Credit Report Check

Yesterday I ran my credit report. It had been a solid year since I had run my allowed one annual credit report by each credit reporting agency at AnnualCreditReport.com (this is the only truly free report - don't be fooled by other companies). The last time I ran it, I found one wrong social security number and eight wrong names listed on my report. I "reported" them all to be corrected. These in no way affected my report, but I did want all of the info to be right.

This year I decided to split up the three agencies and run one this month, another in January, and then the third in May so I can keep an eye on my credit report throughout the year and still get it free each time. I have put reminders on my work email calendar so they will pop up and remind me. =)

This time I chose Experian.

What did I find? All of the previous year's incorrect items have been corrected. Hooray!

I found that all of my accounts are still in good standing and nothing looks suspicious.

I found that I understand the report a lot more now than I did one year ago when I was almost clueless about our own household financial status.

I found two open accounts that I didn't want to be open. An old Sears card and an old Victoria's Secret card. I called and closed them both. No big deal really, as I had no idea they were still open.

I did find out though that there is one company that is running our report once a month for the last three months. It's a credit card company. I have called and asked them to stop, as we are not interested in carrying their card.

So that's it.

Boring.

Just how I want my report to look.

Have you run yours in the last year? If so, did you find anything unexpected? If not, it's time!

Photo credit: lusi

Things Dave Ramsey Didn't Tell Me...

If you're visiting via Carnival of Personal Finance #274: I Love NY Edition over at DanielleLiss.com I want to welcome you. Things are a bit crazy around here right now because I've got a big giveaway extravaganza going on. However, I do have plenty of other reads going up as well. Stick around and read some. Or enter some giveaways, or both.

Just less than a year ago, I read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and became an immediately believer. Chip had given me the book and although he has only read part of the book, we are followers of the plan. We could definitely be better at it, but we're working on it and we've made a lot of headway. In fact, we have increased on net worth by almost $27,000, including paying off over $17,000 in debt since last October. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

However, there are things that I just didn't expect after reading the book. Here is the list of things I didn't see coming:

• There will be roadblocks. Now I didn't think that the path would be free from all hindrances. I knew there would be some bumps. But I didn't know that some months our debt repayment would be completely derailed. I mean, there have been two of the last three months that we paid nothing but the minimum payments due to some other setbacks.
• There will be foreseeable circumstances that I won't see. As in birthdays. I know when our family has birthdays. I know they require money. I like celebrating them and try to do so inexpensively without compromising the focus. However, I still get frustrated that this does not allow me to send as much to the credit card companies as I would like.
• Buying a reliable used car is not always as easy as it sounds. Chip got tired of the minivan. I get it. So we sold it and he found another car that he liked. He drove it, he looked under the hood. All seemed well. A month later the problems began. We still need to have work done on it to make it run better and not do things like leak oil. Frustrating.
• It gets old. Real old. I can get fired up when I see the balances decreasing. I can get fired up when I type something like, "paying off over $17,000 in debt since last October." It doesn't make the absence of new clothes or less frequent trips to eat in restaurants any more enjoyable though. I know...I am truly blessed that I can afford to eat outside the home at all. I am blessed that I have more that enough food to eat every single day. But I'm spoiled. And as wrong as it is, it makes this path to financial freedom tough.
• I am weak. I should have gathered this by the fact that we were in the mess that we were in. But I've always been a strong person. A fighter. A winner. And to realize that I'm not is humbling and painful. To realize that despite really, really wanting to beat debt, it does not always win out over grabbing lunch with a coworker makes me disappointed in myself. And I hate that.
• The timeshare will not just disappear. I hate that thing right now. I know it isn't anyone's fault but ours that we "own" it, but I still hate it. If I hadn't have been swindled out of money trying to get rid of it, I would probably feel less resentful towards it, but I just want it to be gone. I would even give it away if we could just stop sending money in to pay for it. If you know a real way to get rid of one of those things, please let me know!
• It is sometimes hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That's kinda' where I am right now. I can look back and see how far we've come. And I look forward and see that the destination is still farther than we've already come. And since repayment has been slow lately, it makes getting there seem so much realistic. I know I'm in the middle of it, but I feel stuck there. Instead of feeling good about how far we've come, I focus on the fact that it is not enough, and I get discouraged. And it doesn't seem to matter that our setbacks have been justified. It doesn't seem to matter that we've done well with our situation in those setbacks. It just seems far away still. I need a windfall to get me motivated again.
• Those windfalls don't usually come. In the beginning, those giant leaps were so easy. We sold a lot of stuff we didn't need. We got a huge tax refund. We made some major changes. Now those changes are made. We don't have a lot of big stuff left to sell. We changed our tax withholding so I don't know what our refund will look like this year. It was easy in the beginning to think "this is easy." But now that we are left with nothing but plugging away to do, it does not seem so easy.

And there are probably plenty of others. These are just the ones I am feeling while I sit here and type.

What about you? What pitfalls did/have you hit? How did you overcome? Are you looking for inspiration too?

WFMW - Flashing Lights? Pray

As soon as I catch a glimpse of flashing lights while driving down the highway? I pray.

No.

I don't mean when I see flashing lights behind me I pray that I don't get a ticket.

If they are behind me, I typically keep alert to see what their intentions are and pull to the right side/lane of the road.

I mean anywhere.

If I see an emergency vehicle flying down the road, see flashing lights ahead on the interstate, hear a siren cry out somewhere unseen, I pray.

I don't know what is going on, but it warrants an emergency response. There is the real possibility that someone is in trouble. And I pray.

This prayer is quick and usually identical to the last time I prayed it. But it is sincere. It goes something like this:

God, whatever is going on, please be with the people involved. Be with their friends and family as they receive the news of whatever has happened. And be with the emergency personnel who are working with the situation. In Jesus name, Amen.

