Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[MilwaukeeStubble]

I lost my car the other day because it had been so long since I last drove I'd forgotten where I parked.  Took about 15 minutes to find it.

I'm not sure I like what that says about my ability to take care of possessions (losing an $8000 car is hardly mustashian) but I think it definitely counts as a MPP...

[pdxbator]

I lost my car the other day because it had been so long since I last drove I'd forgotten where I parked.  Took about 15 minutes to find it.

I'm not sure I like what that says about my ability to take care of possessions (losing an $8000 car is hardly mustashian) but I think it definitely counts as a MPP...

I sometimes have to just drive my car in order to make sure the battery and what-nots still run. I'm usually on bike or foot.

[BlueHouse]

I got summoned for jury duty for a trial that is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks. My colleagues keep asking why I'm worried when I can get out of it based on financial hardship. If I submitted my bank statements in order to make the financial hardship argument, the court would notice that every month the entirety of my paycheck goes to a savings account as soon as I get it, along with a substantial part of my husband's account.

Wow. USA? The more I learn about that legal system the more despisable it is. In essence you are saying that not only the "rich" have a chance fight in trial because its costs so much, not only the "rich" have the chance (because the legal degree costs so much) to be judges but also only the "rich" are in the jury. Talk about bias here.

That's only part of the picture.  People who are unemployed or retired will also be over-represented on the jury because a small stipend is paid daily to jurors and for people who aren't working anyways this small stipend is like a bonus.

*I don't know how much it is, but it's much less than minimum wage.  Last I heard it was something like $11 a day, but that was years ago.

I think it varies by county. The last time I served on a jury, in 1999, I got $80 a day. My father in law is on a jury right now and his stipend is $40 (which just about covers parking for the day and lunch).

You're probably right about that.  Where I live there are plenty of free places to park, it's a fairly poor area of the rust belt.  So they pay less than a city would.

I just served in Santa Clara County.  $15/day (free parking)

I think it is $8 or $10 per day for me, and with free parking, but I will bike. I agree the system is very broken. Some employers will still pay when you have jury duty, but usually there is a limit- for me it is 10 days, which I understand is somewhat generous even.

Washington DC. March 2014. $4 for 8 hours to learn I wasn't selected.

[orbix]

When you start looking into solar power options and realize that your power bill is so low that you'd basically never break even on the system and installation costs...

[flamingo25]

I have another one:

I recently contacted our trash company to request a smaller bin or less frequent pick up as we never fill it up, and sometimes go a week without using it all.

Their response: "You already have the smallest waste bin and most infrequent pickup."

[Louis the Cat]

Feeling guilty for driving my 197k mile car that gets 45 miles to the gallon 2 miles to pick up the kiddos from pre-school because the trailer hauling bike needs a repair.

[dorothyc]

I've moved so close to work that my bus ride which used to be 50 minutes is now only 5 minutes, so I don't have time to read my library book on my Kindle during the trip.

I'm working up the fitness to bike the three miles instead, but the route is hilly.

[RunningWithScissors]

Getting ready to leave my job as I approach the FIRE threshold, and realize the only phone I use is my work cell phone.  It'll be a pain to actually pay for phone service, and switch all my contact info to a new number.  Realize this is one of the only things that's keeping me working here.

[Threshkin]

Getting ready to leave my job as I approach the FIRE threshold, and realize the only phone I use is my work cell phone.  It'll be a pain to actually pay for phone service, and switch all my contact info to a new number.  Realize this is one of the only things that's keeping me working here.

+1
I have never had to pay for cell phone service since my very first (satchel) phone.  For the past few years I have had to purchase the phone but the service has always been free.  You should check with your company and/or the carrier rep to see if you can keep the number when you leave.  At my company I can keep the number (and the phone because i bought it).

[fartface]

Having to bet your tongue constantly when people think you drive the car you drive because you cannot afford a new Stupid Useless Vehicle like their new Escalade they are so proudly showing you. 

My tongue gets bit often being of a mustachian mind set!

I drive an eleven year old mini-van with a few rust stains here and there.  My S-I-L, who drives a brand-new F-150 and has a $750+/month car payment, was making fun of my van. We were at her house and I'm playing on the floor w/my baby nephew. She points out the window to my van, and asks when I'm going to replace.

I say, "Not anytime soon. That's my $60,000 van!"

She says: "Wha?"

