To BLOG or not to BLOG

THAT is the question!  Who knew that people would be talking about MY blog?  Hopefully it's people who can actually be inspired from it and not those who have thier own agenda!

I survived one search and destroy mission.  I am sure I can survive another!!

Prepare yourselves for Irene and stay safe...

PATIENCE

is something that many of us struggle with on any normal day – if you are waiting for your Season of Abundance to arrive, PATIENCE can be extremely difficult! 

While we BELIEVE the Season of Abundance is coming, we are still not sure exactly when our NEW Season will begin.  It’s easy to just sit back and wait, making excuses why we feel like we are in a “rut”…it takes PATIENCE or does it?

The truth be told that is the EXACT time you need to turn PATIENCE into “BUSY TIME.”  Whether you chose to step up your game in a current job situation or decide to step out of the box and begin a whole new opportunity, it can still be frustrating, waiting for “things to happen” like you want them to.  Face it, you find yourself losing PATIENCE!

You can overcome the “waiting game” by lining up “BUSY TIME.” to set your plan in motion to PREPARE for your new Season.  Are YOU ready for it?

I heard an astounding statistic the other day – most people are just $600 a month away from getting out of The Season of BROKE.  $600!  Think about what $600 could do for your budget right now.  Would it help? 

…sure you feel that you are FULL of ideas and creativity and maybe even inspiration while you PATIENTLY WAIT. Wait no longer!!! NOW is the time to turn those activities into dollars.  Set aside “thinking time” and decide where you want to be in 3, 6 or 12 months.  How far will you go to achieve that?  Would you be open-minded to a new opportunity?  Do YOU need $600 more a month??

Why not make TODAY the first day on your journey to The Season of Abundance?  Spend time researching opportunities that have little to NO start-up cost.  Look for “party plans” where there is a strong focus on support.  Leave the naysayers in the dust!  This is YOUR Season not theirs.  Did you know that (in MOST cases) the people who will support you the least are your own family?  They already prejudged this situation and decided it is NOT for you.  Interesting statistic isn’t it???  It’s ok though.  There are even MORE people who will support, motivate and inspire you!

You may be surprised – when you consistently keep yourself busy focusing on a BRAND NEW DAY and a

BRAND NEW WAY

, PATIENCE will become a thing of the past and you will see tomorrow in a BRAND NEW LIGHT…

Have a great day!!!

A very BIG LOL!!!!

When I wrote about the new girls at the bank it was “half” tongue-in-cheek.  I figured at some point one of them would say or do something to give me content for my blog.  What I didn’t expect is that it would happen the very NEXT day!!

Hubby achieved one of his major goals (and accomplishments) this week and decided to spend the day on his Harley.  His plan was to go to the bank, cash a check and be on his way.  My plan was to have his favorite dinner waiting for him when he arrived back home.  As he was leaving I asked him for a check for groceries.  He said “just take it – sign my name as always…”

Not being the type of gal that “stays within budget” I went to the bank to deposit the check he handed me into “my account” just in case I went over his budget.  It was taking a little longer than usual at the drive-up which I thought was odd.  And then it happened.  One of these cute little newbies said she could not deposit that check into my account because “the signatures did not match.”  My reply was they know me at the bank, I am there every day for goodness sake and we live in walking distance why would I forge a check for $50!!?  I explained how my husband was just there minutes before and on his way out of town.  I knew it wasn’t this newbies fault – she was only following directions.  And then the “coin wrapper” lady (see a previous blog for that!) marched right on over to my window to put in her two cents.  “We know who you are but the signatures do not match.”  I was thinking that the signatures NEVER match because my hard working husband works round the clock and seldom ever gets to the bank!  She asked if I could call him for his permission?   Seriously?  He just left here ten minutes ago on a Harley – how am I going to call him?

The poor little newbie looked frazzled at best.  I really thought she was going to cry so I asked her name.  She gave it and said “It’s not my fault I am only doing what they told me to do.”  I assured her I knew that was the case and not to worry.  She kindly asked if I still wanted to deposit the “cash” that was also included in the deposit.  Of course I did.  And she ever-so-kindly made the deposit and gave me back the deposit slip, hubby’s check and ALL the cash that was supposed to be deposited! LOL

Honestly I can’t make this stuff up!!  I hardly wanted her to get in trouble and I returned the money instantly.  I hope she makes it because she seemed like a sweet girl.  Maybe “mother hen” shouldn’t have been hovering over her so much.  She probably made her nervous!

You may be asking at yourself WHY then don’t I leave that bank if I have so many problems?  At this point if I did I wouldn’t have anything to blog about!! LOL

Happy day!!

