Overheard at Work

[wtjbatman]

I would certainly assume that if my employer requests me to take a further drug test due to a false positive, I wouldn't see the bill. The drug test is solely for the employer's benefit. I've never heard of people having to pay for their own - this could be a "stingy employer - get out!" warning sign. (Similar to the employers that make you share rooms with other employees on business trips, the stingy employer that will go outside socially acceptable boundaries to save a buck is certainly not going to pay you what you are worth, as they are looking to keep every expense as low as possible.)

We classify it as a presumptive positive, and we don't give them another DT. When we do the initial DT we actually separate two samples from the collection and keep the second sample in case it needs further testing. The first sample is tested on site.

[killingxspree]

Oh my... where do I even begin? My co-workers are a goldmine. Their stupidity makes me actually enjoy work mostly because I'm spending it guffawing at their expense but oh well.

--
co-worker 1: I can't afford to pay my rent this month.
me: Oh wow! =( how come? What happened?
cw1: My business partner took out my pay and gambled it away at the casino.
me: Uh..*groan* the one you're in a business partnership with?
cw1: yes
me: So what are you going do about it?
cw1: nothing I can't do anything about it.
me: Yes that is technically true, after all your in a partnership (at this point he looks at me blankly while I explain how liability in a partnership works...wtf???) but umm... have you thought about incorporating instead? or maybe not sharing bank accounts and just depositing an agreed upon amount into a shared account instead of depositing your paycheck into his account.
cw1: but he'd never agree to that.
me: Do you have any agreement in place at all?!
cw1: Not really... 'blah blah we need each other to get really rich..'
me: Uh-huh... and look how thats working out for you so far?...so how are going to pay your rent?
At lunchtime we go the store and he buys himself a packet of chips, energy drink and an icecream. His cards get declined twice. The third time he uses a credit card.

Later in the afternoon I find him having a mini meltdown in the office. His business partner sent him a text informing him he had a car crash in cw1's car... cw1's car is new and he hasn't paid it off yet... and then he tells me that he is behind on insurance payments and he recently got a notice in the mail about it. Now he is scrambling to find the money to pay up the insurance so he's covered. He's calling around begging.

Next week I find out his car is being repossessed by the bank because he is behind on car payments too. He says he has really bad credit and he's not sure what he's going to do about getting to and from work... I suggest public transport or biking. He says his business partner has been taking him to and from work but he's not very reliable (and he would never stoop as low as taking the bus). lol... really? you don't say. It was like talking to a domestic abuse victim. The ones that defend the perpetrator.

Then somewhere in between those weeks he was bitching that he hasn't gotten laid in a year and can't get a girlfriend because he has no money... at which I'm laughing ... wondering what he means... and so he explains that he spends up on his girlfriends to make them feel 'special' and how his last girlfriend cost him $2000 before she finally put out and he had to stop spending on her to get her to put out at all and then he found out she had a boyfriend... all to which I replied with... wow it would have been cheaper for you to hire prostitute!... he's not very impressed with me... and said I was unromantic... how romantic it is to be dating a stripper cheating with you on her boyfriend I will never understand. So i will leave it to his more sophisticated mind to enjoy.

--

another colleague recently asked for help filing bankruptcy papers. Well I wasn't about to just help them file bankruptcy papers without going through the sums with them. So turns out they had a $30,000 credit card, (how in gods name can you get $30,000 on a salary of 42,000 a year? I will never understand, apparently the bank kept sending him invitations to increase his limit and he accepted them buts its not his fault the nig bad nasty bank was out to get him...). He got behind in payments and ignored the notices and now there was a debt collector on him. So I went through the sums with him and it turns out he also has a car loan with about 30,000 and a tax debt and some other debts. In total he has debt of 60000. HOLY f_____ s___. He lives rent free, has no kids, free healthcare.... So I asked him 'How in gods name did you manage to get into this much debt?' and he replies that his ex-girlfriend needed money to pay for a lawyer and she didn't have the money... and so he gave it to her and then she promptly left him for the lawyer.