It's nothing fancy, but it is real. Sometimes if I come upon the situation and can be more specific I am, but God knows my heart. He knows my well wishes for those involved. I am teaching this to Patrick as well (as I will to Abigail when she gets older), because I think it is important to pray.

To pray for a dangerous situation. To pray for the hurting. To pray for the sick. To pray for the families that might need comfort and peace. To pray for the safety of the emergency personnel. To pray for their hands to be helpful and for their emotional protection.

Praying for the unknown works for me. I hope it works for someone else too.

Go on over to We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else over there!

Photo credit: (nz)dave

8 Financial Benefits of Being a Parent

In the final leg of my three part series entitled Financial Benefits of Being...
we're going to cover being a parent.

So what are the financial benefits of having children?

Ha ha ha. Seriously?

Whew! Let me wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes because that one really cracked me up.

You want the truth? There are none.

Yes, you get tax credits and deductions that you don't get without the children, but not more benefit that what you spend on the little creature throughout the year.

But you know what? Having a child is worth far more than any money that it drains from your pocket.

There is a love and pride that you cannot experience outside that of being a parent.

There is a sense of responsibility and frustration that do not otherwise exist.

There is a smile that does not cross one's face until a child makes it appear.

There is a sense of accomplishment when you see your child becoming the person you are struggling to help them learn to be.

There is the benefit of having another person love you so unconditionally that you feel forever blessed and in awe of how this amazing person was allowed to enter your life.

So I cannot think of a single financial benefit to being a parent.

But I can tell you...it allows you to experience a completely different type of wealth. One that money could never buy.

photo credit: syposinc

WFMW - Pick a Size Paper Towels

During one of the last trips to the grocery store there was a sale on some higher end paper towels. The ones we usually don't get. The ones we can't afford. You know...the ones that feel more like towels and less like paper.

Anyway...the sale was on the type that have more perforations per roll and allow you to "pick a size" of paper towel.

I grabbed them up. Not because I'd been dying to try them, but because they were less expensive that our usually lower-grade brand.

You know what?

I love them.

I truly do.

The funny thing is, I rarely pull off more than 1 of these, which is 1/3 the size of a regular paper towel. You know what that means, even with the same footage on a roll, these will last me almost 3 times longer than my usual brand. Because I obviously don't NEED as large of a towel as I used to get.

And that makes me and our bank account happy.

So although it isn't as green as going to using just dishcloths and dish towels, it works for me. Go visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else. They are having a back to school tips edition. Since I didn't have any back to school tips, I thought I'd just share this one. =)

Photo credit: striatic

8 Financial Benefits of Being Married

This is the second of a three part series called Financial Benefits of Being...

And today we'll cover being married.

1. Living Expenses Per Person. It does not take twice the space for two people to live versus one. Two people do not use twice as much water or electricity. So if two people = two incomes, it is far cheaper to be married than to be single as far as living expenses go. (on the other hand, if two people = one income, the advantage lies with being single obviously).
2. Accountability. This is a huge advantage financially. There is someone else to keep your spending in check. As long as you two learn how to discuss money without fighting, there is great wealth to be found (literally) in having someone to check in with to reign in your spending.
3. Financial Stability. If both people in the marriage are working, panic does not have to ensue with the loss of work or sudden layoff occurs. There is another source of income to work with until the partner who has lost a job can get back on their feet.
4. Tax Benefits. You notice how it benefits most people to file married filing jointly rather than each filing singly? The government rewards you for being married on your tax filing status with slightly lower tax rates. With the slowly disappearing marriage penalty, this is becoming more and more true.
5. More responsibility. It seems that with marriage, people realize it is time to "grow up" a bit and think about the future. Of course it doesn't always take marriage, but too often, it does for many. Marriage usually initiates the purchase of a home to build equity, contributions to retirement to start, savings for future children's educations, and whatnot.
6. Exempt from estate and gift taxes. There are rules about the amounts that cap off these rules, but basically you can give money to a spouse, while alive or posthumously, without the huge tax penalty that would incur if you gave it to anyone else. Anyone remember Shawshank Redemption?
7. Reaching Goals Faster. If there are two incomes in the marriage, goals can be achieved much more quickly that with a single individual.
8. Men Are More Dedicated to Their Jobs. Studies have shown that with marriage (and even more so with the addition of a family), men are more dedicated to their employer and to a job well done in an effort to provide for the family. This results in more raises, promotions, and bonuses than their single counterparts.

So there are eight that I found? Can you recommend any others?

Photo credit: andreyutzu

WFMW - Blog Scheduling to An Extreme

So you've probably seen posts about how to schedule your blog posts in Blogger. If not, read this one quickly. The ability to schedule posts is seriously a serious lifesaver.

However I take it to a bit of an extreme (some might say), but it really works for me.

I do series of posts. As in Tuesdays are my "Free for All" days and Saturdays are my "Weekly Round Up" posts. I always like to include a picture with my posts because I think it just makes it more interesting to look at. For the Free for All I like to have pictures with the word "Free" included and for the Round Up posts, I like to include round things in the photos ('cause I'm creative like that).

However, I hate having to search for a picture I've never used before.

So I typically do picture searching on one day and take care of a lot of posts. For instance, I like to search Flickr's selection under the Creative Commons rules so I can use the pictures. So I do a search for "Free" and once I find a collection of pictures I snag them all. Then I plug them into a scheduled post along with my attribution link and save it for the date it will post. Like this:



Additionally, I like to do my round up posts (where I summarize my favorite reads of the week) in a similar manner. I used to wait until Friday and then go back through my favorite items in my feed reader list. Now, when I find a post I like, I go ahead and save it into the post I already have pre-scheduled with a photo. Once I reach the end of the week, the post is completed and I don't have to spend the day searching through old posts that I've already read in a frantic search for my favorites.

This is what this Saturday's post looks like right now:



So yes, my blogger dashboard looks like this:



with a lot of posts waiting to post, but those all have pictures ready to go. And if you'll look hard, you'll see that I won't have to look for pictures of "round" things until the end of the year!

