The money circle of poverty

The big bang is not in my account,

I mean that the balance is a paltry amount.

I know my balance down to the smallest cent,

But with credit the account has hell bent.

 

Buy this and I need that,

The rent comes first and that is a fact.

Then electricity, water and other checks go out,

The zero comes quickly as I see the ten count.

 

Like a fighter in the ring, I get tired and have been punched senseless,

I feel like a failed math student and I have failed and now I am a mess.

Oh economy God let the money flow and my spirit will soar,

But that God is asleep at the wheel and all I hear is his snore.

The lure of the dollar

The haves and the have nots were in a poker game,

The haves played but the money was not the end all aim,

But for the have nots it was not just a game of chance,

No it was the rent money that they played with when they took a stance,

It was the money to feed the family involved with the chips,

While they feasted dipped crackers into the assorted dips.

Beer was served for the have nots while the haves had mixed drinks,

The have nots prayed for they needed to be in the pink.

And the haves did not care less about losing a few grand,

To them the money was meaningless like grains of sand.

But the have nots it was like the sand in the hourglass and it was pain to lose,

Such is life, some are good days and some days blue.

But then a message arrived at the table,

It was to one of the haves and it was from his cousin Mable,

It informed him that the stock market had crashed,

Fortunes were destroyed and the haves found out they were out of cash,

Bank accounts frozen panic ensued as the haves rushed home to watch the news,

And now the ones considered the have nots watched with a shy grin,

As the haves rushed around like angels on a pin.

Falling to the depths of despair and nowhere to go,

They were a pitiful lot, for the loss of their money was such a blow.

Many died that night from the shock of the news,

Suicides rained as the economy turned the screws,

And now the ones with no money laughed for they understood the greed of the dollar,

For the ones now deprived of their wealth cried and gave a holler.

So it is with money, just a piece of paper with some ink,

May you instead have health and live life to the fullest and in the pink.

My money List.

My money list

 

A is for Auto

B is for Broke

C is for credit

D is for Deposit

E is for electric

F is for Food

G is for General Fund and gas

H is for House

I is for Insurance

J is for Junk

K is for Kayseri

L is for Loans

M is for Misery and the mystery hole where my money goes.

N is for New Clothes

O is for Open Accounts

P is for Payday Now

Q is for quaint gifts

R is for Reserve Funds, LOL

S is for Savings

T is for television, i.e.: Bright House

U is for Used Items

V is for Value

W is for Waste and water

X is for the X factors, coming out of the blue

Y is for why I bought that

Z is for Zed which is how much I have at the end of the month.

A Current Events Quiz for the Masses.

 

Which teams played in the Super bowl. a. Seattle b. Seattle c. Seattle d. Seattle.

The state of the union was presented by a. Obama b. a replay of last years Obama c. an actor from SNL d. someone off the streets who looked like Obama

Stagnation applies to all but a. the ice that blankets Atlanta and made the cars immobile b. our Congress c. the zombies from Walking Dead d. most peoples wages in 2013.

The winter Olympics will be held in a. Sochi b. Russia c. a haven for terrorist d. no one knows but Putin.

Hamid Karzai is linked to which country? a. He is an American actor b. Afghanistan stooge c. Iran d. Iraq

The American economy is a. improving b. in need of help c. floundering like a fish d. does not exist.

How many circles in the Olympic flag?

Who is the vice president of the United States?

How much tea does the tea party drink at their get conferences?

Finally is the country optimistic for this coming year? No or Yes will suffice.

The Bank Revisited

It was Friday just past and I took three hundred dollars out of my account to pay the electric bill. I will not tell you the name of my bank for I fear being sued for telling the truth. But let us just say it is a bank and it is located in America.

I took the money out of the bank by going in and seeing a teller. I do not trust ATM’s. The teller told me the computers were slow. I swiped my card once and it did not take. I was advised to try again and swiped it again and it did. She handed me the three hundred and told me to have a nice day. So far so good.

A couple of hours later I went on the internet to see my account. We had gone to three stores and used my card in each one. Wal mart, Publix, and our Health Food Store. None of them had any problems and their amounts were good. Then I noticed it my account was three hundred dollars short. You have got to be kidding me. It looked like the bank had taken out the money twice. Now I know I only got three hundred so where was the other three hundred.

Fortunately the bank was opened and my wife and I rushed down there. We saw a manager and explained the problem. She knew right away what happened. It did not only happen to us but a whole bunch of people. The computer was the culprit. It double dipped a bunch of us with matching amounts and deducted it from our accounts.

This led me to the next concern. What if I had because of their bad figures paid out more than was in my account minus the extra they had pulled out? No problem, no penalty would be accessed and the money would be returned by the next bank business day.

