Author Topic: Epic FU money stories  (Read 2794879 times)

clarkfan1979

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #150 on: June 05, 2014, 06:37:07 AM »
Not that epic, but does involve poop. There are two parts.

Part one: After graduating from undergrad, I took a "year off" before going to grad school. I worked for my cousin's plumbing business. He had someone quit unexpectedly and offered me good money to work for him for one month while he looked for a replacement. He was very nice and paid me well. However, I never worked with him on the job. I worked with a different plumber that treated me like sh*t. He really enjoyed calling me "college boy" and was looking for excuses for yelling at me. I finally lost it and put him in his place. I told him that I was there to help out my cousin and not listen to his bullsh*t. I told him that if he yelled at me again I was going to leave and he would be doing twice the amount of work until a replacement was found. My cousin also had a talk with him and he stopped.

Part two: My uncle was having a party and he hired me to drive drunk people home. The "plumber" knew my uncle and was at the party. I honestly didn't have any hard feelings and things were going well. However, after a few beers he started doing his thing again by calling me "college boy" and yelling at me to do things. I think he was trying to show off. I didn't say anything or do anything until I gave him a ride home. I was taking 4 guys to their houses including the plumber. He was bombed and kept up with his remarks so I dropped him off first. After dropping him off, I got into the van and the other guys were apologizing for his behavior. They suggested that I kick his ass because he was a small man. I would never fight someone for being rude, but I did feel the need to poop. Without saying anything I got out of the van and pooped on his front porch. I wiped my butt with mapquest directions to his house so he knew that it was me. When I got back into the fan the three guys were like, "That's messed up, dude." I said, "You know what, I had to put up with his sh*t for one month. Now he has to put up with mine for one day."


dude

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #151 on: June 05, 2014, 06:38:35 AM »
Weeks later, I interviewed for my current job with the federal government, and had an offer just a month later.  ... No asshole bosses, no make-work B.S., plenty of autonomy, mostly interesting work, a sane work schedule, a shitload of money frankly (not like the law firm job but more than enough),

You did hit the jackpot-- I'd caution anyone reading this post not to consider any of the above typical in the federal government

HAHA!  Absolutely right!  I got very fortunate.  And yes @chesebert, the legal market was vastly different then than it is now!  Had I not taken my current path, I was ready to go back to active duty as a lawyer in the JAG corps.  I was told I was a shoe-in, but they weren't making offers until March of my graduation year, whereas my current job gave me an offer in December, so I went with the bird in hand.

dude

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #152 on: June 05, 2014, 06:40:25 AM »
Not that epic, but does involve poop. There are two parts.

Part one: After graduating from undergrad, I took a "year off" before going to grad school. I worked for my cousin's plumbing business. He had someone quit unexpectedly and offered me good money to work for him for one month while he looked for a replacement. He was very nice and paid me well. However, I never worked with him on the job. I worked with a different plumber that treated me like sh*t. He really enjoyed calling me "college boy" and was looking for excuses for yelling at me. I finally lost it and put him in his place. I told him that I was there to help out my cousin and not listen to his bullsh*t. I told him that if he yelled at me again I was going to leave and he would be doing twice the amount of work until a replacement was found. My cousin also had a talk with him and he stopped.

Part two: My uncle was having a party and he hired me to drive drunk people home. The "plumber" knew my uncle and was at the party. I honestly didn't have any hard feelings and things were going well. However, after a few beers he started doing his thing again by calling me "college boy" and yelling at me to do things. I think he was trying to show off. I didn't say anything or do anything until I gave him a ride home. I was taking 4 guys to their houses including the plumber. He was bombed and kept up with his remarks so I dropped him off first. After dropping him off, I got into the van and the other guys were apologizing for his behavior. They suggested that I kick his ass because he was a small man. I would never fight someone for being rude, but I did feel the need to poop. Without saying anything I got out of the van and pooped on his front porch. I wiped my butt with mapquest directions to his house so he knew that it was me. When I got back into the fan the three guys were like, "That's messed up, dude." I said, "You know what, I had to put up with his sh*t for one month. Now he has to put up with mine for one day."

hahaha!  Nice!

aclarridge

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #153 on: June 05, 2014, 08:06:29 AM »
So I started cutting back my hours..  this job was intended to be a 8 or 9 hour a day deal as opposed to the 12+ I was working so I tested leaving earlier and earlier each day, hopefully to regain my sanity.  I was surprisingly met with little resistance.  Eventually, I was given raises and promotions even though I had effectively cut my daily hours from 12 to like 7-8 today.

Your story (and especially this part) totally reminds me of BNL's latest post: "The Man" is You.

I enjoyed this article. From another perspective though, if the "Man" represents the company owners who basically want you to work like a slave for them, then you have to keep in mind that if you are an equity index investor you are a small part of the "Man". If you stick up for yourself like he says, and are a part owner in the company as well, you're the "Man" and from both perspectives you're doing great.
Sometimes when people complain about some jackass corporation that is part of an oligopoly and is ripping them off, I tell them it's a public company, if you think they make so much money then why not just buy part of it and participate in the fantastic profits?

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #154 on: June 05, 2014, 11:07:39 AM »
Not that epic, but does involve poop. There are two parts.

Part one: After graduating from undergrad, I took a "year off" before going to grad school. I worked for my cousin's plumbing business. He had someone quit unexpectedly and offered me good money to work for him for one month while he looked for a replacement. He was very nice and paid me well. However, I never worked with him on the job. I worked with a different plumber that treated me like sh*t. He really enjoyed calling me "college boy" and was looking for excuses for yelling at me. I finally lost it and put him in his place. I told him that I was there to help out my cousin and not listen to his bullsh*t. I told him that if he yelled at me again I was going to leave and he would be doing twice the amount of work until a replacement was found. My cousin also had a talk with him and he stopped.