--
cw2 lives in a expensive apartment in the city. He had to be interviewed to get a place and he got his 3 cats put down so he could move in because it was strictly no pets.
cw2: rent is so expensive.
me: yes. we are really lucky in that respect. Our rent is only about $8000 a year.
cw2: seriously! that's how much we pay for the lift.
me: oh wow... is it worth it?

--
at a networking event. This person works in HR and with my partner. She actually asked me this question in earnest... I almost killed myself trying to suppress laughter.
Me: So I'm studying a degree in accounting.
HR: Oh yeah what will you have when your done...
Me: a bachelor of business.. My degree meets CPA/CA certification. I'm not sure if I'll go onto a masters or phd... blah blah.
HR: So... is a degree the same as a bachelor.
Me: Ummm...uhh... okie...wut?
HR: I never figured out the differences between them.
Me: hmm well, i'm not really great at explaining these kinds of things I think my partner would be better at explaining it. I'll go get him.

--

coworker 3: I have such bad health problems because of my weight. (she is severely obese) I really need to lose weight before my wedding so I'm on this slimblast diet. She explains that she doesn't eat after a certain time of the day and has powder shakes as meal replacements.

Me: (Honestly, I'm thinking replacing real delicious food with shakes sounds like the most horrible idea I've ever heard of...) Are the shakes tasty?

CW3: The chocolate ones are.

Me: Wow at least none of those health problems will be permanent if you lose the weight. Have you ever heard of the paleo diet *its really good blah avocado blah beef jerky* and what are you doing in terms of exercise?

coworker 3: No, but DP tried paleo diet but its too faddy and I exercise enough at work. Too much exercise causes me pain.

Me: Fair enough, you'll be able to exercise better once the weight is off anyway.

Though I can tell the idea of exercise isn't appealing to her much, so I try to encourage her to try doing fun stuff like with her DP so it doesn't feel like exercise like going to the beach or pool for a swim but I don't think I've had much success persuading her.

At lunchtime I'm inwardly horrified to see her eating a whole lot of junk she bought from the store... she feels she needs to explain this to me... and tells me she needs to keep her energy levels up because has reverse diabetes and didn't eat breakfast. Ummm okie but what does that have to do with chips, and an energy drink? I wonder

[Jamesqf]

...and so he explains that he spends up on his girlfriends to make them feel 'special' and how his last girlfriend cost him $2000 before she finally put out and he had to stop spending on her to get her to put out at all and then he found out she had a boyfriend... all to which I replied with... wow it would have been cheaper for you to hire prostitute!...

But he WAS dating a prostitute - and a pretty darned expensive one, too :-)

... and tells me she needs to keep her energy levels up because has reverse diabetes...

That's a new one to me.  I wonder if the AMA has heard of that condition?

[killingxspree]

Ive been googling it and can't find anything on it

[frugledoc]

Having cats put down so you can live in a nice flat is so sad.  I think a person would have to be a psychopath to be so ruthless.

[Albert]

Some of you have weird co-workers… Honestly if I had serious financial difficulties I wouldn't admit it to co-workers. Maybe to one or two which double as friends and then only if I was sure that it won't go any further.

[AlmostIndependent]

Some of you have weird co-workers… Honestly if I had serious financial difficulties I wouldn't admit it to co-workers. Maybe to one or two which double as friends and then only if I was sure that it won't go any further.

I'm right there with you. I wouldn't share my problems except with maybe a select few.

[vern]

Good stuff killingxspree!  Keep 'em coming!

[Tempe]

Having cats put down so you can live in a nice flat is so sad.  I think a person would have to be a psychopath to be so ruthless.

I was thinking the same thing :( that sounds so sad they didn't even attempt to find new homes for them.

[Frankies Girl]

Some of you have weird co-workers… Honestly if I had serious financial difficulties I wouldn't admit it to co-workers. Maybe to one or two which double as friends and then only if I was sure that it won't go any further.

