Very Questionable Ways People “Saved Money”

Almost everybody I know is looking for ways to save a buck here and there. But some of us go to extremes.

Like Rubba Band Grant on Twitter here:

Now, we’re pretty sure that’s just theft…though maybe he was joking? Whatever, we’re not the cops. We’re just invested weirdos who went on to scroll endlessly through the replies and find a bunch of other surprising ways that people *ahem* saved money.

Some of them truly were just “being cheap,” but others…well, again. We’re not the cops.

So let’s just look at the tweets.

10. You are banned

This is like a really low key sequel to Ocean’s 11.

9. Stay on target

Um…yeah this is just theft. Like, three times over.

8. Peak Philly

I wish I had those kinds of skills.

7. The tube

How devilishly clever.

6. Complimentary

Eh, who’s gonna know?

5. Stacks on stacks

I’m sure you looked lovely.

4. Phoney business

If I’m reading this right, I’m pretty sure you’re just describing blackmail.

3. I scream

Hope nobody got fired.

2. Free 99

Again, sure hope nobody got fired.

1. Punching up

That’s a short con I can get behind.

So remember, if you gotta save money, maybe try to like…avoid jail in the process.

Do you have a story like this?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Very Questionable Ways People “Saved Money” appeared first on UberFacts.

People Talk About the Strange Features They’d Include in Their Dream Houses

Call me young at heart, but I like to daydream about the things that I’d do if I had unlimited funds to build my dream house.

Bowling alley? Check.

Amazing pool with waterfalls and slides? Yes.

Ice skating rink for pick-up hockey games? You know it!

Ahhhh, it’s fun to dream, right?

AskReddit users talked about the strange features and rooms they’d have in their dream houses if they had all that cold, hard cash. Let’s see what they came up with.

1. S0unds nice.

“An indoor swimming pool in the underground floor with a synced screen on all four sides and normal + underwater sound system.

I love swimming. I love watching movies and series.”

2. Stargazing.

“I’d definitely install an observatory on top of a spire.

My house would be located far away, in a dark sky region.

Have all of the lights in the house be smart lights, so I can turn them all off with a single click.”

3. That’ll work!

“A sensory deprivation room, with built in float tank, steam shower, cool rain shower… yeahhh.

The best naps I’ve ever had were in a float tank. Being able to do that at home would be amazing.”

4. I’m feeling this one.

“A moat. No one has a moat anymore.

Do you not want to talk to people? Pull up the draw bridge!!!!

And in the winter you have your own personal skating rink!!”

5. Tropical oasis.

“I really want one of those natural bathrooms, that looks like you just walked into a jungle, everything is stone and steam and plants and sounds of a water fall.

Or one of those open stair cases where the back wall is completely glass and there’s a leafy garden under the stairs.

Basically just a tropical oasis for plants.”

6. Only for me.

“Absolutely a secret beautiful bathroom just for me.

I don’t know what it is but I just really value bathroom time and the luxury of getting washed and relaxing and getting ready in a big beautiful marble bathroom.

But nobody else can use it. Like the secret bathroom in B99.”

7. Lazy rivers are amazing.

“An indoor swimming pool – with a lazy river.

I LOVE swimming but I hate public pools.

I have a recurring dream where I have a house with a lazy river in it. I love those dreams.”

8. Let’s get comfortable.

“Definitely one of those huge showers with the water coming from all directions and a bench for a steamroom situation.

Add some good speakers in there for blasting tunes. And then a jacuzzi tub for comfortable baths.

And to top it off, a state of the art Japanese toilet with all the bells and whistles.”

9. Can I get a little space?

“I’m 6’4″ so a custom part of a kitchen counter that can be raised and lowered so I can cut things without feeling like I’m turning into the Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

10. LEGO fanatic.

“I would like a LEGO room with display shelves all along the sides for previously assembled projects and a giant table in the middle with enough space to assemble the biggest sets, lots of little cup-holder type spots to hold the legos as I sort them.

Always wanted that growing up…still want that now.”

11. Going back in time.

“A replica of a Blockbuster. Maybe a pizza oven in the back wall. And the largest assortment of VHS tapes.

I’d call it Mockbuster and give family and friends rental cards so they could check out movies and games.”

