And it's pink!! ;)

I've been wanting a netbook for a while now. But last Thursday tipped the scales and I realized I needed a laptop during class. I have a laptop but it's huge and a pain in the ass to haul to class, which I did have to do for a whole 9 weeks for a class that required a computer.

I spend two days researching computers, talking to friends online, my father, and the IT guy at work. I get home Friday and Joe tells me that he'd prefer if I just bought a Sony Vaio. And quite frankly, that was my first choice, but they arent the cheapest netbooks. But they also come with 4GB of memory and the best... um... speed (can you tell I know very little about computers?) But thankfully I know many many people with an opinion and knowledge of most electronics.

Okay, and I know what you're going to say, the same thing Joe did...... it's pink. Yes yes yes. It's pink. But it comes in 2 colors, pink and silver. And I could have the pink one for no extra cost. And I think it's so cute!!

There's a girl in my current class with this netbook. It's a big plus that I've been able to see it in person. It's the perfect size too. Not 10 inches, like most netbooks. And not 14 inches, which is just too big (my current laptop is 15 inches wide anyway). This girl said her husband, a computer guy, picked it out for her, said it was what she needed for class. Like I told my IT guy at work, I'm surfing the net and writing notes in class. I might work on a PowerPoint on it. That's it, I'm not doing espionage. My main thing was battery life. But as Joe said, batteries have powercords, it's memory and speed you need to think about. Just plug the darn thing in. I guess he's right.

I cannot WAIT to get this thing!! It probably wont make it here by the time my next Thursday class rolls around, but that's okay. I'm leading the presentation next Thursday so there wont be much time for notes anyway. And on that note, I need to get working on my presentation. :)

Credit Cards

Well folks, I finally gave in. Joe got a credit card this week. We're 27 years old. And we need to build our credit up. And Joe thinks this was the best idea ever. Since I was able to walk, my mother has told me how awful credit cards can be. People get in over their heads. Interest is outrageous. Why on Earth would a person need a line of credit? If you want something, save up for it and then buy it. And for my 27 years on this Earth, this is what I have done. And it's worked out pretty well for me. Until we wanted to by a new car. I had a job. Joe was a SGT in the U.S. Army. And we couldn't get a loan on a 2006 Honda Accord for less that 18% interest. My parents offered to co-sign with us and all was okay. Except that my *always independent* husband felt bad having to depend on someone else to co-sign.

So now looking at our future, getting ready to ETS and move home and buy a house, he's obsessed with our credit scores. And he applied for a credit card.

I told him it was his job to keep up with it. We would NEVER not pay the monthly amount so there's no interest to pay ever. And we would only use it for gas and groceries.

So we went to the grocery store the other day and when Joe got ready to pay.... he pulled out the debit card. Debt isn't something either of us want. We just paid off the car! And I have no idea why Joe thinks this is the best way to build credit. We decided the credit card would be only for gas. So I used it this morning. I was the first to do so. And Joe said he would go online and pay it off as soon as it hit the account.

I was talking to a co-worker today and she told me that they had a credit card for emergencies. Another told me that she and her husband put everything on it and then just pay on the bill at the end of the month. Another friend told me she only puts school related items on it, like tuition and books. I must say, given the recent government shutdown scare, it's nice to think we have a small back up plan now. Nothing beats our savings, but we really don't want to have to tap into that if all hell breaks loose.

Do you have a method to your credit card? What have you found works best for you and your family?