(OT) The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
An Uplifting story

When I got my property tax bill for 2010 I was horrified to discover it
was more than three times above the year before. I called lots of people,
filled out lots of paperwork. In the end I still had to pay this
outrageous amount by the 15th. So I paid it. But meanwhile I'd been
filing appeals. That was about 6 months ago.

Fast foward to today. I got a letter in the mail saying the tax I paid
was wrong and I'm due a refund. Excellent! So I called and asked when I
could expect my check. She said, "Oh, it was in the same envelope.
Sometimes the checks stick to the side of the envelope." Yikes! I threw
out the envelope!

THE TRASH-MEN COMETH! (Really, they were just down the street.)

I sprinted to the end of the driveway (a little poetic license - it's
actually only about 50 feet so I don't need to sprint) and started digging
through the trash. The trash truck pulled up and the driver jumped out
and asked if there was something he could help me with. Yes, please! I'm
looking for a government envelope with a check inside. It should be right
near the top. He snagged it. "Is this it?" Yes, yes! Thank you! I
said I should give him a finders fee. He said, "The only thing I ask is
that you call my company and tell them W is doing a good job." And that's
what I did, the minute I got inside. I called and got in touch with
his boss and told her he's doing a great job.


What a nice man!
Your property tax is probably similar to our council tax. We get the bad
news about what we are paying in April.
I discovered when I studied it that it did not seem to have the single
person 25 per cent discount on it.
I phoned them and they said "we sent you a letter in 2005 to confirm you
were still a single occupancy and you did not reply"
Probably not, as I was pretty well dying at that time. Replying to a letter
about my council tax was the least of my worries .
However the good news is that I have overpaid, they sent me £500 back and I
do not have to pay it again for a year!!
It's just so useful as my council pension is half I need to live on, even
frugally until 2013 when my state pension will kick in.
Having said that, I have never regretted making the decision to take early
retirement even thought I knew it would be hard financially.
What I have never liked is that if I am ill, I have to get up early to tell
my manager why I cannot come to work today.
I may have been vomiting all night and finally got to sleep.

My ex manager learned this the hard way. I told her I was vomiting when I
phoned in and she said "See you tomorrow" I said not, I will be in hospital
tonight and I was for an emergency op.
To be fair she did come to see me in hospital and I made sure she saw the
tubes in me.

Just in case she thought I was slacking on my job..

I love being at home. I had plans to grow veggies on my paddock, but due to
smashing up my shoulder I had to abandon that idea for this year. Maybe
next year.

Tweed

On Jul 20, 4:36*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

...





An Uplifting story

When I got my property tax bill for 2010 I was horrified to discover it
was more than three times above the year before. *I called lots of people,
filled out lots of paperwork. *In the end I still had to pay this
outrageous amount by the 15th. *So I paid it. *But meanwhile I'd been
filing appeals. That was about 6 months ago.

Fast foward to today. *I got a letter in the mail saying the tax I paid
was wrong and I'm due a refund. *Excellent! *So I called and asked when I
could expect my check. *She said, "Oh, it was in the same envelope.
Sometimes the checks stick to the side of the envelope." *Yikes! *I threw
out the envelope!

THE TRASH-MEN COMETH! *(Really, they were just down the street.)

I sprinted to the end of the driveway (a little poetic license - it's
actually only about 50 feet so I don't need to sprint) and started digging
through the trash. *The trash truck pulled up and the driver jumped out
and asked if there was something he could help me with. *Yes, please! *I'm
looking for a government envelope with a check inside. *It should be right
near the top. *He snagged it. *"Is this it?" *Yes, yes! *Thank you! *I
said I should give him a finders fee. *He said, "The only thing I ask is
that you call my company and tell them W is doing a good job." *And that's
what I did, the minute I got inside. *I called and got in touch with
his boss and told her he's doing a great job.

What a nice man!
Your property tax is probably similar to our council tax. *We get the bad
news about what we are paying in April.
I discovered when I studied it that it did not seem to have the single
person 25 per cent discount on it.
I phoned them and they said "we sent you a letter in 2005 to confirm you
were still a single occupancy and you did not reply"
Probably not, as I was pretty well dying at that time. *Replying to a letter
about my council tax was the least of my worries .
However the good news is that I have overpaid, they sent me £500 back and I
do not have to pay it again for a year!!
It's just so useful as my council pension is half I need to live on, even
frugally until 2013 when my state pension will kick in.
Having said that, I have never regretted making the decision to take early
retirement even thought I knew it would be hard financially.
What I have never liked is that if I am ill, I have to get up early to tell
my manager why I cannot come to work today.
I may have been vomiting all night and finally got to sleep.

