Overheard at Work

[jnik]

I think my wedding cost about $3000, which was about what my divorce cost (including fees, settlement, etc. Not including the fact that we lived entirely off my paycheck for the year before while her paycheck went into her account.) Not a cheap lesson, but could have been a lot more expensive.

[LucyBIT]

I happen to be planning a wedding RIGHT NOW. Convenient!

Current things I know:

Venue $210 (State park picnic area, entire day)
Food $1,419 (Pig roast for 75, includes plates, silverware, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.)
Invitations $53 (not including postage)
MC/DJ: $0 (friend volunteered)
Officiant: $0 (not required in CO)

Decorations are going to be as free as possible (and minimal, the venue is gorgeous). I'm not planning on buying a super-fancy dress. We didn't send out Save the Dates, we're not doing favors, and we both hate cake so we'll probably end up with a pie/dessert table, possibly made by family/friends. I'm working on getting a lower price for photography since we only want the ceremony and group photos. Since the venue is a state park, hard alcohol isn't allowed (it's actually 3.2 beer only lol), so that's not even an option for spending money on.

The biggest factor in our costs has been the number of guests. I mean, $1,419 ain't too shabby, as far as catering a wedding goes, but it would be much lower if we were willing to slice down the guest list, which we're not.

We're aiming for ~$3,000 total. I told one of our friends this and he laughed in my face--his wedding cost $30,000 and he's certain we won't be able to do it for under $10,000. Watch and learn, friend.

[gradstudent]

How much have people here spent on your wedding? I know very little about planning a wedding. I know that for both my brother's and sister's wedding they went way over what they initially planned to spend, and seeing how much time, effort, and stress went into the wedding I clearly remember thinking that should I get married, eloping would be far preferable.
[/quote]

Not counting rings, a little less than $1,000. Including rings, just a little under $2,500. Plain band for me, custom engagement ring (made overseas while I was on a deployment, without a diamond) and wedding band for my wife-in total, rings were around $1,500. We got married lakefront under beautiful old trees at the house of a friend of a friend (who was thrilled someone liked their house enough to get married at). Ordered bbq from a local restaurant, wife made the decorations, Dad bought the beer, BIL was one photographer and long time bf of sister was the other-each good amateur photographers with fancy cameras, our mothers and grandmother each made wedding cakes, and rode home in a limo I owned. Long story, but the limo was free and the monthly costs were covered by friends. Around 40 guests, mostly family and very close friends. Having our families there was important-everything else, we realized would be about someone else, not us. If we'd wanted a big party, we would have still had the small wedding and rented a room a few weeks later and catered bbq and beer for our friends (that would have been 3-4k) but we realized we didn't really need to do that to be happy. I know some people want and feel the need for a big party and lots of people, but we didn't (and after having been married, are no happier than if we had had a big party).

[rocksinmyhead]

Venue $210 (State park picnic area, entire day)
Food $1,419 (Pig roast for 75, includes plates, silverware, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.)

UM I THINK YOU'RE HAVING MY DREAM WEDDING

[Unique User]

To a lesser extent, I see it with funerals too.  WHO CARES what kind of box you're in?  You're DEAD!!  I've told my family to just wrap me in a sheet and throw me in the fire (after all useful organs and skin are used).  Barring that, I will accept the hambone treatment.  (shove a hambone up my a$$ and throw me out to the dogs)
[/quote]

Hambone treatment, love it!  My husband has said to cremate him with bacon in his pockets so his ashes will smell good when we throw them where ever. 

On a particularly annoying day I had a co-worker add up the things she was working to pay for which included their RV and come to the conclusion she couldn't quit.  Umm, yeah.  Should have told her I can't quit because my salary is going to my FU savings, but just did not want to go there.

[LucyBIT]

Venue $210 (State park picnic area, entire day)
Food $1,419 (Pig roast for 75, includes plates, silverware, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.)

UM I THINK YOU'RE HAVING MY DREAM WEDDING

LOL

We're having our dream wedding, too! Cost/budget is a factor, of course, but we chose the venue for its awesomeness, lack of staff, and no-bullshit vibe, and we've always loved pig roasts.

