Overheard on Facebook

[theninthwall]

Saw this today:

"I know it’s not Christmas but I wanted to offer our new Hoilday payment plan to future residential or commercial clients. I understand many people want Christmas lights but it’s hard to work that in the budget durning the holidays. If you would like to know more about our holiday payment plan please feel free to send me a massage. We do have a business Facebook page to see more photos."

If you need to finance Christmas lights...well, you guys know the rest.

[Dave1442397]

Saw this today:

"I know it’s not Christmas but I wanted to offer our new Hoilday payment plan to future residential or commercial clients. I understand many people want Christmas lights but it’s hard to work that in the budget durning the holidays. If you would like to know more about our holiday payment plan please feel free to send me a massage. We do have a business Facebook page to see more photos."

If you need to finance Christmas lights...well, you guys know the rest.

Do you have to send a massage with a happy ending?

[ixtap]

Saw this today:

"I know it’s not Christmas but I wanted to offer our new Hoilday payment plan to future residential or commercial clients. I understand many people want Christmas lights but it’s hard to work that in the budget durning the holidays. If you would like to know more about our holiday payment plan please feel free to send me a massage. We do have a business Facebook page to see more photos."

If you need to finance Christmas lights...well, you guys know the rest.

At least this isn't financing, it is just letting someone else hold your sinking fund. When the banks used to offer this, they at least paid the going rates for savings.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Saw this today:

"I know it’s not Christmas but I wanted to offer our new Hoilday payment plan to future residential or commercial clients. I understand many people want Christmas lights but it’s hard to work that in the budget durning the holidays. If you would like to know more about our holiday payment plan please feel free to send me a massage. We do have a business Facebook page to see more photos."

If you need to finance Christmas lights...well, you guys know the rest.

Do you have to send a massage with a happy ending?

There's no happy ending possible in this story. It's like that musical "Chess" but without the genius. Just pure self-destructive drama...

[lemanfan]

They aren’t actually a coworker, former classmate

WHAT?  But this is the OVERHEARD AT WORK thread.  What kind of idiot.... oh.... oh wait.  Nevermind.

In theory people should rotate out of eligibility to post in the Overheard at Work thread after a few years anyway, right? Unless SWAMIs, I guess.

Might be a dumb question, but what is SWAMI? Google didn't help me much it says "State of Washington as a Musical Instrument" lol

"Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual"

Read more here:  https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/30/weekend-edition-retire-in-your-mind-even-if-you-love-your-job/

[Fomerly known as something]

I’m in several Facebook travel groups.  Why do people travel to a foreign country, (I see Paris and the flying dress place a lot) and hire a photographer for a photo shoot.  Not only is it an expense, but you are taking time from seeing said place to have a photo shoot for your IG I guess.

[Kris]

I’m in several Facebook travel groups.  Why do people travel to a foreign country, (I see Paris and the flying dress place a lot) and hire a photographer for a photo shoot.  Not only is it an expense, but you are taking time from seeing said place to have a photo shoot for your IG I guess.

I see this frequently too, and share your dismay.

[GuitarStv]

I’m in several Facebook travel groups.  Why do people travel to a foreign country, (I see Paris and the flying dress place a lot) and hire a photographer for a photo shoot.  Not only is it an expense, but you are taking time from seeing said place to have a photo shoot for your IG I guess.

I see this frequently too, and share your dismay.

Obviously neither of you understand travel at all.

The purpose of travel is to generate pictures.  Without pictures, people don't know how much happier you are than them.  Without pictures, people won't be envious or jealous.  You won't up your cred on the socials.  You won't project the confident image of someone who definitely doesn't cry silently into their pillow every night to hide the vast sucking empty void that was your soul back when you could still feel things and it wasn't all dead, dead, dead and bland and empty pablum - a copy of a copy of a copy of what used to be a happy person.

What possible reason could people have to travel without documenting it?

[dandarc]

I’m in several Facebook travel groups.  Why do people travel to a foreign country, (I see Paris and the flying dress place a lot) and hire a photographer for a photo shoot.  Not only is it an expense, but you are taking time from seeing said place to have a photo shoot for your IG I guess.

I see this frequently too, and share your dismay.

Obviously neither of you understand travel at all.

