Window Shopper

Ordinarily at this point, I would be wanting to tell you about places to go, things to see for vacations. This year, I cannot think how to do that because of the astronomically high gas prices which, shockingly, have reached a national average of $4 a gallon according to AAA. And of course, it is conveniently at just the time that most Americans are wanting to travel on their family summer vacations.

I think it is an absolute shame that the oil companies, who are increasingly greedy and self interested, are causing the American public to change their whole lifestyles to serve the CEOs and companies so that their pockets can be lined with bucks from those of us who can ill afford to even pull up to the pumps these days. I don’t know about you but in our house, we cannot afford more than a couple of tanks of gas a month even in our rural area. The price at the pump here is somewhat lower at the current rate of $3.89 which is horrifying to us but much lower than other areas of the country.

At our house, we could not afford the gas prices over the $3 mark let alone $4. We, like so many Americans, live on a fixed or semi-fixed income. We unashamedly find ways to have an income but are constantly stopped by other just as greedy companies that think they can run our lives. The oil companies make us pay extremely high prices at the pump while the internet company, Google, chooses to slap us down when we do the horrendous thing of blogging for money online if we do not do it Google’s way.

Through it all, these money grabbing companies are going to not only bring the American public to it’s knees, it is going to bring down the whole country as they are currently doing. What is it going to take to change all this? I have no idea. Wish I had a magic bullet to fix it all but I do not. My only advice, as crappy as it may sound, is to stay home this vacation…not going to the pumps at all. Let the greed of the oil companies have their day by not having the sales they expect to have. The problem is that all people do not go on vacation at once. So it will hardly be seen at the pump unless we all agree to boycott the pumps for a few days. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.

As for Google, that greedy company online that does not want others to share in the wealth of the net, we are choosing to blog for pay anyway. Some of the blog for pay companies are getting the idea of not basing their criteria on the page rank that Google shows those of us who do blog for pay. That is a step forward and I certainly hope that Google falls on it’s nasty little internet tail bone. It AND the oil companies as well as the oil people in the middle east deserve everything they get when they do fall on their posteriors. I just hope we can enjoy that instead of standing in a food line somewhere. Sigh.

After seeing the news again, we needed gas. Gee, I bet you know the next line by now. The price had risen again. Up several cents from a couple of weeks ago. And worse, it’s WAAAAY higher than it was last year at this time. And it isn’t getting any better. Why? For one thing, the oil companies are so greedy that they won’t change the war at the pump.

Personally, I cannot see how the oil companies execs can actually sleep at night. Of course, if they have the cold hearts that it truly looks like, it doesn’t bother them a bit as they rack up more money in salary and perks. Shouldn’t this be a crime? At this point, it is legal theft.

Those execs had the guts to sit in front of congress after having had the biggest profits seen in human history and ask for more tax cuts for themselves. HELLO???? What is wrong here? What’s wrong is that they are so greedy that they want it all, to bleed the American public dry. When that happens, other countries can take over because we will be helpless.

It’s just like the Chinese products that get recalled so much. This is all about bringing the United States to it’s knees and by golly, they are gettin’ ‘er done too. Take a look at the big picture.

Housing is in the pits because of ridiculous loans that any truly sane person should not have entered into. So the market is in trouble. Credit cards are getting ridiculous and not really regulated on fees. You can go broke on a couple hundred dollar charge. How about food prices? Those are sky high because of gas prices, another setback in the US. Should I go on or are you living it like we are?

What is it going to take for the American public to get a clue that all is not well here at home. We are being bled dry by big oil, the car companies, grocery stores, lenders, credit card companies’ fees, banks and the list goes on. How can you tell what you can safely buy these days? I have no idea.

I would say Happy Shopping but I think that statement needs to be retired so this is the last time you will see it here. I am sorry! Times are tough.

Recently, I came across a phrase that I had not heard before, fee harvesting credit cards. What the heck is that? It’s quite simple really. It is a credit card that has all sorts of fees and interest tacked onto the bill for every little reason. For instance, you could have a fee for starting to use the card, activation. Then, there would be a monthly fee for HAVING the card. In addition, you might get late fees if you are even a day late with a payment. And so on and on. The fees will be there whether you like it or not.

I talked with a friend of mine who believes that she should pay everything on the credit card bill because it’s the honorable thing to do. I agree that if you incur bills that you should pay them. I agree that if there is a balance on a card, it should be paid and on time. I agree with all that. HOWEVER, I do not agree that your money should be poured down a rat hole just because some unscrupulous company decides to milk you for all you are worth and then get more. That’s what a fee harvesting company does. The whole thing is in a very technical language that you will not be able to understand, sometimes even the lawyers do not understand it.

