Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[shelivesthedream]

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I do understand this, but on the other hand I don't think we can all be waving our walking sticks and shouting at these young whippersnappers who have the temerity to be in slightly the wrong spot on the space-time continuum and not have signed up to the forum several years ago. And I've got more posts than you, so you can't tell me off - so ner!   /joke

[ixtap]

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I do understand this, but on the other hand I don't think we can all be waving our walking sticks and shouting at these young whippersnappers who have the temerity to be in slightly the wrong spot on the space-time continuum and not have signed up to the forum several years ago. And I've got more posts than you, so you can't tell me off - so ner!   /joke

I have fewer posts than either of you, but I think it is pretty legit to point out alternatives to literal self harming.

[Alternatepriorities]

Yesterday, while cutting firewood I overheard a conversation about money between some teens I don't know. Their family just happened to be cutting firewood at the same time as me. I only heard bits of it, but it was pretty clear they thought spending money = having money. The mustachian in me wanted to join the conversation and try to help them understand how to create wealth. Then I realized my jacket and pants were both bought in '04 and I looked much more likely to be homeless than FI.

[Green_Tea]

My MPP: I dropped my deodorant rock crystal and now it is like 5 jagged little pieces :-(.

I have repeatedly done that, and use the bigger pieces still. Some days if I catch the wrong angle I get a cut that's worse than razor burn.

Seriously, how much is a new one?

Dicey, I love most of what you write, I really do. You seem to have quite a strong reaction to what you perceive as "cheapness" (personally I don't like the word). Why? Some people are different than you. Some get contentment or fun out of getting the last bit of use out of things. Some don't enjoy shopping. Just let people be :)

Last I checked, deodorant crystals were about five bucks or less. Practicing self-mutilation to save so little money might just be penny wise and pound foolish, IMO.

While I appreciate your feedback, Green_Tea and will take it under advisement, people who just want to be "let be" should consider whether a public forum is the best place for them.

As for cheapness, I don't mind being cheap as long as it doesn't effect others. When one is stingy or expects others to pick up the slack while they keep their hands in their pockets, yeah, you're right, I hate that.

Hey Dicey, I totally agree that hurting oneself/others or being stingy towards others isn't a good way to be frugal (my pet peeve is animals, I hate it when people aren't VERY generous in the care for their animals).
What I was thinking about was the initial post of La bibliothecaria, implying she would have liked to use the crystal up (even though it might be cheap to replace) and the "wallet-example" of continuing to use things that have been repared in a "crappy" way. Both of which I think aren't cheap per se.

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I can only guess that this is supposed to be somewhat comical. Just to clarify, I was in no way "scolding" and it wasn't about how she posts.

[dragoncar]

If you have a crack in your rock, the mustachian solution is to put it in your pipe and smoke it

[Sibley]

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I can only guess that this is supposed to be somewhat comical. Just to clarify, I was in no way "scolding" and it wasn't about how she posts.

You are correct, but I don't know how to put the laughing emoji in on this forum. And it wasn't really sarcasm, so /s didn't seem appropriate. I found it legitimately funny. :)

[Morning Glory]

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I can only guess that this is supposed to be somewhat comical. Just to clarify, I was in no way "scolding" and it wasn't about how she posts.

You are correct, but I don't know how to put the laughing emoji in on this forum. And it wasn't really sarcasm, so /s didn't seem appropriate. I found it legitimately funny. :)

It lets me use emoji but not pictures. It just times out when I try to upload a picture. 🤣

[Steeze]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

[fuzzy math]

My MPP: I dropped my deodorant rock crystal and now it is like 5 jagged little pieces :-(.

I have repeatedly done that, and use the bigger pieces still. Some days if I catch the wrong angle I get a cut that's worse than razor burn.

Seriously, how much is a new one?

About $7

My friend gave it to me and I'm trying to see how long I can make it last to tell her. It's been over a couple years!

[Alternatepriorities]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

The trials and tribulations of a Mustachian.

[zolotiyeruki]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

You think that's bad?  My employer's retirement web portal will only allow me to enter integer percents!

[LennStar]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

You think that's bad?  My employer's retirement web portal will only allow me to enter integer percents!

Wow that's lazy programming right there!!

