Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Sibley]

Flat as in a flat percentage. A trucking account that's actually driving more with COVID gets 15% off, as does the pharmaceutical sales fleet that is completely 100% shut down because they're not allowed to visit hospitals at all.

I got an email from my personal agent showing the following refunds of April and May premium by carrier: Auto Owners 15%, Chubb 35%, Cincinnati 15%, MetLife 15%, Progressive 20%, PURE 15%*, Secura 15%, Travelers 15%, West Bend Mutual $50 payment, Western National 15%.

*PURE credit applies from the time stay-at-home orders were introduced until they're lifted.

To add to the list, since I happen to know them:
Allstate and Kemper both did 2 rounds of 15%

And why did PURE make it so hard on themselves? That's going to be a nightmare to track.

[merula]

And why did PURE make it so hard on themselves? That's going to be a nightmare to track.

Best guess is that they did it before anyone else, or without checking what the market was doing. Maybe they thought it'd save them the hassle of announcing a June/July refund?

My auto carrier is Cincy, but I haven't gotten anything from them yet.

Some family members really lucked out from West Bend. They have a non-owned auto policy, which is only like $150/year, and they're going to get $50 back.

[Zaga]

Flat as in a flat percentage. A trucking account that's actually driving more with COVID gets 15% off, as does the pharmaceutical sales fleet that is completely 100% shut down because they're not allowed to visit hospitals at all.

I got an email from my personal agent showing the following refunds of April and May premium by carrier: Auto Owners 15%, Chubb 35%, Cincinnati 15%, MetLife 15%, Progressive 20%, PURE 15%*, Secura 15%, Travelers 15%, West Bend Mutual $50 payment, Western National 15%.

*PURE credit applies from the time stay-at-home orders were introduced until they're lifted.

To add to the list, since I happen to know them:
Allstate and Kemper both did 2 rounds of 15%

And why did PURE make it so hard on themselves? That's going to be a nightmare to track.

We just got our third car insurance refund, about $22 each time.  Interestingly it's not the exact same amount each time, so there must be some math going on there.  I won't turn down the refund, we are barely driving these days.

[LennStar]

Flat as in a flat percentage. A trucking account that's actually driving more with COVID gets 15% off, as does the pharmaceutical sales fleet that is completely 100% shut down because they're not allowed to visit hospitals at all.

I got an email from my personal agent showing the following refunds of April and May premium by carrier: Auto Owners 15%, Chubb 35%, Cincinnati 15%, MetLife 15%, Progressive 20%, PURE 15%*, Secura 15%, Travelers 15%, West Bend Mutual $50 payment, Western National 15%.

*PURE credit applies from the time stay-at-home orders were introduced until they're lifted.

To add to the list, since I happen to know them:
Allstate and Kemper both did 2 rounds of 15%

And why did PURE make it so hard on themselves? That's going to be a nightmare to track.

We just got our third car insurance refund, about $22 each time.  Interestingly it's not the exact same amount each time, so there must be some math going on there.  I won't turn down the refund, we are barely driving these days.

WAIT! You mean you get it per month? You get $22 refund per month? You get as much refund as I pay?
Car insurance in the US is frightful. Or are you driving a clown car?

[EscapeVelocity2020]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

[Dicey]

Okay, this is probably the dumbest cheapism ever but here I go!

Bought a new slow cooker back in January. About March I had used it a few times and it was not cooking hot enough on high. I have used them for years so I know what to expect from low heat and high heat. Took the temperature too and it was low. Anyway, I would have taken back to Walmart but with the virus I was under the impression they were not taking returns. So, I called the 800 number in the book that came with the cooker. The person said they were all working from home so it would take time to resolve the issue. Whether to send me a new cooker or refund me $59.96. Well, months later (today) I got a check in the mail to cover the cost of the cooker. However, they of course couldn't refund me the sales tax since I bought it from Walmart.

The tax is only $3.81 but it irritates me that the state got my money for nothing! I am sure it would take too much work to recover the money and I should just let it go! But GRRRRRR, that makes me mad!

Wait!  You're saying what you have is a slow cooker that works perfectly fine on low and it only cost you $3.81 out of pocket? Sounds like a screaming deal to me!

[LennStar]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

Everyone needs something fun where she doesn't look at the costs (much). In your case you are paying 20 dollar for how many people?

That said, I don't know if it is a mustachian problem, but I got some ebooks for my birthday that was a few days ago. When I bought them they were 36€. The day after my birthday Amazon showed me the pack again (I always wonder why you get shown things in ads that you already own) - and it was 33€.
I was a bit bummed since I didn't read them while the price was still "high".

