Overheard at Work

[MgoSam]

CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.


I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

I would be too. My warehouse manager hasn't seen a movie in the theater in like 10 years. Now I have a friend that loves movies WAY TOO MUCH imho. He watches about like 150+ a year but even then I don't really say anything as it is his life and if that's what he wants to do then who am I to stop/judge him.

[ketchup]

This wasn't overheard it was said to me, and it was totally bizarre.

CW: I'm going to see [insert movie name] tonight!
Me: Oh cool, have fun! What's it about?
CW: You haven't heard of [insert movie name]??!?!?
Me: No, I don't really go to the movies that often. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Hunger Games.
CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.
Me: (stunned) Wow, you feel bad for me?
CW: Yeah. That's ridiculous.

I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

Wow.  As if movie theaters are the only place to watch movies...  I'll hit the movies maybe 0-2 times a year these days (I think Rogue One was the last), but we'll watch plenty in the comfort of our own home.

[MindfulMoney]

This wasn't overheard it was said to me, and it was totally bizarre.

CW: I'm going to see [insert movie name] tonight!
Me: Oh cool, have fun! What's it about?
CW: You haven't heard of [insert movie name]??!?!?
Me: No, I don't really go to the movies that often. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Hunger Games.
CW: Seriously? I feel really bad for you. Like, that's embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about that. You know, some movies are actually pretty good, so you should go once in a while.
Me: (stunned) Wow, you feel bad for me?
CW: Yeah. That's ridiculous.

I was so shocked I didn't say anything. It was surreal. I should have pulled out my bank statement. Then she wouldn't have to pity me, hah!

That's sooooo weird that they find this small fact "embarrassing" for you. Judgmental much? I mean a lot of people, even non mustachians don't go to the movie all the time. It's expensive for even big spenders.

We only go when it's a movie we have been looking forward to and specifically an action that will enhanced the experience by being in a big theater.

Still I'm stunned they had such a reaction. In fact you could reverse the conversation and that's me talking about how weird it is they are so opinionated and condescending about your movie attendance! Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dollar Slice]

Haha - Not knowing what movies are out is actually a badge of honor.  It means you don't subject yourself to ridiculous ads that tell you what to buy, watch, eat, drink and think.

For a while I was having issues with moving images (movies, TV, video games etc.) triggering migraines, so I pretty much just quit all movies and TV some years ago and never looked back. I can't even tell you how many conversations I've sat through that go something like...

Person: Have you seen [movie/TV show]?
Me: No.
Person: Oh. How about [movie/TV show]?
Me: No. I don't really watch movies or TV.
Person: OK, but I bet you've seen [movie/TV show]!
Me: No, honestly, I don't even own a TV and I haven't been to the movies in years. 
Person: But you can watch online right? Netflix and Hulu and stuff?
Me: Just assume any question starting with "have you seen" is going to be answered with "no," and let's move on.

[MgoSam]

Agreed Bender. I only see ads when watching live sports and it feels very odd now.

[FIREfly34]

Person: Have you seen [movie/TV show]?
Me: No.
Person: Oh. How about [movie/TV show]?
Me: No. I don't really watch movies or TV.
Person: OK, but I bet you've seen [movie/TV show]!
Me: No, honestly, I don't even own a TV and I haven't been to the movies in years. 
Person: But you can watch online right? Netflix and Hulu and stuff?
Me: Just assume any question starting with "have you seen" is going to be answered with "no," and let's move on.

Ugh, I was just going to post something like this in MPP. It's so effing annoying

[theadvicist]

Even worse is when you say you don't watch such-and-such show, and they go on to describe it to you in detail! Like, I didn't care enough to watch the original, made by professionals. I definitely don't want to listen to you badly rehash it.

[LennStar]

Even worse is when you say you don't watch such-and-such show, and they go on to describe it to you in detail! Like, I didn't care enough to watch the original, made by professionals. I definitely don't want to listen to you badly rehash it.

I do not know (or have heard of) a single missionary that was stopped by this in his Holy Duty.

