Overheard at Work

[rocksinmyhead]

Overheard at work today from a man who makes approximately $40k/year: "My rule is a new cell phone every six months.  They really need to make them less expensive though, $700 every six months is pretty rough."

what. the. fuck.

[Ascotillion]

I went with my housemate recently to check out his phone plan at the store, to see when it finished. The salesman said he had three months left, but he could waive that to grab a new contract and "save" the three months or so, plus get a new phone! My housemate (who has benefited from a bit of second-hand mustachianism) immediately said "no" and calculated how much he'll be saving per-month when it's paid off, in the store!

This will be the first time he's ever kept using a phone he's paid off - until now it's been a new one every two years, with the old ones sitting in a cupboard or drawer gathering dust, just because that's what he's always done. Six months, though, that's pretty unbelievable!

[FIREman2036]

Due to some circumstances at work, some colleagues and I were talking about the possibility of basically being laid off a month temporarily - I made some comment, "month off without pay? sign me up!" and my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy.

I'd take a month or two every year off without pay if I could, I already am buying as much vacation as I can - might as well take an unpaid month off :)

A similar thing happened to me when my company threatened that we would be laid of each winter for 2-3 months unless we moved onto a lower paid staff contract. I called their bluff and said i would love to work 9-10 months a year at the current rate and take time of in the quite months. They ended up bumping the staff contract up by 10% so i accepted (left 3 months later for unrelated reasons).

[Lis]

Overheard at work today from a man who makes approximately $40k/year: "My rule is a new cell phone every six months.  They really need to make them less expensive though, $700 every six months is pretty rough."

what. the. fuck.

100% agree. What the actual fuck. I'm making just around the same as him and I couldn't fathom getting a new phone that often. I have a two year old iPhone 4 (bought new as a gift from my parents). I bought myself a heavy duty case and a screen protector right away, and it's still in good condition (two little scratches on the screen, that's it!). That puppy is sticking with me until it completely craps out and is irreparable. I honestly can't tell you what the newest version iPhone is out now, or when another new one will be out. All I know is that when this one does die (hopefully not for another 2-3 years), I'll be looking for a used/refurbished model of some phone that was released two years or so prior.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Heard this today and immediately thought of this thread.

Co-worker: "Our patio contractor didn't show up on time this morning, so who knows when our patio will be finished? We bought a brand new patio set and have nowhere to put it! The contractor can show up whenever they want and charge whatever they want because it's not like we'd ever do the work ourselves (scoffs)."

Me: "Uh, umm, oh ok, sorry about that"

New patio set? Paying contractor any amount of $$ to do the work for you (on a non-crucial, purely for fun renovation)? Tried to walk away as fast as possible before my eyes rolled uncontrollably...

[dycker1978]

LOL... my inlaws just paid a vast amount to have a patio installed... when i mentiontioned that I would have done it for a place to stay for a few nights, they said that on my days off i need to rest.  I have an office job, I rest at work...

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

LOL... my inlaws just paid a vast amount to have a patio installed... when i mentiontioned that I would have done it for a place to stay for a few nights, they said that on my days off i need to rest.  I have an office job, I rest at work...

Exactly!!!

[dycker1978]

Did I mention that she is unemployed, and they are broke. He wont let her work because he is a trucker and wants her home when he is... 

[dycker1978]

I heard another one last night... not at work, but at a board of directors meeting in the housing I live in...

I was kinda evesdropping on another couple talking, and heard something about a kitchen.  So I asked him a question, thinking that maybe he needed some help moving something in his kitchen(his wife is diabled, so this is something that happens quite regularly)  Anyways, he said no, that he was going to the soup kitchen to get some supper. 

I find this quite scary, as he has 3 cars between him and his wife.  The have a mini van, which they need because she is in a wheel chair, so it is equiot with the lift system for her and such.  They have a "commuter" mustang(80's style 4 cly i think) and they just bought a 3/4 ton 4x4 truck.

All of the vehicles are older, but my question is why do they need to pay 3 sets of insurance every month.  Are housing also only provides 1 patking spot, so he is renting another 2 spots... This seems to me to be quite a waste for someone who cannot afford to eat.

[AH013]

All of the vehicles are older, but my question is why do they need to pay 3 sets of insurance every month.  Are housing also only provides 1 patking spot, so he is renting another 2 spots... This seems to me to be quite a waste for someone who cannot afford to eat.

