Bonanza Day . . .

. . . Snow and Money

One can hardly call snow a bonanza after moving from New England to get away from snow but money, that's talking my language.

This morning about 5 we had a thunderstorm and some rather heavy rain. It had been softly raining since midnight. And then about 10 it began to snow.

It was a very fine, fast-falling snow that in ten minutes had the roads and yards hereabouts covered in white and began causing vehicles to slide around. It snowed hard for quite a while but quit about noon. About two inches dropped and some is still laying around.

Two inches is better than the 12 that fell overnight in Albuquerque. Our daughter Mary there sent a photo she snapped before going to work. This afternoon it was still snowing there so the depth must be more now.

That's not what I call a bonanza - but here comes one. Our telephone went out of service sometime between early last night and early this morning. I cell-called a serviceman (lucky for me I have a program called in-house full service, for which I pay about $5 a month. This covers all repairs outside and inside the house on phones and lines.

While here, the serviceman, one of the BEST of a crop of helpers I've had around during the past few months, used my computer to message his boss and noted that the computer speed was not up to snuff.

He made a fast check on the computer and learned I was not getting the amount of speed I have been paying for and advised me to call customer service and ask for an upward-adjustment so I'd get Internet and e-mail faster.

Just a bit ago I talked with Ashley over in North Carolina where it was pleasant and sunny while the temperature here was on a downward trend.

Asked about the adjustment and got it right away - with a big surprise. "I checked back and you have been paying for speed you haven't been getting for quite a while so I've arranged refund for you," says Ashley.

Wouldn't you say that was one of the BEST bits of news I could get today?

There will be a $120 credit on my next phone bill I was told. As I look at the last few landline phone records I have on hand, I note I have been paying only $104 a month.

So there is the bonanza. The company will even have to refund about sixteen bucks on still another bill after charging me nothing in February.

Wait - there's more. Ashley, (isn't she the BEST ?) explained about "bundling." a term I heard while "on hold" for sometime, and in which I became interested since it touted a bit of saving.

It includes putting my usual phone charges, in-house service, caller ID, my computer DSL and my high definition television service, all on one bill.

That will entail about a $15 saving each month, cancel out the TV bill I pay separately now, and give me just one bill. I'm not a wage earner any more so every buck counts, since I won't be getting any cost of living in my Social Security allotment this year.

Oh, by the way bundling meant something different back in New England's older days but that's a blog of its own for sometime in the future.

So there you are - the story of my two bonanzas. That phone charge refuind bonanza is better that the $15 "bonanza" I picked up from the dirt up north at the rent house - which took about four months.

Now to track down some more ways to save a penny or two.

- 30 -