digging out of a stinky pile of debt after realizing we are well past fucked

I’m selling off clutter on eBay. People are buying it. Yay!

But some of them bid and do not pay.

I had an auction end on June 29th for $21.50. The buyer said they would pay by the end of the week. Today I got this gem of an email:

due to situations i will not be able to have the money until friday the 18th. please let me know if that is ok. Thank you

Um, no, that is not okay! Why are you bidding on things that you do not have the money to pay for? And why do you expect someone to hold something for you until you can find said money? Argh!

Admit it. The rising gas prices have you looking longingly at ads for hybrids, right? I know - me too!  What’s got my eye? A shiny new Ford Escape SUV hybrid. Do I need it? Nope. Do I already have a car that gets decent gas mileage. Yup. But all this talk about rising gas prices and fuel efficient cars has given me a bad case of hybrid envy.

Fortunately, I have realized something very important that is helping with my hybrid envy. What is this little secret? Simple.

You can get a fuel efficient car without going hybrid.

I know, it’s shocking - especially if you are suffering from an extreme case of hybrid envy. It’s also true. For instance, if you take a gander at the list of 2008’s most and least fuel efficient vehicles at www.fueleconomy.gov you will notice that the list of most fuel efficient vehicles is not monopolized by hybrids. Sure, the Toyota Prius is tops. But the Smart Car, the Mini Cooper, the Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Versa, and a few others are all on the list. And a lot of those are actually a heck of a lot cheaper than a hybrid!

So, ditch that hybrid envy and look for a used Corolla. You’ll save some cash and still get a pretty fuel efficient vehicle.

According to the Wall Street Journal, there are a couple of business school professors that did a little study on splurging that yielded results I find a bit surprising.

It seems that they have concluded that splurging on a purchase is good for your health. They even go so far as to say that it makes you happier later. And that not splurging now gives you feelings of regret later.

You know what gives me feelings of regret? Years of splurging that led to the massive debt you see in the sidebar.

So, I have to wonder - did the credit card industry fund this little study? Just saying.

I bought something on Amazon on May 27th. I got an email that they were having problems with the credit card I used (which had a zero balance) so I asked them to try again. It still did not work so I switched cards. That solved the problem. The item shipped on May 28th.

Fast forward to today. More than a month later.  The item showed up on my credit card statement. However, the full amount is also still listed as “pending charges.”

I emailed Amazon and asked them to stop holding the amount as the item was paid for and shipped. Amazon tells me that they are not holding it, but that the credit card company is. So, I log into the Chase online account and see the customer service secure message center. I email them, tell the the situation and how the more than 30 day hold is unacceptable and ask for it to be removed.

I get this response:

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

In order to assist you with your inquiry we must speak to you directly. Please call our Customer Service at the number listed below. We are available to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you have any further questions, please reply using the Secure Message Center.

Wow, how very helpful. It really should not be this difficult to remove a hold. Seriously.

I have a Capital One card. I paid it off a few months ago. Ever since I have been getting little emails from Capital One. Apparently they miss me.

They miss me so much that they want me to finance a car so that we can rekindle our relationship. Every month I get an email that reads:

Wouldn’t it be nice to shop for your next car with your financing already in hand? With Capital One Auto Finance® you can head to the dealer and shop like a cash buyer. That way, you can focus on the important things—gas mileage, color, extras, etc. Complete our easy, no-hassle online application today.

And it is complete with the attractive model with car keys in hand, looking very joyful.

Little do they know that I plan on never financing a car ever again. Muah hahahaha.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

In an effort to offset the high cost of gasoline, the Mexican restaurant chain is offering customers free burritos, tacos or bowls from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Columbus-area stores — one per person, no fax orders accepted.

Back in April I discussed being bumblefucked by Orchard Bank and their sneaky payment holding tactics. Well, it is with great pleasure that I can now tell Orchard Bank that our relationship is over!

Woo hoo.

Of course, if you remember my previous post then you know that they also raised my credit limit. Wankers.

So, Orchard Bank, I won’t fall for it. We had a long relationship. I thought we had a good thing for a while there. But then I realized that you were just using me. And we are so over.