Lucky Day

the bank has all new employees!!  That means a LOT of new material for my blog!!
Happy weekend all!!!

I'm back...sorry for the delay...

When you find yourself on the journey through The Season of BROKE you often look for advice about what to do next…I received, what I thought was SOUND advice from one of my spiritual advisors – his words were plain and simple.  Surround yourself with funny people, funny movies, and lots of music!  So I became a fan of Jimmy Kimmel LIVE.  I figured I could learn “how to be funny” while making a point and be entertained at the same time.  One late night he announced in detail The National UnFriend Day (from Facebook.)  Looking back through the achieves, the ACTUAL day it aired was November 17^th which tells me I must have watched a repeat of the show in early July.  Brad Paisley even wrote a very funny song about it, which is super funny!!  I realized he was right!  I had a couple hundred friends and family too on Facebook who NEVER talk to me on Facebook – some never talk to me any other way either!  So I began MY own mission in support of National UnFriend Day.  I was BROKE but I still had a sense of humor!!  I deleted about 25 people and they never knew…

At the same time, my direct selling business was experiencing some GROWTH thankfully and I decided to dedicate my Facebook page to those associated with the business.  We mainly share product ideas and information about “the business.”  Unfriending the people I did from Facebook made even more sense than ever, as they “could care less” about my business.

I began this blog to inspire others who were also on their journey through The Season of BROKE.  I made “no bones about it” and DISCLOSED early on that there may be some people who would just “not get it!”  I further indicated there were people who surround us who I referred to as NUITA’s – noses up in the air types and they definitely would NEVER get it!!

I posted a blog one day, July 15^th, a day that will now go down in history, about what a relief it was for me to get rid of the NUITA’s from my Facebook page and my life.  Life went on for almost a month and then it happened.  I received a disturbing email asking me why I unfriended them.  I explained about my business being the main focal point and this woman understood.  The explosion of “hate and discontent” that followed was something I could never have predicted.  Still, I didn’t understand what the harm was – THEY NEVER TALKED TO ME ON FACEBOOK anyway.  I tried to reason about it.  I prayed about.  My conclusion was (maybe, possibly) since I don’t have daughters or high school children that I didn’t realize the significance of Facebook…I just don’t know. 

Emails were exchanged, calls were exchanged and I was being portrayed as the absolute BAD GUY here.  Until I began my research and now I find myself walking a fine line.  You see their information was way off.  No one “followed my blog” since its inception.  One person may have followed it and may have “fueled” the fire a bit but the others didn’t’ even read it until after July 15^th.  While I never profess to be a computer genius…I found that technology is a great thing –you would be surprised what you can “see” if you dig deep enough…

When I AM WRONG, I own it….just sayin’

The fine line - do I take the high road yet again and allow myself to be bullied or do I stand up for myself?  Guess you know the road I chose…

If they read my blog now, I will know it for sure!! lol -

it all started with RICE!

Believe it or not going through The Season of BROKE does have its advantages.  We often hear the cliché “stop and smell the roses” in reality it sounds like a thing “to do” but life usually takes over and within a second we forget about it.

When I lost my job and entered into The Season of BROKE, I remember telling a friend what happened and it was her words that changed my life FOREVER.  I always knew I was a good person but life was somehow getting out of control.  I realized later that I took way too many things for granted, including my religion.  What I learned was that I was comfortable in my religion.  I will even go so far as to say I may have even used it as a crutch at times.  I was given many “signs” that year to turn to God for help.  I ignored every one of them.  And so my friend pointed out “God stopped me dead in my tracks to give me a new life, a second chance to get it right…” and when that happened my life began to turn around.  To clarify I was never addicted to drugs or alcohol and was usually ethically sound but lately I became so overwhelmed with work and the NEED to please everyone around me that I allowed my life to get "sloppy!"  In reality I worked very hard to make sure everyone else was happy that I forgot to make myself happy!!  In fact, I felt guilty when I felt happy!!

So when I entered The Season of BROKE I really started to NOTICE what mattered around me.  I even started to notice real friendship.  I realized that I was down but I was far from OUT, although many would have liked nothing more than to see me out!  I will share more of that as the days go on. 

It was Christmas after all and we had to eat!  I remember my husband handing me a $100 bill to go to the grocery store.  I never went to the store with CASH before and I really wasn’t sure I was going to be able to handle “staying within a budget.”  I searched the internet for the perfect holiday recipe.  It was a little elaborate but we weren’t exchanging gifts this year so we decided an elaborate dinner would be just fine.  The recipe called for brown long grain rice.  I wrote it and all the other ingredients down on the shopping list.  The store was packed with last minute shoppers.  It was Christmas Eve and all those hard-working people who didn’t have time to “stop and smell the roses” were running in and out of the store for last minute groceries.  I walked around the store with my head in a daze just praying that I would have enough money to check out.

