Living Life

Life's been non-stop since my last update. It's included awesome nights out with friends, lots of exploring NYC, lax spending habits and...a break up.

That boy I'd been seeing for over a month? Pulled back suddenly and then broke up with me a week ago. Turns out he was also dating someone at work and chose her over me. (Ugh!) Luckily, I stayed really busy last week - but it didn't exactly help because I always fall fast and hard for guys, and this one definitely HURT. At the end of the day, at least it ended sooner rather than later...except I hate that saying! Because it sucks the same for me whether it's a month or 6 months or a 1 year relationship. I like/love/lust hard - always have, always will. Heart on my sleeve, all that stuff. I put all me into something right away and I know I'll never NOT be able to do that. That's just who I am! So when the right guy comes along, it'll all be worth it. :) (It would be nice if he could hurry...I'm also impatient and have a LOT of love in me!)

I've spent a fair amount of money recently on some new clothes, a new winter coat (it SNOWED on October 29th...I'm not ready for that yet!) and a pair of winter boots. And then? I realized I hadn't paid my Nordstrom card on time - and got hit with my FIRST INTEREST CHARGE EVER. Oops! I had ordered a bunch of stuff and sent 75% of it back, so I was waiting for the returns to hit before paying the card - except I wasn't paying attention to the date and November 1 passed before I realized what I had missed. Good thing it was only $2.77...at the end of the day, not THAT bad and a lesson learned!

I ended up having a great weekend (despite a Friday night of much-needed wallowing/me time) with friends. We all went out on Saturday which I needed. I couldn't be more grateful for them! On Sunday a group of us spent 3+ hours cheering for all of the NYC Marathon runners on 1st Avenue! It was so inspiring to watch all these people pushing themselves to accomplish the 26.2 miles through all the boroughs. I can't wait to cheer again next year! I would personally never do it, I'm not a runner and never have been - but I have total and complete respect/awe for everyone who completed it! (Including Ethan Zohn, who I saw run by!)

This week, I'll just be going to the gym a lot and reading... I was able to get Game of Thrones Book One from the New York Public Library on my Kindle and I am completely hooked! I'm reading it at almost every free moment and even turning down my favorite shows to read. It's been a while since I've been that into a book, and I love getting completely lost in a story of epic proportions! I also need to shore up my October budget and start thinking about Christmas!

Other items:

• Considering re-joining Match.com. (It's been 2 years since I used that site, the matchmaker doesn't have any more matches for me "right now" and I've never had anything come to fruition from using OKCupid in the past.)
• I made brownies using a pre-made Trader Joe's mix over the weekend. I'm not a dessert person (except ice cream and creme brûlée!) so this was strange...I even added Nutella and chocolate chips to them!
• I'm going to Atlantic City this Saturday-Sunday with my friends and I can't wait. Gambling? No. Okay, fine, maybe some penny slots... Dancing? Definitely!
• Daylight Savings Time... sunny at 7am and pitch black by 5pm. I'm nervous for the impending winter but also excited! I just hope it doesn't mean being completely holed up all the time...
• My Roth IRA that I opened 3 years ago at Vanguard is showing me a 3-year rate of return of 12.1%! How exciting!
• Home to Seattle for Thanksgiving in two weeks and I cannot wait. I seriously need family time and getting away from the city for 4.5 days will be great. Then Christmas a month later! Need to funnel any extra money into my Gift Fund this month and next.

Debit Card Fraud Victim

I was a victim of debit card fraud last week.

This is the first time it's ever happened to me. On May 9th, I had received a call that had something to do with a card, but I ignored it because I thought it was the occasional solicitation from my old credit card. Less learned: always listen to messages in their entirety, even if they are automated!

Over the next two days, my debit card was denied at two stores and then at the ATM when I tried to get cash. That's weird... I immediately called the customer service line for my debit card. I went through a whole bunch of automated checks and through a list of recent transactions which I verified. They were all ones I had made, nothing out of the ordinary, so then my card worked again.

There had been zero fradulent transactions on my card. I would have caught it immediately because I check my bank account every single day! My card was working again and I still diligently checked my account daily. Then this Monday, there was definitely a fradulent charge when I checked my account in the morning...

Not only do I not eat at McDonald's, but I would never go to one in some suburb of Istanbul, Turkey and spend $30 there! Everything clicked right away and I called my bank. They had been correct from the beginning - someone had somehow got ahold of my debit card number and pin. In talking to the customer service agent, they told me that the person had tried to buy $400 (!) worth of groceries in Istanbul. That was the day they closed my card. They also tried to go to two gas stations but all of those charges were caught and denied before they could hit my account. The McDonald's one happened to slip through after I unknowingly thought everything was okay. (Granted, up until this point I had never actually spoken with a real human about what was happening. That clarification would have helped immensely.) The CSA immediately closed my debit card and had a new one issued. I then talked to someone in the Customer Claims Department and have since filled out a form in order to get the $28.36 refunded.

The scariest part of all this? I have absolutely no idea how someone got my information! Was it skimmed from my bank-specific ATM inside the pharmacy near my apartment? Or was it from the RFID/wireless identity theft that I've been hearing about? I have never used my debit card for online purchases, so I could immediately rule that out. I still have my card, it wasn't lost or stolen, and I've never shared my PIN with anyone. I also never use the "PayPass" function on my debit card, where I can wave my card over a scanner for a small purchase and pay that way, because someone once told me that's an easy way for identity theft to happen. From now on I'll only draw cash at the bank or maybe even go inside to the teller. It's baffling, actually. I know this happens and it sucks. Technology is advancing all the time. And this is what we get!

