Subscriptions

 Remember when a subscription consisted of getting a monthly magazine or a daily newspaper? When I was young I had a subscription to Boys Life magazine for a year or two. My parents got Readers Digest, The Western Horseman and Good Housekeeping. We had a total of 4 or 5 subscriptions plus the daily newspaper. We also bought the Grit (newspaper) weekly from a kid who sold them. I think the only other things you could get at the time through a subscription were Fruit of the Month and collector plates, spoons, bird statues, etc. 

I have always enjoyed flipping through the pages of a good magazine. We currently subscribe to numerous magazines. My favorites are National Geographic, National Geographic History, and Better Homes & Gardens. My wife enjoys subscriptions to Woman's World and a few other magazines for women and one or two cooking magazines. A lot of magazines have done away with their print version and just offer it in digital form. I browse through a few digital magazines through my public library account. I imagine that printed magazines will eventually become obsolete much like the Sears and JC Penny catalogues. 

Now a subscription has become more than a magazine. You can subscribe to a streaming service, a food delivery service and any number of monthly packages that contain certain items. You can subscribe to getting a variety of boxes. You can get an Arts & Crafts box, an Awakening box, an Escape Room Game box, Crystal of the Month box, Marshmallow of the Month box, Kid's Craft box and on and on. When I searched subscription boxes, all of the previous came up plus many more. The costs can add up. The boxes range from $11 to $61 per month on those in my search. I'm sure they can go much higher if you go with wine of the month or any other pricey item.

                       

There is a huge convenience aspect to a subscription. Once you get it started you can sit back and enjoy 12 months or more of the thing you ordered. It comes right to your doorstep or mailbox and if you do the boxes, I'm sure it's like getting a Christmas or Birthday present every month!

Budget experts will advise you to review your subscriptions on a regular basis. This is sound advice for anyone on a budget and especially in retirement. Some forgotten subscriptions may be hidden within your monthly credit card bill and you may not pay attention. Carefully review your bills for a month or two and make sure you still need and enjoy your monthly subscriptions. Cancel those that you no longer need and save yourself a little money every month. You may even find a subscription or two that you began with a free trial and never got around to canceling. 

We currently subscribe to the magazines I mentioned above, streaming services that include Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and Paramount+. My wife has an Ancestory.com subscription to do family tree research. If you aren't careful you can easily run up monthly fees in the $100's if you aren't careful.

I think the streaming subscriptions are a bargain if you find a few shows or movies on each one. Some monthly fees probably are cheaper than one trip to the movies. The boxes and food delivery seem to be a little pricey to me, but if you enjoy them, they are probably worth it for you.

So, give your subscriptions a good review and make sure you still want to pay for each one every month. You may find some extra money in your budget. You may find an old subscription that you can cancel that will free up funds for a new subscription you would enjoy.  I recently cancelled a movie pass monthly subscription I had at Regal after not using it for a month or two.

Do you enjoy a good magazine subscription? What are you favorite subscriptions? Do you subscribe to something unique?  

What's on TV?

 

I've posted before about what I'm watching on TV and thought I would do an updated version. My wife and I have watched more shows and movies on streaming platforms than on cable television lately. Some of our favorite shows and most recent shows are listed below:

• Yellowstone (Paramount)- one of our favorites right now
• Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount+)- also a great new show from the makers of Yellowstone
• 1883 (Paramont+)- a pretty good show which goes back in history of the Dutton family of Yellowstone above
• Yellowjackets (Showtime)- an interesting story
• Dexter New Blood (Showtime)- a one series reboot of the old Dexter
• Ozark (Netflix)- one of our favorites and can't wait for the final Part 2 to come out!
• Chernobyl (HBOMax)- my wife was not interested in this one so I watched it. Very interesting historical piece. I was surprised by the use of bio robots!
• Your Honor (Hulu)- starring Bryan Cranston. We enjoyed this one and look forward to a second season
• This Is Us (NBC)- We are sorry to see that this great series is in the last season
• Don't Look Up (Netflix)- starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I thought this movie was pretty good. It is a good satire of the Covid crisis or possible climate change

I am one episode into Ray Donovan and like it so far. There are many more series that we have watched but I can't think of each one. The list above includes our most recent. There are so many options for movies and series that it is mind boggling. 

We tend to watch those that we hear about from others or on social media. Let me know of any interesting things you are watching and I'll take a look at adding it to my list. Any and all suggestions are appreciated and may enlighten us all to some great shows!