Part two: My uncle was having a party and he hired me to drive drunk people home. The "plumber" knew my uncle and was at the party. I honestly didn't have any hard feelings and things were going well. However, after a few beers he started doing his thing again by calling me "college boy" and yelling at me to do things. I think he was trying to show off. I didn't say anything or do anything until I gave him a ride home. I was taking 4 guys to their houses including the plumber. He was bombed and kept up with his remarks so I dropped him off first. After dropping him off, I got into the van and the other guys were apologizing for his behavior. They suggested that I kick his ass because he was a small man. I would never fight someone for being rude, but I did feel the need to poop. Without saying anything I got out of the van and pooped on his front porch. I wiped my butt with mapquest directions to his house so he knew that it was me. When I got back into the fan the three guys were like, "That's messed up, dude." I said, "You know what, I had to put up with his sh*t for one month. Now he has to put up with mine for one day."

You win.

frugally

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #155 on: June 08, 2014, 08:04:30 AM »
Not that epic, but does involve poop. There are two parts.

Part one: After graduating from undergrad, I took a "year off" before going to grad school. I worked for my cousin's plumbing business. He had someone quit unexpectedly and offered me good money to work for him for one month while he looked for a replacement. He was very nice and paid me well. However, I never worked with him on the job. I worked with a different plumber that treated me like sh*t. He really enjoyed calling me "college boy" and was looking for excuses for yelling at me. I finally lost it and put him in his place. I told him that I was there to help out my cousin and not listen to his bullsh*t. I told him that if he yelled at me again I was going to leave and he would be doing twice the amount of work until a replacement was found. My cousin also had a talk with him and he stopped.

Part two: My uncle was having a party and he hired me to drive drunk people home. The "plumber" knew my uncle and was at the party. I honestly didn't have any hard feelings and things were going well. However, after a few beers he started doing his thing again by calling me "college boy" and yelling at me to do things. I think he was trying to show off. I didn't say anything or do anything until I gave him a ride home. I was taking 4 guys to their houses including the plumber. He was bombed and kept up with his remarks so I dropped him off first. After dropping him off, I got into the van and the other guys were apologizing for his behavior. They suggested that I kick his ass because he was a small man. I would never fight someone for being rude, but I did feel the need to poop. Without saying anything I got out of the van and pooped on his front porch. I wiped my butt with mapquest directions to his house so he knew that it was me. When I got back into the fan the three guys were like, "That's messed up, dude." I said, "You know what, I had to put up with his sh*t for one month. Now he has to put up with mine for one day."

This is brilliant.  Have you seen him since then?

Gerard

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #156 on: June 08, 2014, 11:48:02 AM »
A lot of the stories here are about people who didn't have anything to go to, or a backup plan, or any money saved... in essence, people who lost their jobs because they preferred the satisfaction of being in charge of the situation for five seconds.

Which is why I think *real* FU money is so powerful. You don't have to use it. You can afford to be nice to everyone, even assholes. You just don't do anything you don't want to, or that you think is wrong. Because you don't need that five-second satisfaction, because you're not stressed out or frustrated or overwhelmed or vulnerable to start with.

</captain obvious>

dragoncar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #157 on: June 08, 2014, 06:19:35 PM »
A lot of the stories here are about people who didn't have anything to go to, or a backup plan, or any money saved... in essence, people who lost their jobs because they preferred the satisfaction of being in charge of the situation for five seconds.

Which is why I think *real* FU money is so powerful. You don't have to use it. You can afford to be nice to everyone, even assholes. You just don't do anything you don't want to, or that you think is wrong. Because you don't need that five-second satisfaction, because you're not stressed out or frustrated or overwhelmed or vulnerable to start with.

</captain obvious>

Should be called IPD money ("I politely decline")

clarkfan1979

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #158 on: June 08, 2014, 06:56:19 PM »
A lot of the stories here are about people who didn't have anything to go to, or a backup plan, or any money saved... in essence, people who lost their jobs because they preferred the satisfaction of being in charge of the situation for five seconds.

Which is why I think *real* FU money is so powerful. You don't have to use it. You can afford to be nice to everyone, even assholes. You just don't do anything you don't want to, or that you think is wrong. Because you don't need that five-second satisfaction, because you're not stressed out or frustrated or overwhelmed or vulnerable to start with.

</captain obvious>

I politely disagree. I burn bridges because I can afford to do so. Being polite is typically someone who doesn't want to burn a bridge because they might still need something. I like the fu*king thing on fire!

Sofa King

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #159 on: June 08, 2014, 07:05:27 PM »
Your story (and especially this part) totally reminds me of BNL's latest post: "The Man" is You.

This was great!!!!


[Mod Edit: Quote tags fixed.]
« Last Edit: June 08, 2014, 07:13:51 PM by arebelspy »

2527

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #160 on: June 09, 2014, 09:25:15 AM »
The source of strength here was not money, but it is still a good story.

I was a major in the Air Force working for an obnoxious colonel.  At various times, he had thrown food at me, called me an asshole, and little shit.

Then, I was transferred to work in a small office directly supporting a four-star general, the colonel's boss' boss. 

I did something he didn't like, and he called me and started the phone conversation by calling me "fuckface."  The other people in the office could hear it.  I kept my cool, finished the conversation, and waited two days.  He obviously didn't grasp the significance of the fact that I now longer worked for him and was, in fact, pretty highly placed in the 4-star's office.

I went to his office, and told him his behavior was unprofessional and obnoxious, and I had been waiting two days for him to call me and apologize, but he hadn't done so.  I made sure to use the words asshole, fuckface and little shit over and over again.  He kept trying to divert the conversation, but I kept bringing it back to him and his behavior.  At several points, he abruptly stood up and walked around and looked out the window.  He clearly didn't want to be in the conversation.  I advised him several times that if he treated me unprofessionally, I would bring it up with his boss, a two-star general, and if that didn't work, I would bring it up with is boss's boss, who was the 4-star I now worked for. 

