Overheard at Work

[JLee]

Overheard at dinner with neighbor. Ok, it was my neighbor...

Guy just lost his job a month ago, but he's not in panic mode, since he seems to have it together for the most part.  Small home, recently downsized, Older CRV, and his wife drives an older van that they own.

Over dinner he says he landed a job.  Great news!  But this is what made my jaw drop:  it comes with a monthly stipend of 800.00, with a separate gas card.  He nonchalantly mentions that his CRV payment is just under 400.00 a month, so they're looking to replace his wife's van with something much newer, like a 2012 Honda Odyssey.  Jesus. 

This guys no spring chicken, and I can't help but think how fast I could stuff that money into anything other than another car...

Is this a stipend for a vehicle?  If so, isn't it probably a "use it or lose it" scenario?

I wouldn't have a car payment looming, but if I was offered a $800/month stipend specifically earmarked for car use, I would likely go out and get a fancy new car. I would get a Tesla Model 3.

That wouldn't work out very well, since the stipend is likely because you need a car for work, and you're not going to see a Model 3 until probably 2018 at the earliest. :P

[CodAlmighty]

I overheard a rather consumerist colleague last week saying that they had booked an appointment to see a financial advisor the following day. This morning there was a delivery of no less than five parcels from Amazon, which is actually slightly more than most other days. Not sure I think much of her financial advisor....

[Kitsune]

I overheard a rather consumerist colleague last week saying that they had booked an appointment to see a financial advisor the following day. This morning there was a delivery of no less than five parcels from Amazon, which is actually slightly more than most other days. Not sure I think much of her financial advisor....

To be fair, if people judged my consumerism by the amount of packages I receive, they'd get a really skewed perspective of my finances.

A) I have kids. The nearest thrift store is 30km away, and crappy, and sells used Walmart clothing for the price of new old navy clothing... Which delivers to my door, for free, with free returns of anything we don't want. If I'm gonna pay 4$ for a pair of shorts, I don't want to pay gas for a 70km round-trip along with it.

B) country living. There is not a single store within 25km, and most stores are in the nearest city 50km away. So: a lot of little things (spare rubber gasket for the blender, parts to fix the fridge door, etc) are ordered online just because it's that or pay for gas to then pay the same cost in-store 50km away.


On an average week, I get 5-6 packages. Usually for a total cost of less than 50$, and usually parts to fix things or things that are so much cheaper online that it doesn't make sense to drive to the store. But, yeah, I can see how it looks.

[deadlymonkey]

I overheard a rather consumerist colleague last week saying that they had booked an appointment to see a financial advisor the following day. This morning there was a delivery of no less than five parcels from Amazon, which is actually slightly more than most other days. Not sure I think much of her financial advisor....

To be fair, if people judged my consumerism by the amount of packages I receive, they'd get a really skewed perspective of my finances.

A) I have kids. The nearest thrift store is 30km away, and crappy, and sells used Walmart clothing for the price of new old navy clothing... Which delivers to my door, for free, with free returns of anything we don't want. If I'm gonna pay 4$ for a pair of shorts, I don't want to pay gas for a 70km round-trip along with it.

B) country living. There is not a single store within 25km, and most stores are in the nearest city 50km away. So: a lot of little things (spare rubber gasket for the blender, parts to fix the fridge door, etc) are ordered online just because it's that or pay for gas to then pay the same cost in-store 50km away.


On an average week, I get 5-6 packages. Usually for a total cost of less than 50$, and usually parts to fix things or things that are so much cheaper online that it doesn't make sense to drive to the store. But, yeah, I can see how it looks.

QFT.  I live in an urban area and there is an Amazon distribution depot 2 miles from my house (which means I sometimes get same day or next day free shipping).  There are packages delivered to us most days because it is usually cheaper than the store (especially when factoring in transport) and much easier than heading out with the kids, just to pick up something small that is needed.

