What Kind of Car are you Driving???

Is your car paid off?

Or, if it's a newer vehicle, is the remaining loan lower than the value?

Or is the remaining value the same, but the current rates are way better??


These are just three scenarios where your car could help you out. Depending on the value, mileage, and age of your vehicle, even if you have it paid in full, you might be able to refinance or get a loan off of your car/suv/truck/van/RV/Boat....

My bank doesn't do them, so you might want to start directly with your local credit union. Even if you don't have an account with them, find one close/convenient to you and approach them about it.

Credit Unions WANT customers! I don't "get" the difference but credit unions seem WAY more eager for customers. And their rates are WAY better.

So, I have a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think it was initally $27k. Now, she is paid in full.

I am close to the end of being able to refinance this car. So, I can't remember the exact details but both the age of the vehicle and the mileage were a factor -after a certain point, they can't do them at all.
So, I'm working on this now. *I* don't qualify but my sweetie said he would co-sign (is he a keeper, or what?!).

But hey, if I/he can get this loan, then that will be about $5000 that I can use to pay bills!

Now, out of that $5k, I will give him 3-6 months of payments on the loan that he can hold so that he knows that they are covered.

Don't be stupid and get that cash out and not plan for at least a few months! (of course, you should be planning for ALL months and how to pay off this loan! especially if you are involving a co-signer!)

So, the "advice" here is:

• if you have an asset that you can refinance, check with your local credit union
• shop around for the lowest rates, but beware of having your credit report pulled too many times (it lowers your overall credit rating)
• if your CU says "no", ask a relative to co-sign
• if you get the loan, immediately pull aside at least 3-6 months payments. Put them in ingdirect.com. you can't get at the money immediately (so, no impulse buying) and you get good interest and have a safety net.

Today I'm Sad....

A couple of days ago I came to the realization that I seriously needed to try to find new homes for my kitties. (I have 5 cats; all rescues).

They aren't all getting along anymore: mommy's never home because she works so much and Baby Bob died so Robert is angry and agressive; and Charlie found another home; then we took in a cat who was being abused, but Robert doesn't like her; and blah blah blah.

So, between everyone not getting along and the blood and fur everywhere, not to mention the lashing out in behaviors (pee in inappropriate places; hissing fits; SCREAMING bloody murder fights) it's NOT COOL.

So, I did something I ***NEVER*** thought I would do: I posted on Facebook for friends to try to find homes for a few of the cats.

It was hard to do. So hard!!!!

What was worse? A guilt trip from someone about giving them up. And how much harder HER life has been than mine, but she kept her pets. At first, I just replied, responded to her statements - how hard it was. And that I would never abandon any of them, but one of them lives under the bed and that is no life and on and on. Total "defensive mode".

Then as the evening went by - I was at Choir rehearsal (for a non-profit charitable choir I sing with) I started thinking more about it. And I started getting angry. And I had to excuse myself twice because I started to cry. When I got home, I wrote her again and told her my feelings. She replied immediately with "I don't mean to make you feel that way, but...." but then again how her life is so much harder and "I wouldn't have offered to help if..."

None of it made me feel better. I feel worse actually.

Interestingly, I've never actually met this person. She is a friend of a DEAR friend of mine. I had always heard about her and we "connected" over facebook. And we have ALWAYS seen eye-to-eye! So this is weird. Unchartered territory. I'm essentially "in a fight" with a stranger.

Alternate train of thought here: I heard an article on NPR on Monday about language. This guy was studying words. (pardon me for not remembering his name, university, study, etc - i'm driving so I'm actually paying attention to the road and the rest is "comfort" information in my mind). Anyway, in this guy's study, the word "I" is important. If you use the word "I" in your sentence a lot, then, essentially, you are deferring seniority to the other person in the conversation. So, *I* guess that *I* shouldn't feel so bad because she used the word "I" a bunch in the conversation. So, maybe she WAS trying to make me feel better. But I only felt worse.

Animals are the unseen victim of this economy.

Incidentally, while I have been writing this, I had break up two cat fights - one where Robert had an almost absurd amount of Bella's fur hanging from his mouth (it would have been funny if i wasn't so pissed!).

Miss Piper is currently taking a bath behind me getting ready to settle in for a nap.

And KC has positioned herself on the desk in front of me with her purr on full-tilt!

They are crazy but I love them!

Epic Fail!

I clearly SUCK at writing a blog!!! First, you need time, which i don't have. Second, you need dedication, but I am an AMAZING procrastinator so I kept telling myself, "I'll do it tomorrow!" like somehow MAGICALLY I'd have more time tomorrow! UGH!

Today alone I found that I missed two SERIOUS deadlines - one for Scripps Health to not send me to collections (that was due a week ago) and one for a class at my business (she asked on 4/19 about whether we could get a product in or not).

I just hate that type of stuff!!

And my "easiest" job - looking after my friends' condo (they are military and got moved to DC) - they have their THIRD water leak/issue in less than 18 months. Yes, THREE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! They NEVER had a problem before and now a toilet was slowly leaking into the unit below, then we had a scare that we had anotehr leak in the kitchen but it was a drain outside, and today I got the call that there is a leak in the OTHER bathroom leading into the downstairs condo. I don't even have time to meet the plumber over there so all of that will have to go site-unseen (by me) and just cross my little fingers.