Love what you did to the bag & I'm looking forward to further crafty posts from you! Have you seen these sites where you can "rent" an expensive purse. No pun intended, but that's not my bag.
Although I don't live with my parents, I can understand why some people do it. My parents are first-generation immigrants and it would really help if I stayed at home and help them translate things all the time.
On the other hand, me not being around all the time also forced them to work harder to learn English on their own.
What a great segway into my next blog post! I meant to post about this yesterday, when I first heard the news. Thanks for pointing it out - I KNEW our readers were really informed.
But I didn't know it was this bad. I have some asian friends and many of them do save money living at home. I think that's ok for girls, but very weird for guys.
Thanks for your funny and useful post Andrea. My husband and I enrolled in KtC in 2005 and received our first match in Nov. 2006 ($50+). Though I agree with Brendan that there are other ways to "earn" rewards/cash when spending, I think that the "forced savings" that KtC offers may help some peple develop a habit of saving which many Americans are loathe to do (See an interesting article about saving on Investment News.)
Yeah, I totally said that Keep the Change was the best thing in the entire world and that everyone should sign up and that Bank of America is totally awesome and that the program is better than credit card reward programs. That's exactly what I said. I'm glad you were able to see through the lies and speak truth to power.
You know what? Giving up coffee isn't nearly as fun as every said it would be. I apologize, Brendan. I'm just a little short on, you know, patience and understanding right now.
I agree that there are better promotional money-back programs out there. I didn't mean to imply that B of A was doing anything remarkable or altruistic. I'm just saying that for B of A customers who don't usually sign up for B of A promos, this one might be worth it. Especially for people WHO DON'T USE CREDIT CARDS BECAUSE THEY HAVE F'ED UP CREDIT BUT USE THEIR DEBIT CARDS A LOT.
The good think about quitting coffee, however, is that I can start drinking whiskey much eariler in the day.
I was excited - I'm particularly fond of the Geisha line of perfumes, and thought that this was a lovely way to try them all out. Of course, they are back-ordered, but I believe that they can be found elsewhere.
It just isn't a good deal. You get 5% back, but only upto spending $5000 a year. Since I use cards for everything I'm way over that amount. I'm much better off with a credit card that gives 5%.
I began using sniping software several years ago after putting in too many bids on items that appeared to have no one interested in them (no bidding activity) but within 60 seconds of me placing a bid, all of a sudden there was another bidder on that item. I began to suspect at that time that I was falling prey to shill bidders (unscrupulous sellers who have a friend bid up on item to increase their selling price. ) I think sniping is the only way to absolutely prevent this type of behavior.
Another time I actually had someone watching my bidding and every time I placed a bid on an item, no matter how obscure and different the item, they would bid on the same item. I'm not sure of their motivation, but sniping put an end to this and that person must have moved on to find another seller/buyer to follow.
Another place is Deviantart.com (the name is somewhat of a misnomer, as everything from Thomas Kincaide wannabes and aspiring Warhols to Professional red carpet and fetish photographers have accounts there).
I am admittedly somewhat biased, since I am an admin there, but I started as a casual user, who started using the print system to archive my mixed media work, and ended up becoming a fixture.
The print quality is quite high, and even lets you buy on canvas (which is more costly, but an obvious step up in terms of quality).
Thank you, guest. I agree that a credit card with rewards would be even better. But alas, I cut up all of my credit cards a few years ago and am working on paying off the balance through credit consolidation. So, for those of us who have given up the credit, this is a nice little option.
Keep the Change is only a win during the promotional period over a rewards credit card. Take a purchase of say $5.01. During the promotional period KtC gives you 99cents, a 1% cash back CC gives you 5 cents. Outside the promotional period KtC also gives you 5 cents.
Given that the example is probably overly favorable to KtC (most purchases are probably more than $5 and the average KtC bonus will be closer to 5% of 50 cents or 2.5 cents) I would use a rewards CC when possible after the inital period.
Hey, Fitch, there's always Consumerist, should you want to make Chase squirm a little. If you can get them to verbally abuse you, it would be even better.
I believe my words were "unhealthy and unnatural mental-sexual dependence upon". I don't think I ever said "fetish".
