Author Topic: Do you work overtime?  (Read 19683 times)

Blany

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Do you work overtime?
« on: August 02, 2014, 01:55:11 AM »
Part of the MMM philosophy, as far as I have come to understand, is finding an optimal work and life balance.  I work quite a bit of overtime.   I’d like to know who work OT and who doesn’t.  If possible can you please explain a bit about how you come to justify working OT or not.

As noted above, I work OT.

I work OT because when I started my job (pre MMM discovery) everyone (parents, friends, colleagues) told me to work it.  I kept working it because I liked the money.  I am continuing to work it because I want to accelerate my FI. I also don’t mind being at work that much (of course there are other places I’d rather be)
My contract allows me to save OT hours and use them later for more time off (time in lieu).  I am pretty much always take it in cash.  I can see a future where I would take OT as time as opposed to cash.

I don’t see much mention of OT on the forum so I am interested to see what perspectives are out there.

gooki

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2014, 03:31:11 AM »
I don't do overtime because it's unpaid.

libertarian4321

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2014, 04:56:02 AM »
I don't get paid for overtime, so I don't work it, even when my employer thinks I should.

If I did get paid for overtime, I STILL wouldn't work it.

Unless you are desperate and need the money to pay for your kid's cancer treatments or something, why spend your life working?

There is more to life than work.  There is even more to life than accumulating money (I know, shocking, right?).

No one ever said, on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."


Blany

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2014, 05:08:22 AM »
I don't get paid for overtime, so I don't work it, even when my employer thinks I should.

If I did get paid for overtime, I STILL wouldn't work it.

Unless you are desperate and need the money to pay for your kid's cancer treatments or something, why spend your life working?

There is more to life than work.  There is even more to life than accumulating money (I know, shocking, right?).

No one ever said, on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."



All great reasons not to take the OT.

I don`t “need” the money, but like I said I appreciate the boost.

I have always thought that the people at work who, on principle, don`t work overtime because they have better things to do had a flawed point of view.   We get paid (in either time or cash) at 1.75x basic rate when working  OT. Why wouldn’t I work 1 extra day to take 1.75 days off later when needed/ wanted.

ender

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frugaliknowit

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2014, 08:35:44 AM »
Yes, I do.  I am paid low market/below market, so until I find a better job, I will take all the overtime I can at 1.5X.  I draw the line in that I do not work graveyard (between 1 am and 5 am).  This is a 24 hour operation.  It is certainly better pay than a part time gig.

The plus is I am paid for every hour I work.  Most folks who are strait salary work around 45-50 hours per week.  I probably average 45 with the 5 being at 1.5X.

trailrated

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2014, 10:02:01 AM »
I am a dispatcher and work mon-sat, usually about 65 hours a week so the overtime pay is awesome. Since we ask our drivers to work 6 days a week, it is only fair to lead by example and not ask them to do something I am unwilling to do myself. That being said, I love the job so I cannot complain.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2014, 10:20:03 AM »
Like most software people here, I am salaried which means some overtime is expected when projects are about to ship or whatever. Over the last 12 months I estimate that I have worked maybe 42-44 hour weeks on average. On the other hand, nobody cares when I goof around on reddit during normal business hours.

In a different job, I would totally work the graveyard or unusual shifts if that meant more monies.

FuckRx

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2014, 10:33:35 AM »

I do work overtime and I get paid 20% above my normal rate. However, like others have mentioned it does take away from quality of life. If we are awake generally from 8a-10p and work 8 hours of that it doesn't leave much for personal time. In my personal life I have noticed that I'm a touch grumpier when I work overtime and I tend to overeat a little, have a little more wine, spend a little more etc. I also get less time to cook meals and socialize.

The best solution I have come up with is to work a few predictable hours a week extra, only put that money towards something important like debt and have a time frame when I tell myself no more! (as in when the debt is paid off).

GrayGhost

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2014, 10:47:12 AM »
When I was an intern, I worked overtime when there were big projects to do. The reason was that it was my responsibility to get them done. I also worked overtime when it was optional, because I liked the extra money, I liked the work, I liked my coworkers, and if I still had time to go to the gym and take care of my apartment and myself, that was all I needed.

Of course, this was a four month position, after which I went back to classes and the overwhelming amount of free time I had between and after them.

