What is it if I don't invest it?... cuz that's not happening.
Me: $1,200/year, still a good chunk of $.
Her: Yeah, that's not that much...I'm sure I'll spend that on something else

Unrelated to the coffee purchase: She has a financed Honda Pilot and has mentioned that she loves having 3 rows even though it's only her in the car 99% of the time and she's already planning on a new car once her loan is up in 3 years.  She's looking at ~$60K SUVs.

On top of all of this she and her DH go out at least once or twice/week for dinner and just this week in addition to their weekend going out plans she is going to 2 happy hours, one of which was over an hour away. 

*So. Many. Facepalms*

[dragoncar]

Unrelated to the coffee purchase: She has a financed Honda Pilot and has mentioned that she loves having 3 rows even though it's only her in the car 99% of the time and she's already planning on a new car once her loan is up in 3 years.  She's looking at ~$60K SUVs.

I like having the extra rows for my imaginary friends and alternate personalities

[Metric Mouse]

Unrelated to the coffee purchase: She has a financed Honda Pilot and has mentioned that she loves having 3 rows even though it's only her in the car 99% of the time and she's already planning on a new car once her loan is up in 3 years.  She's looking at ~$60K SUVs.

I like having the extra rows for my imaginary friends and alternate personalities

These are my exact thoughts everytime someone says "minivans are the best vehicles."

[Orvell]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean... but I had an experience that needs sharing.

Coworker informed me that they're looking to sell their house and upgrade to a larger one (expensive in our area), because they're considering having a second child. Without provocation, I was informed that the house they currently own is a 4 bedroom, but they want each child to have their own room, have a dedicated guest room at all times, as well as have a home office (neither parent works from home on more than a once-in-a-blue moon basis) and thus need "at least" a 5 bedroom house.

While listening to this explanation, I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time.
It was surreal.

[Clean Shaven]

I have this one coworker whom I really enjoy as a person, but is very bad with $.  She routinely says that she will work until she's 70. She and her husband together make at least $150K. She's just started weight watchers and through this realized that the drink she stops at Starbucks for every weekday morning is over half of her allotted daily points, so she decided to stop getting it. Great decision! However, then we had this conversation:

Her: Well, at least I won't be spending $ on that every day.
Me: Yeah, that's great! How much is it?
Her: 5 something.
Me: That's over $17,000 if you invested it for 10 years.
Her: What is it if I don't invest it?... cuz that's not happening.
Me: $1,200/year, still a good chunk of $.
Her: Yeah, that's not that much...I'm sure I'll spend that on something else

Unrelated to the coffee purchase: She has a financed Honda Pilot and has mentioned that she loves having 3 rows even though it's only her in the car 99% of the time and she's already planning on a new car once her loan is up in 3 years.  She's looking at ~$60K SUVs.

On top of all of this she and her DH go out at least once or twice/week for dinner and just this week in addition to their weekend going out plans she is going to 2 happy hours, one of which was over an hour away. 

*So. Many. Facepalms*

Switch that car for an Acura RDX, lower the combined income from $150K to (guessing) $100K, and you and I have the same co-worker.

My co-worker has also indicated that although she dumped $20K into a kitchen remodel a few years ago (gotta-have-granite-and-stainless!), she wants to move to a bigger house, because her current 3bd/2ba just isn't enough for her 3-person household.  Also has hinted that her entire retirement strategy consists of inheriting from her parents.  Last but not least, has taken at least one early 401k withdrawal, with penalty... IIRC, it was in order to fund a vacation.

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks for the defense, ormaybemidgets.  (You're a fan of a certain large-scale band, perhaps? *grin*)

I've got a theory that ormaybemidgets is a fan of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZAuGkttzI

Haha, that's the one, Footsore Rambler. I'm actually not sure what With This Herring was referencing.

[aetherie]

Thanks for the defense, ormaybemidgets.  (You're a fan of a certain large-scale band, perhaps? *grin*)

I've got a theory that ormaybemidgets is a fan of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZAuGkttzI

Haha, that's the one, Footsore Rambler. I'm actually not sure what With This Herring was referencing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants

[Kitsune]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean... but I had an experience that needs sharing.