I said, "Yeah, few years back, me and DH went car shopping for a new vehicle. Found a sweet $35,000 Chrysler Town and Country fully loaded - a real Deal!"

Her: "And?"

Me: "And, after sleeping on it, I say to DH that I think we should keep driving the perfectly good (paid off) mini-van we already own. He agrees and instead of purchasing a new clown car, we start investing the would-be $500/month car payment into stocks and mutual funds."

Mind you, we started investing this 'would-be' car payment in Sept. 2007 (just before the big crash) but continued faithfully investing that $500/month through Sept. 2013.

Today, as you well guessed, that 'car fund' is now worth $60,000+.

Back to my S-I-L. I sigh, glance out the window and say to her, "I guess if I had replaced 'Ole Rusty with that sweet Chrysler back in 2007, then today I'd have....well, I'd have a 7 year old mini-van that's worth about $9000."

"Instead, I have a perfectly sound vehicle with a few rust stains here and there and an investment account I can draw from anytime I want to purchase a reliable 'new' used vehicle down the road."

She was pretty dumbfounded by the math.

[Goldielocks]

Cyclists can receive moving violation tickets against whatever ID they provide..  Just like getting a ticket for open alcohol in public, or jaywalking, or causing a public nuisance, or breaking noise bylaws, etc.

I think that cyclists are not licensed, because they rarely illegally park, rarely hit and run with damages, and rarely cause grevious injuries to others even if cycling without much experience.

[Pooperman]

Talked to a guy at work. He's semimustachianish I guess. House in Brooklyn he plans to own for a long time. 10 year old car. However, we got to talking about saving and retiring and stuff. He asked me what I thought I'd need and I told him 750k. He told me that was too little. I asked him what 4% of 750k was. He did th math and then understood. I said realistically it will be double that. Which is more than enough. I live on 27k/yr for 2 adults in a very high col area.

Problem: people just not understanding the math we take for granted.

Another issue: town we live in is very town-y but also doesn't have any large supermarkets (or any supermarkets). It does, however, have a 9/mo gym in the red center I can walk to from my apartment if so inclined. And library right next to it. And trails by a river. So the only complaint is supermarket is lacking (10 min drive away to the 24hr place).

[EastCoastMike]

I reserved an economy rental car for a (long drive) business trip.

When I went to pick up the car, all they had was an SUV so they "did me a favor" and I "got upgraded like 3 levels" to the SUV for free.

All I can think about is the 8 extra galloons of gas this beast will waste versus the nice 40mpg economy I wanted.  It also drove like a tank. I feel like I was supposed to be appreciative of the extra headroom or whatever it is that people casually rent SUVs for in the middle of a week in the summer.

I drive a small car and love the handling. Whenever I travel for work, I always request a small car. They always try to upgrade me and I reject it. They look at me puzzled.

I can't stand driving those huge behemoths! I can't park those things. One time my mechanic gave me a huge pickup truck loaner. I was so nervous parking that thing. It took about 10 cuts to get me into a parking spot. Never again!!!

Oddly enough, my company doesn't allow me to rent vehicles below mid-size, so I always end up with some Buick.  I expressed my gratitude and appreciation in the proper places, and now I don't travel.  I like it that way.

[EconoWiser]

I hate shopping for clothes and don't know what the latest fashion styles are.

[fartface]

I hate shopping for clothes and don't know what the latest fashion styles are.

Gawd, me too!

+1

[BooksAreNerdy]

I hate shopping for clothes and don't know what the latest fashion styles are.

+1

We have a used store here callwd Plato's closet that only buys stuff that is super stylin'. I feel sort of safe shopping there because they ha e already selected the trendy for me. All I have to do is match the top part to the bottom part.

[Cinder]

I hate shopping for clothes and don't know what the latest fashion styles are.

+1

We have a used store here callwd Plato's closet that only buys stuff that is super stylin'. I feel sort of safe shopping there because they ha e already selected the trendy for me. All I have to do is match the top part to the bottom part.

We have a plato's closet, and the least trendy things I can find there are still worlds better then what I can put together for myself at a regular retail store, and you can have some killer deals ($10 bag of clothes?  1$ per item clearance days? sign me up!)

[MoneyCat]

Here's a problem I've had since I turned Mustachian:

I now loathe having to go inside the bank to talk with the tellers, because they see the amount in my accounts and start pitching me every loan product under the sun.  The most common one has been a home equity loan.  I know they are just doing their job, but it's really annoying.

