Overheard on Facebook

[solon]

I'd argue that you don't understand the mustachian ideals. It's not that work is unhealthy. It's UNCONSCIOUS decisions that are unhealthy, whether that's spending, working, paying for someone to do X. All of these have tradeoffs, and you should try to understand them as best you can. Want to buy a house? Try to understand what it's going to cost you (time, money, repairs, etc.). It's not one cookie cutter "you need to bike everywhere." It's more of a try to figure out what you're paying by driving everywhere instead of biking and decide if that's worth it.

Well, no, it IS all about riding the bike. MMM says it's not just a matter of deciding if riding a bike is worth it. You must ride a bike, all the time.

Here are some quotes from http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/:

But if I had to strip it down as far as possible, down to just one single action, and I wasn’t allowed to talk about anything else, the choice would still be simple: “Ride a Bike”.

inside I could only scream “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE A BIKE!?!?!?“

It’s time for this silliness to come to an end. You must ride a bike. We all must.

But no, biking is not just about the money.

it’s even MORE than the money and the exercise.

A bike is really an automatic life balancing machine

Not biking because you don’t have a bike is like letting the excrement pile up on your bathroom floor because “I just haven’t flushed the toilet recently”. JUST GET A DAMNED BIKE!! IT’S SO EASY!!!

[MgoSam]

Someone I know posted a picture about the Starbucks silver card thingy, it's $200 I believe and comes with $50 credit, so basically you're paying $150 for the privilege of carrying a limited edition reusable gift card. The poster commented about how the store he went to was sold out, but another location has "only 4 left."

As expected, responses were immediate and full of people wanting one, though there were a few mentioning how ridiculous it is.

[fitzgeralday]

Someone I know posted a picture about the Starbucks silver card thingy, it's $200 I believe and comes with $50 credit, so basically you're paying $150 for the privilege of carrying a limited edition reusable gift card. The poster commented about how the store he went to was sold out, but another location has "only 4 left."

As expected, responses were immediate and full of people wanting one, though there were a few mentioning how ridiculous it is.

Funny you mentioned this - some friends and I met in Starbucks last night and ended up staying pretty late (slightly past closing).  Anywho, the barista proceeds to share with us the idiocy (his words, not mine) of this new gift card that indeed costs $200 but can only purchase $50 worth of Starbucks.  I asked if the card itself was worth the balance of $150.  He was quick to respond with a side eye, and then went in the back and brought one out for me to see.  The card itself does not look expensive at all, and what's worse he mentioned that the design was flawed.  Because it was on a keychain, he spoke of the hassle that customers face when making purchases through drive thru.  They essentially have to turn their cars off to hand them their whole gang of keys to use their giftcard.  Clearly Starbucks is on to something if these cards are selling like hotcakes though.  I need to figure out a similar side hustle ;)

[greenmimama]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

[RFAAOATB]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

Tell everyone you are rich enough to buy it?  Although this does seem like one of the dumber luxury items on the market.  Its low visibility makes the aspect of presentation quite low.  Now what we need is a Starbucks VIP card for $1000 a year.  This card will allow you the pleasure of foot-baths and massages from employees while you enjoy your attainable luxury coffee in full sight of the rest of the shop.  Bonus if the shop consists of people mostly waiting in line for your massage to be finished so the employee can get back to taking more orders.

[auntie_betty]

Tell everyone you are rich enough to buy it? Tell everyone you have enough available credit to get it and ultiately pay €250+ for it.

Corrected it for you :)

[DeepEllumStache]

Saw a GoFundMe this morning for a girl who went the Apple Store to replace her screen, claims she was quoted $100 but they ended up doing the more expensive fix for $330 without warning her once they realized the damage was deeper.  She said it was not a serious campaign but decided to try since it worked for the dude who did it for the potato salad.  The GoFundMe is not exactly humorous and goes the "woe is me I'm a poor pharmacy student, I waited forever to upgrade, and this is my first iphone" route. 

Sigh.  Potato salad dude at least was going to send his potato salad... but now he's going to be used as the reason for a lot of whiny campaigns.

[eyePod]

and your point is? You really felt you had to make that asshole remark that bad huh? Well you sound lovely.

You're right. I was in the heat of the moment with other stuff. Retracted and sorry for being an a-hole.

[eyePod]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

[MgoSam]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

I've never actually done this before, I wonder if I could buy the silver card and then post it on Ebay. If it sells great, if not can I return it for a full refund?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

[dragoncar]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

I've never actually done this before, I wonder if I could buy the silver card and then post it on Ebay. If it sells great, if not can I return it for a full refund?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

I think some people have a portion of their identity tied up in the Starbucks brand (like some people are Apple people).  To get gold rewards status, you have to buy 30 drinks in a year.  After that, you get a free drink or food item every 12 drinks (to be fair, this free item can be like a $12 value).  And I know a few people who get multiple rewards per year.  So they are already spending hundreds, if not thousands, per year, and probably are like "life. love. starbucks."  I mean, that doesn't excuse it, but it's not fundamentally different from people who pay an extra $500 on their wardrobe so all their shirts can say Tommy Hilfiger.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/starbucks-for-life-contest-launches-with-10-karat-gold-card-1.2130776

[dandarc]

I think some people have a portion of their identity tied up in the Starbucks brand (like some people are Apple people).  To get gold rewards status, you have to buy 30 drinks in a year.  After that, you get a free drink or food item every 12 drinks (to be fair, this free item can be like a $12 value).  And I know a few people who get multiple rewards per year.  So they are already spending hundreds, if not thousands, per year, and probably are like "life. love. starbucks."  I mean, that doesn't excuse it, but it's not fundamentally different from people who pay an extra $500 on their wardrobe so all their shirts can say Tommy Hilfiger.