[Kashmani]

That's kinda what these threads are for. If you bought it with cash, kudos to you! That's great. If you had to get a loan and didn't have the cash outright, then sorry but you simply got more car than you could afford. Sure it turned out fine for you and most other people, but there are also thousands who have screwed themselves because they bought a depreciating asset on credit then lost their jobs or couldn't afford the payments.

Also, pretty much every engineer I am referring to here already had a car. Some of them have three cars and keep all of them. One guy has FIVE running cars.

I thought this was all a given considering the forum we are on...

I think pets are stupid.  They are a depreciating asset and do nothing but lengthen your time to retirement.  Let's mock everyone who owns a pet!  Especially folks that have more than one!

Australia's peak body of super funds ran numbers on this recently.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/retirement/2017/07/05/dog-cat-costs/

Apparently a fish is the most mustachian pet.

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

[Raenia]

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

Oh yes, you certainly can buy a cat.  To keep things on topic:

One of my coworkers is a big cat person.  She already had two adult cats (both rescues, I believe), but she really wanted a kitten of a particular breed.  She found a local breeder with a good reputation, and bought a kitten for ~$200 (I think, I'm a little hazy on the details).  After a few months of back-and-forthing with the breeder, she finally gets the kitten home, and it proceeds to have massive health issues and eventually dies of some kind of genetic disorder.  Breeder says oh-so-sorry to have that happen, of course you can have a new kitten from my next litter to compensate.  CW says yes, BUT the new litter isn't even born yet and they won't be ready to come home until at least November-ish... so in the meantime, CW goes to the shelter and adopts ANOTHER kitten to "tide her over" until the purebred is ready.  She went from two cats to four, plus tons of vet bills for the sick one.

[ducky19]

That's kinda what these threads are for. If you bought it with cash, kudos to you! That's great. If you had to get a loan and didn't have the cash outright, then sorry but you simply got more car than you could afford. Sure it turned out fine for you and most other people, but there are also thousands who have screwed themselves because they bought a depreciating asset on credit then lost their jobs or couldn't afford the payments.

Also, pretty much every engineer I am referring to here already had a car. Some of them have three cars and keep all of them. One guy has FIVE running cars.

I thought this was all a given considering the forum we are on...

I think pets are stupid.  They are a depreciating asset and do nothing but lengthen your time to retirement.  Let's mock everyone who owns a pet!  Especially folks that have more than one!

Australia's peak body of super funds ran numbers on this recently.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/retirement/2017/07/05/dog-cat-costs/

Apparently a fish is the most mustachian pet.

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .

Cat #1 (as child): Found by parent's former partner.
Cat#2 (as child): Showed up at the house one day and hung around.
Cat#3 (as teen): Adopted from Humane Society for $80.
Cat #4 (as adult): Left behind by sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend at mother-in-law's house. Sad and lonely, so I took him with me. Had a good life and was the most social cat I ever had.
Cat #5 (as adult): Found in a commercial parking garage at a hospital. Dehydrated and very happy for the affection. No tag or tattoo. Still with us.

I didn't even know one could buys cats...

I just found a kitten at work hiding under a freight container yesterday. My wife had implemented a "no more pets" policy (we have one dog and one cat), but we're experiencing a heat wave and I knew she wouldn't make it through the next couple of days without intervention (no food or water in sight, 92+ degrees). I called the wife and she reluctantly understood that leaving her there was a death sentence, so long story short we are back up to two cats, one dog. Incidentally, it was our anniversary so my wife named her "Annie" - also fitting since she was a little orphan. Every one of our pets has either been a stray or a rescue, I swear they love and appreciate you in a way store bought pets never could. Sorry for pulling us back off topic, but I found her at work, so that... kinda counts...?

[jordanread]

I found her at work, so that... kinda counts...?

Overheard at Work: "Meow"

[paddedhat]

Who the heck buys a cat? Every cat in my life so far as been a rescue .
I didn't even know one could buys cats...