Everyone knows you need something fashionable to roll into the soup kitchen on. If you haven't picked up your food pantry score in a benzo, you just wouldn't understand these things.  Why, he'd be the laughing stock of everyone at the soup kitchen if he pulled up in the wheelchair mini-van, instead of the mustang.

[Paul der Krake]

Overheard at work today from a man who makes approximately $40k/year: "My rule is a new cell phone every six months.  They really need to make them less expensive though, $700 every six months is pretty rough."

what. the. fuck.
[/quote]
This description accurately describes a significant percentage of people of my generation. I personally know a couple who don't make half of the quoted 40k salary.

[Cardinal12]

Overheard this today:

CW1: (Complaining about needing to cash a check) When I use to work at a bank, some people would come in to deposit two or three paychecks at a time. It must be nice to not need a paycheck every week...

From a senior level accountant, no less.

[Beric01]

At a conference for work this week. I got a couple lunch tickets, but not every level of registration gets them. I saw the price people were paying for lunch: $11! This includes a small sandwich, a bag of chips, and a couple tiny cookies. I can easily make this lunch for $2.00 myself - incredible profit margins. This is why I always bring my lunch to work...

[Nords]

One of my fellow majors would feel right at home on this forum.  He'll find out by next week if he's being forced out, but if he has to go then he can comfortably go a few months before worrying about employment.  Another major here rents four properties across the country, but another young captain has very expensive hobbies and collectibles.  I work with a lot of young captains who are still feeling their way through investment options, home ownership, and only a couple have put serious thought into long term plans.

I found a bootleg copy of the Army's brief to GEN Odierno on the officer separation boards.  It's "interesting" reading for all O-3s and O-4s:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/235750833/29/Other-Key-Initiatives

If that link suddenly stops working then another copy is on the blog server with this post:
http://the-military-guide.com/2014/08/05/leaked-statistics-army-officer-separation-board/

[Daisy]

Due to some circumstances at work, some colleagues and I were talking about the possibility of basically being laid off a month temporarily - I made some comment, "month off without pay? sign me up!" and my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy.

I'd take a month or two every year off without pay if I could, I already am buying as much vacation as I can - might as well take an unpaid month off :)

A similar thing happened to me when my company threatened that we would be laid of each winter for 2-3 months unless we moved onto a lower paid staff contract. I called their bluff and said i would love to work 9-10 months a year at the current rate and take time of in the quite months. They ended up bumping the staff contract up by 10% so i accepted (left 3 months later for unrelated reasons).

Wouldn't that be awesome? I may never FIRE if I had this kind of setup.

I was just lamenting something similar. In my recent history, I've been able to take an extended break a couple of times every three years. Six years ago when I left a job and went to another and purposely took a month off in between. Three years ago when I got laid off and purposefully didn't look for work for 4 months. Well, now I'm hitting the next three year mark and getting antsy...if only I could take a 3 month break, it may recharge my batteries. But no way my company would go for that. We are in constant layoff mode. My next break is more of a permanent one (FIRE...very soon!).

[Travis]

One of my fellow majors would feel right at home on this forum.  He'll find out by next week if he's being forced out, but if he has to go then he can comfortably go a few months before worrying about employment.  Another major here rents four properties across the country, but another young captain has very expensive hobbies and collectibles.  I work with a lot of young captains who are still feeling their way through investment options, home ownership, and only a couple have put serious thought into long term plans.

I found a bootleg copy of the Army's brief to GEN Odierno on the officer separation boards.  It's "interesting" reading for all O-3s and O-4s:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/235750833/29/Other-Key-Initiatives

If that link suddenly stops working then another copy is on the blog server with this post:
http://the-military-guide.com/2014/08/05/leaked-statistics-army-officer-separation-board/

I received a copy of the OSB demographics brief last week when they were leaked.  It's been the talk of the office and generated a lot of discussions about finances and officership.  In my headquarters so far nobody has been asked to sit down with the brigade commander, but I think one or two in one of our battalions is getting the boot.

[ash7962]

I've finally got one!  So first, I live and work in Chicago.  Yesterday my coworker came in after some time off moving to his newly built house.... in Indiana.  Others asked how long his car commute was, and he replied an hour.  Already I was like ugh, but then! the 4 other people went "oh that's not bad at all!" I sincerely hope some of them were just being polite.  I didn't say anything.  The funny thing is that he's late today 'cause he had to take his car into the mechanic.

[rocksinmyhead]

Heard this today and immediately thought of this thread.

