Overheard at Work

[gimp]

Quote from: bsmith on Today at 12:42:25 PM
If I'm in a cold place, I'll often have the heat on in the car and windows open too. Heat is effectively free, though.

Facepunch! You're weak.

Heat is essentially free. I have definitely turned the heat on a little with windows open - you know those warm summer night drives, where at 2 am it dips to 60; the open windows feel so good, but the cold starts to get through to the bone? It's pretty nice to turn the heat on.

Not AC and windows, though.

[Hedge_87]

Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

I guess that's true if you don't have an automatic system, and you're too lazy to adjust the AC as needed (i.e., turn it down when the cabin is cool).  But most AC systems DO use outside air anyways -- only the "MAX AC" setting sets the air to recirculate in the cabin.  Always thought that was a waste, so I usually mannualy set recirculation if I'm running the AC

My car has a slider bar to set it to pull air from the outside vs recirculating it.  But yeah, its easy enough to adjust the temperatures of the AC as it either cools down or heats up over time... I know I do, for that matter often just adjusting the dial for level of airflow helps...

My slider bar is broke so it takes reaching way underneath the dash to change it (not safe while the vehicle is in motion ) so it stays on recirculating all the time unless I open the windows.

[bsmith]

The facepunch was for the fancypants clown car.

[firelight]

Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

    I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.

Not sure why that truck owner had the engine on but I've done it a few times  before. In my defense, I was pregnant and needed a place to rest. Though I was parked in the shade of a tree, since the outside climate was 100+, I ran the AC for the 30 minutes I was in the car resting. Did I waste fuel? Yep! Can I have found somewhere else to where I'd have had to trek my prego body so I can avoid this? Maybe but it would have cut in on my resting time. Will I do it again? Yep! Those 30 minutes were a life saver for me to work through the rest of my day without straining myself.

So not everything is about money.

[jordanread]

[...]
So not everything is about money.

We here are more about thinking things through. If running the AC was that big of a deal while pregnant (and you thought it through), more power to you. If you drive a truck for no reason, just imagine I said something super mean and feel bad about being you. ;)

[NoraLenderbee]

Also the account that I was to buy it from has money sitting around idle in it and the old head doesn't like that because he's afraid that if we don't buy something on the account soon someone will think that we don't want or need the money that we're not using or spending. Therefore to show the world how much we need that money he plans to spend some of it on things that we definitely don't need.

Is this a real concern? If idle money sits too long does someone cut back the department funding?

I know at some companies if you don't spend all the money they give your department then you get less funding the next year. Mostly because plenty of other departments will claim to not have enough funding so some of your department's funds will be allocated to them instead. You reach equilibrium once everyone claims to be underfunded.

This is how it works in a school district. Use it or lose it and see your budget get slashed next year.

And this is how it works in the military.  I've got some stories about how our budget was consumed near the end of a quarter that would make the average 'fiscal conservative' taxpayer think very hard about defense being exempt from budget cuts.

Yep. Our highly chief would make a point to buy new chairs/desks for everyone in the shop if there was money left over at the end of the year. It was really enlightening.

It's not just government; this happens in corporations, too. If you didn't spend part of your budget--no matter what the reason--that "proves" you didn't need it and so you get less next year. Doesn't matter if the workload is going up, either.

[firelight]

[...]
So not everything is about money.

We here are more about thinking things through. If running the AC was that big of a deal while pregnant (and you thought it through), more power to you. If you drive a truck for no reason, just imagine I said something super mean and feel bad about being you. ;)

I drive a compact car and calculated it would take me an extra half gallon of fuel over a course of five months that I needed to rest during lunch break. Totally worth it! :)

That said, I was just offering a different perspective for idling cars or trucks, not justifying ALL such cases.

[jordanread]

I drive a compact car and calculated it would take me an extra half gallon of fuel over a course of five months that I needed to rest during lunch break. Totally worth it! :)

That said, I was just offering a different perspective for idling cars or trucks, not justifying ALL such cases.