[ichangedmyname]

I happen to be planning a wedding RIGHT NOW. Convenient!

Current things I know:

Venue $210 (State park picnic area, entire day)
Food $1,419 (Pig roast for 75, includes plates, silverware, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.)
Invitations $53 (not including postage)
MC/DJ: $0 (friend volunteered)
Officiant: $0 (not required in CO)

Decorations are going to be as free as possible (and minimal, the venue is gorgeous). I'm not planning on buying a super-fancy dress. We didn't send out Save the Dates, we're not doing favors, and we both hate cake so we'll probably end up with a pie/dessert table, possibly made by family/friends. I'm working on getting a lower price for photography since we only want the ceremony and group photos. Since the venue is a state park, hard alcohol isn't allowed (it's actually 3.2 beer only lol), so that's not even an option for spending money on.

The biggest factor in our costs has been the number of guests. I mean, $1,419 ain't too shabby, as far as catering a wedding goes, but it would be much lower if we were willing to slice down the guest list, which we're not.

We're aiming for ~$3,000 total. I told one of our friends this and he laughed in my face--his wedding cost $30,000 and he's certain we won't be able to do it for under $10,000. Watch and learn, friend.

How many pigs is that?

[LucyBIT]

How many pigs is that?

Just one; they choose the pig's size/weight based on the number of people. And they also include beef brisket and chicken, for people like my sister who hate pork and/or are terrified of eating meat cut off a whole dead pig, so I'm not 100% sure how they calculate it all.

[Melody]

$200 a month for Cable TV - the top package for two televisions...$2,400 a year. WTF??????
My hobby spend is less than this each year and this buys me a sporting club dues and equipment (and lets just say roller derby equipment isn't exactly cheap!), music gear (I could probably buy the $800 fender I've got my eye on and still not hit $2400 this year) , other sports equipment (stuff like the odd bike, skateboard or surfboard and a bit of camping kit) , passes to the leisure center for swimming etc.
And I still watch TV, (on demand - so better than cable) using I View (our free to air channels all broadcast online, where I can watch on demand) and specialists online channels like Derby News Network and it's all free...
THE MIND BOGGLES!
($2400 is also probably equivalent to 1 month of mortgage payment for said co-worker... so not small change even for her).

[Paul der Krake]

$200 a month for Cable TV - the top package for two televisions...$2,400 a year. WTF??????

My head... that's 5 months of my part of the rent. For pictures on a screen, and 20-30% of them are ads. Wow.

[Insanity]

$200 a month for Cable TV - the top package for two televisions...$2,400 a year. WTF??????

My head... that's 5 months of my part of the rent. For pictures on a screen, and 20-30% of them are ads. Wow.

I'm betting part of that $200 includes internet and possibly phone.  Not saying it is much cheaper, but still :)

[DeepEllumStache]

On a call at work today with some people in the Northeast.  They were extremely happy they were now allowed to telecommute, especially the guy who was commuting 73 miles each way. 

I worked in that office for a few years and knew quite a few people who commuted in from the next state over (at least an hour away, sometimes 1.5 hours away).  They wanted a bigger house and lower property taxes. 

[randymarsh]

On a call at work today with some people in the Northeast.  They were extremely happy they were now allowed to telecommute, especially the guy who was commuting 73 miles each way. 

I worked in that office for a few years and knew quite a few people who commuted in from the next state over (at least an hour away, sometimes 1.5 hours away).  They wanted a bigger house and lower property taxes.

I've spent almost my entire internship wondering why 2 coworkers drive 75 minutes every day. They do get paid half mileage, but still. 2.5 hours of the day lost on driving. They were moved to this office over 5 years ago.

They could live where I do and only drive 25 minutes and probably have an identical or lower housing cost, plus good schools for the kiddies.

