Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Alfred J Quack]

One of my MPPs is moving to a nice neighborhood (not a wealthy one) which has raised my exposure to smug assurances that I'd "get it" when I had some money, often, bizarrely, from people with less than I have. I have to choose between distaste for their metric of worldly experience & the tremendous temptation to use their belief in metric to emphasize how very mistaken they are. Haven't slipped yet.

You're the oddball to them if they knew, why "waste away" when you can afford luxury? Would that be considered their sense of entitlement speaking?

[charis]

One of my MPPs is moving to a nice neighborhood (not a wealthy one) which has raised my exposure to smug assurances that I'd "get it" when I had some money, often, bizarrely, from people with less than I have. I have to choose between distaste for their metric of worldly experience & the tremendous temptation to use their belief in metric to emphasize how very mistaken they are. Haven't slipped yet.

I've be so tempted to let something slip.  I had a coworker in payroll who is aware of my retirement and HSA contributions and once let this little comment fly, in the context of her own retirement account (at least 20 years in), "I think people would be pretty surprised if they knew how much was in there." 

[dignam]

There was a period earlier in my career where I would buy my daily coffee on the way to work.  At some point I realized it was expensive and wasteful (and home-ground coffee is much tastier).  That said, if that's what people want to spend their money on, that's their choice.  I'm sure some people are financially well off enough that $6 daily coffee isn't going to make a big difference, BUT that is the minority I'm sure.

One thing I will never understand is waiting in a long drive through line for coffee for 15-20 minutes.  The line for the Dunkin near me spills out into the street some mornings. 

[dividendman]

There was a period earlier in my career where I would buy my daily coffee on the way to work.  At some point I realized it was expensive and wasteful (and home-ground coffee is much tastier).  That said, if that's what people want to spend their money on, that's their choice.  I'm sure some people are financially well off enough that $6 daily coffee isn't going to make a big difference, BUT that is the minority I'm sure.

One thing I will never understand is waiting in a long drive through line for coffee for 15-20 minutes.  The line for the Dunkin near me spills out into the street some mornings.

$6??? McDonald's raised their price to $1.50 from $1 and I stopped going.... who the hell pays $6 for coffee? Where are they going? The Ritz?

[dignam]

There was a period earlier in my career where I would buy my daily coffee on the way to work.  At some point I realized it was expensive and wasteful (and home-ground coffee is much tastier).  That said, if that's what people want to spend their money on, that's their choice.  I'm sure some people are financially well off enough that $6 daily coffee isn't going to make a big difference, BUT that is the minority I'm sure.

One thing I will never understand is waiting in a long drive through line for coffee for 15-20 minutes.  The line for the Dunkin near me spills out into the street some mornings.

$6??? McDonald's raised their price to $1.50 from $1 and I stopped going.... who the hell pays $6 for coffee? Where are they going? The Ritz?

People like to load up their drink with various forms of sugar and carbs.

[dividendman]

There was a period earlier in my career where I would buy my daily coffee on the way to work.  At some point I realized it was expensive and wasteful (and home-ground coffee is much tastier).  That said, if that's what people want to spend their money on, that's their choice.  I'm sure some people are financially well off enough that $6 daily coffee isn't going to make a big difference, BUT that is the minority I'm sure.

One thing I will never understand is waiting in a long drive through line for coffee for 15-20 minutes.  The line for the Dunkin near me spills out into the street some mornings.

$6??? McDonald's raised their price to $1.50 from $1 and I stopped going.... who the hell pays $6 for coffee? Where are they going? The Ritz?

People like to load up their drink with various forms of sugar and carbs.

I've never actually been to a fancy coffee store (i.e. Starbucks or whatever they are now), but I thought the cream and sugar and stuff was free to add?

[glacio09]

Oh I have an interesting problem! I've been looking for a bed frame for about two years now (I have very specific wants involving a very annoying cat but the free one I have is still fine). I finally found one that was still stupid expensive, but it was the first under $1,000 that I've found. Bought it online a week ago, paid for it, got the email and it showed up under pending on my credit card. I've been waiting for it to move out of pending so that I can pay for it out of my fun money account. Instead it disappeared. I asked my husband and he looked at the website. There is no longer a record of the sale in his account. We figured that because it was a clearance sale that someone else bought the last one before us and the deal was cancelled. No harm no foul for us since it was a bit more money than I wanted in the first place. I was annoyed that we didn't get an email but whatever.

