Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252806 times)

MrDelane

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17250 on: April 23, 2017, 10:06:26 AM »
I have a coworker who's very close to retirement.    Tthe other day, I overheard her ask "Wait, what's the difference between a defined benefit pension and a defined contribution pension?   And which one do we have?"

Siiiigh.   I could almost understand it if she were a youngster just starting out, but this is important stuff that is going to affect her REALLY soon!

I will see your uniformed coworkers and I'll raise you....

I had a coworker ask me recently if I thought it would be worthwhile for them to enroll in the company offered 401k.  This coworker is in their mid 40s and has been at the company for 15 years.

Another coworker overheard us and asked, completely sincerely, "wait, do we have to sign up for it?  I never did and they take money out of my paycheck for it every month."   Apparently this coworker was under the impression that the 'benefits' category in their paystub referred to their 401K.  I had to break the news that it was money they were paying for their health insurance.  That coworker has been at the company for over 7 years. 

I have been at this company for a significantly shorter time than both of them and enrolled in the 401K the day my paperwork went through. 


swick

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17251 on: April 23, 2017, 10:18:29 AM »
Hubby's younger co-worker with slightly more seniority due to starting with the company right out of school vs. my husband who has worked at a couple of companies was trying to coach him on financial matters.

Co-worker: You should wait to cash out all of your OT until we get our cost of living increases in a couple of months.

Hubby: "That was the plan, going right to our investment accounts, as is the cost of living increase. What are you doing with yours?

Co-worker: "Well waiting to cash out IS is a good idea. But my truck needs new tires. They are about 1,000 each. I'm picking them up this weekend"

*face palm*

shelivesthedream

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17252 on: April 24, 2017, 02:07:01 AM »
I have a coworker who's very close to retirement.    Tthe other day, I overheard her ask "Wait, what's the difference between a defined benefit pension and a defined contribution pension?   And which one do we have?"

Siiiigh.   I could almost understand it if she were a youngster just starting out, but this is important stuff that is going to affect her REALLY soon!

I will see your uniformed coworkers and I'll raise you....

I had a coworker ask me recently if I thought it would be worthwhile for them to enroll in the company offered 401k.  This coworker is in their mid 40s and has been at the company for 15 years.

Another coworker overheard us and asked, completely sincerely, "wait, do we have to sign up for it?  I never did and they take money out of my paycheck for it every month."   Apparently this coworker was under the impression that the 'benefits' category in their paystub referred to their 401K.  I had to break the news that it was money they were paying for their health insurance.  That coworker has been at the company for over 7 years. 

I have been at this company for a significantly shorter time than both of them and enrolled in the 401K the day my paperwork went through.

The day that company pension schemes in the UK became opt-out rather than opt-in was a good one.

stylesjl

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17253 on: April 24, 2017, 02:34:53 AM »
So I overheard a co-worker today describe a friend of his, this friend earns over 200K per year but a little while back he had to borrow money from co-worker (which was paid off by next month, to his credit). My co-worker was shocked given that he earns so much less than this guy. But he wasn't so surprised later on when he learns about just how the guy spends his money such as having a 1000$ daily transaction limit on his card (which in an act of self control he doesn't raise) but then he goes to the casino, gambles away the 1000$, waits until midnight so he can then gamble another thousand (in a lack of self-control) as being just one of the ways this guy can blow through wads of money...

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17254 on: April 24, 2017, 06:40:38 AM »
I have a coworker who's very close to retirement.    Tthe other day, I overheard her ask "Wait, what's the difference between a defined benefit pension and a defined contribution pension?   And which one do we have?"

Siiiigh.   I could almost understand it if she were a youngster just starting out, but this is important stuff that is going to affect her REALLY soon!

I will see your uniformed coworkers and I'll raise you....

I had a coworker ask me recently if I thought it would be worthwhile for them to enroll in the company offered 401k.  This coworker is in their mid 40s and has been at the company for 15 years.

Another coworker overheard us and asked, completely sincerely, "wait, do we have to sign up for it?  I never did and they take money out of my paycheck for it every month."   Apparently this coworker was under the impression that the 'benefits' category in their paystub referred to their 401K.  I had to break the news that it was money they were paying for their health insurance.  That coworker has been at the company for over 7 years. 

