Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Cali]

Ugh, that’s the “worst.” My boss did something similar with an Amazon gift card he insisted I spend on something “irresponsible.”  I stocked up on vacuum cleaner bags. Probably the least sexy thing I could buy on Amazon.

Hey, don't knock the appeal of a clean house.

:)

[Imma]

Ugh, I hate it when gifts come with strings attached. My family does that too. They want me to "spoil myself" but whatever I want is just not good enough. And I hate perfume and spa treatments and make-up and new clothes (which is what they mean).

This is why my s/o and I don't exchange birthday or christmas gifts. The very first birthday we celebrated when we first got together was mine. He asked me what I wanted and I said I'd like a nice new wallet. By that time it was almost 15 years old and the zipper was damaged beyond repair. He flat out refused to give me a wallet because it was such a stupid gift. I said I didn't really want anything else. We then decided to never give each other gifts, just bake a cake and take the other person out for dinner.

I kept that wallet for a few more years and lost it a month back after 20 years. My birthday is coming up this summer, maybe I should ask for one again.... I still don't know what's wrong with giving someone a wallet. That's like a mini purse and a purse would be a good gift for a woman, right?

[Dollar Slice]

I still don't know what's wrong with giving someone a wallet. That's like a mini purse and a purse would be a good gift for a woman, right?

One of my favorite gifts I ever got was a wallet! I'd been complaining to my mom about how hard it was to find a wallet I liked (basically looking for a man's style wallet with a pocket for coins, which for some reason was impossible to find). She either remembered exactly what I wanted or was secretly taking notes... She went on vacation in Spain with my dad and saw a leather goods store with a ton of nice wallets, and she made my dad help her search until they found the perfect one. I carry it every day and think of them. :-)

[Goldielocks]

My dad had money in an account that he wanted to gift to me for the purpose of spending it on "fun." I told him that my fun didn't involve spending money. He insisted that it HAD to be spent on fun (it's $500 & a check). I am considering combining fitness, fun & family vacation & purchasing a single seater kayak (Airkayak) to pair with our 2 seater air kayak as well as a nice 4-6 person tent. If I buy items on clearance,  the $500 should cover both purchases. We purchased our backcountry camping equipment & 2 seater Airkayak before our 3 year old son was born. I still can't seem to pull the trigger on this purchase, though.

Ugh, that’s the “worst.” My boss did something similar with an Amazon gift card he insisted I spend on something “irresponsible.”  I stocked up on vacuum cleaner bags. Probably the least sexy thing I could buy on Amazon.

Hmm,  that's pretty irresponsible.  My last two vacuums died with a stockpile of bags sitting in the closet that I had to donate.   (when will I learn). 

[Hula Hoop]

Ugh, I hate it when gifts come with strings attached. My family does that too. They want me to "spoil myself" but whatever I want is just not good enough. And I hate perfume and spa treatments and make-up and new clothes (which is what they mean).

My boss did that last Christmas.  She gave me a gift card to a local fancy gourmet food place.  I went there with my husband and kids and upon seeing the ridiculous prices for food items we decided just to sit down in the attached restaurant and have pizza and fancy beers (for the grownups), which used up the entire gift card.  When I told her this, she said that I should have spent the money "on myself" but I don't think she gets that once you have kids spending time with them and treating them to fancy pizza is spending 'on yourself'.

[LennStar]

My dad had money in an account that he wanted to gift to me for the purpose of spending it on "fun." I told him that my fun didn't involve spending money. He insisted that it HAD to be spent on fun (it's $500 & a check). I am considering combining fitness, fun & family vacation & purchasing a single seater kayak (Airkayak) to pair with our 2 seater air kayak as well as a nice 4-6 person tent. If I buy items on clearance,  the $500 should cover both purchases. We purchased our backcountry camping equipment & 2 seater Airkayak before our 3 year old son was born. I still can't seem to pull the trigger on this purchase, though.

