Overheard at Work

[ketchup]

$200 doesn't get you much for fancy canisters.  I looked into redoing my pantry (as we do cook nearly everything at home)- and it was almost $1500 in containers alone.  I didn't do it.

I had to look up pantry cannisters (I too cook everything at home but don't have any).  What are fancy about fancy ones that would do the job better than something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Pantry-Canister-4-2-Quart/dp/B008BR4MR6

No- those are the fancy ones; but the way it worked out to convert the whole pantry we needed about about 50 containers of various sizes (we had it all mapped out which sizes we needed for what).  So a set of 3 for nearly $40; they add up. The larger containers are over $20 each.

So $200 for canisters would only get 5 sets of what you showed.  I would need more than 5 of the large containers just for varieties of rice.  After just a few things, the small containers are pretty useless.

Oh wow, got it.  I get the feeling our pantries look vastly different. :P

I have a single wide closet as a pantry.  I just went with a bunch of dollar store boxes or painted cardboard boxes.  But we have a lot of rices and flours because my husband really likes variety when he cooks.

Yeah, my pantry is mostly just oils, vinegars, canned stuff, onions, maybe some sweet potatoes, and small kitchen appliances like the food processor and coffee maker when not in use.

[RidetheRain]

Not money, but if you can't count and don't know what a calendar looks like you can't read a bank statement I assume....

Actual thing said at my office by people who earn more money than me:
'What? It's Pi Day?'
'Yeah man, it's 3/42'
'Awesome'

That's not Pi, that's not today's date, that's not any date.

[mustachepungoeshere]

$200 doesn't get you much for fancy canisters.  I looked into redoing my pantry (as we do cook nearly everything at home)- and it was almost $1500 in containers alone.  I didn't do it.

I had to look up pantry cannisters (I too cook everything at home but don't have any).  What are fancy about fancy ones that would do the job better than something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Pantry-Canister-4-2-Quart/dp/B008BR4MR6

No- those are the fancy ones; but the way it worked out to convert the whole pantry we needed about about 50 containers of various sizes (we had it all mapped out which sizes we needed for what).  So a set of 3 for nearly $40; they add up. The larger containers are over $20 each.

So $200 for canisters would only get 5 sets of what you showed.  I would need more than 5 of the large containers just for varieties of rice.  After just a few things, the small containers are pretty useless.

You probably have a better-stocked pantry than someone who doesn’t cook. I would say she has the basics - white flour, white sugar, etc - and that’s it.

Not money, but if you can't count and don't know what a calendar looks like you can't read a bank statement I assume....

Actual thing said at my office by people who earn more money than me:
'What? It's Pi Day?'
'Yeah man, it's 3/42'
'Awesome'

That's not Pi, that's not today's date, that's not any date.

One of my colleagues got a meeting request yesterday for April 4 and got all excited. “Star Wars Day!”

No, no it’s not.

[ketchup]

$200 doesn't get you much for fancy canisters.  I looked into redoing my pantry (as we do cook nearly everything at home)- and it was almost $1500 in containers alone.  I didn't do it.

I had to look up pantry cannisters (I too cook everything at home but don't have any).  What are fancy about fancy ones that would do the job better than something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Pantry-Canister-4-2-Quart/dp/B008BR4MR6

No- those are the fancy ones; but the way it worked out to convert the whole pantry we needed about about 50 containers of various sizes (we had it all mapped out which sizes we needed for what).  So a set of 3 for nearly $40; they add up. The larger containers are over $20 each.

So $200 for canisters would only get 5 sets of what you showed.  I would need more than 5 of the large containers just for varieties of rice.  After just a few things, the small containers are pretty useless.

You probably have a better-stocked pantry than someone who doesn’t cook. I would say she has the basics - white flour, white sugar, etc - and that’s it.

I don't have either of those things in my pantry, nor do I have any cannisters, and I cook every day. :D

[Epor]

A colleague, who has already starred in this thread for her Uber Eats habit, has been revamping her pantry.

