Archive results for “March 2011f 2011”

On this page you will find the search results for the search term that you queried.

Public Transit Love Affair Ends…

Last month, my husband had a serious talk with me about my public transit use. As a frequent user of public transit, I follow a very strict set of rules when travelling. I don’t talk to others, I don’t carry or wear anything expensive, and I avoid eye contact with everyone except the driver. This system has worked well for me for years and I can honestly say I have enjoyed zoning out for two hours each day. Unfortunately, things have changed. A new, unwelcome group of riders have started travelling my route. I wrote about a problem a few months ago where I had to call transit security but… there have been more problems since. Some not as bad – some worse.

I like to think that, for the most part, I can take care of myself. I’m acutely aware of my surroundings. I carry a cell phone and a can of mace. And I’m a pretty mean fighter thanks to the several years I spent in training after college as a self-confidence booster.

But each passing week, I feel less strong and more vulnerable with the changing crowd.

I thought it was just me but each time I’d share an incident with my husband, I could see he was uncomfortable. One night, he came home from school and said, “You aren’t taking public transit anymore.” On his ride home, a man had pulled down his pants and started urinating everywhere.

Really? That’s what set him over the edge? I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’ve seen men do the same thing multiple times before and… I’m kinda used to it.

I put up a half hearted fight about how driving was expensive and how driving a vehicle on a Southern California freeway was just as dangerous as riding public transit but he said, “I’d rather have you die in a fiery car wreck than from a stab wound!”

How romantic?

So, I drive to work now. My husband may be breathing easier but thanks to my car emissions – the environment, my wallet, and future generations won’t be. Forgive me.

I’d like to think I’ll go back to my love affair with public transit…

But I guess we’ll have to see.

Posted by Beks on March 7, 2011 at 5:00 AM in Life Experiences, Money & Relationships | 19 Comments »
You can leave a response or trackback from your site. |

Tax Time Eye Opener…

My husband and I contribute to several charitable organizations throughout the year. Last year, one of them asked us if they could e-mail us monthly notices requesting our pledged donation rather than mail the paper copy. They anticipated this change would save a huge amount of money on postal expenses and I agreed with their new terms.

I get a lot of e-mail each day. Not because I’m popular or important, but because I get junk mail. Every few years, I switch e-mail addresses but without fail, the junk still comes. Because of this, my junk mail settings are stringent. I glance through the junk mail box and catch a non-junk piece or two but it’s not a fool proof method.

I printed my tax receipt from the charitable organization and realized I had missed three months of payments. Not consecutively, just random months were missing. When I checked my junk mailbox for one of the months, the bold reminder e-mail was still unread. Apparently some months make it through, while others don’t.

I made up the missing payments and set a reminder on my calendar but I can’t help but wonder if I’m not the only one whose charitable giving was lessened on the new e-mail system. Those three missed payments would have covered nearly two decades in postage fees to mail the paper copy to me. Fortunately I caught it and 2011 will be a more reliable year of payments from me but has anyone else experienced the same problem? Or is it just me demonstrating, yet again, that I am perhaps the least tech savvy person on the planet?

Posted by Beks on March 4, 2011 at 5:00 AM in taxes | 7 Comments »
You can leave a response or trackback from your site. |

The Tax Man…

I’m facing my biggest foe this weekend… the IRS. This is the second year we have decided to prepare our taxes ourselves with free tax software. It’s a huge savings from the $200+ we were spending on our accountant but I’m always a little leery about dealing with the government on my own… and I work for the government.

That should tell you something.

We will still have to consult with a friend about some questions we have, but I’m hoping we’ll come out on top again. We got a huge chunk of cash back last year but we didn’t adjust our withholdings since our deductions were changing this year. I know Dave Ramsey yells at people who let the government withhold too much money, but since our deductions are far from predictable, we have to take a safe route.

I’ve cleared my schedule (and the living room floor), chilled a 6-pack of beer to keep hubby interested, and I think we’re ready.

Poll time!

Do you prepare your own taxes or pay an accountant?

Posted by Beks on March 3, 2011 at 5:00 AM in Saving Money, taxes | 24 Comments »
You can leave a response or trackback from your site. |

Cough Cough… Mandatory Sick Days?

My co-worker came into work a month ago with a nasty flu. When we asked her why she was there, she said she had burned through her vacation time over the holidays and couldn’t afford to take the time off.

We tried our best to defend ourselves from her coughing, sneezing, and wheezing through plenty of hand washing and Lysol spraying, but one by one, we watched as the entire department came down with the flu… followed by the surrounding two departments within two weeks.

Despite my best efforts to protect myself like Rene Russo in ‘Outbreak’, I was sidelined by the bug and lay on the couch for three days begging my husband to take me to the ER because death was imminent.

I can be a little dramatic when I’m sick.

One of my coworkers has a husband who is undergoing cancer treatment and his immune system is weak. When she ultimately came down with the virus, she had to wear a mask in her home, sleep in a separate bedroom, and use a different bathroom to protect her husband.

California is working to pass legislation forcing companies to give between 5 and 9 sick days a year to employees. Studies indicate that employees are unable to afford time off and come in to work, spreading the flu.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think my company is to blame for the fact that I’m laying on my couch praying I don’t get pneumonia…again, but I wonder if this law would make a difference.

Then again, I’m not a fan of government involvement in anything so I have mixed feelings.

What do you think? Should the states mandate sick time so folks like me stop getting sick from infectious co-workers?

Posted by Beks on March 1, 2011 at 5:00 AM in work | 32 Comments »
You can leave a response or trackback from your site. |

« Newer Archives