[Dicey]

My MPP: I dropped my deodorant rock crystal and now it is like 5 jagged little pieces :-(.

I have repeatedly done that, and use the bigger pieces still. Some days if I catch the wrong angle I get a cut that's worse than razor burn.

Seriously, how much is a new one?

Dicey, I love most of what you write, I really do. You seem to have quite a strong reaction to what you perceive as "cheapness" (personally I don't like the word). Why? Some people are different than you. Some get contentment or fun out of getting the last bit of use out of things. Some don't enjoy shopping. Just let people be :)

Last I checked, deodorant crystals were about five bucks or less. Practicing self-mutilation to save so little money might just be penny wise and pound foolish, IMO.

While I appreciate your feedback, Green_Tea and will take it under advisement, people who just want to be "let be" should consider whether a public forum is the best place for them.

As for cheapness, I don't mind being cheap as long as it doesn't effect others. When one is stingy or expects others to pick up the slack while they keep their hands in their pockets, yeah, you're right, I hate that.

Hey Dicey, I totally agree that hurting oneself/others or being stingy towards others isn't a good way to be frugal (my pet peeve is animals, I hate it when people aren't VERY generous in the care for their animals).
What I was thinking about was the initial post of La bibliothecaria, implying she would have liked to use the crystal up (even though it might be cheap to replace) and the "wallet-example" of continuing to use things that have been repared in a "crappy" way. Both of which I think aren't cheap per se.

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I can only guess that this is supposed to be somewhat comical. Just to clarify, I was in no way "scolding" and it wasn't about how she posts.

Rant Alert:

Dear Green_Tea,
I welcome new voices on this forum, so post count is not a huge concern to me, though I deeply appreciate that @Sibley's got my back. I do value comprehension. My remark was not directed at LBF, it was to @fuzzy math. If I broke a deodorant crystal, I'd want to figure out how to use it up, too, but not to the point that I would cut myself, particularly more than once.

Speaking of @fuzzy math, I regularly see deodorant crystals at Grocery Outlet for under five bucks. Since they last so long, I usually buy the travel size when they have them, which costs even less. Bonus: smaller is probably harder to break, though I do hope not to test that theory.

As to the whole "wallet" thing, see: comprehension. The OP initially said "wallet" but then clarified that they meant the plastic insert thingy that fits inside a wallet. Those things get brittle and split readily, so taping one is no big deal. Allowing themselves to care what their sister (or anyone) thinks is where I see the problem. Also, at the time I wondered if they flaunted it just to provoke the sister a bit. Why did the sister even take notice?

Which brings me to the larger point of this rant. I am of the opinion that reveling in looking/being cheap can be a cover for just plain laziness. Looking and acting like a cheap-ass can also be a way of drawing attention to one's self. Flaunting one's cheapness is losing the game, IMO. Being circumspect about one's choices (i.e. choosing a frugal life) eases the friction of going against the grain. If the goal of mustachianism is to reach your self-determined goal(s) as efficiently as possible, doesn't this approach make more sense? It did to me. Nearly a decade post-FIRE, it still does.

We all know that being mustachian is resisting many societal "norms". One can go about the process of achieving their life goals with finesse, or one can be a dick about it. I believe if you look a mess, brag about your miserliness, make people aware of it/uncomfortable in social settings, or worse still, make others have to pick up your slack, you are doing it wrong.

I am not suggesting you are doing any of these things, but you seem to be bothered by your perception of my point of view. If I was somehow unclear, I hope this helps.

Best wishes to you in your journey to FIRE.
Kind regards,
Dicey

/end rant. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

[Adventine]

Gracious and measured as ever, @Dicey .

Our opinions diverge on the wallet but are aligned with not looking like a mess, not hurting oneself with deodorant (seriously, what???) and not making oneself a burden to others because of different life choices.

[Steeze]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

You think that's bad?  My employer's retirement web portal will only allow me to enter integer percents!

Wow that's lazy programming right there!!

Yes, that is the same problem, integer percents only.

This year I set it to 33% and it will max sometime in the fall. Luckily DW has a true-up feature.

[Mighty Eyebrows]

Flaunting one's cheapness is losing the game, IMO.

