Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252674 times)

nnls

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20000 on: May 01, 2018, 07:45:13 PM »
The meal boxes aren't a "mustachian win". But in the pantheon of "antimustachian things" I think they have more merit than other stuff people waste money on which are posted here, for various reasons already pointed out. The whole time=money concept. Everything you do costs time or money, we're all just trying to maximize them both. Even the most staunch mustachians choose time over money at times during their day. Half the reason I come to this thread is to chuckle at the ridiculous links/anecdotes about people wasting money but the other half is to chuckle at the mustachians "losing their mind" over things like prepared meals.

Full disclosure - I've never used a meal box as they don't have them here in Italy as far as I know.  However, aren't they the antithesis of mustachianism as they don't save you much time (ie you still need to chop and cook - you just don't need to shop) and they use a ton of packaging from what I've heard.

Of course, there is no mustachian police but the time=money concept could be used to justify all kinds of things - cleaners and gardeners to take care of your home instead of doing it yourself, driving to the supermarket instead of cycling/walking, bedpans and catheters.

I think they can be a route to frugal win for someone with little experience cooking and shopping. Trying to learn to do both at once might be daunting and I could see finding it helpful to TEMPORARILY use a meal service to get some ideas and build a little confidence.

my aunt paid for my cousin to get one of these for a month or maybe 2, he had been doing take out every night and now he cooks most week nights. He did it while his mum paid, kept the recipe cards and it gave him some ideas. So it can change habits and inspire people to cook.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20001 on: May 02, 2018, 01:37:09 AM »
At my workplace, you can work extra hours and then either have them paid out or add them to your vacation hours (to be used sometime this year or next year).

Yesterday, we were offered the option to work a few extra hours this week.

Colleague: "We can only have 40 extra vacation hours."
Me: "Oh, is that true? This company only allows us to have up to one workweek of extra vacation hours? I didn't know." (Because I always have these hours paid out to me, and then I invest the money...).
Colleague: "Yes, you can have 40 extra vacation hours, but if you work more extra hours than that, they will pay them out to you. So I'm not going to work extra hours this week, because I already have those 40 extra vacation hours."

I'm guessing she values her free time more than she values the bigger paycheck. But I thought it quite hilarious how she looked really disgusted by the idea of a bigger paycheck next month...

Dragonswan

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20002 on: May 02, 2018, 11:18:09 AM »
The meal boxes aren't a "mustachian win". But in the pantheon of "antimustachian things" I think they have more merit than other stuff people waste money on which are posted here, for various reasons already pointed out. The whole time=money concept. Everything you do costs time or money, we're all just trying to maximize them both. Even the most staunch mustachians choose time over money at times during their day. Half the reason I come to this thread is to chuckle at the ridiculous links/anecdotes about people wasting money but the other half is to chuckle at the mustachians "losing their mind" over things like prepared meals.
Under these circumstances I could see the value in it. But only temporarily while learning a few skills.

Full disclosure - I've never used a meal box as they don't have them here in Italy as far as I know.  However, aren't they the antithesis of mustachianism as they don't save you much time (ie you still need to chop and cook - you just don't need to shop) and they use a ton of packaging from what I've heard.

Of course, there is no mustachian police but the time=money concept could be used to justify all kinds of things - cleaners and gardeners to take care of your home instead of doing it yourself, driving to the supermarket instead of cycling/walking, bedpans and catheters.

I think they can be a route to frugal win for someone with little experience cooking and shopping. Trying to learn to do both at once might be daunting and I could see finding it helpful to TEMPORARILY use a meal service to get some ideas and build a little confidence.

my aunt paid for my cousin to get one of these for a month or maybe 2, he had been doing take out every night and now he cooks most week nights. He did it while his mum paid, kept the recipe cards and it gave him some ideas. So it can change habits and inspire people to cook.

a286

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20003 on: May 02, 2018, 11:46:00 AM »
At work the other day, I overheard a coworker talking to another about pet food. This coworker was saying how Particular Senior Food Product was such a great product for senior pets, and how she would love to feed it to her pet but because it's such a great product it's very expensive she can't afford it... so she mixes it with Same Company's Basic/Cheapest Food Product.

I happen to be pretty familiar with the products she was talking about, and pricing, etc. So quick math works out that it would be maybe $18 more a month to feed her pet only the Senior Food. Of course I've made some assumptions, but I really feel that estimate is high based on the amount the pet should be fed. I think the only way my estimate would be low is if she is mixing in the Senior Product at really low amounts, and at that point why bother mixing?

What struck me is just knowing a few of her spendy habits (coffee, just finished large remodel, drinks out with friends) plus her work (steady office job with decent pay, position above me, been here 5xs longer, and was just promoted to management level a few months back), and you could tell she feels that that product is the very best thing for her pet and she should be getting it... but she just can't manage to find another $20 a month anywhere!

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20004 on: May 02, 2018, 12:00:43 PM »
At work the other day, I overheard a coworker talking to another about pet food. This coworker was saying how Particular Senior Food Product was such a great product for senior pets, and how she would love to feed it to her pet but because it's such a great product it's very expensive she can't afford it... so she mixes it with Same Company's Basic/Cheapest Food Product.

I happen to be pretty familiar with the products she was talking about, and pricing, etc. So quick math works out that it would be maybe $18 more a month to feed her pet only the Senior Food. Of course I've made some assumptions, but I really feel that estimate is high based on the amount the pet should be fed. I think the only way my estimate would be low is if she is mixing in the Senior Product at really low amounts, and at that point why bother mixing?

What struck me is just knowing a few of her spendy habits (coffee, just finished large remodel, drinks out with friends) plus her work (steady office job with decent pay, position above me, been here 5xs longer, and was just promoted to management level a few months back), and you could tell she feels that that product is the very best thing for her pet and she should be getting it... but she just can't manage to find another $20 a month anywhere!
Some of it is just that it's a more visible cost.  Like how people will bitch about gas prices going up that mean spending is $20/mo higher, but they might not blink if their car insurance goes up $30/mo.

