Overheard on Facebook

[RidetheRain]

Not really on facebook, but similar local social network.


Well... I know people like to buy expensive gadgets, but it always surprise me why... Does this Garmin watches give you so much more compared to running, swimming, etc, without them ?

It's the top of the line triathlon watch. It does open water GPS (on top of all the satellite feed with running, biking), has a built in race mode for triathlons, syncs with garmin cadence for bike, syncs with strava, the garmin heart rate monitor for heart rate based training, etc. It's really, really cool.

I actually have the older version and yes, I did spend a lot of money for it. But I love it and triathlon is one of my hobbies and love in life. My watch was actually one of the most expensive things I bought for racing (but I don't live with my mother...).

Call me when it wipes yer butt

That might be cheaper. A "smart" bidet starts at $250.

[JAYSLOL]

Got a Facebook message from someone I wrote to over a month ago, they had posted a MacBook Air on the buy and sell group for sale but didn't list a price.  I don't need a computer, but I'm not opposed to getting a deal on a Mac and reselling if there's money to be made.  When I wrote to them I asked "how old is the Mac and how much do you want?".  They wrote back (over a month later) with "Hello.  Hello, are you there?".  I ignored it for a day and they wrote again and said "Hello?".  I wrote back and said "are you still selling your computer?".  They replied "yes".  And that's the last I've heard from them.  Seriously how hard is it to answer 2 questions?  If they don't know, just say "I don't know, make an offer". 

[honeybbq]

Not really on facebook, but similar local social network.


Well... I know people like to buy expensive gadgets, but it always surprise me why... Does this Garmin watches give you so much more compared to running, swimming, etc, without them ?

It's the top of the line triathlon watch. It does open water GPS (on top of all the satellite feed with running, biking), has a built in race mode for triathlons, syncs with garmin cadence for bike, syncs with strava, the garmin heart rate monitor for heart rate based training, etc. It's really, really cool.

I actually have the older version and yes, I did spend a lot of money for it. But I love it and triathlon is one of my hobbies and love in life. My watch was actually one of the most expensive things I bought for racing (but I don't live with my mother...).

Call me when it wipes yer butt

That might be cheaper. A "smart" bidet starts at $250.

But does it have GPS tracking?? !

[dragoncar]

Not really on facebook, but similar local social network.


Well... I know people like to buy expensive gadgets, but it always surprise me why... Does this Garmin watches give you so much more compared to running, swimming, etc, without them ?

It's the top of the line triathlon watch. It does open water GPS (on top of all the satellite feed with running, biking), has a built in race mode for triathlons, syncs with garmin cadence for bike, syncs with strava, the garmin heart rate monitor for heart rate based training, etc. It's really, really cool.

I actually have the older version and yes, I did spend a lot of money for it. But I love it and triathlon is one of my hobbies and love in life. My watch was actually one of the most expensive things I bought for racing (but I don't live with my mother...).

Call me when it wipes yer butt

That might be cheaper. A "smart" bidet starts at $250.

But does it have GPS tracking?? !

Will it sync with my Garmin buttplug?

[merula]

Not really on facebook, but similar local social network.


Well... I know people like to buy expensive gadgets, but it always surprise me why... Does this Garmin watches give you so much more compared to running, swimming, etc, without them ?

It's the top of the line triathlon watch. It does open water GPS (on top of all the satellite feed with running, biking), has a built in race mode for triathlons, syncs with garmin cadence for bike, syncs with strava, the garmin heart rate monitor for heart rate based training, etc. It's really, really cool.

I actually have the older version and yes, I did spend a lot of money for it. But I love it and triathlon is one of my hobbies and love in life. My watch was actually one of the most expensive things I bought for racing (but I don't live with my mother...).

Call me when it wipes yer butt

That might be cheaper. A "smart" bidet starts at $250.

But does it have GPS tracking?? !

Will it sync with my Garmin buttplug?

No, but your Garmin buttplug will sink in the bidet.

[Well Respected Man]

Not really on facebook, but similar local social network.


Well... I know people like to buy expensive gadgets, but it always surprise me why... Does this Garmin watches give you so much more compared to running, swimming, etc, without them ?

It's the top of the line triathlon watch. It does open water GPS (on top of all the satellite feed with running, biking), has a built in race mode for triathlons, syncs with garmin cadence for bike, syncs with strava, the garmin heart rate monitor for heart rate based training, etc. It's really, really cool.

