Friday!

Color me surprised!




2 months ago that arrow was in the orange "not good" part.

If you buy your score on myfico.com, use promo code "fico25" for 20% off.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Mad Max Monday

Friday

As I refill my stapler, I can only think

Pooch Wednesday

Can your dog read?

Mad Max Monday

Trying to shove me out of the way so he can play games on my laptop.

Water Bottles

Tired of wasting money on water bottles all the time? Hard to believe just a few years ago most people didn't buy tons of bottled water all the time. 

Not sure which reusable water bottle to buy or worried about pollution? After all, the EPA doesn't monitor or regulate the water in water bottles so if you so desired you can sell swamp water with a nice label slapped on.

Well check this out:

apparently you can now find water bottles that have an internal purifier inside so you don't have to constantly refill your Brita.

These bottles are a bit pricey but I think a great investment if you take into account how much money is wasted on individual water bottles ($1.75 for a water bottle at a restaurant that doesn't even have a/c!)

TGIF

Bank coupon

after much waiting, Chase is back with their coupon!

This coupon is available on their website. As much as I hate all banks, gotta love free money.

November 26, 2010

Black Friday.

2 words meant to accelerate your heart rate and pulse, making people do crazy things like wake up, get dressed, and stand in long lines for hours in the dark clutching a wrinkled ad with a crazy glint of determination in their eyes.

If a person were to really think about it, the whole day is crazy and goes against human nature. After all, when finished with a large meal a human being is usually tired and wants to sleep for long periods of time (think polar bears).  But not in this society.

I am ashamed to admit I did not fully resist the sales of the day.  In an effort to control the urge to run out and buy diamond earrings at 4 a.m., I called my mother and took her to lunch. I presented her with a $50 Nordstrom Rack coupon (obtained for $25 online).  Then she suggested we go to this place and my resolve cracked (a resolve that was shaky due to seductive emails from Amazon with insane discounts on dvds). 

This very afternoon I have to go back to Nordstrom Rack and return some of these items because I don't need them (unless I plan to show up to work in a cotton jersey dress that is too loose around the top) and because it's crazy I even bought this stuff. Though I did need seasons 1 and 2 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ($10.47 on Amazon) for mental health reasons because when I'm feeling down this show always cheers me up.

At least I didn't get the diamond earrings.

Though little Max has no idea I spent the funds earmarked for unmanning him and runs innocently around (testicles intact and testorone running high for now).

Lesson learned? To leave my wallet at home and have less than half a gallon of gas in my tank at all times.

Mad Max Monday

While we're all hard at work (or finding it hard to be at work), Max is sleeping like only the cute and insane sleep.

TGI BLACK FRIDAY

Top 5 favorite holiday gift ideas under $50

1. Belle Hop Travel Door Alarm

It's a great gift for anyone you know living alone or for anyone concerned about safety in general. It hangs on your doorknob with the sensor between the door and doorframe. If anyone opens the door (like a serial killer) it will immediately sound. You can also use this nifty little door alarm for hotel rooms and dorm rooms. When I saw this at The Container Store I immediately snatched it up (my fear of serial killers has led to a ban on Criminal Minds).  

2.  Itunes Gift Card

Yes you were expecting a suggestion that was a tad more personal for someone.  Well Apple is everywhere.  An itunes gift card enables someone to buy anything from songs, books, audio books, movies, tv shows, etc. What's not to love?  If the person you gift this to is far away, well you can just email them the gift card and ensure they not only receive it but save an additional 44 cents in postage. 

3.  12 Volt Jump-Start and Power Supply

Jumper cables belong with the cassette tape era. You charge it once for 24 hours and voila! You are set to go. You can not only jump start your car with a simple push of a button (the one in the photo is similar to mine and lets you know when it needs to be charged again) but you can also use the adapter to provide light (has a built in flashlight) and use as a small generator for your computer, cell phone, etc. when the power is out. If you don't use it that often (I've used mine once in the last 2 years) just charge it once every 3 months. Less than $50 and basically all around awesome.