It sounds to me like you did do the calculations and determined it was worth it for you. That's what we are all about. And your perspective was helpful, although I would say cars only. I get angry (ish) when I see trucks that have empty beds. Someone on these forums (I think) said that they would love to buy a skid loader (or something like it) and fill every empty truck bed with rocks and concrete.

[Metta]

I'm in the market for a new phone (my current phone is in bad shape) and since I plan to buy a used phone I've been looking at other people's phones and asking questions about their experiences. We set aside $200 in the budget for this back in January. However, if I want to go over budget for a fancy pants phone (tech is my weakness) I need to cover the rest from my personal allowance.

I explained all this to one of my co-workers who asked why I didn't just order one of the new iPhone 6s phones and be done.

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

Other co-worker: "Yeah, I'd come home one day with a boat and no questions asked or answered."

Both men laughed.

I just looked at them, speechless. My husband and I discuss all purchases above about $25 except those we cover from our allowance (usually books, games, perfume). Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

[LennStar]

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

The correct answer to this is:

That is the reason why I have money to retire and you do not.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I have a co-worker that buys a new unlocked cell phone every 6 months. Pretty much whatever the new hot smart phone is at the time, he goes out and buys it.

He also has a penchant for new cars. I have worked with him for about 3 years now and he has had 3 new cars during my tenure there. He started out with a Ford Focus which he traded in for Honda Accord after a couple of months. He had the Accord for about 2.5 years. He got a promotion and moved to a different department a few months ago. I just noticed about a month ago he traded the Accord in for an Audi S4! He has a vanity plate that makes it easy to tell what car is his.

His promotion has pretty much been flushed down the toilet on a flashy car. I'm sure he'll be upgrading his phone shortly too.

I want to be happy for him because he's actually a really nice and sharp guy, but he seems to have a bad relationship with stuff. It makes me sad seeing him on that treadmill. When I worked with him, he was always getting packages from Amazon and talking about how awesome whatever he just received was or would be. Then once the new shiny rush wore off, you could tell he was no longer happy. It was just another object on his desk or back home. I hope he wakes up soon and realizes that no amount of expensive new stuff is going to make him happy in the long term.

[CabinetGuy]

Was talking to a coworker of sorts the other day.  She is getting excited about visiting her sister in Seattle who is a travelling nurse.  She goes on to tell me that her sister has little to no living expenses, and that she actually gets paid a stipend above and beyond her salary for these expenses.

I was like holy shit!  This girls got it figured out!  She's probably saving  at least a couple grand a month.  Coworker goes on to tell me that their father is a financial advisor...so I'm like damn, she's set!  Then she drops this "yeah, my dad has her to put 500.00 a month away for savings, and if there's any money left at the end of the month, she can add to it...

At least she's saving...

wow, he must fucking suck at his job.

Or is this type of advice on saving money his "normal"?  Maybe he's convinced that this is sound advice and she'll be set by age 65? 

[Seppia]

Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

I guess it can depend. In my couple I have always been the numbers one, and I handle both my finances and my wife's (I have set up all her automatic investments for example).
She has very little idea of how much we (and I) spend per year but we trust each other with our tasks.
I would say the only thing that really matters in a relationship is honesty

[MgoSam]

Was talking to a coworker of sorts the other day.  She is getting excited about visiting her sister in Seattle who is a travelling nurse.  She goes on to tell me that her sister has little to no living expenses, and that she actually gets paid a stipend above and beyond her salary for these expenses.

I was like holy shit!  This girls got it figured out!  She's probably saving  at least a couple grand a month.  Coworker goes on to tell me that their father is a financial advisor...so I'm like damn, she's set!  Then she drops this "yeah, my dad has her to put 500.00 a month away for savings, and if there's any money left at the end of the month, she can add to it...

At least she's saving...

wow, he must fucking suck at his job.

Or is this type of advice on saving money his "normal"?  Maybe he's convinced that this is sound advice and she'll be set by age 65?

