Overheard at Work

[JamesAt15]

Wasn't the Rabbit from Volkswagen, later to become the Golf?

I know about that, I was refering about the "Dodge Camaro" that never existed neither (mixed model and manufacturer)

Sorry, my bad! Guess I did not go back quite far enough to find the proper context to reply to! ^^;

I am having interesting thoughts trying to picture what a Honda Rabbit would be like. On the other hand, I can't really picture how a Dodge Camaro would be different. (You know, from a... uh...  Ford(?) Camaro... ;) Thoughts?

[zephyr911]

Man, if I could get a house here for "nearly 200k", I would have signed yesterday.

No kidding, if I sold my current home and bought one for 200k I would have over 250k cash left over.  What a boost that would be to my nest egg.

Man, if I could get a house here for "nearly 200k", I would have signed yesterday.

I realize we're fortunate smart to have such LCOL, but the relative affordability wasn't so much the point as noting all the parallels between my/DW's situation and the poor unfortunate spendypants couple who are going broke while we shovel cash into buckets.

I'm still stuck on the image of me with the bullhorn in the CW's face... WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF?

Hehehe

[MgoSam]

Man, if I could get a house here for "nearly 200k", I would have signed yesterday.

No kidding, if I sold my current home and bought one for 200k I would have over 250k cash left over.  What a boost that would be to my nest egg.

Man, if I could get a house here for "nearly 200k", I would have signed yesterday.

I realize we're fortunate smart to have such LCOL, but the relative affordability wasn't so much the point as noting all the parallels between my/DW's situation and the poor unfortunate spendypants couple who are going broke while we shovel cash into buckets.

I'm still stuck on the image of me with the bullhorn in the CW's face... WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF?

Hehehe

I'm buying a house, closing in a month, and it's for nearly $200k and I'm worried about it. I can afford it and could pay cash, but this is my first property and the single biggest obligation I've taken upon myself.

[SweetLife]

CW: Only another 30 more years to go before retirement
ME: At our new salary (just over $70,000) you should be able to retire easily in 15 years
CW: I don't see how ... I have student debt and a few other debts ...(totalling under $100,000) AND we are saving for a down payment on a house and the wedding
ME: Weddings don't cost much ...
CW: What??? The lowest I can find for hall rental and dinner is going to be about $30,000
ME: WHAT??????? ARE YOU CRAZY????
CW: That is what it costs these days ...
ME: (Muttering to myself as I leave the room to make myself a coffee - with all the fixings I brought from home) FACE PUNCH TIME!!!!

Later with same CW ... (after I calmed down lol...)

ME: So what does the $30,000 include?
CW: Hall, Food, Tables, matching tablecloths, WEDDING PLANNER ...
ME: WEdding planner?
CW: Yeah it makes it so much easier to have one ...
ME: Of course .... OMG

[zephyr911]

I'm buying a house, closing in a month, and it's for nearly $200k and I'm worried about it. I can afford it and could pay cash, but this is my first property and the single biggest obligation I've taken upon myself.

Why are you worried? You should be excited! I'm excited for you! Assuming you chose wisely, as long as you take care of it, it'll take care of you too.

[MgoSam]

I'm buying a house, closing in a month, and it's for nearly $200k and I'm worried about it. I can afford it and could pay cash, but this is my first property and the single biggest obligation I've taken upon myself.

Why are you worried? You should be excited! I'm excited for you! Assuming you chose wisely, as long as you take care of it, it'll take care of you too.

I'm excited, but more just thinking of everything that needs to be done beforehand. This is my first purchase, and I can afford it on my own, but am looking for two roommates to move in with.

Yesterday I had my home inspection and the guy was very thorough but could only find a few minor repairs needed. While there I met a bunch of my neighbors in my association, it's a tiny association of 6 people (2 of which are selling their townhouses, including the one that I'm purchasing) and I met 3 of the remaining 4. All seemed very nice and excited to have a new neighbor.

The townouses were built in 1987, so are 28 years old. The 3 neighbors I met have all been living there for 20+ years, which is a very good sign to me.

I'm more worried because this is the single largest commitment I've ever made. I'm hoping that within a few months I can start looking for a house as a purely rental investment, but right now I'm nervous.

[zephyr911]

I did exactly the same thing with my previous house. It was ~180 and I could have probably bought up to 250 at the time, but it was all I needed and then some. I started with just one roomie at $500 but later got a second, which pretty much covered the mortgage. Living for the price of utilities was pretty sweet... shame I had to get married and FUBAR the whole scenario! ;)

She doesn't share space well and that place was far bigger than we needed, so we rented it out and downsized. It's paying for itself now.

Don't fret. You're doing an awesome thing and it sounds like a good pick.

