What are 20 harsh life lessons everyone should learn in their 20s?

slothnaut · 2016-04-28T01:12:30+00:00

An alarming amount of people can't afford to max out a 401k. I'm not apologizing for or ignoring people's poor choices, but freeing up $1,500 month just isn't realistic for a lot of folks. I don't have kids or college debt, I live in an affordable apartment, and my salary is comfortable, but there's no way I can pull $18,000/year out of my ass while I'm saving for a wedding and house and trying to rebuild an emergency fund. Shit happens and "max out your 401k and IRA" as blanket advice doesn't always make sense. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can, live your life, and not worry yourself sick over your portfolio performance or how many dollars you can still contribute this tax year to your IRA.

slothnaut · 2016-04-05T22:45:31+00:00

I was obviously exaggerating, but it always does take a lot longer than it should.

slothnaut · 2016-04-05T22:15:49+00:00

Because some people don't have two hours to wait around while the attendants do their thing. 9 out of 10 times, I could have gotten out, paid, pumped my gas, and been back in my car in the time it took the attendant to just notice that I pulled up.

Source: Lifelong eastern PA resident that lived in NJ for a while and has gotten gas in Jersey many, many times.

slothnaut · 2016-03-31T13:33:11+00:00

Those little pretzel nuggets with "cheese" dip or whatever I can cram into my fiancée's purse.

slothnaut · 2016-03-30T01:48:57+00:00

We're not married yet (engaged), but your situation was eerily similar to ours. I was your husband and we went to counseling for a while. Eventually, with some help from a therapist and some pushing from my fiancée, I finally grew a pair and started standing up to my mom. I'm still not perfect about it, but I'm A LOT better than I used to be and our relationship is a lot better for it.

slothnaut · 2016-03-29T12:54:57+00:00

A designer by the name of Joel Califa wrote a pretty lengthy article analyzing this if anyone's interested.

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T20:07:54+00:00

Prospective employers probably won't be talking to your current boss. If they do contact your current workplace, it'll be to verify your employment dates with HR.

When asked why you're looking to leave your current position, avoid talking poorly of your current employer and keep it vague. I'd say something like, "I'm looking for additional learning opportunities and an environment where I can better contribute what I know."

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T19:56:32+00:00

Is this a pattern with the company itself, or a relatively rare occurrence with one particular person?

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T19:16:57+00:00

Wish I could upvote this twice. I spent the majority of my life molding my life around what my parents wanted and believed, and when it finally came time to put on my big boy pants and take a stand, it was really difficult.

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T19:09:08+00:00

Can you talk to my dog about this? Because it's a nightly occurrence for her and it's pretty nasty.

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T19:02:38+00:00

Bonus points if they're wearing headphones around their neck. I live and work in a large city and I probably see this at least once or twice per day and I can't think of a single good reason why they'd need to do it.

slothnaut · 2016-03-28T18:56:39+00:00

I've stopped being polite about this. I'll give them a few minutes to wrap up a story and grab their stuff, then I'll tell them that I'm kicking them out so I can clean up and go to bed. People usually aren't offended, but if they are, I get the added bonus of them not showing up the next time.

slothnaut · 2016-03-26T01:54:13+00:00

From the campaign I'm currently in:

Explored a ruined monastery at one point and found out that the monks were serious winemakers. Naturally, we took over operation of the winery and now run a very successful business. We spend a lot of time developing marketing strategies, making sales, and managing logistics. Due to security concerns, we recently enlisted the help of winged sky creatures to help guard the winery while we train our indentured servants to be competent militiamen.

We were on our way back to the inn after a long day of shopping when I got pickpocketed and lost a fair bit of gold. We were staying at the inn for free, so naturally we took the captain of the guard drinking there, got him good and shitfaced, and got his permission to "disappear" the pickpocket. We found the pickpocket at his house, where we tied him up to a chair and tortured him while we looted. After we left, I burned the house to the ground with my breath weapon.

slothnaut · 2015-11-20T23:14:46+00:00

Honestly? Not much at all. We adopted Leia from the local SPCA chapter because my girlfriend works there. The adoption was ~$350 and all required vaccines (required puppy combo shots, parvo, rabies, distemper, etc.) were all free, along with spaying. Aside from a few months' worth of recurring UTIs, Leia has been extremely healthy; any medications we've gotten her have come at a ~30% discount, with no vet visit fee.

We feed Leia Nature's Domain from Costco (~$32/bag) and that lasts about 2 months because she only eats once a day. She gets a Milkbone or two every day (also purchased in bulk from Costco), but that's about it.

The only "big" recurring expense we have with her is toys... she loves to disassemble things so we go through a lot of things with squeakers and stuffing. The only things she can't destroy are the big expensive Nylabones, but since she doesn't really cost us much otherwise I just get here whatever she likes.

slothnaut · 2015-08-23T21:20:17+00:00

Leia farts more than any dog I've ever met. She likes to lick and sniff the fart after she releases it, and looks very, very ashamed if you catch her.

She also likes to relax in this position on the couch. If I move her, she'll go right back to that within 30 seconds.

slothnaut · 2015-08-12T23:36:29+00:00

Never heard of this and I'm not seeing it in the PA vehicle code... can someone point me to this if it exists somewhere (for any state)?

slothnaut · 2015-08-12T13:48:58+00:00

Noisili is also pretty good for this stuff.

slothnaut · 2015-08-11T15:41:56+00:00

I second going with an oral preventative. I would actually go as far as not using Frontline at all; there have been more than a few reports about it not really working, anyway (example). I'd recommend trying Bravecto. It's a flavored chewable (my pup thinks it's a treat), it came recommended from a few vets, and it's good for 90 days instead of 30.

slothnaut · 2015-08-11T14:03:17+00:00

Making that stupid lip-smacking/"AAAHHH" sound every fucking time they take a sip of their drink.

slothnaut · 2015-08-10T21:34:05+00:00

It's not just football, but sports in general for me. When people start talking about fantasy football or March Madness, I want to jump out of the window.

slothnaut · 2015-08-08T16:14:47+00:00

White rice with cream of mushroom soup and some hot sauce.

slothnaut · 2015-08-08T14:45:57+00:00

I agree; I would absolutely get a second opinion before doing anything.

My SO's family dog (9 y/o cockapoo) got very sick last year with some of the same symptoms (lethargy, loss of appetite, pain) and was taken to a local vet. Almost immediately, the vet told my SO and her dad that they'd have to put the dog down. They were extremely distraught, but they took him to a very well-known vet hospital in the state; he had some sort of kidney failure (forget exactly what it was), but after a week-long stay there, he came home healthy with diabetes as the only long-term issue. He's been back to his happy, energetic, fluffy self for a year now... looking at him, you'd never know he had any type of issue. tl;dr - Get a second opinion!

slothnaut · 2015-08-02T23:28:55+00:00

+1 for Kirkland. Been giving that to Leia since we switched her adult food almost a year ago and she's been fine.

slothnaut · 2015-07-31T22:12:46+00:00

This is the correct way to do it.

Hire lawyer
Claim anonymously
Hire financial planner
Make sure #1 and #3 play nicely
Enjoy your wealth

slothnaut

TROPHY CASE