Link

Enjoy…

Last week, owing to several issues that I had been having with AT&T, I finally decided to bid adieu to their UVerse TV service. I had been with Time Warner for a long long time and I just loved their service. Then, AT&T came out with an enticing offer (rebates etc!); so I bit the bullet and ordered their UVerse service. I had heard really good reviews from my friends about their revolutionary new TV service which let you record four programmes at the same time among many other things (help us with laundry, dishes etc.). Even though I never had to record four shows at the same time, my biggest frustration came from their HD broadcast. It looked worse than SD. Time Warner’s HD was hands-down a thousand times better than ATT HD. HD was not the only thing that made me pull the plug on ATT though.

My second biggest gripe with ATT was their customer service. Even though they have hundreds of corporate stores across the country and a handful in Austin too, there is no help available whatsoever from any of their stores. The stores are only to signup new customers and from there on, you are pretty much on your own. It takes a good 20-30 mins to get through their 800 number and their ‘offices’ are open only during regular business hours. In other words, you cannot call their 800 number after 6 o clock? What is this, the 70s? When we signed up for the service at one of their stores, the sales guy had told us he would get us a rebate of $300. That was too good an offer to refuse, so we signed up. Three months went by and there was no sign of any rebate. After trying a zillion times to get through to their customer service, I finally received my rebates, for $150. And that, after almost about five months. Their excuse was they did not have my apt # in their database! I wonder how those bills would arrive month after month, promptly, at the right apt #? Hmm! Time Warner, on the other hand, has a local access number and worst case scenario, you can just go to their local office and get your grievance addressed.

Even after ending my relationship with Uverse, my problems did not stop. This happened when I had to return their equipment. They have an ‘arrangement’ with UPS where in you need to find a UPS store and drop in all the equipment there. I had no issues with that. It’s no different than go to a local ATT store right? In fact, the UPS guy was quite nice to us. However, what frustrated me was that ATT did NOT require me to return any cables or the remote control. The UPS guy outright refused to ship the cables and remote back to ATT. According to ATT, the cables and the remote control are ‘yours to keep’. I’m sure ATT is trying to reduce UPS costs but do they really think it costs them less to manufacture another remote than to just ship it back? So, essentially, every AT&T customer in America ends up with a few hundred feet of telephone cable and a remote control for a cable box for good! After this ‘incident’(for the lack of a better word), I do not think we will be doing any new business with AT&T. I have wireless service with them but I have to stick with it just because I love my iPhone too much. I’m just waiting for my contract to get over at this point.

The Time Warner service got installed last week and I’m really glad to see some good quality HD broadcast now. Not to mention, TW is charging me $80 a month against $110 that ATT used to charge us. Total savings for the next 6 months that I plan to keep TW, 6X$30 = $180.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
As of 5pm today, we have reached our target of One Thousand US Dollars as part of the 100 Thousand Campaign.

Thanks to all the generous contributors who came forward to make this mission a grand success.

Previously.

This is a letter from our LSP co-ordinator for the Bay Area, Mr. Prasad Gattu that I received this morning to mark the launch of the 100-thousand campaign for the Lok Satta Pary. If each one of us can raise a $1000, within two weeks, we can easily gather a whopping $100,000. A 100 grand can easily propel many an LSP candidates to the forefront overnight. This is a very important and achievable target we can set for ourselves. Friends, please take this opportunity to bring about the change we had always been looking for. This is the time to believe and support this noble endeavor. As of this writing, I have managed to collect $450. Please donate and help me reach our goal of $100000 before the elections begin.

Jai Hind

How can you help? Check this link.

Read on…

“Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.”
- Harry Emerson Fosdick

Friends,
95 years ago, in the UC Berkeley, California, in the Ghadar paper, there was a call to free India from the British rule. This call was made by the students and the Indians residing in USA and Canada as part of the Indian Independence movement.

We’re inspired by the sacrifice of the Ghadar movement, but only in a peaceful, democratic, non-violent way, with respect to the law of the land where ever we’re. The Ghadar’s call was against the autocratic, oppressive, and colonial British rule, where as the 2nd Freedom movement launched by Lok Satta is against the current morass of corruption, nepotism, feudalism, criminal and dynastic politics of the inept politicians of India.

Today, we’re in the final stages of 2009 election campaign in India, and we are the foot volunteers of this 2nd Freedom movement. The party needs resources to bring awareness and to succeed and it is still not too late for us to do one  final push for funds for this season. I propose to call this campaign The 100-Thousand Campaign, as that being our minimal goal with the final goal being 1000-Thousand (a million).

