Rubin Family Blog

AWESOME!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:53:47 GMT

Since I didn't expect to have to say anything, I left off my "Oscar-style Thank Yous" (which you are probably thankful for!) but I am especially thankful to Kristen Richardson, Mary Estes (FL Commerce/ behind-the-scenes), Heidi Otway (Salter Mitchell) & Michelle Bailey & Duwanda Pace of the Blairstone Branch (MOST. AWESOME. BRANCH. EVER.)

And I am most proud of bringing up my credit score -- those elusive folks with that nebulous formula at Fair Isaacs met their match, eh?

But I would like to point out that while this Challenge pressed me into "extreme savings mode" for the time the cameras were rolling, the process of getting "financially fit" is a lot like getting physically fit -- there are no magic potions or spells (drat), but there *is* reward for working hard & making tough choices.

And anyone who really knows me can vouch for my illiteracy with both math & budgeting -- but with practice & positive reinforcement for a job well done -- it does get . . . well, maybe not "EASY" (because who doesn't have to FIGHT that impulse for a warm oatmeal raisin cookie?) but it becomes more comfortable . . . it's a different lifestyle.

I appreciate my cheer squad & the camaraderie and good cheer of the other Tallahassee families. Mwa! Mwa!

It's hard work, but it's worth it!

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:53:53 GMT

This is a great article about how to "trick yourself" into saving money: And they are good ones, and not just re-runs:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/9-sneaky-tips-for-saving-more.aspx

Once you have set initial goals, and then you meet them . . .

You can then set higher ones. That's really cool.

BUT BEWARE!: Just when Congress added consumer protections against the worst abuses of the credit card industry, they have been conspiring to think up new ways to trap you into debt-bondage:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/01/six-new-credit-card-booby-traps-on-the-way.html

What Makes a Person Truly Happy

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:02:15 GMT

My wise friends at Love & Logic shared this gem with their newsletter readers recently: "Yes! Sincerely joyful people understand that basing one's happiness on the acquisition of material possessions and participation in exciting activities leads to ever-increasing unhappiness and stress."

And I would like to add a corollary that I have learned in this challenge: Happiness can be amplified through feelings of financial security and competence, which can best be gained through daily practice with financial skills and intentional and consistent spending and saving practices.

The Love & Logic group's orientation is toward helping parents raise children who are assets instead of liabilities, the continued by explaining how adults should model consumption moderation:

"Do you want your kids to spend their lives searching for the pot-o'-gold at the end of the rainbow? Do you want them spinning their wheels, racing toward something that doesn't exist? If you care enough to spend time reading tips from the Love and Logic Institute, I'm sure that you don't!

As early in life as possible, start teaching them that happiness comes from having loving relationships with people…rather than things.

Because of the materialistic culture we live in, I think all of us are finding this a bigger challenge than ever. That's why it's more important than ever to do two things:

Spend loving time with our kids.

Say "No" when they ask for lots of stuff."

Easier said than done, of course, but words of wisdom nevertheless.

Glad to be off the Holiday Roller Coaster

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:55:34 GMT

Holidays are inevitably full of emotions – good ones and bad – and I have, for many years, wanted to jump off of the cycle of gift-giving that always struck me as mindless & wasteful. I realize that I tend to buy presents for an elaborate set of emotional reasons, and this habit is so firmly entrenched that I find myself buying & giving even when I don’t want to.

Fortunately, this year I have been the most free from the kind of “obligatory” spending/giving that always makes me feel worse than (and broker than) before. Also fortunately, we have been priming the kids for a sharp drop off in “gift expectation” (associated with crass consumerism & wasteful consumption) by reminding them that ours is NOT a traditional gift-giving holiday and that the spirit of the season should be “giving the gift of one’s company and good cheer.” But that has only gone so far.

I have brought them on a trip away from our creature comforts in some measure to shake them out of expectations of “me, me, me” that we’d indulged when they were small. I would like to make more adventurous forays into TRULY needy places (even those close to home) in the future to also help temper the instinct to want to RECEIVE the STUFF of the season that the sharp uptick in commercials targeted to children inspire.

