Dollars for Doughnuts

links du jour

(Paulette) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:57:18 PST

Reminisc
ences of a Chase operator

Class action lawsuit over Chase's $10 monthly fee

Chase sent my hubby a credit card solicitation. I remember when Capital One, American Express, FirstUSA used to send him offers. I can't think of why they'd send solicitations nowadays:...

macro news, micro news, good and enh

(Paulette) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:42:01 PST

People might be shifting their debt to home equity lines of credit, or getting their liabilities reduced or dissolved, but I like this graph. I like to think that every day, hundreds of people are fleeing from the "we raised your credit card rate to 27% because that's the major...

Combating higher premiums and reduced coverage when you're powerless

(Paulette) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:51:31 PST

Anyone improving his or her diet and exercise plan, or resorting to alternative medicine?

I have been doing muscle testing with my boy -- his body isn't a fan of the whole wheat bread we bought, although he has cravings for it, and sugar is not my friend -- and am wondering what...

are Chase and Bank of America in a contest to see who can lose more customers?

(Paulette) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:16:40 PST

An online acquaintance cried foul on Chase Manhattan raising her APR on her credit card to 30% "for no reason" (i.e., no apparent fault of her own; there are at least three reasons why Chase would raise her APR outside of any personal fault: because they can, to make up for lost profits...

Food as thought

(Paulette) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:39:55 PST

In honour of yesterday's World Food Day, I gave $50 to Hopelink and $25 to US UNICEF. I expect to have lots of soup this week to compensate, tardy as I was to order the month's supply of beef. Split pea soup, tomato/red pepper, chicken noodle, Good Friday vegetable soup and beet borscht.

Monday...

(o/t) thoughts on Breast Cancer Awareness month

(Paulette) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:56:59 PST

first, is BCA month in the U.S. just about American Cancer Society appeals, fun runs, and pink ribbons?

I'm asking because, better late than never, I am raising my awareness of breast cancer prevention. Ounce of prevention being a pound of cure, and probably much much cheaper than...

(o/t) Some dude in a green Prius nearly struck my pedestrian husband

(Paulette) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:16:24 PST

...who was wearing a yellow motorcycle jacket with reflective striping. Sorry to say that apparently the safety design doesn't work during the daylight.

It irks me when people with supposedly "green" methods of transit do dumb things to endanger themselves or others in traffic....

I hate to sound like an ultraconsumer but...

(Paulette) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:51:06 PST

...does anyone else ever get frustrated with the lack of choice in specific products and wonder why, in a densely populated country, they can't get what they want?

(Me, I want bulk chlorella powder or tablets and non-HFCS soft drinks with fewer than 40 grams of sugar. My brother...

links du jour

(Paulette) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:37:41 PST

Fresh Picked Seattle-- a local blog dedicated to fresh, inexpensive healthful food. Found it while scrounging for quickie online notes from anyone who may have gone to the Oct. 8 Recessionomics lecture I missed.

Grocery Shopping Helper -- if you have the time and thought...

fun thrift lecture at local museum: wish I could go

(Paulette) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:11:58 PST

The Museum of History and Industry in my fair city is having an event tonight on the thrift of the 1930s, 1940s and 1970s.

Recessionomics: Tips for the Thrifty from the 1930s, 40s, 70s and Today
Health, Money and Home
Thursday, Oct 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
In the first of this four-part series, historian Roger van Oosten examines where we stand in the current recession, and suggests no-nonsense tips for moving forward. Guest experts share advice on how to manage health care on a budget, money hacks for squeezing out the last penny, and making sensible financial decisions on a daily basis.
Suggested $7 donation or simply Pay-What-You-Can at the door!

I...

Food Safety, and the Green Cure

(Paulette) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:12:29 PST

Several readers have likely seen the New York Times article about Samantha Smith, the children's dance teacher who ate an Angus Beef Patty with Bacon and Cheese, processed by Cargill, and had food poisoning so awful she was in a coma for nine weeks (doctor-induced, to stop her convulsions)...

Healthful choices need neither be risky nor expensive

(Paulette) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:20:21 PST

Snarkiness is not productive. It might be counterproductive. Take for example an anti-tax commercial in which a woman opens the hatchback of her new Subaru and her three children help collect the groceries. She's talking about how she has to watch her pennies these days, yet she buys...

Family Financial Conundrum

(Paulette) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:39:00 PST

Okay, our own situation is compromised, but not terribly. I'm doing well with beans, dried peas, grains and vegetarian entrees.

Here's the conundrum: My brother and his wife are expecting in 4.5 months. Yay, and sugoi, right? I sent a little gift to the sister-in-law, or imoto-san.
They...

rockerchic4god is my heroine

(Paulette) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:03:05 PST

Tell it like it is, lady!

She got results!

The $65 street walk

(Paulette) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:09:44 PST

The spouse and I arranged to bring up the Thomas & Friends train table our son had for several years to the children's consignment store. He brought up the frame, I carried the table leaves. We were ninety feet from the store when a woman and her mother-in-law asked us if we were planning...

a rare positive 'energy' post

(Paulette) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:55:47 PST

My natural gas utility is requesting a double-digit reduction in rates this winter as apparently there are ample resources for us to make it through the winter.

Looking forward to getting monthly bills under $175 through 2009-10.

honest questions: off-topic, plus link du jour

(Paulette) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:34:03 PST

Some of my honest questions are regarded as prickly or obnoxious by some people: you just can't tell who's out there on the Internet, or even why the hyper-sensitive would read blogs or go watch television so they can get themselves riled up. Sorry. I'm trying to be bland and innocuous.

How...

Money Tales from Modern Childhood

(Paulette) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:25:02 PST

Spending more time at home makes me more present to what needs replacing and turfing. We've been buying bras (at Nordstrom, because I don't know of any other place where the bras fit me so well, and the undercarriage is top quality and on sale), duvet covers, waste baskets and rugs...

rebelling with Ubuntu

(Paulette) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:54:25 PST

...because reboots are for installations, only.

http://templates.services.openoffice.org/ has OpenOffice templates. The more I play with Ubuntu the more opportunities I see for it to meet or surpass Windows applications, with the exception of iTunes. I have found journalling software, mortgage acceleration sheets, menu planners, invitation templates and media players.

I might get rambunctious and attempt PostGres SQL or mySQL with some XML, just to keep my skills sharp.

witterings on a warm Saturday

(Paulette) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:03:59 PST

First: I am pumped about the purchase of four pair earrings and six tops (three of them cashmere sweaters, one silk) and two Tupperware (reg. tm) containers for $100 at a consignment store in north Seattle. I went to look at furniture, but admit I have maybe five tops, not including...