Extreme scheduling of blog posts works for me! Head over to We Are THAT Family and see what works for everyone else!

8 Financial Benefits of Being Single

If you're visiting from the Carnival of Personal Finance #272 – Yogi Berra Edition! over at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, welcome! It's a bit crazy around here right now because I'm hosting a huge back to school series of giveaways. It's a lot of fun, but all of the fun really fills up my blog! Look around and get comfortable. I'm still posting my "regular" stuff amidst the giveaways, so you can find that here. Feel free to enter some of the giveaways if you want as well!

This will be the first part is a short three-part series of Financial Benefits of...

And today we will discuss the financial benefits of being single. While it is true that it is cheaper per person to live in a relationship, there are financial benefits of being single. Here is a quick list of those:

1. You make all the financial decisions. Yes, this can be viewed as stressful, but it is not as stressful as having to consider someone else in your financial decisions. You can decide what you want to do with your money as selfishly as you want to do so. If you want something, you don't have to consult with anyone else.
2. No need to change anyone. If you are naturally a saver, you don't have to convince someone to be on the same page as you and curb their spending. If you are naturally a spender, you don't have to justify your purchase to anyone but yourself.
3. No need for life insurance. Unless you just have a large estate that you want to leave to a nephew or something, there is no need to invest in term life insurance if you don't have to worry about taking care of anyone if you die suddenly.
4. You don't have to carry another person's liabilities. That's right. You don't have to worry about the late payment on someone else's credit card or the tax fraud they might incur or the possibility of being sued because of their actions. It's all about you.
5. You don't have to ask permission to go to the ATM. That might be harshly stated, but if your spouse is the one who pays the bills rather than you, you might have to check with them before spending to make sure there aren't plans for the money that is currently in the bank (as in, the bills are all due tomorrow).
6. Health insurance is WAY cheaper for one person than for two. And especially cheaper than for a family. YIKES!
7. Single person = Single living space. Once again, I know it costs less per person to share a living space, but the smaller the space needed, the less the rent. And if two people does not equate to two incomes, it is cheaper to live being single. Same goes for utilities.
8. You can deal with a smaller car. Yep...those SUVs and vans and full size family sedans cost more, cost more to insure, cost more to fuel, cost more to maintain. So if you aren't required to have one for the room, you can get by with a much cheaper ride.

Obviously, regardless of your marital status, you must gain responsibility and accountability for your personal finances if you are going to rule them (rather than letting your money control you). However, the above reason as just a few ways it is financially beneficial to be single.

Do you have any to add?

Photo credit: sundstrom

WFMW - No Hassle Birthday Cake and Ice Cream

Yesterday was my birthday. Yeah, yeah...happy birthday to me. =)

Chip hit the nail on the head when it came to celebrating with cake and ice cream. It pleased me. It pleased the kids. It pleased the budget. It pleased him (no baking).

What is this wonder?

Birthday Cake Ice Cream.

Now, I cannot recommend every manufactuer's version of this, but here in the deep South where we have Blue Bell (sorry...the rest of you are just missing out), the Birthday Cake ice cream that they make and release for a few months a year is TO DIE FOR.

Seriously.

It's not cake flavored ice cream. Some brands do that. It's not the same thing.

No.

It is ice cream with actual chunks of chocolate cake in it. Just look at it.



Doesn't that make your mouth water?

And it is scrumptious!

And every bit as good as a birthday cake with ice cream on top.

And perfect for our family of 4.

So instead of buying or baking me an entire cake and buying ice cream to put on it, Chip allowed me to enjoy both while making everyone happy.

And that works for all of us! Head over to We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

photo credit: Coastal Coffee Cafe

8 Fairy Tales You Don't Want Your Children to Read

Many fairy tales have some rather sinister beginnings. Luckily, these tales have been updated by children's book publishers and Disney to create more happily ending tales oblivious to their frightening sources.

Here are eight stories that you would not read to your children in their original form. Source: List Verse

1. The Pied Piper: In the tale of the Pied Piper, we have a village overrun with rats. A man arrives dressed in clothes of pied (a patchwork of colors) and offers to rid the town of the vermin. The villagers agree to pay a vast sum of money if the piper can do it – and he does. He plays music on his pipe which draws all the rats out of the town. When he returns for payment – the villagers won’t cough up so the Pied Piper decides to rid the town of children too! In most modern variants, the piper draws the children to a cave out of the town and when the townsfolk finally agree to pay up, he sends them back. In the darker original, the piper leads the children to a river where they all drown (except a lame boy who couldn’t keep up). Some modern scholars say that there are connotations of pedophilia in this fairy tale.


2. Little Red Riding Hood: The version of this tale that most of us are familiar with ends with Riding Hood being saved by the woodsman who kills the wicked wolf. But in fact, the original French version (by Charles Perrault) of the tale was not quite so nice. In this version, the little girl is a well bred young lady who is given false instructions by the wolf when she asks the way to her grandmothers. Foolishly riding hood takes the advice of the wolf and ends up being eaten. And here the story ends. There is no woodsman – no grandmother – just a fat wolf and a dead Red Riding Hood. The moral to this story is to not take advice from strangers.


3. The Little Mermaid: The 1989 version of the Little Mermaid might be better known as “The big whopper!” In the Disney version, the film ends with Ariel the mermaid being changed into a human so she can marry Eric. They marry in a wonderful wedding attended by humans and merpeople. But, in the very first version by Hans Christian Andersen, the mermaid sees the Prince marry a princess and she despairs. She is offered a knife with which to stab the prince to death, but rather than do that she jumps into the sea and dies by turning to froth. Hans Christian Andersen modified the ending slightly to make it more pleasant. In his new ending, instead of dying when turned to froth, she becomes a “daughter of the air” waiting to go to heaven – so, frankly, she is still dead for all intents and purposes.


