Overheard on Facebook

[infogoon]

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

It's sometimes inconvenient, but I have to admit that I really like having an old house with only one power outlet in our bedroom. That's enough for reading lamps and not enough for nonsense like this.

[I'm a red panda]

55" TV in the BEDROOM?  I'll admit we have one in our TV room, but that is insane as a bedroom TV.

[MandalayVA]

I don't think 20-somethings are any worse than 50-somethings at saving for retirement - or especially any worse than today's 50-somethings were thirty years ago.

Probably better, actually! I think I saw something comparing 20s people in the 1980s vs today with regards to savings that it was lower back then.

Maybe. Except these weird things known as "pensions" used to exist.

Haha yes. They got replaced by 401k's....where the burden is on the employee to manage funding his or her retirement.

And the employer can pay less into the 401k than they were paying into the pension.

My Semi-Largecorp employer got bought out by Ginormocorp ten years ago.  I have a 401k and a fully funded pension.  Even if Ginormocorp crashes like a Malaysian jetliner, it can't touch the pension fund because it came from Semi-Largecorp and fully funding the pension was a condition of the sale. 

[LucyBIT]

55" TV in the BEDROOM?  I'll admit we have one in our TV room, but that is insane as a bedroom TV.

Um, yeah. He's single, too, so it's not like he's having family movie nights in the king-sized bed or something.

[robotclown]

I keep seeing many, many posts on FB asking which tax preparer will get them the biggest refund.  This doesn't even make sense to me.  Your 2014 numbers are already done; shouldn't every place get you the same amount?

[Catomi]

55" TV in the BEDROOM?  I'll admit we have one in our TV room, but that is insane as a bedroom TV.

Um, yeah. He's single, too, so it's not like he's having family movie nights in the king-sized bed or something.

I really don't want to know what he IS watching on that giant bedroom TV.

[SpicyMcHaggus]

55" TV in the BEDROOM?  I'll admit we have one in our TV room, but that is insane as a bedroom TV.

Um, yeah. He's single, too, so it's not like he's having family movie nights in the king-sized bed or something.

I really don't want to know what he IS watching on that giant bedroom TV.

I have been convinced that I don't need a TV in the bedroom. In fact, we don't have cable, or a large TV. I sold my facepunch TV (51" LG plasma 1080p ) that I got for a super mustachian price of $300 to my room mate for $400 when I moved.  I only miss it 16 times per year(football games). But for those few hours, I can survive.

[johnny847]

I keep seeing many, many posts on FB asking which tax preparer will get them the biggest refund.  This doesn't even make sense to me.  Your 2014 numbers are already done; shouldn't every place get you the same amount?

Well so long as they find all the tax credits and deductions that the taxpayer is eligible for, then yes. But some may not.

Software can also be poorly written. For example, when I tried H&R Block last year, it minimized federal and state returns separately, which can lead to the situation that I faced where I could reduce my federal tax liability by taking the lifetime learning credit, but I would actually increase my Georgia state tax liability by more than the lifetime learning credit benefit (lifetime learning credit is 20% of educational expenses, whereas I could take a 15% tax deduction on my federal taxes, and because that was an above the line deduction, it would lower my AGI - which GA uses as the starting point for their AGI - so I effectively also get a 21% tax deduction on my state taxes. So 21% > 20%, I should take the tax deduction (though admittedly, the difference is just 1% of my education expenses).
The software was strictly speaking still correctly written. It just used the wrong optimization criteria (minimize federal and state separately as opposed to federal+state).
I'd imagine this could also occur if your state forces you to itemize your deductions on your state returns if you itemize on federal, and the only thing you were able to itemize on federal returns was your state taxes. It'd have to be pretty extreme though.
There may exist other situations where this can occur.

[voidmain]

This is about Black Friday, so it's kind of old, but I just remembered it today and can't not share.