Neither work nor facebook, but at the community orchestra I'm in, our librarian is convinced that our brand new printer needs toner / is broken because his also brand new Macbook prints only blank pages on it.  I kept telling him it wasn't the printer - I have no problem with it (I'm the treasurer, so I do print from time to time).  He doesn't believe me, but he gets to rehearsal late enough that I don't have time to demonstrate.  Finally last night, I have time to plug my computer (Dell laptop I received as a gift) in while he's in the room and it immediately prints no issue at all.  I seriously don't get the draw of the Mac laptop these days - they cost so much more and really aren't any better.  We've spent more repairing my wife's Macbook than I have on my last 2 or 3 laptops combined.  Its gotta be the "I'm an Apple person factor"[/rant]

[AlanStache]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

Tell everyone you are rich enough to buy it?  Although this does seem like one of the dumber luxury items on the market.  Its low visibility makes the aspect of presentation quite low.  Now what we need is a Starbucks VIP card for $1000 a year.  This card will allow you the pleasure of foot-baths and massages from employees while you enjoy your attainable luxury coffee in full sight of the rest of the shop.  Bonus if the shop consists of people mostly waiting in line for your massage to be finished so the employee can get back to taking more orders.

There should be an even more expensive card that also works as a 'front of the line pass', that way you can wave it around like a big shot while walking past the suckers standing in line.

[fantabulous]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

Tell everyone you are rich enough to buy it?  Although this does seem like one of the dumber luxury items on the market.  Its low visibility makes the aspect of presentation quite low.  Now what we need is a Starbucks VIP card for $1000 a year.  This card will allow you the pleasure of foot-baths and massages from employees while you enjoy your attainable luxury coffee in full sight of the rest of the shop.  Bonus if the shop consists of people mostly waiting in line for your massage to be finished so the employee can get back to taking more orders.

There should be an even more expensive card that also works as a 'front of the line pass', that way you can wave it around like a big shot while walking past the suckers standing in line.

A bunch of cranky people waiting for their coffee being cut in line? Suddenly turned into the face punch line.

[frugalnacho]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

I've never actually done this before, I wonder if I could buy the silver card and then post it on Ebay. If it sells great, if not can I return it for a full refund?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

I think some people have a portion of their identity tied up in the Starbucks brand (like some people are Apple people).  To get gold rewards status, you have to buy 30 drinks in a year.  After that, you get a free drink or food item every 12 drinks (to be fair, this free item can be like a $12 value).  And I know a few people who get multiple rewards per year.  So they are already spending hundreds, if not thousands, per year, and probably are like "life. love. starbucks."  I mean, that doesn't excuse it, but it's not fundamentally different from people who pay an extra $500 on their wardrobe so all their shirts can say Tommy Hilfiger.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/starbucks-for-life-contest-launches-with-10-karat-gold-card-1.2130776

I would argue that the extra $500 for the TH wardrobe (over priced shirts) is already the equivalent of buying SB coffee (over priced coffee) and/or walking around with a SB cup. 

A better analogy would be like spending an extra $500 on your wardrobe just so it says tommy hilfiger, and then buying a $50 TH silver gift card for $200.

In all cases it's utter insanity.

[Nudelkopf]

Funny you mentioned this - some friends and I met in Starbucks last night and ended up staying pretty late (slightly past closing).  Anywho, the barista proceeds to share with us the idiocy (his words, not mine) of this new gift card that indeed costs $200 but can only purchase $50 worth of Starbucks.  I asked if the card itself was worth the balance of $150.  He was quick to respond with a side eye, and then went in the back and brought one out for me to see.  The card itself does not look expensive at all, and what's worse he mentioned that the design was flawed.  Because it was on a keychain, he spoke of the hassle that customers face when making purchases through drive thru.  They essentially have to turn their cars off to hand them their whole gang of keys to use their giftcard.  Clearly Starbucks is on to something if these cards are selling like hotcakes though.  I need to figure out a similar side hustle ;)

Bahahaha. Are you serious that there's a drive through for Starbucks???

[Wolf_Stache]

Bahahaha. Are you serious that there's a drive through for Starbucks???

There is a Starbucks by me that is DRIVE-THRU only. Meaning if you don't have a car, you can't buy coffee because they don't even have a walk-up window.

[crispy]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

This just really blows my mind.  Really. I am not a coffee drinker so maybe I just am not hip enough to understand, but I really just don't understand.

[dandarc]

Bahahaha. Are you serious that there's a drive through for Starbucks???

There is a Starbucks by me that is DRIVE-THRU only. Meaning if you don't have a car, you can't buy coffee because they don't even have a walk-up window.

Wow - about the only time I patronize starbucks is if I'm out of town and it is conveniently located (sometimes this means not in my in-laws house) and need WiFi so I can work.  So with nowhere to sit they're totally missing out on people like me.

[dragoncar]

I had to google this starbucks card. It is made of silver and it literally costs you $150 just to have the privilege of carrying it? $200 cost but it comes with $50 credit on it.

I don't get it, so maybe next season SBux will start selling fresh hot steaming shit and charging you for it, oh wait they already do that.

