Letters to the Editor
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I screw the credidtcard companies
I love credit card companies. They work for me. I have not paid a penny in interest in over 10 years (and very little before that) I have 1 main visa card and charge everything to it, keeping a small amount of cash for purchases under $20.00. I always pay the balance in full. This means I get an interest free loan from the time my new statement period begins (around the 26 of the month) until the bill is due (around the 20th of the second month) I get about 7 weeks of free money. In addition, I have all the convenience of using a credit card (cash and coins is really primitive) and free online accounting. So I get free money, free accounting and convenient payment, all for nothing. You just have to decide that you are the boss and the card companies are your servants. [Don't try this without discipline and self-control]
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Jared2 that is an excellent strategy
Credit Card companies call guys like you "deadbeats" (according to the documentary "Maxed Out," which every American should rent.
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Deadbeats
Thanks, Betty
I had to laugh at my last statement. I charged over $4,000 over Christmas and the bank "generously" offered to reduced the minimum payment from $40.00 to $15.00. Of course, I paid the full $4,000.
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@ boringly spending within my means
If your life is as great as you claim I am guessing you wouldn't need to boast about here, of all places...
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You're a victim
Of the relentless barrage of advertisement telling you that you need to consume to feel good. A latte, new shoes (and not just new no-brand ones, new Manolo Blahniks like that girl on that cool show), drinks at the cool fun place with your friends, the new cool cell phone.... when did cool become all about buying the right stuff? It's not just TV commercials, billboards, magazine ads. It's the TV shows and movies we watch, where everything is about your exterior - maintaining it, building it, beautifying it, accessorizing it. "Wants" are a bottomless hole - there is always something new to desire. It is so sad that people who have clean water, healthy food, and decent shelter can feel "deprived" without takeout sushi.
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anonymous 11:44
Wow, never made a mistake? Ever? Like even your breakfast cereal has been the correct choice every time? Never missed the bus because you misjudged how much time it would take to tie your shoes?
I make mistakes all the time, I can totally relate to people who make mistakes. That's what makes the article interesting, I can relate on some level. This morning I was chilling on the sofa drinking my coffee and decided to take my shower later than usual, not so late as to mess up my schedule, just not first thing. You know, the dogs were all snuggly and someone in the internet called me "unbreedable" and I was occupied. Well, that was a mistake, 5 minutes later my landlord showed up with the dudes who were replacing my water heater. No shower for me, now I wear a hat to work.
Once I made a mistake and misjudged the distance needed to turn my car around and hit my boyfriend's car. That sucked, but he was really sweet about it.
I've even made really big mistakes, like the time my dog got out of his harness and I'd mistakenly assumed that like every other time we were out without restraint he would stick by me. I was wrong and he saw somebody and bolted across the street, was hit by a car and died in my arms in the parking lot of the emergency vet. That mistake devastated me. It still does.
I stayed in a marriage 2 years longer than I should have. I've worn socks that didn't match.
I'm sure your life is fascinating with all your perfect adventure and smugness. Unfortunately, I won't be able to relate. Sure I've had adventures, and I've done exciting things, but I am a deeply flawed human being (unlike you) and I guess I just can't see what I would stand to gain from such perfection.
But still, go forth, allow this perfectly shined beacon of yours to light the land so that other perfect people will no longer live in shame! Let us give it up for the people who are too awesome for us!
YEAH! (tongue...you know...cheek...or maybe you don't know, it's sort of an imperfect human literary device)
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I hate Visa
This is petty but I think it is representative of how they are nickle-and-diming America to death:
for x-mas I got one of the Visa gift cards. When I went to use it, and I read the terms and conditions attached to it, I saw that if you don't use the entire balance after 12 months, they charge you a monthly fee! For god's sake why? Didn't they already get their money when my mother-in-law puchased the card for me? THEN later I saw them for sale in a store and saw that they cost over the amount they are good for, for instance a $100 gift card costs you $105. Have you ever heard of a gift certificate that costs more than the value? LAME. I am doing everything I can right now to become one of these "deadbeats" so I can screw them, too.
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Restaurant Expenses
For the record, I'm debt free, and try to keep my spending to a minimum. But I do tend to eat out at least once a day, the reason being that I have so little time to cook!
I try to make one big meal on Sunday that will carry over for a couple of days, but after working all day and going to the gym after work, I was eating dinner at, like, 11 p.m. when I tried to cook every day. This was a recipe (forgive the pun) for putting on weight. So now I go out to eat for lunch, eat my biggest meal at noon, and eat a little leftover soup or whatever I managed to whip up on Sunday in the evenings.
When you are working full-time, it's very difficult to cut back on eating out, in my opinion. I would need an equivalent of a wife at home in order to do so.