Rosy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20005 on: May 02, 2018, 12:34:37 PM »
All my coworkers seem to be obsessed with the meal prep boxes (where you order food, it appears, but you still need to do the cooking).

Recipes are boringly simple, and all for a low low price of $10 a serving!! I calculated what I would spend to make a sample recipe myself, and I'm looking at $2/serving max.

I guess it is better than take out food...but really all this saves is 1 hr/week grocery shopping. I just don't get it.

I don't buy those either, but if you factor in meal planning, grocery shopping, and food prep (the boxes come with predefined portions/etc) I expect the time involved is more than an hour.  You also have consistent variety and don't end up with a large quantity of any particular ingredient which then either goes bad or needs to be used for something else.

I basically live off of rice, chicken, and vegetables so repetition is fine for me. :P

It may save on wasted food but whether you want to avoid waste for financial or environmental reasons, the boxes aren't really helping. All the tiny little bottles and packages for each ingredient and the insulated boxes and ice packs are far worse than wasting a little food. Even with products in grocery stores, the cost (dollar and environmental) of the packaging can outweigh the cost of the product. I'm all for reducing food waste but exchanging it for plastic waste isn't much of a solution.

I haven't found a good assessment of the real impact of the packaging and shipping used for these services but If anyone else has, I'd be interested. Most articles hand wave certain aspects without numbers or use wild estimates like this one:

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/06/meal-kit-freezer-packs-blue-apron-hello-fresh/

But they're still worth a read to help take all of the different aspects into account.

I'll concede that it may work out differently in HCOLA's where I'm not as familiar with grocery costs or if you only compare to restaurant costs.

It's trendy because young working families just don't have the time and energy to shop for and cook healthy food after an exhausting day. Yet, surprisingly, they will chop and cook the ingredients in a box, sent through the mail - amazing.
It certainly could, upon reflection, teach you to cook - never considered that angle before.

However, I noticed a Publix (grocery store) food delivery ad, prepared fresh then delivered to your door - a healthy, delicious looking dinner for two, $20 - just heat in oven for 30 min. Hmm, I think I'll use that $10 coupon we got in the mail and see how good and how fresh it really is.
Beats pizza night:)


a286

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20006 on: May 02, 2018, 12:56:04 PM »
At work the other day, I overheard a coworker talking to another about pet food. This coworker was saying how Particular Senior Food Product was such a great product for senior pets, and how she would love to feed it to her pet but because it's such a great product it's very expensive she can't afford it... so she mixes it with Same Company's Basic/Cheapest Food Product.

I happen to be pretty familiar with the products she was talking about, and pricing, etc. So quick math works out that it would be maybe $18 more a month to feed her pet only the Senior Food. Of course I've made some assumptions, but I really feel that estimate is high based on the amount the pet should be fed. I think the only way my estimate would be low is if she is mixing in the Senior Product at really low amounts, and at that point why bother mixing?

What struck me is just knowing a few of her spendy habits (coffee, just finished large remodel, drinks out with friends) plus her work (steady office job with decent pay, position above me, been here 5xs longer, and was just promoted to management level a few months back), and you could tell she feels that that product is the very best thing for her pet and she should be getting it... but she just can't manage to find another $20 a month anywhere!
Some of it is just that it's a more visible cost.  Like how people will bitch about gas prices going up that mean spending is $20/mo higher, but they might not blink if their car insurance goes up $30/mo.
So true, I didn't think of it like that. I was irritated with her already that day so it got to me more than it should have. I may have gone home and ranted to my husband about it...

a286

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20007 on: May 02, 2018, 01:12:09 PM »
And while I'm here, you get to hear about husband's ex coworker. Married four times, five kids, lives with current in-laws with wife and two kids. So they can save to buy a house. Goes out and buys a brand new jeep, everything on it, immediately takes it four wheeling and scratches the hell out of it and breaks off a mirror. Before he's made the first payment. Also has student loans, though he never said how much. Was always giving my husband "advice" on credit and credit cards. One example, he tells my husband how every year, he buys a computer on his Dell credit card, makes the payments over the year, and then buys a new one! I can't remember what he did with the old one then. He explained to my husband, he was building credit and equity! Because you have to carry a balance to build credit, obviously! And then you could buy a nicer computer each year! I'm not sure how this made sense in his head, but from what my husband relayed to me it sounded like how some people roll car loans. He was horribly offended when he wanted to buy a $600k house with no money down, and the bank told them they needed to pay off debt and save up a 20% down payment before they'd consider a mortgage for them.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20008 on: May 02, 2018, 01:50:12 PM »
And while I'm here, you get to hear about husband's ex coworker. Married four times, five kids, lives with current in-laws with wife and two kids. So they can save to buy a house. Goes out and buys a brand new jeep, everything on it, immediately takes it four wheeling and scratches the hell out of it and breaks off a mirror. Before he's made the first payment. Also has student loans, though he never said how much. Was always giving my husband "advice" on credit and credit cards. One example, he tells my husband how every year, he buys a computer on his Dell credit card, makes the payments over the year, and then buys a new one! I can't remember what he did with the old one then. He explained to my husband, he was building credit and equity! Because you have to carry a balance to build credit, obviously! And then you could buy a nicer computer each year! I'm not sure how this made sense in his head, but from what my husband relayed to me it sounded like how some people roll car loans. He was horribly offended when he wanted to buy a $600k house with no money down, and the bank told them they needed to pay off debt and save up a 20% down payment before they'd consider a mortgage for them.