12. Can I come over?!?!

“I want an outdoor area dedicated to taco night.

It’s gonna have a meat smoker, and a tequila bar, and pepper plants, and a huge grill and an awesome speaker system and it will be fiesta themed and amazing!”

13. Movie night.

“I want a massive theater room with all of the concessions. Popcorn, nachos, candies, if it’s at a movie theater or ball game for food, I want it.

Bonus points if each seat is one of those crazy massager chairs.”

14. Nerd alert!

“A hidden door that leads to the ultimate nerd room.

Gotta have a place to showcase merch and play D&D with the boys.”

15. Taking care of the animals.

“Special rooms and spaces for all the pets.

A cat room that has a sliding door opening into a well fenced-off outside area (and a cat door too).

A bunny room with lots of tunnels , digging boxes, and, actually, also a specialised outside area.

A super big tank for the gold fish. And one for the axolotl, too.

An aviary. Dont have birds right now, but I’d look for some older parrots who need a home.

Okay, now we want to hear from you!

What weird stuff would you put in your dream house?

Tell us all about it in the comments. Thanks!

The post People Talk About the Strange Features They’d Include in Their Dream Houses appeared first on UberFacts.

Frugal People Share Tips They Use to Save More Money Than You’d Expect

Do you want to save more money? Yeah you do! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this, right?

It’s time to spend less and save more with these frugal tips from AskReddit users who know how to save some serious dough.

Let’s take a look!

1. Caffeinated.

“Brew your own coffee.

If you live in a city and drink a cup/day that’s about 2-3 bucks a day.

Over $700-900 a year.

Easy to cut that down to roughly $150 with a nice coffee machine and a dark roast.”

2. Switch hydration

“Drink water.

It costs less than soda, and it’s better for you.

It also helps to stop hunger!

Double win!”

3. Foodies unite!

“Crock pot meals!

Even if you’re just one person, You set it in the morning and then you have a home-cooked meal once you come home and most likely leftovers for the next couple days! You can also get a small crock pot for 1-2 people for about $20 (at least in my area you can). Yes it can be boring but you get far more out than in the effort you put in. It also helps for unexpected guests.

Also, Labeling all food so that the expiration date on each is ridiculously obvious. You do this so you know when to go grocery shopping and you can get a little at a time versus buying a ton all at once. If it doesn’t have an actual expiration date, you can also try writing the date of purchase on it otherwise, try to find out online what the ‘expiration date’ would normally be.

Ex: Oranges usually last about 1-2 months in the Fridge/2-3 weeks on the counter.”

4. Don’t. Shop. Hungry.

“Do not go shopping on an empty stomach.

Personally, I don’t even drive anywhere until I’ve had a good meal.

This way, less chance if wasting money on sh^tty junk food or impulsively going to restaurants where you end up spending more than your budget allows.”

5. Repairs aren’t that difficult

“This post may seem out of the ordinary and somewhat non frugal, but invest in tools, a car jack, and jack stands.

Learning to fix your car yourself is a great way to save money on labor.

When you buy car parts, I recommend using sites such as rockauto or autopartswarehouse since they sell parts much cheaper than stores such as O’reilly, AutoZone and Napa.”

6. Happy with less.

“Learn (or convince yourself, whatever) to be get by and be happy with less. There are tons of sh^t that people buy that are just simply not necessary.

Being frugal consistently is like eating healthy consistently. There’s no special trick. No fad.

Just committing to making smart decisions on an hour-to-hour, day-to-day basis while keeping your long term goals in mind.”

7. What do you really need?

“Stop buying anything you don’t need … and really start evaluating what that word means.

Change your mindset to loathe materialism.

No matter your religion, you can’t take it with you, so why does it matter?”

8. Budget! Budget! Budget!

“It took me a long time to figure out how to budget but I use mint.com which is a free website by the same company that makes Quickbooks. Basically you link it to your bank account and every time you use your debut card it categorizes the purchase. Really forces you to are where you waste money. The first month I had it I saw I was wasting almost $150 a month at a coffee shop near my work!!

Tricks that work for me: Don’t use cash unless absolutely necessary. Cash is harder to track. If you make tips at work, deposit them in the bank and use your debit card.

