Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[dragoncar]

Damn we have these things in the US. They are usually kinda asinine but maybe would drive home your point when it gets run over

[Alfred J Quack]

Damn we have these things in the US. They are usually kinda asinine but maybe would drive home your point when it gets run over

We have them here, too but they don't really work. Unles you roll one in front of his bike at which point you'd have to pay for his damages and you'd be the guilty patry rather than bringing him som respect for the rules.

The biggest issue is that my kids can run out the yard onto said sidewalk when a bicyclist or moped drives by. No matter how good you are, you can't dodge a kid that jumps in front of you with less than a meter to react. And with most, the eyes are glued to their phones so they can't react at all.

[dragoncar]

Damn we have these things in the US. They are usually kinda asinine but maybe would drive home your point when it gets run over

We have them here, too but they don't really work. Unles you roll one in front of his bike at which point you'd have to pay for his damages and you'd be the guilty patry rather than bringing him som respect for the rules.


The biggest issue is that my kids can run out the yard onto said sidewalk when a bicyclist or moped drives by. No matter how good you are, you can't dodge a kid that jumps in front of you with less than a meter to react. And with most, the eyes are glued to their phones so they can't react at all.

Is it legal for them to ride on the sidewalk?

[Alfred J Quack]

Damn we have these things in the US. They are usually kinda asinine but maybe would drive home your point when it gets run over

We have them here, too but they don't really work. Unles you roll one in front of his bike at which point you'd have to pay for his damages and you'd be the guilty patry rather than bringing him som respect for the rules.


The biggest issue is that my kids can run out the yard onto said sidewalk when a bicyclist or moped drives by. No matter how good you are, you can't dodge a kid that jumps in front of you with less than a meter to react. And with most, the eyes are glued to their phones so they can't react at all.

Is it legal for them to ride on the sidewalk?

Yes, it's also illegal to bike with a cellphone in hand since this month.

[Imma]

Could you put some big heavy flower pots on the sidewalk, in a way that forces them to slow down? Like in a zig-zag pattern?  That would at least slow them down so they're less dangerous and in the best case they would figure out the road is quicker.

I'm afraid though that there's not much else you can do. I used to have a neighbour who'd spray water at people cycling next to his house where it wasn't allowed, and he was the most hated guy on the block.

[Trifle]

@Alfred J Quack -- How fast are these cyclists going?  Maybe ask your biggest friend to walk around on the local sidewalks to train the cyclists?   "Oh sorry you crashed.  I didn't see you, because you know this is a sidewalk."

Or put up a sign that says "Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous.  I'm photographing you and sending them to the police."  As @Imma says, the cyclists might hate you, but the neighborhood parents might be grateful.

[TinyAcorn]

When my brother was 3years old he stepped out of a friend's driveway onto the pavement (sidewalk) and was hit by a teenager on his bicycle - he spent 3 days in hospital with concussion (from my recollection - forgive me, I was 8!) 

I can't bear to see cyclists on the pavement - love cycling (not a cyclist hater!) just not whizzing by where kids can get bowled over,

There's also the chance that a kid could be knocked INTO the road in one of these types of collisions...

[Alfred J Quack]

Could you put some big heavy flower pots on the sidewalk, in a way that forces them to slow down? Like in a zig-zag pattern?  That would at least slow them down so they're less dangerous and in the best case they would figure out the road is quicker.

I'm afraid though that there's not much else you can do. I used to have a neighbour who'd spray water at people cycling next to his house where it wasn't allowed, and he was the most hated guy on the block.

Nope, public sidewalk so I could get fined for that. And I don't like to be that guy, people wouldn't pay heed to it anyway.

@Alfred J Quack -- How fast are these cyclists going?  Maybe ask your biggest friend to walk around on the local sidewalks to train the cyclists?   "Oh sorry you crashed.  I didn't see you, because you know this is a sidewalk."

Or put up a sign that says "Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous.  I'm photographing you and sending them to the police."  As @Imma says, the cyclists might hate you, but the neighborhood parents might be grateful.

5 tot 10 km/h, but the mopeds usually go between 25-30km/h which is worse.

If I were to photograph them, the police or city would come once, maybe twice and conclude that they can't really do anything. Most people aren't stupid enough to bike on the sidewalk when the police is watching...