Wow, what a looser jerk this guy is! How can he manage having to pay child support for his 3 other kids from the other marriages, buy cars, computers and expects to buy a $600K house? How much money does this guy and wife make a year?

fantabulous

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20009 on: May 02, 2018, 02:21:34 PM »
And while I'm here, you get to hear about husband's ex coworker. Married four times, five kids, lives with current in-laws with wife and two kids. So they can save to buy a house. Goes out and buys a brand new jeep, everything on it, immediately takes it four wheeling and scratches the hell out of it and breaks off a mirror. Before he's made the first payment. Also has student loans, though he never said how much. Was always giving my husband "advice" on credit and credit cards. One example, he tells my husband how every year, he buys a computer on his Dell credit card, makes the payments over the year, and then buys a new one! I can't remember what he did with the old one then. He explained to my husband, he was building credit and equity! Because you have to carry a balance to build credit, obviously! And then you could buy a nicer computer each year! I'm not sure how this made sense in his head, but from what my husband relayed to me it sounded like how some people roll car loans. He was horribly offended when he wanted to buy a $600k house with no money down, and the bank told them they needed to pay off debt and save up a 20% down payment before they'd consider a mortgage for them.

Wow, what a looser jerk this guy is! How can he manage having to pay child support for his 3 other kids from the other marriages, buy cars, computers and expects to buy a $600K house? How much money does this guy and wife make a year?

I'm guessing either garnishment or refusing to pay child support.

Step37

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20010 on: May 02, 2018, 02:23:00 PM »
And while I'm here, you get to hear about husband's ex coworker. Married four times, five kids, lives with current in-laws with wife and two kids. So they can save to buy a house. Goes out and buys a brand new jeep, everything on it, immediately takes it four wheeling and scratches the hell out of it and breaks off a mirror. Before he's made the first payment. Also has student loans, though he never said how much. Was always giving my husband "advice" on credit and credit cards. One example, he tells my husband how every year, he buys a computer on his Dell credit card, makes the payments over the year, and then buys a new one! I can't remember what he did with the old one then. He explained to my husband, he was building credit and equity! Because you have to carry a balance to build credit, obviously! And then you could buy a nicer computer each year! I'm not sure how this made sense in his head, but from what my husband relayed to me it sounded like how some people roll car loans. He was horribly offended when he wanted to buy a $600k house with no money down, and the bank told them they needed to pay off debt and save up a 20% down payment before they'd consider a mortgage for them.

Wow, what a looser jerk this guy is! How can he manage having to pay child support for his 3 other kids from the other marriages, buy cars, computers and expects to buy a $600K house? How much money does this guy and wife make a year?

Also, how the HELL do you still have student loans once you’re onto wife #4? Those are some speedy relationships! (Obviously the dude is comfortable, VERY comfortable, with debt and probably only doing minimum student loan payments so he can afford his Jeep payments and Dell payments... gah.)

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20011 on: May 02, 2018, 02:33:25 PM »
I have heard stories of brand new 4WD owners trashing their new vehicles on the first outing. I have no idea why they wouldn't buy a $2K rusty 4WD wonder to bash through the woods with instead.

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20012 on: May 02, 2018, 03:14:00 PM »
At my workplace, you can work extra hours and then either have them paid out or add them to your vacation hours (to be used sometime this year or next year).

Yesterday, we were offered the option to work a few extra hours this week.

Colleague: "We can only have 40 extra vacation hours."
Me: "Oh, is that true? This company only allows us to have up to one workweek of extra vacation hours? I didn't know." (Because I always have these hours paid out to me, and then I invest the money...).
Colleague: "Yes, you can have 40 extra vacation hours, but if you work more extra hours than that, they will pay them out to you. So I'm not going to work extra hours this week, because I already have those 40 extra vacation hours."

I'm guessing she values her free time more than she values the bigger paycheck. But I thought it quite hilarious how she looked really disgusted by the idea of a bigger paycheck next month...

It's probably because of that old Dutch myth that any overtime is taxed at 100%.

I've worked 30 hours of overtime this month and I always have them paid out the next month as well.

Coworker: but what if you want to go on a really long trip next year ?  Then you'd have no extra vacation hours saved up.
Me: I could take unpaid leave?

For some reason, coworker seems to believe that any money paid to you is suddenly gone the minute it's in your pocket. The idea that overtime payment might still be there, somewhere, a year after it was earned? Mind = blown.

Rowellen

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20013 on: May 02, 2018, 03:55:46 PM »
I have heard stories of brand new 4WD owners trashing their new vehicles on the first outing. I have no idea why they wouldn't buy a $2K rusty 4WD wonder to bash through the woods with instead.

But but. It just wouldn't have that new car smell.

/s

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20014 on: May 02, 2018, 03:57:40 PM »
I'm confused, this is the antimustacian wall of shame right?? This is a place where we all get together and chuckle at other people's non-frugal life choices because we get the side eye IRL when we mention thrift store shopping and packing our lunches, and biking to work, and not buying coffee?? If I'm in the wrong place let me know! /s

I guess it is my own fault, when I wrote "I don't get it" on my original post, I do get it. Like most non mustachian things, it is easier. And there are times and places where easier is 100% OK! (Ie 3 kids at home, trying to get back into a cooking routine). But we can't sit here and pretend that spending $8.50-$11/meal is a "mustachian" win.

And yes, meal planning and grocery shopping for 3 simple meals like what they are getting would take me 1hr (and my coworker, we live in the same area).

Prepping the food takes about the same amount of time (you still have to cut up everything yourself), so 1hr per week saves me ~$50 comparative to the meal boxes. I'll take that rate of return any week!


Thank you. I was losing my mind reading others approve of meal boxes. Biggest bullshit right now.
Yeah, even I think this is bad.  Might as well eat out or take out and then at least there's no clean up. Nnot that heading to the restaurant is mustachian, but if we're talking time and money and all that, the meal boxes still lose compared to other unmustachian options.
I know some people who do the meal kit boxes, and others who do the "snack" boxes, where you get a box of treats every month.

Most of them have decent incomes and no kids, so lots of disposable income and time.  They also vacation a lot and eat out a lot.

I can see the point that others have made though, about variety and waste.  I've been working on my grocery budget for over a decade now, so I've got it mostly nailed down.  How to shop, how to not waste food, etc.  I've moved on a bit to reducing plastic - so now my grocery bill is higher than it could be, because often times I opt for the plastic-less, but more expensive option.