My uncle got tossed out of a vet's office once, due to expressing this philosophy. He and my aunt took their rescue cat in, to deal with an obstructed bowel. The cat was rescued from a farmer that was going to kill it. It enjoyed a long easy life. The vet started the estimate at $400, but warned it might higher. Uncle tells the vet to put it to sleep, since there are plenty more free ones where that one came from. His idea was not well received. My aunt stayed behind to calm the vet down and negotiate a solution.

[MrGreen]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

They're frequently stolen, though, and they aren't known for being kind to furniture or easy to housebreak.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

[golden1]

I bought cats, Maine Coons from a breeder.  Not my most mustachian moment, I’ll grant you, but my husband really wanted that particular breed.  I did manage to get them at a reasonable price from a hobby breeder.  She did a fantastic job - these kittens are incredibly well socialized.  Actually the cost of buying them was about half the cost of the spay/neuter and vaccinations in total.  And I went to the “reasonable” vet in my town. 

My new workplace has provided lots of entertainment.  One of the techs I work with, super nice kid and hard working, has a bad sneaker and clothes habit.  He works two jobs back to back, this one and another part time job to pay for it plus support his kids (he has 4).  He was talking about how he wanted a hoodie that cost $900.  And to think I felt bad about buying a pullover that cost $20 the other day....  He also has a closet full of sneakers, probably hundreds. 

[ducky19]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

[JordanOfGilead]

You could drop a grand on a cat if you wanted a Savannah. They're majestic AF though, the size of a dog, and can eat small children. I would totally own a Savannah if I weren't a frugal person looking to have no more pets.

Two words: Eurasian Lynx

[RWD]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

$119, nice and cheap! We spent about that much per month of ownership of one of our cats. About $11.5k over eight years. The vast majority (~$10k) was from diagnosis and cancer treatment over the last year and a half of his life.

[ducky19]

Some cats might be free at the start - mine was an ex feral. However, cats expect to be kept in a certain style, and so they become quite expensive over time! Especially if they're also full vaccinated, microchipped, insured, flea/worm treated and all the rest that I consider to be the basic requirements of pet owning.

You're absolutely right of course - the initial vet bill was $119! I knew full well what I was getting into though, and I do believe in keeping up on vaccinations and flea/tick treatments (if you're going to own a pet, these expenses should be expected and planned for). The love and affection given/received to/from this little girl is completely worth it to me - definitely not the most Mustachian decision, but we can afford it. We are totally a family of suckers when it comes to our pets, they are members of the family.

$119, nice and cheap! We spent about that much per month of ownership of one of our cats. About $11.5k over eight years. The vast majority (~$10k) was from diagnosis and cancer treatment over the last year and a half of his life.

To be fair, the vet didn't want to vaccinate yet as she thought the cat was fighting a respiratory infection (cold) and didn't want to crash her immune system. She did a blood test to make sure she was safe to be around the other pets, cleaned the bulk of the ear mites out of her ears, and gave us a topical treatment for fleas/ear mites for both cats. Will go back in a month for shots, and will probably have her spade a month or so after that - so the bills will keep coming!

[DarkandStormy]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

[cheapass]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

"It's time to upgrade"... meanwhile, Apple's marketing department is jumping around high-fiving each other. "We got another one, hahaha!"

[marielle]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

[ketchup]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

I have a 7 and this is seriously the dumbest thing about it. >_>

[cheapass]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

[ketchup]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

[Proud Foot]

Recent discussion came up about phones.

CW: I've got one more payment on this iPhone 6 and then I'm upgrading to the 7+!
me: Oh, is there anything wrong with your 6?
CW: Nope, but it's time to upgrade when I have it paid off.  Plus, the 7+ is a bigger screen.
me: Ok.  (in my head...wtf? has technology advanced that much that an iphone 6 no longer cuts it?)

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

Don't forget the front flash so she can take selfies in low light!

[MustachiansWitness]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

Yep, and the problem with the adapter is you can't charge and play music at the same time. I frequently connect my iphone to my speakers at home via auxiliary cord, and like to charge it at the same time. I'd be doubtful that the 7 made any strides in the battery life department, either.

[ketchup]

Maybe she's sick and tired of having a headphone jack.

