It was 4pm on Saturday afternoon and we still have an errant to run. We promised ourselves we would get to Best Buy to purchase our SLR camera & video camera or we would not have them in time for the kids Halloween celebration. Plus, the special discount offered by best Buy is for 5 to 8 Oct only.

For dinner, I suggested that we (2 adults plus 3 kids-8,6 &4 yrs old) try the food at Cheesecake Factory at the King of Prussia Mall but my 6 yr old really wanted to try ribs at TGI Friday - which we go regularly. Hummm, sounds good too. So we ended up there.

We didn’t have to wait long to be seated becuase many in front of us opted to sit at smoking section so it shorten the queue for us. While waiting, we looked over the menu as we were hungry and was hoping to make our ordering easier. However, we waited for a long time & no server came. So, waving my hand at the staff, a gentleman with tie (not in uniform) came over and said OK - he’ll get our server. After for more than 5 minutes, our gracious server appeared and apologised that there was a confusion and she is will taking our orders. I told her that the kids are very hungry so please serve their meals first. My 4 yr old ordered spaghetti, my 6 yr old ordered ribs & the oldest child ordered pizza. We ordered a 3 course special which is $16.99 - the baby back ribs with shrimps, loaded potato skins & dessert. I ordered the steak salad.

The ice tea, apple juice & chocolate milk came. The kids were happily drawing, coloring, decoding, connecting the dots. When they finished, the food still hasn;t arrived.Then we waited & waited & waited. Meanwhile, my kids were drinking like mad and you know how that hurts appetite. They were also starting to get restless. Finally we see our server & waved her over. She said the kitchen is very busy - indeed, the dinner crowd was probably at its peak. I was losing it & told her it is not acceptable that a kid’s spaghetti (only has sauce on it - not even meatballs) takes so long. I said I understand the ribs & pizza will take time but cannot believe that spaghetti needs as much time. I reiterated that I specifically requested for the kids meals to served first. The least they could do was to bring out the spaghetti first. Our server apologised and said she will go to the kitchen to check our order.

Finally, the kids spaghetti came - surprisingly small portion, which is OK by our standard. (so we don’t need to waste or doggy bag. At lunch, the portions always seemed larger) Minutes later, the kid’s ribs & pizza came. Our food came out subsequently.

Now, on the flavor of the food. My steak in the salad was so salty. Then, my husband gave me some of the baby back ribs and it was very dry with hardly any glaze on them. We didn’t even finish our food. When our server came to check on us, I hesitated giving her my honest opinions. I was just too tired & “resigned” to bad service and food - just wanted to go home & open a can of campbell soup. When she came around to take our order for dessert, I hinted that the baby back ribs was disappointing, certainly below our expectations. (I could not even bother to mention how salty the steak salad was. She realised that we didn’t eat alot and said she felt sorry we were let down. Shortly after, a tall man with shirt & tie came by & apologised for all the service hiccup and for the baby back ribs which were too dry. He was very sincere about it and said “he will take care of it”. We didn;t know what he meant but was glad that management is aware of the poor service & food quality we experienced. I worked as a hotel sales persons for many years and always embraced constructive feedback.

When the dessert came, our server brought us the check & informed us that they have removed the baby back ribs entree to compensate for our bad experience. That was a very nice gesture we thought. Minutes later, the manager who came to apologise to us gave us 2 gift certificates - valued at $15 each - as another gesture of goodwill ! I told him he didn’t have to do it but he insisted and wanted us to come back again.

I am always hesitant at giving feedback to service personnel (for fear that they take it the wrong way & retaliate) but at the same time I believe it is the only way they will ever know if they are delivering the right standard. Of course we have to be reasonable and provide constructive feedback and give compliments where it is due to. I remember the last time we were at TGI Fridays in late Aug for lunch and I ordered a pasta with seared salmon. I requested that my salmon be medium rare & the server said she will pass on the request to the kitchen but please understand that they are not “gourmet” chef in fine dining restaurants. She and I laughed & I said I would not raised my expectations. My food came and the salmon was exactly the way I wanted it - raw in the middle. Yummy indeed ! I gave them heaps of compliments on the spot.

