Hidden Fees

It has been a very long while since I have made a post, wondering if I should just abandon the blog all together and keep on keeping on with the craziness that is surrounding my spirit.

HIDDEN FEES the subject at hand. This is the hot topic because my husband and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary and we took a long weekend trip to Miami. A great place to have fun, drink, eat, relax, people watch…. and spend more money than ever intended AKA raped.

I searched and searched for the greatest hotel, price matching and comparing and reading fine print and reviews. I googled, and I price lined, and I checked my travel mags and zagat mags. Because, i was going to find the best value for my buck. I was going to stay on budget, I was going to have a frugal vacation…. Yeah right.

First, we arrive at our amazingly beautiful hotel. (Hotel Urbano) Well, as soon as I pull the car up to check in a very fast and courteous man greets my husband and I, quick to help with baggage and produces a valet tag and a quick, that will be $29.00 a day for valet parking, thank you and vroom vroom, off he goes… uh wha.. wait…

Speaking to the front desk clerk, we ask her about the fee and if we could park somewhere else, for that would have been an extra $100 dollars we were not prepared to spend on just parking.  well… you could park on the street.. but don’t park here, here, or there because they will tow you. Or you could try to find parking over here… but just make sure that you read the signs very carefully.

Yeah okay.

Every restaurant already adds a surcharge of 18% tip and you have to carefully read your ticket or you wont see it and then give them another 18% or so again. That really isn’t the bad thing, the thing is the service in Miami sucks. They serve you like it is an inconvenience for them to be doing their job, so I am paying 18% if I like it or not for crappy service. Which is fine, to some degree, when I’m on vacation just trying to have a good time, drunk and hung over, but there are times when it is just unacceptable.

taxi cab rides… there is the normal fare.. but then once you get to your destination there is an extra dollar surcharge.

Miami is the one the city that you really do not get what you pay for… you pay for whatever they want to give you…

Besides hidden fees and horrible service though Miami is a unique and entertaining experience. An experience you must have at least once in your life. Just be prepared to understand how their city operates and don’t expect much for hospitality and you will have an amazing time.. especially shopping.

complete neglect

I know I have completely neglected my blog. I am also, wondering should I scrap it all together and being fresh… But I think I do that a lot when I don’t want to deal with something. and neglecting my blog is not the root either. I’m neglecting my blog because I am neglecting my budget, my spending, my savings… should I go on? SO I need to do some soul searching. I found another great blogger that has been doing what I try and do and WOW!!! this really could be me if I just kept to my guns and stopped jumping off the wagon.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/14/pf/anna_newell_jones/index.htm?hpt=C2#TOP

 

So here is to keeping on keeping on and putting a little more effort in everything I have going on now.

 

Frugal Black Fridays

Now, I did mention that the definition of frugal is to not be wasteful… but in my opinion it also means getting the best deal. I ran across this article today on and thought Holy crap great deals are a coming! Target is having $3 appliances and some really great low prices on the stuff we all want but don;t really need, but if we have to have it, then why not get it at a killer price!

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111272/target-trots-out-$3-appliances

Happy shopping!

Turning tricks into income

I have just really started into this blog world not even wet behind the ears yet and I wasn’t really sure that I would have enough “to Say” to even keep going after my first few posts. I mean I’m pretty much silent all day and then by the time I get home I’m so worn out from just sitting there staring at the screen that I forget the rest of what I have to say… not that half of it means anything.
Well, anyways in recent developments I have heard through the rumor mill that my job may be at stake.. not because of anything that I have done but they have decided to close a few branches due to the fact that they don’t need them. They are a waste of money and resources, which is what I have thought for a while now. Well, looks like I am not the only one. So, even though the rumor also says that I will keep my job, with a different twist to my duties (which is fine if it gives me something to do all day) but if the rumor is false than I will be heading head first into the GREAT world of unemployment… at least I won’t be lonely in that world. Regardless, if I am the only one or not who wants to be unemployed unless by choice?
Well, I have obvioulsy started updating my resume and linkedin site, amongst trying to figure out how are other people making money and staying afloat during these economic times of desperation. I mean I did start this blog…trying to be frugal… which I guess is great and needed if I have a job or not. But, beyond that I can be as frugal as I want but after looking over my monthly expenses there really isn’t much to cut out besides cable and paying off my credit card… which I do every month anyways.
Well, I was wondering how I could maybe possibly make money off my blog and or crafts. Maybe if I had real time to nurture it into something great, people would want to read it. Also, I ran across this great blog