I keep my budget on mint.com linked to my phone. It texts me to let me know I’m getting close to my chosen limits for dinners out or stuff like that.

Put bills on auto pay- late payments are stupid wastes of money.

Put checking account alerts on your phone. Overdraft fees are wasted money.

Don’t buy groceries in such quantity that your throwing away food. Bulk price is only worth it if you bulk eat.

If you have a credit card leave it home if you are easily tempted. If you’re carrying a balance with interest you’re doing it wrong. I never ever carry a credit card balance- It is for emergency use only. If you have credit card debt, pay off the highest interest cards first.”

9. Banking blues.

“Get out of the big banks! You’re paying fees to hold your own money! Get a credit union. I guarantee there’s tons around you.

I don’t pay ATM fees ever. They don’t charge me to take out my own money. And with my credit union I can use any Walgreens, CVS, Wawa, Hess, or 7-11 atm for free.

I don’t pay fees for transferring from savings. I don’t pay a monthly or annual fee for having a low balance.

Accidentally overdrafting is $25 instead of $35. Loans and borrowing have much lower rates than the big banks.

I can link my account to another credit union account to transfer money, without being able to see their info/balance.

STOP PAYING FEES AT YOUR BANK!”

10. Avoid convenience.

“Stay out of convenience stores.

Eat at home instead of going out or ordering delivery.

Buy in bulk when feasible. The smaller packages/containers are generally pricey per unit.”

11. Just stay home.

“Drink at home more often instead of going out to the bar.

The bar is definitely fun sometimes, but you and your friends could have just as much fun playing games and being anti-social at home.”

13. Cooking saves a lot!

“Learn to cook and don’t eat out at restaurants.

Some occasions are ok but otherwise you save a lot of money by eating in.

There are a lot of videos on youtube of doable recipes and after you get the hang of it you’ll only want to cook for yourself vs ordering or eating at restaurants.”

That’s some pretty great advice, right? Yeah it is!

Do you have any money saving tips you’d like to share?

Let us know in the comments!

The post Frugal People Share Tips They Use to Save More Money Than You’d Expect appeared first on UberFacts.

Is It Okay to Want a Job for Money and Not Passion? People Share Their Thoughts.

Do what you love in life! Find your passion!

How many times did you hear that when you were growing up and going to school?

I know I heard it a lot. And while I think that’s good advice for certain people, it definitely isn’t for others. We’re all so different and that kind of “one size fits all” life advice just isn’t practical for everyone.

AskReddit users talked about whether they think it’s okay to do a job just because the money is good. Here’s what they had to say.

1. For the money.

“I’m so sick of people telling me to not only want to go into IT for the money, and instead choose something I like to do. What I like to do is play video games, and make music, but that isn’t secure at all.

I feel like it shouldn’t be looked down upon, pursuing a career just for the money it brings, because some people just want financial freedom more than anything and thats ok to want.

Also, some successful people originally just went into it for the money.”

2. A noble ambition.

“I for one am a firm believer of the concept that working to support you hobby is a noble ambition.”

3. Show me the money.

“I’ve been applying for insurance type jobs and its always, “Why do you want to be a claims specialist (for example).”

Seriously who the f*ck actually wants to do this?

I WANT MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

4. Good point.

“I think the problem people see is that if you do it just for the money, and not because you like it, you won’t necessarily do a good job since you don’t have an actual interest in it.

It’s partially why so many Wall Street people get burned out real quick.

They make a stupid amount of money in a short time working 100+ hours but because a lot of them don’t necessarily like it they have to get out after like 2 or so years.”

5. Gotta pay the bills.

“I don’t think any kid thinks growing up they’ll want to be an MBA in Supply Chain Management or Finance but they grow up and they see how important money is.

Most want to do something that they enjoy (or think they will enjoy) or something that has a lot of glamour like films, TV, sports, politics but then the success rate in those isn’t that great and you need something to pay the bills.”

6. It helps to be good at it.

“Nobody has a passion for sh*t like this.

I mean, why would someone want to be a tax attorney or a proctologist?

However, what you do need to have is the right set of skills and personality traits that will make you GOOD at a job.

Being good at something gives you satisfaction.

Maybe if you are really meticulous and like reading, you’ll be a good tax attorney.

