Our kids got their own credit/debit cards when they hit 18 and got jobs. Their success or lack of

• Need to set up a budget for my 22-year-old DD. - Is there a formula for entertainment expenses-sm
  • This is what I did with my 19yo dd. sm - Sheila
    • Sheila has it right and in addition...sm - Consumer guru
    • Thank you so much for you reply. That sounds - easy and I think it will work for my DD. OP
  • Our kids got their own credit/debit cards when they hit 18 and got jobs. Their success or lack of - it with $$ is now up to them. Works! nm
  • Yes. The formula is you say, "You have X amount for - entertainment" and don't give her more!
    • I didnt really want parenting advice. You dont know - me or my DD and her issues- I just
      • hey, don't go. SM - re formula
      • What I'm saying is the "formula" is what you make it. - No one knows your budget.
  • Think it is a little late in the game - Jenna
    • I agree, not attacking the OP at all, but - Shannon
      • But like she said - Margaret
        • Thank you so much - some of us are quick to judge and offer - advice that wasnt asked for - OP-sm
          • No, cannot figure it out - Jenna

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I had a credit card with a high balance. I got a second mortage to pay it off. I called the credit card and got the payoff balance and my bank sent a check to them. I kept watching on line to make sure they got it and when they did I noticed that there was a $95 credit. So, I called and said how do I get my money back. They sent me a check and when I got it, I called and closed the account. This was about two weeks ago. Today I get a statement from them with a balance due of $45! Huh??? I called and they keep telling me it is a finance charge. I got pretty steamed and finally ended up saying that I would pay it, but no more. Well, I wrote out the check and put in in the mailbox, but I'm still stewing about this. If I still owed them money, why did they send me a credit?? What is the finance charge on if I had a credit balance? I suppose I will just pay it because they will only keep tacking on even more charges, but it is really bugging me. Has anyone else had any experience with this??

I will say one thing - NO MORE CREDIT CARDS EVER EVER EVER. REALLY. I mean it this time.

If you call your credit card companies, they can set you up with a plan to help. I was in the same boat. Low to no wages and a very large hospital bill, plus household expenses.

I have 5 credit cards. Up until the hospitalization,  I paid on time or paid more than the minimum, as I used to use them for work-related items.

Sadly, all were maxed out during the hospitalization and subsequent rehabilitation.  Of course in the meantime, during the time I couldn't contact them, my interest rates went from 9% to 21-29%.  I didn't know about their programs...a well kept secret. 

I'm still hurting, but now my credit rating isn't being dinged and 1 card is back down to 12%.

BUT, you must agree to pay the amount they set for you faithfully every month. If not, you lose the advantage. When you have a little extra, put it on the bill, even if it's only $1.  I have the payments automatically deducted from my checking account. That way, I KNOW they're being made on time as I sometimes don't know one day from the next (if you know what I mean) and if I have extra at the end of the month, I hand write a check to one of them (preferably the highest amount of debt).

Don't need credit counseling. Just work with the companies themselves. It's a pain to make all the calls, but it's worth it.  Good luck.

i've had several credit cards throughout my time and all but four are paid off.  i don't plan on using the other credit cards ever.  they do show up on my credit report.  i would like to cancel the ones i don't use, but i've heard that it looks back on your credit report.  anyone else have info about this?  i think it's a better idea to cancel the cards you will never use again because of the identity theft going on.

Especially when I never use it anyway, and really never wanted it?

With all the bank rearranging going on in the past few months, one of my accounts was tranferred to Bank of America. I was sent new cards and a new agreement, new interest rate etc...

So I called them up and cancelled but before they did, I had to listen to a spiel about how this would negatively affect my credit report.

Huh?? Why is that?

I would be interested in hearing your experiences.  Is the food as good as they say?  Val looks great!!!

