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11.18.2013
I Thought Debt Was a Negative - Silly Me
We live in a nutty world. Nuttier than a squirrel's stash in the winter.
I had a conversation with my bank two hours ago that still has me shaking my head.
My husband and I have a joint checking/savings account. In addition, I have a separate checking/savings account. Not because we divide the money, or I want more chocolate than he thinks is reasonable. I simply stash funds in the second savings account until the water heater springs a leak, or the car needs new brakes, or some catastrophe occurs as life rolls along. This savings account is simply a holding cell until the unexpected happens.
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I never use the checking part of this account, never have. For ten years, it's had all of $3.50 in it. I don't even think about it, forget I have it.
Yesterday, I got a letter from our bank stating that for three months, I've been over drawn on this checking account. My balance is now -$2.50. What?
I called the bank. A very nice woman named Nicole looked into it and then asked me, "Do you have a daughter?"
"Yes," I said warily. Had our girl been swiping a dollar a month from this forgotten account of mine?
"Did she have a car loan with us?" Nicole inquired.
"Yes." I wondered where this was going.
"It looks like that's been paid off," Nicole informed me.
"Uh-huh." I think we co-signed for the loan, which was paid off this past summer. "Okay...."
"Oh, I see," Nicole said. "You've been moved from a platinum account to a gold account."
I'm still trying to put things together. "We got demoted because our daughter paid off her loan?"
"Well, you're now in a different status. You have to maintain a certain balance in this checking account, or there is a fee."
I'm still thinking. "Are you telling me we're being penalized because we have less debt?"
"It's not a penalty," Nicole said. "You're simply in a different status." She then said something about how we used to be at the platinum level, which was $2700, now we're at the gold level, which is $750.
"Let me understand this," I said. "Because our daughter no longer owes you money, we have to keep a minimum amount of funds in this checking account, which we don't use, or we will be fined."
"Correct. You're at a different level now."
"Yeah, I get that," I said. "We've been bumped down a notch. So instead of getting our daughter's money, you require more of ours. It looks like the bank benefits from our family being in debt."
Nicole kind of chuckled. "Yeah, that's how it works. Paying off the car loan is what changed things."
Am I really hearing this? This is insane! "Well, you know, Nicole, I'm not going to use this checking account. I've never used it. Can I get rid of it?"
"You can close the account," she said.
"Can I keep the savings without the checking?"
"Yes. But you can't go online to pay any bills if you don't have both."
"I don't do online banking from this account," I said. "I move the savings money over to our joint checking when we need it. Can I still do that?"
"Oh, yes," Nicole assured me.
"Close the checking account," I said. Before it costs me one more penny. Before I have to take out a loan to save money. I can't believe I just typed that.
Nicole tapped away and removed the checking account. I'm surprised she didn't charge me anything to do it.
I admit I don't have a high finance mind; I don't understand Wall Street and interest rates, but shouldn't you be rewarded for paying your bills? Shouldn't you get a higher status for being responsible? Like I said, NUTTY.
I have no idea how being only a gold member at my bank will change my life. I didn't know I was previously a platinum member, so I'll now be paying attention to how my life degrades. Gosh, once we pay off the last of our son's college loan in April, we'll probably tumble to the tin can level.
There's a lesson here somewhere, but darned if I know what it is.
I had a conversation with my bank two hours ago that still has me shaking my head.
My husband and I have a joint checking/savings account. In addition, I have a separate checking/savings account. Not because we divide the money, or I want more chocolate than he thinks is reasonable. I simply stash funds in the second savings account until the water heater springs a leak, or the car needs new brakes, or some catastrophe occurs as life rolls along. This savings account is simply a holding cell until the unexpected happens.
.jpg)
I never use the checking part of this account, never have. For ten years, it's had all of $3.50 in it. I don't even think about it, forget I have it.
Yesterday, I got a letter from our bank stating that for three months, I've been over drawn on this checking account. My balance is now -$2.50. What?
I called the bank. A very nice woman named Nicole looked into it and then asked me, "Do you have a daughter?"
"Yes," I said warily. Had our girl been swiping a dollar a month from this forgotten account of mine?
"Did she have a car loan with us?" Nicole inquired.
"Yes." I wondered where this was going.
"It looks like that's been paid off," Nicole informed me.
"Uh-huh." I think we co-signed for the loan, which was paid off this past summer. "Okay...."
"Oh, I see," Nicole said. "You've been moved from a platinum account to a gold account."
I'm still trying to put things together. "We got demoted because our daughter paid off her loan?"
"Well, you're now in a different status. You have to maintain a certain balance in this checking account, or there is a fee."
I'm still thinking. "Are you telling me we're being penalized because we have less debt?"
"It's not a penalty," Nicole said. "You're simply in a different status." She then said something about how we used to be at the platinum level, which was $2700, now we're at the gold level, which is $750.