If you are good with math, you’ll be a good actuary, etc.”

7. To each their own.

“Some people want big families.

Some people want flexible hour jobs.

Some people want money.

To each their own.”

8. Words of wisdom.

“I quit a job once and my grandfather asked me why…Because I didn’t like it.

He shook his head and said “You think I like what I do? I do it because it pays good money.

It bought me a house, two cars, and a boat I can fish in on the weekends.

I work for money, because I like to fish.”

The man said maybe a few hundred words to me his whole life.

I remember most of them because when he spoke, it was meaningful.”

9. Working towards a goal.

“I’m working a job that I just tolerate as a decent paying job with low stress.

It affords me enough to develop my programming skills while I make a video game.

But my ultimate goal is to be able to work full-time on my own projects.

Everyone’s got goals and that’s mine. “

10. Problematic.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make money, and your 9-5 doesn’t have to be your passion.

I think it’s problematic to convince people they have to love every second of their job, because frankly very few people actually do.”

11. It’s true…

“Go for the money.

If you’re ever truly broke, like homeless broke, for a chunk of time your perspective on work(or at least mine) changes dramatically. Make your money my dude. If you ever are trying to bath yourself with the $.99 gallon of water and a five gallon bucket the importance of money seems pretty clear.

Do what you have to do and then if you get some free time do what you want to do. Real life is hard no matter how rich you get, but at least you don’t have to worry about an empty stomach and a bed.”

12. Not the right thing to do.

“If only all jobs were actually useful.

Some of the least important things make the most money. I’d be happy for people going for money, if the most important stuff were also incentivized the most with money.

Until then, it’s literally not the right thing to do. I understand it, but don’t sugar-coat bullsh*t either.”

13. Think about the jet ski!

“I have 2 teenage children and it seems that every adult at their schools says something to the effect of “find a job you love to do, and you never will work a day in your life”.

I used to love to fish until I worked as a 1st mate on a fishing boat over a summer.

Haven’t enjoyed fishing since the 2000s.

I tell my kids to get a job that makes enough money to afford a jet ski, because have you ever seen a sad person on a jet ski?”

14. A sign of maturity.

“I honestly think it’s a sign of maturity and being realistic if you can simply find something you’re good at and qualified for and just be content.

The idea of a dream job just isn’t realistic for most people. I spent too long chasing a career I thought I wanted, and it just wasn’t anything I’d ever break into. I’m at a job now that isn’t the best job ever, but I’m getting by and I really like the company. I’m hoping to figure out a way to maybe move up or around within, whether I earn certifications for something or whatever.

I like it because I have a flexible schedule, we get more paid holidays than I’ve ever had anywhere, company culture is super chill, and I’m just not crazy stressed or unhappy like I was at my last job.

I don’t go home exhausted and mentally drained, and were it not for COVID I would certainly be enjoying more hobbies and socializing in my spare time.”

What do you think about this?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post Is It Okay to Want a Job for Money and Not Passion? People Share Their Thoughts. appeared first on UberFacts.

An Artist Took Special Revenge on a Cheapskate “Time Waster”

Ever since eBay and Craigslist revolutionized person-to-person online sales, the internet has been a rather valuable tool for those with something to sell in a hurry.

But there are downsides, too. Connecting with strangers on the internet can be perilous regardless of your activity, it can be a downright nightmare when you get money involved.

But Reddit user and artist Ryan_is_my_real_name (who, we presume, is a guy named Ryan) found a way to turn the tables on that nightmare and exact careful vengeance on someone who seemed bent on disrespecting the marketplace.

And by careful, we mean careful. Meticulous. Patient. Literally calculated.

It’s the kind of story that truly belongs in r/ProRevenge.

Chapter 1: The Auction

Don’t mess with artists, man.

Chapter 2: The Time Waster

Whatever you do, don’t be this guy.

Chapter 3: One Year Later

Whatever became of our beloved Time Waster?

Chapter 4: Sweet Revenge

The care that goes into this is what’s really impressive.

Chapter 5: The Car

This guy is going places.

Chapter 6: Annoying, Isn’t It?

What a hilarious nightmare this is.

What’s the moral of the story?

