Quoting Joe Mackey to Daryl Stout on 11-21-17 06:19 <=-

When I started on the net in the '80s I was on GEnie, which was sort
of a CompuServe knock off.
A rebellion against the mad spending on Black Friday was gaining
steam called "Buy nothing Friday", or the like. One writer replied he
has many buy nothing days and I totally agreed with him.

I make it a point usually not to buy anything on Black Friday anyway...
and am not exactly a shopper, either... ;)

Having readily accessible credit can be a trap, especially if one is on
a limited fixed income... it's way too easy to "put it on the card" and
then not be able to pay the bill when it comes...

Too many people fall into that easy credit trap, esp. when credit
cards are sent to them in the mail, unasked for. "Hey, free money!"

Often the thought is that it makes it possible to get what one is
"entitled" to, and can't get since one has no money... that train of
thought is really dangerous....

And instead of paying on the balance only the interest is paid on,
which is great for the CC companies, esp. those with high interest
rates, which most of them are. But people don't often read the fine print.

Nowadays, the minimum payment has to be more than the interest incurred
that month... I think it's interest plus a certain percentage of the principal... The regulatory system decided that the previous setup was
too predatory.... There's also a section on the bill that breaks down
into simple language the consequences of only paying the minimum, and
how much less it will cost the payer if they pay a large enough payment
to pay it off in 3 years.... It makes for higher minimum payments, but
makes it a bit more likely that the debt will just spiral out of
control.... as long as the principal isn't constantly being added to as well.... :)

ttyl neb

... Nickel: Once good for getting the wrong number with.

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Nancy wrote --

Nowadays, the minimum payment has to be more than the interest incurred that month... I think it's interest plus a certain percentage of the principal

Good.
Remember the days when someone with a credit card was a "somebody" and had a made it (economically) ?
Joe


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Daryl wrote --

I agree. It only works if you have that money in the account.

I remember the joke where the lady swore that "she couldn't be overdrawn...because she still had checks". I think she was blonde. <G>

Sounds about right. :)

I like having a debit card since its so much more user friendly t

My bank calls me for any suspicious transaction, and asks for me to approve or deny it. That speaks volumes when they care about the
customer, and not just having their money in their coffers.

Mine does that as well.

A rebellion against the mad spending on Black Friday

I had to buy a new microwave oven today,

I had to buy a new bike.
I worked dorm security Thanksgiving day (only three or four students in the entire building) and between my first and second break it and one beside it were nicked. The thieves (had to be two of them) cut the chain (we both had chains and locks that could not be cut. Yeah, right. A nice clean cut). I use my bike like many do their cars, its all but a necessity for most travel.
I did get a nice model for only $149. Paid about $200 for the other. Both Schwinn's.
I got to Wally World a little after 7 and no big crowds or anything. I don't think there were anymore people there at that time than normal. (I like to go early to shop to avoid the crowds).

to replace the one that shorted out on me yesterday, and almost caught

fire.

I had my first one for 30 years when suddenly one day cooking something sparks started flying. I tried again a few days later and same thing, with a different bowl.
This has all sorts of buttons, etc. The old one had one dial to turn to the minute. The other a push down lever to open the door. That were all the controls, timer, etc on it. Like that a lot better than pushing the wrong button, having to reset, etc.

Too many people fall into that easy credit trap,

Years ago, these credit card companies would send representatives to college campuses...and they'd swoop down on the unsuspecting
students

Same thing at Marshall. They were banned as well.
The only people like that allowed now are a "local" bank or two to open chequing/saving accounts, which have debit cards with them.

When I went to college from 1978 to 1983, at the time, the University Of Arkansas At Little Rock was "a commuter campus"...no dorms at all.

