Category Archives: Financial

On Account

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This morning I stopped by the bank to deposit a couple of checks. I actually dread going to the bank any more. It never goes well. There is always something wrong or something missing or something against their policy. I truly hate going to the bank for anything except to withdraw cash from their ATM and I only do that about once or twice a year.

Today they wanted to see my ID, even though I have banked at this branch for 16 years. Why did they need an ID to deposit 3 checks to my checking account? I had a checking account deposit slip and the checks were made out to me, the same name as on the account. So why exactly did they need an ID to do this? And after 16 years, why does no one in the bank know me by my face and my name?

Extra Money

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Now that all the extra spending for the holidays has finished and we know how big our credit card balances have become, I supposed I need to start looking for a part time job so I can have some extra money. I was hoping to avoid working this year, but everything is going up – especially the utility bills. My electric bill is over $300 this month – and I don’t even have any extra lights on the house for Christmas decorations this year. It has not even been a hard winter yet. When it gets colder next month and in February, the heat will run my electric bill up even worse.

Snobs at AT&T

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My cell phone is with AT&T and although the service is OK, the phone itself is not working right anymore. It never rings when people call. The friends tell me that they hear it ringing and then after 4 rings it goes to voice mail. But when I have the phone right next to me on the desk I do not hear it ring. The settings are all set to loud and all that – there is something wrong with the phone.

So I stopped by the AT&T retail store near my house. Well, it isn’t really near my house but it was the closest one that I knew about and I had to go over to that part of town anyway. So I walked in and asked to see some of the new phones to replace my old phone. The clerk told me that all the phones in the store are too expensive for me, even though I never asked the price or mentioned being concerned about price. He evidently just decided that I cannot afford a new phone. And then he left me standing there while he waited on the next customer.

I didn’t realize that I looked like a broke down homeless person today. I mean, WTF? I can afford any damn phone I want and I really don’t think it is up to some smart aleck phone store clerk to deny me a new phone.

Watch Your Tip Jars

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Several local shops have a tip jar set out on the counter for employees. I try to drop in my loose change or even a dollar if they are pleasant, efficient, and get the order right. I hope the store managers are good about dividing up the proceeds among all the employees at the end of every shift.

Lately there have been reports of tip jars being pilfered by unsavory types. There was an attempted theft of the tip jat at a local coffe shop drive through window. The alert store clerk prevented the theft and called the police. The suspect was caught within the hour – he was found hiding in the landscape shrubbery of a nearby subdivision.

All this drama over about $3.00 in change. How sad for that man that he is going to jail over $3 that he didn’t even get.

Tax Day

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Can it be April 15th already? My goodness, it seems like I was just writing out a big fat check to Uncle Sam for last year’s taxes just a few months ago! But here it is again!

This year I don’t have to write such a big check, thank goodness. It is hard to keep on top of these things when you work for yourself and you are not an employee. Being self employed is not for everyone, but I love the freedom of making my own decisions and my own schedule and not having anyone but my clients to keep happy.