Measure once, cut twice... wait.

I seem to be continually surprised by how expensive consumable goods have become.  Maybe its because Steph does most of the grocery shopping.  I find that I'm asking myself the following questions pretty regularly these days: "When did bread jump to $3.00 a loaf?"  "How can milk be $3.80 a gallon and gas is only $3.69 a gallon?"  "Has a package of all-beef hot dogs always cost as much per pound as lean hamburger?"  It seems like the only food that is still cheap is bananas.  

A coworker today mentioned in passing that this year's inflation is around 5%!  I checked it out and learned that inflation in July was at 5.6%.  That's higher than it's been in over seven years.  

I was shocked this past June when our rent jumped up by 12+%!  I still haven't gotten a good answer from the apartment complex on why that happened.  The treadmill in the exercise room is still broken.  I want my extra 12% to go to a new treadmill!

I'm even more nervous as to how the next year will go when the subject of annual raises was brought up by coworkers today.  Everyone is saying not to expect much this year.  This is a promotion year for me, and it would be nice to have some GOOD news.  I should find out sometime in the next week and a half or two weeks.  I'm starting to get a little anxious that it won't cover the cost of our rising non-discretionary expenses.

[DISCLAIMER: this post didn't begin as a monologue on the state of the economy and our finances; our apologies.  The post is really about our internet connectivity.]

In order to make the money stretch we've been cutting back on discretionary spending.  The first target was the Verizon FiOS cable and internet.  On Friday I called and cancelled our fiber optic internet service and scaled our cable back from the premier package to the basic package (guess we'll be watching conference at the church building this October).  We thought we were being smart and that we'd get a dial up service and just deal with the slower speeds.  

Last night I bought a NetZero account and started the set up.  I got to the screen that asked for the home telephone number.  I started typing in my cell phone number and then stopped part way through when I realized my blunder.  We don't have a land line.  

Steph and I haven't had a land line since we left Utah.  Our cell phone expenses on the family plan we've been a part of have been insignificant enough that we use them instead of a land line.  After all, the girls don't need to be calling anyone at their ages.  Anyone calling for us can reach Steph or I anytime, anywhere.  When we go out, we leave one of our phones with the babysitter who can call us on the other cell phone.  It was a perfect plan.

So now I had a dial up account with NetZero account with no way to dial up.  The phrases "measure twice, cut once" and "look before you leap" flashed through my mind. I groaned to myself and reluctantly got on the phone (cell phone of course) to cancel the newly established account.  I ended up speaking with an "off-shore representative" of NetZero who walked me through the process.  Our conversation went something like this:

[picking up the conversation after the greeting, etc.]

Ben: "Can you please cancel my NetZero account.  I mistakenly signed up.  We don't have a land line to use with the account and I don't know when, if ever, we will get a land line."

NetZero: "Okay Mr. Taylor, and anyways thank you for calling today regarding your account." (Pause) "Anyways Mr. Taylor, I have just successfully suspended your service for two months.  After that time you can -"

Ben: "I'm sorry, what?  Did you say 'suspend'?  Has my account been suspended or canceled?"

NetZero: "Anyways, we have suspended your account for two months.  Anyways, you can call back anytime to re-establish your account when you have home telephone service -"

Ben: "I am not planning on getting home telephone service.  I would like to cancel my account."

NetZero: "Yes Mr. Taylor, anyways, I understand.  Anyways, let me just tell you that at this time I have been authorized to offer you a discount for your high-speed NetZero account.  Anyways, so instead of $7.49 a month you will can pay $6.49 a month once you set up your land line -"

Ben: "I am not planning on setting up a land line now or anytime in the foreseeable future.  I do not want to SUSPEND my account, I want to CANCEL my account."

NetZero: "Okay Mr. Taylor.  Anyways, I will cancel your account if you will just hold for one moment while I take care of a few things" [hold music begins]

Ben: (incredulous pause) "Are you serious?  Now you want me to use my cell phone minutes to listen to hold music while you do something with my account that OBVIOUSLY doesn't need my input?..."

NetZero: [hold music continues]

[end of conversation]

First of all, I'm not sure how exactly they expect a one-dollar discount is supposed to motivate me to decide to hook up a land line.  Second, I don't think that she knows the proper use (if there even is one) of the word "anyways".  Third, do they really need us to stay on the line while they cancel the account?  Do they have some deal with the phone companies to draw out the conversation as long as they can?  Do they get a commission off the phone call fee??  I'm really confused about this.  Next time I get asked to wait like that I'm going to ask that they finish what they are doing while I get off the phone and to send me an email, send me a letter, or call me back from their line.  

Anyways, so we don't have internet, and anyways, we don't have plans for a land line or other internet service at present.  Anyways, I will continue to email/blog during my lunchbreak as I can, and anyways, we will let you know just as soon as we can, anyways, when the baby is born and/or we have home internet again.  Anyways.