I try to just give my thoughts. I always preface... "I just think," and then I alone own it. And if they don't agree, then no one is hurt. We can't live each other's lives.
Pain Management
head feels GIFGiphy"Surgeon - The pains I’m feeling are normal and he doesn’t need to see me until a follow up 6 months later and I can have my staples removed at any health clinic. I almost died from sepsis. It took 12 weeks to recover from this." ~ Valen258
Not the Fix
"Talking to a friend about some normal relationship problems, college age boyfriend-girlfriend, and she suggested getting pregnant to fix it and win all the arguments. (By way of poking holes in condoms after I said we weren’t into trying for a baby and he’s adamantly anti-child). She had a baby at 16 and I never judge anyone for having a kid that young, but I have an inkling of why and how she did it now. Also, after that red flag we did not remain friends." ~ saturnspritr
National Park visitors Center...
"Best and worst from same person. Wife and I hiked from our campsite to National Park visitors Center. It took us almost 2 hours with temperatures in high 90s F (30+ C). We saw no other hikers because no one else was that stupid. We were exhausted. Park Ranger told us we should always bring snacks (nuts, fruit etc) as water is not enough. That was good advice. Then suggested that I hike back on my own to get the car and return for my wife! Bad advice." ~ antmakka
Computer Issues
"Don't study Computer Sciences. Everybody will do it, the market will be saturated and you will have a tough time finding a job." (my parents around 2010)." ~ CrystalButcher
"Ha! I got pretty much the same advice, but it was 'don't do computer programming; you're too personable. You should do sales."'
"It probably set me back 10 years doing sales jobs I hated until I got back into software development. Not sure why I listened to those people." ~ JohnBarnson
Know your worth...
The Office Boss GIFGiphy"Never ask for a raise. Your supervisor should be able to see if you are working hard and give you a raise when the time is right. SMH." ~ julianned32
See there? A lot of ruin. You don't have to take advice. Oh my... that is good advice.
WTF?
Season 3 What GIF by On My BlockGiphy“Just down a bottle of vodka and punch yourself in the stomach” - a friend when I thought I was pregnant." ~ Space-cash
Be Good
"Don't do something if you're not good at it. Listen kid, that is so wrong you don't even know." ~ subscribe_for_facts
"Having perfectionist parents I was basically raised to believe this. I'm in my mid twenties and trying so hard to break out of it. It's given me a lot of resentment towards my parents for never letting me learn to do things I wasn't immediately good at or just trying new things in general." ~ Chanmanklein
“turbo boosters engaged”
"A friend told me that if I fart during sex, I could save face by saying 'turbo boosters engaged' and then pound faster and harder. Once I started having sex I realized how normal noises are and I stopped caring. But I guess he was just trying to be a bro." ~ Christophisatitagain
"Noises sure but don't fart on them during." ~ CaptainHindsight92
Loan Death
"When I went to college on the Pell grant, which basically covered the tuition for each semester and there was an extra $1000 left over for books and whatnot. Also available to me was a $5000 loan each semester, which I didn't need. After the first year, my father said "'take the loans too, if you get a civil service job, you can have the loans forgiven.' Fast forward 15 years and I still have $25K worth of student loans I never needed to take. :( " ~ odenwalder1
"My mom was persuaded"
"I was told by a guidance counselor as an incoming freshman (who didn't know me from anyone else, by the way) that taking more than one honors course plus being in band was too much. My mom was persuaded. I had to fight both of them to ignore the advice."
"I ended up taking every honors and AP course possible throughout high school, finishing with a perfect 4.0 GPA, then doing the same in college. Don't take advice on what you should or shouldn't do from someone who doesn't know you. Always take into account your personal strengths and weaknesses when considering any advice in life." ~ Kooky_Finding8516
Meds
Season 2 Nbc GIF by New AmsterdamGiphy"‘Don’t go on meds, just exercise’ for depression. Meds ended up practically saving my life." ~ Introvertedpanda3
Let's all try to just live our best lives. That is not an easy mission.
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I try to only give advice when asked. Sometimes it is difficult, but I do my best. And I think I give great advice. But I'm not always right. I wish others would follow my lead.
80's Illogic
Coding Looney Tunes GIF by Looney Tunes World of MayhemGiphy"Don't study computer programming. The market is probably going to be saturated by the time you graduate. From a computer science professor in the mid-80s."