I hear stuff all the time, and I feel the same way - I would never share that sort of info unless it was a REALLY close friend.

I think it's because the ones in my experience feel like their money woes are not their fault. That it's not due to bad decisions or stupid spending, but like an act of nature or someone else's fault, otherwise they'd feel embarrassed. There's little shame nowadays in doing something stupid, because personal responsibility seems to be absent as well.

[HappierAtHome]

I hear stuff all the time, and I feel the same way - I would never share that sort of info unless it was a REALLY close friend.

I think it's because the ones in my experience feel like their money woes are not their fault. That it's not due to bad decisions or stupid spending, but like an act of nature or someone else's fault, otherwise they'd feel embarrassed. There's little shame nowadays in doing something stupid, because personal responsibility seems to be absent as well.

+1. They don't understand that they sound like idiots, because they don't believe they created the situation/problem.

Speaking of which...

"I'm never going to be able to retire. I have too much debt. You really shouldn't have kids, once you have kids you need a big house, a Landcruiser, a camping trailer, and their playstations and stuff cost so much."

Um yeah. No way I can get this guy to understand that it didn't have to be this way. It's that darned external locus of control again.

[JessieImproved]

I hear stuff all the time, and I feel the same way - I would never share that sort of info unless it was a REALLY close friend.

I think it's because the ones in my experience feel like their money woes are not their fault. That it's not due to bad decisions or stupid spending, but like an act of nature or someone else's fault, otherwise they'd feel embarrassed. There's little shame nowadays in doing something stupid, because personal responsibility seems to be absent as well.

+1. They don't understand that they sound like idiots, because they don't believe they created the situation/problem.

This may be true in some cases, but there's another explanation as well.  Some people feed off of pity - my grandmother is one of these people.  For her, it's illness, but for a lot of people, money is probably a good way to get that sympathy fix.

[CWAL]

cw2 lives in a expensive apartment in the city. He had to be interviewed to get a place and he got his 3 cats put down so he could move in because it was strictly no pets.

This is one of the more effed up things I've heard in quite a while...

[marty998]

#1: Look at my new phone! Only $69 a month!
#2: Wow is that an iphone? what deal? mine was $80 a month
#1: it was a special offer, extra data too.
#3: you guys are good, mine is $120, I had gotten it the moment it came out
#1: Marty you've been quiet, whats your plan?
M: two-fifty
all: (shocked) TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY!!!
M: umm no, two dollars fifty
#1: shit #2: howdafuck?
M: prepaid + free text

I have to say, killingxspree's post is the funniest shit I've seen on these boards in a very long time. Can we hear some more?

[senecando]

coworker 3: I have such bad health problems because of my weight. (she is severely obese) I really need to lose weight before my wedding so I'm on this slimblast diet. She explains that she doesn't eat after a certain time of the day and has powder shakes as meal replacements.

...

Me: Wow at least none of those health problems will be permanent if you lose the weight. Have you ever heard of the paleo diet *its really good blah avocado blah beef jerky* and what are you doing in terms of exercise?

coworker 3: No, but DP tried paleo diet but its too faddy and I exercise enough at work.

I will never understand how anything can be faddier than something called "SlimBlast."

[153]

Department leadership meeting last week where my dept manager announced that we were approved for purchase of an educational cd-rom. Offhand she mentions that she has to figure out how we are going to order it, because she doesn't want it on her cc before Christmas.

 Employer is speedy about getting reimbursements out, so I say that I'll put it on my cc. One CW says  "you didn't even ask how much it is first!!!" Now- reimbursements are limited to 1k- above that and the company is cutting the check directly, so I knew we were looking at less than that.

I realized that being able to float anything is seen as unusual, and didn't want to get into a whole thing about that- so I mumbled something about points, and tried to leave the impression that I was gunning for free flights with an end of year spending burst. 

Total order, including tax: $105.93.

