Maintainers Chat: September 22 - 28

JulieJ08 · 09-26-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alinnell

Hi all! DD called yesterday "Mom, I have an emergency." Gosh, phone calls shouldn't start like that! Anyway, she was buying mallets and music books online and instead of checking her bank balance first and transferring money from her savings to her checking, she just put the purchase on her debit card. I was amazed at how fast they debited her account! Within seconds she was overdrawn and will have to pay a $10 fee. (I've counseled her on this countlessly to no avail.) Anyway, I put in $200 in her account to cover the expenses (although why she didn't use the AmExp is beyond me--we've told her if it is something she needs for school she should charge it). We'll have another talk this weekend when she is home.

LOL, at least she didn't get a $20 overdraft fee for buying a Diet Coke in a drive-through

lilybelle · 09-26-2008, 12:52 PM

Allison, that's a very understandable mistake. I almost did the same thing this week. I called and bought Shane's new Geico insurance for his Harley($147.00), bought his new bike tags ($425) and paid off $225.00 to Armed Forces Bank for him (when the Army suddenly forwarded his paycheck to our local bank instead of Armed Forces Bank causing him a big overage). I also did a phone pay for my car payment and boat payment. I did all this with my debit card and suddenly realized that I had just left me $90.00 in my account. I should have went to the bank first and transferred his money from his savings to my checking before paying out that much for him from my account. I'm thankful I didn't accidentally cause myself a bounced check fee. This morning I hurried to the bank realizing what I had done. Turns out DH's bonus check had went in our account yesterday so no worry. For me, it gets confusing being on so many bank accounts: my savings and checking, Shane's savings and checking, Lacy's checking and Shelbey's checking. I keep track of them all. (or at least try to, LOL)

Today this yucky cold has moved out of my chest and totally into my head. I went and bought some Alka Seltzer Cold and Sinus stuff and although it tastes horrible it seems to be helping my head some and making me sleepy.

Food hasn't been a problem for me this week, nothing tastes good and eating anything is a chore. If I'm not feeling better by tomorrow DH will be going to the bike rally without me.

I talked more with Shelbey about her sudden "dieting". She explained to DH and I both that she wants to join the Navy when she graduates next year. She is trying to get down to their height and weight requirements. She plans to try to lose about 40 lbs. She adamantly denies using diet pills or laxatives. I did a little mom snooping and didn't find anything.

Oh, I had mentioned that 2nd oldest SD is pregnant with her 2nd baby. Last night the oldest SD (the one that's already lost custody of 2 of her kids and is in the process of losing custody of the 3rd baby) called and let DH know she is pregnant again and due in March. I guess she decided to fess up this time instead of waiting til it was due again. Hence I guess why she and her BF rushed to the court house and eloped a couple weeks ago. I literally do not think her craziness will ever stop.

paperclippy · 09-26-2008, 12:57 PM

I avoid overdrawing my account by never using my debit card or checks.

I just put everything on my credit card, then pay off the full balance every month. I <3 my credit card because I get frequent flier miles for it, while I don't get anything for my debit card. All my regular bills (cable, phone, etc) auto-debit from my credit card. So do my regular charity contributions.

OTOH I always have a high balance in my checking since I take in more than I spend, and I always forget to move money into my savings account.

alinnell · 09-26-2008, 01:22 PM

Lily~thankfully I only have two checking accounts to oversee. I have tons of savings/CDs/investments of my own, but I rarely do anything with these other than check the balances weekly and track them on a spreadsheet. In any case, even with my periodic overseeing of DD's accounts, things still seem to amiss.

Jessica~I never use my debit card (I used to only use it for groceries). I charge or pay cash, and I don't get frequent flier miles, but I do get rewards so every year I "cash in" my rewards and get tons of gift cards to stores where I shop a lot (think Target!). I like getting these rewards so I tend to charge as much as possible. But unlike you I do keep moving my extra cash to savings and once I get a sizeable sum, I open a new CD. With all this economic trouble we're going through, it is nice to watch my CDs gain weekly (rather than my 401k which shrinks weekly).

BlueToBlue · 09-26-2008, 01:23 PM

I've never understood the point of debit cards. If I pay with a debit card, the money comes out of my account immediately. If I pay with a credit card, my money stays in my account and earns interest for up to 30 days before I have to actually take it out of my account to pay for my credit card purchase (I always pay off my credit card bill in full). Plus, like Paperclippy, I get frequent flyer miles with my credit card; I figure I get at least one free round-trip ticket per year (well, it's not free because I pay $50 a year for the credit card that earns the miles, but still, that's round trip airfare for $50). Right now I have a card where I earn 1.2 miles for every $1 I spend. I think I've used my debit card less than five times in my entire life. On one of my debit cards, I think I even have to pay a transaction fee every time I use it--that's just crazy!

