I was sitting in a yahoo chat room the other night, listening to several people expound upon one chatter’s sins, from fathering several children and not paying his child support, to requesting money from a woman he professed his love to while they were ‘online dating’ and who in the past had sent him money.

Finally in disgust I had to sign out of chat. In my opinion, while people might feel this man is lower than pond scum for his actions, the reality of the situation is this is between the parties involved. As one chatter stated, there are three sides to the truth, His, Hers, and the Truth. Who deemed it that people in chat should be allowed to be the judge and jury? This was not something that should have ever been brought into chat. The fact that so many people in chat got involved really made me re-evaluate my opinions of the people involved.

First of all, knowing someone does not obligate a person to send a large sum of money especially if you have only known them ONLINE for 4 weeks. If you do, then you need to take responsibility and know that you just were taken. Regardless’ of “words of love” being spoken, if you can’t afford to lose that kind of money do not send it off to someone you only just met.

Secondly, personal transactions should stay just that PERSONAL, for those who will argue that she didn’t bring it into chat, I beg to differ, by discussing the situation with the number of people in chat whom she apparently did, brought it into chat, to expect each and every person to keep it to themselves is to try and pin a wave upon the sand… impossible.

Third and finally, while I know there are several who will disagree with me, but if some guy can get some girl to send him money; then apparently he’s worked something out that most men haven’t. Typically its men who send money to women not vice versa.

Each and every one of us has done something that we are not proud of; would we want this to become chat room fodder just because someone deems it your day to be hung out to dry? I think not!

So people think before you act, use your common sense otherwise your actions could land you in a chat room with your actions being discussed, dissected and you being called out for something that should not have been brought into a chat room in the first place.

Read the story below and if you are without sin then feel free to cast the first stone.

Mayhap we should read this lesson again and learn from it.

John 8:2-11 (King James Version)

2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

So I have to admit that this week I have been very in touch with my proverbial masculine side. I’ve spent just over a year researching, looking at, talking to friends about, pricing and dreaming about buying a LCD TV. Well I finally did it.

I called my neighbor Bill and asked if I could borrow his truck to haul it home for me, I also think I needed him along to make sure I was thinking clearly about this major purchase. Little did I realize that my ‘male’ side would pop out front and center in the store. I had decided on the brand and was still in the air on the size, my internal debate was between the merits of a 32” and a 37”. Poor Bill bore the brunt of my indecisiveness. I stood him in front of the 37” television and said well what do you think, when he replied that he liked it, I moved him over an isle in the store and said how does the picture look from here, next thing you know we’re half way across the store, looking at the television and I’m quite sure to the amusement of the folks who where selling it to me, said to him Bill look how clear it is from all the way over here. Bill replied that it was and that my living room wasn’t as big as the store so if I was happy with a 37” then I should buy it.

When we got the television home, Bill, thankfully stuck around and helped me unpack it, set it up and run through the screen features that set all the colors, sound and other dohickies that still remain a mystery to me, he then said, we have one more test, pop in that movie you bought and lets see how clear it is. It was at this point that I realized, my male side came out in the buying of this television, a 32” was still five inches larger than my old standard tube set and would have sufficed but 37” was bigger and therefore better, or so my male mind set told me. I looked at Bill and my neighbor Naomi, who had wondered over to see what the fuss was about and asked; Ok did my man side come out? Would the 32” have been just fine? I wasn’t surprised when they said in unison, “YES”.

So you would think that would be the end of my male side, but no there is more, the next day at work I was talking with my secretary and casually mentioned that I might just buy a PSP3, she said not a Wii? Once my male side popped up, before I realized what it was doing I was logged onto eBay and bidding on a Wii, then not to be finished there I searched out a few accessories for it.

Now, here I am eagerly tracking the shipment of my Wii on FedEx.com, it should arrive Monday and you better believe that I will be hooking it up with the HD cable set thingy I bought in eBay and gaming like never before.

So as you can see girls, it’s not wrong to be in touch with your masculine side now and again as long as you can control the impulse for “Bigger must be better” and yes I know that’s nearly impossible to do!

To Wii or not to Wii that is the question, but to Wii in High Definition, that just makes the male side of this Kat drool!

Have a great one!