Coworker informed me that they're looking to sell their house and upgrade to a larger one (expensive in our area), because they're considering having a second child. Without provocation, I was informed that the house they currently own is a 4 bedroom, but they want each child to have their own room, have a dedicated guest room at all times, as well as have a home office (neither parent works from home on more than a once-in-a-blue moon basis) and thus need "at least" a 5 bedroom house.

While listening to this explanation, I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time.
It was surreal.

... 2 kids = 5 bedroom house. Wow. Yeah, your last sentence sums it up.

Also, how many house guests do people actually HAVE? Because at a certain point, it's cheaper/more reasonable to either finish the basement and put in a wall-hung bed, or shuffle people around for a night or two to make room for guests, or, wtf, pay a few hundred a year to put guests up in a local hotel when absolutely needed.

Like, we stuck a guest room in the corner of our basement because my sister is over literally every weekend we don't have other house guests (she's my best friend, she and my husband get along super well, and she's close with our kid, so... ) but I'm assuming most people with guest rooms don't actually have them in use 1-2 nights per week?

[mtn]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean... but I had an experience that needs sharing.

Coworker informed me that they're looking to sell their house and upgrade to a larger one (expensive in our area), because they're considering having a second child. Without provocation, I was informed that the house they currently own is a 4 bedroom, but they want each child to have their own room, have a dedicated guest room at all times, as well as have a home office (neither parent works from home on more than a once-in-a-blue moon basis) and thus need "at least" a 5 bedroom house.

While listening to this explanation, I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time.
It was surreal.

... 2 kids = 5 bedroom house. Wow. Yeah, your last sentence sums it up.

Also, how many house guests do people actually HAVE? Because at a certain point, it's cheaper/more reasonable to either finish the basement and put in a wall-hung bed, or shuffle people around for a night or two to make room for guests, or, wtf, pay a few hundred a year to put guests up in a local hotel when absolutely needed.

Like, we stuck a guest room in the corner of our basement because my sister is over literally every weekend we don't have other house guests (she's my best friend, she and my husband get along super well, and she's close with our kid, so... ) but I'm assuming most people with guest rooms don't actually have them in use 1-2 nights per week?

I can't understand not having the office be the guest room. That's what we're doing.

And I actually have a use for an office too! (well, kinda)

[marion10]

I used to teach training classes for the Federal government- three day classes. I had a student who cam in from out of town with a government credit  card but his supervisor had not set it up right - so it was not activated. He gets to his hotel (about $150 a night) and cannot check in. All his credit cards are maxed out- so he call his wife and is able to charge one night to his room. He comes to my first day of class and at lunch tells me that there is not enough credit on his wife's card to do the next night - so he's flying back home ( government buys his ticket direct- so nomout of pocket). Couldn't believe it.

[arebelspy]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean...

It may be in how you read the postings.  I almost never read this as mean.

It was surreal.

This is how I read them.  I wonder, and marvel.

I could totally see how one could read it in a nasty voice or something, but the voice I read it in is amazement.

Good story, thanks for sharing!   I love your recap line "I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time."

What a world we live in.  :)

[jinga nation]

Unrelated to the coffee purchase: She has a financed Honda Pilot and has mentioned that she loves having 3 rows even though it's only her in the car 99% of the time and she's already planning on a new car once her loan is up in 3 years.  She's looking at ~$60K SUVs.

I like having the extra rows for my imaginary friends and alternate personalities

These are my exact thoughts everytime someone says "minivans are the best vehicles."

"Me, Myself, and I can't get along so each of us needs our own row but we like to travel together, ALL THE TIME! It's my free group therapy session."

[economista]

I used to teach training classes for the Federal government- three day classes. I had a student who cam in from out of town with a government credit  card but his supervisor had not set it up right - so it was not activated. He gets to his hotel (about $150 a night) and cannot check in. All his credit cards are maxed out- so he call his wife and is able to charge one night to his room. He comes to my first day of class and at lunch tells me that there is not enough credit on his wife's card to do the next night - so he's flying back home ( government buys his ticket direct- so nomout of pocket). Couldn't believe it.

I work for the federal government and finances like this are more common than they should be.  I understand it with people who work for certain agencies where their positions max out as a GS-7, but with other agencies that have decent salaries it's ridiculous.  *Also a side note: I run the training budget for my agency and most classes are quite expensive.  If we have someone who doesn't finish a class and get full credit for it, we make them pay it back.  So by not staying, he likely ended up paying even more out of pocket.