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

4k TVs are the new TV marketing propaganda, after 3D failed. MIGHT be worth considering in a few years, but mostly useless right now considering the lack of content.

[thatbrowncat]

Had a friend who asked me how to save money. So i treated her to McDonalds and asked her why exactly she was saving.

Turns out she wanted to BURN it!

I explained to her she was trapped in a deadly cycle of saving-burning cash, but she was really determined to burn it.

So i lent her some books about saving cash and we parted ways.

A few weeks later, she posted a status on FB.

I can't  remember exactly what my friend posted, but it went like this:

"I want to go to ______ for vacation! I want to buy ________ & ________ brand of make up! I want to study in this __________ school for my masteral education! But I'm broke! Huhuhu!"

[Cinder]

Had a friend who asked me how to save money. So i treated her to McDonalds and asked her why exactly she was saving.

Turns out she wanted to BURN it!

I explained to her she was trapped in a deadly cycle of saving-burning cash, but she was really determined to burn it.
...
"I want to go to ______ for vacation! I want to buy ________ & ________ brand of make up! I want to study in this __________ school for my masteral education! But I'm broke! Huhuhu!"

I remember hearing this one 'debt free scream' on Dave Ramsey's show where they thought the husband was a good saver and the wife was the spender... Turned out that the husband 'saved' for toys... tv, motorcycle, etc... and the wife was 'spending' on things the kids needed, food, etc....  Once they realized what their real spending problem was, they were able to address it and start aggressively paying off debts. 

[I'm a red panda]

I have a facebook friend who is constantly complaining about her student loans and how she worries she is never going to get a job that will allow her to pay them off.

So why has she  gone Bachelors-Masters-PhD (she hasn't had a job yet) in a not-useless, but incredibly rare to actually find a job field?

How about actually work to earn some money and THEN do the next degree?

[infogoon]

A friend-of-a-friend on Facebook came out from jury duty to find that one of her windshield wipers had broken. Being as how the weather this week has been slushy and snowy and terrible, this was an inconvenient time to be without a wiper.

So she drove to the dealership and traded in her car on a 2015 model.

That seems reasonable, right?

[frugalnacho]

A friend-of-a-friend on Facebook came out from jury duty to find that one of her windshield wipers had broken. Being as how the weather this week has been slushy and snowy and terrible, this was an inconvenient time to be without a wiper.

So she drove to the dealership and traded in her car on a 2015 model.

That seems reasonable, right?

[Tabaxus]

A friend-of-a-friend on Facebook came out from jury duty to find that one of her windshield wipers had broken. Being as how the weather this week has been slushy and snowy and terrible, this was an inconvenient time to be without a wiper.

So she drove to the dealership and traded in her car on a 2015 model.

That seems reasonable, right?

This needs one of those "that escalated quickly" memes.

[I'm a red panda]

Please tell me her car was a 1997 model, and she had just been waiting for an excuse?  Because OMG.

I shared this with my husband and he said "we basically did the same thing when I couldn't get your oil pan plug out."  And he's kind of right- rather than going and getting my oil changed, I got a new car.  But I also had been planning on replacing my car for 3-5 years and kept putting it off.  It only makes sense to trade it in before paying for one more thing... (I also traded it in with a near empty tank of gas, and timed it so I wouldn't have to fill it up.)

[Lookilu]

It's probably 10 or more years ago now, but BIL and SIL traded in their gigantic Ford Extravaganza SUV when they needed to replace the tires.

[Joggernot]

I had a CW who traded in his car for a new car every year or even after only a few months.  He was a smoker, and we use to joke that he had to trade it in because the ash tray was full.

After reading some of these stories, I'm beginning to wonder is it was a joke or reality...

[LucyBIT]

55" TV in the BEDROOM?  I'll admit we have one in our TV room, but that is insane as a bedroom TV.

Um, yeah. He's single, too, so it's not like he's having family movie nights in the king-sized bed or something.

I really don't want to know what he IS watching on that giant bedroom TV.

