The ELEMENTS of money

A Very Big Prize Inside!

So I saw this article not too long ago, and there was just no way I couldn’t blog on this one!

Basically what happened was this: A family was shopping at Whole Foods market in the OC, they bought a box of crackers, and once they opened them up at home, there was an envelope inside with $10,000 in it!

I swear, this is no joke!  That’s definitely the biggest “prize” I’ve ever heard of being inside of a box! The family that discovered it was pretty amazing … instead of going on a wild shopping spree, they actually called the police once they discovered the money.  It turns out that the police had actually gotten a call from Whole Foods saying that an elderly lady had come into the store in hysterics a few days before. She was claiming that she accidentally returned the wrong box to Whole Foods a few days earlier - she said the box she accidentally returned had her life savings inside! 

Now don’t get me wrong, I definitely felt bad for the woman (and extremely amazed that she got the money back), but the first thing that went through my mind once I read this article was, “Why would someone keep that much money in a box … AT HOME?!?” My second thought was, “Shouldn’t they know better?” Why did she have all that money in the box? She said that she had lost confidence in her bank, and decided that the safest place for her money was at home. 

So I don’t mean to be totally cheesy, but this is such a textbook “lesson” that the credit union is always trying to tell us!  Our money is the most safe when it’s deposited into our account.  Seriously, she is lucky the right people stumbled upon that box of crackers – or else she would’ve lost her entire life savings.  I’m not sure most people would be that honest!

If you wanna check out this story (just in case you don’t believe me!), read it here.

Kim

No ... not the grill!!!

I guess the economy is really sinking .... or so I hear on the news every night. Gas prices are super expensive and even the price of food is rising fast. This has many people around the country scrambling to make ends meet. So what's a person to do?

Well if you so happen to have a diamond encrusted grill gathering dust, it's time to hit the pawn shop. At least that's what a recent report on CNN suggested. It seems like people who spent hundreds and even thousands of dollars on grills are now pawning them for cold hard cash. It's a national epidemic!  And desperate people are selling them back at a fraction of what they originally bought them for.

Well, I guess if you're going to sell anything for money, luxury items should be first. And it doesn't get much more luxurious than this:

Does this mean the era of hip hop extravagances is over? Well, I'll believe it when I see Paul Wall selling his grill on eBay. Until then, I'm guessing it's probably just a few unfortunate people who need money quick. Now, to those people who had to part ways with their prized possession, I offer a cheaper alternative:

That's all for today!

Catie

Where's MY rebate check???

I just read that the government is going to send tax rebate checks to most every Americans who files a tax return for 2007. According to MSNBC:

"Congress and the White House forged a deal Thursday to begin rushing tax rebates of $600 to $1,200 to most tax filers by spring, hoping they will spend the money just as quickly and jolt the ailing economy to life. Rebates would be even higher for families with children."

I heard that families will get an extra $300 per kid. Sweet. So my question to you is, if you receive a rebate check, how would you spend it? Would you be a patriotic American and spend the money on something crazy, or will you spend a little and save a little? How about paying off a credit card?

And if you're under 18 and live with your parents, how many of you would actually ask your mom or dad for your cut? Fair is fair, right?

So there you go, let me know what you would do.

Oh, by the way, I will probably use a bit to pay off a credit card and maybe think about buying a new cell phone.

Catie

Does this credit card make me look fat?

OK, I just read an article on Bankrate.com that said people who use credit cards at fast food restaurants actually buy 30 percent more food. What??? At first I thought that this was another fake Digg story, but I read it and it really made sense.

Once upon a time, people would only go to fast food restaurants if they had cash, or if an ATM was nearby. If you didn't have cash, you'd probably just go home and make something to eat. Today, fast food restaurants accept debit & credit cards, and make it real convenient to "upsize" your meal. With technology on our side, we're much more inclined to buy fast food on an impulse. No longer are we limited to the cash in our wallet.

According to the Bankrate article:

“The average up-sized fast-food meal adds 73 more calories, costs an extra 67 cents and results in an average 36-gram (0.07 pounds) weight gain.”

When I think about it, me and my friends are guilty of eating fast food because of convenient. And that's not just because we can find fast food nearly everywhere, but because they accept credit or debit cards. So what does this all mean? I guess for me, I'll be more careful when it comes time to eating meals away from home. Credit and debit cards are an easy (and safe) way to pay for stuff, but in the future I'll make sure I'm not buying extra food or "upsizing" just because it's convenient.

Catie