Octopus Overlords

Normally, when I got anything at all, it was 25 cents a week for doing the dishes every night.

By my teens I was expected ,and did, earn my own money.

Our oldest gets $10/week for doing dishes, but has no expenses and is up to something like $350 in the "Bank of Mommy" right now.

I got a buck or two per week for doing routine chores, plus the opportunity to earn more by doing extra chores, such as polishing my dad's shoes and washing the cars.

My kids get $5/week. It isn't an allowance, though. I've never called it that because it was never just free money. It started when they were in elementary school and we always called them 'rewards.' Initially it was directly rewarded for achieving optional objectives in class. Over the summer it was contingent on a certain number of hours spent reading. Now it is contingent on school performance and zero-hassle housework done regularly. And it isn't cash, exactly. They're more like points that have a cash value, or can be used for other things (such as extra gaming time, situation allowing.)

It's really taught them to plan ahead and save for the things they want. My youngest trades one per month for his part of a premium Spotify account, and saves the rest for upcoming games he knows he's going to want. My eldest mostly hoards them unless that rare thing he actually wants comes along (he's got such a narrow set of interests that he has all the stuff for them, and doesn't really want anything that's not in his niche.)

Out of curiosity, what age were your kids when you started giving them allowance?

I only got allowance from about age 11 - 13 . I saved and saved for a radio control airplane but when I saw how long it would take I gave up and bought a Cox powered Spitfire that flew with an attached pair of lines. 2nd flight I wrapped it around the power line coming into the house.

Before my (Jewish) boss left for Yom Kippur earlier today, he decided it was "talk like Jackie Mason day" for some reason...

Paingod wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:54 pm Our oldest gets $10/week for doing dishes, but has no expenses and is up to something like $350 in the "Bank of Mommy" right now.

Same - our son gets $10/week for chores. He doesn't spend much, so he's up to about $400 in his account. We started paying him for chores when he turned 10, but it's gone from $5 to $10 as he's been able to do more.

I never got an allowance but I got paid to babysit my 3 sisters one summer for like 3 days a week. My parents bought me an Atari 1030 modem as payment.

I loved that modem but I think they got the better deal in that situation.

I got a dollar a day for lunch in High School. Weed was $5 a gram for Colombian or $7 for good stuff. So I could skip lunch and buy a gram on Friday or bank my money and get a good gram the following week.

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:27 pm Weed was $5 a gram for Colombian or $7 for good stuff.

The Cuervo Gold - The fine Colombian...

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:27 pm I got a dollar a day for lunch in High School. Weed was $5 a gram for Colombian or $7 for good stuff. So I could skip lunch and buy a gram on Friday or bank my money and get a good gram the following week.

I also skipped lunch in high school in order to pocket spending money (also a dollar a day). I can't imagine what I spent it on. Model rockets and comic books I guess. How I made it through cross country season with no lunch I have no idea.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 3:18 pm Out of curiosity, what age were your kids when you started giving them allowance?

About... 7?

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:31 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:27 pm Weed was $5 a gram for Colombian or $7 for good stuff.

The Cuervo Gold - The fine Colombian...

Those degenerates were probably singing about cocaine.

I couldn't afford cocaine in High School. For that I had to give handjobs at the Greyhound station.

I think that was a point of confusion in the 80s, yes when "Columbian" would likely have been slang for cocaine (which is what I always thought they were singing about). However, it wasn't until relatively recently that it was pointed out that the song was written in the 70s and that high quality marijuana came from Columbia. I'm not sure if it's been officially settled, but I think the song's meaning/feel makes more sense being all potted up on weed vs cocaine.

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:35 pm Before my (Jewish) boss left for Yom Kippur earlier today, he decided it was "talk like Jackie Mason day" for some reason...

You must commit the sin before you can atone for it.

Our kids get $10/week for

(13-yo:)
setting the table every night
mopping the kitchen floor and two bathroom floors on weekends

(15-yo:)
clearing the table every night, rinsing dishes, and helping load the dishwasher
vacuuming two floors of the house and the stairs every weekend

Of course they're also expected to make their beds every day and carry laundry on call, etc.

Both complain that their friends get more for less.

