Overheard on Facebook

[russianswinga]

You might consider getting the Litter-Robot.    I have the black one that you can see on this page
http://odditymall.com/self-cleaning-kitty-litter-robot
I got it 9-10 years ago for $300 or $400, and it still works amazing.     

We got one last year - the newer model. We bought it on craigslist, brand new, for $200 (because in LA, apparently you have families that buy 3 of these, 2 to use and one "just in case")
It's been worth every penny. The litter savings alone over the lifetime of our 2 cats will pay for it. The lack of mess or smell is worth it too. No more cleaning the litterboxes every 2 days. Much like our robot vacuum cleaner, this is a purchase I consider "mustachian"

https://www.amazon.com/Litter-Robot-III-Open-Air-Automatic-Self-Cleaning/dp/B01601QF2O/

[one piece at a time]

Someone shared this article on fb saying how they are so mad that dealerships can "get away" with stuff like this. People really need to learn how to math.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-long-term-loans-cars-1.4402394

The article itself has some good advice, but it is interesting how people think businesses should be responsible for their personal financial best interests.


(Complete confession, back in 2011 as a new grad I totally "fell victim" to some of these ploys with an under valued trade in, and focus on monthly payments. I leaned my lesson now I buy my cars 2nd hand and in cash monies!)

You don't need to know the math. Get three quotes and compare. If you struggle with the "compare" step, take the quotes to a fourth provider to beat them. Don't talk too much and it's pretty likely that they'll give you a reasonable deal.

[RidetheRain]

Someone shared this article on fb saying how they are so mad that dealerships can "get away" with stuff like this. People really need to learn how to math.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-long-term-loans-cars-1.4402394

The article itself has some good advice, but it is interesting how people think businesses should be responsible for their personal financial best interests.


(Complete confession, back in 2011 as a new grad I totally "fell victim" to some of these ploys with an under valued trade in, and focus on monthly payments. I leaned my lesson now I buy my cars 2nd hand and in cash monies!)

You don't need to know the math. Get three quotes and compare. If you struggle with the "compare" step, take the quotes to a fourth provider to beat them. Don't talk too much and it's pretty likely that they'll give you a reasonable deal.

Ugh. I got horribly got by this kind of thing. When I was young and stupid (four years ago). I wanted to buy my first car when I moved out of my parent's house. To help, I brought along my thoroughly non-mustachian parents to guide me through the process. They took me to a dealership and aided me in purchasing a "nice deal" we found in the paper. A brand new car that was a year out of date so the dealer wanted to get it off the lot. I was pretty excited and mostly following my father's lead.

I signed all the paperwork without ever finding out how long the loan was for. Looking back, it was the single stupidest thing I have ever done. Turns out it was six years and I'm still paying the stupid thing. Luckily I bought the hatchback instead of the two-seater convertible my parents wanted me to get. And my interest rate was excellent. I was told by the salesman the whole time that I was getting such a good deal that I should feel bad for him and his "ratings".

[katscratch]

I use this: https://smile.amazon.com/Haier-HLP21N-Pulsator-1-Cubic-Foot-Portable/dp/B002UYSHMM/ref=sr_1_1?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1510936324&sr=1-1&keywords=Haier+HLP21N+Pulsator+1-Cubic-Foot+Portable+Washer

It hooks to my kitchen sink. I'm single and just out of college, so this works well for me. And then air dry clothes. My friends all think it's crazy at first then they are like "oh wow this is actually a huge savings" haha.

I have the next size up of this washer in my house. I've used it for me, my teenage son, and my dog (lots of towels and blankets) for three years now. I LOVE IT. I doubt we'll end up buying a full size washer ever. I pretty much always use the "quick" cycle for 23 minutes and line dry everything. I've been spoiled by this machine and was very surprised when doing laundry at a petsitting job in a common modern front loader that took over an hour.

....nothing to stay on topic, I decimated my friends list last year and unfollowed literally everyone except my kid. The fb algorithm doesn't know what in the world to show me.

[kaypinkHH]

@ridetherain, maybe my dealer salesperson moved from East Coast Canada to West Coast USA :P. Sounds exactly like the guy I dealt with.