I agree with your stance in broad terms. However, it is very culture and age-specific. For younger folks, deciding to be obviously non-conformist can be a valid thing for many reasons. Once you get older and have deeper social roots, obvious non-conformity is of less benefit. Personally, I would never judge someone's decision to purposefully look like a "cheap-ass" if I don't know a lot about them, because I don't know their world.

[Zikoris]

Flaunting one's cheapness is losing the game, IMO.

I agree with your stance in broad terms. However, it is very culture and age-specific. For younger folks, deciding to be obviously non-conformist can be a valid thing for many reasons. Once you get older and have deeper social roots, obvious non-conformity is of less benefit. Personally, I would never judge someone's decision to purposefully look like a "cheap-ass" if I don't know a lot about them, because I don't know their world.

Easy solution - be friends with other non-conformists. If everyone you know is extremely weird in some way, it doesn't stand out so much.

These days I don't trust myself to be able to tell what a cheap-ass looks like anymore, due to modern fashion. I used to think it meant looking like shit in general - poorly fitting clothing with holes in it, etc. But a lot of high fashion today also looks like that. I would not bet money on my ability to tell the difference between the fashionista in designer ripped up jeans versus the cheap-ass in ripped up jeans from a dumpster.

[BicycleB]

Flaunting one's cheapness is losing the game, IMO.

I agree with your stance in broad terms. However, it is very culture and age-specific. For younger folks, deciding to be obviously non-conformist can be a valid thing for many reasons. Once you get older and have deeper social roots, obvious non-conformity is of less benefit. Personally, I would never judge someone's decision to purposefully look like a "cheap-ass" if I don't know a lot about them, because I don't know their world.

Easy solution - be friends with other non-conformists. If everyone you know is extremely weird in some way, it doesn't stand out so much.

These days I don't trust myself to be able to tell what a cheap-ass looks like anymore, due to modern fashion. I used to think it meant looking like shit in general - poorly fitting clothing with holes in it, etc. But a lot of high fashion today also looks like that. I would not bet money on my ability to tell the difference between the fashionista in designer ripped up jeans versus the cheap-ass in ripped up jeans from a dumpster.

That's because you don't bet money. Right??

:)

[Morning Glory]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

You think that's bad?  My employer's retirement web portal will only allow me to enter integer percents!

Wow that's lazy programming right there!!

Yes, that is the same problem, integer percents only.

This year I set it to 33% and it will max sometime in the fall. Luckily DW has a true-up feature.

My old employer was integer percents only with no true up. Also my check wasn't the same every time. I had to log in several times a year and change my percentage to not max out too early. Infuriating.

Now I have the opposite problem. A 401a and a 403b and a 457b. More tax advantaged space than I could hope to fill.

[fuzzy math]

My MPP: I dropped my deodorant rock crystal and now it is like 5 jagged little pieces :-(.

I have repeatedly done that, and use the bigger pieces still. Some days if I catch the wrong angle I get a cut that's worse than razor burn.

Seriously, how much is a new one?

Dicey, I love most of what you write, I really do. You seem to have quite a strong reaction to what you perceive as "cheapness" (personally I don't like the word). Why? Some people are different than you. Some get contentment or fun out of getting the last bit of use out of things. Some don't enjoy shopping. Just let people be :)

Last I checked, deodorant crystals were about five bucks or less. Practicing self-mutilation to save so little money might just be penny wise and pound foolish, IMO.

While I appreciate your feedback, Green_Tea and will take it under advisement, people who just want to be "let be" should consider whether a public forum is the best place for them.

As for cheapness, I don't mind being cheap as long as it doesn't effect others. When one is stingy or expects others to pick up the slack while they keep their hands in their pockets, yeah, you're right, I hate that.

Hey Dicey, I totally agree that hurting oneself/others or being stingy towards others isn't a good way to be frugal (my pet peeve is animals, I hate it when people aren't VERY generous in the care for their animals).
What I was thinking about was the initial post of La bibliothecaria, implying she would have liked to use the crystal up (even though it might be cheap to replace) and the "wallet-example" of continuing to use things that have been repared in a "crappy" way. Both of which I think aren't cheap per se.

I am enjoying the irony of the poster with 45ish posts scolding the poster with 14.5k-ish posts about how they post.

I can only guess that this is supposed to be somewhat comical. Just to clarify, I was in no way "scolding" and it wasn't about how she posts.