One of the bad things about being in hella debt is that a lot of your decisions are pretty much made for you. Housing is the primary one. It is sure difficult to save up a down payment for a home and qualify for a mortgage when you owe loads of money and are having to pay out a buttload of your income each month.

And that means renting. Blech.

In my experience, renting an apartment is cheaper than renting a house or a condo or whatever. The unfortunate side effect of this is living in close proximity to other idiots. I am usually reminded of this when my apartment starts smelling like cigarette smoke from the neighbors. Or when I go to leave my 3rd floor apartment but a neighbor is grooming their large dog on the stairs.

Tonight, I am really hating the debt thanks to the people that live below me. Now, in all fairness, I have assumed that they were geriatric and hard of hearing for some time now as there is always a lot of noise from the tv/stereo. Today though I hit my limit with their noise when the floor was vibrating from their loud music. After going into the living room I was unsure if it was coming from below or across the way so I opened up the door. The smell of grilled burgers caught my nose and I realized that some idiot was outside grilling and had turned up their stereo. (Apparently they are not aware that portable stereos are in fact still manufactured.)

So, I decide that I will go ask them nicely to turn the volume down and if they do not that I will call the police. Call me naive, but I expected to find them on the 2nd floor. Oh no. These Einsteins were on the ground floor with their grill and patio chairs and had their 2nd floor apt door open (right below me) with their stereo cranked up.

I asked if they could turn the volume down a bit as it was loud. Actually I had to kind of yell that. The girl yelled back, “Oh, is it loud? Can you hear it up there?” And I was like “Uh, yeah, it’s making my floors vibrate.” Then she asked her boyfriend/husband to go adjust the volume. He glared at me and I went back up.

He did lower the volume a tad. However, it was still loud. I did not call the cops though. I suspect once their food is done that they will actually eat inside and then lower the volume to their normal loud but bearable level. And almost as bad as the noise is that these two people are breeding. There was a small child with them and the woman was very pregnant. Oy vey.

So, now it is not just about getting out of debt. It is about getting out of apartments and away from other people.

If you are having some aches and pains and also happen to be in debt then let me diagnose you.

Dear spent-too-much-and-now-in-debt,

Welcome to the club. What club? The exclusive club of Americans having health problems caused by debt stress. At least that is what MSNBC is reporting.

And I don’t doubt it. Stress can do all sorts of wacky things to your body. So, if you have a chunk of debt that you are stressing about then expect wacky body things.

Want me to make you feel better? If so, have a glance at the sidebar. See those little progress bars, or actually lack-of-progress bars? Feel better now? Thought so.

If not, here is what you can expect, according to ailments people listed in the poll in the MSNBC story:

• 27 percent had ulcers or digestive tract problems, compared with 8 percent of those with low levels of debt stress.
• 44 percent had migraines or other headaches, compared with 15 percent.
• 29 percent suffered severe anxiety, compared with 4 percent.
• 23 percent had severe depression, compared with 4 percent.
• 6 percent reported heart attacks, double the rate for those with low debt stress.
• More than half, 51 percent, had muscle tension, including pain in the lower back. That compared with 31 percent of those with low levels of debt stress.

Here are some great links for freebies that I came across this week.

Free coffee from Folger’s Gourmet - Get a sample of Folger’s Gourmet coffee for free. I typically drink Millstone Coffee but find that this is just as good - and over $3 cheaper at Target!

Save 10% at Guitar Center - Get a free coupon for 10% off your entire purchase at Guitar Center. Sign up now cause the coupon is only good for the month of June!

Free WiFi at Starbucks - Do you spend time and money at Starbucks anyways? If so, take advantage of this offer and get free WiFi at Starbucks while you are at it!

Free burger at Red Robin - Have a Red Robin restaurant near you? If so, sign up for their eclub and get a free burger at Red Robin for your birthday. They will email you a coupon for the free food.

Free dessert at Smokey Bones - Have a Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill near you? Sign up for their Hot Off The Grill newsletter and get an email for free dessert on your birthday.

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