[Imma]

We live in a country where tap water tastes as good or even better than bottled water, so we are used to drinking a lot of it. We are on vacation now in a country where tap water is safe to drink but disgusting (chlorinated) so we are buying a lot of bottled water now. Bottled water is very cheap here but I hate this inefficiency of having to buy water when there's water coming from the tap that is made undrinkable on purpose. And bottles aren't recycled here either.

[marty998]

We typically eat oatmeal for breakfast. It’s cheap and filling and delicious. Well, we just moved into a fancy serviced apartment, and in the  “welcome to the neighborhood” gift basket was a box of cornflakes. Cornflakes are very expensive here, as are most “American” foods.

The following conversation ensued when I tried to serve 5-year-old DD a bowl of Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk and sliced bananas (the quintessential North American breakfast).

DD: What are those? Are they chips?
Me: No, they’re cornflakes.
DD: Do I like them?
Me: I don’t know. You liked Cheerios when you were a baby. We used to eat Cheerios and milk and bananas at grandma’s house in Canada.
DD: (tries a spoonful) Yuck! They don’t taste ANY good!
Me: Shall I take them out of your bowl?
DD: Yes, next time, don’t put any chips. I just want bananas and milk.

MY MPP is that DD doesn’t recognize any major cereal brands and doesn’t know how to eat *normal* breakfasts. She’ll be the weirdo eating a bowl of sliced bananas swimming in milk when she’s attending sleepover summer camps.

Cornflakes!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg

I could never eat another Kelloggs cereal after reading up on the man.

As well as being somewhat of an anti-vaxxer, he also had some horrific views about sex and the evils of self-pleasure. I won't copy and paste it here (honestly it's too outrageous) but you can read up on the section titled "views on sexuality".

There is a train of thought that his puritanical views went so far as to design the corn flake to be so bland that it would depress the nervous system, and thus ensure teenagers would never be sexually aroused....

[Sugaree]

We typically eat oatmeal for breakfast. It’s cheap and filling and delicious. Well, we just moved into a fancy serviced apartment, and in the  “welcome to the neighborhood” gift basket was a box of cornflakes. Cornflakes are very expensive here, as are most “American” foods.

The following conversation ensued when I tried to serve 5-year-old DD a bowl of Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk and sliced bananas (the quintessential North American breakfast).

DD: What are those? Are they chips?
Me: No, they’re cornflakes.
DD: Do I like them?
Me: I don’t know. You liked Cheerios when you were a baby. We used to eat Cheerios and milk and bananas at grandma’s house in Canada.
DD: (tries a spoonful) Yuck! They don’t taste ANY good!
Me: Shall I take them out of your bowl?
DD: Yes, next time, don’t put any chips. I just want bananas and milk.

MY MPP is that DD doesn’t recognize any major cereal brands and doesn’t know how to eat *normal* breakfasts. She’ll be the weirdo eating a bowl of sliced bananas swimming in milk when she’s attending sleepover summer camps.

Cornflakes!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg

I could never eat another Kelloggs cereal after reading up on the man.

As well as being somewhat of an anti-vaxxer, he also had some horrific views about sex and the evils of self-pleasure. I won't copy and paste it here (honestly it's too outrageous) but you can read up on the section titled "views on sexuality".

There is a train of thought that his puritanical views went so far as to design the corn flake to be so bland that it would depress the nervous system, and thus ensure teenagers would never be sexually aroused....

Which is ironic coming from a man who had 17 children.

[Alfred J Quack]

Which is ironic coming from a man who had 17 children.

I disagree, the people with the strictes views on sexuality usually have lots of children because they are also against preventative measures.

They are also, most often, the communities where sexual abuse is ignored or hidden which enables the abuser to run rampant.

[Zoot]

Which is ironic coming from a man who had 17 children.

According to the Wikipedia article, it looks like it was John Harvey Kellogg's dad (John Preston Kellogg) who had the 17 children:

"In addition to six children from his first marriage, John Preston Kellogg had 11 children with his second wife Ann, including John Harvey and his younger brother, Will Keith Kellogg."

John Harvey Kellogg and his wife had no biological children, but lots of foster and adopted children:

"Kellogg followed Adventist views in favor of celibacy. The couple maintained separate bedrooms and did not have any biological children. However, they were foster parents to 42 children, legally adopting at least seven of them, before Ella died in 1920."

It's STILL weird, though.  :)

[Just Joe]

Cornflakes!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg

I could never eat another Kelloggs cereal after reading up on the man.