4.  Digital Photo Frame

Your loved one can look at your smiling mug all day long. This Friday I know Target is going to have a digital photo frame on sale for less than $25 and I plan to buy it, load with only pictures of myself and give to my mother. She can't escape me!  Very thoughtful if you load it before you gift it with special photos. 

5.  Mini Camcorder

Cheaper than the Flip, some companies like Coby and Kodak offer mini camcorders as an alternative to the bigger camcorders, which offer great video recording and are easy to download onto your computer (have usb). This would be great for a teenager who doesn't necessarily have a cell phone with a video camera (I'm sure they exist out there. I wouldn't give a teen a car much less a $400 cell phone) or for you wanting something a bit more easy to use and with a zoom function to record your memories. 

Pooch Wednesday!

Financial Mistakes

Financial mistakes I've made this past month that I am correcting:

1. Bought expensive dog harness that I am now going to return. After all, there's nothing wrong with Poochi's current harness except being old. The $30 could be applied somewhere else (like an existing credit card balance. I battle spending impulses often.

(offensive expensive harness)

2. Bought many packs of bottled Fiji water thinking "I can't possibly drink Zephyrills!" This reasoning changed after 1 fitness boot camp session where I drank an entire bottle of Fiji water, remained thirsty and bought a store brand bottled water sold at boot camp. I wouldn't have cared if it was from a rusty tap at that point.

Goodbye many bottles of water, hello environmental & fiscal conservation!

 

(water bottle courtesy of boot camp)

3. Bought books from the itunes bookstore. Now I just read them at the bookstore without purchasing. If you're wondering why I don't go to the public library it is because when my car was stolen 9 years ago I had library books in the trunk and the public library refused to absolve the costs (though I was a victim of a crime and had a police report itemizing these books!). I refuse to pay these fines as I see it as a matter of principle. If my public high school was willing to absolve the cost of an expensive video camera (don't leave anything in your car folks) then why can't the public library?!

4. Bought too many lunches instead of packing it from home. Goodbye $4.51 a slice pumpkin cheesecake.

(I know it looks good and tastes even better) 

My biggest obstacle was making lunch in the mornings, till I got the idea to make it in bulk on the weekend and just have the sandwiches waiting to be grabbed in the fridge before the work week begins. So this week I have 3 roast chicken and provolone cheese sandwiches waiting to be eaten. Why roast chicken? My boot camp instructor insists this is healthier than deli meat. No picture of the sandwiches because it doesn't look as great as the food porn above. Though its healthier!

Many of my mistakes are simple common sense errors yet I know many make the same mistakes. I heard water bottles are taking up the most space in landfills these days. And as for the cheesecake, well take a look at that photo! Only the blind can resist!

Mad Max Monday

Before:





After:





Just call him Mr. Polished

TGIF

Medication Costs

Rising healthcare costs are a problem people are facing everywhere, especially for medications. Now many people shop online for some prescribed needed medication and receive it from India, Canada, etc. If you're not sure you should check for cheaper prices outside of the U.S. because you've heard horror stories about people receiving the wrong medication or fake medication, you should check out pharmacychecker.com. It is completely legitimate and only features real pharmacies and products. You just enter in the name of your medication and it will give you a list of online pharmacies offering what you're looking for as well as the prices for each site. You can also check out pharmacyreviewer.com to double check the online pharmacy in question.

Another option I strongly suggest and utilize myself for medications that are not available online and are ridiculously expensive is to go to the actual pharmaceutical company's website and look for coupons.  For example, I have ADD and take Vyvanse a new product that I can't buy online yet need to take daily (believe me I need this). I'm lucky enough to have an individual health plan paid for by my employer but before I meet my $250 prescription drug deductible Vyvanse is $149 a month. Yet last month I was able to find a coupon on Shire's website which offered a free month's supply. I printed it, took it to CVS and voila! free drugs for me.  This month I checked again and while there isn't another free month's supply, there is a $50 coupon! 

Now I'm set for this month. However, in 2 months I am going back to school and do not have a healthcare plan or a job. So when looking on Shire's website I also noticed they have an assistance program for this particular drug for people making less than $25,000 a year.  Since I'll be in school and working part time I plan to apply in order to continue being able to take my important medication and not have to struggle to pay for it.

