It's Dai Time

Katie & Scott & Simon & Cecily.

Tag: money (Page 4 of 5)

Day 181: american express extended warranty thumbs up

August 11, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I’d just like to take today to throw a quick thank you out to American Express.  I’ve been a happy cardholder of their Blue Cash Rewards card for quite a few years now and been more than happy with their friendly customer support (for the few times I’ve needed replacement cards or to dispute a double charge from a restaurant) and their automatic cash rewards (each year, it just goes as a credit into my statement – no need for me to look up my rewards and hassle them for a check).

Well, they made my Xbox hardware battle a little bit better yesterday emotionally, if not mechanically.  As part of my cardholder benefits is their extended warranty program (which is something I’m told many credit cards have as a benefit).  It covers all purchases I make on the card for double the manufacturer’s warranty (up to a certain limit, I think).

Because my Xbox broke after the one year warranty expired but before two years had passed, all I had to do was round up my documentation (the receipt, the statement, and a repair estimate), fax it over, and wait for a few weeks.

Yesterday, a $99.99 check arrived in the mail for me: enough to pay for the repair of Xbox had I not impatiently ripped it open to attempt to fix it myself.  I know it’s just another bullet point on the benefits list to try to lure new members, but thanks, American Express.

Your extended warranty process was easy and painless, and it made my broken Xbox ordeal a little less painful.  It’s everything I could have hoped for.

Day 140: money pigs

July 1, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Being a kid is like having a time machine when it comes to money.  There’s a certain wonderful naiveté that accompanies the age when you think of $20 as a “lot of money.”

The biggest physical manifestation of this childhood time when money is worth more is the piggy bank.  It certainly requires a bit of self-control, but saving all of the money that belongs to you in a small pig and being proud is a feeling that is hard to reacquire once you actually have a salary and bank account.

Katie and I keep a pig that we keep leftover change in, but in terms of actual amount of savings, it pales in comparison to our bank accounts.  It does have something that the rest of our accounts lack: a presence.

A piggy bank is there, in your home, on your counter or end table.  Saving money is accompanied by a satisfying little clink and the gradual additional weight and heft that the pig attains.  And although the money is hidden behind a veneer of porcelain or plastic, it is never actually out of reach.  It never requires a trip to the local ATM or signing a small slip of paper.

It harkens back to a simpler time, when people kept all of their money in a sock under the mattress, when you saved up for a particularly cool toy instead of whipping out a plastic card, when a $5 tip seemed like the utmost extravagance.

Day 99: deals

May 21, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I like deals.  I’m a bit of a sucker for them.

I’ll buy something that I have little to no real practical use for if it is discounted highly enough.  A few days ago, I bought 6 pounds of misprinted click pens because I felt it was a good deal.

I often hesitate when making any kinds of purchases at retail anymore (except food) because I’m always fairly certain that I could get something comparable for less online.

I read Sunday ads and weekly sale announcements with zeal, looking to see if something’s price is a large drop from MSRP.

Is it because I love saving money?  I don’t think that quite captures it.  If it did, I wouldn’t buy things I didn’t need that were great deals.  I think it’s because I evaluate everything against its inherent worth (or, at least, against a potential resale value) to see if I pay less for it than it is actually worth.

I often find this to be the case with certain games or movie box sets.  Could I resell this item on eBay or Craigslist for more than I paid for it?  Even used?  Then, count me in for one!

Not that I would sell most of these things.  But the knowledge that I could potentially recoup my costs and more (even after having used it!) is enough to keep me feeling safe and warm.

And if that doesn’t work, I can always tell myself that I’m stimulating the economy.

Day 96: receipts

May 18, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I don’t know what to do with receipts.

I feel like I need to keep them for various purposes, like taxes or financial proof or just money tracking.

But they pile up in random places around the house, overwhelming and useless.  Katie abhors them because of they’re a mess.  I look upon them with increasing dread as I come home each day and drop a few more onto the already immense pile.

Yet, at gas stations, I’ll always press YES when the pump asks if I want a receipt.  I haven’t yet learned to let go.  I need that little piece of paper that tells me: don’t worry – I’ll keep track of exactly how much money you’ve spent.

The truth is that I don’t need that little piece of paper.  All of my credit card transactions that I get receipts for are but a few clicks away on the Internet.  Moreover, I download all of my transactions from my credit card’s site into Quicken, so I have a local copy as well.

Do I really need to hold on to that receipt during the short amount of time between when I make my purchase and it appears in my Quicken register?

For large purchases, the answer is still obviously yes, if primarily for warranty and return purposes.  But for a $3 hamburger or $5 book, the answer should probably start being no.

It’s a risky business, but I think it’s a step I’m ready to take.

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