My pay is deposited right on the card.  I can also load the card, but it costs $3.50. Its called Real Money.  There is a $5.95 month fee though. To take money out of an ATM costs $1.50 plus whatever the ATM charges.  It also has a bill payer with a lot of merchants already programmed in so you can pay bills online.  The only problem I have with it is that they'll put holds on funds and give the merchant 15 days to claim it before releasing it like if something gets charged twice for instance. One time I tried to buy a money order at the Wal-Mart money order machine and it never gave me my money order but had charged my card. It was for over $200 and they were going to hold it for 30 days! I had to have Wal-Mart fax a release to them. That was a pain.    You have to be careful with some of this prepaid debit cards and read the fine print because some of them have a lot of hidden fees.

Please tell me if I'm overreacting.  I'm moving 60 miles away from where I'm now living next weekend for a new job at a big hospital in my hometown.  I'm excited but nervous also.  My daughter is getting married in November.  I only have about 3 rooms of furniture and a lot of it is already boxed and in a storage room.  I asked my daughter if "Bruce," her fiance, and his buddies could help move me, as I am single, with no father, brothers or friends who are able-bodied any longer (I'm 50+).  She asked him and grudgingly he said something to the effect that he could, but we would have load the truck the night before and he would have to be finished up before noon the next day, and his friend would help for $200(!).  The last straw was he told my daughter to tell me not to expect to have boxes, furniture placed or set up, because he HAD to get to the "Mud Bog" by 12:00 sharp.

Is this any way to treat a future in-law?  He knows I don't have any family really.  I did get a couple of co-workers and their husband/brother to help, thank goodness, but I'm really worried about the future with this boy--respect for me, priorities, selfishness--thanks in advance.

Got a problem...

I had a Pomeranian for 5 years.  Had a cat for 4 months. 

Last month I found out I was going to have to move (could not afford the old house any longer) and I found an apartment that would allow me to have my dog.  Then, lo and behold, 2 weeks ago (4 days before I moved), someone stole my dog out of my backyard (no, did not get loose - someone took him).  I canvassed the neighborhood, had the police visit several homes that were possible snatchers, but ended up having to move without finding him.

Well, the landlord would still not allow me to keep the cat even with paying a nice fat animal deposit so today I had to turn him over to the humane society.  My daughter had planned on taking him, but he was just a little too aggressive for the 1 year old granddaughter.

So, now, I am sitting here missing my babies and thinking I am going to have to get another dog.  Obviously I do not have a lot of money to spend on another dog, but I need and want the companionship and the fun that comes along with a dog.  So, some suggestions on what you think would be the best for me to get.

I really love the dogs with all the hair (Shih Tzu, Pomeranian, Pekingese, etc), but I also think how nice it would be not to have all the hair all over me and the house.  I also think that a "mutt" might make a good choice, but upon my visit to the humane society today to turn over my cat, there was nothing but big dogs and I had to move into an apartment, so I think that would be too much.

Darn it, I am just lonely and feel like I have lost 2 of my kids right now!

I read somewhere this past week that Sarah Palin only requires 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night.  I remember in the past reading the same about Jay Leno.  For a long time now I have thought about how much more I could accomplish if I could just get by on less sleep.  I seem to function well with 7 hours and usually that is what I get. 

Do you think that the ability to sleep 3 to 4 hours a night and actually function normally and enjoy life is a gift that a person is born with, or do you think it is something that can be learned?  Do you think a person could get 1/2 hour less sleep per night every week, gradually getting used to less and less sleep, and still function well?  Am I the only one who thinks about these things? 

Please share your thoughts on this.  Do you know anybody who sleeps so few hours, and what is their quality of life?

cause psoriasis.  The article said that a lot of vegetarians don't get psoriasis because they have a diet high in boron which helps with the conversion of vitamin D.  It is because vegetarians eat food high in boron and vitamin D, i.e., veggies, fruit, etc, and the soild the veggies are grown in is high in these nutrients.

There was a post on here about helping psoriasis so I thought I would throw that in!  Hope it helps.