I was under the impression that to steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

My professor at Triton didn’t quite see it that way.  So I was going to flunk her course, but she gave me an option. Take it again.  Which might sound reasonable until you figure out you’re going to have to pay twice for honor of enduring the pain twice.

But that’s life. Lesson learned. The even bigger problem was this was an expense I didn’t anticipate. And it caught me short.

So I did more research, on the Internet, and found a way to get fast cash.  You can use your car title, if you own it outright, to get a car title loan. I went to Rolling Meadows Title Loans for mine.  It was easy and fast and I got my money in a day. Amazing.

Next semester, I should be this resourceful in my schoolwork.

By the way Rolling Meadows is near Arlington Heights, Mt Prospect, Wheeling, Elk Grove Village, and Schaumburg.

Something I learned while studying at Oakton Community College and working at the same time was that bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

And when the money comes up short, man, that’s when the problems start.  I can’t believe the banks get away with that stuff, those overdraft fees.  And god help you when you get behind on a credit card.  The interest rates are more than 20%.

Even with my degree, it’s been touch and go with money for me, and this economy is not helping anything. I thought I had it all covered and then I had a fender bender on the Eisenhower a few months ago.  Sheesh, people in this town forget how to drive once things start icing up. So while I had my car insurance payments up to date, I still had a $500 deductible to cover for the repairs and no way to do it.

So I did what made sense.  I used my car’s value to pay for the car repair.  A perfect system.  I looked for a car title loan store and found Prospect Heights Title Loans online.  For anyone whose looked into getting car title loans, you have to appreciate the simplicity of doing it this way.  And speed. I had my money in one day.

Bills travel fast, but the title loan did too.  Amazing.

By the way Prospect Heights  is near Wheeling, Northbrook, Des Plaines, Mt Prospect, and Arilington Heights.

There are a lot of unanswerables in life. Why is “abbreviated” such a long word? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?

My new question is why do the commercials make it look like credit cards are about creating a wonderful happy life for you and your family, but car title loans are looked down upon? Lemme tell you about my credit card story.

I was given three credit cards when I went to college, and here, four years after I graduated, I’ve only gotten more and more debt accumulated. I paid the minimum balances for the last three years, then lost my job at United in the fall (just as well, it didn’t make sense to commute into the city now that they moved there from here in Elk Grove Village). My unemployment checks didn’t come close to covering my expenses, so I had to figure out how to keep them working in case I had to buy something on emergency.

Fortunately, my car is paid for (thanks dad!). So I went to Elk Grove Village Title Loans to see what it was worth. I was able to get a car title loan in less than 24 hours, which helped me make rent and get some car repairs that I might need if I take a job in McHenry County (yeah, who knew?). Either way, it was at a rate that is less than my 29% credit card interest charges.

Which goes to show, it pays to question some things we take for granted in life.

By the way Elk Grove Village is near Wood Dale, Bensenville, Mt Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Wheeling.

My husband thought it would be good for the kids to take up camping.  You know, the tent, kerosene stove, everything packed on top the car, sleeping bags, trying to stay dry in the rain, the whole thing.

I say camping is nature’s way of feeding mosquitos.  But I lost that argument. So there we were, scheduled to head out to Yellowstone in four days, leaving our nice air conditioned house in Des Plaines behind us in July.  But Hal took the SUV in for servicing and we get hit with a $2300 estimate. For that kind of money we could have flown to someplace without bugs, snakes and mountain lions.  But the kids had their hearts set on it.

Anyway, that was not a good time to get hit with that bill.  So in a rush, I went on the internet and found Des Plaines Title Loans, where I found the money we needed.  And in a way, it was a perfect solution, using the car title loan to fix the car.  But the important part was we got the money the next day, and the approval in one hour.  That way we were able to get the car repaired at his favorite mechanic’s on Rand Road in time for the trip.

In the end, the kids and Hal had a good time.  And I get to chose where we go next year.

By the way Des Plaines is near Mt Prospect, Park Ridge, Wheeling, Glenview, and Northbrook.

I know I’m addicted to coffee. In the mornings, I truly am not able to wait to get to the Starbucks over in Schaumburg, where I work. I make the instant stuff at home. And sometimes I think that takes too long.

But this coffee habit gets the best of me sometimes. Like one day I was shopping at Woodfield Mall. I only had a half hour, and there were all these crazy recessionary economy sales going on. I shopped like a thoroughbred at Arlington Park. And Christmas was coming. So between bedding and linens, clothes for me, clothes for my husband, clothes for the kids and a crock pot I really didn’t need, I built up a sizable Visa bill that, unfortunately, I am not able to pay.

With my credit cards maxed and a house rule to no longer tap into the home equity, I wasn’t sure where I’d find the cash. Then I heard about Arlington Heights Title Loans, where I was able to get an advance from the value of my old Saturn. It was the perfect answer: I could apply online from my computer (coffee at my side), get the approval in an hour and money from my car title loan in 24 hours. I just joined a gym now, so that’s how I’m putting that caffeine to work instead.

By the way Arlington Heights is near Rolling Meadows, Mt Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, and Hoffman Estates.