"Let me understand this," I said. "Because our daughter no longer owes you money, we have to keep a minimum amount of funds in this checking account, which we don't use, or we will be fined."
"Correct. You're at a different level now."
"Yeah, I get that," I said. "We've been bumped down a notch. So instead of getting our daughter's money, you require more of ours. It looks like the bank benefits from our family being in debt."
Nicole kind of chuckled. "Yeah, that's how it works. Paying off the car loan is what changed things."
Am I really hearing this? This is insane! "Well, you know, Nicole, I'm not going to use this checking account. I've never used it. Can I get rid of it?"
"You can close the account," she said.
"Can I keep the savings without the checking?"
"Yes. But you can't go online to pay any bills if you don't have both."
"I don't do online banking from this account," I said. "I move the savings money over to our joint checking when we need it. Can I still do that?"
"Oh, yes," Nicole assured me.
"Close the checking account," I said. Before it costs me one more penny. Before I have to take out a loan to save money. I can't believe I just typed that.
Nicole tapped away and removed the checking account. I'm surprised she didn't charge me anything to do it.
I admit I don't have a high finance mind; I don't understand Wall Street and interest rates, but shouldn't you be rewarded for paying your bills? Shouldn't you get a higher status for being responsible? Like I said, NUTTY.
I have no idea how being only a gold member at my bank will change my life. I didn't know I was previously a platinum member, so I'll now be paying attention to how my life degrades. Gosh, once we pay off the last of our son's college loan in April, we'll probably tumble to the tin can level.
There's a lesson here somewhere, but darned if I know what it is.
11.08.2013
30 Things I'm Grateful For
During November, many folks are posting daily on facebook things they're thankful for. I'm due back in the dugout soon, so I'm sharing the 30 thirty things I'm grateful for here.
1. Educational programming like the Sprout channel and Sesame Street. They're fun and relaxing for even middle-aged kids.
2. My walking partner, Cindy. We encourage each other when we really don't want to get up and hit the pavement at 7:30 a.m.
3. My gym, where membership is only ten bucks a month. I don't make it there every day, so I appreciate the fact that I'm wasting only thirty-three cents on the days I'm not checking in.
4. My PT Cruiser. It fits my behind, and I don't know what I'm going to do when they stop making it.
5. CVS weekly sales. Nothing beats .99 Puffs or Dawn dish washing liquid.
6. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. We've gotten away from fat ice cream completely and don't even miss it.
7. My Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It whips up stiff cookie dough and bread dough without pausing to huff and puff like some people in this household. Thanks, Ter!
8. Fresh salmon. With maple syrup and a bit of lemon. I only wish it was thirty-three cents a day like the gym.
9. The fact that no one in the 'grandparents' category has been in the hospital for the past two months.
10. That Mom, who's fairly reserved, can still make me chuckle. Like the fact that she calls her panti-liners "ipads."
11. My sister's generosity. She regularly sends our dad gift cards to a local yogurt shop, so he and my daughter can have weekly hot fudge dates.
12. My clothesline. I've been thankful for this before. I'm thankful for it every time I hang out clothes. I feel like I'm pulling one over on the electric company. I'm sure it doesn't care, but it makes me feel like a smart cookie.
13. My hard-working husband. He's on his feet most of the day, while I'm on my behind writing.
14. A handmade wooden cutting board my oldest son made for me in shop class when he was in high school. It's a super trivet and a great hard surface for writing when I'm working on the sofa. I don't use it as a cutting board anymore, because it's twenty years old, and I want to preserve it.
Even with the scratch marks and the burned pot circle, I love it. This board held many crocks of mac and cheese.
15. Coconut oil. It's a great moisturizer and, mixed with baking soda, a wonderful, natural toothpaste.
16. Dental hygienists and proctologists. No, really. What if no one wanted those jobs? Just imagine. Whatever they're paid, it's not enough.
17. Pocket calculators. I haven't had to do math in my head for a decade. And I wasn't very good at it then.
18. Can openers that take off the lid from the side, so there are no sharp edges. This enables me to use the lids and cans for all kinds of things.
19. Electrical tape. I know, it sounds funny. But, I've just discovered it's a super craft tape, and it comes in all kinds of colors. It lets me make stuff like this. (Notice the tin can with no sharp edges.)
20. IKEA. I love roaming around in that store. The plastic bag holder and the washcloths with loops on them make me so happy.
21. Cheddars, the new restaurant in our town. Oh. My. Word. They have a veggie plate that includes a salad and four sides. The southern green beans are scrump-deli-icious.
22. My memory foam pillow. Ahhhh...
23. Flannel sheets. We use them all the time, even in the summer. Cotton sheets are crinkly and loud.
24. Cream of Mushroom soup. You just can't replicate that stuff. I've tried, and I've failed. I bought two cans today. Green Bean Casserole, I'm ready.
