Overheard at Work

[MgoSam]

Not overheard at work but my husband just saw that this thread runs to 360 pages.

"Why don't they just start a new one? They know it doesn't cost money, right?"

Smartarse.

It just wouldn't be the same.

I love the staying power this thread has.

[By the River]

Overheard at a work conference…The conference had many references to the musical Hamilton.  Company VP talked about another CFO who saw the show and said it was the greatest ever.  That CFO had a young analyst working for him who decided to get engaged…his plan was to buy tickets months ahead of time to the July 16 show and propose afterwards. 

Then, the original stars announced they were leaving and the July 16 show would be their finale.  Ticket prices kept going up and up for that performance.  When the secondary market hit $20,000 for the tickets, the young analyst asked CFO if he should sell.  The CFO apparently said to go to the show (and stay chained to the desk forever). 
 
If I was young and about to be married, I’m sure I could figure out uses for that $20K other than a play.  OR at least sell those and buy ones for a week earlier/later that were cheaper and invest the rest.   

[Hedge_87]

20K for a play? wow! what was the original ticket price?

[RyanAtTanagra]

Reminds me of when PT Cruisers were first coming out and the people who pre-ordered were getting offered 2x the sticker price.  And not selling.

[prognastat]

There isn't a concert, show or event that would be worth almost 20k to me. Those tickets would be sold and I would enjoy the $800 a year at 4% they would be earning me when FIRE.

[OneStep]

Reminds me of when PT Cruisers were first coming out and the people who pre-ordered were getting offered 2x the sticker price.  And not selling.

This was my father to an extent. He was one that pre-ordered the PT Cruiser. Specifically a manual transmission. However, the dealership called on day to let him know that they had the exact model in but it was an automatic. Dad went ahead and picked up the automatic but told the dealership to keep the other pre-order active. 1 month later, Dad pulls up in an identical PT Cruiser as his other one, except it was a manual. That is an example of one of the many poor financial lessons I learned at a young age. Wish I would have realized then how dumb my parents were with money. Oh well, I know it now and I am hopefully a better example for my son.

[MgoSam]

Man what a moron. Not going to lie, I would love to go see Hamilton but not at the expense of $19k+.

Agreed! Could pay for the wedding with that (depending on your tastes). Also it might be a good litmus test for your fiance.

[MrMoogle]

Man what a moron. Not going to lie, I would love to go see Hamilton but not at the expense of $19k+.

Agreed! Could pay for the wedding with that (depending on your tastes). Also it might be a good litmus test for your fiance.

Well the CW failed the litmus test.

[JordanOfGilead]

Sitting in a conference room near the end of the day getting some work done with a couple coworkers.

One of them receives a link to a hose listing from her husband in a (relatively, compared to what is available around our office) HCOL area. 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car attached garage, 2100sq-ft, way overpriced. She keeps talking about how nice it is (the kitchen was recently remodeled) and how it's on her favorite street in her favorite neighborhood (even though it would add an easy 15 minutes to her commute every day) and she doesn't care about school district because her son will be going to private school.

I make a comment that it sounds like she wants to work until she's 70.
She doesn't understand how anything she is doing is ridiculous.

I found a house a couple streets over in the same neighborhood with 4 bed, 3 bath, 2700 sq ft listed for $45k less. "But it's not nearly as nice!" The kitchen was about ten years outdated and a couple interior walls need painted. These things could have easily been resolved, even by her expensive standards, for less than $10,000 without lifting a finger, just by hiring somebody to do it... She changes the subject to "well private school isn't -that- expensive, I think we can afford it.

I give up. Some people just want to work until they die.

[cheapass]

She changes the subject to "well private school isn't -that- expensive, I think we can afford it.

I give up. Some people just want to work until they die.

And then when they're still working at age 65, wondering where all that money went they'll bitch about how expensive life is! Humans are terribly irrational creatures.

[shelivesthedream]

Not overheard at work but my husband just saw that this thread runs to 360 pages.

"Why don't they just start a new one? They know it doesn't cost money, right?"

Smartarse.

It just wouldn't be the same.

I love the staying power this thread has.

I wonder what the longest internet thread ever is. Google throws up some very conflicting results.

[Paul der Krake]

I wonder what the longest internet thread ever is. Google throws up some very conflicting results.

