#Overheard At The Coffee Shop: Volume IV

Welcome to another edition of me “accidentally” hearing other people’s conversations! And then them “mysteriously” landing on this blog here!

You know what they say – what happens at coffee houses does not stay at coffee houses ;)

And we’ve got a ton to offload on ya today too as they’ve been adding up over the year since our last one and cracks me up just revisiting some of these again, haha… It really does take all kinds to run this world of ours, and a few of these characters are certainly highlighted here.

Hope you enjoy, as you prob won’t learn anything! :)

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Overheard At The Coffee Shop:

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“Beaver Bucks! Everyone knows what they are… Beaver Bucks!”

Um… nope. Can’t say that everyone does, haha… And my “no interjecting” rule prevented me from jumping in unfortunately and asking!

“Windows aren’t sexy, but a guy’s gotta be comfortable.”

Haha… I’m assuming this was around home upgrades?

“I’m gonna sue them bro… And I have the money for it! As soon as I finish this term paper, I’m totally suing them bro.”

Not too often you hear “suing” and “term paper” in the same sentence :)

“How much do you think my thigh weighs?”

Not even touching that one…

Person #1: “The new Tesla car is only $35,000”
Person #2: “My father’s first house was $35,000!”

Now that’s perspective!!

“Rock, paper, scissors… OCEAN!! (I wash you away!)”

Next up was “Rock, paper, scissors… DETENTION!” but couldn’t catch what that one did ;) Maybe beats out all but the paper? Since rocks and scissors have a higher probability of getting you in trouble, unless you’re Mr. Sue-Happy Term Paper Bro? ;)

“I save Shakespeare until 8th grade when the kids can handle how dirty he is.”

Is he really??

“It’ll be India all over again, where you’re naked with a middle-aged woman. Only we won’t be oiled up this time.”

!!!!!!!!!

Teen: “You know what “swag” means, mom?”
Mom: “Of course I know what swag means!”

Work it, mom…

“The disease is hereditary. But you actually don’t know you have it until you just one day drop dead.”

Can you imagine? :(

“Just because you said it two years ago, doesn’t mean you have to still do it!”

YES YES YES!!!! IT’S COMPLETELY OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND on stuff when life changes!! Which is like all the time, so why would you stick to yesterday’s plans when the future just flipped on you?? Smart people tweak their plans and adapt to the changing world, stubborn ones don’t…

Person #1: “I’m back like a bad penny!”
Person #2: “You might be the penny someone’s looking for!”

Awwww….

“A couple years ago I met a couple who retired at 28 and 29 and left their jobs to live a life according to their values… Now we’re about to do the same in three years since they’ve been mentoring us.”

I swear, I really did hear this one and did NOT plant it! :) This was real people talking about real epic $hit here and I loved hearing every last word of it… I could have hugged these guys if it didn’t give away my slyness!

“I want all my debt gone within 6 months… We have $70,000 in cash and a $120,000 townhouse that’s paid off in full. We should be able to do this, right?”

Another great money one!! And I would hope it’s enough to pay off the debts?? Though I never caught exactly how much debt we were talking about here… errr, what THEY were talking about here ;)

“I would buy this if I were allowed to… Unfortunately my wife won’t tolerate any other person’s art in our house except for her own.”

Best line of the year right there, haha… I was DYING listening to this conversation… DYING.

“Can you put your frog in your pocket?”

Let’s not, and say we did. (Remember that comeback???? 90’s era baby – yeah!)

Mom: “So what did you think about the DMV?”
3 y/o daughter: “It was FUN!!!”
Mom: “What now?”

Doesn’t take much to entertain a kid :)

“Being old and in retirement is the most expensive thing there is… Back in the day you didn’t have to worry about it when you died in your 40s – but these days we’re living until 80 and 90 years old!”

Yup, a good problem to have, but no less a problem! All the more reason to gobble up money blogs while you’re young and able to do something about it!!

“I can afford Starbucks two days a month: paydays”

Ironically enough said by a Panera worker, haha…

“Whenever you get the hiccups it means you’re growing taller”

Definitely not true, but definitely stealing to use on my kids ;)

“I give homeless people a few bucks whenever I come across them… I used to give sandwiches but got tired of them throwing them on the ground right in front of me.”