THE TWIST: Last night my husband got an email that the delivery is scheduled for tomorrow. Thankfully we're both working from home so no big deal, but WTF. Are we getting the frame? Are we not? The MPP is the moral quandary if they do delivery and we're never charged. Most non-mustachians would never know they weren't charged, but also they would pissed if they hadn't realized they weren't charged.

I'll probably give them a call this afternoon. Being a mustachian is not having blissful ignorance.

[getsorted]

It's not at all hard to spend $6 at Starbucks. Or more-- I think they charge something like 70 cents per extra pump of their flavored syrups (I can't be sure; I can't stand sweet coffee or flavored coffee).

You can get an Americano or brewed coffee for less and add milk and sugar for free, but it's still going to be $3-4.

Source: Have been to a Starbucks. (I'll turn in my Mustachian card on my way out)

[LennStar]

One thing I will never understand is waiting in a long drive through line for coffee for 15-20 minutes.  The line for the Dunkin near me spills out into the street some mornings.

I can't say from personal experience, but in every video I have seen where people actually got into those drive through stores that was a free parkign spot in the front and (nearly) nobody inside, so they actually got their burgers or whatever faster than in the drive in. All while not having to be careful to move whenever one car is finished. 

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me. After the gun and religious nuts, that is.

[Blissful Biker]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

[erp]

Back to coffee for a minute. I was on a long drive Monday and stopped for a coffee. Just a  16 oz Americano. The lady told me $5.70. I couldn’t do it. I apologized and said I just can’t spend that much on coffee. She looked a bit shocked and maybe a little hurt. The last time I got an Americano was less than a year ago and it was under $3. I guess I’ll start taking my jet boil and areo press on road trips.

What? $6? That's alarming. It does make me feel better about my splurge on the aeropress though - I think it was about $60, but I use it almost every day and it's just so good.

[getsorted]

Back to coffee for a minute. I was on a long drive Monday and stopped for a coffee. Just a  16 oz Americano. The lady told me $5.70. I couldn’t do it. I apologized and said I just can’t spend that much on coffee. She looked a bit shocked and maybe a little hurt. The last time I got an Americano was less than a year ago and it was under $3. I guess I’ll start taking my jet boil and areo press on road trips.

What? $6? That's alarming. It does make me feel better about my splurge on the aeropress though - I think it was about $60, but I use it almost every day and it's just so good.

I used a friend's Aeropress years ago and it does make such a great cup of coffee. I keep hoping I'll find one at a yard sale eventually.

[Alternatepriorities]

Back to coffee for a minute. I was on a long drive Monday and stopped for a coffee. Just a  16 oz Americano. The lady told me $5.70. I couldn’t do it. I apologized and said I just can’t spend that much on coffee. She looked a bit shocked and maybe a little hurt. The last time I got an Americano was less than a year ago and it was under $3. I guess I’ll start taking my jet boil and areo press on road trips.

What? $6? That's alarming. It does make me feel better about my splurge on the aeropress though - I think it was about $60, but I use it almost every day and it's just so good.

I used a friend's Aeropress years ago and it does make such a great cup of coffee. I keep hoping I'll find one at a yard sale eventually.

I was given mine by a friend as a thank you gift. At the time I really didn't think i needed another way to make coffee, but it's my preferred tool now... Sometimes, if I'm feeling fancy, I still use the espresso machine another friend gave me to foam some cream.

[Alfred J Quack]

I've got one of those ceramic filter holders that you put over your cup/mug. Bought it to replace our nespresso machine and haven't wanted to go back since. It may not be quite as fast but it uses regular coffee and it tastes great. Also saves a ton of room vs the machine 😗

[NorCal]

I have a MPP:  we have a sprinkler system that has a burst pipe.  I dug it up and diagnosed it last night, and the repair requires a whole four inches of pipe and a few crimp bands.  The hardware store only sells the pipe in rolls of one hundred feet.

Sounds like copper tubing? Chances are you can get it at a pet-store too because it may be used in aquarium systems.

It's black poly pipe, and in 1" diameter, so aquarium tubing won't cut it

Hose and hose clamps? Might not be the official way to fix it but I know of at least one place it held for years and years…

Cross shop between Lowe’s and Home Depot. I had that same problem a few years back. One store only had 100’ sections and the other had 25’ sections IIRC. I forget which one I bought it from. It’s still overkill, but less so.