4. Snow White: In the tale of snow white that we are all familiar with, the Queen asks a huntsman to kill her and bring her heart back as proof. Instead, the huntsman can’t bring himself to do it and returns with the heart of a boar. Now, fortunately Disney hasn’t done too much damage to this tale, but they did leave out one important original element: in the original tale, the Queen actually asks for Snow White’s liver and lungs – which are to be served for dinner that night! Also in the original, Snow White wakes up when she is jostled by the prince’s horse as he carries her back to his castle – not from a magical kiss. What the prince wanted to do with a dead girl’s body I will leave to your imagination. Oh – in the Grimm version, the tale ends with the Queen being forced to dance to death in red hot iron shoes!


5. Sleeping Beauty: In the original sleeping beauty, the lovely princess is put to sleep when she pricks her finger on a spindle. She sleeps for one hundred years when a prince finally arrives, kisses her, and awakens her. They fall in love, marry, and (surprise surprise) live happily ever after. But alas, the original tale is not so sweet (in fact, you have to read this to believe it.) In the original, the young woman is put to sleep because of a prophesy, rather than a curse. And it isn’t the kiss of a prince which wakes her up: the king seeing her asleep, and rather fancying having a bit, rapes her. After nine months she gives birth to two children (while she is still asleep). One of the children sucks her finger which removes the piece of flax which was keeping her asleep. She wakes up to find herself raped and the mother of two kids.


6. Goldilocks and the Three Bears: In this heart warming tale, we hear of pretty little Goldilocks who finds the house of the three bears. She sneaks inside and eats their food, sits in their chairs, and finally falls asleep on the bed of the littlest bear. When the bears return home they find her asleep – she awakens and escapes out the window in terror. The original tale (which actually only dates to 1837) has two possible variations. In the first, the bears find Goldilocks and rip her apart and eat her. In the second, Goldilocks is actually an old hag who (like the sanitized version) jumps out of a window when the bears wake her up. The story ends by telling us that she either broke her neck in the fall, or was arrested for vagrancy and sent to the “House of Correction”.


7. Hansel and Gretel: In the widely known version of Hansel and Gretel, we hear of two little children who become lost in the forest, eventually finding their way to a gingerbread house which belongs to a wicked witch. The children end up enslaved for a time as the witch prepares them for eating. They figure their way out and throw the witch in a fire and escape. In an earlier French version of this tale (called The Lost Children), instead of a witch we have a devil. Now the wicked old devil is tricked by the children (in much the same way as Hansel and Gretel) but he works it out and puts together a sawhorse to put one of the children on to bleed (that isn’t an error – he really does). The children pretend not to know how to get on the sawhorse so the devil’s wife demonstrates. While she is lying down the kids slash her throat and escape.


8. Cinderella: In the modern Cinderella fairy tale we have the beautiful Cinderella swept off her feet by the prince and her wicked step sisters marrying two lords – with everyone living happily ever after. The fairy tale has its origins way back in the 1st century BC where Strabo’s heroine was actually called Rhodopis, not Cinderella. The story was very similar to the modern one with the exception of the glass slippers and pumpkin coach. But, lurking behind the pretty tale is a more sinister variation by the Grimm brothers: in this version, the nasty step-sisters cut off parts of their own feet in order to fit them into the glass slipper – hoping to fool the prince. The prince is alerted to the trickery by two pigeons who peck out the step sister’s eyes. They end up spending the rest of their lives as blind beggars while Cinderella gets to lounge about in luxury at the prince’s castle.

Photo credit: ibeeby

8 New Uses for Clear Nail Polish

In my quest for finding interesting uses for common items, I found another real winner at Joey Green's Wacky Uses that I wanted to share with you.

Clear nail polish. I LOVED these ideas and had only ever heard of one of them!

1. Stop a run in nylons. Paint the snag immediately with clear nail polish.
2. Protect shirt buttons. Dab the center of each button with clear nail polish to reinforce the threads so buttons stay on longer
3. Laminate prescription labels. Keep prescription labels clear and readable by painting them with clear nail polish.
4. Prevent rust on toilet seat screws. Paint the screws with clear nail polish.
5. Thread a needle with ease. Dip the end of the thread in clear nail polish. Let dry, then thread.
6. Repair a small dent in a window, auto windshield, or wood floor. Fill hole with a few drops of clear nail polish, let it dry, then add a few more drops until full.
7. Prevent the bottom edges of shaving cream cans from rusting. Paint the bottom edges of the can with clear nail polish.
8. Tighten loose dresser drawer knobs. Dip the end of the screw in clear nail polish and replace the knob in the hole to dry snugly.

Any others you want to add?

Photo credit: rbatina

WFMW - Random Kitchen Cleaning Tips

This is just a small collection of tips I came up with in the spur of the moment. I've collected this knowledge over time from various sources.

• Use ketchup to clean your copper post. Rub some on, leave 5-30 minutes (depending on the level of tarnish) and rinse. That easy!
• If your dishwasher is starting to smell, at a cut lemon into the utensil holder and proceed with normal wash cycle. The dishes and the dishwasher will be clean and smell lemony.
• Adding vinegar to your dish washing water or dishwater will prevent water stains (and clean scum build up out of your dishwasher).
• If you have some stinky garbage (raw seafood or meat) that needs to go in the trash but you're a long way from garbage pickup day, wrap it up and stick it in the freezer. When trash pickup day arrives, drop into your trashcan. No smell in your house or trashcan.
• Don't forget to clean the underside of the overhanging edges of your counter tops. Trust me...you don't want to discover this on your own.
• Clean sponges by microwaving them for 1 minute.

It's a short list, but it's what I got. =)

These tips work for me. See what works for everyone else over at We Are THAT Family!

Photo credit: konr4d

8 Interesting Uses for Chalk

I truly love finding interesting and new uses for everyday items. In my investigation of such things, I ran across a list of uncommon uses for white chalk at Joey Green's Wacky Uses. I wanted to share those with you.