What the Hell is the purpose of this thing except to tell everyone you are dumb enough to buy it?

I've never actually done this before, I wonder if I could buy the silver card and then post it on Ebay. If it sells great, if not can I return it for a full refund?

They sell for more than $200 on eBay.. not enough to cover the costs and fees (you'd make about $10 total), but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_nkw=starbucks+gift+card+silver&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

I think some people have a portion of their identity tied up in the Starbucks brand (like some people are Apple people).  To get gold rewards status, you have to buy 30 drinks in a year.  After that, you get a free drink or food item every 12 drinks (to be fair, this free item can be like a $12 value).  And I know a few people who get multiple rewards per year.  So they are already spending hundreds, if not thousands, per year, and probably are like "life. love. starbucks."  I mean, that doesn't excuse it, but it's not fundamentally different from people who pay an extra $500 on their wardrobe so all their shirts can say Tommy Hilfiger.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/starbucks-for-life-contest-launches-with-10-karat-gold-card-1.2130776

I would argue that the extra $500 for the TH wardrobe (over priced shirts) is already the equivalent of buying SB coffee (over priced coffee) and/or walking around with a SB cup. 

A better analogy would be like spending an extra $500 on your wardrobe just so it says tommy hilfiger, and then buying a $50 TH silver gift card for $200.

In all cases it's utter insanity.

No, getting shirts at the Gap is buying overpriced shirts.  The extra for TH (or whatever) is the gift card.  Don't you make your own shirts at home???

[frugalnacho]

No, getting shirts at the Gap is buying overpriced shirts.  The extra for TH (or whatever) is the gift card.  Don't you make your own shirts at home???

No, I wear grey shirts from walmart.  They are like $5 each.  My wife jokes that i'm a cartoon character.  What am I gonna wear today? How about a grey shirt and jeans?

[dragoncar]

No, getting shirts at the Gap is buying overpriced shirts.  The extra for TH (or whatever) is the gift card.  Don't you make your own shirts at home???

No, I wear grey shirts from walmart.  They are like $5 each.  My wife jokes that i'm a cartoon character.  What am I gonna wear today? How about a grey shirt and jeans?

$5??? All those nachos are making you fat, fatcat!  I get mine here: http://www.blankshirts.com/Hanes_5280.htm

Seriously, though, I've had those shirts for 6 years ... best value ever.  One or two have finally started to get small holes and fade.


*these may not be the exact model I have, but I'm pretty sure it's from that web site

[Will]

So a Realtor/friend of mine posts on Facebook:

Remember The Graduate -- one word for you -- Plastics. Well, I have my 2015 words for you -- Health Care ETF's --- FULL DISCLOSURE --- I am not a Financial Advisor in any shape or form. I hope my finacial advisor friends will comment......

After various inane comments, I write:

Ah, I see now why Larry won't allow you to retire.

(It had been written earlier that my friend's spouse wouldn't consider either of them retiring this next year, even though one is 70 and the other almost 60.)

So then I get this in a PM:

Actually we have made over 40 % in the last few months on these ETF's ... It has been quite nice, making it so my retirement can be manageable. So I highly recommend these health care .... LOL

Me:

Are they up 40% or have you sold them for 40% more than you paid?

Friend: 

They are up ... as right now we do not dare sell them. Larry and I have made most our money in the stock market over the last 30 years. Have not done it on wages.

[Bigote]

I had to google the starbucks card, hadn't heard of it.   According to one news article I saw they made 43,000 of this supposedly 'limited edition' card.

I have new respect for starbucks.   thats a lot of chumps.   $8.6MM worth.   

[NearlyThere]

Guy on Facebook last week congratulating himself for being debt free for the first time in his adult life.

This week, test driving a 70k Audi.

[greenmimama]

Funny you mentioned this - some friends and I met in Starbucks last night and ended up staying pretty late (slightly past closing).  Anywho, the barista proceeds to share with us the idiocy (his words, not mine) of this new gift card that indeed costs $200 but can only purchase $50 worth of Starbucks.  I asked if the card itself was worth the balance of $150.  He was quick to respond with a side eye, and then went in the back and brought one out for me to see.  The card itself does not look expensive at all, and what's worse he mentioned that the design was flawed.  Because it was on a keychain, he spoke of the hassle that customers face when making purchases through drive thru.  They essentially have to turn their cars off to hand them their whole gang of keys to use their giftcard.  Clearly Starbucks is on to something if these cards are selling like hotcakes though.  I need to figure out a similar side hustle ;)

Bahahaha. Are you serious that there's a drive through for Starbucks???

Here in the midwest, a bunch of coffee places have a drive thru in addition to an in store place you can sit and use the wifi, the lines are usually long too. I don't get it, but I don't drink the black drug.

[lemanfan]

Here in the midwest, a bunch of coffee places have a drive thru in addition to an in store place you can sit and use the wifi, the lines are usually long too. I don't get it, but I don't drink the black drug.

This past summer, I passed Atchison, KS and saw a "drive thru" coffee place but I parked and got in. The girl behind the counter seemed nervous and once she realized that i was a visitor from overseas she started to stutter.  The manager had to take over.  Nice guy.  :)

[jinga nation]

Guy on Facebook last week congratulating himself for being debt free for the first time in his adult life.

This week, test driving a 70k Audi.

