Haste & Disorganization Makes Waste As I pulled out the credit card bill to see what else I was missing, one thing became painfully clear to me- most of my needless charges were the fault of one thing- disorganization! Me?  How could this be? I’m a frugal person.  Finances are my thing! It was hard to admit, but clearly my Mastercard statement was telling the True Hollywood Story…

• What was that cell phone charge for $100? Crap! I had forgotten to return a broken cell phone – all I needed to do was stick it in the mail for a refund but where was it?
• And that toothache that I ignored for too long… Turned into a thousand dollar-plus root canal!
• And what about that $350 tow the other day when I was running late to drop off my son at a class – really – was I so late that I couldn’t take 3 seconds to read the street sign? Wasn’t I the person who had paid for my trusty Subaru in cash 5 years ago to save money and avoid monthly payments?  Did my hectic new work schedule really mean my poor vehicle had to suffer the indignity of being towed through L.A. in a rain storm?  I guess so – my bad.
• Lastly, there were the pitfalls of “Auto pay”.  Sure, it made my life easier, but those bills were also easy to forget to pay attention to.  And there were certainly a couple of subscriptions on there I could cancel and would never miss.

I have to say, although not very sexy, our date was a huge eye-opener for me.  For someone who prides herself on being organized when it comes to money, I had to face the truth: my recent bout with disorganization was costing my me and my family…Not so Fab & Fru!  And the reality is – even the most frugal and financially ‘together’ of us- can always improve and find new ways to save. Back to the Date…

As the evening went on, I got past my frightening yet enlightening revelation.  We were both honest with each other about our financial foibles and victories of 2009, and it was actually enjoyable.  I liked feeling like David and I were part of a team and working towards something together. We decided to end on a high note – talking about planning a family vacation.  I was smiling thinking of Cabo when the bill came and we only owed 5 dollars thanks to our gift certificate.  I looked at my phone – it was only 6:20.  In just an hour we had accomplished so much, and we still had a babysitter until 9p!  To make matters even better, we had parked in a legal spot so our car was actually still waiting there for us after dinner. I was feeling empowered, back on track and dare I say – even a little sexy…

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