My first year was a small junior college like that.
I have never lived in a dorm, thank heavens.
At Marshall if a student lives within a radius of like 50 miles of campus they are commuters and no dorms. More than that they must live in a dorm their freshman year.
There is what is called WOW (Week of Welcome) where all freshmen must move unto campus a week before school starts and then are taken on tours and events all day. I joke that's not so much to orientate students to campus life but to
wear they out during the day so they don't get into trouble at night. :)
Joe


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Quoting Joe Mackey to Nancy Backus on 11-24-17 06:11 <=-

Nowadays, the minimum payment has to be more than the interest
incurred that month... I think it's interest plus a certain
percentage of the principal

Good.

There were regulations put in place to make that standard for all credit cards.... also to have statements clarifying what the minimum payment
was, what the consequences of not making a (sufficient) payment would
be, and a calculation of how much one would spend in interest for just
paying the minimum vs the amount needed to pay it off in 3 years
(assuming no further charges added) and the savings in interest
thereby... ;)

Remember the days when someone with a credit card was a "somebody"
and had made it (economically) ?

Yup... and those often had hefty annual fees, and expected one to pay
off the balance in full each month, too... ;)

Similar thing with the Certificates of Deposit (CDs)... One had to have thousands of dollars to open one, in order to get that better rate of interest... Now most of them are only a minimum of $500 to open... :)

ttyl neb

... Will that be cache or chkdsk?

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Nancy wrote --

JM>> Remember the days when someone with a credit card was a "somebody"
JM>> and had made it (economically) ?

Yup... and those often had hefty annual fees, and expected one to pay
off the balance in full each month, too... ;)

American Express is still that way. I don't know about the APR but the balance has to be paid each month.
Joe


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Quoting Joe Mackey to Daryl Stout on 11-25-17 07:51 <=-

A rebellion against the mad spending on Black Friday

I had to buy a new microwave oven today,

I had to buy a new bike.
I worked dorm security Thanksgiving day (only three or four students
in the entire building) and between my first and second break it and
one beside it were nicked. The thieves (had to be two of them) cut the chain (we both had chains and locks that could not be cut. Yeah,
right. A nice clean cut). I use my bike like many do their cars, its
all but a necessity for most travel. I did get a nice model for only
$149. Paid about $200 for the other. Both Schwinn's.

What a bummer.... At least you were able to get a good replacement, so
that turned out ok.... Was the new one on a Black Friday sale....?

I got to Wally World a little after 7 and no big crowds or anything.
I don't think there were anymore people there at that time than normal.
(I like to go early to shop to avoid the crowds).

I'd guess the crowds had been there earlier.... Some places started
their sales Thursday evening.... and traditionally, midnight had been
the official start of the Black Friday sales.... Not that I've gone to
any of them....

(microwave)

This has all sorts of buttons, etc. The old one had one dial to
turn to the minute. The other a push down lever to open the door.
That were all the controls, timer, etc on it. Like that a lot better
than pushing the wrong button, having to reset, etc.

You did have an old one.... :) I can see where getting used to the new
one would have been a bit of a thing... ;) Only microwave we bought,
we're still using... It does have lots of buttons, etc, but it's pretty straightforward really.... not too many bells and whistles.... :) A
touch keypad, and a few things like power level, defrost, clock...
Start and reset, and a push in lever for opening the door... And some
things I never use anyway... ;)

At Marshall if a student lives within a radius of like 50 miles of
campus they are commuters and no dorms. More than that they must live
in a dorm their freshman year.
There is what is called WOW (Week of Welcome) where all freshmen
must move unto campus a week before school starts and then are taken on tours and events all day. I joke that's not so much to orientate
students to campus life but to wear they out during the day so they
don't get into trouble at night. :) Joe

And how well does it work to keep them out of trouble.. ;)

ttyl neb

... in case of doubt, make it sound convincing

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Nancy wrote --

What a bummer.... At least you were able to get a good replacement, so that turned out ok.... Was the new one on a Black Friday sale....?

No idea.

JM>> I got to Wally World a little after 7 and no big crowds or anything.

I'd guess the crowds had been there earlier

If they had the staff did a good job of cleaning up after them and restocking
the shelves. :)

JM>> This has all sorts of buttons, etc.