Co-worker: "Our patio contractor didn't show up on time this morning, so who knows when our patio will be finished? We bought a brand new patio set and have nowhere to put it! The contractor can show up whenever they want and charge whatever they want because it's not like we'd ever do the work ourselves (scoffs)."

Me: "Uh, umm, oh ok, sorry about that"

New patio set? Paying contractor any amount of $$ to do the work for you (on a non-crucial, purely for fun renovation)? Tried to walk away as fast as possible before my eyes rolled uncontrollably...

no kidding! I've never owned a home, but from what I hear from coworkers it sounds like for a lot of jobs, hiring a contractor is almost as big of a hassle/time-suck as doing it yourself! which kind of blew my mind, but also renewed my commitment to DIY as much as possible.

[nordlead]

I've finally got one!  So first, I live and work in Chicago.  Yesterday my coworker came in after some time off moving to his newly built house.... in Indiana.  Others asked how long his car commute was, and he replied an hour.  Already I was like ugh, but then! the 4 other people went "oh that's not bad at all!" I sincerely hope some of them were just being polite.  I didn't say anything.  The funny thing is that he's late today 'cause he had to take his car into the mechanic.

Obviously, you'd be surprised how many people live far away from work. My old boss lived ~1.5 hours away. I just found out another coworker I'm working with lives ~1 hours away. I think the average commute time in the US is 30 minutes. My commute is luckily 15-20 minutes depending on if I hit the lights or not.

My dad used to live 40 minutes from work, but at least his work was a nuclear power plant and we lived outside the fallout zone :-D

[Angie55]

Not really overheard but....

I parked next to a lifted  Hummer H2 today. Sadly there wasn't any dirt or mud on it. I didn't even know hummers were still around after the raise in gas prices in 2007/2009. I work downtown in a city for a utility so most people aren't paid top dollar. Granted it is Colorado so they hopefully get more use out of it then the droves of Hummers I used to see in DC.

[infogoon]

Not really overheard but....

I parked next to a lifted  Hummer H2 today. Sadly there wasn't any dirt or mud on it. I didn't even know hummers were still around after the raise in gas prices in 2007/2009. I work downtown in a city for a utility so most people aren't paid top dollar. Granted it is Colorado so they hopefully get more use out of it then the droves of Hummers I used to see in DC.

One of my coworkers bought one in 2008 -- he said he didn't especially want an SUV, but he needed something with three rows of seating to accommodate his family and dealerships were practically giving them away once gas hit $4/gallon. He did the math, and with the amount of driving he does it worked out in his favor.

He does say he gets a lot of dirty looks, though.

[CaliToCayman]

This wasn't quite "overheard at work" but my parents were getting on my case about the need for a wedding album. Just now at work my wife found out what one of these albums would cost from our photographer - $850... and that's not even the most expensive one (some go for $1,500)!!!

Originally last night when this was being mentioned to me I was thinking to myself "okay, one last annoying wedding expense of $50-$100 and we'll be done". Even though I dont even agree that we need one to begin with since we have all the photos digitally, but whatever, one last little hump to get over.

But this got me thinking, there are people who pay hundreds and even THOUSANDS of dollars to have their wedding photos in a fancy album???? That is absolutely insane to me. Once my wife told me the price of the cheapest one I pointed out that at that price we could do a long weekend at Little Cayman or Cayman Brac (our sister islands, which would include airfare and hotel) TWICE.

[4alpacas]

This wasn't quite "overheard at work" but my parents were getting on my case about the need for a wedding album. Just now at work my wife found out what one of these albums would cost from our photographer - $850... and that's not even the most expensive one (some go for $1,500)!!!

Originally last night when this was being mentioned to me I was thinking to myself "okay, one last annoying wedding expense of $50-$100 and we'll be done". Even though I dont even agree that we need one to begin with since we have all the photos digitally, but whatever, one last little hump to get over.

But this got me thinking, there are people who pay hundreds and even THOUSANDS of dollars to have their wedding photos in a fancy album???? That is absolutely insane to me. Once my wife told me the price of the cheapest one I pointed out that at that price we could do a long weekend at Little Cayman or Cayman Brac (our sister islands, which would include airfare and hotel) TWICE.

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.

[gimp]

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.

Nope. Photographer owns the copyright. You can't print your own albums unless they let you, in the contract you signed.

