#Credit card balance transfer near me

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Best Interest Rates for Credit Card Balance Transfer Near You!"

Learn how to find credit card balance transfer near you. Understand how they work and wisely manage your debt. Start saving money today!

Are you frequently questioning 'How can I find a credit card balance transfer near me?' Well, you're in the right place! In a financial world teeming with jargon, balance transfers can be mind-boggling. Buckle up as we get on the fast track to understanding credit card balance transfers.

Understanding Credit Cards Balance Transfers Near You

What is a credit card balance transfer? It's when you transfer your remaining balance from one or more credit cards to another card with a lower interest rate. This approach can save you money and help you pay off your debt faster. High-interest rates can be a serious pain in the neck, but fortunately, balance transfer cards offer a life raft.

Finding Balance Transfer Cards

But how do I find these gems? Well, it's as easy as pie! There are plenty of online platforms that can help you identify the best balance transfer cards near you. Loyal allies like Bankrate, Nerdwallet, and can save you a lot of legwork.

Deciding Factors for Balance Transfer Cards

How do I choose a balance transfer card? It's not rocket science, but it does require some research. Key factors to consider include the introductory annual percentage rate (APR), the length of the introductory period, and the balance transfer fee. But remember, the devil is often in the details so always read the fine print.

The Catch

Is this too good to be true? Frankly, balance transfer cards can be a double-edged sword. Many consumers start with the best intentions but end up incurring new debt on their old credit cards. The golden rule here is discipline.

Conclusion

So, are credit card balance transfers the silver bullet to your debt problems? They might just be! Used wisely, they definitely offer an attractive way out. Are you tired of biting your nails over high-interest credit card debt? 'Credit card balance transfer near me' is your go-to solution. Dive in, deftly manage your debt, and cruise your way to financial stability.

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[bijesperfahey]

Not to be An Adult on main but there’s a credit union near me that does no balance transfer fee, interest free for 1 year cards. With a lower interest rate than my current card

I am so excited to hopefully not pay as much as I have been in stupid fucking interest

[severesoulavenue]

Organize Your Finances for a Stress-Free Future

Money plays a significant role in our lives, affecting everything from our daily routines to our long-term goals and dreams. Yet, financial disarray is a common source of stress for many people. You're not alone if you've ever found yourself overwhelmed by bills, debt, or financial uncertainty. The good news is that with careful planning and houston professional organizer, you can regain control of your finances and pave the way for a stress-free future. This article will explore practical steps to help you organize your finances and build a more secure financial future.

Set Clear Financial Goals

The first step in home organizing services houston finances is establishing clear, achievable financial goals. These goals include paying off debt, building an emergency fund, saving for retirement, or planning major life events like buying a home or sending your kids to college. Specific goals will give you a sense of purpose and direction in your financial journey.

Create a Budget

A budget is your roadmap to financial stability. Track your income and expenses to understand where your money is going. Identify areas where you can cut back and allocate funds towards your financial goals. Numerous budgeting apps and tools are available to simplify this process.

Build an Emergency Fund

Financial emergencies can happen to anyone at any time. An emergency fund with three to six months' living expenses can provide a safety net during unexpected events like medical bills, car repairs, or job loss. Start by setting aside a small portion of your monthly income until you reach your target.

Tackle Debt Strategically

High-interest debt can be a significant source of financial stress. Prioritize paying off high-interest debts like credit card balances and personal loans. Consider debt consolidation or refinancing options to lower interest rates and simplify payments.

Automate Savings and Bill Payments

Set up automatic transfers to your savings accounts and automate bill payments to ensure you get all the due dates. This reduces the stress of managing multiple payments manually and helps you consistently save towards your goals.

Diversify Your Investments

If investing for long-term financial goals like retirement, diversify your investments across different asset classes. Consult a financial advisor to create a well-balanced investment portfolio that aligns with your risk tolerance and objectives.

Review and Adjust Regularly

Your financial situation will evolve. Make it a habit to review your budget, savings, and investment strategies regularly. Adjust your plans as needed to stay on track with your goals.

Build Financial Literacy

Understanding personal finance is essential for making informed decisions. Learn about budgeting, investing, taxes, and other financial topics. Consider attending financial workshops or reading reputable finance books.

Seek Professional Guidance

If your financial situation is complex or you need organizers near me clarification on your financial strategy, consider seeking advice from a certified financial planner or advisor. They can provide personalized guidance to help you achieve your financial objectives.

Conclusion

Organizing your finances is a critical step toward a stress-free future. You can take control of your financial well-being by setting clear goals, creating a budget, building an emergency fund, and strategically managing debt and investments. Remember that financial organization is an ongoing process. With commitment and discipline, you can build a more secure and less stressful financial future, allowing you to focus on enjoying the moments that truly matter in life.

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Metro City Bank Review

Located in Doraville, Georgia, Metro City Bank is a Korean-American bank that offers personal and commercial banking services. The bank is also the largest Korean-American bank outside of Los Angeles, California.

HQ office in Doraville, GA

Located in Doraville, GA, Metro City Bank's HQ office is situated in a beautiful and bustling corridor of DeKalb County. It has beautiful exterior finishes and open office spaces on the first and second floors.

If you are in the market for a bank, you'll be happy to know that Metro City Bank is an FDIC insured financial institution that offers a variety of financial products and services for consumers and businesses alike. Their services include personal banking, commercial banking, loans, and lines of credit. They also have two Alabama branches.

The HQ office of Metro City Bank in Doraville, GA, features a 30,000 square foot building with beautiful finishes. It also has lobbies on the first and second floors. It is also home to 119 employees, including the bank's CEO. The bank also has six Georgia branches and one in Virginia. Metro City Bank is owned by MetroCity Bankshares Inc. This is one of the largest banks in the state of Georgia.

Savings rate

Unlike many other banks, Metro City Bank is not known for having the best savings rate. This is not to say that Metro City Bank is a bad bank, but rather that it should be taken into consideration if you are looking for a bank with better rates.

Metro City Bank offers several deposit products. They have a number of traditional CDs, as well as some savings accounts and money market accounts. These accounts offer higher rates of return and allow frequent access to your funds. The interest rates on Metro City Bank CDs are competitive. In addition, they allow CD laddering. This means that you can take your money out of the account without penalty.

The minimum deposit amount for Metro City Bank's CDs is $1,000. The monthly fee for this account is $7.50. In addition to the monthly fee, there are also some closing costs. This means that the total cost of your account will be more than you would expect.

Mobile app

Using the Metro City Bank Mobile app is a great way to send and receive money, and see your account balances on the go. It also lets you find your nearest ATMs and locations. In addition, it uses your iPhone's built-in GPS to give you addresses and phone numbers on the fly.

Metro City Bank offers an array of banking services, including checking and savings accounts, online banking, and online bill payments. The bank also offers CDs, mortgage products, and IRAs. Its highest-yielding money market account earns 1.00% APY.

The Metro City Bank Mobile app also uses the "Find Near Me" feature, which searches your zip code and gives you nearby locations. It also has a "Mirror" feature, which allows you to see the balance of an account from the account balance of another account. You can also transfer money between accounts.

The Metro City Bank Mobile app also has a few other features. One of them is the "Texas Ratio" which is a fancy way of saying how much bad assets are compared to available capital. The bank's Texas Ratio is 3.60%, which is considered a good number. This indicates that the bank's risk is low.

Customer service

Founded in 2014, Metro City Bank serves customers across the United States with banking and other financial services. They offer credit cards, checking and savings accounts, loans and more. They also have a mobile app for consumers to use.

Aside from their online services, they offer ATM machines that are available at their branches, as well as at additional ATM locations. They also offer a debit card that can be used to make deposits and withdrawals, as well as check account balances. These cards are also accepted virtually anywhere that MasterCard is accepted.

Customers who use their ATM/Debit card can make transactions at a variety of locations, including retail stores, airports, restaurants, gas stations, and more. The company also offers bill payment services to anyone who has a Metro City Bank account. The Personal Checking Account, for example, offers free bill pay to customers who have a minimum balance of $750. It does not pay interest, but it does charge a monthly service fee of up to $10.

[vedantpay]

Which is the best digital payment system for rural and semi-urban India?

To answer this question in a better way, let me briefly introduce you to the currently prevalent payment systems in India.

1. Cash-only system : People have preferred to keep small amounts of cash with themselves for a long time, which is used in day-to-day work. It is necessary so that a shortage of money is not encountered in times of need.

2. Cash in bank : Almost 80% of the Indian population above 14 years of age is banked as per the latest data of 2017 . Most of the money kept in these bank accounts is spent through cheques, drafts, or by pay-in-slips.

3. Mobile wallets: Most modern-day mobile wallets like PayTM, PhonePe, Google Pay (formerly Tez), etc. have emerged in the post-demonetization period and during COVID-19. The transactions made through them have crossed ` 36.5 Trillion in 2020, and are expected to more than triple by 2025 .

4. Card transactions: Debit and credit cards of Master, VISA, and more recently Rupay are being used for making payments from bank accounts, by either withdrawing cash from ATMs or directly by swapping on PoS machines or simply waving or touching them near payment terminals. While every commercial bank provides debit cards, eCommerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart have tied up with banks and finance companies to provide specific credit cards to their customers. There are around 94 Crores of active debit cards and 6.2 Crores of credit cards in India in January 2022 .

5. Internet banking: A customer with access to an internet connection can log in to the website of his bank and perform almost every banking transaction, from balance inquiry to transfer of funds to bank statements. Around 26% of people in India are reported to at least have a digital bank account in a 2022 survey, which is expected to increase to 46% by 2027 .

6. Unified Payment Interface (UPI): This is one of the facilities provided by banks in their mobile apps, through which payments can be made and received either through QR codes or direct transfers to someone’s mobile number through Virtual Payment Address (VPA); and account balances can be enquired about. Almost 4.6 billion transactions worth ` 84 Lakh Crore have been processed by UPI in the Financial Year 2022, which is more than double the volume and value of transactions in the previous year 

7. Mobile and SMS banking: Banking is done in two ways through a mobile phone. First is the use of *99# provided by almost every telecom provider for doing banking through SMS, for which banks have implemented daily limits of transactions, under the system called Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). Second is the use of the mobile app for your bank account by providing a smartphone-ready interface of your bank’s website.

8. Aadhar Enabled Payment System (AEPS): Now, only an Aadhar card is required for making most banking transactions, like withdrawing or depositing money, inter-bank fund transfers, balance inquiry, etc., for which a customer has only got to visit a Banking Partner, like ‘Vedant Mitra’ who has Vedant Pay app installed on his phone and do the required transaction.

9. Micro ATM (mATM): This is a smartphone device in the hand of a business partner like Vedant Mitra through which you can withdraw or deposit money in your Aadhar-linked bank account by inserting your debit or credit card into it and authenticating your fingerprint.

10. Mobile Point of Sales (mPOS): POS machines are very popular in shops and malls for making payments. Now is the era of mobile POS, which are the same devices as mATM, just differing in functionality. Payments can be made using cards, AePS, Mobile Wallets, and QR Code scanners on this machine.

Now coming to your question about the most preferred digital payment system in rural and semi-urban India, let us cover it point-wise:-

(a) Cash-based payment is not feasible because of the risk of theft.

(b) A huge majority of Indians, including our rural population, now have a bank account, thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. But withdrawing money through cheques, drafts, etc. is a tedious job, because of the time involved.

© USSD and SMS banking are old forms of mobile banking that are rarely used nowadays.

(d) UPI has emerged as one of the most preferred modes of making payment, because of its simple interface and ease of operations.

(e) mATM and mPOS devices have also become popular modes of making digital payments, mainly in rural and sub-urban regions of India, where banking penetration is relatively low as banks don’t want to open branches owing to logistical and operational concerns.

So, the answer to your question is that UPI, mATM and mPOS have become the best modes of making digital payments in rural and semi-urban India.

[the-great-commission]

I Can’t Do This On My Own

“Jesus, take the wheel Take it from my hands 'Cause I can't do this on my own I'm letting go So give me one more chance And save me from this road I'm on."

June 30th, 2018, at around 4-5 in the afternoon I was in a car accident that changed me. Every struggle that comes my way, I end up thinking “it’s because of that stupid accident”. My family was at my Nana’s house enjoying the pool for 4th of July. I had left early with my two younger sisters, Katrina and Madison, with everyone else just a 10-minute drive away. My sisters at the time were ages 12 and 10, and I forget what song was on, but it got us talking about prayer. I was asking the girls if they pray besides at church and I told them how I like to write some of my prayers in a journal, like letters. I was explaining how it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, God just wants to hear from them.

Next thing I know the car is being flipped. A 16-year-old ran a stop sign in a large work van near my house and came full speed into my car. If I had been going any faster my 10-year old sister, Madison, might have been drastically hurt. Some people say it is impossible that my car flipped, and Madison and I only got scratches as our external injuries, but I remember seeing the grass above me. My car ended up just off the road in the field, right side up and totaled. Luckily, there was a man who saw the whole encounter and stopped to help me. The man instantly made sure I could get out and move without injury. He called 9-1-1 as I tried to talk to my sisters to see if they could move. I got Madison out; she was just scared. Katrina couldn’t move though without it hurting, and that’s when I broke down. The man (I never got his name) went to check on the others as their van was on its side, and he came back quickly seeing as they were without injury. Knowing that didn’t make me feel any better.

I called my parents who got there as soon as they could; and the fire police and EMTs got there soon after. Katrina had been cut out of her seatbelt to which they realized was the reason for her injury. In the ambulance ride we were told because she wasn’t seated fully upright, that the belt cut into her spleen and a bruised pancreas.  We were all at the E.R. until about 6am doing different tests (and also waiting to be seen). Katrina went right away, but Madison and I had to wait. I kept taking selfies with Madison, telling her how cute her scars were and soon she believed it herself. Katrina got transferred to a larger hospital for a whole week of treatments and recovery.

2018 was during that time that I was still not going to my home church, but I had started going to this new church, Asbury UMC. During the Sunday of my car accident, it was a transition from one pastor to another at Asbury. While in the hospital that night both pastors came to see us. During the following week when Katrina was in Cooper, I was fired from a very toxic work environment where I had dedicated 6 years. I remember after being fired thinking “why didn’t I die”. I had to used up the balance of different credit cards to get a new car, and in that moment, I wanted to take it and go drive into a tree. You work so hard, you try to always do the right thing, and yet there will always be a child running a stop sign or an arrogant perverted boss. Sometimes, we don’t see God’s works until much later on. Well, I didn’t get in my car, I called my pastor from Asbury. He helped me calm down enough until I was able to drive to a friend’s house.