Oh, god, that...brings up some really unpleasant mental images, to understate it wildly.

[Wolf_Stache]

This is about Black Friday, so it's kind of old, but I just remembered it today and can't not share.

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

4k TVs are the new TV marketing propaganda, after 3D failed. MIGHT be worth considering in a few years, but mostly useless right now considering the lack of content.

I had to look up what a 4k TV was. Maybe I don't see the big deal? if I was setting up a theater in the basement like LucyBIT suggested, maybe (I guess I'd need a basement first, lol), but otherwise WHY?

[eyePod]

This is about Black Friday, so it's kind of old, but I just remembered it today and can't not share.

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

4k TVs are the new TV marketing propaganda, after 3D failed. MIGHT be worth considering in a few years, but mostly useless right now considering the lack of content.

I had to look up what a 4k TV was. Maybe I don't see the big deal? if I was setting up a theater in the basement like LucyBIT suggested, maybe (I guess I'd need a basement first, lol), but otherwise WHY?

It does look nice when you're sitting up close. Our TV is far away from our couch so it's not a big deal that it's only 720p.

[SpicyMcHaggus]

This is about Black Friday, so it's kind of old, but I just remembered it today and can't not share.

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

4k TVs are the new TV marketing propaganda, after 3D failed. MIGHT be worth considering in a few years, but mostly useless right now considering the lack of content.

I had to look up what a 4k TV was. Maybe I don't see the big deal? if I was setting up a theater in the basement like LucyBIT suggested, maybe (I guess I'd need a basement first, lol), but otherwise WHY?

Why? large monitor for working from home. Downsized; don't have a desk anymore. Working from home on the single 15" laptop screen is tedious (Software Engineer). Still, I haven't spent the money on a new tv yet. But if I did, that would be why.

[RWD]

This is about Black Friday, so it's kind of old, but I just remembered it today and can't not share.

Original post: 'Best Buy has the curved 4k UHD tv for $1200 on Black Friday...YES PLEASE!'
Later comment: '55" curved homie. That's where it's at!'
My comment: 'Jesus Christ, $1200 for a tv? Are you opening a small-town-style movie theater in your basement?'
His response: 'This one is for my bedroom. I have a bigger 3d tv in my living room!'

4k TVs are the new TV marketing propaganda, after 3D failed. MIGHT be worth considering in a few years, but mostly useless right now considering the lack of content.

I had to look up what a 4k TV was. Maybe I don't see the big deal? if I was setting up a theater in the basement like LucyBIT suggested, maybe (I guess I'd need a basement first, lol), but otherwise WHY?

Why? large monitor for working from home. Downsized; don't have a desk anymore. Working from home on the single 15" laptop screen is tedious (Software Engineer). Still, I haven't spent the money on a new tv yet. But if I did, that would be why.

More screen resolution real estate for a computer monitor would be my primary motivation as well. I don't see the need for more pixels in video.

[notquitefrugal]

I traded my money pit older BMW with a nearly empty gas tank. The "low fuel" light wasn't on when I dropped it off. When the dealer took photos for their website, the low fuel light had come on. Timed it perfect!

[Beaker]

On our neighborhood Facebook group...

HELP WANTED ----- Looking for a dog valet to transport two Welsh Terriers twice a week. Responsibilities would include dropping dogs off at daycare and picking up after their four hour play session. $75.00 per week. Please call me at (local "luxury dog groomer") at xxx.yyy.zzzz if interested.

The guy posting it is running a business and probably making money on the deal, so I don't fault him. But presumably his customer is not only paying for their dogs to go to daycare, and paying the "luxury dog groomer" (their term), and paying that groomer to arrange a dog taxi service.

[gooki]

I'd totally do that job during break time at work. Use a trailer on a bike to transport the dogs and you are now getting paid to exercise.

[SpicyMcHaggus]

I'd totally do that job during break time at work. Use a trailer on a bike to transport the dogs and you are now getting paid to exercise.

even if you had to use your car, you'd still profit.