$850 is rather a lot. The justification is the quality difference, which really is massively different - trust me, if you hold just one, you won't see it, but if you hold both and compare, you won't be able to go back. The reason the photographer wants it (apart from a few extra bucks in their wallet) is so that their work isn't tarnished by shitty $5 prints. The second reason is that a photographer able to charge top dollar is also able to own the 'artistic vision', if you will; the people willing to pay top dollar do so because they put their trust into the guy with the camera and don't micromanage. Being a budget photographer is a pain in the ass because the people who want to save a buck on one thing also want to save a buck on everything else, which means a lot of back and forth and annoyance.

Is it worth it? You decide, you're the customer. It's obvious why the photographer wants it, in addition to a fat paycheck. If you want to pay, pay, if you don't, don't, but read the contract carefully and ask the right questions before you sign and find out you want the album but can't afford / don't want to pay for the album. Got questions? Ask online in a photographer forum. They'll be biased but you know their bias; they will also be knowledgeable to tell you about potential pitfalls, issues, and things that might not be obvious. Like that you can't just print your own albums or canvas prints unless the contract specifically allows you to. Not legally, anyways, and no high-quality shop will let you because it's not worth the trouble to them.

I wouldn't pay $850 for an album, but if wedding photos were extremely important to me, I wouldn't budget shop. If they weren't very important, I'd just hire a student with a promising portfolio and pay for any rental gear they might want to step up their game. (Or lend some of mine, which is getting to the point where that might be useful.)

[Quark]

My CW pays for a subscription service to some kind of doggy tv channel so her dogs can watch it while she's at work.

[NoraLenderbee]

Speaking of commutes, I overheard a coworker complain about an unusually bad day.

Coworker 1: OMG, the traffic was so bad, it took THREE HOURS to drive in today!
Coworker 2: Wow, that's terrible. How long does it usually take?
Coworker 1:  Two and a half hours.

(For SFBA folks, the commute was from Tracy to San Francisco.)

[gimp]

Tracy to SF? That blows.

I know a guy... lives in Santa Rosa, commutes to work two or three days a week to the bay area. But he's smart, see. He flies on his little two-seater in to a local airport a bit south, and takes the shuttle bus straight to the company. Okay, so fuel costs are a bit more per mile, but flying (in a mostly straight line) at 150 knots sure beats what other people do.

[dragoncar]

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.

Nope. Photographer owns the copyright. You can't print your own albums unless they let you, in the contract you signed.

$850 is rather a lot. The justification is the quality difference, which really is massively different - trust me, if you hold just one, you won't see it, but if you hold both and compare, you won't be able to go back. The reason the photographer wants it (apart from a few extra bucks in their wallet) is so that their work isn't tarnished by shitty $5 prints. The second reason is that a photographer able to charge top dollar is also able to own the 'artistic vision', if you will; the people willing to pay top dollar do so because they put their trust into the guy with the camera and don't micromanage. Being a budget photographer is a pain in the ass because the people who want to save a buck on one thing also want to save a buck on everything else, which means a lot of back and forth and annoyance.

Is it worth it? You decide, you're the customer. It's obvious why the photographer wants it, in addition to a fat paycheck. If you want to pay, pay, if you don't, don't, but read the contract carefully and ask the right questions before you sign and find out you want the album but can't afford / don't want to pay for the album. Got questions? Ask online in a photographer forum. They'll be biased but you know their bias; they will also be knowledgeable to tell you about potential pitfalls, issues, and things that might not be obvious. Like that you can't just print your own albums or canvas prints unless the contract specifically allows you to. Not legally, anyways, and no high-quality shop will let you because it's not worth the trouble to them.

I wouldn't pay $850 for an album, but if wedding photos were extremely important to me, I wouldn't budget shop. If they weren't very important, I'd just hire a student with a promising portfolio and pay for any rental gear they might want to step up their game. (Or lend some of mine, which is getting to the point where that might be useful.)

That's why you never hire a photographer without retaining copyright.  Unlike other artistic works, the photographer has no use for the photos besides extorting you for more money later, or possibly selling your likeness as stock photography that will end up in a banner ad or stupid web article on what not to wear

[CaliToCayman]

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.

Nope. Photographer owns the copyright. You can't print your own albums unless they let you, in the contract you signed.

Actually, our photographer did give us all of our photos digitally already at a very high resolution and will enhance 175 of those images for free. Which is why it blows my mind that anyone would pay another $850 for an album. I get it, it would be nice and fancy (as in, a hardbound book where the pictures are printed on to the pages). But it just seems crazy to me.