[Morning Glory]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

MMMs pool advice is highly regional, as one gets much more use out of a pool in Texas than one does in Canada. He was also including the opportunity cost of the funds used to buy the pool, which change if the pool comes with the house. (Provided the house is not more expensive because it has a pool, in my area they are not).

[zolotiyeruki]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

As I understand it, mustachianism is about maximizing your joy or utility per dollar spent.  You're clearly getting a LOT of both out of your pool.

[Playing with Fire UK]

I have a Mustachian People Problem caused by my car insurance of all things. The problem is the emotional rollercoaster it has produced leaving me simultaneously feeling overjoyed, guilty and bewildered. It’s all too much, I need a lie down. Who would have thought that boring car insurance could be so dramatic!

I received a letter from my car insurance company telling me they were going to refund £25 of my annual bill because of the lockdown and reduced car usage as a result. Well woohoo! That’s an unexpected bonus to the monthly savings. That was the overjoyed bit.

My mind quickly turned to the fact that I actually hadn’t reduced my car mileage during the lockdown. My overjoyed feeling rapidly turned to guilt. I wasn’t breaking lockdown rules it’s just that being in super Mustachian mode I’ve reduced my car mileage over the last year or so to only using it once a week for an essential trip. However should I have tried to reduce this further to once a fortnight or something? Oo er. I don’t know. Even though this would only have really been symbolic, at least I could have honestly claimed I made the effort to reduce my mileage. But dress it up all I like I can not say I made any attempt to reduce my mileage during lockdown even though I was fully complying with the rules. So I’m being paid £25 for having made no effort whatsoever.

The bewildered part comes from analysing my other actions over the last three months and realising my super Mustachian mode I’ve been in for a couple of years is pretty much the same thing as full lockdown. Crumbs, what a funny thing! I haven’t felt at all deprived but now I’m starting to think I’m a bit weird (or even more weird than I originally thought I was).

Don't feel guilty.  The risk pool is down overall.  Even if you personally didn't drive less, your risk is lower because other people are driving less so fewer other people to collide with.  So the insurance companies are sitting on extra cash because they didn't have to pay out as many claims.  Which is why they are returning premiums to you (and in many cases ordered to do so by oversight bodies).  The premiums returned to you will be less than that returned to other drivers who drive a lot more than you.

Fewer people are out and about stealing or breaking into cars, so that risk has gone down too.

[merula]

Fewer people are out and about stealing or breaking into cars, so that risk has gone down too.

Clearly you're not in Minnesota. :) https://www.startribune.com/officers-slashed-tires-on-vehicles-parked-during-mpls-protests-unrest/571105692/

[ysette9]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

I think if I had to live in Houston I would have a pool also, or otherwise never go outside anytime it was over 75*F (which is most of the year, right?). Then again, it would also have to be covered because I can’t deal with the sun either.

Or the humidity. Really, Houston is not the place for me.

[zolotiyeruki]

I was enjoying my pool today, like I do every day, but went back to this MMM post just for fun.  I am in my pool every day, even in the winter, and it brings me a whole new lease on life.  I don't think I'd be outside in the Houston summer, our kids wouldn't be outside with their friends, and we wouldn't enjoy the view of the pool outside our window if the pool were not there.  I guess, if I'm paying $20 a day, then this 'latte habit' is my downfall and I'll just have to work that extra year.  Egads!  I appreciate the awareness, but life is so complicated, this is one area I'm more than happy to have paid for and moved on.  Whew, cheers to paid off extravagance.

I think if I had to live in Houston I would have a pool also, or otherwise never go outside anytime it was over 75*F (which is most of the year, right?). Then again, it would also have to be covered because I can’t deal with the sun either.

Or the humidity. Really, Houston is not the place for me.

I used to live down there, and can corroborate the "over 75 most of the year."  We loved living down there, and in fact, the climate was the only thing we *didn't* enjoy about it.  Great people, great food, great culture, low taxes, traffic wasn't so bad for me (I was out in the suburbs, but downtown Houston was only 40 minutes away), major airport hub...

[dragoncar]

Curious to hear about the Houston culture. 

[zolotiyeruki]

Curious to hear about the Houston culture.

In a "people" sense, everyone is super friendly/courteous/old school polite.  In terms of fine arts and entertainment, we had no trouble finding concerts, plays, operas, festivals, etc.