Ugh… But good for him for not getting jaded and still wanting to help people! Sandwich throwing or not, they’re still much more troubled than any of us :(

And lastly….

Wife to husband as he walks to throw something away: “You’re an old MEAN man…”
(Turns to me and asks if I agree once he leaves…)
Me: “Maybe he’s just grumpy today?”
Wife back to husband: “This guy here thinks you’re grumpy today!”

Serves me right for eavesdropping ;)

Happy weekend everyone… Watch those wallets and secrets!

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58 Comments

  1. BusyMom March 16, 2018 at 6:06 AM

    I just quoted you to my husband. Called him stubborn, and said I was smart.
    What a way to start a day! :)

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 7:42 AM

      You’re welcome :)

  2. Olivia March 16, 2018 at 6:28 AM

    Hahaha, don’t you love it when other people insert you into their fight? “See, this random stranger said I was right. QED, I must be right!”

    Also, yes, I agree. Sometimes poor people need a little hit if happiness too.

    Urban ministries of Durham designed a game to let people know what it was like being poor, and just playing it was so stressful. I can’t imagine living it. It’s called spent if you want to check it out.

    http://playspent.org/html/

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 7:45 AM

      Oh man, yeah – I’ve tried playing games like that before and fail every time :( Such a $hitty position to be in.

      1. Random Dude March 25, 2018 at 8:19 PM

        You realize the game is designed to fail.
        I just played it 4 times.
        When it became obvious I was going to win, it gave me the biggest mandatory hit possible on day 30.
        There was literally a year’s worth of bad luck in my 1 month of playing. A couple of illegal things occurred. And of course, it doesn’t tell you the downside until after you make a choice(things that could be knowable beforehand).

  3. the Budget Epicurean March 16, 2018 at 6:57 AM

    Definitely chuckled at quite a few. The early retired couple mentoring one warms my heart! Thanks for sharing, and reminding us all to watch what we say in public! You never know when it might end up on a blog…

  4. Jody March 16, 2018 at 7:26 AM

    Oooohhhh, I almost dropped you a line last week to ask when the next installment was going to be!!! So tickled to find it this Friday morning! A couple thoughts:

    I’d rather have a fatal hereditary disease I didn’t know about than waste away from something for years….just saying. But still, :(

    India is a much more happening place than I thought.

    That “windows” comment is so strange! What on earth?

  5. Ms. Frugal Asian Finance March 16, 2018 at 8:04 AM

    Wow lots of random talk and life stories here. The ones that stick with me the most are the 35k Tesla/ house and $150k townhouse. I thought Tesla was around 100k or something. And I’d love to be able to buy a 150k townhouse one day!

  6. Sean @ Frugal Money Man March 16, 2018 at 8:17 AM

    “Just because you said it two years ago, doesn’t mean you have to still do it!” – BEST ONE!

    This drives Mrs. FMM out of her mind because I definitely change my mind ALOT! Not because I don’t have a clear direction, but I have no issue changing philosophies if I read/hear/see something that changes my perspective on an issue for the better.

    I think this is actually something that holds ALOT of people back. They stick to only what they believe, and fail to truly take in other’s perspectives.

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 9:29 AM

      Exactly… and you see this a lot with politics too! People so set in their ways and refusing to listen to anything that challenges them. And on the flip side, you have politicians who change their minds every other day not relating to new mindsets at all but for votes ;)

  7. Amy @ LifeZemplified March 16, 2018 at 8:39 AM

    I can’t believe it’s been a year since you published the last one of these. Cracking up and wishing I could see your face as you overheard some of the convos…India, thighs, and early retirees. ;)

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 9:29 AM

      I almost blew my cover many a times :)

  8. Daniel Zehner March 16, 2018 at 8:47 AM

    OMG, you could totally compile these into a book… this is fantastic, as always. :)

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 9:36 AM

      That would make for a good book :)

  9. Budget on a Stick March 16, 2018 at 8:53 AM

    Sometimes I wonder if this is the only reason you go to a coffee shop to work ;P

    If I told my kid that hickups made him taller he would just walk around the house making a “hup” sound :|

    The radio people were talking about living to 100 and said we would then have to work until we are 80. Just had to text in saying…nooooooo 4% rule!!!

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 9:30 AM

      Well played!! I’d be willing to bet that that comment will never make it onto the radio though, haha… Not as juicy enough :)

  10. beth March 16, 2018 at 9:10 AM

    I LOVE these!