I have been at this company for a significantly shorter time than both of them and enrolled in the 401K the day my paperwork went through.

The day that company pension schemes in the UK became opt-out rather than opt-in was a good one.
My employer's benefits include 4 weeks of vacation and auto-enrollment in our pro-Vanguard 401(k) plan, being fully vested from Day 1 of enrollment. The company matches 100% of the first 3%; this is the default contribution. Then an additional 50% match if you choose to contribute an additional 3-5%. So if you put in 8%, you get 5.5% from the company.
Yet most in my office choose to opt-out. Some have the default 3%. The one guy everyone thinks is a bumbling idiot contributes 8%. Boss is 8%. I'm the only one maxing out, no one knows. Almost everyone here makes over $100k and their spouses have decent to well-paid jobs.
Source: Tax season is when EVERYONE is talking about this. The braggadocios of El Stupidamundo.
If you give the option of opt-out, people WILL take it.

cheapass

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17255 on: April 24, 2017, 08:20:33 AM »
I have a coworker who's very close to retirement.    Tthe other day, I overheard her ask "Wait, what's the difference between a defined benefit pension and a defined contribution pension?   And which one do we have?"

Siiiigh.   I could almost understand it if she were a youngster just starting out, but this is important stuff that is going to affect her REALLY soon!

It is absolutely baffling to me how many people will spend DECADES working when there's other things they'd likely rather be doing, but can't be bothered to spend an hour or two researching how to optimize their finances and shave months/years/decades off their necessary working career.

I guess it's just a default mindset that you retire at 65 or later, no sense in thinking about it before that?

I worked with a guy who absolutely hated his job, really truly hated to come to work every day.  He was eligible for a pension of 70% of his pay and there'd be no fica or union dues or parking and he still wouldn't retire because he'd be short $30 a week after doing all the calculations. He was a life insurance actuary - he knew the risk of early death and still wouldn't leave until his pension matched his pay!

$30 a week... he makes himself miserable every day rather than cutting $4 a day out of expenses. Wow

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17256 on: April 24, 2017, 08:47:44 AM »
Anyone who is not looking for a new job when they are eligible to retire is lying (pension position).

My thoughts, unless they actually are planning to retire.

No, I know a guy who is less than 2 months away from a 100% pension. He could have retired (easily) a decade ago. If he retired at the end of this month (gotta be end of month), he'd get a 99.8%

However, if you actually do the math: He has been literally paying to work therefor years - because the pension payment doesn't have 10% taken out to fund the pension (paycheck does) and the pension payment doesn't have SSI taken out either - another 7.5%

This guy could walk out the door, and his pension would be 17.3% higher than his current paycheck. And he has the same medical for life.

Now, it will probably be slightly less because the pension is based on your "high 3 years" - and he probably got a few percent bump within the last 3 years. Still. Walk away, make 15% more. And you don't have to work. Or you can do something else. Whatever.

I worked with a woman like this.  At my last employer, long time employees (she was there ~35+ years) were eligible for a pension that paid out something like 80% of their last salary or something once fully vested.  She was fully vested.  Then we fell on hard times and all took a 10% pay cut.  She was literally working for 10% (at her wage probably $8k).  BUT, it gets better...she drove a big V8 Grand Cherokee ~100 miles A DAY to work.  I mean, I'm a car lover and can justify some car related bullshit, but 100 miles A DAY in a V8 Grand Cherokee?  And not 100 easy freeway miles, 100 miles of suburban roads.  She probably got 14mpg.  That's 7 gallons of gas A DAY.  Times, what, $3?  $21 a day.  That's $5250 a year.  So now she's down to $8k - $5250 = $2750, and we haven't touched depreciation of driving a $50k Jeep 25k miles a year....

She was literally PAYING to come to work every day.  Crazy.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17257 on: April 24, 2017, 08:52:54 AM »
Anyone who is not looking for a new job when they are eligible to retire is lying (pension position).

My thoughts, unless they actually are planning to retire.

