Overheard at Work

[Asdfg]

Coworker told me today that his commute is two hours each way.  Coworker makes less than 30K a year and drives an SUV.  I just didn't even know what to say.

I just learned exactly the same yesterday. Just replace the SUV with a BMW worth 50k. Meaning she has taken debt for the car, too. She is a reasonable person but her husband works in the car business, so I guess it has been his idea that she will need this kind of car. I'm not sure if I should try to talk some sense to her because I'm pretty sure she would understand and possibly even change the car, but then again, it's none of my business...

[Seppia]

Trying to do good to people has never been a bad idea in my opinion.

[pancakes]

Someone I work with just did 2 years worth of tax returns at once for themselves and their significant other and is bragging about the huge return.

It is a lot of money and I know they need it for their family so am genuinely happy they have found it.

But...

The main reason their tax returns are so large is that they both had opted out of claiming the "tax free threshold" on their primary jobs. It works out at around $580/month combined that they opted to have paid as a lump sum at the end of 2 years (due to not filing in the previous year) rather than getting it in their pay each month. I know they had been redrawing from their home loan during the year because they were short on cash which makes it all the more ludicrous to me.

I questioned it and was told that they had decided to do it this way so they would have 'forced savings'. The advantage of being able to pay that money towards their mortgage or put it into other investments starting from two years ago doesn't seem to be a consideration at all.

[nanu]

I questioned it and was told that they had decided to do it this way so they would have 'forced savings'

What I want to know is what are they going to do with these "forced savings". Call me a cynic, but something tells me they aren't going to put all of that money into their mortgage/IRA/stocks...

And to be fair, "forced savings" isn't a bad thing as it forces you to live on less than you make (assuming you don't carry CC debt or pull money from your HELOC).
However, doing it by setting up regularly scheduled transfers out of your account on the same day you get paid to a savings/investment account is much better than giving your dear old Uncle Sam an interest free loan.

[pancakes]

I questioned it and was told that they had decided to do it this way so they would have 'forced savings'

What I want to know is what are they going to do with these "forced savings". Call me a cynic, but something tells me they aren't going to put all of that money into their mortgage/IRA/stocks...

I asked and the answer was back into the loan but though out the day there were lots of "I can afford x now", x typically being a luxury good or upgrade of something that doesn't need replacing.

I am happy for them as I said as they were going through a rough financial patch and this money would mean a lot to them. I do wonder if they would have had the rough patch if the extra money had been coming in the whole time.

[zephyr911]

Someone I work with just did 2 years worth of tax returns at once for themselves and their significant other and is bragging about the huge return.

The main reason their tax returns are so large...

If I may be a pedant for just a minute: please avoid conflating "tax return" (the document you file) and "tax refund" (the repayment of any surplus withholding). Thanks. :)

[mm1970]

Let's try to guess his major. Winner gets bragging rights. My guess: MBA student.

Haha, you guys crack me up.  No one's got the major yet.

To add some fuel to the fire though, we were going to a graduate-level class in probability.  So yeah, this guy has taken math classes before..

Or Biology?

We have a winner, folks.

Yay, I win!  I admit I googled "what majors include classes in probability", and biology seemed to be a good fit on the list.

[notquitefrugal]

I helped a new coworker enroll in the 401k. He freaked out when he saw the list of about 20 funds and had to take a mental health break. "I was a humanities major so I would never have to deal with this crap." Sensing the severity of the situation, I steered him towards a target date fund even though the expense ratio is a lot higher than the index funds offered in our plan. (A discussion about expense ratios would have likely triggered another freakout.) Finally got him signed up, contributing more than the minimum to get the full match, and he breathes a sigh of relief and says something about how socialism is greatly underappreciated.

[Squirrel away]

I helped a new coworker enroll in the 401k. He freaked out when he saw the list of about 20 funds and had to take a mental health break. "I was a humanities major so I would never have to deal with this crap." Sensing the severity of the situation, I steered him towards a target date fund even though the expense ratio is a lot higher than the index funds offered in our plan. (A discussion about expense ratios would have likely triggered another freakout.) Finally got him signed up, contributing more than the minimum to get the full match, and he breathes a sigh of relief and says something about how socialism is greatly underappreciated.

That is good that you helped him, I think a lot of people are intimidated by financial information so they just bury their heads in the sand.