If I worked an hourly job again, full time for a long period of employment, I'd probably still do OT here and there, but only if it didn't interfere with my other interests and only if I enjoyed it. The money is nice, but at times, there are better things to do.

kudy

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2014, 10:50:24 AM »
I am lucky to have a workplace that is very conscious about work/life balance, and I'm never expected to work more than 40 hours per week for my salary.

Zikoris

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2014, 11:13:15 AM »
I work overtime once or twice a month because I do hospitality at a law firm and that's how often they have evening events. I don't mind AT ALL - I get paid a lot of money to set up drinks and food, then hang out for 4+ hours until the party ends (sometimes I can join in the party as well), then clean up. Sometimes I do sweeps through a couple of times to grab dirty glasses/plates and take any empty food platters back to the catering kitchen, but that's often not even necessary.

surfhb

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2014, 11:14:02 AM »
If I having nothing going on during a weekend you bet I'll work it!!


Cwadda

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2014, 11:56:36 AM »
Anything over 40 hours is considered overtime for me. I work at least 10 hours per day so there's 50. Plus I have the option to work Saturdays. 1.5x pay is nice for a college student who has the option to work as many hours as I possibly want. This is a summer thing though.

Sundays though I will never work. No exceptions.


Gimesalot

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2014, 12:46:26 PM »
I get straight hourly pay for my overtime.  I aim to have between 2 to 4 hours a week of overtime, mostly by working through my lunch.  I don't have kids, my husband works at night, and I avoid traffic. 

I always ask myself, "What would I be doing if I wasn't working?"  I would like to answer that I would be working on my house or some amazing project or something else, but in reality, I would read a book or the internet.  Although these aren't a terrible waste of time, it is not the best use of my skills.

MoneyCat

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2014, 12:54:41 PM »
I'm currently a teacher, which makes me a salaried employee, so I don't get overtime but I get to work as many hours as my employer demands -- including a ton of time at home and on weekends -- which typically works out to about 60 hours a week during the school year.  I don't recommend the occupation.

Blany

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2014, 09:28:35 PM »
I'm currently a teacher, which makes me a salaried employee, so I don't get overtime but I get to work as many hours as my employer demands -- including a ton of time at home and on weekends -- which typically works out to about 60 hours a week during the school year.  I don't recommend the occupation.

Firstly, thanks for being a teacher.  I do feel many teachers are under paid for the amount of work they do.  They always are taking working home with them.  I come from a family and friend group which is comprised of many teachers. Your work is important. Luckily, I am not required to work OT and I don't have to take any work home with me.

I do work overtime and I get paid 20% above my normal rate. However, like others have mentioned it does take away from quality of life. If we are awake generally from 8a-10p and work 8 hours of that it doesn't leave much for personal time. In my personal life I have noticed that I'm a touch grumpier when I work overtime and I tend to overeat a little, have a little more wine, spend a little more etc. I also get less time to cook meals and socialize.

The best solution I have come up with is to work a few predictable hours a week extra, only put that money towards something important like debt and have a time frame when I tell myself no more! (as in when the debt is paid off).

I can relate to this.  I don't knwo when I'll be telling myself "no more".
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-many-of-you-work-paid-overtime/

Thanks, I guess i missed this! Sorry.

Dr. Doom

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2014, 01:56:54 PM »
I currently work for an employer that does not pay for OT, so I don't work it right now.

As recently as three years ago, I worked for a place which gave time and a half and there was always an abundance of high priority stuff to do.  I worked quite a bit of OT, mostly by choice, and put all extra money into my RE accounts.  It was very helpful to accelerate FIRE, but I also observed that it was burning me out after a while, so I dialed it back.

I think OT is an awesome tool as long as it's not burning you out and you're making good use of the additional funds.   That being said, I'm really glad I'm not working it anymore -- I'm happier with a bit of free time every night.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2014, 02:31:41 PM »
I'm salaried and don't get OT.  If I work more than 40 hours in a week, that just means I'm making less per hour.  Screw that.

gimp

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #19 on: August 07, 2014, 02:34:15 PM »
I get paid OT. You bet your fucking ass I work OT. Massive amount of savings come from that. Working overtime has sped up a lot of plans.

bekkah

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #20 on: August 07, 2014, 02:49:45 PM »
I get paid OT. You bet your fucking ass I work OT. Massive amount of savings come from that. Working overtime has sped up a lot of plans.

This inspires me! I just started working 8 hours/week of OT, which is the maximum amount of OT that we're allowed to work per week. OT comes and goes thanks to budget constraints, but while it's available, I'm officially all over it! All proceeds go to the FIRE fund, of course! (There's no way I'd be motivated to work late otherwise.)

abhe8

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #21 on: August 07, 2014, 02:58:09 PM »
I work about 20 hours a month of overtime. Its great money, 2x my usual rate.