No, I know a guy who is less than 2 months away from a 100% pension. He could have retired (easily) a decade ago. If he retired at the end of this month (gotta be end of month), he'd get a 99.8%

However, if you actually do the math: He has been literally paying to work therefor years - because the pension payment doesn't have 10% taken out to fund the pension (paycheck does) and the pension payment doesn't have SSI taken out either - another 7.5%

This guy could walk out the door, and his pension would be 17.3% higher than his current paycheck. And he has the same medical for life.

Now, it will probably be slightly less because the pension is based on your "high 3 years" - and he probably got a few percent bump within the last 3 years. Still. Walk away, make 15% more. And you don't have to work. Or you can do something else. Whatever.

I worked with a woman like this.  At my last employer, long time employees (she was there ~35+ years) were eligible for a pension that paid out something like 80% of their last salary or something once fully vested.  She was fully vested.  Then we fell on hard times and all took a 10% pay cut.  She was literally working for 10% (at her wage probably $8k).  BUT, it gets better...she drove a big V8 Grand Cherokee ~100 miles A DAY to work.  I mean, I'm a car lover and can justify some car related bullshit, but 100 miles A DAY in a V8 Grand Cherokee?  And not 100 easy freeway miles, 100 miles of suburban roads.  She probably got 14mpg.  That's 7 gallons of gas A DAY.  Times, what, $3?  $21 a day.  That's $5250 a year.  So now she's down to $8k - $5250 = $2750, and we haven't touched depreciation of driving a $50k Jeep 25k miles a year....

She was literally PAYING to come to work every day.  Crazy.
And don't forget that the $5250 is after all the taxes.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17258 on: April 24, 2017, 02:11:21 PM »
^these stories are why I read this thread. Sad, yes. Hilarious, yes.

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17259 on: April 24, 2017, 05:22:31 PM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

kayvent

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17260 on: April 24, 2017, 07:45:24 PM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

During my time at McDonalds I made a shocking discovery that is perfectly captured in one simple story.

It was 8AM. I was finishing up at my shift that started the previous night at 11. As I am walking to the back to get changed, I drop hashbrowns into the fryer since we're out. On my way out, I take the hashbrowns out and throw them in the hop. I take a seat with some other guys who just got off to talk. I see this lady get her order. She leaves the counter, goes to her table, but after thirty seconds returns to the counter and asks for the manager. The food is not fresh she complains.........the food I literally took out of the fryer a few seconds before it was bagged for her.

It was at this point that i started paying attention to the clientele. The only time people returned product for not being fresh enough was when it just came off the grill or out of the fryer or when the pot of coffee was just made. People literally didn't recognize what freshly cooked food meant or tasted like.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2017, 07:48:03 PM by kayvent »

Vindicated

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17261 on: April 25, 2017, 06:01:55 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

ingrownstudentloans

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17262 on: April 25, 2017, 07:29:31 AM »
I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

Were the pizzas pre-paid or just made and never picked up (where they would also be paid for).  If the latter, I feel like my fraternity brothers should have ordered pizza every night that they just failed to pick up.  "Another order for pick-up by Peyton Manning??? That guys never gets his food"
« Last Edit: April 25, 2017, 07:50:59 AM by ingrownstudentloans »

Vindicated

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17263 on: April 25, 2017, 07:57:37 AM »
I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

Were the pizzas pre-paid or just made and never picked up (where they would also be paid for).  If the latter, I feel like my fraternity brothers should have ordered pizza every night that they just failed to pick up.  "Another order for pick-up by Peyton Manning??? That guys never gets his food"

Generally ordered for carry-out, then no one showed.  So, not paid for, but would be trashed otherwise.  I'm sure there were times that people called and cancelled orders after they were started too.

I had never thought about gaming the system that way.  Clever.  However, I am terrible at dishonesty.  I'm sure I'd be busted the first time I tried to be associated with anything like that.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17264 on: April 25, 2017, 08:26:31 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

I ate a lot of bad food in college, but I'm not sure that even then I could eat Papa John's sober.

Of course, I wasn't sober for much of my college career, so it wouldn't have been an issue.

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17265 on: April 25, 2017, 08:59:52 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

I ate a lot of bad food in college, but I'm not sure that even then I could eat Papa John's sober.

Of course, I wasn't sober for much of my college career, so it wouldn't have been an issue.