[Papa Mustache]

Posthumane, then I'll posit this question:
Ok. Suppose you smoke, and I'm a hiring manager. It's ok not for me to hire you solely because you smoke? (Also suppose in this situation that being healthy has nothing to do with the company brand or image - ie, this company is not, say, Whole Foods.)
Or suppose you're an employee in my company and I had no reservations about hiring you as an employee despite the fact that you smoke. But I pass over you for a promotion solely because you smoke.
Does that seem fair? I'm not asking whether it's legal, or whether it happens. I'm just asking strictly from an ethical standpoint, does that seem fair to you?
(And of course, it doesn't have to be smoking - imagine replacing smoking with any health related condition or issue)

If it does, then I doubt we'll ever change each others minds.

While I think it depends a lot on the individual situation, I would say that in some cases yes it is fair. There are a number of factors related in selecting a candidate for a job, and not all of them have to do with the performance of the job itself. For small organization especially, personality fit can have a much more pronounced effect on the performance of the unit than the performance of the individual. So, for example, if you're hiring someone to do basic clerical work such as filing and taking dictation (because my hypothetical takes place in the 30's for some reason) then you may end up choosing someone whose personality fits in with the environment but may be second best at their job over someone who excels at the task but you can't get along with. Smoking (or other health/fitness related issues) go along with this. If I'm hiring someone to work closely with me on developing business plans for a start up, their outlook on things like smoking and fitness would have an impact on weather I hired them or not as they are somewhat indicative of how we would get along. In many ways an employment contract is similar to a relationship.

I think it's ethical.  Boss runs the business so he can hire who he likes.  It's fair for him not to hire someone he doesn't like and maybe he doesn't like smokers.  Barring protected classes of course.

I guess I'm contradicting myself here - I do have another question for you.
Replace smoking with practicing Christianity. Or Islam. Or being female. Or being black.
These are all protected classes. I would assume that if I had replaced smoking with any such things, you would have agreed it's not ethical.

So why is smoking different? Dragoncar, you say it's ethical for a boss to hire who he or she likes, and the fact that the boss doesn't like smokers makes it ok not to hire someone simply because they smoke. But you also say barring protected classes. Suppose smokers became a protected class, is it now ethical? Why does it have to be a protected class for it to not be ethical to discriminate against?

We visited a dentist ONCE that as part of his treatment had TV monitors mounted in front of the chair (on the chair) making sure you got a big dose of his favorite televangelist. Ahhh - no thanks.

We love our current dentist. Have seen him for years. Very efficient. Unfortunately he has bad breath. ;) I can endure the short period I deal with him after the technicians are done with me.

[Papa Mustache]

Just overheard a co-worker who's fiance just bought a $1.4M house and plans to demolish it to build their own.  I know what range of pay she makes and its less than mine.  Im stressing about turning my mortgage into a 180k with a construction loan.

So basically they paid $1.4M plus demolition costs for a BUILDING LOT.

Someone did that near my parents' place. Bought up a nice house on a nice lot and rather than making repairs and improvements, they just knocked the place down and built something totally different. Note that vacant lots were available I believe.

[Hall11235]

My boss, who owns two smallish startup companies owns the following:
A condo in downtown Boston (Rent is roughly 3000 a month)
An apartment outside of Grenwhich, CT (Where rich people go to brag about how rich they are).
A Porsche GT6
A Bentley
An Audi S8 (his "daily")
Monogrammed shirts (who even does that anymore?)

While working 80+ hours a week and sleeping 4 hours a night...
I am incredibly NOT-Jealous

[zephyr911]

My boss, who owns two smallish startup companies owns the following:
A condo in downtown Boston (Rent is roughly 3000 a month)
An apartment outside of Grenwhich, CT (Where rich people go to brag about how rich they are).
A Porsche GT6
A Bentley
An Audi S8 (his "daily")
Monogrammed shirts (who even does that anymore?)

While working 80+ hours a week and sleeping 4 hours a night...
I am incredibly NOT-Jealous

Sounds miserable. Classic case where the things you own end up owning you.

[Papa Mustache]

Yeah, your manhood depends on owning (or being in debt for) a couple of tons of metal that were manufactured in a factory and that anyone can buy, including wimps and females. But a couple of tons manufactured in a different shape (Prius) is wussy. And manhood is also something that you have to insure, and you can lose it completely in a car accident. Gosh, that manliness is delicate, just like testicles.

And sometimes that big lump of American pickup truck badass is actually built in another country like Mexico or Canada. ;)

I once worked on a couple of industrial projects for Harley-Davidson at my employer. Several significant parts of that American symbol of 'Murica were made in Italy, Taiwan, etc. Nice bike no doubt but I didn't want to hear any more grief about my older used Honda that I paid nearly nothing for and rode year 'round (our second family vehicle during that period).

Actually today - let them point and make fun at those "non-American" rice burners while I chuckle about their non-American-but-"American" bikes.

[MgoSam]

Just overheard a co-worker who's fiance just bought a $1.4M house and plans to demolish it to build their own.  I know what range of pay she makes and its less than mine.  Im stressing about turning my mortgage into a 180k with a construction loan.

So basically they paid $1.4M plus demolition costs for a BUILDING LOT.

Someone did that near my parents' place. Bought up a nice house on a nice lot and rather than making repairs and improvements, they just knocked the place down and built something totally different. Note that vacant lots were available I believe.