[iwasjustwondering]

We get these bonuses at work, where you can give people who did a good job on your project a certain number of points in this online catalog.  So CW and I had worked on a project for an internal client together.  I got a bunch of points, which I promptly traded in for $2500 cash.  Other options were things like laptops, watches, a $2000 Macy's gift car (yes you read that right -- you could either choose $2500 cash or a $2000 gift card, for the same # of points).  When this system was first introduced I used my first batch of points to buy things like a beautiful wooden outdoor dining set, and then I saw the taxes taken out of the next paycheck and nearly died.  So I wised up, and now only get the cash.

So I told CW that she probably had points, too, and she could check.  So she says she didn't even bother checking that system any more, because she bought some things and the taxes taken out were outrageous.  So I said, yes, but you can get cash!  So if you choose the $2500 cash award, you'll get it in your paycheck.  They'll take a few hundred dollars out for taxes, sure, but you still end up with nearly $2K extra in your paycheck.  So CW shrugs and just said, "I just don't bother with those points.  Really.  I don't care about them."

I think she must have $5K in points sitting in her account.  All she has to do is choose the cash gift option, and the money (minus taxes) will be in her next paycheck.  But she isn't going to bother doing that.  And then meanwhile she complains constantly about being broke.  It is insane.

[horsepoor]

We get these bonuses at work, where you can give people who did a good job on your project a certain number of points in this online catalog.  So CW and I had worked on a project for an internal client together.  I got a bunch of points, which I promptly traded in for $2500 cash.  Other options were things like laptops, watches, a $2000 Macy's gift car (yes you read that right -- you could either choose $2500 cash or a $2000 gift card, for the same # of points).  When this system was first introduced I used my first batch of points to buy things like a beautiful wooden outdoor dining set, and then I saw the taxes taken out of the next paycheck and nearly died.  So I wised up, and now only get the cash.

The mind boggles.

The only reason I can think that people would do this, is to have an "excuse" to go buy a bunch of expensive clothes.  "Oh, I have a gift card from work, so it was basically free."  Nevermind they could have had 25% more in cold hard cash.  Derp.

[Christof]

a $2000 Macy's gift car (yes you read that right -- you could either choose $2500 cash or a $2000 gift card, for the same # of points).

I bet Macy's has a corresponding "Get two for the price of three" offer in their stores. ;)

[dragoncar]

We get these bonuses at work, where you can give people who did a good job on your project a certain number of points in this online catalog.  So CW and I had worked on a project for an internal client together.  I got a bunch of points, which I promptly traded in for $2500 cash.  Other options were things like laptops, watches, a $2000 Macy's gift car (yes you read that right -- you could either choose $2500 cash or a $2000 gift card, for the same # of points).  When this system was first introduced I used my first batch of points to buy things like a beautiful wooden outdoor dining set, and then I saw the taxes taken out of the next paycheck and nearly died.  So I wised up, and now only get the cash.

So I told CW that she probably had points, too, and she could check.  So she says she didn't even bother checking that system any more, because she bought some things and the taxes taken out were outrageous.  So I said, yes, but you can get cash!  So if you choose the $2500 cash award, you'll get it in your paycheck.  They'll take a few hundred dollars out for taxes, sure, but you still end up with nearly $2K extra in your paycheck.  So CW shrugs and just said, "I just don't bother with those points.  Really.  I don't care about them."

I think she must have $5K in points sitting in her account.  All she has to do is choose the cash gift option, and the money (minus taxes) will be in her next paycheck.  But she isn't going to bother doing that.  And then meanwhile she complains constantly about being broke.  It is insane.

Uh, can she give you the points?  Can you offer to give her the taxes, plus $100 up front to give you the point proceeds at her next paycheck?  That might make it more apparent to her.

[Nudelkopf]

CW: "I got my delivery of $2000 worth of lace today!" (for her wedding). What the actual frick?


Different coworker: I haven't seen this guy in a few months (we work in different parts), and he told me he'd ridden his bike to work a few times :D YAY! Last time we talked, I told him to definitely try it (given that he lives like, 2km =1.2mi from work!). So happy!!