[Aegishjalmur]

.

[ysette9]

MPP-I have to go buy a new silicon spatula because a sheepdog stole mine this morning.... yes, you read that right.

FIRE still beats office work.

Sorry. I just gotta

SiliconE spatula is the rubbery thing. SilicoN is what the chip in your phone is made of.

[ixtap]

MPP-I have to go buy a new silicon spatula because a sheepdog stole mine this morning.... yes, you read that right.

FIRE still beats office work.

Sorry. I just gotta

SiliconE spatula is the rubbery thing. SilicoN is what the chip in your phone is made of.

Maybe Aegishjalmur had a clear spatula with a chip design imbedded in it!

I bet DH used to have something like that available to him through Megacorp's bizarro rewards program. Unfortunately, they took that away about the same time that Delta discontinued the SKyMall catalog and now I don't know what kind of crazy things people are spending their money on :(

[dragoncar]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

[ysette9]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

To a materials engineer who has spent a career correcting this mistake in documentation, it matters. :)

[Taran Wanderer]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

To a materials engineer who has spent a career correcting this mistake in documentation, it matters. :)

“You’re too detail oriented. You need to relax and take more risks.”

From more than one performance review in my role as a the leader of our engineering and several compliance functions in my firm.

Yeah. Right.

[ysette9]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

To a materials engineer who has spent a career correcting this mistake in documentation, it matters. :)

“You’re too detail oriented. You need to relax and take more risks.”

From more than one performance review in my role as a the leader of our engineering and several compliance functions in my firm.

Yeah. Right.

Because what you really want in your design is creative risk without too many of those pesky details

[Mighty Eyebrows]

As I understand it, mustachianism is about maximizing your joy or utility per dollar spent.

Well said, sir.

[LennStar]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

To a materials engineer who has spent a career correcting this mistake in documentation, it matters. :)

“You’re too detail oriented. You need to relax and take more risks.”

From more than one performance review in my role as a the leader of our engineering and several compliance functions in my firm.

Yeah. Right.

I feel you, bro!

And a year later, when the bridge is nearly finished: Why has nobody remembered that different countries take their zero sea level from different seas??

[dragoncar]

Silicone contains silicon so it’s not technically incorrect just rather unspecific

Not the other way around though

To a materials engineer who has spent a career correcting this mistake in documentation, it matters. :)

“You’re too detail oriented. You need to relax and take more risks.”

From more than one performance review in my role as a the leader of our engineering and several compliance functions in my firm.

Yeah. Right.

I feel you, bro!

And a year later, when the bridge is nearly finished: Why has nobody remembered that different countries take their zero sea level from different seas??

Easily correctable by letting a little water out of the sea

[BicycleB]

^ LOL

[Sugaree]

My kiddo just turned 7.  For his entire life, 90% of the clothes that I've personally bought for him have come from twice-yearly consignment sales.  I just got the email letting me know that this year's fall sale is cancelled.  So now I have to either scour the thrift stores for school clothes (and hope he doesn't grow another 2 inches between now and August) or hope that Children's Place will still have their uniform pants on sale a little closer to when school starts back.

[BicycleB]

^ Desperate times, desperate measures.  :)

[AO1FireTo]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

[Zikoris]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

Shit, that's a tricky one. Normally I'd say "Book a flight somewhere", but that's out now.

[MrGreen]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

Hah! We're the same way. We'd come up with dumb stuff like, "Hey, let's buy $30 worth of music on iTunes." Or we'd be stretching to come up with something just for the sake of meeting the goal, but nothing we really want or need.

[sui generis]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

Are donations not allowed?

Maybe I would be a nice-ish bike with a cushy seat that doesn't make my butt hurt after 20 minutes.  My current bike was free from a friend and only has the middle 7 of 21 gears, so I don't love riding anywhere that's not pretty much flat...which is not super easy where I live.

[MudPuppy]

If I had $1000 to spend, I’d get my sister to build a set of built in cabinets in my entryway. She does great work and I get the family rate.

[eyesonthehorizon]

Having just been presented the $1000 problem in the form of the covid-19 stimulus check, I realized the answer was fewer people dying of preventable malaria infections, and donated it. I had a do-over opportunity with an unexpected windfall from another source right after, and still couldn't think of anything else I wanted.

I did have a brief moment I thought my beloved headphones were about to die, but it turned out the L/R balance on my computer had been knocked askew somehow - a one-click fix - so I'm right back where I started: in position to give, but warring over how much to while I'm still not yet comfortable leaving an exhausting day job.

