After a much-needed Thanksgiving Day trip to see my dad and brother (and some good friends), I feel much more ready to take things on. I'm still probably going to post sporadically while I'm in work deadlines, but I'm not feeling nearly as overwhelmed.
Which is good, because I had a challenge to deal with today. I decided last month to make a loan payment before the grace period was over, thus chipping away at my interest. This pushed the due date for my payment up by another month. So I assumed that my payment for this month, the first scheduled withdrawal, had been pushed up as well. I wanted to keep making the payments, so I sent one in yesterday evening.
When I checked online today (because I am obsessive and check my balances at least every two days), I discovered that I'd had TWO loan withdrawals. After a call to my member services department, I discovered that the withdrawal would start on schedule no matter when my payment was officially due. The MSR agreed to reverse the withdrawal on the second payment, and I agreed to wait for automatic withdrawals in the future. Fortunately there was no real harm done. If I'd been less vigilant, however, I could have found myself overdrawing my accounts by a lot. The moral of the story is to know how your financial institution will collect your payments, and proceed accordingly. And if you aren't sure, ask.
On a lighter note, I did NO Black Friday shopping this year. I needed to help my brother out with something that kept us away from the malls, and also visited a friend. In fact, the only money that I really spent on my trip was for cab fare to and from my local airport.
I did do a bit of shopping yesterday. My family has a tradition of giving White House ornaments to each other every year. Last year, I discovered another set of commemorative ornaments that are similarly designed and often prettier. So my aunt and I made a trip down to [Restored Historical Estate] to purchase this year's model. When I got there, however, they had a two-pack of older ornaments on sale for $8 less than the current-year single ornament. And the current year never completely sells out, so I expect to be able to pick that one up at a discount next year. So I picked up the two-packs for a couple of people, along with some foodie gifts for some family friends. My aunt, bless her heart, bought LOTS of ornaments and some books for her parents, who are big history buffs.
I love not having to stress over shopping. I'm still not quite done, but I'll easily find everything else I need in the next four weeks. And this year, I get to stay put while my family has Christmas in town. So no extra travel worries!
Which is good, because I had a challenge to deal with today. I decided last month to make a loan payment before the grace period was over, thus chipping away at my interest. This pushed the due date for my payment up by another month. So I assumed that my payment for this month, the first scheduled withdrawal, had been pushed up as well. I wanted to keep making the payments, so I sent one in yesterday evening.
When I checked online today (because I am obsessive and check my balances at least every two days), I discovered that I'd had TWO loan withdrawals. After a call to my member services department, I discovered that the withdrawal would start on schedule no matter when my payment was officially due. The MSR agreed to reverse the withdrawal on the second payment, and I agreed to wait for automatic withdrawals in the future. Fortunately there was no real harm done. If I'd been less vigilant, however, I could have found myself overdrawing my accounts by a lot. The moral of the story is to know how your financial institution will collect your payments, and proceed accordingly. And if you aren't sure, ask.
On a lighter note, I did NO Black Friday shopping this year. I needed to help my brother out with something that kept us away from the malls, and also visited a friend. In fact, the only money that I really spent on my trip was for cab fare to and from my local airport.
I did do a bit of shopping yesterday. My family has a tradition of giving White House ornaments to each other every year. Last year, I discovered another set of commemorative ornaments that are similarly designed and often prettier. So my aunt and I made a trip down to [Restored Historical Estate] to purchase this year's model. When I got there, however, they had a two-pack of older ornaments on sale for $8 less than the current-year single ornament. And the current year never completely sells out, so I expect to be able to pick that one up at a discount next year. So I picked up the two-packs for a couple of people, along with some foodie gifts for some family friends. My aunt, bless her heart, bought LOTS of ornaments and some books for her parents, who are big history buffs.
I love not having to stress over shopping. I'm still not quite done, but I'll easily find everything else I need in the next four weeks. And this year, I get to stay put while my family has Christmas in town. So no extra travel worries!
Labels: loan payoff, spending
1 Comments:
It's good to see you blogging again and even better to know you didn't go shopping on black friday :)
Post a Comment
<< Home