As well as being somewhat of an anti-vaxxer, he also had some horrific views about sex and the evils of self-pleasure. I won't copy and paste it here (honestly it's too outrageous) but you can read up on the section titled "views on sexuality".

There is a train of thought that his puritanical views went so far as to design the corn flake to be so bland that it would depress the nervous system, and thus ensure teenagers would never be sexually aroused....

There was a comedy movie about the man too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Wellville_(film)

I watched it pre-internet and lacked the details to fill in the story gaps. Years later I read up on the man and was surprised to see what an eccentric person he was. Funny how much gets left out of the mainstream public school version of American history.

[Jenny Wren]

My MPP: We downsized from a 2200 sq ft house with a full yard to a 700 sq ft apt with a small deck. Previously, I could be a total slob around the house and still hit 5000 steps just from walking up & down the stairs, to the kitchen, the bathroom, etc.

Now, everything is within a few steps of where ever in the house I happen to be. Even the laundry room and mailboxes are only 5 steps from the front door. Being a lazy slob is lucky to net me 1000 steps for the day, so I actually have to make a concerted effort on lazy days to leave the house and go for a walk so I don't actually become a potato.

But hey, cutting living expenses nearly in half should give me more free time to explore/run errands on foot!

[Parizade]

Oh yes @Lichen, this is a real thing! I can walk from my little condo to the grocery store, post office, library, and bar before going home again and not get 2000 steps.

[Hirondelle]

Oh yes @Lichen, this is a real thing! I can walk from my little condo to the grocery store, post office, library, and bar before going home again and not get 2000 steps.

Same problem here. Work is a 10 min walk away and the grocery store is on the way. House is tiny so even 500 steps to/from the kitchen and the bathroom means I probably had some tummy issues that day.

I do quite a bit of organized sports and like going for occasional walks so I'm no potato yet fortunately :)

[fat-johnny]

Local bank is offering $400 signup bonus for checking account.  Must deposit $500, and have $500 worth of ‘action” per month to avoid $7 monthly fee.  $400 deposit is immediate, must keep account open for 6 months.

I go in to sign up, loan officer (LO) and I have two weird moments:

LO:  Do you own your own home?
Me:  No, not yet…..3 more years.
LO:  Umm…what?
Me:  I have a home, with a mortgage on it, for three more years.  Then I will own it.

I overthunk it, like a mustachian.  I think it would be easier if she had asked  “Do you rent….or own your own home?”.


Then:
LO:  Do you have credit cards?
Me:.  Yes.
LO:  What is the interest rate?
Me:  I am not sure.  I don’t pay interest, I pay them off in full every month.
LO:  Ok….noted.  next question…..do you spend more or less than you make every month?
Me:  Umm….<laughing>….I spend less money than I make.  If I spent more, that really wouldn’t last that long, would it.  Like if I make $4k a month, but I spend $6k…how long do you thinking one could sustain that??
LO:  <blank stare>

[Alternatepriorities]

LO:  Ok….noted.  next question…..do you spend more or less than you make every month?
Me:  Umm….<laughing>….I spend less money than I make.  If I spent more, that really wouldn’t last that long, would it.  Like if I make $4k a month, but I spend $6k…how long do you thinking one could sustain that??
LO:  <blank stare>

This is epic! So obvious yet so hard to convey...

[jps]

LO:  Ok….noted.  next question…..do you spend more or less than you make every month?
Me:  Umm….<laughing>….I spend less money than I make.  If I spent more, that really wouldn’t last that long, would it.  Like if I make $4k a month, but I spend $6k…how long do you thinking one could sustain that??
LO:  <blank stare>

You mean to tell me I could be spending MORE money than I make??? Here I was, thinking I was bound by my salary.

[DadJokes]

LO:  Do you own your own home?
Me:  No, not yet…..3 more years.
LO:  Umm…what?
Me:  I have a home, with a mortgage on it, for three more years.  Then I will own it.

I overthunk it, like a mustachian.  I think it would be easier if she had asked  “Do you rent….or own your own home?”.

Maybe it is a unique mustachian problem. Whenever someone asks me if I own my home, I say, "No, the bank owns it, but I do have a mortgage."

[rantk81]

Well, technically you do own the home... There's just a lien against it...

[markbike528CBX]

LO:  Ok….noted.  next question…..do you spend more or less than you make every month?
Me:  Umm….<laughing>….I spend less money than I make.  If I spent more, that really wouldn’t last that long, would it.  Like if I make $4k a month, but I spend $6k…how long do you thinking one could sustain that??
LO:  <blank stare>

This is epic! So obvious yet so hard to convey...