Next time we bought a car (after we sold the stupid purchase privately) we bought a older used Fit. Walked into the dealer and said we will take it for X price.  It was so much easier. It really throws off dealers when you go in and try to pay without financing and have a lowish reasonable price in mind.  Helps to start by buying a older used car in the first place!

@One Piece at a Time, my comment on knowing the math is more so for interest rates and loan calcs. Understanding that paying X amount per month+ a downpayment = Y total price is an important step that a lot of consumers don't actually calculate. If they calculate it out and realize it is way over the market value, they they can tell if they are getting scammed.

[farfromfire]

Friend bragging that she has 2 sets of washer / dryer (a total of 4 machines). She has 3 kids and is a SAHM. I don't even know where to begin. Is this a thing???

I'm going to call myself out a little bit since this reminds me of my own craziness and rationalization.

In our basement, I have a rectangular 17x24 area I'm boxing in and putting in bamboo flooring. For current use (next 4 years before kids get born and past crawling stage), I plan to have a kick ass workout room. I got a free treadmill and bike, probably will get a low end rower and find some weights and add a pull up bar. I've convinced my self that the room needs 2 50" TVs I'm buying on Thursday as a door buster (1 for when you are facing North on the machines and one west when you are using the free weights) and really proud of how the workout will look in my end.

I have a ton of really good reasons- the bamboo flooring and open layout will allow it to be a kids rec room or overflow room if hosting a big party (its only a five steps down from a bar/rec area). The room is adding 300 sq ft to the house. The two TVs are a one-time cost and I'll stream free entertainment, more likely to work out, friends likely to come over to workout with me, etc My wife is there giving me multiple face punches every time I bring it up.

It's really my only house splurge since moving in 6 months ago. Everything else was hand me downs or true necessities like rakes/weed wackers and other stuff I didn't own previously.... See the rationalizations wont end.

Haha, definitely facepunch worthy. But I admit the single TV thing is a (extremely first world) problem with home gyms, you can find yourself turning in an unhealthy direction while lifting weights if you're too engrossed in the show.

[9-Volt]

The closest thing I have to a platter is a waiter's tray that I use to feed our dogs their meals.  Yes, I'm their waiter.  And yes, I feel ridiculous using it, but it's so convenient.

It's funny how we don't feel ridiculous for needing to pick up dog's poop. I wonder what aliens would think of us if they saw us picking up after our pets.

I absolutely feel ridiculous cleaning up dog or cat poop and I mention it to my wife all the time.  I created a thread about trying to toilet train my cat (we failed and I have to clean that fucking litter every fucking day).

You might consider getting the Litter-Robot.    I have the black one that you can see on this page

http://odditymall.com/self-cleaning-kitty-litter-robot

I got it 9-10 years ago for $300 or $400, and it still works amazing.     For two cats, I could take the litter out once per week, although maybe every 5 days was better.    It takes regular trash bags, so there aren't any expensive "razor blades" you have to buy.   And it almost never jams up.

Maybe buying a $400 thing for the pets isn't mustachian, but I do like not changing litter every single day.

Note,  this is the official site    https://www.litter-robot.com/     I put in the other link because it appears that they are on generation 2 or 3 now, whereas the link above shows the earlier generation that I have.    I have no idea if the new ones are an improvement or have finicky electronics that make it worse

I had a similar robotic litter box. I did not work out so well for me. As in it scared the shit right out of them all over the floor, every damn day. I had to go back to normal littler boxes. I now use the robo one to keep the cats out of any room we don't want them in. :/

[woopwoop]

Those baby dolls and lifelike shelf pets (what else do call them?) are just spooky.

I thought so too until I heard that a lot of the lifelike dolls are bought by women who suffer from stillbirth/miscarriage and used to help move through the grieving process. Now I just think it's sad :(

[shelivesthedream]

I had a similar robotic litter box. I did not work out so well for me. As in it scared the shit right out of them all over the floor, every damn day. I had to go back to normal littler boxes. I now use the robo one to keep the cats out of any room we don't want them in. :/

That was my first thought! My parents' cats would be terrified of it! The last part is excellent, though :)

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Those baby dolls and lifelike shelf pets (what else do call them?) are just spooky.