I actually have the older version and yes, I did spend a lot of money for it. But I love it and triathlon is one of my hobbies and love in life. My watch was actually one of the most expensive things I bought for racing (but I don't live with my mother...).

Call me when it wipes yer butt

That might be cheaper. A "smart" bidet starts at $250.

But does it have GPS tracking?? !

Will it sync with my Garmin buttplug?

It sinks with Charmin only.

[Rowellen]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry. 

[I'm a red panda]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

Lots of people use these to keep from feeding racooons and stray cats.
So you might just need 1.

[geekette]

It could also be useful if you have one with a restricted diet.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

If you have one older animal or a creature like my Venomous Spaz Beast who nibbles delicately rather than devouring her food, only one device would be necessary to keep the other pets out.

[RidetheRain]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

I feel like a hungry animal will break this little machine. My cat would sit on top of it and my dog would flip it over.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

I feel like a hungry animal will break this little machine. My cat would sit on top of it and my dog would flip it over.

The Venomous Spaz Beast uses her paws (thumb and all) like a cat. She'd use her little claws to pull at the edge of the plastic until she forced her nose in, then make use of her Jar Jar Binks tongue to snuffle up the food inside.

[BTDretire]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

Lots of people use these to keep from feeding racoons and stray cats.
So you might just need 1.

I looked into a feeder that would open only for my cat.
I get tired of having 3 neighborhood cats coming aound to eat food I buy.
We also have raccoons and possum.
I feed my cat and when it stops eating I put the food back in a sealed container.
It took a while, but I don't see the other cats as often now.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

Lots of people use these to keep from feeding racooons and stray cats.
So you might just need 1.

Why not just get a pet door that only allows your cat in? Mine operates on the cat's microchip. You can actually program it to allow different access for different animals, for example if one cat is confined inside for some reason. OK, my pet door was NOT cheap but it solved a whole lot of more expensive problems with an aggressive cat invader.

[ysette9]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

[RidetheRain]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

I feel like duct taping your boots to your pants continuously isn't terribly Mustachian. Doesn't that waste money in duct tape and replacements for stuff that get worn out faster? I think the real problem with this post (that fits anti-mustachian) is that they think REI is the only place to get outdoor gear!

[zolotiyeruki]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

I feel like duct taping your boots to your pants continuously isn't terribly Mustachian. Doesn't that waste money in duct tape and replacements for stuff that get worn out faster? I think the real problem with this post (that fits anti-mustachian) is that they think REI is the only place to get outdoor gear!

For one, it's not raining every day, so it's not "continuous."  Secondly, perhaps they're going for high-quality stuff, or they have a preference for REI gear that'll last, so in the long run, it'll save them money?

Also, doctors biking to work.  That's pretty awesome.

[ysette9]

I love REI. Quality products that they stand behind. I’d much rather pay more for something there that lasts.

[Davnasty]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

I feel like duct taping your boots to your pants continuously isn't terribly Mustachian. Doesn't that waste money in duct tape and replacements for stuff that get worn out faster? I think the real problem with this post (that fits anti-mustachian) is that they think REI is the only place to get outdoor gear!

For one, it's not raining every day, so it's not "continuous."  Secondly, perhaps they're going for high-quality stuff, or they have a preference for REI gear that'll last, so in the long run, it'll save them money?

Also, doctors biking to work.  That's pretty awesome.

Lol, this is the same line of reasoning I went through after reading the first post.

That's a waste of duct tape and it could damage clothes. But you would only do it occasionaly, depends on rain frequency. And hey, he's biking in the rain so either way I think we can classify this as mustachian.

I can always count on MMM forum to analyze the efficacy of what to some would just be a comical anecdote.

[mm1970]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

I feel like duct taping your boots to your pants continuously isn't terribly Mustachian. Doesn't that waste money in duct tape and replacements for stuff that get worn out faster? I think the real problem with this post (that fits anti-mustachian) is that they think REI is the only place to get outdoor gear!

For one, it's not raining every day, so it's not "continuous."  Secondly, perhaps they're going for high-quality stuff, or they have a preference for REI gear that'll last, so in the long run, it'll save them money?

Also, doctors biking to work.  That's pretty awesome.

Ha ha yes.  My GP bikes to work a lot.  I remember when he started.  He's been my GP for 20 years now - we are both late 40s.  He might be 50. 