This would be a deal breaker for me. Bluetooth RF waves next to my head whenever I want to listen to music? No thanks, brain tumors are really inconvenient to deal with.

To be fair, they do come with a Lightning-headphone adapter so you can use any ol' normal headphones, but adapters are stupid.

Yep, and the problem with the adapter is you can't charge and play music at the same time. I frequently connect my iphone to my speakers at home via auxiliary cord, and like to charge it at the same time. I'd be doubtful that the 7 made any strides in the battery life department, either.

I do the same thing in the car on long roadtrips, and it's pretty frustrating.  I've overall found battery life to be excellent, but my metric is my previous phone, which had hilariously bad battery life (half dead by 3pm with zero usage).  My iPhone 7 will last two days on a charge with reasonable use, and at minimum one day of heavy use.

[infogoon]

If you'd like to do away with the AUX cord in the car, Bluetooth adapters are super-cheap these days. Here's one that I use, it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NGYVRMW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My favorite part is that it has a slide power switch, so I can just leave it switched on. Some other models require a button to turn on.

[ketchup]

If you'd like to do away with the AUX cord in the car, Bluetooth adapters are super-cheap these days. Here's one that I use, it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NGYVRMW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My favorite part is that it has a slide power switch, so I can just leave it switched on. Some other models require a button to turn on.

Thanks.  I might get something like that, but I'm already piping my phone's audio through a cassette adapter in my car, so I'm a bit reluctant to add extra points of failure. :)

[Roe]

Conversation with a, usually, bright colleague. He tells me he will retire in five years.

"I don't know how it will work out. The government has scammed me. I have no savings and no money left over for saving, none at all. My house is a huge money sink, it makes it impossible to save ."

I made the humble suggestion that he would downscale his house, but that was also impossible.

[Playing with Fire UK]

Conversation with a, usually, bright colleague. He tells me he will retire in five years.

"I don't know how it will work out. The government has scammed me. I have no savings and no money left over for saving, none at all. My house is a huge money sink, it makes it impossible to save ."

I made the humble suggestion that he would downscale his house, but that was also impossible.

That poor colleague, they sound so unlucky with the impossibility of downsizing the house, impossible to save, impossible to spend less. If only they could have been luckier or made better decisions.

Thanks for sharing Roe! I hope to hear more stories about this colleague as retirement gets closer!

[BuffaloStache]

...
I made the humble suggestion that he would downscale his house, but that was also impossible.

This. My wife and I have been living in a small 2 bedroom Condo for 4 months now with a baby son, *and* my mother temporarily living here to be babysitter. Is it slightly crowded? yes. Does it allow us to keep ~50%+ SR with a small child? yes.

We'll get the bigger house eventually (and keep this condo to rent it out), but not that much bigger.

[HairyUpperLip]

...
And a work friend said ...

Two words that should not be next to each other, IMHO.

Co-workers are co-workers, and friends are friends, and the never the twain shall meet.

I have a rule. I do not befriend co-workers.

[HairyUpperLip]

Hey, hey, hey, back off the Timmies.

Oh, quite the opposite, my good friend. There is a rational reason to wait in line for Timmies. Wasting fifteen minutes of your morning commute blocking the Starbucks parking lot, not so much. Intelligence test, pay $4 for a cup of burnt and bitter, waste a quarter hour of your life=fail.

In Canada a Starbucks Venti (20 oz, largest size available) coffee is $2.17, Tim Horton large (20 oz)is $1.99, the X-Large is 24 oz, $2.19. You can tell which people don't actually pat attention to prices when they say Starbucks costs $4 for a coffee. If you're going to mock people, at least get it right.

Waiting in either drive thru is a fail.

In all fairness, I drink black coffee. So when I go to sbux it's only $2 and some change for me. But the majority of the people seem to ordering mixes of sugar and syrup for $4-8 a cup so I don't think people are out of line saying $4 for sbux.