[Pinch of salt]

You know, if money really were no object I could easily spend over £1 million on housing. I'd buy a medium sized house with a bit of land (large garden and a bit of woodland) in the country somewhere like Suffolk with a decent train service into Victoria/Waterloo and then a teeny pied-a-terre right in the middle of London. Seriously, that's my £2 million gone right there.

So I reckon £3 million would totally set me up - £2 million to buy my house and flat, and then £1 million to cover all the expenses I could ever want.

I was saying that the other day. I would like a place by the sea as well as a small flat in central London if we wanted to have a night out and not travel home.:P

If only the starting price of a flat at 1 Hyde Park was a trillion pounds, that would be my choice, overlooking the park. And a little villa in Italy. I am so anti-mustachian :-)

[Squirrel away]

You know, if money really were no object I could easily spend over £1 million on housing. I'd buy a medium sized house with a bit of land (large garden and a bit of woodland) in the country somewhere like Suffolk with a decent train service into Victoria/Waterloo and then a teeny pied-a-terre right in the middle of London. Seriously, that's my £2 million gone right there.

So I reckon £3 million would totally set me up - £2 million to buy my house and flat, and then £1 million to cover all the expenses I could ever want.

I was saying that the other day. I would like a place by the sea as well as a small flat in central London if we wanted to have a night out and not travel home.:P

If only the starting price of a flat at 1 Hyde Park was a trillion pounds, that would be my choice, overlooking the park. And a little villa in Italy. I am so anti-mustachian :-)

I've never been to Italy but that sounds gorgeous.:)

[Seppia]

I'm from Italy and trust me, instead of one Villa you would want to own three apartments: one in Rome, one in the alps, and one on the beach (I would probably pick Sicily or Sardinia).
Italy is so freaking diverse you would love a piece of everything.

[BarbeRiche]

A colleague of my gf refused a full time teacher's job in University which would be a lot less stressful and a lot more free time throughout the year.

She said 100k/year wasn't enough.  She has no children but she drives a luxury car and has a nice condo and nice cottage around an expensive lake area.  Nice clothes to go with that.

And it's not like she was making 500k, the set back wouldn't be all that big.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

A colleague of my gf refused a full time teacher's job in University which would be a lot less stressful and a lot more free time throughout the year.

She said 100k/year wasn't enough.  She has no children but she drives a luxury car and has a nice condo and nice cottage around an expensive lake area.  Nice clothes to go with that.

And it's not like she was making 500k, the set back wouldn't be all that big.

I don't know that academia is "less" stressful than other work disciplines. There's more catty infighting there than in your average for-profit corporation. Everyone's trying to get tenure, competition can be cutthroat, and there's no long-term guarantee of employment. The free time isn't necessarily free, just unpaid time people are expected to use to do their own research. Overall, just existing in an adjunct job is stressful.

The only university professors I've ever met who are happy with their jobs either love to teach, or they got tenure back before the big trend to hire adjunct teachers hit, or they're about to retire, or they come from family money or else have regular jobs in the industry such that they only teach part-time.

If someone offered me a raise to teach at the local university, I'd turn it down simply because I can't stand office politics.

[TomTX]

Since we're talking about jeans, where all do the men on here buy theirs? I hate shopping and will just rely on gifts for the most part for my jeans, but I will need to get a new pair soon and am dreading going to the mall. How much do you normally spend on a good pair of jeans? I tend to wear one or two pairs and alternate between them as I sit in an office and don't really do much physical exertion while at work.

Costco. Kirkland brand. $13. Mostly desk job, so I wear them for a week and wash. Or immediately after a day in the field where I'll be sweating a lot and it is often dusty/dirty. After wash, they get tumbled in teh dryer 1-2 minutes to get the wrinkles out and then hung to dry.

They last a long time.

[BarbeRiche]

A colleague of my gf refused a full time teacher's job in University which would be a lot less stressful and a lot more free time throughout the year.

She said 100k/year wasn't enough.  She has no children but she drives a luxury car and has a nice condo and nice cottage around an expensive lake area.  Nice clothes to go with that.

And it's not like she was making 500k, the set back wouldn't be all that big.

I don't know that academia is "less" stressful than other work disciplines. There's more catty infighting there than in your average for-profit corporation. Everyone's trying to get tenure, competition can be cutthroat, and there's no long-term guarantee of employment. The free time isn't necessarily free, just unpaid time people are expected to use to do their own research. Overall, just existing in an adjunct job is stressful.