What makes Papa John's so much worse than all the other fast food pizza chains out there?

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17266 on: April 25, 2017, 09:09:51 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

I ate a lot of bad food in college, but I'm not sure that even then I could eat Papa John's sober.

Of course, I wasn't sober for much of my college career, so it wouldn't have been an issue.

What makes Papa John's so much worse than all the other fast food pizza chains out there?

"All the other"... Well, in my mind there are only 3: Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's. Domino's is ok. Pizza Hut is ok. PJ's is horrible. The only redeeming quality is the hot pepper and the garlic sauce they put in there.

The big thing is that there is no reason to touch them, living in Chicagoland. I have the worlds best pizza here, no reason to go to a chain.

(and for inquiring minds, the best pizza is NOT Chicago style deep dish--though I do love that as well--it is Chicago style thin-crust)

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17267 on: April 25, 2017, 09:33:31 AM »
Don't forget the absolute bottom of the barrel...Little Caeser's. 

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17268 on: April 25, 2017, 09:35:57 AM »
Don't forget the absolute bottom of the barrel...Little Caeser's.

You know, they almost get a pass just because of how freakin cheap they are. I mean, I still can only stomach it when drunk, but head for head even ignoring the cost I think they're better than Papa John's.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17269 on: April 25, 2017, 09:42:30 AM »
I actually like Little Caesar's.  Oddly, though, I think it's better reheated than fresh.  I think the low price influences my taste :P

Dollar Slice

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17270 on: April 25, 2017, 10:05:51 AM »
Were the pizzas pre-paid or just made and never picked up (where they would also be paid for).  If the latter, I feel like my fraternity brothers should have ordered pizza every night that they just failed to pick up.  "Another order for pick-up by Peyton Manning??? That guys never gets his food"

Generally ordered for carry-out, then no one showed.  So, not paid for, but would be trashed otherwise.  I'm sure there were times that people called and cancelled orders after they were started too.

I had never thought about gaming the system that way.  Clever.  However, I am terrible at dishonesty.  I'm sure I'd be busted the first time I tried to be associated with anything like that.

My cousin used to do that when he worked at a pizzeria. He also stole money from my sweet grandma, did hard drugs, and eventually went to jail. Pizza fraud is a slippery slope, I guess.

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17271 on: April 25, 2017, 10:08:21 AM »
Don't forget the absolute bottom of the barrel...Little Caeser's.

You know, they almost get a pass just because of how freakin cheap they are. I mean, I still can only stomach it when drunk, but head for head even ignoring the cost I think they're better than Papa John's.

I can only eat the fast food pizza when covered with their dipping sauce (read: garlic butter).  That stuff is like crack.  But the pizza itself is basically inedible without it. 

markbike528CBX

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17272 on: April 25, 2017, 10:27:37 AM »

Pizza fraud is a slippery slope, I guess.


Depends on the nature of the sauce.  Some pizzas can't even hold a sliver of cheese, since the sauce is so fluid.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17273 on: April 25, 2017, 10:57:10 AM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

dividendman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17274 on: April 25, 2017, 11:00:58 AM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.

sw1tch

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17275 on: April 25, 2017, 11:16:58 AM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

MightyAl

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17276 on: April 25, 2017, 11:22:26 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

I ate a lot of bad food in college, but I'm not sure that even then I could eat Papa John's sober.

Of course, I wasn't sober for much of my college career, so it wouldn't have been an issue.

What makes Papa John's so much worse than all the other fast food pizza chains out there?

"All the other"... Well, in my mind there are only 3: Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's. Domino's is ok. Pizza Hut is ok. PJ's is horrible. The only redeeming quality is the hot pepper and the garlic sauce they put in there.

The big thing is that there is no reason to touch them, living in Chicagoland. I have the worlds best pizza here, no reason to go to a chain.

(and for inquiring minds, the best pizza is NOT Chicago style deep dish--though I do love that as well--it is Chicago style thin-crust)

You mean St. Louis style pizza.

TravelJunkyQC

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17277 on: April 25, 2017, 11:28:58 AM »
Sitting at lunch today, coworkers are talking about the expensive price of alcohol here (in Québec alcohol is price-hiked and managed by the province in order to collect taxes on it - it's much much more expensive than elsewhere in North America, beer being the exception).