I thought so too until I heard that a lot of the lifelike dolls are bought by women who suffer from stillbirth/miscarriage and used to help move through the grieving process. Now I just think it's sad :(

I'm reminded of a very creepy movie about a nanny hired to "babysit" and "feed" a doll. I can't recall how it went but there was something about an insane person locked (or not!) in the attic.

[farfromfire]

Those baby dolls and lifelike shelf pets (what else do call them?) are just spooky.

I thought so too until I heard that a lot of the lifelike dolls are bought by women who suffer from stillbirth/miscarriage and used to help move through the grieving process. Now I just think it's sad :(

I'm reminded of a very creepy movie about a nanny hired to "babysit" and "feed" a doll. I can't recall how it went but there was something about an insane person locked (or not!) in the attic.

The Boy. Not a bad movie!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Someone on Facebook asked for a recommendation for the best Fitbits for tweens.

Her tweens "need" them, you see.

[Just Joe]

Those baby dolls and lifelike shelf pets (what else do call them?) are just spooky.

I thought so too until I heard that a lot of the lifelike dolls are bought by women who suffer from stillbirth/miscarriage and used to help move through the grieving process. Now I just think it's sad :(

That is sad. Never heard of that angle.

[Nudelkopf]

Someone on Facebook asked for a recommendation for the best Fitbits for tweens.

Her tweens "need" them, you see.

I dunno, choldhood obesity is a thing.

[PMG]

Those baby dolls and lifelike shelf pets (what else do call them?) are just spooky.

I thought so too until I heard that a lot of the lifelike dolls are bought by women who suffer from stillbirth/miscarriage and used to help move through the grieving process. Now I just think it's sad :(

That is sad. Never heard of that angle.

Lifelike dolls.  When I was a child there was a woman at my parents church who bought one of these life like dolls.  Looking back I think that I recognize symptoms of abuse and mental illness.  At the time we just thought she was weird.  She was single, nearing 40. Obese.  A failure in a strict patriarchal religious society.  She dressed and cared for that doll, brought it to church, took it into the nursery to care for it, rocking it while listening to the sermon with other mothers until some of the deacons wives asked her not to.  She then got a puppy, which she also dressed and carried around constantly, until it ran out in the road and was hit by a bus while she watched.  God, that was tragic.  She got another dog, continued to baby it. Every once in a while I search her out on Facebook because I feel such sadness for her and wish she were healthy and happy but I have no way too help her and I am not sure that she thinks she needs help.

[infogoon]

Friend bragging that she has 2 sets of washer / dryer (a total of 4 machines). She has 3 kids and is a SAHM. I don't even know where to begin. Is this a thing???

I for one have the biggest issue to remember to switch loads of laundry...I can't imagine having another set on the go would be helpful.

I'm so confused. Facebook is a confusing place.

Yeah, I can see how it would be marginally useful -- do whites and colors at the same time.  Even better would be two combination washer-dryers.  But that doesn't make it non-ridiculous.

I really could have used a second washer/dryer when my kids were still in cloth diapers.

[Rosesss]

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

[rockstache]

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

Wow.

On the bright side, I guess they knew exactly what they were doing, since they knew how to calculate the interest. No excuses...?

[MgoSam]

I'm assuming the blenders in question are Vitamix and Blendec?

If so then I recommend getting them even though they are hefty if you blend a decent amount. They are incredibly well-made and have a very long warranty (and great customer service). I believe you may find a sale on them on Amazon or another website today.

[RidetheRain]

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

Actually, the shortest financing option is to put the whole blender on your Amazon Prime Store Card. Pay it off immediately and pocket the 5% cashback. Interest is just -$30!

[MrGville]

Seen on instagram.....couple in their mid 20s constantly posting extravagant travels and shopping outings.  Post about buying a brand new Mercedes (I looked the car up and it starts at $88k!!).  Post pictures of herself holding shopping bags from high end designers (Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc.).  Someone in the comments asked what she got from Hermes and they were sandals that cost ~$700!.  I found out recently from a mutual friend that this couple is in significant credit card debt....hmmm.

