Sep 23, 2009

The Daily Poverty Party

Welcome to Bossy’s Poverty Party, an online support group for reining in spending, getting your finances in order, and climbing out of debt. Everyone basically knows what steps to take, but it is nearly impossible to climb that mountain alone.

So every day nearly every day over the next year, Bossy will use this space to report her spending and missteps, along with cheap recipes, savings tips, and suggested tricks and goals.

Call it whatever it is in your region — E-ZPass, I-Pass, Fastrak, Télépéage — electronic toll collection saves time and hassle. When Bossy’s son was a baby, he would sleep soundly in the car for long stretches — that is until Bossy slowed the car to throw money at the toll collector, in which case his eyes would fly open and there he’d be, wide awake for the rest of the journey, much to tired Bossy’s chagrin. Which is to say: Electronic toll collection makes Bossy want to have another baby so she can have a go at sanity this time around.

Like other electronic devices when tangled up in finances, it’s easy to forget one is actually forking over money when it is automatically deducted from some account and, yeah, Bossy isn’t even sure how it works. But in whatever case, Bossy has a tendency to feel as though she is traveling for free.

In fact, last month when Bossy and her friend Martha were busy running back and forth to the beach for day trips, Martha offered Bossy toll money. Bossy was all, “Nah, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Martha squealed. “Wait until your Poverty Party hears about this.”

Consider yourselves told, Poverty Party guests.

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10 comments

1. 1
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 am
   corrie said:

   It adds up!!!

   But, nothing better than treating a friend!


2. 2
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
   vuboq said:

   I guess what one pays in tolls, one saves in avoiding the Beach Tag Lady?


3. 3
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 am
   BH said:

   Nothing?!? Nothing?!?!

   Bossy just done went crazy!

   BH


4. 4
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
   RuthWells said:

   We’ve been told and you’ve been schooled! Well done, Bossy’s Friend Martha.


5. 5
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 10:29 am
   Reeb said:

   We have a tag on the windshield for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I forget that I’m racking up the fees too, like on my two trips across yesterday.


6. 6
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
   MELISSA said:

   In Illinois, the Ipass actually saves money. Tolls are DOUBLE the cost for cash users!


7. 7
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
   Kathy said:

   Just don’t ever use the EZ Pass in a rental car. The rental car companies charge you triple the amount of the toll. We found this out the hard way after a week of driving around the Northeast looking at collleges!


8. 8
   on September 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 pm
   Momish said:

   Wait until your credit card expires, then they want to tack on all these penalties and fees. As if I should be penalized for being unorganized. The nerve!


9. 9
   on September 27th, 2009 at 7:37 am
   Jill said:

   This is the most honest poverty party I’ve ever been to.


10. 10
    on October 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
    Happily Employed Susan said:

    When someone offers toll money it’s polite to take it and say thank you.