Author Topic: Overheard on Facebook  (Read 6082267 times)

marty998

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4950 on: August 08, 2016, 04:05:51 PM »
Wow TGS. Love your work.

johnny847

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4951 on: August 08, 2016, 04:10:00 PM »
TGS, I just added your posts to the best posts I saw on the forums thread!
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/the-best-post-i-saw-today-on-the-mr-money-mustache-forums-was/msg1181755/#msg1181755

I also noticed the previous best post on there was also from you--about a mooching roommate, no less!

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4952 on: August 08, 2016, 07:59:01 PM »
TGS, I just added your posts to the best posts I saw on the forums thread!
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/the-best-post-i-saw-today-on-the-mr-money-mustache-forums-was/msg1181755/#msg1181755

I also noticed the previous best post on there was also from you--about a mooching roommate, no less!

I am humbled. /blush

Yet I cannot take credit for the mooching roommate thread; I simply gave some advice as to how the thread starter could best assert his alpha status.

Undefined

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4953 on: August 08, 2016, 08:51:07 PM »
A friend of a friend on facebook, tagging herself at a Barnes & Noble:

"Paperback therapy. ‪#‎toobadimbroke‬"

Astatine

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4954 on: August 08, 2016, 10:30:06 PM »
Wow TGS. Love your work.

This. Just amazing.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4955 on: August 09, 2016, 04:32:04 AM »
The boundaries she's learning?

[ snip snip ]
  • How to not be the second velociraptor
Please explain this.

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4956 on: August 09, 2016, 06:44:58 AM »

GS: so what's next - just burning the place down and starting over? Or - pressure washing the interior of your house? Congrats - way to teach your daughter by example.

I plan to repaint, and sin no more.

I hope that means "My daughter and I plan to repaint..." :)

Inaya

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4957 on: August 09, 2016, 08:24:12 AM »
Am I the only one who desperately needs more information about the shower parkour incident?

LeRainDrop

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4958 on: August 09, 2016, 08:46:17 AM »
Am I the only one who desperately needs more information about the shower parkour incident?

Having looked up what "parkour" means, I also want to know!

mm1970

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4959 on: August 09, 2016, 08:59:56 AM »
Yesterday on FB...family and cars.  You have to understand that many of my family members are into cars.  This comes naturally for some.  My dad was an auto-mechanic, my nephew is really into pickup trucks (of course he is) and he's a diesel mechanic.

My brother...he goes through cars...a lot.  My sis is his insurance agent and there were times that he and his wife bought/sold (always at a loss) 3-4 cars in a single year.  At one point they had a pickup truck and bought a second one ... WHEN they were pregnant with kid #2.  That second truck only lasted a few months after the baby was born before they traded it.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when they trade in the jeep for a Camry.  Wow, they are growing up!  In their 40s.  Now, they both do a lot of driving.  It was pretty common for SIL to drive 90 miles round trip every day to work, and then drive 250 miles RT to go shopping for fun on her day off.

Anyway, yesterday "look at my new wheels!  I loved the camry, but there's nothing like a jeep!" And a friend "jeeps are the BEST".  I couldn't help myself.  My husband (and son) think I'm horrible for raining on the parade.  "It looks like they are in SECOND place, behind Fiat, as least reliable!"

Tell me I'm not the only person who looks for reliability, gas mileage, and safety first? (and last)

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4960 on: August 09, 2016, 09:19:06 AM »
The boundaries she's learning?

[ snip snip ]
  • How to not be the second velociraptor
Please explain this.

How to not get manipulated into confronting someone who loves and trusts you, so as to benefit a third party who cannot get their way through a direct request because what they're asking for is unreasonable. It's a reference to the first Jurassic Park movie... "the attack comes from the side". I believe the technical term is "triangulation" and it's a form of social warfare.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2016, 09:20:46 AM by TheGrimSqueaker »

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4961 on: August 09, 2016, 09:35:04 AM »
Am I the only one who desperately needs more information about the shower parkour incident?

Having looked up what "parkour" means, I also want to know!

It means a soap dish that was built into the wall tiles above the bathtub has been ripped off, slamming into the tub with enough force to chip off a 2 inch gouge in the bathtub enamel. The grout and mortar came with the soap dish, ripping the surface off the drywall which was subsequently soaked because nobody found it necessary to cover the drywall while showering and continued to douse the exposed drywall with water. It's very unlikely that I'm going to be able to get mortar to stick at this point because of the soaking (I expect the unprotected drywall to break down anyway although I did cover it as soon as I found out about the damage). So after the houseguests leave I'm looking at either a drywall replacement plus a re-tiling job, plus I will need to re-finish the tub.

It takes a fair bit of force to rip something like that off the wall when it's securely mortared and grouted on, which is why I suspect some kind of piggy parkour in the shower. I can't fathom why anybody would stand on a soap dish but like I say pigs have weird customs. They also managed to rip a curtain rod out of the wall while my daughter and I were out and while the piglets were supposedly being supervised by their dam. Apparently one of the piglets likes to swing on drapes Tarzan-style and can't be made to understand that it's not acceptable. I fixed the curtain rod yesterday and also scraped the exploded orange juice off the outside of my freezer, where someone created a massive spill or explosion of some kind but chose not to clean it up, leaving it to dry out and get crusty instead.