I'm not complaining about the price of the photographer himself (although you seem to  be inferring that), he did a great job. I just think that its an absurd amount of money to spend when we can just make our own.

[gimp]

That's why you never hire a photographer without retaining copyright.  Unlike other artistic works, the photographer has no use for the photos besides extorting you for more money later, or possibly selling your likeness as stock photography that will end up in a banner ad or stupid web article on what not to wear

Good luck with that. No photographer worth their salt will want to turn over RAWs to you, let alone exclusive copyright.

On the other hand, getting a non-transferable copyright (ie, allows you to do whatever you want other than to sell the image) is fairly common. I assume this is what you meant. These days, many photographers have no interest in being your go-to for prints and albums for the next 20 years, and are more than happy to mail you a flash drive with the required amount of JPEGs and a release to have them printed however you want to.

Your contract should specify the ways in which they may use your photo, by the way. Usually these would be: anything you request, plus promotional materials for them (website, portfolio, brochures, that sort of thing), plus anything they decide to personally publish (if they later want to make a book or something), but no resale to third parties such as stock photography agencies.

CaliToCayman: I'm not inferring anything, but many other people will think it's crazy to pay $x (well, $xxxx). I'm just heading off the complaint a bit by sharing why it's ridiculous to some and completely not ridiculous to others, depending on where their priorities are. Personally, I think good booze and good photos are about the only thing you need.

[Bigote]

My CW pays for a subscription service to some kind of doggy tv channel so her dogs can watch it while she's at work.

Wow.   Wrong on so many levels.

[Reepekg]

I've finally got one!  So first, I live and work in Chicago.  Yesterday my coworker came in after some time off moving to his newly built house.... in Indiana.  Others asked how long his car commute was, and he replied an hour.  Already I was like ugh, but then! the 4 other people went "oh that's not bad at all!" I sincerely hope some of them were just being polite.  I didn't say anything.  The funny thing is that he's late today 'cause he had to take his car into the mechanic.

I'm also in the Chicago area due west of the city, and in addition to the guys who drive up from Indiana, a number of them drive down from Wisconsin. It blew my mind when two different new coworkers moved back to the USA from international assignments into new houses... in Wisconsin approximately two hours away. 

[fantabulous]

My CW pays for a subscription service to some kind of doggy tv channel so her dogs can watch it while she's at work.

The butts channel?

I did some dog sitting recently, and the owners explicitly kept the TV on to some sort of streaming radio for the dog. Supposedly so he wouldn't get restless and chewy on the furniture.

[Donovan]

I finally have something for this thread!

I was talking to a co-worker about houses (he is buying one right now, and my wife and I have been looking).  The talk turned to budgets and the general size of houses, and it turns out that the one he is buying is 3100 sqft., and cost $250,000.  This is a 25 year old man with not girlfriend, no pets, and no plans to rent out some part of the house. His justification: "Yea, to live in a 'nice' neighborhood you always have to buy a bigger house."

There are plenty of nice neighborhoods around here with ~$100,000 or less houses that are big enough to raise a family in, much less house a single male.

[dragoncar]

That's why you never hire a photographer without retaining copyright.  Unlike other artistic works, the photographer has no use for the photos besides extorting you for more money later, or possibly selling your likeness as stock photography that will end up in a banner ad or stupid web article on what not to wear

Good luck with that. No photographer worth their salt will want to turn over RAWs to you, let alone exclusive copyright.

On the other hand, getting a non-transferable copyright (ie, allows you to do whatever you want other than to sell the image) is fairly common. I assume this is what you meant. These days, many photographers have no interest in being your go-to for prints and albums for the next 20 years, and are more than happy to mail you a flash drive with the required amount of JPEGs and a release to have them printed however you want to.

Your contract should specify the ways in which they may use your photo, by the way. Usually these would be: anything you request, plus promotional materials for them (website, portfolio, brochures, that sort of thing), plus anything they decide to personally publish (if they later want to make a book or something), but no resale to third parties such as stock photography agencies.

CaliToCayman: I'm not inferring anything, but many other people will think it's crazy to pay $x (well, $xxxx). I'm just heading off the complaint a bit by sharing why it's ridiculous to some and completely not ridiculous to others, depending on where their priorities are. Personally, I think good booze and good photos are about the only thing you need.

Eh, if they want my money they will.  Of course I had a great photographer work for free, so he's definitely worth his salt.

[Cinder]

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.

