TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

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October 9, 2010
Volume 8, Number 19
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country Essay

2. Top Drawer Article

3. Top Drawer Tips

4. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY

What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

Have you ever come to an unknown road and wondered if you should follow it?

That's what happened to me one afternoon when I approached an intersection I'd driven through many times before in my search for land to build a house on.

As I slowed and glanced right, then left, I saw a narrow strip of rural highway that disappeared over a hill. What to do? It was getting late. I'd been checking out properties all day long. There was dinner to cook ...

Oh, what the heck - I hung a left and two short miles later came to a sign that read: Five acre lots for sale.

Acreage. Great!

Within minutes, I was walking along a dirt path beside the landowner as he showed me several parcels of real estate. Nearly all was grassy pasture. But one tract, shaded by a huge live oak, was exactly what I'd spent months looking for.

"That's it," I said, pointing at the section I liked.

He gave me thumbs down. "Sorry. Sold it last week."

I blinked back my disappointment. Here was the perfect place and it wasn't for sale.

"Wait a minute," the landowner said. He glanced at the sheet of paper he was holding. "My mistake. The buyer bowed out an hour ago. The property with the tall tree is back on the market."

Yes! Yes! And Yes! Sometimes life is good ...

And some roads are just meant to be followed.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

The History of Credit Cards

by
HL Carpenter

History tends to repeat itself - and occasionally one of the do-overs is an improvement. The credit card is an example of a modern improvement on an old idea.

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: You may think of credit cards and charge cards as the same, but there is an important difference. When you use a credit card to pay for purchases, you can pay the balance off over time. With a charge card, the balance is due in full when you get your statement.

Glossary Term: Grace Period. A period of time during which you can pay certain credit card charges without incurring interest. For example, if you pay off your current purchases by the due date of your payment (the grace period), you generally will not owe finance charges on that amount. Balance transfers and cash advances usually have no grace period, meaning interest is charged from the day you make the transaction. In addition, if you carry a balance on your credit card from month to month, the grace period may not apply to new purchases.

Financial Horoscope: Keep charging forward with your financial plans, and remember to give yourself credit for what you've already accomplished.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

The Re-Election Business

by
HL Carpenter

Despite the lingering recession, at least one company is doing well. Reelections R US, a Washington DC-based company that markets Electorate Brownnosing products to politicians already in office, reported a winning quarter.

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