The Monday Mission

1. When you take a vacation, do you ever suffer from Internet withdrawal? Or maybe the nagging urge to blog or read blogs? Or are you glad to be away?
Since my work is online, I am glad to be away from that. But at the same time it's hardly a vacation since I'm constantly worrying about it. Sometimes I blog while on vacation, we like to hit the local library and badger them for internet access.

2. Have you ever been "furloughed" (told to take time off work without pay) or laid off? How did that impact your family dynamics? Your finances? If not to you, have you seen it happen to anyone you know? How did they handle it?
I was on strike for a time in the early 80's, when I worked at Mountain Bell. To this day, I feel like that was the beginning of my money problems. I never recovered from that financially, it just kept getting worse and worse.

3. If you fell on hard times, what is are some non-essential reoccurring luxury expenses (cable TV, TiVo subscription, cigarettes, high-speed net connection, newspaper, daily Starbucks coffee, etc.) you would give up to save money?
I could easily give up eating out, buying clothes, shoes and non-essentials that currently nickel and dime me into the poorhouse.

4. On the same thought, what is the one non-essential expense you would NOT give up?
I would not give up Cable or Cable Internet access. I am prone to getting depressed, and I can always find things online or on cable to cheer me up.

5. Would you ever ask your family (parents, in-laws, relatives) for financial assistance? What would be some of your concerns about asking for help? Have you ever asked for it before? Did it go well?
I have asked everyone in my family for assistance at one time or another. Usually it goes better than expected, except one time I asked my mom for $150 and she said no and we didn't speak to each other for 3 years.

6. Has a friend or relative ever borrowed money from you? Who were they and how much did they want? Did you ever get paid back, or did it matter? Did you feel compelled to keep an eye on them to see if they spent it wisely?
Oooh, that's a good one! No one has ever borrowed money from me.

7. Imagine you won a tax-free gift of $7,000. The only stipulation on the gift is that it must not be invested or saved, and must be spent before 2004. How would you use the money?
Car.Car.Car.Car.Car.Car.Car.Car.Any.Car.