I kid you not, though. Cutest shoes ever. I had been really disappointed in Target's hooker heels that seemed to dominate the Seattle area market for the past five or six months, but the Spring collection is coming in and, DAMN. I'm in love.
If you go to Target, lots and lots of shoes. Right, Will? Pretty, shiny shoes?
Speaking of which, remind me to send you pics of the ones I got at lunch. They are so cute that I actually let out a little squeal every time I see them.
TOTALLY wished I had used this when looking for heirloom tomato seeds - I tried Bizrate and ended up spending $26 when I could have spent a little over $5.
You're not the only person who ignores promotional offers. I've heard about this program (how can you not, their advertising is everywhere) for a while now but never tried it because I just don't trust most promotions. But I do trust you Andrea, so I'm going to give it a shot. Can't ignore $250! That's at least one trip to the bar.
I just had a long-running incident with CSRs at Chase telling me one thing, but doing another-- telling me I'd earn reward points for certain purchases and assurances that if I didn't, it would be corrected over the phone. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I got letters in the mail saying that no, I would not be given the reward points.
After over a month of calls, one CSR gave me a mailing address to write to. My letter did fail the "one page" and even had to be 11-point font with 3/4" margins just to fit two pages. But I had specific dates, numbers, and more recently names, which I decided to start writing down. I painted a detailed picture of why I was dissapointed in their misdirection. I never used the word "promised" but I used the word "assured" a lot-- "I was assured I would be given" and "The Agent assured me this was the policy". This was a more passive word but shows that I gave trust in the company.
I am supposed to hear back 7-10 days after I sent my letter. I'll let you know how it went.
When Froogle came out I thought "hey what a cool name!"
That was the extent of my interaction with Froogle. I ended up using pricegrabber instead and never gave Froogle a chance. But I really should, given that I love all of Google's other products.
Personally I've been campaigning for more people to use Writely, another overlooked Google gem.
Love what you did to the bag & I'm looking forward to further crafty posts from you! Have you seen these sites where you can "rent" an expensive purse. No pun intended, but that's not my bag.
I just want to say I love the mods you made on the purse. =)
Although I don't live with my parents, I can understand why some people do it. My parents are first-generation immigrants and it would really help if I stayed at home and help them translate things all the time.
On the other hand, me not being around all the time also forced them to work harder to learn English on their own.
Have you checked out ebags.com yet? I'm not a purse girl at all, and I LOVE the website.
Hey, Shonnie,
What a great segway into my next blog post! I meant to post about this yesterday, when I first heard the news. Thanks for pointing it out - I KNEW our readers were really informed.
But I didn't know it was this bad. I have some asian friends and many of them do save money living at home. I think that's ok for girls, but very weird for guys.
Thanks for your funny and useful post Andrea. My husband and I enrolled in KtC in 2005 and received our first match in Nov. 2006 ($50+). Though I agree with Brendan that there are other ways to "earn" rewards/cash when spending, I think that the "forced savings" that KtC offers may help some peple develop a habit of saving which many Americans are loathe to do (See an interesting article about saving on Investment News.)
Yeah, I totally said that Keep the Change was the best thing in the entire world and that everyone should sign up and that Bank of America is totally awesome and that the program is better than credit card reward programs. That's exactly what I said. I'm glad you were able to see through the lies and speak truth to power.
You know what? Giving up coffee isn't nearly as fun as every said it would be. I apologize, Brendan. I'm just a little short on, you know, patience and understanding right now.
I agree that there are better promotional money-back programs out there. I didn't mean to imply that B of A was doing anything remarkable or altruistic. I'm just saying that for B of A customers who don't usually sign up for B of A promos, this one might be worth it. Especially for people WHO DON'T USE CREDIT CARDS BECAUSE THEY HAVE F'ED UP CREDIT BUT USE THEIR DEBIT CARDS A LOT.
The good think about quitting coffee, however, is that I can start drinking whiskey much eariler in the day.
Apparently a lot of Deviant admins read this article.
I saw this pack of samples the other day at my favorite day spa: http://www.aromam.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=aromam&Product_Code=GP1200&Category_Code=3
I was excited - I'm particularly fond of the Geisha line of perfumes, and thought that this was a lovely way to try them all out. Of course, they are back-ordered, but I believe that they can be found elsewhere.
I would love to get something like that for valentines day.