+1

[arebelspy]

I wonder what the longest internet thread ever is. Google throws up some very conflicting results.

+1

I've seen some in the thousands of pages. I'm sure there are some much longer.

[Ann]

A co-worker recently moved into an apartment on his own. Previously he had been living with his sister and her boyfriend in a house that the three rented together. His sister and boyfriend bought a house together and invited him to rent a room from them, but he declined because he "didn't like the idea of paying for someone else's mortgage". I was rather dumbstruck especially because he is a bright guy, and I couldn't fathom having that mentality. I attempted to reason with him a bit, but he wasn't having any of it so I backed off.

I had a roommate say the same thing.  We had been roommates for a long time and I was thinking of just buying a house and renting a room to him.  "Why would I want to pay your mortgage?"  I was so dumbfounded by that lack of logic I didn't even know how to respond.  Ended up not doing it just based on how annoyed his tone was at the idea.

"So you don't have to assume any of the risk"

Also... by their own logic it seems they are willing to pay someone else's mortgage... just not someone they know! Haha. Crazy.

I agree with SydneyStache.

Count me as a person who doesn't like to mix business with family or friends.  For people like me, it keeps the boundaries nice and clear.  I would HATE to have a live-in lab lord whom I not only must satisfy as a tenant but also maintain as a friend.

If I pay my rent late, I am asked to pay a fee (I don't pay it late, but if I did ..).  If my land lady is personally annoyed, it is irrelevant.  If my land lady increases my rent each year, I may sigh and grumble to myself but it doesn't affect my friendships.  I can see someone complaining that their house-owning friend is "greedy" because they increase the rent.  I know a friend who bought a car from her uncle.  She didn't pay in cash but made "payments" for several years.  The family was upset that the uncle would be greedy enough to charge INTEREST.  So, he sells her a car and the terms of the deal are made before it happens, yet this is greedy? 

I also lived with a friend and her boyfriend.  Theyey got engaged that year.  Luckily we were all renting and they lived by themselves together the next year.  I can only imagine the power dynamic if they owned the place.   Turned out okay, but they were really ready to "nest".

Traditional renting ha clearly defined obligations.  Renting from a friend has extra emotional stipulations. 

[RyanAtTanagra]

A co-worker recently moved into an apartment on his own. Previously he had been living with his sister and her boyfriend in a house that the three rented together. His sister and boyfriend bought a house together and invited him to rent a room from them, but he declined because he "didn't like the idea of paying for someone else's mortgage". I was rather dumbstruck especially because he is a bright guy, and I couldn't fathom having that mentality. I attempted to reason with him a bit, but he wasn't having any of it so I backed off.

I had a roommate say the same thing.  We had been roommates for a long time and I was thinking of just buying a house and renting a room to him.  "Why would I want to pay your mortgage?"  I was so dumbfounded by that lack of logic I didn't even know how to respond.  Ended up not doing it just based on how annoyed his tone was at the idea.

"So you don't have to assume any of the risk"

Also... by their own logic it seems they are willing to pay someone else's mortgage... just not someone they know! Haha. Crazy.

I agree with SydneyStache.

Count me as a person who doesn't like to mix business with family or friends.  For people like me, it keeps the boundaries nice and clear.  I would HATE to have a live-in lab lord whom I not only must satisfy as a tenant but also maintain as a friend.

If I pay my rent late, I am asked to pay a fee (I don't pay it late, but if I did ..).  If my land lady is personally annoyed, it is irrelevant.  If my land lady increases my rent each year, I may sigh and grumble to myself but it doesn't affect my friendships.  I can see someone complaining that their house-owning friend is "greedy" because they increase the rent.  I know a friend who bought a car from her uncle.  She didn't pay in cash but made "payments" for several years.  The family was upset that the uncle would be greedy enough to charge INTEREST.  So, he sells her a car and the terms of the deal are made before it happens, yet this is greedy? 

I also lived with a friend and her boyfriend.  Theyey got engaged that year.  Luckily we were all renting and they lived by themselves together the next year.  I can only imagine the power dynamic if they owned the place.   Turned out okay, but they were really ready to "nest".

Traditional renting ha clearly defined obligations.  Renting from a friend has extra emotional stipulations.