I have to say though - I've got a FT job and 2 elementary aged kids.  So, we're busy.  My job has changed recently to now I end up working late several days a week.  Before, I'd only work late 1 or 2x.  So, it's not that the husband can't cook, but he cooks differently.  As in: find a cookbook, choose a recipe, shop for the ingredients, and cook it.  This is not conducive to mid-week cooking at all.  I just wing it and throw things together with what we have.  And: I do the grocery shopping.

My method to surviving right now is to cook 2 big meals on the weekend, enough for 3 nights each.  So Sat meal gets eaten on Mon and Wed.  Sunday's meal gets eaten on Tues and Thurs.  We make a new veg each night.  Friday is frozen pizza.  I eat salad for lunch every day and we make something for hubby to eat, either sandwiches or burritos or whatever.

I'm getting bored.  I have a regular rotation of spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, beans and rice, chili, curried lentils, lentil soup, fried rice, chicken enchilada, chicken soup.  The kids are way over it - they hate eating the same things 3x a week, but I tell them they can eat something else when they start cooking.  Back when I got home earlier, I was a bit more inventive - and I didn't necessarily have to cook something in bulk.  I could cook enough for one dinner and maybe a lunch.

I also run out of veg by Weds.  We get a large box of fruit and veg delivered by a service that shops at the farmer's market (so no waste - boxes get reused and the baby greens come in a compostable bag.  Everything else in there is loose.)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20015 on: May 02, 2018, 04:33:14 PM »
The meal boxes aren't a "mustachian win". But in the pantheon of "antimustachian things" I think they have more merit than other stuff people waste money on which are posted here, for various reasons already pointed out. The whole time=money concept. Everything you do costs time or money, we're all just trying to maximize them both. Even the most staunch mustachians choose time over money at times during their day. Half the reason I come to this thread is to chuckle at the ridiculous links/anecdotes about people wasting money but the other half is to chuckle at the mustachians "losing their mind" over things like prepared meals.


Full disclosure - I've never used a meal box as they don't have them here in Italy as far as I know.  However, aren't they the antithesis of mustachianism as they don't save you much time (ie you still need to chop and cook - you just don't need to shop) and they use a ton of packaging from what I've heard.

Of course, there is no mustachian police but the time=money concept could be used to justify all kinds of things - cleaners and gardeners to take care of your home instead of doing it yourself, driving to the supermarket instead of cycling/walking, bedpans and catheters.

I think they can be a route to frugal win for someone with little experience cooking and shopping. Trying to learn to do both at once might be daunting and I could see finding it helpful to TEMPORARILY use a meal service to get some ideas and build a little confidence.

my aunt paid for my cousin to get one of these for a month or maybe 2, he had been doing take out every night and now he cooks most week nights. He did it while his mum paid, kept the recipe cards and it gave him some ideas. So it can change habits and inspire people to cook.
that's what I was thinking - make it a short term solution for someone who never learned to cook, and wanted/needed to have their hand held while they learned (although with you-tube, it seems unnecessary).  Back in the stone age, before the internet, I remember someone in my first year of unniversary complaining about trying to learn to cook....he thought the instruction 'brown meat' was confusing, he thought the meat was already brown!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20016 on: May 02, 2018, 04:36:25 PM »
Here are a few ideas for something to add into to your dinner repertoire. I have a recipe for inside out stuffed peppers. What it is basically is all the ingredients, rice, cooked hamburger, mushrooms, sliced up peppers, onions and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Plus, add some cheese on the top. The good thing is that you can cook up the hamburger ahead of time, cook up the rice ahead of time and freeze them ziplock bags FLAT. Then when  you want to make the casserole, you can take the ziplocks out of the freezer and let them thaw over night or defrost in the freezer. You can slap this together pretty quickly. I usually cook the onions with the hamburger and buy the pre sliced frozen tri color peppers. A big can of tomato sauce. Just mix it all up in a big bowl and plop in a casserole topped with mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice. Bake!

You could also buy some other pasta other than spaghetti like rigatoni (with lines). Then buy Ragu Alfredo sauce or any Alfredo sauce. I buy the lower calorie one. You could add ham chunks, or chicken chunks, or sausage chunks. Add some drained diced tomatoes and sprinkle some italian seasoning into it.

The beauty of pasta and rice is that you can cook it and freeze it. I always undercook the pasta by a few minutes, drain it and rinse with cold water. Then the trick is to douse it lightly with olive oil in a ziplock bag. Squish it around to coat it all. Freeze flat.

Rice (not instant) can be cooked, cooled and put in a ziplock. You could add a little butter while it is still hot and stir it up. Once in a ziplock flatten the bag and freeze it. You can always have a quick meal with either the pasta or the rice. So versitile.

I made a crockpot chicken terriyaki recently and it made a lot. That can be served over rice with broccoli. It was shredded so you will have a LOT. Look up a recipe on the internet. That is where I got mine.

My hub and I buy premade hamburgers. The ones we get a a little thicker than normal. He cooks all of them up and then puts American cheese on top. I let them cool and freeze them in individual sandwich ziplock bags then freeze. We pull them out and defrost and heat them up in just minutes. Put them on a bun then add a side or two and a quickie dinner.

Hope this might help the doldrums of dinnertime!

grandep

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20017 on: May 02, 2018, 04:41:37 PM »
I'm getting bored.  I have a regular rotation of spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, beans and rice, chili, curried lentils, lentil soup, fried rice, chicken enchilada, chicken soup.  The kids are way over it - they hate eating the same things 3x a week, but I tell them they can eat something else when they start cooking.  Back when I got home earlier, I was a bit more inventive - and I didn't necessarily have to cook something in bulk.  I could cook enough for one dinner and maybe a lunch.