Ever seen Bad Boys 2? I heard that the house that was destroyed in it was offered up. Someone bought a mansion and wanted to tear it down and so got some money and the demolition costs covered by the studio as they blew it up for the movie. Pretty sweet deal. Now, buying a house like that on the other hand....

[Papa Mustache]

My wife's birthday was about a month ago, and someone (probably one of her students' parents) gave her a $15 Sephora gift card. She'd never even been in a Sephora store before, but since she needed new eyeliner decided we'd make a rare trek to the mall so she could use the gift card. And promptly discovered that almost NOTHING in that store is under $15. We spent like 15-20 minutes in the store as she looked around for ANYTHING that she had a use for that was under the value of the gift card (or at least near it), spending the entire time voicing her disbelief at why anyone would spend $40+ on eyeliner when she could get essentially the same thing at the grocery store for $5.

I'd give away that gift card before I'd use it if I wasn't absolutely thrilled with what I was buying. Let someone else endure the cost of using it. ;)

Gift giving and receiving has changed for us so much over the past few years as we've disconnected from consumerism. Used to put so much value on a gift we gave or received that we couldn't bear to get rid of a thing. Where does a person store all the gifts accumulated over a few years?

Now if I don't like the thing I'll still be so very grateful for the gift (grateful for the thought) but I won't hesitate to give it away to someone else. I encourage folks to just skip the gift.

Honestly I value someone's time and companionship more than their stuff. Hey, let's cookout some hamburgers and play a board game or watch a movie. Much better than the thingamabob picked up at the mall. i find that the mall has very little these days that I want to own. There are nice things there but I don't want to own them - or them to own me. ;)

Very few average folk seem to understand this. It is a very delicate topic. Reject the gift and they assume you are rejecting them or worse, their style.

[Papa Mustache]

I nearly choked on my lunch (leftovers) today as my newest, young CW sat down and happily exclaimed that she'd finally broken down and bought a new phone.  She's going from an iPhone 4S to an iPhone 6.  Then she explained that to keep her "unlimited data and texting" that she's had with her provider (not AT&T), she wasn't able to upgrade her phone, she had to buy the new phone outright - for $800!  Holy mother of pearl!  $800 for a new phone when her old phone worked fine, it was just getting older?  And shes's excited?  Wow...

We just did this - for the second time, for my wife. The iPhone 4s is nearing the end of life meaning none of the software upgrades will work with it starting later this year. Personally we would have run the phone 'til it couldn't do anything - but it died. Bad motherboard. Replacement motherboard that I could install myself would be roughly $100. Will resell the old phone for parts.

So we bought an unlocked, new iPhone 6 from Apple directly for $675. Don't know why your CW paid $800.

Pair the phone with Cricket and the monthly service is $35. Compare that to one of the main carriers with the phone cost built in and we're ahead in 6-7 months I think. It was 6-7 months last time too I think. DW had the old phone for about 3 years. We had Virgin Mobile but due to marketing plans, we could only get the iPhone 5 through them. Their loss. So we switched to Cricket.

This is DW's one lux item. She doesn't shop, doesn't spend, etc. She makes good use of it. Wish she would be happy with a phone like mine ($10 per month, $30 new outright, more or less a calculator that makes phone calls) - but she loves her phone and I don't mind.

We're saving $$$ left and right and driving elderly 17 year old $1500 cars, carpooling every day, etc.

[MgoSam]

My wife's birthday was about a month ago, and someone (probably one of her students' parents) gave her a $15 Sephora gift card. She'd never even been in a Sephora store before, but since she needed new eyeliner decided we'd make a rare trek to the mall so she could use the gift card. And promptly discovered that almost NOTHING in that store is under $15. We spent like 15-20 minutes in the store as she looked around for ANYTHING that she had a use for that was under the value of the gift card (or at least near it), spending the entire time voicing her disbelief at why anyone would spend $40+ on eyeliner when she could get essentially the same thing at the grocery store for $5.

I'd give away that gift card before I'd use it if I wasn't absolutely thrilled with what I was buying. Let someone else endure the cost of using it. ;)

Gift giving and receiving has changed for us so much over the past few years as we've disconnected from consumerism. Used to put so much value on a gift we gave or received that we couldn't bear to get rid of a thing. Where does a person store all the gifts accumulated over a few years?

Now if I don't like the thing I'll still be so very grateful for the gift (grateful for the thought) but I won't hesitate to give it away to someone else. I encourage folks to just skip the gift.

Honestly I value someone's time and companionship more than their stuff. Hey, let's cookout some hamburgers and play a board game or watch a movie. Much better than the thingamabob picked up at the mall. i find that the mall has very little these days that I want to own. There are nice things there but I don't want to own them - or them to own me. ;)

Very few average folk seem to understand this. It is a very delicate topic. Reject the gift and they assume you are rejecting them or worse, their style.

There are options for reselling them online. Might not get the full value amount, but it's better than nothing.