It will take a lot of work to restore the house and the pig room to its former condition after they move out. We've got to deep clean the carpets, scour the crayon marks out of my workroom table, and find and buy new crystals for my antique lamp because some of them are mysteriously missing even after I hunted down the ones that had been mysteriously relocated during piglet playtime.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2016, 09:39:05 AM by TheGrimSqueaker »

Chris22

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4962 on: August 09, 2016, 09:36:09 AM »
Yesterday on FB...family and cars.  You have to understand that many of my family members are into cars.  This comes naturally for some.  My dad was an auto-mechanic, my nephew is really into pickup trucks (of course he is) and he's a diesel mechanic.

My brother...he goes through cars...a lot.  My sis is his insurance agent and there were times that he and his wife bought/sold (always at a loss) 3-4 cars in a single year.  At one point they had a pickup truck and bought a second one ... WHEN they were pregnant with kid #2.  That second truck only lasted a few months after the baby was born before they traded it.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when they trade in the jeep for a Camry.  Wow, they are growing up!  In their 40s.  Now, they both do a lot of driving.  It was pretty common for SIL to drive 90 miles round trip every day to work, and then drive 250 miles RT to go shopping for fun on her day off.

Anyway, yesterday "look at my new wheels!  I loved the camry, but there's nothing like a jeep!" And a friend "jeeps are the BEST".  I couldn't help myself.  My husband (and son) think I'm horrible for raining on the parade.  "It looks like they are in SECOND place, behind Fiat, as least reliable!"

Tell me I'm not the only person who looks for reliability, gas mileage, and safety first? (and last)

Obviously you aren't the only one, but you admit that your family is "into" cars, shouldn't it make (common, not fiscal) sense that their priorities are different than yours?  For instance, if they're a family of DIY/mechanics, reliability may not rank as highly for them because they'll just fix any problems themselves. 

To me, this smacks of "I like baseball, my family looks football, aren't they stupid?"

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4963 on: August 09, 2016, 10:30:02 AM »
Am I the only one who desperately needs more information about the shower parkour incident?

Having looked up what "parkour" means, I also want to know!

It means a soap dish that was built into the wall tiles above the bathtub has been ripped off, slamming into the tub with enough force to chip off a 2 inch gouge in the bathtub enamel. The grout and mortar came with the soap dish, ripping the surface off the drywall which was subsequently soaked because nobody found it necessary to cover the drywall while showering and continued to douse the exposed drywall with water. It's very unlikely that I'm going to be able to get mortar to stick at this point because of the soaking (I expect the unprotected drywall to break down anyway although I did cover it as soon as I found out about the damage). So after the houseguests leave I'm looking at either a drywall replacement plus a re-tiling job, plus I will need to re-finish the tub.

It takes a fair bit of force to rip something like that off the wall when it's securely mortared and grouted on, which is why I suspect some kind of piggy parkour in the shower. I can't fathom why anybody would stand on a soap dish but like I say pigs have weird customs. They also managed to rip a curtain rod out of the wall while my daughter and I were out and while the piglets were supposedly being supervised by their dam. Apparently one of the piglets likes to swing on drapes Tarzan-style and can't be made to understand that it's not acceptable. I fixed the curtain rod yesterday and also scraped the exploded orange juice off the outside of my freezer, where someone created a massive spill or explosion of some kind but chose not to clean it up, leaving it to dry out and get crusty instead.

It will take a lot of work to restore the house and the pig room to its former condition after they move out. We've got to deep clean the carpets, scour the crayon marks out of my workroom table, and find and buy new crystals for my antique lamp because some of them are mysteriously missing even after I hunted down the ones that had been mysteriously relocated during piglet playtime.

... Wow. Just, wow.

... Is your daughter going to be participating in the re-tiling efforts? Or in the "this is how much it costs to replace antique crystals and re-enamel tubs" discussion? Because $$$$ is important.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4964 on: August 09, 2016, 10:38:06 AM »
Not money related, but I was catching up with a friend of mine. She was complaining about her boyfriend and how she's thinking of ending the relationship. I just listened but finally I couldn't help but ask her about a post she made on FB about how awesome her boyfriend is and stuff like that. She calmly mentioned, "I have to do that because he posts that about me all the time and if I didn't, he would know something's up."

infogoon

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4965 on: August 09, 2016, 10:53:25 AM »
Anyway, yesterday "look at my new wheels!  I loved the camry, but there's nothing like a jeep!" And a friend "jeeps are the BEST".  I couldn't help myself.  My husband (and son) think I'm horrible for raining on the parade.  "It looks like they are in SECOND place, behind Fiat, as least reliable!"

Tell me I'm not the only person who looks for reliability, gas mileage, and safety first? (and last)

That not really fair. After all, these days a Jeep _is_ a Fiat.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4966 on: August 09, 2016, 11:06:58 AM »
... Wow. Just, wow.

... Is your daughter going to be participating in the re-tiling efforts? Or in the "this is how much it costs to replace antique crystals and re-enamel tubs" discussion? Because $$$$ is important.

Naturally. We're going to DIY the whole thing, including the tub resurfacing. There will be a few paintbrush marks because we can't spray on the new layer of coating the way the pros can, but she needs to know how to abrade and patch. Same goes for the re-tiling, and at the same time we can change the look of the tile and the walls if we choose. She's been wanting to repaint the bathroom anyway and we do have the paint on hand, left over from an earlier paint job elsewhere in the house.