Since my car accident, we’ve noticed I’m not normal. My doctor used to say it was just “stress from losing a job”, then “anxiety from working the midnight shift at wawa”. I knew something was off because I would black out and not remember things, and (this is embarrassing) would black out and come out of it wet. I’ve been driving having these black outs before, and it’s interesting that my brain knows how to still function. Like, I was able to stay on the road, within the lines, at the speed limit, etc. So, what was it? I am diagnosed with a form of epilepsy. There is scarring on my left temporal lobe. It also effects my memory, so you may hear me say to you “I don’t know if I’ve told you this but”. I am on medication now. My neurologist said I will always live with the twitching and the chronic migraines, which isn’t fun.

We can’t do it on our own, we need God, we need fellow believers, we need our family. This post came to me last night as I was alone in my room, the weekends are boring on campus, I wish I could just drive home. The library closed at 4pm and so I just went back to my dorm to study. My mind drifted to how I miss home, but none of them probably miss me. Just nothing but intrusive thoughts that didn’t belong. I just had to say, “Lord, I need you”.

“Lord I come, I confess Bowing here I find my rest Without You I fall apart You're the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You”

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CREDIT REPAIR SERVICES

It is possible that a consumer can clean up his or her credit and even improve the credit scores. However, after some thoughts and considerations, you might feel the need to employ professional credit repair companies near me, which provide their clients with professional credit repair services. The task of credit repair is quite complicated, thus, it is important to hire a professional rather than doing everything yourself.

The services related to credit repair require a thorough review of consumer's bureau reports. This is the very first step involved. Many laws are there that are present for regulating the reporting industry, thus, professionals can be a better choice as they can study the report according to the laws carefully. In the reports, the wrong, flawed, misleading, unverifiable and unfair items are not obvious. These are compliance violations located in a subtle way in the reports.

These hidden violations are nothing but the casualness of the workings of bureaus, which will be located by the credit repair services, but might be missed by common persons, as they are untrained. This drawback can cause blunders as they might miss opportunities to gain highest credit score or money.

Once the credit repair companies near me have successfully located all the potential violated items in the report, they would send certain dispute letters. These are a specialism function of credit repair services and are flawless in that. The content of these letters and their drafting needs to be correct. In addition, the communication process between the consumer and the creditors can be quite tedious and time consuming.

The content of the dispute letters are a crucial thing in getting highest credit score posible. The specialised and experienced credit services are experts in their communication with bureaus and aim at getting the best results. These professional companies make best use of their communication with the creditors to push the case forward and are highly resistant to accept "no" as an answer.

Then the next job involves transferring, retransferring, tracking and analysing all these dispute letters. The services of the credit repair companies near me  are so professional and foolproof, which do not let an opportunity to be missed that can be beneficial for the case. All the issues must be passed on to the concerned bureau. The items that have been corrected must be omitted from the list and rest of the disputed items must be communicated back with increased levels of energy.

A good and efficient credit repair services will assist the clients by doing all the above-mentioned things at a very nominal price. By paying as less as 50 dollars, the consumer can free himself or himself from loads of tensions, stress and efforts. In addition, you will save yourself from devoting hours to the above-mentioned things. Therefore, hiring professional credit repair companies can be worth.

Finally, the most important thing of hiring professional credit repair companies is that they ensure that your credit scores improve and raise your FICO scores. If a consumer decides to carry out all the procedure by him or herself, it is quite possible that they will end up harming their scores more.

Credit Repair Services

For people with less than perfect credit history, there are a variety of credit repair services to assist them in their time of emergency. This is because a person's credit history means a lot in today's society. Creditors and banks alike will set your history and if this comes out unfavourable, and then it would mean that further loans could simply be denied to you.

Cleaning off your own credit is one solution that many people resort to but after a lot of consideration, it becomes evident that taking help from credit repair services is a much more viable option because the task involved is tough and has several angles to it. Do not be discouraged by the fact that only your credit score is worth worrying, many citizens go through the exact same situation.

In times of bad credit, a person in need of money comes under the radar ever so often. They offer waivers to relieve you off of your debt and then furthermore help build your financial situation in the present by reducing their average monthly spending to a minimal and manageable level. But not necessarily such an action may be right for the person needing credit repair. An excellent tool in such situations is bad credit financing if one is ready to make the monthly payments on time.

The credit repair system affects your credit in a good way. It usually means that efforts are made to repair and restore one's credibility to avail loans. This is done by removing damaging information from one's credit reports, accounts and budgets, all included. Also, they make efforts to promote the positive aspects of the person's credit profile. But this can only be done to those people's credit score which is not exceeding a certain set limit.

There's a pattern which forms a bad credit. It usually begins with an upset in the balance of a regular life. This upset can be something like a loss of job, expenses incurred on health, family feuds, etc. Such events can upset your income which means that your expenses incurred becomes more than the income. This affects the credit score as the companies starts charging more on expenses incurred, higher rate of interests come into being, and ultimately to make matters worse, banks and credit institution stop lending you money.

During such a phase, credit repair would not make much of a difference as the negative items cannot be immediately thrown off the list. Enlist the help of a debt specialist in such cases. But if you think you will be able to weather the storm and be able to manage your debt in the future then fast credit repair system is your best bet. The cleanup can only begin once the extent of damage has been measured.

The best credit repair services by acting as intermediaries help repair credit by helping their clients in bargaining for a more manageable term of repayment with their creditors. They are best suited to help sort out problems in the collection agencies and credit card companies.

Credit Repair Companies Near Me

Anyone with a bad credit can tell you it sucks completely. But, now-a-days it is possible to fix that with credit repair. Thousands of people across globe have been able to get credit cards and loans at cheaper interest rates due to credit repair and hence, have been able to purchase new homes, cars etc. Repairing your credit report is a very daunting task and demands a lot of time and therefore, people approach the experts and their firms, called as Credit repair Companies Near Me. This has become a very profitable business in today's date with hundreds of credit repair companies spring up all over the country, but as usual, some stand out from the rest. Here is the list of the 10 best credit repair services in the world -

1. Lexington Law- the most popular credit repair company since 1991, Lexington Law cleared million negative items in the year 2009. People appreciate the firm for its one to one service and high repair rate. It has been the market leader in the business since 1991.

2. Consumer Credit Repair Counselling - Although it was launched with the aim of educating people about credit repair, it also repairs and rebuilds people's bad credit. Since its inception people it has served millions of customers with the highest quality. It is a dependable, scam free company.

3. Sky Blue- With over 20 years of experience in credit repair, Sky blue is one of the most reputable firms in this field. They are known to generate the best results and provide exceptional customer service. Sky Blue has also been awarded an A++ rating by BBB.

4. MSI Credit Solutions- The only company which provides customers with uniquely customized plans for each client, MSI credit solutions is known their service and results. The company is also the only one to provide a 100% money back guarantee.

5. DSI Solutions Credit Repair Services- The most affordable credit repair service, DSI solutions works mostly with credit bureaus. It also includes a free credit report and creditors are very happy with their service.

6. National Credit Fixers' Credit Repair Service- Mostly known for sound credit solutions, the company ensures that you earn good credit whilst removing bad credit.

7. MyCreditfocus.com Standard Service- With features like debt negotiation and new credit services, the firm provides a holistic approach to credit repair. The company is known for its one to one service.

8. Ovation Credit's Essentials Plus with Fast-Track- Known for its fast-track service, Ovation also provides professional advisors to the clients. The firm also provides recommendation letters from their staff attorney to each client.

9. Veracity Credit's Platinum Service- With scope of unlimited investigations and free credit reports, Veracity also provides customised collection interventions. The firm works with creditors and also helps educate people about credit repairs.

10. Academy Credit's Platinum Credit Repair Service- Apart from usual credit repair services, this firm also helps educate people about credit repairs companies and helps in eliminating maximum debt.

Getting Rid Of Your Debts The Easy Way

The recent recession witnessed by the global economy has uprooted the financial standing of millions of people across the world. Most often the immediate funds requirements are catered by the loans or debts in any form and the eventual delay or inability to pay back those loans in time can lead to severe repercussions that can impact one's credit standing in the long run. The US credit laws are extremely stringent in terms of the highest credit score and credit ratings for every earning individual, so much so that the 3 renowned Credit Bureaus in the county are constantly engaged in working on credit reports for the every SSN holder in the country.

As per the law of the state, a credit score of less than 500 is regarded as a bad mark on your credit rating and with low credit ratings it can get really difficult to obtain a new credit card or even apply for a personal or business loan. Refurbishing a distorted credit score can be a cumbersome task, considering the long term payments, interest rates and other charges make it almost impossible to pay off the due amounts, hence to help people sort their credit issues, a number of credit repair services are being offered in the country today. Several financial institutions and even banks are getting involved in the credit repair process by taking new initiatives that lead to prompt and easy repayment of debts and improvise the credit score of the debtor.

There are millions of credit repair companies near me that claim to offer the best solutions for your credit issues yet only 20 percent of them work towards it genuinely. Hence it is very important to opt for accompany after analyzing the pros and cons of the situation and weighing multiple possibilities. One must consider the following points before choosing a credit settlement company every time

First and foremost check whether their services are authentic or not. Ask for references that you can check the company's past records with. This will enable to gauge their credibility better before handing on your finances unto their hands. Or best you can even check with your family or peers to know which are the best credit repair companies with proven records

Keep a tab on the entire cost of the debt settlement procedure. Ensure that you scroll through

the list of every charge, even for a single penny. Many companies trap their customers by revealing hidden charges while in the middle of the credit repairing process. To avoid facing any such situations ask for legal and stamped paperwork with the full disclosure of the fee structure

A good company will always devise an efficient plan to rollout their working .The plan should include details like the duration of payments, the payment cycles, priorities , a calculation for any interests or late fees in the offered payment structure. Without a plan, the process will become haywire and more time consuming.

The process involves putting your financial standing at stake; hence it is essential to weigh your options by scrutinizing details to ensure that your credit issues are addressed in the most appropriate manner.

From Bad Credit To Good Credit

Those who sustain on plastic money (credit and debit cards) are certainly aware of the perils of having a bad credit rating listed with the bureaus. Not just does it put your financial goodwill at stake but also eliminates any chances to acquire any kind of loans or credit for future usage. Considering a major chunk of the present day population functions through plastic money, none can actually afford to drown their credit ratings in deep waters. However there are situations that are unforeseen and can be influenced by uncontrollable external factors, which often lead to a bad credit score hampering your growth opportunities in the immediate future.

Of late there have been millions of cases where liabilities have taken a toll on the financial, physical and emotional health of many people across the world. To combat he rising issue of debts and loans repayment , a hoard of credit repair companies near me  have forayed into the market and have established themselves over a very short span of time. Although it is very much possible for individual so plan their funds in advance and manage their debts in a more fruitful manner yet these specialized agencies do it better than anyone else. If you still have your doubts about hiring their services, here are some value additions done by these companies that will make your sure of their potential

Since the employees at these agencies are professionals in handling credit related issues they can simplify the case and at times even work it out with the shortest solution of a rectification letter( subjective to the circumstances)

There are situations where the complexities of the credit issue are beyond the understanding of a layman and different rules and regulations can add fuel to the fire, leaving the consumer extremely bereft of any choices. This is where the credit repair services come handy as they have detailed information about the do's and the don'ts at every step

Many people run annual reports to check status of any late payments or faults in their financial records as a proof of their financial standing , however it is easy to overlook any errors which may lead to a dramatic impact on the credit scores of the individual, hence a through examination and analysis of the money matters is a must to secure your financial status

The professional credit repair services also keep a tab on your current FICO scores; they run the minutest errors to ensure that the points do not get affected in any case. These companies also offer credit structuring advice to help you meet your credit and loan needs and enable you to pay them accordingly

Many a credit service firms also offer a money back guarantee, whereby you know that the investment is safe and you can ask for the money to be returned in case their services are not fully rendered. For a little sum of money, a well planned credit repayment and settlement structure that can help revive your flagging credit status is worth a try.

CREDIT ASSOCIATES 

A number of credit Assocites are available throughout the world, which help the consumers who do not have good credit histories. It can be quite difficult for the consumers who have low credit scores to obtain mortgages, emergency credit cards and various kinds of loans. The fact, that credit has become one of a very important part of our lives, has resulted in building up of a separate industry that provides services related to credit repair. There are two main methods, through which the creditAssociates help their clients improve their scores: credit report monitoring and correction, and debt consolidation and reduction.

Debt consolidation and reduction method involves assisting the clients by repairing their credits. This is done as companies negotiate with creditors and make the repayable terms more manageable. They simplify the repayment process by consolidating payments into a single payment, which is further distributed amongst the creditors. Therefore, they act as an intermediary between the creditors and the clients. In addition, these companies lessen the total balances by negotiating the total payment and omission of late fees, thus, resulting in debt reduction. These companies are most effective in working with collection agencies and credit card companies.

Majority of the creditors are willing to work with credit repair companies, as they get to sell off their accounts to collection agencies, thus, charge off their accounts. However, in majority of the cases, the accounts have been charged off but are still owned internally by the collection departments. A fact, which is in creditors knowledge, is that the chances of repayment increases by the involvement of credit repair companies.

Some of the most popular companies providing credit repair services are Freedom Debt Relief, American Financial Solutions, Consumer Credit.com, Consolidated Credit Counselling Services, Care One, Trinity Credit Services, Sky Blue and Ovation Credit Services

The second method involves an employment of a legal approach by the law firms. This is another method used by the credit repair services. These law firms are expert in locating challenging clauses and items in their client's credit reports. These law firms are very effective and efficient, as they totally understand the laws related to credit reporting and consumer rights. Most of the creditors know that an average person or a consumer is very ignorant about their rights associated with credit reporting, thus, they become casual and lack strictness while observing the regulations concerning the reporting of the transactions.

The workings of these specialized law firms include a request to the clients to obtain a copy of their credit reports. After they have obtained a copy, they review them thoroughly, reading word by word. This helps these firms to find and explore any item that could be misleading, incorrect, flawed, unfair and unverifiable. Once these kinds of objectionable items are found, these firms challenge the validity and authenticity of their creditors. The failure of a valid response from the creditors leads to the omission of those items from the report. These law firms assist their clients by making them aware of their consumer protection rights. They charge an initial fee and a monthly fee for the duration of the services been used.

About Credit Repair Services

Today, the life of majority of people around the globe revolves around credit(s). It could range from simply using a credit card to buy everyday items, to paying medical bills, to buying a house or a car, right up to financing a whole business venture. Having low credit scores can prove to be an issue to obtain any kind of loans, emergency credit cards (with low limits), and even mortgages. The right credit scores therefore are of utmost importance.