Just don’t bid on things you have no intention of buying. Literally nobody benefits from that. There are far better and less harmful ways to cure your boredom.

Have you ever taken “pro revenge” on someone?

Tell us the sordid tale in the comments.

The post An Artist Took Special Revenge on a Cheapskate “Time Waster” appeared first on UberFacts.

Folks Who Grew up Poor Share the Items They Thought Were Luxuries

I didn’t grow up poor but I didn’t grow up rich either, so I remember believing that some things were definitely luxuries.

But if you truly grew up in poverty, your whole perspective is different about how you view the world.

And those kinds of things stay with you forever.

AskReddit users who grew up poor talk about what they considered to be luxuries.

1. Hot water.

“A hot shower.

Cold showers were always available, but when you scraped enough cash to get some diesel fuel and get the burner to kick on long enough to have a hot shower man, absolutely nothing better.”

2. Clothing.

“New clothes.

I grew up pretty poor (no TV, no toys, but had a Sears catalog). My dad got in a serious accident when I was in 4th grade and almost lost his life. He won a small settlement from the community college he was working at and I was able to buy new clothes for the first time in my life.

Before this all I ever had were hand me downs from my cousin and donation clothes from the church. Most were worn to the point of having patches on the knees.

The worst part about getting new clothes for the first time is I felt terrible the whole time picking out new clothes because I always felt like a financial burden to my parents. I remember going to Miller’s Outpost and picking out typical 80’s clothes (OP, TnC, etc.).

It’s funny how growing up poor affects my everyday choices, for better or worse. I’ll never outgrow some of the feelings I had as a poor kid and I feel for any kid who has to endure a childhood of poverty.

It will affect them and their choices for the rest of their life.”

3. The good stuff.

“Honestly, I didn’t know that Pasta Roni was $1 until I was a grown man. I thought that was some gourmet sh*t.”

4. Going hungry.

“Having breakfast.

It’s gotten to the point where I can’t eat in the morning because my body is so used to waiting.”

5. No movies.

“Going to the movie theater!

I saw a grand total of, like, three movies at the theater when I was in high school. My classmates would be discussing movies that had just come out and I never knew what to contribute to the conversation because I had not seen them yet.

Finally started seeing movies at the theater when I started earning my own money.

We weren’t really poor, it’s just that most of the money went towards our education, basic necessities, and luxuries like an internet connection. Pretty middle class, but I guess there’s a huge difference between first world middle class and third world middle class, ahaha!

It also wasn’t very common for high schoolers to hold part time jobs, although I’m not sure now?”

6. Instruments.

“I don’t know if anyone can relate, but in about 3rd maybe 4th grade, me and my twin brother had a music class where we were both required to buy a recorder, like a plastic flute thing.

Well my mom said we didn’t have the money so my twin brother and I tore the whole house up in search of $6 for two recorders. We brought a ziploc bag full of change pennies, nickels, dimes etc.

I think the teacher felt sorry for us, cause she paid for our recorders when the rest of the students left the room. Gave us the ziploc bag back.

Thank you Mrs. Albrecht.”

7. Brand name.

“Brand name cereal was for the upper class, man.

Every time I saw Reeses Puffs on top of the fridge, I knew tomorrow was gonna be a good day.”

8. Wow.

“Grew up pretty poor in Arkansas in a trailer.

I literally got a door to my bedroom for Christmas one year.

It probably still was the best gift I ever received.”

9. Scraping by.

“In middle school I was on reduced school meals so it would be .40 for lunch.

So my parents would always give me 2 quarters every morning for lunch, now the cafeteria would also sell cookies which wasn’t part of the lunch set for .50 each.

So saving .10 each day I could afford one cookie by Fridays lunch. Good times.”

10. Trying to stay warm.

“A new winter coat.

I don’t remember having a new winter coat until I was probably 14 or 15, they had always been hand-me-downs from my cousins.

They were usually at least ten years old by the time I got them and the stuffing would be all clumped up.”

11. Sad.

“School parties where everyone brought something to share for lunch.

“If you don’t bring something, you don’t get to participate…”

I brought two carrots after not being able to afford school lunch for two years. Even the teacher laughed at me.

My young self just decided that day that some people don’t deserve lunch.”