[CarpeDime]

Co-worker is a single guy who just bought a 3-bedroom house for himself (with "ample closet space to impress the ladies").  He is now in the market for a new car, because his 7-year-old Audi has cost him $6k in repairs over the past two months.  He can't handle that type of car spending with the new house payment, so he's going to finance a new Audi A6 (approximately $60k) because that monthly payment is "easier to budget for."

*flail*

[Kitsune]

Hah! My standard 'sneak this past my husband' is going 3$ overboard on my ebook budget. I'm suddenly feeling a lot less guilty about that... ;)

Are you my wife? Between this and the house cleanliness stuff over in the Facebook thread you sound a lot like my wife. Except we don't have kids...

I'm glad to know there are other feminist-y bookworms around! :)

[Andrew928]

Co-Worker: "I have gained 22 pounds in the last 6 months I have been working here, I need to start eating better and spending less eating out."

*30 minutes later a Dominos car rolls up...

[ketchup]

(with "ample closet space to impress the ladies"). 

What the hell...?

[I'm a red panda]

(with "ample closet space to impress the ladies"). 

What the hell...?

I've actually heard this on HGTV a few times, when single men buy houses.  Women don't want to date men with houses with small closets, because they don't want to move in there, apparently.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

(with "ample closet space to impress the ladies"). 

What the hell...?

I've actually heard this on HGTV a few times, when single men buy houses.  Women don't want to date men with houses with small closets, because they don't want to move in there, apparently.

Nowhere to hide the bodies?

[Sibley]

(with "ample closet space to impress the ladies"). 

What the hell...?

I've actually heard this on HGTV a few times, when single men buy houses.  Women don't want to date men with houses with small closets, because they don't want to move in there, apparently.

Nowhere to hide the bodies?

Or maybe they just have WAY too many clothes.

[former player]

(with "ample closet space to impress the ladies"). 

What the hell...?

I've actually heard this on HGTV a few times, when single men buy houses.  Women don't want to date men with houses with small closets, because they don't want to move in there, apparently.

Nowhere to hide the bodies?

Or maybe they just have WAY too many clothes.

No, it's a euphemism.

[fattest_foot]

That said, I run a good sized manufacturing plant, and I drive the crappiest car in our lot. It's kind of eye opening to me to see how many of my employees drive brand new trucks and such with a $40k income. I couldn't imagine spending a year's salary on an automobile.

I second this. I run a electronics manufacturing plant and my car is worth less than $2k. Most of my employees drive brand new cars $30-40k range(there entire salary). They used to complain how they were broke to me all the time and I would just point at there car and then to mine.

I have lost the title, or at least I have competitors for "crappiest car on the lot" title at work now that I got a new car. I've also vaulted over the $2k bar, and the new car is POSH. I have Air Conditioning again!
...

For every sub-2k vehicle I see where I work, there are two monster trucks blocking their doors in. They can't even fit in parking spaces anymore, too wide and too long to park properly, and too tall to work out of.
The irony is that clown cars used to be very tiny and packed full with dozens of clowns. These days they're so big they can't fit in a parking space and only one clown comes out when the door opens.

I'm not 100% sure what you meant by this, but my wife and I had to get a truck to move some things a little over a month ago. The one we got was some ridiculous oversized thing, and the only concern I really had was it'd be difficult to drive.

But nope, the REAL problem was that when it came time to load it, I realized the damn bed sat probably 5 feet off the ground. So now instead of just loading stuff, I literally had to lift it above my head to get it into the bed of a truck. What a ridiculous design. But then I remember that people who drive trucks that tall probably never put anything in the back.

[JAYSLOL]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

[babysnowbyrd]

This is the same guy, when we first started working together, asked where I lived. When I told him, he replied: That's not such a bad neighborhood. I even let my son trick-or-treat in part of it.

Gee, thanks?!?

