Overheard on Facebook

[Papa Mustache]

Its a great way to buy appliances. Our fridge has a small dent down low that the cabinet beside it hides. Took several hundred dollars off of the price.

[MgoSam]

Do people seriously need their water heaters to look nice? Mine sits in a little mechanical room in my basement that I see once a month when I change the filter furnace.

It isn't about looking nice. I imagine too many consumers want assurance that the part or appliance they are receiving is fully-functional. So anything that comes with a noticeable scratch or dent in it loses a lot of value in the consumer's eye because they think it might be a lemon.

[kina]

Many (most? all?) water heaters are glass-lined. A significant dent might give me pause.

[Hedge_87]

Many (most? all?) water heaters are glass-lined. A significant dent might give me pause.

I agree however this was a tankless water heater and its scratched like somebody got a little too carried away with the box cutter opening it or something.

[moof]

Many (most? all?) water heaters are glass-lined. A significant dent might give me pause.

None that I have seen.  All the ones I have come across are a steel tank, urethane foam insulation, then a thin steel shell.  Maybe I am missing something?

[Papa Mustache]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofSyXUW0TY

There is the process but likely different for fancier water heaters.

[runningthroughFIRE]

*Photo of new 2016 Jeep Wrangler*
"Carla the Saturn.  It's bee real and it's been fun, but let's be honest it hasn't been real fun.  You have weathered the storms with me, and have always been there for the late night trips to [city 150 miles away] and the early commutes to work.  I miss you already, but I'm ready for your upgrade.  If anyone needs me I'll be working overtime to make these payments.  #JeepSquad"

Posted by a single woman I know from highschool making maybe ~25K working at Target. All of the comments are praising her for her upgrade, and saying she deserves it.  Her old car wasn't anything fancy, sure, but it got reasonable mileage, was paid off, and had almost nothing functionally wrong with it.

[tomatops]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

He also does not mention he is currently unemployed and living at home, yet, for whatever reason, every day there is an Instagrammed shot of the latest Starbucks machiato, images of him flying first class to Europe "for the weekend", and dining at expensive restaurants.

He did not win the lottery. His past job was not particularly high-paying.

He then wrote a post about how he was enjoying "early retirement", which I don't think he understands fully what that ought to entail...

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

[LeRainDrop]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

Here's the link to the MMM thread about that article:  http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/31-year-old-man-child-lives-with-mommy-and-daddy-and-thinks-he's-awesome-sauce/

[BDWW]

Many (most? all?) water heaters are glass-lined. A significant dent might give me pause.

None that I have seen*.  All the ones I have come across are a steel tank, urethane foam insulation, then a thin steel shell.  Maybe I am missing something?

Most lower-midgrade water heaters are made from non-stainless steel. They are glass/enamel lined to prevent corrosion in the tank. Some expensive/high end tank heaters are made with stainless steel, but they're pretty rare. *You must not have looked inside the actual steel tank.

[MgoSam]

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

Now if only he can monetize this!

This also reminds me of a story I once heard. Two colleagues hate their job and their boss, one is a man and the other is a women. The man fancies the women. One day the man decides to quit and makes a scene about it and could tell that his colleague is impressed. As he's packing up his things he asks her out, she looks at him and says, "No, you're unemployed!"

Moral of the story, someone may applaud you for something while knowing that you are a fucking dumbass for doing it.

[jinga nation]

I don't have a FB account; cold turkey quit 2 years ago. Recently I was helping my dad with his FB account regarding the constantly changing privacy and notification options. I told him that I noticed his FB wall/feed/whatchamacallit was full of sad stories or brag stories, nothing truly of substance. He said because it is human nature to make fun of other's plight while clapping for the braggadocios, and that hardly anyone posts a positive story.

I thought about that and realized it is shame stories that bring eyeballs to FB; that's how FB monetizes, by matching advertisements to the feed content. No wonder it is a cesspool of human nature with ads for retail therapy.

My current FB is my face 1 ft away from a dog-eared book (Ellison's Paingod).

[MrRealEstate]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

He also does not mention he is currently unemployed and living at home, yet, for whatever reason, every day there is an Instagrammed shot of the latest Starbucks machiato, images of him flying first class to Europe "for the weekend", and dining at expensive restaurants.

