Going cashless - against the grain

Forever the contrarian, it seems.  While others are opting for cash only transactions to avoid credit card balances, I am doing just the opposite.  I have streamlined my wallet to include only my ID, one credit card, an ATM/Debit card and a couple of insurance information cards. 

I have a few reasons for making this change:

• Thinner, smaller wallet that is easier to conceal and carry
  
• Faster transactions
• Cash back on card purchases means more money in my pocket
• Eliminate hassle of carrying change coins

 Some other potential benefits:

• Reduce chances of overpaying.  For example, handing over a 20, but receiving change for a 10
  
• Eliminate the handling of tainted and/or counterfeit bills

And of course, some of the cons might be:

• Credit card not accepted everywhere
• Vendor refuses transaction due to low purchase amount
• More people handling my credit card could increase chances of ID theft/fraud

I decided to put the new system to test this past week while on a three day business trip.  At first, it seemed a little strange to use a card to pay for a 2 dollar and 17 cent item.  However, the cashier didn’t hesitate at all when I handed over a credit card.  The best part is that the deal is cleaner and much faster, since a signature is not required on transactions less than $25 and some vendors accept even larger amounts.

It all went smoothly, except for a couple of instances.  In one case, I stopped at a kiosk for a newspaper and coffee in an airport.  Payment was on the honor principle!  The kiosk had a container with a slot and a sign “please pay with correct change”.   Since I was so impressed with the fact that anybody would use an honor system in a large city airport, I just had to participate.  By throwing a couple of bucks in the pot, I wanted to show the vendor and the world that there is some hope for the future of humankind!  That’s right, some folks will pay for services simply because it’s the right thing to do, not because it’s the law. 

Fortunately, I didn’t do this cashless experiment cold turkey.  I had three dollar bills and a twenty – just in case.

The next cash only situation occurred at my hotel. The hotel offered complimentary breakfast buffet and it was so good and the waitress so friendly that I wanted to leave a tip.  I could have asked to have a tip placed on my room bill, but who knows if the waitress would have received that?   Leaving cash on the table was the best way to make sure she got the tip.

From this trial, I can see that I still need to stash a few bucks for tips, especially when I travel.  So, my wallet may not be as thin as I would like, but then again, I just found another way to eliminate my ATM/debit card by turning my drivers license into a debit card!

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How I saved Money this week

I signed up for the 10% off coupon at both the Home Depot and Lowes moving web sites. Lowes e-mailed the coupon within 3 days, while I still have not received anything but junk e-mail for Home Depot. I initially thought that I would be able to print out the coupon immediately after signing up but it didn’t work that way. I sent an inquiring e-mail to Home Depot about the coupon and was told that it would take 4-5 business weeks!

I tend to frequent Home Depot more often than Lowes. That is not because I like it any better than Lowes, it’s just closer to home. So, during my last shopping trip, picking up 6x6 posts for my pergola, I asked the clerk if they accepted competitors coupons. And sure enough they do, so I pulled out the Lowes 10% off and got a nice little discount, which made my day!

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The story of my roof replacement continues....

It took over a week, but I now have my insurance adjuster’s estimate for replacing my roof that has suffered hail damage. I looked it over line by line and found several errors. The estimate is difficult to read. It’s inconsistent, sometimes material and labor are included for an item and other times it is not. I found that he had missed a couple of items (power wash and re-stain a chimney) and one of the subtotals was incorrect (short) by over $600! But, the most surprising thing was that his estimate to replace my roof was $2500 less than the two contractor bids that I have.

The adjuster had left me with a long distance phone number to call him with any questions. I don’t see why I should need to pay phone charges to talk about an insurance claim, especially when I have a local agent. I called the agent and they said they would contact him and have him call me. Two days later, I still had not heard from him. I called the corporate insurance claims center. They gave me another 1-888 number to reach the adjuster. I left three phone messages over three days before he returned my call. He said he didn’t check that voice mail very often!

His response to the huge difference between his estimate and the two contractors bids, was that I needed to get three bids. That’s interesting as these two contractors must have 20 signs up in my neighborhood. Could they be that overpriced and yet have so much work?

