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Home > $27 out, .25 in

$27 out, .25 in

April 16th, 2015 at 01:23 pm

Yesterday I was hit with a service charge from Citi for the the ancestry.com subscription. Even though I paid over the phone the moment I was aware that I had been charged, I was four days overdue. Maybe I got an e-bill; I don't know. Seems like I would have noticed it, even in my glut of junk email.

So that was $27. But I found a quarter on the train!

So the pressure is on more than ever to curb my spending this month. This morning I woke up to a rainstorm. I really wanted to drive rather than walk through the rain. But I walked through the rain and took the train. Then I really wanted to buy breakfast at the station. But I knew I had oatmeal at work, and I resisted. I brought my lunch (but that is a usual thing). Still, I have managed in my first few hours of the day not to spend anything! If I get past the morning hours, I'm usually okay. That's where all the temptation is.

I've spent 60% of my budget now, with 53% of the month to go.

I have a $5 coupon for PetSmart, which I will use this weekend on kitty litter, and I also have a $5 coupon for Goodwill, which must be used this month. I will definitely count the PetSmart coupon as a snowflake, and I will also count the Goodwill one -- if I find something to buy that I would buy anyway. That may be a trick, but sometimes Goodwill has household supplies, and that is what I will look for.

I did another $1.50 load of laundry last night. I have one more to do tonight, and then I will be caught up.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

7 Responses to “$27 out, .25 in”

  1. chloe Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 02:56 pm 1429196161
    1429196161

    I was looking at your sidebar and saw that you're reading a book in the car, and I was very confused. And then I realized it must be a book on tape Smile Is it hard to juggle reading three books at once? I only ever read one at a time, but I usually read electronic books so they are easy to carry around from place to place.

    Great job resisting temptation all morning!

  2. CB in the City Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 03:36 pm 1429198575
    1429198575

    Sometimes it IS a little confusing, but if the books are very different types, then I can keep them straight! Right now I'm reading a modern mystery, an eighteenth-century novel, and a contemporary literary novel, and they are all different formats -- physical book, e-book, and audiobook. So it's pretty easy to go from one to another without getting them mixed up!

  3. michdado Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 04:26 pm 1429201617
    1429201617

    CB - would a call or email to Citi be in order? I find that if you ask nicely, sometimes they will remove the charge "from a customer service standpoint." I'm sure you are usually a fantastic customer! And point that out!

    Just this a.m., I had a $20 charge on my directv bill for THEM shipping a new receiver to me. I didn't think this was "fair" in that we didn't break the receiver.. it was just old and stopped working. I had a nicely-toned online chat, and the rep gave me $42 in return.. essentially $7 off my bill for the next six months. Hey I'll take it. I thanked him and was very polite.

    Might be worth a shot - you have nothing to lose at $27 to gain Smile

  4. CB in the City Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 07:07 pm 1429211243
    1429211243

    Thanks, Michdado. I've already talked to them twice, actually. I can't get them to budge on this. I am paying it in order to just be done with them; don't think I'll be using the card again!

  5. My English Castle Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 07:52 pm 1429213949
    1429213949

    Oh that's lousy. I was going to suggest calling them as well. I despise Citi's so-called customer service. Although I don't like big banks much at all, Chase is at least customer service oriented (for us, so far).

  6. VS_ozgirl Says:
    April 16th, 2015 at 10:27 pm 1429223227
    1429223227

    Great work with resisting temptation! Ps I have spent 52% of my monthly budget, but I have a dentist visit tomorrow so who knows where I'll end up? I could end up having to watch super carefully like you are now!

  7. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    April 18th, 2015 at 01:47 am 1429321629
    1429321629

    CB - That's partly why I don't have a Citi card anymore, and never will again. Their CS blows. (I had a Citi card for the Netflix deal, and it was a pain in the rear!)

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