Suspicious Activity

 I retired after 33 years of government service with 28 years of that in law enforcement. Law enforcement officers at all levels used to be in an honorable career that garnered respect and admiration from most citizens. It was one of those professional jobs that was similar to fire fighters and military that involved sacrifice on the job and in your private life to serve and protect the public. With the "defund the police" movement and the lack of respect of police due to highly publicized incidents involving bad apples in the industry, the job comes with extra scrutiny and disrespect on the streets of America today from some citizens. There are still plenty of people out there that appreciate the job these people do to protect us everyday. I for one, detest the bad actions of a few, but still hold the rest of those who serve in high regards.

After I entered the career in 1991, my wife noticed that I thought everyone was suspicious. I think that becomes the thinking of most everyone in the criminal justice system. After you get lied to enough and you get told outrageous stories for excuses you tend not to believe in anything that doesn't have evidence to back it up. There is a humorous aspect to it because my wife will see a cute kid riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and then I will say "Yeah, but what is he up too?". She thinks that I think everyone is up to something. Most of the time I do think that. I've heard other spouses and kids of law enforcement say the same thing about their law enforcement family member. It just comes naturally to us. Or, is it that type of mindset that attracted them to the career in the first place. I can't imagine what you would feel like as a criminal defense attorney. Sure, you would have some great cases that you take on for truly innocent people. But, you would deal with so many liars, thieves and murderers that you probably don't even want to hear the excuse or the truth. A judge would be similar. Can you imagine how many sob stories a judge would hear that would prove false. I mean, even I would swear the light was yellow when I went through it. 

Suspicious activity is real. Some just seem to see it more clearly and some don't see it when it is right in front of them. Today, in Walmart, I was close by my wife while she shopped. Every person that came close was a potential suspect looking to grab her purse out of the shopping cart! I see it reported on the news all the time. Of course, my wife is oblivious to all the criminals lurking around as she is elbow deep in shopping. You can't help but laugh at us and our thinking. But, I know that I have prevented her purse from being stolen at least 50 times by being alert and ready to pounce.

A little suspicion is good. We all are a little suspicious and cautious when meeting new people or getting new neighbors. It is good to be cautious until you know the background and lifestyle of new people.  I think suspicion is in our DNA as part of our survival instinct. If our ancestors were suspicious that a saber tooth tiger lurked in the bushes, they would avoid those bushes. A little suspicion will protect you from being separated from your money or property in any number of scams that I mentioned in another post. A little suspicion may get you to request a little more documentation on a purchase, or a little better guarantee something will perform as advertised. A little suspicion is good when your teenagers tell you a wild story on how the dent got in the car or how they got in an hour late last night. A little suspicion while you approach your car in a dark parking lot will keep you alert to your surroundings and may prevent you from being a victim of a crime. A little suspicion could also keep you from entering into a bad relationship or friendship. 

Even as suspicious as I am, I do believe the majority of people are good and are doing the best they can in life. I believe there are bad apples in every industry. There are a few bad cops, judges and attorneys in the criminal justice system. There are a few bad delivery drivers, office workers and factory workers as well. On the flip side, you have a large majority of people that will help you, care for you, respect you and treat you well when you need them to step up. 

We all get jaded by the news we hear and the news we see. Seldom does the news report the good going on in the world. Daily, we see the news reports of thefts, shootings, murders and terrible accidents. It is hard not to think the world is in trouble. I think it has always had some problems over the years, decades and centuries and will continue to do so. We can only do our individual part to make the world a better place and give people the benefit of our doubt. We need more feel good stories about puppies, kittens, heroes and great charity work. 

So, watch your purse while shopping but enjoy your shopping experience. 

I've got to go, I see an elderly lady with a walker going down the sidewalk and she looks to be up to no good!

Empathy and Sympathy

Empathy is the ability for a person to understand, share with, and see a situation from another person's perspective or point of view.

Sympathy is the feelings of sorrow or pity for the misfortunes of others.

I always thought that I was probably born with very little sympathy in my bones. I've been accused of not being the most sensitive person in the world. I think part of it is that I am a male and tend to want to fix things. If something is broken, I want to get a new part and fix it. If something is broken, I want to use my knowledge and can do attitude to get the broken item back in operation. When it comes to someone experiencing a physical or mental issue, I have trouble dealing with it as it is something in which I can't grab a screwdriver or wrench and fix the issue. Most of my life I have probably shown a lot more sympathy than empathy. 

