Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[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

[Dicey]

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

Funny, the few times we do go to In & Out, we always order inside. There's a lot better buzz inside than in the drive-thru, plus they have clean bathrooms.

Your line about privilege amuses me. I've gotten so used to cooking at home that I don't consider eating out a privilege. I find it kind of an inconvenience, which endlessly amuses my past restaurant-loving self. Recently, someone was talking about restaurants they'd enjoyed in SF. He said, "There was one called "Michael" something"... I instantly replied, "Michael Mina" and remembered exactly what I ate there and who I was with. Weird. Don't ask me what I ate for breakfast yesterday.

[BicycleB]

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

Funny, the few times we do go to In & Out, we always order inside. There's a lot better buzz inside than in the drive-thru, plus they have clean bathrooms.

Your line about privilege amuses me. I've gotten so used to cooking at home that I don't consider eating out a privilege. I find it kind of an inconvenience, which endlessly amuses my past restaurant-loving self. Recently, someone was talking about restaurants they'd enjoyed in SF. He said, "There was one called "Michael" something"... I instantly replied, "Michael Mina" and remembered exactly what I ate there and who I was with. Weird. Don't ask me what I ate for breakfast yesterday.

In & Out - my favorite burger place! I ate there 2-3 times per year for a time. I too like the buzz. Someone commented that the one I went to had the most actually diverse clientele of any place they'd seen in our city.

Not sure Michael Mina can say the same. :)

PS. You both see cooking at home as the privilege, sounds like. Though what is a dragon's home, anyway?

(hides car to avoid dragon's attention)

[Tempname23]

as indicated by his avatar. Or maybe it's an actual photograph.

   I've always wondered what the kids will look like!



  You'll never look at the avatar the same.

[RWD]

as indicated by his avatar. Or maybe it's an actual photograph.

   I've always wondered what the kids will look like!



  You'll never look at the avatar the same.

Was there another way to look at that avatar?

[Alternatepriorities]

as indicated by his avatar. Or maybe it's an actual photograph.

   I've always wondered what the kids will look like!



  You'll never look at the avatar the same.

Was there another way to look at that avatar?

I’ve always assumed a dragon is polishing the car’s finish in that photos… I might not ever look at it the same way now…

[Alternatepriorities]

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

Yeah they used to do that… a number of places around here stopped posting prices all together when inflation took off, including that particular coffee shop. Even some of the bigger chains seem to have gone advertising the calories in items in larger font than the price. Which seems like it would hurt sales, but I’m a pretty bad sample for determining effective advertising.

[lemanfan]

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.

A few years back on a car vacation in the USA I happened to wake up at a motel early in the morning in a small town in eastern Kansas and I drove to the next town owner where I saw a coffee shop that looked like it could server me breakfast.  After checking a map it must have been a place called Mr G's in Atchison, Kansas.  There was a like of cars to the drive through window but since the parking lot was empty, I parked and went in.  It was indeed empty.

It took a little longer time though, since the teen girl who started taking my order seemed to become very nervous when she heard my foreign accent and an older man (the owner?) had to take over to take my order. 

Decent coffee and good breakfast though.  :)

[ixtap]

I drove past the closest In and Out yesterday and the parking lot was full, but I couldn't see anyone in the drive thru!

[ixtap]

Since DH has gone part time, it is clear to a larger group that we are doing well. In particular, his older colleagues are shook that anyone could make that choice without jeopardizing their future. One of these colleagues who is fixated on real estate sent us a really scammy sounding deal of someone raising money for a multi property portfolio with an expected return of 15%. Get In Now!

I just ignored it, but DH was hanging out with this friend/ colleague and called me and suggested I respond to that exact email with some links on the advantages of the 401k, the order to do things in, etc. I thought making it a response to his scheme was a stroke of genius.

[LennStar]

15% on a real estate deal?

If that was true, the banks would shoot each other with cannons to be allowed to throw money at it. Can't say if it's a scam or a "lottery" though, but definitely not something someone should do who still needs to work for money.

My only investing in "real estate" is (in very short) PV refinancing in 3rd world countries. That's normally 6-7% interest and even that is last level debt - if the company goes bankrupt, I don't need to bother trying to get anything back.
I see it more as carbon reduction than investment, so the risk is secondary, but what must it be for 15% in a developed country?
Office space for Facebook?

[Alternatepriorities]

As far as I can tell those real estate “deals” are just confusing leverage for genius. If you put down 5% of the value of a 4plex as an owner occupied place I can see where you might get 15% returns on your investment if nothing goes horribly wrong… but it’s leverage and things most certainly can go very wrong. Especially for as Lennstar put it “people who still need to work for money”. I was part of a local real estate group for a while and left when I realized the people who got paid commissions (loan brokers and RE agents) could not or would not see the difference between a good deal and a highly leveraged deal that was only good if nothing went wrong.