And then it happened.  I got to the RICE isle!  What I thought was a simple task turned into one of the most emotional days of my entire life.  Did you know there were that many varieties of RICE?  I didn’t!  I just stood there for what seemed like an eternity, looking at all the different RICE.  Glancing over to the beans and all of their varieties may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back!  What I realized was that I worked SO hard for SO long that I never even noticed there were that many different types of RICE and beans.  I did what any recently unemployed person would do, cried like a baby, praying that no one would see me and praying harder that I wouldn’t run into someone I knew!  I do live in a small town where I always run into someone I know!

I gathered my thoughts and emotions and moved onto the checkout, again praying that I would have enough money to pay.  I looked over and saw a guy I knew at another register.  He tried everything to get my attention, but I avoided him like the plague!  I just couldn’t face the embarrassment if I didn’t have enough money.  The numbers were in - $99.97 – that was the total.  I scurried out of that store so fast.  I could barely contain myself.  No matter what I did I just could not avoid this man.  He ran after me and hugged me to wish me Merry Christmas.  The tears began instantly as I babbled on about the $100 and the RICE.  Eventually we laughed.  Thinking back I am not even sure he knew what I was talking about!  I was so grateful that things turned out the way they did.  It was at that very moment that I decided to write a book.  I felt it would help me get the closure I needed to put this behind me and may help other people who were so wrapped up in their jobs that they too never realized all the varieties of RICE!!  I faced many stumbling blocks over the past three years however.  Blocks which were deliberately place in my path that I would never have expected.  I thought better of writing the book until I had more closure.  Yesterday I faced one of my accusers, unexpectedly and today I feel like I can begin my best seller! lol

Until tomorrow…

DEBT Ceiling

Would you agree that it is nauseating turning on the TV lately?  You just can’t get past talk about the debt ceiling and how our politicians cannot agree on how to get a budget passed.  I say ARE YOU KIDDING ME??  The reason they can’t come to an agreement is because they don’t know what being in debt means.  If they were in tuned with the average citizen they may have learned ways to cut back, do without, sacrifice and make unpopular decisions.

When I reached my debt ceiling I was forced to

·        Learn there were other stores to shop besides Lord & Taylor

·        Take my nails off AND forfeit pedicures

·        Eat more chicken instead of steak

·        Clip coupons

·        Buy a smaller, more efficient car WITHOUT a sunroof, navigation system AND bose stereo!

·        Sell off stuff I thought I needed

·        Let my dry cleaning pile up until I could afford to get it done – which will be next year at this point!

·        Be mindful of electricity usage

·        Do without vacations

·        Stop using the word take-out because that just wasn’t going to happen

·        Stop going out to dinner or a movie  -  they were now things of the past

·        Double-checked all my bills to make sure they were accurate

·        Learned, really LEARNED what living within my means meant

Seems to me they need to START with themselves and the wasteful money in their own offices.  Do they really need that many assistants?  And how about cutting their expense accounts?  And who is paying for all the food they consume during work hours?

Aren’t you tired of them boo-hooing that they are working extra hours?  Isn’t that what the average worker does when they need to get the job done?

Maybe they should all asked to leave office immediately, without warning, without compensation and then maybe they will understand what it feels like to really be in The Season of BROKE and then maybe they can get this right!

So MY solution to THEIR problem is simple - Form an advisory committee of people who actually reached their debt ceiling, who know what sacrifice is and who know how to cut corners.  Seriously will the world really be that bad off if some of their programs are cut out for a bit or some of their decisions are not popular?

I think everyone in office in the future should be elected ONLY if they experienced hard times.  It’s sad to think that the people making the decisions for our country and the average citizen have no idea what it’s like to be AVERAGE much less go through The Season of BROKE. 

I just can’t imagine that these politicians will ever be able to understand how to handle this terrible situation.  It would be like asking me to throw a touchdown pass!  It is just not going to happen…It looks like our country is beyond The Season of BROKE...

NO time for sleeping in…

The greatest part about going through the Season of BROKE is admitting that you BELIEVE that the Season of Abundance is just around the corner.  Going through the Season of BROKE is not a one-time occurrence.  It can sometimes be a bit of a roller-coaster like it was for me.  Each time a major part of my income was reduced, I had to make adjustments to my lifestyle.  Living a simpler life reduced a lot of my stress…

Whatever your season, July and August are typically the time we reflect on the months that passed and look towards what the future will hold.  We all know in reality we can’t predict the future, not even with the BEST plan.  But we can line up situations that would place us in direct “fire” for our next season.