At my old job a coworker was complaining about the parents of her daughter's friend who let the two girls (8 years old) walk to the corner gas station alone to buy ice-cream. She thought it the neighborhood was too sketchy to let two girls so young go alone on such an errand. I know my coworker really well, and she's usually a bit more descriptive. Normally she would say which neighborhood so you would understand what she meant, most of the time people agree with her. Anyway, when she glossed over that part, I just got a big smile on my face. She flushed when she saw it but kept telling her story.

Yup. My neighborhood.

[onehair]

Finally I have one to add on a coworker just lost her grandmother a week ago.  She seems to be more concerned her lazy younger daughter have her hair properly styled (for which she has no money by the way) for the funeral.  WTF? Go pay your respects put a hat or a scarf or a headwrap on your head but go!!!  I shake my head so often hearing of her financial silliness I think I have whiplash.  She eats out almost daily but has trouble paying rent.  I doubt she has anything in her retirement account at this point frequently borrowing from it... She has ignored our pleas for her to move to a cheaper apartment allows her relatives to use her and generally never seems to display any financial sense whatsoever.  She chastised me for not eating out daily at lunch as much as I used to...

[I'm a red panda]

Finally I have one to add on a coworker just lost her grandmother a week ago.  She seems to be more concerned her lazy younger daughter have her hair properly styled (for which she has no money by the way) for the funeral.  WTF? Go pay your respects put a hat or a scarf or a headwrap on your head but go!!!

Although she probably has financial issues that are face punch worthy, you really can't judge people who are grieving. People process things in weird ways and things that don't matter at all often appear very important.

[MgoSam]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

[BDWW]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

I think you just illustrated his point. The "economy" shouldn't really affect how you run your business. You manage overhead, inventory, other expenses as always. The "economy" can be going like gangbusters and a new competitor could have just as much effect on your business as a crappy "economy." 

See Ford vs GM ~2008

[nanu]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

I think you just illustrated his point. The "economy" shouldn't really affect how you run your business. You manage overhead, inventory, other expenses as always. The "economy" can be going like gangbusters and a new competitor could have just as much effect on your business as a crappy "economy." 

See Ford vs GM ~2008

Yes and no. When you run a business you probably make future projections (Is now a good time to try to expand to new market? To hire more people? To order a lot of merchandise?),
and if you think the economy is going to tank soon you'll make different projections and therefore different decisions than if you think the economy will prosper

[MgoSam]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

I think you just illustrated his point. The "economy" shouldn't really affect how you run your business. You manage overhead, inventory, other expenses as always. The "economy" can be going like gangbusters and a new competitor could have just as much effect on your business as a crappy "economy." 

See Ford vs GM ~2008

Yes and no. When you run a business you probably make future projections (Is now a good time to try to expand to new market? To hire more people? To order a lot of merchandise?),
and if you think the economy is going to tank soon you'll make different projections and therefore different decisions than if you think the economy will prosper

BDWW, I really don't know what you're trying to say but I'll try to address it.

Yes, if the market for my products is going well, I have to be wary of competitors. If the market is bad, well things are good for obvious reasons, but I think it's the height of stupidity to say that the economy doesn't affect how I run my business. EVERYTHING effects how I run my business, I don't stay up at night worrying about the economy (there are plenty of other things on my mind), but it is something I have to watch for.

In addition for sales declining, there's always the chance that my customers will go out of business. This can hurt due to losing that customer, but also if they had a balance with me, there's the challenge in collecting. My company is stable (knock on wood), but all too many businesses run on a slow margin.

Nanu, you're correct, but as someone that has a company that has an extremely low overhead, there's only so much we can do in the face of a bad economy. The only thing I can really do is order less products, but it is always a challenge to pick the right one. Oh, I'll also switch to buying more lower end products, as generally customers will tend to gravitate towards them during a recession.

