Flying During The Holidays

The holidays can be a very stressful time for everyone, but those of us that have to fly can run in to some really interesting challenges. I was supposed to leave on December 24th getting in just in time on Christmas morning. That was the original plan. What happened after that was the most aggravating experience that I've been through. First, my plane was cancelled because it wasn't full. Then the plane that I was switched to was late because someone forgot to order it. When the plane arrived, we made it out to the tarmac twice before going back to the terminal for engine problems. They had to order a part from another city and fly it in. We were taken off of the plane and stood in line for more than an hour to get rerouted and assured that our bags were taken off. When it was my turn to get rerouted, the plane was being re-boarded and I asked to make sure my bag wasn't on it. I was gold that I would need to run down to baggage claim to get it. To make a long story short, they could not reschedule me without 3 or 4 hubs until 12/31 and they lost my bags.

Personally, if I treated my customers the way I was treated I'd be fired, but we are expected to take this with a smile on our face and a "Thank you sir may I have another," attitude. Personally, I spent Boxing Day on the phone with customer service representatives of United and Travelocity voicing in a very professional, polite, and firm way by dissatisfaction with my treatment. So far, I've been offered a $200 coupon towards a future flight. I'm not done, but my story will have to wait until I receive further response.

So why am I writing about this? Because we as consumers need to stand up for our rights in order to make companies change the way they treat people. When voicing complaints, its important to voice expectations in a manner that is firm, but not rude or obnoxious. The idea is to state dissatisfaction without shutting down the lines of communication and if possible get the names of the people involved. Most importantly, don't forget to give kudos to the people who are going above and beyond. Its good karma.

Weekly Review

Below is a list of posts I particularly enjoyed this week. I hope you find them interesting as well.

Wisebread - Make Your Hobby Pay Its Way by Philip Brewer
I love keeping busy with hobbies. Unfortunately, I have two problems; one problem being that two of my hobbies are expensive and the other problem is the fact that once I'm done with a project, I don't want to look at it again. Its true. I don't create anything for myself because I'm tired of looking at it when I finish it.

Being Frugal - Your Children Are Watching What Are You Teaching?
I can relate to this post because my family didn't discuss finances. My father had no idea of his parents finances until as executor of their estate he had to wade through finances. (Let me tell you, people who have lived through the depression have a habit of hiding things in strange places. If you ever have to sort through a person's estate, make sure you check in books, under lining, under carpeting, and in all other strange hiding places.) The post discusses children's idea of where money comes from and the mysterious unending source known as the ATM Machine.

Zen Habits - 14 Stress Free Ways To Kick Weight Loss In The Butt
Okay, truth is this one has nothing to do with personal finance, but we are dealing with the holiday season with all of its sweets and goodies. Before we know it, it will be time to make those resolutions.

No Credit Needed - $10 A Day Equals 3/4 Of A Million Dollars
NCN does a fantastic job with charts to help figure out how long it will take to save money. I think about all of those $10 lunches that I could have saved had I taken my lunch.

December is full of possibilities and a good time to get a start on resolutions

I told you some time back that I rejoined a gym. I'm determined to get my money's worth from the dues I pay. I admit that I got a sweet deal with monthly dues only $24 per month and no initiation fee. Before you ask, no I did not have to sign up for any long term commitment. It has taken a bit of time to get in the swing of things, but this is what I've figured out so far...

If I go three times a week (far under the recommendation of my trainer), it will cost me $2 per visit. That's less than bus fare for one day and equal to two cheeseburgers at McDonald's.

Theoretically, you can loose up to two pounds per week the healthy way, which would equal $3 per pound lost. That's the cost of one weight watchers frozen entree (not on sale.)

I'd also like to go on the record that I learned my lesson some time ago that designer gym wear is a complete waste of money. I am happier with my cheap men's sweat pants and t-shirt. (I choose men's because they are usually $10-$20 cheaper than women's.)

I take my bottled water from home and reuse bottles a few times before recycling them. It's pennies versus $1.25 per visit.

Now you may be asking at this point, "Why doesn't she just get out and walk or bike? It's free." Well, to be honest, some of us need a bit of motivation and I'm willing to pay for that extra push. You may have noticed that I mentioned personal trainer. I'm only paying $10 per session and am only committing to 5 sessions to get me started. The $50 they usually charge is too rich for my blood. The moral of the story? Look for every special and ask if its going to be on special anytime soon!

I've Been Tagged!

Dawn over at One Woman's Journey has tagged me with a Random Things Meme. I have to admit it's my first meme, so please be patient if I stumble along the way.