[eyePod]

I'd totally do that job during break time at work. Use a trailer on a bike to transport the dogs and you are now getting paid to exercise.

even if you had to use your car, you'd still profit.

Depends how far, but wow. These people. Not only are they paying for their dogs to go to daycare, but they don't think that it's the stupidest thing in the history of the world. On top of that, they're paying for a taxi service for their DOGS. I'm nearing my limit of believably.

[jlu27]

While not technically on Facebook, I heard this song on the radio - [Pitbull - Time of Our Lives]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FUak2C_KEeU

So they know they can't pay the rent, so instead they go and spend the last of their money partying....

Sad part is I'm sure this will be a reflection of some people's thinking and spending

[randymarsh]

While not technically on Facebook, I heard this song on the radio - [Pitbull - Time of Our Lives]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FUak2C_KEeU

So they know they can't pay the rent, so instead they go and spend the last of their money partying....

Sad part is I'm sure this will be a reflection of some people's thinking and spending

The shot verse is soooo close to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF1E5ZO8Lug

[galliver]

Post: "Our internet and cable are out. We don't know how to cope with life now."
Comment: "Holy hell. I'd die. The kids go into freak out mode if ours has even a little drop. Even for a minute. "How can I watch Netflix in my room with no internet?" "

Personally, I would be deathly ashamed to post either that I have no life outside passive entertainment or that I am not teaching my kids resilience and self-entertainment skills...

[4alpacas]

Post: "Our internet and cable are out. We don't know how to cope with life now."
Comment: "Holy hell. I'd die. The kids go into freak out mode if ours has even a little drop. Even for a minute. "How can I watch Netflix in my room with no internet?" "

Personally, I would be deathly ashamed to post either that I have no life outside passive entertainment or that I am not teaching my kids resilience and self-entertainment skills...

How are they posting to facebook with no internet?  Oh right.  They still have it on their phone. 

I don't know why, but this comment makes me so grouchy!

[frugalnacho]

Post: "Our internet and cable are out. We don't know how to cope with life now."
Comment: "Holy hell. I'd die. The kids go into freak out mode if ours has even a little drop. Even for a minute. "How can I watch Netflix in my room with no internet?" "

Personally, I would be deathly ashamed to post either that I have no life outside passive entertainment or that I am not teaching my kids resilience and self-entertainment skills...

How do you access the internet to post that you don't have internet access?

[galliver]

Yes, she was probably using a smartphone. You can't necessarily watch Netflix or play video games over a phone connection. God forbid you can't pay video games!!

[infogoon]

How do you access the internet to post that you don't have internet access?

Long ago, I worked for a telecommunications company that really should have known better. Every time there was an issue with the email server in our facility, when it came back online we would always have two new messages in our inboxes -- one that said "there is a problem with the email server" and one that said "the problem has been resolved".

[Cookie78]

Post: "Our internet and cable are out. We don't know how to cope with life now."
Comment: "Holy hell. I'd die. The kids go into freak out mode if ours has even a little drop. Even for a minute. "How can I watch Netflix in my room with no internet?" "

Personally, I would be deathly ashamed to post either that I have no life outside passive entertainment or that I am not teaching my kids resilience and self-entertainment skills...

I'd be irritated too, but only because I couldn't check this forum!
:p


...but not irritated enough to post it on Facebook!

[SailorGirl]

Collected from a number of posts on a group I'm part of:

She's recently divorced and their "sweat equity" house was foreclosed on (how do you lose a house that was almost given to you?)
Just had a baby with her new boyfriend, bringing the total to six.
Boyfriend makes minimum wage.  Ex-husband makes a bit more than minimum.
She, boyfriend, ex and four of the kids are living in a one-bedroom house.  Two of the kids are living with friends.

With three adults in the house, I asked why she couldn't get a job while the men were at home to take care of the kids.  Her answer - "Because my kids need a mom!!!".