It's almost always free to use my credit card.

I can see where debit cards might be good for students that have to learn to set appropriate spending limits, but otherwise, I've never understood the point of them.

I have my paychecks direct deposited into my savings account, which is a fairly high interest account (well, what passes for high interest on a savings account these days, currently it's only earning 3% APR). I pay bills once a month and transfer just enough money into my checking account to cover them, so my checking account balance is usually pretty low (I keep maybe a $200 cushion in it) and I'm always earning as much interest as I can on my money. And now I have a second online line checking account that earns as much or more interest than my savings account (depending on my balance).

WaterRat · 09-26-2008, 02:22 PM

Count me as another who seldom uses a debit card. I too get frequent flier miles, and auto-pay all my utilities (except the stupid natural gas that won't take credit cards; them I auto pay from my checking account). I go online to check my cc account during the month, so I am always aware where we are. I do use my debit card at the ATM when I need cash, or occasionally at a store when it's a small amount and - oops - no cash!

I do all my banking online, and seldom go inside the bank unless someone gives me a check, and even then I'm apt to deposit it through the ATM. The state saves a ton of $$ by issuing our permanent funds electronically rather than sending a check.

After a horrendous week, things are much quieter today. I have several things I need to catch up on for next week, but no one is demanding my attention at any meeetings, and the only appointments on my calendar are for lunch and to take one cat to the vet's shot clinic after work!

I have a swimming lesson tonight at 8:30. I did make it to the store to buy a swimming cap which I hope will help with the water in the ears problem. I do have ear plugs, but I can't hear the instructor well with them in. I'm still dealing with some water from Wed night.

Tomorrow DH is teaching a class so I'll have a free morning to get some stuff down at home - without the "can you help me a minute" routine.

I need to finish cleaning out some flower beds besides the usual weekend stuff - laundry, groceries, etc. I plan to make it to the gym too. I'm leaving Thurs afternoon for a long weekend with a GF in Bend OR before a 3 day training in Portland OR the week after next. So I need to get some food ahead for DH (or he'll exist on cereal and canned soup) so I guess I'll be cooking over the weekend too.

Oh, and great NSV - ordered a new pair of pants from Land's End (which they hem to the right length, btw) and they're a size smaller than the ones I bought this summer - and they fit!!!

the slim me · 09-26-2008, 02:33 PM

Debit card. What's a debit card? Well, I really know, just never had one. I don't really need one, I don't think. I use my credit card for everything, pay it in full at the end of the month. i would just cringe at the thought of paying a lot of interest. I guess i'm just cheap! And old school too. if I can't afford it, I don't buy it. I haven't started paying my bills on line yet, but that's something I want to do soon. Would save money and time.

Lilly, I hope you feel better soon. Can't believe your SD is having another baby after losing the others. What would make anyone want to do that?

Pat, congratulations on the smaller pants size!

make it a good day, Freda

Sheila53 · 09-26-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueToBlue

I've never understood the point of debit cards.

One of the things that got me started using the debit card was because I was trying to shop locally. For small, local merchants, paying the 2% credit card fee that's charged to the merchant is a big deal so I was trying to be supportive and use the debit card at those local merchants so they could stay in business. I hate seeing local merchants edged out by the big chain stores. Also, there's a discount grocery store where I shop that doesn't take credit cards, and I noticed a lot of restaurants are going to cash only so we use the debit card to get cash at the ATM. This is the first year I've ever had a debit card, and I find it handy for those things. Like others, however, I use my credit card to get the miles. One of these days, I hope to use my miles!

Lily, I have a warning about weight and the Navy. My daughter joined the Navy when she was 19. She was a bit above the weight limit, and the recruiter gave her a "recipe" for weight loss that included laxatives and other things the day before weighing in. I was horrified. My advice to your daughter is to get everything, I mean everything, in writing before she joins up. My DD was promised several things that never transpired--the recruiter was full of talk of wonderful opportunities that never appeared. Anyway, hope you feel better and can go to the bike rally.

Allison, bet your heart stopped a bit when your daughter mentioned "emergency." Our definition of emergency is a lot different than theirs.

Oooh, smaller pants!! Way to go, Pat!

Freda, I'm with you on interest. I won't pay it; love getting it, though. I just wish I could find something that's safe and high-interest. Me and most of the country, right?

I can sum up my week with one sentence: I hate painting.