The purpose of travel is to generate pictures.  Without pictures, people don't know how much happier you are than them.  Without pictures, people won't be envious or jealous.  You won't up your cred on the socials.  You won't project the confident image of someone who definitely doesn't cry silently into their pillow every night to hide the vast sucking empty void that was your soul back when you could still feel things and it wasn't all dead, dead, dead and bland and empty pablum - a copy of a copy of a copy of what used to be a happy person.

What possible reason could people have to travel without documenting it?

This comes to mind: "I was supposed to be in Haiti being photographed helping people, but instead I delayed my trip by a day to come here and tell you off." - Tahani Al Jamil (character on the Good Place)

[JAYSLOL]

Another new Starbucks cup has been acquired

[ixtap]

Another new Starbucks cup has been acquired

I can't even get DH to go to his company SWAG office to pick up enough cups to have a whole set.

[JAYSLOL]

Another new Starbucks cup has been acquired

Make that two this week now

[LaineyAZ]

Another new Starbucks cup has been acquired

Make that two this week now

A young woman in our local Neighborhood Forum is now trying to sell her Starbucks cups for $10 to $25 each.  I wouldn't have even known these were "collectibles" except for your post.  But so far as I can tell she hasn't gotten any buyers yet. 
I guess we all make financial mistakes but it's painful to watch this.

[Dicey]

Another new Starbucks cup has been acquired

Make that two this week now

A young woman in our local Neighborhood Forum is now trying to sell her Starbucks cups for $10 to $25 each.  I wouldn't have even known these were "collectibles" except for your post.  But so far as I can tell she hasn't gotten any buyers yet. 
I guess we all make financial mistakes but it's painful to watch this.

Look away...

[eyesonthehorizon]

A young woman in our local Neighborhood Forum is now trying to sell her Starbucks cups for $10 to $25 each.  I wouldn't have even known these were "collectibles" except for your post.  But so far as I can tell she hasn't gotten any buyers yet. 
I guess we all make financial mistakes but it's painful to watch this.

For the metal vacuum hot cups which flip to seal shut $10 is a decent discount, & they hold up well to decades of heavy use, including drops on concrete in my case. I might bite in that situation, as they're actually very well-made. But I couldn't care less for the plastic ones.

[JAYSLOL]

A young woman in our local Neighborhood Forum is now trying to sell her Starbucks cups for $10 to $25 each.  I wouldn't have even known these were "collectibles" except for your post.  But so far as I can tell she hasn't gotten any buyers yet. 
I guess we all make financial mistakes but it's painful to watch this.

For the metal vacuum hot cups which flip to seal shut $10 is a decent discount, & they hold up well to decades of heavy use, including drops on concrete in my case. I might bite in that situation, as they're actually very well-made. But I couldn't care less for the plastic ones.

Yeah these have all been the plastic ones.  Some of them look cool, but I don’t get why anyone would spend more than $10 on one.  Or need more than one or two

[ixtap]

And here all this time I thought we were talking about ceramic mugs...

[JAYSLOL]

And here all this time I thought we were talking about ceramic mugs...

Nope, large plastic cups that look like this

[Extramedium]

While I think collecting those Starbucks tippy cups is absolutely silly and wasteful, it's not nearly as much money as I have spent on bicycles and rock climbing gear.   I admit there are many who think those are wasted dollars, down the drain, too.  I guess if they really love them (stifling a combination of giggles and gags), then who am I to say?

[SwordGuy]

While I think collecting those Starbucks tippy cups is absolutely silly and wasteful, it's not nearly as much money as I have spent on bicycles and rock climbing gear.   I admit there are many who think those are wasted dollars, down the drain, too.  I guess if they really love them (stifling a combination of giggles and gags), then who am I to say?

If I remember correctly, the family in question has already admitted they have financial problems...

That's the difference.

[JAYSLOL]

While I think collecting those Starbucks tippy cups is absolutely silly and wasteful, it's not nearly as much money as I have spent on bicycles and rock climbing gear.   I admit there are many who think those are wasted dollars, down the drain, too.  I guess if they really love them (stifling a combination of giggles and gags), then who am I to say?

If I remember correctly, the family in question has already admitted they have financial problems...