Here goes -
1.) I have two cats that I rescued when their original parents ran out of space because of a new baby. I learned very shortly afterwards that I have developed allergies to cats. Go figure. I've had cats all of my life at one time or another. One of them insists on writing my blog with me, but hasn't figured out how to do anything but the hunt and peck method. It takes a bit of time while we argue about whose blog it is.

2.) I asked for my first shares of stock for Christmas when I was 12 years old. My grandfather was really surprised by this, but obliged me and bought 6 shares of Costco at $12 each. (That was a while ago.) Unfortunately, my thirst for personal finance knowledge has been more diligent than my willingness to wait and save.

3.) If I won the lottery (which would be pretty difficult since I rarely play and only in the company pool) I would continue to work. I don't understand people who would "call in rich." Wouldn't you get board?!? I would consider changing jobs.

4.) I wrote my first letter to the editor when I was in the 5th grade. It was to complain about the lack of school funding. Now, I think if only schools had all of the programs they had when I was a kid.

5.) I love taking classes. Photography, belly dancing, wine appreciation, career focused classes, it doesn't matter. I love to learn new things. Unfortunately, people often look to me as a know it all because I'm full of useless bits of information. Just call me Cliff Claven.

6.) Have you ever wondered who chooses school mascots? There are some pretty weird choices out there and many that wouldn't strike fear in a rival opponent on a good day. I've been watching to see who is going to make the bowl games and to be honest I don't get it. It's like if Franklin would have gotten his way and our national bird would have been the turkey. Would that have instilled confidence in our allies during WWII?

7.) Why do prescription medicines have commercials? Most of the time people don't even know what the advertisement is supposed to do for you. Do people really go into their doctor's and say, "I'd like to pay an ungodly amount of money for another prescription so I can brag to my neighbor that I'm taking it."

Bonus random thought for in the PF community. The Feds are lowering the interest rates with the hope of staving off a recession brought on by the sub prime fiasco in the housing market. The mortgage sector is taking advantage of this by offering loans with lower interest rates. Is this really a good decision or are we digging the whole deeper? To really prevent a recession we need to build interest in purchasing domestic products instead of foreign. Let Paris Hilton use her power for the good and start that trend.

December Goals - The challenge of the holidays without adding debt

December is an interesting month because its a new month for goals, but its wrapping up 2007. My goals for this month are going to be simpler because of all the craziness that is around the corner. I have to juggle work expectations and prepare for a long vacation as well as get ready for Christmas in two places and a long trip. So, the December goals are...

- Focus on high interest credit card. Call the company and see if they will lower the interest rate and snowball payments from debts I've paid off in November to this card.

- Choose Christmas presents that are useful even a year from now. Wrapping should also be reusable, recyclable, or a gift in itself.

- Bump up my monthly contribution towards my Roth IRA to $75

Now to plan for those 2008 goals.... but thats another post.

Weekly Review

There have been a lot of interesting posts this week, but the following is a list of the ones that really stood out for me.

The Simple Dollar - Everything You Ever Really Needed To Know About Personal Finance On The Back Of Five Business Cards A good basic reminder on why I am on the path towards debt elimination.

Wise Bread - Grandpa's Penny, If You Never Spend It You'll Never Be Broke by Sarah Baughman Wisdom from generations before that we've forgotten along the way.

Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge - Best Way To Use Up Medical FSA Funds
Its December and time to have a look at our benefits during open enrollment again. I read somewhere that only 4% of employees actually take advantage of the Medical FSA offered through their employers.

One Frugal Girl - Clutter Free Christmas Gifts A good reminder that in my quest to simplify my life and become debt free, I shouldn't burden others with clutter either.

November Goals in Review

The Reduce A Bill Challenge at Working for Financial Freedom comes to a close for a second month. I committed to 10 No Spend Days and upped the anti by limiting days I dine out to no more than 3 a week that I pay for. I made it for 11 no spend days but I only made the paying for meals out no more than 3 days a week for half the month. So I will chalk this goal up to successful, but at an 80% success rate. We will have to see if Working for Financial Freedom is up for another month of the Reduce A Bill Challenge. I think I will try a different bill if she does.

My personal goals included adding another $100 to the emergency fund. I paid off my Personal Line of Credit so I would check that one as a success and as soon as I receive payment for house sitting, I will be able to deposit that.

My second goal was to pay off the first of three credit cards. It was really close, but I did it and I can't tell you how happy I am for that. Now I get to switch focus to a more difficult card.

Finally, I sent off another $50 to my Roth IRA. Its a slow process, but I know that everyone is going to be selling off some stocks at the end of the year to take profits or losses for their taxes and I want to be in a position to buy some bargains if they are available.