That's not a bad thing. I do that routinely when I get the urge to buy a new/pre-owned/used car. Enjoy the test drive, then go home and have a good think about maintenance costs and get insurance quotes, then purge the damn idea. Rinse and repeat every month. My only debt is the mortgage which is adequately covered by the returns from my RE investments.

[frugalnacho]

No, getting shirts at the Gap is buying overpriced shirts.  The extra for TH (or whatever) is the gift card.  Don't you make your own shirts at home???

No, I wear grey shirts from walmart.  They are like $5 each.  My wife jokes that i'm a cartoon character.  What am I gonna wear today? How about a grey shirt and jeans?

$5??? All those nachos are making you fat, fatcat!  I get mine here: http://www.blankshirts.com/Hanes_5280.htm

Seriously, though, I've had those shirts for 6 years ... best value ever.  One or two have finally started to get small holes and fade.


*these may not be the exact model I have, but I'm pretty sure it's from that web site

I'm skeptical about buying shirts without trying them on first.   Plus the XXL shirts are $4.23, so i'm not really spending that much more money for my entire shirt wardrobe.  Plus they have front pockets I can use for my phone.  I like to listen to my phone when i'm on my bike, but I don't like using headphones (and blocking out ambient noise and cars), and I don't like using my pants pocket and getting an annoying doppler effect.

[nereo]

I'd argue that you don't understand the mustachian ideals. It's not that work is unhealthy. It's UNCONSCIOUS decisions that are unhealthy, whether that's spending, working, paying for someone to do X. All of these have tradeoffs, and you should try to understand them as best you can. Want to buy a house? Try to understand what it's going to cost you (time, money, repairs, etc.). It's not one cookie cutter "you need to bike everywhere." It's more of a try to figure out what you're paying by driving everywhere instead of biking and decide if that's worth it.

Well, no, it IS all about riding the bike. MMM says it's not just a matter of deciding if riding a bike is worth it. You must ride a bike, all the time.

Here are some quotes from http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/:

But if I had to strip it down as far as possible, down to just one single action, and I wasn’t allowed to talk about anything else, the choice would still be simple: “Ride a Bike”.

inside I could only scream “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE A BIKE!?!?!?“

It’s time for this silliness to come to an end. You must ride a bike. We all must.

But no, biking is not just about the money.

it’s even MORE than the money and the exercise.

A bike is really an automatic life balancing machine

Not biking because you don’t have a bike is like letting the excrement pile up on your bathroom floor because “I just haven’t flushed the toilet recently”. JUST GET A DAMNED BIKE!! IT’S SO EASY!!!

While I applaud you for your bike-riding lifestyle and believe that our society in general would be better with more bike-riding and less car driving, I have to side with eyepod and say that I don't view MMM's blog as being all about biking.
For starters, MMM recently tried to clarify the blog's purpose to the mass-media by saying this:

It’s about using logic and science to design a Slightly Less Ridiculous Than Average Lifestyle in order to live more happily.

He mentions using logic and science to increase happiness.  Not Bikes.
Riding a bicycle can certainly be one way that people can make better decisions, but it isn't the only way.  Bicycling is just one of many ways to a means.  There's also plenty of emphasis on not buying luxury goods, cutting cable, living close to where you work, learning to DIY instead of paying contractors through the nose, maximizing savings, investing in index funds, eliminating debt and curbing spendy lifestyles.  All of this is done with the idea that by

"focusing on happiness itself, you can lead a much better life"

  Biking is just one small part of being mustachian, and not a requirement.

Also, (while I suspect this will fall on deaf ears), please, please, please understand that using a bike to get everywhere is not a practical option for tens-of-millions of Americans.  Over 50M americans live in rural areas, many of whom can't bike everywhere because of distance and safety.  Others aren't physically able ride.  Still others live urban lifestyles where they can walk just about everywhere (or take public transit)* The list goes on, but I strongly believe every one of these people can follow the 'spirit of mustachianism' even if they never own a bike.

*I have a bike, and I ride a bike, but mostly during the ~7 warmest months of the year.  I stow my bike away in the winter simply because I can get virtually everywhere I want to go on foot (including my job, the grocery store and the hardware store). I simply refuse to believe this makes me 'unmustachian' for 5 months out of the year.

[Malaysia41]

Friend posted this meme w comment, "Pretty much my motto :) ".

[attica]

So I posted to facebook that my job is looking for part time cashiers in the evenings and on Saturdays and if anybody's interested let me know. Almost immediately I get a reply in my inbox from an old high school friend of mine that she's interested. She lives almost an hour away. This is an easy peasy $9 an hour answer the phones and look pretty kind of gig and its for like 20 hours a week. She's going to burn up her pay in gas, tolls, and wear on her car. I'm not sure why she's even bothering.

[nereo]

So I posted to facebook that my job is looking for part time cashiers in the evenings and on Saturdays and if anybody's interested let me know. Almost immediately I get a reply in my inbox from an old high school friend of mine that she's interested. She lives almost an hour away. This is an easy peasy $9 an hour answer the phones and look pretty kind of gig and its for like 20 hours a week. She's going to burn up her pay in gas, tolls, and wear on her car. I'm not sure why she's even bothering.

If she doesn't have a job I can understand the appeal.  Any work can be better than no work when you aren't FI, even if you spend (by my estimations) the first 1.5-2hrs each dshift paying for commuting costs. Perhaps she'd move closer?