The only university professors I've ever met who are happy with their jobs either love to teach, or they got tenure back before the big trend to hire adjunct teachers hit, or they're about to retire, or they come from family money or else have regular jobs in the industry such that they only teach part-time.

If someone offered me a raise to teach at the local university, I'd turn it down simply because I can't stand office politics.

Not wanting to do it for the reasons you stated is completely understandable,  I would never question that.  It's just the fact that she said herself that it would be less stressful (I assume her job is + i know she puts in 50-60h+/week) and that she couldn't do it for only 100k/year.  Being healthy, without children, that's the part that makes it hard for me to understand.

For guaranteed employment I guess it depends from country and position but this was a full-time unionist position with full pension and 100k salary.

[Squirrel away]

I'm from Italy and trust me, instead of one Villa you would want to own three apartments: one in Rome, one in the alps, and one on the beach (I would probably pick Sicily or Sardinia).
Italy is so freaking diverse you would love a piece of everything.

I imagine the food is delicious too.:)  Someone told me that Lake Garda is stunningly beautiful.

Sorry, off topic.:P

[Seppia]

Well I am from lake Como so I cannot recommend Garda lol
Pic taken this summer.

[Squirrel away]

Wow, it looks gorgeous Seppia.:)

On topic - my husband works with men who constantly use the gambling apps at work, one of the young men he works with was up by £9,000 the other day and then lost it all. The younger staff are not on great salaries either so that would be about four months of wages.

[Seppia]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

[Pooplips]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

[MoonShadow]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Never pay more for your helmet than your head is worth.

[jinga nation]

I helped a new coworker enroll in the 401k. He freaked out when he saw the list of about 20 funds and had to take a mental health break. "I was a humanities major so I would never have to deal with this crap." Sensing the severity of the situation, I steered him towards a target date fund even though the expense ratio is a lot higher than the index funds offered in our plan. (A discussion about expense ratios would have likely triggered another freakout.) Finally got him signed up, contributing more than the minimum to get the full match, and he breathes a sigh of relief and says something about how socialism is greatly underappreciated.

Speaking from experience in my first full-time job in 2004, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of fund options from Principal. I asked my HR person if there was a guide to selecting funds. She said that if you don't know what to pick, then simply select between the Aggressive to Conservative portfolios. Or pick a little bit of each of the 15-20 funds. Some just divide contribution by the number of funds for their allocation (many engineers did that). It was only 18 months later when I moved to a bigger company that my boss started teaching me and I started reading finance forums. This year I made my parents move their 401k accounts from Ameriprise to Vanguard, and they went from 20 funds to a TSM/TBM portfolio. After I explained to my wife about ER, AA, and other fund terms, at her next annual 401k peddler meeting, she asked the dangerous questions. I think she embarrassed the John Hancock reps.

[Papa Mustache]

So we had a benefits discussion at work in preparation for open enrollment and transition to our new overlords' medical plan. We have a HDHP that turns out to be a sweet deal ($1800 for the year for me and DW, they put in $3k towards the HSA, payroll deductible HSA contributions, etc). So one of the guys joked that his wife was gonna go to Khols and buy stuff with the HSA. The representative didn't mention how you can withdraw at 65 like an IRA, typical stuff. Anyways, just people not understanding how it works and freaking out. The representative did a decent job considering.

$6000 oop maximum for in network stuff ( everything else covered). 50% of out of network stuff covered after maximum and all preventative things are covered 100%. Not bad I think.

Its just scary how many "intelligent" and "educated" people are out there but can't understand how to manage their finances or see through the political shenanigans endlessly discussed on talk radio or 24 hour news.

[jinga nation]

So we had a benefits discussion at work in preparation for open enrollment and transition to our new overlords' medical plan. We have a HDHP that turns out to be a sweet deal ($1800 for the year for me and DW, they put in $3k towards the HSA, payroll deductible HSA contributions, etc). So one of the guys joked that his wife was gonna go to Khols and buy stuff with the HSA. The representative didn't mention how you can withdraw at 65 like an IRA, typical stuff. Anyways, just people not understanding how it works and freaking out. The representative did a decent job considering.

$6000 oop maximum for in network stuff ( everything else covered). 50% of out of network stuff covered after maximum and all preventative things are covered 100%. Not bad I think.