My ex manager learned this the hard way. * I told her I was vomiting when I
phoned in and she said "See you tomorrow" *I said not, I will be in hospital
tonight and I was for an emergency op.
To be fair she did come to see me in hospital and I made sure she saw the
tubes in me.

Just in case she thought I was slacking on my job..

I love being at home. I had plans to grow veggies on my paddock, but due to
smashing up my shoulder I had to abandon that idea for this year. *Maybe
next year.

Tweed

Not quite sure what that was about (when you talk medical I totally
understand; when you talk
British taxes I am not with the program) but MileHigh Salute and
congrats for your hefty refund
from the Feds/council/whoever they are there. Now maybe you can knock
back frugalling a tad
and indulge yourself in some ways. (((((its about time))))).

"hopitus" wrote in message
...
On Jul 20, 4:36 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

...





An Uplifting story

When I got my property tax bill for 2010 I was horrified to discover it
was more than three times above the year before. I called lots of
people,
filled out lots of paperwork. In the end I still had to pay this
outrageous amount by the 15th. So I paid it. But meanwhile I'd been
filing appeals. That was about 6 months ago.

Fast foward to today. I got a letter in the mail saying the tax I paid
was wrong and I'm due a refund. Excellent! So I called and asked when I
could expect my check. She said, "Oh, it was in the same envelope.
Sometimes the checks stick to the side of the envelope." Yikes! I threw
out the envelope!

THE TRASH-MEN COMETH! (Really, they were just down the street.)

I sprinted to the end of the driveway (a little poetic license - it's
actually only about 50 feet so I don't need to sprint) and started
digging
through the trash. The trash truck pulled up and the driver jumped out
and asked if there was something he could help me with. Yes, please! I'm
looking for a government envelope with a check inside. It should be
right
near the top. He snagged it. "Is this it?" Yes, yes! Thank you! I
said I should give him a finders fee. He said, "The only thing I ask is
that you call my company and tell them W is doing a good job." And
that's
what I did, the minute I got inside. I called and got in touch with
his boss and told her he's doing a great job.

What a nice man!
Your property tax is probably similar to our council tax. We get the bad
news about what we are paying in April.
I discovered when I studied it that it did not seem to have the single
person 25 per cent discount on it.
I phoned them and they said "we sent you a letter in 2005 to confirm you
were still a single occupancy and you did not reply"
Probably not, as I was pretty well dying at that time. Replying to a
letter
about my council tax was the least of my worries .
However the good news is that I have overpaid, they sent me £500 back and
I
do not have to pay it again for a year!!
It's just so useful as my council pension is half I need to live on, even
frugally until 2013 when my state pension will kick in.
Having said that, I have never regretted making the decision to take early
retirement even thought I knew it would be hard financially.
What I have never liked is that if I am ill, I have to get up early to
tell
my manager why I cannot come to work today.
I may have been vomiting all night and finally got to sleep.

My ex manager learned this the hard way. I told her I was vomiting when I
phoned in and she said "See you tomorrow" I said not, I will be in
hospital
tonight and I was for an emergency op.
To be fair she did come to see me in hospital and I made sure she saw the
tubes in me.

Just in case she thought I was slacking on my job..

I love being at home. I had plans to grow veggies on my paddock, but due
to
smashing up my shoulder I had to abandon that idea for this year. Maybe
next year.

Tweed

Not quite sure what that was about (when you talk medical I totally
understand; when you talk
British taxes I am not with the program) but MileHigh Salute and
congrats for your hefty refund
from the Feds/council/whoever they are there. Now maybe you can knock
back frugalling a tad
and indulge yourself in some ways. (((((its about time))))).

Nah, can't stop frugalling until July 2013, sadly. That is when I get a
state pension. I chose to have early retirement, knowing my council pension
would not be enough to live on. With both, I will still have to live fairly
frugally, but will manage very well.
The unexpected legacy from my friend will keep me going until then if I am
careful. We worked together and I know she would be so happy that it
enabled me to get out from there.


Tweed

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
An Uplifting story

When I got my property tax bill for 2010 I was horrified to discover it
was more than three times above the year before. I called lots of
people, filled out lots of paperwork. In the end I still had to pay this
outrageous amount by the 15th. So I paid it. But meanwhile I'd been
filing appeals. That was about 6 months ago.

Fast foward to today. I got a letter in the mail saying the tax I paid
was wrong and I'm due a refund. Excellent! So I called and asked when I
could expect my check. She said, "Oh, it was in the same envelope.
Sometimes the checks stick to the side of the envelope." Yikes! I threw
out the envelope!

THE TRASH-MEN COMETH! (Really, they were just down the street.)

