ankle still tender...

got it elevated, and wearing an ace bandage.

resting between bouts of company...

it's SO nice to hang out and yatter, and especially good because my visitor owns goats, and pointed out that mine have picked up mites (ouch, I'm soooo blind, I didn't notice, and neither did hubby.)

also interesting, because her cousin has MS, and we were able to trade "notes" on the subject, and I got to hear an "outsider's" perspective.

also good, because since we get to see fellow Yanks quite rarely, it makes the visits a treat, and I find I listen closely, and enjoy myself muchly.

as long as it's just a FEW folks at once... Kay still hates crowds, lol!

San: I chopped up ALL my cards but one... still hangin' onto that AmEx GOLD card, lol... might NEED it for emergency travel, right?

good-onya for taking ACTION, and not laying back and lettin' 'em rake you over the coals with their BS fees for everything.

at one point in 2003, I was sending my payments via CERTIFIED MAIL, so somebody had to SIGN for them.

'cause I was gettin' LATE FEES, when I KNEW the payments were on TIME, by the date the CHECK cleared my bank!

so, copying bank statements, with the particular check highlighted, (and sending that in certified too!) I was able to have the BS fees removed, but... it's a PITA to untangle this stuff, especially when ya gots other things on your plate.

did y'all know that BANKS and CC companies are hauling in a BONANZA and making RECORD MEGA-$$s from their FEES and stuff, maybe even than from actual loans and interest?

A bonanza reaped in secret

Discovering all the ways you can get dinged is often a process of trial and error. Banks don't typically publish their complete fee schedules on the Internet, and the first time many people learn about a fee is when it shows up on their account.

All these fees, hidden or not, have helped many banks turn in record profits in recent years. Credit card fees alone jumped 18% last year, to $24 billion. Overall, bank fees are on track to top $55 billion this year, said Robert Hammer of investment banking firm R.K. Hammer.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...sThanEver.aspx