Overheard at Work

[Metric Mouse]

I've tried lobster a couple of times and just don't get it. To me it was like crab-meets-rubber-eraser. If others enjoy it though, more power to them.

Yeah, I've struggled to make lobster turn out well at home. It seems like the effort to reward ratio is much too high; so many things that are just as tasty but don't require so much work to get right.

[MgoSam]

Before this gets too foamy, I thought I would share what I did on Saturday. I co-host a dinner group that tries to meet monthly for an international dinner (each month a different country). This month we did France, for it I made beef bourguignon for one of the main courses and my friend made bouillabaisse for the other main entree. Appetizers included escargot, cheese/bread, and caviar. For dessert we had custard, crepes, and a flan-like dish.

The meal was insanely extravagant and delicious, one of the best meals I can recall every having. Because the main host doesn't drink we didn't serve wine or any alcohol. Total cost was about $20 per person, mostly to cover the seafood!

[BTDretire]

DH came home one day and told me his coworkers asked him to join a new group they were creating.

There was going to be 10 members in the group. Each week, every member would contribute $50.
At the end of the week, the group would hold a drawing, and the winner would take home that week's money.
They would continue this for 10 weeks, and each person could win only once.

My husband politely declined to join, and his coworker's rebuttal was "But you're guaranteed to win $500!!"

Sadly, DH has no further knowledge on how this turned out.

lol, while not the most unmustachian thing in this thread, since everyone is going to break even, that's definitely the most pointless.

Unless somebody drops out once they win...

The first, second and third winners are going to continue to pay for 9, 8 and 7 more weeks when they have zero chance to win! They don't know people!
 Let us know if it falls apart.
 Hey, I know, keep each weeks winnings until the end of the 10 weeks before distribution.
Then give each person $500! :-)
A community that does this as a financing tool may do better, but not as an office pool.

[marielle]

I have more information about a coworker I mentioned before.

He's 20-21, he bought a used truck and at the end of the loan is going to pay $33k for it. Not sure how much the payments are. He had absolutely no credit going in.

The interest rate is 8.5%. I shit you not.

He also had to get a loan for the tires which are $360 a piece.

He has another, older truck that he cranks and drives around the yard occasionally to keep it running.

I haven't mentioned the best part. He makes $12 an hour.

[LennStar]

I have more information about a coworker I mentioned before.

He's 20-21, he bought a used truck and at the end of the loan is going to pay $33k for it. Not sure how much the payments are. He had absolutely no credit going in.

The interest rate is 8.5%. I shit you not.

He also had to get a loan for the tires which are $360 a piece.

He has another, older truck that he cranks and drives around the yard occasionally to keep it running.

I haven't mentioned the best part. He makes $12 an hour.

Meh, thats only a bit over a month of work for the interest, and the old is not one you want to be seen at work driving around with it, right? So not a bad decision at all!

[gReed Smith]

If I had a nickel for every hillbilly I saw driving around my Appalachian hometown in a truck that was worth as much as their trailer...  But I won't lie, I would really love to have a new shiny F-150.  I just know I can't afford it.

[Just Joe]

Look at the tires. How many are rolling around in fancy trucks with bald tires? I've seen a few with REALLY bald tires.

[Playing with Fire UK]

A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

[Freckles080808]

So this wasn't strictly overheard at work, but in a discussion with a former colleague.

"So we were looking at our monthly costs, and realized we were paying all this money for gym memberships that we never really used.  And we wanted to spend money in line with our priorities.  So we decided to rent space in a wine cellar."

This made me chuckle :-)

[force majeure]

"I don't know where the money is going, I have 3 days until pay-day, I am coasting along on gas fumes"

This guy sits near me at work, manages to spend about $20 / day on snacks and soft drinks. The vending machine was created with him in mind.

I fell like doing the sums for him and giving it to him between the eyes...