Wait, this is a trick question, no?  But given the general financial idiocy common these days I guess not.

The analogous question on a psychological test (MMPI anyone?) is:
Yes or No, "I see things other people don't see".
(hint, a Yes answer brings the butterfly net closer)       A colleague answered "Yes", but he is a good artist and hunter.

What is sad is that a "Yes I live beyond my means" probably gets loan officers excited about the "fresh meat".

[dragoncar]

Well, technically you do own the home... There's just a lien against it...

Seriously it’s like a common gag that the bank owns the home, but there’s no technical way it’s true so a mustachian should NEVER JOKE ABOUT SERIOUS TECHNICAL MONEY MATTERS!

[sherr]

Well, technically you do own the home... There's just a lien against it...

Seriously it’s like a common gag that the bank owns the home, but there’s no technical way it’s true so a mustachian should NEVER JOKE ABOUT SERIOUS TECHNICAL MONEY MATTERS!

You kid, but I agree. The "don't really own it if you have a mortgage" reasoning made perfect sense in the era in 10+% interest rates. But at 3.5%?! Where investing in the stock market is virtually guaranteed to do better over 30 years?! I do own my home, and it's not just a technicality. I'm choosing to use my money more productively than increasing equity in an non-liquid non-diversified low-interest rate asset.

[dragoncar]

Well, technically you do own the home... There's just a lien against it...

Seriously it’s like a common gag that the bank owns the home, but there’s no technical way it’s true so a mustachian should NEVER JOKE ABOUT SERIOUS TECHNICAL MONEY MATTERS!

You kid, but I agree. The "don't really own it if you have a mortgage" reasoning made perfect sense in the era in 10+% interest rates. But at 3.5%?! Where investing in the stock market is virtually guaranteed to do better over 30 years?! I do own my home, and it's not just a technicality. I'm choosing to use my money more productively than increasing equity in an non-liquid non-diversified low-interest rate asset.

I never kid

[Alfred J Quack]

...
I overthunk it, like a mustachian.  I think it would be easier if she had asked  “Do you rent….or own your own home?”.

It would be really funny if you had a rental and she asked the above. Then, you'd simply answer Yes. Because you both own a home and rent one (to someone else).

[TVRodriguez]

Well, technically you do own the home... There's just a lien against it...

I was going to say the same thing, because that is a pet peeve of mine.  I suppose sometimes people prefer to think of it as if they do not own the home because the bank has the right to foreclose on them if they miss payments.  But the government could foreclose if they don't make their tax payments, too, even if they have no mortgage on the home.  Yet in both instances, they do legally own the home.  At least usually.

In the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, the family really did not own the home until the final payment would be made.  That was an old-fashioned method of predatory banking.  The "owners" were leasing it from the bank, who maintained ownership until the final payment, at which time they would transfer ownership.  Of course, the bank almost always managed to get the house back before the final payment and then "sold" it to some other unsuspecting mark.  It was one of the predatory practices Sinclair highlighted in the book.

[Alternatepriorities]

It would be really funny if you had a rental and she asked the above. Then, you'd simply answer Yes. Because you both own a home and rent one (to someone else).

I think I'll start doing this...

[Kris]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

[dragoncar]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

Use it as body wash?

[Kris]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

Use it as body wash?

Ha! I thought of that right after I posted. The awesome thing is, I have a bottle of hand soap for the bathroom that my husband hates the smell of, so I put it in the shower to use as body wash. I'll just add the shampoos to that bottle. Thanks for the idea!

[partgypsy]

Cornflakes!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg

I could never eat another Kelloggs cereal after reading up on the man.

As well as being somewhat of an anti-vaxxer, he also had some horrific views about sex and the evils of self-pleasure. I won't copy and paste it here (honestly it's too outrageous) but you can read up on the section titled "views on sexuality".

There is a train of thought that his puritanical views went so far as to design the corn flake to be so bland that it would depress the nervous system, and thus ensure teenagers would never be sexually aroused....

There was a comedy movie about the man too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Wellville_(film)

I watched it pre-internet and lacked the details to fill in the story gaps. Years later I read up on the man and was surprised to see what an eccentric person he was. Funny how much gets left out of the mainstream public school version of American history.

