Overheard at Work

[Raymond Reddington]

As the geeks around me reminisce about when and why they had to get smartphones for their kids, I am happily texting my wife using T9 on my $25 flip phone.

I'm still rocking an LG exalt. My work phone is a smartphone but not my personal.

[Slow&Steady]

We make our 13 year old use a flip phone, we are the most evil parents known to man. 

I will eventually get him a cheap (prepaid) smart phone but not until he proves that he can take care of the flip phone. 

[elliha]

We plan to get another cellphone and get a very simple phone and use that instead of a home phone. Occasionally when our daughter will need phone she will get to use it as cellphone too but this way we can hopefully delay her having permanent access to one and be able to let her stay at home sometimes in a year or two.

[SynestheticSymphony]

We plan to get another cellphone and get a very simple phone and use that instead of a home phone. Occasionally when our daughter will need phone she will get to use it as cellphone too but this way we can hopefully delay her having permanent access to one and be able to let her stay at home sometimes in a year or two.

That's roughly what my parents did when I was a teenager. Any of us kids who needed a phone when we went somewhere just took one of the cheapie Tracfones that were kept around for such occasions. It was much cheaper, and my parents did not have to worry about the kids being left alone with the entire Internet without any supervision.

[Just Joe]

We make our 13 year old use a flip phone, we are the most evil parents known to man. 

I will eventually get him a cheap (prepaid) smart phone but not until he proves that he can take care of the flip phone.

I see what you did there. And because the flip phone is in good condition there is no reason to get a smart phone until the flip phone dies and because flip phones are immortal, your offspring will have to wait to buy themselves a smart phone in 2038 or thereabouts... Smart! ;)

[SynestheticSymphony]

We make our 13 year old use a flip phone, we are the most evil parents known to man. 

I will eventually get him a cheap (prepaid) smart phone but not until he proves that he can take care of the flip phone.

I see what you did there. And because the flip phone is in good condition there is no reason to get a smart phone until the flip phone dies and because flip phones are immortal, your offspring will have to wait to buy themselves a smart phone in 2038 or thereabouts... Smart! ;)

Even worse: Go on eBay and get him one of those old, indestructable bricks from Nokia. He'll never get to upgrade!!!! Insert evil cackle here

[peregrine]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

[Raymond Reddington]

We make our 13 year old use a flip phone, we are the most evil parents known to man. 

I will eventually get him a cheap (prepaid) smart phone but not until he proves that he can take care of the flip phone.

I see what you did there. And because the flip phone is in good condition there is no reason to get a smart phone until the flip phone dies and because flip phones are immortal, your offspring will have to wait to buy themselves a smart phone in 2038 or thereabouts... Smart! ;)

Even worse: Go on eBay and get him one of those old, indestructable bricks from Nokia. He'll never get to upgrade!!!! Insert evil cackle here

*Diabolical evil laugh*...better yet, remember these?

[FindingFI]

We make our 13 year old use a flip phone, we are the most evil parents known to man. 

I will eventually get him a cheap (prepaid) smart phone but not until he proves that he can take care of the flip phone.

I see what you did there. And because the flip phone is in good condition there is no reason to get a smart phone until the flip phone dies and because flip phones are immortal, your offspring will have to wait to buy themselves a smart phone in 2038 or thereabouts... Smart! ;)

Even worse: Go on eBay and get him one of those old, indestructable bricks from Nokia. He'll never get to upgrade!!!! Insert evil cackle here

*Diabolical evil laugh*...better yet, remember these?

Watched one of those fall down three flights on concrete stairs and land at the button not only fully functional, but without a scratch!

Also had to repair a wall in an apartment in college from a flip phone.  My roommate was having a rough night and threw her flip phone across the room so hard that it punched a hole in the wall.  Phone was fine.

[BTDretire]

 About 2 weeks ago my wife dropped her flip phone in the water.
 It didn't survive.
Many functions worked, but you couldn't call out.

[BuffaloStache]

About 2 weeks ago my wife dropped her flip phone in the water.
 It didn't survive.
Many functions worked, but you couldn't call out.

Flip Phone + waterproofing = truly unstoppable.

[Just Joe]

I really like my smart phone - camera*, password keeper, office functions, email, etc - but this conversation really makes me sentimental for a flip phone. I never even had a flip phone - I was late to the mobile phone thing. DW had one of those Nokia bricks.

*camera - I love having a good camera in my pocket all the time. Inventory at work, pictures of historical markers or museum things to read later, moments of creative photography...