This is how I propose:

• There’re 100+ active volunteer/supporters in this group.
• We each raise $1000+ through our friends, supporters, and concerned Indians
• People can directly send money to India or chapters can pool up and send it to the party. Non-Indian citizens can donate to ‘People For Lok Satta’
• We inspire/encourage and ask 10+ – 100s of our friends to raise $1000 from their contacts.
• Request people to send donations as early as possible before election campaign ends.  We can stop our funds drive around mid May or end of April.
• Every week or 15 days, all chapters and volunteers can send the cumulative amount which they were able to raise, starting Jan. 1st, 2009.
• Kalyan from bay area has agreed to coordinate and track the numbers.  Chapter coordinators are requested to track their chapter numbers and send the figures to Kalyan, others who’re interested can help Kalyan in keeping track.
• At the end of every week or 15 days, Kalyan will send us the status.
• We continue/start our efforts with this as the goal and can discuss more on the proposal in this Saturday’s conference call.

An encouraging beginning: I’ve been informed that a person from US who for selfless reasons does not wants to disclose his name has come forward y’day to donate $10K to the Lok Satta party.

“Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.”
- Sydney J Harris

Thanks.

Again the link is http://change.gov/openforquestions , search for Mumbai, and vote for the question posted by ‘Taxpayer, Austin, TX’.

This is where Obama’s foreign policy talks about increasing aid to Pakistan.
http://change.gov/agenda/foreign_policy_agenda

“Bush administration and military officials said they believed that much of the American money is not making its way to frontline Pakistani units. Money has been diverted to help finance weapons systems designed to counter India…” Source: New York Times Report by David Rohde, Carlotta Gall, Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger. Published: December 24, 2007

We have been seeing this firsthand now after the terror attacks on Mumbai recently. The attack was very well-coordinated and required major funding in addition to military-grade training. The arrested terrorist has admitted that he is a Pakistani national and some of his trainers were in fact ex-Pakistani army men. FBI has also confirmed this. Recent raids on some of the terrorist camps in Pakistan have further confirmed that Pakistan has become a safe haven for terrorists to plan and co-ordinate their activities. If we increase aid to a nation that is being run by a proxy government (ISI and Pakistani Army), not only we would be encouraging increased terrorism in that area in the coming years, we might also cause massive civil unrest in South Asia, on the lines of Thailand recently. I, on behalf of several hardworking American taxpayers, would like to request you to reconsider your proposal of increasing American aid to Pakistan and think about other alternatives to curb terrorism.

To all my blog readers, if you would like to submit your own ideas to President-elect Obama on this issue, please visit http://change.gov/agenda/foreign_policy_agenda

Many people forget that India is a tough nation. Toothless leaders have turned India into a soft nation. People forget that India has fought back Muslim terrorism in Kashmir; Sikh terrorism in Punjab, Christian terrorism in Nagaland and Hindu terrorism in Assam, and amongst the Naxalites [Images].

We have had everything thrown at the Indian nation State. Still, we have stood up. The people of India have shown the courage and ability to believe in their nation and to fight back. But the completely impotent leadership of five years have turned a tough country into a soft State.

I am very sad. I keep feeling that if they protect India as they protect their leaders — whether it is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] or Congress President Sonia Gandhi [Images] — I think I would be safe. Today, India’s leaders are safe and India is in panic.

On what India’s response should be:

India’s proper reaction would be possible if we understand the extent of the disease.

If the disease is cancer, you can’t apply band aid. After making a complete mess of security issues for five years by asking Shivraj Patil [Images] to go finally we may have a home minister who doesn’t comb his hair and change his clothes. But we want something more than that. If it is cancer, we need chemotherapy, a much more serious exercise. It needs a legislative and executive framework. It needs political mobilisation. People are numbed.

The Indian people have no leadership. You have a prime minister. Did you see him when he addressed the nation? Nobody knew if he was addressing the nation or having a cup of tea?

He looked serious, but he didn’t talk to us about our anger and about our anguish. I think this administration is tone deaf to the anguish of the people. They just cannot understand what the people are going through. They just don’t understand our pain or our anger. The most important thing is that, perhaps, we have politicised not only the instruments of the State like the police but we have also politicised the understanding of the nature of the problem.

I think the very first thing to do is to ensure security so that it prevents the next attack. If any attack takes place under someones job should go. Don’t come to me with alibis.

On the terrorists getting local support:

I am an Indian Muslim and I am very proud of both, being an Indian and a Muslim. I do not see any contradictions. This is my land and I have nowhere else to go.

But can I say because I am an Indian Muslim that no Indian Muslim is involved? Can you, because you are a Hindu, say that no Hindu is involved? We have to behave like Indians first. Not as a Muslim or as a Hindu first. Because we need Hindu votes and Muslim votes and because this government thinks that it needs Muslim votes so it has been in complete denial.

Do you think that these people came across from Pakistan and had no support in Mumbai?

It is not possible. It was a huge operation. Ten people hit nine places and you killed nine of them. You want to say that they went from place to place? Who knows some of them must have slipped away to create new sleeper cells to hit us six months later.

They are hiding things. I would like to believe that there was an underworld connection. Because, Karachi and Mumbai are also linked by drug smuggling. The culture of criminals is aggression. It comes naturally to them. It is not easy for you and I to become aggressive, however angry we are. It does not come naturally to us. These are people who are trained psychologically in aggression. They have no respect for the State. They have no love for the country. And they have no respect for authority.

