Power of Words: Letter to My Creditors

Several of you have asked to have a copy of my letter to the creditor. Though I am sure if you were to write a letter you would also receive results.

Just a little background. I had consolidated all my debt to this one card with a 3.9% interest for the life of the loan as far as I made my payments on time and all the other fine print. Anyway, after missing one payment and one arrived online after 5pm and was late, they raised my interest to a whopping 25% the first time was 14 and then the next payment went to the 25%...anyway they also transferred all my transferred balances to the purchases section and charged me a transferring fee. After sending this letter, my interest is at 4.9% and they refunded me the transferring fees and moved my balance back to the balance transfer place.

Eric said I needed to write more letters. But anyway just glad I sent it in before all the craziness but anyway it is so worth a shot to write your credit card companies.

Here is my letter:

In July I sent a payment via my Quicken and online banking. My computer was set to send it out to arrive on the 18th to be there in time for my 20th payment. Some where in the electronic world it got “lost” and arrived on the 21st incurring me a late payment, which incurred me an interest rate hike. I understood, I missed my payment by one day and had to undergo the penalties.

Then this month for some reason after fixing my Quicken date so that I wouldn’t incur anymore late payments, it didn’t even send. I just got the statement saying I didn’t pay, which alerted me to the non payment. Now all my balance transfers have been transferred to purchases and once again have incurred another interest rate hike as well as a balance transfer fee (which I didn’t expect to happen). I have sent the August payment in totally $xxx which y’all should be receiving electronically.

As I take responsibilities for my finances and have been a loyal on time customer, I am sickened at the increasing amount of debt I am incurring because of errors and events out of my control. (I probably should not have used my Citi card to consolidate all my debts, or entrusted an electronic set up but I did and had every intention of paying on time to keep my low rate.) I am struggling to get out of debt and it saddens me to know that y’all are making money off of small mistakes, simple errors. Mistakes and errors you expect and wait for, so you can make huge profits. With the interest increases, “balance transfer” fees, and all other penalties and fees, I see no way in ever being able to pay my debts back to you.

I am asking for a little forgiveness for human and computer errors. I know somewhere in that small fine print there are several paragraphs and sentences that a trained eye can read protecting you and your money. But what about us little guys, just really trying to make it in this world? I am not asking you to erase my debts, nor am I asking you to refund my “balance transfer” fee, which would be appreciated, especially since you have probably made all your money back that I have ever borrowed in interest alone. But, I am asking for a break in my interest rate.

Sincerely,

Thursday Thought Train: Wasting Money my past time.

Wasting Money seems to be an easy thing for me to do. Not just waste it but basically throw it away. Some days I think it would just be easier to go to the ATM and get out forty bugs not bugs, bucks, and just let my kids rip them up and use it as confetti as Eric walks through the door from work and throw it up in the air and yell "Thanks for making us money."

Grant it I don't give the kids money to tear apart (I think it is illegal to destroy money but don't quote me) because that just seems so wrong. But in so many ways its like I say here take this and tear away!! I guess I have other options of using money check this site out.

I take the kids to get a treat, you know heading over to the golden arches and grabbing them a happy meal. They eat two fries, and a bite of burger and just throw it in the trash. Some days I eat their left overs but my goodness, what is better food rotting in the trash or in my stomache? Either way that is a waste right?? I think each time, ok next time we will just get a large fry to share and one burger and I will cut it in fourths so they all have a slice. But do I? No I get them all their own and end up throwing them away, unless they are super hungry which is rarely the case. And this applies to food at home too not just when we eat out.

Then yesterday, (I haven't mentioned the kids are on fall break, yep a week and a half of no school!), we drove around looking for an inflatable world to go play on. Well we ended up in the mall at KB Toy store, I know not where we were headed but seemed like a good option. Spend money on something they can play with over and over, rather than an hour of fun. After humming and hahing over toys they all picked something.

And in the car instead of "thanks Mom." I got:

"Stupid cheap plastic gun. It already broke." It did, wasted $7

"I no wanted a phone. Me want a baby doll." And with that the Cinderella phone she had picked out flew to the floor. There goes $5.

"I like my puppy. Thank you Mommy." Ok so not totally wasted.

But you get the idea, just seems like I waste money.

Then there is T-Rex!!

• I buy baby wipes, he pulls them all out and throws them in the toilet.



• I give him a drink of something he grabs the cup and dumps it all over the floor.



• He pulls things off the shelf at the store and starts chewing on it and I have to pay for it.

You would have thought that after his first week of crawling I would be prepared for him...but for some reason I just keep forgetting....while trying to post this, he unfolded the laundry on the bed, he dumped his smoothie on the carpet, he pooped all over the floor after taking off his just put on diaper, he dumped a box of crayons and then a box of pens on the floor, though to give him credit he took his clothes and threw them on his bedroom floor!

Then there is sun tan lotion or rather sun screen that we go through like it is water, not that water really is free anymore...but anyway the kids, well Two thinks that it must taste good or something because she chews on the bottle, then squirts half the bottle on her legs and the rest on the carpet. At least we can find sun screen every where we go here, but man at $7 a bottle we may just have to stay inside.

I guess I could make them sun dresses out of money instead?!

I think this whole focus on the nation's economy has me seeing everything in number signs? What about you??

One note on that whole bailout issue, come on people just take responsibility for your own actions! It is not any one's fault but your own. No one ever forced me to use a credit card, or buy above my means. I just am stupid with my money, cuz like I said wasting money is one of my past times. Did you hear this story? CLICK HERE..... Come on no one forces you to use credit!

Though they mentioned on the news yesterday about contacting your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest. I recently wrote a letter to mine, anyway long story short, they refunded some fees, and lowered my interest a TON! It doesn't hurt to ask.

Well the kids are begging to go to the beach. And with a whole bottle of sunscreen on their faces, they are ready though right now complaining of it stinging, I think a whole bottle can do that kids!!

A total waste of $20

So if you know me, you know this last year has been a challenge for me and my health. I have seen a ton of doctors and been poked, prodded and diagnosised with almost everything under the sun. Well not everything but anyway I haven't left the doctors with a clean bill of health that's for sure.

Well today I went to my family care provider. It was a visit for my follow-up for my hospitalization this past summer. I arrived 5 minutes early, and waited for about 15 in the waiting room. The nurse called me back and weighed me and took my other vitals. Then I waited another 15 minutes. The doctor came in.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than I have felt in a long while. It's been a long few months."

She glances down at my chart. Looks up. "I got a letter from your endocrinologist."

"Any information about my labs?"

"No just a letter saying he will be monitoring your thyroid nodules annually. Though nice to get a letter from him. How did the ultra sound go? Any word?"

"No, you know the techs they don't tell you anything."

Stands up, pulls out her heart listening thingy (can't figure out how to spell it), "take a deep breath."
She sits back down, looks at the chart.

"your blood pressure looks good."

"Yeah I saw the cardiologist and he switched my meds."

"They seem to be working. So do you want me to monitor your blood pressure or the cardiologist?"

"I know he wanted to see me back again, so I am guessing he will do it."

"Well you look great. And since the endocrinologist is monitoring your thyroid, and the cardiologist is monitoring your blood pressure. I guess I will see you as needed."

She walks out and as she slams the door shut says "Have a great day."

That was my appointment, no kidding. I probably should have canceled as my gut told me to, oh well, I like going out and giving money needlessly to people. Though I am sure Dr. B could use it for the remodeling they are doing in the office.