[jrhampt]

Having cats put down so you can live in a nice flat is so sad.  I think a person would have to be a psychopath to be so ruthless.

Yeah, this is pretty horrifying to me.

[pdxbator]

So a front office staff is out on 'short-term disability'. I guess she had some small surgery and is now out for 2 months. Ok...so this is a medical office so everyone is skeptical as 2 months post small surgery is extreme. I guess she got some numbskull doc to sign the disability papers.

This woman has had numerous expensive dogs that she has gotten rid of because they aren't even tempered enough. She comes in with her nails done. She has a venti coffee drink every single day. She then complains about how little money she has.

Anyhow, a coworker saw her browsing on her computer on the investment website of where we work. Front staff person confides in someone else that she didn't realize she had been putting a small amount away in a 403b since she was hired. Front staff person on this disablity leave divests her 403b and has a great big Xmas with lots of gifts still on disability leave. She can somehow manage to shop but not make it to work.

Hearing stuff like this makes me crazy. We are seriously screwed in the US when these people are wanting to retire and they will have nothing to speak of.

[AlmostIndependent]

So a front office staff is out on 'short-term disability'. I guess she had some small surgery and is now out for 2 months. Ok...so this is a medical office so everyone is skeptical as 2 months post small surgery is extreme. I guess she got some numbskull doc to sign the disability papers.

This woman has had numerous expensive dogs that she has gotten rid of because they aren't even tempered enough. She comes in with her nails done. She has a venti coffee drink every single day. She then complains about how little money she has.

Anyhow, a coworker saw her browsing on her computer on the investment website of where we work. Front staff person confides in someone else that she didn't realize she had been putting a small amount away in a 403b since she was hired. Front staff person on this disablity leave divests her 403b and has a great big Xmas with lots of gifts still on disability leave. She can somehow manage to shop but not make it to work.

Hearing stuff like this makes me crazy. We are seriously screwed in the US when these people are wanting to retire and they will have nothing to speak of.

It amazes me hearing about people not realizing they had money and then promptly going out spending it as soon as they discover the pile of cash. I wish I knew what went through their heads.

[dragoncar]

Really? It's not like you need to have the $35 in your pocket. You just need to pay it within a couple days.

What kind of person doesn't have that much in their pocket?  If I don't, I know it's time to stop by the ATM.

People who do drugs

[Le0]

me: "we signed up for the pension plan"
cw: "Ya I haven't done that, I just don't understand it"
me: "well they take 11% off before taxes, and match it"
cw: bla bla bla "That 11% is really important right now"
me: "but you barely notice it gets taken off because its before taxes..."
cw: "we have stuff invested else where..."
me: "Free MONEY?"

the conversation changed sharply after that... it might have been my stupid look on my face.

[Hunny156]

A co-worker stopped by to ask me how the 401K plan works.  He's been an employee for about 6 months, but our employer won't match your 401K until you've been here a year.  After that, it's a fairly generous match - 100% match in your 401K up to first 6% of salary, PLUS 3% of your salary in a retirement fund - no match required!  They way they set it up is weird, but it all funnels into your same 401K account, and you vest after 5 years w/the company.

I explained the 1 year waiting period, and told him I set it up as soon as I started working, but had the initial 6% pulled after my 1 year was up, b/c I could invest funds elsewhere if they weren't going to match.  he agreed w/the strategy, but kept referring to 4% of salary.  I corrected him, saying 6% is what you need to invest to get the full match.  He wasn't sure he could afford to "lose 6%" of his salary.  He's very intelligent, so I reminded him that he'd be leaving free money on the table if he didn't invest 6%.  He nodded in agreement, but still signed up at 4%!

Always blown away that 6% PRE-TAX is such a hardship...

[randymarsh]

Always blown away that 6% PRE-TAX is such a hardship...

On a 50K salary paid biweekly, the difference between 4% and 6% is...$29! Who would even notice that?