Direct selling has been my salvation (and my passion) over the past 14 years.  It’s the kind of business that can add to your current income, replace a lost income and in many cases become the bread winning income for your family.  When you think of it, most direct selling businesses are like creating your own “secret stimulus package” whenever you want!    Admittedly, there are NUITA types that will wholeheartedly disagree with the mere concept of direct selling.  To them I say – what is the real difference if a customer comes to YOUR place of business and buys from you or if they buy from me from the comfort of your home or theirs?  I pay taxes just like you (assuming you do the right thing) and I have a legitimate business just like you (assuming you are honest about your income). 

OK!!  I will tell you more…direct selling should not be confused with “get rich quick” MLM companies.  Of course you should always check with the DSA when thinking about our business, especially if you are unfamiliar with the industry.  I found that the companies with the least amount of investment and the most amount of support are usually the ones where you see the most retention and the most bang for your buck.  Always ask to see the Mission Statement.  That will tell you if this is the kind of company that you want to represent and be affiliated.  They are NOT all the same!

My biggest pet-peeve is the girl (and sometimes guy) who decides that direct selling is for them.  They misunderstand clearly the offer of part-time work with full-time pay, fabulous rewards and an opportunity to move up the ranks.  They somehow glaze over the word “work.”  They decide this business is for them but sit back and wait for the full-time pay.  I understand that some people define part-time differently than others but work is work no matter how you define it! lol  - seriously though, if given the time that you would a part-time job, there is no doubt, your outcome will be overwhelmingly abundant!  Hey, sometimes being honest with yourself is half the battle!!

So there you have it – the secret to the Season of Abundance.  It’s no real secret.  It’s the decision to take a chance and stay committed to the program and belief that direct selling is going to change the quality of your current life’s situation.  It's about passion - for your product, for your industry and for the rewards.

In the beginning direct selling was a “little extra spend money” today it is my major source of income.  It has taken me a period of time to make all the adjustments necessary to really reap the benefits!  (I lost a pretty decent salary and unemployment does not last forever!!)  My plan is in motion now and I am about to step into my Season of Abundance.

So stop sleeping in.  Wake up and smell the opportunity!  I think you will agree that an extra paycheck every month would make a difference in your life.  An extra paycheck a week would begin to make a significant difference in your life.  An immediate paycheck, EVERY day you work would certainly begin to make a huge impact in your life. 

Are there openings on my TEAM?  Heck yeah!!  Just ask me more…

 

PEAK hours

Who knew?  I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday – the NJ Turnpike definition of “peak hours.”  Digging further into my “investigation” into my EZ Pass problem, I downloaded the dispute form from PA EZ Pass, as I was instructed to do (by them).  An option to fax in the form was appealing to me.  Hey if I can save on a stamp and envelope, I’m happy!  I faxed the form, a cover letter and my excel spreadsheet, never really expecting a response anytime soon.  To my surprise, within an hour or so I received a PHONE CALL, that in itself surprised me, from a very courteous PA EZ Pass customer service rep.  I was having the day from hell (a self-inflicted problem with Verizon and a new cell phone whose voicemail somehow became all mixed up) when the phone rang.  I admit I was taken aback when he identified himself.  I couldn’t believe he told me he received my fax and was calling to respond.  My day from hell was looking brighter!!  It doesn’t take much these days!

He first explained how intrigued he was with my exit.  He never heard of it before so he did some investigating of his own.  This exit indeed belonged to NJ and they regulate the tolls there.  So NJ not only disowned this exit to me but disowned the problem as well – NJ workers – you gotta love ‘em!!  I sat “enamored” as he reported his findings.  I had to smile to myself as he explained about this local exit, then I interrupted him.  I joked, “of course I was familiar with that exit – did you not see that we used it over 110 times in the last year!”  He laughed and continued.

“The issue is not that you were overcharged.  You were undercharged, given a “discount” on off-peak hours.”  Wait a minute.  Let’s recap Mr. PA guy.  Take a look at those dates and times, clearly they were off-peak.  Not so.  In NJ “peak hours” are weekdays 7 am – 9 am and 4:30 – 6:30 pm and ALL weekends and holidays.  Really?  What I surprise to me!!  I thought I knew exactly what PEAK meant, where did he get this info?  Directly from the NJ Turnpike website and he was surprised too!  Turns out I should have listened to my reader after all.  He was right!!

