$30,000 Note Pad

I had attended this little college back in the early 1980's and could not get a job in my field upon graduation, or even so much as a job interview. It really is who you know and not what you know when looking for that first opportunity, but I did not know anybody, at least anybody in corporate America. I eventually went to work for my Father's company, but he was not of the philosophy that I should be paid very much, and that position eventually petered out, after my surviving five years or so. Three-plus decades later my first college is sending me little gifts, asking for donations to the school, which I am, unfortunately, unable to provide.

Here is their latest gift, a little note pad. Since I blew about $30,000 on that education, I figure this is a $30,000 note pad. Here it is:

$30,000 Note Pad

Don't Trust Dick's

I made a fairly large Xmas purchase at Dick's Sporting Goods recently and let the cashier talk me into applying for a Dick's credit card in exchange for a $25.00 discount, on the spot.

Now I'm old enough to know that credit cards can quickly build up interest charges and late payment penalties, if you forget about them for any length of time. So, I made a mental note to pay that thing off as soon as the physical card came in, which I did.

So what do I get in return for being a responsible consumer and paying my bills on time? A $25.00 charge on my next statement. So the $25.00 discount is a big, fat lie. And I suspect that this is the scam at every big retailer, when they make this offer, so, unless you need another credit card, say no at the register, because you will pay, one way or another, for any favors they may offer you.

Keep an eye on these banks and credit card companies. They are designed to rob you blind. Put that money under the mattress.

Scammed!!!

The best cure for credit card fees

New Watch

I got this unique-looking Seiko watch for my birthday. I'm at the age where I hate birthdays, but I still like getting gifts! Actually I received a little cash and then I picked this out on Amazon. It has a slight scratch on the crystal, and it was the last one in existence it seems, so I got a discount. I am looking forward to wearing this next time I go somewhere nice. I usually don't buy nice watches because they end up broken-I like G-Shocks- but I couldn't pass this up. Hopefully it's tougher than it looks, but I'll try to save it mainly for weddings and funerals. It's very retro/1950's/Jetsons. Here it is:

Seiko Retro-Kinetic

By the way, the watch arrived with an over-sized band, and I couldn't seem to remove the links to fit it to my wrist properly, so I brought it to Wolfgang's Jewelers in Okeechobee. Let me tell you, Mr. Wolfgang did a great job of removing the links and fitting this watch perfectly to my wrist in under 5 minutes for $5.00.

Wolfgang's Jewelers

These guys are really good. I highly recommend them. That's the weird thing about Okeechobee. You think you're in this hick town, but the local professional people are usually very capable, because if you suck you won't last long in such a small town. That's my theory anyway.