Overheard on Facebook

[Pooperman]

"Been shopping since 11am. I'm done! Chill time." (posted around 10:30pm)

Picture says "Girl heaven. That was fun", plus some other picture of turning stacks of Benjamins into clothing.


Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

[zolotiyeruki]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

[RWD]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

Same here. I just showed this post to my wife and she said, "Yep. I hate it, I hate it."

[mm1970]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

Same here. I just showed this post to my wife and she said, "Yep. I hate it, I hate it."

I also hate it, which is why this year was a little difficult, as we opted for:
Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
Something to read

For my husband, I looked at the tags of his ratty sweatpants and an older shirt and ordered replacements online.

For me, I told him not to bother.  Instead, he bought me a pair of fuzzy Cookie Monster PJs.  I kid you not. (They are so comfy!!  And warm!!)  I never would have bought these for myself, because I sleep in shorts/ tshirts/ sweats.  And because I'm 45.  But I love them!

[jorjor]

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

[nnls]

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

I actually just saw this same thing, someone was asking for a quick and easy way to save $2000 for a holiday. it was about $60 a week before her holiday but she declared that too hard. So I am not too sure if she will be successful. Someone suggested just getting a credit card so I hope she doesn't do that

[justajane]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

I can't fathom 12 hours, but once I went shopping with my step mother in law, and she spent about two hours in Macy's. I thought I was going to die. She wanted my opinion on each article of clothing she tried on, and she would just stare at the racks of clothing FOREVER. It was sooooo painful.

[SwordGuy]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

I can't fathom 12 hours, but once I went shopping with my step mother in law, and she spent about two hours in Macy's. I thought I was going to die. She wanted my opinion on each article of clothing she tried on, and she would just stare at the racks of clothing FOREVER. It was sooooo painful.

Dear God, but I know your pain!

When I was in junior high my mother would take me clothes shopping.  We would look at EVERY garment in kids section in EVERY size.  We didn't even know people with kids in many of the sizes.
It took forever and a day to do this.  I told my mother I would wear whatever she bought for me with absolutely zero complaints if I only did not have go along.  And I scrupulously kept my part of the bargain.  I wore polyester.  I wore leisure suits.   I didn't own a pair of jeans until grad school when my girlfriend (now my wife of 33 years!) bought me a pair for Christmas.  (My mom thought jeans were farmer's clothes.)

[TheGrimSqueaker]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

[HairyUpperLip]

I wore polyester.  I wore leisure suits.   I didn't own a pair of jeans until grad school when my girlfriend (now my wife of 33 years!) bought me a pair for Christmas.  (My mom thought jeans were farmer's clothes.)

hahahaha - that made me chuckle. funny stuff.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

The only person I enjoy shopping with is my husband. And only if we're shopping for ME--that man takes forever to choose a sweater vest. But he's awesome at picking out clothes for me and he's a dude, so he's super-efficient!

[Papa Mustache]

Holy shit. ~12 hours of shopping? How is that even a thing?

Posts like these are great for helping me be grateful for my wife, who absolutely loathes shopping, especially for clothes.

I can't fathom 12 hours, but once I went shopping with my step mother in law, and she spent about two hours in Macy's. I thought I was going to die. She wanted my opinion on each article of clothing she tried on, and she would just stare at the racks of clothing FOREVER. It was sooooo painful.

OHHH - you just helped me remember a "repressed memory" of being a kid and shopping with the women in my family (mother and grandmothers) for school clothes decades ago. It seemed like hours of hunting for the right clothes, the trying on of said clothes, and then returning home to try them on again so my grandmother could mark them and hem the legs. A whole day wasted to my kid brain. The longer it went on the more I wanted to flee out the door but there was nowhere to hide at my grandparents' house.

Thank some deity I wasn't born a girl. We might still be at the mall... ;)

Might be why I avoid those places to this day. I could easily become one of those cartoon characters with a dozen identical outfits and be happy.

[trailrated]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

[MgoSam]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

Expect, I don't really trust big masses of people around alcohol. The crazies among them tend to prosper and chaos ensues. Case in point....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-s-mall-st-matthews-shuts-down-after-brawls-involving-n486341

[trailrated]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

Expect, I don't really trust big masses of people around alcohol. The crazies among them tend to prosper and chaos ensues. Case in point....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-s-mall-st-matthews-shuts-down-after-brawls-involving-n486341

Plenty of people pay to see fights, I would be down for some free entertainment ;)

[MgoSam]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

Expect, I don't really trust big masses of people around alcohol. The crazies among them tend to prosper and chaos ensues. Case in point....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-s-mall-st-matthews-shuts-down-after-brawls-involving-n486341

Plenty of people pay to see fights, I would be down for some free entertainment ;)

For some reason, I feel like sharing quotes today. So here's one.