Actually in the 80s we got Columbian Gold weed and some dirt Mexican cheap weed mostly. The Columbian was better. But every now and then we'd get some good stuff from Hawaii called Maui Wowie.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:00 pm I think that was a point of confusion in the 80s, yes when "Columbian" would likely have been slang for cocaine (which is what I always thought they were singing about). However, it wasn't until relatively recently that it was pointed out that the song was written in the 70s and that high quality marijuana came from Columbia. I'm not sure if it's been officially settled, but I think the song's meaning/feel makes more sense being all potted up on weed vs cocaine.

Yup, in my day Columbian was the good weed. Mexican was the cheap stuff. Well, except for Acapulco Gold, of course.

(NSFW)

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:58 am Monty Python’s Flying Circus premiered 50 years ago today.

Still the funniest show ever created.

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:34 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:00 pm I think that was a point of confusion in the 80s, yes when "Columbian" would likely have been slang for cocaine (which is what I always thought they were singing about). However, it wasn't until relatively recently that it was pointed out that the song was written in the 70s and that high quality marijuana came from Columbia. I'm not sure if it's been officially settled, but I think the song's meaning/feel makes more sense being all potted up on weed vs cocaine.

Yup, in my day Columbian was the good weed. Mexican was the cheap stuff. Well, except for Acapulco Gold, of course.

Jeebus people. It is COLOMBIAN. C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A-N

Unless you are getting your dope from canada or south Carolina.

I also am not an Eduardo X alt.

And i have no idea what dope z-corn was geeting that was better than Colombian. Unless they were selling ditch weed as colombian and other stuff as "good".

Jesus. I have no excuse. I'll just show myself out.

Off topic, but isn't Colombus Day coming up?

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:38 pm Off topic, but isn't Colombus Day coming up?

No, but Columbis Day is on.

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:38 pm Off topic, but isn't Colombus Day coming up?

Who can think about that when tomorrow is Leif Erikson Day!

HINGA DINGA DURGEN

That one always trips me up.

There were better strains than Colombian around -- Thai stick, Panama Red, Michoacan, and the almost-mythical Hawaiian come to mind. None of them were better than, or even as good as, what your local dispensary dispenses today (except maybe Hawaiian, which was famously "one-hit weed" and priced accordingly). But Colombian and Mexican had most of the market, and they were easy to tell apart.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:05 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:38 pm Off topic, but isn't Colombus Day coming up?

Who can think about that when tomorrow is Leif Erikson Day!

HINGA DINGA DURGEN

I don’t care what anyone says, I’d put Lief Erikson up against almost any guitarist of the current music scene.

No, no...you're thinking of Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond.

EDIT: Oy. I've hit 40K. Time for an oil change.

Leif Erikson? Brad Garrett?

Are you sure you guys dont mean Leif Garrett? Boy toy and teen girl mag pinup from the 70s??

I just watched The Rookie from Sunday I had on DVR. To me Nathan is really getting that old man look to him. Hair lost its luster, eyebrows becoming bushy, thin neck and loose face. Man I swear I see him and think my God he is looking like an old man. I hate that. He is 2 years younger than me. I must look ancient. I wonder if he could be sick? I mean ya its been a while....17 year since Firefly but only 3 or 4 since Castle.

Also next ep this Sunday is cast from the past for The Rookie. His two detective buddies, Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever, from Castle are going to be on his Rookie show.

Castle to Rookie


And Firefly to now.


And yes that last pic is Nathan not NPH.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:36 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 3:18 pm Out of curiosity, what age were your kids when you started giving them allowance?

About... 7?

10. That's the age we started expecting him to contribute to the household upkeep with chores.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:39 pm Leif Erikson? Brad Garrett?

Are you sure you guys dont mean Leif Garrett? Boy toy and teen girl mag pinup from the 70s??

That’s actually Kristy McNichol. Get your 70s stars straight.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:04 pm No, no...you're thinking of Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond.

EDIT: Oy. I've hit 40K. Time for an oil change.

Congrats on joining an exclusive club with some great fringe benefits. For one, the ignore function actually will work on me now and you ca

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:41 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:43 pm TV news says average childrens allowance is $30 per week. In 2916 it was $17. Big jump. Heck in the 80s my allowance was $2.

My kids' allowance is $3/week. They have to put a minimum of $0.50 in savings and donate $0.50. The rest is theirs to do with as they please.