My granddaughter turns 8 tomorrow. It's so exciting! For a kid who wasn't expected to live to be a year old, she's done remarkably well. Every day is a gift. She's got a little cold, though, so I hope she'll be able to go do something. I'm volunteering at the Frisbee contest benefit for the Humane Society, and she and her Dad were going to come watch. I was hoping we could take her to the park--she loves going on the swings, and we slid her down the slide a couple of times (although that can be a back killer for 50-somethings, and my womanly hips don't fit so I can't hold her and slide with her).

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

BlueToBlue · 09-26-2008, 07:30 PM

I do use my debit card to get cash at the ATM (or the "cash station" as those of us originally from the Chicago area call it). I remember when I was in college and I would go the "cash station" and just take out $5.

Those days are long gone! You can't find an ATM that will let you take out less than $20 these days!

WaterRat: If you are having problems with water in your ears, a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol in your ear after you swim should clear it right up. I keep a small dropper bottle of rubbing alcohol in my swim bag just for this purpose. Congrats on the new pants size!

Lily: I can't believe all the craziness in your family. I hope you feel better in time to go to the bike rally.

Sheila53: That is a good point about the local merchants; I hadn't really thought of that. Congratulations on your GD turning 8!

the slim me: Count me in as old school too--I also always pay off my credit card bill in full and have all my life. Those credit card interest rates are usurious! I started to pay my bills online, but then I went back to paper checks because, to be honest, paying online wasn't saving me any time (even though all those commercials make it sound like it will be sooooo fast). I know it's bad for the environment to use paper checks and snail mail, but it's so much more convenient since I don't have to sit at the computer to write out paper checks. I usually pay bills while watching TV.

traveling michele · 09-26-2008, 09:12 PM

Happy Friday everyone!!
I will be very scarce next week.
I leave on a short cruise Tuesday morning with my dh. We are so excited to be taking a little trip together. He has been gone for 10 days and comes back tomorrow night so it will be perfect timing. I am guessing my food will be way off but I'll make the best choices possible and SPLURGE some! I am confident that I can pick back up when I come back. We will be starting in Vancouver and going down to San Diego with one port in Victoria. We are going to "high tea" at the Empress Hotel in Victoria so I know that will be way off plan! It is a "Dr. Laura" cruise if you know who she is. I've been a fan of hers forever and am excited to meet her, see her show, attend a wine tasting with her, and attend a fitness class with her personal trainer amongst other things. She is such a fitness person that I'm wondering if the food choices will be more healthy than regular cruises but we'll see.

Until I leave I'm in hyper mode. I am taking a class and I need to get a major project done (ahem, and started) before I go. I also have a book fair at my school as soon as I get back so I've been busy trying to get everything prepared for that.

Had no sleep last night and am soooo sluggish but I just got back from the gym and feel like I have a little energy so I need to work while I can.

I'm also taking my Great Dane, Jozi, to a Pet Expo on Sunday. She is a therapy dog and will be part of one of the exhibitions. So, tomorrow will be bath day for both of the pooches!!

I hope everyone has an amazing, wonderful, relaxing and fun weekend!

By the way, I do use a debit card but only where I can't use my AmEx. We also pay off our bills each month, but we were once in very bad credit card debt. It is a horrible thing and it took us years to get rid of it. Now we don't buy anything unless we have the money. We are trying so hard to teach our daughters the hazards of credit card debt. I hope they are listening!

goalsuccess · 09-26-2008, 11:57 PM

Greetings, All. I'm back from 4 days in the Cities. Packing two coolers though it seems like a lot, worked well for me. I took one of the coolers to meetings with me full of fruit and my compulsive pumpkin pudding.
The first thing that happened, of course, was that people asked why I was carrrying a big cooler. I explained that I'd lost a lot of weight and had learned that I was better off to bring my own food, so I didn't grab up something that was a bad choice for me when it was brought out for everyone. The people I was talking to said they thought toting my own food was a great idea. Throughout the conference, they asked if I'd use what was in my cooler and were envious when they saw me eating grapes and my addictive pumpkin pudding. Because I planned my treats and brought them, I was able to pass up Thursday noon's cheesecake (God! How I love cheesecake!--that took grapes to overcome which I also enjoy a great deal and will soon miss when grape season is over), Thursday night--passed up chocolate mousse and french bread drenched in butter (replaced those goodies with my pumpkin pudding), Friday noon--lunch at the end of the conference--I had packed holiday salad and hadn't eaten it, so I left when lunch was served, ate my holiday salad, and did some power shopping instead. Perhaps my reward was in buying clothes the past 3 days. I found that I now fit in one size smaller. I'm not losing weight, but something must be going right. Of course, it could be the manufacturer, who knows?
My next challenge was shopping this afternoon before I headed for home. I must have sounded psycho when I was talking myself out of Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies. I love those nibbler cookies. First I told myself I could have them if I walked to and from the store which was about a half a mile away. Then, I kept talking to myself and decided that I had a box of 100 calorie Trader Joe chocolate chip cookies in my car. I told myself that I could eat up to 3 of those 100 cal paks and still not get the calories I would eat from Mrs. Fields. I am happy to report that I walked to my car, not to Mrs. Fields, and enjoyed two packages of Trader Joe's cookies on my drive home.
We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. No matter what, I know I made some good decisions the past 3 days. It makes me realize how far I've come in the past 11 months. I am committed to staying slim and making healthy choices as often as I can convince myself to do so.