Its just scary how many "intelligent" and "educated" people are out there but can't understand how to manage their finances or see through the political shenanigans endlessly discussed on talk radio or 24 hour news.

If you can turn off your TV, talk radio (finance BS gets peddled on sports and general talk radio), the mainstream media finance sites, you can actually read intelligent sites like Bogleheads, MMM Forums, and FatWallet Finance.
Many people are intelligent, educated, AND lazy. It is that third factor that rakes in the fees for their financial advisors.
My co-workers love to spend a few hours every week on fantasy football. Come basketball season, obsess over brackets.  But can't stand the thought of a couple of hours every quarter on rebalancing portfolios and managing YOUR OWN money. Classic outsourcing scenario, because learning about ER is too much complicated numbers, as compared to sports statistics.
They all have THAT GUY who does wonders for them, including free wine and dine at restaurants. Instead of taking the company match and Vanguard funds, they'll give it to Ameriprise/UBS/DoubleItUp, with the front/back loads and high ERs.

[Papa Mustache]

Costco. Kirkland brand. $13. Mostly desk job, so I wear them for a week and wash. Or immediately after a day in the field where I'll be sweating a lot and it is often dusty/dirty. After wash, they get tumbled in teh dryer 1-2 minutes to get the wrinkles out and then hung to dry.

They last a long time.

Wrangler Riggs ripstop or denim. $40 a pair but they wear forever for me. Am looking to get the price down the next time I buy a round of clothing (I spend $200 on pants and I'm good for 12-18 months, 6 to 8 months later I might buy a round of shirts). Just bought six pair.

I an an engineer that in a day's time could be welding, machining, moving equipment, repairing tech (computers/machine shop equipment), training or attending meetings. I need to look decent though nobody gives me grief if I show up in shorts and a T-shirt b/c I'm working some dirty task that day and it's hot outside. I do have

Older clothes for those days where I expect to get dirty, newer clothes for the days when I'm more certain to stay clean.

[Papa Mustache]

I'm from Italy and trust me, instead of one Villa you would want to own three apartments: one in Rome, one in the alps, and one on the beach (I would probably pick Sicily or Sardinia).
Italy is so freaking diverse you would love a piece of everything.

I imagine the food is delicious too.:)  Someone told me that Lake Garda is stunningly beautiful.

Sorry, off topic.:P

I loved driving around Lago di Garda.

Italy was the best part of my military service. Lived in Italy for three years. Lived out on the economy and had a $1500 car. Drove that thing from one end of the country to the other many times just wandering around.

I want to take my family back for a multi-week visit and visit with old friends someday. Want to rent a car of course so we can go the places that trains and buses don't usually go.

I looked the other day and the cost would be about $12K for the four of us to go.

That was paying full retail - staying in hotels, renting a fairly nice car, etc. Will price it again someday where we rent a tiny apartment and eat from grocery stores, and so forth to see how much I could shrink the cost. I want our kids to see a bit of the world in their time. I come from people too scared to leave the country.

I think seeing the world instead of seeing the TV version is a worthwhile thing. The view from the couch is very different than reality. There are scary things happening in the world but the TV version seems like condensed chaos all the time. Sort of like the evening murder report aka the local news in a big city.

"Last night 5 people were murdered..." (in five different rough parts of the city, murdered by rough people they probably knew all because the victim and the murderer all kept bad company... And so - the city is safer than the evening news implies...)

[Papa Mustache]

If you can turn off your TV, talk radio (finance BS gets peddled on sports and general talk radio), the mainstream media finance sites, you can actually read intelligent sites like Bogleheads, MMM Forums, and FatWallet Finance and high ERs.

THANKS! New website for me (FWF). Yeah you are correct. My coworkers worry about college football and NASCAR. Whatever makes them happy I suppose. ;)

[BarbeRiche]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

Haha!  I'm sure he didn't lie, he doesn't have the extra money.

That's why he paid for the bike and helmet with a financing.

[seathink]

I think seeing the world instead of seeing the TV version is a worthwhile thing. The view from the couch is very different than reality. There are scary things happening in the world but the TV version seems like condensed chaos all the time. Sort of like the evening murder report aka the local news in a big city.