Seems like all the early breakfast cereal people  were kind of weirdos. Not going to stop me from eating my cheerios or grape nuts. It reminds me of some Buddhist monks sects, in addition to no alcohol or meat, will not eat things like garlic, onion (onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks) because considered too "stimulating" or arousing. 

[AMandM]

Seems like all the early breakfast cereal people  were kind of weirdos.

I think they had to be, to withstand public opinion when they advocated eating  little bits of dry crunchy stuff for breakfast instead of real food like eggs, bacon, porridge, pie, etc.

[TVRodriguez]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

Use it as body wash?

Ha! I thought of that right after I posted. The awesome thing is, I have a bottle of hand soap for the bathroom that my husband hates the smell of, so I put it in the shower to use as body wash. I'll just add the shampoos to that bottle. Thanks for the idea!

Another idea is to donate them.  Some shelters or medical mission charities will take hotel shampoos.  I have gone on medical missions where we packed "hygiene bags" with mini shampoos, soaps, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

[Kris]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

Use it as body wash?

Ha! I thought of that right after I posted. The awesome thing is, I have a bottle of hand soap for the bathroom that my husband hates the smell of, so I put it in the shower to use as body wash. I'll just add the shampoos to that bottle. Thanks for the idea!

Another idea is to donate them.  Some shelters or medical mission charities will take hotel shampoos.  I have gone on medical missions where we packed "hygiene bags" with mini shampoos, soaps, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Yeah, I would do that except they are all open.

[TVRodriguez]

I finally have an MPP to contribute!

Last weekend, Mr. Kris, who is balding/bald, decided to just shave his head completely for the first time (well, not shave exactly, but remove the length attachment on his trimmers and just buzz it all off). He liked the result and has decided this is his new "haircut" going forward. So, he will no longer be needing to use shampoo.

I don't use shampoo on my hair (I use a cheap sulfate-free conditioner instead to conditioner-wash it). So now, we have a half-bottle of shampoo, plus four or five partially used tiny hotel shampoos from traveling that he was slowly going through prior to buzzing his hair off. I don't want to waste them, or throw them away, but basically there's no need for them anymore! :D

Use it as body wash?

Ha! I thought of that right after I posted. The awesome thing is, I have a bottle of hand soap for the bathroom that my husband hates the smell of, so I put it in the shower to use as body wash. I'll just add the shampoos to that bottle. Thanks for the idea!

Another idea is to donate them.  Some shelters or medical mission charities will take hotel shampoos.  I have gone on medical missions where we packed "hygiene bags" with mini shampoos, soaps, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Yeah, I would do that except they are all open.

Ah, in that case, you seem to have found a great use for them!

[Travis]

I track expense history on a copy of the Madfientist Excel workbook going back four years. It's how I keep track of my progress and look at how much I'll need in retirement.  I'm in South Korea for the next two years.  Internet is built into the rent, I'll use almost no gasoline, car insurance is 20% of what I would spend in the US, grocery prices are all over the place, and electricity prices are double what I spent in Arizona.  Incorporating these expenses into my spreadsheets will skew the data! Leaving them out will skew the data!  It might be possible to continue using the net worth tabs and leaving the expense tabs as-is, but it just feels wrong.

[SwordGuy]

I track expense history on a copy of the Madfientist Excel workbook going back four years. It's how I keep track of my progress and look at how much I'll need in retirement.  I'm in South Korea for the next two years.  Internet is built into the rent, I'll use almost no gasoline, car insurance is 20% of what I would spend in the US, grocery prices are all over the place, and electricity prices are double what I spent in Arizona.  Incorporating these expenses into my spreadsheets will skew the data! Leaving them out will skew the data!  It might be possible to continue using the net worth tabs and leaving the expense tabs as-is, but it just feels wrong.

I would modify the workbook to have two calculation fields for relevant calculations, one for korean and one for US expenses.  If the expense would be the same include the same year's data into the formula. 

[Sugaree]

I was so excited about maxing out my TSP, HSA,and IRA for the first time ever next year.  Now that it looks like the contribution limit for the TSP is going to go up next year, I don't think I'm quite going to make it, especially if Congress passes a continuing resolution rather than a real budget.  I'm bummed, but my real MMP is that no one IRL understands either feeling.

[Alternatepriorities]

New MPP:

Credit score is so close to perfect it's temping to try to get the last few points... But I know that would just be a waste of time and effort. It's not like they'd sent me a prize or I'd get a lower interest rate.

I suppose it might be an advantage when I call BS on someone trying to claim "you need to carry a balance on you credit cards to built your score".