[rocksinmyhead]

This woman has had numerous expensive dogs that she has gotten rid of because they aren't even tempered enough.

ugh, people who view pets like this make me absolutely ill.

and on the "coworkers who are ignorant about 401k matching" note... yeah, I have a coworker who started a few months before me; for both of us it's our first job out of school. I was flabbergasted when she told me she wasn't putting ANYTHING in... we get an 8% match and it vests immediately. THAT'S LIKE A GUARANTEED 100% RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT!!!!! and we make plenty of money and she is single with no kids so it's not like this should be a hardship.

granted, I experienced a momentary flash of jealousy when she started talking about house shopping (my boyfriend and I daydream about buying a house all the time, but are nowhere near having a down payment and plus we wouldn't buy one until we get married anyway)... but honestly I know she is going to way overextend herself and then be one of those people that has huge panic attacks when there are layoff rumors (we are in a very cyclical industry). in fact, she currently rents a ridiculously large house (2000+ sq ft) that's at least a 20-minute drive from our office (which, considering our office location and the size of Tulsa, is also ridiculous, but she wanted to live "out in the country"... aka in a subdivision where all the houses look similar and the only businesses in the area are chain restaurants?! uh, okay), and I overheard her saying to another coworker that she's "definitely looking for something that size or bigger."

keep in mind that she is single and lives by herself with 2 very small dogs.

seriously, I like this girl a lot and she's one of my favorite coworkers but listening to her talk about money and lifestyle choices MAKES MY BRAIN EXPLODE!!!

[amyable]

This is not "overheard at work," but I thought you might appreciate the insanity:

I just heard that a woman I used to work with had her house go into foreclosure recently.  When we were working together a year ago, she:

-  Bought a Starbucks latte and some sort of oatmeal bowl thing from there for herself and a hot cocoa for her eldest son EVERY DANG DAY!
-  Drove a giant Tahoe everywhere.
-  Joked about how she hated cooking and constantly ate out...with her husband and three children. 
-  Once told me she owned over 50 pairs of shoes.
-  Once told me she admired me, because I had "favorite" outfits that I wore often, whereas she "felt weird repeating the same outfit."
-  Had fake nails, which I assume require some maintenance.
-  Lived in a brand-spanking new house in a moderately ritzy subdivision with a cleaner and lawn guy that came every week.

She ate lunch with us, and we always wondered if maybe her husband's business was just doing really, really well?  She's a teacher, but her husband operates a small business (not in an industry I would typically see as making a lot of money, but I guess it's possible?)

I hate gossiping, but this woman was truly horrible in a lot of other ways as well (very egocentric and narrow-minding, not to mention condescending and racist). 

[Alfred J Quack]

Hearing stuff like this makes me crazy. We are seriously screwed in the US when these people are wanting to retire and they will have nothing to speak of.

I think that, in the end, they are just screwing themselves and complaining about it to everyone who has ears that the government was the cause etc. Eventually these types will only screw themselves over and there is nothing you can do until they flip a switch...

I also had a funny encounter at work (at least I think it was ;)), we received an e-mail from HR that salary payment would be delayed due to a technical problem at the bank. It would not arrive before X-mas but after. Then they offered to payout a cash max. for those that couldn't make it otherwise.
I didn't think much of it but then a someone sent a reply-to-all in the company that the cash advance would be very much appreciated... Ooops...

(eventualy the payment came through anyway and was deposited the 23rd I think)

[pdxbator]

we received an e-mail from HR that salary payment would be delayed due to a technical problem at the bank. It would not arrive before X-mas but after. Then they offered to payout a cash max. for those that couldn't make it otherwise.

It's funny you should mention that. Today was pay day and I totally forgot. I manage to save a lot and a single pay day isn't critical to my living. However there is one person who makes the same salary as me who practically salivates when he gets his pay stub because his account will be flush for going out to expensive dinners.

[Alfred J Quack]

I would most likely never miss a payday :P I keep tabs on my account through my smartphone, both for suspicious transactions and others. When payday arrives I then calculate my fixed expenses for the rest of the month, put a snip of it on my savings account (1.1% interest vs none on my checking account) and then use the rest a principal payment for my mortgage.