But this year, I am happy that we have found the gift of “moderation.” I finally found a space in which I do not feel resentful about – either because I’m spending too much or too little. I said to Mara today after buying a guilty trinket in a fancy soap shop: “I really like an indulgent bauble [in this case, fancy soap] that is, at the same time, useful.” I am happy to look at the fancy things & make a notebook of my “wants” and plan for them. In the meantime, I can have small indulgences & give moderately to my children and family – because these little bits of glitter are in my budget!

Year in Review

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:37:11 GMT

I’ve been thinking about what I have accomplished with the motivation that the Florida Commerce Credit Union has supplied to my financial fitness. Below are some of the items that I have accomplished or addressed in the past year on my path to getting my act together:

I got a job! I am not sure AT ALL how I like full time work – I think I MUCH prefer contract work with a more flexible schedule, but this has allowed me to move forward in other areas of my life that had me held down.

I cannot re-finance until 2010 because if circumstances I desperately tried to control – but ultimately could not – but I still have that goal firmly in front of me, and I will continue to pursue it – rather than freak out.

I sold the Cooper (but it came with the stupid buy of the truck)

I learned how to sell on eBay – and I sold some scrapbooks that had been sitting on a shelf

I quit drinking soda, eating out is a _special treat_

I learned to manage my prescriptions to advantage (and to use coupons effectively and consistently)

I’ve also learned the difference between “want” and “need” and that lots of coupons are for “wants” not “needs”!

I am working on going paperless – I am scanning things a little bit each night – I’m nowhere close to done, but I am trying to tame that paper tiger that kept me from dealing with my finances.

I have managed to get the children “hooked in” to the family’s financial goals (it helped to have a goal in the first place!) and we struggle together to define things like “how short is ‘short-term savings’”?

I am working toward understanding my financial stress and avoidance on many levels. Some days I make BIG steps forward, and other days it is all I can do to open my mail. But I think back to that question I was asked at the beginning of the challenge: “How often do you think about money?” The answer now is the same: EVERY DAY! But now, instead of thinking about it in terror, I think about it with more confidence that I am headed in the right direction.

Money Personality: Spender

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:33:38 GMT

No kidding. But I am learning moderation and trade-offs (with a lot of practice!).

Black Friday:

It is remarkable that I could look through the “Black Friday” ads and think, “Hey, I don’t really need ANY of this!”

Before I went out, however, I researched & researched & researched . . . I checked on-line Black Friday sales (most everything already said “sold out”). And the two little things I wanted – a $7.50 pair of earrings like my treasured pair that I’d lost one of, and the piece of exercise equipment that I was planning to buy ANYWAY, but was half price at Sears – those were nowhere on-line.

And old habits die hard & I have always loved to be in a freezing cold and dark parking lot somewhere at the stroke of 4 a.m. – mostly so I don’t feel like I “missed” anything.

I am thrilled to report that I got both of my treasured items, and I kept my other purchases to “wow” deals on necessary clothing items & shoes that the children needed & I would have had to purchase anyway. I got a handful of “splurges” like $5 items for the kids’ gifts (and a few of these that the kids could give to friends & relatives), but overall, what I bought was common-sense stuff . . . and as one of the articles that claimed to decode “myths” about this sale date claimed, these deals really ARE the best price of the year on many items.

Off the Gift Wagon:

I have also been interested in hoping off the “gift wagon” and making charitable donations instead . . . and I was able to buy some very warm coats originally priced at $45 for $15 and I intend to donate these to a local coat drive. Each year I hope that I can decrease the “me” holiday budget and shift more to the “donate” category in December. This is hard though. I did not have much of an example of charitable giving growing up, and I think it is hard for MANY people to give if they never have before – and if they have worried about having “enough” themselves.

Cooper Watch:

I sold the Cooper on eBay . . .to Haroon Rasheed in Afghanistan, zip code 12345. I’m a tad put off of the eBay system, but I have it listed again – I’ve had a FANTASTIC mechanic look at it & ok it – and I’m selling it for a song to cover some of my upcoming trip expenses. I have listed also on Auto Trader, and so I have high hopes that this next week some lucky, lucky person will be SUPER COOL in the sporty, red, and gas-sipping Cool Machine!