[JAYSLOL]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

I think you just illustrated his point. The "economy" shouldn't really affect how you run your business. You manage overhead, inventory, other expenses as always. The "economy" can be going like gangbusters and a new competitor could have just as much effect on your business as a crappy "economy." 

See Ford vs GM ~2008

Yes and no. When you run a business you probably make future projections (Is now a good time to try to expand to new market? To hire more people? To order a lot of merchandise?),
and if you think the economy is going to tank soon you'll make different projections and therefore different decisions than if you think the economy will prosper

I did over-simplify it a little, however worrying about the economy and making business calculations based on future predictions are quite different.  I too make life decisions based on economic factors, but I don't tend to "worry" about the economy

[BDWW]

Coworker today "I'm not very optimistic about the economy, very worried."

I didn't press him as to why, but I can only think of 3 situations in which worrying about the economy would occupy much of my time...

1.  If I were a politician or an economist whose job was dependant on worrying about the economy

2.  If I were a Billionare venture capitalist who just made a massive investment in a startup company that was dependant on a strong economy like an airline

3.  If I were a near minimum wage worker up to my eyeballs in debt and watched 24hour news for fun

I wonder which one applies to him?  Oh, wait..

That could be, but it affects people far more deeply than those 3 situations. For me, I would be worried if the economy took a downturn because than consumer confidence would decline, and so they wouldn't spend as much, meaning that as a wholesaler, my customers won't buy as much. This would hurt my business.

I think you just illustrated his point. The "economy" shouldn't really affect how you run your business. You manage overhead, inventory, other expenses as always. The "economy" can be going like gangbusters and a new competitor could have just as much effect on your business as a crappy "economy." 

See Ford vs GM ~2008

Yes and no. When you run a business you probably make future projections (Is now a good time to try to expand to new market? To hire more people? To order a lot of merchandise?),
and if you think the economy is going to tank soon you'll make different projections and therefore different decisions than if you think the economy will prosper

BDWW, I really don't know what you're trying to say but I'll try to address it.

Yes, if the market for my products is going well, I have to be wary of competitors. If the market is bad, well things are good for obvious reasons, but I think it's the height of stupidity to say that the economy doesn't affect how I run my business. EVERYTHING effects how I run my business, I don't stay up at night worrying about the economy (there are plenty of other things on my mind), but it is something I have to watch for.

In addition for sales declining, there's always the chance that my customers will go out of business. This can hurt due to losing that customer, but also if they had a balance with me, there's the challenge in collecting. My company is stable (knock on wood), but all too many businesses run on a slow margin.

Nanu, you're correct, but as someone that has a company that has an extremely low overhead, there's only so much we can do in the face of a bad economy. The only thing I can really do is order less products, but it is always a challenge to pick the right one. Oh, I'll also switch to buying more lower end products, as generally customers will tend to gravitate towards them during a recession.

I understand you're perspective and I don't think we really disagree. I was simply trying to point out that the "economy" as it's referred to in main stream media, has very little relevance to many (perhaps most) businesses, if they operate conservatively. I too own a business, and there is very little correlation between the national "economy", and my business. There are a multitude of factors that effect how much product I move that are outside of general national trends. In the course of controlling - reducing/increasing inventory/overhead, etc - for those factors, I also indirectly control for influence of broader trends. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you are effective at controlling for the everyday factors of business*, for the most part, you should be able to weather/adapt to broader trends.

*Of course a loaded statement that can be incredibly difficult.

[9-Volt]

Across from work, a electric go-cart place opened up last month. So I walked over to see what it's about. The cost was $15 -20 a race depending how many you bought and $20 membership. I was like NO WAY, I already pay enough for my car. The guy next to me had totally different view. He has already done 50 races ($750). When I got back to my office, a coworker asked how many races I pre-bought? He got himself 15 races ($300). I get go-karts for kids, or if you could go faster than real cars. But driving to a place to go driving, is just ridiculous.