Kat

We as Americans have been spoiled. For years we’ve given no thought to driving huge vehicles that consume vast amounts of gasoline in comparison to the miles we achieve from each gallon of gas we pump into our tanks. Now as gas prices steadily climb upwards to the 4 dollar mark and even higher, we are having heart failure over the prices we are paying at the pump.

With OPEC choosing not to open more wells to satisfy our need for more fuel, we are left with a few choices, one: downsize our vehicle to one that is more fuel efficient, two: utilize public transportation, or three: suck it up and pay the exorbitant cost per gallon of gas that we’re being hit with at the pump.

I chose option one, driving what I often call my grocery car, a little Toyota Tercel, I’m able to eek out about 35 mpg city and 40 mpg on the hwy. I commute less than 8 miles each way to work and try not to drive often on weekends, which will allow me to stretch a tank of gas often times for two or three weeks.

In a conversation with a dear friend in the U.K., we were discussing gasoline prices, petrol for you brits, at the time when we did the math they were paying the equivalent of 8 dollars per gallon, it’s no wonder they drive tiny cars, take public modes of transpiration and even on occasion feel the need to hoof it. I would too if I had to pay that kind of money for gas.

I think its fool hearty of us to believe that gas prices will go down. I remember when I paid 99 cents for a gallon of gas in 1987, I thought that it was expensive then, as prices have risen while they might dip back down for a few months they go back up, in effect lining the pockets of the gas companies, those they lobby and those they buy the raw crude from.

It’s time for us as a nation to stop whining about the prices of gasoline and start taking the steps to finding and utilizing alternative fuel sources, lets give the auto makers a reason to build and market vehicles that will in the long run only benefit us as individuals.

A good friend of mine is in the banking/mortgage industry and sent me the following information:

Just a Heads Up !!!!

So we had our year end meeting with attorneys, investors, brokers, and our bankers just last week, and wrapped up today.

One of the things that stuck in my head from these meetings that I thought I would pass on to you all is:  As you all know the market is NOT at its best and will be getting even worse before getting any better.

Three Big mortgages banks and/or online firms have just gone under.  Due to bad mortgages, home loans, home equity loans & lines of credit, Washington Mutual will be closing out in 6 months or so. It may be taken over by other banks; the future is unclear at this point.

The big banks now will be B of A, Wells Fargo, City Bank, and Union Bank of California. ING Direct is still going strong and will be as told by our investor’s and banker’s. (We bank with 5 banks. Our stocks are held at Smith & Barney. Didn’t want you all to think we received this information from just one person in the industry.)

Use this information as you wish, the best thing for you to do now is to start looking into other banking institutes.

Good Luck!

I know how hard it is to deal with a bank being closed by the FDIC due to the massive defaulting of mortgages. I speak from the experience of having my former bank Netbank close in such a fashion. It’s a shock and while yes you’re insured by the FDIC to 100k, it’s hardly a consolation when you go to log on and see a public service announcement that your bank has been closed. While you might in time get to take your money out of the bank and/or gain your insurance money back, on the whole the experience is not one I’d recommend. It might behoove you to open up a second checking account in another bank outside of Washington Mutual as an additional backup.

I thought I’d pass this along to everyone, with the banking and mortgage industry being as volatile as it is at the moment, it might be beneficial to you, my savvy reader to look into the performance of WaMu as your bank.

~Kat

People have allowed common courtesy to go out the window, with the advent of the belief that “I’m more important than you are”,

Things like young people not standing up on a bus to allow the aged to sit down, to driving down the freeway and being cut off by someone who absolutely must be in front of you just in case they can get to where they are going a few seconds faster.

Ever sit at a traffic light and have someone’s car thumping so loud from a sub woofer that your car shakes? They too must be much more important that you since they feel you need to listen to their music.  Oh and my favorite the people who stand there engaging in a cell phone call talking so loudly that you can hear everything they are talking about, from ex’s to sex and so on.  People we don’t want to hear your calls, that’s your business not ours.

If we all actually took a step back and thought about how our actions effect others we’d remind ourselves that common courtesy isn’t something we should let go by the way side. Take a moment to think about what you do and how it affects those around you.  Being courteous takes so little effort, so give it a try!