[franny61390]

I have a coworker who is a single mom and regularly complains about not having enough money. I remember once I had an emergency car repair that cost around $1200, and I was talking about how it sucks but I am grateful that I have money saved for these kind of emercencies without going into debt. She mentioned that she would have had to put it on credit, because she doesn't have the savings to cover that kind of expense.

This lady goes on a 7 day all-inclusive vacation to Disney every year (with the meal package of course), spends $800/ month on "the best' day care for her son and spent a freaking $1000 on a bed for a two year old! She also commutes 45 minutes to work each way, has a fancy SUV and is constantly going out to eat at restaurants.

[CommonCents]

This lady goes on a 7 day all-inclusive vacation to Disney every year (with the meal package of course), spends $800/ month on "the best' day care for her son and spent a freaking $1000 on a bed for a two year old! She also commutes 45 minutes to work each way, has a fancy SUV and is constantly going out to eat at restaurants.

Just going to say...under $10k for daycare here would be an absolute bargain, a complete steal.  The one in my building is about $26k I think...and that's average.

[BigRed]

Yeah, $800/month for day-care that could be sincerely referred to as "the best" would be an absolute steal.  For infants, "the best" type day-care around here runs closer to $1800/month.  For toddlers, $1500/month or more. 

We did that for our first kid, and are in a home daycare with several close friends for our second, where the price doesn't come close.  The differences are pretty significant, and sometime it's hard not to think we're depriving the younger guy of something valuable.

[fantabulous]

We get these bonuses at work, where you can give people who did a good job on your project a certain number of points in this online catalog.  So CW and I had worked on a project for an internal client together.  I got a bunch of points, which I promptly traded in for $2500 cash.  Other options were things like laptops, watches, a $2000 Macy's gift car (yes you read that right -- you could either choose $2500 cash or a $2000 gift card, for the same # of points).  When this system was first introduced I used my first batch of points to buy things like a beautiful wooden outdoor dining set, and then I saw the taxes taken out of the next paycheck and nearly died.  So I wised up, and now only get the cash.

The mind boggles.

The only reason I can think that people would do this, is to have an "excuse" to go buy a bunch of expensive clothes.  "Oh, I have a gift card from work, so it was basically free."  Nevermind they could have had 25% more in cold hard cash.  Derp.

My credit card reward points are the same way. 2500 points for $25 deposited in my savings account, or 3500 for a $25 gift certificate.

[geekette]

Interesting.  My Discover card is different - you can get $45 cash, or a $50 gift certificate.

[Gracie]

I heard a good thing at work! I was chatting with my favorite coworker and mentioned something about MMM. He goes, what's that? I said, oh just this guy who retired at age 30 by saving over 60% of his income. And he leans towards me and in a whisper says, I do that.

Late to the party...but Awesome

[GrayGhost]

This one, I overheard at school from a friend who will not be named.

He was complaining about the costs of education and the interest rates on student loans. At the same time, the man spends, by his estimate, several hundred dollars a month on drinks at bars.

I'm not saying you shouldn't go to bars ever, but if he cut it down, he'd probably owe a lot less than he currently does. Like, a LOT less.

[HappierAtHome]

CW1: "I'm buying a kluger because when the baby is born we'll need a bigger car".
CW2: "Oooh, what about a prado?"
CW1: "Nah, we won't need a prado until we have two kids".

[Melody]

$12,000 a year private school fees.... for a 6 year old?????!!! And she has two kids.... in today's dollars she will spend at least $288K educating them (in reality actually a lot more as high school fees tend to run a lot higher than lower school fees)...
In comparison a house in the "best" school zone could be purchased for $600-$800K (i.e. $100-$300K more than an average house, with the advantage that the best school zones are close to work, the beach and public transit and have low crime so it would be a better place to live anyway)... I know where I'd be putting my money and it wouldn't be the private school.