"Last night 5 people were murdered..." (in five different rough parts of the city, murdered by rough people they probably knew all because the victim and the murderer all kept bad company... And so - the city is safer than the evening news implies...)

+1

My favorite is when the news imports murders/crime from other cities. Even in LA we don't have a murder every night. I've been at friends's houses and the 11 o'clock will open with a brutal double murder... in Kansas City. Couldn't we celebrate LA being murder-free instead? Sigh.

[LeRainDrop]

Well I am from lake Como so I cannot recommend Garda lol
Pic taken this summer.

OMG, now I am aching to go back to Italy!  What a beautiful picture, Seppia.

[Eric222]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Helmets are important!!!  And you should buy a new one whenever you are in an accident.  Um....I don't know about motorcycle helmets, but the price of a bicycle helmet does not always == the quality of the helmet.   So 2% of salary on a helmet, can you go give him a face punch?

I wish I had a 401k match :(.  Can I have his?

[horsepoor]

One of the three people not contributing in the 401k (and missing on a 3% match) because he "cannot afford it" just bought a motorcycle and the helmet alone has a sticker price of about 2% his annual salary.

2% of his salary on a helmet? Crazy.

Helmets are important!!!  And you should buy a new one whenever you are in an accident.  Um....I don't know about motorcycle helmets, but the price of a bicycle helmet does not always == the quality of the helmet.   So 2% of salary on a helmet, can you go give him a face punch?

I wish I had a 401k match :(.  Can I have his?

Horseback riding helmets are like this.  In the last 5-10 years, designer helmets from $500-1500 have become *the thing*.  Some of them might be a tiny bit lighter or more well-ventilated, but I have a $70 one that is so comfortable I pretty much forget it's on my head.  And yeah, first time you fall off, that sucker needs to be replaced. Or after 3-5 years of normal use it needs to be replaced. The safety testing and ASTM requirements show that the $1500 helmet does not provide any more protection than the $70 one. 

[druth]

It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

[powersuitrecall]

Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.

[RWD]

Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.

Wow! I think his costs are on the high side based on this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/39310-how-much-do-you-spend-on-power-for-your-hot-tub.

[mtn]

It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

In car racing helmets--similar to motorcycle helmets--often times the cost goes along with extra features or comfort. They don't get safer the more you spend.

[meg_shannon]

It's true even for plain old bike helmets.  The regulated bar for safety is pretty high, anything other than that is probably just for show.

In car racing helmets--similar to motorcycle helmets--often times the cost goes along with extra features or comfort. They don't get safer the more you spend.

This is true for carseats as well. Most parents will spend a bit more for some comfort because the baby may be more likely to sleep in the seat. (I would have paid a lot if someone could have guaranteed my LO would sleep).

[powersuitrecall]

Hot Tubs! 

CW says he spends $5/day just on the electricity required for his vessel of perpetually warm water.

Wow! I think his costs are on the high side based on this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/39310-how-much-do-you-spend-on-power-for-your-hot-tub.

Perhaps he's exaggerating, but our winters do tend to be nippy (as in several weeks of -20 C).

[Dollar Slice]

Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

[Taran Wanderer]

He only got written up for that bomb threat?  Wow.

[LifeAtTheLodgeHouse]

Small thing, grating on me.

In work everyone has reusable cups, awesome idea as it saves the environment and you save 50c every time you buy a coffee (don't worry I squashed that habit upon stumbling onto MMM). Everyone has these cups: www.keepcup.com and I do too, however my sister in law's work got free cups that are in a blue and black and not the "fancy" multicoloured ones and she snagged one for me of THE SAME BRAND, but blue and black.

CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I DO NOT NEED A NEW CUP. My cup is perfectly fine and even if it wasn't, I have other thermal cups. I will NOT be buying a new cup!!!

I feel like the drink and drugs advert - Just say no. Do not give in to peer pressure!!

[Suncoast]

Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

[11ducks]

Small thing, grating on me.

In work everyone has reusable cups, awesome idea as it saves the environment and you save 50c every time you buy a coffee (don't worry I squashed that habit upon stumbling onto MMM). Everyone has these cups: www.keepcup.com and I do too, however my sister in law's work got free cups that are in a blue and black and not the "fancy" multicoloured ones and she snagged one for me of THE SAME BRAND, but blue and black.

CW - You need a new cup
Me - Why? It's same brand but my one is dull colours
CW - It's dull, just buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - Um, no
CW - They are only $13 NZ (or something like that)
Me - Okay

A week later...