[Ann]

What!?!?  When I started reading your post, I sheepishly thought "yeah, I'm probably unmustachian enough to go once or twice."  50 times?!?  That's why it made the Wall of Shame and Comedy.
(So do you have to get the $20 membership?)

[russianswinga]

The guy next to me had totally different view. He has already done 50 races ($750).

$750 will get you an Xbox one, a racing chair, wheel and pedals. Then you can drive any car you want on any track or circuit in the world in a very realistic fashion.

[k-vette]

The guy next to me had totally different view. He has already done 50 races ($750).

$750 will get you an Xbox one, a racing chair, wheel and pedals. Then you can drive any car you want on any track or circuit in the world in a very realistic fashion.

Or your own go-kart.

[MgoSam]

Electric go-kart sounds like fun, but not $15-20 worth of fun.

[JAYSLOL]

Electric go-kart sounds like fun, but not $15-20 worth of fun.

Pretty much my take on it too.  I worked at a go-cart place one summer, but I don't spend money on that kind of thing at home.  I did go go-carting while travelling in India with some friends once because it was like only $7 or $8 for 20 laps and the cars were (scary) fast compared to anything i've ever seen at here. 

[Reynold]

I was simply trying to point out that the "economy" as it's referred to in main stream media, has very little relevance to many (perhaps most) businesses, if they operate conservatively. I too own a business, and there is very little correlation between the national "economy", and my business.

Though in the downturn of 2008, my company went through its first ever (in 18 years) round of general layoffs, and it included me, so it is not unreasonable as a wage slave to worry about the economy.  If you own a company, you might want to keep more capital reserves or open a line of credit, even if you don't plan to use it.  Ford avoided declaring bankruptcy in 2009, unlike General Motors, because they set up big lines of credit before the recession. 

There are, of course, lots of jobs and companies whose business does fine in a recession, and some which even do better, but I don't think it is the general case, or it wouldn't be a recession. 

[MgoSam]

I was simply trying to point out that the "economy" as it's referred to in main stream media, has very little relevance to many (perhaps most) businesses, if they operate conservatively. I too own a business, and there is very little correlation between the national "economy", and my business.

Though in the downturn of 2008, my company went through its first ever (in 18 years) round of general layoffs, and it included me, so it is not unreasonable as a wage slave to worry about the economy.  If you own a company, you might want to keep more capital reserves or open a line of credit, even if you don't plan to use it.  Ford avoided declaring bankruptcy in 2009, unlike General Motors, because they set up big lines of credit before the recession. 

There are, of course, lots of jobs and companies whose business does fine in a recession, and some which even do better, but I don't think it is the general case, or it wouldn't be a recession.

Before I came to work here we suffered during a recession. We didn't have LOC set up, nor did we have a cash reserve and suffered as a result. Thankfully we were able to get loans from family members that owned successful businesses and paid them back (with interest), but it was a good lesson to avoid such situations.

BDWW, good for you, but my business has a correlation with the economy even though we have started a new line of products that could be recession-proof, I have no desire to put it to the test. My sense has been that when people worry about finances, they tend to spend less, and that means less demand for products in general. A rising tide....

[ender]

I was simply trying to point out that the "economy" as it's referred to in main stream media, has very little relevance to many (perhaps most) businesses, if they operate conservatively. I too own a business, and there is very little correlation between the national "economy", and my business.

Though in the downturn of 2008, my company went through its first ever (in 18 years) round of general layoffs, and it included me, so it is not unreasonable as a wage slave to worry about the economy.  If you own a company, you might want to keep more capital reserves or open a line of credit, even if you don't plan to use it.  Ford avoided declaring bankruptcy in 2009, unlike General Motors, because they set up big lines of credit before the recession. 

There are, of course, lots of jobs and companies whose business does fine in a recession, and some which even do better, but I don't think it is the general case, or it wouldn't be a recession.