[4alpacas]

Here's a problem I've had since I turned Mustachian:

I now loathe having to go inside the bank to talk with the tellers, because they see the amount in my accounts and start pitching me every loan product under the sun.  The most common one has been a home equity loan.  I know they are just doing their job, but it's really annoying.

Why do you go inside banks?!

[retired?]

OSUBear - I don't know if you are joking, but that has certainly occurred to me RE my friends.  I walk to the grocery store, library, etc. why???  Hell, amongst my friends while in my 20s that and biking was quite the indicator of a dui.

My friends are convinced that my recent switch to biking wherever I can is due to a D.U.I.  :-)

[horsepoor]

Right after upping my pre-tax contributions to 40% for the rest of the year, I was just notified that I'd be getting a cash award at some point "in the next couple months" which makes it kind of hard to dial in to my contribution limit.

[frugalnacho]

Why do you go inside banks?!

I suppose the companion question would be: Why do you have a significant amount of cash sitting in a bank account?  Even an ING Direct account earns 0.75% APY, which is more than any physical bank will pay, and your money is just an ACH away from your traditional bank account.

Wait, why would a bank try to loan you money if you have a significant amount sitting in your account?  That's backwards.  You don't need a loan, you have unused money in your account.  I would think they would try to loan you money if you had a low balance and/or were getting overdraft fees.

My follow up question is: Why are people still dealing with banks instead of credit unions?

[LennStar]

Wait, why would a bank try to loan you money if you have a significant amount sitting in your account?  That's backwards. 

No, its really streightforward.
A loan means the bank makes money. But also means they have to lose something
Now if that guy has lots of money, the probability for a loss is low.

People with Lots of money are the best targets for loans, they pay them back and dont look at fees and other tiny things!


Or, as my most beloved cynic Oscar Wilde said: A bank is an institution where you can borrow money - if you can prove that you dont need it.

[4alpacas]

Why do you go inside banks?!

I suppose the companion question would be: Why do you have a significant amount of cash sitting in a bank account?  Even an ING Direct account earns 0.75% APY, which is more than any physical bank will pay, and your money is just an ACH away from your traditional bank account.

Wait, why would a bank try to loan you money if you have a significant amount sitting in your account?  That's backwards.  You don't need a loan, you have unused money in your account.  I would think they would try to loan you money if you had a low balance and/or were getting overdraft fees.

My follow up question is: Why are people still dealing with banks instead of credit unions?

I use a bank because there's a Chase ATM on every second block in NYC, which is super handy for making withdrawals (most merchants in my area don't take credit cards) and deposits (my husband makes a lot of income in cash and checks that I can't get direct deposited). This is not true for any of the local credit unions.

Banks figure that anyone with large cash reserves will have more resources to pay off a loan, I assume.

But you don't have to go inside a bank and deal with a bank teller to do either of those things.  I also deposit physical checks through an app on my phone.

[frugalnacho]

Why do you go inside banks?!

I suppose the companion question would be: Why do you have a significant amount of cash sitting in a bank account?  Even an ING Direct account earns 0.75% APY, which is more than any physical bank will pay, and your money is just an ACH away from your traditional bank account.

Wait, why would a bank try to loan you money if you have a significant amount sitting in your account?  That's backwards.  You don't need a loan, you have unused money in your account.  I would think they would try to loan you money if you had a low balance and/or were getting overdraft fees.

My follow up question is: Why are people still dealing with banks instead of credit unions?

I use a bank because there's a Chase ATM on every second block in NYC, which is super handy for making withdrawals (most merchants in my area don't take credit cards) and deposits (my husband makes a lot of income in cash and checks that I can't get direct deposited). This is not true for any of the local credit unions.

Banks figure that anyone with large cash reserves will have more resources to pay off a loan, I assume.

As far as a know many credit unions are all connected and have reciprocal agreements to waive access fees for ATM use, essentially giving you free ATM access everywhere.  I don't use ATMs though, so you would need to check into that.  You can deposit checks with an app on your phone negating the need to ever step foot on bank/CU property to ever cash a check.  Depositing cash is another story and will require you do go into a physical location though.

If your husband gets paid in cash though, and you constantly visit ATMS, why don't you just cut the bank out and be your own ATM?

Also how do most merchants not take credit cards? That's unheard of (by me).

Having a large cash reserve negates the entire reason for needing a loan.  You need loans when you don't have the cash.  Maybe next time they ask you (or whoever it was) should educate the bank teller on how money works?