That's the difference.

Yeah, I have collections of stuff that would easily dwarf whatever physical size and financial cost they have in the Starbucks cups, hell I impulse bought a truck I didn’t even need last month. But everything I do is cash and a tiny percentage of my NW.  They constantly post about never getting out of debt, needing to win the lottery, how tired they are from the double shifts they have to work this month, and how much negative equity they keep rolling into gigantic new dodge suvs ever year or two, all the issues they keep having with their “loan place” (which turned out to be payday loans).  And it just goes on and on, all posted for the world to see on Facebook for some reason. 

[mm1970]

And here all this time I thought we were talking about ceramic mugs...

Nope, large plastic cups that look like this

I only come here for your updates

[JAYSLOL]

And here all this time I thought we were talking about ceramic mugs...

Nope, large plastic cups that look like this

I only come here for your updates

I don’t want them to keep up the stupid spending and money horror stories… but at the same time I kind of do want them to lol.

[Sibley]

The local FB page is highly amusing right now. Property tax bills came out, and they're up. Way up in a lot of cases. There are three causes. First, there was a school referendum passed this past year, which added to the tax bill. This is generally no more than $300. The second reason is the massive increases in property values the last few years.

The third reason is that there was a full reassessment done, which hadn't been done for at least 5 years previously. My town moved from one township to another, and the new township didn't trust what the previous township had done (for good reason). So they did a full assessment. This has resulted in every property being brought up to currentish value, plus the new township is actually semi-competent (less corrupt) and they apparently found a whole bunch of improvements and additions which had been "missed" before.

So now there's a ton of posts and comments of people complaining that their taxes went up. Lots of people blaming the town (said increase was about $15 of the $600 for me), the schools (attributing all of the increase to the referendum and forgetting about the value increase), etc. There appears to be no comprehension of the cause and effect here.

Anyway, I will be watching out for the mortgage increase, because there will be an escrow shortfall.

[ATtiny85]

Our assessments went out this week as well. Large increase coming on an already fairly high tax rate area. Who knows, maybe we will actually see some of the increase in a few years when we sell. Probably not since it has never worked put before for us.

[Sugaree]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased. 

[kanga1622]

And here all this time I thought we were talking about ceramic mugs...

Nope, large plastic cups that look like this

My husband bought this exact cup at Walmart for about $6. He likes the texture on the cup (sensory input) and he drinks more water because he likes a straw. Decent $6 investment but why would someone need a whole set of them?

[ATtiny85]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased.

Well, in her defense, she could be very correct. The tax man assessment versus a buyer’s assessment need not move in the same direction.

[Sugaree]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased.

Well, in her defense, she could be very correct. The tax man assessment versus a buyer’s assessment need not move in the same direction.

Maybe not.  But to complain about stumps when people still had trees laying on their roofs was uncalled for.  For the record, that is something that insurance doesn't cover and the price I got for having it done was $200/stump.  I lost 23 trees, so unless she was willing to cough up the cash to grind those stumps then she can just learn to look at them.

[Tigerpine]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased.

Well, in her defense, she could be very correct. The tax man assessment versus a buyer’s assessment need not move in the same direction.

Maybe not.  But to complain about stumps when people still had trees laying on their roofs was uncalled for.  For the record, that is something that insurance doesn't cover and the price I got for having it done was $200/stump.  I lost 23 trees, so unless she was willing to cough up the cash to grind those stumps then she can just learn to look at them.

Just be careful that so many stumps don't attract termites.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased.

Well, in her defense, she could be very correct. The tax man assessment versus a buyer’s assessment need not move in the same direction.

Maybe not.  But to complain about stumps when people still had trees laying on their roofs was uncalled for.  For the record, that is something that insurance doesn't cover and the price I got for having it done was $200/stump.  I lost 23 trees, so unless she was willing to cough up the cash to grind those stumps then she can just learn to look at them.

Depending on the kind of tree, this stump destroying hack may be effective.

Drill vertical holes down into the offending stump. Dump in Epsom salts to accelerate rot. Something high-nitrogen, like chicken dung or fertilizer, can attract wood destroying fungus if you're in a damper climate. Since I'm not, I found it amusing to pack the holes with something flammable and set the offending stump on fire.