Before I came to work here we suffered during a recession. We didn't have LOC set up, nor did we have a cash reserve and suffered as a result. Thankfully we were able to get loans from family members that owned successful businesses and paid them back (with interest), but it was a good lesson to avoid such situations.

BDWW, good for you, but my business has a correlation with the economy even though we have started a new line of products that could be recession-proof, I have no desire to put it to the test. My sense has been that when people worry about finances, they tend to spend less, and that means less demand for products in general. A rising tide....

There is value in considering how your industry is affected by ups and downs in the economy.

Some definitely fare differently.

[nobodyspecial]

There is value in considering how your industry is affected by ups and downs in the economy.

Some definitely fare differently.

The dollar store chain is up abut 850% since 2009 for example

[Kitsune]

There is value in considering how your industry is affected by ups and downs in the economy.

Some definitely fare differently.

The dollar store chain is up abut 850% since 2009 for example

To be fair to the dollar store (the Quebec chain is Dollorama, I have no idea about anywhere else) - in 2009, what they sold was ALWAYS 1$ or less, and was junk. The local Dollorama is now... actually a really decent place to get things. I'm pretty sure everything is now 3$ or under, but that includes huge (and nice-looking) pots and planters for the deck, pool noodles and pool toys, outdoor toys that don't break immediately, balls, basic art supplies (especially great for a toddler craft-kit under 10$...), etc. Like, I can guarantee that I spend way more at the dollar store now than I did 7 years ago, but it's not because I'm more broke, it's that their offerings have gotten way better and it's worth going there for the things I want/need.

[nobodyspecial]

Dollarama are doing great. Fantastic business model of opening local stores to sell things that are otherwise in out-of-town big box Walmart or Canadian Tire and which are too small and cheap for Amazon to bother with.

But they did get lucky by being one of the few retail brands who benefited from a recession.
 

[Warlord1986]

It wasn't at my work, but it happened at somebody's work. I went for a dentist appointment (and you will all be happy to know that I have nice, clean chompers) and when I went to pay it was $78.80. I was about to pay and the lady goes: "Do you want to pay it all at once?"

It was actually less expensive than what I was expecting, and dentist appointments come around like clockwork. This is not a surprise expense and it's not a huge amount. Why wouldn't I pay for it all at once?

On the plus side, the dental assistant and I talked about how great consignment stores are, and what great deals we always get, and how much better they are than the mall. :)

[infogoon]

Fun fact for other US readers: Dollar Tree both sells groceries and accepts coupons. So if you have manufacturer coupons for $1 off something that they sell, it's free. I get a lot of canned soup / peanut butter / jelly / other basic staples from them.

[sw1tch]

Fun fact for other US readers: Dollar Tree both sells groceries and accepts coupons. So if you have manufacturer coupons for $1 off something that they sell, it's free. I get a lot of canned soup / peanut butter / jelly / other basic staples from them.

Yes! I actually started buying 100% whole wheat bread from Dollar Tree (they are kind of hit or miss with when they get shipments of Nature's Own but otherwise it has been good).  The expiration date is usually a few days away, but the stuff holds up in the fridge or freezer just fine past the date.  iBotta also has rebates for any type of bread (used to be $0.50 but now is $0.25) that can be applied to Dollar Tree purchases.

I'll have to take a closer look at some of the staples that you mentioned the next time I go there.

[Suze456]

Overheard someone say they pay for everything with credit card so they get another 30-45 days before they have to actually pay for it. Ok in theory, but...
1. They have plenty of money in their current account (no reason not to pay for it in full straight away)
2. They get 0% interest on their current account (having the money for another 30-45 days doesn't do them any good)
3. They then forget to pay the credit card off and get hit with a 20% interest rate!
 and...
4. They teach maths for a living.

[zephyr911]

Lots of us here do that, except, we actually take advantage of that free float to keep more funds invested. Autodraft from checking can avoid that pesky interest.