"I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out." - Rodney Dangerfield

[dude]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

Expect, I don't really trust big masses of people around alcohol. The crazies among them tend to prosper and chaos ensues. Case in point....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-s-mall-st-matthews-shuts-down-after-brawls-involving-n486341

Plenty of people pay to see fights, I would be down for some free entertainment ;)

LOL!!!  Me too!

[MgoSam]

Someone I know posted an image to a friend's page showing a couple lounging on a beach with the caption, "This could be us,

BUT WE HAVE, CAR INSURANCE, KIDS, GROCERIES, BILL"

And the person responded with, "_____ has school also."

I honestly can't imagine what they are trying to say, I'm fairly sure that that couple has their own bills and things going in their life. I almost want to post that, but not really wanting to get into it with anyone on FB anymore.

[MgoSam]

Another person I know posted something bashing welfare recipients, I had to really bite my tongue because he commented to me that his family was on government assistance for much of his youth. Of course, this is a guy that's in his 30s and hasn't invested anything. When I tried offering some advice on opening an account with a company like Vanguard, he quizzed about minimums to open an account and then when I told him it was $1000, he scoffed, "that's not going to earn me enough, I'm just going to wait until I find a financial analyst that's willing to invest a $1000 for me." I honestly didn't know how to respond, so I just went back to playing with my friend's dog, who's an absolute sweetheart.

[E16sean]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

The mall near me in  London has a pub, four bars and a number of other places to drink. It makes the whole experience more enjoyable tolerable.

[MgoSam]

"Somtimes cars explode. But when they live 6 months longer than expected...and you're about to leave the country anyways, that's not bad timing..God's faithful!"

This is the same person that called everyone she knows multiple times to get money so that she can travel the world, but it was for a 'cause,' and then after getting it all, kept saying that it was only through God's will that she got the money.

[Papa Mustache]

Maybe more Americans need to travel to third world countries and witness "survival" (life).

I'm sure a few would come back with all the wrong explanations of why those people have such a tough life. Then those Americans would head over to the mall to catch up on some shopping for themselves. -eye rolling-

We (most of us) have it SO GOOD in this country. So many of us don't even know how good we have it. Tough to listen to someone complain about how tough their lives are b/c something broke at their house or they spent too much money on this or that.

[bzzzt]

We (most of us) have it SO GOOD in this country. So many of us don't even know how good we have it. Tough to listen to someone complain about how tough their lives are b/c something broke at their house or they spent too much money on this or that.

Pretty much. I have central heat, indoor plumbing, and hot water. Those were all luxuries for most of America 100 years ago. I know way too many people who would "absolutely die" if you had them go use an outhouse...

[Tabitha]

A Facebook friend made a semi-serious enquiry about crowdfunding for new tires. That it's so hard when the need drops up during Christmas.

FFS, tire wear is predictable. Not to mention a normal maintenance item.  I wonder if she'd like to crowd-fund oil changes next?

Ugh

[Cookie78]

Comments on an article about new laws and policies Jan 1, 2016, including TFSA changes....

So to get an economy going you need your citizens to spend money. When everyone is putting their money on a TFSA then the government doesn't get to collect taxes on any of that and our economy suffers for it because the money isn't going to businesses and so on and so on. The government needs to find the money somewhere and this is a rather minor adjustment. They could have just done away with the TFSA all together. You still have other ways to hide your money


Anyone using tsfa is gotta be someone who believes in unicorns, the Interest rates are so low that saving money in one is useless anyways


I don't understand why everyone is complaining about the TFSA contributions. It's not deductible on your taxable income and it's not a tax credit. It's a safety net for money that can be taken out anytime without it being taxed. Besides, you could put your money in a basic savings account if you want to save more. Also the interest rate on a TFSA is so low due to the economy, you're not going to get a massive return back.

[dandarc]

So this investing = depositing money in a bank account misconception spans the world.

[RetiredAt63]

And the result is a pathetic $1378 (no interest).  Excel is your friend.

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

[LeRainDrop]

And the result is a pathetic $1378 (no interest).  Excel is your friend.

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

How about a "366 day challenge" (for the leap year)?  Result would be $67,161 :-)

[dandarc]

And the result is a pathetic $1378 (no interest).  Excel is your friend.

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

How about a "366 day challenge" (for the leap year)?  Result would be $67,161 :-)

Glad I'm not the only one that calculated that number in the last few minutes!  Be willing to bet I'm also not the only one here for whom that figure would be less than the planned stashing for 2016.

[zephyr911]

How about a "366 day challenge" (for the leap year)?  Result would be $67,161 :-)

Post it in the Gauntlet section, I'm in. ;)

[Cookie78]

From radio station's facebook page.

This stat made me a little sad: The number one "resolution" for Canadians this year is to pay off debt.