[MandalayVA]

Also how do most merchants not take credit cards? That's unheard of (by me).

Major cities have a LOT of mom and pop stores and restaurants that won't take credit cards.  My husband and I were in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago and except for one every restaurant was cash only.  Fortunately our ATM cards are with Fidelity, which refunds any transaction fees on cash withdrawals.   

[frugalnacho]

Also how do most merchants not take credit cards? That's unheard of (by me).

Major cities have a LOT of mom and pop stores and restaurants that won't take credit cards.  My husband and I were in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago and except for one every restaurant was cash only.  Fortunately our ATM cards are with Fidelity, which refunds any transaction fees on cash withdrawals.

I get pissed when one doesn't accept amex and I lose out on rewards points by having to use my MC (which aren't nearly as rewarding as amex).  I have only encountered a few places that don't accept CC.

[UnleashHell]

A problem of my own making..
I forgot to budget for the property tax on my house. I’ve got no mortgage so theres no monthly payment into  an escrow account for it.
I’ll have to use the cash on hand to pay it instead of applying those funds elsewhere. Inconvenient though…. Must set up a category on mint to remind me.

[johnny847]

You guys are funny.  Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.  I can't believe nobody is calling it out.  Sure, the vendor will say "Oh, oh, that 3% charge from VISA is just killing me!" but they are losing a hell of a lot more than 3% of their business by not accepting credit cards.  However if you live somewhere that small businesses may be paying upwards of 50% income tax, hell yes it's worth losing a few customers to avoid paying 50% income taxes!

Well if they don't take credit cards outright, yup I agree, they're almost certainly trying to avoid taxes.
If they're only taking credit cards for transactions over $X, then it's not as clear. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

[LennStar]

You guys are funny.  Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.  I can't believe nobody is calling it out.  Sure, the vendor will say "Oh, oh, that 3% charge from VISA is just killing me!" but they are losing a hell of a lot more than 3% of their business by not accepting credit cards.  However if you live somewhere that small businesses may be paying upwards of 50% income tax, hell yes it's worth losing a few customers to avoid paying 50% income taxes!

Funny, you never been to germany, right?
The majority of people here dont own a credit card and most small shops dont accept them - or at least the hardware to do this is so hidden nobody knows ^^ and nobody wants. Why? It just takes longer, costs more etc.
And the shop owner definitely doesnt lose customer.

[Caella]

I always asked for a medium-size econobox, even though a nicer one is like $2 more per day.

Mustachian people problems: finding a rental car with a manual transmission (in the US).

I've never drove an automatic transmission car, and can't find a manual transmission car to rent on my incoming trip to the US!
Just hope it's as easy to drive as they say.

[FunkyStickman]

I always asked for a medium-size econobox, even though a nicer one is like $2 more per day.

Mustachian people problems: finding a rental car with a manual transmission (in the US).

I've never drove an automatic transmission car, and can't find a manual transmission car to rent on my incoming trip to the US!
Just hope it's as easy to drive as they say.

Every time you come to a stop, you'll put your left (clutch) foot down out of habit. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. :)

[dragoncar]

I always asked for a medium-size econobox, even though a nicer one is like $2 more per day.

Mustachian people problems: finding a rental car with a manual transmission (in the US).

I've never drove an automatic transmission car, and can't find a manual transmission car to rent on my incoming trip to the US!
Just hope it's as easy to drive as they say.

Every time you come to a stop, you'll put your left (clutch) foot down out of habit. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. :)

You might accidentally slam on the brakes while accelerating but yeah, once you get used to the idea of not using your left foot you'll be fine

Seriously, you might want to place your left foot as far left as possible, or loosely tie it to the door handle or something to remind you.  Slamming on the brakes by accident could be dangerous.

[sheepstache]

Your walking/biking commute means you see new restaurants and shops in the neighborhood before your friends and family do.

But you hate going out to restaurants and shops so you can't tell them.

[Caella]

I always asked for a medium-size econobox, even though a nicer one is like $2 more per day.

Mustachian people problems: finding a rental car with a manual transmission (in the US).

I've never drove an automatic transmission car, and can't find a manual transmission car to rent on my incoming trip to the US!
Just hope it's as easy to drive as they say.