“I just want to let you know something”, he replied – “beginning August 1^st, NJ will only extend the “discount” to NJ EZ Pass holders.  Unfortunately you will no longer catch a break!”  Oh isn’t that the story of my life!! Lol

So there you have it.  I stand corrected!!

UNSUBSCRIBE

I think we can agree that being inundated with emails each morning is not a great way to start the day, especially if you are in the Season of BROKE!    Quite frankly I don’t know how I ended up on so many email lists.  In my effort to get the clutter out of my life, I decided it was time to UNSUBSCRIBE to many of the emails I have been receiving.  I started with the easy ones first - stores.  I am in the Season of BROKE after all and shopping is just NOT at the top of my priority list right now so unsubscribing to those was a no-brainer.  Since I don’t plan on flying anytime soon and have so few travel miles, unsubscribing to those emails was very easy.  I was making strides for sure!  This was going to be easier than I thought!!  Since entering this temporary season, my skin is back to “winter white” as tanning is out of the question, UNSUBSCRIBED to the tanning salon!  Major league sports teams’ email – UNSUBSCRIBED, emails for Ticketmaster, restaurants and entertainment UNSUBSCRIBED.

…so I left the casino emails in tact just as a reminder of the FUN I once had and would have again someday, so it wasn’t as EASY as I thought!! lol

When you think of it, deleting is just a temporary fix, kind of like the devil showing up each day and tempting you – coming back again and again.  But UNSUBSCRIBING is a HUGE step towards a permanent parting. 

I was so full of confidence this morning and it was not even 9:00 yet!  And then IT happened.  Could it be?  Was I seeing it correctly?  MORE emails!!! - verifying that I did indeed want to delete them.  Just making sure that I followed TEN+ steps to UNSUBSCRIBE and asked if I would like to receive their newsletters, as a courtesy.  Finally, “warning” me that I would now be receiving all this info (statements and advertisements) via the US Postal Service now.  And THAT’S WHEN it occurred to me.  I was a contributor to JOB LOSS in this country! 

Think about it – all the jobs that are absorbed by technology, which in many cases is sent overseas.  If we all UNSUBSCRIBED to emails and went back to good old-fashioned snail mail, think about how many jobs would be created.  The printing industry would flourish as stores would be forced to mail advertisements and statements.  The postal service could once again begin to hire and maybe not have to raise the rates so frequently.  The trucking industry would be rejuvenated delivering this stuff.  Maybe gas prices would come down if we started using more.  Think about ALL the paper that would have to be recycled.  Recycling plants would be booming and, although I admit to knowing NOTHING about the environment, it would seem that the environmentalists would be happy that everyone was recycling, no?

And remember those FEES??  What if we all began to receive our statements in the mail now and actually made the time to LOOK at them?  We may begin to realize that we are really being FEE’D to death!

My thoughts for today – UNSUBSCRIBE to at least 5 emails.  UNSUBSCRIBE to e-statements.  Let them know that you want the paper statements in the mail.  What if half the country did this?  How many jobs would be created??  What say you??

ABSOLUTELY NOT

…what I planned on talking about today but this opportunity is just too good to pass up! lol

If you have been following my Blog you know that I have issues with banks.  When I decided to share my thoughts (publicly) about my views I wasn’t really sure WHAT would happen.  There is absolutely no doubt in my mind now that I am doing the right thing – sharing!  I have been receiving many comments (mostly privately) about poor banking policies all over the country.  While I can’t fix everything, I am thinking about proclaiming myself Advocate for the OVER Fee’d!  (don’t you just love how I give myself all these titles??)

One woman wrote that her FEES were so outlandish she called her relative, who was happened to be the President of the bank.  The call was useless.  She now has her money in another bank!! Needless to say the apple doesn’t all far from the tree – these heartless bank tellers have to be getting it from someone!!  lol

I go to the post office frequently.  Usually I write a check for my mailings.  About three weeks ago, I paid cash.  The postal clerk looked at me and asked if I ran out of checks.  We got to know each other a bit over the years.  I’m having an issue with my bank (is all I had to say!) and the flood gates opened!!  She told me horror story after story about what she experienced.  We just knew some of these banks were taking advantage of the average person but couldn’t prove it.  So I began an investigation of my own…

Today when I went to the PO we started talking about my investigation and the lawsuit against Bank of America for overcharging fees on the order in which checks are presented.  Customers in line began to chime in and I thought there was going to be a revolt!!  Turns out we were not alone!  This business of FEES that the banks are charging is out of control.  In my prior life, we had to adhere to best practices.  If this is the BEST banks have to offer, what is their WORST?