"help"
"My husband needed a medical card after his heart failure from viral cardiomyopathy. The social worker told me I should get pregnant so we would qualify for help with his medical costs. I was 24 and lived in Ohio. I was horrified. She listed all the "help" we could get if I could get pregnant. He was in an ICU ward recovering from heart surgery. I walked out of there just disgusted."
At 24...
"At 24, while making $12 an hour and renting an apartment my parents convinced me to buy a brand new Honda Accord. They assured me it was the ONLY WAY to get a new car and that used ones broke down immediately. The payments were one entire paycheck of the two I got every month."
the book of...
"Me: I'm depressed and struggling with low sex drive
Therapist: Haha I have the opposite problem! But have you tried watching a romcom? They always gets me in the mood."
"This is a direct quote."
"Edit: thank for for all the replies, haha I am much better now and I found a different therapist! Turns out being bisexual and growing up Mormon made me really repressed sexually--the therapist was Mormon so that didn't help. She was licensed and told me she had special training specifically in sex therapy. I've found an ex-Mormon therapist who thankfully undid the damage!"
- murdie_t
Maxxed...
bart simpson episode 20 GIFGiphy"In my early 20s, my stepdad encouraged us (us = Me, Sister and Brother) to max out our credit cards. Then file bankruptcy. My sister did it. My brother did it. I didn't. He insulted me for years, for being stupid."
See there, people need to keep their ideas to themselves. Even if you're a genius, you aren't perfect. Speak from truth not from ego.
bye bye bar...
its always sunny in philadelphia bar GIFGiphy"Invest in brother-in-law's bar. Thanks Dad. Bye bye 30k and bye bye bar. Did not know I'd be working along side an illiterate buffoon."
Stick with CDs...
"Invest in DVDs because you can pawn them for cash when you need money."
"I worked with a guy from Zimbabwe, in the mid-2000s, who told me that people there would get their paycheque and spend it straight away on electronics and kitchen appliances and stuff like that. Then, if you wanted to buy something, you'd sell something and use the money straight away, or barter if possible."
Love
"Everyone I know who's been married more than 10 years has moments when you can't stand your spouse. Especially if you have kids. Because let's face it, it's hard to live with other people for a long period of time. And kids will raise the stakes on everything and drag out every bit of how you were raised that you spouse wasn't. But you're in it for all times when it's NOT like that. Which should be most of the time."
- jseego
The Burn
"Was told by a sailor of 5 decades that the best way to get rid of a sunburn is to take the hottest shower possible. Not only did that cause immeasurable pain, but didn't help in the slightest."
"There is a rare condition some people have where they get something called Hell's itch while recovering from sunburn. Incredibly intense painful itching sensation wherever the sunburn is. One of the only found "cures" for it is a really hot shower to I guess reset the nerves or something."
- Archsafe
Not there for you...
Season 9 Lol GIF by FriendsGiphy"Family over friends, because friends won't always be there for you, family will."
"Fat load of crap that was."
Words matter. Advice matters. You can't just throw them about without knowledge or forethought. In the end, most advice is bad advice. Lesson to be learned? Follow your instincts.
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thief stealing GIFR-A-C
"Just get it at Rent A Center".
I had a coworker that got pretty much everything there.
"It's only $20/week, and they'll replace it if it breaks."
$20/week for how long? Oh cool, so you're paying more than double for it? Got it.
Bad Parents
So when I was 24, I was financially struggling. I had a job that worked me a LOT of hours, but only paid me $10 an hour.
My parents talked me into buying a BRAND NEW 2004 4-Door Honda Civic, the pre-interest price tag on it was about $25,000. A few weeks after getting it, my hours got regulated and it took one entire paycheck to make the monthly note on it - I could NOT afford the insurance on it.
I very quickly realized my parents were bad at money.
Take It
Take It Giving Up GIF by Movie Trivia SchmoedownGiphyMy cousin bought a camper, went camping once, and then decided camping wasn't for them. Rather than selling it they decided to just stop making the payments and "let the bank come and get it." Which, eventually, they did.
Without a Dime....
My grandfather was pretty wealthy and gave us $50-$100 each birthday. My mom "kept it safe for us". I'm pretty sure she used it at least once to pay the light bill when the power got shut off so at least it went to good use? Never saw a dime of it myself.