However, sometimes things usually don't work out in the best way. You may be living a normal, easy life; and behaving like a responsible consumer, paying your bills and other dues on time. But, some unforeseen event might happen to interfere with this flow; and thus upsetting your balance and plans. Someone in the family may fall seriously ill, you may lose our job, be going through a divorce, or perhaps face any other similar circumstance. This consequently affects your payments, as your income falls short of the due expenses; which in turn reflects in your credit reports as a negative point or remark.

Another concern could be the chance of reporting errors occurring in your credit reports. Either one or both of these issues result in the sliding down of your highest credit score possible, only making matters worse for you. Bad credit score may result in denial of the loans that you may have applied for; your credit card companies may perhaps begin charging higher rates of interest. And in such a situation, the problems only seem to increase, just like a snowball.

As credit has become an extremely important, almost indispensable financial asset; the recent years have seen the emergence of an entire industry dedicated to it. Today, there are a numerous credit repair companies, which offer credit repair services to a number of consumers, who have a credit history that is less than ideal. They offer two main methods through which the credit scores may be improved. One of these is monitoring and correcting the credit reports; and the other is through debt consolidation or reduction.

The companies, offering the debt relief programs, negotiate with the clients' creditors and settle on repayment plans that are more manageable. They are basically intended to help people dealing with out of control bills. However, not every individual looking to improve his credit score faces this problem.

Most creditors know that an average consumer is unaware of his or her rights regarding the reporting of credit. And therefore they don't entirely adhere to the regulations relating to reporting of transactions. In such cases, the credit repair companies near me  request a copy of their client's credit report. They review it, and look for any sort of discrepancies like unverifiable or flawed items. If found the validity of these items are challenged by the companies.

In the event that the creditors can't provide any satisfactory responses to these challenges, the credit bureaus are required to remove them from the respective person's credit report.

[kenzieam]

The Tutor - Chapter Seven

Pairing: AU Bucky X Levi

Rating: M (my usual, lovelies)

Warnings: language, drama, angst, mentions of abuse

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@iammarylastar​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @captstefanbrandt​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @jewels2876​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @moonbeambucky​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @badassbaker​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @everythingisoverrated​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @oliviastan17​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @igothroughphasesalot​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @sashli​​​​​​​​​​​​ @lorilane33​​​​​​​​​​ @pinknerdpanda​​​​​​​​​​ @nerdy-bookworm-1998​

I KNOW I’M MISSING TAGS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT IN

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Levi the jock needs help in high school and her twin brother, Steve, volunteers his newest friend, Bucky. Seemingly just to piss her off, Bucky accepts but soon realizes there’s more to the Levi than she lets the average spectator see.

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Feedback = Happy writer…. lol

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LAST CHAPTER Y’ALL!!!

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“Bucky?!” She shrieked.

He grinned hugely, managed it drop the duffel he held in one hand and the backpack slung over the opposite shoulder, bracing himself for impact as Levi launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist, staggering back a step on the covered porch with a chuckle as he buried his head in her hair and clung just as tightly to her as she was to him.

“Hey baby.” He purred, nuzzling close, body stilling for a beat as he just absorbed her, glorying in the sensation of her safe in his arms again then released her legs, letting her feet drop to the wooden deck.

“Hey,” a new voice boomed, and Levi lifted her head from Bucky’s chest enough to glance back over her shoulder and see her twin brother approaching. “I was wondering when you’d finally get here.”

“You knew?!” Levi screeched, fingers curling in Bucky’s shirtfront, gaping at her brother.

Steve grinned widely then pointed a finger at Bucky. “He wanted to keep it a secret.”

Levi snapped her head to glare at Bucky, who grinned sheepishly.

“That’s why you’ve been weird?!”

“I was scared of giving it away, doll. Do you know how tough it’s been, trying to keep this a secret-”?

“I thought you were going to break up with me!”

Bucky gaped at her for a heartbeat, a thousand emotions swirling through his eyes, surprise being chief among them, his jaw dropping. “What? No, doll-”

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore!”

Bucky pulled her close again, crushing her to his chest. He sounded like he was trying not to laugh, or maybe even cry. “No, baby, I’m sorry, I didn’t think-”

“You big, dumb ASSHOLE!” Levi continued, not yet pacified, pushing at his chest then whirling to brandish a shaking finger at Steve, who took a step back, not entirely sure if his womb-mate was truly murderous or not. “And you, FUCKER!!”

Bucky tried again, wrapping his arms around Levi and pulling her towards him, her back crashing into his chest. He dropped his head and murmured feverishly into her ear.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I would never want to break up, I’d never find anyone better than you-” his lips brushed against her, pressing frantic kisses to the soft skin below her ear and, despite her indignation, Levi’s body surrendered to the heavenly sensations.

Boys.

DUMB boys.

Stupid asshole BOYS.

She exhaled heavily, huffing a breath and turning her head to glare at Bucky, who gazed forlornly back, his chin resting on the edge of her shoulder, brow creased, puppy-dog sorrow in his eyes, bottom lip poking out. She couldn’t stay mad and the grin that pulled at her lips was answered by a relieved chuckle from Bucky.

“Dick.” She whispered fondly and Bucky grinned widely, pressing a kiss to her lips as she turned in his arms to face him.

“You still mad at me?” Steve asked.

Levi answered with her middle finger thrown over her shoulder, lips still pressed to Bucky’s and Steve snorted and rolled his eyes, knowing his twin well enough to see that he was probably safe.

“On that note,” Steve said loudly, trying to catch the lover’s attention again as their kiss deepened, starting to forget the world around them. When that didn’t work, he reached out with his foot and tapped Levi in the back of the knee, hard enough to push her off balance, her and Bucky’s heads cracking together. Bucky groaned, reaching up to hold his forehead as Levi rounded on her twin, slavering for his blood. Expecting this, Steve grinned winningly and threw up his hands. “On that note,” he tried again, raising his voice. “I’m heading out.”

It took Levi a moment to comprehend. “What?”

Steve shrugged. “Pizza should be here soon; I’m going to stay over at Peggy’s.”

“Steve, you don’t have to-” Levi began.

“Hell no, I ain’t sticking around for this, I know what shit you two are going to get up to.” He grinned and slung a backpack onto his shoulder, pressing a kiss to Levi’s head and slapping Bucky’s shoulder. “Don’t hurt yourselves.” He chuckled and Bucky pulled Levi back into his embrace as they watched him walk to his vehicle, waving merrily at them as he pulled away.

“Doofus.” Levi murmured fondly, then took a deep breath and turned to face Bucky; he gazed down at her silently, waiting for her to continue. Was she still upset? Still pissed? Still laboring under the ridiculous delusion that Bucky could somehow let her go?

“I’m sorry.” He whispered again, tracing the back of his bent finger along her jaw, eyes flicking back and forth between hers, studying her. He relaxed infinitesimally when Levi sighed and leaned her head into his touch, his heart stuttering suddenly in his chest when she reached up, pressing her hand to his heart then closed the small distance between them, nestling against him again.

“How long are you here for?” She asked, voice hushed.

Bucky tightened his arms, grinning madly as he finally got to tell her the best part. “Until I graduate, doll.”

“What?”

“I transferred.”

Levi jolted in his embrace, head snapping up to regard him. “Transferred?” There was a heartbreaking edge in her voice, as if she believed she’d just hallucinated his words, and was now on the edge of tears as she expected the happy bubble to pop.

“Yeah,” Bucky dropped a kiss to her forehead and gripped her chin, running his thumb along her bottom lip. He couldn’t stop touching her, not after so long apart.

“But… your mom… your sisters…” Levi trailed off uncomfortably, eyes boring into his, her forehead furrowed.

“They’re good, baby.” Bucky murmured, lowering his head to plant another kiss to her forehead. “Mom’s come a long way this year, this was actually her idea.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She had the same reason I did for you, get out and live. She’s got my sisters enrolled in some afterschool clubs and she arranged this new schedule with her boss so she can work most of the time from home anyway, she’s…” he searched for the right word. “She’s healing, finally. She can talk about Dad without breaking down, she can remember all these funny little stories and tell them now without crying…. It’s great.” He fell silent, recalling something his mom had said to him, just a few days ago, something he wasn’t ready to share with anyone, not even Lev, yet.

“You’re just like your dad, Bear.” His mom smiled, reaching over to cup her son’s face, eyes beginning to glitter as her words elicited humbled surprise in her firstborn.

“Really?” There was a heartbreaking catch in Bucky’s voice. His father was his icon, the idol he’d always strive to be, to make proud; the ideal he reached for daily.

She nodded, near tears at her son’s reaction. “He’d be so proud of you, taking care of us like you have. It’s like gazing back in time, you look almost identical to him back when we first met. He was in college too, but already grown up, wise beyond his years, a protector.” She paused, and a single tear trekked down her cheek. “It’s an honor to call myself your mother.”

“Buck?” Levi whispered tentatively, lifting her head to gaze up at him.

Clearing his throat, Bucky pushed away the memory before it made him full-on cry and smiled down at her. “Yeah?”

“I love you.” There was a bedrock sincerity in her voice, the simple statement of a most basic fact.

“I love you.” He replied, leaning down to press another tender kiss to her lips. After a beat, his eyes popped open again and he pulled away, straightening as his eyes snapped back and forth in confusion. “What the hell is that sound?”

Lev burst out laughing as the most epic piece of shit car Bucky had ever seen wheezed its way up the driveway behind his truck and backfired almost cheerfully as it died, white smoke partially obscuring the ludicrous sight it made.

“Pizza’s here.”

Bucky stared incredulously as the delivery guy emerged, tall and gangly and resembling a clown exiting a miniscule clown car, carrying two boxes of pizza. The guy stared too long at his girl and a low, unconscious growl started deep in his chest. The man’s eyes flicked to Bucky’s, saw murder glaring back and quickly stopped his appraisal of Levi, the hint of a grin that said he was imagining all sorts of ‘pizza guy gets BJ as surprise tip’ scenarios that no doubt littered his Pornhub history disappearing instantly.

Approaching the couple like Bucky was indeed a rabid wolf with his eyes locked on his newest meal, the pizza guy gave Levi a quick, nervous smile and all but shoved the boxes in her hands, waving off her offer of her credit card.

“Your brother already paid.” He gulped and a wicked satisfaction thrummed low in Bucky’s chest, watching him squirm. There was no doubt Levi was his and he valued every sweaty second he’d spent in the gym this last year, if this worm’s reaction were any sort of guidance as to his physique.

Levi waited until the Civic had screeched away before giggling, turning in Bucky’s arms to gaze up at him. “Bucky, you’re terrible.” She grinned.

“You’re mine.” Bucky countered huskily.

“Yes.” Levi agreed quietly, then set her jaw imperiously. “And you’re mine, Barnes.”

Bucky let all his thoughts bleed into his eyes for a heartbeat, all his need and want and hunger for Levi, all the ways he was going to take her tonight, satisfy the animal inside that had gone for too long without and Levi inhaled sharply, her own need mirroring back, promising a wild night; with effort, Bucky pulled his attention elsewhere.

There was shit to do first, chief among them to actually go back into the house.

Understanding, Levi cleared her throat. “You have more to move in?”

“Just a bit.” Bucky jerked his chin towards his truck.

“Let me put these inside then I can help.” Levi squirmed free and darted into the house, reappearing in moments and skipping along to follow him.

Two trips later, all of Bucky’s belongings were piled in the spare bedroom across the hall from Lev’s and they were back in the kitchen, tucking into the pizza before it got cold.

Bucky was no more enchanted by Lev’s Donair Special than Steve had been and sent a silent thank you to the man as he took a huge bite of plain old Pepperoni, letting Lev dig happily into her pile of nope herself.

As they ate, Lev gave a rundown of the house and neighborhood, which neighbors to avoid and which to chat up; apparently Steve had charmed an old lady down the street into giving him just-picked raspberries all summer and regularly received freshly baked cookies from some other grandson-deprived old blue-hair the next block over in exchange for mowing her lawn, while Levi had only managed to piss off the retired couple across the street by accidentally falling into their Fuschias one day when she’d gone jogging and suffered a sudden Charley-Horse in her hamstring. Not even a gift of a pair of vibrant Geraniums in their own little gilded pots had fully thawed the pair, although progress was being made, albeit slowly.

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. His girl did have a way with people; how she and Steve were even related when it came to stuff like that was one of the universe’s mysteries.

After a few minutes, and a few slices, the gnawing hunger in Bucky’s stomach, for food at least, had faded and he pushed the plate away with a groan. Levi eyed him, a hint of mischief in her eyes and Bucky felt hugely guilty when he couldn’t stop a sudden yawn.

“Sorry baby,” he murmured, rubbing his face and smiling sheepishly.

“No problem, you’ve been driving. That’s why you didn’t even answer your phone these last two days?”

Bucky nodded. “I’m sorry, doll. But ever since I got everything finalized with the transfer and moving out here, I was so damn excited I was afraid I’d give it all away. I wanted to surprise you and I knew if you got a good look at my face these last few weeks, I wouldn’t be able to hide it. And there was no way I’d be able to keep it secret while I was actually on my way here.”

“Your mom said you were working.” Levi replied. “She was in on it.”

“She was…. Did you really think I was seeing someone else?” The very thought hurt, a sharp ache deep in his chest.

“What else was I supposed to think?” Levi asked, shrugging her shoulders and Bucky saw between the lines to words Levi herself probably wasn’t even aware she was saying. She still, despite time and distance and Bucky’s attention and love, still thought she was unworthy; somewhere deep in her psyche Brock still muttered and threatened and while she may not even notice it, it chewed away at her subconscious all the same.

Words could only convey so much, and, in the end, they were only words, cheap and plentiful. Bucky was going to show Lev how wrong she was, how deeply and fundamentally flawed Brock’s projection of her was and he wouldn’t stop until she truly believed him, until the ugly taint of her stepfather was well and truly gone and, if it took the rest of their lives, so be it.

Bucky rose and moved to crouch at Levi’s side; she watched him silently, brow furrowing ever so slightly, relaxing again when Bucky took her hands.

“You’re it for me, baby.” He whispered. “This last year has been the best and the worst of my life. The best because I have you, but also the worst because we’ve been apart. Sure, it would have been easy to find someone else, my classes were full of girls, but none of them were you. You’re all I want, you’re everything I want and eventually, you’ll believe me.”

Tears sparkled in Lev’s eyes. “I believe you,” she began. “I just…” Don’t believe in myself, her eyes continued.

Bucky’s eyes bored into hers, flicking rapidly between her bewitching amethyst irises. No more words, he just wanted to hold her, and he murmured that tenderly to her, watching her reaction, grinning when simple delight and excitement lit up her face. Brock had been wrong, about almost everything, but especially about Lev being a princess, it was shockingly easy to make her happy, just be with her.