I think I have progressed over the years from being sympathetic to becoming more empathetic as a person. As we gain more experience in life we feel more emotions in a variety of situations that grow the sympathy into empathy. When you are young and both parents are alive, you can show sympathy to a friend or family member who just lost a parent but you don't quite get the true feelings and emotions that go through it.

Once you experience losing a parent you now can have true empathy for a friend or family member who loses a parent because you now know exactly what they are going through and the emotions they are experiencing. With this experience you now have tremendous empathy for someone going through the same thing and you can actually feel the pain along with them.

My wife's cancer diagnosis has ramped up my life experience and increased my empathy quotient. She is currently in treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX and is handling it pretty well. We have met some wonderful people at our housing unit that are going through treatments and helped brighten our stay here. Recently I met a man here who's wife was going through breast cancer and was back in town for a scan and checkup. I only knew him for about two days before he called me to talk the evening they found out her results. As soon as I exited my apartment and saw him I knew that he had received bad news. He advised that the doctor had told her she had two months to live. I talked with him, prayed for him and cried with him over the news. I did this with a guy I only knew for two days! It was so unlike me. I truly had such empathy for this man and his wife that I felt the emotions and feelings that he was going through. 

A person who has not had the experiences that create empathy for another person, can not know anything but sympathy for their situation. I have often heard empathy and sympathy used as if they have the same meaning. I can assure you there is a huge difference.

So, when you meet someone in a difficult situation, please, at a minimum have some sympathy towards that person. Never disregard their situation as something that would never happen to you. Life tends to offer us all a similar experience on earth with good times and bad times. 

And not to be a Debbie Downer for this post, we can be there for others in the great times also. We all must share the same feeling during the good times. It is often hard to be enthusiastic at other's happy moments and celebrations. But, if you put yourself in their shoes and remember how happy you felt when you got married, had kids, graduated kids from high school and college, had grandkids, got a promotion, had a milestone birthday or anniversary or any other great moment you can share in their joys and enjoy their moment along with them. So, the next time you head to a wedding that you really don't want to go to, think about the feelings that the bride and groom are having and go help them enjoy their day with a smile on your face. 

Do you have a story in which you were surprised by your empathy in that situation? Have you noticed, that as you get older that you have more empathy because of your own experiences? What is your take on empathy and sympathy? 

101 New Things Update for 2021

 I set a goal of trying 101 new things in 2021. I fell way short of 101 after starting out strong. Life got in the way of seeking out new things in the latter half of the year. The whole quest has changed my perspective now as I am always looking and eager to try new things now and in the future. I managed to make it to 58 new things in 2021. Here are the latest additions to my list since the last update in September.

54. First time to eat Detroit style pizza. Never heard of it before.

55. Visited Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville, TX

56. Shaved wife's head (due to chemo treatment)

57. Visited Brazos Bend State Park and saw 8 alligators in the wild

58. Visited Moody Gardens Christmas display in Galveston, TX

I still plan on seeking out opportunities to try new things in 2022, but will not set a specific goal. I would still like to try pottery making, see a roller derby match, visit the John Wayne museum in Ft Worth and try glass blowing to name a few things. Hopefully 2022 will also give us all a better environment to travel safely again and see some new places.

All of us can benefit from trying a new thing or stepping out of our comfort zone to add a little zest to our lives. Even a short and fun experience is very satisfying and will bring a smile to your face and leave you feeling good. 

Happy New Year to all!

 

WOW!

 

One of my favorite business books is The Pursuit of Wow! by Tom Peters. I read this book many years ago and have referred back to it on a regular basis. The book basically talks about the old saying "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well". But, Peters takes that idea to an even higher level. He talks about doing things in a way that a person would come away from the experience with the thought of Wow! He explains that if you are in charge of the office Christmas party, do the task at such a high level that those that attend come away with the feeling of Wow! what a party. Peters talks about applying this Wow! approach to any thing you do. The thought is so go above and beyond and even outside the box to provide an exceptional product. 

I used this idea when approaching at least two promotional interviews during my career and believe those that interviewed me came away with the feeling of Wow! and promoted me. In preparation for those interviews I talked with district managers of the area that was covered by the new job. I talked with customers in that area to ask what is going well and what needed improved. I talked with employees on that team that I would manage. I talked with fellow managers about that position. I called and talked with anyone I could think that had been impacted or would be impacted by the position I was looking to get. When asked in the interview "How did you prepare for this interview?", I was able to Wow! them with my prep. The typical answer they heard was probably, "I reviewed the policy and procedures and memorized the mission statement". When I answered, I believe they would have said to themselves "Wow, This guy really wants this job".