Listen pal, $20 per day is $4520 each year you are throwing away, out of your nett income.
Over 10 years that's $45200 wasted on junk food.

[marty998]

A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Won't be long until the Banks securitise these loans and sell them off as AAA rated to your pension funds.

[marielle]

"I don't know where the money is going, I have 3 days until pay-day, I am coasting along on gas fumes"

This guy sits near me at work, manages to spend about $20 / day on snacks and soft drinks. The vending machine was created with him in mind.

I fell like doing the sums for him and giving it to him between the eyes...

Listen pal, $20 per day is $4520 each year you are throwing away, out of your nett income.
Over 10 years that's $45200 wasted on junk food.

What? How? That's like 10-15 snacks or sodas a day, at least. There's no way. Is he 500 lbs? Does he not eat a real lunch or breakfast and subsist off the snacks?

[BlueHouse]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

[Clean Shaven]

A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.

http://www.rentawheel.com/

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

[mtn]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

They're nasty for sure, but I keep one or two on hand at the office and at home. Why? Migraines. If you feel a migraine coming on, chug one or two of them. Migraine gone. Doesn't work with coffee, coke, mt. dew, or other energy drinks (Monster, etc.), only RedBull.

YMMV, this could be a complete placebo. It works for me though.

[MrMoogle]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

I've tried a couple. To my taste buds, those drinks taste like what would happen if the Jolly Green Giant was out partying one night, showed up to work the next morning still messed up, crashed the tractor, and had to provide a urine sample.

They're nasty for sure, but I keep one or two on hand at the office and at home. Why? Migraines. If you feel a migraine coming on, chug one or two of them. Migraine gone. Doesn't work with coffee, coke, mt. dew, or other energy drinks (Monster, etc.), only RedBull.

YMMV, this could be a complete placebo. It works for me though.

I don't get generic headaches much, but when I do, caffeine always helps me.  It's the rare time when I'll go look for a soda.

[Chris22]

I believe I've only had Redbull when it has had vodka in it (back in my college partying days).  To the point where if I smell redbull say, at the office, I immediately wonder why someone is drinking at work, until I remind myself people can drink it straight. 

[MgoSam]

I think energy drinks have a good thing going for them, they cost a ton and it seems like everyone but us drinks them like they're water. I don't get it, there's rarely a time when I have to be that alert. I know people at my gym that will use it to get a better workout and I always just want to look at them and tell them, "You do realize that once you start using it, you won't be able to stop, because this will become your default state?"

[Just Joe]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

They taste like I imagine shampoo tastes! And shampoo is cheaper at the Dollar store.

[jinga nation]

I believe I've only had Redbull when it has had vodka in it (back in my college partying days).  To the point where if I smell redbull say, at the office, I immediately wonder why someone is drinking at work, until I remind myself people can drink it straight.

You too eh?
I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.
Somehow I like me a little bit of Monster Energy, maybe a quarter can. Dunno why though.

[infogoon]

I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.

[jordanread]

I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.

Or stratosphere. That actually made me pucker a bit. I loved it!!

[FIT_Goat]

One of the firefighters at the station drinks a minimum of 4 energy drinks a day.  He brings like 6 cans with him each shift.  I am not sure of the exact brand he drinks, I never pay that much attention because I never drink them.  But, we're probably talking $2 a can.  So, $12 a shift.  That's about $1,465 a year, assuming he only drinks them while at work (unlikely).

I can't judge the addiction to caffeine.  I drink around a pot of brewed coffee each day.  But, the cost is killer.

[Rural]

I was introduced to RedBull at the same time as Vodka in grad school. Now I love me some top-shelf Vodka in martinis but hate RedBull.
But I like the company's sponsorship of soccer teams, F1, and extreme sports.

I'm in the same boat -- I can't stand Red Bull, but I'm happy to watch events like the Red Bull Rampage.