    Hiccups – I was told when I was growing up that they made you taller. I mentioned that to my son one time and my husband started freaking out! He had never heard it.

  11. Dave @ Married with Money March 16, 2018 at 9:19 AM

    That’s so cool about the folks being mentored by the early retirees. I’d have jumped on that convo soooo fast! :)

    Some of these conversations though…wow. I should go work in a coffee shop and conduct a similar experiment!!

  12. Joe March 16, 2018 at 9:42 AM

    Hilarious! Interesting conversations at the coffee shop. I never hear anything. I guess because I don’t linger when I go. People around here are pretty quiet.
    Great to hear more conversations about personal finance IRL. Those are very positive too.

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 11:50 AM

      Must be nice and peaceful there! People talk SO LOUD here – I swear I’m not actively trying to spy on people :)

  13. Laurie@ThreeYear March 16, 2018 at 9:44 AM

    Yep, Shakespeare is super dirty! :) Haha. Wasted on 8th graders, though! :) These are awesome.

  14. OMGF March 16, 2018 at 10:38 AM

    Shakespeare is totally dirty. We didn’t start reading him until 9th grade. William S definitely wrote adult content.

  15. Jason@WinningPersonalFinance March 16, 2018 at 11:02 AM

    I can’t believe you overheard all of these gems at a coffee shop. I need to stop spending all my time in the office!!!! There’s a whole world of entertainment out there.

  16. Debbie March 16, 2018 at 11:09 AM

    Retired at age 28? Would love to see where they stand 20-30 years from now. Just heard this from a friend: her 63 year old mother is paying $2000 a month for health insurance. She’s diabetic so must have it. Her 63 year old father can’t afford the $2000 a month so he goes without (and prays nothing happens to him). Both are self employed. Her mother said her health insurance premiums have doubled in just 5 years and no, she’s not overweight, doesn’t smoke or drink, goes to the gym 3 times a week & eats right. The 28 year old/29 year old retired couple are young so their premiums are cheap…..if premiums continue doubling every few years, I’d be curious to see how they afford it later on in life.
    Love this post. Very funny & curious some of the things people talk about & say.

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 12:05 PM

      Ugh yeah, definitely not something to look forward to :( But usually those who are “retired” so young are still actively doing stuff, and ironically become even more successful (both financially and otherwise) because they’re now focused on what they truly love :) At least those people here in this community… Typically you don’t go from hustling and saving your whole life to just sitting behind a TV and zombie’ing out, haha…

  17. Kim March 16, 2018 at 11:22 AM

    Here’s a money lie I overheard at a coffee shop: one twenty-something guy very earnestly trying to convince his twenty-something friend that “your credit score doesn’t matter.” He was trying to get him to spend thousands of dollars on some truck upgrade (I think it was like…a really expensive gun rack?)! :o

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 12:06 PM

      People are just too much sometimes… Eventually they’ll catch on!! (Hopefully!)

  18. Lily | The Frugal Gene March 16, 2018 at 11:52 AM

    Lol the sueing and term paper one was the best. I remember when I was that age…. everything was so simple back then… because we were all stupid.

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 12:10 PM

      Yup, pretty much :) (And entitled!)

  19. Chris @ Duke of Dollars March 16, 2018 at 12:07 PM

    The car vs house one is wild! Inflation at its best lol

    1. Dave March 16, 2018 at 2:45 PM

      Yes, that one is a classic.

      I think my parents paid around $35K for their house.

      1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 4:52 PM

        I told my dad about it and he said he paid $58,000 for his first :)

        1. Debbie March 17, 2018 at 5:27 AM

          It makes me wonder what those homes are worth today. You can’t buy a shed for $35,000 around here, LOL

  20. Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life March 16, 2018 at 2:09 PM

    My question is how do you accurately weigh just one thigh when it’s still attached to you?

    Shakespeare is TOTALLY dirty. We just don’t know it because teachers don’t teach all the raunchy translations ;)

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 4:53 PM

      Very smart of them too!

  21. Kevin March 16, 2018 at 2:36 PM

    Could Beaver Bucks be strip club dollars? Or maybe a university nearby with a beaver as a mascot and they’re credits on the students’ accounts?

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 4:54 PM

      Haha yeah, probably one of those.