Keep in mind that financial advisers wouldn't get clients if they preached Mustachian values. And if people lived like Mustachians, they wouldn't need financial advisers. I actually looked into one, and realized that they would just tell me what I know, except they wouldn't have mentioned the Trinity study, and instead told me that I should work until I'm 65, unless I have like $2M dollars. My sister told me I would be crazy to retire with less than $2M, and her husband (a fucking business professor) agreed with him.

Um, hello...I don't live in the East Coast, nor do I have any children or plan on it. I'll retire when I want to, and it will be with a lot less than $2M, unless of course my business significantly picks up.

[markbike528CBX]

Convertible, top down, heat (engine waste heat)max, awesome

One must take advantage of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the Carnot cycle when one can.

[tanzee]

I'm in the market for a new phone (my current phone is in bad shape) and since I plan to buy a used phone I've been looking at other people's phones and asking questions about their experiences. We set aside $200 in the budget for this back in January. However, if I want to go over budget for a fancy pants phone (tech is my weakness) I need to cover the rest from my personal allowance.

I explained all this to one of my co-workers who asked why I didn't just order one of the new iPhone 6s phones and be done.

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

Other co-worker: "Yeah, I'd come home one day with a boat and no questions asked or answered."

Both men laughed.

I just looked at them, speechless. My husband and I discuss all purchases above about $25 except those we cover from our allowance (usually books, games, perfume). Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

That kinda sounds like the "why do you have to work out?  you're already fit." line of reasoning.  Metta, I'd imagine your family's financial health is a direct result of your skill and effort in managing finances.  These fellas are missing that. 

[mm1970]

This isn't overheard "at work" but overheard "on my morning walk".  We were discussing school woes.  My three walker friends are all older (55-75).  School year just started, fundraising has begun.  We started discussing transfers and such.

One of the walkers grew up in my hood, went to the local school, and wondered why we didn't.  So we discussed the reasoning and why people transfer.  And the fact that a transfer is not guaranteed.  And the fact that maybe they should disallow transfers.

But anyway, from there, this is what came out of her mouth: "Well, I never had kids, so I shouldn't even have to pay property taxes to public schools."  Now, I've heard this argument before, but I said "you are paying because YOU went to public school."  She thinks she should get a discount on her taxes.

I said "you already do, it's called Prop 13!"  Seriously, there are people in our district who pay $1000 a year in prop taxes and the house next door pays $13k.  Prop 13 was passed to keep the elderly from losing their homes, but the other side of that is that you don't get to claim a discount on your taxes because you don't have kids. WTF??

I just shook my head.  I don't know how people don't even really understand it.  Everyone who has been a product of public schools needs to pay taxes to pay the system back.  It's how it works.

[JLee]

This isn't overheard "at work" but overheard "on my morning walk".  We were discussing school woes.  My three walker friends are all older (55-75).  School year just started, fundraising has begun.  We started discussing transfers and such.

One of the walkers grew up in my hood, went to the local school, and wondered why we didn't.  So we discussed the reasoning and why people transfer.  And the fact that a transfer is not guaranteed.  And the fact that maybe they should disallow transfers.

But anyway, from there, this is what came out of her mouth: "Well, I never had kids, so I shouldn't even have to pay property taxes to public schools."  Now, I've heard this argument before, but I said "you are paying because YOU went to public school."  She thinks she should get a discount on her taxes.

I said "you already do, it's called Prop 13!"  Seriously, there are people in our district who pay $1000 a year in prop taxes and the house next door pays $13k.  Prop 13 was passed to keep the elderly from losing their homes, but the other side of that is that you don't get to claim a discount on your taxes because you don't have kids. WTF??

I just shook my head.  I don't know how people don't even really understand it.  Everyone who has been a product of public schools needs to pay taxes to pay the system back.  It's how it works.

I was homeschooled and have no kids, but I still pay. :P

[Rezdent]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

[nobodyspecial]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

Have children assembling iPhones
School uniforms with sponsor's logos
Start student loans early
Close all schools and import future scientists and engineers from China

[jordanread]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

Have children assembling iPhones
[...]