Ugh, that’s the “worst.” My boss did something similar with an Amazon gift card he insisted I spend on something “irresponsible.”  I stocked up on vacuum cleaner bags. Probably the least sexy thing I could buy on Amazon.

"Irresponsible"?
Like a camping tour where your phones don't have connection?

(Referring to that university who wants to shut down the hiking club because they go where the student's phones have no connection and that is too dangerous. You can still play rugby though.)

[CindyBS]

I am the mom of a sick kid (cancer - he's doing much better).

I'm in a bunch of support groups online.  I realized this week I may be one of the only ones with no go fund me, no fundraisers, no t-shirt selling, no #mysickkidsnameSTRONG, no financial free fall, no trying to juggle work and caring for the child. 

We used FU money for me to quit working entirely.   

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

The 2018 HSA contribution limit started at $6900, then dropped to $6850, now just increased back to $6,900. Our bookkeeper must think I'm crazy that I front load the HSA and am on top of notifying her of the change and impacts almost immediately.

Separately, by virtue of having too many amex numbers (a not uncommon practice in US travel hacking), I can buy about $900 of stuff from Target online with an effective discount around 40% but only through the end of may. I'm wasting too much time trying to figure out what to buy. Our groceries are pretty well stocked as it is and, even though we just bought a new home, and have a kid, I can't find hardly anything to buy! And when I do, I get caught in analysis paralysis (e.g. will these gardening gloves really fit, are they good quality). I try to walk away but...40% off at a decent scale at Target! Surely I can put that to good use?!? Garrr.

[dragoncar]

The 2018 HSA contribution limit started at $6900, then dropped to $6850, now just increased back to $6,900. Our bookkeeper must think I'm crazy that I front load the HSA and am on top of notifying her of the change and impacts almost immediately.

Separately, by virtue of having too many amex numbers (a not uncommon practice in US travel hacking), I can buy about $900 of stuff from Target online with an effective discount around 40% but only through the end of may. I'm wasting too much time trying to figure out what to buy. Our groceries are pretty well stocked as it is and, even though we just bought a new home, and have a kid, I can't find hardly anything to buy! And when I do, I get caught in analysis paralysis (e.g. will these gardening gloves really fit, are they good quality). I try to walk away but...40% off at a decent scale at Target! Surely I can put that to good use?!? Garrr.

Why do people have so many Amex cards? Aren’t the best bonuses “once in a lifetime”?  It seems like the other bonuses are not very attractive or carry annual fees

Can you just buy target gift cards?  Or an expensive returnable item, returned for store credit

[Roadrunner53]

CoffeeAndDonuts, Have you considered buying a couple hundred dollars of canned foods to donate to your local food bank? You could give them a call to see what they would use before you buy stuff.

Maybe you could buy some shrubs, bulbs, grass seed, small trees, fertilizer, bark mulch, an out door bench, planters, hoses, garden art, potting soil, hanging plants, picnic table, rakes, shovels, tomato plants, pepper plants.

Stock up on canned items like beans, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, roast beef hash, tomatoes, canned pumpkin, pineapple, canned fruit, canned tuna.

Window air conditioner, dehumidifier, fans, ceiling fans, simple human garbage can, vacuum sealer, sous vide, Deebot vac, Dyson vac.

Laptop...Good luck!

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

Why do people have so many Amex cards? Aren’t the best bonuses “once in a lifetime”?  It seems like the other bonuses are not very attractive or carry annual fees

Can you just buy target gift cards?  Or an expensive returnable item, returned for store credit

I don't want to drag things too far off topic so I'll try to knock out one succinct reply. Amex cards have Amex Offers which are basically opt-in rebates. Most are useless but some are gems. For example, $50 back when spending $100 at Shipt. Shipt is a personal shopping service that only works at Target where I live. Add in some overhead and careful selection of items and I think it's around 40% off. As to how to get lots of Amex cards... that's a long story but I'll point out that I'm married and we have lots of no fee Amex cards largely for this benefit and that authorized user qualify independently so they multiply the benefit. Sadly, purchasing via shipt, I can't buy gift cards and to maximize I need to target a cart value of no more than $100 so large items are ineffective.