Mike2

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #22 on: August 07, 2014, 03:27:02 PM »
I work between 2-4 hours of overtime most weeks at 1.5x pay.  My company says I can have up to 5 hours a week as long as it is justified so I take advantage of the time to get some nagging projects done.  The extra money is nice.

MrsPotts

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #23 on: August 07, 2014, 03:59:37 PM »
I do an extra class about 7-8 times per year...those dollars go into a special account for ridiculously expensive travel. 

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #24 on: August 07, 2014, 04:09:00 PM »
At my old, salaried job, no fucking way. Now that I get paid per day, I'm going to try to work Saturdays if I don't have any other plans. My job is pretty fun though, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't work any extra.

MikeBear

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #25 on: August 07, 2014, 04:32:48 PM »
I'm doing 44 hours of OT this week, due to another person going on vacation (we have 12 hour shifts 24/7/365, so that's 3 nights of extra shifts, plus my normal 8 hours OT for this weeks schedule). 1.5x times my normal pay rate, and limited time at my age left to keep socking it away, so it works for me!

I work IT at a fortune 500 company, and right now the IT group is looking like Humpty-Dumpty to the accountants, (can you say: "Outsourcing". Indians can do the work for less than 1/4 the price of employing an American) so I thank GOD I found Mr. Money Mustache and got re-orientated and re-motivated. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the job before getting the gate. I have some health issues, and at age 55 and in IT in mid-Michigan is the kiss of death for getting rehired anywhere else.

p.s. I also grab any holidays to work that I can, as that's 2.5x times my normal pay rate for 12 hours.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2014, 04:36:39 PM by MikeBear »

bugbaby

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #26 on: August 07, 2014, 06:23:44 PM »
I do plenty of OT , at about 1.3 x rate. Prob 20 hr a month. Has allowed me to pay down massive student loans, pay off my house, and am on track to FIRE next year to switch to things I'm passionate about and enjoy my kids ... So yay OT!

Workinghard

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #27 on: August 07, 2014, 06:45:09 PM »
You betcha. I do 10-15 hrs OT a week to help fund my 401k without seeing a big drop in my take home pay. I'll probably do more than that until the end of the year. My FT position is 3 days a week, and ironically, at a higher rate than my OT since it's every weekend and I recently got a 10% increase. The extra I do is a fixed per diem rate and not OT per se but still extra money.

alibean

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #28 on: August 07, 2014, 07:48:27 PM »
No. effing. way. 

I have 2 kids and just started back working FT.  I am wallowing in mom guilt. 

SpareChange

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #29 on: August 07, 2014, 07:55:42 PM »
Absolutely. When it comes up I take it. I get most of it by taking call. Just gets me to where I want to be faster...work a little harder now to work a boat load less later.

frugalnacho

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #30 on: August 07, 2014, 08:06:41 PM »
I don't get paid for overtime, so I don't work it, even when my employer thinks I should.

If I did get paid for overtime, I STILL wouldn't work it.

Unless you are desperate and need the money to pay for your kid's cancer treatments or something, why spend your life working?

There is more to life than work.  There is even more to life than accumulating money (I know, shocking, right?).


No one ever said, on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."

Because you get paid at an increased rate of pay (usually 1.5X).  Every hour of OT I work saves me from working 1.5 hours in the future.  That's some nice incentive.

Accumulating money isn't the only thing in life, but it is critical to reaching FIRE, and working OT will help do that more efficiently.

Having said that, I rarely work OT.  I am on a floating time bank, and don't get paid out OT until I hit 80 excess hours.  For example if my time bank is empty, and I work 40 + 80 hours in 1 week, I get paid for 40 hours and 80 go into my "time bank".  I can then use those hours as however I want.  If I only work 30 hours the following week, I have to cash in 10 hours to get myself up to 40 (we have to get paid at least 40 every week), and my bank drops to 70.   As of now I only have about 45 hours in my bank.  It's nice because I can leave early, or come in late, or take a day off if we aren't too busy and I still get my 40 hour check, but it sucks because I have no real incentive to bust ass and put in OT because I would have to work 75  hours this week to get OT pay.  When we get exceptionally busy and my bank gets full I try to take advantage and crank out some OT hours, but when it's not full it just seems like too much work.  I would rather just work 40 and get paid for 40 rather than try fill up my bank to reach OT.  Plus it can be hard sitting in an office getting OT.  After like 7 hours staring at the computer I am done - done being productive, done being efficient.  It doesn't make much sense to stick around and perform sub par work with errors.  I also lose the motivation to continue working.

