I don’t often start out this way on my posts, but today…well, today is different. Today the topic of SoCS (aka Stream of Consciousness Saturday) is strange to me. Sorry, Linda, but it’s true.
I sure can tell Linda’s a creative gal to come up with this hot topic for the day: “the last piece of mail you received.” Talk about the subject of the last piece of physical mail you received, i.e. a gas bill–talk about gas, not the bill itself. Have fun!
Was Linda in the delivery car with my mailman? How did she know it was the electric/gas bill that arrived in my mailbox? Maybe she had scouts watching, I just know it…that’s it…
Somehow she knew it would be a topic that would hightail me outta here in a whitetail kinda way. Kicking my heels and running…but not before I shared my mail-tale of sorts.
I’ll never know how Linda’s most glorious mind works…but she knew…she knew that I would not be excited to write about an electric/gas bill. An electric/gas bill from Xcel Energy.
The boring brown envelope that costs me money. Not only one, but two arrived on the same day. Double the costs to me!
The only funny thing about the arrival of those bills is that they are for two of our rental units that are empty. Not funny that they are empty. Nope, no landlord likes an empty apartment. That is unless you’ve just kicked out a Hunyuck, and then an empty apartment is a relief. But I digress, that was last summer. And Mr. called him the Hunyuck, and that was funny to me. Guess you have to be a Packer fan?
What’s funny about the electric/gas bills is that last month when we got them in the mail, one was overpaid, and the other had a disconnect notice on it. I panicked, did I screw up and forget to pay them? Did I really double up payments and screw up?
I double checked my records and I had diligently and faithfully paid both on time. That meant I was in the clear, and that the accounting department had applied both payments to one of them, and bypassed the other causing the disconnect message. Those damn barnacles…
When I told Mr. about it, he said, “Why can’t anyone do their effing job right.”
That was funny. You had to be there, his delivery of disgust was most entertaining.
What is pathetic about the arrival of the two envelopes this month is that the accounting department finally did record last month’s payments correctly. And the only reason I can determine it is so is that I hand-wrote checks and mailed the payments in separate envelopes. I didn’t pay online because that’s when they screw up the posting. And there were two bills with balances due.
Again…not funny, two apartments open. But I digress again…
So, in order for the accounting department to be efficient in their tasks, it costs me more, and I must take the slow snail-mail, archaic route, to pay the bills so there is no way for them to miss the correct account to apply the payments to. I do my job and their job for them. I’m helpful that way. Kind of like how Linda finds such fun topics to write about on Saturdays. She’s helpful that way, yes she is – so that we all flock together in unison about our mail-tales!
And with that, I’m off to hightail it outta here to pay bills and finish my job of unpacking from our trip.
So yeah…I haven’t finished doing my job correctly…yet. “Why can’t I do my effing unpacking job right?” Probably ‘cuz I still wish I was on a beach where everyone else was doing the job of ensuring I was having a great and relaxing time. Maybe I should paint my toes again…? Is it flip-flop season yet?…
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – The last piece of mail you received. Do stop by to visit Linda’s SoCS – you’ll find many fun tales to read!
PS – Do you pay bills online and does it work for you? Do they ever screw it up and post payments wrong? How long does it take for you to stop missing your vacation mode? Do you collect seashells when you visit the beach?
They inability of some people to do their jobs right is truly frustrating. I remember one time, paying bills for three accounts with AT&T at work. They applied everything to the single line for our fax machine. After receiving letters threatening to disconnect our Internet and voice access, we paid those bills, separately, a second time. They never were able to fix the mess, and we carried a credit on that fax line for years. After that, three bills, three checks, three envelopes, three stamps.
The cat looks pretty cozy in his new home 😉
You’d think BIG companies could get it right! Glad to hear I’m not the only one that has taken the separate check/envelope route to get them to do things right! Yes, Tizzie always finds joy in luggage space.
I pay all bills online, works perfectly every time! Apparently the accounting department needs a change of employees. Employees ho can read, write and do proper math. It’s always flip flop season here.
Everything is better in LasVegas, right? 😉
Pretty much. You asked! Sorry, I’m being a jerk… 😮
LOL – You’re just a man that knows what he prefers. Nothing wrong with that!
That much is true! 😎
I pay our bills online or by auto-pay. Fortunately no issues. Knock on wood.
A true minimalist approach works well for you!!
I’ve still got room for improvements. Once I got started down this path, I realized there are a plethora of options. A minimalist movement.
I call myself the Dubious Minimalist – I think I’ll work on fine-tuning for my A-Z in April?!
Oooh. Sounds interesting. Looking forward to AtoZ.
I’ve never done the A-Z, I’m a bit intimidated by it, but excited nonetheless. Your theme sounds fun!
This is year two for me. Year before last I was an observer. You’ll love it. I’m in awe of what people put out there. Very inspiring.
I’m encouraged by your feedback about it! I think I’ll jump in and join in on the fun!