So go ahead, surf the web and check the pharmaceutical company who created the drug first to see what they offer. I think the reason Shire has all the coupons for this particular drug is because there isn't a generic version for this drug yet, they want people to take it (since it lasts for 14 hours) and they're aware it's pricey. If not check out pharmacychecker.com and pharmacyreviewer.com and see if you can get your drugs outsourced! 

Capital One interest rate reduction attempt

My interest rates on some of my credit cards are ridiculously high. So I periodically log on to myfico.com, search for the backdoor numbers and make the calls.

Now my Capital One credit card used to have a 12% APR. Which was great. Then December last year trying to take advantage of my benefits, I utilized my payment protector plan since I had moved that month. The payment protector plan paid my minimum payment for December. Then early January I called and attempted to cancel my payment protector plan (under the reasoning that if I was unemployed and broke, my credit card bills would be the least of my problems). I did not cancel since the representative convinced me I could use payment protector again that month to make my minimum payment since it was a new year then cancel with no repercussions. Ok, great. I utilized it.

So what happened? Obviously this story has a point and it is not to let you know I moved. Well the payment protector service made my payment but also charged me their monthly fee and then Capital One charged me an overlimit balance.

Voila! Goodbye 12% APR, hello high interest rate.

I didn't notice any of this because I was a fool who didn't look at any statements or charges (though I have always and remain great at moving).

So I called Capital One (via backdoor number where representatives are supposed to be nicer and able to make executive positive account decisions), explained the situation and asked for an APR reduction. After all, 23.99% is way over the WSJ prime rate and I have been making timely payments for over 3 years.

No luck. So I kept calling (I had 5 backdoor numbers for Capital One) and explaining each time that I would appreciate an APR reduction since I have been making regular payments steadily, the payment protector situation and how in these tough economic times they should appreciate the paying customers they have left since debt settlement companies are slowly but surely invading the deep in debt, minimum payment making population. Well it turns out that my new high APR increase was not due to the payment protector plan but because Capital One had changed the terms of my agreement (an agreement I did not receive), they would merely review my account later and to "keep doing what you're doing!"


When I'd say I've been doing what I'm doing for over 48 months and that nothing has ever happened, much less a positive account review, that I had not received this agreement at all and would appreciate some customer appreciation, I'd get "I'm sorry ma'am. That's all I could say. Keep doing what you're doing!" Awesome. That's great customer service Capital One. Keep it up.  From my POV, doing what I'm doing has lead to nothing with them.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Then the last representative I spoke to was hysterical. Here's a rough transcript of the conversation:

Rep: I understand and I'm sorry. I have credit cards too.

Me: Please don't apologize. If I didn't receive the change in agreement terms, have been a 3 year customer in good standing, then why isn't an APR reduction possible?

Rep: Capital One reviews the accounts regularly. Keep doing what you're doing.

Me testy after an hour of basically begging for customer appreciation in some visible form: Well I've been doing what I'm doing for over 3 years and I don't think an APR reduction would hurt in keeping customer moral up. After all, there are many people who stop making their payments, settle their balance for half of what it originally was and the ones who get screwed are the people who actually continue doing the right thing by making monthly payments. What's the incentive here to continue paying each month?

Rep: Well that's not true ma'am. People do not settle for half ever.

Me: They do actually.  All the time.  One of my best friends did it.  She owed $4,500 and only paid $2,000.

Rep: Well I don't know about that. It isn't the right thing to do.  You have a moral obligation to do this. 

Me thinking about how I signed up for this credit card for a free pita. I should have just paid the $6 for the stupid pita.

Me: I don't see where the moral obligation is exactly.  How do these accounts get reviewed regularly if I've been a customer for a while and have yet to have my account reviewed?

Rep:  Well ma'am your balance is high.

Me: Right and I'd be able to lower my balance quickly if I had a lower interest rate which you're telling me is not a possibility at the time or apparently within the last year. Let me ask you a question.  If I stopped making my payments, what would happen? I don't own anything, my car is leased and I'm broke.  There's no one you could even go after for the money.  And each time a debt settlement company calls me, I'm seriously tempted.  All I am asking for is a little understanding.

Rep: You don't have to be rude ma'am.