[HairyUpperLip]

I work in a small office (3 rooms, 4-7 people depending on the day). We have two new people who were given the nicest room to themselves. So far I've observed:

1. Coins in their garbage can
2. Dumping the recycle in the trash, and dumping trash in the recycle
3. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off lights
4. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off air conditioner (window unit)

I got some new recycle bins for the office that are bright blue and marked with recycle symbols, and I'm hoping they were simply confused about which bin(s) to use. I'm usually the last to leave so I've been shutting off lights and A/C if I notice that they're on. Today everyone's left and one of the new guys left the A/C on and shut the door to that office. So I'm thinking he is trying to give me a hint that it should be left alone...? Presumably so it's not hot when he comes in tomorrow morning. But what an incredible waste to leave the A/C on for 16 hours because you can't spend 30 minutes letting it cool down. :-(

As a guy that grew up in America I do not understand why Americans require such an excessive amount of AC and cold air. Hung out with a friend the other night and he had his house set to 72. Man, I was freezing the whole time.

[Finallyunderstand]

A guy I know just hit 100,000 miles on his 2014 vehicle.  Drives a lot for work.  He is now looking to get a new vehicle because his warranty just ended.  I ran his vehicle through kelly blue book.  Estimated about $7k value.  He mentions he owes about $2k more than its worth right now so he's prepared when he trades it in to need to pay that off.   He's wanting to get a brand new small SUV "with all the options" that runs about $29k, plus taxes, fees, etc.  He "needs" the suv to carry things for his job.  Something he's managed to do without an SUV for 3 years now.

He's worried his current car may have some issues now that it's out of warranty so the logical thing to do is spend $25k to make sure you don't have to fix... tranmission, brakes, new tires?!?!?!?!  Hard to wrap my head around the logic.  I tried offering up some subtle knowledge nuggets but had to stop before I got too aggressive. 

[ketchup]

A guy I know just hit 100,000 miles on his 2014 vehicle.  Drives a lot for work.  He is now looking to get a new vehicle because his warranty just ended.  I ran his vehicle through kelly blue book.  Estimated about $7k value.  He mentions he owes about $2k more than its worth right now so he's prepared when he trades it in to need to pay that off.   He's wanting to get a brand new small SUV "with all the options" that runs about $29k, plus taxes, fees, etc.  He "needs" the suv to carry things for his job.  Something he's managed to do without an SUV for 3 years now.

He's worried his current car may have some issues now that it's out of warranty so the logical thing to do is spend $25k to make sure you don't have to fix... tranmission, brakes, new tires?!?!?!?!  Hard to wrap my head around the logic.  I tried offering up some subtle knowledge nuggets but had to stop before I got too aggressive.

Well, why risk maybe having to pay $3k for a new transmission when you can definitely pay $29k for a vehicle that's more expensive to run!?  You'd be a fool!

[Tyson]

A guy I know just hit 100,000 miles on his 2014 vehicle.  Drives a lot for work.  He is now looking to get a new vehicle because his warranty just ended.  I ran his vehicle through kelly blue book.  Estimated about $7k value.  He mentions he owes about $2k more than its worth right now so he's prepared when he trades it in to need to pay that off.   He's wanting to get a brand new small SUV "with all the options" that runs about $29k, plus taxes, fees, etc.  He "needs" the suv to carry things for his job.  Something he's managed to do without an SUV for 3 years now.

He's worried his current car may have some issues now that it's out of warranty so the logical thing to do is spend $25k to make sure you don't have to fix... tranmission, brakes, new tires?!?!?!?!  Hard to wrap my head around the logic.  I tried offering up some subtle knowledge nuggets but had to stop before I got too aggressive.

Most people just don't like driving older cars.  They like driving new cars.  The crap about the warrantee running out is just rationalization to justify that he really wants: a new car.

[financialfreedomsloth]

A guy I know just hit 100,000 miles on his 2014 vehicle.  Drives a lot for work.  He is now looking to get a new vehicle because his warranty just ended.  I ran his vehicle through kelly blue book.  Estimated about $7k value.  He mentions he owes about $2k more than its worth right now so he's prepared when he trades it in to need to pay that off.   He's wanting to get a brand new small SUV "with all the options" that runs about $29k, plus taxes, fees, etc.  He "needs" the suv to carry things for his job.  Something he's managed to do without an SUV for 3 years now.

