Random Thoughts 14: I can see clearly now 2020 edition
- Thread starter Cybirdy
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"Thanks for the inspection. It appears I have underpriced the home and will be raising the sale price 5%."
Watched it last weekend.
Based on what I see on the DirecTV guide as I surf, Road House is probably broadcast as often as any other film, along with Shawshank.
A few years ago I was driving a Penske rental truck and pulling a vehicle behind it on a trailer. Was out in the middle of nowhere in northeast Wyoming, and pulled into a huge Pilot truck stop to fuel. They have rows and rows of diesel pumps, so no problem there.
But gotta pre-pay.....so inside I go (I had plenty of cash) and the guy at the counter has a large sign right on front of him that says NO CASH. I thought, WTF? I ended up using the credit card.
He explained to me that they did thousands upon thousands of dollars of fuel business every day (it's right on I-90), and they really didn't want to have that much cash sitting around to tempt would-be robbers. Made sense.
I guess I'm a dying breed. I still pay for lots of things with cash (and yeah, I get receipts) and write checks at Hy-Vee. (OK, boomer.)
But gotta pre-pay.....so inside I go (I had plenty of cash) and the guy at the counter has a large sign right on front of him that says NO CASH. I thought, WTF? I ended up using the credit card.
He explained to me that they did thousands upon thousands of dollars of fuel business every day (it's right on I-90), and they really didn't want to have that much cash sitting around to tempt would-be robbers. Made sense.
I guess I'm a dying breed. I still pay for lots of things with cash (and yeah, I get receipts) and write checks at Hy-Vee. (OK, boomer.)
As long as you fill out everything but the amount while they scan. I get irritated when they watch everything get scanned, then date the check, write the name, sign it. They usually balance the check register at the same time also. I always fill it out while waiting (the few times I use checks) and then just have to add the amount.
Told my wife that I would keep one of moms cedar chests. She gave me the WTH would we want that for. Some of her colleagues now have asked her if my mom has any cedar chests and if I (lately the wife just Facebook posts without asking so I’m surprised she hadn’t done that yet) would sell them.
Now the wife is adamant that we keep both. Found the folk’s marriage certificate, didn’t know she had that in a dresser.
Now the wife is adamant that we keep both. Found the folk’s marriage certificate, didn’t know she had that in a dresser.
Damn, how old are you?
Cash is only for tipping drivers, bellhops and maids in Mexico.
Also, hookers and blow is still mostly cash in D.C. from what @cyrocksmypants tells me.
Damn, how old are you?
Cash is only for tipping drivers, bellhops and maids in Mexico.
Also, hookers and blow is still mostly cash in D.C. from what @cyrocksmypants tells me.
Venmo or Ca$happ.
Damn, how old are you?
Cash is only for tipping drivers, bellhops and maids in Mexico.
Also, hookers and blow is still mostly cash in D.C. from what @cyrocksmypants tells me.
Let's just say I'm in the @ImJustKCClone range.
63, if you must know!
The last time I went home to NW Iowa, I got fuel in LeMars on my way back. I put around $34 in my Camry and started to drive off. My wife called me and asked me if I just spent $75 on the credit card (she gets notifications). I was like "Uh, no" and went back to the station to correct the error.
My purchase was still on the pump so I snapped a picture and walked inside. Apparently, they automatically charge a card for $75 and then credit the difference back once the card clears. I guess they had some issues with fraud and took steps to protect themselves.
Sure enough, the correct amount showed up on my credit card statement (instead of the $74 charge and $40 credit). I'd never heard of that policy before. I guess it may happen more than I realize, but that was a new one to me.
My purchase was still on the pump so I snapped a picture and walked inside. Apparently, they automatically charge a card for $75 and then credit the difference back once the card clears. I guess they had some issues with fraud and took steps to protect themselves.
Sure enough, the correct amount showed up on my credit card statement (instead of the $74 charge and $40 credit). I'd never heard of that policy before. I guess it may happen more than I realize, but that was a new one to me.
Now imagine in addition to being first gen (I was as well), your parents are also not native English speakers. Having family and loved ones with experience around the college process is a real advantage. Think about trying to apply for financial aid and trying to learn what a grant is vs a loan (and what is subsidized vs unsubsidized). I was fortunate in that DH and I were dating when we came to ISU and he had seen his siblings go through the process so I could bounce things off of him. I can see it being very isolating if you don't have that sort of informal support because some things were just......too much work to try to complain about or ask for help on from my parents. It was just outside their wheelhouse.
I believe this is actually fairly common practice. I was told its actually better to use a credit card than a debit card for this reason. They will sometimes put a hold of $75-100 on the debit card until it clears which could lead to overdraft charges if you're low on funds. It's an easier process on credit cards.
I assumed it was probably more common than I realized, but we probably never noticed until we got notifications.
College me would have been absolutely screwed with a debit card because I carried much less than $75 in my account for my first year or so.
Just curious - how many RTTers have had their credit card(s) stolen? This is what makes me apprehensive about using it so much - I've had mine stolen twice (well, the numbers, at least). Total PITA getting that undone, plus they always issue you a new number, which can be a yuge hassle itself.
A couple times. It was pretty easy to resolve. Just reported the charges that weren't mine. Cards were immediately cancelled and had new cards the next day. I don't find having a new number a hassle at all.
ours got hacked or whatever 10 days before baby was born. Not great because we used that one for everything. Source was a company we bought a baby item from that got hacked. Of course that letter in the mail didn't come til months later. It was a bit of a hassle to sort out but DH's got skimmed at a gas station several years ago and that was pretty quick to get a new card.
The benefits outweigh the risks to me. We earn 2% (or more) on almost every purchase and credit companies are much friendlier on doing chargebacks and such. I would never want a debit card to be my primary.
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