“You probably want a shower though, first?” Levi said. “Driving all day?”

“Actually, yeah.” Bucky agreed, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. Road grime clung to him like sweat and he was reluctant to taint her with it.

“Go ahead, we share the one bathroom up there, I showed you already. Towels are in the closet and-” she broke off, cheeks going adorably pink. “I have a bottle of your body wash up there if you don’t have any. I’d use it before bed so I could smell you as I fell asleep.”

Bucky rose, pulling Lev to her feet with him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He’d done the same thing at home, using her favorite green tea brand when the yearning got too much. Lev gently stepped back, out of his space and smiled up at him.

“I’ll clean up down here and lock up. Meet me in my room and we can snuggle and watch movies.”

“Sounds good, doll.” Bucky threw her a crooked grin then disappeared upstairs.

One heavenly shower later, Bucky entered Levi’s room, clad in low-slung sweats and a t-shirt. Levi had a nest on her king-size bed, pillows piled up and blankets scattered, and a small projection system shining on a bare spot on the wall, making for a surprisingly large viewing screen. A few bowls of snacks sat on her bedside table. Biting her bottom lip, Lev lifted the blanket covering her, inviting Bucky to join her underneath them and revealing that she’d changed clothes while he’d been gone, now sporting a tiny pair of lacy underwear and silky camisole.

“Jesus, doll.” Bucky grunted, feeling his pulse speed up. “I thought you wanted to watch movies.” He was teasing, he’d no more intended to simply watch tv tonight anymore than Levi did, but he loved the adorable little flash of mischief in her eyes.

“I do.” She giggled and patted the bed beside her. “This is how you and I watch movies, remember?”

He’d lived for nothing else at times and hummed happily as he joined her, feeling the warmth of her smooth skin as he pulled her close. Reclining back on the stack of pillows, he tucked Levi securely to his chest, cradled between his thighs and sighed happily, just letting the reality of the situation sink into him.

“I’m here, with you. Finally.”

Levi hummed in agreement, made a vague gesture towards the remote without lifting her head from his chest and Bucky chuckled, reaching for it himself and studying it for a moment before hitting the right button. Within moments the screen was illuminated, opening credits rolling and Bucky was tilting his head to rest on Levi’s, letting his eyes fall shut for a heartbeat as he savored the moment.

Despite his best intentions to make it through at least one movie, to demonstrate at least a modicum of restraint, Bucky grumbled a silent ‘fuck this’ in his mind and gave up trying to resist Levi’s heavenly body tucked close to him a quarter of the way through the film; he could exercise his willpower some other time.

Levi had been half-asleep, lulled by Bucky wrapped around her and inhaled sharply, stretching sweetly against his chest when he dropped his head to press a series of slow, sucking kisses to the side of her neck. She held her breath in anticipation as he took his time, tucking her hair to the side and studying the best place to touch his lips before each tender kiss, eyes fluttering shut as he took in her dizzying scent, felt her pulse go wild under his mouth.

“Bucky,” she breathed, dropping her head back, opening her throat more for him. Bucky pulled her tighter with a sharp sigh, one arm looping around her just above her breasts while the other hand skimmed down her belly before snugging under the waistband of her underwear.

She jolted lightly in his arms with a whimper as his fingertips brushed her folds and he hummed in low satisfaction at the fact that she was already wet for him. Levi arched her back, brushing her sweet ass against his rapidly hardening cock as he slowly but inexorably pushed a thick finger inside her, thumb rolling around her clit. His teeth bit down, gently, on her pulse point and she shuddered, spasming around his finger and he inserted another, hissing in appreciation as she grew even wetter, grinding her ass harder against him.

“Jesus, Sweetheart-” Bucky rasped, hardly able to form the words. Slowly, he stared to fuck her with his fingers, increasing his pace rapidly as Levi responded feverishly and he cupped and massaged her breasts, pinching her nipples as he continued to nip and suck and kiss at her neck, blood rushing through his veins as she writhed against him, making the most delicious little whimpers as he strummed her body white hot. His cock ground painfully against her ass, the fabric separating them growing damp with precum but he wanted to, no, he needed to feel her, hear her, see her come first; feel her gush around his fingers, her walls quaking; experience the secondary joy of her release and know he did this, he brought her to the edge like this and felt her tumble off into ecstasy secure in his arms.

Levi’s voice broke as she cried his name, her orgasm crashing over her but Bucky didn’t let up, his fingers slurping obscenely in and out and he could almost follow her over the cliff based just on that sensation alone but he suddenly needed to be inside her, needed to feel her tight around him and he pushed her forwards, away from him. Levi landed on her hands and knees, arching her spine as she understood immediately what Bucky was doing, looking back over her shoulder at him with lust-darkened eyes.

Shoving his sweats down just enough to free himself, Bucky stroked himself roughly a few times, a low, hungry growl in his chest. Desperate to be sheathed in her finally, he simply yanked her underwear to the side then drove into her heat with a groan, eyes rolling back in his head.

Levi matched his groan, hips driving back to meet him, take him impossibly deeper. Dropping her face to the mattress, her spine arched, the angle changing, and Bucky dropped his head back, rolling it between his shoulders as he fought not to explode right away.

“Fuck, baby.” He gritted, hands gripping her hips in a way that had to be painful if they weren’t already past mortal sensations and rocketing towards a whole new galaxy of ecstasy. He slammed inside her, thrusts almost violent and Levi threw it right back, rolling back to meet each snap so he pounded deeper than he ever had before, filling her impossibly deep, possessing her in every sense of the word and then Levi was crying out again, fingers clawing into the bedding as her second climax stole her breath.

Bucky followed her, surrendering to his release with a roar, spilling his seed in thick ropes inside her, head thrown back, face twisted and eyes squeezed shut in the most brutally beautiful pain before his body gave out and he sagged forwards, utterly spent, his forehead resting on Levi’s sweat-gleaming back as he panted for breath, body shuddering and clenching with residual aftershocks, the tail-end of easily the most visceral and powerful orgasm he had ever experienced; white-hot bliss until he hadn’t known where he ended and Levi began.

Withdrawing from her body, chest heaving, Bucky collapsed to the mattress, and Levi followed, sinking bonelessly next to him. He pulled her to his chest, clawing close as something akin to fear skittered through him, a deep and almost scary sense of vulnerability at just how profoundly and intensely they could connect. He felt almost raw, naked in every sense of the word, for they’d just stripped their skins for each other, diving headfirst into oblivion.

The sweetest poison, balm to his soul, Bucky would welcome a thousand deaths to feel this again, every time.

His eyelids fluttered, a languid sense of peace washing over him, and he barely registered Levi dragging a blanket over their sweat-slicked, tangled bodies before he gave into sleep.

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Levi giggled, holding the fork with the speared strawberry tantalizingly out of reach of Bucky’s questing mouth and popping it into her own, letting out a squeal between clenched teeth when Bucky dug his fingers into her side, tickling her mercilessly for her cheek.

Her thighs tightened around his waist as she sat on the counter and Bucky stood between her legs, his own plate of waffles and berries forgotten beside them as he tried to charm Levi into giving him pieces from her own. She threw her head back and shrieked laughter, writhing under Bucky’s attack and he laughed with her, carefree and all too ready to push inside her again, take her right here on the kitchen counter because, although he’d reached for her multiple times throughout last night, the main floor was not a place they’d made love yet, and Bucky was nothing if not thorough, intent on christening every flat surface of the house and utterly incapable of resisting the draw Levi had on him for anything longer than short breaks.

Levi waved another berry at him, the fruit shivering on the fork as she squirmed and Bucky let up on his tickling, hands still pressed to her sides and eyed her, trying to decide if she was serious this time or was just begging for more punishment.

A key jiggled in the front door then, a moment later, it slammed open and heavy footsteps strode through. Steve poked his head around the corner, hair sticking up in all directions, telling of his own nocturnal adventures.

“Morning, kids.” He chirped merrily, eyes dancing with mischief as he took in the scene. Levi was currently wearing Bucky’s t-shirt and a pair of his boxers, while Bucky had only managed sweatpants again, and there was no confusion as to what they had been doing, and what they were fully on their way to doing again.

“My eyes!” He continued, throwing his head back and mimicking the wailing face emoji. Levi chucked a piece of waffle at him as she pulled Bucky securely to her, pressing his all-too-willing-to-comply face into curve of her neck and wrapping her arms around him, as if sheltering him from the big, bad jock that had just lumbered in.

“Go upstairs, leave us alone!” Levi exclaimed, but there was no real malice in her tone, matching Steve’s drama department worthy wail of just moments earlier and both twins dissolved into fits of giggles as Steve wandered the rest of the way in, inspecting Bucky’s plate lying forgotten beside them.

“Save any waffles for me?”

“Piss off.” Levi offered sweetly and Bucky finally raised his head from her throat, unable to stop a wide grin at the twin’s antics. Their dynamic, their relationship was a treat to watch; they had each other’s backs through everything, but could also laugh at each other, playfight over almost anything. If Brock’s very existence had had any meaning or purpose, it had been to ensure that the twins were now and forever united, an unbreakable front to tackle all of life’s challenges.

Ignoring his sister’s warning, Steve grabbed the top waffle off Bucky’s plate, rolled it expertly into a large cigar shape and took a huge bite, leaning against the nearby butcher-block island and chewing noisily, a dollop of whipped cream at the corner of his mouth that he, when Lev mimed wiping it off her own mouth, almost delicately dabbed off with his pinkie and studied for a beat before jamming into his mouth. “Any plans for today?”

Bucky shrugged, still cradled against Lev’s chest. He could spend all day right here and have no complaints whatsoever.

“Probably just chill in the backyard.” Levi answered. “Put on some music, float around the pool.”

“Cool,” Steve replied. “I was going to call Peggy over to do the same, can we share the yard?”

“Of course! Can you ask her to bring over that metallic polish she had on last weekend? She said I could use it.”

Steve nodded, mouth stuffed full as he pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and Bucky lifted his gaze to Levi’s, who raised a brow at the mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“You have a bikini to match that polish?”

“Actually, I do. It’s the cutest little blush pink color.”

Cute was hardly the word Bucky would pick to describe Lev in a bikini but that was neither here nor there.

“Did you bring trunks?” Lev asked. “Not that I wouldn’t mind you wearing nothing at all.”

“I can’t go naked? The Europeans do.” Bucky teased.

“I wouldn’t mind, but the neighbors might. You’d give old Martha a heart attack.”

“Her own fault for snooping.” Steve replied, putting his phone away with a grin. “And I think you cured her of that last month when you pranced around bare-assed out there. I haven’t seen her out on her deck since, and she planted all those trees-”

“Naked?!”

“Nothing but a smile.” Steve chuckled. “And she did the Floss, too. Waved at the old biddy like they were best friends, big grin on her face. Lev, not Martha.”

Bucky closed his eyes, shaking his head. Of course, his girl would do something like that, that was one of the reasons he loved her so much, she could roll with anything.

“See? I’m safe.” Bucky chirped, grinning winningly at Lev, who just rolled her eyes.

“No nudity.” She declared. “If I have to wear something, you do too.”

“Party pooper.” Bucky grumbled lightly.

“I’ll make it up to you later.”

“I look forward to it.” Bucky whispered, burrowing his face back into her throat.

Later, they crowded around the pool; Lev and Peggy stretched out on lounge chairs and painting swathes of pearly pink on each other’s toenails while Steve and Bucky sat at the pool’s edge, feet dragging in the water, hands stretched behind them to lean back, heads tilted to the sun and eyes closed behind dark sunglasses as music throbbed from the nearby Bluetooth speaker.

Leaning back and lifting her foot to inspect Peggy’s work, Lev grinned and fell back against the lounge chair, pulling her sunglasses from the top of her head to cover her eyes. Bucky rolled his head towards her, eyeing her half-naked body, clad in the ‘cute’ blush pink bikini that looked like absolute sin on her and considered disturbing his near-perfect peace to stand and move to her side. She’d probably giggle and push him away, shrieking at him to not wreck her wet nails, and the squirming of her body against his would only inflame the constant fire he had for her, resulting in some NSFW moments that would probably drive the other couple into the house or earn him a punch in the mouth from Steve.

“Bucky?” Lev called quietly, lifting her glasses to fix him with her hypnotising violet eyes.

“Yeah, baby?” He murmured, lips curling into a smile. Unseen beside him, Steve opened his eyes and turned his head to watch the exchange. While surprisingly chill about the ‘adult’ side of Lev and Bucky’s relationship, and hardly able to point fingers when he himself could hardly keep from storming Peggy at every turn, he nonetheless wasn’t looking for an anatomy lesson featuring his wombmate right now.

“Put some lotion on my back?”

“Of course.” He stood, stretching his back, groaning at a few pops then strolled to her side. Lev rolled onto her stomach, careful of where she placed her feet to protect her still tacky nails and held out the bottle for him to take.

There was room to sit at either of her sides, but the glint in Lev’s eyes invited him otherwise and Bucky grinned down at her as he swung a leg over, straddling her hips and settling gently down on the backs of her thighs. From here he could play her ass cheeks like bongo drums or reach up to wrap his hand into her hair and pull her head back as he pushed slowly…. Or, you know, keep it PG and just rub lotion on her back.

Gently untying the back of her top, he tucked the strings on either side of her ribcage and squirted some lotion onto his palm, rubbing it between his hands to warm it. The tan lines across Lev’s back called to him as he began to massage the lotion in and Lev moaned quietly under her breath, stretching languidly under him and making him bite back his own groan as her ass brushed against his semi.

She moaned louder as Bucky dug deeper, massaging the knots in her muscles, moving in long, powerful strokes up and down her spine, branching out over the backs of her shoulders like wings, fingers digging into the flesh.

“Don’t stop,” she murmured, eyes falling shut.

Bucky leaned forwards, using the cover of his body over Lev’s to hide the sight of his fingers reaching down and tracing in between her thighs, past the edge of her bikini and brushing the edge of her folds. “I’m going to wreck you later.” He promised, his voice low, tongue dipping into her ear as he growled; pushing one finger inside her, cock twitching in his boardshorts as she squirmed beneath him. Withdrawing his finger, he made sure Lev was watching as he popped it into his mouth and sucked it clean, hooded eyes dark and vowing carnal, primal bliss.

“And the student surpasses the teacher.” She grinned.

**************************************************************************

Four years later

“To Levi.” Bucky announced, grin splitting his face as he raised his glass.