Overall, I would say we are still happy customers at TGI Friday’s - King of Prussia, PA. Kudos to all the staff there who worked so hard.

I just received an email from a reader :

“Hi Mr Credit Card, my credit has taken a hit but I do need a credit card. Do you have any suggestions for guaranteed credit cards for bad credit folks like me? I have been turned down by a couple of the major credit card companies. My score is in the 500s.”

Well, all I can say is that if you have a fico score in the 500 area, credit card issuers and any finance companies will consider you to be a sub-prime borrower. Therefore, the cost of credit to you will be much higher. There are credit cards that are specifically geared towards borrowers like this reader, but they do come with higher costs and fees. Here are the different types of credit cards available and the pros and cons to each one.

1. Unsecured sub-prime credit cards - There are many issuers of sub-prime credit cards. For example, First Premier Bank and Orchard Bank - now HSBC are two of the more well-known sub-prime issuers.

The thing to be aware of when you are apply for one of these cards is the fees. You will most likely be hit with one-time application and processing fees, annual fees and even monthly maintenance fees! I wrote about this in Bad Credit Card Application Fees and Fineprints.

Secured Credit Cards - You are almost always guaranteed to be approved for secured credit cards because you must put a deposit with the credit card issuer. The deposit will be your credit limit and if you default, it acts as your collateral. Most secured credit cards do not have any of the fees that unsecured sub-prime cards charge. They usually just have a reasonable annual fee. The only thing you really have to ask is if the secured credit card reports your payments to the three major credit bureaus. This is because this is the only way for you to rebuild your credit.

Prepaid Credit Cards - You may also see ads touting prepaid debit cards. Though they may be great because you are not extended credit, it also means that you cannot rebuild your damaged credit with a prepaid debit card. It is also more costly than regular credit cards or even a secured credit cards. So unless you got into this mess with uncontrolled spending, I would certainly not recommend a prepaid credit card.

Bottom Line - Even if you have bad credit, you can get a credit card. Most sub-prime credit card issuers will approve your application. You just have to be aware that you have to pay higher fees. If can settle for a secured credit card, then you will not have to pay as many fees as a regular sub-prime unsecured credit card

The 0% financing deal really started with GM after the recession post 9/11. Back then, drive America was the slogan and 0% financing deals for autos was the rage. The credit card issuers started to also pick up on this and offered consumers 0% teaser deals as a bait and switch tactic.

With Fed Funds at 1%, offering a 0% deal appears to be a no-brainer. After all, most consumers will continue to use the card once it is in their wallets.

However, as more credit cards offered 0% deals for balance transfer, they began to compete on the length of the introductory period. Soon, lots of cards were offering 0% balance transfer deals for 12 months.

Then issuers started waiving the balance transfer fees for the introductory period. For a while, it was the honeymoon period for balance transfer deals. In fact, many savvy consumers played the credit card arbitrage game whereby they got a 0% deal for 12 months and invested the proceeds in a high yielding online savings account.

Fed Funds however, could not stay at 1% forever. As the Fed raised rates, it began to cost the credit card issuers most just to offer the 0% deals. During the last year or so, more credit card issuers began to stop waiving the balance transfer fee during the introductory period.

Some issuers went a step further. They not only required a balance transfer fee during the 0% introductory period, but they also removed the cap on the maximum fee you pay. Since most fees are 3% of the balance transfer amount, anyone with a large balance to transfer will be hit by a huge BT fee! Here is an update for the state of the balance transfer fee situation :

Bank of America - Bank of America credit cards have now no cap to the maximum fees. You should not get Bank of America credit cards just for a balance transfer deal.