It was great.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2014, 09:27:24 AM by 2527 »

Miamoo

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #161 on: June 09, 2014, 01:26:52 PM »
Wow.  Maybe this has been covered but when I was growing up FU money was something the housewife stashed in case she had to escape from an abusive or intolerable marriage.  Showing my age I suppose.  Very negative and not good eh?

citrine

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #162 on: June 09, 2014, 03:13:14 PM »
I had some FU money saved up from the sale of my condo in 2005 and from stream lining my expenses....close to $35K.  My job in big pharma was getting out of control with a lying/cheating VP, a diva-esque Director, and just plain dysfunctional group of managers.  I had been told that I was not a team player because I would not fudge the bar tab on the expense report or lie for the VP when his pregnant wife called (he was hanging out with the VP of Marketing in her room drinking). 
We were having a change in management (again) and in the midst of all the interviews and what not...I handed in my resignation and told them I was going to go and explore other avenues...massage school in particular ;)  Many people snickered and laughed outright...said I would be back in a year begging for my job back.
Fast forward 5 years....I have a very successful practice, choose the hours/cases I will work with (medical massage), and the funny part is that a couple of those in high management have found me through Linkedin and became my clients :) I will never work for anyone else again.

Rural

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #163 on: June 09, 2014, 08:03:20 PM »
Wow.  Maybe this has been covered but when I was growing up FU money was something the housewife stashed in case she had to escape from an abusive or intolerable marriage.  Showing my age I suppose.  Very negative and not good eh?


I don't know. I'd say having the FU money in that case is much better than not having it, so I wouldn't call it "not good." Too many abused spouses now don't have it.

europe

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #164 on: June 10, 2014, 06:37:57 AM »
Not that epic, but does involve poop.

I like it when posts start like this... :D

Wildflame

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #165 on: June 10, 2014, 12:33:20 PM »
Gerard, I'm not sure it's so simple. Even with FU money, most people are inclined to be accommodating, non-confrontational people. There will always be someone who incites stress or frustration in the workplace. The 'power' of FU money doesn't come from the money itself - it comes from realising that in most circumstances, the 'worst that can happen' is not really that bad, and with that knowledge comes strength. Obviously having cash behind you eliminates many possibilities from 'the worst that can happen', but it's not the money that makes these stories so interesting - it's the object lesson in seeing a person discover their strength and resilience, and pushing back against the arseholes and bullpoop that make so many workplaces much more unpleasant than they need to be.

My FU money story was really boring. I got sick of my job. I wanted to take some time off before changing careers. So I quit, worked out my notice, and am the happier for it. If I was destitute, I could not have done that. One of my co-workers at that job has been in the same low-level retail job for five years working weekends on top of his regular job in a hospital - doing six days a week or thirteen days a fortnight between them. He will not and can not ever quit, because he is up to his armpits in debt and spends money like it's going out of fashion. He stressed about it every time I worked with him. Poor bugger. Thank goodness I'm not that guy. Thank goodness for FU money. =)

EDIT: Ah! I do have a slightly better one. About four months ago another of my coworkers decided to go study - interstate, with classes starting in a week. He was a casual, so he could quit with nothing more than a note. Which, because he hated the boss, is exactly what he did, writing the following immortal words and smiley into the store diary while working on the weekend, taking up a whole A4 page: "I don't work here anymore =) -(Name)". He blocked the boss's mobile and the store phone numbers, packed his stuff in his car and a hired trailer, and was gone just like that. I'm not sure how much savings he had, but it was definitely enough to keep him going for a good 3-4 months at least.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2014, 12:44:30 PM by Wildflame »

dweebyhawkeyes

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #166 on: June 10, 2014, 02:54:28 PM »
Wow.  Maybe this has been covered but when I was growing up FU money was something the housewife stashed in case she had to escape from an abusive or intolerable marriage.  Showing my age I suppose.  Very negative and not good eh?

Interesting. I offered to rent an apartment for my friend and I if her emotionally abusive boyfriend wouldn't let her out of the relationship.. My FU money, but worth it to me to save her if needed.

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #167 on: June 10, 2014, 03:28:11 PM »
I think about a year after I left work I realized I could actually retire permanently without having to ever work again - even p/t - if I just sold my paid off house and downsized. I did that and became instantly FI.  I was also frugal, debt free, child free, divorced, and had mostly free or very low cost activities and knew I would have a government pension of $1400/month starting at age 50 and had free or low cost medical thru the VA medical system (although I have always bought a low cost private policy). I also have no heirs so have no problem spending down any principal I have in savings or investments over the coming years to supplement my pension as needed. Currently, with a paid off house and low taxes, insurance and utilities, I can live on about half my pension ($700) per month for basic expenses. The extra goes to travel and fun stuff - or needed things like getting the car fixed.  I've been FIREed over a decade now and love it. And no, I haven't had to go to work to plug any financial holes. Just reduce spending in other areas as needed or do without some things that don't have that much importance to me.

Thanks, that was very helpful. I like how you played with your options and finances (selling a home) to get you where you needed to be. And I love your beach volleyball and travel stories. Those are two of some of the things I want to spend more time on. I am also child-free and debt-free and don't plan on leaving much around when I get to the inevitable.

I just "downsized" late last year to a "smaller" place that helped me get mortgage free. I'm still waiting for the old house to sell (hence the nerves). But the new place is still quite luxurious and bigger than I need. I love the area. But I do have that as my ace in the hole if I need it (can sell and downsize even more in the future).

I'm just getting used to my new expense structure with this move. I think I have shaved off $20k in yearly expenses with this move - no mortgage, no yard maintenance, no alarm, no home phone, much less insurance costs, finally cut the cable, etc. It is quite freeing to see the change! And I only moved a mile away!

I am actually understating my stash. I have more than enough to cover my basic expenses at a 4% SWR. But I'd still like to beef up the travel amount and make sure I still have enough to cover my charitable donations. I'm also a little skittish with the current market highs. I'm sure it's doable if I am forced into the situation. We shall see...
I did tweak some things a bit but nothing too dramatic or life changing. Sort of a "Latte-Factor" kind of trade-off with most things. i.e. I didn't give up things, just found alternative (less expensive) ways to have the things I want. Like you, I also didn't have to move too far from my home in SoCal (Orange County) as I didn't want to move too far from my family and friends. So just moved about 100 miles away (and 7,000 ft up!) and bought a home for about 1/4th the price I sold my place for. And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon! So I think there are ways to retire or temporarily quit your job (with enough FU money that is) and not have to make too drastic of a lifestyle change.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2014, 03:30:52 PM by Spartana »

trailrated

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #168 on: June 10, 2014, 07:33:35 PM »
Gerard, I'm not sure it's so simple. Even with FU money, most people are inclined to be accommodating, non-confrontational people. There will always be someone who incites stress or frustration in the workplace. The 'power' of FU money doesn't come from the money itself - it comes from realising that in most circumstances, the 'worst that can happen' is not really that bad, and with that knowledge comes strength. Obviously having cash behind you eliminates many possibilities from 'the worst that can happen', but it's not the money that makes these stories so interesting - it's the object lesson in seeing a person discover their strength and resilience, and pushing back against the arseholes and bullpoop that make so many workplaces much more unpleasant than they need to be.