@RoadRunner suggests donating. I thought about that too. It's not how we prefer to give and the deduction isn't likely valuable to us. If I could stack the tax deduction (as I have in years past), I'd be far more game for it. They also suggest foods that can be stored a long time. We tend to eat a lot of produce and perishables so overstocking would take a long time to go through. I like the gardening ideas as I'm just getting into it. In general though, I just don't want to buy "stuff" so it's got to meet a usefulness bar or be a consumable.

The other challenge I find myself stuck on is that some items are overpriced on shipt compared to Target. They have to make their money somehow... and Target it's all that competitive for us on consumables in the first place so a 50% discount becomes 40% becomes 20% becomes... not worth the bother if I'm not a little careful.

My out is considering flipping some electronics. E.g. digital cameras or tablets or what not. I figure I can make a 30% profit margin on it but I really don't enjoy reselling.

I overthink this stuff sometimesoften.

[Sibley]

Coffee, you said you just had a kid? Buy diapers. You can exchange, return, or donate later. Also baby food. Yeah, you'll maybe make your own, but life is busy and sometimes convenience is way more valuable than ideal sometimes. If you don't need them later, donate or give to friends - if you return they'll be tossed.

[Loren Ver]

I still don't know what's wrong with giving someone a wallet. That's like a mini purse and a purse would be a good gift for a woman, right?

One of my favorite gifts I ever got was a wallet! I'd been complaining to my mom about how hard it was to find a wallet I liked (basically looking for a man's style wallet with a pocket for coins, which for some reason was impossible to find). She either remembered exactly what I wanted or was secretly taking notes... She went on vacation in Spain with my dad and saw a leather goods store with a ton of nice wallets, and she made my dad help her search until they found the perfect one. I carry it every day and think of them. :-)

I think a wallet is an excellent gift, and I believe it is traditional for the giver to put money in it (like a one dollar bill) for luck. 

I too like a wallet with a coin purse attached.  They are hard to find in the US, but when I go to Europe (where coins are more common) they are everywhere.  Last time I was in Ireland that is what I treated myself to.  Still carrying it years later, and think about the wonderful trip.

LV

[LennStar]

I too like a wallet with a coin purse attached.  They are hard to find in the US, but when I go to Europe (where coins are more common) they are everywhere.

In fact they are so common that me German is still not sure you are really meaning what I think you mean.



Something like this without the part on the picture's left? The button-closed part for the coins?

[dragoncar]

Why do people have so many Amex cards? Aren’t the best bonuses “once in a lifetime”?  It seems like the other bonuses are not very attractive or carry annual fees

Can you just buy target gift cards?  Or an expensive returnable item, returned for store credit

I don't want to drag things too far off topic so I'll try to knock out one succinct reply. Amex cards have Amex Offers which are basically opt-in rebates. Most are useless but some are gems. For example, $50 back when spending $100 at Shipt. Shipt is a personal shopping service that only works at Target where I live. Add in some overhead and careful selection of items and I think it's around 40% off. As to how to get lots of Amex cards... that's a long story but I'll point out that I'm married and we have lots of no fee Amex cards largely for this benefit and that authorized user qualify independently so they multiply the benefit. Sadly, purchasing via shipt, I can't buy gift cards and to maximize I need to target a cart value of no more than $100 so large items are ineffective.

@RoadRunner suggests donating. I thought about that too. It's not how we prefer to give and the deduction isn't likely valuable to us. If I could stack the tax deduction (as I have in years past), I'd be far more game for it. They also suggest foods that can be stored a long time. We tend to eat a lot of produce and perishables so overstocking would take a long time to go through. I like the gardening ideas as I'm just getting into it. In general though, I just don't want to buy "stuff" so it's got to meet a usefulness bar or be a consumable.