1. Clean ring-around-the-collar. Mark the stain heavily with white Crayola Chalk. The chalk will absorb the sebum oil that holds in the dirt.
2. Prevent silverware from tarnishing. Place a piece of Crayola Chalk in your silver chest to absorb moisture.
3. Prevent tools from rusting. Place a few pieces of Crayola Chalk in your toolbox to absorb moisture.
4. Remove grease. Rub Crayola Chalk on a grease spot on clothing or table linens, let it absorb the oil, then brush off. Launder as usual.
5. Prevent costume jewelry from tarnishing. Place a piece of Crayola Chalk in your jewelry box.
6. Prevent a screwdriver from slipping. Rub Crayola Chalk on the tip.
7. Fill a hole in a plaster wall. Insert a piece of Crayola Chalk into the hole, cut it off even with the wall, then plaster.
8. Repel pests. Draw a line of Crayola Chalk around windows and doors outside your home, and around water pipes inside your home. Ants will not cross a chalk line. Also, slugs will not cross a chalk line.

Do you know of any to add to the list?

Photo credit: RGD_90

I'll Admit It - I'm an Idiot

Welcome all who found this embarrassing story via the Carnival of Money Stories: August 2, 2010 at Money Beagle. I'm glad you stopped by to see why I'm an idiot. It's a long story, so get comfortable. And when you're done, feel free to stick around for a while.

So, last week I discussed why we had to unexpectedly send the IRS $1700 this month, which really put a damper on our lifestyle and debt repayment process. But, we were able to do it. No credit card needed. We did have to dip into our emergency fund a bit, but that's what it is there for, right? About a year ago it would have gone on the credit card because we had no choice (and we probably wouldn't have blinked twice to do it).

However, our financial life is different now. In such a good way. No, we don't do as much eating out, shopping, or entertaining as we did, but we also are knocking down our debt and spending with cash only. I can't wait for the day that we can feel liberated because we owe NOBODY!

That doesn't mean we don't do stupid things still. Correct that...I do stupid things. This one is entirely on me, and I won't even TRY to pass any of it off onto Chip.

Sit down...this is going to take a while. In fact...go ahead and get something to drink and go to the bathroom. Go ahead.

You back now? Good. Let's proceed.

One of our debts is a chunk of change that we owe to a timeshare company.

Yep...we own are paying for a timeshare. We bought into the idea when we were living in Mississippi and made a visit to Charleston. Chip is originally from Charleston and we got talked into the sales pitch with the idea that it would give us an excuse to come back to Charleston every other year. So we signed another note the papers thinking more about the monthly payment than about the overall cost.

Guess what? We now live 1-1/2 hours from Charleston, so we have no reason to visit for a week at a time. And yes, we can trade our points for another location, but guess what else? We have two small children and no money because we are trying to pay off debts like this one. So, no vacation for us.

So we aren't using this timeshare. But that's not the real mistake that I was planning to discuss with you.

We want to sell it. Not that we won't use it one day, but right now, it really isn't doing anything for the money we're spending on it, so I'd rather it just be gone.

There are companies all over the internet who offer to sell your timeshare. You know the idea that you aren't supposed to pay anyone up front to list it for you? Well, I did. On a credit card. I know...stupid. So we were out $634.00. Because this company did list our site on its site. But it doesn't do any active marketing. And there really is no need for them to because they already have our money.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Kaye.

So a few weeks later I received a call from another company. I didn't recognize the name, but I filled out a few forms online to "contact me" while looking to sell it, so I didn't think a lot about it.

They wanted to actively market our timeshare to customers who were already interested in vacation rentals and purchases. They had professional presentations and all of the bells and whistles. Well, that's what roped us in when we signed the papers, so why not?

Then they told me that they would charge me to list it.

No. No, I said.

I've already done this with another company and got ripped off, and I'm not doing it again.

Then not just the hook...and line, but also the sinker...they would get me my money back from the other company.

How?

Well, they explained, they are a brokered company who is licensed (yes, they provided me with a license number and I verified it) to sell the timeshare themselves...not just list it. Because the other company is not brokered, by law in Florida (the state where both companies are located) the other company must surrender the fees I paid them because I now have listed it with a brokered company.

So I could get my $634 back if I paid them $400.

I know...I sound like a moron right now, don't I? I promise it sounded more plausible in real life.

So I paid them (via credit card...again). That's a total of $1034 if you haven't been keeping track so far.

And I saw the listing. And I called to check on my listing. And they send me emails talking about all of the marketing they were doing in their touristy town during touristy events. There were always people interested but no one making an offer. One lady wanted to make an offer, but her husband wasn't with her, so she couldn't (both parties required--typical in timeshare sales).

It was heartbreaking and could have been conceived as suspicious, but I knew the things weren't easy to sell, so I didn't think much of it. About 6 months has past since they initially listed it.

Then Wednesday, July 7th happened.

What was July 7th, you ask?

I tried to call them that morning to check on our listing. It had been about a month or so since I had spoken with anyone from the office and wanted to check in. I called and got a message that no one was available, and I needed to leave a voicemail. So I did.

Nothing by that afternoon. I called again and left another message.

You see where this is going, don't you?

On Thursday and Friday of that week I did the same thing, leaving messages on every extension I could. By Friday I was approaching livid and told them that if I hadn't heard back from SOMEONE by the following Monday afternoon I would pursue further action elsewhere.

Nothing on Monday, so I called again on Tuesday. Nothing this time, but it seemed that the voicemail boxes must have been filling up because I couldn't leave a voicemail...I just got a circular loop of messages telling me to leave them without ever prompting me with a "beep." So I found one extension where I could leave a message and did so. I told them that they would be reported if I heard nothing else by Friday of that week.

Friday came. I called.

Guess what?

Phones disconnected.

Seriously.