[HappierAtHome]

$12,000 a year private school fees.... for a 6 year old?????!!! And she has two kids.... in today's dollars she will spend at least $288K educating them (in reality actually a lot more as high school fees tend to run a lot higher than lower school fees)...
In comparison a house in the "best" school zone could be purchased for $600-$800K (i.e. $100-$300K more than an average house, with the advantage that the best school zones are close to work, the beach and public transit and have low crime so it would be a better place to live anyway)... I know where I'd be putting my money and it wouldn't be the private school.

Haha that's my strategy if I decide I need my kids to be in a high performing school... move to a high performing suburb, put them in the local public school and enjoy all the benefits of living in that suburb.

Speaking of private schools, they've been a topic of discussion in the workplace lately and apparently high schools in Perth cost $10-15k for a Catholic school and $20-25k for Anglican, non-religious etc. Jeepers. I wonder how many kids would rather be sent to a public school and NOT have their parents in massive amounts of debt.

[tracipam]

Today I was chatting with a (much older) coworker. 

She said, idly:  "Did you ever think about how much you would save, if, right away on your first job you actually saved money in your 401K?"

Me:  *long pause* "......Yes....."

Coworker:  "No, I mean seriously; like, not just up to the employer match, but to actually like, max it out to whatever the maximum is?" 

Me:  *longer pause* "......Yesss......"

In my head I was thinking, 'Aieeeeee!!  What, you think you have to stop saving money once you get to the maximum?  And you DON'T KNOW what the 401K limit is?' 

This woman is probably ~60, complains INCESSANTLY about working and the environment at our company,  and has no one in her life except her dog.  I've been (and still am) wondering what in the world she spends her money on that she isn't retired already...

[CarDude]

A co-worker bought a brand new car over the weekend. He got an FJ Cruiser, probably around $32k. He also got all of the "extended warranty" options. He will spend more in interest payments on his car than I paid for my last car.

The best part was some of the quotes:

"My wife and I alternate who gets a new car every 5 years, but I sure was liking not having a car payment. Oh well." (they separate finances I think)

"I really needed the 4 wheel drive. ... We don't really like camping or not having running water." (... so we wont really take this anywhere we would need 4 wheel drive...) "Maybe we'll get an camper trailer though, that would make sense."

CW: "We don't drive that much, but I sure am going to miss the gas mileage of what I had."
Me: "Oh, what did you have before?"
CW: "A 2004 Scion xA" (happens to be the same car as MMM)
Me: "Well, what are you doing with your old car" (maybe I want to buy it?)
CW: "Because we took such great care of it and only had 80k miles on it, the dealer gave me $3k for it as a trade in!" (this car is worth $7k easily on craigslist and probably $5000 at carmax)

Ouch. Then again, the fact that he was spending 32k on a new car means he probably wasn't thinking much about whether he was missing out on 4k by not pursuing that sale on his own. Still a shame, though.

[lifejoy]

Overheard outside of work:

I was at a marriage workshop thingy (it was pretty cool, and my fiancé liked it too!) with a bunch of other couples. In chatting with one of the women there, she decided to give me some advice: "Money is the root of all evil. All your fights will be about money. Cause if you think about it, when will you ever stop wanting to buy things?"

She was dead serious. I felt like a deer in the headlights, because 99% of the time I'm a minimalist and I don't care for travelling so I can really truly picture not wanting to buy things. I changed the subject somehow, but wow - I was shocked to see that people really feel that way. I wish I could rememeber her exact wording, but you get the idea.

[rightstuff]

The people on the $160 AT&T plans would consider the cheaper plans to have plenty of catches. Republic Wireless: you can't get an iPhone. Airvoice: the $10 plan will cut off service if you run down your balance. None of these MVNOs have roaming agreements with other carriers (to my knowledge). Some of these companies' websites and phone support leave much to be desired.

To us these sorts of things aren't a big deal, but other people are used to the cushiness of the Big 4 and arguing purely based on price won't get you anywhere. You first have to convince people that the things that differentiate the Big 4 from the cheap players don't have much value, then the alternatives will seem appealing.

And this is exactly why I'm so picky about which MVNOs I namecheck in the guide. Roaming agreements aren't that big a deal if you know what sort of coverage is actually available, but customer support and reasonable terms of service go a long way towards end users.

