Dammit! I mean, happy holidays!
So I have good news and bad news. The good news goes behind a friend's lock, so you're stuck with the bad :)
Two days ago I got to work early and decided to make a rough personal budget for myself (something I wish I'd done long ago). After figuring out a whole bunch of things and working out a plan to pay off my credit cards, I felt on top of the world! Go me! Then later that day, as I'm leaving my car, I smell burning. Uhoh. Turns out I had oil leaking out of my engine due to loose gasket/valves. And the heat from that had warped my engine cover, so I had to get it all replaced. Oh well, I think to myself, I can manage, even with the upcoming planned unemployment, because I had a shiny new budget.
Then this morning I get an oh-so-cheerful email from American Express: "Oh by the way, we've slashed your credit limit, cause the economy's gone to hell and we feel like screwing you over!" So now instead of the oodles of emergency money I've always had (and never needed) on that card, I have $137. I'm that freaking close to my credit limit. So combine that with the slash in the first place, and I bet my credit score just plummeted at least 50 points. And that'll take years to recover from.
I hate this economy and I hate money. I would also say that I hate my car, but 1) it wasn't it's fault, and 2) I'm afraid it'll hear me.
(Also, anyone who lives remotely near Glendale, if you ever need your car fixed please go to the coolest car shop around at People's Automotive on San Fernando. I was talking to the owner as I paid my bill and he's in trouble too because of the economy. He's super-honest and really upfront about what's wrong with your car. His name is Albert and his # is (818) 240-3838)
Two days ago I got to work early and decided to make a rough personal budget for myself (something I wish I'd done long ago). After figuring out a whole bunch of things and working out a plan to pay off my credit cards, I felt on top of the world! Go me! Then later that day, as I'm leaving my car, I smell burning. Uhoh. Turns out I had oil leaking out of my engine due to loose gasket/valves. And the heat from that had warped my engine cover, so I had to get it all replaced. Oh well, I think to myself, I can manage, even with the upcoming planned unemployment, because I had a shiny new budget.
Then this morning I get an oh-so-cheerful email from American Express: "Oh by the way, we've slashed your credit limit, cause the economy's gone to hell and we feel like screwing you over!" So now instead of the oodles of emergency money I've always had (and never needed) on that card, I have $137. I'm that freaking close to my credit limit. So combine that with the slash in the first place, and I bet my credit score just plummeted at least 50 points. And that'll take years to recover from.
I hate this economy and I hate money. I would also say that I hate my car, but 1) it wasn't it's fault, and 2) I'm afraid it'll hear me.
(Also, anyone who lives remotely near Glendale, if you ever need your car fixed please go to the coolest car shop around at People's Automotive on San Fernando. I was talking to the owner as I paid my bill and he's in trouble too because of the economy. He's super-honest and really upfront about what's wrong with your car. His name is Albert and his # is (818) 240-3838)