So three adults, two adult children and only two jobs among all of them.   

Personally I'd rather dig ditches with the baby strapped to my back to avoid living in that situation.

[Cookie78]

Collected from a number of posts on a group I'm part of:

She's recently divorced and their "sweat equity" house was foreclosed on (how do you lose a house that was almost given to you?)
Just had a baby with her new boyfriend, bringing the total to six.
Boyfriend makes minimum wage.  Ex-husband makes a bit more than minimum.
She, boyfriend, ex and four of the kids are living in a one-bedroom house.  Two of the kids are living with friends.

With three adults in the house, I asked why she couldn't get a job while the men were at home to take care of the kids.  Her answer - "Because my kids need a mom!!!".

So three adults, two adult children and only two jobs among all of them.   

Personally I'd rather dig ditches with the baby strapped to my back to avoid living in that situation.

My eyes kept getting wider and wider with each sentence!

[HairyUpperLip]

Found a doozy in a mom's group I'm in:

Advice/Insight? We moved to CO last April and both of our car registration for VA was due in May, so we didn't renew. We planned on going to the DMV in CO and just registering here, but then life happened…my mom died, my grandma died, and things just happened financially where we put it off. So we are both still driving with expired VA tags in CO. We don't have our CO license yet either. Someone just told us that you can't register in CO with expired tags, that you have to update them in the previous state first…..how the heck do you do that? VA won't let us do it online. Anyone have any insight or had this happen before? Im kicking myself for putting it off. DH suggested we just trade in both cars and get new ones…maybe thats a better option?

You can't trade in a car with expired tags either. At least not to a proper dealership. You could do a private sale though, I bet.

[SpicyMcHaggus]

Found a doozy in a mom's group I'm in:

Advice/Insight? We moved to CO last April and both of our car registration for VA was due in May, so we didn't renew. We planned on going to the DMV in CO and just registering here, but then life happened…my mom died, my grandma died, and things just happened financially where we put it off. So we are both still driving with expired VA tags in CO. We don't have our CO license yet either. Someone just told us that you can't register in CO with expired tags, that you have to update them in the previous state first…..how the heck do you do that? VA won't let us do it online. Anyone have any insight or had this happen before? Im kicking myself for putting it off. DH suggested we just trade in both cars and get new ones…maybe thats a better option?

You can't trade in a car with expired tags either. At least not to a proper dealership. You could do a private sale though, I bet.

I've driven onto a lot with no plates and traded a car in before. I dont know why they would care if the car is registered, so long as it is titled to you.

[SpicyMcHaggus]

Friend who is pregnant with her third child, first girl

I just ordered the diaper bag- of course it needed to be personalized and all that jazz.. Etsy strikes again! Girls make you poor!

They filed bankruptcy last year so obviously it's not just girls that "make you poor"

They didn't have any diaper bags from the previous 2 kids ?
and/or can't use a bag of any other kind?

My company has a habit of issuing crappy Chinese made laptop cases. The stitching tears, and the zippers rip.
I went to goodwill and found a $85 Brenthoven soft sided briefcase for $5.  It'll outlast 10 of the company $20 cheapies.

[BlueHouse]

There are certainly plenty of awful tattoos across the age spectrum.   No one age group has any superiority in body art.    Once some of the skin under tattoos begins to age......there'll be plenty of business for the doctors who do removals.

I got one on my hip at age 18.  The tattoo artist insisted that it be tilted in a certain position "so when you get old or saggy it won't bulge in the wrong places".  I had no idea to even consider anything like that, but so glad he did.  I've since put on a bunch of years and pounds and it still looks great.  He was right.  it doesn't bulge.  Still love it. 

