In Which I Share The Fruits Of An Afternoon's Nosy Questioning

It wasn't scientific; I just asked

Some friends online who had gone out and bought

The iPad Saturday just how, when tasked

To cough up the five hundred bucks -- a lot

For any gadget -- they paid up. I learned

That while ol' Mister Plastic took a kick

Right to the nuts, most of my friends have spurned

To pay out months of interest. The trick

Was saving up so they could buy, then pay

The company and earn reward points, too.

Still others used store plans. No one would say

They'd carry any balance. 'Tis a clue,

Perhaps, that these hard times have taught them well

To manage their resources. Time will tell.

BONUS SONNET: In Which I Chime In My Support For Keeping The Fremont Peak Observatory Open

If education is a public good,

As we so like to claim, then how can we

Allow this kind of thing to happen? Would

The savings made outweigh the loss we'd see?

The Fremont Peak Observatory has

A mission to allow the public's eye

To look out far beyond our planet, as

We should if we are to survive. That sky

Above us e'er should lure us to surpass

Our paltry buildings, cities, monuments

And think about our destiny. The glass

There opens minds. Yet I fear common sense

Says budget cuts will take it. So I dare

All those who love it to cough up a share.

In Which I Allow Myself A Tiny Puff Of Smug

Although I will admit it's mostly due
To my big purchase in the month of March,
E'en still I get to chortle now at you
Who eye tomorrow fretfully. So arch
Am I because my taxes are long-done,
The refund gained and spent on little things
Like pots and pans and freezers and, yes, one
Or two more friv'lous bits. A new house brings
The need for such as these. I knew it would,
And so I did my taxes just as soon
As ever even possibly I could,
Full knowing the refund would prove a boon.
Regardless of the wherefores or the whys,
I get to gloat while you all strain your eyes!

And All I've Done So Far Is Make An Offer...

My sister dear, at this point in the game
(That game, of course, is buying property)
Predicted that the phrase I'd most proclaim
(And with this my homeowning friends agree):
Would be a variation on this one:
Oh holy cow, just what did I just do?
That's not to say the process isn't fun,
But with each stage it's harder to subdue
The urge to freak out, scream and run away.
The house is one I can afford to buy,
And also own. I've not been led astray
By anyone. The numbers say that I
Can do it, and I've certainly the will.
But thirty years of payments! I feel ill.

In Which I Attempt to Improve my Financial Literacy with the Aid of Science Fiction and a Hot New Non-Fiction Title

Today I started on a brand new book,
One which I have anticipated much.
It joins with sev'ral I have on the hook
In various states of finishing, as such.
(I speak herein of reading, though I plea
To write a few someday, as you may guess).
It's Ferguson's financial history
Th'Ascent of Money, fresh-ish off the press.
I'm only partway in, on Chapter One
Already feeling wiser than I was
On matters monetary - now they're fun!
And easier to tackle, all because
Of how much fun The Baroque Cycle was!