Levi smiled, leaning back into his chest from her seat between his thighs and raised her own glass. “To you, Bucky. For always supporting me.” Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to his underside of his jaw, smiling when he groaned, low in his chest.

“To both of you.” Steve asserted, eyeing them both before allowing his own huge smile. “It’s been a long haul.”

“Hear, hear.” Bucky whispered, lips tickling the shell of Lev’s ear, making her giggle.

“So? How does it feel?” Peggy asked, sipping her wine. “All this work and sacrifice?”

Lev met Bucky’s eyes again, their heads turned to face each other. “It feels amazing.” Lev answered, looking back forwards towards her brother and Peggy.

Five years of hard work, five years of sacrifice and now Levi had achieved her goal, her architectural dream. Accelerated courses and countless hours of extra effort had brought her here, years ahead of her peers and head-hunted to one of the best firms in the world. Through it all, Bucky had been there, once her tutor, now her forever.

“And the wedding?” Peggy continued, glancing down at the ring glittering on Lev’s finger.

“Still small, just close family.” Bucky replied, nuzzling into Lev’s hair. “You guys, my mom and sisters, Ann and Bruce. The reception back here before we fly out.”

A new smirk lit up the twin’s face as they shared a look. Their mom had rebounded from Brock surprisingly well and, when she had introduced them to her newest beau three years ago at Christmas, even the gregarious Steve had been gobsmacked to see it was their old science teacher, Mr. Banner. A simple trip to City Hall had sealed that relationship last year and, at Lev’s graduation ceremony earlier today, she’d even introduced him to her professors’ as ‘Dad’.

“And the new house?”

A shared exhale and humored grimace. “Renovations underway.” Bucky replied wryly.

“But it’s a real, genuine farmhouse.” Lev added, eyes sparkling. “With a porch swing and a Widow’s Walk and stained glass and giant old trees for a tire swing. A huge old barn and wood plank fences-”

“And rooms needing painting and carpets that need to be torn out-”

“Because the hardwood underneath is amazing.”

“And all the time in the world to do it while you work.” Bucky finished, the smile in his eyes genuine and beaming, eyes locked with Lev’s. For a beat they stayed lost in each other, until Steve cleared his throat before sipping noisily at his wine to remind them that they weren’t the only people in the room, something that still happened with heartwarming regularity.

For now, Bucky’s career path was not as set and luminous as Lev’s, but it only seemed to bother him. Last night, when he’d lamented the fact, Lev had rolled from her side of the bed and straddled his hips, cradling his face with startling determination. Only the seriousness of her expression kept him from giving into the heavenly sensation of her pressed against him, but his heart had started racing all the same.

“You’ve taken care of other people for years.” She stated. “First your mom and sisters, then me. You saved me, Bucky; you might not think it, but you did. Asking you to tutor me was the best decision I’ve ever made. You kept me grounded when all Brock made me want to do was give up, and you were there for me after, when everything was new and possible and scary as hell. Whatever I have now, I owe to you. Let me take care of things for awhile, please baby.”

He could deny her nothing and hearing her heartfelt words had sealed something inside his chest he hadn’t even realized until then was cracked, binding them together more solidly than the Earth itself.

“So, Lev”, Peggy chirped, a ‘don’t think you can get anything past me’ gleam in her eyes. “You going to tell us why you’re drinking grape juice instead of wine?”

Lev sputtered, the sip she’d been in the process of taking threatening to spray across the table. “What?” She mumbled.

“Oh, come on.” Peggy continued, flashing a grin up at Steve before returning piercing eyes to the other couple. “You think I didn’t notice? We’ve got two already, I know the signs.”

Lev glanced at Bucky. The gig is up, her eyes said.

Steve and Peggy had been busy in the last five years, getting married while still in school in a charming and small ceremony with Lev and Bucky at their sides and rapidly producing two little tow-headed babies. Amelia had come first, the apple of her daddy’s eye, born the day after he’d been the first line draft pick of the year; while Thomas had made his grand entrance a week before Steve had led his team to their first Championship under his leadership, the proud new-father gleam in his eyes visible in every TV interview that came after. The People Magazine spread had been particularly adorable, Amelia cuddled close to her daddy while he gazed lovingly down at his family, newborn Thomas content in Peggy’s arms. Both little munchkins were already slated to be part of the wedding, a curly-haired flower girl and toddling ring-bearer.

“When are you due?” Steve added, watching Bucky nuzzle his face into Lev’s hair with a proud smile he remembered gracing his own face when they had been announcing their own news.

“We just found out this week.” Lev replied quietly.

“So next summer then.”

“Yep.” Bucky’s reply was muffled by Lev’s hair and she giggled as he mumbled something further in her ear.

“The house should be done by then.” Steve continued, trying to prod his future brother in law to remain part of the conversation when it was obvious he was falling down his favourite rabbit hole.

“Hopefully.” Bucky reluctantly pulled his attention away from whatever he was doing to Lev’s throat, a new smile pulling at his lips as he thought about it, then chuckled wryly. “The nursery anyway.”

“Better prepare for doubles.” Steve grinned, loving the sudden startled widening of his friend’s eyes. “Lev’s a twin, odds are you’re going to have them too.”

The mock horror in his eyes was tempered by the smile he couldn’t stop from forming and Lev laughed out loud, pulling her lover down for a kiss on the cheek. “I didn’t even think of that!” She crowed. “Twins, baby! What do you think?”

To be perfectly honest, Bucky couldn’t care less if Lev gave birth to Damien himself, as long as he got to be by her side through it all; they could cower together in their newly renovated farmhouse while the little darling raged outside but the thought of two little products of their love for each other made real warmed a special place in his heart and he was not entirely surprised to feel the prick of tears in his eyes.

“That’s perfect, doll.” He murmured, nuzzling close again, ready for whatever life had in store for them.

[jmdizon44]

Introducing the Blog

“Imagine that you’re writing this blog post to benefit a young adult or someone who has little personal finance experience. Discuss the importance of opening a checking account, the benefits, and any tips and tricks you have discovered in your financial journey. Offer suggestions on how to find a good checking account and feel free to share your bank of choice and the reason you use them and their services. Feel free to get creative and remember that you should be writing to teach the reader something they don’t already know!” 

My friend that is a great question to ask. Let me share with you my experience with banking. Checking accounts are a life saver during my lifetime. I can pay bills online and wire money to family members who use the same bank that I have. The other things that I’ve benefited from checking accounts is the fact that I don’t have to store up cash in my wallet or hide it in my house. If you find the right checking account, you can receive interest back for your checking account. I like that they give me a debit card that I can utilize as an ATM machine and a credit card at the same time. I utilize my checkbook balance to confirm my bank statements and track any outstanding checks. But if you have a good bank, they are really up to date with your bank charges and have done a great job helping you to avoid any over draft fees. 

Here are a couple of tips and tricks I learned with getting checking accounts. When finding a bank try to find one that does not have any monthly fees. There are some banks that waive the monthly fees if you deposit a certain amount of money a month. Depending where you work, you can have your pay checks wired to your checking account and that can waive this fee. I usually open two checking accounts. I use one of my checking accounts to hold my bills and I have my wife’s pay checks transferred to that account to waive the fee. We make sure we place all of our emergency fund money along with our bills that we use to both pay online or issue checks for bills. We also have a savings account with them and we have another savings account with another company that we gain a lot of benefits from which is USAA. I would recommend them the most but you have to be in the military or former military to qualify. So I will give my next suggestion which is Chase. Chase waives our monthly fees as long as you deposit a certain amount of money in them a month. We utilize Chase because they are one of the larger banks you can find when you travel the United States. 

Even though where we live does not have any Chase banks near by, we utilize them still because of all the benefits we do receive from them. Chase has assigned us an online bank teller is very informative and helpful. He checks up on us and gives us any financial advice. We consult with Barry for many things like investments or how to utilize the program for our kids to open up checking accounts. For us we are beginning to teach our kids life skills and open up a checking account for them. We are really impressed with this program and feel that it is safe. The overdraft fees are waived pretty much. You can also waive it by having Chase utilize your savings to cover the balance. Chase also are very good with alerting you when your checking account is under $50.00. 

On top of that they have monitor your checking account and will stop the account for any suspicious activities. Any potential fraudulent purchases from someone who stole your bank information, Chase is on it. I really appreciate this benefit from Chase if you’re worried about that. I hope these tips are helpful and I included more about the savings accounts. 

Introducing the Blog

[isitgintimeyet]

Letting Go

AO3

Previous

So, nearing the end of the story now, three more chapters to go. Thanks for sticking with it, I do appreciate it.

Thanks to @mo-nighean-rouge for the beta.

Thanks to @happytoobserve for the encouragement

Thanks to you all for reading

Chapter 13: Doctor, Doctor

Oh, Doctor, doctor, can't you see I'm burning, burning Oh, Doctor, doctor, is this love I'm feeling? Ships at night give such delight We all leave before the morning light Please don't go no please don't go Cause I don't want to stay here on my own

Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway

Claire rubbed her eyes and stretched, contemplating yet another cup of coffee. Her eyes were tired from staring at her laptop screen for hours, studying the data and reading about hospitals in Manchester, Birmingham, Chicago and Melbourne. All had potential opportunities suitable for her, she just had to be willing to make that leap.

*********

Eight Years Ago

“Do ye ever think about moving away, tae another country?”

“Not really. Everything I want… need… love is here.”

“And what’s that, then?”

“My medical training… my uncle… and you, my heart. Why, do you?”

“It’s a big old world out there, Sassenach. Lots tae see. But I canna imagine settling down anywhere but Scotland… I love ye, Sassenach. I want ye with me always.Ye ken that… and I ken I always will.”

*****

She hadn’t yet spoken to her uncle about leaving. She’d already had to deliver one piece of bad news -- the duplicity of Malva and Frank. She was waiting for that to be fully digested before talking to him about moving away.

Although, to be honest, Lamb had taken that news better than she had expected. Malva’s approach to academic research had always been at odds with his own more traditional style. Even though he disliked any personal confrontation with his students, Mrs. Fitz had encouraged Lamb to have a ‘chat’ with her, suggesting that perhaps Malva might be better suited working with another member of the faculty -- Dr. Randall, for example, who, although lacking in field research experience, may share the same ‘values’ as she.

According to Mrs. Fitz, the conversation with Dr. Randall had been decidedly more serious. Whilst Lamb may have been open to working collaboratively with him, Frank’s underhanded tactics ensured that now he would never share his research. Lamb had decided, much to Mrs. Fitz’s annoyance, not to report Frank’s behaviour to the university board, not wanting to destroy the younger man’s career. He would, however, Mrs. Fitz was assured, keep a close eye on the publications under the name of Dr. Frank Randall.

A knock at the door roused Claire from her daydreaming. Peering briefly through the keyhole, she let John in.

“Hi, how are you? Fancy a gin and tonic? I’m sure it’s after five somewhere in the world.” Claire headed into the kitchen.

“Sure. Although, after so many years up in Scotland, I’d have thought your taste would run more to whisky. Do you not like it?”

“Well, has to be the right time, right place for me to enjoy a glass.” ...and right person, she added silently.

Claire returned to the living room with the drinks and settled herself next to John on the sofa.

John took a sip before continuing the conversation. “Anna’s coming home tomorrow. Mary just rang to tell me. Her progress has been nothing short of miraculous, apparently. She won’t be going back to work for a few more weeks, but to be in her own bed, in her own home is sure to help her recovery.”

“This gin is lovely, by the way. And with the cucumber… nice touch.” John took another large gulp. “Anyway, Mary said that Anna hopes to see us tomorrow afternoon and she’s got a secret to share with us.”

A fit of coughing from Claire forced John to put his drink down and slap Claire on the back a couple of times. Eventually, the coughing stopped and Claire wiped her eyes.

“Sorry,” she croaked. “Went down the wrong way. Secret, you say?”

“Yes, that’s what Mary said. I’m thinking there’s a man involved. Can’t wait for the goss.”

Claire closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing calm. Please, no. Not that. Not Jamie and Anna. Could that relationship not wait until she had moved away? Out of sight, out of mind, although that clearly hadn’t worked too well for her in the past.

“So, talking of goss, I met with Frank this week. He said you two aren’t seeing each other any more. That true? He didn’t want to tell me any more about it and I was dying to ask.”

“Yes. He seemed nice enough, but… but... he’s not the man for me. No point in trying to pretend.”

“Well, that’s a shame. I could see you two together, but if there’s no chemistry…?”

John looked at Claire, who shook her head vehemently, her curls flapping over her eyes. She pushed them back impatiently.

“John,” she began hesitantly, wondering how best to phrase this. “There is something else. About Frank, I mean. I know you’re talking to him about a book, but… well... I’ll just say it and then it’s up to you. You know my uncle is an archaeology professor at the university?”

Claire waited for John to respond with a nod before continuing.

“Frank knew that. I think he went out with me to get to Uncle Lamb’s research, for his book.”

“No… he was keen on you, I could tell.”

“After we stopped seeing each other, I found him, hiding in my Uncle's office, notebook in hand, opening cabinets, taking papers. He’d even enlisted Lamb’s grad student in his search.”

Claire felt a wave of embarrassment as she admitted this to John. The thought of being used preyed on her mind, even though Frank had denied that.

“Lamb doesn’t want to take this any further with the university. But I felt I should warn you. When… if… you publish his book, be very careful of the sources, make sure they’re all credited, otherwise, well…”

John took Claire’s hand and stroked it gently. “Thank you for telling me that. It’s a lot to think about. And, irrespective of your uncle, I know Frank was interested in you, Claire Beauchamp, for you. You are a wonderful person. Anyone can see that.”

Claire blinked the tears away as John, with a final affectionate pat of her hand, stood up.

“And on that note, sorry to drink and run, but I’ve got a date tonight and I need to prepare. See you tomorrow afternoon. About three, Mary said.”

John placed his empty glass on the table next to Claire’s laptop. His eyes were unintentionally drawn to the screen, clearly displaying the half composed email from Claire to a colleague in Manchester, enquiring about a recent job advertisement.

“Claire, you’re not thinking of leaving us are you?” John blurted out without thinking. “Er… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to read that, it was accidental, but surely not.”

“I’m looking at possibilities, yes. It may well be time for me to move. Nothing definite yet though. John, please don’t mention this to Anna or Mary, will you?” Claire moved next to John.

“Of course not.” John placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. “Mum’s the word. And thanks for letting me know about Frank. You’ve definitely given me something to think about… see you tomorrow.”

************

The living room was filled with flowers on every available surface. Claire wondered, as she followed John into the room, which of the elaborate arrangements was from Jamie, but now was not the time to flit from vase to vase trying to read the cards.