Wow that was so awesome I re-read it 3 times. Perfectly stated!!

Insanity

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #169 on: June 10, 2014, 07:36:13 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.


Daisy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #170 on: June 10, 2014, 08:25:17 PM »
So just moved about 100 miles away (and 7,000 ft up!) and bought a home for about 1/4th the price I sold my place for.

Sweet!!! I live in a high COL area, but also close to family and friends...and the beach. But Florida has other beach towns that are cheaper. I guess I can move to one of those in the future. My parents are getting old and frail so I can't move too far away yet.

I would also love to live in Colorado. I can't ever see myself buying two places though.

I agree that there's always a cheaper way to do the same thing and spend a lot less money. You just have to be creative and flexible.

And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You are living my dream life!
« Last Edit: June 10, 2014, 08:26:52 PM by Daisy »

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #171 on: June 10, 2014, 10:29:15 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.
I'm sorry I can't hear you with all that beach sand in my ears :-)!90 minutes outside LA:
« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 02:10:11 AM by Spartana »

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #172 on: June 10, 2014, 10:36:47 PM »
So just moved about 100 miles away (and 7,000 ft up!) and bought a home for about 1/4th the price I sold my place for.

Sweet!!! I live in a high COL area, but also close to family and friends...and the beach. But Florida has other beach towns that are cheaper. I guess I can move to one of those in the future. My parents are getting old and frail so I can't move too far away yet.

I would also love to live in Colorado. I can't ever see myself buying two places though.

I agree that there's always a cheaper way to do the same thing and spend a lot less money. You just have to be creative and flexible.

And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You are living my dream life!
I think I would have liked to live in a lower cost area myself but living only 90 minutes away from family (also elderly parents) was important to me too. Plus I had several  pets (dogs and cats) so knew I couldn't get a condo or apt or rent a room and had to get a house. It wasn't ideal but was very workable.  Having pets was a big factor when I chose to quit working - even if I had the FU money to do it - as I knew that would greatly effect my  housing options. Much easier to walk off the job when you know you only have yourself to look after and provide for. Something for those with pets contemplating leaving their jobs.

edited to add that I moved back down "The Hill" 2 years ago and bought a house near the beach with my sister back in Orange County Calif. So I am back in a high cost area - although bought the house as a foreclosure during the bottom of the market for a low price- but splitting the purchase cost and housing costs is a huge money saver. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to buy  in this area. And I'm still only 90 minutes from the mountain ski resorts and 10 minutes from the beach :-)!
« Last Edit: June 10, 2014, 10:49:11 PM by Spartana »

iris lily

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #173 on: June 10, 2014, 10:49:09 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.

aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #174 on: June 10, 2014, 11:08:45 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.

aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.
It's not gloating, it's inspirering others to become lazy good for nothing mustachian fools too :-)! And when are you going to quit that job-thingie and join me in lazytown? Then we can both suck!

Insanity

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #175 on: June 11, 2014, 07:34:18 AM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.

aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.
It's not gloating, it's inspirering others to become lazy good for nothing mustachian fools too :-)! And when are you going to quit that job-thingie and join me in lazytown? Then we can both suck!

I don't think it is gloating.  But it doesn't change the fact she still sucks.

You promise my fat and lazy ass a doubles tourney as soon as I FIRE and I'll be there.

dragoncar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #176 on: June 11, 2014, 11:21:37 AM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.
I'm sorry I can't hear you with all that beach sand in my ears :-)!90 minutes outside LA:

I love big bear, but property isn't exactly cheap there.  Is it super seasonal there?  And how bad is the snow?  I've only been in the summer.

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #177 on: June 11, 2014, 01:52:36 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.

aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.
It's not gloating, it's inspirering others to become lazy good for nothing mustachian fools too :-)! And when are you going to quit that job-thingie and join me in lazytown? Then we can both suck!

I don't think it is gloating.  But it doesn't change the fact she still sucks.

You promise my fat and lazy ass a doubles tourney as soon as I FIRE and I'll be there.
I'll be there to whup your hiney-end :-)! Of course I'm older and slower now since I've been FTRE'd sooooooooo long now. Hmmm...sounds like that could be a gloat :-)!

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #178 on: June 11, 2014, 02:06:50 PM »
And still was close enough to snow ski in the morning and surf at the beach (or play beach volleyball) in the afternoon!

You suck.

No, really, you suck.
I'm sorry I can't hear you with all that beach sand in my ears :-)!90 minutes outside LA:

I love big bear, but property isn't exactly cheap there.  Is it super seasonal there?  And how bad is the snow?  I've only been in the summer.
Big Bear's not as cheap as it was but still much less when compared to The O.C. - especially the coastal area I was living in (and now live in again). The drive up and back can be hard, especially in winter, and you often need snow tires and 4 x 4 or chains. The roads sometimes get closed because of mudslides or avalanches (and can take week or even months to be re-opened) and there can be wildfires that cause problems. But still, lots of people choose to live there and actually commute to LA or the IE everyday (lots of crazy people IMHO) as there really aren't any good paying jobs up there. Weather-wise it is near perfect I think. Much cooler then most of SoCal in summer (and cold at night), close to year round sunshine, fairly minimal snow (maybe 80 inches a year - and only a 30 minute or less drive to get off the mountain and into warm dry weather), more rain in summer due to thunderstorms but brief refreshing rain, and a pretty place to live. Lots of recreation. The Village area can get crowded but it's an easy walk or bike ride everywhere in the Valley so can go carless - even have a bus that goes between all the mountain communities and down to San Bernardino. I liked living there but it is a small place, surrounded by National Forest, and not for those who want the city life. However, like many resort areas, it has everything a small city has, just on a smaller scale. 4 seasons too - all nice.

« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 02:51:19 PM by Spartana »

Daisy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #179 on: June 11, 2014, 08:38:02 PM »
aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.

Spartana - the Goddess of FIRE.

I don't see it as gloating. I am quite inspired by her stories.

iris lily

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #180 on: June 11, 2014, 09:08:41 PM »
aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.

Spartana - the Goddess of FIRE.

I don't see it as gloating. I am quite inspired by her stories.

Oh it's gloating all right, haha. This is an inside joke of long standing.  And I'm in countdown mode, less than a year to go punching a time clock and then I can sit around and gloat about enjoying a carefree life.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 09:10:23 PM by iris lily »

Daisy

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #181 on: June 11, 2014, 09:20:43 PM »
aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.

Spartana - the Goddess of FIRE.

I don't see it as gloating. I am quite inspired by her stories.

Oh it's gloating all right, haha. This is an inside joke of long standing.  And I'm in countdown mode, less than a year to go punching a time clock and then I can sit around and gloat about enjoying a carefree life.

(premature) Congratulations!

I may be 1-3 years away myself. I am looking forward to the carefree life. I do try my best to incorporate the carefree attitude in my current life. I'm so close to FIRE that even if it happens earlier than planned, I can cope.

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #182 on: June 12, 2014, 12:36:51 AM »
aw there she is, sashaying around the web gloating again.  :)  She's the Gloat Queen on another simple living board. I can attest to it, I've been reading her posts for more than 10 years and she really DOES have the life. But she knows how to make the decisions to get there.

Spartana - the Goddess of FIRE.

I don't see it as gloating. I am quite inspired by her stories.

Oh it's gloating all right, haha. This is an inside joke of long standing.  And I'm in countdown mode, less than a year to go punching a time clock and then I can sit around and gloat about enjoying a carefree life.
well you know the longer you call me out on my gloating...er...inspiring ancedotes, the worse they will become :-)!

Now if I can only get that flame dress from Hunger Games and the chariot to pull me thru the streets while cheering people throw money and roses at me, then I'll know I am truly The Goddess of FIRE and Queen of the Gloaters! Until then I shall remain humble ole me :-)!
« Last Edit: June 12, 2014, 12:49:53 AM by Spartana »

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #183 on: June 12, 2014, 12:47:51 AM »
OK back to the topic! Has anyone ever just up and left a job with no FU money? Just enough to maybe get them thru for a little while in the hopes of getting something better?

 My younger sister did this kind of thing off and on for years. At 17 - after finishing high school and working a retail job - she went skiing for a weekend with some friends and ended up just staying at the ski resort. No money except a jar of pennies (yep, pennies). She was able to find a place to crash for a few night, scrounge up a bit of food and then a job as a lift ticket checker. She ended up staying there for several years.

Another time she just left her job and took off to New Zealand for a year and returned with 13 cents to her name (worked while she was there picking fruit). Another time she just left her job and travelled around the US for a year. And 4 years in a row she just worked enough in winters so she could take off in summers and spent 4 summers in Alaska (working there too). Lots of other things like that. She eventually got a job with a big defense contractor and "settled" down in her early 30's and has been there ever since and plans to retire from there once she is 55.

And surprisingly, doing all those years of giving the finger to various low paying jobs and spending all her money each time afterwards, she still has a huge stash, was able to buy a place with cash in a SoCal beach community, and could probably retire now oif she chooses. No college education (or debts of any kind) either. So there's hope for people who want to say FU to the job occasionally yet still get ahead.
 
« Last Edit: June 12, 2014, 12:51:56 AM by Spartana »

ch12

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #184 on: June 12, 2014, 04:33:42 AM »
OK back to the topic! Has anyone ever just up and left a job with no FU money? Just enough to maybe get them thru for a little while in the hopes of getting something better?

My younger sister did this kind of thing off and on for years.
And surprisingly, doing all those years of giving the finger to various low paying jobs and spending all her money each time afterwards, she still has a huge stash, was able to buy a place with cash in a SoCal beach community, and could probably retire now if she chooses. No college education (or debts of any kind) either. So there's hope for people who want to say FU to the job occasionally yet still get ahead.

'Stashing is probably a byproduct of the frugal habits she picked up when she was making small amounts of money. Once she made a normal wage, she kept the habits and ended rich anyway.

I have friends who are still at that stage (early 20s) and I hope they get sorted out the same way. I'm a wee bit jealous of their adventures (where are we this week? Patagonia), but there is something to be said about the stability of an office job with a regular paycheck.

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #185 on: June 12, 2014, 09:15:27 AM »
OK back to the topic! Has anyone ever just up and left a job with no FU money? Just enough to maybe get them thru for a little while in the hopes of getting something better?

My younger sister did this kind of thing off and on for years.
And surprisingly, doing all those years of giving the finger to various low paying jobs and spending all her money each time afterwards, she still has a huge stash, was able to buy a place with cash in a SoCal beach community, and could probably retire now if she chooses. No college education (or debts of any kind) either. So there's hope for people who want to say FU to the job occasionally yet still get ahead.

'Stashing is probably a byproduct of the frugal habits she picked up when she was making small amounts of money. Once she made a normal wage, she kept the habits and ended rich anyway.

I have friends who are still at that stage (early 20s) and I hope they get sorted out the same way. I'm a wee bit jealous of their adventures (where are we this week? Patagonia), but there is something to be said about the stability of an office job with a regular paycheck.
Yes you are right. She continued to live on very little money and stashed the rest. I know she is happy with her choices to travel and have adventures while young rather then work as she, like me, often see people who have been in school and working hard all their lives who sort of lose it around age 40. All of a sudden dump it all (job, money, often spouse and kids) and run off to the tropical isle (or buy that snazzy red sports car :-)!).  The non-stop/no-breaks school and work thing may really be the culprit behind a lot of mid-life crisis'. Maybe taking a break in between for a couple of years or before serious career can be more stable in the long run then an office job and a pay check. For a little while at least :-)!

dragoncar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #186 on: June 12, 2014, 10:06:37 AM »
Has anyone ever just up and left a job with no FU money? Just enough to maybe get them thru for a little while in the hopes of getting something better?

