Finance Gets Personal

Obsessive list-making is a hobby of mine, so I often start the summer with a list of things I want to do over the next three months. Fun things. Summer things.

Eat bomb pops on the lawn. Visit the water park. Take my stepson and one of his friends to play mini golf. Finally take the dog to the leash-free park. Go on a photo-taking road trip. Attend a summer concert. Have friends over on the 4th of July to witness the amazing views of local fireworks displays. Take a picnic to the local Shakespeare festival.

Amazingly, 90% of these things never happen.

I can sense it happening again this summer, as the circulars begin promoting back to school sales and the local Hobby Lobby begins decorating its Christmas trees.

Where are the kids chasing fireflies and parents listening to baseball games on the radio? Where is my green chlorinated hair and dark tan?

Please, fall, it’s too early…

We’ve still got to get our basement finished before college football season starts.

Photo Credit: slip’n’slide by superboma, used under Creative Commons licensing.

You’ll recall that I sent a long letter to CVS after a particularly bad couponing experience there last month.

Here is the letter I received in response yesterday:

Dear Ms. Finance Girl,

Thank you for your letter regarding the service you received when redeeming coupons at the City, ST, CVS/pharmacy.

We appreciate the time that you have taken to express your thoughts on our company. At CVS, customer input plays an important role in influencing how we run our business. Therefore, I have advised __________, District Manager of your comments. He will be addressing this matter with the Store Manager and making sure that all staff members are familiar with our coupon acceptance policies.

If you have any other issues with the store accepting your coupons, please ask for a member of the management team so they can address the issue immediately at the store.

Again, Ms. Finance Girl, we appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to inform us of your concerns and have given us the opportunity to address them. CVS has a commitment to service. Each customer is valued, and we thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Sincerely,
Jackie
Customer Service Representative

Seems like a form letter to me, but at least I got a response. Even if that response is basically, “you should have asked for the store manager.”

Do I have the longest titles in the blogosphere, or what?

Anyway, I was looking through all my obsessive-compulsive lists on Tada Lists today, and I came across this one: New Year’s Resolutions.

Shit.

Uncensored, here they are:

• Pay off Mazda (I did that!)
• Pay off Citibank (Did that too!)
• Do yoga at least four times per week (Gave up on that in January)
• Paint house exterior (Hired someone instead)
• Install French drain (Hired a structural engineer who told us to regrade under the deck, which solved the problem, so the French drain is unnecessary)
• Organize Garage (I actually did this, but then we had a garage sale this summer and I haven’t been able to park in the garage since! Must.fix.before.snow.and.ice.comes!)
• Organize basement (Haven’t done much in this area, although it’s not looking so bad since we had a garage sale…or maybe that’s because all the stuff is now in the garage?)
• Caulk basement cracks and test with water (Also no longer relevant due to structural engineer’s advice - although we should have them professionally sealed before we finish the basement)
• Get a will (Absolutely no progress on this one)
• Fix ceiling crack (Absolutely no progress on this either - mostly because I have no idea how to get up to the cathedral ceiling, let alone re-attach the sheetrock. It’s a real shame my husband is afraid of heights!)
• Pay off student loans (Halfway there! I think we’ll actually accomplish this, though it might not be until the beginning of January.)
  
  Wasn’t that just fascinating? I’m sure you have/had a similar list.
  
  Did I actually think I’d accomplish all these things before midnight on December 31st? Well, I certainly thought it was possible. Plus, I’m good for a challenge.
  
  But no, certainly all these things are not going to happen.
  
  Given that it’s now October 20, I challenge each of you (and myself) to complete ONE unfinished New Year’s resolution before the end of the year.
  
  I choose finishing our will, because it’s the most important item. Plus, we’ve been paying extra for some legal benefits that I think might cover it through my husband’s employer, and it really pisses me off that we haven’t taken advantage of it yet (yes, I know you can make a will yourself with software, but our situation is someone complicated with my husband’s divorce - from his first wife, that is. Not me. That would make absolutely no sense!).
  
  What’s your Old Year’s resolution going to be?
  
  Photo Credit: Hogan’s Corner Laundromat by elisfanclub, used under Creative Commons licensing.

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ll now be posting the drugstore deals on the new “Drugstore Deals” page (upper right corner) from now on. So, if you’re interested, pop on over!

So maybe you’ve identified some of your friends and co-workers as closet Dave Ramsey listeners, and you’re ready to move on to more challenging tasks.

Today, learn how to tell if someone is a closet Suze Orman watcher. It’s a little more subtle, but here are the signs to watch for:

• While they’re always chipper in the morning, you can tell they’re having a particularly good day if they greet you with, “Hi, LEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOON!,” and it sounds like chalkboard fingernails on a roller coaster.
• When they offer to make a Starbuck’s run and you tell them you’d like a tall mocha, they say, “OK, show me the money, boyfriend!”
• They make slightly inappropriate comments about members of the opposite sex. For example, “You look cute in that t-shirt, Jerry! Look at those little muscles there!”
• However, they are also quick to dish out criticisms of “dorky shirts” or “pointy alligator shoes,” despite they fact that they personally dress like a blind person in a costume shop.
• They reference their spouse/partner in gender-neutral terms, such as “this person” or “they,” regardless of their own sexual orientation.
• When at the club, they delight in making fun of their friends’ failed pick-up attempts with a loud, “DENIED!!!!!” (and if the woman is extremely attractive and well-dressed, followed by, “YOU CANNOT AFFORD IT!”)
• They wear the same gold jewelry every day and talk about the effect it has on their chakras.
• When another friend or co-worker is having relationship problems, their solution is always the same. “Dump him!”
• When the same friend or co-worker starts dating again, instead of asking, “Is he cute?” they want to know, “What’s his FICO score?”
• When they pass a prostitute on the street corner, instead of walking past quickly, they stop and ask her name. “Stacey, is it? My dear Stacey, you are not on sale! You need to at least raise your rates by 20%. Trust me, no one will think anything of it!”
• When their friend’s husband asks for the remote, they tell their friend, “Don’t give your power away!” “DON’T DO IT, DON’T DO IT, DON’T YOU DARE DO IT!”
• When you ask what you should do about a friend in need, they remind you that it’s always, “people first, then money, then things.” Unless that person is looking for a co-signer. Then it’s definitely money first.

Is wasting away faster than Keira Knightley.

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Photo Credit: My Twitter Class of ‘08 by Mallix, used under Creative Commons licensing.

Anna, who has a new blog called Boogers, Bibs, Books & Bubbles, is the lucky winner of the $25 Chili’s gift card giveaway!

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and great ideas for future posts!

I just bought gas for $2.99!

Holla!

Photo Credit: pumpin it by random dude, used under Creative Commons licensing.