Headdesk moment of the day:

I call my mom to tell her about my job:

Mom: that's great, congratulations! Are they paying you a lot?

Me: Um. No... see, it's a small non profit and what they do is-

Mom: (interrupts, disappointed) Oh.

ISTG.

As long as you cover your cost of living, how much a job pays ≠ how good a job is. There is huge mental compensation for doing a job that matters.

I totally agree, omnis!

Nora: fantastic news! Congratulations.

Oh my, doing something you care about is so much more important than the pay rate. Compensation comes in other ways than cash.

Yaaaaaay NORA! That's great news! As omnis said, as long as you're making enough, being happy is more important than being paid a lot. (You're nicer than me. If it were my mom, I would have probably told her it was volunteer position, just to hear her reaction.)

I pretty much tip everyone 20% because the math is easy.

My thinking exactly. Though sometimes I'll tip more if an exact 20% means taking like one dollar out of the change. No matter how much it is, taking back one dollar makes me feel cheap, like, I calculated *precisely* how much the tip should be and they're not getting a penny more!

I pretty much tip everyone 20% because the math is easy.

I always tip 20% for this reason.

Once I was talking to a woman who said she expects restaurants to give her change to enable her to give the correct tip amount. Say a good tip would be $3 and she gets $6 in change. If they give her a five and a one and if she doesn't have any more singles she'll just tip $1 - she feels they should automatically give her change of six ones if they want the $3 tip. Anyone hear that theory before?

Nora, that's awesome. Sounds like your mom and my dad should get together and go bowling. I just got friended by some chick in Cairo...I haven't felt this international since "Life is my Adena Watson case" made it to...was it Norway or Sweden. I forget. Anyway. I am almost old enough to be her mom, though.Scary thought.

Mom: that's great, congratulations! Are they paying you a lot?

Me: Um. No... see, it's a small non profit and what they do is-

Mom: (interrupts, disappointed) Oh.

Oh, parents. Yesterday I got the double-whammy of "It's a good job for now, but you should always be looking for other opportunities" from my dad (because I said work was really busy?) and "You should find a job here and move back home" from my mom (because she can ask, right?).

As long as you're happy with/at your job and you can afford the occasional beignet, huzzah.

tommyrot: that woman is nuts. If you need specific change back ask for it. She is just looking for an excuse to not tip appropriately.