[eyePod]

So I posted to facebook that my job is looking for part time cashiers in the evenings and on Saturdays and if anybody's interested let me know. Almost immediately I get a reply in my inbox from an old high school friend of mine that she's interested. She lives almost an hour away. This is an easy peasy $9 an hour answer the phones and look pretty kind of gig and its for like 20 hours a week. She's going to burn up her pay in gas, tolls, and wear on her car. I'm not sure why she's even bothering.

If she doesn't have a job I can understand the appeal.  Any work can be better than no work when you aren't FI, even if you spend (by my estimations) the first 1.5-2hrs each dshift paying for commuting costs. Perhaps she'd move closer?

So she makes $12 after tax per day? Yikes.

[Angie55]

Ran into a casual acquaintance this weekend. Since we pretty much only know each other as friend of a friend I don't know much of what's going on in their life. I did remember they had housewarming a few months ago with a 60+ people list to which we were invited but didn't go. Anyway. I go on to attempt conversation and I mention oh must be exciting settling into your first house, etc.

Her response is like oh yeah its a lot of work. Not too long ago I realized I have nothing set aside in case something major went wrong so I took switched to a better paying job. Its in xxxx (a city 100+ miles away) so I'm renting a room from someone down there. I stay down there all week then come back to work and stay in my house on the weekends. Its tough, but the better paying job is helping me pay down my credit card debt too!

I was speechless but think I managed to pull off a... Oh that's great! Congrats lets hang out soon....

Sadly, I'm envious of people like this. Not a care in the world and 95% of the time everything works out. Its just not fair that I have to worry and work so hard to plan my future. I want to buy a house but I think they're way overpriced and are nearing another bubble (that probably won't burst for a few years). Its people that are then buying houses out of their means and stupid government programs that are inflating the price for people like me who want to do it the right way...

[dandarc]

Ran into a casual acquaintance this weekend. Since we pretty much only know each other as friend of a friend I don't know much of what's going on in their life. I did remember they had housewarming a few months ago with a 60+ people list to which we were invited but didn't go. Anyway. I go on to attempt conversation and I mention oh must be exciting settling into your first house, etc.

Her response is like oh yeah its a lot of work. Not too long ago I realized I have nothing set aside in case something major went wrong so I took switched to a better paying job. Its in xxxx (a city 100+ miles away) so I'm renting a room from someone down there. I stay down there all week then come back to work and stay in my house on the weekends. Its tough, but the better paying job is helping me pay down my credit card debt too!

I was speechless but think I managed to pull off a... Oh that's great! Congrats lets hang out soon....

Sadly, I'm envious of people like this. Not a care in the world and 95% of the time everything works out. Its just not fair that I have to worry and work so hard to plan my future. I want to buy a house but I think they're way overpriced and are nearing another bubble (that probably won't burst for a few years). Its people that are then buying houses out of their means and stupid government programs that are inflating the price for people like me who want to do it the right way...

Sounds like your friend has a lot of worry to me - mortgage on a house that she barely even sees, rent, and a fair amount of credit card debt.

[AlanStache]

I'd argue that you don't understand the mustachian ideals. It's not that work is unhealthy. It's UNCONSCIOUS decisions that are unhealthy, whether that's spending, working, paying for someone to do X. All of these have tradeoffs, and you should try to understand them as best you can. Want to buy a house? Try to understand what it's going to cost you (time, money, repairs, etc.). It's not one cookie cutter "you need to bike everywhere." It's more of a try to figure out what you're paying by driving everywhere instead of biking and decide if that's worth it.

Well, no, it IS all about riding the bike. MMM says it's not just a matter of deciding if riding a bike is worth it. You must ride a bike, all the time.

Here are some quotes from http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/:

But if I had to strip it down as far as possible, down to just one single action, and I wasn’t allowed to talk about anything else, the choice would still be simple: “Ride a Bike”.

inside I could only scream “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE A BIKE!?!?!?“

It’s time for this silliness to come to an end. You must ride a bike. We all must.

But no, biking is not just about the money.

it’s even MORE than the money and the exercise.

A bike is really an automatic life balancing machine

Not biking because you don’t have a bike is like letting the excrement pile up on your bathroom floor because “I just haven’t flushed the toilet recently”. JUST GET A DAMNED BIKE!! IT’S SO EASY!!!

While I applaud you for your bike-riding lifestyle and believe that our society in general would be better with more bike-riding and less car driving, I have to side with eyepod and say that I don't view MMM's blog as being all about biking.
For starters, MMM recently tried to clarify the blog's purpose to the mass-media by saying this:

It’s about using logic and science to design a Slightly Less Ridiculous Than Average Lifestyle in order to live more happily.

He mentions using logic and science to increase happiness.  Not Bikes.
Riding a bicycle can certainly be one way that people can make better decisions, but it isn't the only way.  Bicycling is just one of many ways to a means.  There's also plenty of emphasis on not buying luxury goods, cutting cable, living close to where you work, learning to DIY instead of paying contractors through the nose, maximizing savings, investing in index funds, eliminating debt and curbing spendy lifestyles.  All of this is done with the idea that by

"focusing on happiness itself, you can lead a much better life"

  Biking is just one small part of being mustachian, and not a requirement.

Also, (while I suspect this will fall on deaf ears), please, please, please understand that using a bike to get everywhere is not a practical option for tens-of-millions of Americans.  Over 50M americans live in rural areas, many of whom can't bike everywhere because of distance and safety.  Others aren't physically able ride.  Still others live urban lifestyles where they can walk just about everywhere (or take public transit)* The list goes on, but I strongly believe every one of these people can follow the 'spirit of mustachianism' even if they never own a bike.