Me: How exactly am I being rude? I am making factual statements and you are telling me that I have a moral obligation to continue making these payments which I don't understand.

Rep: It's not right.

basically the end of the call.
------------------------------------------------------------
Though I did not get an APR reduction this month I still recommend calling and asking anyway.  You don't know until you try.

I was able to reduce my Citi Card APR by over 10% because their customer service is basically better than Capital One.

As for Capital One, well in a few months I may just go the debt settlement route and hope the last rep I spoke to gets to read my settlement amount.

November 12

Off Topic

Dear Max,

Hard to believe just a few months ago I hated your tiny guts. Now, though you just peed in the food bowl, I can't imagine life without you.




Make sure you don't go anywhere my turd.

I'll show you...Air Filter

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I've not changed my car's cabin air filter in a while because it's so expensive ($35) at the service center. Then not so long ago while inquiring on how much it cost to fix my sun visor (which sagged) I had a "moment". "$170" the smug car service guy said. This was also the same day the guy told me he made over $75,000 a year while arguing over my coupon validity. That's right. And all he does is take your car keys, have you sign the estimate and act smug. 'Screw you' I thought. I went home to simmer and think. How much of what is done at the shop really necessary to pay for at the shop? After researching (and applying Velcro to hold up my sun visor) I was still indignant and determined to stop making these guys (and large wealthy car companies) richer. I didn't find any "car repairs for women who know zilch about cars" books but I did find plenty of helpful articles online and was able to make a plan.

Here's my cabin air filter replacement job by me.

Step 1: locate car manual and buy filter.





Step 2:
Disconnect side thing (damper) and pull glove box down.





I was at first scared I'd pull too hard and break it. Somehow I did it without tearing it off like the hulk.

Step 3:

Smug smile at progress.

Step 4:





There's the cover! Remove with both hands.

Step 5:





Remove the air filter.

Check out how FILTHY mine was.






Yes those are leaves. It's a miracle I didn't have an asthma attack daily while driving. Though my car did smell weird. I'm just glad a dead animal didn't fall out too.

Here's the new very clean, leaf and debris free filter





Step 6:

Slide new filter in. Some filters say UP but mine had an arrow which I slide in with arrows facing up.





Cover back on.






Another smug smile.

Step 7:

Put glove box back on. Notice the right bottom thing is unlatched? Make sure you latch it on with a firm click or the glove box won't close.





Step 8:

Slide thing (damper) back on.





Yes it's elastic so you can pull it down to latch it back.






Success!

I'm very excited about driving to the park with CLEAN air pulsing through my vents.

Him?





He'll come around though he'll never admit the air doesn't smell bad anymore.

Mechanic cost: $35 *excluding tax

DIY cost: $13.00 *including tax

Took me less than 30 minutes!

DIY

Looking for car owners manual so I could change air filter and brake pads myself.

Work in progress. More coming soon!

Wants

Every time I reach to buy something I want but don't need, I think to myself "what I want more than ___________ is to be out of credit card debt".

So needless to say I do not have the pleasure of owning a Clarisonic Microscrubber or any DVDs such as season 5 of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

I'm not doing it intentionally like a mantra chant, it's just popping into my mind on it's own as if my own subconscious is tired of my credit card balances and payments.

Pretty effective.

Please feel free to share your own tips!

Interesting money quote from founding father

Thomas Jefferson, on living within your means:

"But I know nothing more important to inculcate into the minds of young people than the wisdom, the honor, and the blessed comfort of living within their income, to calculate in good time how much less pain will cost them the plainest stile of living which keeps them out of debt, than after a few years of splendor above their income, to have their property taken away for debt when they have a family growing up to maintain and provide for."

-- From a letter to Martha Jefferson Randolph in 1808


When I saw this quote on MSN this morning I had to laugh. In case you're wondering why I'm laughing it's because I never take advice from people who don't practice what they preach. Like when I was working at the copy center at school and my supervisor (who had a Masters and couldn't get a job elsewhere) would give me tips on job hunting after I graduated from college. I'd listen to what he had to say then think "I will follow exactly opposite that" since it was obvious these tips weren't working for him. Same logic applies for our dear founding father, Thomas Jefferson. He had a huge amount of debt (granted a lot from his own father) but also had a huge amount of his own creditors and he lived well above his own means, thus racking up more debt. The only reason he didn't file for bankruptcy was because it wasn't available at the time. So I'm sure Martha Jefferson Randolph read that letter and thought to herself, I wonder when he's going to pay me that fifty bucks he owes me and sighed. 