This sort of thing provides very good fix-it experience for my teen. Later, when she owns her own home and/or manages investment real estate, she will have the skills to either do the work herself or competently supervise someone else.

ringer707

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4967 on: August 09, 2016, 11:07:44 AM »
Am I the only one who desperately needs more information about the shower parkour incident?

Having looked up what "parkour" means, I also want to know!

It means a soap dish that was built into the wall tiles above the bathtub has been ripped off, slamming into the tub with enough force to chip off a 2 inch gouge in the bathtub enamel. The grout and mortar came with the soap dish, ripping the surface off the drywall which was subsequently soaked because nobody found it necessary to cover the drywall while showering and continued to douse the exposed drywall with water. It's very unlikely that I'm going to be able to get mortar to stick at this point because of the soaking (I expect the unprotected drywall to break down anyway although I did cover it as soon as I found out about the damage). So after the houseguests leave I'm looking at either a drywall replacement plus a re-tiling job, plus I will need to re-finish the tub.

It takes a fair bit of force to rip something like that off the wall when it's securely mortared and grouted on, which is why I suspect some kind of piggy parkour in the shower. I can't fathom why anybody would stand on a soap dish but like I say pigs have weird customs. They also managed to rip a curtain rod out of the wall while my daughter and I were out and while the piglets were supposedly being supervised by their dam. Apparently one of the piglets likes to swing on drapes Tarzan-style and can't be made to understand that it's not acceptable. I fixed the curtain rod yesterday and also scraped the exploded orange juice off the outside of my freezer, where someone created a massive spill or explosion of some kind but chose not to clean it up, leaving it to dry out and get crusty instead.

It will take a lot of work to restore the house and the pig room to its former condition after they move out. We've got to deep clean the carpets, scour the crayon marks out of my workroom table, and find and buy new crystals for my antique lamp because some of them are mysteriously missing even after I hunted down the ones that had been mysteriously relocated during piglet playtime.

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

honeybbq

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4968 on: August 09, 2016, 11:08:13 AM »
The boundaries she's learning?

[ snip snip ]
  • How to not be the second velociraptor
Please explain this.

How to not get manipulated into confronting someone who loves and trusts you, so as to benefit a third party who cannot get their way through a direct request because what they're asking for is unreasonable. It's a reference to the first Jurassic Park movie... "the attack comes from the side". I believe the technical term is "triangulation" and it's a form of social warfare.


I am horrified, amazed, and speechless at your story. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed trying to get my 4 yr old to put on her shoes. I'm going to recalibrate my perspective now.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4969 on: August 09, 2016, 12:21:55 PM »
Yesterday on FB...family and cars.  You have to understand that many of my family members are into cars.  This comes naturally for some.  My dad was an auto-mechanic, my nephew is really into pickup trucks (of course he is) and he's a diesel mechanic.

My brother...he goes through cars...a lot.  My sis is his insurance agent and there were times that he and his wife bought/sold (always at a loss) 3-4 cars in a single year.  At one point they had a pickup truck and bought a second one ... WHEN they were pregnant with kid #2.  That second truck only lasted a few months after the baby was born before they traded it.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when they trade in the jeep for a Camry.  Wow, they are growing up!  In their 40s.  Now, they both do a lot of driving.  It was pretty common for SIL to drive 90 miles round trip every day to work, and then drive 250 miles RT to go shopping for fun on her day off.

Anyway, yesterday "look at my new wheels!  I loved the camry, but there's nothing like a jeep!" And a friend "jeeps are the BEST".  I couldn't help myself.  My husband (and son) think I'm horrible for raining on the parade.  "It looks like they are in SECOND place, behind Fiat, as least reliable!"

Tell me I'm not the only person who looks for reliability, gas mileage, and safety first? (and last)

TCO = total cost of ownership. That's what I consider.

If it's expensive and runs like a Swiss watch with few repairs for 20 years then I'd make peace with the price tag.

If it is a $5K mess that needs expensive repairs frequently then no way. And then there is all that grey area in between.

Of course the $60K car usually needs alot of expensive TLC and there are alot of good cheap cars out there that get overlooked and shunned based on "COOL" or "NOT COOL".

We get by with a pair of $1500 cars that are quite comfortable, trouble free and reliable. I might have a touch of a third world perspective despite never living in a place like that. I make excuses for cheap but reliable cars b/c of how people's consumerism has crashed the economy a few times. I'm convinced we could all get by with '63 Ford Falcons (aside from the pollution factor).

TCO changes as Chriss22 pointed out depending on how big a deal some of the repairs a car presents. For me - most repairs are not a big deal as long as they don't happen frequently b/c I can repair it myself.

I try not to rain on anyone's parade. Their choices are none of my concern. Let them get wiser through the "School of Hard Knocks".
« Last Edit: August 09, 2016, 12:29:03 PM by Joe Lucky »

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4970 on: August 09, 2016, 12:22:27 PM »
The boundaries she's learning?

[ snip snip ]
  • How to not be the second velociraptor
Please explain this.