It just isn't a good deal. You get 5% back, but only upto spending $5000 a year. Since I use cards for everything I'm way over that amount. I'm much better off with a credit card that gives 5%.
I began using sniping software several years ago after putting in too many bids on items that appeared to have no one interested in them (no bidding activity) but within 60 seconds of me placing a bid, all of a sudden there was another bidder on that item. I began to suspect at that time that I was falling prey to shill bidders (unscrupulous sellers who have a friend bid up on item to increase their selling price. ) I think sniping is the only way to absolutely prevent this type of behavior.
Another time I actually had someone watching my bidding and every time I placed a bid on an item, no matter how obscure and different the item, they would bid on the same item. I'm not sure of their motivation, but sniping put an end to this and that person must have moved on to find another seller/buyer to follow.
Thanks for the article!!
Another place is Deviantart.com (the name is somewhat of a misnomer, as everything from Thomas Kincaide wannabes and aspiring Warhols to Professional red carpet and fetish photographers have accounts there).
I am admittedly somewhat biased, since I am an admin there, but I started as a casual user, who started using the print system to archive my mixed media work, and ended up becoming a fixture.
The print quality is quite high, and even lets you buy on canvas (which is more costly, but an obvious step up in terms of quality).
I'm a guy and therefore completely clueless. Would a girl enjoy a gift like this for Valentine's day? Like maybe a sample basket or something?
Thank you, guest. I agree that a credit card with rewards would be even better. But alas, I cut up all of my credit cards a few years ago and am working on paying off the balance through credit consolidation. So, for those of us who have given up the credit, this is a nice little option.
Keep the Change is only a win during the promotional period over a rewards credit card. Take a purchase of say $5.01. During the promotional period KtC gives you 99cents, a 1% cash back CC gives you 5 cents. Outside the promotional period KtC also gives you 5 cents.
Given that the example is probably overly favorable to KtC (most purchases are probably more than $5 and the average KtC bonus will be closer to 5% of 50 cents or 2.5 cents) I would use a rewards CC when possible after the inital period.
$70 in 1 month!
Hey, Fitch, there's always Consumerist, should you want to make Chase squirm a little. If you can get them to verbally abuse you, it would be even better.
I believe my words were "unhealthy and unnatural mental-sexual dependence upon". I don't think I ever said "fetish".
I kid you not, though. Cutest shoes ever. I had been really disappointed in Target's hooker heels that seemed to dominate the Seattle area market for the past five or six months, but the Spring collection is coming in and, DAMN. I'm in love.
I do not have a fetish about women's shoes! That's an ugly, ugly rumor that is only 75% true, at best.
If you go to Target, lots and lots of shoes. Right, Will? Pretty, shiny shoes?
Speaking of which, remind me to send you pics of the ones I got at lunch. They are so cute that I actually let out a little squeal every time I see them.
TOTALLY wished I had used this when looking for heirloom tomato seeds - I tried Bizrate and ended up spending $26 when I could have spent a little over $5.
You're not the only person who ignores promotional offers. I've heard about this program (how can you not, their advertising is everywhere) for a while now but never tried it because I just don't trust most promotions. But I do trust you Andrea, so I'm going to give it a shot. Can't ignore $250! That's at least one trip to the bar.
I just had a long-running incident with CSRs at Chase telling me one thing, but doing another-- telling me I'd earn reward points for certain purchases and assurances that if I didn't, it would be corrected over the phone. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I got letters in the mail saying that no, I would not be given the reward points.
After over a month of calls, one CSR gave me a mailing address to write to. My letter did fail the "one page" and even had to be 11-point font with 3/4" margins just to fit two pages. But I had specific dates, numbers, and more recently names, which I decided to start writing down. I painted a detailed picture of why I was dissapointed in their misdirection. I never used the word "promised" but I used the word "assured" a lot-- "I was assured I would be given" and "The Agent assured me this was the policy". This was a more passive word but shows that I gave trust in the company.
I am supposed to hear back 7-10 days after I sent my letter. I'll let you know how it went.
When Froogle came out I thought "hey what a cool name!"
That was the extent of my interaction with Froogle. I ended up using pricegrabber instead and never gave Froogle a chance. But I really should, given that I love all of Google's other products.
Personally I've been campaigning for more people to use Writely, another overlooked Google gem.