Money – b.rox

Got my check for working as an extra for HBO’s Treme. It seems the going rate for this kind of work around here is $7.25/hour for a non-union extra like me. Eight hours of that plus four hours at time and a half equals $101.50; after taxes, I got $95.77.

There’s a certain domain name of which I am part owner, the other owner being my friend in Missoula. This domain is a three-letter dot-com and as we all know there are a limited number of those, therefore they have a certain value. I’m not naming the domain here, but I think the perceptive reader […]

This morning I was surprised to find an envelope stuck in our front door with my name on it. Inside, a card with the following note: Bart, I heard about the theft of your bike. Hope this helps. You should know that the people who suck are few but the good and kind (like you) […]

The damage to our car from running up on that curb has been repaired. The bill? $4,008.53. Xy’s response: Time to get a new car. My response: At least we met our deductible. On a related note, the future of Saturn appears uncertain at this point, so I’m rather discouraged about ever getting satisfaction on […]

We got our Malik Rahim campaign sign, and it is proudly on display in front of our house. I chatted with Christian Roselund a bit when he dropped the sign off. He informed me that Malik’s candidacy has caught the attention of many Greens across the country. Some of them are, as one might expect, […]

Back in June 2006 we had some extra money lying around from our insurance settlement. I’m hesitant to name dollar amounts publicly. Let’s just say it qualified as “a lot” in my book. More than a month’s salary, less than a year’s. I hope that is sufficiently vague. So I decided to invest in the […]

I guess I’m in a very small minority with this opinion, but I actually support our Louisiana state legislature’s efforts to give themselves a huge salary increase. It’s not because I think they deserve a reward them for a job well done. It’s not because I like big government or higher taxes. It’s because when […]

Thanks to Carol G for getting me in touch with the very helpful Christopher Elliott. He’s the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Today he published my case. I found it in the Arizona Daily Star, though not, strangely enough, in our Times-Picayune which usually carries his column in the Sunday Travel section. I can […]

We got the receipt from Tulane University Hospital & Clinic’s Healthcare Payment System. For the record, we racked up $2,484.00 in room charges (two nights’ stay) and a whopping $16,499.28 in “ancillary” charges. But we have group insurance through our employers. We actually paid $250 and just got billed for $170 more. I can’t even […]

We got our “gold letter” from the Road Home today. The letter states that we did not qualify for any compensation. Or, as they so cleverly phrase it, “your compensation grant was zero.” This is because they estimate our damage at $34,050.53. Our insurance company paid us $82,294.03. Both these figures are stated in the […]

My friend JB was having trouble with his debit card on his recent visit to the Crescent City. When he called his bank, he was informed that Visa debit cards haven’t worked in New Orleans since Katrina. [Edit: I surely misunderstood. It must be just this particular bank’s Visa debit cards.] I found that somewhat […]

A while back I was contacted by someone who wanted to use a picture I’d taken and posted online. I’ll call her RJ. Here’s the picture that caught her eye: It’s an oyster po boy from Domilise’s. It seems that RJ was working for an advertising firm doing a campaign for Mastercard. They’re building a […]

So our mortgage company is holding the insurance money for renovating our house. They cut a check months ago when our contractor first submitted a bid, for one-third of the estimated total. A couple months ago they sent an inspector along to confirm that work has been underway. They cut another check for the next […]

We got an insurance payment for the flooded contents of our house months ago, but we can’t refurnish until the renovation is complete. So I’ve got some extra cash on hand, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I put it in a savings account for safekeeping, but I figured it might be […]

I was just panhandled in front of my house, by a guy from the neighborhood who’s been working on the house across the street. This was a not infrequent occurence in antediluvian days, but this marks the first time it’s happened since the storm. He asked for $2.00. I gave him a buck fifty. I […]

The University where I work is finally getting some financial aid — not from the United States, but from Qatar. I’m certainly glad for the help, but I can’t believe it’s come to this.

Just got off the phone with our mortgage company, US Bank. Right after the storm they told me we’d have a six-month moratorium on payments. But I just learned two important points: The moratorium is only three months. In other words, it’s already over. They want those three months paid back over the next six […]

A check arrived from our insurer via FedEx today in the amount of $3,000. It says, right on the check, that it’s “partial settlement of contents damage arising from loss on 08/29/05.” The date issued, again printed right on the check itself, is October 18th. Note that it is now November 25th. All of this […]

As a rule, Parade magazine is remarkably devoid of interesting content. But Xy found the following tidbit in today’s “Ask Marilyn” column: Q: If our country decided to pool everyone’s weekly paycheck, then redistribute it equally, to what would our income amount? — Ed B., Virginia Beach, Va. A: We’d make about $37,784 annually. I’ve […]

I stopped by the bank on my way home today and opened a savings account. (I also got soaked by the rain but that’s neither here nor there.) Ever since my personal bankruptcy, I do not use credit cards; therefore, if Xy and I are ever to make that trip to Amsterdam, we will have […]

Tag: Money

Extra Money

Domain Games

Anonymous

Curbed

Malik’s Money

Maybe It’s Right to Be Nervous Now

Pay the Crooks More

Christopher Elliott Writes About My Case

The High Cost of Birthing

I Got a Golden Letter

Cardholder Blues

Priceless

Check’s in the Mail

Capitalist

Panhandled

Foreign Aid

Ouch

Check

Redistribution

Saving