[kaypinkHH]

Seen on instagram.....couple in their mid 20s constantly posting extravagant travels and shopping outings.  Post about buying a brand new Mercedes (I looked the car up and it starts at $88k!!).  Post pictures of herself holding shopping bags from high end designers (Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc.).  Someone in the comments asked what she got from Hermes and they were sandals that cost ~$700!.  I found out recently from a mutual friend that this couple is in significant credit card debt....hmmm.

I just imagine these people with more accurate hastags in their feeds:

#blessed = #spoiled
#iloveshopping = #minimumpaymentsforyears
#bestbaeever = #financialproblemswilleventuallyleadtodivorce

[ketchup]

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

I'm pretty sure the last blender I bought was close to $68 total.

[RidetheRain]

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

I'm pretty sure the last blender I bought was close to $68 total.

I'll be honest, I don't have a blender. But I do have a food processor that I also use occasionally as a blender. It cost $80. I can't imagine what a $600 blender must be able to do to be worth all that money. Is it refrigerated for long-term smoothie storage or something? Because I have a fridge already.

[Just Joe]

I was near an expensive food processor over the weekend. Its notable feature: it was quiet.

[Kashmani]

I'm assuming the blenders in question are Vitamix and Blendec?

If so then I recommend getting them even though they are hefty if you blend a decent amount. They are incredibly well-made and have a very long warranty (and great customer service). I believe you may find a sale on them on Amazon or another website today.

I was arm-twisted in getting DW a Vitamix for her 40th birthday last year and thought the price was ridiculous.

Since then, I have been appeased with regular smoothies and banana milks, sometimes in a mason jar in my lunch bag. And I hate to admit it, but - damn, they're good. That thing doesn't blend almonds, it obliterates them into individual almond molecules effortlessly floating in an oh-so-foamy emulsion of bananas and milk.

I no longer judge. Like crack, the blender may be a bad value but it's addictive...

[ketchup]

I was near an expensive food processor over the weekend. Its notable feature: it was quiet.

I can vouch for he opposite at the very least.  I bought a cheapie one from Walmart last year and it is mediocre but it definitely sounds like a tornado running over a ball bearing factory.

[Finallyunderstand]

just bought my 2nd blender ever.  First was about $35.  This one was about the same.  First lasted 5 years.  I'm 33.  I may blend things until I'm 80.  57yrs/5= 11.4 expected cheap blenders needed in my lifetime or $399.  I'll take a new blender every half decade instead of a $600 blender with a warranty.  I should also add that it is used a minimum of once daily and sometimes 2-3 times per day on different occasions. 


On topic "I want Starbucks but my bank account is telling me no" from a recent facebook post.

If your bank account can't handle a Starbucks purchase then the lack of coffee is the least of your worries. 

[Hadilly]

I was at Costco yesterday and the vitamix guy was doing a demo. Sounds like Costco has the best price and they are dropping another $60 or $100 too, so maybe $250 or so total?  Maybe check out Costco if you want one. Sorry to be so vague on the details.

I hate adding appliances so I also use my food processor for the occasional smoothie.

[zolotiyeruki]

There's an ice cream place in the same building where I work.  They recently replaced their several-years-old commercial-grade BlendTec blenders.  I picked one of the old ones up for $50.  It's the kind with the cover that encloses the pitcher while you blend stuff, and has programmed sequences for blending different things.  The thing is a beast, too--it requires a 20A outlet in our kitchen!

[Imustacheyouaquestion]

On topic "I want Starbucks but my bank account is telling me no" from a recent facebook post.

If your bank account can't handle a Starbucks purchase then the lack of coffee is the least of your worries.

At least they're not buying it. A broke person who doesn't buy shit because they know they can't afford it is still conceptually miles ahead of the person who throws it on a credit card.

[Just Joe]

Hopefully that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles. 

[Imustacheyouaquestion]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

On topic "I want Starbucks but my bank account is telling me no" from a recent facebook post.

If your bank account can't handle a Starbucks purchase then the lack of coffee is the least of your worries.

At least they're not buying it. A broke person who doesn't buy shit because they know they can't afford it is still conceptually miles ahead of the person who throws it on a credit card.

Or who borrows from a friend or relative, or who mooches it off someone else, or who sticks someone else with the bill, or plenty of other dysfunctional behaviors we've seen discussed on this board.