Probably about 10 years ago I went in for my checkup.  First appt of the day.  He apologized for his cold hands, because he'd started biking to work.  Can't tell you  how many times I had to make a second appt for other tests because he had a broken wrist.  (He also likes mountain biking.)

[FireHiker]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work. His comment was that his wife wouldn’t let him get proper rain gear because REI wasn’t having a sale right now. For the record, they are both doctors well-established in their careers. Love it!

Well, the annual 20% off coupon isn't valid until today, so I can see holding off a couple more days! I've gotten into running recently and I'm planning to try out trail running now with the hopes of doing a section of a big race with my brother in August as a "pacer" (surely I can keep up with him for 5 miles after he's already run 80...). I have held off looking at shoes though until at least today because of that 20% off coupon.

[Digital Dogma]

This belongs in an anti-anti mustachian thread, but we don’t have one specific to Facebook, so bear with me.

A friend posted today a photo of his ankles duct taped to prevent water from going into his boots as he bikes to work.

We use this same method in the chemical industry when suiting up to prevent hazardous chemicals like acid from breaching through protective clothing, cheap and effective!

I'm currently witnessing a torrent of wedding related spending so head-spinning that I've had to place someone on a 30-day break to stop seeing all their posts. The goal is apparently to spend more of their parent's money on a wedding than their sibling did when they got married. The implication was that since they weren't going to receive a cash gift from the parents (since their gift was payment of wedding expenses,) that the person is extracting the biggest "gift" that they can by selecting the most services and luxuries possible. Most of the updates till now have been about anticipating being treated like royalty. The way its being hyped up, I can only assume it will end in disappointment, because once the experience is over and the feeling fades away, their hedonic adaption will ensure that it was never enough to satisfy that itch to be catered to so diligently.

[RidetheRain]

I'm currently witnessing a torrent of wedding related spending so head-spinning that I've had to place someone on a 30-day break to stop seeing all their posts. The goal is apparently to spend more of their parent's money on a wedding than their sibling did when they got married. The implication was that since they weren't going to receive a cash gift from the parents (since their gift was payment of wedding expenses,) that the person is extracting the biggest "gift" that they can by selecting the most services and luxuries possible. Most of the updates till now have been about anticipating being treated like royalty. The way its being hyped up, I can only assume it will end in disappointment, because once the experience is over and the feeling fades away, their hedonic adaption will ensure that it was never enough to satisfy that itch to be catered to so diligently.

That is a really horrifying thing to do to their parents. My parents have more money than they know what to do with, but I still couldn't imagine trying to squeeze money out of them just to one-up a sibling. I don't know if I feel bad for the parents for having to deal with such a crappy child or if they deserve it because they didn't instill one reasonable value in their child for the 18+ years they had the job to make them not a shitty person.

[partgypsy]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

[shelivesthedream]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Um, I really disagree. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to ever do anything for me on Mother's Day. I don't need to be 'celebrated' on a Hallmark holiday if I'm appreciated all year round. To my mind, if you *need* to do something on Mother's Day to make up for the other 364 days, that's what makes you an ass.

[graceann]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Um, I really disagree. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to ever do anything for me on Mother's Day. I don't need to be 'celebrated' on a Hallmark holiday if I'm appreciated all year round. To my mind, if you *need* to do something on Mother's Day to make up for the other 364 days, that's what makes you an ass.

The point of most holidays is acknowledgement- what I get for Mother's Day is a day off. My husband takes the children away, and it is lovely. But it isn't extravagant or wasteful, it's just a nod to me saying thank you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[partgypsy]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Um, I really disagree. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to ever do anything for me on Mother's Day. I don't need to be 'celebrated' on a Hallmark holiday if I'm appreciated all year round. To my mind, if you *need* to do something on Mother's Day to make up for the other 364 days, that's what makes you an ass.