12. Hiding.

“Staying at someone’s house who wasn’t poor, like a relative or friend.

Their house was also so clean, beautiful, pictures on the wall, knick knacks on the counter, and carpet you could play on because it was clean.

I spent my entire teenage years hiding where I lived.”

How about you?

Did you grow up poor?

Whatever the case, we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us what you considered a luxury when you were growing up.

The post Folks Who Grew up Poor Share the Items They Thought Were Luxuries appeared first on UberFacts.

People Who Grew up Poor, What Did You Consider a Luxury? Here’s What People Said.

It’s interesting how our childhoods affect us for the rest of our lives.

I remember a friend once told me that their grandmother used to save pretty much everything that could be reused or repurposed around her house. And I do mean EVERYTHING.

The reason was that she grew up during the Great Depression and those hard lessons stayed with her throughout her whole life.

Folks who grew up poor, what did you consider to be a luxury?

Here’s what people on AskReddit had to say.

1. No vacations.

“Going places during school vacation.

The kids would be all like “what!? you’ve never been to XYZ amusement park!?”

No, Trisha. My family doesn’t even have a car.”

Which is another luxury to me.”

2. None of that!

“Being allowed to turn on the heat during the winter.

And also being able to hire a professional to fix broken appliances, plumbing, etc.”

3. A big treat.

“My Mom had 7 children in 10 years, 1950-1960.

I remember having a whole bottle (those smallish glass ones that came out of the machine for 10cents) of soft drink to my self instead of sharing 1 bottle between all 7 of us.

I was perhaps 5 years old. I still remember this as the best thing ever.”

4. New clothes.

“I wore hand-me-downs or thrift shop clothes because we couldn’t afford all new ones. At the beginning of the school year, my mom would give my siblings and I $50 to spend on new clothes plus we’d get a new pair of gym shoes.

I struggled to pick out new things because I knew she and my dad were giving up something for us to have new things. Often, I’d get a couple of things and ask her to save the rest for later, then I’d pick out the cheapest shoes I could.

Even now, buying clothes for myself is super stressful and I only buy when it’s on clearance or at Goodwill.”

5. A big moment.

“I almost never even had winter coats since all my older siblings were female. I would just wear a decent hoodie over a ton of layers of old clothes.

When I got my first new coat, I experienced warmth like I had never felt before and it was so amazing.”

6. You gotta see…

“I remember in 8th grade on my birthday at school one of my teachers asked me what gifts I had received. He asked in front of the whole class, I excitedly shared that I would be getting contact lenses.

My parents let me choose one thing that I wanted and I desperately wanted to stop wearing the broken glasses I had, which I usually didn’t wear. One of the boys in class made a comment like “contacts aren’t a present..?”

And my teacher had to explain to him- again in front of everyone- that for some families they were too expensive not to be a luxury. After that experience I worked two and three jobs in high school so I could buy myself and my brothers the things we needed.

The first thing I bought with my money from my first job as a hostess at a diner was a queen size bed because my twin mattress was about 20 years old and at 15 I was having back problems and issues with rusted springs poking me.”

7. Keepin’ cool.

“Air conditioning.

Sometimes we had a jacked up old window unit that would cool down my parents room on the hottest of summer nights and we would sleep in sleeping bags on their floor.

Sometimes it was broke.

Sometimes it just wasn’t hot enough to justify running it.

Never during the day though, that’s what the library was for.”

8. Bathing.

“Taking a bath.

We bathed every night, but it was by heating up water (that we would go to the park down the road to get in 5 gallon jugs) and filling up a mop bucket to wash off with.

Staying over at a friend or family members house and getting to take an actual shower was amazing though.”

9. Dinner is served.

“It’s a long time ago – but when I was young (about 6-8 years old) back in the early 1960’s we had meat once a week for the family dinner – on Sundays.”

10. On sale.

“Until the age of 12, I thought that you weren’t allowed to buy things that weren’t on sale.

My mom only bought things when they were on sale and/or she had a coupon, so I thought that the “non-sale” items weren’t being sold.”

11. Always working.

“Parents helping out with homework and school projects.

They can’t do that if they always work 3rd shift.

My projects were always notably worse than everyone else’s.”