[Sun Hat]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

[I'm a red panda]

Nothing to do with overheard at work, but related to cell phones.

My husband and BIL stupidly kept their phones in their pockets on a roller coaster this weekend.  The bar came down on them and snapped both of their screens. They both still work fine though.
DH will likely keep the phone despite the crack. BIL is destraught.  His phone (an Iphone X) isn't even paid off yet, he doesn't have insurance on it, and now it is "ruined" and needs to be replaced.  DH shrugged it off. His Android phone cost $70 at Walmart.  As far as we can tell, the phones do basically the same things (the cheapie lacks an internal compass). The Iphone X camera is a bit better- but DH is more of a DSLR guy anyway.

[SynestheticSymphony]

I really like my smart phone - camera*, password keeper, office functions, email, etc - but this conversation really makes me sentimental for a flip phone. I never even had a flip phone - I was late to the mobile phone thing. DW had one of those Nokia bricks.

*camera - I love having a good camera in my pocket all the time. Inventory at work, pictures of historical markers or museum things to read later, moments of creative photography...

I just switched back to a flip phone from a smartphone a couple of months back. It wasn't really for the money, though the drop from $35 a month down to $20 was nice. The primary goal was to reduce my dependence on an outside device in order to function, as well as to stop the constant flow of unfiltered content coming into my brain. It has really helped me to be able to focus.

But yeah, I definitely miss having a good camera on me whenever I need it.

[SynestheticSymphony]

Nothing to do with overheard at work, but related to cell phones.

My husband and BIL stupidly kept their phones in their pockets on a roller coaster this weekend.  The bar came down on them and snapped both of their screens. They both still work fine though.
DH will likely keep the phone despite the crack. BIL is destraught.  His phone (an Iphone X) isn't even paid off yet, he doesn't have insurance on it, and now it is "ruined" and needs to be replaced.  DH shrugged it off. His Android phone cost $70 at Walmart.  As far as we can tell, the phones do basically the same things (the cheapie lacks an internal compass). The Iphone X camera is a bit better- but DH is more of a DSLR guy anyway.

Oh yeah. Back when I used to use a smartphone, it was great knowing that I had only paid $70 for my device. If anything happened to it, oh well!

(Which was good, because finding decently protective cases for low-end smartphones can be hard.)

[slugline]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

The Escalade nameplate has been around long enough where there are plenty of old vehicles out there for hand-me-downs and used vehicle sales. Not mustachian by any means, but as long as the annual mileage is kept down, the costs don't necessarily need to be insane.

[Jouer]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

[Just Joe]

Perfect candidate for a basic ebike/scooter/moped/bicycle.

[wkumtrider]

Reading the above Escalade story reminded me of something similar at work.  A co-worker had to go to one of the company vehicles to get some paperwork.  It is parked in the back lot, about 100 yards from the office.  She got in her car and drove to the company car instead of walking.  She did it twice.  No words.

[frugalfoothills]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

[dragoncar]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

[Jouer]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

I've never heard of gap insurance (Canada). I do know some people who have written off their car and got less from insurance than they owed on their loan.

[dragoncar]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

She probably had an 84-month loan so was likely upside-down. The insurance wouldn't even pay out enough to pay the rest of her loan.

Maybe she realized how bad of an idea it was and considered the insurance payoff to be a relief.

Don’t most lenders require gap insurance?

I've never heard of gap insurance (Canada). I do know some people who have written off their car and got less from insurance than they owed on their loan.

It’s basically a rider that pays at least your loan balance.  The only time I ever bought a new car it was only like a $100 one-time fee

[Dave1442397]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

Wow, that's just nuts. As for buying furniture from World Market, if it's all like the stuff at their Reno store, I wouldn't touch it. I like World Market because they always have a good variety of foreign chocolate & candy, which I like to sample. The furniture, what I saw of it, seemed like cheap crap.

[dragoncar]

Best day of my life was when the local world market moved to a new location and liquidated their old location. Got a ton of cheap wine and beer, and my parents bought the wine display racks for super cheap.

Also I have a west elm couch RIP me Amirite?

[Hedge_87]

I have a coworker who is easily the most Spendy person I know (which is saying something as I have a lot of Spendypants in my life.) Most recently he has been working on refinancing his home (hasn't closed yet) with the intention of taking cash out to do "renovations." I think they are set to close today, but it has been bumped back at least 5 times now, so I'm not holding my breath.