I suggested they read my Blog for any updates.  They left pleased knowing that someone, ANY one was looking out for them.

Next I did what any normal investigator would do – I called a lawyer!  I began to explain what was happening and he immediately stopped me.  THAT just happened to US too!!!  Being the do-gooders that we are he agreed WE have to do something!  I told him all the facts, showed him all the facts and we were off!

If you have bank horror stories that you would like to share, tell me!  I found these institutions will wear you down.  They “bank” on the consumer not noticing the fees, not fighting the fees, or simply taking their money out so they have less work to do in a day!

Just thinking out loud – when banks were bailed out did they also get permission to overcharge decent customers?

I have a Blog and the world can see it so I started telling everyone I meet about my Blog.  What’s the point of hiding now!  I usually get their attention when our conversation begins with...A CHECK. 

Short and Sweet Today!

Did you hear?

THE LA Dodgers are going through The Season of BROKE too!  If it can happen to them and it can happen to “us”, it can happen to anyone.  Watch out NUITA's - you COULD be next!!

until tomorrow...have I got a LOT on my mind too!!

UPDATE:  Thank you to a reader for suggesting a solution to the EZ Pass problem.  Unfortunately the increased tolls were NOT during peak hours only.  They were whenever that little gizmo machine decided to charge us more or less.  Thankfully though, I found 10 more postings that I missed the first time.  Thank you Mr. Reader!!

NOT so EZ pass

Did you ever look at your EZ Pass statement or are you like me and “replenish” when you see a low balance.  Worse yet, during the Season of not so BROKE, were you on automatic replenish? 

Like many, I have been an EZ Pass customer probably since its inception.  How cool is it to breeze through those EZ Pass lines while others are waiting in those long non-EZ pass lines “fishing for coins” to pay their toll?  We are saving so much gas not idling, waiting, I would think.

I jumped for joy the day Exit 6A (the connector road between my town, Florence, NJ and PA) opened as I go to PA to visit relatives frequently.  As the years went on and my kids began to drive I did what any responsible mom would do – ordered more EZ pass transponders!  So at this point we are up to 4 and holding. 

Note for the out-of-towners:  Exit 6A – only ONE ezpass lane into PA and it’s FREE coming back into NJ (how very kind of them!)

FIRST LESSON learned:  EZ pass’ interpretation of “low balance” and mine are two different things.  When I discovered this information I immediately untoggled the auto replenish box.  I may not have been BROKE back then but I still didn’t want them to replenish when I wasn’t expecting to replenish!!

We were smooth sailing for a couple years until one of my son’s began to go to PA more frequently, MUCH more frequently (of course there was a girl there!!).  I think crossing that bridge into PA made him lose his memory at times because somehow he kept forgetting to tell me that the toll was flashing low balance.  I would know soon enough however when I received the violation in the mail!  I looked over the paperwork, noticed what happened, paid the violation, paid the toll and added funds to my EZ Pass account.  Maybe not the best procedure but it worked.

It wasn’t until I became an advocate for the BROKE (how do you like that title?  I just made that up! lol) AND received 2 violations in the mail on the same day that I noticed we were being charged 2 different amounts for that exit.  Some days it was $1.45 other days it was $1.95.

LESSON TWO – Make a LOT of time to make the calls!  My journey to the correct answer began…The toll charge stated NJ Turnpike, so I called them first.

NJ’s QUICK reply – it’s not our fault – that’s right NJ is a “no fault state” how could I forget?!! (lol).  Your transponders are from PA and you were entering PA, you better call them.

PA’s reply was QUICK too…at first.  “Better call NJ since you live there.”  Nice try but not this time Mr. PA EZ Pass Rep!  Then the questions began.

“Is one of the cars bigger?”  he asked.  Like how much bigger?  They are cars, all about the same size, was my reply.  “Then it’s not that, I better get the supervisor,” he said. 

OH NO not the supervisor!!  Luckily I didn’t have much planned that day because I just knew this was going to take some time.  “Sorry miss, I just can’t explain it.  You are going to have to file a Customer Care DISPUTE FORM for this so we can investigate.”  I just have a few questions before I go that route…

«       Do we now get charged on the size of our car?  No

«       Do we have to pay more if we go through during rush hour?  No

«       Do we pay more if more than one of our cars go through on the same day?  No

«       Do we get a discount after every three entries?  No

«       If our car is gray do we pay more?  No

«       Was there an increase in that toll?  No

…there is just no explanation as to why this happened, please fill out one of those forms…

It took me about 2 hours but I downloaded all the statements from Feb. 2010 – current (they are the only ones available at this time) and put them into an excel spreadsheet.  On Our cars went through Exit 6A 100 times.  40 of those times we were charged $1.45.