Ralphus27

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #31 on: August 07, 2014, 09:43:47 PM »
I don't regularly work overtime, and when I do, I don't get extra pay.  I am salaried. 

However, I travel about 8-10 times a year and am eligible for per diem.  The travel often requires me to be in transit on a Sunday prior to my M-F workweek.  My employer pays out per diem at the federal rate and I get to keep what I don't spend.  I am also fortunate that when I travel, I am usually headed to locales that I really enjoy.  Nothing terribly exotic, but nice cities where the dining and nightlife are fun.  I also normally travel to meetings where I am getting together with a group of people that I like and enjoy being around.  It is really a nice perk.  I am single and relatively young, so the travel is much more fun than it is work. 

I also get to keep my airline miles and hotel points, which result in a very nice benefit that I parlay into a couple of "free" vacations a year. 

The miles and points are great because I don't feel the guilt of spending money on luxuries. 
« Last Edit: August 07, 2014, 09:48:42 PM by Ralphus27 »

boarder42

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #32 on: August 08, 2014, 06:05:40 AM »
I work OT when I'm on the road I travel a lot for work 40%. When I'm on the road I may as well be working is my philosophy. At home. I either use the ot worked to take extra days off or just save the money. 

martynthewolf

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #33 on: August 08, 2014, 06:51:12 AM »
I have the opportunity to take paid OT. I did in the past to help pay off all the debt I had. I haven't done so for a long time but it's there if I want it. I'm enjoying my free time though.

Doomspark

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #34 on: August 08, 2014, 07:19:35 AM »
We're a 24x7x365 shop (law enforcement).  Every 8 weeks, I'm on-call during off-business-hours for the entire week.  If I get any calls, I get paid at 1.5x for the time I spend.  Double-time if it's a holiday.  Usually no more than 2 or 3 hours in a week, but a few months ago it was over 20 hours (it was a very bad weekend).

One of my coworkers sometimes pays me to cover his on-call week as well - so I get more OT then.

catccc

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #35 on: August 08, 2014, 07:27:56 AM »
Like many others, I'm in a salaried position, so I don't work overtime.  I used at my previous company, even though it was still a salary position, because there was pressure/expectation to do so.   If I got paid extra for it, I probably would do it to reach goals sooner, provided it didn't disrupt my home/family life that much.

Beric01

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #36 on: August 08, 2014, 11:15:40 AM »
I work 45-50 hours a week and I'm on salary, so no overtime pay over 40 hours.

I'm still in the office probably the least hours of the my team. But most of them are not doing anything productive with that overtime either. It's unfortunate to have a culture of working extra hours for no real gain, but I like my job in most other ways. This is Silicon Valley...

MillenialMustache

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #37 on: August 08, 2014, 11:45:36 AM »
I am salaried and only work overtime when it is hugely beneficial for me - ie - taking freshman to Universal Studios on a Saturday, where my DH and I get in free, free meals, and a free bus ride there. I don't even have to watch them in the park, just make sure they get on and off the bus and don't do anything crazy while on the bus. Barely overtime really. I do sit at my desk through lunch pretty often though and don't leave early, but that is the nature of the beast, and how I can type to you all.

My DH does overtime a few times a year for 1.5x pay. His company will do 30 min extra before work and 30 min extra after work, for a total of 5 hours in one week. No big deal at all.

I would not regularly do overtime. I value my time outside of work very much.

Jack

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #38 on: August 08, 2014, 01:25:53 PM »
I'm a salaried programmer, so I normally don't work overtime, but my wife has a seasonal hourly job where she's been putting in tons of overtime at 1.5x pay. Because we carpool, I've been hanging out at the office longer than usual too. (When I get my work for this sprint done early, I plan to ask for some time off that doesn't count towards PTO.)

pdxcyn

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #39 on: August 08, 2014, 02:01:32 PM »
I'm hourly, but no I rarely work overtime. My employer prefers not to have his employees doing overtime unless absolutely necessary to get a job out the door. I wasn't even happy doing 40 hours so I recently asked and received permission to go down to 32. Will push FI a little down the road but life is much nicer in the meantime.

jbow808

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #40 on: August 08, 2014, 02:05:02 PM »
I work lots of overtime, only because it's mandatory in my field.