The point of most holidays is acknowledgement- what I get for Mother's Day is a day off. My husband takes the children away, and it is lovely. But it isn't extravagant or wasteful, it's just a nod to me saying thank you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Exactly. Doesn't need to be a gift, some kind of acknowledgment and letting you have some time off is great.6

[firelight]

I'm currently witnessing a torrent of wedding related spending so head-spinning that I've had to place someone on a 30-day break to stop seeing all their posts. The goal is apparently to spend more of their parent's money on a wedding than their sibling did when they got married. The implication was that since they weren't going to receive a cash gift from the parents (since their gift was payment of wedding expenses,) that the person is extracting the biggest "gift" that they can by selecting the most services and luxuries possible. Most of the updates till now have been about anticipating being treated like royalty. The way its being hyped up, I can only assume it will end in disappointment, because once the experience is over and the feeling fades away, their hedonic adaption will ensure that it was never enough to satisfy that itch to be catered to so diligently.

That is a really horrifying thing to do to their parents. My parents have more money than they know what to do with, but I still couldn't imagine trying to squeeze money out of them just to one-up a sibling. I don't know if I feel bad for the parents for having to deal with such a crappy child or if they deserve it because they didn't instill one reasonable value in their child for the 18+ years they had the job to make them not a shitty person.

Well let's say someone's sister is doing it now and that someone may be typing this right now. As long as parents are fine footing the bill and the said sister is fine with the crash that is going to follow, it's not my circus and not my monkeys.

[barbaz]

If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Huh? Who decided that? I make my children draw a picture, does that count?

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Huh? Who decided that? I make my children draw a picture, does that count?

I agree with you. It's a stupid event, in my opinion, and was always ignored in my house. As was Fathers Day.

[mm1970]

Like last year, I will be celebrating the day BEFORE mother's day with a half marathon.

Which means on mother's day, I'll mostly be lounging on the couch in pain.  So I guess I don't have to cook dinner!  Throw a couple of dark chocolate peanut butter cups at me and I'll be happy.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Celebrating Mother's Day as a single mom was a challenge. What would be fun for ME and not a bunch of work? So I bought a pizza and the kids and I ate it out of the box in the park, then they played and I read a book. Stepmom gave us some leftover Mother's Day cupcakes for dessert. It was delightful.

[partgypsy]

Celebrating Mother's Day as a single mom was a challenge. What would be fun for ME and not a bunch of work? So I bought a pizza and the kids and I ate it out of the box in the park, then they played and I read a book. Stepmom gave us some leftover Mother's Day cupcakes for dessert. It was delightful.

My kids were excellent for mother's day; both homemade cards and bringing me breakfast in bed. To tell the truth I don't care for breakfast in bed; when I'm up I'm up and don't want to lounge around plus don't like food in the bedroom. But they reaally wanted to do it so I obliged and it was touching.

[ysette9]

I remember doing breakfast in bed a couple of times for my parents as a kid and I loved it! I’m not so sure they did, but they were good sports about it.

[Cali]

I think all holidays involving marketing are a joke. Although I am a pretty big fan of kid drawings.

[mustachepungoeshere]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Um, I really disagree. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to ever do anything for me on Mother's Day. I don't need to be 'celebrated' on a Hallmark holiday if I'm appreciated all year round. To my mind, if you *need* to do something on Mother's Day to make up for the other 364 days, that's what makes you an ass.

The point of most holidays is acknowledgement- what I get for Mother's Day is a day off. My husband takes the children away, and it is lovely. But it isn't extravagant or wasteful, it's just a nod to me saying thank you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Exactly. Doesn't need to be a gift, some kind of acknowledgment and letting you have some time off is great.6

My mum's request for Mother's Day was always the same:

A book and time to read it.

[dragoncar]

I don’t even celebrate my wife’s birthday (hey it’s not like I gave birth to her) so why would I do anything for mother’s day?

[I'm a red panda]

I'm 7.5 months pregnant. Someone said to my husband on Sunday (Mother's Day), "Oh, next year you'll be shopping for a card and present too!" He very politely did not say, "Why? My wife doesn't need stupid crap that we pretend our one-year-old child has magically earned money for and picked out himself. What's the point?"

Someone asked my husband what he got me for Mother's Day this year.  He actually did reply "Nothing, she's not my mother."

I spent the day cleaning our mudroom. It gets so yucky over winter, I might make that a tradition.

@iowajes Tell your husband, random internet guy gives him fist bump. I've been saying that since 2006.

@shelivesthedream Looks like we Mustachians behave similarly for kids birthdays, continents apart.

That's funny, sounds like something my ex has said. Problem is he doesn't do anything for his own mother either. If you don't do something nice for the mother of your child on mother's day, then you are an ass. It's just the minimum bar.