[Malaysia41]

My wife's birthday was about a month ago, and someone (probably one of her students' parents) gave her a $15 Sephora gift card. She'd never even been in a Sephora store before, but since she needed new eyeliner decided we'd make a rare trek to the mall so she could use the gift card. And promptly discovered that almost NOTHING in that store is under $15. We spent like 15-20 minutes in the store as she looked around for ANYTHING that she had a use for that was under the value of the gift card (or at least near it), spending the entire time voicing her disbelief at why anyone would spend $40+ on eyeliner when she could get essentially the same thing at the grocery store for $5.

I'd give away that gift card before I'd use it if I wasn't absolutely thrilled with what I was buying. Let someone else endure the cost of using it. ;)

Gift giving and receiving has changed for us so much over the past few years as we've disconnected from consumerism. Used to put so much value on a gift we gave or received that we couldn't bear to get rid of a thing. Where does a person store all the gifts accumulated over a few years?

Now if I don't like the thing I'll still be so very grateful for the gift (grateful for the thought) but I won't hesitate to give it away to someone else. I encourage folks to just skip the gift.

Honestly I value someone's time and companionship more than their stuff. Hey, let's cookout some hamburgers and play a board game or watch a movie. Much better than the thingamabob picked up at the mall. i find that the mall has very little these days that I want to own. There are nice things there but I don't want to own them - or them to own me. ;)

Very few average folk seem to understand this. It is a very delicate topic. Reject the gift and they assume you are rejecting them or worse, their style.

I told SIL that, rather than buy me something just so that I have a gift under the tree this year, I'd prefer she post her financial case on MMM forum and receive wisdom from this fine crew.   She msg'd "LOL."  I reiterated I was serious. 

Incredibly, she tried. (yeah!) But she didn't know where MMM lived, so she was blocked from creating an account.  (doh!)  Then she gave up :(.   I need to follow up with her on that.

Oh, but this is overheard at work... must ... not... add ... froth.  How's this: Office workers of Reddit, who is "that guy" and what makes him "that guy?"   

[Papa Mustache]

I have just that - pale, thin blonde eyelashes that are the same colour as my skin.

That's me, too. If I don't wear mascara and draw in my eyebrows, people constantly tell me I look sick, tired, etc. And it's not just because they're used to seeing me with mascara on - before I started using a little makeup, people always said I looked sick.

It would be hypocritical of me to complain about this, though, as I LURVE dark eyebrows and dark, long eyelashes on men. Men with my colouring are not attractive to me at all.

This is apparently the era (here where I live) of raccoon makeup. Heavy eye make in other words. Anything less and a girl would probably get dinged as odd.

[4alpacas]

My wife's birthday was about a month ago, and someone (probably one of her students' parents) gave her a $15 Sephora gift card. She'd never even been in a Sephora store before, but since she needed new eyeliner decided we'd make a rare trek to the mall so she could use the gift card. And promptly discovered that almost NOTHING in that store is under $15. We spent like 15-20 minutes in the store as she looked around for ANYTHING that she had a use for that was under the value of the gift card (or at least near it), spending the entire time voicing her disbelief at why anyone would spend $40+ on eyeliner when she could get essentially the same thing at the grocery store for $5.

I'd give away that gift card before I'd use it if I wasn't absolutely thrilled with what I was buying. Let someone else endure the cost of using it. ;)

There are sites online that you can sell the gift card for some % of the value.  I regularly sell gift cards that I don't want.

[Sam E]

Yeah, your manhood depends on owning (or being in debt for) a couple of tons of metal that were manufactured in a factory and that anyone can buy, including wimps and females. But a couple of tons manufactured in a different shape (Prius) is wussy. And manhood is also something that you have to insure, and you can lose it completely in a car accident. Gosh, that manliness is delicate, just like testicles.

And sometimes that big lump of American pickup truck badass is actually built in another country like Mexico or Canada. ;)

I once worked on a couple of industrial projects for Harley-Davidson at my employer. Several significant parts of that American symbol of 'Murica were made in Italy, Taiwan, etc. Nice bike no doubt but I didn't want to hear any more grief about my older used Honda that I paid nearly nothing for and rode year 'round (our second family vehicle during that period).

Actually today - let them point and make fun at those "non-American" rice burners while I chuckle about their non-American-but-"American" bikes.

People also often ignore the fact that those foreign car companies "stealing our jobs" in fact have factories in the US and employ American workers. I owned a Subaru with a sticker saying it was made in Indiana. I live about 20 miles from a pretty big (from the look of it) Toyota factory. If Toyota went out of business tomorrow, those (American) people working at that factory would all be out of a job.

To the masculinity thing: It's actually really ironic to me personally because I associate big trucks more with women than men anyway. I worked at a place with a drive-thru for about 2 years and a vast majority of the big trucks that came through were being driven by women and that formed the association in my mind.

[zephyr911]

Another day, another debt-laden CW excited about "only" spending $6 on lunch... or as I like to call it, $20K more than I will over the next decade, after market returns.