Homework:

I may have mentioned that I’d been sold a pick-up truck (by a friend I’d trusted) for approximately 3 times what it was worth, and this has been a bitter pill to swallow in this point in the challenge when I’d been hoping to avoid making costly mistakes. I will sustain a *significant* loss on this transaction (and I’ve been avoiding the blog because I’d been so freaked out about how to fix this), but I avoid crying about it by reminding myself that we must do our homework in ALL things that cost money, even when we’d prefer to trust someone else to act in our best interest.

I’m trying to outfit the lot of us for our travel to a coooooooold climate, and this is taking a toll on my credit cards, but as my mother is able to repay the little loan I made her, I’m hoping to get balances back to zero.

And I am undertaking the task of learning how to communicate openly with a partner about finances. Since money is the number one stress on marriages, I thought I should come to terms with old, bad patterns of the past, and learn new ones before I try to merge finances with anyone else. I am listening to an audio book called First Comes Love, Then Comes Money and I have thus far established that my “money type” is “spender” (my friends are now rolling on the floor with gales of laughter saying “you needed a BOOK to tell you that?”) but there are other nuances of how we view money that are important to consider when another person. This is HARD stuff! And, because I now realize that money will never be “easy” for me, I’m taking baby steps, and forgiving my imperfections along the way.

A Whole Lot of Happy

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:06:03 GMT

I have never thought financial responsibility was an imposition . . . but I do find it to be *difficult.* Some people are naturally thin & do NOT struggle with food. Some people wage daily war with it – and through their struggle, they find strength – but they probably have some . . . complaints – or steep climbs up a learning curve?, I suppose. My journey has been deeply educational & the source of great personal pride – but it has not been a solid “happy parade” (nor did I expect it to be).

I guess I never thought that I was bringing anyone down – maybe that’s self-centered of me? – but no one mentioned it. Frankly, I’d have been bored reading stories that were unflaggingly positive – because that doesn’t seem realistic to me.

And I am struggling – still. But I think I have finally come to terms with the fact that I may *always* find financial topics hard. I still cringe when a bill comes in the mail (regardless of whether I have the means to pay it). I still would prefer working as a sole proprietor (even if my circumstances argue for corporate employment). But I have climbed mountains I once thought insurmountable! I have plans in place for reducing my interest rates. I have strategies for attacking my paper / bills clutter. I have ideas for what to do about my future employment. This is HUGE for me! TICKER TAPE PARADE STUFF! And perhaps I didn’t spend more ink on this because I didn’t want to seem a braggart – and I might have been afraid that I’d jinx myself.

So I’m developing a strategy for a strong finish: I have to cleanse away some of my previously mentioned indiscretions. I tried the Cooper on Craigslist, but with little success – I plan to list it on eBay this week. My mom should be able to pay back the $2,000 emergency loan before the contest’s end & while it does not appear that my marital circumstances will resolve such that I can refinance before the end of the year – this is a goal I doggedly pursue by making measurable steps each & every week. I think that’s a whole lot of happy. But I can’t apologize for my “complaints” because that would make it seem like it all happened by magic. Those contestants on the weight-loss reality shows SUFFER between tapings. They work hard. And they are probably not happy 100% of the time. That’s the real stuff.

I'm Overwhelmed

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:31:07 GMT

My car scenario is a MESS. The truck I bought is not worth what I paid for it (I know, I know, but I bought it from a FRIEND! ACK!) and I don't know how to recoup my loss (I probably won't ever). Now I could buy a different vehicle, but I'm wondering if I should sit tight & bide my time . . .

I had hoped to refinance my home loan, but my ex won't play ball yet, so I'm treading water & getting very frustrated! I certainly won't, at this point, see any tangible money-in-the-bank as a result of this adjustment for the purposes of this contest, but I am using the end-of-year deadline to push this process doggedly forward.

I was invited to travel to England, Wales & Ireland for three weeks -- before the end of the contest -- and, after much agonizing, I've decided to go. I am very well aware that I may thus be ruining any chance I have to win, but as with restrictive diets, I sabotage myself if I feel like I can't have anything. I am trying to manage the expenses smartly: since I'm bringing all 3 children for the first 10 days, I'm trying to economize on lodging and food expenses in-country.,

These hiccups have reminded me that the time-frame imposed by this challenge does not neatly correspond to my personal financial timeline, and that's ok. I think we've all expressed the idea that by being pulically accountable, we've all thought twice about the consequences of our behavior -- kind of like a Weight Watchers meeting, I suppose. I regret very little. I'm doing better than I imagined. I think I've made permanent and lasting change.