He did not win the lottery. His past job was not particularly high-paying.

He then wrote a post about how he was enjoying "early retirement", which I don't think he understands fully what that ought to entail...

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

It really isn't 100% his fault. His parents are letting their 31 and 33 year old sons live at home for free and the mom does all the house work... Also isn't really a shocker that he's single.

I know if I hadn't found a place after a year or two out of college my parents would have started charging me rent.

Some people just don't have any urge to be self-reliant.

[Metric Mouse]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

He also does not mention he is currently unemployed and living at home, yet, for whatever reason, every day there is an Instagrammed shot of the latest Starbucks machiato, images of him flying first class to Europe "for the weekend", and dining at expensive restaurants.

He did not win the lottery. His past job was not particularly high-paying.

He then wrote a post about how he was enjoying "early retirement", which I don't think he understands fully what that ought to entail...

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

Sounds like he doesn't have to punch a clock and is spending his money consciously on things that bring joy to his life. How is that not early retirement?  Winning the lottery or having a super high-paying job is not a requirement for FIRE. Just some straight-up badassity.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

[shelivesthedream]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

He also does not mention he is currently unemployed and living at home, yet, for whatever reason, every day there is an Instagrammed shot of the latest Starbucks machiato, images of him flying first class to Europe "for the weekend", and dining at expensive restaurants.

He did not win the lottery. His past job was not particularly high-paying.

He then wrote a post about how he was enjoying "early retirement", which I don't think he understands fully what that ought to entail...

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

Sounds like he doesn't have to punch a clock and is spending his money consciously on things that bring joy to his life. How is that not early retirement?  Winning the lottery or having a super high-paying job is not a requirement for FIRE. Just some straight-up badassity.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

i

His entire strategy is based on mooching off his parents. You're only retired if it's your own money. I know they don't give him actual money, but free rent, food and laundry services has a financial value.

[Goldielocks]

A former classmate on FB posted this article with the comment: "This guy is my hero!"

http://torontolife.com/city/life/spend-generation-manifesto/

He also does not mention he is currently unemployed and living at home, yet, for whatever reason, every day there is an Instagrammed shot of the latest Starbucks machiato, images of him flying first class to Europe "for the weekend", and dining at expensive restaurants.

He did not win the lottery. His past job was not particularly high-paying.

He then wrote a post about how he was enjoying "early retirement", which I don't think he understands fully what that ought to entail...

And the saddest part: he gets TONS of likes on FB that validate his expenses.

Sounds like he doesn't have to punch a clock and is spending his money consciously on things that bring joy to his life. How is that not early retirement?  Winning the lottery or having a super high-paying job is not a requirement for FIRE. Just some straight-up badassity.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

i

His entire strategy is based on mooching off his parents. You're only retired if it's your own money. I know they don't give him actual money, but free rent, food and laundry services has a financial value.

It's more than just the money saved by not moving out though...  his parents continue to allow him to have immature behaviours and not the opportunity to take care of himself. 

I do think that if he were renting (maybe a shared apartment with a cousin), that he would still spend all his money....   so the key difference is having bills to pay, and living / accomodation  / decisions to make.

[Tjat]

Sounds like he doesn't have to punch a clock and is spending his money consciously on things that bring joy to his life. How is that not early retirement?  Winning the lottery or having a super high-paying job is not a requirement for FIRE. Just some straight-up badassity.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

I'm assuming sarcasm, but I don't think we need the Internet Retirement Police to point out that the FIRE acronym stands for Financially Independent, Retiring Early. Some deadbeat that can't support himself spending what little money he has on frivolous expenditures is not FIRE

[Chris22]

If your appliances are, say, in the middle of your kitchen (mine were, at my last apartment), I can understand caring about the aesthetics of it. So you either get matching ones that are 'nice-looking', or you build a cupboard to put them in to hide them, or put them behind a curtain or something.

If they're in the basement or laundry closet, like in most houses? Seriously, you only see them when they're supposed to be functional. As long as they're functional, WHO CARES?