Compared to my typical dinner rotation this is mouth-watering extravagance! Every day I eat oatmeal for breakfast, rice & beans for lunch, and either baked chicken, eggs, or pasta with some assortment of veggies. Try switching to that for a week or two and then your kids will appreciate all your variety! I know I would.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20018 on: May 02, 2018, 08:59:17 PM »
I'm getting bored.  I have a regular rotation of spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, beans and rice, chili, curried lentils, lentil soup, fried rice, chicken enchilada, chicken soup.  The kids are way over it - they hate eating the same things 3x a week, but I tell them they can eat something else when they start cooking.  Back when I got home earlier, I was a bit more inventive - and I didn't necessarily have to cook something in bulk.  I could cook enough for one dinner and maybe a lunch.

Compared to my typical dinner rotation this is mouth-watering extravagance! Every day I eat oatmeal for breakfast, rice & beans for lunch, and either baked chicken, eggs, or pasta with some assortment of veggies. Try switching to that for a week or two and then your kids will appreciate all your variety! I know I would.

Ha, funny.  I also eat oatmeal or eggs for breakfast.  I eat salad for lunch.  Every. Single. Day.  It's dinner that is getting to me...

Quote
Here are a few ideas for something to add into to your dinner repertoire. I have a recipe for inside out stuffed peppers. What it is basically is all the ingredients, rice, cooked hamburger, mushrooms, sliced up peppers, onions and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Plus, add some cheese on the top. The good thing is that you can cook up the hamburger ahead of time, cook up the rice ahead of time and freeze them ziplock bags FLAT. Then when  you want to make the casserole, you can take the ziplocks out of the freezer and let them thaw over night or defrost in the freezer. You can slap this together pretty quickly. I usually cook the onions with the hamburger and buy the pre sliced frozen tri color peppers. A big can of tomato sauce. Just mix it all up in a big bowl and plop in a casserole topped with mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice. Bake!

Roadrunner, this is a good reminder.  I used to do this more often - cook up some beef, make a pork shoulder in the crockpot, etc.  I just need to plan that in advance.  I seem to find myself shopping before I've thought about what to make...and since I always have pasta, rice, and lentils and beans...(and canned chicken from Costco!) that's what we eat.

Shalamar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20019 on: May 02, 2018, 11:10:10 PM »
Co-worker 1:  My husband and I can’t stand this cold weather anymore.  We’ve decided to take a sour-of-the-moment trip to Vegas.

Co-worker 2:  Aren’t you going on a cruise later this year, too?

Co-worker 1:  Oh, sure, but sometimes you just have to say “the hell with the bills, let’s treat ourselves”, you know?

(Two days later)

Co-worker 1:  Why do expensive things always happen right before a trip?   We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20020 on: May 03, 2018, 01:33:54 AM »
I have heard stories of brand new 4WD owners trashing their new vehicles on the first outing. I have no idea why they wouldn't buy a $2K rusty 4WD wonder to bash through the woods with instead.

But but. It just wouldn't have that new car smell.

/s

For that you can buy parfume sprays O.o

Quote
he thought the instruction 'brown meat' was confusing, he thought the meat was already brown!
Well, that is certainly what should come to your mind first! So, what does it mean? Never heard that term. I know white meat and red meat, we use that in German, but brown?


The rest of you: Put more variety in your meals! Really! That can't be that healthy. Make a rice curry at least.

Quote
We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.
What do they drive? A missile launch vehicle?

elliha

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20021 on: May 03, 2018, 02:06:54 AM »
I have heard stories of brand new 4WD owners trashing their new vehicles on the first outing. I have no idea why they wouldn't buy a $2K rusty 4WD wonder to bash through the woods with instead.

But but. It just wouldn't have that new car smell.

/s

For that you can buy parfume sprays O.o

Quote
he thought the instruction 'brown meat' was confusing, he thought the meat was already brown!
Well, that is certainly what should come to your mind first! So, what does it mean? Never heard that term. I know white meat and red meat, we use that in German, but brown?


The rest of you: Put more variety in your meals! Really! That can't be that healthy. Make a rice curry at least.

Quote
We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.
What do they drive? A missile launch vehicle?

You brown the meat by frying it until it turns brown basically. It is not a type of meat, you can do that to all kinds of meat.

londonstache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20022 on: May 03, 2018, 02:07:43 AM »
Co-worker 1:  My husband and I can’t stand this cold weather anymore.  We’ve decided to take a sour-of-the-moment trip to Vegas.

Co-worker 2:  Aren’t you going on a cruise later this year, too?

Co-worker 1:  Oh, sure, but sometimes you just have to say “the hell with the bills, let’s treat ourselves”, you know?

(Two days later)

Co-worker 1:  Why do expensive things always happen right before a trip?   We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.

Brilliant! Waiting to hear about the extra CC debt incurred in Vegas, because you've got to treat yourself, particularly if you are already in debt!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20023 on: May 03, 2018, 03:01:21 AM »

Quote
We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.
What do they drive? A missile launch vehicle?

We had this problem too, last year. Apart from the financing part, of course.
I have understood that all tires on the same driving-system are supposed to have the same amount of wear. In normals cars you need to replace left and right tire simultaneously. In a 4x4, you need to replace all 4.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20024 on: May 03, 2018, 06:56:35 AM »

Quote
We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.
What do they drive? A missile launch vehicle?

We had this problem too, last year. Apart from the financing part, of course.
I have understood that all tires on the same driving-system are supposed to have the same amount of wear. In normals cars you need to replace left and right tire simultaneously. In a 4x4, you need to replace all 4.

Maybe I should add that the flat tire had to be replaced, because I noticed a bit too late and had to drive on the flat tire some meters before finding a suitable place to stop. The broken tire was beyond repair.

We have kept one of the other tires in store (only 1,5 year old), just in case this would ever happen again.

MrMoogle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20025 on: May 03, 2018, 08:26:04 AM »
I have heard stories of brand new 4WD owners trashing their new vehicles on the first outing. I have no idea why they wouldn't buy a $2K rusty 4WD wonder to bash through the woods with instead.

But but. It just wouldn't have that new car smell.

/s
Am I the only one who gets a headache from that horrible smell?

tophdna

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20026 on: May 03, 2018, 08:55:02 AM »
"No one is really ever debt free. People always have credit card payments, a car payment, and a mortgage/rent payment. It's ridiculous that you think you can get debt free."