[turketron]

If any of our trees need to be cut down, my plan is to slowly get rid of the stump over time by inoculating it with gourmet mushroom plugs that I can then harvest. Yum!

[ringer707]

Seeing that around here too.  It's kind of schadenfreude to watch the woman who complained that her neighbors were bringing down her property value because they weren't grinding their "ugly" stumps after a tornado came through the neighborhood is now loudly complaining about how much her house value has increased.

Well, in her defense, she could be very correct. The tax man assessment versus a buyer’s assessment need not move in the same direction.

Maybe not.  But to complain about stumps when people still had trees laying on their roofs was uncalled for.  For the record, that is something that insurance doesn't cover and the price I got for having it done was $200/stump.  I lost 23 trees, so unless she was willing to cough up the cash to grind those stumps then she can just learn to look at them.

Whoa, I'm getting 9 stumps ground up this week for $500. I didn't realize the prices for it could be that high, but to be honest I haven't shopped it around much. But I agree with your original point. I've been staring at these stumps for about 8 years and am just now annoyed enough at having to take the lawnmower around them to get them taken out.

[JAYSLOL]

As a professional landscaper I use a stump grinder fairly often on sites that need a bunch taken out or sites that I just took some trees out of, but don’t actually own a stump grinder.  I just rent a really good one (the largest tracked one) when I need it.  The small ones that aren’t on tracks are slow and tiring and frustrating to use, but the bigger tracked ones are worth the extra cost.  Usually costs ~$200 ,or more if you need it delivered and picked up, to rent it for a full day, but it’s actually incredibly easy to use, and I can blast through dozens of stumps if I need to. 

[Freedomin5]

My housing compound has a group chat where management posts notices and announcements. If residents have a maintenance concern, they should call the management office to arrange for maintenance person to visit. Rather than call and submit a maintenance request, some residents have resorted to airing their complaint via the management announcement group.

This one was submitted last night at 10:30 pm.

“My lightbulb has gone out. Please send someone to come and change my lightbulb.”

[Sibley]

My housing compound has a group chat where management posts notices and announcements. If residents have a maintenance concern, they should call the management office to arrange for maintenance person to visit. Rather than call and submit a maintenance request, some residents have resorted to airing their complaint via the management announcement group.

This one was submitted last night at 10:30 pm.

“My lightbulb has gone out. Please send someone to come and change my lightbulb.”

There are situations where this is a reasonable request. However, these are a minority.

[RetiredAt63]

My housing compound has a group chat where management posts notices and announcements. If residents have a maintenance concern, they should call the management office to arrange for maintenance person to visit. Rather than call and submit a maintenance request, some residents have resorted to airing their complaint via the management announcement group.

This one was submitted last night at 10:30 pm.

“My lightbulb has gone out. Please send someone to come and change my lightbulb.”

There are situations where this is a reasonable request. However, these are a minority.

I did that to my landlords here.  High ceiling and no ladder, plus other things needed to be fixed too.  My last apartment we were told to call them, they had special fixtures and the light bulbs that went with them.

I did change the bulbs in a fixture that I could reach, I'm not totally helpless.  ;-)   But if I had mobility issues (more than just bad knees) I would have needed someone else to change them too.  The fixture was not designed to make replacing bulbs easy.

[GuitarStv]

My housing compound has a group chat where management posts notices and announcements. If residents have a maintenance concern, they should call the management office to arrange for maintenance person to visit. Rather than call and submit a maintenance request, some residents have resorted to airing their complaint via the management announcement group.

This one was submitted last night at 10:30 pm.

“My lightbulb has gone out. Please send someone to come and change my lightbulb.”

There are situations where this is a reasonable request. However, these are a minority.

I did that to my landlords here.  High ceiling and no ladder, plus other things needed to be fixed too.  My last apartment we were told to call them, they had special fixtures and the light bulbs that went with them.

I did change the bulbs in a fixture that I could reach, I'm not totally helpless.  ;-)   But if I had mobility issues (more than just bad knees) I would have needed someone else to change them too.  The fixture was not designed to make replacing bulbs easy.