Yea i don't  get it either. Along those same lines I have a friend who owns an HVAC company. Our water heater was starting to leak and it was only a matter of time before it quit on us so I asked hime to source a new one for me. He found a new fancy on demand one his supplier wanted to get rid of because it has a scratch on the front of it. I got a couple hundred off due to the scratch. Do people seriously need their water heaters to look nice? Mine sits in a little mechanical room in my basement that I see once a month when I change the filter furnace.

I guess I don't get the problem.  I don't need my water heater to look perfect, and I'd be happy to pay a discounted price for something with superficial damage, but if I'm paying full price I don't want any cosmetic damage.  So are you saying everyone should buy scratch and dent?  Because obviously that's not possible.  Are you wondering why more people don't seek scratch and dent out?  I dunno, I'm not even sure where to shop for a S&D water heater; last one I bought was off the shelf at Home Depot.

[MrRealEstate]

I dunno, I'm not even sure where to shop for a S&D water heater; last one I bought was off the shelf at Home Depot.

I use openboxdirect.com for any appliances for my rentals. Sometimes they come pretty dinged up, but if they're metal you can usually disassemble them and straighten them out and then reassemble.

[mm1970]

Mustachian/ not mustachian.  My college buddies just bought a new Mazda CX-9, pics on facebook.  They replaced their 1999 Accord, so I really can't give them a lot of crap.  I'm impressed!

[Pooperman]

Mustachian/ not mustachian.  My college buddies just bought a new Mazda CX-9, pics on facebook.  They replaced their 1999 Accord, so I really can't give them a lot of crap.  I'm impressed!

My grandfather did something similar, though his was a 1983 Volvo that he got rid of in 2008 for an Audi A6.

[jinga nation]

Mustachian/ not mustachian.  My college buddies just bought a new Mazda CX-9, pics on facebook.  They replaced their 1999 Accord, so I really can't give them a lot of crap.  I'm impressed!

My grandfather did something similar, though his was a 1983 Volvo that he got rid of in 2008 for an Audi A6.

Did he have a Turbo Brick? Bet that A6 won't last 25 years.
(I'm looking for a local decent condition 200 series, doesn't matter if it is coupe, sedan or wagon.)

[bebegirl]

One more from FB for you:

A guy is posting asking people's advise where to find attorney to go back to small dealership where he purchased a car 3 month ago for..30,000 USD! The car is broken now. It needs... a new engine. So far they paid off 12K. Repair costs $8,700.

Turned out the car had structural damage and was repaired using low level technique or something so that insurance will not pay for anything.

Anyway, the guy is in trouble. But I am wondering, who buys used cars for 30K?!

[Pooperman]

Mustachian/ not mustachian.  My college buddies just bought a new Mazda CX-9, pics on facebook.  They replaced their 1999 Accord, so I really can't give them a lot of crap.  I'm impressed!

My grandfather did something similar, though his was a 1983 Volvo that he got rid of in 2008 for an Audi A6.

Did he have a Turbo Brick? Bet that A6 won't last 25 years.
(I'm looking for a local decent condition 200 series, doesn't matter if it is coupe, sedan or wagon.)

Yep. Volvo 200 series turbo. He put like 500k miles on that thing. Being in his mid 80s, I don't think the A6 needs to be as awesome as that Volvo.

[Chris22]

One more from FB for you:

A guy is posting asking people's advise where to find attorney to go back to small dealership where he purchased a car 3 month ago for..30,000 USD! The car is broken now. It needs... a new engine. So far they paid off 12K. Repair costs $8,700.

Turned out the car had structural damage and was repaired using low level technique or something so that insurance will not pay for anything.

Anyway, the guy is in trouble. But I am wondering, who buys used cars for 30K?!

Plenty of people, depending on what it is.  Hell, plenty of MMMers think you should do so if you want, say, a Mercedes S-class.  But plenty of people buy used sports cars and the like for $30k, because they were usually babied and rarely driven so they can be a bargain.  Clearly not this one though.

[MustardTiger]

Today we said goodbye to our Jeep and hello to our new Yukon!!
She carried our family safely over 40k miles in 2 years.
Thank you baby for my new car!!

Insert image of brand new 2014 Jeep Cherokee because it just wasn't big enough.

[ender]

Today we said goodbye to our Jeep and hello to our new Yukon!!
She carried our family safely over 40k miles in 2 years.
Thank you baby for my new car!!