The adjuster assures me that the insurance company wants to make my roof "whole" again. If that is the case then why did he underestimate the cost of the work? Here’s an example: he estimated the cost to power wash the chimney and re-stain it as $48.80. I don’t know anyone who would want to climb my very steep roof with a power washer in tow for less than 50 bucks. I wonder if I could even rent a power washer for that?

When I pointed this out, he offered to add on another $50. Then he throws out that they have decided to send the depreciation check immediately. I should have it in less than a week. I mentioned this to a roofing contractor and he looked at me in disbelief. He had never heard of such a thing and said that the depreciation value is usually sent after the work has been completed. I get the impression that this insurance company wants me to put this cash in my pocket and just go away.

It is frustrating that this adjuster was not as thorough as he needed to be. He mentioned that he had completed over 7 house estimates for that one day. It seems quite possible that because he is paid by the claim, he rushes from one house to the next to cash in and then takes weeks to get the paperwork out.

I am certain that this will all work out in the end after I do a lot more work collecting bids. I plan to get that third magical bid, as well as three bids for the power washing and staining of my chimney and wood decks. But most importantly, I already have an attractive quote for a home insurance policy with another company.

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How I $aved Money this week

It’s that time of year again. Once a year, I call Time Warner Cable and threaten to discontinue my internet service. Why do we have to play this little game?

Every year, TWC raises my bill about 10% which prompts me to call TWC to request a discount. They give me one for 10% that is good for one year and we start the process over again.

Evidently, TWC is banking on the fact that a lot of people do not bother to call in and get this discount. The price goes up and they don’t notice, or don’t care, or just don’t know what can be done? As usual, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I hate being the squeaky wheel and I find this type of business practice repulsive. And as soon as I find a better internet/ TV deal I will show them just how much I dislike doing business with them. LOL.

Another little savings was realized by using a Home Depot coupon that I received in the mail. I purchased over $50 worth of reflective insulating material and got $5 off the bill. It was an easy ten percent savings.

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Hailstones bring out the Roofers and Chicken Little

This past April a hail storm blew through my neighborhood. The hail was marble size, with some being the size of two marbles. In addition to the damage that my 20 yo asphalt shingled roof incurred, numerous holes were blasted through my porch covering and the stain on my 700 sq feet of wood deck was chipped away to bare wood in hundreds of spots. Fortunately, the house roof does not have any leaks and most amazing of all my garden of peas, green beans, peppers and tomatoes survived with minimal carnage.

It didn’t take long for the roofing companies to bear down on the neighborhood. Within one day of the event, I had several calling cards at my door and within weeks roofing company signs were sprouting up in the yards around the area. However, it has taken more than a month for the first new roof to go up. I had intended to wait, check out each roofers work and decide which to call – then a roofer caught me at home.

He explained how prices were escalating weekly, shingles were getting scarce and there was even talk of rationing shingles to certain areas of the country. Heavens to Betsy, the sky is falling. He also explained that with time, hail damage can become obscured, so I needed to act quickly. Furthermore, he stated whether you file a claim or not, your rates will increase, since nearly everyone in the neighborhood is filing. This high pressure approach may work on some, but it was way over the top for me. I asked him for an estimate and politely kept my sarcasm to myself.

After the roofer made some measurements, his initial rough bid nearly doubled. Wow! He noticed my shock and suggested that they could do some things to help me with my deductible. Hmmm. So, the roofer over charges the insurance company and refunds the money to the homeowner to get the roof contract. I despise insurance – the incentives are all misplaced. Does anybody repair roofs anymore? If there was no such thing as insurance, home owners would try to get a lot more mileage out of their roofs and save a lot more landfill space in the process.

I thought it was interesting when the roofing contractor told me that no one replaces their roof unless the insurance company is paying – even in Ross Perot’s neighborhood. This particular roofer did not convince me that the roof was actually damaged and even suggested that he should be there to talk to my insurance adjuster to help seal the deal.