Now, this friend has a credit card bill that is so far above what she and her husband could pay that she will drown in the debt of it if something is not done. Before you start to judge this person about paying for things bought, I should like to let you know that the couple in question has no income other than social security. I wonder what type of credit card company would be willing to give a card to somebody who has no more income than that? And you should know that they were needing some type of way to pay their bills. This was not as cut and dried as it may seem. One more tiny thing here. These people scraped and put together $500 a month to pay it off and still did not dent the balance. COME ON!!! That type of credit card, legitimate one, is simply not possible with their income.

The end result here is that they are piling up interest and fees on a very low balance. And after a number of years that they had not been contacted because the company was sold to another and then the credit card bill sold again….all the while, fees and more fees, interest and more interest being put onto an already inflated bill and you have a mess that will likely NEVER go away. EVER! There are only a couple of ways this will be resolved. ONE, they find a lawyer or mediator that will make the company drop all fees and interest and pay only on the principle of the bill. TWO, go file bankruptcy and hope that this company doesn’t sell the debt again. If they do, the nightmare will likely continue until the people either die or change their names.

So the answer to the above question is NO, NO, NO!!! NO WAY will I get wrapped up in that mess of credit cards and the ripoff companies that hand them out. There is a word for these people, GREEDY!!!!

If you haven’t already heard, Starbucks has been ordered to pay out over $100 million in tips to the baristas. You know what they are, right? These are the people who do the work making the fine, great tasting coffee that you buy at Starbucks each day. The problem is that instead of paying the shift supervisors the wages they deserve, they required the baristas to share their tips. How cheap can they actually get???? Are they serious???

I know that Starbucks is a well loved name in coffee places but this is ridiculous. The judge in California awarded the baristas their tips back plus interest and that was as it should be. And when I got to the news story on this, I was appalled that many of the comments were against the lawsuit. Come on!!! The company was stealing the tips from the guys and gals that actually did the work and giving it to the shift supervisors who should have been on salary anyway. Why on earth are people against the baristas who make the coffee that they drink in the first place? They were the ones stolen from, after all.

The question I continue to ask is…how cheap can a company actually get??? Well, now let’s see, the company took in $9.4 billion dollars last year, profits of $672 million. HELLO!! I think they could afford to PAY their shift supervisors, don’t you? Frankly, I do not see wanting to go into a Starbucks after that. SHAME ON YOU, Starbucks!!! Shame!

This blog is about shopping. Lately, not everything has been about shopping in the normal sense. But it really has been if you look closely. Today, the post is going to be about trends in this country. That, too, is ultimately about shopping or the lack of it if you have no money. These days, many people have no “extra” money to spend on anything less than essentials.

I am very concerned which way this country is going. The housing market is bleeding out because of bad advice to homeowners on what types of loans to acquire. I realize that many of those people would not have homes were it not for the creative mortgages they got when they bought the house. The problem is that now that same creative mortgage is costing boatloads of money and most people are having the problem of not having the money to pay for it. Those lovely lending institutions that thought those creative mortgages were such a great deal for the people are now facing bankruptcy themselves.

Today is a good example of that. Bear Stearns was sold because they were getting so shaky that they would have gone under. The government helped to bail them out. The question here is: how often can the government do this before that hugemongus debt being carried by the government gets so big that even the government can’t handle it? How many more lending institutions and banks are on the chopping block in the near future because of bad judgment on the parts of the loan officers and the public who just have to have homes of their own?

Everyone who owns a car or truck is feeling the pinch of the prices of gas and diesel fuels. If you are not yet feeling it, wait for the prices in the stores to go up, up, up. They will if they have not already. Here in the backwaters of the state, we are definitely feeling the effects of that. Our local superstore (ha ha) has hiked many of the tags on goods and food just recently.

The local price of gas, while it may seem quite low compared to other areas, is quite high for those of us who are on fixed incomes, for those who have those low paying jobs that are the only thing available around here. For comparison, our lowest price of gas is $3.07 as of today. Yes, I know. Not as bad as yours. Please read the above problems here before you tell me how we have it so good. Most of the people who can even find a job around here get paid minimum wage and are part time. Live with that.

I am very concerned with the path our country is on. If we do not change that path, our very sovereignty may be at risk. At the moment, we are still a world power. Some day soon, we will not be. Why not? Because we are being attacked. Yes, attacked. From within and outside of our country. Attacked as in…the oil producers are not sending out as much oil as they could. There is a country that sends us poisoned items, things that are dangerous to us and our children, recalled items galore. What bothers me is that this is so blatant and the government will not shut them down!!! They should. We need to regather ourselves. We need to get a clue and fast or our country will be one of those that no one ever hears about anymore. Do you want that? I do not.

Ever wanted to show someone else how things are going with you and your family but the only thing you had were a few pictures? Now you can give people a better idea with custom photo cards from CardsDirect who specializes in custom made photo cards.

They have a large number of models to choose from or a blank card can have your logo and picture on it just the way you want it. 73 custom photo cards are available to view on their website right now. Taking a look at the picture I’ve put here, you can see what a great idea this is to get Custom Photo Cards for you, your business or your family cards at a special time like an anniversary, birthday or Christmas.