The other challenge I find myself stuck on is that some items are overpriced on shipt compared to Target. They have to make their money somehow... and Target it's all that competitive for us on consumables in the first place so a 50% discount becomes 40% becomes 20% becomes... not worth the bother if I'm not a little careful.

My out is considering flipping some electronics. E.g. digital cameras or tablets or what not. I figure I can make a 30% profit margin on it but I really don't enjoy reselling.

I overthink this stuff sometimesoften.

Thanks for the explanation.  I didn't see the Shipt offer on my card, so must be targeted?  You got one thing right -- the vast majority of those offers are completely useless

[Alfred J Quack]

I got hit by a motorcycle recently and broke a finger (all other things are good though). Unfortunately this means I can't follow a woodworking course I wanted to sign up for (paid for by my boss) and I also can't DIY several things I was planning (including baby-safety measures).

[Linea_Norway]

I got hit by a motorcycle recently and broke a finger (all other things are good though). Unfortunately this means I can't follow a woodworking course I wanted to sign up for (paid for by my boss) and I also can't DIY several things I was planning (including baby-safety measures).

That sounds annoying. Can't you just follow the wood course anyway? And look at what others produce? At least you will learn something?

[Alfred J Quack]

I got hit by a motorcycle recently and broke a finger (all other things are good though). Unfortunately this means I can't follow a woodworking course I wanted to sign up for (paid for by my boss) and I also can't DIY several things I was planning (including baby-safety measures).

That sounds annoying. Can't you just follow the wood course anyway? And look at what others produce? At least you will learn something?

I could but doing is so much better than only watching in regards to something like Woodworking. It's not just the knowhow but also feeling what goes right.
It's also kind of a requirement to evaluate what you built to see where you went wrong. Theoretics are learnable from a book or YouTube too.

[Taran Wanderer]

Was visiting with one our HR people and I noticed a list of retiring employees on the whiteboard. I asked what the requirement was to get retirement recognition, and I found out the rule of 80 is used. So, either age + years of service is more than 80, or if you’re at least 60 years old, you get a retirement party and gift upon leaving. I’m at 65 now (I’ve been at the same place for a long time), but 7.5 more years is probably not in the cards. 20+ years at the same company, and I probably will not be eligible for a “retirement” party.

[Cali]

Woke up on my birthday and my Personal Capital showed me at $XX0000.32

I was excited about all the zeros because I’d hit a new number. I did not buy myself any “I deserve this” gifts. Coworkers looked at me like I was a crackhead for being excited about this.

[secondcor521]

Woke up on my birthday and my Personal Capital showed me at $XX0000.32

I was excited about all the zeros because I’d hit a new number. I did not buy myself any “I deserve this” gifts. Coworkers looked at me like I was a crackhead for being excited about this.

If I saw that, my budget for celebrating would be 31 cents!  ;-)

[ixtap]

We had to shuffle money around because an expense planned for this summer was available for 40% off last month and the credit card was due before the next RSU vest date.

Taking advantage of every possible work savings program makes for tiny paychecks, which requires more planning than the old dump what's left into savings plan.

[chrisgermany]

@ Taran Wanderer:
Age 65 and 20+ is more than 80 in my math book. Typo?

[Fresh Bread]

@ Taran Wanderer:
Age 65 and 20+ is more than 80 in my math book. Typo?

The score is 65 not current age.

[Stachetastic]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

[Mezzie]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

The used electric car I bought has all those things, and it wasn't until I went to a car wash (much more drought friendly than washing it myself) that I realized there were no instructions or symbols for putting my car in neutral! Luckily the atendant had seen confused faces like mine many times and was able to help me out.

[zolotiyeruki]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

Might the emergency brake been engaged?  Barring that, it's probably some super simple thing you missed.  Gosh, there are times when I appreciate cars of the late-90's to early '00's--new enough to have OBD-II, old enough to avoid some of the more recent silly things manufacturers have added.