I agree, there can be many reasons to not want to rent a room in a friend's home, but not wanting to pay for their mortgage is the least logical.

[firelight]

A co-worker recently moved into an apartment on his own. Previously he had been living with his sister and her boyfriend in a house that the three rented together. His sister and boyfriend bought a house together and invited him to rent a room from them, but he declined because he "didn't like the idea of paying for someone else's mortgage". I was rather dumbstruck especially because he is a bright guy, and I couldn't fathom having that mentality. I attempted to reason with him a bit, but he wasn't having any of it so I backed off.

I had a roommate say the same thing.  We had been roommates for a long time and I was thinking of just buying a house and renting a room to him.  "Why would I want to pay your mortgage?"  I was so dumbfounded by that lack of logic I didn't even know how to respond.  Ended up not doing it just based on how annoyed his tone was at the idea.

"So you don't have to assume any of the risk"

Also... by their own logic it seems they are willing to pay someone else's mortgage... just not someone they know! Haha. Crazy.

I agree with SydneyStache.

Count me as a person who doesn't like to mix business with family or friends.  For people like me, it keeps the boundaries nice and clear.  I would HATE to have a live-in lab lord whom I not only must satisfy as a tenant but also maintain as a friend.

If I pay my rent late, I am asked to pay a fee (I don't pay it late, but if I did ..).  If my land lady is personally annoyed, it is irrelevant.  If my land lady increases my rent each year, I may sigh and grumble to myself but it doesn't affect my friendships.  I can see someone complaining that their house-owning friend is "greedy" because they increase the rent.  I know a friend who bought a car from her uncle.  She didn't pay in cash but made "payments" for several years.  The family was upset that the uncle would be greedy enough to charge INTEREST.  So, he sells her a car and the terms of the deal are made before it happens, yet this is greedy? 

I also lived with a friend and her boyfriend.  Theyey got engaged that year.  Luckily we were all renting and they lived by themselves together the next year.  I can only imagine the power dynamic if they owned the place.   Turned out okay, but they were really ready to "nest".

Traditional renting ha clearly defined obligations.  Renting from a friend has extra emotional stipulations.

I agree, there can be many reasons to not want to rent a room in a friend's home, but not wanting to pay for their mortgage is the least logical.

But maybe the easiest to discuss and get off the hook?

[LennStar]

Not overheard at work but my husband just saw that this thread runs to 360 pages.

"Why don't they just start a new one? They know it doesn't cost money, right?"

Smartarse.

Probably one about spaces or tabs.
It just wouldn't be the same.

I love the staying power this thread has.

I wonder what the longest internet thread ever is. Google throws up some very conflicting results.

[TomTX]

Reminds me of when PT Cruisers were first coming out and the people who pre-ordered were getting offered 2x the sticker price.  And not selling.

I have some hope to do this with a Tesla Model 3 I have reserved*. If I can flip it for 50% over sticker, that's happening. Below that I would have to run numbers due to the expiring tax credits, and paying taxes on the profit. I've got a good shot at the full $7,500 credit.

*Yes, I know. It's unmustachian. It's going to cost double what my wife and I have ever paid for a car, and will be more than the sum total we have paid for all cars in our lifetimes (married well over 20 years) So that's my confession for this thread. ;)

[crispy]

I mentioned to two coworkers that we just switched to SlingTV to save $60 a month. Coworker 1 is pretty frugal and was asking questions. Coworker 2 stated that as soon as he started making decent money, he stopped worrying about how much things cost and that it took too much energy to be cheap. The kickers? We are all government employees so none of us make huge salaries. Same coworker also just moved house and now has three hour daily commute because he wanted a big house and couldn't afford one closer. That takes way more energy than being cheap!

I just smiled and nodded knowing that I will be mortgage free in a few months while having a 15 minute commute.  I guess being cheap does pay...

[Acastus]

coworker can't catch a break:

- Inherited house free and clear. Now owes 3 years back taxes and is in constant fear of being foreclosed.
- No savings, no emergency account, no IRA, no 401k contributions. Emptied 401k earlier when previously laid off.
- Bought fancy truck for ~ annual salary. Traded it for different fancy truck 3 months later. Beater truck still worked.
- Needs fancy truck to tow cabin cruiser to and from lake, once per year each way.
- Owns several undriveable cars as nostalgia. Pays to garage them.
- Within 5 years of retirement. Life is unfair.