  22. Working Optional March 16, 2018 at 2:53 PM

    Hahahahahaha! This totally cracked me up – thanks for making my day!

  23. Jim March 16, 2018 at 3:06 PM

    “I would buy this if I were allowed to… Unfortunately my wife won’t tolerate any other person’s art in our house except for her own.”

    All I could think of when I read this was Beetlejuice.

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 4:54 PM

      Ooooh forgot about that movie! So good!

  24. Heather March 16, 2018 at 4:27 PM

    I need to find your coffee shop. Our Starbucks never provides anything so interesting. Also put me as a plus one on filthy Shakespeare. Loved that aspect in high school. I bite my thumb at you, Sir!

    1. J. Money March 16, 2018 at 4:57 PM

      Haha… I don’t think I was paying attention enough as I had NO idea whatsoever he was dirty! I guess you never think people that long ago were, but of course they were just as human as we are today :)

  25. Erika Berglund March 16, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    Love it! My fave is the two year comment; mostly because I super duper need that advice:)

    1. J. Money March 19, 2018 at 2:14 PM

      Haha… I’ll take it!

  26. Stock Street March 16, 2018 at 9:42 PM

    If I had heard half of these as they were going on, I would have burst out laughing. I would be so bad at this hahah. I don’t know why, but the person randomly asking how much they think their thigh weighs made me burst out laughing. It’s just so random.

  27. Nicola @ The Frugal Cottage March 17, 2018 at 4:57 AM

    You should definitely make these into a book! Some of these made me chuckle :) I feel like I should go to coffee shops more often to see what I could overhear!

  28. Bryan March 17, 2018 at 6:59 AM

    Overheard last summer while hiking up a popular mountain located in a ritzy area: “So-and-So couple can’t afford their mortgage yet they’re paying for the Country Club Membership.” Sigh. I get it. A decade ago I was a classic professional UAW until the light bulb went off. Hopefully they find your blog.

    1. J. Money March 19, 2018 at 2:17 PM

      Can you carry around pieces of paper with my blog name scribbled on it for people, please? :)

  29. Lozza March 18, 2018 at 1:46 AM

    Hilarious. Brilliant. Thank you thank you.

    Okay I need the ‘frog in the pocket’ explained. And yes Shakespeare was wicked heeheehee

    We had a wild English teacher who was a complete nut-job too. He would teach us all the naughty stuff in books some days and on others he’d try to brainwash us with old copies of Pravda – it was a Russian communist newspaper with a circulation of millions at one time. He was an absolute believer in the stuff. But hey, he got us through our exams with top grades.

    I fired a similar Tesla comment at my dentist when he quoted me for dental work. Don’t think he was too happy when I asked him (laughing) was he needing a deposit for his next Tesla… Oops

    I’ve changed dentists.

    1. J. Money March 19, 2018 at 2:21 PM

      Yikes!

  30. Kari March 18, 2018 at 8:53 AM

    I have to say, thanks for posting these. As a Deaf person, I don’t hear these kinds of conversations and there are moments I wish I could hear. I find them fascinating! When I see people engaged in conversation and emotions are ramped up, it makes me curious. Sometimes I can figure out partial things with lip reading but that requires intense concentration and staring. More and more people don’t look at each other, they look around and I’m easily ‘caught’ if I’m trying to figure out what they are talking about. I’ve tried downloading dictation apps just to ‘hear’ what people talk about at random times – grocery stores, at the Apple Store waiting for my turn, gas stations, long lines of some grand opening, campgrounds….look forward to the next installment even though it’s a ways away! And no, none of the dictation apps really work. :-/

    1. J. Money March 19, 2018 at 2:44 PM

      Oh wow, interesting insight! I bet it is harder to get away with without staring! Haha… Thanks for stopping by the site and sharing – will try to get the next one out sooner than a year :)

  31. Leslie March 21, 2018 at 2:49 PM

    I think we need these more often than once a year! This was great. My fav was the thigh weight. Going to go read last year’s now! Thanks!!

    1. J. Money March 21, 2018 at 4:21 PM

      Haha glad to hear! We try to make it fun up in here! :)

  32. Renee March 22, 2018 at 5:22 PM

    These are good! Did he reply after she told him you said he was grumpy?

    1. J. Money March 23, 2018 at 6:40 AM

      He just shook his head, haha….