Happy 4th!

Drastic times

Drastic times call for drastic measures.

"Ask a Credit Counselor"

today you can go on MSN money board and ask an NFCC Credit Counselor advice.

http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/board.asp?board=AskACreditCounselor

To Save or Not to Save...that is the question

Lately I have been hosting an internal debate as to whether it is better to build up a savings account or whether to use all excess income (after all the many bills have been paid) towards paying off my substantial credit card debt.

When googling and reading numerous MSN Money articles on this topic, I came to find that there was no definitive answer. At all. Everyone has a different opinion.

There are many articles on MSN on how you should have at least $500 in  your savings account in case of emergencies. Which makes a lot of sense. Except that I only  have about $60 in my savings account and this savings account in question is earning less than 2% interest.

Suzie Orman (who on my fico gave me a script on what to tell my credit card companies regarding lowering my apr and suggested credit cards allowing 0% balance transfers. I was rejected on all fronts and ended up with a lower credit score from applying for all those 0% cards because of dear Suzie) states that you should ONLY pay the minimum on your credit cards and then sock all the extra towards savings. Because the world might end and you will be unemployed and living on your savings. Which is understandable. 

But then again, my credit card aprs are ridiculously high. And ever since credit card companies are required to post how long it would take to pay off the credit card with minimum payments only, I have been startled by the fact that it will take me 22 years to pay off any of these cards.  That's right.  22 years.  Dear Suzie, that's horrible. Those $10 in my savings account are an extra $50 on any of my cards.  Mathematically it is better to actually chip away at your 18% or 29% apr credit card because you end up paying less and in essence SAVING more in the long run (in the way of lower aprs etc). But these math experts out there aren't exactly worried about losing their jobs and get paid to dispense all this math advice.

So there is basically no definitive answer that I have to give out on this topic. Except to find whatever works for you, perhaps not exactly aiming for $500 in the bank, but to just have at least $100 in savings and using the extra $ to chop away at your credit cards. It should be whatever you feel comfortable with. The less debt you are in, the more you will be able to save. That's what I'm doing. But the most important part is to be able to break the cycle of bad debt and endless payments because in 22 years I definitely don't want to add up the fact that a $10 meal ended up costing me $50 because I was socking away savings earning me nothing at the time. And all those credit card balances keep growing. 

February 22

 smart credit moves before Feb. 22

With new regulations starting in less than two weeks, you may need to take stock of your credit card portfolio to determine which cards' terms are changing to your benefit and which will feature changes that could hit you in the wallet.
The most important thing to do, says Lauren Bowne, a staff attorney for Consumers Union, is be aware of your cards' terms. So much has changed in recent months that consumers need to pay attention to what is and isn't featured in their credit cards.
"Even if you're the person who pays off your balance and doesn't even have any credit card debt," Bowne says. "They might get a notice that says they're getting a $100 annual fee. Even people with stellar credit and stellar credit payment histories need to pay attention."

Here are five smart credit card moves to make before Feb. 22:

• Consider waiting to get new credit cards until after Feb. 22, because new accounts are protected from interest rate increases for the first year. As issuers compete for customers in the new reform law landscape, there may be good deals and offers for people with good credit.

• For existing accounts, consider a balance transfer from higher interest rate cards to accounts with lower interest rates. Some issuers are offering good customers interest-free or low-interest balance transfers of at least a year. Remember that there is a cost of 3% or 4% of the amount transferred, so weigh that decision carefully. Also, take note of what the new interest rate will be after the promotional period ends. If it's higher than the rate on the old card or only slightly lower, it may not be worth it to switch.