12. Movie night.

“Renting a movie from blockbuster the first weekend of every month.

My brother and I got to pick any movie we wanted as long as it wasn’t rated R.

On really special nights, we even got a 2-liter bottle of Sprite for the family to share.”

13. Best night ever.

“KFC take out was the best night of the year growing up.

Only got it once a year but man was it the best night ever”

How about you?

What did you consider a luxury when you were growing up?

Talk to us in the comments. Thanks!

The post People Who Grew up Poor, What Did You Consider a Luxury? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

People Discuss the Worst Financial Decisions They’ve Seen Folks Make

I hate these kinds of stories.

I’m talking about the ones where people blow all their hard-earned money either through a scam, recklessness, or just plain bad luck. And, sadly, it happens all the time.

AskReddit users talked about the worst financial decisions they’ve ever seen.

1. Ouch!

“A private company announced a special dividend to all shareholders as of date of record one-month in the future. $1.30/share dividend.

There was an option holder with 300,000 options at a $0.10 strike price.

He did not exercise them. Had he exercised his options for $30,000, he would have been paid $390,000 the following month.”

2. Some people…

“I used to work for a company with an actuarial Department. There was a lovely young woman working in the call center with a masters degree in data science.

She was constantly talking about how frustrated she was with making $16/hour in a call center when she had a masters degree in data science, yet no matter how many times I told her to apply to the actuarial team she wouldn’t do so. The actuarial team was HUGE about promoting within.

I saw many people who wanted to learn more about what they do who had no experience whatsoever get excepted into the team because they wanted to learn. This girl was a shoo-in. And yet she never even tried despite the fact that there were always openings.

She also shared with me that she was $180k in debt for that master’s degree. Last time I checked in with her she had left the job completely and is now in school for art. (Insert facepalm emoji here.)

But my favorite was before I was even an accountant. I worked for a small CPA firm as a receptionist during tax time. I saw a full-grown woman sit down on the floor and start crying because she owed $900 in taxes that year when she had made about $150k that year.

I rolled my eyes so hard that I hurt myself. Later that day I had a guy who owed $750k to the IRS and said “woohoo! That’s way less than last year!””

3. Sad stories.

“The client who joined an MLM and racked up half a million dollars worth of losses before finally listening to us and quitting.

The client who spent $40k on Farmville over 3 months.

The clients who give their adult children allowances that exceed my salary, fancy cars, and houses without expecting them to ever hold down a job themselves.”

4. Bad idea, sir.

“Watched a client walk out of my office after I explained the risk in liquidating his 401K to start his own business.

He started it with no management experience or business model, real “fly by the seat of his pants” kinda guy. Wanted to start a career flipping houses in a college town, turn them into upscale rentals.

Did it in a bad neighborhood and lost EVERYTHING.”

5. Oops!

“My brother had a long standing client of around 10 years get married after only knowing a woman for 12 months. He was almost 55, she was in her early 30s.

55 y.o. man wanted to add her as a signatory on his retirement account. Basically giving her 100% power over the account. A quick soft credit check showed she was not good with money.

My brother offered up many different options as to how to give her access to the money but with limitations. He even straight up refused to do it, saying that he needed to think about it for a few days.

The guy came back in the next morning saying he would file a complaint against him if he didn’t set it up. My brother said that he would need to get the documents notarized, and sign a waiver that this is against the institutions advice.

The guy comes back in later that day and finalizes the deal.

You can guess what happened within about 6 months.

The account had around 600k in it to begin with, and she had managed to run off with about 65k before the account was frozen by my brother for review of withdrawls.

The man was f*ckin p*ssed and tried to lawyer up twice. Neither time did it even go to court.

His advice is that if you are married and have investment accounts, just keep them separate unless you REALLY have a reason to give them access.

You can totally notify the agency about your marriage, and sometimes in certain situations the spouse can get limited info confirmed for medical bills and such.”

6. Terrible decisions.

“Making over $250k (sometimes WELL over), no withholding, not paying estimated taxes throughout the year, can’t afford the tax bill with the return EVERY YEAR, then b*tching because they can’t afford the installment payments on the taxes they owe from two years ago.