You know what I did? The first thing I did was called the city's police department. I was told that they were aware of the issue but were not involved because the state was running an investigation. Wow. I started getting in touch with the BBB of central Florida. I wrote the Attorney General of Florida's office. I wrote the Dept of Agriculture of Florida (which is where their consumer affairs division is located). I was FURIOUS! I filled out all of the forms and attached all of the documents and correspondence I had with the company to the Dept of Ag form (there was space to do so).

I was in tears. There is nothing in the world like feeling stupid. Feeling like the picture was obvious and you still didn't see it. Knowing you threw away money you didn't even have to throw away. All for the dream of getting rid of something that, in hindsight, you really didn't need in the first place.

On Monday following that Friday, I received a letter from the AG's office that was an affidavit. I filled it out and attached pages and pages worth of correspondence that would prove my case.

So, here we are. $1034 (plus interest) poorer. Feeling duped. Being duped. Feeling stupid.

It's amazing how naive and stupid a well educated professional can act.

That has been my financial heartache of the last few weeks.

We'll just wait and see if anything happens now.

In the meantime, do you know anyone who wants to rent a week in Charleston, SC? It's a really nice 1 or 2 bedroom (we can do either), fully stocked place that overlooks the open market in the historic district (seriously...the balcony looks straight down onto Market Street). Walking distance to anywhere in the historic district and lots of great food.

Since we can't use it, someone should get to.

We'll give you a good nightly deal.


Photo credit: kmakice

WFMW - When OTC Pain Meds Don't Work

You know when you have a killer headache, or backache, or shoulder pain, or some other pain and you've tried to use your standard go-to pain medication? You know, that Tylenol, or aspirin, or ibuprofen, or Aleve, or whatever just doesn't work?

You know what probably will?

Menstrual pain medicine.

Yep...Midol or Excedrin Menstrual Pain or something similar.

The same additive in that medicine that makes cramps go away can also make other pains go away when the "pain medication" doesn't.

I pitched this to my boss a few years ago, and he was mortified. He was at work and was struggling with a headache that just wouldn't go away (my guess it was tension related). Anyway, he had taken some meds from the first aid room that were pain relievers, and they weren't doing the job. I told him to take some of the Midol out of the first aid cabinet. He looked at me with a horrified expression, and I promised him that he wouldn't loss his Adam's apple over it. So he tried it.

Guess what?

He stopped using anything else from that first aid cabinet and hit up the Midol first.

I can't guarantee it WILL work for you, because I don't know the source of your ailment. But I can tell you that it is worth a shot, because it does Work For Me when my other medicines don't.

Go over to We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

photo credit: dariuszman

8 People to Know in Your Community

1. Neighbors (at least 2)—Someone to lend a key to in case you lock yourself out. Someone to borrow a miter saw from. Someone to walk the dog when you are going to be at work later. Someone to get your mail when you are out of town. Somewhere you child can go when the bus is late. You need to know who lives around you.
2. Doctor—Great to have someone to call to ask medical questions without needing to pay a copay for an office visit. I also have had doctor friends write prescriptions for me after doing an informal, non-office consultation for things like allergy problems and such.
3. Handyman—You need to know a “Mr. Fix-It” for those annoying little problems around the house. Maybe he’ll knock it out for free. Maybe he’ll charge you, but come over outside of work hours. Maybe he’ll teach you to do it for yourself. This is much better than paying full price for a contractor.
4. Clergyman—Sometimes you need someone to really talk to. Sometimes it cannot be your spouse or your best friends because they are the subject matter. Sometimes you need someone to listen and your mom is not the best listener. Sometimes you need advice with a theological spin. Sometimes you need to know someone who can just pray for you. This is a great someone to know.
5. Butcher/Produce Guy—These guys can let you know when you can get the best deals, what the best cut of meat for your meal is, when the freshest mangos will be delivered, and how to prepare your food for optimum results.
6. Local Businessmen—I like supporting local businesses. I’m all about mom-and-pop joints. Often you end up with perks that you don’t get with chains. Sometimes you get inside info on sales, sometimes you get donations for your local charities, and sometimes you get new and fresh local produce from the farmers. Regardless, you need to know the people who make the businesses in your community thrive.
7. Lawyer/Judge—They can’t give free legal advice as your lawyer. As a friend, they can offer some off-the-record hypothetical situation that might give you a good idea. And you might need them to help with a traffic ticket sometime (ahem).
8. Teacher—Know your kids’ teachers. They are often great people and can offer you a world of insight into who your child is while you are not looking. Assume they do care for your child and have his/her best interest at heart—they don’t get paid enough to do it, so they must love it.

BONUS: I didn’t add this as a bullet in the list, as it might be a duplicate of someone already on the list. But ALWAYS know someone who owns a truck. That way, you don’t have to buy one yourself.

What other people would you add to this list?

What a Mistake Cost Us

If you are visiting from the Carnival of Personal Finance at the Ultimate Money Blog, I just want to take a moment to welcome you to my humble abode. Feel free to stick around and check the place out. I'd love to hear your comments on any of my posts.

I mentioned in a previous financial update post that we were going to have to send some money to the IRS.

A few weeks ago we got a letter from the IRS telling us that we had failed to report some income in 2008. I immediately went to check on it, but our prior tax returns were locked in our firesafe and Chip was traveling with the key. So I had to wait for him to get home. When he returned, he checked into it and found...sure enough...we had neglected to claim one of our income sources. How is this possible, you ask? I'll give you the only scenario I can imagine to explain....

In 2008 Chip had a couple of different jobs. The problem was that two of his W-2s had very similar amounts on them. I mean...the "thousands" amount was the same down to the "tens" amount.

My only guess is that he picked up the 2nd similar-looking W2, saw the amount, and thought it was the one he had already entered into our tax filing software. He certainly didn't intentionally leave anything out.

So last Friday we sent the IRS a check. A whopping check for $1722.00. Ouch. Seriously.

What is worse? The reported tax withheld was like $395.00 and was probably close to right. That other almost $1500...fees for the omission and interest that has climbed during the year it took the IRS to find this problem.