[Miss Piggy]

coworker can't catch a break:

- Inherited house free and clear. Owes 3 years back taxes and is in constant fear of being foreclosed.
- No savings, no emergency account, no IRA, no 401k contributions. Emptied 401k earlier when previously laid off.
- Bought fancy truck for ~ annual salary. Traded it for different fancy truck 3 months later. Beater truck still worked.
- Needs fancy truck to tow cabin cruiser to and from lake, once per year each way.
- Owns several undriveable cars as nostalgia. Pays to garage them.
- Within 5 years of retirement. Life is unfair.

Poor guy. Seems luck just isn't on his side.

[cheapass]

I know a friend who bought a car from her uncle.  She didn't pay in cash but made "payments" for several years.  The family was upset that the uncle would be greedy enough to charge INTEREST.  So, he sells her a car and the terms of the deal are made before it happens, yet this is greedy? 

It is incredible how totally ignorant the average person is about finance. So this uncle, unless he charged her at least a 3% interest rate, he would be losing money thanks to inflation. HOW GREEDY OF HIM TO WANT TO NOT LOSE MONEY. He's probably offering her a rate lower than she could get anywhere else and a lower rate than he could yield on his money elsewhere, but he's so greedy!

[accountingteacher]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

[Cookie78]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

My brother does this too. Blows my mind!

[Kitsune]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

My brother does this too. Blows my mind!

My parents used to do this. Once it was available online I sat them down and showed them how to do it and that seemed to help. Though that happened at the same time as a few other money conversations that led my parents to believe (accurately) that I've got a better grip on money and financial matters than they do, so they ask for advice and actually listen. It seems to be helping their finances, and watching them move farther from a state of "gonna need to support them in their old age" is definitely helping my nerves.

Oh, and then there's the conversation I have with colleagues.... "oh, new glasses! You look great! You know our insurance will cover 200$ of those if you submit the receipt, right?" No. they didn't know. Because apparently I'm the only person in the place who actually reads the benefits booklet. (Which also explains that they'll reimburse 80% of the cost of a massage, and you guys, I'm totally willing to fork out 15$ for a good massage).

[Inaya]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

My brother does this too. Blows my mind!

My parents used to do this. Once it was available online I sat them down and showed them how to do it and that seemed to help. Though that happened at the same time as a few other money conversations that led my parents to believe (accurately) that I've got a better grip on money and financial matters than they do, so they ask for advice and actually listen. It seems to be helping their finances, and watching them move farther from a state of "gonna need to support them in their old age" is definitely helping my nerves.

Oh, and then there's the conversation I have with colleagues.... "oh, new glasses! You look great! You know our insurance will cover 200$ of those if you submit the receipt, right?" No. they didn't know. Because apparently I'm the only person in the place who actually reads the benefits booklet. (Which also explains that they'll reimburse 80% of the cost of a massage, and you guys, I'm totally willing to fork out 15$ for a good massage).

That reminds me. We get 5 free health care-related visits per year on our employee assistance program. I've been meaning to find out if massages count.

[Alfred J Quack]

Our old GM got married this past Saturday. One of my coworkers is still really good friends with him and was at the wedding. My coworkers' girlfriend was speaking to the new wife and she boasted how much everything cost, apparently the wedding was almost $150k.

The prices he remembered were these-
Wedding planner - $20k
Dress - $18k
Jewelry - $7k
Shoes - $1k
Flowers - $14k
Dinner/drinks for 250 - $45k


She's a nurse and he is now a new car manager at a dealership(He was a GM for about 9yrs with our company). He absolutely hated working the dealership hours and was always complaining about not having any free time. I wonder how much he's going to have to work to pay off the wedding.

Mind blown!

I don't get it, this is beyond absurd...

[MoMan]

My coworkers' girlfriend was speaking to the new wife and she boasted how much everything cost, apparently the wedding was almost $150k.

I too like to boast about the cost of our wedding. We spent a few hundred dollars!!