[MgoSam]

Yeah, your manhood depends on owning (or being in debt for) a couple of tons of metal that were manufactured in a factory and that anyone can buy, including wimps and females. But a couple of tons manufactured in a different shape (Prius) is wussy. And manhood is also something that you have to insure, and you can lose it completely in a car accident. Gosh, that manliness is delicate, just like testicles.

And sometimes that big lump of American pickup truck badass is actually built in another country like Mexico or Canada. ;)

I once worked on a couple of industrial projects for Harley-Davidson at my employer. Several significant parts of that American symbol of 'Murica were made in Italy, Taiwan, etc. Nice bike no doubt but I didn't want to hear any more grief about my older used Honda that I paid nearly nothing for and rode year 'round (our second family vehicle during that period).

Actually today - let them point and make fun at those "non-American" rice burners while I chuckle about their non-American-but-"American" bikes.

People also often ignore the fact that those foreign car companies "stealing our jobs" in fact have factories in the US and employ American workers. I owned a Subaru with a sticker saying it was made in Indiana. I live about 20 miles from a pretty big (from the look of it) Toyota factory. If Toyota went out of business tomorrow, those (American) people working at that factory would all be out of a job.

To the masculinity thing: It's actually really ironic to me personally because I associate big trucks more with women than men anyway. I worked at a place with a drive-thru for about 2 years and a vast majority of the big trucks that came through were being driven by women and that formed the association in my mind.

I'm one of the minority that doesn't cares whats "masculine." I drive what I drive because I like it, I wear what I want because it's comfortable, I have no shame in enjoying both the football and theater, and anyone that has a problem with this can kiss me @$@ :-). Life's too short to do things you don't want to do.

[mm1970]

... I studied several Romance languages at school and always appreciated being able to distinguish between the singular 'you' and the plural 'you', especially on the internet where tone fails can result in a lot of fallout. I therefore took to using "y'all" when I mean "you people generally" as it lessens the chance of an individual poster thinking that I am talking about (and possibly insulting) them personally. In this case I used it to distinguish between "you, the poster I am replying to" and "all of you Americans generally".

Careful! Y'all is often singular. Use "all y'all" to be sure.

Y'all is always plural; "all y'all" is reflexive or emphatic. :-)


Another option, used about as often as y'all in this area, is y'uns. Short for you 'uns, of course.

ETA a husband tells me "y'all" was pretty well universally adopted aboard ship (US Navy) because it fills a practical need.

What the heck are yinz talking about?

Gotta love the 'burgh!!

[MgoSam]

Another day, another debt-laden CW excited about "only" spending $6 on lunch... or as I like to call it, $20K more than I will over the next decade, after market returns.

Yup. That used to be me, now I eat out for lunch maybe once a month when working (exception if I'm on the road for work, but work covers that). I have also curbed eating out for dinners. Before I would eat out a few times a week and would rationalize it by thinking that it was only $3, or I was too tired to cook. Thankfully I've gotten a lot better about this and have learned to plan ahead to cook a few things and keep them in the fridge for later.

[mm1970]

Not overheard at work, but ... from out of town friends.

I have friends who are talking about their bills, and how they need a new roof and cannot afford it.  So the husband is going to replace the roof himself (which I fully support, he's skilled enough for that), but they cannot yet afford the materials.

Last month they went to a concert, for two nights, in a different town.  So, they drove separately, paid for hotel for 2 nights, and paid for babysitting for the weekend.  I think this "date" was probably $1000.  And by the way, they do this at least 2x a year, and they got to a lot of concerts in the town where they live.  I don't really go to concerts, but from what I can tell, a typical ticket is $150 a person.

Gee, I cannot imagine why you cannot afford a new roof.

[zephyr911]

I'm one of the minority that doesn't cares whats "masculine." I drive what I drive because I like it, I wear what I want because it's comfortable, I have no shame in enjoying both the football and theater, and anyone that has a problem with this can kiss me @$@ :-). Life's too short to do things you don't want to do.

Have you noticed that some of the most overtly masculine guys are the most insecure about their masculinity?
It's pretty funny how much time, effort, and money are devoted to simply appearing manly.
Because being a real man means having to constantly prove it, even to people you don't give a shit about. It boggles the mind.

[mtn]

 I don't really go to concerts, but from what I can tell, a typical ticket is $150 a person.

Depends on what kind of shows you are seeing. I've been to about 9 concerts in the past 12 months. Most expensive ticket was $55, cheapest was $5, and average probably about $20. And this was going to a concert, not going to a bar with cover and a live band.

[zephyr911]

I like young local bands myself... aside from the fact that you can see them for $5-10, or even free sometimes, they put everything they have into their performances. I'm not saying I'd *never* drop serious money on seeing a live act I really love, but the list is very small and I ration it.