Every time you come to a stop, you'll put your left (clutch) foot down out of habit. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. :)

You might accidentally slam on the brakes while accelerating but yeah, once you get used to the idea of not using your left foot you'll be fine

Seriously, you might want to place your left foot as far left as possible, or loosely tie it to the door handle or something to remind you.  Slamming on the brakes by accident could be dangerous.

Good tip, you find a way to keep my left foot "stuck" somewhere to avoid this problem.

[Louis the Cat]

I always asked for a medium-size econobox, even though a nicer one is like $2 more per day.

Mustachian people problems: finding a rental car with a manual transmission (in the US).

I've never drove an automatic transmission car, and can't find a manual transmission car to rent on my incoming trip to the US!
Just hope it's as easy to drive as they say.

Every time you come to a stop, you'll put your left (clutch) foot down out of habit. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. :)

You might accidentally slam on the brakes while accelerating but yeah, once you get used to the idea of not using your left foot you'll be fine

Seriously, you might want to place your left foot as far left as possible, or loosely tie it to the door handle or something to remind you.  Slamming on the brakes by accident could be dangerous.

Good tip, you find a way to keep my left foot "stuck" somewhere to avoid this problem.

Most automatics have some kind of dead pedal/foot rest to the far left of the knee well. When I drive an auto, I plant my left foot there so if I do try to clutch, I kick the hell out of the floor, not the brake.

[BlueHouse]

You guys are funny.  Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.  I can't believe nobody is calling it out.  Sure, the vendor will say "Oh, oh, that 3% charge from VISA is just killing me!" but they are losing a hell of a lot more than 3% of their business by not accepting credit cards.  However if you live somewhere that small businesses may be paying upwards of 50% income tax, hell yes it's worth losing a few customers to avoid paying 50% income taxes!

Uh, no.  There are many small businesses where it just doesn't pay to accept credit cards and if their customers don't expect it, then there's no problem.  I'm a small business and I don't accept credit cards.  Admittedly, I don't sell my services to the general public, but I routinely fill out government forms that ask what types of payment I accept.  My answer is only cash and corporate checks.  I am not losing any business with my decision and I would not make any additional money by accepting credit.  Oh, and I pay WAY MORE than my fair share of taxes*.

fair = my estimate of what's fair.  I try to avoid paying more than required, but I'm sure I'm not fully utilizing all available tax loopholes.   

[Paul der Krake]

You guys are funny.  Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.  I can't believe nobody is calling it out.  Sure, the vendor will say "Oh, oh, that 3% charge from VISA is just killing me!" but they are losing a hell of a lot more than 3% of their business by not accepting credit cards.  However if you live somewhere that small businesses may be paying upwards of 50% income tax, hell yes it's worth losing a few customers to avoid paying 50% income taxes!

Well if they don't take credit cards outright, yup I agree, they're almost certainly trying to avoid taxes.
If they're only taking credit cards for transactions over $X, then it's not as clear. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

I know at least one small business owner who didn't take them until very recently, and it had everything to do with stubborness and being suspicious of change, not malice. He had been running it for 30 years as a cash only affair and just didn't see the need to change.

[Cinder]

You guys are funny.  Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.  I can't believe nobody is calling it out. 

To be fair, you DID say 'Anybody'.  I had thought the same thing as BlueHouse.  I'm also an engineering type, and I have gotten mad at people who give true / false questions that say 'any' when they means 'mostly'.   

[LennStar]

Ugh, the discussion was about restaurants, laundromats, etc.  Those are consumer-facing businesses that have transactions in the $5 - $50 range.  It's not like I don't know a lot of people who do this.  I'm not going to turn them in to the IRS because I know how hard it is for a small business to compete against big businesses, but by your own admission you're not even running anything close to the same kind of business as what the discussion is about here.

If you are talking about "low money", consumer businesses they are the ones not using Credit Cards. CCs are more widely accepted when you tal about higher amounts of money and business oriented.
At least thats here in good ol' germany ;)

[2ndTimer]

You can't put your urine on the compost pile because you are taking antibiotics and don't want to kill the bacteria

[tofuchampion]

You can't put your urine on the compost pile because you are taking antibiotics and don't want to kill the bacteria

2ndTimer wins the thread.

[Le Barbu]

I sent à postponed cheque for annual insurances and the bank make a mistake and debit the amount 1 month before due date. Enough money in the account so I dont care but I think I should tell my bank about this.

[BlueHouse]

Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.

Uh, no.  There are many small businesses where it just doesn't pay to accept credit cards

Ugh, the discussion was about restaurants, laundromats, etc. 