Obviously paying off your credit card, or student loans, or mortgage, or whatever it is you owe cash to, is important. However, put some money aside for you.

Travel the world. Go to that place you always wanted to check out. There's so many destinations to see, oodles of foods to eat, and a plethora of cool drinks to wash it down with. So please, make more of an effort to do that in 2016!

I get it... Go travel. But that's hardly a resolution!

[zephyr911]

From radio station's facebook page.

This stat made me a little sad: The number one "resolution" for Canadians this year is to pay off debt.

Obviously paying off your credit card, or student loans, or mortgage, or whatever it is you owe cash to, is important. However, put some money aside for you.

Travel the world. Go to that place you always wanted to check out. There's so many destinations to see, oodles of foods to eat, and a plethora of cool drinks to wash it down with. So please, make more of an effort to do that in 2016!

I get it... Go travel. But that's hardly a resolution!

Paying down debt *is* putting money aside for me. It's a dollar-for-dollar increase in my net worth.

[RetiredAt63]

@LeRainDrop  - and good to know I am not the only one either, I guess I just posted faster  ;-) 

I'm retired and I'm still saving more than the $1378.  Lots more.  Some is for soon-to-come planned spending, some is for long-term.  I still have lots of room in my TFSA to safely tuck it away.

366 day challenge - that is more than my net income, not doing it.  But doing the 52 week challenge and starting at $10, not $1, should be feasible for lots of people, not just mustachians.  $13,780?  Or $5 start for those who are still paying down debt?  $6,890?

And the result is a pathetic $1378 (no interest).  Excel is your friend.

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

How about a "366 day challenge" (for the leap year)?  Result would be $67,161 :-)

Glad I'm not the only one that calculated that number in the last few minutes!  Be willing to bet I'm also not the only one here for whom that figure would be less than the planned stashing for 2016.

[LeRainDrop]

Friend writes:  "At the #Nantucket new years resolution wall where people write in their resolutions for 2016...and found this gem. Happy New Year!"  I think my friend is referring to the resolution in the center of the photo as the "gem," but I gotta say that the person who wrote in the upper left is the one who really nailed it!

[agent_clone]

The worst part of mall shopping-- when it must be tolerated-- is that alcohol is generally unavailable.

I feel your pain. There should be beer taps at every end of every major mall.

In Australia there is more likely to be an alcohol shop at a mall more often than not (though I can think of a couple that don't).  We tend to have your supermarkets in them, and generally there is an alcohol shop near the supermarkets (if not in them).

[johnny847]

And the result is a pathetic $1378 (no interest).  Excel is your friend.

Someone posted the "52 week challenge" on Facebook. Save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until $52 in week 52. People suggested starting backwards because $50/week is really hard toward the end of the year.

I'm happy that people are talking about savings, but I think it's time to take a longer look at finances if $50/wk is a problem.

But also, knowing formulas such as 1 + 2 + 3 + .... n = n(n+1)/2 are also helpful.

[zolotiyeruki]

But also, knowing formulas such as 1 + 2 + 3 + .... n = n(n+1)/2 are also helpful.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of that...

[SwordGuy]

This image was posted on a friend's facebook page.

A bunch of their other friends were chiming in.

It was really sad because none of them seemed to think it was actually possible.

I posted a link to this website's getting started article and asked them "Why settle for a fantasy when this website will teach you how to make it real life?"

I might as well as remained silent.

[Pooplips]

This image was posted on a friend's facebook page.

A bunch of their other friends were chiming in.

It was really sad because none of them seemed to think it was actually possible.

I posted a link to this website's getting started article and asked them "Why settle for a fantasy when this website will teach you how to make it real life?"

I might as well as remained silent.

What is sad to me is that everyone thinks its not possible, which, leads me to believe it's something they actually want but no one will to anything different. People that don't like there life situation (whatever it is) and do zero/nil/nada to change it, even in a small way, make no sense to me. I just cant seem to wrap my head around the lack of in-action.

[Pooperman]

This image was posted on a friend's facebook page.

A bunch of their other friends were chiming in.

It was really sad because none of them seemed to think it was actually possible.

I posted a link to this website's getting started article and asked them "Why settle for a fantasy when this website will teach you how to make it real life?"

I might as well as remained silent.

What is sad to me is that everyone thinks its not possible, which, leads me to believe it's something they actually want but no one will to anything different. People that don't like there life situation (whatever it is) and do zero/nil/nada to change it, even in a small way, make no sense to me. I just cant seem to wrap my head around the lack of in-action.

I read it and was like "hey, that's my life, I must be awesome!". Inertia is the thing people always forget about. It's easier to keep the routine you have, even if it makes you unhappy, than it is to take the risk of changing that routine.