Chase - has a standard 3% of balance transfer, minimum of $10, maximum of $75 BT fee. But just recently, Chase has stopped offering 0% balance transfer deals for 12 months and cut them down to six months.

Discover Cards - Discover Cards have the same balance transfer fee policy as Chase. 3% of balance transfer, minimum of $10 and maximum of $75.

HSBC - If you are a HSBC bank customer, the balance transfer fee is waived if you apply for a HSBC card and do the balance transfer upon application or during the introductory window. If you are not a HSBC customer, the balance transfer fee is 3% of balance transfer, minimum of $5, and a maximum of $99.

Citicards - Citibank has different balance transfer fees for different cards. All but one card have balance transfer fees during the introductory. The one good feature about citicards is that you are allowed to do your first balance transfer during the first 12 months and the 12 month introductory period starts from the date of balance transfer (not account opening date).

No Balance Fee Credit Card - Where Are You?

So which cards in the market offer a good 0% deal on balance transfers with no balance transfer fee? Well, the only reputable card today that offers such a deal today is the Citi Professional Cash Card. You get a 12 month 0% balance transfer deal without having to pay any balance transfer fee. Forget about most of the other 0% deals on the market. They all charge balance transfer fees.

The good old days may be coming to an end soon

Not too long ago, lots of cards offered 0% deals for 12 months with no balance transfer fee. Today, only one card from the major issuers offer such a deal. But, this may soon be a thing of the past?

Recently, a meeting was called for in the main conference room in my company. Then an announcement was made. A laptop or disk (cannnot remember) was stolen from another office (branch) in another state. The list contained a list of employees from our office! We were told that though there was a potential identity theft situation, the chances were pretty remote.

Apparantly, the disk was encrypted. Furthermore, a sample of the encrypton was given to every IT and security personel and none of them could break the code. The company’s thoughts are that the disk was stolen for resale value!

However, as a precaution, we were all asked to inform the credit bureaus and be put on “fraud alert”. So I called up TransUnion. The call was pretty interesting to say the least. I asked a series of questions and had to key in the answer on the phone. I had to key in my social security number, my zip code and probably (can’t remember precisely) my phone number. When the process ended, I was told that I need not inform the other two credit bureaus as this has automatically been done. It was a strange experience to say the least because it was all totally automated and I could not even speak to an operator or customer service representative even if I had wanted to. I was a little apprehensive.

However, I soon received letters from the credit bureaus stating that I had requested to be put on fraud alert. At least, the fraud alert procedures was working.

We were also offered a free one-year subscription to one of the 3-in-1 monitoring service, but I have not done so as I frequently check my reports (once a year with each agency).

This whole incident simply highlights how vulnerable we are to identity theft. Though I have not had my identity stolen, this episode shows it could happen even without me being at fault.

I got Mrs Credit Card the Apple 80G iPod (white) for her birthday last year. She is now finally bugging me to get an Apple iPod docking station to charge and play music in the room with her iPod. So I checked my American Express membership rewards points and found out that I had over 70,000 points. I then decided to check the catalog, and at the same time check other credit card reward programs to see if I can find any good deals. Here are my discoveries :

AudioVox® Digital Clock Radio with Universal iPod®/MP3 Player Docking Station - This piece allows you to wake up to the sounds of your iPod®! It features ten preset AM stations/20 FM preset stations, six preset EQs, a dual alarm with individual wake up sounds, a back-up battery, the ability to charge your iPod® while docked, and a snooze function. 10,500 points are required.

iHome™ Outloud Speaker System for iPod® - This dadget features high-fidelity Reson8 speaker technology, bass and treble controls, A/V out jack, line-in jack and mic-in jack with level controls and the ability to play when connected to AC wall current. 15,000 membership reward points is all you need.

Altec Lansing inMotion™ iM500 Super-Thin Portable Audio System for iPod® - This docking station is for the Nano (which I do not have). 18,000 points is what you need to get this. Design wise, it does not look very good to me. I’m also looking for a CD player as well.