 Me, I love the taste of Redbull, or I did for the original formula – maybe it's changed in the last five years or so. I haven't had one in about that time, and in the years preceding I had a total of maybe four of them, but to me they taste like liquid sweet tarts.  But I don't buy them and I drink them, because that shit's expensive, high sugar, and dangerous.

[LennStar]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

It's intentionally that expensive, to aim at the "it's expensive so it must be good" crowd, same as probiotic yoghurts and that stuff.

[Playing with Fire UK]

A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.
...

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

[TheGrimSqueaker]

A loan for tyres?!? A loan for TYRES?!? A LOAN for tyres?!? For a new (to you) truck when you already have a truck.

I have not heard of this thing and I don't think I want to understand it better.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, it gets even better (or worse, I suppose).  We have rental wheels and rental tires.
...

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

Seasonal tires for people with nowhere to store them?

[cheapass]

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

I'd venture a guess that it's kind of like renting a TV from Rent A Center. If you don't have the cash flow to buy big, flashy 20" wheels and be "rollin' on dubs" than you can just rent the "dubs", problem solved.

[Clean Shaven]

I am so confused. How can you think you can afford a car if you have to rent the wheels? Is it common to buy a vehicle with no wheels? Or to think that you should upgrade safe and legal wheels with rented shiny wheels? Do you rent the wheels to go with a rental car? Rental cars still come with the wheels don't they?

Why is this a service and why are people paying for it?

Cars come with wheels and tires here in the US. But they don't come with gigantic 24" shiny wheels and silly rubber band tires wrapped around them.

There's a market for these things, apparently. And there are predatory marketers and lenders willing to take advantage of it.

[frugalnacho]

Completely doable.
The large RedBull drinks(20oz?) cost about $4 each around me. The vending machine at work has them at $3.50 so all the young guys think it's a deal. That, plus $1 bags of chips and candy bars.

At first, the machine only had two rows of RedBulls, now it's up to 6 rows of them.  These guys drink those like water, 3-4 a day, plus a bag of chips during the morning and usually a snack bar during the afternoon. That's besides getting coffee in the mornings and then lunch, usually Chipotle.  I bet they waste easily $25 a day on RedBull, chips and Chipotle.

I had no idea those silly drinks cost that much.  I've never had one.  I always thought they were just water with caffeine.  Are they more like soda?

Go find a stray dog with a dirty butthole.  Lick said butthole.  Give $4 to the dog for the privileged of licking its butthole.  Repeat ad nauseum.  Spend additional money on clothing with advertisements for the dog's butthole.

That is essentially red bull. 

[Kimera757]

Warning: picayune alert. This happened almost ten years ago, and I spent a bit of time reconstructing the memory. I had a co-worker in my low-paying job. She had it worse than me (always having to miss work due to illness, and there were no paid sick days).

She signed up for direct deposit (like me, she'd started with biweekly cheques), but accidentally gave payroll the information for the wrong bank account. She owned up to that part, but seemed furious about the situation she'd ended up in. Not because cheques were bouncing, or missing pre-authorized withdrawals, or anything like that.

She was ticked because the "wrong" bank account never had more than $4 in it before. It usually was at $0, but she would transfer $4 into it by the end of the month to pay for the bank charge. She was spending $4 per month on a bank account she wasn't using. She didn't say how much her regular bank account cost per month. It's only $4, but that's $4 you just don't need to waste. I don't get some people.

[LivlongnProsper]

Several stories have been published recently about the high percentage of people that couldn't come up with $500 or $1000 in an emergency. A coworker's story made me think she is one of those people. She wanted to attend a concert with her daughter and tried to get tickets through an online outlet that she normally used. She ended up using a reseller site which kept giving her error messages when she tried to buy tickets. Turns out the site was putting a hold on her card each time she attempted the purchase which amounted to about $2100. She recalled her absolute panic stating she would not have been able to afford her mortgage or food for her kids without that money. After several hours on the phone with her bank and the reseller she got everything straightened out. It is sad to me that $1800 ($2100 minus the $300 she intended to spend) would completely disrupt her financial life. I know she makes decent money for the area but I also know she spends it just as fast.