Rant Alert:

Dear Green_Tea,
I welcome new voices on this forum, so post count is not a huge concern to me, though I deeply appreciate that @Sibley's got my back. I do value comprehension. My remark was not directed at LBF, it was to @fuzzy math. If I broke a deodorant crystal, I'd want to figure out how to use it up, too, but not to the point that I would cut myself, particularly more than once.

Speaking of @fuzzy math, I regularly see deodorant crystals at Grocery Outlet for under five bucks. Since they last so long, I usually buy the travel size when they have them, which costs even less. Bonus: smaller is probably harder to break, though I do hope not to test that theory.

As to the whole "wallet" thing, see: comprehension. The OP initially said "wallet" but then clarified that they meant the plastic insert thingy that fits inside a wallet. Those things get brittle and split readily, so taping one is no big deal. Allowing themselves to care what their sister (or anyone) thinks is where I see the problem. Also, at the time I wondered if they flaunted it just to provoke the sister a bit. Why did the sister even take notice?

Which brings me to the larger point of this rant. I am of the opinion that reveling in looking/being cheap can be a cover for just plain laziness. Looking and acting like a cheap-ass can also be a way of drawing attention to one's self. Flaunting one's cheapness is losing the game, IMO. Being circumspect about one's choices (i.e. choosing a frugal life) eases the friction of going against the grain. If the goal of mustachianism is to reach your self-determined goal(s) as efficiently as possible, doesn't this approach make more sense? It did to me. Nearly a decade post-FIRE, it still does.

We all know that being mustachian is resisting many societal "norms". One can go about the process of achieving their life goals with finesse, or one can be a dick about it. I believe if you look a mess, brag about your miserliness, make people aware of it/uncomfortable in social settings, or worse still, make others have to pick up your slack, you are doing it wrong.

I am not suggesting you are doing any of these things, but you seem to be bothered by your perception of my point of view. If I was somehow unclear, I hope this helps.

Best wishes to you in your journey to FIRE.
Kind regards,
Dicey

/end rant. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

Who knew that my war battered armpits would spark such controversy  *LOL*

I do have a new full size one as well as 3 travel ones, so its not an issue of spending the money. I'm getting close to the point where I'm going to toss the offensive one. Its smooth in almost all places, I promise! Its only when I'm not paying attention that it happens...

[fuzzy math]

Gracious and measured as ever, @Dicey .

Our opinions diverge on the wallet but are aligned with not looking like a mess, not hurting oneself with deodorant (seriously, what???) and not making oneself a burden to others because of different life choices.

You haven't lived til you've tried it!

[fuzzy math]

Now I have the opposite problem. A 401a and a 403b and a 457b. More tax advantaged space than I could hope to fill.

The cruel irony of most gov jobs giving you this awesome park but paying low enough that makes it largely unattainable.

[Adventine]

Gracious and measured as ever, @Dicey .

Our opinions diverge on the wallet but are aligned with not looking like a mess, not hurting oneself with deodorant (seriously, what???) and not making oneself a burden to others because of different life choices.

You haven't lived til you've tried it!

My poor precious armpits are too important. My culture upholds blindingly white, perfectly smooth, scar-free armpits as the pinnacle of beauty.

(I'm only half kidding)

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: I had a meal plan (and some freezer stock-ups) worked out around the week's better-than-usual grocery sales, but they've canceled all the grocery deliveries because of the snowstorm and I'm afraid they aren't going to resume deliveries until after the sales end at EOB tomorrow.

I keep telling myself that it's not worth hiking 1.5 miles in snow boots with a painful cyst on my foot and potentially exposing myself to COVID with multiple high-risk medical conditions in order to save $20.

[secondcor521]

MPP: I had a meal plan (and some freezer stock-ups) worked out around the week's better-than-usual grocery sales, but they've canceled all the grocery deliveries because of the snowstorm and I'm afraid they aren't going to resume deliveries until after the sales end at EOB tomorrow.

I keep telling myself that it's not worth hiking 1.5 miles in snow boots with a painful cyst on my foot and potentially exposing myself to COVID with multiple high-risk medical conditions in order to save $20.

Old-fashioned idea, but can you call the store and have them issue a rain check?