Have a great day!

Kat

I have found that I’m really enjoying buying and selling on eBay.  When I want to purchase something, I seem to find it at the same or less money than what I see at the store.

I’ve been holding a big 99cent sale of old cds and other assorted items, and to my surprise not only are they selling but they are moving quickly.  It seems that people know a bargain when they see it.

I notice that when you list something for 99 cents, while it might sell for only that, more often than not that the price gets bumped up a bit by a small bidding war between those who can’t live without the object I’m selling.  Confession time, I’ve been known to do that as well.

So, when you have time, take a look-see about eBay and see what bargains can be found.  Like me you’ll find others who are holding their online garage sales and you might just come away with a nifty item or two for a song.

Happy Shopping!

Kat

This morning I did something that I rarely do anymore; I stopped at McDonalds and picked up one of their Vanilla Iced Coffees. To my surprise this coffee is good, not just ok but actually GOOD. I’ve always been a stanch Starbucks kind of girl, something to do with growing up in Seattle and having nearly drank it from the bottle. With our economy falling into a recession I’m finding that while I love Starbucks Iced Coffees that their higher prices aren’t loved by my pocketbook.

I’m finding less expensive ways of purchasing things that I find to be nearly as good as or better than the original. As you’ve seen in previous postings, I’m playing the Grocery Game. Clipping coupons and shopping sales have enabled me to save money, while buying things I use daily.

I have a full pantry, deep freezer and fridge. I’m not lacking for any of the basic necessities in life nor am I missing out on the luxury items that I might desire but not need at the moment.

In saving money this way, I’m able to do things like up my 401k by 2% more this year; sock money away in a money market fun, investing in stocks and put money away for a cruise that friend Naomi has invited me to go on. I don’t feel like I’m not shorting myself on anything I might want, need or desire.

I was talking to my sister Becky about money this weekend, one thing we agree on, is that our generation tends to be of the “I want it now” mentality. As we grew up we remember our parents would save and pay cash for the bigger items. Rarely did they use credit; they did finance the house and cars, however they never bought a new car off the lot when a 2 year old one would do the trick.

Going back to this way of thinking, after years of the “I have to have it now” syndrome, I’m finding that I appreciate items that I purchase more than I did when I bought them on credit. I’m saving money by paying myself the interest that I used to pay the bank cards or finance companies.

So as I sip this iced coffee, I think in the long run, I am making a healthy change, saving money and not feeling short changed, and still allowing for the little splurges now and again.

I have to admit I love playing games and what better game to play than one that affects your real life financial bottom line.  My younger sister told me about The Grocery Game.  The general gist is that you are out to stock your shelves with items you would use for a price less than what the store would normally like you to pay.  For those of you who are raising an eyebrow regarding this, yes it’s 100% legal.

You might ask how I can play this game. The game is based partly on coupons you cut out from your Sunday paper and online coupons you print and clip.  Every Sunday the lists of items that are on sale in your selected stores are posted on The Grocery Game website.  The lists will tell you what items it recommends that you stock up on.  Everything you can buy in the store is subject to be on the list, provided it’s on sale.  Each list is color coded.  Green items = Free Items, Blue Items = Best deal you’ll find on this item, Black Items = On sale but only buy as you need them.  You’ll read through the list and see where you can use your coupons to obtain the best deals.

I’ve learned a few things: 1. if you live in a state that double coupons for you, they only double the first coupon, so if you want all your coupons doubled you need to make more than one trip. 2. If you have a coupon worth more than one dollar, it will be doubled only to an additional dollar off. 3. Clip every coupon in the Sunday paper, things you think you’d never use, when they are ‘free’ you might just want to try them. 4. Its worth the money saved to take the time and shop this way.

I’ve been keeping a spread sheet with running totals showing me just how much money I’m saving on every trip and every month.  I figure, I’ll track my grocery spending for the year and see just how much I save.  So far I’m saving on average 61% off each of my grocery bills.

Hopefully you too will try out the game and see that it’s worth the money saved.  As I have asked my friends, if every time you go to the grocery store and save upwards of 70 dollars out of 100 spent, isn’t that worth the time you spend playing this game? I think its worth every penny!

Happy Shopping!

Kat and the kids.