When I started my job I was in an intern position and I was still in school so at the end of the summer I switched from full-time to part-time.  But, unfortunately, HR still kept paying me for full time and full checks kept arriving.  After the first one I notified my boss, timekeeper, and HR, but it still took them 8 weeks to switch me to part-time.  I knew that the extra salary wasn't mine so I saved it to give back to them once they asked, but my boss made such a big deal out of how I couldn't be expected to pay it back in 1 lump sum, and that is too much money for anyone to keep laying around, and I was just an intern and a low GS level so it was really mean for them to ask me to pay back the almost $2k they had over-paid me.  I kept telling her it was no big deal, but she actually offered to lend me the money.  She just couldn't understand how I was able to save the extra money.  It blew my mind. 

[lifejoy]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean...

It may be in how you read the postings.  I almost never read this as mean.

It was surreal.

This is how I read them.  I wonder, and marvel.

I could totally see how one could read it in a nasty voice or something, but the voice I read it in is amazement.

Good story, thanks for sharing!   I love your recap line "I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time."

What a world we live in.  :)

I read them as reminders that without constant vigilance or practicing of good habits... I could totally wind up as a story in this thread! ;)
Friendly cautionary tales.

[Cassie]

My home office is also our guest room. It is probably used about once per month for guests.  Last summer I had 4 friends come for a week so we used the RV as a guest room too. I agree that most people don't have enough guests to have a dedicated room. When we were young and had a small car everyone started to say we needed a mini-van. No we didn't. Most of the time all 5 of us were not in the car at the same time.  Even when the kids got to be teens the 3 boys could still fit in the back seat. Just a waste to upgrade for stupid reasons. When all our kids were at home and we had guests we would have kids sleep on the floor in sleeping bags and the adults would get the beds. 

[ambimammular]

When we were young and had a small car everyone started to say we needed a mini-van. No we didn't. Most of the time all 5 of us were not in the car at the same time.  Even when the kids got to be teens the 3 boys could still fit in the back seat. Just a waste to upgrade for stupid reasons.

We used to hear a lot of the, "but what will you do if they have a friend come over and you pick them all up after school?" We've survived it thus far.

[Metric Mouse]

When we were young and had a small car everyone started to say we needed a mini-van. No we didn't. Most of the time all 5 of us were not in the car at the same time.  Even when the kids got to be teens the 3 boys could still fit in the back seat. Just a waste to upgrade for stupid reasons.

We used to hear a lot of the, "but what will you do if they have a friend come over and you pick them all up after school?" We've survived it thus far.

But... but what if you want to haul loads of lumber! Or full sheets of drywall? Or an entire football team! Or sleep a family in your vehicle? I mean really, one must buy a mini van for these everyday occurrences...

[Fomerly known as something]

I am grateful for my Mother's love of the mini-van in the 2000s after all the kids had left. 

How else was I to get a high end, bought for a fraction of the price couch, a kitchen table with 5 chairs, 2 chest of drawers etc, delivered over the years to me when they visited me.  There were a couple of really awesome old time furniture stores near my parents that had great overstock/rich people didn't like what was delivered sales.  The stores would have charged a ton to deliver out of state, Mom's mini-van delivered for free.

[SweetLife]

Overheard from a friend who works at the border ...

Friend: Where are you ladies going today?
Ladies: BINGO!!!
Friend: When was the last time you were here?
Ladies: Yesterday at Bingo!
Friend: So you must have won?
Ladies: NOOOOOO ... lost $400 and $200
Friend: How much are you bringing today?
Ladies: $200 and $100
Ladies: You are going to see lots of us right now ... it tax time ! All the cheques are coming out!

Friend when she told me: OMG you want to reach out and facepunch ! I just put my tax return on my quickly dwindling debt!!! :)
Me : Hurray!!

[mm1970]

I don't often post here because I feel it's unnecessarily mean... but I had an experience that needs sharing.

Coworker informed me that they're looking to sell their house and upgrade to a larger one (expensive in our area), because they're considering having a second child. Without provocation, I was informed that the house they currently own is a 4 bedroom, but they want each child to have their own room, have a dedicated guest room at all times, as well as have a home office (neither parent works from home on more than a once-in-a-blue moon basis) and thus need "at least" a 5 bedroom house.