Anna greeted Claire warmly as she bent down to kiss Anna’s cheek then settled herself on the sofa next to her.

“Oh, Claire. It’s so good to be home.”

Anna’s voice was stronger now. The cast had been removed from her arm and the injury to her cheek had healed completely without the need for surgery.

“I’ve missed you all so much... I’ve missed proper coffee, I’ve missed Indian takeaways, I’ve missed chilled white wine… watching tv on a decent sized screen… privacy… fresh air. But most of all, I’ve missed my own bed. I’ve been longing to stretch out in a double bed with freshly laundered sheets and…” Anna stopped abruptly.

“Go on, what?” John encouraged, but Anna just shrugged and shook her head.

“I must say, you’re looking really well, Anna.” Claire hastily changed the subject, fearing to hear what, or who, Anna had been longing for.

“That’s always good to hear from a doctor. Second opinion and all that.”

“So you’re no longer under the neurology specialist at Stirling?”

Anna gave a slight chuckle. “No, I’ve been discharged. Transferred to the neurology department here in Glasgow for follow up appointments as an outpatient.”

The clinking of glasses announced the arrival of Mary, precariously balancing a tray of champagne flutes, strawberries, an ice bucket and two bottles of champagne.

******

Eight years ago

“Jamie, it’s a lovely gesture but what’s the champagne and strawberries for?”

“Do ye no’ remember? It’s our anniversary…”

“But that's next week.”

“Aye, next week is the anniversary of our first date. Tonight is the anniversary of the party where I met ye.”

“So champagne  and strawberries next week as well?”

“Mebbe… and then the week after that it’s the anniversary of the first time we… er… spent the night together.”

“Champagne for that too?”

“Nah, I’ve a mind fer another way tae celebrate that altogether. Jes’ ye and me and nae clothes.”

“Mmm, but I think maybe some champagne could come in… er… very handy in that situation.”

“Sassenach, ye’re a wanton woman… I like yer thinking.”

********

Dropping a strawberry into each glass, Mary passed the champagne bottle to John.

“Can you do the honours, John?”

John quickly removed the foil and wire and efficiently twisted the bottle until, with a slight pop, it was opened.

“It’s so much more dramatic when you pop it with a big flourish and the champagne gushes out,” Anna complained with a sigh.

“Ah, but think of the waste of good…” John consulted the label. “... ‘Veuve Monsigny bottled for Aldi’ champagne, my dear.”

John poured the champagne. “Hang on, there’s five glasses here. Are we expecting someone else?”

“Have you not told them yet, Anna?” Mary handed a glass to Claire and Anna.

Anna shook her head. “I was waiting.”

Claire suddenly felt hot. Beads of sweat began to prickle at the back of her neck, and her stomach seemed to be tying itself in knots. She gazed at her glass, watching the tiny bubbles moving and popping in the pale liquid.

“Waiting for what?” John asked impatiently. “Come on, Anna. Tell us your secret. I’m guessing it’s a chap. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Claire fixed a smile on her face and waited for Anna’s response.

Before Anna could say anything, there was a knock at the front door.

“I can’t believe that. Perfect timing,” Anna laughed. “Mary, would you mind getting that, please?

It only took Mary a few seconds to open the front door, but, to Claire, it seemed like an eternity. As Mary returned with the new arrival, Claire plucked up the courage and  looked into the face of… a man she’d never seen before. Straight dark hair, not ginger curls… slim and average height, not tall and broad… a thick dark beard, not neatly trimmed stubble. A  wave of relief engulfed her. She let out an audible sigh, unaware she had been holding her breath. John glanced across, puzzled.

Anna slowly got up from the settee and stood next to the newcomer. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.

“Everyone, this is Douglas. Douglas, this is John from downstairs and Claire from across the landing… and Mary you know, obviously. Douglas is a doctor in the Neurology department at Stirling.”

Claire stood up and extended her hand. “Douglas, nice to meet you.”

John smiled. “So this is your big secret, Anna? But… er…”

Anna passed a glass to Douglas. “I know what you are thinking, John, but it’s ok. Douglas wasn’t really my doctor and the Neurology department at Stirling have transferred me here. So he’s not involved in anything to do with me. Besides, nothing’s gone on, we’ve only been talking up to now. We’re taking it slow. That's ok, isn’t it, Claire? Douglas won’t get into any trouble?”

“I think you’re pretty safe. He’s not going to be up for misconduct if that’s what you mean. As long as he’s not involved in your treatment.”

**************

Claire lay in bed and thought about the events of the afternoon. Anna looked so healthy… and happy. She believed she’d found her ‘kindred spirit’, as Anne of Green Gables would say. Claire really hoped that was the case. Douglas appeared to be a decent man and was clearly very fond of Anna already. Mary had confided in Claire that, although it didn’t seem to be a case of a vulnerable patient falling for their healer, she would be keeping a ‘watchful eye’ over the relationship just in case.

Sleep was eluding her this evening. Hundreds of thoughts kept crowding into her mind, battling for position… Anna and Douglas… Jamie… Frank and Malva… Uncle Lamb… Jamie… moving away…

Claire rolled over, trying to find a cool spot in the bed.

**********

Nine years ago

“Jamie, it’s February. The heating’s off, you’ve nothing on and you’re still radiating heat like a… a…”

“Radiator? Aye, weel, I’ve always been hot blooded, ye ken. Suppose it’s from ma ancestors. If ye have tae sleep in the heather with only yer plaid fer warmth, it helps tae have internal heating.”

“Can I put my… oh that's better.”

“Christ, woman, yer feet are like blocks of ice on me. Why are they so cold?”

“Well, I could wear bed socks. Would you like that?”

“Hmmm… jes’ yer Mickey Mouse bed socks and nothing else?”

“Jamie Fraser, is that turning you on? It is, isn’t it?”

“Come here, Sassenach, I’ll get ye hot all over.”

************

Thoughts of Jamie kept pushing to the forefront of her mind. Claire was sure he would be devastated by the news of Anna and Douglas. She could understand that feeling only too well… how she felt when she thought it would be Jamie and Anna.

Still, one thing was now clear in her mind. She had to get away… before Jamie started a new relationship for real.

[the-ginger-magician]

Adulthood tips...

...as requested by @desicosplay

If you travel a lot, get the credit card that gives you reward points, but only spend it like it’s your debit card. Get everything with it: groceries, gas, bills, *cough* cosplay stuff *cough*, and check your debit card balance before spending your credit card. Then immediately transfer the funds from your debit to credit and pay it off. With most cards you’ll still get your points, even if you pay off the balance the same day.

To get a really good credit score, get a credit card and actually use it, but never use more than a third of your credit limit. (Got this tip from a financial advisor at a credit union, so it’s legit.)

Wash your shirts inside out, it makes them last longer. Especially if they have a graphic.

If you’re washing jeans that have a metal zip, fully zip and button them up before putting them in the wash. It lessens the wear and tear on the other clothes that will rub against it.

Never choose deferment on your student loans. I know not paying on them for a couple years sounds amazing, especially when you’re in a bad place financially, but it’s still gaining interest the whole time you’re not paying on it. And that interest gets added to the total, which then gains interest. Your interest will gain interest. So don’t choose this option unless you absolutely have to, because the size of your loan will literally multiply.

If you’re white, guess what... the beauty industry has been lying to you and you actually don’t have to wash your hair every day. Try every other day. Or if you use a separate shampoo and conditioner do both one day then just conditioner the next and alternate. Your hair and your wallet will thank you.

Bar soap lasts longer than liquid soap and is cheaper per ounce.

Got a screw that keeps coming loose? Put clear nail polish on it to keep it in place.

Take a walk. It helps.

Eat a vegetable at least twice a week. I know it sucks but do it anyway. If you make it once a day you earn Pro Adulthood™️ level.

Utilize the pro/con list. If you’re trying to decide if you should do something, don’t get caught up on the fact that there are cons, focus on the pros too.

If you have seasonal allergies, try a spoonful of local honey. Honey naturally helps with allergies anyway, but if it’s from your local area the bees used the flowers and such near you, so you’re getting boosted against the very flora that is trying to kill you.

Regularly put on lotion. Trust me on this.

If you’re paying off multiple loans, pay the ones with the highest interest rate first. And always pay more than the minimum balance due, even if all you’re doing is five bucks over.

Keep a stock of tissues, cough medicine, and other such things that don’t go bad quickly in your home. Because once you actually get sick, you’re not gonna want to go out to get them.

Don’t drink a lot of soda. Just don’t.

If you ever find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things you have to do or a very big thing you have to do, break it down into smaller tasks. The feeling of confidence after getting something done sometimes makes it easier to get to the next thing on the list. Consider physically writing the list down so you can cross things off as you do them. Trust me, it feels great.

Don’t be afraid to reward yourself for your accomplishments. Treat yo’ self.

Become friends with at least one person a generation older than you. Real talk: no one fully knows what they are doing, but someone with over a decade on you also has over a decade of extra life experience that could help you out.

[shadowyavuz]

HOMECOMING

(noun): a return home after being away for a long time.

[follows this]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019

 When the number came up with a 224 area code, Alp hoped it was more than a spam call.  “Hello?”

 “Hey, Alp!  Bill Reid.  How’s it going?”

 The wariness disappeared and his heart leapt into his throat—was this about Afet?  Why else would they call him?  “Pretty good,” he said, like he hadn’t about had a heart attack.  Talking to gangsters was just another workday; even the slightest chance that he could get Dede’s car back about knocked him over.  “How’re you?”

 “Great.  Listen, we’re taking the Mustang to a cruise-in up here in Winnetka on Friday—you wanna come?  It’s really casual, just a bunch of guys who meet at a diner.  There’s great food.”

 “Yeah,” he said—honestly, they could have invited him on a five-minute trip to the gas station and he would have come.  Anything to be around Afet again.  “Where is it?”

 Bill gave him the address, and as Alp wrote it down, Bill asked, “What was your grandfather’s name?”

 “Mehmet.”  That wasn’t a question he’d expected.

 “Spell that?”

 Alp did, and then confirmed the last name as the same as his own.  “We’ve got a sign listing the make and owner and so forth,” Bill explained, “I want to make sure you get credit.”

 Well.  Alp didn’t care as much about having his own name attached, but to have Dede’s name listed, to have people recognize what he’d done—that was something.  And as Alp drove north along the lake the next evening, he could think of lots worse places for Afet to end up.  The scrapyard.  Across the country.  As a trailer queen.  Dede’d always been adamant that cars were to drive, no matter how valuable—they needed a purpose. “People wither away without purpose,” he’d said.  “Cars are the same.”

 The drive was supposed to take forty-five minutes in traffic, but Alp had allowed extra time, leaving work a bit early for the first time in…well, since he could remember. It wasn’t like him to skip for a personal reason.  But this was as personal as it got, and Alp wanted to make a good impression, in case there was any chance he could sway the Reids’ decision.  He knew he couldn’t expect them to give her up early—he told himself they were taking good care of her, and that was all he could ask.  It was just, when the time came, if they wanted to sell—he’d give anything.  

So he got there early, when there were just a handful of cars in the parking lot, but between a dark green Model A pickup and a blue Rambler, Afet stood out like a queen, muscular and bold and, true to her name, catastrophically beautiful.  Alp parked on the street with the rest of the modern cars and walked over, seeing Alicia next to Afet and looking just as regal in a yellow sheath dress that brought out the golden undertone of her deep brown skin.  For a moment, Alp wondered if he’d misunderstood, if in black jeans and a tee he was underdressed and the impression he made wouldn’t be as good as he’d hoped—but then Bill came out of the diner balancing three cups in his hands, and he was wearing a Hawaiian-print shirt with classic cars scattered among the hibiscus and palm trees.  “Alp!” the man called, changing direction to head toward him.  “Got you some water.  How are you?”  Once Alicia walked up and Bill distributed the drinks they shook hands all around, and Bill led them back to the cars.  “Steve, Ken,” he called to two men near the Rambler, “let me introduce you. Alp’s the one who restored my Mustang.”

 “It’s great work,” Steve said, shaking his hand, “how long’d it take?”

 “Almost two years,” Alp said, and Bill grinned.  “He was twelve.”

 “Twelve?!” Ken echoed, “you shittin’ me?!”

 Alp laughed—and how long had it been since he’d laughed with a stranger?  When things felt easy and natural and unguarded?  “My grandpa was a mechanic; I just helped him out.”

 And sure enough, the typed card on Afet’s dash had been updated: under the diner’s logo and “1968 Ford Mustang / Owned by Bill and Alicia Reid / Winnetka, IL,” there was a neat block print adding “Restored by Alp and Mehmet Yavuz.”

 “You guys did a damn good job,” Steve said.  “You got more in the works?”

 “I’ve got a GTO in the shop now,” Alp said.  “She’s gonna take a while.”

 “What year?”

 “’67.”  He showed them the in-progress pictures on his phone; Ken told them about a 1970 GTO his brother’d had in college; Steve showed off his truck and pictures of the Model T he was working on (“He don’t like anythin’ after the ‘40s,” Ken teased); people stopped to look at Afet and a few asked for Alp’s contact info even though he told them he couldn’t take any new projects until Layla was finished; the parking lot filled up with more cars and more people and things felt so normal.  Dede would have loved this, Alp thought.  He would’ve loved the cars, and the people, and seeing everyone admire his pride and joy. And after they’d crowded around a diner table for burgers and fries, Alp thought Dede would’ve loved the food.  At home he’d made Turkish food most of the time, but he’d never turned down a burger.

 Eventually, though, after looking at all the other cars and meeting lots of other enthusiasts, they made their way back to Afet, and Bill asked, “You want to drive?”

 “Yeah,” Alp said without thinking—and then caught himself.  “—Where?  You sure?”

 “There’s an ice cream stand up the road a few miles,” Alicia explained, “it’s our tradition after every show.”

 “Sounds like a good one.” Alicia grinned, and Alp grinned back, and when Bill handed him the keys, Dede’s black leather keychain was still attached.  “…Thanks,” he said, so softly it was almost drowned out by the roar of a Barracuda starting up nearby.  “For taking care of her.”

 Clasping his shoulder, Bill said, “It deserves to be taken care of.”

 And Alp missed the way Bill and Alicia glanced at each other as they all got in the car, Bill climbing into the backseat and Alicia in the front—but when he sat in the driver’s seat and turned the key, it was just like no time had passed.  The rumble of the engine, the texture of the steering wheel, the view over the hood, the exact feel of changing gears, as sure as if Dede’s hand had still been over his, teaching him to drive in a parking lot out in the suburbs.  And it was a while before he could speak—but it was a good kind of silence.