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/05/how-to-make-money-from-your-blog/

and he really does have a lot of great ideas. I will have a bunch to do in just research or even if I wanted to do it while continuing my full-time employment.
Going back to school is the next thing that always pops into my head everytime the LAYOFF word starts floating around.. but then I have to pay out more money or gain more debt and right now, the thought of debt just does not RING like church bells to me.

So, I am researching and if anyone else knows of ways that can keep out of the work force and working for myself would be much appreciated. I don’t know how much longer I can stand to stare at the walls of this cubical if I keep my job or not. I much rather spend my days making things and talking to real people.

ADHD and sleeping or lack there of….

This article provides some good information on sleep deprivation and ADHD or maybe masked symptoms of both.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/living-with/adhd-and-sleep.aspx?xid=ob_cc_adhd

And, to continue with being frugal… While speaking to my sons Doctor about some of his issues.. He told me that there is a pharmacy that provides discounted medications to people like me who supposedly make TOO much money.. But I can’t afford health insurance for my son and I seem to always to never have extra money. I’m sure that it is for all types of people. But if anyone is in my same boat… maybe worth finding out if there is one of these in your city as well.

 

Change and Evolving

I get to work this morning and I’m getting myself mentally prepared for what the day will bring.  In reality I’m hoping that I have enough work from not being here on Friday to help my day fly by so that I don’t crash at 3pm for lack of sleep last night. And, to no surprise I have been surfing all day on-line and wondering when will this change.

Before I had a chance to even give more thought to how bored I was I received a phone call from a consultant staffing service stating that they found me on Linkedin and that they wanted to know if I was “Looking”, well, I haven’t seriously been looking, but I am not NOT looking! SO jumping down the rabbit hole I said YES!

I had to call him back at lunch for obvious  reasons… like “I am at work.”  When I spoke to him later the position was an Admin Marketing Assistant. “Could this be my lucky day?” I have been trying to break into the Marketing industry for a few years now, but with the economy and everything else going down hill especially in Florida I have been scared to make the transition. Even the thought of going back to school to get my BA in Marketing has been put off for fear of spending another $20k and finding nothing or making the same thing that I am making now… the debt did not out way the means for me.

So, all this being said I can’t help but have a bit of nerves built up in my stomach for the idea of changing and even evolving.

I am comfortable to say the least. What if I get the position and then they let me go? (this IS my biggest Fear) I have a very secure realiable going nowhere job.  But it is secure.

I usually am the first to encourage family and friends to follow their dreams and take the risk. Aren’t I the one that encouraged my best friend in the whole world to drop it all and MOVE across the world to another country and teach. All of these things that she never has done in her life? Telling others how to live their lives is so much easier than making changes to my own.

To state that I have a lack of confidence in my own abilities would be the understatement of the year. People intimidate me. Business people really intimidate me. I can usually hold me own and mimic and figure it all out, but the thought of NOT getting IT leaves me with a broken self esteem. Which is exactly the reason that I am unhappy working for a company that I love but in a position with no further opportunity.

How do I get out of my own way?

When technology fails… I get screwed

Banks are always trying to get us to use their new services. Like bill pay. electronic bills. Automatic bill set up. reminders. auto debit. you get the picture.

I have been a little slow in trying this because I have very little faith in banks and even less faith in the postal service of Florida. But, I figured time to try something new. Be adventurous. Get up with the times.

So, I set up all my bills to be paid through bill pay. It is the 5th and I just received a call from my landlord who has yet to receive our rent check. NICE! She didn’t seem to understanding either. I sent her the message that I got that stated that a check went out on the 28th. 3 days til the 1st and a week later still no mullah! So, now I have to take time off work to run a check to her, so that I don’t get charged a late fee.
Thanks on-line bill pay for making my life SOOO  convenient!