I would also say that Republic has far more catches than most people here realize as well. There is such a thing as caring too much about getting the cheapest monthly deal that you start entering into contracts that you probably shouldn't and ignore the very real added cost of being able to do business at that price in the first place.

I've had great luck with Ting. You can have almost any phone you want, roam on Verizon's network, and customer support has a no waiting and no computer systems policy (they pick up the phone).

We have also had great luck with Ting.  Our bill last month for 3 smart phones was $70!!!! (including usage by 16 year old!)

[frugledoc]

Overheard outside of work:

I was at a marriage workshop thingy (it was pretty cool, and my fiancé liked it too!) with a bunch of other couples. In chatting with one of the women there, she decided to give me some advice: "Money is the root of all evil. All your fights will be about money. Cause if you think about it, when will you ever stop wanting to buy things?"

She was dead serious. I felt like a deer in the headlights, because 99% of the time I'm a minimalist and I don't care for travelling so I can really truly picture not wanting to buy things. I changed the subject somehow, but wow - I was shocked to see that people really feel that way. I wish I could rememeber her exact wording, but you get the idea.

I feel sorry for couples who argue about money all the time.  Must be very stressful

[Zikoris]

I feel sorry for couples who argue about money all the time.  Must be very stressful

I feel sorry for couples who argue about ANYTHING all the time. To me, if you can't get along, and fight regularly, why are you together? It's a pretty big indicator of incompatibility.

[frugledoc]

I don't think fighting is the problem.  It's fighting and then holding long grudges and resentment. 

[Daisy]

Today I was chatting with a (much older) coworker. 

She said, idly:  "Did you ever think about how much you would save, if, right away on your first job you actually saved money in your 401K?"

Me:  *long pause* "......Yes....."

Coworker:  "No, I mean seriously; like, not just up to the employer match, but to actually like, max it out to whatever the maximum is?" 

Me:  *longer pause* "......Yesss......"

In my head I was thinking, 'Aieeeeee!!  What, you think you have to stop saving money once you get to the maximum?  And you DON'T KNOW what the 401K limit is?' 

This woman is probably ~60, complains INCESSANTLY about working and the environment at our company,  and has no one in her life except her dog.  I've been (and still am) wondering what in the world she spends her money on that she isn't retired already...

I had a similar conversation with a coworker recently. I think she's mid 40s like me or maybe early 50s? She's unmarried and has a lot of cats, I've gathered. We were talking about potential layoffs at work. I mentioned that's what triggered me to downsize my house and look at cutting my expenses further. She then started thinking aloud and thought she should pay off some of her credit card debt. Then she said "I have the money to pay off the credit card debt, but then I'd be poor". I didn't know what to say after that...

[Gin1984]

On a call at work today with some people in the Northeast.  They were extremely happy they were now allowed to telecommute, especially the guy who was commuting 73 miles each way. 

I worked in that office for a few years and knew quite a few people who commuted in from the next state over (at least an hour away, sometimes 1.5 hours away).  They wanted a bigger house and lower property taxes.

I've spent almost my entire internship wondering why 2 coworkers drive 75 minutes every day. They do get paid half mileage, but still. 2.5 hours of the day lost on driving. They were moved to this office over 5 years ago.

They could live where I do and only drive 25 minutes and probably have an identical or lower housing cost, plus good schools for the kiddies.

My husband is going to commute so I can finish my PhD.  It was the closest university with a PI and research he liked.  It sucks but as soon as I finish the money will stop being wasted.

[Zikoris]

I don't think fighting is the problem.  It's fighting and then holding long grudges and resentment.

Maybe it doesn't bother other people. For me, fighting a lot would mean we have pretty fundamental differences, which would make me wonder why I was with the person. I'm not a fighting sort of person AT ALL, so it would be very difficult to resolve issues with someone if that was how they dealt with conflicts.

Two people who both liked to fight would probably get along very well, come to think of it.