[dragoncar]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

Ten one-hundred dollar bills?

[Paul der Krake]

WTF are $1000 bucks

[Roger D]

WTF are $1000 bucks

For some strange reason, it has become really common nowadays for people to include the dollar symbol as well as the word. For example "$10 million dollars", "$50 bucks".

[sherr]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

[GreenSheep]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one. Everyone I knew at the time thought I was being ridiculous. I used to joke about the idea that maybe it was a $5 venison sandwich.

[RetiredAt63]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one. Everyone I knew at the time thought I was being ridiculous. I used to joke about the idea that maybe it was a $5 venison sandwich.

Good one!

[dragoncar]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one. Everyone I knew at the time thought I was being ridiculous. I used to joke about the idea that maybe it was a $5 venison sandwich.

Good one!

Don’t get me started on the $.99 cent store

[Linea_Norway]

I moved to a new place. The nearest grocery store is at walking distance, is the local post office in shop, and is beside the library. Very convenient to visit often, but it is not the cheapest shop. It is well assorted and therefore more expensive. So once a week or so, I still drive to the other, cheaper store to buy some bigger quantities of staples and other stuff.

[ysette9]

I moved to a new place. The nearest grocery store is at walking distance, is the local post office in shop, and is beside the library. Very convenient to visit often, but it is not the cheapest shop. It is well assorted and therefore more expensive. So once a week or so, I still drive to the other, cheaper store to buy some bigger quantities of staples and other stuff.

Similarly we just moved and are a quick bike ride from a little neighborhood grocery store. Good selection and convenient but more expensive. I haven’t worked out yet how I will balance this two competing values out.

[Dollar Slice]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one. Everyone I knew at the time thought I was being ridiculous. I used to joke about the idea that maybe it was a $5 venison sandwich.

I used to proofread for a magazine where the editor did this all the time. I fixed this error about a million times and tried to explain it repeatedly. Never got through to him. Worked together for 19 years.

[jps]

WTF are $1000 bucks

The Dairy Queen near me had giant printed advertisements for a long time advertising their new "$5 buck lunch". Drove me nuts. One or the other, but both makes no sense.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one. Everyone I knew at the time thought I was being ridiculous. I used to joke about the idea that maybe it was a $5 venison sandwich.

I used to proofread for a magazine where the editor did this all the time. I fixed this error about a million times and tried to explain it repeatedly. Never got through to him. Worked together for 19 years.

Wishing your user name was $ Dollar Slice now

[lemanfan]

The Buck Stops Here?

[Dollar Slice]

Wishing your user name was $ Dollar Slice now

I'm sure there are a thousand signs in NYC advertising a "$1 Dollar Slice" of pizza. (Or "$.99 Cent Pizza" where they charge you $1 anyway. I've also seen a sign advertising a 99 cent item as $99.)

You can spell it Dollar $lice if you like to aggravate the grammarians. :-D ("Doesn't that say Dollar Dollar Lice???")

[LennStar]

Wishing your user name was $ Dollar Slice now

I'm sure there are a thousand signs in NYC advertising a "$1 Dollar Slice" of pizza. (Or "$.99 Cent Pizza" where they charge you $1 anyway. I've also seen a sign advertising a 99 cent item as $99.)

You can spell it Dollar $lice if you like to aggravate the grammarians. :-D ("Doesn't that say Dollar Dollar Lice???")

"$1 Dollar Slice" is correct. It is the price offer that for $1 you get a thing called "dollar slice". Pizza, potato, doesn't matter what that is.

[sherr]

You can spell it Dollar $lice if you like to aggravate the grammarians. :-D ("Doesn't that say Dollar Dollar Lice???")

I'd vote for reading it as "Dollar Lice Dollar", given that $5 is "five dollars". ;)

[frugalnacho]

My wife and i had the following discussion.  If I have you $1000 cash right now and you had to spend it what would you buy?

DW - "I can't think of anything"

Me - "I'd rather have the $1000 bucks"

End of conversation.

I do have $1000 and already chose to save it, which is why I have $1000.

I feel like the same conversations come up every year with family.  What is it you want frugalnacho, socks, music, a t-shirt? What small item can we purchase you for a gift?  Well, nothing - I already have money and if I needed any of those things then I already bought them, like who the fuck is in needs of socks and can't just purchase it themselves?  If you insist on getting me a gift just do something nice for me, or have us over for dinner, or do something that shows thought but isn't expensive.