I Didn't Pass The Bar Exam

I hate to even write those words, but I didn't pass the bar. Yes, it is true. I feel bad, but I am trying to keep it in perspective. It is not the end of the world; I have a job that doesn't depend on me passing the bar; the rest of my life is pretty good right now. And taking it in February and getting the results back in April will give me a little more time to get my credit score back up before I have my interview. Not that that really matters, but I am assuming that would make my interview better.

Another Way To Get Cash Back

I just signed up for something that looks good: ebates. Yes ebates. I guess they are like rebates, but you get them online. It is free to sign up, and you get cash back with certain purchases. I could really use a lowes coupon. I have so many home repairs to make. They also have Liz Claiborne coupons, and I love her clothes. Also travel! You can get cash back for using Travelocity, Priceline and such. So it will be very useful for me. Every little bit helps, and even if you are watching what you are spending, you can still make a little cash back from what you do buy. You can also use your paypal account with this.

The Great Financial Crisis

It is hard to believe what is happening out there right now. Like most people, I don't really want to think about it too much or I might go crazy. The one financial thing that I had done right was save for retirement, and now it is plummeting. I did the obligatory call to the brokerage house, and was told to leave my money where it is, which I knew I should do. Right now, they reminded me, it is only a paper loss. But if I sell my stocks and put them in a safer mechanism, and then later try to buy them back, I will have a real money loss. I know to stay put. But it is scary. That retirement fund was the one thing I thought I could count on. But I didn't count on this mess. I am totally disgusted with the greedy CEOs. I thought we had learned our lesson after Enron, et al. People complain about the government, but sometimes it is business that is really the evil. Or the people running business, I should add.

Deciding Not To Buy A New Sofa

I made a smart move over the weekend and decided not to order a new sofa. Well, really it is a futon. I saw a modern futon that was on sale for an amazing price and put a down payment on it. I am so tired of sitting on my sofa after years of law school and bar study. I just need something new. So, the futon would spice up my living room and add a modern touch. It was a neat gray color, and I thought that would give my room a whole new look. The biggest reason I wanted it was because of the phenonmenal price.

But I couldn't get past that the futon really didn't look sturdy enough. I admit that I have some "healthy" friends, and I was afraid the futon wouldn't hold up. Plus it sat too low. It might just be an optical illusion, but I was afraid it would look strange in my place. Plus, there are no arms on the sofa. I realized how much I lean against my sofa arms or put my head on them when I fall asleep on the sofa. An armless futon, I am afraid, would just not work. I have decided to buy a slipcover instead. I will go looking for one next weekend. This is a great move for me, I think, as it will give me the impression of a new sofa, without actually buying one, and I won't have to pay someone to remove my old sofa. I went to the store last night and cancelled my order. They gave me my deposit back. All in all a good decision, I think.

Saving A Life: Priceless

My family has a history of leukemia, and I have known many others who have had the disease or one of the other ones affiliated with it: lymphoma, hodgkins, etc. It is nasty stuff, and it scares me to death. But then all cancer scares me. I have been fascinated with how a baby's cord blood can help treat these diseases plus many more, including diabetes and cerebral palsy. It is just amazing. It involves stem cells, which we have all heard about.

When my nephew was born, I told my sister about cord blood and was hoping she would save his. She didn't, and I don't know if it is because she forgot in the midst of the birth or if it was too expensive. I am sure the expense is what keeps many families from storing cord blood.

If this is something that interests you, you might want to think about companies such as Cryo-Cell.

Mystery Shopping Foibles

I have done mystery shopping for a little more than a month, and in some ways the honeymoon is over. I have had a lot of success--I have made about $400 or more during this time. The checks will start coming in next week or the week after, and I will gladly deposit them in my credit union account. I am going to keep on doing mystery shopping as long as it is fun and profitable.

But there have been a few glitches in the past week:

1) A woman from a mystery shopping company called me and asked me to do a couple of bank shops for her. I was excited, because they are easy to do and are good pay. I was supposed to look over the contract and send it back, and then call back the next morning for a quick training. I did all of that, but when I called her back, she told me the job had been assigned to someone else over night. I was astounded, which I think I had a right to be, but I let my astonishment and disappointment show. I think I actually hung up on her (not sure) which is really bad. I couldn't stop myself. I am sure she will never hire me for another shop now.

2) The gas shortage situation was so stressful last week in Nashville that I actually went to the wrong grocery store for a mystery shop. It was the right store, but wrong location. I emailed and apologized and said I had no excuse except the whole city was going crazy, including me, about this gas shortage.

3) I had been hired to do some kind of job. Not sure what to call it, but it wasn't mystery shopping. It might fall under the rubric of merchandising, which mystery shoppers also sometimes do. I was supposed to count the number of certain products in two grocery stores. It sounded like fun and something different, so I agreed. Well, apparently I really stink at this. I counted the way I was told to count, but the scheduler seemed upset and wondered why I hadn't done the job. "But I did the job," I replied in my email. "You can see from my fax." The grocery store didn't carry some of the items, so that might have been part of the confusion. But no more of these kinds of "counting" jobs for me.

Despite these glitches, I am still getting good work. I guess the longer you do it, the easier it gets. And I can use the money, at least until I pay for my cruise and build up my emergency fund. Notice how I put my vacation first!!

No Gas In Nashville Causes Financial Problems

There has been no gas in Nashville! Literally the pumps have run dry. A few stations got some gas today, but it has been hit and miss. Once a station gets some gas, it runs out in a few hours, because there is so much demand. On Friday, I was desperate to get some gas. I ran out to Sam's Club in the afternoon and filled up. But because they don't take cash--I had plenty of cash with me--I had to use my debit card, and I overdrew my account Friday night. That is upsetting to me, but the alternative was not to get gas, and that was not an option right now. Hope things get back to normal very soon.