Nope. Photographer owns the copyright. You can't print your own albums unless they let you, in the contract you signed.

We paid a bit extra to own the rights to our photos.  That way we could reproduce them however we wanted to later.  If we wanted a quality print, we would still probably order it though our photographer though.  We thought she did an amazing job with the photos, and I love supporting independent business owners!

[BlueHouse]

[quote author=rocksinmyhead link=topic=2540.msg364572#msg364572 date=140742286

no kidding! I've never owned a home, but from what I hear from coworkers it sounds like for a lot of jobs, hiring a contractor is almost as big of a hassle/time-suck as doing it yourself! which kind of blew my mind, but also renewed my commitment to DIY as much as possible.
[/quote]
I had a relative who did a lot of crappy DIY jobs around our house, which ended up lowering the value of the house when it ultimately was sold.  I swore back then that I'd never ruin my house by having anything less than professional quality work.  I commend people who can do professional quality, but if I'm going to do a job only once in my lifetime, it is faster, cheaper, and better to pay someone who knows what he's doing and has the proper equipment to do it.  There are still things I just can't stop myself from trying, and sometimes end up having to pay someone extra to clean up my crappy trials. I can change light switches, install ceiling fans, and paint, do some minor plumbing repairs, but I draw the line at things like hanging drywall,  or tile repair, roofing or installing a backsplash. 

pouring a patio?  you're kidding me, right?  Oh sure, let me get my concrete mixer out of my garage.  No thanks!

[greenmimama]

[quote author=rocksinmyhead link=topic=2540.msg364572#msg364572 date=140742286

no kidding! I've never owned a home, but from what I hear from coworkers it sounds like for a lot of jobs, hiring a contractor is almost as big of a hassle/time-suck as doing it yourself! which kind of blew my mind, but also renewed my commitment to DIY as much as possible.

I had a relative who did a lot of crappy DIY jobs around our house, which ended up lowering the value of the house when it ultimately was sold.  I swore back then that I'd never ruin my house by having anything less than professional quality work.  I commend people who can do professional quality, but if I'm going to do a job only once in my lifetime, it is faster, cheaper, and better to pay someone who knows what he's doing and has the proper equipment to do it.  There are still things I just can't stop myself from trying, and sometimes end up having to pay someone extra to clean up my crappy trials. I can change light switches, install ceiling fans, and paint, do some minor plumbing repairs, but I draw the line at things like hanging drywall,  or tile repair, roofing or installing a backsplash. 

pouring a patio?  you're kidding me, right?  Oh sure, let me get my concrete mixer out of my garage.  No thanks!
[/quote]

We have had too many times within the last 2 years that they just do sloppy work and we could have done a better job ourselves, but we just didn't have the extra time, Or they never came back to finish the job, or didn't show up in the first place. It would always be our choice to DIY, it isn't possible 100% of the time.

[MrsPotts]

I've finally got one!  So first, I live and work in Chicago.  Yesterday my coworker came in after some time off moving to his newly built house.... in Indiana.  Others asked how long his car commute was, and he replied an hour.  Already I was like ugh, but then! the 4 other people went "oh that's not bad at all!" I sincerely hope some of them were just being polite.  I didn't say anything.  The funny thing is that he's late today 'cause he had to take his car into the mechanic.

Ok, this is not heard at work, but my sister adds 20 minutes each way to an otherwise 90 minute RT commute to take her dog to her MILs house for doggy daycare.

[LennStar]

My CW pays for a subscription service to some kind of doggy tv channel so her dogs can watch it while she's at work.

...
.
.
.
Wow.
You know, it is not that there is one person who does this that blows my mind.
It is the fact that there must be a sizeable "audience" who pay subscription so their dog can do something stupid.

[nordlead]

I had a relative who did a lot of crappy DIY jobs around our house, which ended up lowering the value of the house when it ultimately was sold.  I swore back then that I'd never ruin my house by having anything less than professional quality work.  I commend people who can do professional quality, but if I'm going to do a job only once in my lifetime, it is faster, cheaper, and better to pay someone who knows what he's doing and has the proper equipment to do it.  There are still things I just can't stop myself from trying, and sometimes end up having to pay someone extra to clean up my crappy trials. I can change light switches, install ceiling fans, and paint, do some minor plumbing repairs, but I draw the line at things like hanging drywall,  or tile repair, roofing or installing a backsplash. 

pouring a patio?  you're kidding me, right?  Oh sure, let me get my concrete mixer out of my garage.  No thanks!