Valid concern.  We have a light fixture in our house that is 18 ft up, directly over a flight of stairs.  No easy way to get a ladder under it to change the fixture.  Since we bought the house we've basically had a rule to never turn on this light so we'll never have to change the bulb.  :P

[zolotiyeruki]

My housing compound has a group chat where management posts notices and announcements. If residents have a maintenance concern, they should call the management office to arrange for maintenance person to visit. Rather than call and submit a maintenance request, some residents have resorted to airing their complaint via the management announcement group.

This one was submitted last night at 10:30 pm.

“My lightbulb has gone out. Please send someone to come and change my lightbulb.”

There are situations where this is a reasonable request. However, these are a minority.

I did that to my landlords here.  High ceiling and no ladder, plus other things needed to be fixed too.  My last apartment we were told to call them, they had special fixtures and the light bulbs that went with them.

I did change the bulbs in a fixture that I could reach, I'm not totally helpless.  ;-)   But if I had mobility issues (more than just bad knees) I would have needed someone else to change them too.  The fixture was not designed to make replacing bulbs easy.

Valid concern.  We have a light fixture in our house that is 18 ft up, directly over a flight of stairs.  No easy way to get a ladder under it to change the fixture.  Since we bought the house we've basically had a rule to never turn on this light so we'll never have to change the bulb.  :P

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.

[RetiredAt63]

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.
[/quote]

The bulb I had changed was an LED bulb.  They do go. It is my main kitchen light, I only wish it were brighter, not dimmer.  My only solution for it was to replace it with a name-brand LED in hopes of good quality control.

[zolotiyeruki]

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.

The bulb I had changed was an LED bulb.  They do go. It is my main kitchen light, I only wish it were brighter, not dimmer.  My only solution for it was to replace it with a name-brand LED in hopes of good quality control.

That's why I modify them.  I modded a 40W bulb into a ~20W bulb for our kids' bathroom, which is constantly left on, and it's been in there for close to a decade.

[RetiredAt63]

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.

The bulb I had changed was an LED bulb.  They do go. It is my main kitchen light, I only wish it were brighter, not dimmer.  My only solution for it was to replace it with a name-brand LED in hopes of good quality control.

That's why I modify them.  I modded a 40W bulb into a ~20W bulb for our kids' bathroom, which is constantly left on, and it's been in there for close to a decade.

I would want to modify my 100W bulb to a 150W bulb.  Because I  think seeing what I am doing with a sharp knife is a good thing.

[Dollar Slice]

I would want to modify my 100W bulb to a 150W bulb.  Because I  think seeing what I am doing with a sharp knife is a good thing.

I am not saying this to be rude or flippant, but have you had your eyes checked recently? 150W bulbs are really bright for interior lighting. My parents both have cataracts and they don't use lights that bright.

[Dave1442397]

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.

The bulb I had changed was an LED bulb.  They do go. It is my main kitchen light, I only wish it were brighter, not dimmer.  My only solution for it was to replace it with a name-brand LED in hopes of good quality control.

That's why I modify them.  I modded a 40W bulb into a ~20W bulb for our kids' bathroom, which is constantly left on, and it's been in there for close to a decade.

I started replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs in 2009. The first five were in a bathroom light fixture, and they are still working fourteen years later. The only LEDs that have failed on me were in an outdoor fixture, subject to extreme temperatures. We replaced that light three years ago, and have had no LED failures since.

[JAYSLOL]

My solution to this problem is to get LED bulbs and modify them so they use less power (and produce less light).  Most people don't realize that LED bulbs, if downrated, can last basically forever.  Surprisingly, it seems many bulbs are designed for just such a modification.

The bulb I had changed was an LED bulb.  They do go. It is my main kitchen light, I only wish it were brighter, not dimmer.  My only solution for it was to replace it with a name-brand LED in hopes of good quality control.

That's why I modify them.  I modded a 40W bulb into a ~20W bulb for our kids' bathroom, which is constantly left on, and it's been in there for close to a decade.

I started replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs in 2009. The first five were in a bathroom light fixture, and they are still working fourteen years later. The only LEDs that have failed on me were in an outdoor fixture, subject to extreme temperatures. We replaced that light three years ago, and have had no LED failures since.