It's a great method to keep myself in check but also I'd shove my phone in their faces when someone insists I can join them (drinking, eating out etc.) *See, I've only got €62 until payday so I can't go out to dinner with you*...

[Accountess]

"Budgets are for poor people"


I work in an office full of accountants. We see the inner workings of people's financial lives. We should be smarter than this.

[rocksinmyhead]

I would most likely never miss a payday :P I keep tabs on my account through my smartphone, both for suspicious transactions and others. When payday arrives I then calculate my fixed expenses for the rest of the month, put a snip of it on my savings account (1.1% interest vs none on my checking account) and then use the rest a principal payment for my mortgage.

It's a great method to keep myself in check but also I'd shove my phone in their faces when someone insists I can join them (drinking, eating out etc.) *See, I've only got €62 until payday so I can't go out to dinner with you*...

I was just going to say, well, I also salivate when I see a pay stub, but only because I do the same thing you do (subtract out expenses til the next payday) and then throw the rest at my highest-interest student loan :)

[ny.er]

some of these stories are really sad. I live in NY and we pay humongous public school taxes. But my kids had a mandatory class in their senior year of high school that may have made my tax bill worth it all on its own. The class taught basic money management skills. Among other things, my daughter was taught that credit card debt is evil, and my son was really impressed with a chart showing how if he started saving early (he was 16 at the time), how much better he'd do than waiting until later to save, and he started a ROTH IRA. They aren't perfect with money, but at least they have SOME idea how to manage and budget (and I nag a lot about it too).

[Melody]

An ex co-worker who was making about $70k before tax, bought a $70k car (Nissan 370Z) on a 5 year loan while living at home with her parents (age 27) because renting was "too expensive." She could have bought a lightly used 350z for about $30k... and paid rent on half a house (assuming she would share with one friend), in a good neighborhood for the next four years with the remainder!!! (In our city a small house/large apartment  in a nice area can be rented for $20k/year.)

I'd rather stand on my own two feet than own a sports car any day - especially as by the time she is done paying for the car (which with interest she'll pay over $100k for) she will be 32, the car will be worth $30k and she will be WAY too old to still be at home!

[Fireman]

Not overheard, but directly discussed.  Another co-worker told me the family will be out of debt in 5-years.  I hooked them up with MMM and they dug into their finances something fierce!  They are so excited to tell me what they found that was being wasted and how they killed so many bills and fees.  I see great success in their family finances over the next few years - they are in their early 30's.

This post made me smile! It's so awesome when you cast a line out and get a solid bite! Kudos to you for helping to create a new mustache!

[iris lily]

You guys complaining that you *need* a cleaning service do realize this is MMM, right?

I am new here, but it seems horribly against the idea of self-sufficiency and frugality to pay someone else to clean my house.  It also seems a little strange to try to justify it on a site dedicated to monetary badassity.  Just saying...

I am no where near a 50% savings rate yet, but even I don't have the luxury of being able to cut a cleaning service.  this seems like an amazing opportunity for you guys.  Cut the service, and simultaneously increase your savings and cut your expenses.  Your future, retired self will probably thank you.

One of the tenants of simple living is to adjust your spending to your values. At one point I valued a clean house every two weeks more than my life energy working to pay for it.

I shop at thrift stores (when I have to shop) and drive 15 year old cars and so seldom go out to dinner that we are considered weird by our friends so that I can have the luxuries I want--and one of those luxuries was a house cleaner for a couple of years. That's what I valued.

I had a house cleaner to keep the filth at bay so that I could play in my gardens, and do heavy work there as well. From March - June we are crazy busy outside. During the months of November through February I could easily do housework but I did not want to lay off my housekeeper during those months, I would not get him back. and Gardening is better exercise than housecleaning so it's a better exchange of labor for me.