I believe any new graduate, new employee or new entrepreneur could benefit from reading this book. You could use this practice of Wow! in any situation. You could use it at work, at church and at home. If you used this idea, you could create the best birthday or neighborhood party. You could put on the best program at church. You could run the best scout group or school PTA. You could put on the best cookout. I routinely have a Hotdog Extravaganza! It's a basic hotdog but it sounds better to call it an Extravaganza. 

If you think about it the Wow! feeling does not come around often. One business that must use this concept is Chick-fil-a. You are greeted and treated very well, the food is good and they take care of you while you are there. The phrase "my pleasure" is uttered every time you thank them for bringing your order or refilling your drink. They come around to your table to ask if you need anything and refill your drinks. What other fast food chain does this? None that I know of. I think if you had never been to a Chick-fil-a and go in for the first time, I think you come out the door with the thought Wow! that was a great experience!

I recently had a Wow! experience at a Discount Tire store in Houston, TX. I had a large screw in my tire and needed a repair or a new tire. I was met at the car by a guy who was ready to take care of me. He looked at the tire and escorted me into the store. He provided top notch service and got my car right in for new tires. He had to order two and scheduled me for a return appointment. While I sat there looking into the shop through a large window I felt like I was watching a NASCAR pit crew. The workers were fast and efficient. They were getting cars in and out very fast. The shop was organized and super clean. Not your typical garage junk and gunk. While I was watching my car, the inside guy comes over to update me on my wait time. On my return trip to get the other two new tires, I noticed a long line of cars getting their air checked. The weather had turned cool overnight and I'm sure half of Houston had a low tire light on. This store provided a free air check. The worker was quickly going around each car and topping off the pressure and then on to the next one. What a Wow! The store owner was paying a guy to put air in your tire for free while you waited in the comfort of your car. The owner obviously was paying the employee to do something that brought no revenue in but was taking care of current and future customers.  My two tires were put on in a flash and I was out of there. I told the inside supervisor how impressed I was with the operation and he immediately went out to the the shop who relayed the message to the owner or manager who looked pleased. I left a great online comment similar to the above words. I noticed a ton of accolades for the store and then one person who left a negative comment about the stool cushion not being soft enough. Of all the Wow! surrounding them, they found a tiny little thing to complain about because their seat wasn't soft enough.

These Wow! moments are rare and you can see how you could stand out if you made the effort to Wow! someone with your efforts. It is a great tactic that can be used in every aspect of your life. Last night my wife and I had a small Wow! moment. We are temporarily in Houston for my wife's cancer treatment. We are in a housing complex that gives free housing to patients. Most of the residents are cancer patients and transplant patients that need to be close to the hospitals for lengthy treatment. We have met some great people here and last night one couple invited us and another couple to their apartment for a Christmas dinner. We are all here with what we brought in our car or with things provided with the apartment. There is limited cooking supplies and space in the apartment. This couple put together a Wow! dinner. We arrived to their apartment to find a cooked turkey, a huge pan of dressing, a huge pan of green bean casserole, a huge pan of sweet potatoes, a huge pot of corn and rolls. They had a nice Christmas table cloth on the table and had a fire going on the TV with Christmas music. It was a great night of food and talking. They provided a Wow! dinner with limited resources and helped brighten our Christmas season under our current circumstance. Thanks Stan and Tammie!

Have you experienced a Wow! moment recently? Have you used this concept to provide a Wow! experience to an individual or group? Maybe you did something way over the top, like had a real elephant at your kid's birthday party! Tell me about your Wow! moments.

Frauds and Swindles

 fraud

noun

• 1.wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain:"he was convicted of fraud"

swin·dle

verb

• 1.use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions:"a businessman swindled investors out of millions of dollars"

noun

• 1.a fraudulent scheme or action:"he is mixed up in a $10 million insurance swindle"

It seems, in this world of ours, that there are many, many people out there trying to separate you from your money. Most people and businesses are doing it the right way and trying to get your money by offering you something you need or want. The oil companies try to persuade you that their gas is better for your car or their oil will make your engine last longer. Restaurants offer you a great meal with price and convenience. Walmart offers you everything you need to run your household from toilet paper and food to camping gear. Online shopping offers you a great deal and shipping right to your door. You make your own personal decision on where to spend your money based on questions of "What do I need?", "What do I like?" and "What do I want?".