So far, with the "renovation" budget, he has purchased (via financing):

• New flooring for the entire house (okay)
• A thousand dollars in new landscaping materials like plants, rocks, etc. (okay?)
• A new couch from West Elm (not okay)
• A new dining room table from West Elm (not okay)
• Four new accent chairs from World Market (not okay)
• A thousand dollars in patio furniture from World Market (not okay)
• A new washer/dryer set, Apple Watch, laptop, NintendoSwitch from BestBuy (yikes)
• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)
• A new desk and bookcase from West Elm for the "home office" (RIP)
• Is shopping for an Audi SUV despite his 7 year old Nissan working fine (I wish I was joking)

I give him shit for it all the time. He works on the team I previously worked on, and can't be making more than $70K/year (including annual bonus). His partner is a fledgling real estate agent. I found out about the Peloton today and told him "you either need an intervention, or I need to come back to this team for your salary." His response?

"Well next time you refinance, go for the cash out option!"

Wow, that's just nuts. As for buying furniture from World Market, if it's all like the stuff at their Reno store, I wouldn't touch it. I like World Market because they always have a good variety of foreign chocolate & candy, which I like to sample. The furniture, what I saw of it, seemed like cheap crap.

My wifes step-dad (Is step father-in-law a title?) bragged about how he did this years ago. When my mother-in-law and him got married of course they opted for a destination wedding. I was umm.... very reluctant to go. We had just bought a house of our own on home and where putting most of our extra money into renovating our country house with good bones but needing TLC. The first winter we where there we had snow blow in under one of the doors because the guy before did not install it properly. He was kinda pissy that I prioritized that over going on a fancy pants beach vacation. Then he said, "Well you could just take out a personal loan to go on the trip". I don't think so buddy.

[frugalfoothills]

Best day of my life was when the local world market moved to a new location and liquidated their old location. Got a ton of cheap wine and beer, and my parents bought the wine display racks for super cheap.

Also I have a west elm couch RIP me Amirite?

All joking aside, have you been happy with your West Elm couch? I am going to have to replace a sectional pretty soon and feel like I've looked at a million options. There's a West Elm outlet nearby and was thinking I might be able to snag one at a reduced outlet price, but I've read some not awesome reviews about them.

Sidenote....... couch shopping is the literal worst.

[honeybbq]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

[honeybbq]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

[Dabnasty]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

[RetiredAt63]

Reading the above Escalade story reminded me of something similar at work.  A co-worker had to go to one of the company vehicles to get some paperwork.  It is parked in the back lot, about 100 yards from the office.  She got in her car and drove to the company car instead of walking.  She did it twice.  No words.

Does she have knee/hip problems? Before my physiotherapy I would have been in agony by the time I reached the company car, let alone walking back again.

[Hula Hoop]

An American colleague who is in his early 60s and plans to work "forever."  We were chatting around the coffee machine at work and he told me that he had hoped to send his three kids to college here in Europe where a quality education is a lot cheaper.  His three kids grew up in Italy but at least 2 of them went to expensive American private school for high school.  All three are perfectly bilingual.

Anyway, a few years ago the oldest kid went with her (also American) mother to her home state where they toured the mother's very expensive private alma mater.  The oldest kid was "in love" with this private college and decided to go there instead of the free or incredibly cheap colleges here in Italy or elsewhere in Europe.  So he and his wife forked out the crazy private US college tuition.  The kid has now graduated from this US college and moved back to Europe where she does a job which she could more easily have gotten with European credentials (she had to go through a long process to convert her US degree to a local European one).

So kid #2 obviously had to go to private college in the US too and he is currently over there studying.  Taking out loans and being supported by my colleague and his wife.  And kid #3 is just finishing high school and plans to go the same path.

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education. 

[RetiredAt63]

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education.

It's called language immersion.  Live your life in a new language, you will acquire that language.  Plus the culture - hope your kid enjoys the camp.

[Hula Hoop]

My kids are a lot younger but colleague was amazed when I told him that they are in local Italian public school and that the older one was at a local Italian sleep away camp.  He was amazed that my kids have turned out just as perfectly bilingual as his even though we pay a fraction of what he did for their education.

It's called language immersion.  Live your life in a new language, you will acquire that language.  Plus the culture - hope your kid enjoys the camp.

Yeah, I know.  My point was that both me and my colleague are native speakers of English raising kids in Italy.  My kids and his kids were all born here.  They are all bilingual as we speak mainly English at home and they function in the outside world in Italian.  However, he chose to spend $$$$$ on private American school, English language summer camps (which cost an arm and a leg here) and above all private college in the US  to try to make his kids bilingual.  We are doing none of that yet our kids are still bilingual due to the way they're being raised. 

