My Debt Blog

Thanksgiving is that time of year we’re supposed to be give thanks for the things we take for granted. This is not the case with major retailers given that they make 25-50% of their annual profits in the 40 days between holidays. Not that I wanted to go, my wife and I got caught up in the Black Friday mess.

I noticed a lot of stuff, even on sale, wasn’t that great of a deal considering I have seen the same prices weeks before. So what makes it about Black Friday that gives people permission to spend money? My wife actually didn’t spend that much money and meanwhile I got my mom the doorbuster Mickey Mouse snow globe at JCPenny. So we’re still in the black for now.

December is going to be another story. Just as the issue came up in June, our semi-annual car insurance bill is coming due. An added bonus though my wife’s insurance will be discounted more so we will save over $100 bucks this time around. It will still take some money though to cover our insurance bill so we’re covered the New Year. I’m not sure how we’re going to do both Christmas and car insurance in the same month. My wife starts to look at that emergency fund as though it is regular savings for this time of year. It almost sounds like she thinks we should go into the New Year with no EF.

At the same time along with Christmas is my wife’s birthday. She already told me she wants a Coach purse for Christmas and the matching wallet for her birthday. I’m at a loss here when it comes to figuring out how to cash flow a $300-400 gift. Getting out of debt isn’t a priority to her this year and I don’t know if it will be next year. Sometimes I just want to stop trying anymore because I’m not getting anywhere. Is all the effort on my part really worth it?

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I had some sort of government consumer group agent come to my door this weekend wanting to see my gas bill. According to my gas bill I qualified for a rate lock on the amount I pay for each them of natural gas I use. So I won’t pay more than that if the price ever goes up. It got interesting when he got to the point of what he was really after. They also have this optional program where I could pay $4 a month to buy carbon credits to offset my carbon emissions. To me it does not make sense to pay more money to continue living the way I am and claiming the green title. I said “no” but it made me think about the other stuff.

Look at organic groceries in the stores. Why is it that the organic stuff always seems to cost more and is sold under a claim that it is better for you? If it is organic then it costs less to grow cheaper produce, why isn’t the savings passed along to the consumer? I think it is pretty bold to claim the green title by buying all organic food, you’re paying more of your resources and they make a greater profit in the end using the organic buzzword.

Along side the organic food, I see more and more ads for E-85 gas because it contains more ethanol. Ethanol comes from corn and can produce higher octane gas for most cars. The problem with this is it costs more to produce ethanol than regular unleaded gas refined from oil. Granted the price of oil is getting very high right now, and it cost more to drive anywhere period.

Global warming is not our fault or due to our carbon output. Carbon is a necessary element to life, and the greatest source of carbon emission comes from nature itself and it also creates more life. Climate change is cyclical and we have warming and cooling periods every 1,500 years. With that said this does not give someone the right to pollute the air or water just because they can.

So what am I doing by not buying into this scam? I recycle paper, metal, and plastic and don’t feel the slightest need to be paid for my efforts. I have found CFL light bulbs make a big difference in my electric bill, not because I’m doing anything for the planet. Grow your own produce in a garden if you’re able to. A company throwing the green theme and carbon buzzwords around is a pure marketing gimmick. Turn lights off in rooms you’re not in, don’t let the water run, and know that you are considering the planet and your wallet at the same time. Paying for carbon credits to offset your lifestyle is a total Ponzi scheme. Change your lifestyle and don’t expect your credit to be worth anything more than your big ego.

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I am getting sick of watching commercials for these credit card companies. For those of you who don’t have a TV, be glad you’re not being subject to this nonsense. The latest string of with for Visa is things going along real smooth in color because everyone is using their Visa card to pay. Then the lady who writes a check or the guy who throws cash down, the screen goes black and white as though it’s old fashioned. MasterCard will never run out of priceless ideas. AmEx wants you to fill in the blanks. Chase lets you jump between airline miles and cash back as a reward incentive.

Last time I checked it takes longer to pay using a plastic card, even debit. When you swipe that card it takes a little bit to validate the account to authorize the transaction. If you’re using cash and the idiot at the register can count, the latter should take less time. Checks are still a completely valid way to pay for things and it is sad how many places no longer accept checks. Most of the time you can just sign them and let the printer fill it out for you and you’re done. Why are using cash or checks such an old fashioned thing?

What would be interesting is to see some federal commercials encouraging people to use cash. I’m not sure if a cash commercial would be taken well since so many people adapted to plastic. With credit cards it doesn’t matter how much money you have or make, you can always get what you want whenever you want, as long as the monthly payment can be managed. Car dealer ads waving credit checks and no money down offers get people into vehicles they probably can’t afford. I can afford my vehicle because I own it.

I’m doing my best to avoid falling into this trap that using these things will make my life better. They can buy fun but they cannot buy happiness. Trying to free myself from credit card debt is the first step I am taking on my journey to become debt free.

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