I wanted another opinion – did I really need a new roof? I called my insurance agent who informed me that I had to file a claim to get an adjuster to examine the roof. The agent assured me that the claim would not go against me unless they paid out money. Thanks a lot. So, I called another 1-800 number to get a claim number and was told that a third party contractor would be my adjuster and that he would call to set up an appointment within 3 days. He called me at 9:47 PM on the second day to arrange to view the roof another 4 days later. He gave me a window between 2 and 4 PM and then didn’t show up until 5:15 PM. Darn, I missed work for this.

The adjuster climbed up on the roof, made some measurements and then pronounced the roof “totaled”. I have heard that some adjusters are able to give an estimate of the insurance payout right on the spot, but not this guy. He said he would get back with me via e-mail once he figured up the squares and itemized the costs. Hopefully, I will hear something within the next week before the sky falls in. ;)

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An Easy way to make your Home more Energy Efficient

Chalk up another fun project completed. This past weekend I installed a reflective insulating material on the inside of my double garage door. The door faces West, so it receives a lot of direct sunlight in the afternoon, plus there is indirect reflection from the concrete driveway.

Because I wanted to reduce the radiant heat transfer through the door, I chose a foil based, reflecting bubble material. The idea is to reflect the heat as opposed to sealing or simply insulating the door.

I found just the right material at Home Depot called Reflectix®. A lot of folks get hung up on R-values, but in this application R-value is not the driver. The Reflectix® website provides a good explanation comparing the foam insulation of a styrofoam cup to that of a glass-lined thermos. The foam cup has a higher R-value than the thermos lining, but the internal surface of the thermos reflects the heat or cold from the liquid back inside the thermos keeping the liquid much warmer or colder than the cup. Think about it, would you rather drink coffee from a thermos jug or a foam cup hours later?

I bought three 25 foot x 24 inch rolls of the material at $21 each and had 10-12 feet left over that I plan to use later to wrap AC/heat ducts in the attic. I measured each door panel, cut the material to fit the length and cut the width to allow at least an inch and a half overlap on the top and bottom. I then tucked the top and bottom edges (overlap) into the channels of the door panels. The material stayed in place very well without any adhesive, but you could use a light dusting of spray 77, if desired.

The low emittance surface of the reflective insulation blocks up to 97% of the radiation. And I can definitely feel a difference in the temperature in the garage. I can only assume that this will help keep the house a little cooler as well. Especially since I have a doggy door between the wash room and the garage.

Is it worth it? How long will it take to recover the initial costs? It may take a year or two to recoup the costs, but it’s really irrelevant because it has already made the garage a lot more comfortable place to be in the summer time.

Because the material is reflective on both sides, I anticipate that in the winter time the warm air in the garage (warmer than the outside air temperature) will be reflected back into the garage keeping the area a skosh warmer. Along those same lines, I have also noticed that the heat from my vehicle when pulled into the garage with the door shut – heats up the garage more so than before! Exactly as one would expect, right?

I seem to have alleviated one problem only to be “foiled” by another. So now I leave the door open for a short time to let the vehicle cool or if the weather is nice I park in the driveway. I can rationalize that having the garage door up or down in the evening is not that big of a deal because by the time I arrive home on a typical work day, the sun has set below the tree line and is no longer impinging on the garage door.

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Back in Black (Ink) Deal of the week – All-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax

I have been in need of a printer for months and finally found one on-line that was compact, met my needs and was easy on the pocket book. I ordered it from Staples.com on Thursday morning and it arrived Friday at 230 PM via UPS. Awesome. I was skeptical about the next day delivery claim, especially since the shipping cost was less than 5 dollars.

The All-in-One is a refurbished Brother MFC-240C that came with two rebates. One was an instant $10 off at checkout and then another $20 off with an on-line rebate. I didn’t have to print anything out (which is fortunate because I didn’t have a printer, yet). To get the 20 dollar rebate, I just clicked a link, typed in my order # and sent off the rebate form. The final cost including shipping will be $34.

I also found a link for ink cartridges for my model that cost $5 each. Not bad!

The setup was easy; the instructions were very clear and the software install a breeze. I was printing, copying and scanning in no time at all. I can’t believe I waited so long to get a new printer!

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