She spent $200 on new canisters, and has been looking at laser-cut custom vinyl labels on Etsy for about $100.

She does't cook.

Ever.

The woman buys toast from a café. She doesn't need a Pinterest-perfect pantry!

That made me smile. The stars of MMM Wall of Shame.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

$200 doesn't get you much for fancy canisters.  I looked into redoing my pantry (as we do cook nearly everything at home)- and it was almost $1500 in containers alone.  I didn't do it.

I had to look up pantry cannisters (I too cook everything at home but don't have any).  What are fancy about fancy ones that would do the job better than something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Pantry-Canister-4-2-Quart/dp/B008BR4MR6

No- those are the fancy ones; but the way it worked out to convert the whole pantry we needed about about 50 containers of various sizes (we had it all mapped out which sizes we needed for what).  So a set of 3 for nearly $40; they add up. The larger containers are over $20 each.

So $200 for canisters would only get 5 sets of what you showed.  I would need more than 5 of the large containers just for varieties of rice.  After just a few things, the small containers are pretty useless.

You probably have a better-stocked pantry than someone who doesn’t cook. I would say she has the basics - white flour, white sugar, etc - and that’s it.

I don't have either of those things in my pantry, nor do I have any cannisters, and I cook every day. :D

I have everything in cannisters - old plastic icecream tubs either emptied of original contents myself or scavenged from friend's recycle bins. They're sealable, stackable, they all match, FREE, and you just label them with a permanent marker. It'll come off in the dishwasher so you can always relabel. Like the poster above, I have at least 5 varieties of rice and a dozen kinds of flour.

[shelivesthedream]

My containers come in three kinds:
1. Charity shop Kilner jars - sugar, couscous and the like
2. New IKEA ones - larger, for flour and dried beans and rice
3. Glass jars that used to hold something else - spices

I only use see-through ones, though. Scavenged opaque containers go in the Tupperware cupboard for temporary storage uses.

[Linea_Norway]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

[former player]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

[solon]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

via Imgflip Meme Generator

[halftimer]

Coworker was on new hire 6 month probation and it was not going well with regular 'performance feedback' meetings giving poor reviews. They were staying with family members since moving to a new city, and constantly talking about going around to buy new furniture to it could be ready for their new place in the spring. I asked, 'Where will you store these items if you buy them now? Why not wait until you have the place and then you know what your space requirements will be?' (Strong hints that  large purchases may not be wise when getting fired is imminent.) Alas, the hint was not not clear enough, and neither were the multiple performance review warnings. With 1.5 months left on probation still they signed for a 3 bedroom house and made a few other public expensive commitments (booked flights, etc) and then were given immediate notice of 'non-renewal of contract effective immediately' a few days after moving in to the big place, and right after they turned down a friend as a potential paying room-mate/tenant.  I'm very sad for them, and also so frustrated that they will be in a really bad position now and that it would have been mostly preventable.

[Linea_Norway]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

I also don't think the dog has anything to do with any nesting behaviours. I also don't want to interfere with my colleague's decision on whether and when to have children. I just think he should realize that a dog is very expensive and that he takes a very deliberate decision about having a dog. The money should be worth it.

[BJacks]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

When I was pregnant with our first both of my husbands siblings ended up with dogs. They couldn't have more babies so they went out and got dogs. It's a thing.

[I'm a red panda]

I managed to own a dog for 13 years before having children.  I don't think the two are related.
Then again, I lack nesting, as my kid is 1 and we still don't have a "nursery" set up.


Dogs aren't that expensive, though the occasional $800 emergency vet bill does suck. I guess it depends what you define as expensive.

[martyconlonontherun]

I managed to own a dog for 13 years before having children.  I don't think the two are related.
Then again, I lack nesting, as my kid is 1 and we still don't have a "nursery" set up.


Dogs aren't that expensive, though the occasional $800 emergency vet bill does suck. I guess it depends what you define as expensive.

Depends on the life-style and what you feel is appropriate for a dog. If you travel a ton, boarding can get super expensive. If you get a puppy and feel you need to take them to doggy day care every day, it gets expensive.