First of all, gorgeous photos of the deer. Really nice!
Bill paying…the post office here screws things up if I put something in the outgoing mail slot in our condo building. Two payments never got to their destination.
Also, the utility company is the same for gas and electric, but they send separate bills – which I pay separately a couple of days apart. Just in case. I pay online for a few things, but am not comfortable with auto pay.
Thank you, the deer cooperated this round. Bummer about your post office and the condo. My daughter has that problem. I sent her a very important card when we had the snow storm and she never got it. Still makes me mad/sad. You’re wise to help the receiving end apply payments correctly. I do the staggering method as well.
Our snail mail is filled with mostly boring stuff except that we get this shiny glossy magazine about fancy home remodeling and upscale decorating. It’s a magazine we never subscribed to, but it arrives in my name. It’s the weirdest thing, but I do enjoy seeing [for free] how the well-to-do live.
Other than bills, that’s what we get too. I wasn’t getting a fancy decorating magazine, but I was getting Wine Spectator for free for 2 years. Seeing the fancy vineyards and how the others live was an interesting time in our lives. It was the only way to get Mr. to travel to Europe, so that was nice too. LOL!
A-Z is total fun. I’ve done it twice but keep out of it this year. Hope your next bills go ok. I am lucky. The husband pays most of them and they seem to work ok. Have a lovely weekend 🙋♀️🐝
Thanks for sharing – why aren’t you doing it this year if you don’t mind sharing. I’m on the fence about it. I wonder if I could talk Mr. into paying our bills? Hmm… Hope you have a great weekend too!
Thanks very much. Just working on today’s triple blog post 😁. I want to get the rest of my old blogposts sorted and will start more gardening in April so I don’t feel I could get it done. I am through 2000 old posts and still have another 2000 to do 😁. Have a lovely Sunday too! 🙋♀️🐝
Gotcha – you’ve got plenty on your plate! 2000 more…yowzers, that’s a LOT! Have a wonderful Sunday!!
I pay every bill I can online – I won’t pay the water bill or taxes because there is a $3.00 surcharge to do that. It’s a hardship to write a regular check anymore. But, speaking of scr*w-ups, I bought a wireless mini keyboard a few weeks ago to use with the laptop. I liked using it and decided to purchase two more the other day at Meijer. I always use the U-scan as I like to pack my own groceries, perishable or not. I went to pack one keyboard and the box lid opened. I knew enough to look on the inside of the carton where the receiver for the wireless was tucked … stupid place for iit because it is the size of my fingernail, if that big. It was missing. I called the U-scan honcho over and pointed at it and said I needed a $29.99 credit and not to put it back on the shelf as someone had just “lifted” the item you plug into the USB port and without it, the keyboard is useless. She looked at me, but marched over to customer service after she punched in the void. Silly me did not look to see if she voided the correct item at that time as I saw the void on the screen. This clerk voided a chair pad, not the same price, not even close. I looked at my bill later in the day online and saw it … I had to call the manager and I now have to go back. I did not tell her that she did void something, just not the right thing … how can you be that stupid? I said a few choice words, just like Mr. And of course, this was a real song-and-dance to relay over the phone as I was not making a return trip anytime soon.
Thank you for sharing – OMG – that’s horrible, and such a pain for you. I love your ‘honcho’ description. I hope they fix it for you. What a hassle. Grr…yeah, Mr. would’ve had choice words, and so would’ve I!
Aren’t sea shells interesting? Even with barnacles. Amazing how that creature is made, survives and then washes up on shore. And you deer pictures are great. Mail is boring. All, I get is junk, everything else is on line.
Yes, I love shells. Like you said, they are fascinating, even with the barnacles. I’m always tempted to bring back more, but I limit myself. There aren’t as many to find on that beach, they keep it really clean there. Our past trips to Florida have provided us with way too many jars of shells. Mail is boring, that’s for sure. Kind of satisfying to just be able to toss it all when no bills arrive.
OMG, that definition on Hunyucks has me laughing out loud. Awesome – and so true. I’m a native Yooper, so not sure about the Michigan distinction now that I’ve become a de facto Troll (lives below the Bridge), but I guess it’s true. 😂
LOL – glad to hear I’m not the only one that thinks it’s funny! The first time Mr. called him that I couldn’t stop laughing. Yooper is a funny term too, so is de facto Troll – OMG – now I’m laughing too!
My dad grew up in Green Bay but I don’t remember hearing the term hunyuck. Makes me wonder…. Judging by some of the stories he used to tell, he might have been a hunyuck in his early days. I don’t know. But thankfully, he grew out of it. Maybe marrying a girl from Washington D.C. helped. I enjoyed the deer pics along with the beach.
Thank you, JoAnna. I know by the stories my dad tells somedays, he’d qualify for the term. Always a joy to hear from you! Enjoy those beautiful blossoming trees by you. I’m jealous – we’re about 2 months out before we see blossoms!
I hope you get to enjoy them through the summer!
Thank you :-)!