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: I had a meal plan (and some freezer stock-ups) worked out around the week's better-than-usual grocery sales, but they've canceled all the grocery deliveries because of the snowstorm and I'm afraid they aren't going to resume deliveries until after the sales end at EOB tomorrow.

I keep telling myself that it's not worth hiking 1.5 miles in snow boots with a painful cyst on my foot and potentially exposing myself to COVID with multiple high-risk medical conditions in order to save $20.

Old-fashioned idea, but can you call the store and have them issue a rain check?

They don't do rain checks. Many local stores won't take any returns, have cut their hours, and have stopped accepting coupons during COVID. I think everyone just feels so bad for the workers at this point that no one complains. (At least, that's how I feel...)

[SuseB]

My MPP is that I keep seeing threads on other discussion boards where posters ask for financial advice and are given a ton of really poor suggestions. Should I join in or is it a waste of time and energy? I need to not read the threads in the first place, I know, but I can't tear myself away... Most recently, the question was 'I've just inherited £500k, how can I secure my future?' The responses had me SMH as no one mentioned low-cost investing, many warned off investing all together, and the consensus seemed to be 'stick it in a savings account'. But I think any contribution from me would have been like shouting into the void...

[midweststache]

MPP: My husband forgot to pause his tax-advantaged transit contributions during WFH in 2020. He now has a year of transit passes he'll (maybe) use when he (maybe) goes back to the office. (Because we're moving and due to daycare relocation for the kids, he may actual end up with a five minute car commute, rather than a 30 minute public transit commute, and he's of the mind that he'll be WFH more often than not, even once things 'return to normal'.)

I'll definitely go back to my office someday, and I will definitely use public transit, so there's no question those passes will get used... but still. *sigh*

[fuzzy math]

MPP: I had a meal plan (and some freezer stock-ups) worked out around the week's better-than-usual grocery sales, but they've canceled all the grocery deliveries because of the snowstorm and I'm afraid they aren't going to resume deliveries until after the sales end at EOB tomorrow.

I keep telling myself that it's not worth hiking 1.5 miles in snow boots with a painful cyst on my foot and potentially exposing myself to COVID with multiple high-risk medical conditions in order to save $20.

Old-fashioned idea, but can you call the store and have them issue a rain check?

They don't do rain checks. Many local stores won't take any returns, have cut their hours, and have stopped accepting coupons during COVID. I think everyone just feels so bad for the workers at this point that no one complains. (At least, that's how I feel...)

My local spendy store stopped offering rain checks. They told me it was "to be more fair to people during COVID"... I fail to see how that's relevant when they don't have purchase limits enacted. They're the ones not being fair. They'd rather let you return repeatedly or visit the store early on a Wednesday during senior hours than help out working people who can't come until the evening. The store is staffed by 19-22 yr olds so there's no one to really complain to either.

[Sugaree]

My MPP is that I keep seeing threads on other discussion boards where posters ask for financial advice and are given a ton of really poor suggestions. Should I join in or is it a waste of time and energy? I need to not read the threads in the first place, I know, but I can't tear myself away... Most recently, the question was 'I've just inherited £500k, how can I secure my future?' The responses had me SMH as no one mentioned low-cost investing, many warned off investing all together, and the consensus seemed to be 'stick it in a savings account'. But I think any contribution from me would have been like shouting into the void...

I think it depends on whether you feel like the person really wants help or just wants head pats and validation of bad decisions.  I think the question you mentioned would be one that I would answer, if only to point them to resources like "A Simple Path to Wealth" or something with similar advice for a UK audience.

[Linea_Norway]

I went to a store a bit far away-ish to buy some beer brewing supplies. I hade made a plan of also visiting a technical warehouse in the same building. And then Ikea on my way home. But both the warehouse and Ikea were closed due to COVID restriction, as we have an outbreak. I could have ordered online in advance and picked it up, but I didn't want to wait for the 2 hours you had to give them. And the Ikea things were something I had to measure myself (fits sometimes and sometimes not).
So it was just one long trip to the store that I had checked that it was open.

[merula]

MPP: My husband forgot to pause his tax-advantaged transit contributions during WFH in 2020. He now has a year of transit passes he'll (maybe) use when he (maybe) goes back to the office. (Because we're moving and due to daycare relocation for the kids, he may actual end up with a five minute car commute, rather than a 30 minute public transit commute, and he's of the mind that he'll be WFH more often than not, even once things 'return to normal'.)