Disagree.  As the mother of my child; I do not think my husband is an ass for not doing something for me on behalf of my child.  Maybe he'll help her do something for me when she is older.

The bar minimum is calling your own mother.

(Like @dragoncar we don't celebrate each other's birthday's either.  And to follow up, we did make my daughter a cake for her 1st birthday, but we did not get her a gift.)

[FIRE47]

https://m.news-mail.com.au/news/grandpa-claims-his-140k-lottery-win-ruined-his-lif/3346455/

This popped up on my Facebook feed today via a mustachian Facebook page.

Old dude on disability pension won 80,000 pounds. Blew it all in a matter of weeks on holidays, renovations and giving away the rest to family.

Welfare department saw his bank records and cancelled his pension.

He's now complaining saying what a nightmare it is.

I am struggling to have any sympathy at all.

Well you should have sympathy. This is no joke and people on these types of government assistance should not play the lottery for this very reason.

In most cases they have no choice but to quickly spend the money as they are not allowed to have any assets above a certain limit (often $5-10k depending on the program and country) and face differing levels of penalties and possibly criminal action if they do not report properly while in possession of such assets and if they continue to unknowingly collect assistance.

Their assistance is often suspended until they can prove that they spent all of the money and they have their assets audited. These people often do not have the presence of mind (they are on disability for a reason - often it is mental) to keep receipts or to fill in the required reports and so quickly become much worse off than before as they struggle to prove the money has been spent.

I knew one of these people and was assisting him to keep track of his spending and prepare reports - not even a vehicle is allowed to be kept as it will put them in violation of the asset threshold in many cases. Like many government programs these people quickly become tangled in red tape and run afoul of the rules taking months or years to have their benefits restored long after the windfall has been spent (a windfall an office bureaucrat has threatened them into spending).

How about you get off your high horse and think for a minute

MOD NOTE: Forum rule #1, please.

[solon]

https://m.news-mail.com.au/news/grandpa-claims-his-140k-lottery-win-ruined-his-lif/3346455/

This popped up on my Facebook feed today via a mustachian Facebook page.

Old dude on disability pension won 80,000 pounds. Blew it all in a matter of weeks on holidays, renovations and giving away the rest to family.

Welfare department saw his bank records and cancelled his pension.

He's now complaining saying what a nightmare it is.

I am struggling to have any sympathy at all.

Well you should have sympathy. This is no joke and people on these types of government assistance should not play the lottery for this very reason.

In most cases they have no choice but to quickly spend the money as they are not allowed to have any assets above a certain limit (often $5-10k depending on the program and country) and face differing levels of penalties and possibly criminal action if they do not report properly while in possession of such assets and if they continue to unknowingly collect assistance.

Their assistance is often suspended until they can prove that they spent all of the money and they have their assets audited. These people often do not have the presence of mind (they are on disability for a reason - often it is mental) to keep receipts or to fill in the required reports and so quickly become much worse off than before as they struggle to prove the money has been spent.

I knew one of these people and was assisting him to keep track of his spending and prepare reports - not even a vehicle is allowed to be kept as it will put them in violation of the asset threshold in many cases. Like many government programs these people quickly become tangled in red tape and run afoul of the rules taking months or years to have their benefits restored long after the windfall has been spent (a windfall an office bureaucrat has threatened them into spending).

How about you get off your high horse and think for a minute

Relax, take it eeaassyy!!

[solon]

Seen on facebook:



And people were actually commenting "BFF"!

[merula]

My brother commented BFF. I was texting with other family about why anyone would even post that. Is it just to get a list of gullible people for other purposes?

[RidetheRain]

Seen on facebook:



And people were actually commenting "BFF"!

It's troubling how little people know about the technology they use. For many people, Facebook is the most sophisticated thing they use on the internet and it's not surprising that they don't understand the features. After all, the news has been all over the information Facebook has mined from posts and likes. It's certainly within their capabilities to make this feature happen. How are technophobes to know the difference?

[BTDretire]

This came up on my fb today. I clicked through to see how much. $200 a pop.  Now considering the purpose is to keep pets out of other pets dishes, you'd have to buy at least 2. I don't have pets at the moment but when I did they learnt pretty fast to eat quick or they'd go hungry.

Lots of people use these to keep from feeding racooons and stray cats.
So you might just need 1.