Altec Lansing inMotion™ iM3 Portable Audio System for iPod®This paper-back-sized, ultra-portable, battery-operated stereo system. It has a highly efficient Class D amplifier powers four full-range micro drivers to deliver a full spectrum of pure, distinct sound, while the revolutionary MaxxBass™ technology allows listeners to enjoy deep bass without lugging around a subwoofer. 23,000 points will get you this gadget.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 Portable Audio System for iPod - This is how the membership rewards catalog describe this system : The iM9 speaker system is a good choice for the dorm room or any room. It’s compact, so it fits just about anywhere and is easy to carry. And it delivers high-volume, high-quality sound even in less-than-ideal surroundings. Shock-resistant, rubberized elements ensure durability. It comes with a rugged backpack-style carry bag. And it fits, syncs and charges all dockable iPods and links iPod video and iPod photo players to a TV set. You need 31,000 points for this.

Altec Lansing M602 Speaker System with iPod Dock - This one is apparantly more suitable if you wish to play your music in the living room. It requires 31,000 points. But as I’m also looking for an Apple iPod docking station with a CD player, I’d probably give this one a skip. Design wise, it looks a little one dimensional.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM7 Ultimate Portable Audio System for iPod® - This one requires 36,000 points. It has a built-in subwoofer and a remote control as well. I really like the design but this one does not have a CD player which I want.

Bose SoundDock Digital Music System - Comes with a remote control. 35,000 points required. This does not have a CD player, but I’ll defintely check this out because it is a Bose. But as I found out later, the Citi ThankYou Network requires less points!

iHome™Shower to Beach Portable System for iPod® - This is a cute nifty little gadget that is waterproof and meant to be hooked over a shower curtain! 10,000 points is required for this.

iHome™ Bike to Beach System for iPod® - 14,000 points gets you this gadget that plays music from your iPod® while biking! Features a tough water-resistant design, wireless remote control mount, Reson8 speaker technology, and charges iPod® when connected to included AC adapter.

iHome™ Bookshelf Sound System for iPod® - Features a built-in iPod® dock, 32W total power, an AM/FM radio, a song display, composite and S-video outputs, and USB connectivity. Includes a remote control and cord to connect other audio devices. 26,000 points are required.

Sharp iPod® Stereo System With CD Player - Features slot-loading CD mechanism with MP3/WMA playback, AM/FM stereo digital tuner with 40-station random preset memory, alarm clock function, ability to charge iPod® while connected, side firing subwoofers with illumination and full range bass flex speakers. Remote control included. Available for 36,000 points.

JVC iPod® Cube Compact Stereo - The new JVC NXPS1 Ultra Compact MP3 Stereo includes 50 watts of total power with separate subwoofer. JVC claims this has pretty good sound quality for your Apple iPod® or Digital Audio Player. You need 46,500 points for this

I tend went over to Citi’s Thank You Redemption Network website and checked out what they had. This was what I found out. They also had a couple of the Altec Lansing Models that Amex had, but they did not have the Boss system. This is what they have that membership rewards does not have.

iHome2Go Portable Alarm Clock for iPod® Shuffle - 6,000 thank you points gets you this alarm clock that also functions as a iPod dock. This one actually looks quite slick. But I need something bigger, with a woofer and also a CD player. But this one looks really nice on your bedside table.

iHomeTM Alarm Clock with iPod® Dock - This gadget provides true bedside convenience with alarm clock that offers built-in dock to play and charge your iPod®. Wake to your favorite iPod® music, or buzzer! For this, you only need 6,600 points.