• Have a backup card or two. Issuers can still lower your credit limits and close your accounts without notice. Make sure you have more than one card as a backup in case this happens to you and you need a credit card for emergencies. [especially if you don't have a savings account]

• Charge a small amount on those other cards every other month and pay it off in full when the bill comes. This avoids any dormancy fees that may be assessed and may prevent the companies from closing the accounts for inactivity. Some issuers require a minimum amount of charging to avoid inactivity fees, so check your terms.

• For college students or any young adult under 21 who is responsible with credit, the best move could be to get a credit card now while you still can get one on your own. Young adults' access to credit will be restricted by the new law. Starting Feb. 22, you'll have to get a co-signer who is at least 21 years old or show proof you have the ability to pay. 
•  

tip:
Pay more than the minimum amount due. It will help you pay your credit card debt off faster. The new law mandates that your billing statement include a prominent notice of how long it will take you to pay off your debt.


I was recently told by someone at the Macy's credit card department that even if you pay a measly $5 more, it makes a difference. I haven't tried it since I am busy with the "snowball" effect to debt, wherein I intend to tackle the small balances first before trying to pay off the big balance cards. Your money will snowball into a big snow mess that you can hurl at the big cards later. At least, that's how I envision it.


article link:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/5-smart-credit-moves-before-feb-22.aspx?page=all


www.creditcards.com

Thus far, I made a big payment on a high apr card and then didn't realize i would be late in making the rest of my payments. As a result I now have higher apr rates on the rest of my cards.

Paid the full balance of my Chase credit card with my tax refund only to have the card closed 7 days later. The reasoning?because my balances were high on my credit report and why had I made such a big payment anyway. Chase actually asked me where I had gotten the money. I was tempted to say I had robbed a Chase bank for the funds.

I asked Chase what the reasoning was behind that decision since the reason I had made such a large payment was in order to REDUCE my balances. Was told to just reapply for a Chase card later. Which based on this experience will never happen.

Budget is ok. And I now have 8 cards left with the 9th closed suddenly as punishment for trying to be responsible about my debt.

Hope this doesn't happen when I try to pay off my other cards.

Location:Learning the hard way

the awakening

I am a college grad with a decent job yet I am struggling to make ends meet. After paying 2 rents this month (from my former Chicago apartment) to avoid being sent to collections I sat down and for the first time in my life took a hard look at my spending habits after I was basically sent to collections and had to pay off the charge immediately in order to avoid it having reported on my credit report.

Finances:

Credit Cards:
9: 5 major cards and 4 store. all of these are basically maxed out.
student loans-well nothing could be done about that.
car lease with 1 and a half years left. It is also unrepaired since I used the insurance money to fund my move to Chicago to start school. No longer in school.
rent

Cutting costs:
so after taking this all in I decided to cut down on my food costs. I can't pay off my credit cards if I keep blowing all my money on food, shoes I can't afford and manicures. Now usually I only and exclusively eat out. Morning, noon, and night. While you're thinking to yourself that I am a dumbass for doing this, I'd like to tell you that I don't have a kitchen. I rent a small apartment (month to month, no contract) and it only has a refrigerator and microwave. Ok fine I am a dumbass because that should suffice. Goodbye Nordstroms, goodbye frivolous spending habits.

My weekly food budget is $70 a week, which should be more than enough.

First day with a new lifestyle and mindset:


So this Friday, I went to Starbucks and ordered my last grande mocha frappucino in a venti cup with extra whipped cream. At $4.93 a day I could no longer afford this with my budget. Not if I wanted to be able to eat lunch during the work week at least. And it was truly delicious. But not actually fulfilling in any way since I am usually starving within an hour. This frappucino was also free since I had gotten a free drink coupon from someone I know. Ok so then lunch was a whopping $8 because I had to try the new spicy chicken nuggets. And then I spent another $6 on a big mac meal because it was Friday night.

Saturday:
Woke up and wondered what I could possibly do for the day. I had no laundry to do, no desire to clean up my place. I decided to make and eat oatmeal since breakfast is for champions. Ok. Within half an hour I was starving again. Luckily my mother called and asked if I wanted to go out and have lunch.  Though I probably spent too much gas and too much on tolls, it was worth it to spend the day with her since she usually just sits at home all day without going out.

So far the budget is still on track.