Same person:

"Leasing is the cheapest way to own a car. You will always have a car payment, and I'd rather have something that is dependable that I can trade back in every so often, that way I do not have car repairs. You also get a deal on oil changes, etc."

Once I paid my car off, the response was:

"Your car is paid off and you're proud of that? What are you 70 years old?"

RidetheRain

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20027 on: May 03, 2018, 09:26:06 AM »
"No one is really ever debt free. People always have credit card payments, a car payment, and a mortgage/rent payment. It's ridiculous that you think you can get debt free."

Same person:

"Leasing is the cheapest way to own a car. You will always have a car payment, and I'd rather have something that is dependable that I can trade back in every so often, that way I do not have car repairs. You also get a deal on oil changes, etc."

Once I paid my car off, the response was:

"Your car is paid off and you're proud of that? What are you 70 years old?"

Jeez. I didn't know I had to be 70 in order to own my own car without a lease or finance. I'm going to have to go on the run. Maybe fake some leasing documents. I swear officer! I don't own my own car!

grandep

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20028 on: May 03, 2018, 09:33:46 AM »
"No one is really ever debt free. People always have credit card payments, a car payment, and a mortgage/rent payment. It's ridiculous that you think you can get debt free."

This makes me sad for this person.

Quote

Once I paid my car off, the response was:

"Your car is paid off and you're proud of that? What are you 70 years old?"

This actually made me laugh.

I do have a question about leasing, since I haven't really thought about it much: is it always a bad idea? Is there any situation where even a Mustachian would consider leasing, i.e. if I knew that I only needed a car for a couple of years? Or would it still be better in that case to buy a used car, use it for a few years, and then sell it back? I guess it depends on the situation.... but I'm mostly just curious.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20029 on: May 03, 2018, 09:48:56 AM »
I do have a question about leasing, since I haven't really thought about it much: is it always a bad idea? Is there any situation where even a Mustachian would consider leasing, i.e. if I knew that I only needed a car for a couple of years? Or would it still be better in that case to buy a used car, use it for a few years, and then sell it back? I guess it depends on the situation.... but I'm mostly just curious.
There are some edge cases (really good deal on an EV lease where you're using nearly all the allocated miles and no overage is mostly what I'm thinking of) where it could maybe pencil out.  But the rule of thumb is still definitely that it's a dumb idea.

MrMoogle

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20030 on: May 03, 2018, 09:51:51 AM »
I do have a question about leasing, since I haven't really thought about it much: is it always a bad idea? Is there any situation where even a Mustachian would consider leasing, i.e. if I knew that I only needed a car for a couple of years? Or would it still be better in that case to buy a used car, use it for a few years, and then sell it back? I guess it depends on the situation.... but I'm mostly just curious.
If your company is paying for it and wouldn't pay for you to buy one, then sell it back.

If you're just there for a year or two, if you buy a $5k car, you'll get most of it back selling it 2 years later, that leasing wouldn't make much sense.

If there is some reason owning is difficult due to being a foreigner or something like that, but leasing is easier.  Not sure where that might exist.  Like I can never really own land in Japan, not sure if there's something similar for cars somewhere.

If having a nicer car increases your profit somehow.  The only thing I can think of here that gets close is a limo driver, but most of those still own (I think).

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20031 on: May 03, 2018, 10:44:15 AM »
Co-worker 1:  My husband and I can’t stand this cold weather anymore.  We’ve decided to take a sour-of-the-moment trip to Vegas.

Co-worker 2:  Aren’t you going on a cruise later this year, too?

Co-worker 1:  Oh, sure, but sometimes you just have to say “the hell with the bills, let’s treat ourselves”, you know?

(Two days later)

Co-worker 1:  Why do expensive things always happen right before a trip?   We got a flat tire, and it turns out that ALL our tires need replacing.   We’ll have to finance them; we don’t have the money.
Ah ha ha ha!  Just this morning, headed to work early (I thought) and "what's that loud noise?"  Turn around at the bottom of the hill, back home (about a mile total).  Tire flat as a pancake.

Change tire (husband does, anyway), stop at tire store on the way in, and the front two tires are bald as heck.  So guess what I get to do tomorrow!!

But I can afford it.

elliha

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20032 on: May 03, 2018, 11:27:04 AM »
My workplace is not that extreme. We are teacher so most of us are not actually wading in money so packed lunches are standard, many people go by bike, bus or train to work and some don't even own a car. However, we do have some spenders. One has been on two expensive holidays in the last month or so. Her husband is a nurse and I cannot believe that a nurse and a teacher easily affords two holidays in a month when she also buys Mercedes cars, Chanel purses, expensive jewelry, tons and tons of clothes and a lot of other expensive things. She has had health problems so she has the right to spend money apparently. The other spendy pants will buy most of his weekly shopping at a deli/luxury food store and the rest at the most expensive regular store in town. Just going to an average store, not looking for offers or so would probably be enough for him to cut his food cost in half.

RWD

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20033 on: May 03, 2018, 11:35:19 AM »
[...] and the front two tires are bald as heck.

Tires drastically lose wet traction after roughly 3 mm of tread depth. Unless you aren't driving on wet roads at all you should replace your tires before they reach the legal limit wear bars (1.6 mm). Driving on bald or nearly bald tires is very dangerous.

lbmustache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20034 on: May 03, 2018, 11:52:34 AM »
[...] and the front two tires are bald as heck.

Tires drastically lose wet traction after roughly 3 mm of tread depth. Unless you aren't driving on wet roads at all you should replace your tires before they reach the legal limit wear bars (1.6 mm). Driving on bald or nearly bald tires is very dangerous.

Going to +1 this. Your tires shouldn't be at that point. I just drove past a huge chunk of tire on the freeway (what if it hit someone, or someone hit it, or the car spun out of control, etc.) that I guarantee was the remains of a bald tire blowing out.