@Sid Hoffman: first it's "anybody", then it's limited to restaurants and laundromats?  Would you like to further narrow your statement?  I think a more accurate statement would be that any tax evader is evading taxes.  As a small business owner, I am so tired of people making assumptions about how small business owners evade taxes (either through cash transactions, or bogus deductions, or by other means). 

Allow me to let you in on a little secret.  Anybody can be a tax evader.  You just have to be willing to lie and cheat.  You don't need a business license or a credit card machine to do it.  Generalizations like yours get propagated and spewed with no real evidence and IMO, they are a form of class warfare. I have been asked on more than one occasion to use questionable or even outright illegal activity because I own a business.  I'm routinely asked to pick up the check because I can just write it off .   Did you know you can deduct the cost of a job search?  Should I accuse all job-seekers of cheating the government because they may choose to write off legitimate expenses?  Should I ask someone to pay for my lunch because I've seen their resume? 
 
As someone who has spent the past 5 years trying to survive in a competitive environment and happy that I'm making a decent living, I realize how fortunate I am and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my position.  I suspect many other customer-facing, cash-using business owners feel the same way.  The US was founded by and still relies on small business owners of all types and I choose to believe that the vast majority of them are honest. 

[Goldielocks]

Anybody who doesn't take credit cards is evading taxes, plain and simple.

Uh, no.  There are many small businesses where it just doesn't pay to accept credit cards

Ugh, the discussion was about restaurants, laundromats, etc. 

@Sid Hoffman: first it's "anybody", then it's limited to restaurants and laundromats?    The US was founded by and still relies on small business owners of all types and I choose to believe that the vast majority of them are honest.

Well, you had me in full agreement until the last line.

Around here it is not the small shops but the auto and home repair services. I am always told by the owner that if I pay cash, they won't charge sales taxes. Now I know that 75% of their business is business to business, so they have a legit base for accounting and tax, but I would bet most of these cash deals are not reported.  Same with my fathers cabinet shop, he is retired, so it is side money, and he pays all taxes and prefers cheques and transfers for payment as it is easier, so much easier to track and report.  So many people ask to pay cash though, you know it is not above board. Who wants to pay $8000 in cash?

But to your point, I think the largest evaders as a percent of income are those who make tip money.  Hair dressers, waiters, etc.  Here minimum wage for most is 10.50 per hr, and many get paid more.  Plus tips.  This is why I always tip on my credit card now.  Also why some states started assuming a % tips on the bill as income.

[Gerard]

My old credit card company is offering me an extra $10 cash back if I spend $200 (total) on the card in October and November. 22 days to go and I've only managed to spend $67! Maybe there'll be a seat sale and I can buy some plane tickets I need for next April. Or I can over-preload my transit card...

[NoraLenderbee]

My old credit card company is offering me an extra $10 cash back if I spend $200 (total) on the card in October and November. 22 days to go and I've only managed to spend $67! Maybe there'll be a seat sale and I can buy some plane tickets I need for next April. Or I can over-preload my transit card...

You could buy yourself an Amazon gift certificate for the balance. Then you have plenty of time to spend it on whatever you normally would buy. :)

[LennStar]

My old credit card company is offering me an extra $10 cash back if I spend $200 (total) on the card in October and November. 22 days to go and I've only managed to spend $67! Maybe there'll be a seat sale and I can buy some plane tickets I need for next April. Or I can over-preload my transit card...

You could buy yourself an Amazon gift certificate for the balance. Then you have plenty of time to spend it on whatever you normally would buy. :)

Buy it from someone who has a website and a amazon ref link - they get a few % too ;)

[Gin1984]

My old credit card company is offering me an extra $10 cash back if I spend $200 (total) on the card in October and November. 22 days to go and I've only managed to spend $67! Maybe there'll be a seat sale and I can buy some plane tickets I need for next April. Or I can over-preload my transit card...

You could buy yourself an Amazon gift certificate for the balance. Then you have plenty of time to spend it on whatever you normally would buy. :)

That is a great idea, thank you!

[Gerard]

You could buy yourself an Amazon gift certificate for the balance. Then you have plenty of time to spend it on whatever you normally would buy. :)

Thanks Nora! I'll hang onto that as a backup idea. Amazon (Canada) seems to specialize in books, CDs, DVDs, and consumer electronics, stuff I rarely buy. But maybe I could get Christmas presents. Or I'll join the 21st century! :-)