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Smithee Debt Update, Mid-March 2010

This article was written by in Debt Reduction. 3 comments.


The last three weeks have been pretty lousy for my push to get rid of the credit card debt before summer (summer? When did I decide that? Just now, I guess). With a total balance of about $5,500, and making payments of at least $1,300 a month, you’d think it’d be a straight path to zero balances. When I started the debt updates on January 26th, my total credit debt was $6,828. If everything was going as planned, the debt should now be at $4,200. I’m an entire month off schedule.

I can account for two big chunks of that: $200 for improv classes and, just yesterday, about $500 for my car’s 60,000 mile maintenance. It’s the kind of car maintenance that’s so involved they give you a free rental car for the night and ask you to come back the next day. The rest is that insidious “$5 here, $30 there” behavior that has plagued me for years.

Bad Habits, Good Habits

But, just like every news story about our economy recovering, signals are mixed. I actually think that slowly, my behavior is trending toward “responsible”. This last weekend I made a one-day trip to Austin, TX to attend a memorial party for an old friend, and by the time I got home on Saturday, I was definitely over-budget for the week, even ignoring the impending car maintenance. I have the sort of personality where once I fail a little bit, I feel like failing more and giving up. I had spent more on gas than usual, which led to treating myself to a couple of fast-food meals on the ol’ debit card.

On the other hand, a few days previously when we came home to find our cat had passed away, we had enough in our joint savings account to pay for a proper funeral, of sorts.

I’ve also had a cold for the last two weeks. Feeling sick breeds germs, not good behavior. This morning, knowing I hadn’t saved enough during the week to pay for a fill-up at the gas station, I was resigned to holding on to just a few dollars to get me through to Saturday morning, when I can start fresh with $100. My attitude toward the whole thing was poor enough that I nearly stopped at Starbucks on my way to work. Fortunately, I remembered that I also have a responsibility to myself to eat lunch.

I just looked, and I have $11 until tomorrow morning. I should be able to find something cheap for lunch and bring back the rental car with a full tank. I think there was at least a quarter-tank in my real car when I dropped it at the dealer yesterday. I hope it’s enough to get back to work, and then go home again. It should be.

Debt Totals

Here’s where things stand right now:

Credit Card Debt Totals Change
Legacy Debt $690.84 -254.11
Newer Debt $4,807.72 +150.01

Normally, I post this table right after making the big payment toward the Newer Debt. I haven’t done that for this update, because I’m not sure if that 4,807 number includes a $50 hold from the rental car company. Either way, I did just this morning make a payment of $150, which is what I had leftover after the 60k service. Possibly, the net change since the last update is one penny.

Things I Put on Plastic Since the Last Update

  • iTunes – three moments of weakness, totaling $6.78
  • Google AdWords – $8.35 – I got my first royalty check for a funny movie I made, and I thought it’d be worth trying to advertise for it again
  • Donation to the DNC – $30 – I mentioned this last time and said I’d be canceling it, not because I’m disillusioned, just broke. This was the last one; I finally got through to them after the snowstorms
  • Podcast subscription – $5 – this one won’t be going away
  • Highway tolls – $40 – ugh
  • Mozy.com – $9.90
  • Snacks on the way to Austin – $2.99
  • Extra gas for the trip – $25.44
  • Jack in the Box – $4.97
  • Whataburger – $7.91

The silver lining here, is that past trips to Austin would cost many hundreds of dollars, some of which would’ve gone on a credit card. From a logical perspective, it was a silly, brief trip, but friendship isn’t always logical. And while we were there, my wife won a free pass to next year’s SxSW Interactive. Normally when we go to Austin during SxSW, we just hang out with our friends instead of actually spending money on badges. Once the credit card debt goes away, I’ll have to decide if I want to get a badge, too.

You can cheer me on and/or witness my money minutiae on Twitter if you want to.

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Complaining Can Save You Money

This article was written by in Consumer. 11 comments.

Emily GersonAbout the author: This article was written by Emily Starbuck Gerson whose personal mission is to help people learn about credit and debt. She writes for the blog, Taking Charge (read her posts here).

I love cookies. They’re one of my favorite things to eat, and everyone who knows me knows this. I avoid fried food so I rarely eat fast food, but when I do, I tend to go to Whataburger because they have large, fresh, gooey chocolate chip cookies. The thing is, the last several times I’ve gone, regardless of location, they’ve been out. McDonald’s recently started offering similar large, gooey chocolate cookies of equal goodness, which are even cheaper, and they’re never out. Even though salads is the only actual food I’ll eat there, it’s become my new fast-food cookie stop.

But the other night I got a craving for a Whataburger grilled chicken sandwich. I considered going elsewhere, but I remembered the cookies, and my decision was made. Upon entering the drive-thru, I was told they were out of chocolate chip cookies (they had macadamia, but those don’t do much for me).

I was not thrilled. I was even less thrilled when I got home to find that my sandwich was fried chicken, not grilled chicken as I’d ordered. I was so hungry, I ate it anyway.

I sat at home eating the order I didn’t order, thinking about how annoyed I was that Whataburger never seems to have the cookies anymore, and that the woman who took my order looked exhausted and messed it up. I normally never complain to a restaurant unless anything is vastly unsatisfactory, but I decided it was time to open my mouth. I went to the Whataburger Web site and found an area where you could make a complaint or comment. I was able to pick from a list which store I visited, and I explained my discontent, though I assumed nothing would come of it.

The next day I received a call from the general manager of the Whataburger I had visited. She was extremely kind and apologetic. I told her I could forgive the wrong order since it happens everywhere from time to time, though I was annoyed that the cookies were my favorite part of Whataburger, but never seemed to be available anymore. She said she’s been trying to get her staff to always have cookies ready, but she would make a more concerted effort because all menu items should be available at all times. Being my push-over self, I apologized for complaining, but she said she was actually glad I did, and appreciates the feedback. She told me she’d be sending me coupons in the mail.

Sure enough, yesterday I checked the mail, and there it was. An envelope with a handwritten note from her, apologizing again and asking me to accept the coupons. She included two coupons for a free burger and a handwritten note on her business card for me to get two free cookies. Those made up for the price of my incorrect order and then some.

The moral of the story? If you receive unsatisfactory service somewhere and feel like your money has been wasted, do something about it. Be a bold consumer and lodge a complaint. I told my co-worker I was writing this, and she cited a similar example, when she received a box of food that was supposed to have six items in it, but only had five. She complained to the company and was sent a new, full box of six. Don’t take this the wrong way — I don’t want people to use this strategy to try to get free items when they aren’t deserved. That’s hurting businesses unfairly. But if you feel it is truly warranted, don’t be afraid to complain — you will likely be rewarded for your efforts.

If you enjoyed this article, please visit Emily Gerson’s blog for more tips and thoughts about credit, debt, and identity protection. We would appreciate your comments and reactions, so if you would like to contribute to the discussion, add your comment below.

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