Housecleaning bores me to death. I always say: Anyone can clean my house to my satisfaction, I am not picky. I don't care. But NO ONE CAN TOUCH MY GARDEN because I am VERY picky about the work done on it. Only *I* can do the work properly.

[Abe]

$70k for a car! Wow! I'm sure she will still be complaining about her credit card bills and/or student loans at age 32.

[Dibbels81]

I worked at a casino in Las Vegas for about 10 years before recently moving on to bigger and better things.  I witnessed some of the most amusing and egregious displays of financial incompetence imaginable.  For instance, our company had no direct deposit, so my coworkers, who had Friday off, would drive in and wait in our green room for corporate to arrive with the checks.  They literally would have a 'paycheck party', with pizza and beverages, and would clap and cheer when the checks finally arrived, followed by a mad dash to deposit them at the bank (or cash them at the casino cage) to pay for their expensive car that they they needed to drive to work so they could pick up their check.

[Daleth]

some of these stories are really sad. I live in NY and we pay humongous public school taxes. But my kids had a mandatory class in their senior year of high school that may have made my tax bill worth it all on its own. The class taught basic money management skills. Among other things, my daughter was taught that credit card debt is evil, and my son was really impressed with a chart showing how if he started saving early (he was 16 at the time), how much better he'd do than waiting until later to save, and he started a ROTH IRA. They aren't perfect with money, but at least they have SOME idea how to manage and budget (and I nag a lot about it too).

That's fantastic! Everyone should have such a class in their schools!

[Zamboni]

$70K for a new car? Good grief, that's so sad.  My last car cost just 5% of that, paid in cash with no loan, and I do NOT live with my parents.  If my kids ever do that (live with me and buy a $70K new car), then they will drive right back to the car dealership to give the keys back or find their own place to live.

"Budgets are for poor people"

 . . . and for Fortune 500 companies.

Here's one that I've heard a couple of times over lunch from two guys who were complaining about the rising cost of college and how they will need massive financial aid or their kids will be out of luck. 
Me: "Well you have lots of time if you start now, so you could also open up a 529 plan and you'll have 10 years to save.  That's what I did.  Even if you only put in $100 a month it would add up and help."
CW1: "You should not invest in 529 plans because you don't know if your kids will even want to go to college."
CW2: "Yeah, it's much better to have other types of investments.  I would never open one of those."
Me:  . . . (silently take a bite of the sandwich I brought from home.)

Ummm, okay, I'll buy that viewpoint about more flexible investments to some extent.  But weren't we talking about paying for college?

CW1 complains about his small apartment and laments that he will never even be able to save up enough to buy a house-which is unfathomable to me since I know what we all make which is plenty to buy a house.  Neither of them have ANY investments at all other than what our employer is putting in their retirement funds (in our case they just put in and employees don't have to ante up to get the employer contribution.)  Both sometimes complain about being buried in credit card debt and CW2 has admitted he has less than 2K saved otherwise; considerably less than his credit card debt. 

Mostly when financial talk comes around I just let them commiserate and keep my ideas to myself.  Because really they are just justifying that they don't save for college by blasting the particular investment mechanism as unwise.  I'm not sure how they justify their overall lack of saving while they meanwhile spend money on all sorts of frivolous shit (fancy resort trips, tablets/ipads for everyone in the family, gaming systems, etc.)

[Ed Mills]

Thanks guys, I just read all of these stories and now want to jump off a building!  The range of human behavior is fascinating...

[Weestashian]

Having cats put down so you can live in a nice flat is so sad.  I think a person would have to be a psychopath to be so ruthless.

Agreed, that is seriously sick. I easily spent an extra month looking for an apartment that allowed pets, and I paid an extra damage deposit. The whole ordeal cost me over 1.5k after all the time spent in a motel*, and putting them down still never occurred to me. I didn't even want to give them to a shelter, I love them way to much. Furbabies are family, not toys to dispose of as needed!

What's the point of even having pets if you care about them so little?

