I knew I wouldn't keep up with this thing. Of course, nothing too major has happened lately. A couple of small successes and one colossal failure. We beat SDG&E for $15, but we also bought a 42 inch LCD TV. Not that we don't love the thing like a child, and not that we didn't get a great deal, but it kind of blew up our savings.
The thinking went like this: We can't save ourselves out of our summer woes. There was no way to put the needed money away so we didn't have to pick up jobs between our education gigs. So since our entire entertainment world revolves around the screen and the speakers, we decided to risk a little for immediate reward. Is that an example of the delayed gratification we needed? No, but I was feeling really depressed about the whole situation until we got the TV. Now I feel bad about the whole situation, but I have a big TV to watch DVDs on. Such is life.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Monopolistic authority
So, today marks my return to battle with the local gas and electric concern. For those of you not familiar with the story I will relate it here. About six months ago L and I moved out into a house about two blocks from my old place, leaving my brother and a new roommate in the classic 1808. Well, since the power was in my name, I had to call and cancel their service and setup new service for our new place. The local power company got it about half right, they set me up new service, but left the old service in my name. This wasn't a problem until recently when the tenants of the 1808, who no longer included my brother, decided that the bill wasn't for them. This marked $100 of expenses for power I didn't consume, but the power company assures me that I did.
Well, they've been absolutely terrible about this situation, and really, I think this qualifies as a SNAFU for them. While they haven't called me a deadbeat in so many words (and mind you there was one late bill from an address I didn't even live at, in over four years of bills), they did allege my brother committed fraud and that I'm a liar. Well, suffice it to say that after hours of figuring out an alternative to the local power concern I'm probably just going to have to pay the bills for a location I didn't live at.
My real concern here is not the $120 total bills that I was liable for. Its that I was liable at all. If this were a credit card company, or a phone company, I'd leave their service today and switch. But its the electric company, and in California, regulation gives them a monopoly. They remain, however, a private company totally unaccountable to the consumer. I'm not sure why we allow private companies to have a legal monopoly. If we only want one choice, why aren't we running this thing as a government so that at least we could fire the head of the company when they screwed us? As it stands, when they screw us for an extra $100, they are twice rewarded. They make a profit on my $100 for power I didn't consume, and they keep me as a customer because my great state suggested that they can simply be the only going concern.
We'll see how my discussion with Ms. Hines goes today. - S
Well, they've been absolutely terrible about this situation, and really, I think this qualifies as a SNAFU for them. While they haven't called me a deadbeat in so many words (and mind you there was one late bill from an address I didn't even live at, in over four years of bills), they did allege my brother committed fraud and that I'm a liar. Well, suffice it to say that after hours of figuring out an alternative to the local power concern I'm probably just going to have to pay the bills for a location I didn't live at.
My real concern here is not the $120 total bills that I was liable for. Its that I was liable at all. If this were a credit card company, or a phone company, I'd leave their service today and switch. But its the electric company, and in California, regulation gives them a monopoly. They remain, however, a private company totally unaccountable to the consumer. I'm not sure why we allow private companies to have a legal monopoly. If we only want one choice, why aren't we running this thing as a government so that at least we could fire the head of the company when they screwed us? As it stands, when they screw us for an extra $100, they are twice rewarded. They make a profit on my $100 for power I didn't consume, and they keep me as a customer because my great state suggested that they can simply be the only going concern.
We'll see how my discussion with Ms. Hines goes today. - S
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Laziness and News
Non-salary income is hard to come by. Or at least, its a pain in the arse. I've been subbing for awhile now at a Jr. High that is pretty close to my house. Its a short drive, but a drive, and I have to get up early, and I have to deal with kids, and I have to make a lunch... anyway, there is a whole laundry list of reasons why its a waste of time and I don't like it. Its not that its hard, its just that its a bunch of work for almost no money. It nets $81 a day in pay. Thats before I pay for gas, and the food, and the lost productivity on other projects. This is not to mention that awful commute it makes up to my salary job in La Jolla where I have to drive because there is barely enough time to get from School A to School B. Is it worth the gas and the trip for $81? I'm not sure. It might be, but we'll have to see.
At the end of the month I have to start thinking about summer work. Its going to be tricky (tricker I guess) because of possible contract extensions that will take me into June before I am free of my current job. So, I have to find work that will let me start after this contract extension. Finding work is hard enough, but now I have all these problems with timing. I can't very well quit this other position. Its building my resume, my experience, my connections and references, and its in my field. But, in the best case scenario, it don't pay the rent from June till October. Neither does the aforementioned $81 a day job. Your less than humble hero needs to formulate a plan this month.
Did I mention I've also gotten the bug for a big HD TV since Dad bought one? *Sigh, I'm not frugal at all.
Updates to follow on net worth as soon as I pay our bills.
At the end of the month I have to start thinking about summer work. Its going to be tricky (tricker I guess) because of possible contract extensions that will take me into June before I am free of my current job. So, I have to find work that will let me start after this contract extension. Finding work is hard enough, but now I have all these problems with timing. I can't very well quit this other position. Its building my resume, my experience, my connections and references, and its in my field. But, in the best case scenario, it don't pay the rent from June till October. Neither does the aforementioned $81 a day job. Your less than humble hero needs to formulate a plan this month.
Did I mention I've also gotten the bug for a big HD TV since Dad bought one? *Sigh, I'm not frugal at all.
Updates to follow on net worth as soon as I pay our bills.
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