Other stuff....not moving!

All I have talked about for a month is the move.  And while it consumes all of my thoughts, you shouldn't be subjected to it all the time.  Sorry!

So other stuff that (financially) has happened....

1) Escrow reimbursement.  Because our taxes went down ever so slightly on the house, our escrow account had a surplus.  So we got a surprise check in the mail for $342!!!  WIN!  I would have been perfectly happy to let it sit in the account and it get credited toward the house when it sells....but here it is.  Not that it is really staying.  It is going toward the expenses we have already laid out for fixing up the house.  But at least that covered our window ($288) and flowers ($45). 

2) Bossy's supplies.  Oh, I will NOT miss the company that currently supplies all of our feeding tube supplies.  We have not received a correct bill in at least 2 years.  And the woman who places the order each month oversteps her bounds and questions the doctor's orders.  Anyway, we got a bill for the Oct, Nov, and Dec 2013 (yes....last year) orders.  We previously had gotten the bill for October back in the March 2014 area.  And it was messed up.  We had a credit at that point and stopped paying monthly until they got the following months billed...since I didn't want to keep paying them for an unknown amount. 

So yes, they are finally billing it.  And the bill was wrong.  Again.

Once again they didn't subtract the discount for our financial waiver (actually, I was told that someone did, and then someone un-did it before the bill went out).  The $515 bill went down to $158 with the credit we had. 

We MAY have a slight bill after this, depending on how they bill things.  Our 100% waiver kicks in for 2/2/14...so there are about 5 days before that which haven't been billed yet that are technically at 60%.  It would be about $10.  Who knows what they will do....or when they will do it!

3)  Taxes at the store.  My brother bought Sassy a sweater for her birthday at a national chain store that sells over priced, very sparkly clothes.  Sassy loves them.  I say ick.  But that isn't the point.

The sweater was the wrong size, so I took it back (with the receipt that Bro sent with it, just in case) and did an even exchange.  Then they proceeded to charge me the difference in tax!  My state has a higher tax rate (go figure....) than Bro's state.  So while I didn't get charged anything for the item, I was expected to pay the difference in the tax.

We have returned and exchanged lots of things over the years at a variety of stores, and I have never been charged the difference in tax.  So I called customer service to inquire about it.

First the girl tells me it isn't their policy, it is the state. 

Mysti: This is CT policy? 
Girl:  Well, no.
Mysti:  So where did you get this information?
Girl:  From Home Office.
Mysti:  OK, then it IS company policy.
Girl:  Yes.

*sigh*  Then yes, it is THEIR policy.  This girl has no idea what I am talking about....she is reading it from a book.

She proceeds to tell me that the company isn't going to eat the cost.  I tell her that if no refunds or charging of difference in tax, then there is a good chance that it will be a net zero anyway.  Plus, there is always the price of doing business.

For the record, this wasn't about the AMOUNT I had to pay in tax....it was that they advertise free returns/exchanges....and my exchange transaction wasn't "free."  No, I wasn't charged to actually exchange the item...but I am penalized because I live in a more expense state than my brother.

The bottom line was I lodged my complaint and told her that I will be less likely to tell family to purchase from the store because of this.  She offered to send me a gift card for what I paid....no thank you....it was a very small amount and I don't need the GC.  I didn't tell her what the amount was.

It was 20 cents.

It wasn't about the 20 cents.......it was about the policy.

My BFF laughed at the story.  She said it sounded like the scene in Father of the Bride where the dad wigs out over hot dog buns.  Enjoy!!!

Convenience fee

Just a quick word about yesterday's post....Yes, I am thankful that G-man wasn't hurt in his near accident.  But the point of the post was that on the same day, 2 things happened, and they cancelled each other out.  And the tire....G-man is soooo hard on his things.  Cars, clothes, just about anything.  We have made 2 payments on the car, and we already have to put money into it.  Any long time reader knows that we don't do well with cars, and while we have the money for the tire....it will mean we won't have that money towards the tires that my car will probably need by the end of the year.

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In elementary school...the kids had to bring lunch money for the week on Monday and got tickets for their purchases.   They discouraged the kids to use actual real money on a daily basis, as it slowed the whole system down.  They would decide on Sunday night what days they were buying, and I would write them a check for the amount.  They didn't allow purchases beyond that one week, so this was done every week.....

This year, the district went to an on-line system for payment of school lunch district-wide.  Previously, this was only available at the middle schools and high school.  Parents can determine if kids can buy meals only, or meals and snacks.  The on-line system allows users to see what your child has purchased (within reason....it is labeled "snack/chips" or "meal"), monitor the balance, and add money to the account.  Students have a pin number, so again, no money is changing hands. 

I actually tried to register in September, but didn't have my kids ID number (different from their pin).  And because sometimes I get lazy....I didn't call to get it.  I would just send the kids in with a check to cover the month, along with the optional form to help insure proper crediting.


The school district sent out a voicemail about 2 weeks ago encouraging parents to use the online system.  So we called and got their ID and I registered.  I found out that Sassy has been buying a snack just about every day.  She and I discussed this, and I told her 2-3 snacks per week, or her snack privileges will be taken away.  Additionally, we told her that if she runs out of money in her account for the month....oh well.

Sassy's account is depleted (must be the cookies!), as I didn't make a Jan 1 payment (between snow days, holidays....I forgot!).  I figured I would just put money in her account, and top off Bossy's account.

And then I noticed....the fee.  I was being charged $3.80 to add money to the accounts.  I also noticed that it appears to be a 4.75% fee, that is charged EACH time you deposit money.  Even if I did a one time deposit for the YEAR (which I am not....), it would be almost $50 for the convenience of doing it on-line. 

No thanks.  I will keep writing my antiquated checks.  I will monitor the kids' accounts, but I am not paying a fee.