[NorthernDreamer]

Our finance person at work told me that she doesn't invest in RRSPs any more since "they don't return much". To be fair, we do have a workplace pension, but the way she was speaking was like there is only ONE way to invest in RRSPs - maybe she was thinking GICs? Ummm, what? I had no idea what to say. I do know she seems to live paycheck to paycheck, so I don't think that is her reason for not investing....

And the other day my mom told me that TFSAs are "not worth it" since you barely get any returns. My jaw hit the floor. I had no idea my mom is so uneducated in these matters. I tried to explain that TFSAs do not have to be just a "high" (1%) interest savings accounts, that we invest in index funds in ours, etc. Her eyes glazed over and I could tell she doesn't care. She'll have a pension but has told me she will "need" to work until 65 or 67. She's 61 now. It makes me sad.

[Giro]

This might come with a bit of backlash.  My coworker is a 65 year old divorced woman.  She has VERY little in an IRA from on old job.  I'm talking a few thousand bucks.  She currently "cannot afford to contribute" to her company's 401K at all.  She is trying to get her expenses down so that she can retire "within the next few years" and live on Social Security.  She will have her mortgage until she dies.  She just bought the house a few years ago and leased a new car last year. 

Her 12 year old, 20+ pound overweight Labrador fell hill and needed hip surgery.  She took a second mortgage against her home to pay for the surgery.  It was over $4k.  She talked to me for hours about this surgery before scheduling it and I tried to be supportive but I had to be a friend too.  I told her to think long and hard about this and ask herself if she could truly afford it.  She got mad and told me that I was a cruel person and didn't love animals or "probably anyone but myself".  She no longer speaks to me like she used to. 

We kill millions of dogs in this country every year - healthy dogs, young dogs, Labrador dogs.  I'm sure she loves her dog.  But, there's a point where you need to ask yourself tough questions.  She could have rescued a healthy, young Labrador and put her old dog down.  The 12 year old with the new hip is going to have continuing expenses regarding his health care that she cannot afford. 

In her situation, this makes ZERO sense. 

[mtn]

This might come with a bit of backlash.  My coworker is a 65 year old divorced woman.  She has VERY little in an IRA from on old job.  I'm talking a few thousand bucks.  She currently "cannot afford to contribute" to her company's 401K at all.  She is trying to get her expenses down so that she can retire "within the next few years" and live on Social Security.  She will have her mortgage until she dies.  She just bought the house a few years ago and leased a new car last year. 

Her 12 year old, 20+ pound overweight Labrador fell hill and needed hip surgery.  She took a second mortgage against her home to pay for the surgery.  It was over $4k.  She talked to me for hours about this surgery before scheduling it and I tried to be supportive but I had to be a friend too.  I told her to think long and hard about this and ask herself if she could truly afford it.  She got mad and told me that I was a cruel person and didn't love animals or "probably anyone but myself".  She no longer speaks to me like she used to. 

We kill millions of dogs in this country every year - healthy dogs, young dogs, Labrador dogs.  I'm sure she loves her dog.  But, there's a point where you need to ask yourself tough questions.  She could have rescued a healthy, young Labrador and put her old dog down.  The 12 year old with the new hip is going to have continuing expenses regarding his health care that she cannot afford. 

In her situation, this makes ZERO sense.

Unfortunately, it isn't her situation that is the sad part here--it is the labs. The poor animal should have been put down, and I say this as someone who doesn't cry at funerals but has taken days off of work when my pets have passed.

[cakie]

I had been wondering how people live paycheck to paycheck in my lcol town - luckily a coworker enlightened me the other day. Total numbers calculated by the engineers in this convo from her descriptions...

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Every 2 weeks they have (a couple?) nights at the pub, drinks + betting = $1000

That’s about $3000 a month total



I think I was in shock for the rest of the day....

