Friday, October 30, 2009

Procrastination

My second blog entry! Clearly I am a procrastinator at times. It’s strange. I am super organized and timely in the course of my business work day, in college I finished all assignments well and on time. Perhaps Oprah should never have told us all to do what we love for a living. Sets up impractically high standards perhaps? While I like what I do I am confident it is not what I love. The idea was to practice my writing in here.

I still plan to take those creative writing courses at some point time and funds permitting. I tell myself I am busy with a second job, husband and a home to take care of. My reply to myself: “excuses, and excuses.” For some reason, my own motto, “Do what you don’t like to do first”, does not apply in this case. I do like to write. Just not as much as I like to read I find! I have never imposed a writing or journal deadline on myself and I guess that’s what I need to do!
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Procrastination


Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~Author Unknown

Do what you don’t like to do first. ~ Sheila Brennan

On November 1, 2009 the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act will go into effect. The bill requires that statements tell us not just how much we owe but how long it will take to pay it off making minimum payments. Good too will be no more mysterious rate hikes, shifted payment dates and appropriate notice when the terms will be changed.

Too bad this is a day late and a dollar short (literally) for many Americans. Last January I noticed one of my credit cards suffered a gigantic spike in the interest rate. Apparently, (due to credit woes of banks, I say) this creditor viewed me as having too much open credit and lowered my limit making it looked like I had maxed out the card. A subsequent change in the payment dates led to a single late payment resulting in another rate increase. Suddenly the rest of my charge cards followed suit. At this point I could not get my rates lowered nor transfer any balances elsewhere. Suddenly someone who had always paid on time and was a decent saver was in potential financial disaster. What’s crazy is that my balances are not all that bad; I am scared to think what a family of four relying on credit cards in this economy might be going through.

Having relied on bonuses this few years past to wipe out any debt amassed over the year, this last year my fiscal policy was no different. Except with the economic melt down companies are all feeling, bonuses were scarce except for Wall Street executives. Small bonus, pay cut and potential job loss all worried me. Not wanting to burden my husband unfairly should I lose my job, I decided to approach a debt management company and am I thrilled that I did so. My credit cards including lingering school debt will be paid off in a few years and then I can get back to saving. My credit score remains stable and my interest rates are lower than they were before the credit crisis hit the country and my household.

In the months after starting the program, I have received two letters from the Visa card that started this boulder rolling thanking me for my business. I have been offered all sorts of special card rewards. Probably miss all the extra interest they might have gotten off of me had they left me alone in the first place. They might have answered my calls for help in the first place.

Procrastination, it’ll kill ya.

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