Why not just get a pet door that only allows your cat in? Mine operates on the cat's microchip. You can actually program it to allow different access for different animals, for example if one cat is confined inside for some reason. OK, my pet door was NOT cheap but it solved a whole lot of more expensive problems with an aggressive cat invader.

The cat is treated with mustachian care. It lives outdoors, never comes in, I feed it twice a day.
We never wanted a cat, my son's friend's sister had a cat and moved to an apartment that didn't allow cats.
Somehow it ended up at my home.* That was about  8 years ago, she was about 3 years old when we got her. I'm told for an outdoor cat she has lived a long life.
 * I think there was some coordination with my son, but I never got those details. 

[ketchup]

That's just weird.  Reminds me of the "recharge your iPhone in a microwave" images that was floating around for a while (don't do that).

[solon]

That's just weird.  Reminds me of the "recharge your iPhone in a microwave" imagine that was floating around for a while (don't do that).

Wow, that's funny. I missed it until now!

[marty998]

https://m.news-mail.com.au/news/grandpa-claims-his-140k-lottery-win-ruined-his-lif/3346455/

This popped up on my Facebook feed today via a mustachian Facebook page.

Old dude on disability pension won 80,000 pounds. Blew it all in a matter of weeks on holidays, renovations and giving away the rest to family.

Welfare department saw his bank records and cancelled his pension.

He's now complaining saying what a nightmare it is.

I am struggling to have any sympathy at all.

In most cases they have no choice but to quickly spend the money as they are not allowed to have any assets above a certain limit (often $5-10k depending on the program and country) and face differing levels of penalties and possibly criminal action if they do not report properly while in possession of such assets and if they continue to unknowingly collect assistance.

I'm sorry what @FIRE47 ? No choice but to spend as quickly as possible so they can continue collecting benefits? Huh. How about he puts that money in the bank, reports it to the welfare office, and withdraws it SLOWLY in line with his actual expenses.

I wouldn't begrudge him spending a bit extra on a little fun. I'm not Mussolini.

Such a strategy could see that money last up to 4 years. He can then go back on benefits when the money runs out. I don't see why he needs welfare benefits and support immediately, if he suddenly has 80,000 sterling in the bank. It's not a life changing amount of money, but it will tide most people over for a year or more.

Also, how can anyone "unknowingly collect assistance"?

Their assistance is often suspended until they can prove that they spent all of the money and they have their assets audited. These people often do not have the presence of mind (they are on disability for a reason - often it is mental) to keep receipts or to fill in the required reports and so quickly become much worse off than before as they struggle to prove the money has been spent.

They had the presence of mind to fill out the form to collect welfare in the first place, they should have the presence of mind to do the same now. And as you yourself point out, you've been assisting someone who is unable to do it themselves. It is not hard for him to show a bank statement that has "holiday and cruises" written all over the debit lines.

I knew one of these people and was assisting him to keep track of his spending and prepare reports - not even a vehicle is allowed to be kept as it will put them in violation of the asset threshold in many cases. Like many government programs these people quickly become tangled in red tape and run afoul of the rules taking months or years to have their benefits restored long after the windfall has been spent (a windfall an office bureaucrat has threatened them into spending).

Threatened them into spending? I reckon it is simply the advice the welfare officer is trained to give. i.e. "we can't give you benefits if you have money in the bank". Perhaps that sounds like a threat, I don't know, I guess I'm speaking from privilege. But the fact remains, he has money in the bank. Welfare is meant for people who the government deems cannot support themselves. For the time being he can.

We can quibble about amounts, and thresholds (indeed I believe the amount paid for unemployment is punitively low in my country, whilst other benefits are probably too generous). But that is ultimately decided at the ballot box. Not here on this forum.

[shelivesthedream]

I'm the snuggliest wuggliest socialist ever, but I largely have to agree with marty998. Spending it is totally reasonable - either on something needed that will last (one might well be able to buy a flat on that in Scotland, or at least a reliable car - the renovations thing is bizarre because they are renting - unless they just mean furniture?) or on drawing it down over a few years at a higher rate of income than he's used to so he can have a little fun. Or, indeed, going on one holiday and then doing the rest. But implying that you *have* to spend the whole lot in some hedonistic orgy within a few weeks otherwise your benefits will be cancelled... Well, if you have 80k in the bank then you don't need the benefits, do you? You can always reapply when the money's gone later on. The fact is that they didn't tell DWP about the money and I cannot believe that neither of them knew that they should have done. So yes, they have fucked themselves over by depriving themselves of capital - and astonishingly quickly too!