You do know that "professional quality work" may mean whoever the contractor decided to hire for the job even if they have little/no experience, right?

My father-in-law runs a contracting business and he is constantly hiring new guys with little experience. He does great work, but there have been times his employees do a bad job and he has to go back and fix it up, but not every contractor will be as ethical and instead will stick you with the shoddy work.

And the "proper tools" are just the common tools you use, like hammers, screw drivers, drills, etc... Very few specialty tools (tools designed for 1 job) are actually needed, but they can speed things up hence why a contractor might own them.

FYI, to pour a concrete patio, you would either get a wheel barrel, hoe, and child labor (benefits of having children), or just drive over to Home Depot and rent a mixer for the day for far cheaper than what the contractor will cost. So, I don't exactly see pouring a patio as a hard job.

If you can't be bothered to do a decent job, then hire a contractor, but don't be afraid to DIY just because someone else did a crappy job.

[aclarridge]

I finally have something for this thread!

I was talking to a co-worker about houses (he is buying one right now, and my wife and I have been looking).  The talk turned to budgets and the general size of houses, and it turns out that the one he is buying is 3100 sqft., and cost $250,000.  This is a 25 year old man with not girlfriend, no pets, and no plans to rent out some part of the house. His justification: "Yea, to live in a 'nice' neighborhood you always have to buy a bigger house."

There are plenty of nice neighborhoods around here with ~$100,000 or less houses that are big enough to raise a family in, much less house a single male.

This sounds so harmless... CW just bid 930k (>100k over ask) on a small house (1000 sq ft maybe?) with 21.5ft of frontage. And she got outbid by one of the 5 other bids. Also got outbid on another one since then. The hunt continues.

[eyePod]

Coworker is very stressed and bored and deserves a break so she is going to move in with her 21 year old daughter in Vegas and live there for a year on her credit cards so she can party and meet a rich sugar daddy.

What do rich sugar daddies in Vegas look like?

Elvis

(sorry, couldn't resist; the force is strong)

Yeah, Vegas Elvis if he hadn't died - older, fatter, more wrinkled, bald.  Lots of dough though.

Elvis is dead?

Well, he'd be 79 at this point so even if he didn't originally die, he'd probably be dead now (average male death age is 77.4 in the US per Wiki).

[AlanStache]

I had a relative who did a lot of crappy DIY jobs around our house, which ended up lowering the value of the house when it ultimately was sold.  I swore back then that I'd never ruin my house by having anything less than professional quality work.  I commend people who can do professional quality, but if I'm going to do a job only once in my lifetime, it is faster, cheaper, and better to pay someone who knows what he's doing and has the proper equipment to do it.  There are still things I just can't stop myself from trying, and sometimes end up having to pay someone extra to clean up my crappy trials. I can change light switches, install ceiling fans, and paint, do some minor plumbing repairs, but I draw the line at things like hanging drywall,  or tile repair, roofing or installing a backsplash. 

pouring a patio?  you're kidding me, right?  Oh sure, let me get my concrete mixer out of my garage.  No thanks!

You do know that "professional quality work" may mean whoever the contractor decided to hire for the job even if they have little/no experience, right?

My father-in-law runs a contracting business and he is constantly hiring new guys with little experience. He does great work, but there have been times his employees do a bad job and he has to go back and fix it up, but not every contractor will be as ethical and instead will stick you with the shoddy work.

And the "proper tools" are just the common tools you use, like hammers, screw drivers, drills, etc... Very few specialty tools (tools designed for 1 job) are actually needed, but they can speed things up hence why a contractor might own them.

FYI, to pour a concrete patio, you would either get a wheel barrel, hoe, and child labor (benefits of having children), or just drive over to Home Depot and rent a mixer for the day for far cheaper than what the contractor will cost. So, I don't exactly see pouring a patio as a hard job.

If you can't be bothered to do a decent job, then hire a contractor, but don't be afraid to DIY just because someone else did a crappy job.

Yep doing a patio would definitely be on my DIY approved list.  Its not like you might mess up your one bathroom and have to shower outside under a hose for two weeks.  Only thing I would hesitate on but probably still do would be a big deck, have heard the wood working/framing can take some experience to do right.  Still youtube and a long weekend, or you know if you dont finish the following weekend.