 They ate overlooking Lake Michigan, watching gulls flying home and teasing Bill for claiming he “wasn’t hungry” and yet somehow finding room to eat every last drop of a strawberry sundae, and a group of giggling teenage girls came and asked if they could take their pictures next to the car.  After they’d had their round of selfies and group shots, Bill said, “Now you have to take ours,” and pulled Alp and Alicia on either side of him.  Like they were old friends—and, Alp realized, they felt like old friends.  Like the car was some bond that made a brief acquaintance seem longer.  Bill promised to send him the picture (“Give me that,” Alicia said, taking his phone, “or you’ll forget how to do it”), and as they loaded up again, she urged, “Take the loop onto 94.”

 Alp obeyed without question, following the signs, and it was only as they sat in the turn lane to get onto the ramp that he asked, “Where are we going?”

 “Nowhere,” she said, “but driving’s no fun if you can’t go fast, right?”

 “She thinks I don’t go fast enough,” Bill grumbled from the backseat, although Alp could see him grinning in the mirror.  “I like a nice leisurely cruise.”

 “He should’ve bought a Model T,” Alicia teased.  “What’d Steve say the top speed was?  45?”

 “Just be glad Alp’s driving, then.”  To Alp, he explained, “She can’t drive a manual.”

 “Maybe I’ll learn.” Alicia grinned back at her husband, and the light changed so Alp turned onto the ramp, and the way the engine rumbled as he shifted up, revving smoothly between gears until they were blazing along (but balancing on the speed limit—still careful of the impression he gave them), was everything he could ask for.  The couple of miles they drove seemed to pass too fast, and despite the sinking sun, the evening felt like it’d gone too soon.

 By the time they got back to the diner, the lot was nearly empty.  Pulling into a parking space, Alp sat for a moment, taking in the feel of the driver’s seat and sound of the engine for one more moment before he shut it off.  The sudden quiet seemed too heavy to break, but finally he said, “Thanks.  That meant a lot.”

 He offered the keys, but instead of taking them Alicia opened the glovebox, taking out a plain envelope.  “This is for you.”

 When his quizzical look got no answer but a nod, he opened the flap, unfolding the paper inside.  An Illinois vehicle title: VIN number, 1968 Ford Mustang, Date Issued August 2011…  And then, at the bottom, “The vehicle described in this title has been transferred to the following printed name and address”—and there, in the same block print that’d put Dede’s name on the window sign, “ALP YAVUZ.”  And Bill and Alicia had both signed it.

 “I—”  Alp stared at them, sure he must have been missing something. “—What?”  But when he looked at the title again, his name was still there, and the Reids were both smiling.  

 “It’s yours, son,” Bill told him, leaning up from the backseat to grip his shoulder.  “You deserve it.”  And then, more softly: “I think your grandpa’d be very proud of you.”

 And that, even more than the car, hit him.

 Turning away, he pressed a fist to his mouth, tears blurring the view out the window and a ragged breath barely hiding what was almost a sob.  He hadn’t cried since Harika died.  And then, as he turned back to look at them again, still hardly believing it, and Bill wrapped his arm around him: he hadn’t been hugged since then, either. Hadn’t had anything close to a family. Nobody’d done anything this nice for him.

 So if a couple of tears dropped onto Bill’s festive shirt as Alp held him too long, too tight—hell, he didn’t care.  And when he pulled away Bill was misty-eyed too.

 Alicia hugged him too, and brushed a gentle thumb over his cheek like his mom would have done, and Alp scrubbed a hand over his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.  “I’ll pay ya,” he said, “you can’t—it’s too much.”

 “No, it’s yours,” Bill insisted.  “—On two conditions.”

 Alp nodded.  “Sure.”

 “One—pay it forward. Two—you have to come back and take us for ice cream every once in a while.”

 That broke the tension; they all laughed, and Alp nodded.  “Yeah, okay.”

 “We decided on it the day you chased us down.” Bill said.  “We remember your mother…she hated to sell it.  But she said you needed to.”

 Alp nodded.  “…She had cancer.”

 “I know.”  Alicia reached over, squeezing his hand.  “She told us about it, how it was her dad’s dream and the two of you had worked so hard to fix it, and that you were in the military.  She was proud of you too.”

 Alp bit his lip, wondering whether to thank them or admit that he’d failed.  But then Alicia took something else from the envelope, a slightly blurred photo of Alp and Dede looking under the hood early on in the process, when Afet was still faded and rusty and sitting on cinder blocks.  It was back when Alp was shorter than Dede, and Dede was wearing the blue jacket somebody’d stolen from outside the shop a few years later, and Alp had forgotten that picture but now he remembered his mom taking it, one of the days she’d stopped by after an opening shift.

 “This car belongs in your family,” Bill said.  “To us, it’s a great car—but it’s just a car.  To you it’s more than that.”

 Alicia flashed a grin. “And it deserves someone who’ll drive faster than he does.”

 “I’m sure you drove fine.” Alp grinned back at them, finally opening his door when Alicia opened hers and stepped out.  The air had cooled, and crickets chirped from the freshly-mowed lawn behind the diner—so different from the pavement and weeds of Chicago.

 “We can follow you and leave your car at the train station,” Bill offered, “we figured you might want to drive the Mustang home.  Or we can keep it at our place if you’d rather come back for it.”

 “Nah, I’ll take it.” He couldn’t leave Afet now, not when it’d been so long, not when she meant so much.  “How’ll you get home?  I can drop you off.”  His transportation should be his problem, not theirs.  

 But Alicia pulled keys out of her purse, blinking the lights of a Cadillac sedan parked near Alp’s Charger. “We planned ahead.”

 Their chain of cars—Alicia in the Cadillac leading the way; Alp in the Charger; Bill driving Afet for the last time—made quite a procession as they traveled toward the station.  The mansions and gardens they passed were a far cry from the inner-city streets Alp had grown up on, and where Afet had been reborn…but, he guessed, that didn’t matter.  Dede’d always said cars brought people together.

 He hugged them both one more time at the station, and thanked them again, even though nothing he said could ever feel like enough.  “Just take care of it,” Bill said.  “I’m glad to see it back where it belongs.”

 And as Alp drove home past the darkened waters of Lake Michigan, freighters’ lights showing way off to his left while on his right antique lamps lit up extravagant homes, the familiar glow of Afet’s dashboard and headlights in front of him and the dim red of her taillights behind, Alp felt like he was back where he belonged, too. Maybe Dede was gone, and his mom—but finally, not everything was.  Afet was back, and a piece of his heart with her.  And Alicia and Bill were his friends now, and tomorrow he’d see Azra, another new friend, and maybe there was something ahead for him after all.

 “People wither away without purpose,” Dede had said.  And for a long time, Alp had thought helping Sebastian was the closest he’d get.  But now?  He had Afet to take care of, and Azra to chauffeur, and a pocket of contacts who wanted work done when he finished Layla—and he was suddenly pretty sure he’d found her a new home, with a generous couple who’d get a title signed over with no payment taken.

 But first, he’d teach Alicia to drive her.

[nicosroom]

My Money Snapshot

[Inspired by Corporette]

Location: Ohio, small college town

Age: 29

Occupation: PhD candidate (English)/half-time instructor

Income: $16,000 before deductions

Net worth: $588 (I’m crying)

Current Debt: $12,844

Living situation: Renting with a roommate

Money Philosophy:

I grew up in the “working poor” category. My parents are divorced and my father never contributed much financially. Mom made around $21,000 per year at work and she cleaned houses “under the table” to supplement that. Somehow, we never went hungry, what we ate was relatively fresh and healthy, and she managed to put two of us through Catholic schools for a total of 14 years. I know now that mom is still paying some of those loans and credit card debts and that part of her strategy included not contributing more than the 3% that her employer matched in her 401k. Every time I complain about the financial stress I feel at my salary level, I have to remind myself how comparatively unstressful my financial life is.

I’ve always been poor and I always knew that graduate school/academia is not a lucrative career. I tell myself that if I can make things work at this pay grade, then I’m ready for just about anything. My main strategy is to have a budget, stay in the budget, and save every bit that I can.

Monthly budget

$1000-1100 for the necessities each month. Monthly spending on eating out, entertainment, shopping and other categories varies widely. I also won’t lie... dating someone who makes 4x more money than me helps... I’m fairly frugal on all of these fronts: I buy most of my clothes second hand and I tend to shop seasonally. Spikes in spending occur around the winter holidays when I’m buying gifts and when I am doing traveling. And I also have totally weak, impulsive moments - like the $3 soap sales at Bath & Body works, or that time I spent $110 on bras and underwear on a whim. Anyway:

Rent: $272.50/month

Other living expenses: $130-170/month (electric, internet, phone, renter’s insurance - lower in summer, higher in winter)

Transportation: $332/month (gas, insurance, car payment)

Healthcare: $162/month (health+dental insurance, no vision coverage)

Groceries: $120-150/month ($30/week)

Debt Picture

Student loan: $2000

Car loan: $10,488

I’m a career student & my motto for all the years I’ve been in school has been “follow the money.” I went to college on very hefty scholarships and I only had to take out the $2000 loan to cover housing costs during my first year. For the subsequent three years, I was an RA, so I never had to take loans again. I applied to graduate programs based on the research fit, and when I got my offers, money weighed heavily in the decision. I would have loved to live in Boston as a wee 22-year old, but I wasn’t about to take out loans for a year’s worth of tuition and the living expenses. And to get a PhD while living in Minneapolis, my very favorite city in the US? It would have been such a dream, but for the quite steep difference in stipends and the significant disparity in cost of living compared with Ohio. My only regret on this front is that I haven’t started paying back my tiny student loan. I’ve been able to defer it since I’m in graduate school, which was a great idea when I was a master’s student who didn’t know the first thing about budgeting. But if I had just paid $25/month from the start of grad school the balance would be $0 about the same time I graduate from this PhD program this August. Instead, I’ll be scrambling to pay off the whole balance before my 6 month grace period ends. 

The car loan is less than a year old. I finally broke down and bought a new (by which I mean used) car last summer after really pushing it with the car my parents had bought me in high school. Repairing that car put me into credit card debt more than once and I was getting so stressed about it. It was time. I have a very good credit score, so I qualified for a nice loan rate with my credit union, and to get a better rate I got my mom to co-sign my loan. It’s a popular rental fleet model so there were tons of them on the market, but average miles were high - so when I saw one that was two years old with only a years worth of miles on it at $1000 less than the average price for that make, model, and year, I jumped on it. My payments are $231/month on the 5-year plan. Currently, I’m paying that minimum, but I plan to escalate my payments as my income goes up (I’m on the academic job market now, pray for me). I folded this car payment into my existing budget by giving up solo-living and finding a roommate. When I had my own apartment, very spacious with a huge kitchen and tons of windows/natural light, I was paying about $585 for monthly rent. I hate living with people, but I hated the idea of being trapped in this college town without a car even more - one of my other mantras is “you can do anything for a year.” 

A note on credit cards: I love them. I’m one of those responsible people that charges everything and pays the balance like clockwork every month. This is the only way to make sure you’re actually taking advantage of the cash back/reward perks! Currently, I’m using Capital One’s Venture card and stockpiling airline miles for travel (it has a 40,000 mile sign-on bonus). If you’re good for it, I also recommend one card with a great balance transfer program. For me, when I get into an emergency situation, it makes me feel like I have options. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve had to use my balance transfer card to cover costs ($1400 in car repairs, summer 2015), but at my level, I can’t afford to not have back up plans. 

Savings and Investments

$5,517 Cash

$7,861 Roth IRA + employer mandated retirement account

Retirement: The biggest financial mistake I've made in grad school is that I did not opt into the retirement account offered by the university when I started my M.A. in 2012. When they ask me that “what I wish I had known before I went to grad school” question, this is near the top of the list. I did, eventually, open a Roth IRA and slowly I started to build something. This year, when my graduate funding dried up and they made me a “half-time instructor” the retirement account for public school teachers was mandatory and the contributions are high: 14% of every pay check (annoying, yes, but on the flipside, there is an equally high employer match). While I’m contributing to this, I’ve paused my contributions to the IRA. I’ll roll this money over, either into the IRA or into another state/employer retirement fund when I move on from here. 

Personal savings: I strive for a minimum of $100 per month and frequently do a little more, but each month is different and I consider it a win if I break even. Through most of grad school, I’ve taken on “second jobs” to bolster what I can save (and boost my resume). Both jobs have been through the university, so they limit me to five hours a week. When I max them out, this can be an extra $200-250 each month. 

I took up a new savings challenge this academic year to build on my “play money” savings account (a high yield savings account which my bank labels a “goal setter” account). The challenge involves tallying the “total savings” printed on my receipts each month (i.e. when the grocery store is like “you saved $6″ because of sales and coupons). So, At the end of the month, I put that running total into my goal setter account. Sometimes the total savings are like $26, but others its as much as $171. It’s an interesting challenge because it encourages me to do tedious things, like scroll through all the digital coupons on the grocery store app; but at the same time, I know that the higher that number is usually coincides with a lot of shopping which encourages some self-regulation. 

I initially set my goal at $2500 when I opened the goal setter account in 2014. When I had to dip into the account in April 2018 to pay $930 in car repairs, I finally set plans in motion to buy my car. Since I bought used, I only put 10% down on the car (just over $1200). When I sold my old car for $1000, I put that money right back into the account to start saving for new things...

What I’m saving for now:

travel: to celebrate finally finishing this PhD, I’m hoping to pull off a trip to Europe. Later this year, I’m also turning 30 around the same time that one of my regular professional conferences is meeting in Hawaii. If I can do one or both in the next year, that’d be grand. (As I mentioned, I'm saving up airline miles with my credit card program, too!)

a multicooker: think InstantPot...but more expensive because my dreams all revolve around small appliances that match my stand mixer. 

What I do to be frugal... 

I’ve been frugal my whole life, but a couple of major habits I’ve formed include:

Meal planning and home cooking (read my guide to meal prep here). The money part of that means planning what I eat around maximizing the ingredients I have to buy. I plan meals that use the same ingredients so I’m not spending on an entire bunch of celery and then throwing out 75% of it. Routinization also helps, so my grocery lists stay about the same week to week and the bill relatively predictable - for example, I eat avocado egg salad almost every day for lunch. I know, avocados are not cheap, but I also believe in spending on the things that nourish you––literally and “spiritually.” Roxane Gay once said that she never bought avocados or blueberries when she was a “poor grad student.” Once she started making money, she realized she would buy them because she could afford them, but she also threw them out all the time because she didn’t plan her meals right to actually eat them. The point is, buy the foods that you like/feel good about and build habits around them. It’s not wasted money. That said, I won’t pay more than $1.25 for an avocado!

