Adventures in Debt

Yes, I’ve not forgotten about you my faithful readers, but with moving last week, and my lack of inspiration these days, I haven’t had much to say. I’ll be posting my January numbers shortly, so look for those, although you may not be excited to see them since my debt will have increased for sure after all the moving expenses.

But  never fret, I’m still in a frugal state of mind, so I’ll have all sorts of plans and ideas to whittle down the debt as  much as I can.

Last week I was reviewing my credit card situation as I knew that several of my balance transfer deals were coming due shortly. I was debating applying for a new credit card to take advantage of other balance transfer deals, however I’ve been a bit leery of doing that since I don’t want to put another credit account on my file. Unlike in the US where 0% transfer deals seem to be a dime a dozen, here in Canada they’re few and far between. However they do exist. And I managed to find one.

Citi Financial was having a deal on their Gold card, that gives 0% interest on balance transfers till January 2009, as well as waiving the transfer fee. (Citi typically charges a fee for any transfers, so getting them to waive this is a good thing.) So I waffled back and forth, read all the fine print, and in the end, I decided to go for it.

A big change from back in the old days was that I applied for the card online. I filled in the form and clicked Submit. And that was that. It got me thinking to the way it used to be, when you would fill out a form and mail it in, versus this new way, where I just filled out everything online and sent it in on the Internet. Which way do you prefer? Would you Apply Online for a Credit Card? Or would you only do it old school, and mail in the form? Personally, I like the online way, as it’s easier, and it’s better for the environment as the issuer doesn’t have to print up anything for me. You know how banks and insurance companies like to print up reams of paper for each little thing, so any way I can get them to stop is fine in my books. But does sending it through the Internet bother you? I suppose if you never shop online or do any financial transaction online, then you would have some concerns, but for someone like me who does buy online, who does my banking online, and uses PayPal and other similar things, then it is no concern at all to Apply Online for a Credit Card.

I was pleased to see that issuers here in Canada are starting to do more things online, and in secure fashions, so that I don’t have to be as worried about my personal information as I used to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I send off my information to just anyone, but to accepted and trusted recipients, that’s no problem. In fact, these days, it’s probably safer to send it online than take money out of an ATM, what with all the scams and card information stealing that goes on these days. But in the end, it’s all a matter of what you’re comfortable with. So, would you apply online? Or do you still like to physically sign your applications?

At the current apartment (the one I’m moving out of in a day), I park on the street out front of the house. It’s not a huge problem, even in the winter when it snows, however on occasion, I have found my passenger side mirror flipped in. The mirror actually flips in if you need it to, but I never do. I guess some people have wandered on the sidewalk and run into it, and while that’s okay, I suppose, it’s still a little frustrating, because the sidewalk isn’t narrow. It’s not like you have to sidle around it or anything, but whatever, I can deal with that.

Except for this morning, Moving Day -1.

I hopped into the car on a -10C morning and noticed the mirror was flipped in. Not only was it flipped in, it had fallen off! Thankfully not the whole housing part that’s attached to the car, but rather just the mirror itself. It was hanging by the wire of the remote control system. I hopped back out and took a closer look, and it appears that due to the cold (I’m guessing, it was -15 or -16 last night), when the person knocked into it, s/he gave it enough of a whack that the little clips just snapped. The strange thing that there are four sets, and one side on each cracked off, but whatever. The point is, the mirror wouldn’t stay in it’s appointed spot.

Annoyingly I actually use the passenger side mirror when driving, so I had to jury-rig it to stay in until I can get it fixed. I ended up taping it up so that it’s in the right spot, is still useable, and will hopefully not fall out whilst driving. I’m going to give the dealership a call tomorrow to see how much it would cost to replace, and I’m hoping it won’t be the entire unit they have to replace, but just the mirror. My sister had to replace the mirror in one of her vehicles a few years ago, and it cost her $200, so I’m hoping it’ll be no more than that. But who knows. Yet again, I’ve got to dip into my emergency fund for a vehicle repair. Odd, considering it’s a new vehicle! I would expect this type of misfortune and whatnot with an older vehicle, but not a 2005! Sheesh.