[JordanOfGilead]

How about a "366 day challenge" (for the leap year)?  Result would be $67,161 :-)

Post it in the Gauntlet section, I'm in. ;)

A noble challenge, but sadly more than I gross in a year.

[Prairie Gal]

Actual post on my facebook feed this morning.

Does anyone possibly have any extra formula? I could trade you something for it even?
 I work weekends and my shifts were canceled this weekend last minute, and I get paid as I work, and I was relying on it.
 I have formula, but worried it won't be enough to last until this coming weekend when I work again.

This just makes me so, so sad.

[mm1970]

Actual post on my facebook feed this morning.

Does anyone possibly have any extra formula? I could trade you something for it even?
 I work weekends and my shifts were canceled this weekend last minute, and I get paid as I work, and I was relying on it.
 I have formula, but worried it won't be enough to last until this coming weekend when I work again.

This just makes me so, so sad.

Sad, and a bit mad (which is tempered by not knowing this person or their specific situation, some people really do end up behind the 8ball even without consistently making egregiously horribly stupid decisions).

I see this often on our local FB swap page.  Though there are different tones.  There are people who try to get everything for free, and people who are trying to trade.  One woman crochets hats and makes jams.  So I've swapped my jam jars (which, let's face it, I'm not going to can jam for a long time), for boys clothing.

[Papa Mustache]

You're right - impossible to know that person's situation but what about getting a second job???

At one time it seemed like I had every spare moment earmarked for job, university, oddjobs, etc.

Seems to me like moms ought to pair up / team up to swap childcare for the freedom to work more often. We have a friend that does this. Works well for them.

[I'm a red panda]

You're right - impossible to know that person's situation but what about getting a second job???

How would that help if the issue is a shift getting canceled though. It's unlikely you can call and say "hey I have free time, can I get scheduled for tonight?" to your other job to make up the lost earnings.

It does drive me crazy when people ask for really expensive things, but want to pay next to nothing. I sometimes have to hide the  facebook buy/sells because they get so annoying. And all the damn MLM advertising (which is against the rules, but people still do it.)

[AlanStache]

Why does anyone follow the buy/sell/trade FB pages?  I have never even looked at them but from what I have read here they seem much more trouble then they are worth.  Seems like CL would be much less hassle and stress than dealing with all these people.  Are the deals with 2$ for a half gallon of home made jam that good?

[infogoon]

Why does anyone follow the buy/sell/trade FB pages?  I have never even looked at them but from what I have read here they seem much more trouble then they are worth.  Seems like CL would be much less hassle and stress than dealing with all these people.  Are the deals with 2$ for a half gallon of home made jam that good?

It seems to vary by region. My wife has had much more luck selling off old baby toys, children's clothing, etc. on the local Facebook page than on Craigslist. Anonymous CL users are far more likely to no-show or make absurdly low offers.

[I'm a red panda]

Why does anyone follow the buy/sell/trade FB pages?  I have never even looked at them but from what I have read here they seem much more trouble then they are worth.  Seems like CL would be much less hassle and stress than dealing with all these people.  Are the deals with 2$ for a half gallon of home made jam that good?

Craigslist is a giant PITA, in my opinion. I've had much better luck both buying and selling on FB. Plus the FB group only approves local members.

[mm1970]

You're right - impossible to know that person's situation but what about getting a second job???

At one time it seemed like I had every spare moment earmarked for job, university, oddjobs, etc.

Seems to me like moms ought to pair up / team up to swap childcare for the freedom to work more often. We have a friend that does this. Works well for them.

I'm sorry, but this is a bit out of touch.

First, having shift cancels suggests that her shifts might change.  If that is the case, good luck finding a SECOND job that will work around the FIRST job.

And the formula request means she has an infant - again, good luck finding last minute child care, or being able to work two part time jobs around child care, even with an SO.

(Yes, one could argue that maybe she shouldn't have had a child, all water under the bridge at this point).

[mm1970]

Why does anyone follow the buy/sell/trade FB pages?  I have never even looked at them but from what I have read here they seem much more trouble then they are worth.  Seems like CL would be much less hassle and stress than dealing with all these people.  Are the deals with 2$ for a half gallon of home made jam that good?

It seems to vary by region. My wife has had much more luck selling off old baby toys, children's clothing, etc. on the local Facebook page than on Craigslist. Anonymous CL users are far more likely to no-show or make absurdly low offers.

This, and there's the creepy factor with CL.  Facebook is supposed to help because it's not anonymous.

I've found that as far as no-shows and haggling, FB is as bad as CL.  The difference is that at least one of the FB sales pages, if you "no show" 3 times, you get removed from the page.

I got my kids' bunk beds on the FB page.  Pretty much exactly the kind that I'd planned on getting "some day" (with a separate set of stairs with drawers).