And yet worse? We have to file an amended state return for that year and send them some money as well.

Chip was hating himself for it. I totally understand how the mistake could happen, and although I hate to see the money leave the account for something other than debt repayment right now, I know that there is nothing to do about it but send them the money. So I'm not upset about the fact that it happened.

What I have learned through this incident: We really can do this frugality thing. I mean, we lucked up that it happened in a month with three paydays for each of us but one of Chip's was not a full check because he wasn't on a full schedule yet. However, we cut back to just the minimum credit card payments this month and restricted spending to only the necessities.

And we are doing it.

So far, we have eaten out only once...the kids and I visited Chip at his Waffle House for lunch, which is a real treat for the kids (and Chip). It was $19 with tip, so not too bad. And our grocery bill (so far) has not skyrocketed. We are just spending much more purposefully now. And so far I have had to pull only a little out of our emergency fund to cover the IRS payment, and it was only as a precaution (so far). So it appears that we actually might be able to pay $1700 more than the minimums on our credit cards! That would rock if it holes true.

Funny thing is, the stress and frustration of this situation has caused us to realize that we can live like this (because we've had to) and it is not so bad! Maybe it will help us push through more months like this and really make some debt repayment headway!

I wish that has been our last financial mistake. But it isn't. In fact, there is even another one that has reared its ugly head lately.

The latest mistake that cost us money? Totally me. And I am hating myself.

I'll touch on that one next week when I have had time to be not as angry about it.


Photo credit: djshaw

WFMW - Hosting a Giveaway

No, silly. I'm not hosting a giveaway.

Not today at least. Just wait though...I've got something big planned for the beginning of August.

However, I do host them from time to time and have had increasing success each time I do it. I am learning how to attract more and more people and therefore bring more attention to my site.

Here is how I do it.

FIRST OF ALL, you need to know a little something about your own site. How much traffic do you get? Do you have any idea? If not, use either StatCounter or Google Analytics to look at this kind of info. You will probably need it because companies often are interested in this type of information.

And don't worry if you don't have big traffic. Some companies like to use small, intimate blogs to market.

SECONDLY, create a disclosure policy. It isn't something that you can never change as your site develops, but you need to cover yourself while hosting giveaways. I discussed how to do this in a previous WFMW post. You can find those details here.

THIRDLY, you need to get a company interested in hosting a giveaway at your site. The first thing I did was join My Blog Spark. I have had companies contact me randomly through that affiliation. However, they were unexpected and did not flock to me initially. However, go ahead and sign up and wait.

However, in the meantime, I have a company that wants to use more bloggers to market itself. When I hosted a giveaway for CSN Stores it brought a lot of traffic to my site, so I would think it would be a great one to start with! Just leave your email and blog address in my comments (or attached to a profile where they can be located) and I will forward that info along to them as requested. I will do this on Monday the 26th, so make sure you leave the info by the end of Sunday, July 25th to make sure you get included!

NEXT post your review and/or giveaway. Decide on the details. When will it run? How many entries are allowed? How will the winner be contacted? How long does the winner have to respond? Make sure the rules and clearly posted with the giveaway. And make sure you follow up on your end of the deal too!

LASTLY market your giveaway. Go to this link at Mommy Snacks to find a list of giveaway linkies across the web. It is sorted by the day the linky is posted and includes my Tuesday Free for All. Each new day of your giveaway, go to the newly posted linky on each of those sites and post yours for good exposure. Get blogger friends to promote for you if you want.

There are other ways to market yourself and get more opportunities, but this is a good place to start.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS that I have learned personally along the way:

• Don't require people to follow your blog in order to enter. It will just alienate people. You can offer it as an additional entry if you want and the people who want to do it will, but if you require it as an entry, I will just click off of your blog. Seriously...I don't want to follow people when I am not interested in their site. Sorry, but that's just the truth. And chances are a lot of those people will just drop you as soon as the contest is over.
• Make sure the company sponsoring the post is doing the shipping. Don't let them send you two copies of the product so that the shipping charges are on you.
• If you find a company you want to do a giveaway for, contact them and ask. It never hurts and you might just hit the jackpot!

That is my not-so-short tutorial on how to start hosting giveaways.

To see what works for other people on various topics, visit We Are THAT Family and look around!

Photo credit: arte_ram

8 Uses for a Rubber Band

If you are passing through thanks to the Festival of Frugality #241: A Midsummer's Night Dream Edition over at Yes, I Am Cheap, I want to talk a moment to welcome you. If you like this post, you'll find a series here that runs on Mondays called my Monday 8s where you can find other similar topics. Feel free to stick around and get comfortable!

Sure there is the standard use for a rubber band--to hold items together. But these simple yet sometimes annoying little tools can truly make our lives easier if we're a little creative.

Here are some of the most practical and creative uses I have seen.

1. Add Friction – Wrap rubber bands around an object, like a remote control, to keep it from sliding off a smooth or slick surface.
2. Bookmark – Wrap the band around one of the outside covers (front or back...whatever works best for where you are in the book) and wrap it around to the page you left off reading. Perfect bookmark that won't fall out!
3. Grip for a Stubborn Lid – Place a rubber band (either a thick one or several thin ones) around the rim of a jar lid and twist off that stubborn lid.
4. Eraser – If you fold one several times, you can actually use it as a make-shift eraser in a pinch.
5. Childproof Cabinet Doors – Simply wrap several rubber bands tightly between the left and right cabinet door knobs to keep little people out of cabinets that they should not get in. This is a great temporary fix if you have children visiting.
6. Thumb Through Papers – Wrap a rubber band around your index finger a few times the next time you need to flip through papers. Funny that there is a specific product for this when a rubber band works great!
7. Hold onto Your Bottles – Wrap rubber bands around shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers to make it easier to grip them in the shower.
8. Mark Your Containers – When you are done painting (or something simliar), wrap a rubber band around the outside of the container at the level of the paint so you will know at a glance how much is left.