Don't we already do that? I mean, they aren't american...but still. (Just being facetious, I actually LOL'd at that).

Personally, I like the idea of public charter schools.

[Argyle]

Also, does your walker friend want the people she deals with, at her bank, insurance company, brokerage, utilities, and law enforcement office to be literate and able to work with numbers?  What about the people who run the local nuclear power plant, and the people who fly the planes?  The people who designed and put together her car?  The people who designed her electrical system?  Does she want them to be able to read, write, and think, or does she want people who've never had any schooling to do those things?  'Cause we could probably outsource those to some people in India or Africa, in parts where they have no free public schooling, to do all those things.  Or hey!  We could just not fund our schools!  Does it advantage her in any way to have educated people doing all the things that make her life easier, by any chance?

This shouldn't-have-to-pay mentality is running rampant these days and is taking apart our community and democracy.  The real way to decide you shouldn't have to pay is to elect officials who will look into defunding what you don't approve of funding.  The bad way is to try to assign everyone different costs instead of pitching in together.  So people who never leave town wouldn't pay anything toward the national highway system.  (Except wait, do they use any goods delivered from afar?)  People who never go out at night wouldn't pay toward the streetlights.  People who don't care about the air they breathe wouldn't pay toward clean air enforcement.  People who don't eat out wouldn't pay towards restaurant cleanliness enforcement.  People who own their own houses wouldn't pay towards the enforcement of tenants' or landlords' rights.  And so on.  Everything would be funded in a minimal, scattershot way.  There are a number of third-world countries already effectively on this system.  Maybe people who favor this should go see how well it's working there.

[jordanread]

Also, does your walker friend want the people she deals with, at her bank, insurance company, brokerage, utilities, and law enforcement office to be literate and able to work with numbers?  What about the people who run the local nuclear power plant, and the people who fly the planes?  The people who designed and put together her car?  The people who designed her electrical system?  Does she want them to be able to read, write, and think, or does she want people who've never had any schooling to do those things?  'Cause we could probably outsource those to some people in India or Africa, in parts where they have no free public schooling, to do all those things.  Or hey!  We could just not fund our schools!  Does it advantage her in any way to have educated people doing all the things that make her life easier, by any chance?

This shouldn't-have-to-pay mentality is running rampant these days and is taking apart our community and democracy.  The real way to decide you shouldn't have to pay is to elect officials who will look into defunding what you don't approve of funding.  The bad way is to try to assign everyone different costs instead of pitching in together.  So people who never leave town wouldn't pay anything toward the national highway system.  (Except wait, do they use any goods delivered from afar?)  People who never go out at night wouldn't pay toward the streetlights.  People who don't care about the air they breathe wouldn't pay toward clean air enforcement.  People who don't eat out wouldn't pay towards restaurant cleanliness enforcement.  People who own their own houses wouldn't pay towards the enforcement of tenants' or landlords' rights.  And so on.  Everything would be funded in a minimal, scattershot way.  There are a number of third-world countries already effectively on this system.  Maybe people who favor this should go see how well it's working there.

Good points overall. I am almost done contributing to this foam, but based on the research I've done, thinking isn't a huge part of the public education. Reading and literacy though, that is the biggest benefit I've seen, and it's damn near priceless.

[JLee]

Also, does your walker friend want the people she deals with, at her bank, insurance company, brokerage, utilities, and law enforcement office to be literate and able to work with numbers?  What about the people who run the local nuclear power plant, and the people who fly the planes?  The people who designed and put together her car?  The people who designed her electrical system?  Does she want them to be able to read, write, and think, or does she want people who've never had any schooling to do those things?  'Cause we could probably outsource those to some people in India or Africa, in parts where they have no free public schooling, to do all those things.  Or hey!  We could just not fund our schools!  Does it advantage her in any way to have educated people doing all the things that make her life easier, by any chance?