[Melody]

$12,000 a year private school fees.... for a 6 year old?????!!! And she has two kids.... in today's dollars she will spend at least $288K educating them (in reality actually a lot more as high school fees tend to run a lot higher than lower school fees)...
In comparison a house in the "best" school zone could be purchased for $600-$800K (i.e. $100-$300K more than an average house, with the advantage that the best school zones are close to work, the beach and public transit and have low crime so it would be a better place to live anyway)... I know where I'd be putting my money and it wouldn't be the private school.

Haha that's my strategy if I decide I need my kids to be in a high performing school... move to a high performing suburb, put them in the local public school and enjoy all the benefits of living in that suburb.

Speaking of private schools, they've been a topic of discussion in the workplace lately and apparently high schools in Perth cost $10-15k for a Catholic school and $20-25k for Anglican, non-religious etc. Jeepers. I wonder how many kids would rather be sent to a public school and NOT have their parents in massive amounts of debt.

Yup. I mean is it really going to make that much of a difference... when plenty of publics are in the top 20 (Shenton, Willeton and Mt Lawley all spring to mind) why would you? It's also not like said co worker will be sending her kid to a top 20 anyway... (Just a Catholic School). I actually pointed this out to her (politely, I was like, "lots of public schools made the top 20 list, maybe you can check some of them out") and the response was priceless - "We're private school people" (in other words... it's not about the quality of the education!)

[mm1970]

I heard two good ones today at the company picnic. By good I mean surprisingly Mustachian. I guess it helps that I work with engineers.

CW1 accepted a severance package last year but they asked her to stay on until mid-year this year to finish a project. She's about to leave in a month. She shared that she's 46 and it's time for a break. She has plans to see her daughter off to college, teach dance classes, etc. She and her husband have been conservative with their finances their whole lives. She stated she's done everything right and by the book up until now and she's just going to enjoy this time. I could have said the same exact words! Unfortunately, she's not ready for ER yet.

CW2 and I were talking about potential upcoming severance packages and he's all ready to accept it as I am. He wants to slow travel to Europe with his wife and parents. He is also mid-40s.

They both mentioned that we are in our 40s and are tired of doing the same thing. So it looks like being financially prepared gives you options in life. I was very impressed!

We just had layoffs.  Sadly, those of us who wanted the package were not laid off.

[LucyBIT]

I don't think fighting is the problem.  It's fighting and then holding long grudges and resentment.

Maybe it doesn't bother other people. For me, fighting a lot would mean we have pretty fundamental differences, which would make me wonder why I was with the person. I'm not a fighting sort of person AT ALL, so it would be very difficult to resolve issues with someone if that was how they dealt with conflicts.

Two people who both liked to fight would probably get along very well, come to think of it.

All depends on the people involved, I think. My fiance says he never had a single fight with his ex, and they were together for five years, and even then he saw it as a red flag.

We fight when we need to, but that's how we work out differences of opinion. If you're not a fighting person, presumably you're still working things out somehow, it's just not in such a way that fits most definitions of fighting. Fighting has actually been good for my fiance; with his ex, it wasn't that he wasn't a fighter, it was that they both avoided confrontation at all costs, any kind of confrontation that might lead to any kind of conflict. Engaging in some level of fighting has helped him be ok with confronting me when I'm being an asshole, instead of just swallowing everything and burping out resentment.

[Daisy]

I heard two good ones today at the company picnic. By good I mean surprisingly Mustachian. I guess it helps that I work with engineers.

CW1 accepted a severance package last year but they asked her to stay on until mid-year this year to finish a project. She's about to leave in a month. She shared that she's 46 and it's time for a break. She has plans to see her daughter off to college, teach dance classes, etc. She and her husband have been conservative with their finances their whole lives. She stated she's done everything right and by the book up until now and she's just going to enjoy this time. I could have said the same exact words! Unfortunately, she's not ready for ER yet.

CW2 and I were talking about potential upcoming severance packages and he's all ready to accept it as I am. He wants to slow travel to Europe with his wife and parents. He is also mid-40s.

They both mentioned that we are in our 40s and are tired of doing the same thing. So it looks like being financially prepared gives you options in life. I was very impressed!

