If you depend on ATMs for cash, or plastic for everyday expenses, what do you do when the electricity is non-functioning? Maybe it's because of growing up (and still living in) a hurricane-tornado-tropical storms area, but I always expect to *need* to be able to make purchases even if there is no electricity for several weeks. Thus, I always keep enough cash on hand to function without plastic for a month... but I also keep in mind that light fingers are a reality in life, so that money is [like a stash], well-hidden but easily available should it be needed. Sara - the only way I can see the homeowner's fault in being burglarized is if s/he left the door wide open and the valuables in plain sight! OTOH, I try to look at "plain sight" from the burglar's viewpoint, which means purses/wallets, jewelry in or out of its box, and cash should never ever be left on top of a table or chest; or in the freezer; or in any easily opened drawer (or a locked one if it can be jimmied); or taped behind pictures or tucked into books, especially new-looking ones; and should not be tucked in, on, or under any kind of clothing, food storage container, or cushion/mattress - I've never understood why folks think there is some sort of magical protection in the sock or lingerie drawer, but an amazing number of people *do* keep spare cash with their socks. And I think leaving the door key easily available [under a doormat or flowerpot or hide-key stone] is just the same as leaving the door wide open. I've lived in apartments, and was burglarized once; the thief did not find my jewelry or emergency money although they were within easy reach of anyone who knew where to look.

Re: Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Natural Gardening by Steve Solomon (2002, ISBN 1570612404) I tried to order this through Borders here in Oregon a few weeks ago and they have finally told me today that they can't get it because a new version is coming out and this one isn't available anymore. Has anyone heard about that? It's also not in stock at Amazon or Barnes&Noble. I was down at Powell's last week - should have checked to see if they have it there. No used copies available at Amazon. B&N has used copies of his older books on same topic. I've recently moved here and have already fallen behind, I think, on getting in some vegetable starts/seeds. I'll be growing in raised beds (once I get them made) similar to square foot gardening, as the best areas for sun in my yard are on gravel and concrete. Plus raised beds are easier on my back and knees! Any other recommended veggie gardening books? I'm just east of Portland in Troutdale. Thanks ...

You're right, it is an authorization Cynic, however, the store where I worked had the funds in its account three days after the sale date. Actually, how it works is the funds are deposited into a credit account with the fuel distributor. Say we sold $100 in gasoline on Monday. On Thursday that money would be deposited directly into the store's account with the vendor who supplied the fuel. If we had $200 in fuel delivered on Friday we would then owe the vendor $100. Techinically I suppose you could say the business didn't directly get first $100, however, if a store is selling very much fuel they are constantly getting deliveries. We had three or four deliveries a week so really the business was getting its payments rather quickly. Perhaps for a small store, where fuel sales are slower, getting payment for credit/debit purchases might be a problem but that wasn't the case for us. Of course, non-branded stores obviously have different arrangements. If there's no big fuel company sign out front then they probably have to pay for their fuel upon delivery. When we went pre-pay it was very difficult on our clerks as it was a small town and the "regulars" were very upset. Fact is we'd had dozens of drive offs to the tune of about $150 a day. The owners blamed the clerks for not paying attention but really, it wasn't the clerks' fault. It's virtually impossible for one clerk to keep an eye on 7 pumps all the while waiting on impatient customers. What the regulars failed to see was that "they" were the ones doing the drive-offs. Eventually everyone settled down but those first few weeks were brutal. And just a note to everyone, please treat convenience store clerks decently. The price of gas is not their fault. They have families. They have problems. And they probably aren't being paid anywhere close to a living wage. Cut them some slack. Most of them are probably stuck in a job they hate working for ungrateful employers. Be kind.

The idea of front loaded interest on mortgages is a bit of a misconception, while you pay more interest in the early years that is only because you owe more money (If you have a 3.9% mortgage then you pay 3.9%/12 on the outstanding balance you owe each month). While that may sound pertinent, the discussion is really about effective interest versus compounding interest. As you pay on your principle you pay less interest, so over time the interest charges are smaller because your principle is smaller. While on an investment you start with a principle and if left alone for some period of time the interest continues adding to the principle and therefore pays more interest. This discussion is largely around the idea of people who have some income coming in and some ability to make payments. While, I could note that guaranteed payment annuities are about equal to house payments, they are no more liquid than houses so not really an investment that is better than a house. In the end, we are discussing people who want to be done with the headache of a mortgage and not people who simply don't have the income to continue paying a mortgage. Edit: It is also important to remember that a 15 year mortgage doesn't mean you have to make 15 years of payments. Making even a few years of payments before liquidating the investments to pay off the balance will typically result in gains. I think a lot of people focus too much on the stress of coming up with the money for monthly payments and forget that any time you get tired of stressing over payments, you can simply liquidate your investment and pay off the loan. While I have said the same thing jn3344 has many times, I have a completely different conclusion. When you have a paid off house and little money in the bank you have no options for dealing with uncertainty. Cash gives you options, the farther you get from cash the less options you have, and nothing is farther from cash than a house. Think of it this way. My father was just this week presented with a treatment option for a medical condition that was not covered by Medicare, the time sensitive treatment was going to cost $35,000, but it would greatly improve his quality of life. What allowed my father to make that decision was having access to $35,000, if he paid for his house outright and didn't have any money then he couldn't make that decision. Now suppose spending this $35,000 means my father will not be able to continue paying his mortgage and will have to move out of his house into a smaller apartment. I feel confident he will tell you walking around his smaller apartment beats not being able to walk around his bigger house. Edit: Many people have a false sense of security from a home. The only real security a paid off home provides is the equity (the access to cash). Homes are fairly inefficient domiciles, the taxes, maintenance and less efficient utilities minimize any real savings over renting. The path to homeless has nothing to do with a paid off house and a lot to do with not enough cash.