LisaMarie71- If you are really interested, the gap I found in the literature is that there is very little (only 28 sources on my topic) regarding American Indian students and only 47 sources on first generation students. Though I was thrilled to find the "gap", my advisor was less, far less, than enthusiastic. I went out of her office trying to keep from crying. My advisor's thought process and mine were not synchronized. Yet, today, after two days of trying to forget about my special paper topic, as I enjoyed the sunshine, my thinking about my advisor's required writing style finally clicked in. I think I'm good to go for writing my special paper. My plan is to write my little word processing fingers off starting on Monday with a goal date of completing a first draft my October 17. Say a prayer for me! As for you and grad school, go for it! You'd be surprised at all the opportunities out there to go to school, study, work full time, and still be a sane parent. It IS doable.

traveling michele · 09-27-2008, 01:06 AM

Good for you goalsuccess in planning and sticking to your resolutions! You should be very proud of yourself and clothes are always a great reward! Imagine how terrible you would feel both physically and emotionally if you had given in to all of those temptations.

Your evil voice inside your head needs to meet mine-- they sound like twins. I have that sort of a battle on a daily basis. Sometimes with food, more often with exercise-- I can rationalize so many reasons why I can't exercise but luckily I have been stronger than my inner voice for the most part.

the slim me · 09-27-2008, 09:46 AM

Shelia, I know you had fun with your GD. My GS is 8 too, and keeps us hopping. I agree with you about getting everything in writting when you join the forces too. Heard a lot of horror stories. Seems they promise a lot, deliver little.

Barbara, I pay bills while I watch TV too. I know so little about paying bills on line but i've been asking a lot of questions. I've also thought about automatic deduction. My neighbor works at the bank. Guess i better get some insite from her. I've always wondered just how safe all that transaction online really is.

Mitchelle, Enjoy your cruise! I used to listen to Dr. Laura on the radio all the tiime, but she doesn't come on anymore. I have also read a lot of her books. Can't say i agree with her about everything, but then, I don't agree with my husband about everything either. Hope you get good healthy food on the cruise. If not, I would let her know.

Goal, congratulations! You made good choices when it would have been so easy to just for get it and eat what was served! I hope the scale rewards you with a good loss! You mentioned your pumpkin pudding and Holiday salad. Are they in the recipe thread? I find clothes to be the great incentive. If I really get unmotivated, I just try on a few of my "new" clothes and see how great they look. Motivates me all over again!

make it a good day, Freda

traveling michele · 09-27-2008, 09:53 AM

I pay all of my bills online. It is a timesaver once you have it set up. When I get a bill, I set it up immediately for payment. You can set the payment date for whenever it is due (I usually set bills to pay a couple of days early just in case). Banks have very secure online sites and there are layers of protection to get through. I feel very safe online banking and have been doing it for several years with no problem. I used to write 40-50 checks a month; now I only write one or two!

alinnell · 09-27-2008, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveling michele

I pay all of my bills online. It is a timesaver once you have it set up. When I get a bill, I set it up immediately for payment. You can set the payment date for whenever it is due (I usually set bills to pay a couple of days early just in case). Banks have very secure online sites and there are layers of protection to get through. I feel very safe online banking and have been doing it for several years with no problem. I used to write 40-50 checks a month; now I only write one or two!

Amen to that!!! A box of checks lasts me years now! I only use checks to pay for things like my son's Karate stuff and things he has to pay for at school and my housekeeper. Rarely do I get a bill that has to be paid by check. I love online banking!

I'm so mad. My housekeepers came yesterday (they come every 2 weeks) and they always clean out my fridge. Often if they see something going bad, they'll chuck it (and if they don't I will). Anyway, yesterday they threw out my 1/2 red bell pepper that I've been using all week for omelets and salads. It was still perfectly good. Gah! I know, it's a little thing to be mad about, but it still made me quite upset last night.