Second hand clothes shopping, especially for my business casual (it’s amazing what people donate to the Goodwill, barely worn!)

[mayormaynotmary]

I miss my boyfriend. Weird how a song triggered this whole train of thought.

I told myself I wasn’t going to apologize this time bc I’m always the first to say sorry and sometimes he won’t even apologize back. He lives life in such a lackadaisical fashion and I live the exact opposite. I’m stressing about his life choices while he’s just there saying “I always figure it out.” Literally last month he almost couldn’t pay rent and then when I mentioned that he said he just didn’t like to work his second job. Like?????? Sometimes we need to do things that we don’t want to do to make money to pay bills and not be in constant debt. He maxed his credit card after I constantly explained to him to keep the balance low and that the money on that card is not his money and the card strictly exists to build credit. He lived check to check before but now he is literally living two checks behind. I helped him create a budget and also calculate how much he needed to work every week to make enough money to survive. He thanked me and was like “oh wow I didn’t know” and then turns around and here we are not making enough money and he’s like “I don’t want to work my other job.” Another thing is he doesn’t take his medicine in the pattern required for them to be successful. I helped him create a schedule and I set alarms on his phone and he just ignores them. He acts like it only hurts him when in reality it makes our relationship harder than it has to be. I can tell when he’s taking all his medicine. It makes life so wonderful. Our relationship goes so smoothly. I see the man I fell in love with. Quickly all the sunshine and rainbows comes crashing down when he doesn’t keep up with his medicine or his appointments. I try to encourage but he brushes me off. The worst part is I don’t even live with him. If I lived with him I could help with the bills, but no. We live in different cities for college. We could’ve lived in the same one but he procrastinated to turn in his application to all of his top choices and then was left with whichever ones could take late applications. I recently offered to give up the university of my dreams and come home with him and go to a university near our hometown because it would be a hell of a lot cheaper and then he said “I liked the idea until you said we weren’t going to be roommates.” I mean I thought I implied that but the more I think about it I don’t know how I could let that slide with my parents. My parents don’t even know I’ve had this boyfriend for almost two years now and I don’t think they’d be too cool with a male roommate after suddenly dropping my lifelong dream. I talk about that dream likes in close reach now lol it’s not.

So what happened is after working my ass off in school for many many years, I not only got into the university of my dreams, I got into the business school within that university. GREAT YAY MARY. Then my boyfriend was going through a really rough patch with feeling alone because he had just transferred from community college near our hometown to a university far far away. I was going through a rough time because I didn’t really fit in the business school and I just felt so alone. I was also finally dealing with my depression and anxiety after my parents denying it for years. The two of us being young and in love (and stupid) found out that it’s less than an hour drive apart. I lived in a dorm, sharing a single room and he lived in an apartment all to himself. The obvious answer was me driving to his apartment. At first they were disguised as study dates, and then they turned into just sleeping over and then I ended up on his lease. I was constantly skipping class and so was he. We were just comforting eachother out of the discomfort our new worlds threw at us and then I ended up on academic probation first semester (mostly due to a hospital visit that lasted over a week) and then I medically withdrew second semester. He was put on academic probation second semester. I have to take a semester off and go to community college and he has one more semester to correct his grades. I have the opportunity to go back Spring of 2020 if I prove my self capable. So my shot isn’t completely gone but it’s getting farther and farther from my reality. I wouldn’t mind transferring if I could trust C to do better in that environment but I don’t know that I can. I just want him to make his current situation work.

I want to see him put effort into his life, my life and our life as a couple. I try to help him and encourage him but he brushes me off. I want this relationship to work out, I’ve loved him for as long as I can remember. I fought for this relationship for so long I don’t just want to throw it away because of this. I beg him for effort and nothing changes and I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything. I’ve given him everything. Money. Time. Affection. Attention. Plans. Gifts. Motivation. Encouragement. Promises. I’m stripped.

This rant/dump was basically fueled by me blocking him yesterday for the first time ever in our relationship. I couldn’t take him just brushing me off anymore and sulking in the mess he made for himself even though I gave him all the tools he needed to prevent it. Advice is welcome. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

[thetalkingrainbow]

Maldives Travel Guide for First Timers

Even before we got married, my then fiancé now husband (Jamal) promised to travel with me to different countries– Maldives on top of the list. True to his word, after two years of our marriage, he took me to my dream destination.

I had various reasons why I wanted to visit this country. For one thing, it’s considered by many as “Paradise on Earth” and it’s undeniably true to me– after swimming in the clear, turquoise waters, walking around a local island with sparkling beaches and palm fringes, running on a white sandbar, and seeing aesthetic coral reefs that are home to plenty of marine species. Second, it’s a 100% Muslim country, and it was an exciting thought to beach bum without seeing too much nakedness. Haha. Indeed, if heaven on earth exists, it is definitely in Maldives!

I used to imagine visiting the tropical paradise as an exceptionally luxurious trip– accessible only if I have millions of pesos on my bank balance. I thought of it as a place I will never have the capacity to visit in this lifetime. I may be right years back, but things have changed now. Maldives is now reachable for budget travelers like me, despite it being a luxury destination. Thanks to the government allowing Maldivians to operate guesthouses, staying in a resort is just an option today.

ABOUT THE COUNTRY Maldives is an Islamic country located in the Indian Ocean southwest of Sri Lanka and India. It consists of 1,192 gemlike islands grouped in clusters called “atolls” but only 200+ are inhabited. Its capital and most populous city, Malé, is geographically located at the Kaafu Atoll and is a ferry-away from the airport island, Hulhule.

Below are some of the local islands near Malé which are accessible by local ferry:

Maafushi Island

Hulhumale Island

Villingili

Gulhi

Guraidhoo

Fulidhoo

You can choose which island you want to stay in but I recommend Maafushi Island based on experience, and Fulidhoo Island based on positive reviews I have read across the internet.

VISA

Filipinos do not need a pre-arrival Visa to enter Maldives. You will be issued a 30-day free Visa upon arrival provided that your passport is valid and will not expire for the next six months from the entry date.

WHERE TO BOOK FLIGHTS Flights to Maldives normally cost around ₱20,000 to ₱25,000 with a layover either in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. There are several low-cost carriers servicing the Manila to Malé route—you can try Scoot Air, AirAsia or Cebu Pacific. In our case, we took the MNL-SG-MLE and vice versa flights via Scoot Air for P14,000 ONLY per pax inclusive of a 15kg check-in baggage. I honestly thought I scored the cheapest with the said amount, but unfortunately, several weeks subsequent to booking, I came across Scoot Air’s promotional flight of just ₱8,000 for MNL-MLE round-trip flights. There are times that AirAsia offers the same promo. Insane, right? You simply have to be always on the lookout for these unusual promo fares. It’s a different story if you have the moolah to splurge though.

For more info on how I usually score cheapest golden flights, read here.

HOW TO GET AROUND You might be wondering just how you should be getting around Maldives. Well, there are few methods of transport you can avail depending on your preference and based on factors such as convenience, budget, and safety.

From the Airport Right after stepping outside the arrival hall, you will see a number of booths and their respective staff scattered around the area. If you are expecting your hotel or resort’s staff to welcome you there, just look for a placard with your name on it.

To Resorts or other Local Islands – If no one shows up for you at the airport (insert sad smiley), you may consider taking a speedboat to your preferred resort or local island. Rate depends but it typically starts at 25 USD ~ 1,315 PHP per pax. You also have the option to take a seaplane that costs a lot more than my two kidneys combined. hahajk

To Malé City – If you’re on a budget plan, walk past the booths and locate the public ferry counter to purchase a ticket to Malé City for only 10 MVR ~ 34 PHP. The ride should only take 15 minutes and you’ll arrive at Hulhumale Ferry Terminal.

Ferry Schedule: FROM MALE CITY TO AIRPORT    Every 10 minutes from morning 06:00 AM to 02:30 AM    Every 30 minutes from morning 02:30 AM to 04:00 AM    Every 15 minutes from morning 04:00 AM to 06:00 AM FROM AIRPORT TO MALE CITY    Every 10 minutes from morning 06:00 AM to 02:30 AM    Every 30 minutes from morning 02:30 AM to 04:00 AM    Every 15 minutes from morning 04:00 AM to 06:00 AM

On Fridays, ferries operate every 10 minutes from the morning at 06:00 AM to 00:00 AM.

Conversely, you can ride a speedboat for your convenience. Within two minutes, you’ll reach the northeast part of Malé City.

Because I booked our hotel in Malé within a day before our arrival and because I did not communicate with them our arrival time, no one showed up for us. Wala kaming placard, jusko napaka-dukha feels. Haha. But they were supposed to greet us at the airport since we paid for that one-way airport transfer. Ang tanga ko lang talagang kausap. hehe

Around the City of Malé Arriving at the ferry terminal, you can take a taxi or a mini pickup truck to bring you either to your hotel (if you intend to stay at Malé) or to Villingili Ferry Terminal (if you want to go directly to a local island of your choice). Also, there are bus lines running a circular route around the small city. The downside is���if your hotel is not within their routes, you still have to walk after getting off on the nearest bus stop.

To our Hotel – We rode a mini pickup truck to reach our hotel. Pahirapan kumuha ng taxi, mga bes kaya nagpaka- Megan Young and Mikael Daez kami ni Jamal. Haha. We were charged 50 MVR by the driver. Minimum fare for taxis is 20 MVR per pax during the day and 25 MVR during the night.

To Maafushi Island From Villingili Ferry Terminal, the ride to Maafushi Island will only take about an hour and a half. Ticket price is only 53 MVR ~ 3.50 USD ~ 190 PHP.

Ferry Schedule:

For an updated schedule, click here.

After spending the night at Malé, we went to Maafushi Island where we planned to stay for 5D4N. From our hotel, a staff hailed a taxi for us (and paid for it because of their utang to us) and instructed the driver of our destination.

Since we arrived at the terminal early, we went to a food court nearby and had milkshake while waiting. Sobrang init, mga bes.

Around Maafushi Island From the terminal, getting to your hotel will be either through your hotel’s private vehicle or rickshaw. Yup, rickshaw. Maafushi is a very small island (1.275km x 0.260km) that you can see the entire island within two hours of walking. Some hotels and guesthouses offer a rental bike service for 5 USD per hour. A bit pricey. You can see the locals using motorcycles as a mode of transportation as well, though I am not sure if they are up for lease.

WHERE TO STAY There are a limited number of budget sleeps in Maldives. Unlike in any other Asian country where you will find a 30 USD per night accommodation for two, in Maldives, budget hotels or guesthouses usually cost no less than 60 USD. If you’re lucky, you may come across huge discounts in Agoda. Make sure to constantly browse the app, you might come across a crazy deal like what happened to us.

Or better yet, sign up on Airbnb using this link to earn ₱1,600 travel credit. Or get a 10% refund on your first transaction at Booking.com when you use this unique link.

For high-end tourists, exclusive resorts are the place to be but allot at least 600 USD per night.

The Melrose Hotel – It’s a 450m-walk from Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. We spent our first night here for just 30 USD. It’s the cheapest we could find on Agoda that serves breakfast. Our booking was inclusive of taxes, environmental fees, a welcome drink, one-way airport transfer, and free breakfast. The staffs were friendly and helpful; the receptionist is Pinay, yaay! Our room was small, enough for a 9-hour stay, but very clean. It has toiletries, coffee and tea sachets, iron, and a flat-screen TV among others.

Seven Corals Guesthouse – This was our home in Maafushi for 5D4N. I loved it! The staffs were friendly and attentive, the room was spacious and snug, food was in a variety, and the ambiance was cozy and relaxing. Not to mention the long list of inclusions on our ₱16,500 deal:

Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

Welcome drink

Afternoon tea

Express check-in

Fruit basket

Selected watersports (i.e. Jetski, but the schedule was in conflict with ours)

Free local mobile SIM card

Complimentary snacks

Night Fishing

Sunset Cruise

Dolphin Cruise (No dolphins on our cruise huhu)

Snorkeling Excursion

Sandbank Picnic

Taxes and other fees

We tried looking for another guesthouse/hotel that offers the same but only Seven Corals does. Highly recommended to keep an eye on a deal like this.

Adaaran Prestige Vadoo (optional) – One-night rate starts at ~1,000 USD inclusive of breakfast and taxes/fees. Additional of at least ~200 USD per pax for the roundtrip transfers. It can hurt your pocket but recommended to stay if you have the cash. OR- here’s the catch, you can ask a Maldivian in the local island where you stay to contact any resort you prefer and ask them if you’re allowed to arrange your roundtrip speedboat transfer. The local quoted us 100 USD (2 pax; 2-way transfer) only, 400 USD less than the quoted price on Agoda.

Novina Hotel – another great hotel centrally located in Malé City for ~70 USD only inclusive of a welcome drink, buffet breakfast, and airport transfer. Just like our room in The Melrose, it was small but well maintained. The floor was carpeted and there’s a mini-fridge, too. They served decent food which was great. I love the omelette. Staffs were very welcoming and friendly that they let us stay in the lobby after check-out while waiting for our evening flight.

PLACES TO VISIT IN MALE CITY

Masjid Al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Auzam

Fish Market

Republic Square

National Museum

Tsunami Monument

ACTIVITIES TO TRY

MONEY SAVING TIPS 

If you have a layover in Singapore for at least 5.5 hours to 24 hours, join the FREE 2.5-hour guided tours of Changi Airport. More info about the tours here.

Visit during the low season (June to November) to score off-season rates on activities, accommodation, and flights. Prices tend to drop insanely plus, there are fewer tourists traveling.

Last minute deals exist, just be smart enough to plan your trip.

Currency exchange shops in Malé City offers better rates than those in the Airport.

Bring USD with you preferably in 100s or 50s. Usual buying rate for 50-100 USD is 15 MVR per USD while for denominations below is around 12 MVR per USD.

Resorts and guesthouses only accept Dollars while local restaurants and street side shops need Rufiyaa.

Local Ferry >>> Speedboat

STAY. ON. A. LOCAL. ISLAND.

If you’re into luxury resorts, choose those closer to Malé or to the island you’re staying at.

Get not just a full board stay, but an all-inclusive package. It’s very reasonable than bringing with you your wallet all the time.

Haggle like a pro. Be it souvenirs or activities, bargain a better price.

Pack chips and biscuits.

Do not forget your swimming essentials. Sunscreen lotions and rashies in the local islands are expensive.

For our ultimate travel hacks mostly on how to save on your next trip abroad, check these tips on our previous blog.

SAMPLE 6D5N ITINERARY 

OPTIONAL:  Stay on a high-end resort.

EXPENSES

*The amounts do not reflect our actual expenditures.