I passed up a free ticket to see one of my absolute favorite (major) bands a couple of months ago because it was 90 miles away and even the drive seemed like a waste... I'm seeing them for $20 later this month and that's booked with friends and all, so waiting wasn't a problem. I love 'em, don't get me wrong, but allocating life energy is serious business... :)

[Papa Mustache]

What do all you people with dogs do when you travel?  I'd love to get a small-medium dog (preferably something allowed in most apartments) when I have enough time to take care of it properly (ie retirement), but I'm worried it will hamper my freedom to travel. Is it easy to take them to other countries?  I'd guess no

We have a retired friend (former coworker) who until recently had dogs and loves dogs. her dogs finally got old and died. Friend keeps our dog pretty much whenever we need them to but we restrict this to once or twice per year if we can help it b/c we don't want to ruin a good thing. Most of the time it's 1-2 nights. Last time though was six or seven days and poor dog thought we left her there for good.  I could tell she was a little confused when we picked her up. Some day friend will be old enough that they won't want to do this and I have no idea how we'll leave a dog at home while we travel.

In return I fix the friend's truck or appliances or computer. Last night was a 15 min dishwasher repair. They bought the part and I installed it. We proceeded to both have a good beer and visit for an hour. I really think I got the better end of the deal.

If its a trip to grandma's house then the dog goes with us. She loves to ride in the car and go visiting.

When I was a kid, all the neighborhood dogs were on the loose and we'd just get a neighbor to feed our dog and we'd do the same for them while they were gone. You know - I miss those days. The dogs knew all of us kids and there just weren't alot of problems. Leash laws here suck b/c the neighborhoods aren't dense enough to really justify it. More of a lawyer's rule than something strictly necessary.

[Sam E]

Yeah, your manhood depends on owning (or being in debt for) a couple of tons of metal that were manufactured in a factory and that anyone can buy, including wimps and females. But a couple of tons manufactured in a different shape (Prius) is wussy. And manhood is also something that you have to insure, and you can lose it completely in a car accident. Gosh, that manliness is delicate, just like testicles.

And sometimes that big lump of American pickup truck badass is actually built in another country like Mexico or Canada. ;)

I once worked on a couple of industrial projects for Harley-Davidson at my employer. Several significant parts of that American symbol of 'Murica were made in Italy, Taiwan, etc. Nice bike no doubt but I didn't want to hear any more grief about my older used Honda that I paid nearly nothing for and rode year 'round (our second family vehicle during that period).

Actually today - let them point and make fun at those "non-American" rice burners while I chuckle about their non-American-but-"American" bikes.

People also often ignore the fact that those foreign car companies "stealing our jobs" in fact have factories in the US and employ American workers. I owned a Subaru with a sticker saying it was made in Indiana. I live about 20 miles from a pretty big (from the look of it) Toyota factory. If Toyota went out of business tomorrow, those (American) people working at that factory would all be out of a job.

To the masculinity thing: It's actually really ironic to me personally because I associate big trucks more with women than men anyway. I worked at a place with a drive-thru for about 2 years and a vast majority of the big trucks that came through were being driven by women and that formed the association in my mind.

I'm one of the minority that doesn't cares whats "masculine." I drive what I drive because I like it, I wear what I want because it's comfortable, I have no shame in enjoying both the football and theater, and anyone that has a problem with this can kiss me @$@ :-). Life's too short to do things you don't want to do.

I'm the same way. I just think it highlights just how subjective and fluid things like that can be. To one person, a shiny new truck is a sign of masculinity, toughness, and wealth. To another, it's a sign of a college girl out on the town. I have a similar association between senior citizen women and Mustangs that stems from that job and seeing so many older ladies driving those cars, even (especially?) the newest models. The whole thing is just generally silly to me. It's a waste of time to care about others' perceptions because they vary widely and are hard to predict anyway. Just do what you want to do for yourself, like you said.

[infogoon]

People also often ignore the fact that those foreign car companies "stealing our jobs" in fact have factories in the US and employ American workers. I owned a Subaru with a sticker saying it was made in Indiana. I live about 20 miles from a pretty big (from the look of it) Toyota factory. If Toyota went out of business tomorrow, those (American) people working at that factory would all be out of a job.

My father gave me grief for driving an Indiana-built Subaru rather than an "American" car, like his Ontario-built Ford.

[mm1970]

 I don't really go to concerts, but from what I can tell, a typical ticket is $150 a person.

Depends on what kind of shows you are seeing. I've been to about 9 concerts in the past 12 months. Most expensive ticket was $55, cheapest was $5, and average probably about $20. And this was going to a concert, not going to a bar with cover and a live band.

Well, we looked into going to some of these concerts, and the low end is $100 and the high end is $350.

Although some of them probably are in the $55 range.  Plus ticketmaster fees.
I'm guessing the Grateful Dead tickets were not cheap.

[MgoSam]

 I don't really go to concerts, but from what I can tell, a typical ticket is $150 a person.

Depends on what kind of shows you are seeing. I've been to about 9 concerts in the past 12 months. Most expensive ticket was $55, cheapest was $5, and average probably about $20. And this was going to a concert, not going to a bar with cover and a live band.

Well, we looked into going to some of these concerts, and the low end is $100 and the high end is $350.

Although some of them probably are in the $55 range.  Plus ticketmaster fees.
I'm guessing the Grateful Dead tickets were not cheap.

