So, I should be in bed now, but here I am. To sum up the last few weeks. I took 2 weeks off from Job #2 (now #3) to get away, I was burning out and I had planned to use that time to find another more stable gig, which I did.

I ended up starting that gig one week in, so I never had much of a vacay and then when I knew for sure I was hired, I changed my schedule w/job #3 except they didn't and I ended up having to take off last week from the new job and actually started there this week.

Now, if that is as clear as mud, let's proceed ;)

This is the first full week @ the new job. So far, so hard. Not impossible, just different. One more day then I'm off till Sat, but then I go into job #3 fri and sat nite. The upside of it all, I'm 100% off on Sunday! I opened up another checking acct for that paycheck to go to and got a savings acct thrown in for good measure. I'm shy to say how many checking accts I have, it's really ridiculous, but it works for me.

This week I reprinted my budget, I need to revise it and I need to sort out what bills come from which checking acct. Right now the hours @ job #3, in my best guess, will be about 8-10 hours a week. I kept that job b/c it's on my way home both fri and sat, no extra driving, so it'll either pay for gas and it'll pay for clothes I already get @ a discount and I'll continue to sock away 10%. Anything extra will go for food and then bills.

Main job pays main bills, rent, utilites, food, car, student loans etc. Job #3 goes to pay off credit cards till they are paid in full, then it goes toward student loans and such.

So that's my not so brief update. I really suck @ promising to updated in xx days then vanishing for xx weeks, so I'll post when I post...how 'bout that :)

So last night I got online to pay my monthly bills, when I get to my cell phone bill from Verizon. Last 2 months, something about the bill was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. As I've been house hunting since the start of the year (yes I'm that ready to move!) on a few occasions, I've taken pix w/my cell and emailed them to myself. One month, I learned it was a .25 per email charge and it tacked on an extra $2.

Then I saw a similar charge the following month, except I didn't recall taking any more pics, much less emailing them. Learning the fee after the fact, made me walk w/my digital camera. Yet, the month was so hectic, I couldn't be 100% sure. Last month, I decided to purposely NOT use the phone. Guess what I find this month?

The following two new line items:

250 MSG Camera $5 03/15 - 03/19 .89
250 MSG Camera $5 03/20 - 04/19 5.00

$5.89...for what?

I called them up immediately.

Except it was almost midnight and the call center closed @ 11. I called as soon as I woke up this morning.

Turns out this charge was added in @ a store!!! How the F could that happen? It wasn't even a store near me or even close to the store I originally got the phone. I was really in such a state of shock, I couldn't even think str8. The rep hurriedly told me it must have mistakenly been added to the wrong account and she'd go ahead and take it right off. I was like ok, still in a brain fog.

Then I remembered there is a $15/mo fee on this phone too:

Current Data Plan 03/20 - 04/19 15.00

When I originally got this phone, it was only b/c my old phone died a bad death, so of course they roped me into the whole 2 year contract, despite the fact I've had a phone w/them since '99. Fine, I got a free phone out of it, I'll bite. But it was to be the same monthly service w/a bill around $30-$35/mo depending on taxes etc.

According to the rep, the $15/mo was a promotion that had just expired last month and should've been stopped, so she went ahead and removed that too. I confirmed that going forward, neither of the 2 charges would reappear, she told me they wont.

Yet not only wasn't the promotion stopped, when I look back thru my last 6 available online statements, the charge has always been there.

Now I'm seething and seeing red.

I'm going to give myself some time to calm down a bit, then I'm going to ring back up the super friendly folks over @ Verizon, I mean they are so friendly, they add services to your account whether or not you are even there ::rolls eyes::

I'm going to ask, no, demand for them to refund all the charges.

Today is bill paying day in the Renee household and Renee is So. Not. Happy.

Oh well, @ least I save money on postage stamps. [/end sarcasm]