We just had layoffs.  Sadly, those of us who wanted the package were not laid off.

An MMM-style tragedy, indeed.

[warfreak2]

I was at a marriage workshop thingy (it was pretty cool, and my fiancé liked it too!) with a bunch of other couples. In chatting with one of the women there, she decided to give me some advice: "Money is the root of all evil. All your fights will be about money. Cause if you think about it, when will you ever stop wanting to buy things?"

A common misquote; it's actually "love of money" which is supposed* to be the root of all evil. Fighting about money could be a sign that they value it too highly.

*In the Bible, of all places. One has to wonder what Satan's salary as CEO of Hell is. Anyway, we can probably agree that there's plenty of evil which isn't motivated by money, so let's dispense with the philosophy.

[FIPurpose]

I was at a marriage workshop thingy (it was pretty cool, and my fiancé liked it too!) with a bunch of other couples. In chatting with one of the women there, she decided to give me some advice: "Money is the root of all evil. All your fights will be about money. Cause if you think about it, when will you ever stop wanting to buy things?"

A common misquote; it's actually "love of money" which is supposed* to be the root of all evil. Fighting about money could be a sign that they value it too highly.

*In the Bible, of all places. One has to wonder what Satan's salary as CEO of Hell is. Anyway, we can probably agree that there's plenty of evil which isn't motivated by money, so let's dispense with the philosophy.

Looks like it's really only the KJV that uses the phrase 'all evil'. Most other translations use: 'For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.' Would look deeper into the translation differences if I had the time. Hmm maybe a good weekend project.

[Quark]

Mine says, "Money is the root of all sorts of injurious things." :D

[BFGirl]

Just got a big (20k ) raise, and in my new department on the first day I overheard my fellow workers:

"Blah, blah, blah, yeah and I want the new X designer bag"
"Yeah I'm going to get the X designer bag too, etc"
"(laughing) yeah we just have to wait until next payday because I'm so broke!"

Um. WHAT IS HAPPENING? For all the shit I read about my horrible generation (I'm 26) I mostly hear this kind of talk from people over the ages of 35-40 in my office. They spend $6000 on a handbag they don't bat an eye, lunch out everyday, don't bat an eye, I bring my own coffee in a jar to work or mention not having cable and they all scream HIPSTER!!!! Yeah, I'm not a hipster, I'm aware of the results of stupid spending. By the way, since when did using recycled bags and making things from scratch mean hipster? My 90 year old grandma does that so I guess she must be a hipster too.

Well young people doing things old people do is typical hipster.  Like spinning your own yarn:

Ok.  I know this post is old, but this is awesome.  This is my side business!

[Quark]

Our work is moving to a new location. I said I was going to move into the onsite apartments and ride my bike 1/4 mi to work.

CW1 says: I could never live in an apartment again, I have too much stuff!
Me: Maybe you could downsize?
CW2: No, don't you see, he loves his stuff!

CW1 then proceeds to talk about the 4000sq ft house he just got and how he had to fill up all the extra space with new stuff! And how him and his wife don't use all the space, its just for guests!

[Melody]

This whole hipster thing is fantastic...
Now I'm cool and don't have to cop flak for my MMM behaviors anymore ;-)

[Anatidae V]

This whole hipster thing is fantastic...
Now I'm cool and don't have to cop flak for my MMM behaviors anymore ;-)

I had hipsters explained to me after picking up a copy of Frankie's (http://www.frankie.com.au). I got all excited by it - look people like me! (Except this stuff isn't quite practical and that costs too much)... Oh, these people don't actually like it, only ironically? Well at least I can blend in if I curb my enthusiasm...

[Zikoris]

I live in Vancouver, which is one of the hipster capitals of the world. About two years ago people stopped calling me weird and started calling me hipster. Apparently it's getting worse - I'm now at the extreme end of hipster, the kind that makes people roll their eyes. I haven't actually changed any of my behaviour over the years (maybe learned a few more DIY things than before), so it's interesting seeing the perception change.