[Raymond Reddington]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

And to think, they could have gone with a very new and very unMustachian Chevy Tahoe or Suburban for 50K and gotten basically the same car, just without the stupid trim and the Caddy/Escalade branding!

[RWD]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

And to think, they could have gone with a very new and very unMustachian Chevy Tahoe or Suburban for 50K and gotten basically the same car, just without the stupid trim and the Caddy/Escalade branding!

Pretty sure the only reason they chose the Escalade was due to the branding and nothing to do with the basic capabilities of the vehicle. There's a good chance the Escalade in question was purchased used, as they've been around since 1999. There are a couple hundred or so for sale on Autotrader for less than $10k. Still a terrible choice for a vehicle due to fuel economy and such.

[Just Joe]

Overheard inside the gas station near my work, on the rougher side of town.  Both ladies are employees of the gas station.

Lady 1: (shouting across the small store) Did I tell you I totaled my Escalade?
Lady 2: Oh no! What happened?
L1: (still shouting) Some idiot ran the stop sign and hit me in the side. He was going, like, 55. On my kid's birthday weekend, too!
L2:  Did you get a new car?
L1:  No, I can't afford it.  That's why I'm quitting this job.
L2:  You got another job?
L1:  No, but I'm tired of walking to work.

I bought my snacks and left.  There was so much wrong with this conversation, I won't even start here.

This boggles my mind. Doesn't she have insurance? Why was she driving an Escalade on a gas station attendant's wages? And the job thing is beyond logic.

I had to look this up.
The MSRP on a 2018 Escalade is $75k.
How does someone who makes minimum wage (I'm assuming, at a gas station??) afford such a vehicle?

Reconstructed wreck with high mileage and 84 month loan perhaps.

[LennStar]

• A Peloton indoor stationary bike (this is starting to hurt)

OMG. A Peloton!!! That's a couple gs for the stationary bike plus the monthly fee....  I'm dying.  Who are these people who think the need/deserve/earned such a thing?

Had to look that up, what the hell is this? $39/month for live instructors on a screen? That's almost what I pay for a real gym which comes with classes.

C'mon man, get yourself a real bike.

Gosh!

Looked it up too. This one, right?
https://www.onepeloton.com/bike

I like the "Get the bike for NO MONEY DOWN with Peloton financing."

Thought it was just the US brand for what I have gotten used (and cat haired) for 20€ instead of the 200-300€ new.
It is great for winter (cold and sometimes dangerous), summer (allergy and easily sunburned) and the spontanious 10-minute ride whenever I want (good for my knee).
So I do get some use out of it.

But no, this isn't a fucking bike, this is an entertainment suite with the excuse of moving your legs instead of sitting still! For ten times the price of my model in new!

A-MA-ZING!

[Raymond Reddington]

Sidenote....... couch shopping is the literal worst.

This. It took us months to settle on a couch. Then when we did (Wayfair), it was on back order for 4 months and we finally got it. We are happy with it, but it was a giant pain in the ass. And there are so many horrible couches out there. So many places with leather (high maintenance and looks bad when it gets old), these ridiculous entertainment unit type couches with cupholders and everything else (I like to hold my wife on the couch, not reach over an immobilized wheelchair with food try and four cupholders just to hold her hand), and the "bargain" couches are all chintzy, too small, or made of uncomfortable material.

And on that note, never, ever, go to Bob's Discount Furniture. That store is terrifying. All the worst couches, being hounded by 10 different salesmen the second you walk in the door, unsupervised little kids running around, and random gorilla statues as decorations. I will never go there again.

I hope this couch lasts forever.

[Roadrunner53]

Bob's is the worst with the sales people stalking you. You can tell them you are just looking and they will follow you around and lurk. As soon as you even look interested in something they spring out of their hiding spot and start babbling about the furniture. Horrible, horrible! Never go there!

[Gin1984]

I finally have one to post and funny enough two happened within a week of each other.
First, I mentioned to someone that I saw when I started that we were capped at 30% of income to our 401k and two people responded with, well who can save 30% unless their spouse is independently wealthy.  I'm over here going, me.... And that is how you get wealthy.  Sigh.

Then, another person was asking another coworker about our tuition reimbursement and so I mentioned the could use their 529 to lower their taxes and was told, "I have enough tax deductions".  I just ok, and walked away.