I sprinted to the end of the driveway (a little poetic license - it's
actually only about 50 feet so I don't need to sprint) and started
digging through the trash. The trash truck pulled up and the driver
jumped out and asked if there was something he could help me with. Yes,
please! I'm looking for a government envelope with a check inside. It
should be right near the top. He snagged it. "Is this it?" Yes, yes!
Thank you! I said I should give him a finders fee. He said, "The only
thing I ask is that you call my company and tell them W is doing a good
job." And that's what I did, the minute I got inside. I called and
got in touch with his boss and told her he's doing a great job.


What a nice man!
Your property tax is probably similar to our council tax. We get the bad
news about what we are paying in April.
I discovered when I studied it that it did not seem to have the single
person 25 per cent discount on it.

Hmmm. I don't know what a coucil tax is.

I phoned them and they said "we sent you a letter in 2005 to confirm you
were still a single occupancy and you did not reply"
Probably not, as I was pretty well dying at that time. Replying to a
letter about my council tax was the least of my worries.

However the good news is that I have overpaid, they sent me £500 back and
I do not have to pay it again for a year!!
It's just so useful as my council pension is half I need to live on, even
frugally until 2013 when my state pension will kick in.
Having said that, I have never regretted making the decision to take early
retirement even thought I knew it would be hard financially.
What I have never liked is that if I am ill, I have to get up early to
tell my manager why I cannot come to work today.
I may have been vomiting all night and finally got to sleep.

It was always amazing to me when I was sick the [witch] manager wanted proof
that I'd been vomiting all night. Would you like me to bring you some
vomitus in a plastic bag? I once even threw up in my waste basket at the
office and the witch still didn't believe I needed to go home. You'd think
this woman had never been sick a day in her life.

It's funny how, since I left that job, I don't get sick anymore. Oh sure, I
get the occasional bug. But nothing like when I was working for her. Maybe
it was the long hours. Maybe it was coming in early, leaving late. Working
on holidays and weekends. The constant stress. I don't get sick anymore.
I hope you've found peace in your retirement, too

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
An Uplifting story

When I got my property tax bill for 2010 I was horrified to discover it
was more than three times above the year before. I called lots of
people, filled out lots of paperwork. In the end I still had to pay
this outrageous amount by the 15th. So I paid it. But meanwhile I'd
been filing appeals. That was about 6 months ago.

Fast foward to today. I got a letter in the mail saying the tax I paid
was wrong and I'm due a refund. Excellent! So I called and asked when
I could expect my check. She said, "Oh, it was in the same envelope.
Sometimes the checks stick to the side of the envelope." Yikes! I
threw out the envelope!

THE TRASH-MEN COMETH! (Really, they were just down the street.)

I sprinted to the end of the driveway (a little poetic license - it's
actually only about 50 feet so I don't need to sprint) and started
digging through the trash. The trash truck pulled up and the driver
jumped out and asked if there was something he could help me with. Yes,
please! I'm looking for a government envelope with a check inside. It
should be right near the top. He snagged it. "Is this it?" Yes, yes!
Thank you! I said I should give him a finders fee. He said, "The only
thing I ask is that you call my company and tell them W is doing a good
job." And that's what I did, the minute I got inside. I called and
got in touch with his boss and told her he's doing a great job.


What a nice man!
Your property tax is probably similar to our council tax. We get the bad
news about what we are paying in April.
I discovered when I studied it that it did not seem to have the single
person 25 per cent discount on it.

Hmmm. I don't know what a coucil tax is.

I phoned them and they said "we sent you a letter in 2005 to confirm you
were still a single occupancy and you did not reply"
Probably not, as I was pretty well dying at that time. Replying to a
letter about my council tax was the least of my worries.

However the good news is that I have overpaid, they sent me £500 back and
I do not have to pay it again for a year!!
It's just so useful as my council pension is half I need to live on, even
frugally until 2013 when my state pension will kick in.
Having said that, I have never regretted making the decision to take
early retirement even thought I knew it would be hard financially.
What I have never liked is that if I am ill, I have to get up early to
tell my manager why I cannot come to work today.
I may have been vomiting all night and finally got to sleep.

It was always amazing to me when I was sick the [witch] manager wanted
proof that I'd been vomiting all night. Would you like me to bring you
some vomitus in a plastic bag? I once even threw up in my waste basket at
the office and the witch still didn't believe I needed to go home. You'd
think this woman had never been sick a day in her life.

She probably hadn't. My husband had never been sick when we married.
Whenever I was sick or had a pain, he'd say, "I wouldn't let that bother
me." Then, a few years later, he developed a gall stone. He had his gall
bladder removed and the incision site became infected. He spent several
extra days in the hospital because of that. (This was back in the days
before the current, less invasive methods were developed.) After that, he
was much more sympathetic when I was ill.

Joy