*I have a bike, and I ride a bike, but mostly during the ~7 warmest months of the year.  I stow my bike away in the winter simply because I can get virtually everywhere I want to go on foot (including my job, the grocery store and the hardware store). I simply refuse to believe this makes me 'unmustachian' for 5 months out of the year.

+1

I also think the costs, financial and otherwise, as well as the difficulties of switching to a bike based life are often minimized or dismissed here.

[mm1970]

Also, (while I suspect this will fall on deaf ears), please, please, please understand that using a bike to get everywhere is not a practical option for tens-of-millions of Americans.  Over 50M americans live in rural areas, many of whom can't bike everywhere because of distance and safety. 

Yes, this is how it is where I grew up.  I could walk and ride bikes for fun now and then, but people drive on the rural roads at 55-65 mph, just not safe for a 15-25 mile commute.  Definitely a pickup culture.  The people who DO ride their bikes drive to a designated bike path to do so.

And then there are the unleashed dogs.

[Zamboni]

No, getting shirts at the Gap is buying overpriced shirts.  The extra for TH (or whatever) is the gift card.  Don't you make your own shirts at home???

No, I wear grey shirts from walmart.  They are like $5 each.  My wife jokes that i'm a cartoon character.  What am I gonna wear today? How about a grey shirt and jeans?

$5??? All those nachos are making you fat, fatcat!  I get mine here: http://www.blankshirts.com/Hanes_5280.htm

Seriously, though, I've had those shirts for 6 years ... best value ever.  One or two have finally started to get small holes and fade.


*these may not be the exact model I have, but I'm pretty sure it's from that web site

I'm skeptical about buying shirts without trying them on first.   Plus the XXL shirts are $4.23, so i'm not really spending that much more money for my entire shirt wardrobe.  Plus they have front pockets I can use for my phone.  I like to listen to my phone when i'm on my bike, but I don't like using headphones (and blocking out ambient noise and cars), and I don't like using my pants pocket and getting an annoying doppler effect.

But nacho that site dragoncar linked has 3 different shades of gray available!  Hmmm, ash, light steel, or smoke?  You are paying an extra 77 cents for a pocket?  Sheesh, I sure hope that Walmart at least has shades of gray choices to go with that pocket.

[AH013]

Not really heard on facebook, but a story told by my uncle at thanksgiving:

Neighbor of his calls out of the blue recently to ask how long my uncle's toilet tanks take to refill. My uncle has no idea. So the neighbor comes over to time them for comparison purposes. Apparently the neighbor's tanks take 60 seconds, and this is unacceptably slow.

Turns out my uncle's tanks take 60 seconds, too. This does not mollify the neighbor. He goes out and buys all new toilets, at a cost of $700 each, to cut the time down to 40 seconds.

I'm guessing he came across a #2 that needed to be removed ASAP...and couldn't get it to go away because the tank was still filling....and never wanted to be in that situation ever again.

[AH013]

Read today on FB: My friends are generally not an issue, but I am on a couple of message boards.  This one...just made me shake my head:

"I am asking for everyone's help as a lot of you may know recently there was a power outage due to a lightening strike that caused major loss to several families on the block, including us.  We lost our OVEN / MICROWAVE / 2 X- BOXES / STEREO SYSTEM / ALL THREE HOME PHONES / AND THREE FLAT SCREEN TV'S !! Due to our situation we can't afford to buy what we lost. Electric company won't replace without receipts, and not even full amount!  So if you have any of the items above that you wish to donate or sell at reasonable price please help"

 
I can understand the micro and oven.

But the rest? I have one home phone and one TV.

This happened to my MIL.  After a huge fight with the power company, she was able to get reimbursed.  Although she was only seeking [eta: reimbursement for] a box TV I think.  Tell your friend to spend her time fighting the electric company and for any warranties and such instead.

Homeowners/renters insurance should pay for damage caused by electrical surges, less the deductible.

What happened to common sense of plugging valuable electronics into these <$5 items called "surge protectors"...that, you know, protect sensitive electronics from power surges?  My electric utility hands out 2 heavy duty smart ones (the kind that turn off other electronics if the master outlet stops drawing power) for free to anyone doing a free home energy audit.

Honestly, you spend $200 on a video game console, probably another $200 on a TV, another $200 on a stereo, etc. but are too cheap to plug $600+ of devices into a $4.99 device to protect against power surges blowing out those valuable electronics?  It just blows my mind.

[attica]

So I posted to facebook that my job is looking for part time cashiers in the evenings and on Saturdays and if anybody's interested let me know. Almost immediately I get a reply in my inbox from an old high school friend of mine that she's interested. She lives almost an hour away. This is an easy peasy $9 an hour answer the phones and look pretty kind of gig and its for like 20 hours a week. She's going to burn up her pay in gas, tolls, and wear on her car. I'm not sure why she's even bothering.

If she doesn't have a job I can understand the appeal.  Any work can be better than no work when you aren't FI, even if you spend (by my estimations) the first 1.5-2hrs each dshift paying for commuting costs. Perhaps she'd move closer?

So she makes $12 after tax per day? Yikes.

She's not going to move. Her and her fiance specially bought a place near his job, its his dad's company that he's going to take over when the dad retires. Given that she should probably scout closer to home.

