Comments on: 2 Reasons I Shouldn’t be a Personal Finance Blogger.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:42:11 +0000

Haha, yeah possibly. Or maybe we just try out MORE stuff over the years to be able to tell the difference? :) Roger that on tipping too – I always do a flat 20% as I rarely get superb service anyways. Although, this weekend I did tip $5 on a $12 bill! But only cuz I was being a pain to her by accident (I kept changing my mind, haha…)

By: Diana Doherty

Diana Doherty — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:29:32 +0000

I wonder if the price/quality thing is our age or just that we’ve lived long enough to get sick of replacing cheap things. Learning the difference between cheap and inexpensive the hard way.
(15% is typically considered the norm, but it’s an outdated norm. 20% before tax should be your standard tip, more if the service deserves it.)

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:20:50 +0000

@Kody @ Financial Money Tips – Anytime my friend – I aim to please ;) (and no, she was not cute)
@Jaime – Awww, thanks – I should save this to read every time I mess up going forward ;)
@LB – “The server can’t always do something about bad food, but she/he can always do something about bad service.” YES!!! So. True.
@alysa(at)impulsesave.com – Haha, that’s true. Although I wish I HAD given in to my pacakes to begin with!
@Kathryn C – Oooh I like that! That damn speeding sign always slows me down! Haha… good point my friend – you’re a smarty.
@Crystal of Moneydrain.net – I can always be in Frederick! Is that where you live?? If so, we’re totally having lunch one day :) Though it is a bit of a hike for me, so maybe on a slow day, like a Friday!
@Diana Doherty – Hmmmm… I guess I can see your point. Though I could have sworn 15% was the average. I’d always tip no matter what cuz I’d always feel bad not doing so, but a good lesson here is to always speak up in the first place :) I should have totally grabbed a manager, or just flat out asked her to take it off the bill – which I didn’t, even though she should have known.
@Jenna – Haha, yeah I’m getting more demanding of quality too as I go up in years :) Now I’m not averse to spending extra money on better stuff like I used to be.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:25:07 +0000

It really just depends on the situation and whether I think it’s worth it. I went clothes shopping earlier this year (a rarity for me) and forgot a $10 rewards coupon and a $25 gift card. Although, I’d actually forgotten I even had these items until I got home. I was pretty mad at myself when I saw them. However, I realized that I could use the gift card later, so I was only losing the $10 (which was expiring soon). The $10 wasn’t worth driving back out to return an item and re-buy it with the coupon, since it would’ve cost me almost that much in gas.

In terms of situations where someone else is “at fault,” I don’t generally like conflict, and if I’m tired or stressed I can be even less likely to want to deal with an issue. However, on the other hand, I’ve definitely gotten more demanding of good service/quality as I get older, and sometimes crankiness will make me just that much more feisty!

By: Diana Doherty

Diana Doherty — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:46:39 +0000

Having worked as both a bartender and waitress, this “And then I tipped her. Like a bigger idiot. (WTF is wrong with me? haha…)” immediately made me defensive. Always tip the wait staff. In most cases, especially at chain restaurants, tips are part of their pay. Federal Law still permits that, as long as their tips bring their wages up to minimum wage, an employer may pay wait staff $2.13 per hour. That is not a typo. You should tip 20% to an average waiter, more if they go above and beyond for you or you have a party larger than 4.

@Walnut — That waiter should have been tipped less than you typically would tip and you should have spoken to the manager about his behavior. That is unacceptable.

By: Crystal of Moneydrain.net

Crystal of Moneydrain.net — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:05:57 +0000

ha ha, I’ve paid for things and meals before that I later regretted. I have a hard time being mean to people and speaking up if service sucks. I don’t mind not tipping, but I rarely send food back unless it’s entirely RAUNCHY.

If you’re ever up in Frederick let me know!

By: Kathryn C

Kathryn C — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:59:22 +0000

I’m all about good service so when someone brings me sh-t, I usually tell them, in a nice way. Then, if they don’t handle it properly, like take it off the bill or whatever, I ding them on their tip. I know I sound mean, but I’m in the service business and that’s how I get paid $$. In fact I often over tip, beyond 20%, if a waiter is overly accommodating.

People need a feed back loop like that, or else they don’t change their behavior. It’s the same reason why we have little signs in neighborhoods that tell us what speed we’re going; you see you’re driving faster than the speed limit because you can see the sign that tells you, and you slow down. Otherwise….you keep speeding. Nobody wants to change anything unless there is a feedback loop.

By: alysa@impulsesave.com

alysa@impulsesave.com — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:44:40 +0000

I think Nicole makes a great point: there’s a difference between the “false advertising” of a meal and not liking what you ordered. The former gives you a bit more justification for talking to the waitress, while the latter isn’t, really. Either way, I think it’s great that you attempted to be healthy at an establishment known more for their delicious-but-not-so-healthy options – so points for you on that one! It’s sometimes tough to not act on impulse, and you didn’t!

By: LB

LB — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:42:48 +0000

I absolutely hate bad service, more than bad food. The server can’t always do something about bad food, but she/he can always do something about bad service. The last bad service I had was at a McDonalds when I was caring for my mom after surgery. I wanted to use their wifi and take a 30 minute break so thought I would just order a couple of pies. The freaking pies took 10 minutes not because they didn’t have any, but because of they way they were handling customers. My order was placed on the counter with the rest. Mine was to-go so all the trays for the stay-in orders covered it up. Like they couldn’t have just reached behind them and gave me a pie. Took me so much time to get them I actually didn’t get a whole lot of wifi time. I never went back. Actually I still don’t go to any McDonald’s, but I don’t really care for their food.

By: Jaime

Jaime — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:34:44 +0000

No one is perfect and I don’t expect finance bloggers to have perfect 100% finance habits 100% of the time. That’s insane. I think its good that you share your imperfections, it makes you very human and relatable. You show that even if you make mistakes, you can still get back on track and save. I don’t use coupons either, and I know other savers who don’t.