I had this post all done and then I read something that I just had to add at the last minute. Did you hear about the bonehead who spent $2600 (his life savings) to win a stuffed banana at a carnival!?! He was going for the xBox Kinect (dude, the xBox is like $400) and wouldn’t give up. What is wrong with people?
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Next time you are sitting at a stop light, glance over at the car next to you. Nine times out of ten, the driver is picking their nose.
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Why on earth do people still write checks? Nothing is worse than getting stuck in the grocery store behind someone who whips out their *&^%ing checkbook. Bonus points if you linger in the lane to balance it.
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As long as I’m on the topic of the grocery store, are the self-checkout machines that hard to figure out? Also, note to the guy with the mullet in front of me a couple weeks ago: If the computer denies your card the first 3 times, it probably isn’t going to accept it the 4th or 5th time either.
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Those red bumpy sidewalks at Costco drive me nuts. One thing I have always wondered about is if there is a way to precisely navigate the cart so that it touches no bumps. I tried this week. The answer is No.
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I am still bitter about the horrible, horrible ending to Lost.
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Say you are an astronaut and you are one hour into a six hour spacewalk to fix the Hubble Telescope. If you had the freeze dried burrito for dinner previously and cut a big whopper of a fart in your spacesuit, do you just have to live with it for the next 5 hours?
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How come people always think that their dog is some kind of canine genius? I hear stuff like this all the time: “Oh, Scraps is sooooooooooooooooo smart!” All dogs cannot be above average. Someone, somewhere has to own a dumb one. (I do acknowledge that even a dumb one is probably smarter than the Rasta Banana Guy though.)
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When we first moved in a year ago, the high school kid across the street had an Audi A4. A couple months later, he moved on to a Porsche 944. Now, he has a Mitsubishi Evo. Poor guy just can’t make up his mind.
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I used to love watching The Family Feud. Creepy Richard Dawson and the ridiculous answers people gave always cracked me up:
- Richard <after kissing the contestant>: Name a common household pet!
- Contestant: Dinosaur! <family claps and shouts words of approval>
- Richard: Survey says!
- Game board: XXX!!!
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Ha I heard about that guy. And he is actually pressing charges against the game company for fraud!
Michelle recently posted…Save Money – Get Outside and Be Active!
Love the banana caption
Also bitter about Lost, and the downturn of Heroes
Hate the sidewalk bumps
And can’t stand when folks made their dog the center of any conversation!
Jacob@CashCowCouple recently posted…Money Can Buy Happiness
Jacob,
You and I think a lot alike.
I love your site man but easy on the red bumps; I’m pretty sure they are safety notifications for the visually impaired so they know where traffic crossings begin.
I didn’t know that, but that doesn’t stop them from spilling my soda all over my freshly purchased items from Costco. It makes sense, but then again it doesn’t make sense. Like why are there Braille instructions at the drive-up ATM?
I think it’s because it’s the standard key pad used on all ATMs? I can’t see manufacturers making a special no-braille interface just for drive throughs.
THURSDAY RANT, THURSDAY RANT!!! YES!!
A friend of mine sent me a link to the crazy banana guy story yesterday. My exact response, “this man is seriously an idiot.” But similar to watching The Real Housewives of (Insert City Here) reading/watching people make epically bad decisions with their money makes me feel like a boss about my financial choices.
My rant: When someone feels the need to slam their sweaty body up against me during an early morning subway ride. And why hasn’t MTA turned on the AC yet?!
BrokeMillennial recently posted…Braving the Financial Minefield of Dating
We used to live in Chicago, and had only one car which Mr. 1500 drove because his work wasn’t conveniently located near public transportation. I took public trans, because I worked down the street from Comiskey Park (home of the Chicago White Sox) and there are numerous options to get there.
I always hated summer, because it didn’t matter if the AC was on or not, inevitably the guy with the largest shoulders, covered with the most hair, who apparently had just stepped out of the sauna, always chose to sit next to me. Thisclose to me. Not enough showers in the world could get that feeling off me…
People who text while driving. Not the people looking at their phones at the stoplight (though they drive me nuts too), but the people who are MOVING and you can see them holding their cell phones up above the steering wheel so they can see the screen. YOU ARE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE.
Allie recently posted…The Grocery Game, Part 2
YES!!! Is telling your friend you will see her in 5 minutes so important that it is worth risking your life for? I certainly don’t think it is worth risking mine!
