Wow, that guy is an incredibly annoying writer. Am I the only one who is completely put off by people who seem to be unable to emphasize what they say WITHOUT PUTTING IT INTO ALL CAPS?!

If you have old debt that has gone to collections or made a serious mark on your credit, you can always try to negotiate with the creditor to get it wiped off your credit report.

Ah. I guess I was wrong. His comment could have been more smarmy and self-righteous.

"Infact" is not a word.

Good info, thanks. I suspect there's a middle ground - obviously there are temperatures ranges where you probably don't want your house to get extremely cold or extremely hot (and thus possibly taking hours to get back to livable temperature), but do you know how much inefficiency there is in the system kicking on and…

I've always wondered if this is really true.

Nope, that's not the message.

I'm not sure you've ever actually talked or interacted with someone who had serious financial problems. When people get dumped into severe financial straits, in some cases not being able to pay ANY of their bills, it'd be pretty easy to start losing track of who owns a debt.

It would be difficult for this comment to be any more smarmy or self-righteous. Must be hard to see all the little people from up on top of that high horse.

We've got a few good ramblers here at work but one in particular, who is a very nice and smart guy, resists any attempt to correct it. He literally talks through interruptions without skipping a beat - if you try to interrupt, the two of you will just talk together for however long you want, and when you stop, he's…

The day I tell someone, without irony, that I am richly scheduled is the day I accept that I am assimilated in the the Borg of Corporate America, walk out, and move into a shack in the woods.

Sure, for procedural things. I'm talking more about detailed problem solving or technical issues, though.

Great idea - it's actually exactly what I've been working towards. I'm currently working on a certification that's a pretty new area for me, and have been establishing myself as the "expert" in that area. It has certainly kept things interesting since I have to stay ahead of any questions that I'm getting.

I'm having a little trouble at work with this right now. I mean, on one hand it's enjoyable being the senior resource that everyone turns to when they need The Answer. On the other hand, I have absolutely nobody to learn from, talk to, bounce ideas off, etc.

Great idea, I've never tried putting potatoes in chili - will have to give that a shot next time.

Cereal isn't really a good budget food when you work out the cost for the amount of food/nutrients you get. You can do better if you go with bulk and store-brand, but even at that, you can get a whole lot more food for the dollar in other areas of the store.

One of my favorites is chili.

Once you get used to excusing bad financial behavior, it's incredibly easy to keep doing it. It becomes a cycle, and unless you're willing to step up to the plate to break that cycle, it's going to last forever.

It's a lousy tool and teaches a lazy and short-sighted view of finances that will not serve that person well. Not only that, but because it's so near-term, it can actually teach bad habits as the person becomes accustomed to looking at immediate consequences and not forming good long term habits.

What I stated was a hypothetical situation. You know, an example used to illustrate a point?