On the flip side of this is the evil, criminal element that tries to get your money by giving you an inferior product or no product at all. There are countless frauds and fraudsters out in the world. My career in law enforcement exposed me to many fraudulent schemes over the years. When I first started working in the early 1990's the big fraud was the "boiler room" operations that operated by mail and phone. A victim would be sent a postcard or letter advising them that they had won fabulous prizes or cash. All you had to do was call a 1-800 number to claim it. Once they got you on the phone they attempted to collect fees for taxes or shipping and then sent you nothing at all. If the heat got to intense from law enforcement they would vacate their room and move to a different city or state and start all over again. Next came the Nigerian scams where you were notified that a large sum of money needs to be moved by a Nigerian prince and that you would be paid well to help facilitate getting the money out of that country. 

There are frauds that involve winning your love or friendship which is employed by prisoners or internet prowlers who profess their love for you and slowly drain you of funds. They love you but need money to pay for a plane ticket to come see you. Then they need money to pay customs officials for some made up reason. They give you a thousand excuses that cost money and they dearly need your help. My wife was friendly to a lady at a local hamburger restaurant and she kept telling her of her latest online love and how they were going to marry her and were building her a brand new house. She was in the middle of sending him payments to total $5000 so she could get the new house. No amount of talking with her would convince her it was a fraud. Then she continued to tell us about previous frauds and how she was paying her bank payments on several of those frauds. 

Some of the latest scams involve crypto currencies. I read a news article about scammers setting up brokerage style websites where you could buy a wide variety of crypto currencies and then buy and sell on their website. The issue was that you could send them money, buy the crypto currencies but you could never get your money out. Eventually, the sites just disappear as well as your money. There are fraudsters who swoop into a storm damaged area and take cash up front for debris removal, roof repair, etc. and then never show up to do the job. There are fraudsters on the internet who will sell you something with cash up front and then never provide the product. One of the most recent internet frauds, that I saw, was the selling of pets. Never give anyone cash through the internet based on a photo. Another recent scam involved fraudsters selling or renting out vacant homes that they did not own. They break into a vacant house, change the locks and the rent it out and collect cash on a monthly basis until they are found out. One woman in Detroit had bought a vacant home, was promised a title, and then remodeled the place. She was later evicted by the real homeowner. It is crazy what these fraudsters come up with. 

At the bottom of this blog is a list of scams that are listed on the AARP website, a great source of information.

There are fraudsters everywhere, so beware. Do your homework before you spend your money. Retirees are especially vulnerable to fraudsters. As retirees age they become a huge target of fraudsters hoping to take advantage of your trust. Look out for yourself and if your parents are still around look out for them. These fraudsters pray on those that are older and may be more trusting or those that are at stages of dementia and have reduced capacity to understand these scams.

Have you been the victim or target of a fraud? Have you heard of any unusual scam that we all need to know about?

I've got to close this out for now. I have to call a guy back about my car warranty!

Census Scams

Charity Scams

Coronavirus Scams

Credit Card Interest Rate Scam

Credit Repair Scams

Cruise Scams

Cryptocurrency Fraud

Debt Collection Scams

Debt Relief Scams

Dietary Supplement Scams

Disaster Scams

Email Extortion Scams

Fake Check Scams

Free Trial Scams

Funeral Scams

Gift Card Scams

Government Grant Scams

Grandparent Scam

Greeting Card Scams

Health Fraud

Health Insurance Scams

Holiday Scams

Home Improvement Scams

Identity Theft

Impostor Scams

Investment Fraud

IRS Impostor Scam

Jury Duty Scams

Medical Equipment Scams

Medical Identity Theft

Medicare Card Scams

Medicare Fraud

Mortgage Relief Scams

Moving Scams

Nigerian Scams

Obituary Scams

Online Banking Scams

Online Pharmacy Scams

Online Shopping Scams

Package Scams

Pet Scams

Phishing

Phone Scams

Political Scams

Ponzi and Pyramid Schemes

Public Wi-Fi Scams

Ransomware

Reverse Mortgage Scams

Robocalls

Romance Scams

Secret Shopper Scams

Small Business Scams

Smishing

Social Media Scams

Social Security Scams

Spear-Phishing

Survey Scams

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams

Tax ID Theft

Tax Preparation Scams

Tech Support Scams

Time-Share Resale Scam

Travel Scams

'Update Account' Scams

Utility Scams

Vacation Scams

VA Pension Poaching

Veterans Charity Scam

Veterans Scams

Weight-Loss Scams

Work-From-Home Scams