CW - Have you not bought a new cup yet?
Me - No
CW - Buy a new cup, you need a new cup
Me - I'm probably not going to do that

A week later... you get where this is going...

I DO NOT NEED A NEW CUP. My cup is perfectly fine and even if it wasn't, I have other thermal cups. I will NOT be buying a new cup!!!

I feel like the drink and drugs advert - Just say no. Do not give in to peer pressure!!

Just buy the cup man. All your friends have one. One won't hurt, it'll help you relax.
You too good to buy a cup like the rest of us? Cup chicken? Bwok bwok bwok.....

[MandalayVA]

We had our open enrollment last month.  A new plan was offered that raised the total HSA contribution so I jumped on that.  The woman who sits behind me didn't really get what a HSA was, so I explained it to her.  She wrinkled her nose.  "I get enough taken out of my paycheck for taxes, I won't fool with that."

This coming from someone who spends fifty bucks a week on scratch-off lottery tickets, more than her HSA contribution would cost.

/headdesk

[Beaker]

We had our open enrollment last month.  A new plan was offered that raised the total HSA contribution so I jumped on that.  The woman who sits behind me didn't really get what a HSA was, so I explained it to her.  She wrinkled her nose.  "I get enough taken out of my paycheck for taxes, I won't fool with that."

This coming from someone who spends fifty bucks a week on scratch-off lottery tickets, more than her HSA contribution would cost.

/headdesk

But... the HSA causes you to have less taxes taken out of your paycheck.

We just signed up for the HDP & HSA through my wife's office. The sum of the company incentives, tax savings, and premium savings is more than the deductible on the plan. Such a good deal.

[Dollar Slice]

Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

I would expect the 2nd guy to act surprised/confused if it wasn't true, but he just nodded, "oh, yeah, right." Plus, I was just eating a sandwich in a park and he came and sat right next to me with his friend, so it wasn't like I was being a creeper and listening in on them. You can't fail to hear someone talking 18 inches away.

[MgoSam]

Not my workplace, but... I overheard two men in suits, clearly coworkers, talking about bonuses and some kind of status level thing at their company. One asks the other whether he'd achieved some level or other. Reply: "No, not since I got written up for that bomb threat." Uhhhh...

Perhaps, they realized someone was eavesdropping on their conversation so they said something outlandish?

I would expect the 2nd guy to act surprised/confused if it wasn't true, but he just nodded, "oh, yeah, right." Plus, I was just eating a sandwich in a park and he came and sat right next to me with his friend, so it wasn't like I was being a creeper and listening in on them. You can't fail to hear someone talking 18 inches away.

I remember chatting with a good friend of mine and realizing that a couple was listening in on our conversations so I started to mess with them. My back was to them so I winked at my friend and asked her about the baby and she casually said something like, "Oh I threw it out with the bathwater," and we proceeded to chat about how great our lives are and uped the ridiculousness until it became apparent that we were messing with them.

[MishMash]

I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after I'm done eating lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

[MishMash]

I just fished a dozen bagels out of the trash and got caught doing it...

In all fairness they were fresh this morning, management brought in 3 dozen for a meeting in the office, meetings over and they came out after lunch and chucked the leftover box of a dozen plus the cream cheese, into the trash can.  It's a dozen perfectly good, not stale bagels that can go in my freezer.  They walked out, I assumed to go to lunch so I went in the kitchen and fished the box out, just as one of the VPs walked in.  I looked at him...he looked at me and all I could get out was a fairly high pitched "What?  I'm not letting perfectly good food go in a dumpster"  He gave me a weird look and just shrugged.  I think I have upped my already fairly high office weirdo rating a wee bit more.

Hell yea I rescued the cream cheese!  That honey almond spread is not going to waste.  They had opened it up to the rest of the office earlier in the day, the "can't use a tea kettle, and will probably end up burning down the office" crew ate a couple each but no one else really wanted any, we are a small office, probably a dozen people at maximum capacity, and there were only 3 people in the office for the meeting so I have no idea why they thought 3 dozen was a smart idea in the first place. 

And the cream cheese? Did you rescue that also?
This made me laugh. And why didn't they put out the leftovers for the rest of the office rather than toss them?

I feel better knowing that at least these bagels will not go to waste!