Insert image of brand new 2014 Jeep Cherokee because it just wasn't big enough.

Is the takeaway to have a baby, who will gift you a big car?

:P

[MgoSam]

Today we said goodbye to our Jeep and hello to our new Yukon!!
She carried our family safely over 40k miles in 2 years.
Thank you baby for my new car!!

Insert image of brand new 2014 Jeep Cherokee because it just wasn't big enough.

Is the takeaway to have a baby, who will gift you a big car?

:P

Yeah, that just seems odd...., perhaps it's their justification for such a large purchase?

[Playing with Fire UK]

I read it that 'baby' was a pet name for a partner. Please report back if infants are now purchasing cars. Although with the number of infant based YouTube videos out there maybe the infant is the primary earner?

[Tjat]

I read it that 'baby' was a pet name for a partner. Please report back if infants are now purchasing cars. Although with the number of infant based YouTube videos out there maybe the infant is the primary earner?

You haven't heard? It's the new Gerber Life 30 year car loan!

[frooglepoodle]

An acquaintance posted a picture of a big new Ford Escape SUV. Lots and lots of congratulatory comments along the lines of "Welcome to the Escape family!" and "Oh they are the best, you will love it!"

I knew I had a small car both by military family and mom car standards, but I didn't realize so many people drove this particular model.

[Chris22]

An acquaintance posted a picture of a big new Ford Escape SUV. Lots and lots of congratulatory comments along the lines of "Welcome to the Escape family!" and "Oh they are the best, you will love it!"

I knew I had a small car both by military family and mom car standards, but I didn't realize so many people drove this particular model.

10th best selling car/vehicle in the US in June:



Also, LOL at a "big" new Escape.  It's 178" long.  A Honda Accord is 189" long.  A Civic is 176.9" long.  An Escape is taller and boxy, but not a "big" car by any stretch.

[frooglepoodle]

An acquaintance posted a picture of a big new Ford Escape SUV. Lots and lots of congratulatory comments along the lines of "Welcome to the Escape family!" and "Oh they are the best, you will love it!"

I knew I had a small car both by military family and mom car standards, but I didn't realize so many people drove this particular model.

10th best selling car/vehicle in the US in June:



Also, LOL at a "big" new Escape.  It's 178" long.  A Honda Accord is 189" long.  A Civic is 176.9" long.  An Escape is taller and boxy, but not a "big" car by any stretch.

Interesting! I'm not a car person, can you tell?

Edit: Went back and checked, as it had looked like a big car. It was an Explorer.

[Digital Dogma]

I dunno, I'm not even sure where to shop for a S&D water heater; last one I bought was off the shelf at Home Depot.

I use openboxdirect.com for any appliances for my rentals. Sometimes they come pretty dinged up, but if they're metal you can usually disassemble them and straighten them out and then reassemble.

Thanks for the tip, I'll pass this on to someone I know!

[jandr]

Saw this posted on my fb today.

"God never gives you a dream that matches your budget. He's not checking your bank account, he's checking your faith. ✨"

Because everyone knows we should spend all that we want since the good Lord will provide.

[LeRainDrop]

Posted by a very sweet former co-worker who got fired, had to sell her home, and is now running an MLM "business."

[Metric Mouse]

there are people in this forum who have the math worked out to know how much they need to save to have 11 minutes of freedom, each year, forever.

[ender]

there are people in this forum who have the math worked out to know how much they need to save to have 11 minutes of freedom, each year, forever.

For someone spending 30k a year working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year:

• $30000 * 11 / (40x60x50) * 25 = $68.75

[Metric Mouse]

Thank you, Ender. :D

[Papa Mustache]

Saw this posted on my fb today.

"God never gives you a dream that matches your budget. He's not checking your bank account, he's checking your faith. ✨"

Because everyone knows we should spend all that we want since the good Lord will provide.

I've gotten pretty tired of people wrapping everything in God and while refusing to demonstrate some personal wisdom in life.

If you are going to be thoughtful about your spirituality, why not also be thoughtful about your health or your spending or your future?

Its like God isn't the creator, etc but God is a brand and an excuse. 

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Saw this posted on my fb today.