Some people (even frugal people) can't have a dog and just leave them at home all day without expensive food, dog walkers etc. They just don't believe that's how you treat a dog.

If you are more like me and think a dog is a dog and don't travel much, it can be cheap to own a dog for the entertainment/companionship you get.

[honeybbq]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

+10.

[rockstache]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

+10.

Also, I'm not sure about Norway, but in my area of the planet, one does not talk to younger coworkers about their contraception methods. That would be a great way to get reported to HR. 

[I'm a red panda]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

+10.

Also, I'm not sure about Norway, but in my area of the planet, one does not talk to younger coworkers about their contraception methods. That would be a great way to get reported to HR.

hahahaha!

"So did you file that TPS report? Is your girlfriend on the pill?"

[The Fake Cheap]

Co worker of mine was defending why she was driving a large pick up truck.  She said that "it's only used to take me to work and back (~70KM round tip)and to tow our trailer around in the summer.  Plus, we bought it when the new model year was coming out, so we got a deal on it." 

This person thinks this is actually how you save money.  Stunning!

[alanB]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

+10.

Also, I'm not sure about Norway, but in my area of the planet, one does not talk to younger coworkers about their contraception methods. That would be a great way to get reported to HR.

hahahaha!

"So did you file that TPS report? Is your girlfriend on the pill?"

Yea in America it would go like this (assuming there are no women around):

"Whoa, she's getting a dog, huh?  You better lock that thing down before a baby pops out of it!"

Then everyone would laugh and slap each other on the back, and that person would get reported to HR for their strong mentoring and leadership skills and promoted to VP.

[couponvan]

Young colleague has just bought his first place. He wants to rent out a room to a room mate to make ends meet. Can't affort much furniture yet.
Now his GF moved in with him and wants to buy a dog. My colleague was wondering whether a dog was expensive. Another colleague at the table, who didn't want a dog, but lost the argument with the rest of his family, confirmed that having a dog is very expensive indeed.

Are you in a position to talk to young colleague about contraception?  Girlfriend is very likely exhibiting nesting behaviour and a baby could very well follow on quite quickly from the dog.

Um.... I don't know how things roll on your planet. but on this one it's just a dog, dude. And women don't have 'nesting behaviours' so much as men have 'misinterpreted female behaviour based on their male misogynistic outlooks'.

+10.

Also, I'm not sure about Norway, but in my area of the planet, one does not talk to younger coworkers about their contraception methods. That would be a great way to get reported to HR.

hahahaha!

"So did you file that TPS report? Is your girlfriend on the pill?"

Yea in America it would go like this (assuming there are no women around):

"Whoa, she's getting a dog, huh?  You better lock that thing down before a baby pops out of it!"

Then everyone would laugh and slap each other on the back, and that person would get reported to HR for their strong mentoring and leadership skills and promoted to VP.

And this is why America isn't so great....dogs of the non-animal variety. Hanging out in packs and getting ahead.

[M5]

Coworker recently sold their classic VW Beetle, so now she has a significant amount of cash laying around. Naturally she must spend it on something else so she is looking at buying a travel trailer. As if this isn't bad enough, she has asked nearly everyone in the building if they have space for them to park the new trailer. Because they don't have any place for it and you know, paying $150/mo in storage just won't cut it. I've been so stunned I haven't even said a word.

How about you don't buy anything..

[barbaz]

+10.

Let us take a moment and appreciate that this thread has now 20000 comments.

[change_seeker]

Coworker recently sold their classic VW Beetle, so now she has a significant amount of cash laying around. Naturally she must spend it on something else so she is looking at buying a travel trailer. As if this isn't bad enough, she has asked nearly everyone in the building if they have space for them to park the new trailer. Because they don't have any place for it and you know, paying $150/mo in storage just won't cut it. I've been so stunned I haven't even said a word.

How about you don't buy anything..