He's worried his current car may have some issues now that it's out of warranty so the logical thing to do is spend $25k to make sure you don't have to fix... tranmission, brakes, new tires?!?!?!?!  Hard to wrap my head around the logic.  I tried offering up some subtle knowledge nuggets but had to stop before I got too aggressive.

I must be the exception to that rule. I actually do not like new cars. My dad got a newish car for the first time in his life and I swear the dashboard looks like the cockpit of plan a gazillion buttons and all have 4 different functions depending if you push them, pull them up, pull them back or push them forward... And all for crazy stuff like the driver who can also control the backseat passenger windows? Euh what's the point? I just want a car that drives when it has to drive, stops when it has to stop, a radio and lights that work. Everything else I do not need and I certainly do not need 50 buttons to control it all. I wouldn't even mind still having to manually wind down the windows ...

Most people just don't like driving older cars.  They like driving new cars.  The crap about the warrantee running out is just rationalization to justify that he really wants: a new car.

[RyanAtTanagra]

I must be the exception to that rule.

We're all the exception to a lot of rules.  That's why we hang out here :-)

And all for crazy stuff like the driver who can also control the backseat passenger windows?

Uh, that's not newfangled car tech.  That's been around since what, the 70s?  60s?  I like that ability.  I can create airflow without it blowing directly on my face and being loud right next to my left ear.  Sunroof open + back windows down 2 inches and front windows up = perfect airflow w/ minimal noise.

[BDWW]

I work in a small office (3 rooms, 4-7 people depending on the day). We have two new people who were given the nicest room to themselves. So far I've observed:

1. Coins in their garbage can
2. Dumping the recycle in the trash, and dumping trash in the recycle
3. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off lights
4. Leaving the office for the day without shutting off air conditioner (window unit)

I got some new recycle bins for the office that are bright blue and marked with recycle symbols, and I'm hoping they were simply confused about which bin(s) to use. I'm usually the last to leave so I've been shutting off lights and A/C if I notice that they're on. Today everyone's left and one of the new guys left the A/C on and shut the door to that office. So I'm thinking he is trying to give me a hint that it should be left alone...? Presumably so it's not hot when he comes in tomorrow morning. But what an incredible waste to leave the A/C on for 16 hours because you can't spend 30 minutes letting it cool down. :-(

As a guy that grew up in America I do not understand why Americans require such an excessive amount of AC and cold air. Hung out with a friend the other night and he had his house set to 72. Man, I was freezing the whole time.

Location and acclimation matter. We AC to 72/73 because it's miserable otherwise. On the other hand, I wear a hoodie all winter and the only time it briefly crossed my mind to break out the actual winter coat was a trek to the grocery store last winter when it was -20F.

[Imma]

Coworker is 50 year old and has two fairly young kids. He lives in a 150 m2 home in a very desirable part of town where prices have gone up massively the last few years. (Houses are smaller in here, the average is about 100 m2, so he already has a pretty big house).
Finds out that his house is now worth EUR 100.000 more than what he paid for it. Decides he needs a change of scenery and he can afford it, since he's now rich. Buys a 180 m2 house around the corner in the same booming neighbourhood that's 120.000 EUR more expensive than his old house. Spends 20.000 EUR on 'necessary renovation' on a house that's 8 years old and high quality. One of the very necessary things is taking out the bathtub from the bathroom because they really need two showers in one bathroom. Doesn't trust banks and insurance companies and our company doesn't offer a pension scheme (although his wife's employer does I think, but she earns less than him). Is extremely proud of himself that he put 20% down on the house with a 30-year mortgage. 10 years before retirement, with little pension and two kids that are going to be dependent for the next 15 years.

Same guy once impulsively bought a new car that he liked when he saw it parked outside a dealership and used this incident as an illustration to show how adventurous he was instead of stupid.