[solon]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

The used electric car I bought has all those things, and it wasn't until I went to a car wash (much more drought friendly than washing it myself) that I realized there were no instructions or symbols for putting my car in neutral! Luckily the atendant had seen confused faces like mine many times and was able to help me out.

How do you put an electric car in neutral?

[dragoncar]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

Might the emergency brake been engaged?  Barring that, it's probably some super simple thing you missed.  Gosh, there are times when I appreciate cars of the late-90's to early '00's--new enough to have OBD-II, old enough to avoid some of the more recent silly things manufacturers have added.

Depends what “came to life” and “nothing” mean.  Did the engine start?  Did you push the gas pedal?  Did the engine rev?  Did the engine die?

[Stachetastic]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

Might the emergency brake been engaged?  Barring that, it's probably some super simple thing you missed.  Gosh, there are times when I appreciate cars of the late-90's to early '00's--new enough to have OBD-II, old enough to avoid some of the more recent silly things manufacturers have added.

Depends what “came to life” and “nothing” mean.  Did the engine start?  Did you push the gas pedal?  Did the engine rev?  Did the engine die?

"Came to life" meant the screen turned on, the dash lit up, and my seat started moving. "Nothing" meant I pushed the gas pedal and the car went nowhere. It did not rev, made no sound. After some research when I got home, I discovered I needed to push the brake while simultaneously pushing the On button to start the engine. A super simple task that would have been helpful for one of the dealers there to point out. I was the youngest driver present by at least 30 years, I couldn't have been the only one who struggled with this.

[RWD]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

Might the emergency brake been engaged?  Barring that, it's probably some super simple thing you missed.  Gosh, there are times when I appreciate cars of the late-90's to early '00's--new enough to have OBD-II, old enough to avoid some of the more recent silly things manufacturers have added.

Depends what “came to life” and “nothing” mean.  Did the engine start?  Did you push the gas pedal?  Did the engine rev?  Did the engine die?

"Came to life" meant the screen turned on, the dash lit up, and my seat started moving. "Nothing" meant I pushed the gas pedal and the car went nowhere. It did not rev, made no sound. After some research when I got home, I discovered I needed to push the brake while simultaneously pushing the On button to start the engine. A super simple task that would have been helpful for one of the dealers there to point out. I was the youngest driver present by at least 30 years, I couldn't have been the only one who struggled with this.

Don't cars with a normal key usually require you to put your foot on the brake to start too? And manual transmission cars usually require the clutch to be disengaged. But I can understand being confused by an unfamiliar process. I almost put a Lotus Elise into a curb because I pressed the start button without holding down the clutch pedal first...

[Fastfwd]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

Might the emergency brake been engaged?  Barring that, it's probably some super simple thing you missed.  Gosh, there are times when I appreciate cars of the late-90's to early '00's--new enough to have OBD-II, old enough to avoid some of the more recent silly things manufacturers have added.

Depends what “came to life” and “nothing” mean.  Did the engine start?  Did you push the gas pedal?  Did the engine rev?  Did the engine die?

"Came to life" meant the screen turned on, the dash lit up, and my seat started moving. "Nothing" meant I pushed the gas pedal and the car went nowhere. It did not rev, made no sound. After some research when I got home, I discovered I needed to push the brake while simultaneously pushing the On button to start the engine. A super simple task that would have been helpful for one of the dealers there to point out. I was the youngest driver present by at least 30 years, I couldn't have been the only one who struggled with this.

My car does the same. Think of pushing the button without the brake pedal as turing the key to the accessories position. With brake pedal depressed you are turning the key to the starter position.


Electric/hybid cards are weird too the first time. Turn the key and nothing at all happens except for a symbol in the dash that tells you are ready to go. Then depending on how far you push the gas pedal and hybrid may or may not start the engine eventually.