All the Debt
My father would tell me to max my credit card on a new car and if they asked for payments just say F*** em, what are they going to do?
My father is several levels of debt hell deep that he's trying to get out of now, but he's at least trying.
Oh Auntie....
My aunt took me to a car dealership when I was looking to buy my own first car. I was looking at the clunkers I could afford, but she said I should be looking at the new cars. She said, "the total price doesn't matter because you make monthly payments." I suddenly understood too well why she had always been so financially unstable.
Burning a Hole
happy drag race GIF by Robert E BlackmonGiphy"Spend it quickly or it'll get stolen."
Coming from someone with a history of losing and blowing their money.
Weekly Issues...
My FIL when I mention our retirement plan "I never contribute to my retirement account. Money now is always better than money later" I needed to have a conversation with my husband how we would NOT be supporting his mom and dad and their insane spending when they have no retirement plan and make huge financial mistakes on a weekly basis (good news is they both make good money).
911
season 3 emergency GIFGiphyThat an emergency fund wasn't necessary when you can always get a payday loan or use your credit card. He wasn't joking.
Thanks Dad?
Yeah even if they've recently robbed you, you should still lend them the 500$ dollars they need to move to another city, they're your family after all.
-Dad.
I don't even know how mom married your dumb a**.
Am-Out!
drunk episode 18 GIFGiphyA relative tried to recruit me into Amway. He wound up stuck with a garage full of their products.
The Cut
"Once you cut up the credit card, you don't have to pay it."
My cousin is not doing so hot. I'm pretty sure there are warrants out for his arrest in several states.
I work for a bank. The amount of times i get customers tell me 'i just got a phone call saying i owe ** but i canceled my card!!' I tell them we never received a notice that they canceled it. And they say 'but i cut it up!' Dude. If cutting bills up would solve anything, life would be great.
Hang Up
One of my uncles once told me that I never really had to pay my phone bill. He suggested that I simply jump to another carrier and let the first company cut you off.
His life has turned out exactly as you'd imagine.
Dive In
Dog Swimming GIF by The DodoGiphy"Take out a 401k loan to build a pool. It will raise the value of your house."
Throw it all Away?
I used to know a guy whose family had always told him while he was growing up that the ER was free. He was getting his mail sent to his family home for years as an adult. One day he needs to buy a car and guess what? His credit is trashed. Family threw away his medical bills the same as they did theirs. The worst part is now I know the biggest hospital in our area has a very liberal charity program.
IIRC you can get 100% of your bill dropped if you are uninsured and make under $32k. Basically this whole guys family would qualify for that program if they just did a little bit of paperwork rather than just throw away bills.
Vibing Debt
"Just get another credit card" - my friend who hasn't worked in 3 years and is currently just vibing with his new credit cards he somehow got approved for.
the days of '76
1976 San Franciso - Keep renting, no one will ever pay $35,000 for a 2 bedroom house and garage with a sweeping view of the East Bay. (Added later - I went back to visit the old neighborhood a few years ago, those $35,000 stucco homes up many flights of steps perched on the top of Potrero Hill were now all gentrified, remodeled, gated, and asking $1M+ and that was 5 years ago).
Maxed Out
A friend's family taught them to take out as many store cards and credit cards as they could, and as long as the minimum was paid, they'd be able to live a luxurious lifestyle.
They were almost $100k in debt when they finally told me, from dozens of cards and interest, car loan, etc. Then did not want to discuss it further after I offered advice (lawyer, counseling). It's simply how their parents lived, life on credit far beyond means. I could not live with that stress. It's so normal for some people though.
Edit: Sorry I can't reply to everyone, I got like 100 responses and messages! If anyone is concerned about excessive debt, I strongly recommend the folks over at r/personalfinance who are experts at this sort of advice. For those in extreme debt, a bankruptcy attorney should be consulted to work out a re-payment plan in court.
Zero
donald duck disney GIFGiphyWhen I got to university and opened a student current account, I received an interest free overdraft of about £1200. I wasn't entirely sure of what that meant.
My brother informed me "So that's like your new zero", and encouraged me to use it to buy a new gaming PC. For the next few years I really really wish I hadn't taken that advice, he's never been too amazing with his money so I should have seen that one coming.
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