[Suze456]

They mustn't have read the full article :) . I know, it makes sense if you pay it off in full before the deadline AND do something with the money

[BTDretire]

The guy next to me had totally different view. He has already done 50 races ($750).

$750 will get you an Xbox one, a racing chair, wheel and pedals. Then you can drive any car you want on any track or circuit in the world in a very realistic fashion.

Or your own go-kart.

My son and I built an electric gokart about 10 years ago, I started with an old gokart an acquaintance had up against the wall in his garage, I ask if he wanted to sell it, he said give me $100. I have a friend with a welding shop
and he acquired a DC motor off of some equipment he junked. Long story shortened, we had a ball with it. It would top out at about 40mph, the kids loved doing donuts.  It was quiet so the neighbors never complained.
We used it about 5 years, the kids went away to college, so I decided to sell it.
 I got on a gokart forum, I described it and ask how I would go about selling it. It was an older gokart, like 50 years old. I immediately got 3 offers and I hadn't even offered it, I was just asking how I go about it.
Surprise!!! The top offer was $1,200. I accepted it and then had people on the forum mad because I did not give them a chance to bid. Well. after the weekend I got a sad story from the buyer and he wanted out. So I reposted it and sold it for the same $1,200. Not much chance I'll ever get paid to have that much fun again. :-)

[myhotrs]

So this girl at work just bought a new puppy (still waiting for it actually) and is very excited. She's someone I think is very bright and I've shared my FIRE plans with her, thought she understood and was interested. Well, not so much it turns out. The new puppy cost over $5,000!!!!

The idea of someone spending anything when there are millions or adoptable dogs of practically any breed and age available everywhere is very disturbing to me. People seem to have no problem selling their own future, supporting puppy-mills, letting dogs WE created be killed by the millions, etc etc. Everyone in the office is all excited and looking at designer dogs all day which will only lead others here to "keep up" by buying their own designer puppies.

I'm a pretty conservative free-market guy, but sometimes I'm really down on mankind.

[Chris22]

So this girl at work just bought a new puppy (still waiting for it actually) and is very excited. She's someone I think is very bright and I've shared my FIRE plans with her, thought she understood and was interested. Well, not so much it turns out. The new puppy cost over $5,000!!!!

The idea of someone spending anything when there are millions or adoptable dogs of practically any breed and age available everywhere is very disturbing to me. People seem to have no problem selling their own future, supporting puppy-mills, letting dogs WE created be killed by the millions, etc etc. Everyone in the office is all excited and looking at designer dogs all day which will only lead others here to "keep up" by buying their own designer puppies.

I'm a pretty conservative free-market guy, but sometimes I'm really down on mankind.

Well, I sorta agree, but...

1.  I had a bad experience with a shelter dog as a kid.  Was very aggressive, bit everyone in my family multiple times (breaking the skin) and we had to put him down about 18 months after adopting.  I was very wary of that.

2.  We intended to go find a breeder, etc, for our dog, but my wife hadn't really had much experience with the breed we were looking at.  We went to a crappy pet store that was selling the breed we were interested in.  You see where this is going.  Of course we fell in love with one, and had to buy him*.  Do I feel bad I supported a crappy system?  Yes, I do.  Do I think my particular dog would be better off if I hadn't bought him for moral/idealogical reasons?  Not at all.  So I did.  Oh well.

*"How much is he?"  "$56/mo" "Huh?  How much to just buy him?" "Oh..I dunno...no one ever asks that..."

[myhotrs]

Its actually sad on many levels, the puppy she bought has a heart murmur (a genetic defect common in puppy-mills and pure-breed dogs) but there is another puppy that someone put a deposit for and now can't come up with the rest. Who is buying a dog that they can't even afford??

[mtn]

Its actually sad on many levels, the puppy she bought has a heart murmur (a genetic defect common in puppy-mills and pure-breed dogs) but there is another puppy that someone put a deposit for and now can't come up with the rest. Who is buying a dog that they can't even afford??