Officiator: Rent-a-preacher from Craigslist
Venue: lake house we were already renting (we didn't tell fellow vacationers we were getting married until 1 hour before preacher arrived)
Catering: fajitas from our fave TexMex restaurant.
Music: boombox.
Alcohol: BYOB
Photographer: Sis-in-law w/ point and shoot (GREAT pix)
Guest list: 6 (we threw a much larger reception party a week later in our back yard--maybe another $200)

It was fantastic! Our friends brought a giant box of fireworks (mid-July wedding) and got us a bottle of Dom P. Yum.

[Linda_Norway]

Heard at work that a software developer at one of our suppliers has applied to receive a money package to quit his job. And therefore, American rules, would be resigning in 2 weeks time. One of my colleagues said he was going to "retire". I wondered if the supplier was a Mustachian.
But today I heard that they managed to convince him to stay. Good for use, who need him really hard. But what about his retirement plans?

[zolotiyeruki]

Heard at work that a software developer at one of our suppliers has applied to receive a money package to quit his job. And therefore, American rules, would be resigning in 2 weeks time. One of my colleagues said he was going to "retire". I wondered if the supplier was a Mustachian.
But today I heard that they managed to convince him to stay. Good for use, who need him really hard. But what about his retirement plans?

I wonder if they offered him a bigger money package to stay :)  Maybe this qualifies for the "FU money" thread!

[arebelspy]

Heard at work that a software developer at one of our suppliers has applied to receive a money package to quit his job. And therefore, American rules, would be resigning in 2 weeks time. One of my colleagues said he was going to "retire". I wondered if the supplier was a Mustachian.
But today I heard that they managed to convince him to stay. Good for use, who need him really hard. But what about his retirement plans?

Once you go to FI, you often find stupid lucrative money thrown at you to stay a bit longer. Many people take it (examples just from popular FI bloggers include RootofGood's wife and MadFIentist's wife).  Who knows how much they offered, and how long he'll decide to take it.  Another 3 months? 6? 1 year?  It's up to him.  :)

[accountingteacher]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

My brother does this too. Blows my mind!

My parents used to do this. Once it was available online I sat them down and showed them how to do it and that seemed to help. Though that happened at the same time as a few other money conversations that led my parents to believe (accurately) that I've got a better grip on money and financial matters than they do, so they ask for advice and actually listen. It seems to be helping their finances, and watching them move farther from a state of "gonna need to support them in their old age" is definitely helping my nerves.

Oh, and then there's the conversation I have with colleagues.... "oh, new glasses! You look great! You know our insurance will cover 200$ of those if you submit the receipt, right?" No. they didn't know. Because apparently I'm the only person in the place who actually reads the benefits booklet. (Which also explains that they'll reimburse 80% of the cost of a massage, and you guys, I'm totally willing to fork out 15$ for a good massage).

That reminds me. We get 5 free health care-related visits per year on our employee assistance program. I've been meaning to find out if massages count.

I find my policy amusing on this one.  RMT is covered, but you have to get a doctor's note once per year to use the benefits.  The doctor's note costs anywhere from $20-$40 depending on which secretary is working that day.  That would bother me, except that I can actually submit and be reimbursed for the cost of the doctor's note.  So the control they put in place to stop perceived abuse of the system actually costs them more!

[TaraB]

Not necessarily overheard, but I witnessed my first pair of Apple AirPods in the wild! https://www.apple.com/airpods/
If it was possible, they look even dumber in person.

[Kitsune]

This actually just happened.  I walked in while CW1 was showing CW2 how to use the iPhone app for our supplementary health insurance.  Apparently, until this new app became available, neither of them ever bothered submitting their health expenses for reimbursement.  They've both worked here for 10 years.  I know I claim about $3,500 per year for various things.  I can't imagine literally throwing away that much because filing some paperwork is too difficult.

My brother does this too. Blows my mind!

My parents used to do this. Once it was available online I sat them down and showed them how to do it and that seemed to help. Though that happened at the same time as a few other money conversations that led my parents to believe (accurately) that I've got a better grip on money and financial matters than they do, so they ask for advice and actually listen. It seems to be helping their finances, and watching them move farther from a state of "gonna need to support them in their old age" is definitely helping my nerves.

Oh, and then there's the conversation I have with colleagues.... "oh, new glasses! You look great! You know our insurance will cover 200$ of those if you submit the receipt, right?" No. they didn't know. Because apparently I'm the only person in the place who actually reads the benefits booklet. (Which also explains that they'll reimburse 80% of the cost of a massage, and you guys, I'm totally willing to fork out 15$ for a good massage).