(Yes, I now have two of those RFID sleeves as seen above. They seem to be widely available online. My Mom sent me her extras! Not sure if they work, but hey, peace of mind. Also? My bank rocks. They immediately knew what was going on!)

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Dear CapitalOne

Dear CapitalOne,

I'm breaking up with you. You were my first credit card ever. I signed up for you when I landed my first job the month after college graduation. Since I had no credit history, you gave me a $500 limit. I was excited because I knew how to handle you! After only three months, you increased my limit to $750. I had read so many personal finance articles on the topic and every 6 months thereafter I called about credit limit increases.

Which you denied me. Every single time. Even though I've always paid my balance in full and on time every month. I called and called, but you didn't listen.

Almost three years later, this is getting a little ridiculous! So, I took matters into my own hands. I had been receiving offers from other credit cards but had always just put them in the shredder. One day I decided not to shred the offer...and I went online to apply for a shiny, new credit card.

Now I'm the proud owner of a Chase Freedom Card. With rewards! And a $100 bonus if I spend $500 in the first few months! And over 5x the credit limit! Yay! (Of course, I'm sure I'll never go anywhere near that limit in a single month...but it's good to know it's there.)

CapitalOne, you are now being banished to the depths of my wallet. I'll keep you active since, after all, you were my first credit card and I can never get rid of you completely. You're part of my history! So, you'll be swiped once every few months to keep you on the end of my string. But I really could care less about you.

Hello, Freedom!!!!

Love,

MoneyMaus

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Retail Credit Card

When I went on my shopping spree recently, I did something I never imagined I would do: I opened a retail credit card!

My new Nordstrom card gives me reward points (2 points for each $1 spent with a $20 gift certificate when I reach 2,000 points) and there is no annual fee. The card has increased my credit limit, too! This has been a good way to increase help my lackluster credit since I only have one other credit card with a low limit.

Good thing I know myself well enough that this store credit card will not be dangerous. No debt for me! (But lots of shoes...) :)

Do you have a retail card? Do you actually use it?

Annoyed!

There are a few things right now that I am annoyed with:

1. The boy I have been dating. We have next to nothing in common, I'm not that attracted to him and he is basically a puppy dog/is also smothering me. He's just not my type. So, I'm breaking it off with him later this weekend. (We've only been on 4 dates, including today's lackluster lunch date, plus other 2 hang-out sessions...) Time to find other guys to date!

2. Our cable got shut off today. When we moved into the place in August, we were giddy that the cable had not yet been shut off after the previous renters left. We knew it would happen eventually and now, it did. After 6 months. Time to check out bundled deals and see what we can get! (Thank goodness my raise is in effect so I can afford the $10 or so extra per month.)

3. My credit limit. It's only $750 because I got my FIRST credit card in June 2008. (The limit started at $500 but was increased to the current amount in August.) Now that I want to register for an industry exam, the ONLY form of payment they take is credit card and you can only pay online. There is a note on the payment page that specifically states to not use a debit card. And my credit limit isn't high enough to cover the total cost. I called my credit card company to see if they could increase the limit but it's a no-go.

Lame on all three accounts!

An Increase...

...in my line of credit! I now have $750 available to my name.

Two weeks ago I called my credit card company to see about increasing my credit line. An automated message told me that it could not be increased at this time and that a live customer rep would relay the exact same message. This past weekend, I received a letter from the company stating that the reason my credit line could not be increased was due to the fact that my account is too new. (It was opened mid-June.)

When I did a routine checking of my accounts tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my line of credit had increased from $500 to $750! I realize that this is not a lot in the world of credit, but to me it is. I feel like I am also taking steps in the right direction by paying off my card every month - which I am sure is what helped me get the $250 increase with my mere 3 months of credit history.

I still wish I had a rewards credit card. However, that will come in time - a goal for 2009, perhaps! Small steps in the world of personal finance.

Short Update

The pieces of my personal finances are slowly coming together:

1. First Credit Card! I received it yesterday, and it came with a $500 limit which is more than I expected, especially having no credit history.

2. First Credit Card "Purchase" - actually a donation to charity for $50. (The donation was to Myanmar, which is where I would like to continue to give money. I have been to the country and the people there are truly amazing and gentle but unfortunately under a ridiculously sadistic and greedy junta, not to mention the added strife/poverty from the cyclone.)

3. My emergency fund now contains $330, which will be increasing when I deposit a $50 check from my German professor for graduation. I will be putting $100 per month into it initially, starting in July when my paychecks are regular - I started my full-time job last Wednesday (6/11) but already had a flight booked home to Seattle, 6/18-6/29, to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. (Thank goodness I am still on my parents' insurance for the procedure!)

Those starting points above actually hit on 2 out of 3 of my initial goals of donating to charity AND opening an ING Direct Savings account to slowly start my emergency fund. There was also the unofficial "I-need-to-build-credit-but-am-scared-of-credit-cards" tidbit. Time to start working on goal #3 from below!