Today is not a funny one. And not because it's Deep Thoughts Friday.
This is my FU week.
I'm walking away from anyone and anything that can't even feign a little respect for me. The first two to go: my bank and my home/car insurance company. I researched replacements for both.
Today I all but closed my old savings account and took the money to the new checking account. Whike I was waiting in line at the old bank I saw a wall of commendations highlighting the staff's commitment to easing food insecurity.
I'm really glad this is getting attention. Far too many people can't be sure when they'll eat again, go to work every day wondering hiw they're going to feed their families. So I'm glad for whatever local efforts the branch staff is doing.
I didn't do my usual Friday grocery trip this week because I can't afford to buy groceries until my next paycheck. I can't afford to pay even a little toward outstanding medical bills from surgery, not until my next paycheck.
I'm in better financial shape than many. There are so many people who have already fallen over that line which ends with losing one's home and car and finally job.
But I'm scraping, barely scraping by. Paycheck to paycheck. Ninety percent of my take-home is earmarked before I even get it. One more big financial setback and I'm done.
So while the bank staff are congratulating themselves for giving back to the community, I can't afford groceries. Because of a mistake the bank made. That they're dragging their ass to investigate let alone correct.
Fighting this mistake, following up every few days on this mistake, and finally giving up on the bank I've used for about twenty-five years (it's always so much fun when, like today, the teller types in my account number and oh-so politely explains she has to search another way because I must have inadvertently missed a number only to realize nope I had it right it's just my account predates their current numbering system) has been stressful. We'll leave it at that.
Maybe food insecurity wouldn't be such a problem if, instead of raising money to fight it, corporations didn't cause it. Which is hardly an original or even particularly deep thought, so I'm not counting it.
I still need to update the account of my mortgage and loan autopay. Which requires talking to customer service. (I called but did not get to talk to anyone because of "unusually high volume" of calls.) The robot menu directed me to chat; chat informed me I had to call.
I've also gotten quotes from different insurance companies. I plan to change that next Friday. After I (hopefully) buy groceries.
p.s. I don't believe the companies I'm switching to are just inherently more honest and caring and yadda yadda. I'm sure the execs are as greedy and as unaware/unconcerned how their quest for quarterly shares devastate their customers. But I just have to make my tiny insignificant FU heard. Even tho it changes nothing.
p.p.s. I'm pretty impressed with myself actually. I'll admit it. Yeah, I've gotten totally overwhelmed. I've hidden in the bathroom at work to cry. I want to just stay in bed undef the covers in the dark and never ever ever leave home again. I've had, well, let's just call it a delicate stomach for several days.
But I'm still going. I hate dealing with every part of this, but I'm doing it.
p.p.p.s. And I finally tilled the veggie patch today, too.
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