At least that's what I'll remind myself when I lose my the amount of my plane tickets abroad. But wait! My goal with my "winnings" was to take a trip with my kids . . . and I've positioned myself to do that. How very cool.

Anyone want to house-sit?

Bumpy Landing in the Home Stretch

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:04:19 GMT

. . . but wow, have I learned a lot!

My car debacle ended with a truck I bought for $2,200 that I cannot drive & bartered out with a friend in need -- I have mixed feeling about all that -- and I still have the Cooper -- but I made an effort -- and, with any luck, I'll make another effort at some point.

I learned today that a grant I wrote for $8.1 million in federal stimulus money was funded -- yeah me! But I wish I could do more on my own, and less at the whims of the "corporate world" which is the bane of my work existence.

I've been invited on a 3-week holiday in Europe starting mid-December and I have to decide whether to take the kids (they are invited, too). The expense will be HUGE (but I have it saved), but they will whine (but I love sharing travel experiences with kids), but they'll miss a few days of school (but LIFE *is* school!)

See? I'm extremely conflicted. I should bite the bullet, but I'm relatively new at making these HUGE decisions and I need more practice ("But Karen this would be PERFECT practice" I hear you saying) . . . I KNOW, I KNOW.

And I had a small (ok, not small) indiscretion. Her name is Selby. Does anyone want to house-sit for 3 weeks?

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD OPEN YOUR MAIL!

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:00:12 GMT

My escrow account was over & I got a check!

I know, I should be peeved that they'd been taking more each month than was actually due (like when you don't keep anough of your own tax money), but I'm the type who must be forced . . .

And so I have let my credit cards sustain some . . . um . . . charges . . . which I shall take care of RIGHT AWAY.

Bummer. Just think: if I hadn't run up my card balances, I could have saved all that money . . .

I QUIT!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:45:19 GMT

Well, I really, really want to anyway . . .

I readily admit that I have a low tolerance for frustration, but this is INSANE. Chime in if you have ever been SO MAD at your job that you SAW RED. I keep thinking "I feel *so USED,* so . . . so . . . UNDER APPRECIATED!" and then I hear my conscience saying "Um, hello? That's what a JOB is all about, girl! You signed up for that! You were a tough talker when you CLAIMED that you would do ANY sort of work at all."

I am a daily witness to massive inefficiency -- I'm talking about NO ONE helping a process . . . No. MOST people ACTIVELY HINDERING a process that if they would GET OUT OF MY WAY, I could do with only supplemental help. And so I SIT HERE. Watching people make things hard.

And by now you are probably wondering what my REAL problem is. You'd LOVE to get paid to JUST SIT THERE. I know. And don't think that doesn't make me feel really guilty.

But this is soul-stealing stuff (I know, I'm a cream puff). And what is my soul worth? I have to figure out how to work for myself -- insecurity & unpredictability & all that.

Financial Organization, Stress & Anxiety

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:35:04 GMT

I was recently listening to an audio-book (see, Coach Michelle? I *am* getting entertainment!) and it was outlining the ways in which some people's brains work & it dawned on me: I may never be the ultra-organized financial type that I'd hoped this contest would morph me in to.

I may *always* have a hard time with my budget. I may always hate opening bills. I may always struggle to find the best way to file receipts.

And I'm ok with that. At least I KNOW that these are not my strengths. And while I cannot avoid financial matters all together (that got me NOWHERE good in the past), I can certainly understand that these chores are hard for me and I can take it easier on myself. I was ratcheting up my own anxiety & causing a nasty cycle of stress to get worse.

I am going to be a better blogger -- I've been stressed with the truck: it wasn't working well enough to keep as a primary vehicle -- I have arranged a BARTER with a good friend who also does work for me -- and I'm very nervous about it, but I'm happy to be supporting my local "single mom economy." With the focus on saving, I feel good about "giving" something . . .

But I pledge to take it easier on myself overall -- and thusly I hope my overall anxiety about my finances will ease & I can make my returns (because I found the proper receipts), I can open my bills (except I don't have to because they are all automated!), I can tweak my budget now & then -- rather than wait until it's a mess & needs an overhaul . . .