I'm a salaried employee, but also get paid overtime and per deim. My position requires me to work a non-standard work schedule (10 on/ 4 off) and I spend a lot of time traveling (>75%), however I do have a lot of down time while at the job site. 

Typical week for me is 73 hours, but have had a few 80+ hour weeks

LibraryGirl

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #41 on: August 09, 2014, 05:01:34 PM »
If I could get it, I would take it.  I have a hair-on-fire debt emergency going on and I'm doing all the working/hustling I can to get the fire under control.  Unfortunately, my current employer almost never authorizes overtime.  I have a government position and it just isn't in the budget.  So, I picked up a part time job I can do from home to add some extra hours to my work week. 

EarlyRetirementGuy

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #42 on: August 09, 2014, 05:04:26 PM »
I love working overtime as its paid at 1.5x rate. Especially like it when it means staying away from the office as it will also include a fully paid fancy restaurant meal and breakfast :D

ichangedmyname

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #43 on: August 09, 2014, 05:47:01 PM »
Funny reading this today. I just did 3 hours of OT for the last 3 days and I don't think I can do this again. Maybe I'll break it up.

My goal is 10 hours a week to get to where I want.

MrFrugalChicago

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #44 on: August 09, 2014, 05:54:54 PM »
I am paid salary. Extra work = no extra pay.

I do side hustle, but not too much. Beyond maybe 50h of work a week I am no good to anyone.

mm1970

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #45 on: August 09, 2014, 06:07:10 PM »
Part of the MMM philosophy, as far as I have come to understand, is finding an optimal work and life balance.  I work quite a bit of overtime.   I’d like to know who work OT and who doesn’t.  If possible can you please explain a bit about how you come to justify working OT or not.

As noted above, I work OT.

I work OT because when I started my job (pre MMM discovery) everyone (parents, friends, colleagues) told me to work it.  I kept working it because I liked the money.  I am continuing to work it because I want to accelerate my FI. I also don’t mind being at work that much (of course there are other places I’d rather be)
My contract allows me to save OT hours and use them later for more time off (time in lieu).  I am pretty much always take it in cash.  I can see a future where I would take OT as time as opposed to cash.

I don’t see much mention of OT on the forum so I am interested to see what perspectives are out there.
I'm salary, so I avoid OT. Plus with the kids, it's impossible.  I'm lucky to get in 40 hours a week.  Most weeks I use at least an hour of PTO to make up for missed time.

My husband does work OT, he's paid by the hour. It's not time and a half, but still, it's rare for engineers to get paid for direct hours.

ichangedmyname

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #46 on: August 09, 2014, 06:53:26 PM »
Is it worth it to earn $10,800 more a year and work 480 hours more?

MikeBear

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #47 on: August 09, 2014, 07:51:35 PM »
Is it worth it to earn $10,800 more a year and work 480 hours more?

That's $22.50 per hour rate. At 8 hours a day, that's 60 extra days a year of work. IF it allows you to max out your 401k with pre-tax money (so it doesn't get absorbed for taxes) I'd say it could be worth it. It beats the heck out of working a second job at minimum wage if you were thinking about that also. Only you can decide that for sure, but think of it as advancing the end-game of FIRE.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2014, 07:55:28 PM by MikeBear »

Suit

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #48 on: August 09, 2014, 09:01:02 PM »
I do work overtime but I'm salaried so I don't make any extra for it. I do it because it's important work to me, I make good money, and it will hopefully lead to future promotions.

Workinghard

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Re: Do you work overtime?
« Reply #49 on: August 10, 2014, 03:05:37 AM »
Is it worth it to earn $10,800 more a year and work 480 hours more?

That's $22.50 per hour rate. At 8 hours a day, that's 60 extra days a year of work. IF it allows you to max out your 401k with pre-tax money (so it doesn't get absorbed for taxes) I'd say it could be worth it. It beats the heck out of working a second job at minimum wage if you were thinking about that also. Only you can decide that for sure, but think of it as advancing the end-game of FIRE.

+1.  That's EXACTLY why I'm working extra. I became eligible for our 401k and wanted to continue our after tax contributions without seeing a huge drop in net pay. Until the end of the year, I have $1200 a paycheck going into my 401k which includes catch up contribitutions. Next year I'll be able to cut down some extra as only $885 a paycheck will be going to my 401k.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!