[Just Joe]

Hope their car doesn't break any time soon. I've seen that happen. Dependent on a car to get through the week. Can't afford to repair it. Lasting troubles ensue. Credit card debt, sudden car payments if they can pony up the cash each month for years, etc all because the car needs $200 worth of parts and the owner can't/won't DIY anything.

[nereo]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

No.  Absolutely no.  This is one of those factoids that gets branded around without substance or context. While more than half of bankruptees may blame medical debt for causing their bankruptcy, in most cases they were on seriously shaky financial footing to begin with, enough where they couldn't cover an unexpected expense. If you've been in the workforce for a decade+ you ought to have tens-of-thousand$ saved up, minimum.  If outside forces (e.g. job loss) have truly kept you from saving any money then those factors led to the bankruptcy, not the unanticipated medical bill at the end.  If spent your 20s leasing new cars, going on vacations, eating at restaurants and otherwise living a life on credit and then go bankrupt when you suddenly need medical care, the medical care was just the expense that exposed the cracks in your shaky financial house.

Do some people go through bankruptcy because of medical debt?  sure.  Is it >50%?  hell no.

[shelivesthedream]

I think the correct verb is probably "precipitated".

[marty998]

Hmm... I had to stop and think about something today...

Saw on a mustachian group Facebook page someone was bragging about their car passing 300,000 in milage.

Everyone was congratulating him saying how wonderful it is to keep a cheap old car going.

My first reaction was "driving 300,000 miles doesn't sound very frugal to me".

(And really? We're having the blender discussion again? Haha)

[mustachepungoeshere]

Hmm... I had to stop and think about something today...

Saw on a mustachian group Facebook page someone was bragging about their car passing 300,000 in milage.

Everyone was congratulating him saying how wonderful it is to keep a cheap old car going.

My first reaction was "driving 300,000 miles doesn't sound very frugal to me".

(And really? We're having the blender discussion again? Haha)

Says person who was given a free blender. :P

[merula]

Hmm... I had to stop and think about something today...

Saw on a mustachian group Facebook page someone was bragging about their car passing 300,000 in milage.

Everyone was congratulating him saying how wonderful it is to keep a cheap old car going.

My first reaction was "driving 300,000 miles doesn't sound very frugal to me".

(And really? We're having the blender discussion again? Haha)

I didn't see the post, but did the poster drive the 300,000 miles, or did they buy a high-mileage used car as is the official recommendation from MMM?

In contrast, my five year old car is approaching 30,000 miles. Super mustachian, you say? Hardly, since I made the mistake of buying it new.

[LeRainDrop]

In contrast, my five year old car is approaching 30,000 miles. Super mustachian, you say? Hardly, since I made the mistake of buying it new.

We're practically twins!  I bought my car new six years ago, and I have almost 17,000 miles on it.  Each year I bring it in for the state's emissions check, the guy asks me what my odometer says, so I tell, him, and he always checks it himself, like, "No, not the tripometer; I mean the odometer!"  I knew most of my drives were short, but I didn't realize it would be that little distance/time!

[Imma]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

No.  Absolutely no.  This is one of those factoids that gets branded around without substance or context. While more than half of bankruptees may blame medical debt for causing their bankruptcy, in most cases they were on seriously shaky financial footing to begin with, enough where they couldn't cover an unexpected expense. If you've been in the workforce for a decade+ you ought to have tens-of-thousand$ saved up, minimum.  If outside forces (e.g. job loss) have truly kept you from saving any money then those factors led to the bankruptcy, not the unanticipated medical bill at the end.  If spent your 20s leasing new cars, going on vacations, eating at restaurants and otherwise living a life on credit and then go bankrupt when you suddenly need medical care, the medical care was just the expense that exposed the cracks in your shaky financial house.

Do some people go through bankruptcy because of medical debt?  sure.  Is it >50%?  hell no.

This is true for someone with a professional office job (although that person might have a lot of student debt because they needed to go to college to get that kind of job) but absolutely not for the millions and millions of very hard workers in blue and pink collar jobs. Not everyone who doesn't have tens of thousands in the bank has been living the high life. I believe that you can save money on nearly any income level, but for many people their savings will be very modest even if they live a very frugal life.