How to not get manipulated into confronting someone who loves and trusts you, so as to benefit a third party who cannot get their way through a direct request because what they're asking for is unreasonable. It's a reference to the first Jurassic Park movie... "the attack comes from the side". I believe the technical term is "triangulation" and it's a form of social warfare.


I am horrified, amazed, and speechless at your story. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed trying to get my 4 yr old to put on her shoes. I'm going to recalibrate my perspective now.

To quote my mother: "well, there's gravel between here and the car, and we're leaving in 2 minutes. Your choice."

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4971 on: August 09, 2016, 12:56:53 PM »
/a bunch of stuff

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

I'm telling you, there's an entire class of people who live like this and like it. They really do wear out housing. They have radically different cultural values and reasons for doing what they do, but they're the reason tenements and slums exist. You can start out with a very nice building, but if you get occupants like this it will be run down pretty quickly. It's not even entirely a socioeconomic thing. The psychology is totally messed up but it's also frighteningly common.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4972 on: August 09, 2016, 02:15:53 PM »
/a bunch of stuff

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

I'm telling you, there's an entire class of people who live like this and like it. They really do wear out housing. They have radically different cultural values and reasons for doing what they do, but they're the reason tenements and slums exist. You can start out with a very nice building, but if you get occupants like this it will be run down pretty quickly. It's not even entirely a socioeconomic thing. The psychology is totally messed up but it's also frighteningly common.

Yeah that's a good point. I'll admit that before I got a roommate I was pretty lazy about doing dishes and maintaining the kitchen. In my eye it was never too dirty to cook in, but it was definitely too dirty to have people over. It was pure laziness on my part, I rationed to myself that I would clean it on Sunday....er, next Sunday, and the cycle continued. I would end up hosting a dinner party to get myself to clean it because the humiliation of being seen living in a pigsty was enough to motivate me.

My tenant is a very clean person and so it helps encourage me to keep my kitchen clean and what I love is that it does not take all that much work. I wash my plates after I use them, wipe up the microwave or anything that I've used that's gotten a little dirty, and sweep and mop once a week. Doesn't take all that much time.

RysChristensen

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4973 on: August 09, 2016, 05:13:24 PM »
/a bunch of stuff

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

I'm telling you, there's an entire class of people who live like this and like it. They really do wear out housing. They have radically different cultural values and reasons for doing what they do, but they're the reason tenements and slums exist. You can start out with a very nice building, but if you get occupants like this it will be run down pretty quickly. It's not even entirely a socioeconomic thing. The psychology is totally messed up but it's also frighteningly common.

Yeah that's a good point. I'll admit that before I got a roommate I was pretty lazy about doing dishes and maintaining the kitchen. In my eye it was never too dirty to cook in, but it was definitely too dirty to have people over. It was pure laziness on my part, I rationed to myself that I would clean it on Sunday....er, next Sunday, and the cycle continued. I would end up hosting a dinner party to get myself to clean it because the humiliation of being seen living in a pigsty was enough to motivate me.

My tenant is a very clean person and so it helps encourage me to keep my kitchen clean and what I love is that it does not take all that much work. I wash my plates after I use them, wipe up the microwave or anything that I've used that's gotten a little dirty, and sweep and mop once a week. Doesn't take all that much time.

*looks around own pig sty* I suddenly feel the need to go clean ALL the things!

Basenji

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4974 on: August 10, 2016, 07:23:06 AM »
/a bunch of stuff

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

I'm telling you, there's an entire class of people who live like this and like it. They really do wear out housing. They have radically different cultural values and reasons for doing what they do, but they're the reason tenements and slums exist. You can start out with a very nice building, but if you get occupants like this it will be run down pretty quickly. It's not even entirely a socioeconomic thing. The psychology is totally messed up but it's also frighteningly common.

Breakage and mess in my house NOT caused by my dogs: no no no no no nope nopey nope no no no. Jaysus! I just felt bile rise at the thought of the soap dish in my shower that I picked out at a reclamation tile place specifically for my bathroom redo. Nope.

Ok, proceed with more stories...

Papa Mustache

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4975 on: August 10, 2016, 07:50:35 AM »
To be honest our critters (dog and two cats) treat our house with more respect than the Grim Squeaker's house guests.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4976 on: August 10, 2016, 08:56:49 AM »
Yesterday on FB...family and cars.  You have to understand that many of my family members are into cars.  This comes naturally for some.  My dad was an auto-mechanic, my nephew is really into pickup trucks (of course he is) and he's a diesel mechanic.

My brother...he goes through cars...a lot.  My sis is his insurance agent and there were times that he and his wife bought/sold (always at a loss) 3-4 cars in a single year.  At one point they had a pickup truck and bought a second one ... WHEN they were pregnant with kid #2.  That second truck only lasted a few months after the baby was born before they traded it.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when they trade in the jeep for a Camry.  Wow, they are growing up!  In their 40s.  Now, they both do a lot of driving.  It was pretty common for SIL to drive 90 miles round trip every day to work, and then drive 250 miles RT to go shopping for fun on her day off.

Anyway, yesterday "look at my new wheels!  I loved the camry, but there's nothing like a jeep!" And a friend "jeeps are the BEST".  I couldn't help myself.  My husband (and son) think I'm horrible for raining on the parade.  "It looks like they are in SECOND place, behind Fiat, as least reliable!"