[Bracken_Joy]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

The used electric car I bought has all those things, and it wasn't until I went to a car wash (much more drought friendly than washing it myself) that I realized there were no instructions or symbols for putting my car in neutral! Luckily the atendant had seen confused faces like mine many times and was able to help me out.

Oh god. Once upon a time, a friend of my roommate's parked his car at his house when they took a work trip out of town together (carpooled in roommate's car). Friend had parked in a stupid spot, prevented us from turning around, but luckily had left keys. The thing was... it was a prius. And I'd never driven a prius. I turned it on just fine, and drove it across the property and reparked.... and couldn't figure out how to put the fucking car into park. I didn't have my phone with me. I had my head out the window yelling for my husband, but he had music on and couldn't hear me. Eventually I figured it out, but it was via like... putting on the parking brake? Or something? I don't even remember, but that shit was NOT intuitive, and nothing was labeled.

I was very happy when we recently went to an EV event, and the cars were much easier to figure out the controls. We tried a tesla and a... volt, or bolt, or something.

[barbaz]

My MPP: I’ve never driven a car with a button or automatic transmission, so I have no clue what y’all are talking about.

[RWD]

My MPP: I’ve never driven a car with a button or automatic transmission, so I have no clue what y’all are talking about.

You've never rented a car?

[Bracken_Joy]

My MPP: I’ve never driven a car with a button or automatic transmission, so I have no clue what y’all are talking about.

You've never rented a car?

Dunno where Barbaz lives, but I know a common problem in Ireland, for example, is all the rentals are manual, and so people from the US visit and are screwed. Can't drive them. Anyway, point being, very possible there's international options with far fewer automatics around.

[jordanread]

My MPP: I’ve never driven a car with a button or automatic transmission, so I have no clue what y’all are talking about.

You've never rented a car?

I have, and I still have no fucking clue what is going on here.

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: whenever people talk about cars I have no clue.

+1! I haven't driven a car in about 17 years.

[Loren Ver]

I drive old cars and struggle when I rent a fancy car with the extras.  I was  in Puerto Rico once, and rented this little hatch back.  I could not figure out how to get my key out of the ignition.  After some internal freaking out, I grabbed the book and looked it up.  It was in a random chapter but I eventually found it.  Yeesh.

I also dislike button start cars.  I enjoy putting in a key and turning :).

LV

[jordanread]

I enjoy putting in a key and turning :).

That's what she said.

[gaja]

I went to one of those "test drive a car for a good cause" events yesterday over my lunch break. For every person who test drove a car, the local YMCA got $20. Easy enough. I signed in, they told me to pick any car--the keys were in them. I picked the first one and couldn't find a key, only a fob. Ok, push start. Got it. Pushed the On button, thing came to life, put it in gear, and....nothing. Tried it 3 more times before I gave up and completed the rest of my survey and left. My 14 year old Corolla doesn't make me do any tricks before it turns on and goes.

The used electric car I bought has all those things, and it wasn't until I went to a car wash (much more drought friendly than washing it myself) that I realized there were no instructions or symbols for putting my car in neutral! Luckily the atendant had seen confused faces like mine many times and was able to help me out.

How do you put an electric car in neutral?

I don’t know the technical details, but it must have something to do with disconnecting/switching off the regeneration. In the leaf you change between D, R, and N. I have tried using N while hypermiling in steep terrain, but find I usually get more out of the regeneration. Mainly because our steep hills come with hairpin turns, that are rather scary if the car rolls too fast.

[merula]

MPP: When logging into Personal Capital today, I got the message "Do you have enough cash on hand? It looks like you only have 2 months worth of expenses on hand to cover an emergency like a sudden job loss."

Granted, my spending has been somewhat higher recently as I'm finishing up a home renovation, but even accounting for that, I have ~4 months of expenses in my savings account alone plus more than a year of expenses in the taxable Vanguard account. Where the heck did they get two months???