Yeah. I will say, I have noticed my entertainment budget shrinking the moment I cut down on drinking when going out to the theater. My general rule for the theater is I'll have a drink if hanging out with people beforehand, but that's it. No drinks during the intermission or at the afterparty.

[eljefe-speaks]

It's not.  I'm from Kentucky, and a lot of conversational contractions are in common use here, including Y'all.  In fact, the Florence, Ky water tower that can be seen from I71 Southbound is painted with a huge "Florence Y'all" even though Florence is an exurb of Cincinnati, Ohio.

It used to say Florence Mall but was changed for legal reasons.  Y'all seems to be a good substitute.  We always stop at that exit on our way down to the lake.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Y'all_Water_Tower

The exit sign on 171 for this place I find even more memorable:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bone_Lick

[MoonShadow]

It's not.  I'm from Kentucky, and a lot of conversational contractions are in common use here, including Y'all.  In fact, the Florence, Ky water tower that can be seen from I71 Southbound is painted with a huge "Florence Y'all" even though Florence is an exurb of Cincinnati, Ohio.

It used to say Florence Mall but was changed for legal reasons.  Y'all seems to be a good substitute.  We always stop at that exit on our way down to the lake.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Y'all_Water_Tower

The exit sign on 171 for this place I find even more memorable:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bone_Lick

Beaverlick, Ky is a wonderful little community; and the locals get a bit mad when you laugh at the name.

[zephyr911]

The exit sign on 171 for this place I find even more memorable:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bone_Lick

[Rollin]

Another day, another debt-laden CW excited about "only" spending $6 on lunch... or as I like to call it, $20K more than I will over the next decade, after market returns.

I've done the bring from home math vs. the eat out.  Seems like a lot of people discount the fact that food brought from home cost $$ too.  I find on a $6 eat out, I pay about $3 to replicate from home.

Now, if you are eating a few carrot sticks and a piece of cheese I understand.  Curious about the comparison...

[I'm a red panda]

When I cook for work, I generally make a big meal on Sunday and portion it out to eat everyday for the rest of the week.  My per-serving cost is never as high as $3. 


Of course, I don't need to make as big of a meal as I do to get leftovers, but I couldn't make the things I do for dinner without having some leftover. And I've since found out there are people who just throw any leftover food away; so if we compare to them, then the lunches are free.

[Chris22]

When I cook for work, I generally make a big meal on Sunday and portion it out to eat everyday for the rest of the week.  My per-serving cost is never as high as $3. 


Of course, I don't need to make as big of a meal as I do to get leftovers, but I couldn't make the things I do for dinner without having some leftover. And I've since found out there are people who just throw any leftover food away; so if we compare to them, then the lunches are free.

We usually take sandwiches for lunch (ham and cheese), plus some chips (big bag parceled out into ziplocs) and some fruit (apple and some grapes).  And a yogurt for breakfast.  All that stuff (bread, lunchmeat, etc) is probably $25 or so (deli lunchmeat is $$) but using a conservative $10/meal * 2 people * 4 meals/week (we usually go out to lunch 1 day already) that's $80 to eat out versus $25 for groceries (the other $20 to eat out is a wash).  $220/mo.  And that's without really trying (could buy the groceries cheaper, etc). 

[forummm]

When I cook for work, I generally make a big meal on Sunday and portion it out to eat everyday for the rest of the week.  My per-serving cost is never as high as $3. 

We do this, except we eat the leftovers for dinner each night. No cooking time after getting home late. Easy.

I eat homemade granola for lunch everyday. Easy. Make a 5lb batch once a month.

[mtn]

Another day, another debt-laden CW excited about "only" spending $6 on lunch... or as I like to call it, $20K more than I will over the next decade, after market returns.

I've done the bring from home math vs. the eat out.  Seems like a lot of people discount the fact that food brought from home cost $$ too.  I find on a $6 eat out, I pay about $3 to replicate from home.

Now, if you are eating a few carrot sticks and a piece of cheese I understand.  Curious about the comparison...

Economies of scale. Back when it was just 2 people in the house, it was about $3 a meal because we couldn't eat through the "bulk" items fast enough before they'd go bad, and the smaller items were more expensive. Unless we wanted to eat the same stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it wouldn't work out. Of course my average lunch at work was about $4.25 (salad+burger or salad+soup or tacos), so that is definitely on the cheaper end of things.

Now I'm back with my parents since January and for another month or so until I move back in with the fiance (we've been living with our parents to save money). With 4 people, one of whom walks 5-10 miles a day carrying 10-30 pounds, it makes sense to pack the lunch.

It should also be noted that my fiance and I are kind of foodies--the meals that we make could easily be in most restaurants if not for the lack of presentation skills. Additionally, she is an RD and is very concious of where the food comes from and how it was prepared (don't care about organic, do care about "other stuff" that goes closely along with it).

[I'm a red panda]

Y'all is always plural; "all y'all" is reflexive or emphatic. :-)

Man how did I miss the y'all conversation?

I agree- y'all is NEVER singular. It is always plural.
All y'all is more plural.