CW 1: I think I could have bought a second house by now with the amount of money alcohol has cost me in my life so far.
CW 2: Ugh, me too, it's so ridiculously expensive. *wah wah* the government is robbing us blind.
CW 1: My wife tells me its a waste but she likes wine as much as I do.
CW 1 & CW 2: *Look at me.
Me: I'm not really a drinker, I don't care much for alcohol.
CW 3: Wow, you must be rich!
Me internally: yes, as we all are - alcohol is a luxury you f***heads, not a necessity.
Me out loud: rock climbing gear and camping weekends are expensive... that's my alcohol budget.
Me internally: no they aren't, not if you do it right. Quick, eat your sandwich, GET OUT!

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17278 on: April 25, 2017, 11:54:46 AM »
When I was in college and working at McDonalds, I used to eat two meals a day there.

One was the free meal we got for our shift and the other was from the food being thrown out because it was in the bin too long.   (That would be 7 to 15 minutes, for those of you thinking "days".)

That second meal wasn't really allowed, but we all (discreetly) did it anyway.

That really kept my food costs down during college, especially grad school when I had my own apartment.

I had a stint working at Papa John's when I was in a fraternity.  It wasn't uncommon to have 2+ pizzas that were ordered and never picked up that we were allowed to just take with us when we got off.

It was the one time in my life I was popular...

I ate a lot of bad food in college, but I'm not sure that even then I could eat Papa John's sober.

Of course, I wasn't sober for much of my college career, so it wouldn't have been an issue.

What makes Papa John's so much worse than all the other fast food pizza chains out there?

"All the other"... Well, in my mind there are only 3: Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's. Domino's is ok. Pizza Hut is ok. PJ's is horrible. The only redeeming quality is the hot pepper and the garlic sauce they put in there.

The big thing is that there is no reason to touch them, living in Chicagoland. I have the worlds best pizza here, no reason to go to a chain.

(and for inquiring minds, the best pizza is NOT Chicago style deep dish--though I do love that as well--it is Chicago style thin-crust)

You mean St. Louis style pizza.

hahahhahahahahah

hahaha
ha
haha

ha


 .

ha.

NO. Take your provell cheese and get the hell out of here.

PeggySue

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17279 on: April 25, 2017, 12:02:25 PM »
I was talking with a new colleague, a Canadian citizen but working in the US.  She is pretty young and naive generally (first job, first time living away from home) and we started talking about health insurance.  She said that it was cheaper for her to fly home ($200 r/t) if she needed to see a doctor so she declined the health insurance we have through work (We have decent choices and a range of prices).  I asked her about accidents or something unexpected where she couldn't fly home.  Her answer was, "I'm just trying to be extra careful about that..."

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17280 on: April 25, 2017, 02:48:48 PM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

Everyone owns a car here or several. Town does not have a big taxi business but there are a few. That was the humor of the situation to us. She was fine in the end. Probably thinking twice about any assumptions that the country is uniformly like a big city with its myriad of transport options.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17281 on: April 25, 2017, 03:52:43 PM »
Sitting at lunch today, coworkers are talking about the expensive price of alcohol here (in Québec alcohol is price-hiked and managed by the province in order to collect taxes on it - it's much much more expensive than elsewhere in North America, beer being the exception)...

The other obvious option is to make your own. Brewing beer is relatively easy and can be just as delicious.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17282 on: April 25, 2017, 05:27:00 PM »
My coworker, who is a great guy and friend, makes a good amount more than me, and I do pretty well for myself.

We were discussing the fact that I was going to buy a house, which is on the upper end of what a mustachian would pay (you can read about that on the RE board).  Anyway, he was expressing surprise at my spending so much on a house, which surprised me because he and his wife combine for more than I do and could easily afford something like that by my fairly frugal standards.  He's also about to have a baby and will probably be looking to move into a new house himself soon.