I'll definitely go back to my office someday, and I will definitely use public transit, so there's no question those passes will get used... but still. *sigh*

I donated my transit passes to a local youth shelter and they were THRILLED, because that's a really in-demand item. I got them at a discount with pre-tax dollars through work, and I adore my local transit authority, so I didn't really want to turn it off when my income hasn't changed and my expenses have gone down.  I feel like it's a win-win; kids who need it get free rides, the transit authority keeps getting my support, and I don't have to go through the paperwork hassle of cancelling.

[LennStar]

I spend 2 hours with my bank changing the tax-exempt amount and it still didn't work.

Now I have to get back the estimated 88cent from the tax formulars.

[techwiz]

Bank locked an account since it's been over 24 months since it was last used. Now I have to go into the branch to get it active again or they will charge $30 inactive fee!

[DadJokes]

My wife's employer issued her an incorrect W-2 and can't seem to understand that it is incorrect. They are reporting all of her 401(k) contributions in box 14 (instead of box 12), which is causing a hassle with the tax software and the saver's credit.

Per IRS instructions, mandatory 401(k) contributions can be reported in box 14, but voluntary contributions must be reported in box 12. Her employer requires that employees contribute 5% of gross pay to the 401(k), but we contribute a lot more. For some reason, they can't seem to separate the two and don't want to issue a corrected W-2.

It's like her employer's payroll cannot fathom anyone contributing more than the required 5% and does not have a process in place to handle it.


Rather than use different software that lets me manually fill out the form for the saver's credit, I'm going to wait until the end of February and report her employer to the IRS if they still haven't issued a corrected W-2. My reasoning is that they are probably screwing a lot of other employees out of their $200 credit due to this. But watch it turn out that my spouse is the only employee in the district who contributes more than the required 5%.

[PMG]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

[zolotiyeruki]

I've got one.  At work, we've gone down a number of wrong paths in bringing a new product to market, and as a result, we have a bunch of parts sitting around that cost us thousands of dollars but we can't use.  I'd love to find another use for these parts, but we're in a position where our time is more profitably spent on other efforts.  It kills me to see this valuable stuff sitting around unused.

(BTW, is anyone interested in buying a whole bunch of Panasonic NCR18650B batteries?  Maybe building a DIY powerwall or EV?)

[Dicey]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

Huh, it's soup. I'd be tempted to boil it again. OTOH, I'm a vegetarian. Maybe with meat that's not such a good idea.

[solon]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

Huh, it's soup. I'd be tempted to boil it again. OTOH, I'm a vegetarian. Maybe with meat that's not such a good idea.

There's nothing wrong with that soup. I'd eat it.

[PMG]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

Huh, it's soup. I'd be tempted to boil it again. OTOH, I'm a vegetarian. Maybe with meat that's not such a good idea.

There's nothing wrong with that soup. I'd eat it.

USDA says otherwise.

https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Is-food-safe-if-left-out-overnight

I might take more risk if it were veg only.

[StacheyNotTrashy]

I calculated my Wife's 401k contributions wrong (can only enter a %) - we had 14$ of unused tax advantaged space in 2020. shameful.

You think that's bad?  My employer's retirement web portal will only allow me to enter integer percents!

Same here! Then it tells me how much more I can contribute this year, but it falls between percentages. It ends up with me playing a game of "when to increase percentage from 15% to 16%" to cover max contribution while not getting there early and missing out on employer matching the last few weeks of the year. To make matters worse, pay increases mid-year mean I have to recalculate again. Why is it so hard to say "I want to contribute the max this year; divide contributions evenly throughout the year"

[Taran Wanderer]

If you heat that soup up to a simmer for 30 minutes, you’ll kill any pathogens. The question is if sitting out overnight has allowed enough bacteria growth to our the soup and drive the pH down. If it smells okay and you’re going to re-boil it, there is little risk.

[Fomerly known as something]

About a month ago I was lazy and didn’t take out my collider to drain the water from pasta, I accidentally threw a half pound of spaghetti down the garbage disposal.  No way was I going to rescue it.