This shouldn't-have-to-pay mentality is running rampant these days and is taking apart our community and democracy.  The real way to decide you shouldn't have to pay is to elect officials who will look into defunding what you don't approve of funding.  The bad way is to try to assign everyone different costs instead of pitching in together.  So people who never leave town wouldn't pay anything toward the national highway system.  (Except wait, do they use any goods delivered from afar?)  People who never go out at night wouldn't pay toward the streetlights.  People who don't care about the air they breathe wouldn't pay toward clean air enforcement.  People who don't eat out wouldn't pay towards restaurant cleanliness enforcement.  People who own their own houses wouldn't pay towards the enforcement of tenants' or landlords' rights.  And so on.  Everything would be funded in a minimal, scattershot way.  There are a number of third-world countries already effectively on this system.  Maybe people who favor this should go see how well it's working there.

And only criminals would fund police departments.  What could go wrong?!

[jordanread]

Also, does your walker friend want the people she deals with, at her bank, insurance company, brokerage, utilities, and law enforcement office to be literate and able to work with numbers?  What about the people who run the local nuclear power plant, and the people who fly the planes?  The people who designed and put together her car?  The people who designed her electrical system?  Does she want them to be able to read, write, and think, or does she want people who've never had any schooling to do those things?  'Cause we could probably outsource those to some people in India or Africa, in parts where they have no free public schooling, to do all those things.  Or hey!  We could just not fund our schools!  Does it advantage her in any way to have educated people doing all the things that make her life easier, by any chance?

This shouldn't-have-to-pay mentality is running rampant these days and is taking apart our community and democracy.  The real way to decide you shouldn't have to pay is to elect officials who will look into defunding what you don't approve of funding.  The bad way is to try to assign everyone different costs instead of pitching in together.  So people who never leave town wouldn't pay anything toward the national highway system.  (Except wait, do they use any goods delivered from afar?)  People who never go out at night wouldn't pay toward the streetlights.  People who don't care about the air they breathe wouldn't pay toward clean air enforcement.  People who don't eat out wouldn't pay towards restaurant cleanliness enforcement.  People who own their own houses wouldn't pay towards the enforcement of tenants' or landlords' rights.  And so on.  Everything would be funded in a minimal, scattershot way.  There are a number of third-world countries already effectively on this system.  Maybe people who favor this should go see how well it's working there.

And only criminals would fund police departments.  What could go wrong?!

As both a criminal and an upstanding member of society (yeah it can happen), I sure as shit wouldn't fund the police. The Sheriff's...maybe. But I've yet to have an instance where the police have been at all useful.

Dammit! Stupid foam. Someone make another topic about police and the like :). I'm way too jaded to do it.

[Tigerpine]

I hear people talk about boats down here all the time.  I always thought of boats of nothing more than money pits, but the people I work with seem to be bonkers over them.

[Rezdent]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

Have children assembling iPhones
School uniforms with sponsor's logos
Start student loans early
Close all schools and import future scientists and engineers from China

Hmm, maybe I wasn't clear.  I am all for public funding of public schools.

I was thinking more along the lines of funding school systems equitably.  At least here in Texas, there's drawbacks to property tax funding - dense urban areas get more funding, rural schools less, there's a Robin Hood redistribution....large companies have ridiculously low property valuations and skate on their share of taxes.  IMHO, stupidly complex and broken.
Maybe base funding into a federal, state, or sales tax?

[MgoSam]

I hear people talk about boats down here all the time.  I always thought of boats of nothing more than money pits, but the people I work with seem to be bonkers over them.

They are huge money pits, but if you have friends that have them, there's no reason you can't enjoy it. If you do get invited, I would recommend bringing something to share.

[mm1970]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

Property tax is fairly universal.  Even if you don't own a home, the person you rent from pays prop tax.

[JLee]

This doesn't quite fit this thread, but I had to post it somewhere. My gf and I overheard this conversation the other day; someone was talking about a person who lives off the grid: "He has solar panels under power lines, and they absorb power from the lines so he's off the grid and selling their energy back to them."