He's a nice guy and we sit next to each other. I really try to give him friendly advice sometimes, but I bite my tongue most of the times. I'd hate to see him getting in massive problems, but he's heading there. Our company isn't doing too well and he's been there for 20 years, never developed his skills, doesn't have formal qualifications. He earns a pretty decent wage because he's been there for so long but if our company would go bust, he'd likely earn half in his next job. Especially with a young family, that's a disaster waiting to happen.

[BTDretire]

Weren't you complaining in a different thread about a person using multiple EBT cards to pay for groceries (ie, 'cheating the system'), and yet here you are admitting to much worse and much more serious cheating.  Interesting.

Ya, no justification for it. Period. That said, :-)
I didn't steal taxpayer money.
The school district drew an arbitrary line, on this side you go to school A, on the side you go to school B. I* chose to say I lived on the other side of the line.
 As to my daughter starting school early, again, an arbitrary line, if your birthday is on this side of the line, you wait until next year, if it's on the other side you start now.
We had here tested, it we were told she is way ready start school.
 We started her early. Her kindergarten teacher told us one day, that my daughter told her, "from now on I'm keeping everything I know under a sheet" It was at that point the teacher realized how much she was relying on my daughter to help other students. A lot of this was teaching the other kids how to use the computer programs. The teacher said she backed off.
It all worked out very well, she graduated HS. 4th in a class of 400+, a year early.
She now has 2 BS degrees, working on a Masters, and has an interview at a dental college the day after tomorrow.
 Zero guilt. Also don't agree with your cheating scale, if you really want to make a cheating scale :-)

*the truth is, I would have never have made this decision. I'm a rule follower whether it be regulatory or social. I consider it a bit of a fault of mine. Even on my mothers deathbed, we were discussing some financial manipulation** thing, and I said, "I didn't think it was right to do that", and she said, you always were my honest child, I was 57 at the time.
 My wife came from a different country and rules are not good things. We have constant irritations, usually because she is doing something I wouldn't.
 The communists imposed rules, the capitalists hated those rules. I suppose that is where a lot of her attitude about authority comes from. You could not save money, because the government changed the currency often and you could only exchange a fixed amount. Then the old currency was worthless.
 Also, negotiating over price, you have a product for sale, some people pay $4 others pay $9, because they don't negotiate.  Most sales here are fixed price. (stores) I think being raised with the mentality that the price is whatever you can get someone else to pay, has an effect on everyday life.
 It doesn't seem to be immoral to get more money from one person than the next one for exactly the same thing.

**Being self employed we can split the business income 50/50 or 100% to one. All SS tax are paid into one account and the payout is much larger. Then the spouse gets 50% of the wage earners
benefit, but never paid in. (at least that's how I understood it then)
 This is when I said, "I didn't think it was right to do that", and she said, you always were my honest child.
btw, my accountant does this. It's legal, is it moral?

[Tyson]

Weren't you complaining in a different thread about a person using multiple EBT cards to pay for groceries (ie, 'cheating the system'), and yet here you are admitting to much worse and much more serious cheating.  Interesting.

Ya, no justification for it. Period. That said, :-)
I didn't steal taxpayer money.

True, but you did game the system for self gain.  And I'd say cheating to get your daughter into an excellent school is much more valuable than someone using EBT cards for a few extra bucks at the grocery store. 

I only pointed it out because I see this type of thing all the time from my family.  When they (the hard working, deserving white people) cheat, it's called "being smart" and "gaming the system".  When others (lazy brown/black/white-trash people) do it, it's MORAL OUTRAGE time. 

I just find it funny, that's all.

[BTDretire]

"it's called "being smart"

  Did you just call me smart?
You're are no stump yourself!  :-)

[LennStar]

I've overall found battery life to be excellent, but my metric is my previous phone, which had hilariously bad battery life (half dead by 3pm with zero usage).  My iPhone 7 will last two days on a charge with reasonable use, and at minimum one day of heavy use.

My dumb phone goes a week without charge (and is already 4 years old). Quite smart, right?

[KodeBlue]

The school district drew an arbitrary line, on this side you go to school A, on the side you go to school B. I* chose to say I lived on the other side of the line lie.
 

Edited for clarity.