[Steeze]

MPP: at work on a Sunday working  some (required) overtime, but I don’t need the extra cash and would rather sleep-in, do laundry, and go to the gym. I used to love working overtime until I had FU money. Looking forward to FI money so I can just say “No” and not care about the consequences.

[87tweetybirds]

We typically eat oatmeal for breakfast. It’s cheap and filling and delicious. Well, we just moved into a fancy serviced apartment, and in the  “welcome to the neighborhood” gift basket was a box of cornflakes. Cornflakes are very expensive here, as are most “American” foods.

The following conversation ensued when I tried to serve 5-year-old DD a bowl of Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk and sliced bananas (the quintessential North American breakfast).

DD: What are those? Are they chips?
Me: No, they’re cornflakes.
DD: Do I like them?
Me: I don’t know. You liked Cheerios when you were a baby. We used to eat Cheerios and milk and bananas at grandma’s house in Canada.
DD: (tries a spoonful) Yuck! They don’t taste ANY good!
Me: Shall I take them out of your bowl?
DD: Yes, next time, don’t put any chips. I just want bananas and milk.

MY MPP is that DD doesn’t recognize any major cereal brands and doesn’t know how to eat *normal* breakfasts. She’ll be the weirdo eating a bowl of sliced bananas swimming in milk when she’s attending sleepover summer camps.

How is the cost of peanut butter there? I detest wasting food, and would probably turn the cornflakes into peanut butter cornflake cookies (peanut butter, sugar, sugar, liquid sugar, vanilla, cornflakes. Don’t remember the ratios right now). Not at all good for you but an excellent use for cornflakes.

[OtherJen]

We typically eat oatmeal for breakfast. It’s cheap and filling and delicious. Well, we just moved into a fancy serviced apartment, and in the  “welcome to the neighborhood” gift basket was a box of cornflakes. Cornflakes are very expensive here, as are most “American” foods.

The following conversation ensued when I tried to serve 5-year-old DD a bowl of Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk and sliced bananas (the quintessential North American breakfast).

DD: What are those? Are they chips?
Me: No, they’re cornflakes.
DD: Do I like them?
Me: I don’t know. You liked Cheerios when you were a baby. We used to eat Cheerios and milk and bananas at grandma’s house in Canada.
DD: (tries a spoonful) Yuck! They don’t taste ANY good!
Me: Shall I take them out of your bowl?
DD: Yes, next time, don’t put any chips. I just want bananas and milk.

MY MPP is that DD doesn’t recognize any major cereal brands and doesn’t know how to eat *normal* breakfasts. She’ll be the weirdo eating a bowl of sliced bananas swimming in milk when she’s attending sleepover summer camps.

How is the cost of peanut butter there? I detest wasting food, and would probably turn the cornflakes into peanut butter cornflake cookies (peanut butter, sugar, sugar, liquid sugar, vanilla, cornflakes. Don’t remember the ratios right now). Not at all good for you but an excellent use for cornflakes.

You could also crush the corn flakes and use them to coat chicken or fish before baking or pan frying. Haven't tried this myself but I've seen it in recipes.

This made me realize that I haven't bought standard breakfast cereal in exactly a year, or since the last time that my young and picky niece and nephew visited. We'd rather eat eggs and toast or a bowl of oatmeal.

[Freedomin5]

We typically eat oatmeal for breakfast. It’s cheap and filling and delicious. Well, we just moved into a fancy serviced apartment, and in the  “welcome to the neighborhood” gift basket was a box of cornflakes. Cornflakes are very expensive here, as are most “American” foods.

The following conversation ensued when I tried to serve 5-year-old DD a bowl of Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk and sliced bananas (the quintessential North American breakfast).

DD: What are those? Are they chips?
Me: No, they’re cornflakes.
DD: Do I like them?
Me: I don’t know. You liked Cheerios when you were a baby. We used to eat Cheerios and milk and bananas at grandma’s house in Canada.
DD: (tries a spoonful) Yuck! They don’t taste ANY good!
Me: Shall I take them out of your bowl?
DD: Yes, next time, don’t put any chips. I just want bananas and milk.

MY MPP is that DD doesn’t recognize any major cereal brands and doesn’t know how to eat *normal* breakfasts. She’ll be the weirdo eating a bowl of sliced bananas swimming in milk when she’s attending sleepover summer camps.