[dragoncar]

If you heat that soup up to a simmer for 30 minutes, you’ll kill any pathogens. The question is if sitting out overnight has allowed enough bacteria growth to our the soup and drive the pH down. If it smells okay and you’re going to re-boil it, there is little risk.

I'd eat it but this isn't 100% safe.  The issue lies with a bacteria that creates toxins that won't break down in cooking.  One example is staph.  Even if you kill all the bacteria, if it has been producing toxin for a long time you will still get sick from the soup (it won't be a bacterial infection, but toxcicity).

That said, I took a dumb risk recently and ate marinated chicken that I accidentally left in the garage overnight.  It started frozen and spent like 12 hours in a cool garage so I figured it didn't spend the whole time in the maximum danger zone.  It smelled fine so I grilled it and ate a small amount, followed by larger amounts over time.  No problems.

It was dumb mostly because with covid I really don't want to risk a trip to the hospital now.  In hindsight I shouldn't have done it but after that cooked overnight soup is a breeze.

[LennStar]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

Huh, it's soup. I'd be tempted to boil it again. OTOH, I'm a vegetarian. Maybe with meat that's not such a good idea.

There's nothing wrong with that soup. I'd eat it.

The chicken is the problem. The soup might be alright. But in case the chicken was infected (which is relativly likely, thus why you should make sure to cook properly and don't use the chicken knife on anything else), it might well give you a few impressive hours on your toilet to think about it, or even worse.

If you heat that soup up to a simmer for 30 minutes, you’ll kill any pathogens

But not necessarily poison from those bacteria.

[Dicey]

Not really a problem but related to the previous post. I recently upped my contributions to max my 403b. It didn’t cause any issues but when I spoke to HR about it she commented “I was going to make sure you knew this was a really big number and that your paychecks would be really small, but I decided that you understood that I didn’t need to say anything.” I said, “Yes. I understand that.” Definitely must be unusual.

And my real MMP. We made a big pot of chicken noodle soup last night. I forgot to put it in the fridge. So frustrating but no way it’s safe this morning. Ugh. I hate wasting food and what pain to have to scrounge up lunch on an already busy day.

Huh, it's soup. I'd be tempted to boil it again. OTOH, I'm a vegetarian. Maybe with meat that's not such a good idea.

There's nothing wrong with that soup. I'd eat it.

The chicken is the problem. The soup might be alright. But in case the chicken was infected (which is relativly likely, thus why you should make sure to cook properly and don't use the chicken knife on anything else), it might well give you a few impressive hours on your toilet to think about it, or even worse.

If you heat that soup up to a simmer for 30 minutes, you’ll kill any pathogens

But not necessarily poison from those bacteria.

Why is it relatively likely that the chicken was "infected" when it has already been cooked? Those warnings are for raw meat, and this clearly was not.

[LennStar]

Not all bacteria die from cooling temperatures, or for that matter household freezer temperature (some grow down to -10C).

A boiled soup is likely to be okay though, at least for healthy people. But in a care home or hospital...

[PMG]

That much debated soup is long gone.

I set an alarm to remind me to put dinner away last night after it cooled.

Rest easy.

[RetiredAt63]

That much debated soup is long gone.

I set an alarm to remind me to put dinner away last night after it cooled.

Rest easy.

I have come close to doing that a few times.  Now I leave the light over the stove on until the food has cooled enough to go in the fridge.  I turn all the lights off before I go to bed, so if the stove light is still on the food gets put away then.

[GreenSheep]

Letting food cool before putting it in the fridge is not necessary and in fact might be harmful. See the USDA guidelines here:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Leftovers_and_Food_Safety.pdf

"Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40° F and 140° F. After food is safely cooked, hot food must be kept hot at 140° F or hotter to prevent bacterial growth. Within 2 hours of cooking food or holding it hot, leftovers must be refrigerated. Throw away all perishable foods that have been left at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F, such as at an outdoor picnic during summer)."

and

"To prevent bacterial growth, it’s important to cool food rapidly so it reaches as fast as possible the safe refrigerator-storage temperature of 40° F or below. To do this, divide large amounts of food into shallow containers. A big pot of soup, for example, will take a long time to cool, inviting bacteria to multiply and increasing the danger of foodborne illness. Instead, divide the pot of soup into smaller containers so it will cool quickly. Hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or be rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating.