It’s Money Day

Today is Send Statements To Folks Who Owe Me Money day. Hurray! If you happen to have used HippieBoy Design’s services and haven’t yet sent me all the happy monies you owe, expect a cheerful note in the mail from the fine folks in HippieBoy Design’s billing department (which is me).

Something to keep in mind as a consumer – if you choose to blow off a bill for one reason or another, it costs the company even more time and money in bookkeeping, postage sending out late notices, etc. And if a company has to send a person to collections, that means the company only gets a percentage of the total bill – the collections agency gets a VERY hefty chunk. No matter how things shake out, you’re going to pay the bill. Would you rather have it go to the Ma and Pop store that depends on every nickel for survival, or would you rather have your money go to a huge collections agency in Chicago?

Small businesses truly depend on every dollar that comes in the door. Our profit margin is so small even a loss of a small payment means our little family has to make big choices (food or medicine).

Please pay your bills.

Falling Behind Sucks

I’m feeling very low at the moment. I missed a deadline for paying my state sales tax and have to pay a penalty. Stupid mistake. I hate that my stupidity cost my family much-needed money.

I was hoping to have a small procedure done on my nose (I can’t breathe through the silly thing at all – the doc said he could try a simple procedure to fix it) by the end of the year since we’ve met our insurance deductible. Last week he said he could get me in by the end of December with no problems, but I waited until today to actually make the appointment – and now they can’t get me in.

It really pays to keep on top of things – and I know that! But between Beloved Wifey’s lengthy illness and a prolonged stretch of working a zillion hours a day I simply lost track of a few details.

Quit Scaring Me!

I don’t normally play the lottery or anything like that, but I couldn’t get that Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes entry in fast enough this year. But why do they have to make the process so damned spooky? “If you dare miss one little detail in this big huge mess of worthless paper, you’ll lose out on MILLIONS!”

I don’t need to win millions of dollars, but we could sure use a little extra right now.