Others here disagree, but to me this is the definition of FU money: enough to leave a bad job.  For me it's less than FIRE money, but for others it's the same or even zero.

OzzieandHarriet

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #187 on: June 12, 2014, 10:51:29 AM »
I can't remember exactly when it dawned on me that I could put the maximum into my 401k and IRA. It was some time after I got married at 41 (am now 56). I didn't start working full time until I was 35 and had no clue about retirement accounts because I was just getting by (though frugally). My only investment at the time was a house that my mother helped me buy. But in any case, husband and I both started maxing out all possible retirement accounts at some point in the past 15 years. We both kept getting modest raises every year (his salary always about double mine). When my job became intolerable last year, I did try to improve things there, but nothing worked. I looked at our income and our stash and realized that yes, we had enough for me to jump, so I did. I left on good terms, but left nevertheless.

It's been almost a year now, and we have had no money problems whatsoever. I've been keeping track of how our investments are doing, and they are generating twice as much income as we need (of course that can change depending on the stock market); at the moment, we are living on about half of husband's income and still saving so haven't had to touch the stash.

I was able to set up a freelance side gig, now am wondering if I even need to keep doing that -- it's taking up too much of my valuable time!

Not exactly "epic," but I still can't believe I was able to do it.

Gerard

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #188 on: June 12, 2014, 05:10:01 PM »
Gerard, I'm not sure it's so simple. Even with FU money, most people are inclined to be accommodating, non-confrontational people. There will always be someone who incites stress or frustration in the workplace. The 'power' of FU money doesn't come from the money itself - it comes from realising that in most circumstances, the 'worst that can happen' is not really that bad, and with that knowledge comes strength. Obviously having cash behind you eliminates many possibilities from 'the worst that can happen', but it's not the money that makes these stories so interesting - it's the object lesson in seeing a person discover their strength and resilience, and pushing back against the arseholes and bullpoop that make so many workplaces much more unpleasant than they need to be.

I see your point, and your "worst that can happen" point is wise and I thank you for expressing it so clearly. My point was/is that in many of the earlier stories on here, the pushing back involves harming the pusher as much as the pushee. I didn't see much power in them. To deliberately misquote, revenge is a dish best eaten not at all.

Iconoclast

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #189 on: June 13, 2014, 04:36:59 AM »
From all the stories here (great thread!) I realized I might have my own FU money story...

After law school, my second full-time job was as a legal researcher at an institute of a certain university. They hired me to write a book for which they had already received the grant. After a few months, I learned I was the only one who applied for the job. Had I known that, I might have bargained a bit harder... My contract was for one year, with the option of being hired for a PhD position afterwards.

Anyhow, it dawned pretty quickly on me that it was a toxic workplace. The professor in charge was a psychopath who would just yell at people if he felt like it. The people around him were a bunch of yes men. My direct colleagues -the other researchers and Ph D students- were great people however. We helped each other out after we'd been the victim of another one of the professor's fits and generally had a lot of fun, behind the backs of management of course.

It took me a few months to write the requested book. After that, the idea was to have me working on other projects to generate some extra income for the institute. The other projects never materialized and I was bored out of my wits. In the beginning, I'd go to the university library to read up on different subjects, but even that got boring. What I did in the end -and I'm not proud of it but as I said, the boredom was intolerable- is go to the office, hang my coat on my desk chair, then bike home again and go back in the evening to pick up my coat. It was pretty clear that I needed another job, so I prepared for the entrance exams for another job in government. I aced those tests (thanks to all the preparation time) and am still in that organization today.

A couple of months before my contract was up, I got the confirmation that I was accepted in the new job. My contract would end in July and the other job would start in October, although they offered me to start earlier, which I politely declined because I had enough 'stache to cover a couple of months of expenses to travel and generally bum around. Those months were awesome! At work I gave my manager the impression that I was very interested in a PhD position, so they thought they could take advantage of me for a couple of more years. Eventually I had to break the news to my (fairly spineless) manager and he listened to me but never replied, he just nodded and never said a word to me after that. I followed up with an e-mail to cover my behind so he could not deny that I had informed him. I think that when I told him, he realized the professor would be screaming at him because I was leaving and he was probably scared shi(r)tless.

A couple of days before my last work day, one of the secretaries informed me that I would have a meeting with the professor in a couple of hours. Obviously he wanted to have one last yelling session at me for some invented reason, while the real reason was that I was committing treason by leaving. I walked out the building and never returned. There was already a farewell party planned with my direct colleagues so there was no damage there.

As I said, I had a few great months in between jobs. The story doesn't end there, however. About six months later, I received the PhD dissertation from my manager in the mail, with a request for money to buy him a gift (AS IF!). When I browsed the book, I noticed that some parts were copied  from articles that I had published in my time at the institute, without the proper footnotes. I notified the committee that had decided on his PhD application, and the PhD graduation ceremony was cancelled. The local press jumped on it. There was a ceremony afterwards, but it was very hush-hush and a note was added to all the dissertation papers that pages X to Y had been written by Iconoclast and the author had "forgotten" to include the footnotes.

About a year later, the institute was disbanded. The university had been building a file against the professor, and he left for another university with some of his yes men. The PhD's were transferred to other departments to finish their work there. The contracts of the other people were not renewed, including my manager. According to LinkedIn, he's still working in my current region in the same field as me, but I'm pretty sure he's unemployed because I never run into him professionally. It doesn't help that when you Google his name, the word plagiarism is never far off.

« Last Edit: June 13, 2014, 04:40:13 AM by Iconoclast »

shadowmoss

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #190 on: June 13, 2014, 07:44:54 AM »
Spartana has a(nother) forum to gloat, errr, inspire!  Whoopieeee!  I've been reading her gloats with envy for many years!