However, I do have sympathy with the thought that generally if such people were sufficiently together to think it through like that, they probably wouldn't need to be on benefits in the first place. Still, it would really be worth the Job Centre providing some kind of financial counselling to people who suddenly come into an a-lot-to-them amount of money to stop them pissing it away immediately.

[FIRE47]

https://m.news-mail.com.au/news/grandpa-claims-his-140k-lottery-win-ruined-his-lif/3346455/

This popped up on my Facebook feed today via a mustachian Facebook page.

Old dude on disability pension won 80,000 pounds. Blew it all in a matter of weeks on holidays, renovations and giving away the rest to family.

Welfare department saw his bank records and cancelled his pension.

He's now complaining saying what a nightmare it is.

I am struggling to have any sympathy at all.

In most cases they have no choice but to quickly spend the money as they are not allowed to have any assets above a certain limit (often $5-10k depending on the program and country) and face differing levels of penalties and possibly criminal action if they do not report properly while in possession of such assets and if they continue to unknowingly collect assistance.

I'm sorry what @FIRE47 ? No choice but to spend as quickly as possible so they can continue collecting benefits? Huh. How about he puts that money in the bank, reports it to the welfare office, and withdraws it SLOWLY in line with his actual expenses.

I wouldn't begrudge him spending a bit extra on a little fun. I'm not Mussolini.

Such a strategy could see that money last up to 4 years. He can then go back on benefits when the money runs out. I don't see why he needs welfare benefits and support immediately, if he suddenly has 80,000 sterling in the bank. It's not a life changing amount of money, but it will tide most people over for a year or more.

Also, how can anyone "unknowingly collect assistance"?

Their assistance is often suspended until they can prove that they spent all of the money and they have their assets audited. These people often do not have the presence of mind (they are on disability for a reason - often it is mental) to keep receipts or to fill in the required reports and so quickly become much worse off than before as they struggle to prove the money has been spent.

They had the presence of mind to fill out the form to collect welfare in the first place, they should have the presence of mind to do the same now. And as you yourself point out, you've been assisting someone who is unable to do it themselves. It is not hard for him to show a bank statement that has "holiday and cruises" written all over the debit lines.

I knew one of these people and was assisting him to keep track of his spending and prepare reports - not even a vehicle is allowed to be kept as it will put them in violation of the asset threshold in many cases. Like many government programs these people quickly become tangled in red tape and run afoul of the rules taking months or years to have their benefits restored long after the windfall has been spent (a windfall an office bureaucrat has threatened them into spending).

Threatened them into spending? I reckon it is simply the advice the welfare officer is trained to give. i.e. "we can't give you benefits if you have money in the bank". Perhaps that sounds like a threat, I don't know, I guess I'm speaking from privilege. But the fact remains, he has money in the bank. Welfare is meant for people who the government deems cannot support themselves. For the time being he can.

We can quibble about amounts, and thresholds (indeed I believe the amount paid for unemployment is punitively low in my country, whilst other benefits are probably too generous). But that is ultimately decided at the ballot box. Not here on this forum.

Collect while they are unknowingly no longer eligible to collect.

Do they have the presence of mind to fill in the forms and keep proper paperwork? In many cases they do not. Simply withdrawing money from your account and showing a bank statement is not enough.

I agree if it was a life changing amount they should plan carefully and have a better life than they otherwise would have - as it is a small amount may as well be spent as all it is doing is replacing income they would be getting anyways.

All of what you are saying makes sense in the context of you or I - however these people are not you or I - they are often mentally challenged or severely impaired - they do not have the ability to manage a lump sum into regular monthly cash-flow when the most they have ever had is $100 to their name.

The lottery ruins many people of normal abilities - what do you think it does to someone with an IQ of 70?

The way you describe the process dealing with the government sounds simple - but believe me when you are at the mercy of an unaccountable bureaucrat it is not.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

That's the weird thing about lotteries, though. Everyone who plays has a plan about what they would do if they won big, and a plan to continue business as usual if they don't win at all. But nobody has a plan of what to do when they win relatively little. Even a windfall of a few thousand dollars can put a real kink in the finances of a person on social assistance and cause more havoc than it's worth if it costs them their benefits.