Window Shopper

Welcome back!

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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I dream of having this amazing office to work in so that we can feel “officey” at home (Is officey a word???). Of course, we already have a computer desk that has a cubby with a door on it and several shelves as well. The tower and monitor fit nicely. And then we also have a metal desk for another computer with assorted drawers in it. Very good.

But I really want something a lot classier that those desks. There is just something about an executive desk that really gets to me. They look really classy and…well….executive, don’t they. I like that. When I used to be a trucker, the dashboard would sort of wrap around me so that anything I needed was right there at hand. That type of desk is what I want in the office. Everything is so handy that way. You can turn and touch everything on your desk without any effort at all. And believe me, there are days when that needs to be that way in our house.

Yep, I want one of those desks. But for now, we are staying with the ones we have because they’re familiar and homey and that makes up for what we don’t have right now. But I can dream.

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From now until Christmas eve, the sales are on and so are all those folks who are out today grabbing up the super sales. Despite higher gas prices, toy recalls and a host of other things including bad weather in a place or two, people are flooding to the stores to snag the best items for the best prices that show up only today or Saturday.

The unfortunate side of this is that most retailers, like Wally World, only put up a couple of those items for sale. The rest are at regular prices. To me, this is somewhat deceptive in their practices. I suspect that old Sam Walton is rolling in his grave at this moment because of some of the merchandising methods that he would never have used. Why? Because the man was honest, pure and simple.

The idea of putting up this great sale, advertising a huge discount for higher ticket items and then only having one to five or six of them is, at best, a dishonorable sales practice. I do realize that it is technically legal. And for the most part, most people understand that there will only be one or two of that particular item. However, I do know that there are folks out there that have to count on that type of price for things so that their children can actually have a Christmas. Why must they fight, and that would be literal, for what they need for their children?

Speaking of fighting, the retail stores are fighting to deal with the shoplifters who take full advantage of this particular day. Our local discount store has had many shoplifters today already. How sad is this and what kind of message are we sending to our children about Christmas?

Once more about the fighting, what message does it send to our children when we sit outside a store throughout the night, then fight others, LITERALLY, to get to a specific toy or item that’s on sale today? GREED perhaps? There are some things that I would just rather pay a higher price for than to fight in the dirt, so to speak, over some toy or item that the kids really do not need in the first place. (that includes the kids that will not grow up)

Either talking about the shoppers or the stores, this is out and out greed. For the stores, I suggest that there should be a renaming of many of them but the one that comes to mind is GreedMart.

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In case you have not been around my blog for a while, I am an ex over-the-road trucker. Have I got stories to tell about that. It was 8 1/2 years of driving a semi truck down the road, never really knowing what was around the next curve. Sometimes, it was a big surprise and not always pleasant.

The one thing that a driver could actually fear is the semi truck accident. Oh, I had a couple of benders in a parking lot, but what I am talking about are the ones that will take away your carreer and it can happen in a heartbeat. One minute, you’re cruising down the road, minding your own business, and the next thing you know, the world is upside down. Cars are screeching to a halt all around. Your only hope now is that no one got killed. It happens.

If you drive a truck, PLEASE watch out for the other guy, no matter how stupidly they drive.

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The problem I have in our neck of the woods is that the banks do not always have what some of the larger banks in bigger cities have, namely the little extras in those accounts. These are usually very valuable and are sorely missed in our area.

WaMu has those little extras that you look for in a bank and a checking account. It is, of course, free checking plus free checks for life. I really liked that feature. Then you can have free ATM withdrawals all over the world. Hey, I love that idea. I’ve been in places where I needed funds but the ATM didn’t want to work with my card. I also like the idea of the free gold MasterCard debit card. Very nice. The big word in all of this is FREE!

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