My book review for today is:
Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused written by British journalist Mike Dash.
I actually enjoyed this book more then I thought. The reader gets a bit of history and more about the tulip. I especially enjoyed learning about how the tulip bulb traveled from central Asia and made it’s way to Holland.
Tulip mania peaked in February 1637. It was a time when the Dutch did not like to live beyond their means. But at the same time, seeing how much money one can make dealing with bulbs was very tempting. The tulip was considered a luxury item and status symbol for some people.
And what I found humorous was how people reacted when the tulip market crashed. It’s so strange how people can come to love something so much but then hate it so. I know people were losing money and homes, possibly their mind too. But you can’t win them all. Especially if you were dealing in a speculative market.
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Once in a while I get these offer in the mail. I’ve already did one of these offer with Washington Mutual and it went well. So I may just do it again with Bank of the West.
Image from Bank of the West.
Open a checking account with a minimum deposit of $100 and get $100 free with Bank of the West. The offer is valid between now and October 2, 2009. But you have to establish direct deposit of at least $250 or make 10 online bill payments within 60 days of opening the new account.
You can do this online, on the phone, or at the bank. Contact them at 1-800-488-2265
I would probably open the account at a local branch and get a written confirmation for the promotion. You just never know with the way things work these days.
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I am one of those people that never use up all their cell phone minutes. Unlike Cingular, my plan with Sprint does not have minute roll-overs. When I think about it, the Sprint plan was costing me way too much (per minute). So it was time for a change or a new cell phone plan.
So when my contract was up (on a 2 year agreement) I decided to find other alternatives to saving on my cell phone bill.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about the pay as you go phone plan. Some people who tried it never stuck with it for too long. I think the concept is OK, but there are no free phone promotions here. The phone isn’t too expensive, depending on which carrier you use. Sending text messages cost about 15 cents, which could really add up. And remembering when to refill the minutes (when they expire) are really more of a hassle.
Then I decided maybe I can live without my cell phone for a while - see how that goes. This way I just make people call me on the land line instead.
It was time to cancel my service. The first person I talked to at Sprint transferred me to another department. It must have been the “customer retention” department.
The customer service representative told me that he didn’t want to lose me as a customer. He said he could offer me a good deal if I decide to continue with the service. The new plan was $10 for 240 minutes plus 1,000 text messages. And no new contract (extension) necessary.
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In the past ten years, I’ve opened and closed a few credit cards. But within the past five years, I’ve decided to keep only three major credit cards and canceled the rest.
Of the three, I primarily use the Visa and American Express for everyday purchases. But I prefer American Express because I get rewards for more places, such as The Home Depot (although I prefer to shop at Lowe’s - the service & selection is much better!). But one card I never use is my Capital One MasterCard. I kept it mostly as a back up card and fortunately not had to use it for anything.
Lately credit card companies have been changing their customer’s credit limit (meaning lower the amount) even when the customer is in good standing. And what’s also new is that they are canceling the cards to even good standing customers.
Recently I received a letter from my Capital One MasterCard informing me of my account being closed. This was because I hadn’t used the card in years. It was really my “back up” credit card. But I was really surprised at first since I considered myself to be a good credit card holder. I mostly pay in full and on time each month.
Curtis Arnold, the founder of Cardratings.com also got a letter in the mail from a credit card company notifying him it was closing his account. The account he hadn’t used in a while.
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I’ve gotten several offers from Washington Mutual bank to open an account and receive $100 free. You can do this online, on the phone, or at the bank. But you have to have a designated code which can only be used once.
Photo: Cute piggy bank from Marie Claire Publications.
I finally decided to sign up with them last week. It was very easy and the bank representative was very friendly. From my own personal experience, I prefer the older and more experienced representatives. They seem to know what they are doing and give you proper information too.
In order to get the $100, you have to deposit $100 first and keep your account open and active for 3 months. There are some really neat things offered by WAMU that I did not know of before. Such as free money orders for customers. Most banks would charge at least $5 or more for this. But then again, when do I really need to use money orders!
Washington Mutual was in financial trouble a couple of months back (as many banks were in October 2008). But they have now merged with Chase and received a government bail out. So they must be trying to get more people to sign up now. Chase is also another bank I have a credit card with and will post about that later. I like their service but may have a change of heart soon. Read the rest of this entry »