You did have an old one.... :) I can see where getting used to the new one would have been a bit of a thing... ;) Only microwave we bought, we're still using... It does have lots of buttons, etc, but it's pretty straightforward really.... not too many bells and whistles.... :)

Mine is rather basic as well.
They (and air conditioners) are so cheap today. The original MW was around $150 (mid 1980s dollars). This one around $50 (on sale).
Air conditioners used to be for only the rather well to do, but now you can get a 5000 BTU for around $50 as well, on sale.
I paid something like $175 (in 1996 dollars) for mine, on sale, with a 10% employee discount. I had temped at Sears during their remodel a short time before and while not an employee the salesmen knew and remembered me and gave me the discount as well.

JM>> must move unto campus a week before school starts and then are

taken on

JM>> tours and events all day. I joke that's not so much to orientate
JM>> students to campus life but to wear they out during the day so they
JM>> don't get into trouble at night. :) Joe

And how well does it work to keep them out of trouble.. ;)

For that week it does.
Once school starts they are like any other freshman away from home for the first time. :)
During move in I joke with the parents there are three main emotions at move in:
The father is looking at his watch saying "Come on, we gotta get moving, I want to beat the traffic, we have a long way to go."
The mother is thinking "Boo hoo hoo, my baby is growing up and leaving home."
The kids are thinking, "Yea, the parents are gone! Let's party!"
Many times parents will nod in agreement, often times one points to another and nod their head. :)
Joe


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Quoting Joe Mackey to Nancy Backus on 11-28-17 06:32 <=-

Remember the days when someone with a credit card was a "somebody"
and had made it (economically) ?

Yup... and those often had hefty annual fees, and expected one to pay
off the balance in full each month, too...-a ;)

American Express is still that way. I don't know about the APR but
the balance has to be paid each month.

Actually, American Express has had a wide range of cards for some time
now.... some are like the original ones with annual fees and/or
requiring payment in full each month.... But I had one for a while that
had no annual fee, a nice low interest rate, and let one carry a balance
if they wished, directly from Amex... I currently have one (Amex) that
has a balance on it that is actually my son's debt, issued by another
bank, again with a low interest rate and no annual fee (my bottom line requirement for a card).... He sends me the money to make the monthly
payments on that card...

But recently, I was sent an offer for a new Amex card with large rebates
and perks... and correspondingly excessive annual fee... I looked at it
and shredded it... ;) I don't recall if it required payment in full
each month or not... the annual fee was ridiculous enough....

ttyl neb

... Soy sauce makes it Chinese... or Inuit!

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Joe,

Once school starts they are like any other freshman away from home for the
first time. :)
During move in I joke with the parents there are three main emotions at mo
in:
The father is looking at his watch saying "Come on, we gotta get moving, I
want to beat the traffic, we have a long way to go."
The mother is thinking "Boo hoo hoo, my baby is growing up and leaving hom
The kids are thinking, "Yea, the parents are gone! Let's party!"
Many times parents will nod in agreement, often times one points to anothe
and nod their head. :)

That's like the joke where the first day of school, the parents and
kids are sobbing at the school bus stop...the parents there in their
walkers, wheelchairs, canes, etc.

As soon as the school bus disappears over the hill, the parents are
now doing cartwheels!! <BG>

Daryl

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Quoting Joe Mackey to Nancy Backus on 12-01-17 06:13 <=-

What a bummer.... At least you were able to get a good replacement, so
that turned out ok.... Was the new one on a Black Friday sale....?

No idea.

So you didn't really pay attention to whether that was the regular price
or a sale price....?

I got to Wally World a little after 7 and no big crowds or anything.

I'd guess the crowds had been there earlier

If they had the staff did a good job of cleaning up after them and restocking the shelves. :)

Maybe, like BJ's Wholesale, they started their special sales early, and
pretty much kept business going as usual meantime...

This has all sorts of buttons, etc.