[gimp]

We just did this - for the second time, for my wife. The iPhone 4s is nearing the end of life meaning none of the software upgrades will work with it starting later this year.

Not true! iOS 9 will work on the iPhone 4s.

http://www.evad3rs.net/2014/10/ios-9-supported-devices-compatibility.html

[northernlights]

Asked a coworker if she wanted to head out to lunch with me (my biggest clown habit).

CW: No, I'm going to the store because I have a 15% off coupon and another $10 coupon so it's time to shop. Want to come?
Me: Nope, no shopping budget this month since I have a vacation planned.
CW: I don't have a shopping budget either but I'll put it on my credit card and worry about it later.

[mm1970]

Another day, another debt-laden CW excited about "only" spending $6 on lunch... or as I like to call it, $20K more than I will over the next decade, after market returns.

I've done the bring from home math vs. the eat out.  Seems like a lot of people discount the fact that food brought from home cost $$ too.  I find on a $6 eat out, I pay about $3 to replicate from home.

Now, if you are eating a few carrot sticks and a piece of cheese I understand.  Curious about the comparison...

Depends on what you eat and how you shop and such.  I did the math once, and showed that by packing lunch for myself and my husband, vs. spending $8 for lunch (what it will run you here, without the drink), we could save about $16,500 in 5 years.  That's a new car every five years (admittedly, a low-end car, like my Civic).

I haven't calculated my lunch cost lately.  Mostly I eat 2 snacks and a lunch, so that's 2/3 cup cottage cheese + 1 cup raw veggies, then 2 eggs + 1 cup cooked veggies and a little cheese (plus oil for cooking), then an apple and 2 Tbsp of nuts.  I tend to spread out my calories.  That's 0.59+0.20+0.40+0.45+0.50+0.38 = $2.52.

Of course I'm trying to lose weight right now - back when I first did the calculation, lunch was often beans and rice and a side of veggies, or a bean burrito, or pasta and veggies.  So my meals were heavier in carbs and cost about $1.00.

Right now I spend about $14-15 a day for 4 people (right now I'd say the 2 kids equal an adult), or $4.90 per adult person per DAY.  Versus eating out at $6 for one meal.  (And here it would be more than that.)

[dragoncar]

Y'all is always plural; "all y'all" is reflexive or emphatic. :-)

Man how did I miss the y'all conversation?

I agree- y'all is NEVER singular. It is always plural.
All y'all is more plural.

All y'all ain't never seen a reflexive double negative before?

[regulator]

Finally have one:

My friend and coworker is a really nice guy, but between him and his wife they run through money like crazy despite the ~250k household income (this is in NYC, but still).  He asks my opinion on budget, etc., but usually loses the battle with his SWMBO.  Today was all him.  The range in his coop gave up the ghost, oven is done, door does not close, etc.  I will give him the benefit of the doubt that it was not worth fixing.  So he goes to Best Buy and purchases a very fancy double oven range clad in stainless steel.  $2100 with delivery and install, but since Best Buy was offering 18 months same as cash terms, "its only $125 a month."  Head, desk.  This is the guy who is always worried by their dwindling savings account.

[johnny847]

CW: Only another 30 more years to go before retirement
ME: At our new salary (just over $70,000) you should be able to retire easily in 15 years
CW: I don't see how ... I have student debt and a few other debts ...(totalling under $100,000) AND we are saving for a down payment on a house and the wedding
ME: Weddings don't cost much ...
CW: What??? The lowest I can find for hall rental and dinner is going to be about $30,000
ME: WHAT??????? ARE YOU CRAZY????
CW: That is what it costs these days ...
ME: (Muttering to myself as I leave the room to make myself a coffee - with all the fixings I brought from home) FACE PUNCH TIME!!!!

Later with same CW ... (after I calmed down lol...)

ME: So what does the $30,000 include?
CW: Hall, Food, Tables, matching tablecloths, WEDDING PLANNER ...
ME: WEdding planner?
CW: Yeah it makes it so much easier to have one ...
ME: Of course .... OMG

Well apparently the average cost of a wedding in Canada is $32k.

However, I expect the median to be lower. And of course, I expect that any Mustachian in Canada can throw a wedding that costs far less than the median.

[Daisy]

"Y'all" tends to be restricted to our rural friends from lower latitudes.   Here in the PNW we say "you guys."

LOL, do you think the entire South/Southeast is "rural"?  Atlanta here, and "y'all" is pretty widely used by everyone, include Northern transplants like myself (I grew up outside Boston).  I have friends from Alabama and Tennessee who also use "y'all."  I found this neat map in wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y'all#/media/File:Y%27allMap.jpg

And do you think the entire Southeast uses "y'all"?

Not in South Florida...aka northern Latin America/southern New York. I'd venture to say anything south of Orlando is not "The South" any more - at least culturally.

[nobodyspecial]

I expect that any Mustachian in Canada can throw a wedding that costs far less than the median.

Especially since they already own the tuxedo

http://thecanadiantuxedo.com/about/