Anyway, I heard him talking to another co-worker about cars the other day.  They were comparing cars they saw in the company parking lot.  He was wondering if it made sense to trade in his Mustang for a new $40k sports car because he didn't think he could fit a baby seat into his current car.  This was after he mentioned he was going to buy a boat instead, but maybe now that the baby's coming, he should hold off on that (we live in the SW, there's no water anywhere near us).  The kicker, they live a good 30 miles away where 'the houses are cheaper' and just bought a new Ford Explorer so he and his wife could commute to work in comfort.  Don't you think the car seat will fit in the huge SUV??? He at least hits his company match on the 401k, but looked at me funny when I mentioned I wasn't a car person and wanted to make sure I maxed my 401k each year.  Oh, and his wife buys new shoes online every week.

Not that it should matter, but now I feel a little bet better about why he thought my new house was pricey.

He's a good guy and into finance though.  I'm going to keep trying to slip in hints of 'tax-advantaged savings' and 'commuting is expensive' all that.  He does understand it when I mention it, I just don't think he's ever thought about it in depth before.

Well Respected Man

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17283 on: April 25, 2017, 05:44:47 PM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

0) Homemade
1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/share-your-homemade-pizza/

Also quite delicious for lunch the next day.

Goldielocks

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17284 on: April 26, 2017, 01:07:56 AM »
I was talking with a new colleague, a Canadian citizen but working in the US.  She is pretty young and naive generally (first job, first time living away from home) and we started talking about health insurance.  She said that it was cheaper for her to fly home ($200 r/t) if she needed to see a doctor so she declined the health insurance we have through work (We have decent choices and a range of prices).  I asked her about accidents or something unexpected where she couldn't fly home.  Her answer was, "I'm just trying to be extra careful about that..."

Crazy.  You have to be a resident of your province to maintain the health coverage.  Her canadian coverage will expire within 3 months of leaving her province.  US Residents (even canadians) pay for medical clinics and emergency in Canada.

Now -- most people at the hospital don't really know how to ask / process the payment or credit cards forms, you have to wait while they go searching for someone, and it is like, one price ($500) for almost any e-room visit, but hey, you still pay.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17285 on: April 26, 2017, 06:18:12 AM »
Don't forget the absolute bottom of the barrel...Little Caeser's.

Amen, I've been on a road trip, starving and spotted a Little Ceasar's. I look at the wife and we both silently agree that we aren't THAT hungry. We occasionally travel to the NY finger lakes for the wine, or to north central PA. for the absolutely beautiful remoteness of the area. Those areas have a small pizza store chain (Pudgies) that somehow took the Little Caesar's play book (taste free factory pizza) and ran with it, creating a product that is not only more expensive, but tastes worse. That must of been a real effort, but they really succeeded. Think of the nastiest frozen generic pizza ever, and your close.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17286 on: April 26, 2017, 07:53:52 AM »
Read up on the owners of Little Caesar's and Papa John's sometimes. It sure makes LC taste like better pizza to me... 

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17287 on: April 26, 2017, 08:00:24 AM »
Some of the better frozen pizzas (looking at you, Screamin' Sicillian) are better than the crappy "fast food pizza."  I'm lucky here in Chicagoland, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a great pizza joint.  Within 5 miles of my house I can get excellent deep dish, thin crust, or NY style pizza at a multitude of locations. 

Downside is that when I go elsewhere (other than NY/CT) and people order in/take us out for pizza, it's invariably inferior.  Was at our office in Tulsa once and they ordered in from "the best pizza place in town" and it was almost inedible. 

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17288 on: April 26, 2017, 08:17:31 AM »
Read up on the owners of Little Caesar's and Papa John's sometimes. It sure makes LC taste like better pizza to me...

Whats wrong with Schnatter, other than his horrible pizza? Or are you just saying he's a good dude too?

The Illitch family is obviously a boon to society, although I hate saying that due to their ownership of the Detroit scumbags (RedWings)

Inaya

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17289 on: April 26, 2017, 08:46:11 AM »
I like Little Caesar's. It's dirt cheap and very edible. And their Crazy Bread is clearly laced with crack. And I'm saying this as somebody who lives smack in the middle of downtown Chicago. (Thin crust is garbage, no matter which American city it purports to be from. My husband, however, agrees with the "tomato soup in a breadbowl" opinion of deep dish. We are still married despite this.)