I'm not sure it works that way. :P

[Pooperman]

Overheard on the way to work. Not antimustachian, but funny so what the hell. So two ladies on the street were walking kinda slowly so I only heard part of the conversation. One said to the other: "When I say the dicks were out. The. Dicks. Were. Out!" Someone had an orgy that weekend (it was on a Monday)!

[Melody]

Co-worker has a girlfriend who is a student (and doesn't have a job) She seems like a total mooch but I met her recently and found out
- he spend $17,000 on vet bills for her horse. Yes seventeen thousand dollars... like WTF?
- the she had a fight with him about their last holiday to Europe where he suggested they might stay in a hostel. WTF? If someone was bank rolling my Euro trip for me I sure as hell wouldn't be complaining about their accommodation choices.
Nice guy but he is behaving like a chump!

[nobodyspecial]

and they absorb power from the lines so he's off the grid and selling their energy back to them."

I'm not sure it works that way. :P

I think that was Enron's whole business model

[Metta]

I'm in the market for a new phone (my current phone is in bad shape) and since I plan to buy a used phone I've been looking at other people's phones and asking questions about their experiences. We set aside $200 in the budget for this back in January. However, if I want to go over budget for a fancy pants phone (tech is my weakness) I need to cover the rest from my personal allowance.

I explained all this to one of my co-workers who asked why I didn't just order one of the new iPhone 6s phones and be done.

He said, "But Metta, you and your husband have money. Why do you have to talk about purchases with him at all? Just buy it and tell him after the fact. If I had enough money to retire, I would never discuss purchases with my wife."

Other co-worker: "Yeah, I'd come home one day with a boat and no questions asked or answered."

Both men laughed.

I just looked at them, speechless. My husband and I discuss all purchases above about $25 except those we cover from our allowance (usually books, games, perfume). Financial transparency seems foundational to relationships to me.

That kinda sounds like the "why do you have to work out?  you're already fit." line of reasoning.  Metta, I'd imagine your family's financial health is a direct result of your skill and effort in managing finances.  These fellas are missing that.

Pretty much! That is one of the puzzling things I hear. But these are the same people who cannot save money and I suspect that a structure that allows one person to buy a boat (or an iPhone) without discussing it first is part of the reason why. (Of course if both people are naturally very frugal, this probably doesn't apply. But I'm guessing that the truly frugal would not make that sort of comment. They would probably say instead, "Do you really need such a fancy pants phone? Can't you get by with a flip phone like I do?")

[Rollin]

Quote from: NumberCruncher on Today at 07:16:24 AM

    Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

        I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


    But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I've actually heard people say that it's because the A/C in a vehicle works just as hard whether the windows are up or down. It doesn't shut off when it reaches a certain temp. It's ridiculous, but some people like to have "fresh air" with their cool air.

I guess that's true if you don't have an automatic system, and you're too lazy to adjust the AC as needed (i.e., turn it down when the cabin is cool).  But most AC systems DO use outside air anyways -- only the "MAX AC" setting sets the air to recirculate in the cabin.  Always thought that was a waste, so I usually mannualy set recirculation if I'm running the AC

Foam alert, but I had to chime in.  Except for when you first get in a super hot (interior) car, you should always run on recirculate.  The pressure in the car's AC system is very high when it is trying to cool hot and moist outside air.  Why not give it some help by recirculating the dryer and cooler air that is inside the car?  Lower pressure in the system uses less energy, and allows your system to last longer.

[Drifterrider]

Just think if people had the option to opt out of SS how many would do it?

I would in a heartbeat.  I have a condition that puts my expected life span at around 60, so the only return that I can expect is survivorship for my wife, and I know that I could replicate that benefit rather easy.

So, what happens if you get disabled before you die?  Do you have minor children?

Also, there are ways to opt out of SS.  You have to do the legwork but you can.

[I'm a red panda]

I wish they'd find a different way to fund schools - something more universal than property tax.  There's just got to be a better way.

