AC Problems

So after the drama of our plumbing mess, we thought all of our problems with our home was over with. Not so, now our AC is freezing up and not cooling the house. Our house is really, really old, so we have window units. Well this unit is pretty much new, around 5 yrs old. We have another unit that came with the house and is probably 100 yrs old and runs perfectly. I guess they don't make AC's like they used to. Anyway we need to figure out if this is a problem that can be fixed or if we just need to purchase another unit. Looks like we will be having to dish out some more money.

Starbucks Closing Stores

Starbucks will be closing 600 of its least earning stores. Displacing about 12,000 employees. It seems like you couldn't turn a corner without seeing a Starbucks. Now many of the Starbucks, built close to each other, may be closing down. Most of the closures will be stores that are considered unprofitable. Starbucks believes that the closures will help other stores profits. What a drag, hopefully none of the stores that I frequent will be shut down. It seems that our economic outlook is going down.

Oil Hits An All Time High

Oil prices have hit an all time high today. Oil is now $143 per barrel, which probably means that gas prices will be on the rise again. The national average is 4.08 per gallon. Stocks are also down, with investors worried that our economy is going down the toilet. My stocks have dropped big time. All I can do now is wait for the market to change and for me to be able to re-coop my money. So great news for a Monday morning.

Pain in the Pump

With gas prices soaring, everyone is feeling the pain of high fuel costs. Because we are spending more on gas than we were before, I need to rework our budget. This is something that brings no joy in my life. Wether I like it or not we are spending more at the pump, so I need to allocate more money for fuel than I had in past months. Another thing we need to look at is our electric bill, which has jacked up over these summer days. This means less spendable cash at hand. So I will start working on a new budget and let you guys know how it came out later.

Back in Black

Well I am finally back. I've been slacking enough and it is time to get back to work. Here is what's been going on. After the drama of our car breaking down all the time, we got a new truck. Besides the car payment, the truck is working out awesomely. My investments are sucking, but I have the time to wait it out. Everything else is pretty much cool. So here is my first post for the new year. Sorry it took so long for me to post something.

Old Habits

It seems that we have gone back to our old habit of eating out a lot, which is eating up a lot of our income. We had been doing pretty well with buying groceries and cooking at home, but it all starts to become a pain in the butt. Besides junk food is so much easier to get and jacks up your fat intake and your body weight. Anyway it looks like we are going to have to get strict with ourselves and start making meals at home again. Back to the fun of home cooking.

Finished

Well I finished my online defensive driving course and it was pure hell. Not that the company was bad, but it was just so boring. I kept getting kicked out because I would fall asleep or turn my attention else where. Even though it was boring it was still probably a hundred times better than sitting in a class for 8 hrs and at least with the online class you can log on and off as much as you want so not to bore yourself to death. Anyway it's done and I just wanted to get it off my chest. If you ever have to take defensive driving, online is the way to go.

Amazon...

Well it seems that I have changed my mind about Amazon. While ordering
Buffet: The Making Of An American Capitalist, I had my credit card number jacked while paying for the book. Luckily it was my company card and they caught on right away. The thief tried to buy $300 in costumes, and around $800 in who knows what from Japan. This makes this the most expensive book that I have ever bought. Needless to say I will no longer be buying from Amazon if they can't keep their orders secure. I was talking to the credit card company and they said that this problem happens all the time with Amazon. Anyway, hope this book turns out to be pretty good for all the hassle I went through.