"God never gives you a dream that matches your budget. He's not checking your bank account, he's checking your faith. ✨"

Because everyone knows we should spend all that we want since the good Lord will provide.

I've gotten pretty tired of people wrapping everything in God and while refusing to demonstrate some personal wisdom in life.

If you are going to be thoughtful about your spirituality, why not also be thoughtful about your health or your spending or your future?

Its like God isn't the creator, etc but God is a brand and an excuse.

It's culturally acceptable to treat religion as a legitimate off-switch for the brain. Praying, praising, acts of blind and ill-advised faith, and other kinds of holy rolling are treated as legitimate substitutes for self-examination, discipline, and personal responsibility. It's not a mentality that makes even a fragment of sense to people for whom religion supplements personal accountability. But it's still popular. Maybe it feels good to the people who do it? After all, making mouth noises is probably easier than, say, exercising or following a budget.

[Metric Mouse]

It's culturally acceptable to treat religion as a legitimate off-switch for the brain. Praying, praising, acts of blind and ill-advised faith, and other kinds of holy rolling are treated as legitimate substitutes for self-examination, discipline, and personal responsibility. It's not a mentality that makes even a fragment of sense to people for whom religion supplements personal accountability. But it's still popular. Maybe it feels good to the people who do it? After all, making mouth noises is probably easier than, say, exercising or following a budget.

I don't know, some devote followers of certain religions stop whatever they are doing, including sleeping, to pray several times during the day, every single day. While it's not maybe the same as exercising or following a budget, it still takes dedication that many people don't possess.

[cheapass]

It's culturally acceptable to treat religion as a legitimate off-switch for the brain. Praying, praising, acts of blind and ill-advised faith, and other kinds of holy rolling are treated as legitimate substitutes for self-examination, discipline, and personal responsibility. It's not a mentality that makes even a fragment of sense to people for whom religion supplements personal accountability. But it's still popular. Maybe it feels good to the people who do it? After all, making mouth noises is probably easier than, say, exercising or following a budget.

Post of the year right here

[TheGrimSqueaker]

It's culturally acceptable to treat religion as a legitimate off-switch for the brain. Praying, praising, acts of blind and ill-advised faith, and other kinds of holy rolling are treated as legitimate substitutes for self-examination, discipline, and personal responsibility. It's not a mentality that makes even a fragment of sense to people for whom religion supplements personal accountability. But it's still popular. Maybe it feels good to the people who do it? After all, making mouth noises is probably easier than, say, exercising or following a budget.

I don't know, some devote followers of certain religions stop whatever they are doing, including sleeping, to pray several times during the day, every single day. While it's not maybe the same as exercising or following a budget, it still takes dedication that many people don't possess.

Every major world religion contains emphasis on personal responsibility and sometimes civic responsibility as well as different forms of outward expression. My beef is with the way it's become socially acceptable to ditch the personal responsibility part, overemphasize the outward expression part, and act as though we expect to get the same results.

[BDWW]

It's culturally acceptable to treat religion as a legitimate off-switch for the brain. Praying, praising, acts of blind and ill-advised faith, and other kinds of holy rolling are treated as legitimate substitutes for self-examination, discipline, and personal responsibility. It's not a mentality that makes even a fragment of sense to people for whom religion supplements personal accountability. But it's still popular. Maybe it feels good to the people who do it? After all, making mouth noises is probably easier than, say, exercising or following a budget.

I don't know, some devote followers of certain religions stop whatever they are doing, including sleeping, to pray several times during the day, every single day. While it's not maybe the same as exercising or following a budget, it still takes dedication that many people don't possess.

Every major world religion contains emphasis on personal responsibility and sometimes civic responsibility as well as different forms of outward expression. My beef is with the way it's become socially acceptable to ditch the personal responsibility part, overemphasize the outward expression part, and act as though we expect to get the same results.

I feel to a certain degree, that's a modern media narrative/stereotype. There are a lot of religious people in this(USA) country and a large swath of them do practice what they preach. But like any stereotype the ones who fit it, stand out and perpetuate it.

[kayvent]

Saw this posted on my fb today.

"God never gives you a dream that matches your budget. He's not checking your bank account, he's checking your faith. ✨"

Because everyone knows we should spend all that we want since the good Lord will provide.

