My brother the psychologist once told me to borrow money from a pessimist, because they don’t expect the money back.

My problem is I only seem to know these annoying, happy optimists. Oh well. Anyway, that was a problem for me last year when I needed some cash and didn’t have reserves. A storm in the summer knocked a tree down on the garage, which just so happened to be my man cave with refrigerator, TV and old furniture hangout place. Insurance covered the building but not the TV and fridge. And my wife seemed to lack an understanding that this place had a serious impact on my psychological well-being (I even tried to get my brother to vouch for me on this). I needed about $1000 and wifey made a big deal about the economy blah blah blah kids’ tuition blah blah blah new dining room table blah blah blah …

So I realized I was going to have to find the money in my own way, on my own terms. My pickup is mine, all mine, mine mine mine. And I knew I could get one of those car title loans somewhere. I searched online for one, thinking I might drive to Waukegan for one (you don’t exactly see any in Mundelein or Steeple Chase or the Colony of Long Meadow). That’s when I found Mundelein Title Loans on the Internet. Perfect! I got the cash in one day from their website, just filled out the application and had the money transferred to my checking account (MY checking account). A car title loan on a pickup truck is a great solution for fixing a garage with the proper man cave accoutrement.  So I guess I’m an optimist too.

By the way Mundelein is near Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Gurnee, Grayslake, and Hainesville.

It’s time to give up jogging for your health when your thighs keep rubbing together and start your pants on fire.  That was my excuse for quitting the McHenry Fitness Center last year.

But now I’m on this new program that does not involve jogging.  It’s even worse, actually, because the program includes group classes three a week, a prepared meals food plan, meetings and a single session with a personal trainer twice a week.  For six months the cost is $2500, which is money I had a hard time scraping together, given that my part time job sucks and I’m looking for something better.  But I know that in this economy, you have to do everything possible to become the best job candidate, so dropping 35 pounds (my goal) could translate into a much better salary.

The only place I could find the money for this program-in which, I should mention, I’ve lost 12 pounds already-was through a car title loan.  I had never gone this route before, but the fact that I finished my car payments last year made this a viable option. I went online and found McHenry Title Loans, a car title loans company that gives you your approval in five minutes and the money arrives in a day, electronically deposited into your checking account.  Which was important, because I had the motivation to get started on this program. Had I waited, I may have lost interest.

I’m convinced it’s not only an investment in my health, it’s a boost toward getting a better paying job in a tough job marketplace.

By the way McHenry is near Bull Valley, Ringwood, Crystal Lake, Wauconda, and Grayslake.

There are three things about myself that I’ve noticed lately that say I’m not a kid anymore:

1. My back goes out more than i do.
2. I quit trying to hold my stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
3. I am proud of my lawn mower.

And that’s just the beginning of it. But I really knew I am not a kid anymore because I’ve been dealing with the kind of financial worries that my parents and grandparents used to talk about. Not only do I see my 401K account getting ripped to shreds, but with no home equity cash left and maxed out credit cards – thanks kids – I have to scratch around to take care of basic expenses.

I work and so does my wife, but we’ve found our emergency cash is in our cars. It’s true — when we need some money to handle a particular problem, we go to a car title loan firm, Libertyville Title Loans, which gives us emergency money based on the value of our autos. This might seem like an unorthodox way to finance something, but hard times make you think a little harder. We always pay the loan back in less than a month, and the interest rate hardly looks bad compared to what our credit card companies are charging.

Yeah, not a kid anymore. I’m a grown up with financial challenges that need to be tamed.

By the way, Libertyville is near Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Grayslake, Gurnee, and Hainesville.

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. I learned that not only on the Tri-State Tollway, but also every time I drive to my girlfriend’s house in Libertyville. It’s like these people never saw snow before.

But my car is the most important thing I own.  It gets me to work, up to Wisconsin to fish, down to Chicago to party, and lately I learned it can help out with a shortage of cash.  How?  My credit has been bad for several years, and then I had a car accident.  Some babe out of Hunt Club Farms, wouldn’t you know it.  My insurance deductible is $500, and I didn’t have that anywhere.

So I went online, searched around, and found out how car title loans work.  You can use your car’s value to finance anything, and a car repair made a lot of sense to me.  I used Gurnee Title Loans, a car title loan company that works entirely online.  You fill out a form, get approved almost instantly, then get your cash sent to your checking account.  I didn’t have a reason to swear at anyone on that.

By the way Gurnee is near Waukegan, Grayslake, Wadsworth, Milburn, and Antioch.

I saw a woman at the Metra Station wearing a sweat shirt with “Guess” on it. So I said “Implants?”

Both she and my wife weren’t too happy about that. Oh well. I used to do stand up at open mike nights in Chicago in the 1990s, but as you might guess my career didn’t go in that direction. Thank goodness I had my accounting degree. Too bad I worked in print media. I’ve been out of work for seven months now.

The worst part was when the water heater broke down and I wasn’t sure where the money to replace it would come from. So I searched online and found Grayslake Title Loan, a car title loan business that allows you to borrow using your auto as collateral — car title loans are more or less like how a home equity loan borrows against your home value.  You go online, fill out the forms (takes less than 15 minutes), and the money arrives the next business day in your checking account.  We ordered that water heater as soon as we were approved.

It was the thing I needed to keep my family warm this winter. And that’s not a joke.

By the way Grayslake is near Libertyville, Millburn, Wadsworth, Hainesville, and Lake Forest.

I had a buddy who lived to fish in the Chain O’ Lakes. On vacations he’d go up to Wisconsin to fish some more. His philosophy was simple: Treat each day as your last; one day you will be right.

Believe it or not, he died fishing. The dumb thing was he actually had his laptop with him because he was trying to work while fishing – it fell in the water, he jumped in to get it and drowned.

I liked his philosophy of living each day to the fullest. Unfortunately, I did that a bit too much last year and now I’m paying for it. The bills really built up just when the economic slow down hit. I’m in construction, so you can guess where that went. Then I got hit with some medical bills not covered by my insurance. I needed $2500 and there appeared to be nowhere for me to find it.

Then a friend (who is still alive) told me about car title loans. They’re easy — fill out an online form, get approved right away and you get your cash in one day. The car title loan company I used was Fox Lake Title Loans. I was able to cover a hospital charge and protect my credit while I look for winter work and possibly a new job (if this economy keeps going down, that will be necessary).

By the way Fox Lake is near Johnsburg, Lakemoor, Volo, Millburn, and Grayslake.

Here’s my definition of marriage: A very expensive way to get your laundry done free.

Because since my divorce, I’ve lost my house, my boat (and therefore, fun on the Chain O Lakes and all chances of ever catching the Batman fish on Loon Lake) and my credit worthiness. And if I think back to those hazy days in the 1980s, I actually did start dating Angie because she had laundry in her high rise on Lake Shore Drive while I had to go to a laundromat in Wrigleyville. See, what sometimes looks like convenience is anything but.

It’s not all bad. I was able to keep her paws off my Range Rover, and that has come in handy lately. I made a bad investment last year (who didn’t???) and was short of cash for various things I needed in my new apartment. So since the Rover was paid for, I was able to go to Antioch Title Loans and get a cash advance on the vehicle. It was easy to do online, I got my money in a day, and I now know so much more: do your own laundry, and leverage your physical assets when necessary.

By the way Antioch is near Lindenhurst, Millburn, Gurnee, Grayslake, and McHenry.