[RyanAtTanagra]

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

[marielle]

One of the younger guys(22yo - I think) told me today that for the past four months, since his girlfriend got a new job farther from their apartment, they have not made one meal at home, other than a breakfast here or there on weekends. So at least, Monday through Friday they eat 2-3 meals out - each.

He said they decided yesterday to change that and he prepped food for the whole workweek. I'm glad about that but how the heck do you go four months without cooking more than a quick breakfast?

Most Americans do this regularly. It might not be all restaurant food but also frozen meals that just need microwaving. Its easy to forget that there's people that don't cook, but it's actually the norm. That's why kitchens and pantries are so tiny unless you buy a 2000+ sqft house. :/ At least that's my theory anyway, since the kitchen should be the most important part of a house but isn't anymore.

[briesas]

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

[nnls]

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

yes here in Australia, cigarettes here are about $1 each. And the price goes up every year, but people continue to smoke even though its crazy expensive and bad for you. I do not understand it.

Even tobacco that you roll yourself is expensive

[mtn]

She smokes about 2 packs a week at $50 a pop ($1/cig). Plus her partner smokes even more. Total: $800/month

Cigarettes come in packs of 50 and are $50 there?  Not sure which of those numbers is weirder..

OMG, I looked this up, and yes, there is a $40+ tax on a pack of cigarettes in Australia. And they are sold in packs of 20-50 with various increments in between.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3572446/Budget-2016-cigarettes-40-packets-make-Australia-world-s-expensive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_pack (source for packs of 50)

I have to come out here as a smoker, which is totally un-mustachian, as it is pretty clearly destroying my health (and even though I equate smoking with pleasure, it's not really the pursuit of happiness). But, I roll my own and use pipe tobacco, which is the same as cigarette tobacco, just cut differently, as I understand it -- and it is not taxed at the rate cigarettes are in the U.S.  It costs me $1 per pack!

yes here in Australia, cigarettes here are about $1 each. And the price goes up every year, but people continue to smoke even though its crazy expensive and bad for you. I do not understand it.

Even tobacco that you roll yourself is expensive

Then you do not understand addiction.

[talltexan]

My co-worker had a plan all set to sell her house and buy a new house, with closings on the same day.

Of course, a problem is developing with the buyer's financing. She's rescheduling:

1. closing to sell,
2. closing to buy,
3. delivery of furniture,
4. work she's doing to swap out fixtures in her own house immediately before #1...

I understand that there's a delicate balance to these real estate transactions, but the further I get down this list, the more the problem seems self-created to me.

[RWD]

My co-worker had a plan all set to sell her house and buy a new house, with closings on the same day.

Of course, a problem is developing with the buyer's financing. She's rescheduling:

1. closing to sell,
2. closing to buy,
3. delivery of furniture,
4. work she's doing to swap out fixtures in her own house immediately before #1...

I understand that there's a delicate balance to these real estate transactions, but the further I get down this list, the more the problem seems self-created to me.

The bolded part above may not be legal. The buyer should reasonably expect anything bolted down during their inspection to remain unchanged when they take possession. Unless otherwise stated in the contract, of course.

[Sdeeze]

Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

[marielle]

To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

Doesn't seem much different than just driving an old car that gets 10-12 mpg with terrible emissions, or a sports car with bad gas mileage. Unless you think that's just as bad. If the car was on its last leg and it needed a $1000 repair just to fix the emissions, to be honest I wouldn't fix it either. Not sure what's worse, driving an old car with bad emissions and "reusing/reducing" waste or buying a new car. Regardless I feel like it's a moot point anyway..there's way more effective ways to help the environment than anything car related, for example reducing our dependency on animal agriculture which creates significantly more emissions than all of transportation combined.

[Cowardly Toaster]

Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

If you care that much, don't drive a car. And putting some extra CO into the atmosphere is a very minor environmental sin.