You could also probably make it work with 3-4 connectors and a few small cut sections. Each connector extends the line by maybe 1”. Although it introduces more potential for future leaks.

[zolotiyeruki]

I have a MPP:  we have a sprinkler system that has a burst pipe.  I dug it up and diagnosed it last night, and the repair requires a whole four inches of pipe and a few crimp bands.  The hardware store only sells the pipe in rolls of one hundred feet.

Sounds like copper tubing? Chances are you can get it at a pet-store too because it may be used in aquarium systems.

It's black poly pipe, and in 1" diameter, so aquarium tubing won't cut it

Hose and hose clamps? Might not be the official way to fix it but I know of at least one place it held for years and years…

Cross shop between Lowe’s and Home Depot. I had that same problem a few years back. One store only had 100’ sections and the other had 25’ sections IIRC. I forget which one I bought it from. It’s still overkill, but less so.

You could also probably make it work with 3-4 connectors and a few small cut sections. Each connector extends the line by maybe 1”. Although it introduces more potential for future leaks.

It's a section of hose between two barbed fittings, so there's only about 1/2" between the fittings.

As it turns out, Menard's actually *does* sell 5' lengths.  But a neighbor had some spare that he gave to me, so we're all good.  I already had a crimp tool on hand, so the repair cost me about $3.50--the cost of the crimp clamp things.

[Dave1442397]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

[fuzzy math]

I have a MPP:  we have a sprinkler system that has a burst pipe.  I dug it up and diagnosed it last night, and the repair requires a whole four inches of pipe and a few crimp bands.  The hardware store only sells the pipe in rolls of one hundred feet.

Sounds like copper tubing? Chances are you can get it at a pet-store too because it may be used in aquarium systems.

It's black poly pipe, and in 1" diameter, so aquarium tubing won't cut it

Hose and hose clamps? Might not be the official way to fix it but I know of at least one place it held for years and years…

Cross shop between Lowe’s and Home Depot. I had that same problem a few years back. One store only had 100’ sections and the other had 25’ sections IIRC. I forget which one I bought it from. It’s still overkill, but less so.

You could also probably make it work with 3-4 connectors and a few small cut sections. Each connector extends the line by maybe 1”. Although it introduces more potential for future leaks.

It's a section of hose between two barbed fittings, so there's only about 1/2" between the fittings.

As it turns out, Menard's actually *does* sell 5' lengths.  But a neighbor had some spare that he gave to me, so we're all good.  I already had a crimp tool on hand, so the repair cost me about $3.50--the cost of the crimp clamp things.

You guys are reminding me of a scene from A Man Called Otto....  :o

My MPP:

My former employer sent out a notice that certain people are going to be offered a pension buyout. There's a webpage, a formal notice etc with all this info on how the planning committee came up with the option and the timeline. In true govt fashion, the notice was mailed in May and the specifics of my options won't be mailed until Sept, with elections happening starting in Oct. Don't they know how obnoxious that is??? I've been stewing every day since about what it might be. Give me the 3-4 months notice to evaluate the offer, not tell me there will be an offer and the evaluation period will be short!

[dragoncar]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

A lot of fast food places track service time for drive thru starting when the car pulls up, but not so much in the dining room.  Leads to this behavior as well as requests for you to park and they bring the food out to you (marks your order as complete and let’s them keep the line moving)

[Freedomin5]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

[Valley of Plenty]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

A lot of fast food places track service time for drive thru starting when the car pulls up, but not so much in the dining room.  Leads to this behavior as well as requests for you to park and they bring the food out to you (marks your order as complete and let’s them keep the line moving)

Except it often does the very opposite, because then they have to have someone run the orders out to customers' cars. That's one fewer person to help actually prepare orders.

[dragoncar]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

A lot of fast food places track service time for drive thru starting when the car pulls up, but not so much in the dining room.  Leads to this behavior as well as requests for you to park and they bring the food out to you (marks your order as complete and let’s them keep the line moving)

Except it often does the very opposite, because then they have to have someone run the orders out to customers' cars. That's one fewer person to help actually prepare orders.

Are you telling me fast food workers didn’t run a full simulation before choosing their strategy?