I sense a great opportunity here, I have a travel trailer for sale AND will rent the spot to her ;)

[fattest_foot]

Went on travel with 5 of my coworkers this week and it was depressing.

Two of our coworkers didn't go with us, but I found out that one is 64 and the other 68, with neither planning on retiring anytime soon because of how poorly they've managed their finances.

My supervisor and his wife (also in management) have a combined income of in excess of $225k and live paycheck to paycheck.

On expressing how "I can't even imagine working at age 68" another coworker (in her mid-50's) said "I will have to work until I'm 72." I replied, "What do you mean have to?" She went on a rant about how they can't save anything and excuse after excuse. I was just sitting there thinking, I sure hope that your health even allows you to work that long if that's your plan.

One of my coworkers is in her early 40's with a husband who is retired military. I actually presented MMM to her a few weeks ago and she seemed excited. Unfortunately they LOVE to spend money. Despite trying to sell her on the fact that she has a massive leg up (the pension being equivalent to a risk free $650k if it was invested), I've seen nothing to show she's actually interested. I told her I would answer any questions she had, but if she didn't ask, I wasn't going to preach to her.

Another coworker is in her early 30's. We drove to the site in her $60k Tahoe. I texted my wife and we figured out that every single car we've owned in our lives (8 total cars, we're in our mid 30's) we'd still paid less than that in total. Anyway, on the way they stopped at Starbucks where she spilled her drink in her clown car. And then freaked out about; which I suppose is understandable when your car costs sixty thousand dollars! We went out to dinner the other night and watched her parallel park. She was super careful about not hitting the curb. Turns out her wheels were $1000 each. She's mentioned Dave Ramsey a few times which I suppose is a positive, but actually saving seems to be a foreign concept as long as you're not "in debt."

I've decided we'll just keep our mouth shut about finances from here on out. I imagine I'll end up retiring before every single one of them except the 68 year old.

[Just Joe]

Maybe I saw your coworker in traffic the other day: big SUV with a front license plate that said in fancy script "Blessed". Hopefully they were thankful for more than their material possessions.

[DutchGirl]

During a meeting at work:

Colleague: Hank did good for himself. He retired early.
Me, interested: Oh, at what age?
Colleague: Oh, I don't know, but before official retirement age.

Me, thinking: hmm, probably at age 63 instead of 65 or so. Okay, I'm not so interested anymore.

[mm1970]

Went on travel with 5 of my coworkers this week and it was depressing.

Two of our coworkers didn't go with us, but I found out that one is 64 and the other 68, with neither planning on retiring anytime soon because of how poorly they've managed their finances.

My supervisor and his wife (also in management) have a combined income of in excess of $225k and live paycheck to paycheck.

On expressing how "I can't even imagine working at age 68" another coworker (in her mid-50's) said "I will have to work until I'm 72." I replied, "What do you mean have to?" She went on a rant about how they can't save anything and excuse after excuse. I was just sitting there thinking, I sure hope that your health even allows you to work that long if that's your plan.

One of my coworkers is in her early 40's with a husband who is retired military. I actually presented MMM to her a few weeks ago and she seemed excited. Unfortunately they LOVE to spend money. Despite trying to sell her on the fact that she has a massive leg up (the pension being equivalent to a risk free $650k if it was invested), I've seen nothing to show she's actually interested. I told her I would answer any questions she had, but if she didn't ask, I wasn't going to preach to her.

Another coworker is in her early 30's. We drove to the site in her $60k Tahoe. I texted my wife and we figured out that every single car we've owned in our lives (8 total cars, we're in our mid 30's) we'd still paid less than that in total. Anyway, on the way they stopped at Starbucks where she spilled her drink in her clown car. And then freaked out about; which I suppose is understandable when your car costs sixty thousand dollars! We went out to dinner the other night and watched her parallel park. She was super careful about not hitting the curb. Turns out her wheels were $1000 each. She's mentioned Dave Ramsey a few times which I suppose is a positive, but actually saving seems to be a foreign concept as long as you're not "in debt."

I've decided we'll just keep our mouth shut about finances from here on out. I imagine I'll end up retiring before every single one of them except the 68 year old.

Oh boy.

I had a convo with a coworker yesterday who mentioned that he's never really thought about money.  "I just buy what I want."  I joked "Maybe that's why you say you won't ever retire, not just that you put 4 kids through college."  Then he said "well, I don't even remember how many decades ago it was when I made even only $100k."  Um, thanks man.  Wasn't too long ago for me.

[dcheesi]

Went on travel with 5 of my coworkers this week and it was depressing.

Two of our coworkers didn't go with us, but I found out that one is 64 and the other 68, with neither planning on retiring anytime soon because of how poorly they've managed their finances.

My supervisor and his wife (also in management) have a combined income of in excess of $225k and live paycheck to paycheck.

On expressing how "I can't even imagine working at age 68" another coworker (in her mid-50's) said "I will have to work until I'm 72." I replied, "What do you mean have to?" She went on a rant about how they can't save anything and excuse after excuse. I was just sitting there thinking, I sure hope that your health even allows you to work that long if that's your plan.

One of my coworkers is in her early 40's with a husband who is retired military. I actually presented MMM to her a few weeks ago and she seemed excited. Unfortunately they LOVE to spend money. Despite trying to sell her on the fact that she has a massive leg up (the pension being equivalent to a risk free $650k if it was invested), I've seen nothing to show she's actually interested. I told her I would answer any questions she had, but if she didn't ask, I wasn't going to preach to her.

Another coworker is in her early 30's. We drove to the site in her $60k Tahoe. I texted my wife and we figured out that every single car we've owned in our lives (8 total cars, we're in our mid 30's) we'd still paid less than that in total. Anyway, on the way they stopped at Starbucks where she spilled her drink in her clown car. And then freaked out about; which I suppose is understandable when your car costs sixty thousand dollars! We went out to dinner the other night and watched her parallel park. She was super careful about not hitting the curb. Turns out her wheels were $1000 each. She's mentioned Dave Ramsey a few times which I suppose is a positive, but actually saving seems to be a foreign concept as long as you're not "in debt."

I've decided we'll just keep our mouth shut about finances from here on out. I imagine I'll end up retiring before every single one of them except the 68 year old.

Oh boy.

I had a convo with a coworker yesterday who mentioned that he's never really thought about money.  "I just buy what I want."  I joked "Maybe that's why you say you won't ever retire, not just that you put 4 kids through college."  Then he said "well, I don't even remember how many decades ago it was when I made even only $100k."  Um, thanks man.  Wasn't too long ago for me.

Pre-mustache, I considered "not thinking about money" to be my greatest luxury. I wasn't making anywhere near $100k at the time, but a combination of LCoL and instinctive cheapness meant that my bank account still grew (slowly) without my ever having to consciously budget.

Now I look back and shake my head, thinking about all the money I could have been socking away with only a minor amount of thought applied to my finances!

[RyanAtTanagra]

Oh boy.

I had a convo with a coworker yesterday who mentioned that he's never really thought about money.  "I just buy what I want."  I joked "Maybe that's why you say you won't ever retire, not just that you put 4 kids through college."  Then he said "well, I don't even remember how many decades ago it was when I made even only $100k."  Um, thanks man.  Wasn't too long ago for me.

Pre-mustache, I considered "not thinking about money" to be my greatest luxury. I wasn't making anywhere near $100k at the time, but a combination of LCoL and instinctive cheapness meant that my bank account still grew (slowly) without my ever having to consciously budget.

Now I look back and shake my head, thinking about all the money I could have been socking away with only a minor amount of thought applied to my finances!

I never used to think about money.  Oddly enough (not really), I was always worried/stressed about it though.  Now I think about money a lot (maybe too much), but I never worry about it anymore!

[jax8]

Yesterday my officemate said, "I wish we could name a dollar amount to contribute to our 401Ks instead of a percentage.  I wish I could just put $100 in there instead of $36.64 or whatever it works out to be. Then maybe I could get somewhere."