I like how Personal Capital does a better job of tracking investments than Mint, but overall I've been pretty disappointed by their "advice" and by how, at any given time, one of my accounts isn't updating correctly and there's no timeline for a fix. (Right now it's my tIRA!)

[fuzzy math]

Funny car stories. Once I had to rent a car and the only thing left was a Mercedes. I had no idea how to open the gas tank door. Called my mom in a panic after fumbling around for 10 mins at the gas station - I was going to be late to return the vehicle and late for my flight.


My MPP: I filled out the paperwork to lower my HSA contributions to $6850 since the IRS had changed the amounts. 2 days later they reversed the change back to $6900 and I just don't know if I can deal with my HR dept again.

[RWD]

Funny car stories. Once I had to rent a car and the only thing left was a Mercedes. I had no idea how to open the gas tank door. Called my mom in a panic after fumbling around for 10 mins at the gas station - I was going to be late to return the vehicle and late for my flight.

Our Porsche has no button or lever for the fuel door. You have to just know where to push on the fuel door to release it (and the car has to be unlocked). Was the Mercedes similar? Probably a German thing to overengineer it.

[jordanread]

Funny car stories. Once I had to rent a car and the only thing left was a Mercedes. I had no idea how to open the gas tank door. Called my mom in a panic after fumbling around for 10 mins at the gas station - I was going to be late to return the vehicle and late for my flight.

Our Porsche has no button or lever for the fuel door. You have to just know where to push on the fuel door to release it (and the car has to be unlocked). Was the Mercedes similar? Probably a German thing to overengineer it.

I will not ever mention the embarrassment I experienced when I first got Jeep Cherokee, and couldn't figure out how to put gas in it. It was a 2000. Well, not in this thread anyway.

[dragoncar]

[Teachstache]

I am the mom of a sick kid (cancer - he's doing much better).

I'm in a bunch of support groups online.  I realized this week I may be one of the only ones with no go fund me, no fundraisers, no t-shirt selling, no #mysickkidsnameSTRONG, no financial free fall, no trying to juggle work and caring for the child. 

We used FU money for me to quit working entirely.   

And THIS is why we save our money, too, CindyBS.

[fuzzy math]

Funny car stories. Once I had to rent a car and the only thing left was a Mercedes. I had no idea how to open the gas tank door. Called my mom in a panic after fumbling around for 10 mins at the gas station - I was going to be late to return the vehicle and late for my flight.

Our Porsche has no button or lever for the fuel door. You have to just know where to push on the fuel door to release it (and the car has to be unlocked). Was the Mercedes similar? Probably a German thing to overengineer it.

Yes push on the door... I pulled on it and inspected every interior button in the car for a release lever to no avail.

Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk

[Taran Wanderer]

Funny car stories. Once I had to rent a car and the only thing left was a Mercedes. I had no idea how to open the gas tank door. Called my mom in a panic after fumbling around for 10 mins at the gas station - I was going to be late to return the vehicle and late for my flight.

Our Porsche has no button or lever for the fuel door. You have to just know where to push on the fuel door to release it (and the car has to be unlocked). Was the Mercedes similar? Probably a German thing to overengineer it.

I will not ever mention the embarrassment I experienced when I first got Jeep Cherokee, and couldn't figure out how to put gas in it. It was a 2000. Well, not in this thread anyway.

I bought a new, expensive mountain bike years ago (still have it), and despite an engineering degree from a prestigious university, I had to ask for help to remove the front wheel.  In my defense, my previous bikes had a normal lever/can quick-release and the new one used the lever more like a wrench. Still, it was embarrassing.

[Taran Wanderer]

@ Taran Wanderer:
Age 65 and 20+ is more than 80 in my math book. Typo?

The score is 65 not current age.

Correct, next year will be 45 + 20 = 65. To get to 80, I’d have to stick around for 7-1/2 more years.  Probably not going to happen. Then again, I could be having so much fun that it might, but then it would be about the fun and not the money.