That reminds me. We get 5 free health care-related visits per year on our employee assistance program. I've been meaning to find out if massages count.

I find my policy amusing on this one.  RMT is covered, but you have to get a doctor's note once per year to use the benefits.  The doctor's note costs anywhere from $20-$40 depending on which secretary is working that day.  That would bother me, except that I can actually submit and be reimbursed for the cost of the doctor's note.  So the control they put in place to stop perceived abuse of the system actually costs them more!

Which is doubly ridiculous because there are a lot of reasons to go to a massage therapist or physio instead of a doctor - like, post-pregnancy, my hip really hurt and the pain was radiating down my leg and into my knee, it SUCKED (turns out the bottom of my spine got a bit twisted and messed with the nerves, which messed with the muscles, which made the entire thing problematic). A doctor can say "there's a problem here", can prescribe painkillers, can order X-rays.... none of which actually fix the problem, all of which cost $$$$$. A massage therapist dealt with the muscle pain so the physio could show me exercises and movements that got everything back to where it was and now, 3 months later, no pain. Physio+massage together have cost my insurance less than 600$ total. Wanna guess how much a few doctors apts and X-rays and painkillers would have cost them?

[fruitfly]

OMG someone at work just emailed the company wide email (which people often use to sell things) that they are selling a shirt.

"I bought a shirt and didn't try it on because I'm lazy.  Turns out, it doesn't fit, so I'm hoping it may fit one of you!"

[Picture of very boring white peasant style shirt from Bergdorf's.]

Original price: $250 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Sale price: $80

[JAYSLOL]

OMG someone at work just emailed the company wide email (which people often use to sell things) that they are selling a shirt.

"I bought a shirt and didn't try it on because I'm lazy.  Turns out, it doesn't fit, so I'm hoping it may fit one of you!"

[Picture of very boring white peasant style shirt from Bergdorf's.]

Original price: $250 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Sale price: $80

They paid $250 and now want $80?  Or the regular price was $250, and they paid $80 on sale?

[Sibley]

OMG someone at work just emailed the company wide email (which people often use to sell things) that they are selling a shirt.

"I bought a shirt and didn't try it on because I'm lazy.  Turns out, it doesn't fit, so I'm hoping it may fit one of you!"

[Picture of very boring white peasant style shirt from Bergdorf's.]

Original price: $250 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Sale price: $80

Well, I guess if they're too lazy to try it on before buying it then they're also too lazy to return it.

[shanghaiMMM]

It's the end of the school year and several teachers are moving on to a new country to teach. I arrived in Shanghai with 2 suitcases and, my bike aside, intend to leave with 2 suitcases. I've become accustomed to other teachers taking much, much more when they move. Some I understand, as if they intend to stay here long term, perhaps they buy more furniture and treat their life here as a home. Others never plan to stay more than a few years and yet accumulate mountains of 'stuff' which they then ship onto their new country.

This week I had one which shocked me. They are shipping 74 large boxes and are paying... $6000. This included a life size cut out of their favourite footballer.

They came with suitcases and they've accumulated all that stuff in about 4 years. As I said, for a family moving long term, fine. But for a couple who never planned to stay long, I couldn't grasp buying so much crap in so little time and paying a small fortune to cart it on.

[GrumpyPenguin]

Not necessarily overheard, but I witnessed my first pair of Apple AirPods in the wild! https://www.apple.com/airpods/
If it was possible, they look even dumber in person.

Huh, I've seen at least a dozen people wear them in my day to day life.  I use a pair of ~$25 bluetooth headphones for jogging/commuting, but I can appreciate not having an extra strap between them and the much longer battery life.  The premium is steep and not worth it to me, but if someone is FI and gets good use out of them, I don't have such a negative view on them.  And I don't give a s**t about how I look when wearing my headphones, whether someone thinks I look dumb or not.

[Ashyukun]

Not necessarily overheard, but I witnessed my first pair of Apple AirPods in the wild! https://www.apple.com/airpods/
If it was possible, they look even dumber in person.