60 of those times we were charged $1.95.  There is no rhyme or reason to when we were charged the higher amount.  I sorted that spreadsheet every which way you can imagine and came up blank – no explanation!  OK, so we are talking about $30.00 here that was overcharged that I can see.  I can’t see further back than 2/10 so who knows how bad it really is.

Do yourself a favor and look over those statements.  Who knows!  They may be overcharging you too and you don’t even know it!!  Update to follow when I hear back from them…

are THEY serious??

Do you have any idea what happens when you begin the journey of paying down your debt?  Those kind folks over at the credit card company decide it’s time to REWARD your for your “generosity” so they begin to send you mail.  CONGRATULATIONS your credit limit has been increased.  CONGRATULATIONS you are being sent this no interest, no fee credit card.  CONGRATULATIONS for paying off your credit card and being a valuable customer, just sign this application and mail it back and we will send you a new card or reopen your account.  It’s like crack cocaine I tell you!  There is not a day that goes by that I don’t get at least ONE of those pieces of mail.  I guess they haven’t heard my unemployment ran out and I really have NO money now – I am in The Season of BROKE!

By now, we all know the pain (and suffering) that credit card debt can cause.  Like many I took my income for granted and never thought about it ever ending abruptly.  The saddest part of all is I don’t even remember what I bought, how much I paid or what, if any, satisfaction I got from the purchase.  In retrospect was the sale really sale or did I end up paying four times more for it because I charged it?  It makes me cringe to think about it so I try not to.  I come from the land of guilt and owned up to the fact that I got myself into this bind and I was going to get myself out.  I could have taken other ways out of my financial situation I suppose, but I remember telling these horrible customer service credit card reps that I would pay back every dime I owed them.  I worked out my payment plan to the penny determined to be debt-free before my unemployment ran out.  Unfortunately life happens and although I made huge strides, at the end of the day I still had debt.  Getting in the habit of paying your bills on-time, even if just the minimum is an uphill battle.  I made a lot of sacrifices and I tried each month to reach at least the minimum amount.  Being debt-free in 3 years became my goal.  It is very tempting however to fall right back into the “black hole.”  If you let them, they will take your life over again.

Yesterday I hit the jackpot!  5 new applications in the mail addressed to me.  My husband is now even getting suspicious and continually asking if I applied for them.  Of course I didn’t!  Apparently these geniuses report to the other geniuses “the credit card reporting people” that I have been paying my bills on time every month (for the most part).  So they “reported” to any one who asks about me and voila. Determined I was a good risk for EVEN MORE credit cards!  Needless to say I don’t even open that mail.   Do NOT be tempted!!  It’s not worth it.  It would really stink, wouldn’t it if you reached your road to the Season of Abundance and had to payback those credit card companies again????

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot BETTER things in mind when that Season arrives!

Houston! We have moisturizer!!

Not being able to pay your credit card bills on time and battling bank fees is one thing.  Running out of moisturizer is another story!!  If you are a guy, you absolutely will not “get this.” Gals, you know you are laughing now because you have done this yourself, unless of course you are a NUITA type and wouldn’t dare get even a little moisturizer under your fingernail!

My jobs are all commission-based – I don’t get paid until “they” get paid.  They were nice supplemental jobs when I was getting a steady paycheck.  And now, even though the fees are higher because I have more time to work these jobs, I still have to wait to get paid.  It’s the system after all and one would never argue with the system! 

Lately when the checks arrive, there is little “wiggle room” for anything but catching up on my bills (most of which hubby didn’t even know I had – OK another story for another day.)  I knew that I was slowly running out of moisturizer for my face.  I’m brave I thought.  I am going through this Season of BROKE and in due time I will have plenty of money to buy the moisturizer.  Every day there was less and less in that jar.  I kept repeating to myself that "I know how to sacrifice.  Moisturizer is not at the top of the priority list" (so I lie to myself every now and then just to make myself feel better!!).  I knew there was going to be “just enough” in that jar to last a few more weeks...

I had to have a plan.  I immediately googled “Clinique Days” to find out when the next one was.  What a relief to find out it started on the 18^th at Lord & Taylor.  My first thought was that God had a sense of humor sending me to L&T.  Getting through to the Clinique counter without looking at anything else was going to be a HUGE challenge!  I just had to “brush off my knees,” stay focused and continue with my plan.  It had to be Clinique and it had to be during one of these offers.  This time the freebie included mascara which would “hold me over” from buying that anytime soon.