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #191 on: June 13, 2014, 03:18:15 PM »
Spartana has a(nother) forum to gloat, errr, inspire!  Whoopieeee!  I've been reading her gloats with envy for many years!
And now that Iris-Lily will be joining me on the darkside and into ER soon you're next!

Spartana

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #192 on: June 13, 2014, 05:12:04 PM »
Friends from the Simple Living forums (waving to all of you) are probably sick of my story but I'll share it anyway, as it might be helpful to others.
Sometimes I wish I was on my own so I could take the leap like Spartana (my frugal Wondertwin!) That being said, my fantasies about quitting and opening a dive shop in Costa Rica intensify every day.  And I don't dive and I've never been to Costa Rica.
Well I love hearing your story - and the "dream life" of opening a dive shop in Costa Rica with out having ever dived - cracked me up.

And before she was a Wonder Twin, she was She-Rah, Princess of Power and Gloat. Hanging with He-Man and Ihamo the Wonder Woman :-)!

dragoncar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #193 on: June 13, 2014, 05:22:20 PM »
Friends from the Simple Living forums (waving to all of you) are probably sick of my story but I'll share it anyway, as it might be helpful to others.

I had a career meltdown a few years ago in which FU money saved my life, literally.  Short story is I hit a very thick, impenetrable glass ceiling imposed by a boss with psychopathic traits.  Longer story is that they hired someone in over my head to do a job that should have been mine, without ever telling me the job was available.  New hire had NO relevant experience and was totally incapable of doing the job, and it was clear I would be doing it for him.  Oh, and then they tried to give me a 20% paycut because I was no longer in a managerial role.  Almost quit at that point, and again when psycho boss engineered a very negative performance review to cover his butt (I stupidly walked right into that one).  But I had some projects that meant a lot to me that I wanted to wrap up, so I focused on those while I literally started counting the days until I would leave.  I had a lovely excel spreadsheet that calculated what I was earning daily.  I spaced out my time off so that I would have a few "money for nothing" days interspersed every few weeks to help keep me going.  I applied for a fellowship that I was almost certain I would get as my transition strategy.

The day I had my fellowship interview and got confirmation that I would be getting it, I wrote and submitted my resignation.  Originally my DH was going to quit, too (we worked for the same organization), but in the end he decided to stay -- that ended up being good for us financially, but did cause some tension in our marriage.  The fellowship money was only about 1/2 my takehome pay, but our expenses were low and we were basically living off of one salary anyway, so the risks were minimal.  We also had a very large cash stash to fall back on as we had been living way below our means for several years.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do once the fellowship (which was for about 6 months) was over.  Had originally thought I'd do some kind of consulting, but was worried about whether/how it would work.  Serendipity played her hand and a great job came up right as my fellowship was winding down.  It was a bit below my skill set, and I took a paycut, but it turned out to be just what I needed.  I could do the job well pretty much in my sleep, and quickly became indispensable to the organization and the program.  Decent raises followed, and I'm now on the verge of a major promotion and (hopefully) a more significant raise.  There have been some ups and downs in the last year, and to be honest I'm not sure I'm all that happy with how things have played out and not sure how long I'm going to stick with things.  Definitely in "play it by ear" mode at the moment.  But the last few years have been VERY good for us financially and if push came to shove we are in a position where we could sell our apartment and be financially set for life.  DH doesn't want to do that, and isn't ready to stop working yet, so we're in a bit of a holding pattern.  I look at our spreadsheets pretty obsessively and am running numbers on Fidelity's Retirement INcome Planner regularly just to confirm that we can cut the handcuffs any time.

Sometimes I wish I was on my own so I could take the leap like Spartana (my frugal Wondertwin!) did, but the reality is I wouldn't have gotten this far without a great and supportive spouse, who is someone I want to grow old with, so I need to be patient and wait until he is ready, too.

That being said, my fantasies about quitting and opening a dive shop in Costa Rica intensify every day.  And I don't dive and I've never been to Costa Rica.

So how did it save your life?  I was waiting to hear how the ex-boss murdered his new subordinate.

FunkyStickman

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #194 on: June 13, 2014, 05:52:29 PM »
I guess I'll add my "epiphany" moment.

3 years ago, I was working in I.T. for a small-ish branch of a local manufacturer. I'd been working for about 15 years as a contract desktop support guy, and after all that, I was capped out around $28K a year, if that. Through those 15 years, my wife and I managed to go completely debt-free except our mortgage while raising 4 kids.

So at that time I was working as a contractor in Louisiana. My "manager" was a slacktard in North Carolina who oversaw a half dozen units, mostly small remote ones, like ours. I worked at that factory for 5 years, and he never once came to visit, but somehow our unit was always at the bottom of the performance scorecards. Didn't matter what I did, it was never enough. He would randomly IM me during the day and ask me why I hadn't gotten on certain tickets. Usually it was because our local factory guys couldn't drop what they were doing to wait an hour for us to fix something, so we had to wait till they were available. Over and over, our "manager" would berate our performance, demand action, throttle our internet access, change our process every other month, generally make things as difficult as possible.

A lot of other units had figured out how to "game" the system and were making ridiculous numbers doing nothing at all, but I refused to cheat the system. I documented everything and kept trying to make our customers happy. I spent those 5 years making really good relationships with the managers in the factory, and from being generally helpful and nice, I had a lot of pull with people. One manager pulled me aside and said "Jeff, I like you. If you ever want to leave the I.T. department and come work for me, I'd love to have you." She was cool, but I was stoic and loyal to my "manager."

Then I got seriously hurt, was off of work for 2 months. I had come to my senses... I realized I was never going to make more than $15/hr fixing computers. I was going home hating my job every day.

One day, I asked the HR person off-hand what a starting tractor assembler made, with no experience. They said "$16.50. Why?"

I went straight back to my desk, called my manager, and told him in no uncertain terms that I was quitting.
Him: "You're quitting?"
Me: "Yes. I can make more money assembling tractors in the factory, with no experience, than fixing printers and replacing laptop motherboards all day with 15 years' experience. Think about that for a minute."
Him: "You do know if you quit, you can't come back?"
Me: "Don't worry, that won't happen."
Him: "....."