Huh, I've seen at least a dozen people wear them in my day to day life.  I use a pair of ~$25 bluetooth headphones for jogging/commuting, but I can appreciate not having an extra strap between them and the much longer battery life.  The premium is steep and not worth it to me, but if someone is FI and gets good use out of them, I don't have such a negative view on them.  And I don't give a s**t about how I look when wearing my headphones, whether someone thinks I look dumb or not.

Same here- I'd LOVE a pair of small, independent wireless earbuds like the AirPods to wear under my gunmuffs when mowing the lawn. Am I going to spend the $160 on them? Oh, heck no- but eventually they should come down to being a reasonable price (like 'normal' Bluetooth headphones), and I can wait.

[shelivesthedream]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

[Feivel2000]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

Let's hope for her that she looks hot.

[MostlyBearded]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

Found this one hilarious SLTD!

[Alfred J Quack]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

Found this one hilarious SLTD!

Well, hilarious isn't my first pick. She'll end up leading the guy on unless she says exactly why she's sleeping with him... If the roles were reversed everyone would shame the guy but because it's a girl it's okay?

[Feivel2000]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

Found this one hilarious SLTD!

Well, hilarious isn't my first pick. She'll end up leading the guy on unless she says exactly why she's sleeping with him... If the roles were reversed everyone would shame the guy but because it's a girl it's okay?

If the roles were reversed, I would high five the guy if just the sex would keep the girl from moving.

The other way around: probably not a big accomplishment, at least in the medium term.

[Feivel2000]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

Found this one hilarious SLTD!

Well, hilarious isn't my first pick. She'll end up leading the guy on unless she says exactly why she's sleeping with him... If the roles were reversed everyone would shame the guy but because it's a girl it's okay?

If the roles were reversed, I would high five the guy if just the sex would keep the girl from moving.

The other way around: probably not a big accomplishment, at least in the medium term.

[Linda_Norway]

One of my colleagues was during the lunch break telling us about her weekend. It was her friend's birthday. The friend had been asking her for a long time to join her in an obstacle race (running 6km with obstacles like climbing a wall and wading through mud and such. She gave the friend for her birthday a night in a hotel for both of them, a party and two tickets for such an obstacle race. Afterwards there was also a lot of party and a lot of alcohol in a country where alcohol is the most expensive in the world. My colleagues was also telling us about all the races she was planning to do. Obviously a lot of her money is going to that sort of events. She is not a big spendypants in general, but obviously prioritizes her spending in this sort of stuff.

[Vindicated]

CW: Going to the Thai place with us today?
Me: Nah.  Too expensive for me.
CW: Well, I have stopped going to the casino, so I have all of this extra money that needs to be spent on something!
Me: You could invest it.
CW: I have some investments*.

*He mentioned about a year ago that he has $80k in his retirement.  Could be $100k+ by now with growth.  Not bad, better than me, but he's in his late 50's, and has been at this company for 26 years.

This CW is also the same one that said I should do financial advising, but when I offered to help him for free, he refused.

[solon]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

SMH at how the other half lives.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

At this very moment I am sitting on a coach in front of a truly horrendous person.

"I need to get my nails done but I need to find someone else to pay for it."
"Now I've got a job again my parents are really chill so I'll just ring up my dad and be like, 'Dad, this guy on the bus made me pay for another ticket even though I said I'd just, like, not printed my other one out.' He'll totally pay me back, like, it's only £25."
"For, like, five weeks I was just chilling out and going to festivals and stuff and my parents were just like 'What are you doing with your life?' And I was totally broke and they literally wouldn't give me any money, but now I've got this job and they're totally chill and I'm like, why couldn't you have been like this when I needed money before, you know?'"
"I've stopped smoking. But I just don't seem to have any more money. It's like I just spend it on more expensive food or something. I don't even know."

Plus the fact that she let this guy who likes her but she rejected move in with her (apparently they are sleeping in the same double bed?! But wearing pyjamas so it's, like, fine) and she said she might just have to start sleeping with him so doesn't move out because she needs a roommate (in what seems like a one bedroom flat?!)

If it wasn't for the ocean I'd swear you'd met my 17-year-old daughter. I've been completely unable to teach her anything resembling a work ethic. She thinks she'll inherit money from my parents, or from me, simply because my parents are very well off and she's the only grandchild.