I've gotten pretty tired of people wrapping everything in God and while refusing to demonstrate some personal wisdom in life.

If you are going to be thoughtful about your spirituality, why not also be thoughtful about your health or your spending or your future?

Its like God isn't the creator, etc but God is a brand and an excuse.

What those people need is some good Bible'ing. Among many financial tidbits, the good book says to be an astute financial steward and it suggests to avoid debt, surety, and high leveraging. I don't believe I've met any "Spend all I want, the Lord will provide" people but if I did, I'd probably try to tell the brother or sister to rethink their position. Maybe I'd slip in a quote from Song of Solomon. Catch them off guard with that one.

[Metric Mouse]

What those people need is some good Bible'ing. Among many financial tidbits, the good book says to be an astute financial steward and it suggests to avoid debt, surety, and high leveraging.

To be fair, that text was written in a different interest rate environment than we are in currently.

[Apples]

Saw this posted on my fb today.

"God never gives you a dream that matches your budget. He's not checking your bank account, he's checking your faith. ✨"

Because everyone knows we should spend all that we want since the good Lord will provide.

I've gotten pretty tired of people wrapping everything in God and while refusing to demonstrate some personal wisdom in life.

If you are going to be thoughtful about your spirituality, why not also be thoughtful about your health or your spending or your future?

Its like God isn't the creator, etc but God is a brand and an excuse.

What those people need is some good Bible'ing. Among many financial tidbits, the good book says to be an astute financial steward and it suggests to avoid debt, surety, and high leveraging. I don't believe I've met any "Spend all I want, the Lord will provide" people but if I did, I'd probably try to tell the brother or sister to rethink their position. Maybe I'd slip in a quote from Song of Solomon. Catch them off guard with that one.

Can I borrow you?  And can you time travel?  I really want you to talk to my cousin in fall of 2014.  She was divorcing her husband and leaving a part time job to get away from him, and moving in with us for the transition while job and apartment hunting.  She had $800 to her name, so I figured it would take a few months for her to find a job and get enough cash to get back on her feet.  Cue 4 months later and 2 job interviews where she either thought it was too boring or told them she wanted to be doing something completely unrelated in 5 years, so surprise they didn't hire her.  Lawyer fees ate up her money, she bought cheap new dresses and went to wine festivals while my dad watched her son, and she refused to take just any old job all because she "deserved" it.  "God didn't put me here to do minimum wage work and never see my son."  Which fine, yes, that sucks, but it will get money in the door. I think she said "God will provide" at least 4 times a week.  Meanwhile, she quit attending church and gave up all other big tenants of personal responsibility.  Gahhhhh.  We kicked her out to go live with a different family member after 4 months, I just couldn't take it.  I REALLY WISHED that I knew Bible quotes to give her at the time.

[WerKater]

Cue 4 months later and 2 job interviews where she either thought it was too boring or told them she wanted to be doing something completely unrelated in 5 years, so surprise they didn't hire her.  Lawyer fees ate up her money, she bought cheap new dresses and went to wine festivals while my dad watched her son, and she refused to take just any old job all because she "deserved" it.  "God didn't put me here to do minimum wage work and never see my son."  Which fine, yes, that sucks, but it will get money in the door. I think she said "God will provide" at least 4 times a week. 

Reminds me of an old joke.
[Disclaimer: I have no clue what that website is. But it was my first hit when I googled for that joke.]

[onlykelsey]

Cue 4 months later and 2 job interviews where she either thought it was too boring or told them she wanted to be doing something completely unrelated in 5 years, so surprise they didn't hire her.  Lawyer fees ate up her money, she bought cheap new dresses and went to wine festivals while my dad watched her son, and she refused to take just any old job all because she "deserved" it.  "God didn't put me here to do minimum wage work and never see my son."  Which fine, yes, that sucks, but it will get money in the door. I think she said "God will provide" at least 4 times a week. 

Reminds me of an old joke.
[Disclaimer: I have no clue what that website is. But it was my first hit when I googled for that joke.]

Haha, I love that joke.

Some people truly do seem to get the short end of the stick in life, but most of us have been given all sorts of options and ways out of our situation.