How is the cost of peanut butter there? I detest wasting food, and would probably turn the cornflakes into peanut butter cornflake cookies (peanut butter, sugar, sugar, liquid sugar, vanilla, cornflakes. Don’t remember the ratios right now). Not at all good for you but an excellent use for cornflakes.

Also very expensive. About $4 for a small jar (approx. 1 cup) of peanut butter. We make our our own peanut butter which is healthier and cheaper, but homemade peanut butter tends to be more liquid.

[Linea_Norway]

New MPP:

Credit score is so close to perfect it's temping to try to get the last few points... But I know that would just be a waste of time and effort. It's not like they'd sent me a prize or I'd get a lower interest rate.

I suppose it might be an advantage when I call BS on someone trying to claim "you need to carry a balance on you credit cards to built your score".

I recently got a new credit check and it said I had debt. That was of course a credit card amount that needed to be paid the next month. But it drew my credit score down from higest last time to 85% this time.

[Freedomin5]

I have a new MPP.

Background: In the past, I was paid on the 15th of each month, while DH was paid at the end of each month. This meant that every two weeks, I had the pleasure of updating our net worth spreadsheet and watching our net worth grow.

I recently switched jobs and now also get paid at the end of the month at the same time as DH. This means that I only need to update our net worth spreadsheet and see significant gains once a month. Boooooo!

Today, I wanted to update and realized it’s only the 19th. I still have 12 days to go! Do you know how painful it is to wait a whole month to update our net worth?! (Especially when I’m used to getting my net worth fix every two weeks)

[Alfred J Quack]

I have a new MPP.

Background: In the past, I was paid on the 15th of each month, while DH was paid at the end of each month. This meant that every two weeks, I had the pleasure of updating our net worth spreadsheet and watching our net worth grow.

I recently switched jobs and now also get paid at the end of the month at the same time as DH. This means that I only need to update our net worth spreadsheet and see significant gains once a month. Boooooo!

Today, I wanted to update and realized it’s only the 19th. I still have 12 days to go! Do you know how painful it is to wait a whole month to update our net worth?! (Especially when I’m used to getting my net worth fix every two weeks)

You could always ask your employer to pay you the 15th as opposed to the end of the month?

At my current employer we were also paid around the 15th when I started here but they moved the paydate to the 25th so as to get more interest from the money in the bank which was then used to justify the raising of mobility reimbursment from 18 cent per kilometer to 19 cent per kilometer.
The funny thing is, most of my colleagues forgot the why and are moaning that they want their money earlier. Even the CEO changed since then and he wasn't aware but thought the reimbursment for business travel should be lowered regardless as it was damn expensive...

[Freedomin5]

I have a new MPP.

Background: In the past, I was paid on the 15th of each month, while DH was paid at the end of each month. This meant that every two weeks, I had the pleasure of updating our net worth spreadsheet and watching our net worth grow.

I recently switched jobs and now also get paid at the end of the month at the same time as DH. This means that I only need to update our net worth spreadsheet and see significant gains once a month. Boooooo!

Today, I wanted to update and realized it’s only the 19th. I still have 12 days to go! Do you know how painful it is to wait a whole month to update our net worth?! (Especially when I’m used to getting my net worth fix every two weeks)

You could always ask your employer to pay you the 15th as opposed to the end of the month?

At my current employer we were also paid around the 15th when I started here but they moved the paydate to the 25th so as to get more interest from the money in the bank which was then used to justify the raising of mobility reimbursment from 18 cent per kilometer to 19 cent per kilometer.
The funny thing is, most of my colleagues forgot the why and are moaning that they want their money earlier. Even the CEO changed since then and he wasn't aware but thought the reimbursment for business travel should be lowered regardless as it was damn expensive...

Nope. This is China. They pay you when they pay you. What is this freedom to ask to be paid on a different date that you speak of? I can’t even choose which bank I want to use — my employer tells me which bank they bank with, and I have to go open an account at that bank if I want to receive my salary. I’m lucky I don’t have to go to the same bank branch they use.

[Dragonswan]

New MPP:

Credit score is so close to perfect it's temping to try to get the last few points... But I know that would just be a waste of time and effort. It's not like they'd sent me a prize or I'd get a lower interest rate.

I suppose it might be an advantage when I call BS on someone trying to claim "you need to carry a balance on you credit cards to built your score".

It's also helpful if a business is offering a really low loan rate to "well qualified buyers".  If they still come back with a higher than advertised rate, you can call BS.