I’ve actually had really terrible luck with LED bulbs.  I’ve probably had 20 of the normal style bulbs in various lamps and ceiling light fixtures from multiple brands burn out over the last 5 years, as well as all 4 of the expensive special bulbs I put in a bathroom vanity light, several track lights in a kitchen and several of the long tube lights as well.  Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but while I like the light from LEDs I’m not very happy with having to replace them seemingly every few years

[AMandM]

I would want to modify my 100W bulb to a 150W bulb.  Because I  think seeing what I am doing with a sharp knife is a good thing.

Is this an overhead light fixture, whose light is blocked by your body when you're standing at the counter working with a sharp knife? Maybe what you need is not a brighter bulb, but some task lighting like a table lamp on the counter or under-cabinet lights. I stuck one of those strips of tiny LEDs under my kitchen cabinet and it has made a world of difference to my workspace. (The kids said, "Mama! You have Tiktok lights!" and want to make then flash, change colours, etc. Haha NO.)

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I would want to modify my 100W bulb to a 150W bulb.  Because I  think seeing what I am doing with a sharp knife is a good thing.

Is this an overhead light fixture, whose light is blocked by your body when you're standing at the counter working with a sharp knife? Maybe what you need is not a brighter bulb, but some task lighting like a table lamp on the counter or under-cabinet lights. I stuck one of those strips of tiny LEDs under my kitchen cabinet and it has made a world of difference to my workspace. (The kids said, "Mama! You have Tiktok lights!" and want to make then flash, change colours, etc. Haha NO.)

My (non-Mustachian) parents just renovated their kitchen. Among the addition were several pot lights. The designer pointed out that the minimal set of lights my parents had wouldn't be satisfactory if they had cabinet doors open, because the doors, the cabinets, or a person's body would block the light. The solution wasn't a stronger light-- the beams couldn't be expected to pass through an obstruction-- but more sources of light from a variety of directions. Tiktok lights would probably have done the job more cheaply.

[JAYSLOL]

I’ve been noticing what I consider a disturbing trend on my Facebook feed lately.  I don’t really spend much time on Facebook, 98% of my usage is to buy and sell through marketplace, but I occasionally just scroll through stuff for a min to see what’s up.  For the last few weeks I’ve been noticing a very high percentage of the ads that appear in my feed are what appear on the surface to be feel-good local news stories posted about people winning the lottery.  Some are $100k, some are $5m, some in the $10k+ or so range.  It’s not just from one news source either, so I’m beginning to suspect the lottery corporation around here is paying insane dollars to push out stories of people winning to up sales.  It’s not clearly identified as an ad, it just looks like news, so I really think they found a sneaky way to scam a lot of desperate people into spending (even more) money that they probably can’t afford into lotto tickets because of all this stuff they are pushing online. 

[geekette]

I’m mostly on FB for the Buy Nothing group. Other than those posts, much of my feed is “suggested for you” posts. I get mostly recipes and cute animal videos interspersed with sponsored ads are often “news”, although I haven’t seen any lottery stuff.  If you click on one thing, they really push anything similar (hence all the dang recipes for me).

It’s gotten so bad that I don’t think many of my actual friends are posting much anymore.

[Dicey]

I’ve been noticing what I consider a disturbing trend on my Facebook feed lately.  I don’t really spend much time on Facebook, 98% of my usage is to buy and sell through marketplace, but I occasionally just scroll through stuff for a min to see what’s up.  For the last few weeks I’ve been noticing a very high percentage of the ads that appear in my feed are what appear on the surface to be feel-good local news stories posted about people winning the lottery.  Some are $100k, some are $5m, some in the $10k+ or so range.  It’s not just from one news source either, so I’m beginning to suspect the lottery corporation around here is paying insane dollars to push out stories of people winning to up sales.  It’s not clearly identified as an ad, it just looks like news, so I really think they found a sneaky way to scam a lot of desperate people into spending (even more) money that they probably can’t afford into lotto tickets because of all this stuff they are pushing online.

I don't do FB, but I'm on the internet a lot. I've had three stories in the past week about people who have won big lotteries, lost it all and ruined their lives.

Oh, and that David Bromstad show on HGTV called "My Lottery Dream Home" sure seems like nothing but an extended lottery ad.