I’m having that major dilemma right now.  I feel like I need this: Dyson DC18 Slim Vacuum  Now you might think, “$250 for a VACUUM!!!” but anyone who has ever had one tells me that it the BEST vacuum they have ever owned.  My current vacuum is something like this: Bissell Upright Bagless  Granted I could sell my old vacuum on Craigslist and get something for it.  The Dyson I want is 1/2 off plus if I order before midnight, Mr. Charming found a code for free shipping.  Right now we have mostly carpet throughout the house but plan on soon putting in some sort of wood flooring and in that case, do I really need a nice vacuum? We don’t have a dog that lives with us (though we might puppy-sit once a month for a weekend) or really bad allergies.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

I have to say that BECU is one of the best banks out there. I have never dealt with a rude person on the phone or in person. They have a great real estate service that Mr. Charming and I went through when we bought our house.  They matched us with a fabulous agent and the cash back commission reward basically covered our first month’s mortgage. They offer great classes on person finance, real estate and mortgage, retirement planning, and trust, wills, and probate. I have actually been to quite a few and they are all free and VERY informative. I do most of my banking on-line and their system is super easy to use.  We also have our VISA cards through them and they offer $1 to 1 point that can be used for gift cards basically any place you would want to go, donating to charity, and airline tickets.  Their APY and APR aren’t bad either.  I have to say, I love being a part of a credit union.  

Mr. Charming’s littlest sister is getting married in September (he has two younger sisters).  Mr. Charming and I were asked to be apart of the ceremony (as in Mr. Charming a groomsmen and me a bridesmaid).  I helped go wedding dress shopping at David’s Bridal  on my lunch break today with my sister-in-law.  Speaking of which, I need a name for her.  Anyways, wedding dresses are so expensive!  I borrowed mine from my cousin (which I am thankful we are the same size and have the same taste).  I can’t justify a $1,000 or even a $500 on a dress to wear for a couple of hours ONCE.  Just can’t do it. 

Maybe I’m cheap. I don’t know, but I do know I can find a lot better ways to spend my money.

So about 1-1/2 weeks ago this happened: Credit Card Shenanigans   I should have put money on the last line of the post:  It happened again this morning on our back up card.  Mr. Charming was trying to change his flight and it denied him.  Not 30 seconds later they called him and informed him that a nice size charged had happened through Western Union and the card had been put on high alert for future transactions.  He was able to put the change on his debit card but still it’s become more of annoyance and hassle than anything.  Do people really have nothing better to do than steal people’s credit card numbers and use them?  Apparently not.  I hope the jerk gets caught.          

So yesterday morning I am sitting at work.  A gal calls and says she is with VISA  and would like to verify some charges on our credit card.  She asks if I had spent $960 at a Wal-Mart in Georgia and about 20 minutes later at a gas station for gas.  I tell her that’s interesting considering I’m sitting here at work and Mr. Charming is in Las Vegas.   I called Mr. Charming to verify his card wasn’t stolen out of his wallet which it wasn’t.  They ended up closing the account and filing a fraud report. Mr. Charming and I are VERY careful about where we use our cards (as far as online) and shredding things that have our numbers on them.  It’s more of an inconvenience than anything.  I’m am VERY thankful to VISA and our bank BECU for being on top of things.

Hopefully it was just a one time thing and something more doesn’t become of it (as in identity theft).