I do text at the stop lights, but I put in on the seat next to me as soon as the light turns green. It just isn’t worth dying for.
Side note, I have a friend who loves to knit. Loves isn’t even the right word to describe her passion for knitting. She knits in the car. She keeps her knitting on her lap, and picks it up at the red lights to get in a few more stitches, then when the light turns green, she puts it into her lap until the next red light. I think this is hilarious! (She never EVER knits while the car is moving.) The only thing I am THAT passionate about is breathing, which I do even if the car is moving!
This is hilarious. $2600 on a banana? That makes me really sad for humanity.
I’m not in a ranty mood today. I am feeling good :).
Erin @ Red Debted Stepchild recently posted…April 2013 Recap & May 2013 Goals
Fun fact: Bananas make me want to vomit. I haven’t eaten one since I was four. Well, unless they’re baked in banana bread or muffins.
I could totally see my youngest brother spending his life savings to win a giant banana.
I liked the ending of Lost at the time, but in the years since I’ve felt that it was inadequate. Man I miss that show.
My rant: When deal bloggers factor in rebates, coupons for future savings, or even gas discounts to advertise a low price on some sought after item when in fact you need to pay a LOT more out of pocket. “It’s like paying $X.XX!” Um, no, it isn’t. And yet these people claim to be Dave Ramsey disciples, budgeting gurus and cash envelope devotees. Epic rant coming up on my blog at some point.
Lol…you don’t want to spend $2600 for a stuffed banana with dreds? 😉 I am with you on Lost… I saw that ending three seasons before they did it and Mrs. Frugal Rules wouldn’t buy it. It was a great show and they just threw their arms up to come up with an actual creative way to end it.
My rant, people who’re on their phones will driving on the highway and drive 35 mph a best. Got off the freaking phone already! I love when you FINALLY get past them and they’re not even looking at the road in front of them but have their heads cocked back and talking.
Oh…have a safe trip here to O-town for the annual meeting…be prepared for snow!
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted…My Wife and I Split
Ha ha! I’ve used the same exact statement numerous times in similar settings and no it does not go over well. I’ve learned not to say it in front of Mrs. Frugal Rules anymore as it just embarrasses her to no end.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted…My Wife and I Split
Use it as leverage to get the Risk game back! I smell a deal!
I’m starting to think you guys have a banana obsession to rival my own! =)
I shall rant against the rain today. Rain, rain go away. Come again another day!
Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…PoP Income Statement – April 2013
Yes Mrs. PoP, banana seem to be the theme lately. I don’t know why they keep coming up.
It could be worse for you; we received about 4 inches of snow yesterday right after having a beautiful weekend in the 70s.
Holy piss what a fantastic post to be welcomed with during my first visit to your blog. Love it and will be back to read more!! 🙂
Thanks Happy Homeowner, glad you enjoyed it! I’m a bottomless pit for stuff like this, so much more to come.
Oh man, we went to a Walmart in the boonies once where I don’t think the populace was so bright. The scene at the checkout machines was an absolute nightmare. Cities should have to have an IQ test before these things are installed.
However, maybe this is a business opportunity for us? We can come out with a line of videos teaching folks like Mr. Banana how to use the machines. We’ll have to talk really slow:
That banana guy needs more than a slap! It cracks me up too that he is suing the carnival. Ummm sir, look in the mirror to see where the problem is. Regarding carnival games (brace yourself), they are all a scam.
They should have lines just for check writers. Make it some sort of humiliating experience (I’m thinking like that kid’s show where they drop a bunch of slime on you) to deter this awful practice. Maybe that or have rattlesnakes at the checkout: “You need a pen Miss? It’s over there in Mr. Slither’s cage.”
Yes, finally someone! I’m not a dog hater either BTW.
I felt the same way about the ending of the Sopranos. I never watched Lost. I’m not really into stories with impossible timelines.
Carnival games are stupid. Just like playing the lottery. I hate when people buy scratch tickets, then “win money” and they say “i won money” when they either broke even or end up not even recouping their losses.
I used to smoke. I can’t believe I used to waste $5 or $6 every friggin’ day on them. I haven’t touched the things in years, but I’m still not over it yet.
Johnny Moneyseed recently posted…Learn how to invest when you still have debt
We never watched the Sopranos, but who didn’t hear about the ending? I don’t mind a little mystery, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
Carnival games are on the same level as casinos for me. Mine as well eliminate the middle man and save some gas by just flushing your money down the toilet.