[Valley of Plenty]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

A lot of fast food places track service time for drive thru starting when the car pulls up, but not so much in the dining room.  Leads to this behavior as well as requests for you to park and they bring the food out to you (marks your order as complete and let’s them keep the line moving)

Except it often does the very opposite, because then they have to have someone run the orders out to customers' cars. That's one fewer person to help actually prepare orders.

Are you telling me fast food workers didn’t run a full simulation before choosing their strategy?

Who do you know that's better at logistics than 16 year old fry cooks?

[Sugaree]

Drive thoughs, probably the most mysterious thing in the US for me.

Ha!  I agree.  Drive through banks, drive through pharmacies, drive through vaccinations, WTF?  It's the strangest thing.

My wife asked me to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts when I was out early one morning. I purposely parked and went in to avoid the drive through, and the solitary worker behind the counter proceeded to ignore me for five minutes while she took drive through orders. Not her fault, I know, but she finally took my order when I started slowly waving a $20 bill in front of her. So much for being faster to go inside.

I have to admit that I almost only go to fast food restaurants that have decent apps and offer discounts through said apps.  One of the advantages of the McDonald's app is that if the drivethrough line is long, the curbside pickup option puts your order in the queue as soon as you check in.  So, I can drive around the line of cars, park, and have my order at my car before I would have ever reached the speaker at the drivethrough.  Like your experience, I've found the counter service to be lacking and I don't like people anyway so it works for me. 

[RetiredAt63]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

Umm, evenings can be cool. Also depends on where you are going.  Define cold.    ;-)

Do you have a smaller suitcase that could fit into a larger one?  Your things could go in the smaller one for the whole trip and the larger one (you said large borrowed suitcases) could be returned to owner.

[Morning Glory]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

Umm, evenings can be cool. Also depends on where you are going.  Define cold.    ;-)

Do you have a smaller suitcase that could fit into a larger one?  Your things could go in the smaller one for the whole trip and the larger one (you said large borrowed suitcases) could be returned to owner.

Are there any staple foods or supplies that are cheaper where you live now, that your relatives might like to receive as a gift?

[Freedomin5]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

Umm, evenings can be cool. Also depends on where you are going.  Define cold.    ;-)

Do you have a smaller suitcase that could fit into a larger one?  Your things could go in the smaller one for the whole trip and the larger one (you said large borrowed suitcases) could be returned to owner.

We are going to northern Ontario (Thunder Bay). I’m guessing it can get cold in the evenings.

That’s exactly what I did! And the plan is to only bring back the smaller one. We still have four large suitcases to be returned over the next few trips. Even with the smaller suitcase taking up room in the large suitcase, I still have about 1/4 of suitcase space to be filled.

Are there any staple foods or supplies that are cheaper where you live now, that your relatives might like to receive as a gift?

None that I can think of off the top of my head. They can get Chinese things that they want at the Asian grocery store, and they don’t trust the quality control here. The stuff that gets imported to Canada have to go through Canada’s quality control inspections and are more trustworthy. According to them. I can ask them though.

[RetiredAt63]

For Thunder Bay I would definitely have something warmer for evenings and early morning.  And shoes and socks, not just sandals  And long pants and long-sleeved tops.  A clear night can have a big temperature drop.  We were a high of 27^oC today, and the forecast is for a low of 15^oC.

Something to bring - silk?  My sister went on an organized tour in China before Covid, and they toured silk factories and brought back the most amazing silks. 

[RelaxedGal]

MPP: By retiring mid-year I'm missing out on the 401k match for the rest of the year.  AND because I had set my contribution to hit the cap in my last paycheck, and then got a bonus, I hit the contribution limit before my last paycheck so I have no company match in either of my last 2 paychecks :-(

Yes, I could have turned down the contributions after the bonus to run it out 'til that last paycheck, so this is all self-inflicted pain.

[Alternatepriorities]

MPP: By retiring mid-year I'm missing out on the 401k match for the rest of the year.  AND because I had set my contribution to hit the cap in my last paycheck, and then got a bonus, I hit the contribution limit before my last paycheck so I have no company match in either of my last 2 paychecks :-(

Yes, I could have turned down the contributions after the bonus to run it out 'til that last paycheck, so this is all self-inflicted pain.