This varies breed to breed and dog to dog. Actually, it is another point in favor of bred dogs in my opinion. When we got our first dog, we met her mother, father, 2 of her grandmothers, 1 of her grandfathers, and her great-grandfather (father of the grandfather we didn't meet). All were in excellent health other than arthritis. But more importantly, we could see that they were all friendly and gentle.

Of course, the healthiest breed overall is a mutt, so you do have a good point that should be remembered.

[mtn]

So this girl at work just bought a new puppy (still waiting for it actually) and is very excited. She's someone I think is very bright and I've shared my FIRE plans with her, thought she understood and was interested. Well, not so much it turns out. The new puppy cost over $5,000!!!!

The idea of someone spending anything when there are millions or adoptable dogs of practically any breed and age available everywhere is very disturbing to me. People seem to have no problem selling their own future, supporting puppy-mills, letting dogs WE created be killed by the millions, etc etc. Everyone in the office is all excited and looking at designer dogs all day which will only lead others here to "keep up" by buying their own designer puppies.

I'm a pretty conservative free-market guy, but sometimes I'm really down on mankind.

Not making a comment on the designer breeds--since I've found most of the various "poo's", other than the Poodle, to be insane--but if she's spending over $5k on the dog it *probably* isn't from a puppy mill. While she probably isn't taking it hunting or anything, my brother is buying one at a similar price point, although he is mostly paying for the training since he is an avid hunter. My neighbors bought one that was even more expensive than that, but they're old and wanted a very specific personality which you can find more reliably with a [responsibly] bred dog.

Now, I'd assume that what she wants is really just a friend--for that, you don't need to get a bred dog or a designer dog. There are rescues everywhere, of every breed, that will be excellent friends.

(Super psyched I get to spend the weekend with 3 awesome dogs--1 rescued at 5 years, 1 as a puppy, and the other from a responsible breeder)

[Dollar Slice]

Overheard a depressing conversation on the subway commute to work this morning. Some guy (a public transit employee, in uniform) was hitting on a much younger woman (she said she was 26, he looked 45-50). Highlights included his story about how he bought an $800 phone and then dropped it in the toilet - "and they wouldn't even replace it for free!" So now he has no phone and he feels like he got "robbed." He seemed to feel like the whole incident was absolutely not his fault in any way - it just fell right out of his hand! Then he asked her (as part of his not-so-smooth hitting-on spiel) "how many times" she's graduated from college, because she is so well-spoken*. She said "I haven't yet... I owe a lot of money." Then they started talking about subway passes and she said the weekly pass was too expensive ($31, IIRC), and he was acting like a big shot because he could get her a discount.

*This was a separate but similar tactic to his "Do you sing? You have such a nice voice" bit... I have never heard so many cheesy pick-up lines in my life.

[MgoSam]

Overheard a depressing conversation on the subway commute to work this morning. Some guy (a public transit employee, in uniform) was hitting on a much younger woman....... and he was acting like a big shot because he could get her a discount.

*This was a separate but similar tactic to his "Do you sing? You have such a nice voice" bit... I have never heard so many cheesy pick-up lines in my life.

Did it work?

I remember my second year of college, a cute girl was being hit on by a Israeli who was talking about Israeli foreign policy at a party. The party was one being hosted at my house so I sat down with a beer and proceeded to argue with the guy cause what else do people do at parties. Long story short, I got the girl!

[Dollar Slice]

Overheard a depressing conversation on the subway commute to work this morning. Some guy (a public transit employee, in uniform) was hitting on a much younger woman....... and he was acting like a big shot because he could get her a discount.

*This was a separate but similar tactic to his "Do you sing? You have such a nice voice" bit... I have never heard so many cheesy pick-up lines in my life.

Did it work?

She gave him her number. I have no idea what she saw in him, so I'm kind of hoping she wrote down a fake number or something.