Tell me I'm not the only person who looks for reliability, gas mileage, and safety first? (and last)

Obviously you aren't the only one, but you admit that your family is "into" cars, shouldn't it make (common, not fiscal) sense that their priorities are different than yours?  For instance, if they're a family of DIY/mechanics, reliability may not rank as highly for them because they'll just fix any problems themselves. 

To me, this smacks of "I like baseball, my family looks football, aren't they stupid?"
Not really.  I even understand *some* of the "car thing".  My dad, sure - he was a mechanic.  He bought the WORST cars to "fix up" (then retired and bought a Camry).  He LOVED wrenching on cars.  My BIL has some old sports cars (Corvettes mostly I think), he's also a retired auto mechanic.  My nephew has loved pickup trucks since he was a tyke.  He's 23 and has owned 4.  He loves wrenching on them too.

My brother and his wife just like the cache.  They don't fix cars.  They don't show cars.  They are in debt up to their eyeballs, complain about how they can't retire, talk about how they will "never come visit you because we don't have the money.  I won't pay more than $100 for a plane ticket."  (Well, unless they are flying to Disney World, then they will.)  It honestly  makes no sense at all.

I mean, dude, if you can afford the stupid jeep, buy the stupid jeep.  But they can't, and I know this. (There's the MMM difference, right there.)  Well, I guess we *did* just each inherit $7000 from my late grandfather's estate (well, we got a check for that amount, the other half comes later).  I know where their money went!!


mm1970

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4977 on: August 10, 2016, 09:07:05 AM »
/a bunch of stuff

Holy. Shit. I will admit that there are times when I leave the dishes piled up. And may be approaching week three of not cleaning my shower. But what on earth...

I'm telling you, there's an entire class of people who live like this and like it. They really do wear out housing. They have radically different cultural values and reasons for doing what they do, but they're the reason tenements and slums exist. You can start out with a very nice building, but if you get occupants like this it will be run down pretty quickly. It's not even entirely a socioeconomic thing. The psychology is totally messed up but it's also frighteningly common.
This is pretty interesting, and is something that I think about off and on.  I experienced a little of this in college - as one of my summers I painted dorms as a job.  Some of the kids left them a disgusting mess.  The cleaning personnel were supposed to clean up the dorms before we patched them up, but sometimes they assigned us to rooms before the cleaning people got there.  We were not supposed to clean because it was a union job.

In any event, I live in a place (So Cal) where housing is atrociously expensive.  Rents are through the roof now.  And for the last year or two, you will find crazy rants on Craigslist, Facebook, or other local on-line sites about those stupid gouging landlords and how greedy they are.  And how they are slumlords.

Now.  Some of that is actually true.  There are one or two landlords in town who own dozens if not a hundred rentals.  They are poorly maintained.  Rent is very high.  They screw over the renters when they move out (not returning the deposit).

"Not returning the deposit" is a thing here. We always got ours back (moved out of rentals 3x).  We did have to fight for one of them.  I had a friend who rented a house for 14 years, and had to go to small claims court to get her $1500 deposit back.  *Most* landlords assume that renters are too busy to fight it (esp my homeschooling mother of 4 friend). 

What the renters don't realize, when they complain, is that not everyone is "like them".  You want to know why landlords don't rent to dog owners (it's getting increasingly difficult to find a place that will rent to people with pets)?  Because some renters let their dogs destroy the house.  You are coming up against a lot of really awful people who ruin it for everyone.  What other renters don't realize - when they complain about the 2BR house renting for $3250, is that house was purchased in 2006 (you can google it!) and that amount covers the mortgage, but not property tax.  So it's a loss.

Let's see, if a landlord rents the property at a loss for 5 years, are they suddenly gouging when finally they break even/ make a profit?

What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4978 on: August 10, 2016, 09:45:56 AM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4979 on: August 10, 2016, 09:57:45 AM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks. 

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4980 on: August 10, 2016, 10:20:12 AM »

[ And for the last year or two, you will find crazy rants on Craigslist, Facebook, or other local on-line sites about those stupid gouging landlords and how greedy they are.  And how they are slumlords.
...
What the renters don't realize, when they complain, is that not everyone is "like them".  You want to know why landlords don't rent to dog owners (it's getting increasingly difficult to find a place that will rent to people with pets)?  Because some renters let their dogs destroy the house.  You are coming up against a lot of really awful people who ruin it for everyone.  What other renters don't realize - when they complain about the 2BR house renting for $3250, is that house was purchased in 2006 (you can google it!) and that amount covers the mortgage, but not property tax.  So it's a loss.


Yup! I don't live in CA or NYC, but I imagine that people understand that rent is going to be high in NYC whereas people are baffled as to why it is so high in CA. I've also found that unless someone has actually borne the cost of something, they tend to underestimate how much it actually costs. For instance, renters complain about how much rent is without understanding what the mortgage and tax payments are (not to mention upkeep and other costs).