The particular custom photo card I chose for you to see is a Green Border Christmas Photo Card. As you can tell, it’s very pretty and the color is sharp and the picture is clear. Think of this as a great idea for your business to show your family values. It could also have a picture of your business building on it to advertise especially at those times when you have a huge new advertising campaign going on.

Why not take the time to go to the website at CardsDirect and see what all they have especially for you!

Do you want to win a Wii? I definitely want to win a Wii! How about high speed internet service? I would love to have the Wii and the high speed service. Although our area does not have this service at this time, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of this service to add to the already great Charter Communications cable we have had for years. We are extremely pleased with them. When you call them for anything, they do respond quickly.

Tell you what. Just Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!. While you are on that page, take note of the fact that you can also bid for the high speed net service they offer. I can tell you from experience, they have a great deal on that. It would be especially great with a highest bid win as well. In order to qualify for the Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life bidding, you need to go to the page and qualify by entering your zip code. If you are in a service area, you have qualified! Then just put in your bid starting March 12th. The bids start at $10. Remember, this is high speed internet for LIFE! For the rules for this great bidding contest, go to Action and Sweepstakes Rules.

The first thing you want to know is…what is zombie debt, right? And the second is…are you going to have that? Answering the first question..zombie debt is really old debt that you have forgotten about or is actually not yours in the first place. This is especially true of people who’s identities have been stolen. But it is also true of those who have old credit card debt, for instance. So, the answer to the second question is that if you have collectors after you and you have no idea why, that would be the problem.

What happens is: a bank will sell an old debt to the collectors for a very small amount. That gets it out of the bank’s hair, so to speak. Then, the collectors will get extremely aggressive in trying to collect the old debt. It is right here that you should know your rights concerning this situation. For instance, if seven years have passed, it is unlikely that they could actually make you pay the debt. You would want to ask for a printout of the debt owed. Then, when you receive that, you will want to send them a certified letter stating that you know your rights, to cease trying to collect. They should back off. If not, an attorney can advise you further.

However, when it gets settled with one company, often it gets sold to the next company which will start to aggressively pursue the debt again. This could get rather involved and be very costly to fight. So, you will want to get the information as soon as possible. With that, send the letter. And if all else fails, contact your attorney and sue each company that haunts you with the zombie debt.

You go to the mailbox, get out the bills including the credit card bill that you always pay on time. The envelope is opened up and you get the shock of your life. Your credit card has an interest rate hike that you knew nothing about AND…..it was retroactive back a few months. Now, the payment you thought would be enough to bring it down is going to go for the interest payment alone. You are now wondering how you will ever pay what you owe them.

Does this sound familiar? Likely, if you have not already seen it, it will be visiting your next bill or the one after that. Banks and credit card companies are raking in the money by changing the interest rate on your credit card and they do not even have to tell you about it before they do it.

Is this fair? Absolutely not!!! Is it legal? Unfortunately, yes. They can pretty much do what they want to since you signed the agreement that says they can raise the interest rate without prior knowledge or for any reason. You can be the best customer they have and they will still raise the rates because they want to regain the money lost from others who do not pay their bills.

Banks are trying to regain the money they are losing in the foreclosure mess they brought on themselves. I admit that people should have seen the problem with a balloon payment. But now, there are thousands and thousands of consumers who, at a time of the year when it’s the hardest to make ends meet, having to deal with the greed that comes from banks and credit card companies. And GREED it is, pure and simple.

So, my recommendation is to get rid of the credit cards. Yes, Virginia, there is life without credit cards. Those of us who could not get credit cards before are now very thankful we do not have them. If you spend beyond your means, you will end up regretting it sooner or later. Seems like later is here.

I do think it is a bad idea to continue to have credit cards. Things can only get worse. I know that you can find a new card company that will give you amazing rates….for a few months. When that happens, watch out for the string attached. They may not even tell you it’s there but it certainly is there.

For those already in the situation, there is hope. Contact the company and tell them that you have this problem, the payments are too high, the rate is too high and you will not be able to pay it unless there is a change. If you have the right person on the phone, I suggest a supervisor at least, the rate will drop and you will be back in business. Once the card is paid up, get rid of it!!!! Frankly, I consider this a scam from the credit card companies and the banks. This may seem to be good business but in the end it will be a real problem for them…as well as you.

For many years now, we did not have to even file taxes because we are on Social Security. There was no requirement for us to have to do that…until this year. We do have a small income right now so we do have to file taxes this year. ACK!! Not my favorite time of year then.

On another note, the timing is such that we also have to get a renewal on our auto insurance. I thought this year I might take a look around and get an auto insurance quote or two before I go back the the company we have been with for about 3 years now. What about loyalty to the company? Well, they started out to be pretty high because we had let a policy lapse once back a while ago. Now, they have a pretty good rate so it would be tough to beat it but I usually do take a look anyway, just in case.