The 18^th was quickly approaching and I was determined to be patient – not one of my BEST qualities!  I just knew I was going to run out of moisturizer before then.  I began to panic.  I was facing a dilemma for sure.  My nails were too long to “dig out” what was left in the deep corners of that jar– remember I couldn’t get those done either right now.  Using a Q-tip would be a waste because too much excess would be left on the swab where it would be lost forever.  I thought of asking my 21-year old son if he could put his finger in the jar and transfer what was left of the lotion to my face but that just sounded creepy!  (he probably would have had me committed if I asked him that anyway!)  I did what any normal woman would do.  I pouted to my husband.  This poor guy works so many hours he didn’t even notice that my skin was turning to rubber!  His standard reply, “do you REALLY need it and HOW MUCH?”  To me HOW MUCH meant there was room for negotiation.  I knew how much.  I used Clinique for the past 30 years!  So I gave my “lawyerly” reply (I did learn a little something working for them for all those years! lol) “about 50 dollars or so was my reply.”  He hooted and hollered for a bit (why don’t guys understand that makeup is like..Harley parts!) but asked “not over $50 right?”  more room for negotiation I thought – today is my lucky day!!  “Well, it’s around $50 but not more than $100,” I said.  I can’t believe (lol) he then asked, "How did it get from $50 - $100?”  My reply, “I’m just not sure how much exactly with tax and everything.”  OK, between $50-$75 and not a penny more was what he agreed to.  This was better than winning at the slots (ok maybe I am exaggerating just a bit!)  If that was the range I could get two things!  I am happy to report that my bill was under $60 and I walked away with the BONUS too!  Thankfully that should hold me over until the next Clinique Bonus Days!!

Why do I tell you about my moisturizer?  When I woke up yesterday I noticed that after a few days my skin was starting to look normal again; refreshed, younger, healthier.  That reminded me of going through the Season of BROKE.  Like my dry skin, if you can be patient and make some sacrifices along the way, you will find yourself refreshed, younger, healthier, normal again as you approach your Season of Abundance!  I know when it’s my time for Abundance I want to be in the BEST shape.  How about you?

Making Progress

I feel so good today!  I just deleted all my “friends” from Facebook who I believe are NUITA types!  If you have been following my Blog you know who they are!  If you have not been following my Blog they are the Nose up In the Air types that seem to become part of our lives.  They may look at you funny, give non-stop advice about something they know nothing about, prejudge you and everyone around you, or worse yet, visibly walk around with their noses up in the air!

If you are still seeing my Blog on Facebook you can sleep sound tonight knowing that you are still my friend and even though you may have more money than me right now, I don’t think you are a NUITA type at all!  So if you need a little “boost” today, go ahead and delete some friends from your FB, it feels so good!!

Remember?  I wrote about the bank and their ridiculous fees?  I think SOMEONE is reading my Blog!!  Yesterday I received a note in the mail from another bank I deal with.  There is a class-action suit against them regarding overdraft fees which were caused by the order in which the debit card transactions were posted.  I can be part of this class action settlement if I “…were charged one or more overdraft fees as a result of this bank’s practice of posting debit card transactions from highest to lowest…”  They better get their checkbooks ready because they are going to owe ME a LOT of money!! lol – The best news yet is now I have ammunition to present to that “other” bank that I speak about – the heartless community bank.  Maybe I can begin that class action suit myself.  Better call a lawyer!  (ok maybe I should get someone else to make that call – lol)

In other news…

Not that The Season of BROKE only affects women, it just seems that men are less receptive to my views or in plain English just don’t “get it!”  Beginning to put my thoughts to words on a computer was a huge step for me.  Posting it for the world to see was an even bigger hurdle.  I admit my blog has been a (sort of) therapy for me but the feedback I am getting shows me that I am an inspiration to many, except men! 

It’s that feedback that gave me vision for where I wanted to take this idea.  Mistake #1, ask a guy .  I asked a GUY I know about my idea – little signs, a small pillow, (if bold enough to wear one) maybe a classy Tee.  His reply “No one wants to be reminded their life sucks!”  Mistake #2, never ask a NUITA type for their opinion (you think I would have learned that by now!!)  No question about it - he too was removed from my facebook page.

The Season of BROKE…it’s just a season  AND we are not broken, only BROKE…at the moment

…are just simply NOT reminders of how bad you have it, they are words of inspiration to remind you (and others) that you are still a good person who is going through a tough time RIGHT NOW – a reminder of how much better it’s going to get.

My advice, for whatever it’s worth, when you enter your Season of Abundance, continue to keep them deleted from your facebook page.  Money does not make you who you are…

Until tomorrow…