Archive results for “March 2010f 2010”
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Saturday morning, I woke up and tried to click on my favorite internet news site.
‘YOUR COMPUTER HAS LOST CONNECTION WITH THE INTERNET’ blared across my screen.
A five minute phone call to my internet provider later, I discovered my wireless router had died. Sure, my router is older than most sixth graders but I had hoped it would hang on until I was debt free – such a selfish router not to consider my finances before dying. But alas, in government terms, the router has ‘reached the end of its useful life’.
So, I did what I do best when it comes to broken things in my home, I kept my mouth shut and hoped no one would notice. In a crunch, I could bike to our local library to write the blog.
Thirty seconds after I made my decision to hide it, my brother shouted, ‘The internet is down! Do you want me to call the cable company? I’ve got a report to write for work.’
Darn.
I dragged my desktop computer halfway into the hallway and the Ethernet cable the other half distance to serve as a makeshift internet station. My brother isn’t necessarily pleased since he usually surfs the internet from the comfort of his room and given the fact that he pays half the bill, I need to fix it.
I am writing this blog from the ‘comfort’ of my makeshift internet station with my body jimmied between the hallway, the office, and the bathroom. I’ve tripped my husband 14 times and I have a nasty bruise on my leg. My brother keeps asking when I’m getting off the computer so he can write his work report. For my sanity and the sanity of those I live with…
Where is the best (code word – CHEAPEST) place to get a router?
My brother called me yesterday to tell me someone had stolen his credit identity and he wanted to know what to do.
Naturally, I pulled out my ‘What to do When Someone Steals Your Identity’ contingency manual and relayed step by step instructions accompanied by contacts and phone numbers.
Well, that’s what I wish happened.
It was more like, ‘Hey sis, someone is using my cards! What do I do?!?’
‘Um. Er. Uh’ was the best I could manage.
I’m the equivalent of an auto insurance salesman with no idea what to do in the event of a car accident.
In light of that embarrassing fact, I did some research and discovered the four steps to take when your identity has been stolen…
1.) Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.
2.) Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
3.) File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
4.) File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.
The Federal Trade Commission’s website tackles these steps in a simple manner AND supplies pertinent contact information with the most appropriate methods to communicate. They also define identity theft and ways to prevent it. Check it out and bookmark it on your computer… just in case.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html
Hi everyone! Tricia here with a monthly update.
This month has been a lot better than last month even though there was a pinch from my medical bills. The total damage after insurance came to $560. I can’t really complain when the total bill for my mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy came to almost $2,000.
Back when we had $37,000 in credit card debt, those medical bills would have set me off the deep end. There would have been plenty of tears and moments of desperation. I can’t say how thankful I am that we managed to pull ourselves together, pay our credit cards off and stash some money in an emergency fund. It seemed like a long three years at the time, but in hindsight it doesn’t seem like it was that long at all. If you are having a hard time with keeping motivated to pay off debt, just keep at it. Trust me. It’s been worth it.
That leads me to mention that we are still credit card debt free. We are spending less than we earn and we still have money in the bank. We aren’t as far with contributing to our savings or paying towards our other debt balances as I had hoped, thanks to some financial set backs. None of them forced us back into credit card debt so I cannot complain. What we will do is keep chugging along.
In the last update, I mentioned that I had to sit down and do our taxes. Well, they are almost done. I usually go through them once and put in a few estimates if I can’t readily locate some paperwork. Then I go back in and finalize it. I’m at that point where I have to dig for paperwork. I am glad to report that we will be getting a tax refund just shy of $1,000. I thought for sure we didn’t pay enough in self-employment taxes but I guess we paid more than enough! Some new deductions we were able to take this year really helped and were a pleasant surprise.
What should we do with the windfall? My first thought (as always) is to get a nice LCD TV. I first wrote a post about how much I wanted one back in July of 2006 (that’s the really neat thing about blogging – you can look up dates like that 
). I am still mesmerized by them all of the time in the stores and I’ve watched the prices drop year after year. But we still haven’t bought one. Am I finally going to get one? No. As much as I still want one, I can’t do it. Our tax return is going to our savings account.
I will conclude this update with saying that April 24th will be a special day in our household – it marks exactly a year since our credit card debt was paid off. I can’t believe it has been almost a year. My, my, my, how the time does fly!
Till next time…take care everyone!
I know I shouldn’t admit this – heck, its bad enough you know how in debt I am! – but…
I don’t wash my hair very often. I wash my hair no more than twice per week… and sometimes, not even that much.
My naturally curly hair can’t handle it – that and I’d rather spend the extra hour it takes to dry my locks doing ‘productive’ things like sleeping.
