Okay – this is the second post in a matter of days that is related to me entering a contest sponsored by HP. The truth is that it is a great contest and I would love to be able to be so charitable. The truth is that I am struggling to figure out what to get for my own kids within our budget, not sure whether my wife and I will be able to afford to give each other gifts valued above $10 (which has been par for the course for years now), but none of this bothers me more than the fact that I can’t afford to be more charitable. So I’m being selfish – I want to enjoy the feeling of giving this stuff away. Read more “Shout-out to Jake Ludington”
Category: money
Here’s Where the Story Ends
Today I lost a friend. He is still alive, and we are still friends (I assume), but our relationship will not likely ever be the same as it was … well … as early as this morning. This morning I arrived at the office, setup my laptop at my desk and, as I often do, walked to the office next door where my friend sits to chat while my laptop came to life. I found him enjoying some music that reminded him fondly of a cruise he had been on last year (relevant as he will be going on another cruise in a matter of days). We chatted about the music, discussed some work-related matters, and I departed back to my own office to go about my business. The sad irony is that the song he was enjoying was one by the Sundays whose name is the title of this post. Less than 30 minutes later, he had been laid off and escorted out of the office. Read more “Here’s Where the Story Ends”
Sir, There’s a Santa Lodged in Your Chimney
In the spirit of coming to terms with home ownership, we recently had a chimney sweep come out to, well, clean out our chimney. We had been aware that it needed to be done as we had had a guy out last spring to address an issue with our furnace (soot was exhausting out the air intake valve in the basement) and when he pulled the exhaust tube away from the chimney we discovered a buckets-worth of crap (soot, brick and mortar dust and pieces) in the elbow. So we new there was possible damage and definite need for cleaning and assessment. Read more “Sir, There’s a Santa Lodged in Your Chimney”
Change for the Worse
For years I have been a fan of steering away from cash in favor of being able to charge anything and everything to debit cards. And recently I’ve finally been getting my wish. I can go through nearly any drive-through (sorry, drive-thru) or get gas at nearly any station without having to worry if I had enough cash on hand. I just swipe my handy-dandy check card and be on my merry way! Unfortunately I did not realize the price for such convenience. Read more “Change for the Worse”