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Monday, September 1, 2020
From Pants in a Can - view blog entries - visit this blog
September 1, 2020 at 12:43 pm ET
Another big gain this month but not everything was a success… Really, an increase of over four grand should feel awesome — especially considering that my total non-mortgage debt is less than four thousand — but for some reason, I feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels all month long. Probably that darn PMI thorn in my [...] ... (more)

From Pants in a Can - view blog entries - visit this blog
September 1, 2020 at 7:19 am ET
This is Steve Harwell, the lead singer for the band Smash Mouth. We saw him yesterday at the 148th Woodstock Fair and I took this picture. For the record, he can’t sing. He was terrible. The rest of the band wasn’t so great either. I like this band. I thought I liked this band. Actually, now having seen them [...] ... (more)

Saturday, August 30, 2020
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August 30, 2020 at 6:44 am ET
Yep, it’s that time of year again in New England. Agricultural Fair season. Now, I’m not into pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens or anything. Tractor pulls don’t get the blood flowing either, and trust me, these fairs are overflowing with that sort of thing. I like the fairs for the low admission price and the top-notch entertainment [...] ... (more)

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August 30, 2020 at 5:55 am ET
The more I think about my conversation with, well, I never caught her name, but the more I think about the entire discussion yesterday, the more I wish I’d at least gotten a solid answer to well, anything. Does Countrywide acknowledge the existence of Homeowners Protection Act? From what I can tell, no. Does a scenario exist where [...] ... (more)

Friday, August 29, 2020
From Pants in a Can - view blog entries - visit this blog
August 29, 2020 at 8:51 pm ET
Yep, this PMI cancellation thing just isn’t going to happen. Apparently the Homeowners Protection Act never existed. The idea of PMI automatically cancelling on it’s own is complete fiction. I made my call this afternoon to Lisa — who, if you recall, asked that I call back to check on the status of my [...] ... (more)

Thursday, August 28, 2020
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August 28, 2020 at 7:15 pm ET
If you’ve been watching the Democratic National Convention on C-Span all week, you’ve no doubt heard the reference several times. From the mouths of folks no one has ever heard of, all the way up to the likes of Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, the one thing I’ve heard over and [...] ... (more)

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August 28, 2020 at 8:17 am ET
I’m really liking this set-it-and-forget-it plan that I’ve got going. Though I’m just 3 weeks in, the thought of carrying a four figure balance for a few months isn’t eating away at me the way it used to. The $1545 charge that I put on my card to additionally pay down the mortgage will be gone in [...] ... (more)

Wednesday, August 27, 2020
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August 27, 2020 at 10:04 pm ET
This afternoon I printed out all of my documents, got myself all pumped up to bestow my plight to an actual person, and dialed 1-800-669-9092. I took a big deep breath as I awaited a voice on the other end. “Thank you for calling the Private Mortgage Department. If you’re calling about a PMI deletion letter [...] ... (more)

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August 27, 2020 at 7:43 am ET
So Countrywide responds late last night to my inquiry in a timely fashion: Thank you for your recent Internet inquiry addressed to the Customer Service Department. Our initial research shows that we can best resolve this inquiry for you by speaking with you in person. We appreciate that you have initiated this inquiry electronically but to ensure [...] ... (more)

Tuesday, August 26, 2020
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August 26, 2020 at 8:31 pm ET
Guess what I received in the mail today from Countrywide? Yep, exactly what I expected. The same letter I received on July 14 and August 1. So now I’ve gone back to the customer service route that has failed me in the past. I’m not really sure why I bother. Oh yeah, because they bill me over [...] ... (more)

Monday, August 25, 2020
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August 25, 2020 at 9:24 am ET
Last month, Sean from Financial Ramblings ranked the busiest, the longest lasting, and the most popular PF-Blogs in his reader. While that might not be a real credible sampling, it’s still a pretty impressive list that must’ve taken a long time to put together — but for dorks like me that love charts and numbers, it [...] ... (more)

Friday, August 22, 2020
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August 22, 2020 at 9:43 am ET
Earlier today I made reference to the fact that both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s 4×100 meter relay team dropped the baton in the Olympics this week, thereby eliminating themselves from the finals. Last night I also noticed that in the men’s semi-final that Great Britain, the favorite in the race, made their exchange outside the [...] ... (more)

From Pants in a Can - view blog entries - visit this blog
August 22, 2020 at 9:02 am ET
I’m in one of those zones of funk where clearing my debts is within sight, but for some reason, after month after month of progress, it suddenly doesn’t feel like I’m getting any closer. In distance running terms, I’ve hit the wall. But, hey, I know what the problem is. That’s a start, right? The additional money [...] ... (more)

