Look! It's the Monday Mission!

1. When you take a vacation, do you ever suffer from Internet withdrawal? Or maybe the nagging urge to blog or read blogs? Or are you glad to be away? Mostly I miss checking my e-mail. I do miss blogging when I go away, because it is the only time I really have anything fun to blog about. I haven't been on a "real" vacation (meaning Europe) since I've had the blog though, but I will go again, someday. When I do, I'll letcha know how it goes to be blogless.

2. Have you ever been "furloughed" (told to take time off work without pay) or laid off? How did that impact your family dynamics? Your finances? If not to you, have you seen it happen to anyone you know? How did they handle it? I was laid off my last job, but that didn't really have any impact on my family. I was lucky enough to get a new job before the last day of my old job ended, so I was able to go on vacation before starting the new job.... which was in Europe, before I started my blog. Got it?

3. If you fell on hard times, what is are some non-essential reoccurring luxury expenses (cable TV, TiVo subscription, cigarettes, high-speed net connection, newspaper, daily Starbucks coffee, etc.) you would give up to save money? I would give up having a long distance service on my telephone and use a calling card, or one of those 10-10 numbers. (I pay a flat fee every month, regardless of the calls I make). I would also give up eating out, which is something I find myself doing more and more. I don't have cable TV, Tivo or high-speed net connections. I don't smoke or get the newspaper (my department at work has a subscription to the NYT and WSJ, plus, you can read these online). I'm sure I have other luxuries I could give up... but I'm not sure what they are at the moment.

4. On the same thought, what is the one non-essential expense you would NOT give up? My Earthlink account. I would die without email.

5. Would you ever ask your family (parents, in-laws, relatives) for financial assistance? What would be some of your concerns about asking for help? Have you ever asked for it before? Did it go well? I have to answer this one very carefully, because some family members have found Fred The Blog. Let's put it this way: Once, a very long time ago, I was $100 short for my rent in college. I mentioned it to a relative, who was very good about helping me out. Said relative didn't want me paying them back. since I was paying my way through college and such. It went well at the time, but I have never EVER been allowed to forget that I was given this sum of money. In fact, said person has taken to claming that they paid my rent on a regular basis and helped put me through school. Of course this used to bother me a whole lot, especially since I had to work really hard to drum up the funds to afford to go to college. But now I've realized that this doesn't really matter. I know how I got through school, I benefitted from how I got through school, and that's what is important.

6. Has a friend or relative ever borrowed money from you? Who were they and how much did they want? Did you ever get paid back, or did it matter? Did you feel compelled to keep an eye on them to see if they spent it wisely? I don't lend money to family. I give it to them. The people who used to want to borrow money from me are no longer in the position to do that though, and everyone else makes more than I do. As for friends, I have never really been asked to lend any sum of money that would freak me out - nothing more than $20 even. I've never had a problem getting money back I don't think.

7. Imagine you won a tax-free gift of $7,000. The only stipulation on the gift is that it must not be invested or saved, and must be spent before 2004. How would you use the money? Easy, peasy. I would pay off $7k of my mortgage!