Homedics® iSOUNDSPATM w/iPod® Station - This is sleekly designed to charge your iPod® while it’s docked. It provides six relaxing nature sounds from quality speakers, plus projects the time in a soothing blue light. Also features AM/FM digital radio, large-digit LCD display, and dual alarm with snooze. You need 8,900 points to get this.

iLuvTM Portable AM/FM iPod® Docking Station - 10,800 points gets you this portable docking station plays music stored on your iPod®, plus conveniently charges your iPod®. Features AM/FM digital tuner, powerful built-in speakers, input for MP3 and CD players, remote, and AC/CD power adaptor.

iHomeTM Under Cabinet Kitchen Clock Radio - This cute little built-in docking station with removable insert allows playing and charging of all iPods®, including ShuffleTM. Offers iPod®, FM radio, and weather or TV channels listening, AM/FM digital tuner, and three-line display to show what’s playing when iPod® is hidden. You need 17,200 points to get this.

iLuvTM Mini Audio System W/iPod® Dock-Black - 17,800 points gets you this compact 2.1-channel audio system is compatible with all audio files stored on all iPods® - and the docking station conveniently charges your iPod® while in use. Offers MP3 playback, plus CD, CD-R/RW, and MP3 CD compatibility, AM/FM digital tuner, programmable presets, and LCD screen.

iHome™ Portable Travel Alarm Clock for Ipod® - I have absolutely no interest in this one. Nevertheless, 12,300 points will get you this little wake up call! But I’ll give this a skip as I’m looking for a more powerful system with a CD player.

Sharper Image® iSphere ZipConnect Speaker System - 17,200 points gets you this system that plays music on your iPod, MP3 and your PC. This one looks really cool. But I would really like a CD player as well. Perhaps I might get this later.

iLuvTM 4CD Shelf System With Dock Station White - Features 4 CD/ MP3 CD Changer System with Built-in iPod® Docking System, AM/FM Digital Tuner, Motorized CD Door, Wall-mountable/ Floor-standing, and remote control. 25,100 points required.

Bose SoundDock Digital Music System - The membership rewards also has this at 35,000 points. The thank you network only requires 31,400 points. While Bose has such a brand and image attached to it, there is no CD player and I’ll probably give this a skip.

Altec Lansing® inMotionTMIMS Speaker System - This is designed exclusively for iPod®, tiny, portable stereo speakers deliver full-range sound including deep bass, and charge iPod® through built-in dock. You need 14,200 points to get this.

Altec Lansing inMotion IM7 Portable Audio System - This is just an iPod docker and speaker system only. No CDs or MP3s. But it has double sided woofers. You need 30,800 thank you points for this. This is much better than the 36,000 points that membership requires. However, what I do not like about this is that it does not have any CD player. And I have tons of CDs.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 Portable Audio System for iPod - While the membership rewards program requires 31,000 points to redeem this item, the Thank You Network only needs 22,600 points!.

Next, I decided to check the Worldpoints program from Bank of America.

iLive™ iPod® Speaker/Radio Alarm Clock - 8,000 points gets you this alarm that wakes you up with tunes from iPod, radio or just a buzzer. This design looks pretty slick. But I’m personally looking for something a little bigger. I doubt if a alarm clock type iPod docking station will have a powerful system.

Sharper Image® CD/Stereo/iPod® System - 24,600 worldpoints get you this CD, MP3 and iPod player. However, I do not really like this design as it does not look very slick. I’d probably give this a miss. I’ll also go for something more powerful as well.

Logitech® Portable iPod® Speaker - This portable iPod and MP3 player requires 11,000 points. It is rather small and looks a little flimsy. I’d probably go for something bigger and more powerful. I would really like one with a built in woofer.

iLive™ Portable CD Player with iPod® Dock - 11,300 points gets you this iPod, MP3 and CD player. Though this has a CD player as well, I’d probably give this a skip as I’m looking for something bigger that can fill my living room.

Homedics® Sound Machine Clock/Radio w/iPod® Dock - This gadget charges your iPod and at the same time allows you to listen to the radio and is an alarm clock. This set requires 12,000 points, which is considerably more than the 8,900 points that the ThankYou points requires.