We both are in our late 30's and we both make around $38,000.  I'm contributing a flat dollar amount of $300 per pay--she's contributing $36.64.  I told her that yes, we can in fact ask for a flat rate because that's exactly what I'm doing, and to email HR asap.

Yikes.

[Penn42]

The latest circumstance that had me shaking my head at work. 

Coworker really doesn't like his job, but doesn't think he'll be able to retire for the better part of two decades.  He's also worried about how he's going to help pay for his kids college.  His household income is over 150k, he doesn't max his 401k or have an IRA and buys things ALL THE TIME!  He came in the other week and marked down 9 days off in April to go on a vacation that wasn't in the plans until the night before.  It's sad some people don't see they have control over this stuff. 

I like this coworker and wish there was someway I could help without being preachy.  I'm also much younger and in a subordinate position which always complicates things.

[Roadrunner53]

That is a sticky subject to discuss money issues with a coworker! Maybe just discuss your desire to retire in 20+/- years and how you are taking advantage of the company 401K and the match they give. Tell him your plans and maybe you will put a bug in his head. Tell him how you are leading a frugal life so you can achieve retirement early. That is really all you can do. Unless he asks for help.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

[nick663]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

Is it sad that I assumed the coworker was going to KMart for a "going out of business" sale?

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

Is it sad that I assumed the coworker was going to KMart for a "going out of business" sale?

Would it matter? A set of towels that you don't need at $30 is pretty much the same as a set of towels that you don't need for $10.

[Nudelkopf]

Coworker: "You're not allowed to retire until you're 67. The government won't let you."

Ummmmm, yeah, fuck off. This is why he's 50 & has no assets to his name.

[Freedomin5]

Coworker was talking about her weekend and how she just happened to be walking past the (very expensive) revolving restaurant in the city and decided to have dinner there “just cuz it was a nice day, and why not?” She makes $30k a year. Sigh.

[ducky19]

Coworker: "You're not allowed to retire until you're 67. The government won't let you."

Ummmmm, yeah, fuck off. This is why he's 50 & has no assets to his name.

This is true if your retirement plan is social security (technically 62, I guess). Sad though, if they actually believe the "gub'ment" won't let you retire before that...

[Just Joe]

Coworker: "You're not allowed to retire until you're 67. The government won't let you."

Ummmmm, yeah, fuck off. This is why he's 50 & has no assets to his name.

This is true if your retirement plan is social security (technically 62, I guess). Sad though, if they actually believe the "gub'ment" won't let you retire before that...

Maybe they are the type that functions on heresay rather than facts. Not a good way to live life.

[Samuel]

This one is from last September, when Apple announced their latest batch of fancy new stuff. The morning after the announcement a coworker (who was always coming in with some cool new gadget) excitedly cornered me...

CW: "Are you getting an iPhone X!?"
Me: "Uh, no."
CW: (disappointed) "Oh. What about the new Apple TV, the fifth generation? I'm getting it so I can watch my library in 4k..."
Me: "Nope." (then think for a second...) "But if you want to sell your old one I might take it off your hands" (for a deal, since you obviously don't care about money)
CW: "Sure! I have the first gen, the third gen, and the fourth gen. Which one?"

He jumped ship before I could close the deal (don't really need an Apple TV anyways), but good lord, how much stuff do you buy man?

[Uturn]

Coworker:  Oh, my neighborhood would be a great place for you to buy in.  Lots of smaller homes.

So I look up the neighborhood on Zillow.  Smallest house I found was 3200 sq ft. 

[FreshPrincess]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

Is it sad that I assumed the coworker was going to KMart for a "going out of business" sale?

I had similar thoughts.  First I thought "who goes to K-Mart?" and then I thought "wait, there are still K-Marts?"

[FindingFI]

Got to chatting with a coworker yesterday about retirement contributions and she told me about a method she has been using for two years to get a “better” return.  She contributes 5% to get the full employer match, which isn’t great but at least she’s getting all the available free money, so points for that.

