Company gives employee a $150 bonus, takes $150 out of her next paycheck: 'My manager made a big show of giving me a holiday bonus. Now he's saying it was a salary advance.'

Either this was a payroll mistake, or her boss is a real slimeball. 

In some offices, bonuses are 100% expected, especially around Christmastime. Some employees base their entire Christmas gift budget around the bonus they get at the end of the year. Some people can fully fund their Roth IRA with just the money they get from their bonus. It's one of those things that keeps employees motivated and excited, not to mention, it helps good employees stick around. 

Not all workplaces have a bonus culture. Some workplaces don't have bonuses at all, while others only give them when they feel they have really been earned. Sometimes bonuses are based on tangible data, and other times they're just based on vibes. If you work in one of these offices where bonuses aren't guaranteed, you probably shouldn't rely on the money from said bonus for your day-to-day expenses. You should either use it to pay off debt, put it in a savings account, or spend it on something fun you wouldn't usually buy. If you spend a bunch of money thinking, "I can't afford this, but I'll probably get a bonus in two months so I can pay it off then," you might be in for a world of heartache when that bonus ultimately doesn't come through. You can't rely on a raise or a bonus unless the money is tangibly in your hands or in writing. It's sad, but true.