I maxed out at $1/week through my first job (around 1987).

That is my 10 year old daughter's as well. She dens't donate any though. She does the donations in lieu of gifts thing for her birthday parties. She blows it on whatever but generally saves it for when she wants something substantial. She earns bonus money from scoring 100% on test and helping her Grandma around her house.

A nonny mouse wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:03 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:34 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:00 pm I think that was a point of confusion in the 80s, yes when "Columbian" would likely have been slang for cocaine (which is what I always thought they were singing about). However, it wasn't until relatively recently that it was pointed out that the song was written in the 70s and that high quality marijuana came from Columbia. I'm not sure if it's been officially settled, but I think the song's meaning/feel makes more sense being all potted up on weed vs cocaine.

Yup, in my day Columbian was the good weed. Mexican was the cheap stuff. Well, except for Acapulco Gold, of course.

Jeebus people. It is COLOMBIAN. C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A-N

Unless you are getting your dope from canada or south Carolina.

I also am not an Eduardo X alt.

And i have no idea what dope z-corn was geeting that was better than Colombian. Unless they were selling ditch weed as colombian and other stuff as "good".

Sure, I'd LOVE to keep talking about my favorite Jeopardy category, "Drugs In the '80's". This is for 300...

The $5 Colombian we got was immature non-sinsemilla grown in huge fields with little care. It may very well have been from Mexico but we called it "Colombian". The $7 good weed was usually from Kentucky but once a year for about two months it was from Hastings, MI...about 30 miles down the road from me. It was the good ol' days when you could still plant in the middle of corn fields and not worry about airplanes spotting your crop.

A nonny mouse wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:03 pm I also am not an Eduardo X alt.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:42 pm I just watched The Rookie from Sunday I had on DVR. To me Nathan is really getting that old man look to him. Hair lost its luster, eyebrows becoming bushy, thin neck and loose face. Man I swear I see him and think my God he is looking like an old man. I hate that. He is 2 years younger than me. I must look ancient. I wonder if he could be sick? I mean ya its been a while....17 year since Firefly but only 3 or 4 since Castle.

I think he just lost weight and is older. He was getting quite puffy toward the end of Castle, and he probably got back in shape for the new role where he's supposed to be an older rookie police officer (who would theoretically need to be in excellent shape to keep up with his younger peers).

I don't think Eduardo X ever made the change to OO did he?

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:17 pm I don't think Eduardo X ever made the change to OO did he?

He was around for a while.

He even used to come to board game nights with IMLawboy, Lawbeef, Hentzau, Zarathud, Seppe and myself back in the day. But then, like Snow (another older member), he just disappeared one day.

I assume it had something to do with my choice in clothing.

Screw you, hackers. And screw you even more, Amazon.

Checked my e-mail today to find a notice that my Amazon account has been accessed by someone in China. Go to Amazon, try to login, and sure enough...there's now some random e-mail listed and it says there is no account associated with mine. Hacker dude was able to get in, change the e-mail, change the password, delete my cell number, and change the default language to Chinese. Awesome. As concerning as all that of is, they thankfully hadn't made any purchases yet. Called my bank and put a freeze on the account.

I immediately call Amazon. Go through the process of confirming my identity with them (with one of the questions being "did you make friends with anyone in China in the past 24 hours?" No, dipshit...I didn't), expecting that they would - at the very least - put a freeze on the account.

Nope.

They log a ticket, and it gets escalated to their fraud department for investigation. Investigation can take 24-48 hours before they get back to me to try and resolve the issue. Which means that I have to keep my bank accounts associated with the Amazon account locked in case Chinese hacker dude decides he'd like to start making a bunch of purchases...because Amazon apparently has no way to keep him from doing that.

So I've spent my entire night going through and changing my passwords on everything, and I'll be visiting the bank to get a new card tomorrow. Which will then require me to go back in and switch all my auto-withdrawals. I'm sure there's probably some other stuff I should be doing as well (contact the credit bureaus, I guess?) that I'll have to get to tomorrow.

What a pain in the ass. Hackers are such dicks, and Amazon was remarkably less than helpful.

Why not just remove your bank account and any other payment options from your Amazon account?

(For that matter, why would you use your regular bank account with ANY online shopping website?)

How the hell did someone get control of your Amazon account? Now I'm all freaked out!