But I’ve always felt lonely in my non-washing world. It’s a secretive place. No one particularly likes to hear on a Friday morning that I haven’t washed my hair since Thursday… of last week. I’d start immersing my hair in fragrant shampoo if people seemed at all put off but I have just the opposite reaction – people compliment my hair on a regular basis.
Apparently, there is a growing trend called the ‘No-poo movement’. Nope, didn’t make that up. Someone really thought ‘poo’ and ‘movement’ was a good combo. The movement is fueled by eco-conscious folks as a way to help the environment by reducing chemical usage and plastic waste but…
All I can think is, ‘woo hoo! Another way to save a buck.’ And I’m sure all you are thinking is, ‘Wow, her penny pinching ways have taken her off the deep end.’
But, give it some thought or give it a try. Let me know how it turns out!
Learn more about the ‘No Poo Movement’ at:
NPR
MSNBC
Glamour
I thought I was an informed food shopper. Lots of multi-grain foods, cheap fruits/veggies, and a balance of Top Ramen.
Then I read, ‘Eat This Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide’ by David Zinczenko
Now I feel like an idiot.
Turns out, multi-grain is not the same as whole grain (I can ‘hear’ my mother rolling her eyes) and I need to branch out on fruits/veggies. I particularly like that the author includes comparisons of junk food from bad to worse – because let’s be realistic, could we ever give them up completely?
The author also shares the best seasons to buy specific fruits and veggies to save money. And, if you invest in healthy, filling food, you can save on your overall grocery bill.
Um, embarrassingly, I should note that I had to watch eHow to figure out how to eat a Kumquat – and… I really like them.
Ah, it’s Spring! Time to go outside, clean your yard, and watch your unleashed dog chase the poor redheaded runner down the street.
Oh wait. That’s probably just my spring season fun.
I hate the first signs of warm weather. Cooped up homeowners and their ‘nice’ dogs hang out on front porches across my neighborhood – dogs who have pent up frustration and aggravation from being chained or penned for the last 4 months.
For runners, cyclists, and pleasure walkers, this is the most dangerous time of year. Last year at this time, a pit bull jumped me from the side and knocked me into the street while his owner yelled, ‘Don’t worry, he’s nice!’
And I promise, no matter what the actions of the dog, the owner will always say how ‘nice’ their dog is. Yes, your dog is nice…now will you kindly remove his or her teeth from my arm?
While I can appreciate that these dogs motivate me to run faster and set new personal distance records, I don’t particularly like the ‘running for my life’ aspect.
I know my readers would never allow their animals to pounce on poor unsuspecting exercisers, but if you happen to know someone who does, help me out and… yell at them.
What does this have to do with finance? According to the City of San Diego (and I’m sure your neighborhood too), pet owners are obligated to provide public protection from their dogs:
‘Each year thousands of area residents are bitten or attacked by dogs. Many bite victims are substantially injured and children sustain the majority of injuries. As a result of these incidents, owners are often subject to administrative action and may also incur criminal responsibility and/or civil liability’
Three words…
Lawyers are expensive.
Leash those dogs folks – even the ‘nice’ ones.
I will not sing the ‘I told you’ so song.
I will NOT sing the ‘I told you’ so song.
I WILL NOT sing the ‘I told you’ so song.
Now that I have that off my chest, it’s time to say…
I told you so.
Lifelock recently settled a $12,000,000 lawsuit. For what? Not actually protecting consumers. Actually, the FTC says it best, “While LifeLock promised consumers complete protection against all types of identity theft, in truth, the protection it actually provided left enough holes that you could drive a truck through it,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a written statement.
Turns out, Lifelock had not only failed to protect consumers, it put them at risk. Personal information was not protected in-house.
I’m not saying all credit protection agencies don’t work, but I am saying that no one is as aggressive at protecting my credit as I am. So why pay a monthly fee?
The article can be read here.
I was particularly amused with the response from Lifelock, “LifeLock is pleased with this agreement, which, for the very first time, works to set advertising guidelines for the entire industry. We welcome federal and state efforts to regulate our industry, because doing so helps to protect consumers from the risks of identity theft,” said LifeLock Chairman and CEO Todd Davis.
Uh huh. Sure Todd. Whatever helps you to sleep at night.
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
- Added Debt: $1,781.50
- Total Debt: $40,277.36
- Paid: $36,084.36
- Remaining: $4,193.00
- Broken Down
- Auto Loan 1: $0.00
- Credit Card: $0.00
- Student Loan: $4,193.00
- Auto Loan 2: $0.00
- Vet Loan: $0.00
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