Rural

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17290 on: April 26, 2017, 10:00:24 AM »
I like Little Caesar's. It's dirt cheap and very edible. And their Crazy Bread is clearly laced with crack. And I'm saying this as somebody who lives smack in the middle of downtown Chicago. (Thin crust is garbage, no matter which American city it purports to be from. My husband, however, agrees with the "tomato soup in a breadbowl" opinion of deep dish. We are still married despite this.)


I like Little Caesar's as well, and actually have no objection to actual tomato soup in an actual breadbowl. :)


(Coincidenally have just finished my grilled cheese dipped in cream of tomato soup for lunch.)

Al1961

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17291 on: April 26, 2017, 12:47:51 PM »
I was talking with a new colleague, a Canadian citizen but working in the US.  She is pretty young and naive generally (first job, first time living away from home) and we started talking about health insurance.  She said that it was cheaper for her to fly home ($200 r/t) if she needed to see a doctor so she declined the health insurance we have through work (We have decent choices and a range of prices).  I asked her about accidents or something unexpected where she couldn't fly home.  Her answer was, "I'm just trying to be extra careful about that..."

Crazy.  You have to be a resident of your province to maintain the health coverage.  Her canadian coverage will expire within 3 months of leaving her province.  US Residents (even canadians) pay for medical clinics and emergency in Canada.

Now -- most people at the hospital don't really know how to ask / process the payment or credit cards forms, you have to wait while they go searching for someone, and it is like, one price ($500) for almost any e-room visit, but hey, you still pay.

Yes. My sister was visiting from Arizona in March. Cost her $1k just to get past the emergency room admitting desk in BC. Of course, the hospital wouldn't take her American Express. (like virtually everyone else in Canada).

dividendman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17292 on: April 26, 2017, 02:15:32 PM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

0) Homemade
1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/share-your-homemade-pizza/

Also quite delicious for lunch the next day.

How did I miss that thread? Yummy! Thanks.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17293 on: April 26, 2017, 02:21:35 PM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

0) Homemade
1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/share-your-homemade-pizza/

Also quite delicious for lunch the next day.

Like my stance on beer, I firmly believe that anyone can make something that is decent in quality and much more cost efficient with a little practice

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17294 on: April 26, 2017, 02:42:52 PM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

0) Homemade
1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/share-your-homemade-pizza/

Also quite delicious for lunch the next day.

Like my stance on beer, I firmly believe that anyone can make something that is decent in quality and much more cost efficient with a little practice

Been through that thread. Made a couple of the pizzas. Reaffirmed my earlier belief that Pizza is one of the few things that I cannot make good enough/inexpensive enough to justify not ordering out.

Between the time to make it (dough and sauce specifically, each take at least 2 hours to do right) and the cleanup, it just isn't worth it. FOR ME.

kelvin

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17295 on: April 26, 2017, 03:05:45 PM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

Everyone owns a car here or several. Town does not have a big taxi business but there are a few. That was the humor of the situation to us. She was fine in the end. Probably thinking twice about any assumptions that the country is uniformly like a big city with its myriad of transport options.

People I've met who have "given up their license" were all trouble. Trouble of the I-can't-get-insurance variety, usually with a side order of my-credit-score-is-garbage. They can't afford the insurance or the car or both.

Dunno what this lady used to do, but I hope what she's doing now is working out well for her, that she's learned from the past and is moving forward in a good direction.

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17296 on: April 26, 2017, 03:08:04 PM »
I think we need a thread on the best pizza:

0) Homemade
1) Fast Food Chains
2) Restaurant Chains (like Cali Pizza Kitchen)
3) Frozen

Man, I love pizza.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/share-your-homemade-pizza/

Also quite delicious for lunch the next day.

Like my stance on beer, I firmly believe that anyone can make something that is decent in quality and much more cost efficient with a little practice

Been through that thread. Made a couple of the pizzas. Reaffirmed my earlier belief that Pizza is one of the few things that I cannot make good enough/inexpensive enough to justify not ordering out.

Between the time to make it (dough and sauce specifically, each take at least 2 hours to do right) and the cleanup, it just isn't worth it. FOR ME.