These are some of the more useful ones I found. Do you have any to add to the list?

Photo credit: johnnyberg

Introductions...Frugal Dad

Revisiting the Introductions series in my blog, my intent to introduce you to bloggers whose stories and/or advice I have enjoyed or found most helpful. Frugal Dad is one of my favorite PF bloggers around. His advice is wise and sound, but really hits home with a lot of topics that are interesting to me and many other everyday people. His posts focus not just on finance, but on the real life applications of the decisions involving finances.

I recently exchanged emails interview-style with the Frugal Dad. This is the story (did you just hear the Law & Order "dum-dum"? I did)...

Me: Please tell my readers a bit about what Frugal Dad is all about.
Frugal Dad: FrugalDad.com started nearly three years ago as a sort of catharsis - a chance for me to get years of financial frustrations off my chest. I used to work in the financial industry and saw first-hand the pain caused by being buried deep in debt. Despite those examples, I followed a similar pattern, borrowing debt to go back to school, living a spendthrift lifestyle, and basically wasting away my twenties. Fortunately, my wife and I survived, financially, had two kids and decided at 30 it was finally time to grow up.

Me: You mentioned your work in the finance industry, you have an interesting perspective on debt since you once worked there. Can you give my readers a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes?
Frugal Dad: Most people think that credit card companies are essentially soul-less entities whose primary mission is to make as much money from customers as possible. They're right. Actually, that's not entirely true. Some credit card companies are worse than others. I worked mostly in back-office operations and software development, but my interactions with marketing and other executives affirmed my belief that 90% of the company's mission was to dream up new fees they could legally add to cardholder's statements. Yes, I happen to have worked for a particularly lousy credit card company, and the predatory practices, fees bordering on usury, and general lack of a corporate moral compass caused me to quit the company - the entire industry, in fact.

Me: Wow...I cannot imagine working in that type of environment. You also mentioned your personal debt story. Did you have a big uphill climb out of debt or was it relatively painless?
Frugal Dad: We had a relatively small climb to get out of debt, compared to others, but it was still plenty painful. During our journey to debt freedom we had our second child, changed jobs, relocated, I lost my mom at 53 after a year-long medical and financial crisis following a stroke, and of course there was the Great Recession. At times, things got pretty lean. But we fought, we clawed, and we pulled it off.

Me: It seems that everyone's story of debt freedom has some of Murphy's Law involved. Based on your experience, what method of debt elimination do you recommend personally?
Frugal Dad: I personally recommend the 80-hour workweek method. The fact is, it doesn't matter whether you snowball debt, tsunami debt, make two payments a month, or tackle the high-interest debts first, the most important thing you can do is increase your income. Easier said than done. During our journey to debt freedom I wrote freelance articles, started my own blog, answered surveys, mowed yards for friends and family and tried (unsuccessfully) to land a part time job. Actually, I'm glad the part time job thing failed because it left me more time to pursue becoming an entrepreneur.

Me: Ahhh...you really hit on the root of the solution. Do you find people feeling pity towards you since you are not suckered into the debt-dependent life that so many in our culture adhere to?
Frugal Dad: Five years ago, yes. Now, being frugal is all the rage. Actually, I think attitudes have shifted such that people tend to feel sorry for those out collecting material items to fill some void in their personal lives. Internal happiness and contentment are the new envy. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced it will last.

Me: I know...maybe people (including me!) will learn and stick with it, but that's really not human nature, is it? On Frugal Dad, what types of posts do you find elicit the most responses from readers?
Frugal Dad: Kids and money posts are always popular for getting the lurkers to join us on the comment threads - particularly anything related to allowances. I never realized people had such strong opinions on allowances!

Me: That's funny! What do you personally enjoy writing about most?
Frugal Dad: I especially enjoy writing about family preparedness and self-sufficiency. I'm not a Chicken Little by any stretch, but I do think it is prudent to take some actions to better prepare your family for emergencies. To what extend you take that advice is up to each individual family. Some will save a couple hundred dollars at home and maybe put up a few cans of vegetables. Others buy thousands of dollars of dehydrated foods and build a bunker in their backyard filled with gold bullion and gallons of water. Like everything, there's a balance somewhere in between that works for most families.

Me: What's next for Frugal Dad?
Frugal Dad: I used to have grand visions of quitting my day job, blogging full-time and writing a book. Then I realized that blogging was still fun, and if I had to do it for several hours, every day, to put food on the table, that it would start to look too much like work. Besides, since my wife is a stay-home mom, having two income streams helps keep us more diversified. I still kick around the book idea, but it’s a lot of work, and for now I’m content sharing ideas at the blog.

Me: That's quite practical and well thought out! Who are your favorite bloggers to read? Where do you draw inspiration from?
Frugal Dad: The first blogger I read in the personal finance blogger space was Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar. While recovering from rotator cuff surgery one December, I stumbled upon The Simple Dollar and was immediately hooked. I think I spent the better part of two days reading every single post available in the archives. Since then, I've discovered several other great bloggers that I read almost daily including J.D. Roth from Get Rich Slowly, Brett McKay over at The Art of Manliness, and anything Philip Brewer posts - but mostly his stuff over at Wise Bread. I’m also lucky to be part of two blogging networks with a number of skilled writers, The Life Skills Network and The Money Writers. I’m the junior member of that latter group, which tells you a lot about the quality and longevity of the other eight member bloggers.


I am sure that the Frugal Dad would love to see you over at his site. You can add some comments about allowances if you want. =) Of course you can always bookmark him or search for him, but once you visit and find the great posts there, you are likely to subscribe like I do! You can choose email or RSS feed. Also, don't miss reading his e-book, The 7-Day Turnaround: One Week to Change Your Family’s Financial Future. You can also follow him on Twitter or Facebook. If you want to totally stalk him, you can do all of the above. Now stop reading here and go check him out!