[HairyUpperLip]

Found a doozy in a mom's group I'm in:

Advice/Insight? We moved to CO last April and both of our car registration for VA was due in May, so we didn't renew. We planned on going to the DMV in CO and just registering here, but then life happened…my mom died, my grandma died, and things just happened financially where we put it off. So we are both still driving with expired VA tags in CO. We don't have our CO license yet either. Someone just told us that you can't register in CO with expired tags, that you have to update them in the previous state first…..how the heck do you do that? VA won't let us do it online. Anyone have any insight or had this happen before? Im kicking myself for putting it off. DH suggested we just trade in both cars and get new ones…maybe thats a better option?

You can't trade in a car with expired tags either. At least not to a proper dealership. You could do a private sale though, I bet.

I've driven onto a lot with no plates and traded a car in before. I dont know why they would care if the car is registered, so long as it is titled to you.

I was speaking from a recent experience, but I guess trade in was the wrong choice of words as we were selling the car to the dealership and not purchasing another car. :)

[Nudelkopf]

People at a math's teachers meeting were talking about the price of petrol and complaining about how expensive it is. Ummm, our town is 6km by 4km... Why the crap do they even drive to work??

[dandarc]

One person on my feed posted that she was going to play the mega whatever lottery and "had to win" so that she can move to a warmer climate. This wasn't tongue in cheek--she's not the type.

A few days later she's posting about how her guitar teacher just got a new guitar so now she's shopping for something similar. She already has several nice guitars.

A lot of musician's collect instruments, but guitar players seem the worst about it, at least in my experience.

[Pooperman]

One person on my feed posted that she was going to play the mega whatever lottery and "had to win" so that she can move to a warmer climate. This wasn't tongue in cheek--she's not the type.

A few days later she's posting about how her guitar teacher just got a new guitar so now she's shopping for something similar. She already has several nice guitars.

A lot of musician's collect instruments, but guitar players seem the worst about it, at least in my experience.

Step Dad's got >50 guitars at this point. He's retired now and probably plays 10-20 of them often. At least they somewhat keep their value.

[Tallgirl1204]

One person on my feed posted that she was going to play the mega whatever lottery and "had to win" so that she can move to a warmer climate. This wasn't tongue in cheek--she's not the type.

A few days later she's posting about how her guitar teacher just got a new guitar so now she's shopping for something similar. She already has several nice guitars.

A lot of musician's collect instruments, but guitar players seem the worst about it, at least in my experience.

When I took up accordion, suddenly people started GIVING them to me.  Old accordions apparently lurk in many people's closets/attics.  I finally had to start saying "no thanks," and am now back down to "only" three (two of which I play and one of which is extremely sentimental). 

I realize there is an accordion joke here, but many jokes have a basis in truth... 

[zephyr911]

Collected from a number of posts on a group I'm part of:

She's recently divorced and their "sweat equity" house was foreclosed on (how do you lose a house that was almost given to you?)
Just had a baby with her new boyfriend, bringing the total to six.
Boyfriend makes minimum wage.  Ex-husband makes a bit more than minimum.
She, boyfriend, ex and four of the kids are living in a one-bedroom house.  Two of the kids are living with friends.

With three adults in the house, I asked why she couldn't get a job while the men were at home to take care of the kids.  Her answer - "Because my kids need a mom!!!".

So three adults, two adult children and only two jobs among all of them.   

Personally I'd rather dig ditches with the baby strapped to my back to avoid living in that situation.

Don't you ever wanna grab someone by the collar, shake the fuck out of them, and say "STOP FUCKING BREEDING!!"?

[Rural]

 "STOP FUCKING BREEDING!!"?

Wait, is there another way to do it?

[bigalsmith101]

This is a good one I just saw:

Poster: Got hooked up with a Minnkota Reciprocating Saw (I think that's what its called, I call it a sawzall) but I don't have any blades!?!Anyone out there in the Seattle area have one I can get off them till I get paid Friday? Just need it for cutting 2x4's right now, so i'm not picky on blade specs really... Thanks in advance!

GIVE ME A BREAK. A wood blade is like $7!!!