If you were to read the personal finance news of the not so-rich and not-so famous (people like myself) in the paper you would read that we struggle with mortgages and our car insurance.

We work our butts off, not to get ahead and get rich, but just to stay above the surface of the water.  And don’t think that me working my butt off is not making someone rich, because it is.  And chances are that the person you are making rich doesn’t have a mortgage that he is struggling to pay each month.

A group of co-workers was asked the other day if they thought they were smarter than their boss.  I was the only one who admitted that my boss was smarter than me.  When asked why, my replay was:

"If I am spending the winter here working 40 hours per week while he is spending his in Arizona, he must be doing something better than me, and therefore he is smarter."

Junk mail.  That is a fact of life, on the other hand: it sucks.  I don’t know how many trees die each year so that I can get flyers and other junk in the mail that ends up in the garbage (or recycling - though I would think that most people don’t take the time).

While I am on my rant here, I just want to comment on today: Friday.  It seems that it should be changed from Friday to finance day: 99% of the junk mail I get is finance related. 

Today the top of the pile here promises me the best credit cards are in the envelope.  I look inside and find that I am pre-approved for a 0% credit card that will do 0% balance transfers - catch is I don’t carry a balance on my credit cards.

Next in the pile is a cashback credit card offer from a local bank.  It only has a $99.95 yearly fee for a measly 1% cashback - I’ll pass.

And last but not least, here is the same offer I had last week - I am pre-approved for a minimum $5,000 loan - but I have to go down to their office within three business days to take advantage of it. Um… no thanks.

I feel sorry for the trees that died to bring me this mail.  It is too bad mailboxes don’t have spam filters…