Sell your gaudy McMansion, take your teenage daughter’s credit card away, let your drunk driving son stay in jail and get a public defender, and tell your b*tch wife to stop spending all day at the tennis courts sipping mimosas.

Get your sh*t together and pay taxes throughout the year like the rest of us. You aren’t being persecuted by the IRS, you’re just an idiot.”

7. Wow.

“I work for a bank. One of our branches had a customer who was basically homeless. Then, he wins the lottery!

Over the next few months, the staff watched him come in to withdraw thousands of dollars every day to spend on extravagances. Everyone tried to convince him to sit with a financial advisor to help him make the most of his money.

Less than a year later, he’s in slightly better shape than when he started; he’s at least able to live in the car he bought.”

8. Come on!

“I’ve had a client where I noticed this guy’s credit debt always remained hovering $13k to $15k… I asked him why he only makes minimum payments on his credit card instead of paying it off, because I see he has roughly $11k sitting in a bank account.

Interest per month on that credit card bill is roughly $250, and according to his repayment patterns it will take him roughly 19 years to pay it all off.

His answer to me is the bank charges him $7.99 per month for his bank account if his balance dips below $10k… So to save the $7.99 per month this guy is paying $250 in interest on his credit card.”

9. Gotta do your research.

“What I’ve seen, countless times, is someone who started a business with ZERO research, no understanding of what running a business involves. (Here’s a hint: practically every business involves paperwork and deadlines.).

The business models come in waves… for a while it was Barbecue shacks, then it was cupcakes, then house flippers, then food trucks. I think they see it being done on TV shows that make it look fun. It isn’t fun when they come to me with debt, tax levies and lawsuits. IRS and state labor department and health department on their backs, and suppliers taking them to court for unpaid bills.

Some of them cashed out their retirement account to buy a business; others put their house up as collateral for an SBA loan. it’s a nightmare. If they had come to an accountant first, we might be able to help them (or even better, dissuade then).

I usually see them after 18-24 months of screwups and by then it’s usually too late to rescue them.”

10. Those fees add up.

“I’m a banker. Banks charge fees for using other bank’s ATMs.

I had a customer that would check his balance and then do withdrawals daily at a foreign ATM. Guy did not have a lot of money to begin with and because he did this, would overdraw his account and get slapped with an overdraft fee which put him in the hole further.

We ended up taking away his ability to overdraw his account. Dude was p*ssed but it helped right the ship a little.”

11. All gone.

“Bank advisor here, a customer got an inheritance, about 200.000€, and just spent in like 2 years, not investing it or putting into a savings account.

Didn’t even buy something big like a car our part of a house, just spent too much every month for two years and it was gone”

12. The car game.

“Claims Adjuster here, and I see it happen all too often – trading in vehicles with negative equity.

Why? Why can’t you be financially responsible and pay off your vehicle instead of rolling the leftover loan onto that new shiny machine you just can’t resist, and rinse/repeat a couple of years later. Your loan is just getting bigger and bigger.

I had one client (recent, otherwise I had more than that) – who totaled his vehicle. He blew past a stop sign and collided with another vehicle. Guess what friend, out of that $70,000 you still owe to the bank because you’ve traded in 4,5 vehicles over the years – we are only covering you for what your current vehicle is worth today, around $25,000 or whatever it was .

Depreciation applies unless you have the proper endorsement in place. That means you will be paying the bank for the leftover loans of some vehicles, none of which you own.

Own one vehicle, one loan – if you ever totaled your vehicle, insurance will provide you enough to cover the loan. If it doesn’t quite cover it because of high interest, it sure as hell isn’t a $45k loan left.”

13. Listen to your accountant.

“Best friend is a CPA, and when he had his own practice, he had some pretty big-name clients (Senators, musicians, pro athletes, etc.).

One of the biggest mistakes people made were thinking they were smarter than an accountant. His biggest challenge were the people who heard about the “sovereign citizen” nonsense. To no one’s surprise, a random guy on YouTube doesn’t know more than an actual CPA with 40+ years experience.

At least a few of these new-found “sovereign citizens” ended up doing time for tax evasion.”

Have you ever seen someone make a really terrible financial decision?

If so, please tell us about it in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Discuss the Worst Financial Decisions They’ve Seen Folks Make appeared first on UberFacts.