Property tax is fairly universal.  Even if you don't own a home, the person you rent from pays prop tax.

But property tax is not at all even, between states or even within states.  Which is why some schools have way better funding than others.

[runningthroughFIRE]

and they absorb power from the lines so he's off the grid and selling their energy back to them."

I'm not sure it works that way. :P

I think that was Enron's whole business model

+2001

[Chris22]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes. 

[Chris22]

Quote from: tanzee on Today at 05:46:55 AM

    I once had a co-worker who I liked and respected. But he had this massive, brand-new, extended cab pickup.  We would drive to job sites in it and he would blast the AC with the windows down on 85 degree days (not that hot, as far as I'm concerned).  Then he would complain about the price of filling his tank and his car payment.  Definitely had to bite my tongue on that one.  He was a really good guy, but we definitely had different values systems.  Luckily, I was able to have a conversation with him once where I explained the dangers of buying individual stocks, versus buying index funds.  He seemed really receptive, which I was pretty excited about.


I have a co-worker who has a very nice late model RAM 1500 Laramie. His wife, who doesn't work, sits in it and lets it idle, or drives around on base going to Dunkin Donuts in gym clothes, multiple trips daily. Meanwhile, CW complains that the gee-dunk assorted nuts packets cost too much at $1. Then he asked me for a $10 loan to buy lunch from the BBQ truck. I said NO. He said $9.50. Shook my head. $8.40. Told him I wasn't going to bargain to loan him money. I told him that stop letting your wife idle the truck most of the day but he didn't get it.

I walked to the bank the other day and had to go through an office parking lot. In the back, empty part, next to a wooded lot, there was one lone truck, running. I caught a quick glance through the window and saw a body (!) but then I realized it was someone taking a nap with the truck running, during their lunch hour. The truck was still running when I left the bank.

If people just stop iddling their car/truck/SUV when stopped for more than 5 minutes, the barrel price would drop to 20$ in no time. Even more if everyone would just use their car in an efficient way. I have always been aware of driving the least I can but after reading this blog, when drive like 25% less/year and then save 150 gallon of fuel every year with no impact on our lifestyle level.

In reality, an idling car uses, on average, about .15 gal of gas per hour of idling.  It's really not a big deal. 

[ash7962]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes.

Chris22, sometimes I see your posts and I think "troll?".

[LennStar]

This doesn't quite fit this thread, but I had to post it somewhere. My gf and I overheard this conversation the other day; someone was talking about a person who lives off the grid: "He has solar panels under power lines, and they absorb power from the lines so he's off the grid and selling their energy back to them."

I'm not sure it works that way. :P

Quite contrary, the power lines would create shadows, reducing the effective quite a bit (because of how the panels are build even partial shadowing will in most cases result in the same as full shadow, the "lowest" cell in the block defines how much energy you produce.)

[Chris22]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes.

Chris22, sometimes I see your posts and I think "troll?".

It's sincere. Quite honestly, the hit for running A/C is very minimal, and further, I only drive that car a few thousand miles a year, so we're not talking about a big number here.

[mtn]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes.

Chris22, sometimes I see your posts and I think "troll?".

I do too. But not this one--as someone who drove a convertible year round, if it wasn't raining I had the top down pretty much from April through November in Chicago/Bloomington IL, as long as the temp was above about 33--the top didn't like to work below that--and below 97ish. I used AC, heat, gloves, iced towels--whatever to stay comfortable. You better believe AC+top down is a great thing. Usually only used at stop lights though, like he said.

Between November and April I had a hardtop on, so it only came off for spectacular weather at that point.

[ash7962]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes.

Chris22, sometimes I see your posts and I think "troll?".

It's sincere. Quite honestly, the hit for running A/C is very minimal, and further, I only drive that car a few thousand miles a year, so we're not talking about a big number here.

Haha yeah I'm sure you've done the math and all.  Its just looking at your post I see things like driving a convertible and blasting the ac, and it just feeeeels spendypants.  No offense intended.