[PloddingInsight]

Read today on FB: My friends are generally not an issue, but I am on a couple of message boards.  This one...just made me shake my head:

"I am asking for everyone's help as a lot of you may know recently there was a power outage due to a lightening strike that caused major loss to several families on the block, including us.  We lost our OVEN / MICROWAVE / 2 X- BOXES / STEREO SYSTEM / ALL THREE HOME PHONES / AND THREE FLAT SCREEN TV'S !! Due to our situation we can't afford to buy what we lost. Electric company won't replace without receipts, and not even full amount!  So if you have any of the items above that you wish to donate or sell at reasonable price please help"

 
I can understand the micro and oven.

But the rest? I have one home phone and one TV.

This happened to my MIL.  After a huge fight with the power company, she was able to get reimbursed.  Although she was only seeking [eta: reimbursement for] a box TV I think.  Tell your friend to spend her time fighting the electric company and for any warranties and such instead.

Homeowners/renters insurance should pay for damage caused by electrical surges, less the deductible.

What happened to common sense of plugging valuable electronics into these <$5 items called "surge protectors"...that, you know, protect sensitive electronics from power surges?  My electric utility hands out 2 heavy duty smart ones (the kind that turn off other electronics if the master outlet stops drawing power) for free to anyone doing a free home energy audit.

Honestly, you spend $200 on a video game console, probably another $200 on a TV, another $200 on a stereo, etc. but are too cheap to plug $600+ of devices into a $4.99 device to protect against power surges blowing out those valuable electronics?  It just blows my mind.

In 2014 why are we not building these surge protectors into the outlet itself?  Just a random thought.

[eyePod]

I'd argue that you don't understand the mustachian ideals. It's not that work is unhealthy. It's UNCONSCIOUS decisions that are unhealthy, whether that's spending, working, paying for someone to do X. All of these have tradeoffs, and you should try to understand them as best you can. Want to buy a house? Try to understand what it's going to cost you (time, money, repairs, etc.). It's not one cookie cutter "you need to bike everywhere." It's more of a try to figure out what you're paying by driving everywhere instead of biking and decide if that's worth it.

Well, no, it IS all about riding the bike. MMM says it's not just a matter of deciding if riding a bike is worth it. You must ride a bike, all the time.

Here are some quotes from http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/:

But if I had to strip it down as far as possible, down to just one single action, and I wasn’t allowed to talk about anything else, the choice would still be simple: “Ride a Bike”.

inside I could only scream “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE A BIKE!?!?!?“

It’s time for this silliness to come to an end. You must ride a bike. We all must.

But no, biking is not just about the money.

it’s even MORE than the money and the exercise.

A bike is really an automatic life balancing machine

Not biking because you don’t have a bike is like letting the excrement pile up on your bathroom floor because “I just haven’t flushed the toilet recently”. JUST GET A DAMNED BIKE!! IT’S SO EASY!!!

While I applaud you for your bike-riding lifestyle and believe that our society in general would be better with more bike-riding and less car driving, I have to side with eyepod and say that I don't view MMM's blog as being all about biking.
For starters, MMM recently tried to clarify the blog's purpose to the mass-media by saying this:

It’s about using logic and science to design a Slightly Less Ridiculous Than Average Lifestyle in order to live more happily.

He mentions using logic and science to increase happiness.  Not Bikes.
Riding a bicycle can certainly be one way that people can make better decisions, but it isn't the only way.  Bicycling is just one of many ways to a means.  There's also plenty of emphasis on not buying luxury goods, cutting cable, living close to where you work, learning to DIY instead of paying contractors through the nose, maximizing savings, investing in index funds, eliminating debt and curbing spendy lifestyles.  All of this is done with the idea that by

"focusing on happiness itself, you can lead a much better life"

  Biking is just one small part of being mustachian, and not a requirement.

Also, (while I suspect this will fall on deaf ears), please, please, please understand that using a bike to get everywhere is not a practical option for tens-of-millions of Americans.  Over 50M americans live in rural areas, many of whom can't bike everywhere because of distance and safety.  Others aren't physically able ride.  Still others live urban lifestyles where they can walk just about everywhere (or take public transit)* The list goes on, but I strongly believe every one of these people can follow the 'spirit of mustachianism' even if they never own a bike.

*I have a bike, and I ride a bike, but mostly during the ~7 warmest months of the year.  I stow my bike away in the winter simply because I can get virtually everywhere I want to go on foot (including my job, the grocery store and the hardware store). I simply refuse to believe this makes me 'unmustachian' for 5 months out of the year.

+1

I also think the costs, financial and otherwise, as well as the difficulties of switching to a bike based life are often minimized or dismissed here.

I think the time aspect is the biggest one that's ignored. Biking everywhere takes a lot longer, and when I'm stuck in my golden cage, time is at a premium. It's just amazing how money really does give you freedom if you don't spend it. Seems counter-intuitive since we're always taught to spend spend spend.

[dragoncar]

Read today on FB: My friends are generally not an issue, but I am on a couple of message boards.  This one...just made me shake my head:

"I am asking for everyone's help as a lot of you may know recently there was a power outage due to a lightening strike that caused major loss to several families on the block, including us.  We lost our OVEN / MICROWAVE / 2 X- BOXES / STEREO SYSTEM / ALL THREE HOME PHONES / AND THREE FLAT SCREEN TV'S !! Due to our situation we can't afford to buy what we lost. Electric company won't replace without receipts, and not even full amount!  So if you have any of the items above that you wish to donate or sell at reasonable price please help"

 
I can understand the micro and oven.