CptCool

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20035 on: May 04, 2018, 08:55:19 AM »
[...] and the front two tires are bald as heck.

Tires drastically lose wet traction after roughly 3 mm of tread depth. Unless you aren't driving on wet roads at all you should replace your tires before they reach the legal limit wear bars (1.6 mm). Driving on bald or nearly bald tires is very dangerous.

Going to +1 this. Your tires shouldn't be at that point. I just drove past a huge chunk of tire on the freeway (what if it hit someone, or someone hit it, or the car spun out of control, etc.) that I guarantee was the remains of a bald tire blowing out.

IDK, I see a ton of tire fragments on the road, but I think the're one of the 18 wheels from a semi truck - not sure why they seem to blow out so frequently, perhaps overloading?

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20036 on: May 04, 2018, 08:57:12 AM »
"No one is really ever debt free. People always have credit card payments, a car payment, and a mortgage/rent payment. It's ridiculous that you think you can get debt free."

This makes me sad for this person.

Quote

Once I paid my car off, the response was:

"Your car is paid off and you're proud of that? What are you 70 years old?"

This actually made me laugh.

I do have a question about leasing, since I haven't really thought about it much: is it always a bad idea? Is there any situation where even a Mustachian would consider leasing, i.e. if I knew that I only needed a car for a couple of years? Or would it still be better in that case to buy a used car, use it for a few years, and then sell it back? I guess it depends on the situation.... but I'm mostly just curious.

Let's look at it from the other perspective: Why are car sellers so happy to give you a lease? Much preferred to cash?


@bald tires:
puts mouth to your ears
ARE YOU A COMPLETE IDIOT??
Consider MMM punches you in the face three times for being deadly stupid.
As with having winter tires, having tires that aren't too low on profile is one of the biggest impacts on car safety (just after having working brakes). Not having that is not saving money, it is playing with your life. Without life, money is useless.

Personally I opt for 4mm lowest, but of course I never get there anyway, tires always are too old before that happens.


IDK, I see a ton of tire fragments on the road, but I think the're one of the 18 wheels from a semi truck - not sure why they seem to blow out so frequently, perhaps overloading?
Can also be not enough (or too much) pressure in the tires. 

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20037 on: May 04, 2018, 09:41:05 AM »
"No one is really ever debt free. People always have credit card payments, a car payment, and a mortgage/rent payment. It's ridiculous that you think you can get debt free."

This makes me sad for this person.

Quote

Once I paid my car off, the response was:

"Your car is paid off and you're proud of that? What are you 70 years old?"

This actually made me laugh.

I do have a question about leasing, since I haven't really thought about it much: is it always a bad idea? Is there any situation where even a Mustachian would consider leasing, i.e. if I knew that I only needed a car for a couple of years? Or would it still be better in that case to buy a used car, use it for a few years, and then sell it back? I guess it depends on the situation.... but I'm mostly just curious.

Let's look at it from the other perspective: Why are car sellers so happy to give you a lease? Much preferred to cash?


@bald tires:
puts mouth to your ears
ARE YOU A COMPLETE IDIOT??
Consider MMM punches you in the face three times for being deadly stupid.
As with having winter tires, having tires that aren't too low on profile is one of the biggest impacts on car safety (just after having working brakes). Not having that is not saving money, it is playing with your life. Without life, money is useless.

Personally I opt for 4mm lowest, but of course I never get there anyway, tires always are too old before that happens.


IDK, I see a ton of tire fragments on the road, but I think the're one of the 18 wheels from a semi truck - not sure why they seem to blow out so frequently, perhaps overloading?
Can also be not enough (or too much) pressure in the tires.

You're right about the transport trucks, but what you're seeing is generally pieces of a thrown retread.

Here's how it works. Those big 18-wheel trucks put a lot of miles on their tires, so there's wear. But the part that wears is generally the treads. So some enterprising individual had an idea: take the basically good but bald steel-belted tires, and put new rubber treads on them, and get more wear out of the tire. It's good for the environment (fewer tires in landfills), it gets more life out of the rest of the tire, and it allows truckers and trucking companies to pay less for tires. Retread tires cost less than new, and having the option of buying retreads keeps the cost of new tires from getting out of control. Win-win-win, right? But there's a down side. A retread tire won't last as long as a new one and they are more vulnerable to heat and friction. They don't wear quite the same way as a tire that is all in one piece. When a new tire wears out, either there's a puncture or the tread wears down almost uniformly.

When a retread wears out, what breaks down is the adhesive that holds the tread to the tire. Drivers are supposed to inspect their tires after every rest stop, but in practice that's like vehicle maintenance and sleep: something that generally gets skipped because of schedule. Chunks of tread are thrown off as the tire spins around (the driver is often unaware it's happening), and when the tire gets way to asymmetrical the entire tread peels off, gets whipped around and possibly driven over by the vehicle's other tires, and gets flung up and out. You do *not* want to be anywhere near the truck when it happens. It will come through your windshield at well over 100 km/h and it can weigh 5 kilos or more. It's like a brick coming through the window. People die from this especially on motorcycles. So, if you see what looks like a whole tire by the side of the road but it's missing the sidewalls, that's a thrown retread. Also, if you're near a big truck on the highway and see pieces of tire flying off or a wobbly-looking tire, GTF away and warn the driver if you can. The only safe place is in front of the vehicle, or with some other large object between you and it, or at least 100m behind it so you can see which direction the thrown retread goes so that you can drive around it. Like all debris it tends to migrate toward the right rear... which is another fabulous reason to never pass a big truck from the right.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20038 on: May 04, 2018, 09:56:16 AM »
My workplace is not that extreme. We are teacher so most of us are not actually wading in money so packed lunches are standard, many people go by bike, bus or train to work and some don't even own a car.

We had a kid in the car line ask "Why do all the teacher's cars have H's on them?"

Most of the teachers bought the hot lunch though. Which is ridiculously over priced.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20039 on: May 04, 2018, 10:24:06 AM »
[...] and the front two tires are bald as heck.