[CmFtns]

Less overheard at work and more a conversation that I initiated, but still kind of took me aback because it came from a coworker who seems on the level financially in a lot of different ways. For example, this guy brings his lunch most days and has managed to provide vehicles on the cheap for his family by learning how to extensively wrench on Jeep Cherokee models and then find cheap deals on craigslist and fixing them up.

So, I was just kind of trying to get some easy sympathy from him (which is kind of narcissistic and I do recognize that) by telling how I had my 'check engine' light come on less than two days after getting my fiance's car titled in her name (gifted from her dad) and less than a week before we're getting married. Checked the code out, and it's the catalytic converter having issues which still could be a ton of different things within the component (cracks, buildup, etc) and most of the solutions involve replacing the converter. So I'm complaining that I'll most probably have to spend over $1k taking care of this issue right before I get married (yay emergency fund!) and boy ain't it shame, etc etc.

I'm paraphrasing but he said very close the following, "Oh, that's just an emissions thing. My check light has been on with the same code since shortly after I got my current Cherokee, it's been fine so far." To be clear, one of the downsides of this issue is that you may be just dumping a bunch of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which may not affect performance to a noticeable degree but sure is terrible for the environment, especially if it's an issue on your daily driver. Driving is already bad enough in so many ways without letting issues like this go on for years.

What I didn't tell him is that I needed to get it up to code because in the near future I'm going to be moving to one of those terrible restrictive code-enforcing urban hellholes that actually gives a damn about your emissions. In addition to, you know, trying not to be a terrible human being that subsidizes my lifestyles by externalizing the costs to the environment instead. I'm far from perfect but I do try.

I actually think this is a great example of the difference between being cheap vs being frugal.

If you care that much, don't drive a car. And putting some extra CO into the atmosphere is a very minor environmental sin.

I agree was expecting some unmustacian money story... Instead of spending $1k to fix your catalytic converter you could buy $1k in carbon offsets to plant trees or whatever and offset far more co2 than your broken car makes.

[RidetheRain]

Ok. So this isn't so bad, but it's the principle of the thing.

My office has a mix of two companies. My client and my contracting company. The client has a really lax dress code (jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops are all cool) while my company has a typical business-casual code. No big deal, you gotta look professional for the client. The benefit of this difference means that we can occasionally have a "jeans-week" for big events like finishing a deliverable, holidays, etc. We can also occasionally purchase "tickets" for wearing jeans that are put towards charity events. All good - charity mixed with comfy clothes is something I can absolutely get behind at $5/day.

What I can't get behind is the fact that they have stopped using money from the "tickets" for charity and started using them for things like an office pot-luck or a client-only brunch. At that point, it became paying $5/day for the privilege of wearing jeans when you have perfectly good work pants. What a complete waste of money.

I should mention that my clients are wonderful people and some of them noticed the ridiculousness and purchased tickets as well despite having no need for them since they can wear jeans every day. Financial solidarity is much appreciated.

[MillieLincoln]

RidetheRain- What a strange idea!! It is kind of neat when applied to charity, but strange to be able to pay to modify the dress code. Considering it's funding potlucks, though, I agree- work pants are good 'nuff.


My overheard-at-work is on my next-door cubicle buddy: he was trying to get me to pre-order a Nintendo Switch ($300 + extra controllers + games), seemed skeptical at my choice to get a $150 Moto instead of the gotta-have-it $600 iPhone (and the expensive plan to go with), and was showing off his new $300 fancy backpack for our office's travel season (the office provides us with basic backpacks/luggage for free).

We travel 2-5 days at a time, 4-6x per year, for a total of about 8-15 days. The Switch, iPhone and backpack ($1200+) were all justified for making traveling more comfortable and fun, even though our office covers everything we need while we're out.

Another co-worker was complaining in February about money being tight because she was paying back her credit-card-financed Christmas presents.

Agh!