Running a business has given me a brand new perspective because there are a lot of things that I would say, "Why don't we..." and not felt satisfied with the response I've received, but now that I'm in a position to enact these changes, I can understand why we don't just simply do a few things. Turns out that they aren't so simple to implement and maintain. Now if there is something I really want to get done my rule is, "If I am the only one willing to maintain ___, would I be willing to do it?" If the answer is no, than I won't do it. Here's an example, I feel like our office is stuffy and I want to bring in a bunch of plants to help improve the atmosphere, cost isn't the issue it's the maintenance of the plants. Yes, I'm willing to care for the plants if no one else will, and so I'm going to buy plants for the office.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4981 on: August 10, 2016, 02:36:35 PM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.

Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4982 on: August 10, 2016, 02:43:10 PM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.

Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

This.

Also, I would never sign a lease with that clause, mostly because one of the advantages of renting is that someone else is responsible for the repairs. As in, if the drain clogs, it is actually not my responsibility to fix it, it's the landlord's. Damned if I'm paying for something that's someone else's responsibility.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4983 on: August 10, 2016, 03:11:08 PM »


Also, I would never sign a lease with that clause, mostly because one of the advantages of renting is that someone else is responsible for the repairs. As in, if the drain clogs, it is actually not my responsibility to fix it, it's the landlord's. Damned if I'm paying for something that's someone else's responsibility.
Err, was it my responsibility to remove 23 tampons from the sewer pipe that my tenant put down the toilet?
Dead of winter 20*F, and I'm pulling tampons from the sewer cleanout.
  Same tenent stopped paying rent, and told me he knew the system and it would take 6 months to the family out of the house. It didn't, but as the police were assisting removal, he said "what about that mail box, I paid $24 for that", I told him he could have it. He took it and at I went and bought the standard $3 mailbox (it's been a while).
 The mailbox post was a piece of telephone pole, I knew I was going to have trouble with my new mailbox from that tenent, so, I cut a 2x6 to fit the underside of the mailbox, and used four 6" lag bolts to attach it to the telephone pole post. I the used six 3-1/2" drywall screws to attach the mailbox to the cut 2x6.
  Within a week the mailbox had a huge dent in it. I hope he used his arm,  but whatever he used, he found out the mail box was there to stay. His swing stopped at the mailbox.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4984 on: August 10, 2016, 03:23:00 PM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.

Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

In many, many jurisdictions this is not in fact legal. There are usually exceptions for when something has broken due to the tenant's purposeful actions or negligence, like the tampon story, but if it's due to normal and expected use, many states say the landlord can't charge the tenant for it. I'm assuming/hoping that Chris22 checked his local laws before putting this in the lease.

As to the benefit of discouraging the tenant from reporting "every little thing," I think that's a double-edged sword. I think it would also discourage the tenant from reporting problems that should be solved as soon as they are noticed and not procrastinated (like mold or bed bugs), and encourage DIY "fixes" that might make the problem worse or more expensive in the long run.

Like Kitsune, I would not rent an apartment if the landlord had such a clause.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4985 on: August 10, 2016, 03:25:05 PM »
In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.
Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

This.

Also, I would never sign a lease with that clause, mostly because one of the advantages of renting is that someone else is responsible for the repairs. As in, if the drain clogs, it is actually not my responsibility to fix it, it's the landlord's. Damned if I'm paying for something that's someone else's responsibility.
Anyone think this might discourage tenants from reporting problems, leading to cascading-damage scenarios where a minor unattended leak/crack/etc leads to huge damages?

Err, was it my responsibility to remove 23 tampons from the sewer pipe that my tenant put down the toilet?
{...}
Most leases have exceptions for negligence. I'm reading (above) a discussion of things that happen regardless of how the tenant treats the house.
It seems like everyone who's landlorded for long enough has dealt with the kind of smug assholes you describe. No point treating everyone badly because someone is an asshole.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4986 on: August 10, 2016, 03:27:39 PM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.

Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

In many, many jurisdictions this is not in fact legal. There are usually exceptions for when something has broken due to the tenant's purposeful actions or negligence, like the tampon story, but if it's due to normal and expected use, many states say the landlord can't charge the tenant for it. I'm assuming/hoping that Chris22 checked his local laws before putting this in the lease.

As to the benefit of discouraging the tenant from reporting "every little thing," I think that's a double-edged sword. I think it would also discourage the tenant from reporting problems that should be solved as soon as they are noticed and not procrastinated (like mold or bed bugs), and encourage DIY "fixes" that might make the problem worse or more expensive in the long run.

Like Kitsune, I would not rent an apartment if the landlord had such a clause.

I'm using my realtor's boilerplate lease, and it's in there.  Given that she rents tons more houses than just mine, I think she knows what she's doing.  Also have had it reviewed by my attorney, who gave it all a pass. 

So maybe things are different in IL.


Note that this is a single family house, not an apartment, and priced fairly high (~$2k/mo). 

renata ricotta

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4987 on: August 10, 2016, 03:34:01 PM »
...
It seems like everyone who's landlorded for long enough has dealt with the kind of smug assholes you describe. No point treating everyone badly because someone is an asshole.

Landlords that act like everybody's a potential asshole tenant usually screen out the good tenants they really want. In my humble opinion, I'm pretty much the model tenant (quiet professional couple with no kids, responsible, clean, great credit, financially stable, etc.). I pretty much pick apartments based on whether I like the owner/property manager, and think they are reasonable people who won't treat me badly. Last time I chose an apartment that cost $400 more per month on this basis, and I'm leaving when my lease is up because the building was sold last month and the new property management company sucks.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4988 on: August 10, 2016, 03:35:14 PM »
JUST got through TheGrimSqueaker's family posts.




TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4989 on: August 10, 2016, 03:51:50 PM »
What I learned as a renter is ... if you get a good landlord, who doesn't raise the rent to market rates every year, be very nice.  Fix stuff around the apartment.  Don't call them for every little thing.  Those landlords are hard to find.

There's a flip side to that, though. If you get a good tenant, try to keep that person.

Everyone wants a tenant who pays the rent on time, doesn't trash the place, and who doesn't bug you about every trivial problem such as a light bulb that needs changing or the fact they're out of toilet paper, cherish this good customer. Make repairs promptly and stay accessible, but don't hover.

My best tenant demographic, bar none, has been people with disabilities. I'm not suggesting that people reverse stereotype, because bad tenants exist in all demographics and you do have to screen for them. But in terms of bang for the buck, I get a bigger bang when I go after this customer group, possibly because the community is under-served.

In the lease for the property I rent out, I have a clause that the first $100 of every repair is on the tenant.  This does 2 things, 1) encourages the tenant to care for the place and not screw it up, and 2) discourages the tenant from calling me for every little thing ("Sure I'll come change your lightbulb, it will be $99 please"). 

Now, the flip side is, the last tenant I had, I had 2 things break and neither was the fault of the tenant (ejector pump and dishwasher circuit fried).  I waived the $100 fee because they were very good tenants.  And I told my latest tenants the same thing, the clause is there if I need it, but I don't intend to enforce it because once every 6 months something legitimately breaks.

Is that legal? If stuff breaks (garbage disposal, toilet, fridge, etc) a renter shouldn't have to pay a cent and it shouldn't depend on the landlord deciding to make an exception to the lease.

This.

Also, I would never sign a lease with that clause, mostly because one of the advantages of renting is that someone else is responsible for the repairs. As in, if the drain clogs, it is actually not my responsibility to fix it, it's the landlord's. Damned if I'm paying for something that's someone else's responsibility.

Much depends on the kind of property you're renting. A single room in my home where two tenants share a bathroom works differently from a single family dwelling with separate metering.

A single family dwelling can come with a duty-to-maintain clause since the occupant controls the building. Not so with shared space, and if you've got a 4-plex some of the sewer pipes may be shared so it could be hard to determine whose "fault" something is. With a condo you only own things from the sheetrock in, so if you rent one out there's an entire new layer of responsibility when it comes to clogged pipes: you (or your tenant) may have to call the building manager.

Generally you can tell by looking at an appliance or window whether or not it wore out. I have yet to run across a set of state laws that allow you to bill the tenant for wear and tear related expenses since all US states have laws that derive from the UORRA. Wear and tear is a cost of doing business and should built into the rent.

When deciding whether to pay for a fix myself, I ask myself a few questions.

(1) If I were living here myself, could I have predicted or prevented this damage?
(2) If this tenant moved out today, would this repair be a legitimate deduction from the damage deposit?
(3) Is the damage the result of behavior that would be unacceptable at the workplace?
(4) Is the work just standard maintenance related replacement of some consumable item like a light bulb or a smoke alarm battery, that any able-bodied adult is capable of doing?

If the answer to all these questions is "no", then fixing the damage isn't my tenant's fault and I make the repair. If the answer is "yes", then the tenant should do the work or pay to have it done.

For example, a door lock that stops working due to age or rust is my responsibility to fix, but a lock that has chewing gum jammed into it is not. I'll gladly show up and unclog a drain once in a blue moon, but when the same toilet clogs every 28 days and my drain snake brings up chunks of used maxi pads and plastic, I have a conversation with the tenant about what should or shouldn't be flushed. I remind my tenants to change the batteries in their smoke detectors twice a year, but unless that tenant is physically incapable of getting up on a ladder and making the fix I rely on them to do it and don't perform that maintenance myself.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4990 on: August 10, 2016, 03:57:48 PM »
...
It seems like everyone who's landlorded for long enough has dealt with the kind of smug assholes you describe. No point treating everyone badly because someone is an asshole.

Landlords that act like everybody's a potential asshole tenant usually screen out the good tenants they really want. In my humble opinion, I'm pretty much the model tenant (quiet professional couple with no kids, responsible, clean, great credit, financially stable, etc.). I pretty much pick apartments based on whether I like the owner/property manager, and think they are reasonable people who won't treat me badly. Last time I chose an apartment that cost $400 more per month on this basis, and I'm leaving when my lease is up because the building was sold last month and the new property management company sucks.

Yeah, having a bunch of onerous clauses in your lease (legal or not) just ensures that educated people who actually read the lease won't be your tenant.

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4991 on: August 10, 2016, 04:01:02 PM »
...
It seems like everyone who's landlorded for long enough has dealt with the kind of smug assholes you describe. No point treating everyone badly because someone is an asshole.

Landlords that act like everybody's a potential asshole tenant usually screen out the good tenants they really want. In my humble opinion, I'm pretty much the model tenant (quiet professional couple with no kids, responsible, clean, great credit, financially stable, etc.). I pretty much pick apartments based on whether I like the owner/property manager, and think they are reasonable people who won't treat me badly. Last time I chose an apartment that cost $400 more per month on this basis, and I'm leaving when my lease is up because the building was sold last month and the new property management company sucks.