[eyePod]

OMG, that car clown is AWESOME. They really exist, these people!?!
How about building an underground parking lot? Then its not so steep :D:D:D

(was caught drinking a beer in his parked car at a park a block away from his house),

Where you live its illegal to drink in a parked car? I should think you can do whatever you want in your car. (esp. if you are in the US). Of course, when he is driving after drinking... (here in germany thats mostly defined as "engine running", which is very logical, because then the car could move of its own.)

Germany's pretty cool about drinking.  (I think one of the reasons they don't have many alcohol issues is they don't give it the mystique Americans do by making it verboten.). But there are still issues.  Anytime a cop, even the Polizei, find you sitting in a functioning car drinking it's not a stretch for them to assume you may have driven there while drinking or intended to commit a DUI.  For Germany in particular you never want to grab a drink after a fender bender until well afterwards.  The Polizei were known to go to to a residence to conduct a breathalyzer test shortly after an accident and blowing the test to them was blowing the test.

This is actually a good way to make the breath test inconclusive. If you can prove you drank AFTER the incident, and then there's a breathalyzer, there's no way they can say what your BA was at the time of the incident. But seriously, don't f'ing drink and drive.

[rocksinmyhead]

My CW pays for a subscription service to some kind of doggy tv channel so her dogs can watch it while she's at work.

The butts channel?

I did some dog sitting recently, and the owners explicitly kept the TV on to some sort of streaming radio for the dog. Supposedly so he wouldn't get restless and chewy on the furniture.

LOL... my dogs listen to NPR while we're at work. I might be a dog weirdo.

[eyePod]

CW got a second, PT job on the sales floor at Kohls.    I suspect that she got it to cover payments on her new Beemer, but that is besides the point.  Anyway, she crowed at worked that she got the job for the DIScounts, as in "I saved $900 with my employee DIScount."

I desperately wanted to ask her WTF Kohl sold that was possibly worth 15%= $900, but I didn't because I am housebroken.

That means she's spending 6k a year at Kohls! Yikes. I felt guilty dropping ~$60 on 3 pair of pants (all the same brand/size) that were on sale, and then we got Kohls cash which my wife used the next week...

[eyePod]

correct funny ... not rude... sorry if it was misconstrued  ...

I definitely got "rude" out of that, mostly due to the use of the word "asshole." thanks for clarifying :)

oh the peddling his link so he can get a free service that can be done with knowledge of excel to rope someone else into a monthly payment no matter how small was meant as a dickish statement ... the rest was meant in humor...

I don't want to resurrect the dead horse or anything, but it's definitely more than an excel spreadsheet. I won't peddle my link though. I kind of liken it to a diet vs. an actual lifestyle change. YNAB was a lifestyle change for my wife and I, and it helps us do our planning much better than in the past. This is the first system that stuck with me (spreadsheet, pear budget, mint) and actually made me plan better in the future. Obviously, YMMV though. And for $60 (generally $30 on black friday), it's well worth it in my opinion.

[eyePod]

Maybe you could make your own album at Shutterfly or something similar.
[/quote
Nope. Photographer owns the copyright. You can't print your own albums unless they let you, in the contract you signed.

This was one of our requirements when we chose a photographer. They gave us a DVD with all of the pictures with no watermarks. On top of that, they were cheaper and gave us great quality pictures. Awesome experience for us!

[eyePod]

[quote author=rocksinmyhead link=topic=2540.msg364572#msg364572 date=140742286

no kidding! I've never owned a home, but from what I hear from coworkers it sounds like for a lot of jobs, hiring a contractor is almost as big of a hassle/time-suck as doing it yourself! which kind of blew my mind, but also renewed my commitment to DIY as much as possible.

I had a relative who did a lot of crappy DIY jobs around our house, which ended up lowering the value of the house when it ultimately was sold.  I swore back then that I'd never ruin my house by having anything less than professional quality work.  I commend people who can do professional quality, but if I'm going to do a job only once in my lifetime, it is faster, cheaper, and better to pay someone who knows what he's doing and has the proper equipment to do it.  There are still things I just can't stop myself from trying, and sometimes end up having to pay someone extra to clean up my crappy trials. I can change light switches, install ceiling fans, and paint, do some minor plumbing repairs, but I draw the line at things like hanging drywall,  or tile repair, roofing or installing a backsplash. 

pouring a patio?  you're kidding me, right?  Oh sure, let me get my concrete mixer out of my garage.  No thanks!
[/quote]

I think the idea is to weigh the pro's and cons before hand and don't go into debt while paying for it. You're thinking about it which is the important part!