We seem to have entered into one very bad economy. I think stupidity got us into this mess – why can’t it get us out?

Seems like the boys in Washington and Wall Street are trying their best. They say they’re working for us, the little people in the heartland who toil away for years, following the rules. And then we read about billions in bonuses to bankers who screwed up royally, and the congress people don’t exactly look like they’re going hungry either.

We’ve had our own money problems here in Kane County. My wife lost her banking job and my days at the plant were over in 2006 already. We’re working part time jobs here and there, piecing it together because we really don’t have much of a choice. We’re too young to retire, but too old for some of the salaries we see in the advertising. But we’re making do and there’s nothing stupid about that.

I found a new trick, car title loans.  It’s the kind of loan you can get when no one else has money for you.  With us, it was when the old stove gave out. We can pay it in installments, but just try getting a loan with part time work only.  The great thing is South Elgin Title Loans didn’t care about our employment status. They just needed to see we hold title on our cars.  We got that money in two days, just in time to go to Glenview and get a deal at Abt appliances. And I’ll do it again if I have to.

By the way South Elgin is near Batavia, Aurora, Geneva, Huntley, and St Charles.

Because I am a man, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole show looking for it (though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator).

Clearly, in the Huntley way of looking at things, we’re more Westland Golf Center than Whisper Creek Country Club. But I know how to use technology.

For example, we needed a new refrigerator last year just at a time when we realized we had no spare cash whatsoever. The housing market is a mess, so we had no ability to borrow against the house. My wife wasn’t working, and I wasn’t so sure my own job was safe. The only thing I owned outright was my truck. Which got me to thinking.

I went online at work and found Huntley Title Loans, a car title loan store you don’t have to actually go to. It’s all there, on their website. You just take ten minutes to fill out the forms and you get a near-instant approval, and the money arrives in your checking account the next day. We got the new refrigerator with that loan, and I’m able to pay it back with a little bit of part time work. Which goes to show, I’m not lazy — I just believe in technology.

By the way, Huntley is near Woodstock, Coral, Burlington, Greenwood, and McHenry.

This joke reminds me of my ex-wife:

Q: How can you tell if a blonde is a good cook?
A: She manages to get the Pop Tarts out the toaster in one piece.

She had her good points, but cooking was not one of them. The killer was about a month before we got divorced she caused a kitchen fire frying an egg. An egg! A single, stinking egg. We went to restaurants on Thanksgiving.

So the divorce has been a little challenging (but I’m honestly eating better). She doesn’t really work, so the judge thought she needed some support. And dinners out, I guess. She got the house, the boat, the membership at Turnberry CC, and about half my income for the next three years. That’s ok, I’m fine with Crystal Lake CC. I kept the dog (for the sake of his diet).

I moved to a townhouse in Algonquin and needed money to furnish it, so I went to my bank and they turned me down. Thanks, honey pie. The credit cards are maxed out, too, so I had to get creative. The great thing is my car is paid for, so I looked into getting a car title loan. I would never consider this when you had to go to a public place and talk to someone through a plate glass window, but it’s all done online now. I chose Crystal Lake Title Loans because the application was easy and fast. My money was advanced electronically, in one day, so I could go and get some decent furniture, electronics and everything else I needed to set up a new home.

That includes a new toaster.

By the way Crystal Lake is near Huntley, Algonquin, Woodstock, McHenry, and Marengo.