^{(*I had an apartment picked out online, had called the building manager and talked about renting the apartment, and we had agreed to meet the day I got there to sign the lease. When I was in the lobby I met another tenant, and it turned out there was a huge bedbug infestation that the building owners were refusing to do anything about.)}

[Abe]

I'm not sure how they justify their overall lack of saving while they meanwhile spend money on all sorts of frivolous shit (fancy resort trips, tablets/ipads for everyone in the family, gaming systems, etc.)

Because they expect the tab to be picked up by people who did save appropriately. When this is not enough to continue their extravagant spending in retirement, they will then complain about how those same people should be taxed on their savings. Median savings in people approaching retirement in US is about $100k. I am guessing it's going to be a mess, and we'll end up paying for it.  <done with rant>

[AlmostIndependent]

I'm not sure how they justify their overall lack of saving while they meanwhile spend money on all sorts of frivolous shit (fancy resort trips, tablets/ipads for everyone in the family, gaming systems, etc.)

Because they expect the tab to be picked up by people who did save appropriately. When this is not enough to continue their extravagant spending in retirement, they will then complain about how those same people should be taxed on their savings. Median savings in people approaching retirement in US is about $100k. I am guessing it's going to be a mess, and we'll end up paying for it.  <done with rant>

I would be willing to bet that the vast majority don't expect anything. I bet the thought that they will need to pay for retirement hasn't even crossed their mind.

[voidmain]

I've got a different type of situation, but still shameful and thus worthy of this thread I think:

One of my coworkers, who makes at least $100k and doesn't live too lavishly (single, no mortgage, has roommates), has told me that he doesn't really do any investing because he "doesn't want to think about it" and "wants someone else to figure it out for him." He doesn't take advantage of any tax-advantaged options (our 401k doesn't match, but its still worth it for the tax savings) or do any real taxable investing, so he is probably piling up $2k+/month in his bank account earning <1% interest during a year where the S&P 500 was up nearly 30%. And this doesn't seem to bother him (!?!?)

[calcsam]

@voidmain -- I bet you could put it into an index mutual fund for 20mins on the computer. Alternately, say you'll manage his money in return for 20% of the difference between what he would make in the savings account, then repeat above :)

[Reepekg]

he doesn't really do any investing because he "doesn't want to think about it" and "wants someone else to figure it out for him."

Seriously. I can be that someone else... for a cut.

[kittenstache]

Never ending financial stupidity from my co-workers:

Eating out EVERYDAY at lunch! Hello, you make $11 per hour and you spent more than that on fast food! Plus, you're overweight and constantly bitching how you need to lose weight!

Paycheck-to-paycheck employee (a single mother of 3 who says she has no savings, no credit, and will "work until I die") spends $600 on concert tickets for her daughter, "since she really likes One Direction"!

Another employee who constantly says she 's "poor", finances a massive new pick-up truck, which she uses to drive to and from work and haul her kids around.

I could go on. I have tried to make subtle suggestions to my co-workers about their spendy ways, but I just get a lot of flack. "You make a lot more money than most of us (which is true) and you don't have kids (which is also true), so you don't know how hard it is!"

[AlmostIndependent]

I have tried to make subtle suggestions to my co-workers about their spendy ways, but I just get a lot of flack. "You make a lot more money than most of us (which is true) and you don't have kids (which is also true), so you don't know how hard it is!"

I get that all the time. "You don't have a wife and kids, of course you have plenty of money."

[Rural]

I've got one, literally overheard as I was walking past an office: "We got paid two weeks early, so I'll run out of money two weeks early."

We get the same amount every month. It's true, last month we were paid in mid-December, but I can't imagine this coworker was unable to anticipate that there would be ~ four weeks in the month of January...

[HappierAtHome]

Coworker: I'm going to have to change my lotto ticket strategy this year, because I didn't win last year.

[Tempe]

Coworker - I'm having trouble making my rent, it's 2000$ and about to go higher with heating costs. Me- I only make 2000$ a month... o.O