[Hula Hoop]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

No.  Absolutely no.  This is one of those factoids that gets branded around without substance or context. While more than half of bankruptees may blame medical debt for causing their bankruptcy, in most cases they were on seriously shaky financial footing to begin with, enough where they couldn't cover an unexpected expense. If you've been in the workforce for a decade+ you ought to have tens-of-thousand$ saved up, minimum.  If outside forces (e.g. job loss) have truly kept you from saving any money then those factors led to the bankruptcy, not the unanticipated medical bill at the end.  If spent your 20s leasing new cars, going on vacations, eating at restaurants and otherwise living a life on credit and then go bankrupt when you suddenly need medical care, the medical care was just the expense that exposed the cracks in your shaky financial house.

Do some people go through bankruptcy because of medical debt?  sure.  Is it >50%?  hell no.

This is true for someone with a professional office job (although that person might have a lot of student debt because they needed to go to college to get that kind of job) but absolutely not for the millions and millions of very hard workers in blue and pink collar jobs. Not everyone who doesn't have tens of thousands in the bank has been living the high life. I believe that you can save money on nearly any income level, but for many people their savings will be very modest even if they live a very frugal life.

Absolutely.  I know tons of people in this situation.  I'm sure you do too.  Think about the daycare worker who looks after your children, the waitress at your local diner, the cashier at the supermarket, the construction worker, the janitor at the hospital.  Most of my husband's family have these kinds of jobs and have very little in savings and I don't blame then for it at all.  They lead very frugal lives.  But some jobs just don't pay much.

[facepalm]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

No.  Absolutely no.  This is one of those factoids that gets branded around without substance or context. While more than half of bankruptees may blame medical debt for causing their bankruptcy, in most cases they were on seriously shaky financial footing to begin with, enough where they couldn't cover an unexpected expense. If you've been in the workforce for a decade+ you ought to have tens-of-thousand$ saved up, minimum.  If outside forces (e.g. job loss) have truly kept you from saving any money then those factors led to the bankruptcy, not the unanticipated medical bill at the end.  If spent your 20s leasing new cars, going on vacations, eating at restaurants and otherwise living a life on credit and then go bankrupt when you suddenly need medical care, the medical care was just the expense that exposed the cracks in your shaky financial house.

Do some people go through bankruptcy because of medical debt?  sure.  Is it >50%?  hell no.

This is true for someone with a professional office job (although that person might have a lot of student debt because they needed to go to college to get that kind of job) but absolutely not for the millions and millions of very hard workers in blue and pink collar jobs. Not everyone who doesn't have tens of thousands in the bank has been living the high life. I believe that you can save money on nearly any income level, but for many people their savings will be very modest even if they live a very frugal life.

Absolutely.  I know tons of people in this situation.  I'm sure you do too.  Think about the daycare worker who looks after your children, the waitress at your local diner, the cashier at the supermarket, the construction worker, the janitor at the hospital.  Most of my husband's family have these kinds of jobs and have very little in savings and I don't blame then for it at all.  They lead very frugal lives.  But some jobs just don't pay much.

Interesting article on the subject here:

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-17/the-myth-of-the-medical-bankruptcy

But can we get back to blenders?

I asked for some advice on blenders on fb. Was told to get a 600 dollar model.  ´'If you take the shortest financing option of 12 months you only end up paying 68 dollars in interest!'' :O People really finance blenders?

I'm pretty sure the last blender I bought was close to $68 total.

I'll be honest, I don't have a blender. But I do have a food processor that I also use occasionally as a blender. It cost $80. I can't imagine what a $600 blender must be able to do to be worth all that money. Is it refrigerated for long-term smoothie storage or something? Because I have a fridge already.

I don't get blenders. But then, I don't get smoothies. Why would you want to pulverized all the good stuff in your food and accelerate caloric intake? When I see an overweight person drinking a smoothie I just cringe.

I know you can use them to make sauces and such, but I can do the same thing in a food processor. And while I would like a Robot Coup, I'll stick to something cheaper. I have worked in a few kitchens (and bakeries), and fell into the snob trap of buying commercial grade cookware for a while. You know what? The lesser expensive stuff does just fine. I have a set of Forschner knives, but end up using my cheap stamped steel Dexter Russell Sani Safes more often.