But the rest? I have one home phone and one TV.

This happened to my MIL.  After a huge fight with the power company, she was able to get reimbursed.  Although she was only seeking [eta: reimbursement for] a box TV I think.  Tell your friend to spend her time fighting the electric company and for any warranties and such instead.

Homeowners/renters insurance should pay for damage caused by electrical surges, less the deductible.

What happened to common sense of plugging valuable electronics into these <$5 items called "surge protectors"...that, you know, protect sensitive electronics from power surges?  My electric utility hands out 2 heavy duty smart ones (the kind that turn off other electronics if the master outlet stops drawing power) for free to anyone doing a free home energy audit.

Honestly, you spend $200 on a video game console, probably another $200 on a TV, another $200 on a stereo, etc. but are too cheap to plug $600+ of devices into a $4.99 device to protect against power surges blowing out those valuable electronics?  It just blows my mind.

In 2014 why are we not building these surge protectors into the outlet itself?  Just a random thought.

Surge protectors are somewhat of a "maintenance item."  They don't last forever -- every spike they prevent degrades them.  At least that's what I learned about them a decade ago, maybe things have changed. 

People don't generally want to have to change their outlets every few years.  It's probably possible to have a replaceable surge cartridge, but I haven't even seen these on the power strips, so it would probably be pretty expensive.

There are also whole house surge protectors, but I don't think that can protect against local spikes, and it's still expensive.

Anyways, I doubt any $5 surge protector is gonna save your equipment from lightning.

[frugalnacho]

Read today on FB: My friends are generally not an issue, but I am on a couple of message boards.  This one...just made me shake my head:

"I am asking for everyone's help as a lot of you may know recently there was a power outage due to a lightening strike that caused major loss to several families on the block, including us.  We lost our OVEN / MICROWAVE / 2 X- BOXES / STEREO SYSTEM / ALL THREE HOME PHONES / AND THREE FLAT SCREEN TV'S !! Due to our situation we can't afford to buy what we lost. Electric company won't replace without receipts, and not even full amount!  So if you have any of the items above that you wish to donate or sell at reasonable price please help"

 
I can understand the micro and oven.

But the rest? I have one home phone and one TV.

This happened to my MIL.  After a huge fight with the power company, she was able to get reimbursed.  Although she was only seeking [eta: reimbursement for] a box TV I think.  Tell your friend to spend her time fighting the electric company and for any warranties and such instead.

Homeowners/renters insurance should pay for damage caused by electrical surges, less the deductible.

What happened to common sense of plugging valuable electronics into these <$5 items called "surge protectors"...that, you know, protect sensitive electronics from power surges?  My electric utility hands out 2 heavy duty smart ones (the kind that turn off other electronics if the master outlet stops drawing power) for free to anyone doing a free home energy audit.

Honestly, you spend $200 on a video game console, probably another $200 on a TV, another $200 on a stereo, etc. but are too cheap to plug $600+ of devices into a $4.99 device to protect against power surges blowing out those valuable electronics?  It just blows my mind.

In 2014 why are we not building these surge protectors into the outlet itself?  Just a random thought.

Surge protectors are somewhat of a "maintenance item."  They don't last forever -- every spike they prevent degrades them.  At least that's what I learned about them a decade ago, maybe things have changed. 

People don't generally want to have to change their outlets every few years.  It's probably possible to have a replaceable surge cartridge, but I haven't even seen these on the power strips, so it would probably be pretty expensive.

There are also whole house surge protectors, but I don't think that can protect against local spikes, and it's still expensive.

Anyways, I doubt any $5 surge protector is gonna save your equipment from lightning.

Also most of my electronics don't require surge protection.  What do I care if my lamp surges? Or my alarm clock? Or my radio?  It's not going to damage those, and even if it does so what?  I have my tv and my computer on surge protectors.

[Joggernot]

Whole house surge protectors are inexpensive.  The expense comes from having an electrician splice it into your incoming line.

I have now moved to UPSs with surge protection to protect phone, computer, TV, and other electronics.  Reason: we lost a computer when lightning bypassed the surge protector and came in through the phone line to the modem (yeah it was a while ago) and burned the circuits.  We've also lost TVs from lightning.  We've also lost two UPSs from lightning, but no electronics.  The UPSs were replaced after calling the manufacturer and sending them in on warranty at their expense.  These have been worth the initial $60 or so dollars to buy.  We also have periodic power losses so the UPS allows us to save and turn off before losing everything...again.

[Hedge_87]

Another option is to unplug your electronics. A little inconvenient  but typically works. Books and board games can help you pass the time until you can plug back in to the grid. On a side note how is it the power company's fault ? Why should they be liable?

[Joggernot]

Another option is to unplug your electronics. A little inconvenient  but typically works. Books and board games can help you pass the time until you can plug back in to the grid. On a side note how is it the power company's fault ? Why should they be liable?

Ok, I missed it.  Where did I mention the power company?  The UPS warranty was used and the UPS manufacturer replaced the unit.

[Ascotillion]

Saw this on Facebook this morning:

When you have a spending target, you find the perfect item and it's the exact target... Then it scans $20 less at the register. First world Christmas shopping problems.

I hate it when I spend too little as well!