You did have an old one.... :) I can see where getting used to the new
one would have been a bit of a thing... ;) Only microwave we bought,
we're still using... It does have lots of buttons, etc, but it's pretty
straightforward really.... not too many bells and whistles.... :)

Mine is rather basic as well.
They (and air conditioners) are so cheap today. The original MW was around $150 (mid 1980s dollars). This one around $50 (on sale).
Air conditioners used to be for only the rather well to do, but now
you can get a 5000 BTU for around $50 as well, on sale.

That's the way it goes with technology.... the early cell phones were
quite pricy, and clunky to boot.... Granted, one can still pay quite a
bit for the fancier smartphones now, but when I replaced my dumb phone
it was only $10... and I think for that I could have gotten one with a
camera had I wanted to, instead... ;) I think that the car phone my brother-in-law got my mother-in-law (probably in the '90s?) was
something like $200....

I paid something like $175 (in 1996 dollars) for mine, on sale, with
a 10% employee discount. I had temped at Sears during their remodel a short time before and while not an employee the salesmen knew and remembered me and gave me the discount as well.

That was a nice break... :)

must move unto campus a week before school starts and then are
taken on tours and events all day. I joke that's not so much to
orientate students to campus life but to wear they out during the
day so they don't get into trouble at night. :) Joe

And how well does it work to keep them out of trouble.. ;)

For that week it does.
Once school starts they are like any other freshman away from home
for the first time. :)

Back to their own devices.... and imaginations... ;)

During move in I joke with the parents there are three main emotions
at move in:
The father is looking at his watch saying "Come on, we gotta get
moving, I want to beat the traffic, we have a long way to go."
The mother is thinking "Boo hoo hoo, my baby is growing up and
leaving home." The kids are thinking, "Yea, the parents are gone!
Let's party!" Many times parents will nod in agreement, often times
one points to another and nod their head. :)

That's probably pretty common, anyway... :) I bet there are some
families where it's the parents saying, yea, the kid is gone, now we can party... <G>

ttyl neb

... Reboot: What you do to the computer after the first kick fails

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Dale wrote --

pay that off before the due date.
I have one card, and use it sparingly, only to keep it alive,

I am just the opposite. I use plastic for just about everything where
it is accepted. I have four major cards that I use and each has its
purpose. They all give me rebates or airline miles on my purchases.

I have found most of any rebates don't apply to me.
I haven't flown on a plane in nearly 50 years, and that was at
taxpayers expense while in uniform.
I don't have a car so gas rebates mean nothing.
Most purchases I make aren't in any rebate area.

$100 cash might last me for six months.

I get $40 from the ATM when I deposit my cheque and that will run me a
month or more unless I am planning some small purchases.

That makes it easy to understand your attitude on credit cards. Sort

of the more recent parallel to those, such as my parents, who went
through the depression years.

My parents, whose parents never had much money, considered the
depression just an inconvenience. :)
But being raised by them I was taught early the value of a dollar and
to spend it wisely on things that will last, not just something that
caught my eye and I desperately need even though five minutes before I
never knew it even existed. :)
Joe
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Quoting Joe Mackey to Nancy Backus on 01-11-19 06:20 <=-

Back then, it also came with a substantial annual fee.... that alone was enough to keep me from considering it, even if I had had the required
income level, which I didn't...

I'm sure you remember as well when having any sort of credit card
was a status symbol. Not many had them.
Even having a gas station card was something.
Local/regional department store cards were valued.
Now everyone has one.

Indeed. :) Quite the contrast... :)

Take car phones.
I knew a guy when in college 40+ years ago who had a car phone
(forget why, something to do with business I think) and everyone
thought that was something.

My brother-in-law bought one for Mom... she found it too difficult to
figure out, but she did keep it in the car, just in case....

And cell phones when they first came out, the huge ones. That was
really something as well.

I wasn't anywhere near the cutting edge on those, but my first cell
phone was closer to the size of the smaller landline handsets.... now my
dumb phone is not much larger than a credit card, although thicker... ;)

ttyl neb

... Madness takes its toll; please have exact change.

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