Flush the money or give it to me. That latter option is preferable.
Sopranos was amazing. That was the first real “premium” tv series and it did not disappoint (besides the ending).
Johnny Moneyseed recently posted…A meet and greet with Johnny Moneyseed
Banana man story – definitely the worst story of the week. Although I’m sure someone will come along to top him soon enough. This is exactly why our country is going down the tubes: because the majority of people can do stupid stuff like this and then in all seriousness blame it on somebody else.
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…The Frugal Farmer’s Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less
Laurie-
Thousands of people probably top Banana Man every day via gambling. My parents live in Las Vegas and what a pathetic scene that is. Seeing 80+ year old people on their scooters with oxygen tanks pumping quarters into machines is depressing. Its an inspiration for how I never ever want to be.
On the subject of check books: when Mr. FBS had his wallet stolen I thought it was my marital duty to go wait at the DMV with him. Nothing says I love you more, than suffering through the DMV haha. Anyway, the guy right before us had to wait approximately 1 hour (computers went down, etc.) to get a replacement Driver’s License like we were doing. He whipped out the checkbook AFTER the DMV person said the cost twice. Seriously, I made enough loud comments that he hurried and finished the rest later. I wasn’t the only one mad at slow Joe, because he didn’t fill out any of the check book during the 1 hour wait. Instead he played on his phone the whole time.
Financial Black Sheep recently posted…Net Worth Update April 2013
A day at the DMV + check writers? That sounds like a hell to me. How absolutely terrible.
Sometimes postal workers go nuts and do bad things. I’ve often wondered why DMVs haven’t had similar incidents.
Never seen a cheque book at the grocery store; agreed!
I feel kinda bad for Banana man. That’s what happens when you have no self-control. It’s really important to set limits for yourself when you go to places where there is potential to spend a lot of money – whether it’s in an amusement park, the mall, or a casino. When my husband and I go to casinos in foreign countries, we bring the exact amount of cash we are willing to lose, considering it the price for our night of entertainment. This is usually $100 to $150. But what ends up happening is that my husband makes good money on the Black Jack table, so we walk out with more than what we brought in. 🙂
Regarding self check-out machines, I do use them when the lines are long but it’s not always smooth sailing. Reminds me of a scene in a TV show that I watched recently: http://youtu.be/IS1bsBjS_yY
Mrs. Bookworm recently posted…Condo-ning “Buy Now, Think Later” Strategy
I hate bananas.
I’ll bet Banana Man does now too! He won’t be able to set foot in the produce section anymore without having terrible flashbacks!
$2600 isn’t that bad to spend on winning a stuffed bannana. Now if he spent something ridicolous like $2602.93 – That would have be just plain silly! 😛
Too bad about your “poor” highschool kid neighbour – choosing the right luxuary car is VERY important.
My rant of the week – I don’t have enough time to style my new hair in the mornings! I know – I have a tough life 😉
Girl Meets Debt recently posted…My Views on Guest Posting
LOL!
I neglected to mention that the kid has a motorcycle too. This kind of thing drives me nuts! No matter how much money I have, my kids will never be spoiled like that!
Im also super bitter about the ending of Lost! Really the whole thing after season 2. Im so angry that I watched the whole series, Haha.
CashRebel recently posted…Should You Live Next To Rich People?
Banana banana. I love to eat ’em. Not spend that amount of money on carnival to win a stuffed one. but pretty funny caption. 😀
KC @ genxfinance recently posted…Being Broke Sucks, But It Forces You to get Creative
My dog is very dear and gentle but his intelligence is equal to either the giant stuffed banana or the guy who blew all his money trying to get the banana. He is still smarter than any cat that has ever existed.
Richard Dawson is dead just like all the people on Lost. They died the moment the plane crashed. The writers never had a clue which way the story was headed and were probably just making things up as they went along. The Newhart show – the one where he ran an inn in Vermont not the one were he was the psychiatrist – is the only show that ended in a smart funny and satisfying way.
Canadian Costcos don’t have those rumble strips but they do take cheques.
Jane Savers @ Solving The Money Puzzle recently posted…Buying A Rental Property With Borrowed Money
I totally agree about Lost. The writers never had a clue. So disappointing because you watch a show like that with the expectation that there will be a payoff. I want my time back!
Banana guy made me laugh. By the way my dog is so smart, she knows how to…ok I’ll stop 🙂
LOL!