Bose SoundDock Digital Music System - Among the three reward programs, the Worldpoints require the most points to redeem for this item, 42,300 points. This is way much more than both the membership rewards and thankyou network programs.

I then checked my good old Chase Flexible Rewards program and to my disappointment, there were only 5 electronic items!

At this stage, I am not too sure which one I am going to get. I am glad that my memberhsip rewards has a decent catalog though I wish they require less points like the ThankYou Network from citibank. I’m sure glad I do not use the Bank of America Worldpoints card.

I thought this was a good exercise for me going through the choices available in the major credit card reward programs. Both the Membership Rewards and the Citi ThankYou Network program have 13 iPod docking stations. Both have a good variety of choices. But on the items that they both have, the ThankYou Network requires fewer points than the Membership Rewards.

Though the Worldpoints program has a few choices, I was a little disappointed with the number of choices. They also require more points than both the ThankYou Network and the Membership Rewards program. The Chase Flexibe Rewards did not have anything at all. The Chase Rewards is best for airline tickets, but not for their merchandize rewards.

Presently, I used the Amex Platinum Card and the Business Gold Rewards Card from OPEN^SM the small business team. So I will be using my membership rewards to get one of the items from the catalog. I also have the Citi® Professional^SM Card with Thank You^SM Network, but have not really been using it.

I think I will be getting the Sharp with the CD Player. I hope you have found this post interesting. Please give me some tips if you have got any one of these iPod docking stations.

Cardholders of American Express’s Platinum Credit Card now can use the American Airlines Club Lounge at airports if they are an American Express Platinum Card holder and if they have bought an american airlines ticket.

If your spouse or children are travelling with you, they can also access the lounge. Alternatively, you can also bring two companion travellers with you.

Presently, cardholders of American Express Platinum Card have access to Continental Airlines Presidents Club, Delta Crown Room Club®, and Northwest Airlines WorldClubs. This is a welcome addition to the airport lounge perks.

This morning, I had a meeting with a someone I had recently met at a conference. We decided to meet a a Starbucks. I parked my car about a block away and was half an hour early. I decided to put two quarters in the parking meter. I thought of putting three quarters, but decided against it.

Half an hour later, my friend showed up. After buying our coffee, we sat down and had a great time chatting about various stuff. Well, time flew and before you know it, we had been chatting for forty five minutes. It was time to go and lo and behold, I found a parking ticket by my windshield.

I looked at the parking ticket and the fine was $26! Alright, it’s not too bad but I was really pissed at myself. Had I just put in another quarter, I would not have to pay this fine. A quarter is a lot better than a $26 fine.

It made me wonder what was going through my mind when I put that two quarters after I just parked. Why didn’t I put three quarters (or even four) just in case? Why did I want to take the risk? In analyzing the situation, I realized that what I did was irrational. There was a good chance that I will end up chatting with my friend and forget about the time. There was also a good chance of me getting a ticket. The fine was substantially more than a quarter. Yet, I found myself trying to save this quarter and it was really for no good reason. Because even if my friend did not show up, the worst I would have been was to lose a quarter. But looked what happened instead.

On hindsight, this is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish. Trying to save a few pennies, but end up losing much more. There are many examples in my life where this happened. Like trying to invest on my own for ten years without seeking help. I thought that I could be as good as Warren Buffet or investing was as easy as Peter Lynch said! How much did it cost me? A lot!

What examples of “penny wise pound foolish” mistakes have you made?

I have been working for over 14 years. For more than 10 years, I did not own a house. In fact, I have worked abroad for substantial periods and the companies I worked for took care of the “housing”. While we were having our rent paid for, we had great disposable income. In fact, one of the biggest regrets is not buying property when we were younger and missing the great bull market.

At the same time, both Mrs Credit Card and myself have never had any credit card debt. We always paid our credit card bills in full on our American Express Gold Card.

