Tuesday, November 8, 2011

2.5%

Trevor was in his swim class yesterday afternoon when he felt the need to vomit. He quickly climbed out of the pool and raced for the boy's locker room. He barely made it to the toilets before he barfed. he had heard the teacher yelling at him for running at the pool, but she stopped when she heard him barfing. Moments later an announcement on the school's mike told teachers to check their e-mail boxes. An unscheduled emergency fire drill was being called.

Trevor was in the locker room getting dressed. He wasn't going back in the pool. He was the lucky swimmer it turned out. The rest of the swimmers had to go outside in just their wet suits and towels. He at least was dry even though he felt miserable. The teachers wouldn't let him use his phone during the emergency to call me to come get him.

After the drill, which turned out to be a bomb threat note in the main building boy's bathroom, Trevor was allowed to go to the office and have them call me. The office assistant I spoke to said Trevor looked miserable. I told her I would be down in 10 minutes to pick him up. It takes about two minutes to get my stuff together and get the car out of the drive. I found Trevor sitting on the concrete in front of the school. He did look miserable. I asked him what he had for lunch. He said the usual, two chicken patties with a hamburger and cheese pattie in the middle.

When we got home it was a half hour before regular release. Trevor crawled into my bed and asked for the remote. I told him when you are sick and miss school there is no TV. Rest and sleep and maybe something to drink but no TV. He pouted a little then took a nap.

Riley came home and filled me in on the fire drill. He said he knew it was a bomb threat because two of the boys in one of his classes had seen the note.

I told Riley to stay away from his brother just in case Trevor has something contagious. Trevor made an appearance around 7:00 pm saying it must have been something he ate as he was feeling better and wanted to know what was for dinner. I offered eggs, soft food to make sure that if he throws up again it is easy. Trevor opts for making himself some hamburger taco filling and have a burrito.

My girlfriend comes over to hang with me for a while. Her daughter is in drivers ed just down the hill from us. We discuss how to make ham and bean soup for dinner the next night. I have beans that need soaking overnight. She pulls the ingredients together for me. My crock pot is barely big enough.

This morning I could only fit half the beans into the crock pot. I am now on the hunt for one of the big sized ones. Both boys went to school.

My other project yesterday was consolidating my credit cards. With the big project of the game room almost finished, I found that I want to pay off all my expenses and quickly. There are so many low interest rates being advertised, I want to see if I can get lower than the ones I have on my credit card. 9.9% on one card, 6% on another card. A credit line at 8% variable which I don't like at all. Fixed is always the way to go.

I called my car insurance company because I got a letter from them. They want to check our account. Riley is reaching the age of 16 and they want to know if he is driving yet. I inform them that he hasn't even gotten his permit yet. Just as well as his grades, due to being sick, are not the best at the moment. Two classes are really hurting him. His weight training grades on attendance. Riley has 10 days to make up. I told him to start staying after school and making those days up. Show the teacher you care. Spanish is also giving him trouble with two missed tests that still need to be made up.

The Insurance company asks if I want to talk to one of their finance people. I do have questions on interest rates, trying to finesse as low as I can go on my credit card. What is being offered these days? 6% is as low as the credit card can go, though, With my impeccable credit history I can get a loan on one of my used cars as collateral for 2.5%. Not only that but I paid $11,000 for the car I am thinking of using on Craigs list. I have done about $2500 in repairs and maintenance over the last two years on the car. They will loan me $17,000 on that car, my Jeep, at 2.5% for three years, $500 a month, total interest paid over three years would be $500. Since I don't have a source of income, yet, Tom would have to sign also. Tom is dwelling on it. Having been burned once on a co sign, now he thinks about it more carefully. I just smile and am glad he is thinking first. I can't believe that I can get a loan on a used car for $6000 more than I paid for it. The world is still messed up. The banks are still throwing money at people. Of course I did know I was getting a good deal on my car when I bought it.

To me that amount covers everything: the move, the remodel, getting the rental ready, getting our new house ready. I spent a lot of money at Ace and Home Depot and Lowes over the last three months, not to mention the lovely new hardwood floor from Simple floors. It even leaves enough to dwell on my next project. For an extra $300 insurance policy, if the car gets totalled in the next three years, the loan is paid off. With teen drivers I am considering it. I already have comprehensive on my regular insurance. It almost seems like double dipping, which it is. The car gets totalled, I get a new car on one policy and the loan gets paid off by another.

The world works on trust. I just finished reading the book Too Big To Fail, about the Lehman and AIG crisis. People lost faith in the financial sector. They started pulling their money out of the banks. The banks couldn't cover because they had leveraged out way beyond where they should have. Mortgages were defaulting, money wasn't coming in as fast as it was going out. Nothing has changed much. No lessons have been learned, no rules have been reinstated. Banks are still leveraging way beyond where they should. To loan me 30% more than I paid on a used vehicle is insane, except for the excellent credit score that tells them I am an honorable person who pays her debts. It is nice that a good credit score still gets you something. A good credit score is still worth having. Maybe I am a rare bread and that is why every time I go into a credit union or a bank these days, they seem to be throwing money at me, begging me to go into debt. It's a little bit creepy slimy feeling.

2.5%

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