25. This lovely photograph of my mother-in-law I came across recently. It's so 50s-charm. It's now in a silver frame.
26. Those Liberty Mutual commercials where the tree drops on the car, or the car door gets snapped off by another car whizzing past - they crack me up every time. Humans.
27. Cookie cutters. I've collected all kinds over the years, and they bring such creativity and fun to sugar cookie dough. If I had to carve swans or reindeer by hand, we'd just have circle cookies cut out with a glass.
.jpg)
28. Mom/daughter time. My girl and I can create giggles from hitting the Farmer's market, trips to Orlando, doing sock curls, cleaning out a linen closet, compiling chemistry grades, or sitting in Mass. She puts a smile in my heart.
29. Hugs from my grown sons. Knowing I used to powder their behinds, it's bittersweet, but so wonderful.
30. That God's graces are new every day. Because, every day, I need a do-over.
1. Educational programming like the Sprout channel and Sesame Street. They're fun and relaxing for even middle-aged kids.
2. My walking partner, Cindy. We encourage each other when we really don't want to get up and hit the pavement at 7:30 a.m.
3. My gym, where membership is only ten bucks a month. I don't make it there every day, so I appreciate the fact that I'm wasting only thirty-three cents on the days I'm not checking in.
4. My PT Cruiser. It fits my behind, and I don't know what I'm going to do when they stop making it.
5. CVS weekly sales. Nothing beats .99 Puffs or Dawn dish washing liquid.
6. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. We've gotten away from fat ice cream completely and don't even miss it.
7. My Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It whips up stiff cookie dough and bread dough without pausing to huff and puff like some people in this household. Thanks, Ter!
8. Fresh salmon. With maple syrup and a bit of lemon. I only wish it was thirty-three cents a day like the gym.
9. The fact that no one in the 'grandparents' category has been in the hospital for the past two months.
10. That Mom, who's fairly reserved, can still make me chuckle. Like the fact that she calls her panti-liners "ipads."
11. My sister's generosity. She regularly sends our dad gift cards to a local yogurt shop, so he and my daughter can have weekly hot fudge dates.
12. My clothesline. I've been thankful for this before. I'm thankful for it every time I hang out clothes. I feel like I'm pulling one over on the electric company. I'm sure it doesn't care, but it makes me feel like a smart cookie.
13. My hard-working husband. He's on his feet most of the day, while I'm on my behind writing.
14. A handmade wooden cutting board my oldest son made for me in shop class when he was in high school. It's a super trivet and a great hard surface for writing when I'm working on the sofa. I don't use it as a cutting board anymore, because it's twenty years old, and I want to preserve it.
Even with the scratch marks and the burned pot circle, I love it. This board held many crocks of mac and cheese.
15. Coconut oil. It's a great moisturizer and, mixed with baking soda, a wonderful, natural toothpaste.
16. Dental hygienists and proctologists. No, really. What if no one wanted those jobs? Just imagine. Whatever they're paid, it's not enough.
17. Pocket calculators. I haven't had to do math in my head for a decade. And I wasn't very good at it then.
18. Can openers that take off the lid from the side, so there are no sharp edges. This enables me to use the lids and cans for all kinds of things.
19. Electrical tape. I know, it sounds funny. But, I've just discovered it's a super craft tape, and it comes in all kinds of colors. It lets me make stuff like this. (Notice the tin can with no sharp edges.)
20. IKEA. I love roaming around in that store. The plastic bag holder and the washcloths with loops on them make me so happy.
21. Cheddars, the new restaurant in our town. Oh. My. Word. They have a veggie plate that includes a salad and four sides. The southern green beans are scrump-deli-icious.
22. My memory foam pillow. Ahhhh...
23. Flannel sheets. We use them all the time, even in the summer. Cotton sheets are crinkly and loud.
24. Cream of Mushroom soup. You just can't replicate that stuff. I've tried, and I've failed. I bought two cans today. Green Bean Casserole, I'm ready.
25. This lovely photograph of my mother-in-law I came across recently. It's so 50s-charm. It's now in a silver frame.
26. Those Liberty Mutual commercials where the tree drops on the car, or the car door gets snapped off by another car whizzing past - they crack me up every time. Humans.
27. Cookie cutters. I've collected all kinds over the years, and they bring such creativity and fun to sugar cookie dough. If I had to carve swans or reindeer by hand, we'd just have circle cookies cut out with a glass.
.jpg)
28. Mom/daughter time. My girl and I can create giggles from hitting the Farmer's market, trips to Orlando, doing sock curls, cleaning out a linen closet, compiling chemistry grades, or sitting in Mass. She puts a smile in my heart.
29. Hugs from my grown sons. Knowing I used to powder their behinds, it's bittersweet, but so wonderful.
30. That God's graces are new every day. Because, every day, I need a do-over.
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