I'm feeling better -- what a HUGE relief to have a safety savings account . . . that's the #1 best stress-reducer!

Car Troubles (again)

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:49:35 GMT

Anyone know of a bicycle that can haul 3 big kids?

I gave another college try to selling the Cooper . . .I bought a 30 year old Toyota pick-up (and I was going to worry about transporting 3 kids at once at some later date, I guess). Perhaps it was prophetic that the truck had a CO2 leak near the driver's side floor board which made me seriously ill & so I re-collected the Cooper. But in the meantime, I ran the gauntlet of insurance coverage; dropping the Cooper, picking up the truck, dropping the truck, and re-insuring the Cooper. I almost had a FULL BLOWN anxiety attack. This was one of the remaining details from my former life that I had NO SKILL to negotiate. I just had to suck it up & pick up the phone & bumble my way through grueling and SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT questions like "stacked or non-stacked?" huh? I have NO IDEA. Still.

And I was trying to figure out what it costs to drive my car. That is, what I paid for it, what I'd paid in repairs & maintenance, divided by how long I've had it (with a side calculation including a guess about what I might be able to sell it for). I THINK (and remember, I was a history major to avoid math) that I could have leased a VERY NICE Mercedes.

I am in car purgatory: I have a jalopy truck I won't drive (sitting in my boss's driveway until I figure out what to do), and I am having to re-think keeping the Cooper a little longer so the cost per month doesn't give me heart failure. And I have random thoughts while driving down West Tennessee like "What do we think about Kias these days?" Could I really find a cream puff diesel VW Rabbit on the cheap?

What money means

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:40:00 GMT

"For men, it's life's report card, for women, it's security."

I just turned in a 13 hour work day, and I was close enough to make some returns to a shop. I've been giving some thought to the MEANING of money -- what it symbolizes -- and I am still not sure that I know what it means to me (and that's why it has taken me so long to post this!)

Dr. Joy Browne, in her book _The Nine Fantasies that Will Ruin Your Life_ tries to dispel the myth that money = happiness. She also points out that, historically speaking, women have only had control of "their own" money for a relatively short period of time. True enough. Women have always had an economy, but usually they've bartered.

So I know that money FOR SURE means security to me (my house payment).

It also means control (I still get a little buzz when I go to the grocery store and buy EXACTLY what *I* want -- not what is on sale or what everyone else will eat.

I know that I see money as freedom: Surely we've all finished the sentence, "If money were no object, I would . . . ."

But I'm not sure that I am hooked into "money as love" although I know I do associate security/safety (see above) closely with love.

And of course we all recognize the POWER associated with money -- although perhaps that power is very close to choice or control.

When I think about what I might do with any money I would win, I think about TRAVEL -- which I now realize means CHOICE -- to go anywhere or experience anything one's budget will allow.

Recently I had the occasion to understand that we all seek to apportion our RESOURCES in ways that reflect our personal values. Time, money, affection, attention, labor, skill, knowledge -- these are all resources. When I am off kilter in one area, it means I usually am off kilter somewhere else.

I try to make a little progress every day. Sometimes I feel like I'm swimming through Jell-o -- but if I haven't actually MADE that budget, I certainly have been THINKING about it!

It's Just As Hard as it was in the Beginning

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:14:47 GMT

Filling out forms is NOT my forte.

I have to do a form that is HARDER than a budget -- and I have to hand it over to be scrutinized. To say that I don't want to do it is the understatement of the century. I have been setting little mini-goals like "Call the HR people to ask the question about insurance." That's so I can fill out ONE LINE.

I called a friend and asked her to phone me at regular intervals just to check on my progress. I've had to eat a LOT of ice cream just to keep morale up.

And speaking of morale, my almost-teenager HATES this contest & just wants it to be over because (I'm guessing) he thinks he'll be able to take the contents of his savings & blow it on video games. When I gently suggest that this may not be how it plays out, he gets bent out of shape. Sheesh. I'm frequently reminded of how money is tightly liked to emotions.

A $250 school FIELD TRIP?

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:05:32 GMT

Ok, so it is to Sea World, but still . . . WOW. But you'd say "It's such a bargain! Park admission, hotel (I think, my eyes blurred after I read "due in 2 weeks." It is really $190, but they must pay for two lunches & two dinners & any tchotchke they want to bring home . . . that's $250, isn't it? I aksed the boy what he would like to do to contribute & looked at my with surprise . . . are the *other* parents not asking their children this same question????????