While listening to this explanation, I realized I was watching a man enslave himself in real time.
It was surreal.

... 2 kids = 5 bedroom house. Wow. Yeah, your last sentence sums it up.

Also, how many house guests do people actually HAVE? Because at a certain point, it's cheaper/more reasonable to either finish the basement and put in a wall-hung bed, or shuffle people around for a night or two to make room for guests, or, wtf, pay a few hundred a year to put guests up in a local hotel when absolutely needed.

Like, we stuck a guest room in the corner of our basement because my sister is over literally every weekend we don't have other house guests (she's my best friend, she and my husband get along super well, and she's close with our kid, so... ) but I'm assuming most people with guest rooms don't actually have them in use 1-2 nights per week?

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

[pudding]

More like some of my friends than co workers.

Friend one, inherited from his father and spent it all on heroin! (yep he did that!)

Friend two has a business thats lost money for at least 10 years but he likes his business (it's in the entertainment industry)  so he keeps the same losing business model because its fun? and makes next to zero attempt at making it into a self sufficient money maker.

He had bought some great real estate and lucked out on skyrocketing property values.......so he took out as much equity as the banks and then private lenders would possibly lend him to prop up his money losing business (he told me he had 1/4 million dollars at credit card interest rates from a break your legs lender) when they wouldn't lend him anymore he sold one property, then another made at least 1.5 million profit from the 2 sales and a month later was talking about how he didn't have enough to pay back taxes?

He didn't like the house he bought because of the bathroom layout ???    so he rented a mega mansion a few blocks away and left the house he bought empty for over 2 years until the bank made him sell it.

He also rents a cabin on an island for 6 months of the year.

He rented a garage off an old guy I used to know... stored some stuff in it, he didn't pay the rent for months at a time, and I'd told the old guy he was OK... in the end he hadn't paid the rent for a year!!!!!!! it was due monthly... the old guy died, no one knew who the stored stuff belonged to so he lost it all.

Yet he complains constantly and I mean over and over about the stress from trying to pay the bills....

I have to vent sometimes as he drives me bonkers. I've know him for a long time, otherwise I think I'd just laugh my head off and walk away.

[horsepoor]

He didn't like the house he bought because of the bathroom layout ???    so he rented a mega mansion a few blocks away and left the house he bought empty for over 2 years until the bank made him sell it.

Congratulations, you just won this thread.

[zolotiyeruki]

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

I have a close relative that does this.  Went from a 4,000sq ft house worth half a million to a 900 sq ft house that she bought for $15k (and then renovated it with her husband).  She's more than willing to put up guests in a hotel when they visit, if they're not comfortable on their sofa.

[MgoSam]

He didn't like the house he bought because of the bathroom layout ???    so he rented a mega mansion a few blocks away and left the house he bought empty for over 2 years until the bank made him sell it.

Congratulations, you just won this thread.

Yup, lock this thread, it's game over.

[ducky19]

Glad to see this was unlocked! I haven't had too many stories to share, but this thread has provided me with hours of entertainment - keep 'em coming folks!

[Linda_Norway]

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

I have a close relative that does this.  Went from a 4,000sq ft house worth half a million to a 900 sq ft house that she bought for $15k (and then renovated it with her husband).  She's more than willing to put up guests in a hotel when they visit, if they're not comfortable on their sofa.

My brother in law has also told us that there are 2 houses with airB&B in their street and that visitors can stay there instead. Smart. Do I like it as a guest: not really. But that is not his problem.

[marcela]

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

I have a close relative that does this.  Went from a 4,000sq ft house worth half a million to a 900 sq ft house that she bought for $15k (and then renovated it with her husband).  She's more than willing to put up guests in a hotel when they visit, if they're not comfortable on their sofa.

My brother in law has also told us that there are 2 houses with airB&B in their street and that visitors can stay there instead. Smart. Do I like it as a guest: not really. But that is not his problem.

Linda what don't you like about it? We have one spare room (used as an office/storage) that we host guests in, but if there's more people than the house can hold, airbnb has been our go to. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on downsides to this.

[MgoSam]

Glad to see this was unlocked! I haven't had too many stories to share, but this thread has provided me with hours of entertainment - keep 'em coming folks!

