F.U. B. of A.

I just opened my statement for my smaller Bank of America credit card to find that my minimum amount due has DOUBLED and I was assessed a $39 late fee.

I paid the last $2 of my minimum 2 days late last month, you see.

It was $2 because the amount changed and I didn't realize it. 

It was 2 days late because by the time I realized the change, it was the day before the payment was due, and I guess that wasn't enough time for that invisible electronic money to make it from my credit union to B of A.

So I called, and was initially told that the service rep could only waive half the fee.

Cue request for a supervisor.

Would I hold?  Yup.

OK, she can waive it because I've been a customer since 2003.  Thanks, stupervisor!

What about my new and enhanced minimum payment that is double the typical amount due?  Nope, no can do.  You're stuck with that, "it has already gone through our system, we can't change it."

Cue the bullshit detector.  But also, cue me nearly being late for yoga class, which is such a faux pas it's not even funny.

I'll be calling back tomorrow to see if I can get that new minimum payment lowered.  It's only an extra $36, but it seems like too much to me when I paid just 2 days late and I was only missing $2.  I know I signed up and these are their terms, but I'll be damned if I'll make it easy for them.

I am so irritated, actually, that I am tempted to call up and cancel each of my accounts with them.  That would leave me with no open visa/mastercard credit cards, but I still have the debit cards for my two checking accounts and my CostCo Amex.  I'm just so sick of them, and I have no power in this relationship.  The only way I can express my frustration is by closing the accounts.  What say you, internets?

Satisfaction

I threw out a measuring spoon yesterday.  It was a tablespoon.  It was Tar Heel blue, for you basketball fans, and I think I have had it for 13 years or so.  It had become misshapen after falling out of the silverware basket one too many times -- those battles with the whirligigamajob in the bottom of the dishwasher took their toll.

I didn't notice the spoon had passed it's useful life until I tried to measure rice wine vinegar in it.  The vinegar dribbled out of small holes in the spoon.  I figured that was a good sign that the spoon's life was over.  I couldn't think of a way to reuse it, so I threw it in the trash.

It felt great.

I was surprised by how great it felt, actually.  There is something really satisfying about wearing the hell out of something before you throw it out.  Who on earth wears out measuring spoons?  Me.  Now, envirofreaks, I know that plastic is evil and petroleum and whatever, and it's bad.  In a perfect world, i never would have bought it, and I would be using vintage or antique or heirloom measuring utensils with extra special glittery good karma and sprinkles on top.

I'm not.  Deal with it.  I actually have 3 full sets of measuring spoons.  You need more than one set if you like to cook and you're not good at planning ahead.  This way you don't get stuck with a molasses-coated tablespoon when you need to measure baking soda.  That bites.  You know what doesn't bite?  Measuring spoon sets from the dollar bin at Target that cost - guess? - $1.

I also wore out some boots last month.  I think they were at least 10 years old.  I love knowing that I really used something.  When the synthetic upper began flaking apart and separating from the sole, I felt that same feeling of satisfaction when I tossed those shoes out. 

Ups and Downs

Up: I have been approved to become a mystery shopper.  I'm going through a company called Maritz.  The sign up process was a bit more involved than I thought it would be, and my first gig isn't for a few weeks, but I am down for earning more money, even if it comes in dribs and drabs (otherwise known as snowflakes, right?).

Down: The kids I've been babysitting on Wednesday nights are temporarily no longer in need of my services.  One of them is having serious separation anxiety issues and, long story short, I'm on hiatus.  Stinks, cause that was good money.  Oh, it also stinks because the little girl is sad.  :-)  Ahem.  You can see where my priorities are, right?

I'm just going to have to find some more ways to generate income.  Get your thinking caps on.

Fantastic post over at Get Rich Slowly

I always enjoy what J.D. writes, but his post on Learning to Use Money as a Tool really hit home for me.  Loved it.  Recommend it.  I've cherry picked the best part here:

It’s difficult to describe the relationship I used to have with money. It seemed like the ultimate objective. It was what I wanted. Yet I didn’t do anything to earn or save the stuff. Instead, I’d spend it without thinking. When I spent more than I could afford to buy comics and videogames, I got a little thrill. It felt like I was somehow cheating the system.
I know now that the only one I was cheating was me. It took me years to pay off the debt I racked up by “cheating”. Now I really do see money as a tool. Monetary wealth isn’t the goal. Happiness is the goal. Doing the things that make life meaningful for me — reading, writing, spending time with friends — is the goal. Money is useful because it can help me do these things.