[Metalcat]

As far as I can tell those real estate “deals” are just confusing leverage for genius. If you put down 5% of the value of a 4plex as an owner occupied place I can see where you might get 15% returns on your investment if nothing goes horribly wrong… but it’s leverage and things most certainly can go very wrong. Especially for as Lennstar put it “people who still need to work for money”. I was part of a local real estate group for a while and left when I realized the people who got paid commissions (loan brokers and RE agents) could not or would not see the difference between a good deal and a highly leveraged deal that was only good if nothing went wrong.

Exactly, 15% on a leveraged real estate investment sounds pretty reasonable to me. I made 30% in cash flow alone on my duplex, plus another 200% in appreciation. But a key element of real estate investing, as you said, is that someone really needs to know the risks.

I was just looking at a property that would be over 100% return annually in cash flow alone, but after speaking to a rental manager in the area realized the "too good to be true" deal was indeed too good to be true, because the 4-plex was always being rented by industrial staff, and the local industry was likely to be relocated within the next few years, which would likely suffocate the village.

Small villages here get abandoned all the time, so I could be left with a literally worthless building.

But someone could very easily package that property up as part of a real estate investment proposal for clueless investors and make it look like a great prospect.

We've seen a few of these real estate investment companies fall apart in Canada after the feeding frenzy of them buying for cash every frickin' multi family they could get their hands on in working class regions.

I was bidding against them back when I was looking for a duplex. It was insane. But I was out there, boots on the ground, understanding how a single block could make a huge difference, where the homeless shelters and halfway houses were, how the position of the highway through the city divided things, etc, etc.

Which is why my lovely tenants are young families and not like the tenants a few blocks down who set fire to their unit.

Now that I have some real estate investing experience, I can't imagine being comfortable investing with one of these companies that just buys up rentals indiscriminately.

[Tempname23]

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.

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

 Last night, my wife and I went to a Sonic for a shakes, the car in front of us at the drive thru bought a bag of ice, at a Sonic! On a corner that had three gas stations to buy ice.
My wife said, "I guess they just didn't want to get out of their car and go into a store."
 On another note, a f'ing medium Oreo blast is $6.79, the large is $7.50. I would not have went, except my wife wanted their special the $2.99 strawberry shortcake snowball.

[PMG]

Sonic ice has a bit of a following. Good crunch. Definitely better in many drinks and for eating than gas station ice.

(Hi, yes. I did happen to have anemia through two pregnancies.)

[Sugaree]

Sonic ice has a bit of a following. Good crunch. Definitely better in many drinks and for eating than gas station ice.

(Hi, yes. I did happen to have anemia through two pregnancies.)

I had a countertop ice maker that made that ice.  It was the best thing ever.  For like a year until it quit working, which I found was not entirely uncommon for those machines.  I really, really want another one, but just can't justify paying $300-500 for it to only last a year.

[ChpBstrd]

Sonic ice has a bit of a following. Good crunch. Definitely better in many drinks and for eating than gas station ice.

(Hi, yes. I did happen to have anemia through two pregnancies.)

I had a countertop ice maker that made that ice.  It was the best thing ever.  For like a year until it quit working, which I found was not entirely uncommon for those machines.  I really, really want another one, but just can't justify paying $300-500 for it to only last a year.

I was once getting scuba certified and had excruciating tooth pain if I went below 6 feet deep. The dentist told me I had an air bubble under my tooth from crunching on ice, and to never, never, never crunch on ice again or Very Bad Things would occur. I took the advice, quit the habit, and the problem went away.

[Alternatepriorities]

Now that I have some real estate investing experience, I can't imagine being comfortable investing with one of these companies that just buys up rentals indiscriminately.

Yeah that doesn’t seem to have gone well for Zillow and single family homes either. From a strictly economic perspective, I’m really curious to see how the current housing snafu works itself out. It looks to me like we’re trying to inflate the price of everything else to catch up with asset prices rather than bring down asset prices… maybe housing prices will just float steady for a while as neither buyers nor sellers are particularly motivated?

DW and I are in an 80% solution house, a couple years ago I probably could have found a 100% solution for 40% more, but wasn’t willing to delay retirement for that last 20%… Now it would probably double our housing cost and that makes even less sense.

[Sugaree]

My MPP for today is that I'm finally getting around to updating my spreadsheet from using VLOOKUP to XLOOKUP (it's a slow day at work).  There are *so many* VLOOKUPS to replace.  I know my spreadsheet is a little on the extra side, but I'm starting to realize how ridiculous it actually is.