INTP Live

Utisz wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 21, 2021 3:50 am

That's interesting! I would have said the opposite somehow, that Americans in general tend to be more frugal (maybe out of necessity). I guess it's all relative though. Like if you compare that with somewhere like Argentina where inflation is out of whack and people just spend as much as they can ... might be an extreme case though.

I think if you can get a job with good benefits, you should be pretty well taken care of. People who have to buy their own insurance and shit are screwed. An operator on our floor can come in with absolutely no skills or manufacturing experience. Seriously, most of them have nothing but retail and maybe hotel jobs under their belts. They come in at ~$18/hr, which isn't much, but they also make shift differentials and there's plenty of opportunity for overtime. With their differentials and whatnot they're probably pulling in maybe $45k/yr? And then they get bonuses and stuff on top of that for another couple thousand a year. But they get cheap excellent health insurance, paid time off, short term disability, family leave, parental leave, I mean, we give paid leave for tons of things. They also get 3% of their salary put into a retirement account, plus another 3-5% matching if they put their own money into the retirement account. So yeah, $45k isn't a lot but it stretches a lot further for them than it would for someone who is purchasing their own health insurance on the market, has no retirement plan, and stops getting paid if they take a day off.

But I can't tell you how many people quit their jobs here to go work at some small company or doctor's office for an extra $1-2/hr. I don't think they're doing the kind of spreadsheet analysis I do when I get job offers.

Most people here think they need a big house, new cars every five years, a constant supply of clothes and shoes, and then they need a bigger place to fit all their stuff. Then they need more stuff to fill their place. One of my friends and her husband bought a 3k sq ft house because living in their 1700 sq ft townhouse was like "living in an obstacle course". And it was, there was shit everywhere that you had to step over or walk around. But they've filled their new house with new furniture, bought new appliances, and now it's full of shit too. That couple was in $250k of debt BEFORE buying the house (none of it was medical debt). She makes six figures, he's a SAHD (with a PhD). They cannot afford this lifestyle.

Most people aren't quite this bad, but they'll spend every dollar they make, save nothing, and have no idea how they're going to retire. They panic if they have a doctor's bill or a tax bill that they weren't expecting.

And then there are others who are frugal. I also have coworkers on the floor who own paid off homes, put their kids through school, and seem to be very financially stable. It's easier to achieve this with a higher income, but there is a lot of personal choice at play.

starla wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:55 pm

But I can't tell you how many people quit their jobs here to go work at some small company or doctor's office for an extra $1-2/hr. I don't think they're doing the kind of spreadsheet analysis I do when I get job offers.

I think there's one other thing to consider when choosing a job and that's salary on paper. I've known people who've gone back to school for either graduate degree or second degree more in line with their field but then when positions came available they'd get screwed on salary because corp policy wouldn't allow for paying someone X% more than what they were previously making. Stupidest thing ever, huh? And it wasn't even that high a percentage. They thought they'd be looking at another $30K per annum, easy. Um, yeah, no. Try $3-$6 grand. I'm not particularly sure the reasoning, either. I've heard it mentioned more than a couple of times. I had assignment offers at some prestigious agencies but the pay was too low. Truth be told, from talking to some people who worked at the places, I'm not sure they could pay me enough. They'd sell the prestige of the agency and if you hang on and they like you, it could mean serious bucks down the road. It's such a huge IF, I don't know if it's even worth it. But then people do take a position, 6 mos later decide or realize quality of life is more important than when they signed up. Then they go someplace else and depending on how quick they want out, they can spend a year or two trying to climb back up to what they were making before they took the prestige job to begin with. Oye!

starla wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:55 pm

But I can't tell you how many people quit their jobs here to go work at some small company or doctor's office for an extra $1-2/hr. I don't think they're doing the kind of spreadsheet analysis I do when I get job offers.

That seems a very American thing to have to do. It's like buying something: sticker price plus tax plus tip...

Here you get paid, tax is taken out by the company PAYE plus whatever you choose to contribute to Kiwisaver, no need to make an annual tax return, and the rest is yours...

Is it true that y'all don't butter your sandwiches?

Yes it's true. I like bread and butter though. And if you fry a grilled sandwich in butter, that's fine if you don't burn the butter but I don't think that's possible.

Utisz wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:33 am

Is it true that y'all don't butter your sandwiches?

Sometimes. We usually butter sandwiches if we are grilling or toasting it, but not otherwise. Do you guys butter a tuna salad sandwich? Because that sounds gross.

Buttered sandwiches be goot.

Utisz wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:33 am

Is it true that y'all don't butter your sandwiches?

either side is alright, just as long as it glides on really nice.

starla wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:21 am

Utisz wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:33 am

Is it true that y'all don't butter your sandwiches?

Sometimes. We usually butter sandwiches if we are grilling or toasting it, but not otherwise. Do you guys butter a tuna salad sandwich? Because that sounds gross.

Tuna sandwiches are horrible anyways.

I don't think they would be buttered typically, no. Also sandwiches with cheese or mayo may not be buttered. But like a plain ham sandwich or something similar you gotta butter by law.

Is it true that about 2/3 of Americans are not protected by the Fourth Amendment?
How is this allowed if it's unconstitutional?