And as a bonus mpp, by retiring mid year you’re probably lowering the top marginal rate those contributions are made against! It’s hard to be mustachian :)

[secondcor521]

MPP: By retiring mid-year I'm missing out on the 401k match for the rest of the year.  AND because I had set my contribution to hit the cap in my last paycheck, and then got a bonus, I hit the contribution limit before my last paycheck so I have no company match in either of my last 2 paychecks :-(

Yes, I could have turned down the contributions after the bonus to run it out 'til that last paycheck, so this is all self-inflicted pain.

And as a bonus mpp, by retiring mid year you’re probably lowering the top marginal rate those contributions are made against! It’s hard to be mustachian :)

In my last work year, I retired in February.  As a result, my income that year was low.  So I realized that rather than do 401(k) contributions, it was better for me to max out my Roth.  I think I only did enough to get the company match.  I think I also did a Roth conversion that year.

[halftimer]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

This is probably too late to help you if you are already on your trip now, but when we return luggage internationally it gets filled with local chip bags and cereal brands because they are large and light and very appreciated by the recipients. They are exactly the type of thing that would be stupid expensive to mail due to their size. Happy travels!

[rantk81]

MPP: By retiring mid-year I'm missing out on the 401k match for the rest of the year.  AND because I had set my contribution to hit the cap in my last paycheck, and then got a bonus, I hit the contribution limit before my last paycheck so I have no company match in either of my last 2 paychecks :-(

Yes, I could have turned down the contributions after the bonus to run it out 'til that last paycheck, so this is all self-inflicted pain.

And as a bonus mpp, by retiring mid year you’re probably lowering the top marginal rate those contributions are made against! It’s hard to be mustachian :)

Not a problem!  It could probably be rolled into a Rollover IRA and then any amount of it converted to Roth IRA. (Any amount that makes sense, tax-planning-wise.)

[Freedomin5]

My MPP for the day:

We are packing for a two-month long international trip. Part of the purpose of the trip is to also return a few large suitcases we've borrowed from family members over the years. Our MPP is that we've paired down our wardrobes so much that we don't have enough to fill the suitcase, and with the way suitcases get stacked and thrown around, I'd like the suitcase to be relatively full to prevent it from being damaged. I've been wandering around our apartment these past few days trying to think of bulky but light things to put in the suitcase. Maybe I'll throw another jacket or two in there. I mean, it gets cold in Canada, even in the summer, doesn't it?

This is probably too late to help you if you are already on your trip now, but when we return luggage internationally it gets filled with local chip bags and cereal brands because they are large and light and very appreciated by the recipients. They are exactly the type of thing that would be stupid expensive to mail due to their size. Happy travels!

I ended up doing something similar and asked my family what they wanted from China. I now have five duvets squished in one suitcase.

[FireLane]

My MPP: The last time I went food shopping, I bought some products that were participating in a promotion, and I got a $1 coupon with my receipt. But it expires in seven days, and I don't need to go food shopping again that soon.

I hate to let it expire, but I'm not making an extra trip to the store just to save a dollar!

[HipGnosis]

I ended up doing something similar and asked my family what they wanted from China. I now have five duvets squished in one suitcase.

What's the connection / issue with Canada-China?

[Tempname23]

Back to coffee for a minute. I was on a long drive Monday and stopped for a coffee. Just a  16 oz Americano. The lady told me $5.70. I couldn’t do it. I apologized and said I just can’t spend that much on coffee. She looked a bit shocked and maybe a little hurt. The last time I got an Americano was less than a year ago and it was under $3. I guess I’ll start taking my jet boil and areo press on road trips.

 Sounds cheap! :-) Back in 1995 I was at LAX airport and went to get a cup of coffee, a plain ole cup of coffee was $5, and I had to wait in line for it. I didn't.
  I recently went to a Sonic drive thru and ask for a large M&M Blast, the display came up with as I recall $6.xx! I said. "are you kidding?  It is $6.xx?" She said, "yes", I said, "forget it." As I was leaving, she said, "yes, they are expensive."

[Sandi_k]

Back to coffee for a minute. I was on a long drive Monday and stopped for a coffee. Just a  16 oz Americano. The lady told me $5.70. I couldn’t do it. I apologized and said I just can’t spend that much on coffee. She looked a bit shocked and maybe a little hurt. The last time I got an Americano was less than a year ago and it was under $3. I guess I’ll start taking my jet boil and areo press on road trips.

