Are you this old?

[BravoXray]

How many of you remember hearing a sonic boom?

They were outlawed in '73 so hearing them might not qualify you as being old but remembering them, or not, may qualify you.

Yep, occasionally planes from Bunker Hill Air Force base (now Grissom) in Peru had fighters based there and they flew over our area occasionally supersonic and made some pretty loud booms.
We used to be able to hear airliners with the old pure jet engines go over too, before they had to put hush kits on them to quiet them down. When they converted to turbofans you couldn't hear them anymore.

 

[BravoXray]

Dad bought dynamite at the local hardware store to blast rock for his basement.

My father had a construction company and they used dynamite for blasting out big boulders and large tree stumps. I think I still have some 8mm film of a few blasts. He also bought it at the local hardware store, and we usually had a box iof it in the basement. I remember it was always packed in sawdust.

 

[PILOON]

One time when I brought a collection of coins the teller questioned if the rolls were correct.
I simply replied that she was free to re-count anytime.
Kind of insulting.

 

[Bird]

I wonder how many of you who mentioned using credit cards for everything instead of cash, actually keep track of your spending and charges. Personally, I keep all receipts, and I reconcile them with the statement each month. And sure enough, yesterday was a charge for $49.97 that I sure did not recognize. Nor did my wife recognize it. The credit card company promptly cancelled the card and is sending me a new one with a new number. And this is not the first time this has happened.

 

[Hay Dude]

Shoot... even 2Lane isn't this old

Wow, thats really old

 

[Hay Dude]

I use CCs a lot more than I used to, both are cashback cards, so it's like getting 1-5% off my purchases. Gas, almost all the time, other purchases over $25 or so also CC. That's about the extent, I don't see myself going cashless anytime soon, not gonna use a CC for some $8 purchase.

Change gets tossed into a jar, when it gets full-ish I'll go to one of those Coinstar machines and cash them in for an Amazon certificate. If you get cash, they take a 9.5% cut, but on a gift card you get 100% of what you cashed in.

Wonder if thats really true, or do store merchants simply mark up the price ahead of time to compensate for the CC companies taking 1-3% away from them?

 

[Pixguy]

and why are we seeing these Medicare commercials again? I thought the deadline was Dec.7th?

 

[Dftodd]

Bangor Savings let's you use their machine free if you have an account.
Last year rolled coin was short and we had trouble getting it at the banks.

Arvest used to, until they closed the lobby. Lobby hasn't opened up yet. So it just keeps going into the jug at the house.

Wally world has a machine but the last time I saw it, it was out of order.

 

[the old grind]

I wonder how many of you who mentioned using credit cards for everything instead of cash, actually keep track of your spending and charges. Personally, I keep all receipts, and I reconcile them with the statement each month. And sure enough, yesterday was a charge for $49.97 that I sure did not recognize. Nor did my wife recognize it. The credit card company promptly cancelled the card and is sending me a new one with a new number. And this is not the first time this has happened.

I reconcile my CC statements and called an outfit that charged me but couldn't find me in their system. Bank sent me a new card/number vs cancel the charge and I updated my auto-pays accordingly. Soon enough Google shared my new # and the charge came back until I went to BBB with being charged by 'vapor'. This is what we get from 'technology'.

Got that fixed finally but tried to use Google pay one time and they have been dunning me to provide screenshots of my CC, Paypal home page, picture ID, and other stuff. Pay-Pal and my bank do two step verification by text but Google won't while giving out my info w/o per. I use my computer for all internet, but if I Google something on either phone they show my last search, so my phones are connected to my account. Imagine having to log in to Google to post on YT.

So now, having lost my BCBS card I find that walk-in centers have been closed for a year. I only need to log in using the number on the back of my card to request a new one. If I wait on hold for a person I'm told by computer voice to call back later and get disconnected. Hospital and imaging both mailed that I should schedule my annual chest CT scan. I did so and was told to have my Doc order it. Well, his office hasn't answered the phone all week.

IMO the old days were simpler. Folks who already have TMI about me still want more, but ask me to do a lot of leg work for them, considering. The 'technology' doesn't seem to work well on their end after all. End of rant.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I wonder how many of you who mentioned using credit cards for everything instead of cash, actually keep track of your spending and charges. Personally, I keep all receipts, and I reconcile them with the statement each month. And sure enough, yesterday was a charge for $49.97 that I sure did not recognize. Nor did my wife recognize it. The credit card company promptly cancelled the card and is sending me a new one with a new number. And this is not the first time this has happened.

I reconcile mine every month.

My CU has coin machines in lobby. Haven’t been inside one for a couple yrs though.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My dad never had a credit card. At 97 Yo don’t expect he ever will.

 

[k0ua]

and why are we seeing these Medicare commercials again? I thought the deadline was Dec.7th?

There is a period starting in January and ending on Feb 14th where you can have "buyers remorse" on your current new advantage plan, It is is called the "disenrollment period."

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My father had a construction company and they used dynamite for blasting out big boulders and large tree stumps. I think I still have some 8mm film of a few blasts. He also bought it at the local hardware store, and we usually had a box iof it in the basement. I remember it was always packed in sawdust.

The sawdust was supposed to soak up the nitroglycerine when it sweated. I ran across a half case in my dad's barn some years back and there was liquid nitro all over it. I carried it outside and set fire to it to dispose of it. Dynamite burns with a bright blue flame almost as bright as a magnesium flare. Yes, I was very careful, and no, I was not going to call the state police bomb squad for disposal.

 

[PILOON]

Promptly at 12:00 I got my (now daily call) saying my CC had been scammed.
Would sure like to know what list they use that my number is on.

