h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I read in the news some time last year that cheques were completely out of fashion. I nodded to that, not having used any for many s

But as fate has it I used two within a week later

By the way: You don't need any special piece of paper to write a checque. Any piece of paper will do, as long as all the right informations are written on it

DQ is right, though: Most banks will probably refuse to cash cheques like that, unless you are a good customer *and* a close friend of the banker

(who *still* has a cheque book!)

I still need checks to pay the rent, and doctor's appointment copayments. So I basically write about 14 checks a year.

But during our own house hunting, we've noticed that earnest money needs to be in certified funds (bank check or certified personal check). And at work, we're often asked to pay the sellers in certified funds (I process closing paperwork for home sales, on the accounting side).

I can't pay my rent by cheque; it's direct deposit only. How odd, that the same agency accepted a Very Large Cheque for my deposit on the new house... There's no logic in any of this, anywhere.

Today's achievement: paying off the balance on my new furniture. There's a lack of logic in this too... I couldn't pay it all from my savings account, as the credit union limits the daily amount of 'savings' transactions, but I could pay it all on credit. The fact is, I have a debit card not a credit card, so any 'credit' transaction comes directly out of my savings. My brain is starting to hurt again.

Common sense and bank/financial logic is two completely different entities and I assume they rarely correspond to each other.

I have one debit card and one credit card. Not seldom the only way to make my debit card to be accepted in certain "swipe machines" is to press the button labelled "credit". Any other attempts will make it impossible to use the card

I only have a debit card- K and I each have one, they both access the same checking account. I transfer funds from one to the other when needed- online banking is much more convenient, isn't it. I also run into the same issue as DQ, where I have to use the debit as a credit card or it won't work, and most restaurants run it like a credit card as well.

Honestly, I don't know why my landlord doesn't have me pay him by electronic payment, we have the same bank.

How's the packing, etc, coming along this weekend, Ivan?

Packing. Ugh.

I have boxes. I have tape. I have a house full of things that need packing. But which bits should I do first, when should I pack the rest, and where should I stack the boxes once they're full? It's all so complicated... I'm at risk of paralysis by analysis, I think - though I could be wrong. I'll have to think about that.

I also need to make more lists - things I need to clean, things I need to arrange, places where I need to change my address, and the dates I have to do all these things.

Then there's w*rk, which is soaking up my remaining brain capacity. Gosh I'm tired.

I remember what a struggle packing was when I moved. My sympathies. But it will be worth it once you're moved! It has been for me.

I have packed all but a handful of my books. That's 50 boxes, stacked up in a couple of rooms. I need more boxes for the DVDs and CDs; the rest of the boxes on hand are enough for my various other belongings. I'll be living with boxes between now and moving day; I might as well get used to it.

The thought that keeps me going is that, once I've moved, I might not have to go through this again for 30 years or more.

That's what I keep telling myself to remember when the day comes to pack up and move out of our place... with any luck, we'll never do it again.

Of course my wonderful uncle keeps giving me things he has around the house that he no longer needs (particularly items of which he has multiples) so there will be more to pack and move when we do.

We won't have 50 boxes of books, I don't think. But we will have dozens. About half of our books are in plastic storage bins in a closet already because we don't have space for more bookshelves.

The nice thing about having a friend buy a house and move home is I get to enjoy all the exciting bits without having to do any packing or hauling.

You still have three weeks to get here if you'd like to help, you know.

One interesting development today - I got home to find a note from the (soon-to-be-former) owner of my new house, offering to leave behind any piece of furniture I need. She specifically mentions the outdoor furniture, which I did quite like when I saw it, and all the garden tools. She is emigrating, after all; it's awfully hard to pack outdoor furniture in a suitcase.

I'll call her tomorrow to discuss things and make a decent offer... The things I don't buy in advance will go to her garage sale next weekend.

If she does not think your offer is decent enough you may be able to pay even less at the garage sale

Old homes and gazillion pieces of (dis)sorted stuff...

Currently I'm emptying my maternal grandparents' house together with assorted members of my extended family.

It's amazing what people keep... Queen Mum included since one of the buildings to be cleared out is her summer house. I'm almost done with that, and there has been a lot of stuff to throw in the dumper on the front yard. A minor part of the furniture is sold, but most we have to get rid of. Luckily on of my somewhat younger cousins is a pyromaniac in disguise so there was a big bonfire yesterday evening, and more are to come.

I fear I will leave with much more belongs than I had when I arrived...

When I go to Mum's in July I'll take my bigger suitcase; I always come back with mountains of Stuff I don't need but which Mum thinks I must have. This is part of her cunning plan for making all her accumulated junk into someone else's problem.

As for the chance to acquire the furniture that's already in my new house - I'm thinking of offering to buy the bookshelves as well as the outdoor things. They're only small, but I always need more bookshelves.

yes, one can never have too many bookshelves :}

Well, I tried to buy the outdoor furniture, the garden tools and the bookshelves, but I had no luck with this, inasmuch as this incredibly generous woman won't accept money from me. I mean, she's accepting a Very Large Amount of Money from me for the house itself, but she won't take any more money from me for these items...

(Hi Helly. )

I suppose if she can't take them with her anyway, there's no real reason she shouldn't just leave them behind for you, but it's still very cool of her if she won't take money for them.

If she does leave anything behind and I don't want or need it, I'll pick a charity and let them know they can have it. The catch will be if she leaves electrical appliances. Charities won't take these.

They won't? Why on earth not

Maybe try FreeCycle? Or the Australian equivalent of Habitat for Humanity?

Charities don't take electrical appliances here, either, except some will take small ones. Over here I believe it's a liability issue.

That said, I'm hoping that when we buy a place, all of the appliances will be left behind. Since we rent our place. we don't own any, except my portable washer and dryer which I assumed I'd leave for the future tenants. We'd want units which tapped straight into the water and gas.)