 Then J.D. lists ways money, used wisely, helps him (1) buy time, (2) meet his goals, and (3) make life easier.  I love it.  Love it, love it.  I want to chew on it some before I respond more, but I think a good thought exercise would be to figure out how money, used wisely, helps me do those things, and maybe figure out ways I've let it backfire, too.

Snowpocalypse! Snomergency! Snow what?

There is snow in my backyard, lots of it!  (By lots of it I mean about 6 inches.)

This is a Really Big Deal here in beautiful 2DogCasa land.  My state doesn't have lots of snow or ice removal equipment, so the roads get dicey quickly and stay that way.  Everyone from the governor to the my mom is telling folks to just stay home.  Thankfully, the ice hasn't been too bad just yet, and, knock wood, my neighborhood still has power.  With these big old trees around the power lines, I worry.

Saturday afternoon, I watched a big ol' truck, with big ol' wheels and the sort of jacked up suspension that makes you wonder if it qualifies as a monster truck, slip and slide up and down my street for 25 minutes.  He finally gave up, and let the truck slide back down the hill in neutral.  I'm not sure what happened to him -- I finally realized it was rude to stare and came back inside my cozy little house.

The talking heads on the TV had cautioned everyone to say inside, so that was what I was prepared to do this weekend.  Of course, folks had flocked to the grocery store buying up bread and milk, which makes me think they must not need eggs and are dying to make gigantic batches of French toast.  I, too, went to the grocery store this week, on Thursday as a matter of fact, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.  One store had a good price on diet coke, so I stocked up on it (it's a necessity for me!), and I was also out of chili powder.  Ahem.  That's it.

So this weekend I've spent 0 dollars and have had a wonderful time.  I have been playing with my dogs in the backyard for as long as I can stand it, but it's actually fairly cold outside!  I cleaned the kitchen.  I had this yummy chili with sweet potatoes that I improvised based on a Stephanie O'Dea recipe (I heart her.  Bought her book. Loved it!) for lunch and dinner yesterday.  I added some ground beef and didn't have chipotle powder, but I did have chipotles in adobo sauce.  I just added some of the sauce, not the actual chipotle chili, and it was the perfect way to up the heat without overwhelming the other flavors.  The only thing I had to make sure I had before I made this recipe was a sweet potato -- everything else was in my freezer or pantry.  And this time of year, I buy sweet potatoes a lot.  They are cheap and delicious.  Did you know you can even microwave them?  Wild, right?  Makes a super-easy take to work lunch if you are in a pinch.  It's not exactly well-rounded, but you could do a lot worse.  I could, anyway.

Other things that I did this weekend while cozying up in my casa?  Napped. Laundry.  Watched stuff on Hulu.  Puttered around on the internets.  Alternated petting Hound 1 and Hound 2.  Really, I cannot complain!

Goal 1 Update: Not Quite a Morning Person Yet

Well, as promised, here is my update on Project Morning Person.

It's not going so good.  I made it into work by 9 today, but it was a struggle.  It felt rough.  Me no likey.

But I'm convinced that getting up earlier means I have a better chance of:

• Eating breakfast;
• Eating breakfast at home;
• Getting to work earlier;
• Getting stuff done before the office becomes operation interuption;
• Getting home earlier;
• Getting to see friends during the week occasionally;
• And getting to bed earlier!

Those are all worthwhile endeavors.  I've got to keep trying at this.  Goal 1 is officially going to be the goal of February as well as January.  Maybe I'll have this down by Chinese New Year!  Keep your fingers crossed.

Frugal BEST Friend

My very frugal best friend, Tocaya, who had her Total Money Makeover years ago and has been an inspiration to me, gave me an incredibly sweet gift for Christmas: a subscription to Bon Appetit!  {You like my pun?  I said it was sweet, get it?  Huh?  Do yah?  OK, I'll stop.}  The gift was made all the better because it didn't cost Tocaya a dime.  She was renewing her subscription and the magazine offered her a bonus subscription for free.  :-)  Of course, knowing my frugal ways, she told me how she got it for free, because she knew I'd appreciate that as much as I appreciate the gift.  And I do!

The first issue came today - what a great treat!  Love you, Tocaya.