[Just Joe]

Sometimes the extra cost of better cooking tools helps. I have some very cheap pots and pans that have warped over the years so that they rock on the stove top. We also have a few nicer examples that were made with thicker materials that have not warped. From time to time I've used a rubber mallet to reflatten the bottoms of the cheaper pots which dance on the stove top.

We have a mix of really cheap and somewhat better kitchen things. We're replacing with the better quality things as the cheapest stuff wears out. 

[CindyBS]

Hope that $200 clinic visit doesn't start a cascading set of events that leads to even more financial problems. Sick, can't work, missing bills, overdrafts and late fees, etc and only two years later do they crawl out from under their troubles.

More than half of bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. While a $200 expense shouldn't send anyone spiraling into a major predicament, the reality is that people who can't scrape up small amounts to cover emergencies are in a very precarious position.

No.  Absolutely no.  This is one of those factoids that gets branded around without substance or context. While more than half of bankruptees may blame medical debt for causing their bankruptcy, in most cases they were on seriously shaky financial footing to begin with, enough where they couldn't cover an unexpected expense. If you've been in the workforce for a decade+ you ought to have tens-of-thousand$ saved up, minimum.  If outside forces (e.g. job loss) have truly kept you from saving any money then those factors led to the bankruptcy, not the unanticipated medical bill at the end.  If spent your 20s leasing new cars, going on vacations, eating at restaurants and otherwise living a life on credit and then go bankrupt when you suddenly need medical care, the medical care was just the expense that exposed the cracks in your shaky financial house.

Do some people go through bankruptcy because of medical debt?  sure.  Is it >50%?  hell no.

We have a critically ill child who had more than $2Million of medical expenses this year and I've lost my job to stay home and care for him.  I completely agree with your statement.  We've had lost wages, high deductible, and then all the little expenses that come with a sick kid - gas to drive to the hospital, groceries go up b/c of special food needs and lack of time/energy to plan, etc.  Over all, it has cost us tens of thousands a year. 

The only thing we have had to cut back on is retirement savings and vacations and are financially fine.  We are the only people with sick kids that I know that doesn't have a go fund me or ask charities for money.

BUT and this is a huge BUT - we have high wages, good insurance, are old enough to have had decades to build up our net worth, are married, have a stable community of support.   Few people have all those things, and without all of them, I think it is very easy to have a medical problem overwhelm you, especially when lost wages come into play.  In the US, we do not have a society with proper supports (for example, FMLA is a joke with a critically ill kid) that is designed to survive these devastating medical events, even when we can medically save the sick patient.   

[Kyle Schuant]

TWO MILLION?!!!!

[StockBeard]

TWO MILLION?!!!!

I'm not surprised. Our 3rd kid was born prematurely and the final bill for her birth, the NICU treatment, and my wife's hospital stay was about $600K*. So, for a critically ill child who needs constant treatment, I'm actually surprised it doesn't go way higher than 2 million.

* That's what was billed to the insurance. We had to pay about $10K out of pocket.

[former player]

Sometimes the extra cost of better cooking tools helps. I have some very cheap pots and pans that have warped over the years so that they rock on the stove top. We also have a few nicer examples that were made with thicker materials that have not warped. From time to time I've used a rubber mallet to reflatten the bottoms of the cheaper pots which dance on the stove top.

We have a mix of really cheap and somewhat better kitchen things. We're replacing with the better quality things as the cheapest stuff wears out.

Newsflash: once the bottoms of the pans have warped sufficiently to rock on the stove top they are officially worn out.

[marielle]

Sometimes the extra cost of better cooking tools helps. I have some very cheap pots and pans that have warped over the years so that they rock on the stove top. We also have a few nicer examples that were made with thicker materials that have not warped. From time to time I've used a rubber mallet to reflatten the bottoms of the cheaper pots which dance on the stove top.

We have a mix of really cheap and somewhat better kitchen things. We're replacing with the better quality things as the cheapest stuff wears out.

Newsflash: once the bottoms of the pans have warped sufficiently to rock on the stove top they are officially worn out.

I switched to 100% cast iron because of this reason. They're buy it for life and I might have birds one day. They recommend no non-stick for birds (and humans, really, but our respiratory systems aren't quite as sensitive).