But then it took a turn for the worse.  She has been taking out loans from her retirement account and honestly thought that the 3% interest rate was money that she was “making” because more went back into the retirement account than what she took out.  And that it was good because it was way more than the 0.1% that her savings accounts makes.

The story has a happy ending though! It took a few minutes to explain the 6-8% return from the market that she was missing out on with this strategy and that the 3% interest that was going back into her retirement account was her money anyway so she wasn’t “making” anything.  She’s as smart person, but had a fundamental misunderstanding of how market returns and retirement account loans work. So now she’s done taking any new loans and is working on how much to increase her contributions instead to get that money into her account fro the beginning. We even started talking about which funds to put money into and the contribution cap.  Got high hopes for this one!

[FreshPrincess]

Got to chatting with a coworker yesterday about retirement contributions and she told me about a method she has been using for two years to get a “better” return.  She contributes 5% to get the full employer match, which isn’t great but at least she’s getting all the available free money, so points for that.

But then it took a turn for the worse.  She has been taking out loans from her retirement account and honestly thought that the 3% interest rate was money that she was “making” because more went back into the retirement account than what she took out.  And that it was good because it was way more than the 0.1% that her savings accounts makes.

The story has a happy ending though! It took a few minutes to explain the 6-8% return from the market that she was missing out on with this strategy and that the 3% interest that was going back into her retirement account was her money anyway so she wasn’t “making” anything.  She’s as smart person, but had a fundamental misunderstanding of how market returns and retirement account loans work. So now she’s done taking any new loans and is working on how much to increase her contributions instead to get that money into her account fro the beginning. We even started talking about which funds to put money into and the contribution cap.  Got high hopes for this one!

Oh, man.  My former TPA/Retirement Plan Administrator heart just broke for her.  I saw too many brokers and advisors encouraging people to take loans against their retirement accounts like they were a revolving credit card or checking account.  I would do the behind the scenes administration and see people with low balances and outstanding loans.  Shame, shame.  And not in a finger-wagging way... in a "it's a shame" kind of way.  It would make me sad.

"Set it and forget it" was the best advice I ever got.  And looking back now, as much as I HATED retirement plan administration... I thank my lucky stars I fell into it because I started saving early.  Probably wouldn't have otherwise.

[nick663]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

Is it sad that I assumed the coworker was going to KMart for a "going out of business" sale?

Would it matter? A set of towels that you don't need at $30 is pretty much the same as a set of towels that you don't need for $10.

Sorry, that was just a snarky comment about the finances of KMart as a company.  They have closed all of their stores in my area.

[Davnasty]

Co-worker excitedly announced he was going to KMart after work. I asked what he intended buying and he said 'anything I want!'. Just a spend for entertainment exercise by the sound of it.

Is it sad that I assumed the coworker was going to KMart for a "going out of business" sale?

Would it matter? A set of towels that you don't need at $30 is pretty much the same as a set of towels that you don't need for $10.

Sorry, that was just a snarky comment about the finances of KMart as a company.  They have closed all of their stores in my area.

Oh shit! K-mart still exists?

The last time I was in one of those stores it felt more like a flea market than a big-box store, and that was at least 5 years ago. I thought it was overpriced even though half the crap had a clearance sticker and the other half had no discernable pricetag. Open boxes, unfolded clothes lying around and even some broken products on the shelves. Employees were like meerkats. Sightings were rare and if one popped up and saw you, they were gone again.

How is this place still in business?

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Kmart is quite different on this side of the globe. They seem to specialise in high end looking, low end prices. But they're still cheap crap at the end of the day. Don't think they'll be out of business anytime soon

[NaN]

Co-worker, an intern transferring over to full time in several months, was asking another co-worker about auto-loans. He apparently already has his new car picked out. He had not purchased his new car, but was asking the other co-worker if he could get the dealer financing to start his loan payments after he starts in several months. Older coworker said "Sure, everything is negotiable." Meanwhile, intern co-worker, "Yeah, it seems doable, they will still be charging interest until I start paying."