Wednesday, August 20, 2020
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August 20, 2020 at 6:11 am ET
Any soda drinkers out there? How about beer drinkers? Did you ever sit down and think about what a great “cash-back” offer these beverages have attached to them? I guess it depends on which State you live in… I’m not a beer drinker, so I’m going to use soda in my example. [...] ... (more)

Tuesday, August 19, 2020
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August 19, 2020 at 6:01 am ET
This past Sunday morning, my wife and I loaded up the back of her truck with all of our empty soda cans and bottles and headed to the closest grocery store to get a jump on the crowds. It was 7:30 am. To our dismay, we weren’t the only ones looking to beat the crowds. [...] ... (more)

Monday, August 18, 2020
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August 18, 2020 at 7:43 am ET
Hopefully today is the day that my 40 day PMI saga concludes. Countrywide has corrected Friday’s $1500 mistake and the balance on my mortgage is now less than 78% of the original value. Even Countrywide’s website says so: Combine that with the FTC’s claim: For home mortgages signed on or after July 29, 1999, your PMI must be terminated [...] ... (more)

Saturday, August 16, 2020
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August 16, 2020 at 6:48 am ET
Ever get stuck talking to someone that you’d really rather not be stuck talking to? I’m not talking about how sometimes it seems like you’re the go-to guy when someone needs the time or something. Though I don’t wear a watch, and that’s plainly visible to all around me, it seems that anytime I’m in [...] ... (more)

Friday, August 15, 2020
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August 15, 2020 at 1:21 pm ET
So we are looking for a car. It’s the season. We lost the Sable when a deer slammed into it. That left us two vehicles — our intrepid 1995 Taurus and our diligent and appropriately appointed 1991 Volkswagen Fox. As you can see, we do not buy new cars here. Although, that was not always the case. Early in our married [...] ... (more)

Thursday, August 14, 2020
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August 14, 2020 at 11:25 am ET
I logged in to my Countrywide account to submit my latest requested to have PMI canceled and it threw me into an internal rage. I’ve been sending Countrywide additional principle payments on a weekly basis for over a year now. Not a single hitch. Not one. Today, they decide to apply my extra payment (yeah, the one [...] ... (more)

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August 14, 2020 at 7:49 am ET
In an effort to boost my savings rate more rapidly, I’ve set-up a payment plan that will pay down the $1500 credit card convenience check I wrote to myself earlier this week. Yeah, the check that I used to accelerate the PMI cancellation process by a few weeks. In the past, with a $1545 balance ($1500 + [...] ... (more)

Wednesday, August 13, 2020
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August 13, 2020 at 3:32 pm ET
Add another $85.15 to the amount I’ve needlessly paid for Private Mortgage Insurance. Yep, as I predicted last month when I first reached the threshold required to request PMI cancellation, Countrywide really is going to squeeze every last penny out of me. Total, that I feel has been stolen from me, is now $170.30. Do you know what [...] ... (more)

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August 13, 2020 at 5:16 am ET
Using one of those 0% credit card offers, I wrote a $1500 check to myself and deposited it into my checking account yesterday as a pseudo birthday present to myself. Once the check clears, probably today, I intend to send all $1500 towards my mortgage to put myself beyond the 22% mark on the balance which [...] ... (more)

Tuesday, August 12, 2020
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August 12, 2020 at 5:43 am ET
I’ve already stated that I’m throwing in the towel on the $10k in savings by the end of the year. At the time, it was still remotely possible to achieve, but now, a few weeks later, it’s not a goal that I’m confident that I can accomplish. And I’m not sure if anyone has noticed [...] ... (more)

Sunday, August 10, 2020
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August 10, 2020 at 7:49 am ET
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it in the past before on PIAC, but since I quit my photographer position last November, I’ve had around $30k worth of camera equipment essentially collecting dust in the corner of my, ahem, jersey room. While the lenses and the lighting equipment hold their value, the actual camera bodies certainly [...] ... (more)

Friday, August 8, 2020
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August 8, 2020 at 7:42 am ET
But I didn’t call Geico. Maybe I should have? 15 Minutes are so hard to find these days… I also doubt Mrs. Butterworth would answer the phone there and that would leave me somewhat disappointed… Anyway, it all started last week when I received my renewal notice from Allstate. Yes, the same Allstate [...] ... (more)

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