Two years ago, we bought our first house. We were pleased with our purchase. But along with that came a mortgage payment. Our mortgage payment was about close to 30% of our monthly income. I guess it was a little stretch but it was ok. One of the effects of having this mortgage was that all of a sudden, our disposble income declined dramtically. The upside is that we had invested in a property, an asset which is supposed to keep up with inflation historically. Our interest payments were tax deductible as well.

Despite that, I still do not feel good about the mortgage. It feels like a heavy burden. Though I have never had any credit card debt, I think having a mortgage is very much like having credit card debt. You always wonder when it will go away. And while you may eliminate your credit card debt in a few years, with a mortgage, we are talking many years.

You see tons of articles and websites giving advice on how to reduce credit card debt. Taking advantage of 0% APR Credit Cards, paying off the card with the highest interest, or paying off the card with the lowest balance, having a systematic payment plan. There are even many calculators to check how long you would take to reduce your credit card debt.

But when it comes to your mortgage, I do not see many post on whether you should have a systematic plan to eliminate your mortgage. Yes, there are mortgage calculators that tell you how your mortgage period can be reduced if you pay extra every month towards principal reduction. But, very few actually advice that. One rational is that the extra money could be reinvested for your retirement instead. Unlike a typical credit card debt where the interest is probably double digits, a typical mortgage rate these days is only about 5% to 7%.

But like I said, having a mortgage is like having credit card debt to me. So I will be investigating whether I should put extra money into my mortgage every month. Doing so involves me cutting back on my monthly expenditure.

What do you think about your mortgage? Does it feel like credit card debt to you? Share your thoughts with us.

Last week’s Carnivals

Carnival of Personal Finance #103 at Clever Dude

77th Festival of Frugality at My Two Dollars.

Carnival of Credit Card #15 at Credit Card Lowdown

Must Read Posts

David Bach’s Misleading Math on Real Estate Leverage by Money, Matters and Musings is a great piece by Golbguru. Finally, someone actually sits down and does the math on these ‘learn how to be rich books’. I never had great respect for David Bach after I attended a seminar by him which features pitch fest by salespeople selling their stock trading system, cookie cutter trust documents! $4000 courses on investing in real estate liens from information you can get free on the internet! To me, the book was just a means to get rich teaching people how to get rich in seminars! Well done Golbguru.

Massive Personal Finance Resource List by the Frugal Law Student is a very long list of resources that everyone will find helpful. The only quibble I have is that my blog is not included in the personal finance blog section!

Queercents had a very eye catching post on Miscellaneous Expenses - Where Did My Money Go?, which really resonated with me. The conveniece of putting everything that you cannot categorize into the miscellaneous section may not be such a good thing.

Pirates of the Credit Sea - Part 5 by The Investor Blog is summary of his continued with Citibank on his credit card. I won’t divulge all the details, but I must say this is one of the best post and saga I’ve read. Be sure to read this one. You’ll learn a lot from it.

A few months ago, I decided to embark on a project to create calculator that will help you choose the best cash back credit card. I sat down with a programmer two months ago and we thought that the project will simply take a couple of weeks. However, it turned out to be more complicated than we expected. Anyway, version 1.0 of the Ask Mr Credit Card Cash Back Credit Card Calculator is now officially released.

All you have to do is simply put in the your credit card expenses. You will see various categories like gas, supermarkets etc because some cards pay a higher rebate on these items. You have a choice of asking the calculator to find the best cash back credit card if you decide just to get one card. Alternatively, you can ask the calculator to calculate the best “combination of cards” that will give you the highest rebates.

The calculator has a database of all cash back credit cards (at least most) in the market including business credit cards. If you find that a cash back business credit card is recommended, you can apply for it because the credit card issuer simply treats you as a sole proprietor.

I hope you find this a useful tool. Feel free to give any feedback in the comments area.

Link : Cash Back Credit Card Calculator.