I know I am making much to do about nothing. But am I. If this was a gletch and not on purpose what would we do if we were cyber hit by a foreign enemy. Our accounts a mess and the time needed to straighten it out weeks in coming. This was just a fluke. Yet if I overdrew at this bank they go nuts and place thirty five dollar penalty on me. What is their penalty for such nonsense? Just a “I am sorry”

I am now paranoid. Where is my money safe if not in a bank? Would FDIC protect me if the bank had not put my money back? What are the safe guards? I feel violated. What options do I have?

My target card was just the tip of the iceberg. I paid it off and will not use it. I am suspect of all my cards. I am thinking of getting a safe for the house, five pit bulls to guard the safe, a gun to guard me from the pit bulls, a booby trap if anyone enters my house and a big sign in my front yard saying I will stand my ground. I am going insane. Who can I sue? And if I get money from the suit where would I put it to be safe? There is a guy in Nigeria who was a prince that offered me a special deal and maybe I should send him the money? What do you think? I am in crisis mode.

It is now days later.  The bank returned the money the next morning.  But was there a note,  a e-mail, anything saying sorry.  Hell, no.  I was violated, my money disturbed, my peace of mind invaded and thrown to the side.  If I had overextended what would I have done.  People would have made a mockery of me.  Sorry sir, the bank says you are over the limit..  You must be a loser.  What about the people who went over the limit by some fault of their own and you charged them for their foolishness.  How many people have you kicked in the butt and charged them money for being overdrawn by a few dollars.  And yet when you have an error not a word, no penalty have a good day and we will give you a lollipop.  Nice guys.

Target, and the Bank, computer mistakes or just hackers having a field day.  I am scared.  I will look at the skies and wonder what next.  Maybe I should put a safe in my house.  Cash only.  Who is there to protect us?  Who do we trust?  I will sign off confused and dazed.

Heaven and Money

You can not take it with you, and if you could how much could you take?

Is there a special place in heaven for millionaires or does money decide your fate?

Does Henry Ford have a special house in the heavens adorned with auto parts,

Does Sam Walmart float on clouds playing a harp as he zooms between Walmarts?

Does Einstein live with nerds and they have all up to date scientific equipment,

Is there the library in the sky with books of all types and librarians who do not have to say zip it?

Are all fruits ripe and all vegetables on the table with table clothes with beautiful hues,

And every window in your heavenly house are enormous and each has great views.

Are the Presidents past in houses of regal splendor with our flag riding high,

Is there a special corner in the heavens for the cute people who wear a bow tie.

And can you once you get there, can you get kicked out of heaven for an indiscretion,

I know that sounds impossible but honestly, that is in the back of my mind and that is the question.

Is heaven restricted for people who broke the rules of man, like smoking pot and prostitution,

What about the concept of redemption and praying for some type of resolution.

And is there a choice, or is there just heaven or hell?,

I guess we never will know, hopefully I will go up but who can tell.

So you envy me?

Is it fair that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth?,

Is it fair that I have grown up a favorite son of the south?,

Is it fair, that I was given the looks of an Adonis from the heavens above?,

Is it fair, that the girls follow me everywhere and pledge me their love?,

Is it fair that my intelligence and IQ is so grand and high?,

Is it fair that I always get hundreds and the kudos fly?,

Is it fair that I won the lottery and I am as rich as the Devil in Hades?,

Is it fair that I have a fast car, a great house and a bevy of ladies?,

Now, I know at this point you want me to croak like a frog on a log,

But being a liar is my best suit and so ends this imaginary blog.

Is Paying my Bills an Option?

English: An origami flower made of multiple ten dollar bills. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pay those bills by phone, on line, or pay them by money order or check

The rent, the car, the phone, the assorted ones, I am a nervous wreck.

There is never enough money, the end of the month is dry,

None of your creditors gives a damn if you have a good cry.

So you assort them by priority, the most important first get paid,

Then you pay the others sparingly, the dance of the charade.

Ten dollars here, twenty dollars there,

I pay and pay and no one shows a care.

My cat needs surgery but he will have to meow and wait,

It does not matter, paying the electric bill kills the debate.

I use to try to save the dough and put something on the side,

I use to buy good clothes and fine food but the bills never subside.

So in my savings account is the smallest amount as I constantly have to raid it.

We argue constantly about the money and paying bills but it just gives us a fit.

They say you can not take the money with you when you die,

But I can not afford that luxury so you may ask why.

I have got to pay these bills piled high on my desk,

And to the devil I ask humbly for this bequest.

Take me later, let me pay at least the rent,

He laughed with glee and took my last cent.