Agree. We eat pizza once a week usually and it's our Friday night treat to finish off the week. A big part of that treat is not having to cook or clean (aside from rinsing a couple plates) after a week of work.  There are lots and lots of meals I won't order from it because I can do them better, pizza ain't one of them. And honestly neither is beer given the relate I drink it (1-2 cans a week)

Goldielocks

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17297 on: April 26, 2017, 03:17:29 PM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

Everyone owns a car here or several. Town does not have a big taxi business but there are a few. That was the humor of the situation to us. She was fine in the end. Probably thinking twice about any assumptions that the country is uniformly like a big city with its myriad of transport options.

People I've met who have "given up their license" were all trouble. Trouble of the I-can't-get-insurance variety, usually with a side order of my-credit-score-is-garbage. They can't afford the insurance or the car or both.

I don't know why someone would give up a license, unless they stopped driving, moved to a new state with weird license transfer requirements and did not want to renew for $72 (example) when it came around time.    Having a license is almost free unless you have to pay off points or tickets.  You don't need insurance or a car just to carry a drivers license.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17298 on: April 26, 2017, 04:54:39 PM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

Everyone owns a car here or several. Town does not have a big taxi business but there are a few. That was the humor of the situation to us. She was fine in the end. Probably thinking twice about any assumptions that the country is uniformly like a big city with its myriad of transport options.

People I've met who have "given up their license" were all trouble. Trouble of the I-can't-get-insurance variety, usually with a side order of my-credit-score-is-garbage. They can't afford the insurance or the car or both.

I don't know why someone would give up a license, unless they stopped driving, moved to a new state with weird license transfer requirements and did not want to renew for $72 (example) when it came around time.    Having a license is almost free unless you have to pay off points or tickets.  You don't need insurance or a car just to carry a drivers license.

She could have "given up" her license as part of a plea deal related to impaired driving. In my state, aggravated DWI can be pled down to an ordinary DWI but the offender's license goes away for a while and there's a structured process to get it back.

economista

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #17299 on: April 27, 2017, 08:40:59 AM »
We had an NYC event coordinator coming to my employer for a weekend event - definitely not in NYC.

She asked if someone was coming to get her from the airport. Okay. Then if someone would take her here and there and back and forth. Nice lady.

The obvious answer was to rent a car. Said she couldn't do that b/c she gave up her license years ago.

And then she took a job where she travels out of the city! ;)

Time to go get another license. You'll need it...

What about:
Uber/Lyft??
Taxi??
City bike??

Everyone owns a car here or several. Town does not have a big taxi business but there are a few. That was the humor of the situation to us. She was fine in the end. Probably thinking twice about any assumptions that the country is uniformly like a big city with its myriad of transport options.

People I've met who have "given up their license" were all trouble. Trouble of the I-can't-get-insurance variety, usually with a side order of my-credit-score-is-garbage. They can't afford the insurance or the car or both.

I don't know why someone would give up a license, unless they stopped driving, moved to a new state with weird license transfer requirements and did not want to renew for $72 (example) when it came around time.    Having a license is almost free unless you have to pay off points or tickets.  You don't need insurance or a car just to carry a drivers license.

She could have "given up" her license as part of a plea deal related to impaired driving. In my state, aggravated DWI can be pled down to an ordinary DWI but the offender's license goes away for a while and there's a structured process to get it back.

When I read the original post 2 things came to mind:
1) She is from New York City.  I've never lived there, but from what I've heard it is ridiculously expensive to keep and store a car there.  With all of the public transportation options, it is very likely she simply gave up her license because she didn't ever need one and it was easier to just keep a state ID or a passport as her form of ID.  However, if she is now working a job that requires her to travel outside the city, she should probably get another license. 
2)  She could be visually impaired.  I know quite a few VI people who aren't fully blind to the point where they need to walk around with a cane or dog, but blind enough that it is dangerous for them to drive a vehicle.  My SO is one of them.  He has been legally blind since he was 3 years old, but he could see enough to drive from age 16 to around 28.  At that point he "gave up" his license.  He can see relatively well straight-on during the day (he has RP so extreme tunnel vision) and he is good at hiding it, so most people who meet him have no idea he has a visual impairment.