I'm now working for that woman that asked me to join her department... only built tractors for about 6 months before I got promoted. And now I'm a full company employee, not a contractor. Making almost $50K, and I love my job. Now I'm able to stash 25% of my income towards FI.

If I wasn't debt-free, I never would have had the guts to quit my job. We had 6 months income in the bank.

About a year into the new job, both of my upper managers were replaced... so now my managers are corporate yes-men. One of them only got the position because his old job was eliminated, so they created a management place for him. Yay.

I told them in no uncertain terms that I love my job, I had enough money to not care about working overtime, I did *not* wish to get promoted or go on salary, and I was *not* okay with all the stupidity that went with being a corporate whore. Every week or so I get the "you should have a development plan" speech, and I just tell them I'm not interested in advancement, as I will be retired before either of them.

PloddingInsight

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #195 on: June 16, 2014, 08:13:17 AM »
I guess I'll add my "epiphany" moment.

3 years ago, I was working in I.T. for a small-ish branch of a local manufacturer. I'd been working for about 15 years as a contract desktop support guy, and after all that, I was capped out around $28K a year, if that. Through those 15 years, my wife and I managed to go completely debt-free except our mortgage while raising 4 kids.

So at that time I was working as a contractor in Louisiana. My "manager" was a slacktard in North Carolina who oversaw a half dozen units, mostly small remote ones, like ours. I worked at that factory for 5 years, and he never once came to visit, but somehow our unit was always at the bottom of the performance scorecards. Didn't matter what I did, it was never enough. He would randomly IM me during the day and ask me why I hadn't gotten on certain tickets. Usually it was because our local factory guys couldn't drop what they were doing to wait an hour for us to fix something, so we had to wait till they were available. Over and over, our "manager" would berate our performance, demand action, throttle our internet access, change our process every other month, generally make things as difficult as possible.

A lot of other units had figured out how to "game" the system and were making ridiculous numbers doing nothing at all, but I refused to cheat the system. I documented everything and kept trying to make our customers happy. I spent those 5 years making really good relationships with the managers in the factory, and from being generally helpful and nice, I had a lot of pull with people. One manager pulled me aside and said "Jeff, I like you. If you ever want to leave the I.T. department and come work for me, I'd love to have you." She was cool, but I was stoic and loyal to my "manager."

Then I got seriously hurt, was off of work for 2 months. I had come to my senses... I realized I was never going to make more than $15/hr fixing computers. I was going home hating my job every day.

One day, I asked the HR person off-hand what a starting tractor assembler made, with no experience. They said "$16.50. Why?"

I went straight back to my desk, called my manager, and told him in no uncertain terms that I was quitting.
Him: "You're quitting?"
Me: "Yes. I can make more money assembling tractors in the factory, with no experience, than fixing printers and replacing laptop motherboards all day with 15 years' experience. Think about that for a minute."
Him: "You do know if you quit, you can't come back?"
Me: "Don't worry, that won't happen."
Him: "....."

I'm now working for that woman that asked me to join her department... only built tractors for about 6 months before I got promoted. And now I'm a full company employee, not a contractor. Making almost $50K, and I love my job. Now I'm able to stash 25% of my income towards FI.

If I wasn't debt-free, I never would have had the guts to quit my job. We had 6 months income in the bank.

About a year into the new job, both of my upper managers were replaced... so now my managers are corporate yes-men. One of them only got the position because his old job was eliminated, so they created a management place for him. Yay.

I told them in no uncertain terms that I love my job, I had enough money to not care about working overtime, I did *not* wish to get promoted or go on salary, and I was *not* okay with all the stupidity that went with being a corporate whore. Every week or so I get the "you should have a development plan" speech, and I just tell them I'm not interested in advancement, as I will be retired before either of them.

This is a great story.  Thanks for the inspiration.

Trudie

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #196 on: June 16, 2014, 05:29:39 PM »
I read this whole thread from start to finish today.  Very inspirational and funny.

I don't have FU money yet, but I think almost everyone fantasizes about being able to tell their crappy managers off.  What strikes me about this forum is how dehumanizing and rude so many managers are.  I think this is due to the "every person for him/herself" ethic that is so pervasive in the work force.  It's the "eat or be eaten" mentality.  I manage a department at a small company.  My peers and I know that if push came to shove our general manager would throw any of us under the bus.  Especially if his future, job, or compensation were threatened.  He views us all as replaceable cogs in a wheel, but I know that he would have difficulty replacing any one of us.  He can, but it would be expensive and involve using consultants.  Since we're publicly-owned and in a small community I don't think shareholders would stand for it.  In my first month on the job he told me that "We don't really have any exceptional employees here."

My dream -- which I will never realize -- is to give him my two week notice at a difficult time (like before the audit) then basically say, "Fuck you fucker!" 

It will never happen, but it makes me laugh.  It is very likely that I will someday have the great joy of handing in my notice and making his life difficult, however.  And it will piss him off all the more because I don't NEED him, and I don't NEED the job.  Quite honestly, taking the high road and just walking out and making it clear that he doesn't have power over me and I don't owe him anything will be infinitely more satisfying.  That's liberation!


« Last Edit: June 16, 2014, 05:31:24 PM by Trudie »

DutchMustachian

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #197 on: June 17, 2014, 05:50:49 AM »
These are all very cool FU stories, love them!

Anyone keeping a "FU resignment" letter under a shortcut on their desktop or hard-copy around at work? Just in case you'll need it and have a FU stash?

dragoncar

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #198 on: June 17, 2014, 09:00:12 AM »
These are all very cool FU stories, love them!

Anyone keeping a "FU resignment" letter under a shortcut on their desktop or hard-copy around at work? Just in case you'll need it and have a FU stash?

Nope, just a bottle of jack and a parachute.

Trudie

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Re: Epic FU money stories
« Reply #199 on: June 17, 2014, 10:47:33 AM »
These are all very cool FU stories, love them!

Anyone keeping a "FU resignment" letter under a shortcut on their desktop or hard-copy around at work? Just in case you'll need it and have a FU stash?

Nope, just a bottle of jack and a parachute.

"Just a bottle of jack and a parachute..."  Laughing my ass off at that one.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!