Scholarships

English: Breakdown of scholarship finalist applications and recipients administered by WMF for 2011 Wikimania. Includes: Column 1: Total finalists Column 2: Full scholarships awarded Column 3: Full + Partial scholarships awarded Regions of world are as defined by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scholarships

A while back I had mentioned scholarships to supplement the funding of your college education. On today’s blog I wish to expand this concept. I know that the day to day activities have your day so compacted that you do not have the time to get the scholarship, or so you think. You would be amazed at how much time you waste. Put aside the video games, turn off the television, and focus on the topic of getting money to pay the freight for your education. Isn’t a couple of hours writing a five hundred word essay on a topic worth it if you get a $500 scholarship. In my way of thinking that is $250 an hour and basically tax free. That is more than the average Joe makes at any job. And you can use the same composition with a little tweaking for more than one scholarship. Get off your behind and start the research, see what is out there, and start the process.

A couple of misconceptions that I need to mention. One is that you can apply for a scholarship no matter if you have money or not. Scholarships do not have the basis of only the financially needy can apply. In fact, there are some that do look at your financial status but most do not. There are a lot of foundations out there that do not give out the money because no one applied. That to me is unbelievable. If I went on any campus I would find the majority of students have ignored most scholarships and feel their government loans are adequate. But those have to be paid back and the scholarships do not.

You do not have to be super intelligent to get many of the scholarships. You can apply at any age, even while still in high school, and you can apply to many of them and keep going even if you win one. I volunteer at the Winter Haven Theater and last year they gave out three $500 scholarship for three of their volunteers who are entering and going to college. These were not based on their intelligence IQ’s or their financial status but on their work as volunteers. Volunteer work is a great resume point and may lead for financial help for college. Plus it is a great way to network for jobs later.

I went on the web and found some really esoteric scholarships. Cast your eyes on these. A $2,000 scholarship for the Fire Sprinkler Association. One of the requirements is a ten question open book quiz on their benefits. I do not know about you but open book is usually an easy test. Another scholarship has to do with working as a golf caddy for two years. Then there are ones associated with the paranormal, or Vegetarian Resource Group.

Here is one directly from the Web:

Sponsored by the American Association of Candy Technologists, the John Kitt Memorial Scholarship is available to college sophomores, juniors and seniors who have demonstrated an interest in confectionery technology.

They are out there and if you investigate and avoid scams look into them. What do you have to lose? The worst thing that could happen is you might get some money for your education.

Alternatives for funding for college

English: Study of rising college costs due to cost shifting from state funding to tuition. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few Alternatives to funding college. We all know of FASFA. That is the government lending you money to go to college. Every admissions in every college applies first there to get you the funding. Of main consideration is the concept this is a loan. And that loan can not be discharged even with bankruptcy.

Usually a college grants you a couple of days to drop a class. A number one rule is this. If you are not happy with a class, do not understand it, do not like the professor for what ever reason, get a change in schedule which makes the class difficult to attend or any reason, drop the class within the grace period or you will be paying for it. This is written in iron. No one is going to waive this rule except for death. I witnessed a lot of students paying for a class they got an F in because of poor attendance. F’s can and will run a tab that will burn you in the end. Find out when you need to drop a class legitimately and hold to it.

One way of funding the college education is a benefit of the military. Some of you should seriously consider this option. Two years or four years to pay for an education and not be saddled with paying back for the rest of your life. Now there are some downs to this. Some of you do not like to take orders. But think of the benefit. Also of all the students I had, many were from the military and what ever branch they were in drummed into them a discipline needed for education. You have to budget out your time and the military does a good job of getting a person to realize that. You have to have a mind set for learning and it is a motto of the services to promote that value system. It is a great benefit to have an education paid for and perhaps many of you who are young and wavering and really do not know what direction you are going in, might want to consider it. At least it gives you some tools.

Another consideration to funding is the fact that some companies will grant an employee a stipend for college. I have two main companies. One will aid an employee in going to college as a means of making a more viable employee, one that can go up the corporate ladder. The other will do nothing to aid the employee. If both jobs are similar in work and one does and one does not, which one would you chose? You need to research which companies make provisions for college enhancement and which ones do not.

Finally there are scholarships. Believe it or not many of them are not even applied for. I know that sounds crazy but it is true. Many students do not even bother with them because they are unaware of them or just to lazy to look them up or they feel they do not qualify for them or whatever. Get off your duff and apply. Most of them just ask a page or two. Many are specialized and if you are unique let that special category you are in work for you.

Finally there are interest groups who finance educational pursuits. There are churches, synagogues and other institutions which have set up financial help. Look into it.

I know that this is a lot of work and truthfully it will require time and energy to find out if you qualify. But if you save $500 or the whole ball game depends on your investment in yourself. The most important concept: YOU ARE WORTH IT. Put the effort in and be rewarded. A note to you enterprising supper stars, be cautious do not let stammers get you involved with their drama. Run the background check, check out everything, and have your eyes open. Money is money. Time is important. But for goodness sake do the work needed to find out important avenues to pay for your education.