Ha, me too! I was feeling a bit guilty when I saw that this thread had truly been locked.

[horsepoor]

Umm, yeah, me too.  I've been wondering if I should start a new one, but I don't have any good stories.  Now I can live vicariously again !

[Just Joe]

Coworker is this =><= close to not having anything to drive to work b/c their vehicle is worn out.

However coworker is very publicly chatting around our work area about buying a $15K big boy toy (motorized but not street legal)...

Very modest income, married single income family of four.

I just kept on moving. 

Edited for clarity...

[MgoSam]

but I don't have any good stories.  Now I can live vicariously again !

Yeah same here, all my coworkers tend be very frugal. There are two guys in the warehouse that eat out a lot, but as they each have at least two side gigs in addition to their job here I cannot in good conscience judge their spending choices.

[Spiffy]

When we were young and had a small car everyone started to say we needed a mini-van. No we didn't. Most of the time all 5 of us were not in the car at the same time.  Even when the kids got to be teens the 3 boys could still fit in the back seat. Just a waste to upgrade for stupid reasons.

We used to hear a lot of the, "but what will you do if they have a friend come over and you pick them all up after school?" We've survived it thus far.

But... but what if you want to haul loads of lumber! Or full sheets of drywall? Or an entire football team! Or sleep a family in your vehicle? I mean really, one must buy a mini van for these everyday occurrences...

Y'all stop with the minivan hate. I loved my old Volvo wagon, but you can't believe what you can fit in a minivan. I once fit in two huge rocking chairs at the same time. And for everyday use, it is pretty great. My 14 year old is already six feet  tall and growing and the two younger ones are well on their way, too. We fold one middle row seat into the floor and he sits in the "wayback" and can put his legs out and they reach the back of the front seat. I carry 3 tall kids, a trombone and a double bass in there all the time.

[BFGirl]

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

I have a close relative that does this.  Went from a 4,000sq ft house worth half a million to a 900 sq ft house that she bought for $15k (and then renovated it with her husband).  She's more than willing to put up guests in a hotel when they visit, if they're not comfortable on their sofa.

Most of my guests are staying with me for their convenience, not mine.  I have a sofa bed they are welcome to use and will share my bathroom with them, but done are my days of feeling that I have to have a bedroom just for the 1-3 times a year that I may have a guest in town. 

[StockBeard]

A coworker is trying to sell a "designer's" crib for $350, paid $500 for it.

We paid $25 for our crib, used. Our kids haven't complained that it was not "design" enough for them to sleep in when they were babies. Fingers crossed that our kids don't realize how awesome of a crib they could have had, had we spent 15 times the amount we did.

[lifejoy]

A coworker is trying to sell a "designer's" crib for $350, paid $500 for it.

We paid $25 for our crib, used. Our kids haven't complained that it was not "design" enough for them to sleep in when they were babies. Fingers crossed that our kids don't realize how awesome of a crib they could have had, had we spent 15 times the amount we did.

Sounds like your kids were really deprived!! ;)

[Linda_Norway]

Yup.  When we were buying our house, we were visiting with my husband's parents.  I can't remember if they were visiting us, or us them (opposite coasts).  MIL: but where will WE sleep?

Me: On the sofabed in the living room!  Or in a hotel!  For the once every 2 years you guys come, I'm not spending an extra $100,000 for the extra bedroom. Can pay for a lot of hotels!

I have a close relative that does this.  Went from a 4,000sq ft house worth half a million to a 900 sq ft house that she bought for $15k (and then renovated it with her husband).  She's more than willing to put up guests in a hotel when they visit, if they're not comfortable on their sofa.

My brother in law has also told us that there are 2 houses with airB&B in their street and that visitors can stay there instead. Smart. Do I like it as a guest: not really. But that is not his problem.

Linda what don't you like about it? We have one spare room (used as an office/storage) that we host guests in, but if there's more people than the house can hold, airbnb has been our go to. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on downsides to this.

My purpose is visiting them, not a bunch of strangers in another house. I might end up in a house with smokers. And I would not like to pay for it. BIL did not mention who would pay.
I would rather sleep on a mattrass on the floor in their house.
Last time we ended up visiting them only during daytime on our way to another location.

[dragoncar]

You guys I have a back yard, a sleeping bag, and a sky full of stars