Tires drastically lose wet traction after roughly 3 mm of tread depth. Unless you aren't driving on wet roads at all you should replace your tires before they reach the legal limit wear bars (1.6 mm). Driving on bald or nearly bald tires is very dangerous.

Well it's not the rainy season here, and it never rains for 8 months.  But I'm having them replaced today.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20040 on: May 04, 2018, 10:49:13 AM »
My workplace is not that extreme. We are teacher so most of us are not actually wading in money so packed lunches are standard, many people go by bike, bus or train to work and some don't even own a car.

We had a kid in the car line ask "Why do all the teacher's cars have H's on them?"

Most of the teachers bought the hot lunch though. Which is ridiculously over priced.
If it's anything like my high school was, it's also either junk food or crappy food (or both).  Sure, I'd love a burger, fries, Coke, and token soggy green beans for $10.  Blech.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20041 on: May 04, 2018, 12:35:02 PM »
My workplace is not that extreme. We are teacher so most of us are not actually wading in money so packed lunches are standard, many people go by bike, bus or train to work and some don't even own a car.

We had a kid in the car line ask "Why do all the teacher's cars have H's on them?"

Most of the teachers bought the hot lunch though. Which is ridiculously over priced.
If it's anything like my high school was, it's also either junk food or crappy food (or both).  Sure, I'd love a burger, fries, Coke, and token soggy green beans for $10.  Blech.

This was elementary school, so no choices and technically nutritionally balanced. But because it didn't get a subsidy if you were an adult it cost $6. (Kids were either $2.75 or $0.40, or free).  But we only had 20 minute lunch periods, and that included walking the kids to the lunch room and picking them up; so there weren't any other options if you wanted a hot lunch. Sometimes it was hard to even be able to microwave a freezer meal if one of two microwaves was taken when you got to the lunchroom. I just brought a cold sandwich and fruit. It is something I do not miss about teaching- shoveling food down my throat and getting to the bathroom in 10 minutes.

fredbear

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20042 on: May 04, 2018, 10:05:14 PM »
[...Also, if you're near a big truck on the highway and see pieces of tire flying off or a wobbly-looking tire, GTF away and warn the driver if you can. The only safe place is in front of the vehicle, or with some other large object between you and it, or at least 100m behind it so you can see which direction the thrown retread goes so that you can drive around it. ...

I got to witness one catastrophic trailer-wheel failure.  Northbound on I25, truck a ways in front of me, both rolling about 80mph, when one of the trailer's rear-most, outside tires on the left blew completely.  What I had not expected was that the tire, during various services over the year or two it had lived, had taken a lot of talcum.  When it blew it ejected a whitish cloud so big it obscured the whole rig.  From the cloud, as if in slow motion, black arcuate fragments of rubber on incalculable trajectories loomed and curved.  And such was the force of the explosion that it lifted clouds of the dust that is usually impacted into the highway, making a second storm of grit.  The cloud and cloud basically occluded the truck's lane, the shoulder lane to its right, and the center lane of the highway (just left of the unit).

Well, in our family we have ophidian reflexes, and I try, as here, to keep a large space behind me as well as in front; it was easy to stay clear, and it was as well to be clear, too, since the trailer did some whipping before the driver settled it.  It is not hard to imagine how this detonation could have killed, or at least set up a pinball wizard situation. 

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20043 on: May 04, 2018, 10:40:51 PM »
Overheard two co-workers talking about upgrading their cars. They've both been test driving brand new cars and are thinking of spending $21,000 or so. Both are career administrators on mediocre money, both in their 30s and both with small children. Absolutely insanely stupid. I did mention that I'd never owned a car over $5000 in my life, and that I still drive the car I bought a decade ago. They looked at me like I'd suddenly turned green. That was the end of that conversation. When I left they were justifying the whole deal to themselves by comparing warranties and finance packages.

gooki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20044 on: May 04, 2018, 10:48:18 PM »
Quote
But we only had 20 minute lunch periods, and that included walking the kids to the lunch room and picking them up

What kind of school has a 20 minute lunch break? How many/how long are the rest of the breaks?

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20045 on: May 05, 2018, 02:59:57 AM »
Quote
But we only had 20 minute lunch periods, and that included walking the kids to the lunch room and picking them up

What kind of school has a 20 minute lunch break? How many/how long are the rest of the breaks?

The highschool I went to had a 20 minute lunch as well as 2 15-minute breaks at 10.25 and 14.35. It doesn't seem that unusual to me, but in my country there is no hot lunch. Everyone brings a sandwich from home.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20046 on: May 05, 2018, 06:15:08 AM »
Quote
But we only had 20 minute lunch periods, and that included walking the kids to the lunch room and picking them up

What kind of school has a 20 minute lunch break? How many/how long are the rest of the breaks?
This was an elementary school. We had a 20 minute lunch, and a 30 afterniin minute recess. We had a 10 minute morning bathroom break (and also did bathroom after lunch and recess).


ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20047 on: May 05, 2018, 10:22:13 AM »
That seems utterly ridiculous to me. I can’t remember exactly what we had in HS here in the states but it was something like 45 min for lunch and we had a 30 (?) min “study hall” in the morning that was free time that you could either use to socialize or go to any classroom and ask for help on any subject. Sometimes I spent that time snacking and chatting and other times I spent it getting help with homework.
Needless to say, in France we had a 2-hour lunch break in high school.

Rural

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20048 on: May 06, 2018, 05:52:53 AM »
Most high schools here have a 25 minute lunch, no breaks, 5-10 minutes to change classes, which technically allows some but not all students a chance to stop by the bathroom. Not the teachers though, as they’re required to monitor the hallways. Most but not all teachers get a planning period sometime during the day. Unless some teacher is out sick, in which case they’re required to cover. They also have rotating lunch duty for a couple of weeks at a time.


Rural

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #20049 on: May 06, 2018, 07:33:21 AM »
Oh, these schools start at 8:00, very occasionally 7:45 or so. Students are out shortly after 3:00, though, teachers not long after 4:00.