Oh, and I never respond, just hang up.

No name, no card mentioned, just the same recording.
Usually they say --a minor amount followed by a $XXX charge.

 

[Molalla1]

Promptly at 12:00 I got my (now daily call) saying my CC had been scammed.
Would sure like to know what list they use that my number is on.

Oh, and I never respond, just hang up.

No name, no card mentioned, just the same recording.
Usually they say --a minor amount followed by a $XXX charge.

I've had on my land line a few calls like this, a recording says that my amazon account has a charge of $XXXX amount . . . if this is wrong press 1 . . . I do not have an Amazon acct.

 

[Bird]

I've had on my land line a few calls like this, a recording says that my amazon account has a charge of $XXXX amount . . . if this is wrong press 1 . . . I do not have an Amazon acct.

Yep, I get the same recording, and I DO have a rarely used account at Amazon, but I always just hang up. In fact, we get so many bogus calls that we've quit answering the land line until we see where it shows the call to be coming from. If it's actually important they'll leave a message on our answering machine.

 

[Oaktree]

One time when I brought a collection of coins the teller questioned if the rolls were correct.
I simply replied that she was free to re-count anytime.
Kind of insulting.

Maybe, but just because you're honest doesn't mean that everyone else is. I'm sure it's not uncommon for them to find 48 or 49 of a given denomination in a coin roll. It's been decades since I've cashed in coins at a bank, but the last time I did every roll had to have my name and account # on it.

Wonder if thats really true, or do store merchants simply mark up the price ahead of time to compensate for the CC companies taking 1-3% away from them?

Oh, I'm sure they do but I've never seen a business that gave a discount for paying in cash.

I reconcile my CC statements and called an outfit that charged me but couldn't find me in their system. Bank sent me a new card/number vs cancel the charge and I updated my auto-pays accordingly. Soon enough Google shared my new # and the charge came back until I went to BBB with being charged by 'vapor'. This is what we get from 'technology'.

That's one of the main reasons I don't do auto-pay. Even when the expense is legit, they always seem to take forever to put it thru when you try to cancel.
How did Google get your CC# in the first place?

Promptly at 12:00 I got my (now daily call) saying my CC had been scammed.
Would sure like to know what list they use that my number is on.

Oh, and I never respond, just hang up.

No name, no card mentioned, just the same recording.
Usually they say --a minor amount followed by a $XXX charge.

Haven't gotten one of those calls in a while, but when I do I log into my CC accounts to check right away. Twice, we got calls and found out we'd gotten scammed.
First time was someone apparently hacked my Amazon account and ordered $500 worth of merchandise. Contacted my CC company, and they confirmed the charge had been made against my card. They stopped payment on it, and issued me a new card. Idiot who ordered the stuff had it shipped to my address! Dunno if he planned to play porch pirate or what, but I was home when it arrived. Shipped it back to Amazon and all was good. Stronger password, and don't have them save my CC info anymore.

The second time happened to my wife (and if I hadn't been home she would have fallen for it). Someone claiming to be a rep from the CC company called and said a charge had been made to her card for $399 and to call a specific number if it wasn't legit. She called the number back and they "accidentally" credited $3999 back and wanted her to return the difference in gift cards. She was just getting in the car to go get them when I asked where she was going & she explained. I told her NO! NO!! NO!!! IT'S A SCAM!!! The guy was still on the phone with her, and it finally sunk in what she was doing and hung up on him. Again, she had to have a new CC issued. He also tricked her into installing remote access software on her PC (which I removed, pronto).
Later, when the dust settled a bit, she admitted that something seemed fishy, but the guy was very convincing.
Hopefully, lesson learned.

 

[Molalla1]

Yep, I get the same recording, and I DO have a rarely used account at Amazon, but I always just hang up. In fact, we get so many bogus calls that we've quit answering the land line until we see where it shows the call to be coming from. If it's actually important they'll leave a message on our answering machine.

Bird, do you think they have an idea of our age before they call . . . I find it nice that I still have a very sharp mind even at 79 . . body not so much . . . but to prey on older people?

 

[Jstpssng]

I wonder how many of you who mentioned using credit cards for everything instead of cash, actually keep track of your spending and charges. Personally, I keep all receipts, and I reconcile them with the statement each month. And sure enough, yesterday was a charge for $49.97 that I sure did not recognize. Nor did my wife recognize it. The credit card company promptly cancelled the card and is sending me a new one with a new number. And this is not the first time this has happened.

Only once per month? The beauty of being able to check online is that I check all of my accounts at least once per week. One day I drove to my parent's and back, using my card to get gas; the next day I noticed a $90 charge to Macy's which wasn't mine. Somebody had bought a gift card... I often wonder if they would have kept using it for smaller amounts like that if I hadn't caught them.

One day I logged into my CU and noticed that Amazon had done a query on my debit card. The only thing I use(d) it for was the ATM machine; there's no reason for Amazon to have the card number. I called the CU as soon as they opened and told them "Shut off the card, don't send me another one."

Amex doesn't send me paper statements. I don't use the card but logged on the day it was due, to find that I had a balance due which would have been late if I hadn't noticed it. My year at Sirius was up and they had started charging without notifying me. I no longer have satellite radio.

 

[Jstpssng]

Wonder if thats really true, or do store merchants simply mark up the price ahead of time to compensate for the CC companies taking 1-3% away from them?

That's certainly true here for gas... many places charge 5-6 cents per gallon extra for paying by card. At 3$/gallon my 2% cash back covers the convenience of paying at the pump. I haven't seen it lately but many stores had a minimum to use plastic. Usually it's $10.00, yet I've seen it as high as $20.00.