Yeah, having a bunch of onerous clauses in your lease (legal or not) just ensures that educated people who actually read the lease won't be your tenant.

This. Like, in theory, I support your right to have that clause for unreasonable tenants.

In practice, I'd read that and be like "oh great, every repair is gonna be a huge hassle that he tries to blame on me, I seriously don't wanna deal with that shit, lemme go rent somewhere else."

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4992 on: August 10, 2016, 10:52:42 PM »
Seen on Facebook:

When you get paid bi-weekly:
Week 1 = Surf and Turf
Week 2 = Ice Soup

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4993 on: August 11, 2016, 08:19:50 AM »
Seen on Facebook:

When you get paid bi-weekly:
Week 1 = Surf and Turf
Week 2 = Ice Soup
Ok, I actually laughed at 'Ice Soup'.  I used to date a girl who is pretty much the embodiment of this.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4994 on: August 11, 2016, 10:14:38 AM »
Seen on Facebook:

When you get paid bi-weekly:
Week 1 = Surf and Turf
Week 2 = Ice Soup
Ok, I actually laughed at 'Ice Soup'.  I used to date a girl who is pretty much the embodiment of this.

What they lived it up so much that they can't even afford Ramen?

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4995 on: August 11, 2016, 10:39:08 AM »
Seen on Facebook:

When you get paid bi-weekly:
Week 1 = Surf and Turf
Week 2 = Ice Soup

Snow is an excellent garnish for the latter in the winter months ;)

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4996 on: August 11, 2016, 10:47:32 AM »
Seen on Facebook:

When you get paid bi-weekly:
Week 1 = Surf and Turf
Week 2 = Ice Soup

Snow is an excellent garnish for the latter in the winter months ;)

I prefer my snow imported from the Italian Alps.  Anything else tastes like poverty.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4997 on: August 11, 2016, 11:09:21 AM »
I note that you are able to say what I am thinking without the Judging Police piping up about how some empathy is lacking.  Seems there are quite a few folks who line up to shame us for saying common sense things like "free stuff = waste" for some people.

I get my share, but only take it seriously from people who walk the walk. Those who walk the walk seldom dish out much criticism unless you're paying them to do so.

Not valuing free things a universal human thing, especially if the free stuff isn't quite what the recipient needs, wants, or can use. Most likely every frugal person on this board has re-gifted or sold an unwanted present.

The thing that creates an entitlement-class parasite, rich or poor, is the fact they don't value other people. The resources they get are a direct result of sacrifices and work from somebody else, but because of their messed-up perspective they do not appreciate that fact, nor do they do what it takes to get their own.

ender

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4998 on: August 11, 2016, 11:49:29 AM »
I note that you are able to say what I am thinking without the Judging Police piping up about how some empathy is lacking.  Seems there are quite a few folks who line up to shame us for saying common sense things like "free stuff = waste" for some people.

I get my share, but only take it seriously from people who walk the walk. Those who walk the walk seldom dish out much criticism unless you're paying them to do so.

Not valuing free things a universal human thing, especially if the free stuff isn't quite what the recipient needs, wants, or can use. Most likely every frugal person on this board has re-gifted or sold an unwanted present.

The thing that creates an entitlement-class parasite, rich or poor, is the fact they don't value other people. The resources they get are a direct result of sacrifices and work from somebody else, but because of their messed-up perspective they do not appreciate that fact, nor do they do what it takes to get their own.

Nah people conveniently frame things such that the free things they get are rights.

You see this everywhere, people selectively defining their free stuff as a right so it's OK for them to take from others (and not feel guilty).

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard on Facebook
« Reply #4999 on: August 11, 2016, 11:57:41 AM »
I note that you are able to say what I am thinking without the Judging Police piping up about how some empathy is lacking.  Seems there are quite a few folks who line up to shame us for saying common sense things like "free stuff = waste" for some people.

I get my share, but only take it seriously from people who walk the walk. Those who walk the walk seldom dish out much criticism unless you're paying them to do so.

Not valuing free things a universal human thing, especially if the free stuff isn't quite what the recipient needs, wants, or can use. Most likely every frugal person on this board has re-gifted or sold an unwanted present.

The thing that creates an entitlement-class parasite, rich or poor, is the fact they don't value other people. The resources they get are a direct result of sacrifices and work from somebody else, but because of their messed-up perspective they do not appreciate that fact, nor do they do what it takes to get their own.

Nah people conveniently frame things such that the free things they get are rights.

You see this everywhere, people selectively defining their free stuff as a right so it's OK for them to take from others (and not feel guilty).

Exactly: it's a messed up perspective.

"People give to me because they WANT to give; I don't have to reciprocate or express gratitude because they already have had their reward."

"People give to me because I need. If they don't, that makes them a Bad Person and I'm justified in taking what I want."

"People give to me because they're trying to control me. They can go fuck themselves and I hate them, but they also should keep giving to me because they owe me."

"People give to me because they want something in exchange. But the satisfaction of enjoying the company of VIP Me is their reward, because I'm just that awesome to have around."

And so on. But you want to know the sickest part of it? The rationale they use to justify their continued taker behavior has at least some basis in fact, either now or in the past.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!