[JLee]

But...why??? Why would anyone blast the A/C with the windows down???

I drive my convertible with the top down and the A/C blasting all the time.  You get a cool breeze on your face and arms, and especially at stoplights, etc, when you don't have the wind blowing on you.  You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it really makes.

Chris22, sometimes I see your posts and I think "troll?".

It's sincere. Quite honestly, the hit for running A/C is very minimal, and further, I only drive that car a few thousand miles a year, so we're not talking about a big number here.

Haha yeah I'm sure you've done the math and all.  Its just looking at your post I see things like driving a convertible and blasting the ac, and it just feeeeels spendypants.  No offense intended.

Eh, I can understand that. Some people buy wine, some people drive fun cars, some people have horses...I'm sure most of us have that little luxury that we don't want to give up.

[mtn]

I don't understand why people think convertibles are extravagent or spendypants or anything. Until 2008 you could get a Camry convertible. Can still get a Chrysler 200 convertible, which is just a Dodge Avenger or Mitsubishi Lancer (boring, practical car). Mini Coopers, at least 2 current VW's, Mustangs and Camaro's (which are really not spendypants cars, especially in V6 form), and the Fiat are all "practical" convertibles as well, and none of them are fancy or all that expensive. Buick has one coming soon too. Why are they spendy pants?

On the sportier side of it, the S2000 is a great investment (seriously! No, it isn't VTSMX). I drove a Miata hard for 4 years and 60,000 miles and sold it for about $3,500 less than we paid for it. Not too bad, all things considered--less than $1000 a year in depreciation, and a lot of mileage on there. Corvettes don't depreciate that much if you take care of them and don't pile on miles...

I just don't understand the stuck up rich person stigma associated with a convertible.

/Rant

[Le Barbu]

I don't understand why people think convertibles are extravagent or spendypants or anything. Until 2008 you could get a Camry convertible. Can still get a Chrysler 200 convertible, which is just a Dodge Avenger or Mitsubishi Lancer (boring, practical car). Mini Coopers, at least 2 current VW's, Mustangs and Camaro's (which are really not spendypants cars, especially in V6 form), and the Fiat are all "practical" convertibles as well, and none of them are fancy or all that expensive. Buick has one coming soon too. Why are they spendy pants?

On the sportier side of it, the S2000 is a great investment (seriously! No, it isn't VTSMX). I drove a Miata hard for 4 years and 60,000 miles and sold it for about $3,500 less than we paid for it. Not too bad, all things considered--less than $1000 a year in depreciation, and a lot of mileage on there. Corvettes don't depreciate that much if you take care of them and don't pile on miles...

I just don't understand the stuck up rich person stigma associated with a convertible.

/Rant

I think that the spendy part is when you run the A/C full blast with the roof top open...

[mtn]

I don't understand why people think convertibles are extravagent or spendypants or anything. Until 2008 you could get a Camry convertible. Can still get a Chrysler 200 convertible, which is just a Dodge Avenger or Mitsubishi Lancer (boring, practical car). Mini Coopers, at least 2 current VW's, Mustangs and Camaro's (which are really not spendypants cars, especially in V6 form), and the Fiat are all "practical" convertibles as well, and none of them are fancy or all that expensive. Buick has one coming soon too. Why are they spendy pants?

On the sportier side of it, the S2000 is a great investment (seriously! No, it isn't VTSMX). I drove a Miata hard for 4 years and 60,000 miles and sold it for about $3,500 less than we paid for it. Not too bad, all things considered--less than $1000 a year in depreciation, and a lot of mileage on there. Corvettes don't depreciate that much if you take care of them and don't pile on miles...

I just don't understand the stuck up rich person stigma associated with a convertible.

/Rant

I think that the spendy part is when you run the A/C full blast with the roof top open...

But that really isn't that spendy, like Chris said. Especially when used only at stoplights.

[FatCat]

But that really isn't that spendy, like Chris said. Especially when used only at stoplights.

I think most people don't really know what it costs and then make an assumption that it's costly.