McDonald's.
 Sounds cheap! :-) Back in 1995 I was at LAX airport and went to get a cup of coffee, a plain ole cup of coffee was $5, and I had to wait in line for it. I didn't.
  I recently went to a Sonic drive thru and ask for a large M&M Blast, the display came up with as I recall $6.xx! I said. "are you kidding?  It is $6.xx?" She said, "yes", I said, "forget it." As I was leaving, she said, "yes, they are expensive."

[turketron]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

[dragoncar]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

[EscapeVelocity2020]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

[dragoncar]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

Hmm is this because you assume I’m lazy because I have knowledge of drive thrus?  I don’t really eat fast food much but there was actually this global pandemic thing where stores closed dining rooms and the only option was drive thru.  Some people might have used such facilities before becoming mustachian as well. 

[SwordGuy]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

Hmm is this because you assume I’m lazy because I have knowledge of drive thrus?  I don’t really eat fast food much but there was actually this global pandemic thing where stores closed dining rooms and the only option was drive thru.  Some people might have used such facilities before becoming mustachian as well.

or worked their way thru high school and college in one of them...

[dragoncar]

Here’s a good trick to get free food at the drive thru:

https://youtu.be/ATjL9CmwkCo

[Valley of Plenty]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

Hmm is this because you assume I’m lazy because I have knowledge of drive thrus?  I don’t really eat fast food much but there was actually this global pandemic thing where stores closed dining rooms and the only option was drive thru.  Some people might have used such facilities before becoming mustachian as well.

Huh. I must have slept through the portion of the pandemic where everyone was made to hit up the local Mickey D's drive thru rather than be permitted to cook in their own kitchen and eat in their own dining room. Thank goodness I missed that! A world where drive thrus are the only option for acquiring sustenance sounds like one hell of a dystopia.

[Valley of Plenty]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

Thanks for sharing this post! I had forgotten all about that one, and reading it has reminded me that I need to spend less time in my car and more time outside.

[dragoncar]

Huh. I must have slept through the portion of the pandemic where everyone was made to hit up the local Mickey D's drive thru rather than be permitted to cook in their own kitchen and eat in their own dining room. Thank goodness I missed that! A world where drive thrus are the only option for acquiring sustenance sounds like one hell of a dystopia.

Yup maybe you didn’t read the fine print but it was actually printed on the stimulus checks “for hamberders”. 

[Valley of Plenty]

Huh. I must have slept through the portion of the pandemic where everyone was made to hit up the local Mickey D's drive thru rather than be permitted to cook in their own kitchen and eat in their own dining room. Thank goodness I missed that! A world where drive thrus are the only option for acquiring sustenance sounds like one hell of a dystopia.

Yup maybe you didn’t read the fine print but it was actually printed on the stimulus checks “for hamberders”.

And like a fool I just stuffed them into my retirement fund. D'oh!

[Dicey]

...y'all know they list the prices on the menu so you can see that before you order them, right?   :)

Not always… especially drive thrus sometimes don’t have every size or option listed

Understand the Drive-Thru and We Can Solve All Problems  Dragoncar has been timed out for 15 seconds...  this is your only warning

Hmm is this because you assume I’m lazy because I have knowledge of drive thrus?  I don’t really eat fast food much but there was actually this global pandemic thing where stores closed dining rooms and the only option was drive thru.  Some people might have used such facilities before becoming mustachian as well.

Don't forget In & Out. Their menu board is very simple, but the options are endless:
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-in-n-out-survival-guide-we-ate-every-single-item-on-the-secret-menu

As a former road warrior, I have consumed countless drive-thru meals. I retired in 2012 and can count on one hand the number of drive-thru meals I've consumed since then. Even on road trips, we pack a cooler.

Everyone knows @dragoncar is the opposite of lazy: he just has better things to do, as indicated by his avatar. Or maybe it's an actual photograph.

[dragoncar]

Everyone knows @dragoncar is the opposite of lazy: he just has better things to do, as indicated by his avatar. Or maybe it's an actual photograph.

Haha well I’m a little lazy at times, but never enough to prefer a drive thru.  From a time perspective I prefer to go in rather than wait in an endless drive thru lane (especially at in n out the drive thru is definitely a longer wait), although workers usually prioritize drive thru orders so even if you walk into an empty dining room you wait a while for them to get off the intercom

We are not all privileged enough to always cook our own meals, even though I do like 99% of them in our home