We have some unexpected testing expenses this month (I guess this should be budgeted under "Life, misc."?) and I've been reverting to "shopping out" my stress. It's second-hand books, but still . . . I had to start filling out some financial paperwork (that I've put off a LONG time) and it's giving me anxiety attacks. I have charged more to my cards that I would have liked (nothing off the chain, but still . . .) I have a WICKED BAD urge to drive to IKEA (Orlando) and buy a dining set that I've wanted (and not bought) since the contest started. The almost-teen is fighting back about the contest: he complained in a school essay that I'm a terrible mom because I "forced" him to save money. That one I guess I can weather. No apologies there.

I have to get back on track -- and, perhaps like dieting, one must do things one might prefer not to do. Like I want to drive out to buy some ice cream right now. But I won't -- because I can save my budget & my hips at the same time. *sigh* Being a responsible adult is hard.

This "Working" Business is Over-Rated!

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:12:44 GMT

I was up ALL NIGHT! I sat down to polish off some work last night at 9 p.m. -- and I'm still up! At 10 a.m. the NEXT DAY. There's panic about deadlines & formatting, and correct wording. I mean, I really like the "good stress" business, but I've hit the wall! My shoulders are starting to seize up & I need to crash . . . this is fairly typical with grant work (apparently), and there are benefits when times are less . . . intense . . . fun and flexible folks to work with . . . but I'm starting to lose the battle here -- and I'm super-worried that this project will go smoothly (it hasn't really done so far).

It's very, very easy to lose sight of one's bigger goals when one gets stuck in the little daily details. I have mortgage forms to fill out, budgets to re-work, allowances to get back on track . . . but who has time to manage life when you are WORKING so much?

Update on the Car Drama

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:21:44 GMT

We weren't *in* the car when it went into the ravine, thank goodness.

And the Cooper's alternator (the problem) has been replaced, it has been detailed & it is GORGEOUS. But it has set me thinking about where I want to be in my "car-life" and I've decided to pursue selling it. I bought a little beater truck in the meantime (with my savings, yeah! I say yeah because thanks to this program I *HAD* savings & none of this was overly stressful). I plan to use the time in the little 1983 (or something similarly old, it's still having some repairs done) truck to think about what car I really want (probably another Cooper) and make sure my accounts are in order so I can PAY CASH. I have been fortunate in my life that i have NEVER had a car payment -- the one new vehicle I have *ever* owned was purchased with cash -- and I'm a true believer that we shall not finance things that LOSE value (and fast!) This past week my insurance company did provide me with a rental and I elected to pay the $20 or so a day for the supplemental insurance because I know what happens when you tempt fate . . . that decision about whether to buy the extra insurance on rentals is one I have struggled with my whole life. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't.

So, I won't be "Cooper-awesome" for a while, but I'm hoping that I can price it right, sell it quickly, and deposit the difference back in my savings account to seed the "next car fund!" Looking at the possibilities is kind of fun . . . and goals are SUPER important to motivate savings. Latte? No, I think I'd prefer a car :)

SHOULD HAVE SOLD THE COOPER

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:51:29 GMT

It died & then rolled into a Ravine.

More when I've finished having my nervous breakdown . . .

Thank God for TPD Officer DiGonzalez, Daniel from Lake Jackson Towing, and my dear, sweet friend Jennifer.

And I walked the children to school today: 1.3 miles one way -- I might even do it again voluntarily. It was nice!

So 2 stupid taxes in the span of a week -- so much for "no whammies."

AGH! I Got The Stupid Tax!

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:29:52 GMT

My strategy was "no whammies" but I got sloppy.

I was driving . . . ahem . . . IMPATIENTLY on the way to a meeting & got a ticket for $100. It could have been FAR worse -- but Officer Bradshaw demonstrated a _high degree of compassion_ & did the best he could with what he had in front of him. And so I pressed a Team Gray card into his hand ;) and promised that I would let all blog readers know that we must DRIVE CAREFULLY -- both for safety's sake, and for the sake of our wallets.

An expensive lesson, but a good one. Thanks Officer Bradshaw for the opportunity to get a reinforcement of this important principle.