Why? Because the only face of authority is the corrupt policeman. The criminal gives money in the morning and money in the evening. Why should he have respect for somebody he gives bribes to? For the guy from the underworld his understanding of the Indian State and authority is corruption. He has no patriotism to stop him. Why would he not join hands with the terrorists? In any case, he belongs to another world. We have not even begun to address and discuss this.

On the Pakistan factor

I am tired of giving Pakistan a long rope on some excuse or the other. Everybody is saying this will happen if we do this, that will happen if we do this. Our relations with Pakistan will go, then, let them go. What has our relations with Pakistan brought us except violence and terror? Why should we be in charge of saving Pakistan? For what? Every time they turn around and they say they want evidence. Now, finally we have evidence.

I have been an editor for 35 years from the age of 23. From that time on, since the days of General Zia-ul Haq, I have been hearing ‘Pakistan is asking for evidence’. We asked for withdrawal of their support to the movement for Khalistan, they said, ‘Oh, we don’t know anything about it.’ On Kashmir, they kept repeating where is the evidence. Benazir Bhutto [Images] came, she asked for evidence. Nawaz Sharif came, he asked for evidence. I think Pervez Musharraf [Images] asked for less evidence. Now again, they are asking for evidence.

There is a terrorist in Mumbai, captured and arrested. How much more evidence do you want? If what he is saying is not evidence, then how can you get more evidence?

This government is in its 11th hour. Now they will bluff the people to protect their votes. There is no time left for them. The agony of departure will be hard from this government.

On the reaction in the West

The US and Britain have a vested interest in telling India to look within. Why? When Americans die then they can send their air force 7,000 miles and bomb every country to smithereens. But when Indians die, they tell us no, no, you must be patient. You must act like a swami and a yogi. Why? Is an American life more precious than an Indian life? Why should we keep listening to them? But we have a government that keeps listening to them all the time. We don’t get tough.

The last time we got tough was after the attack on Parliament. We took some tough actions under Operation Parakram and then there was a certain lull. Three years ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was able to tell President George W Bush [Images] that there are no terrorists amongst Indian Muslims. That means that lull continued.

Pakistan must be made to realise that it will have to pay a heavy price. Not necessarily through war, but a heavy price will have to be paid in loss in trade, in cancellation of orders and other engagements. They should pay a heavy price in terms of people to people relations. I am not saying you can freeze a relationship to death, but the message must go out that if there is a crime there will be a penalty. You just can’t get away with it.

Let the Pakistan government cooperate with us. But look at how the Pakistan government has buckled down and we are sitting here whimpering.

They want to send some lowly officers to India. For what? Even Pakistan is treating the Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi government with total contempt. They know how weak it is.

Delink Hindu-Muslim relations and Pakistan

Look, you must not confuse the Pakistan issue with the Indian Muslims issue. Their so-called alienation or their economic deprivation is not linked to the issue of Pakistan.

Indian Muslims have nothing to do with Pakistan. They have absolutely no sympathy for Pakistan. They know that Pakistan was the biggest mistake committed in the history of Indian Muslims. They know it. You can ask anyone in Baroda, Bihar or Mumbai. They know how they are suffering the backlash of all the consequences of cross-border terrorism.

Today, they fear retribution from the government, they fear retribution from popular disenchantment and anger. They feel helpless. They feel afraid.

We must understand finally that it is not so much the ‘local people’, it is the local underworld that is involved in anti-India activities. In 1993, who were involved in terrorism? The underworld. Why have you not done anything about it? The State turns a blind eye to the police and corruption. I don’t know how many readers smoke hashish and other stuff, but I am accusing them of cross-border terrorism. Drugs come to India from Afghanistan via Karachi.

What we can do as individuals

If whoever is responsible for protecting the nation fails, then he or she should not be allowed to continue in power. That is the toughest and sharpest message we can give. You can tell that you may be a soft State, but we are a hard people and we are hard voters.

We are not going to forgive you for your lies and deception and for your waffling. How many blasts do we need to understand that? When Jaipur [Images], Ahmedabad [Images], Mumbai and Delhi [Images] happened no one who was genuinely guilty was caught.

We have to understand now that corruption has eaten away vitals of this nation. It is the biggest danger to the security of India. It is not just the case of some spectrum being sold to someone by some minister in. Everyone who is corrupt get out!

It Is a failure all around. We have to be extremely practical and pragmatic. There is great deal to be depressed about as an Indian. Frankly speaking, I feel very angry and upset. I am never upset by the behaviour of our enemies. I am only upset by the betrayal of those I trust.

M J Akbar, editor-in-chief, Covert magazine, spoke to Sheela Bhatt

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/02mumterror-pakistan-will-have-to-pay-a-heavy-price.htm

Interesting article by Sai Shivaswamy

Read On…

Choose the odd man out: March 12, 1993. September 11, 2001. November 26, 2008.

September 11, 2001, since it is the one without a sequel.

That is the only apolitical sms I have received since November 26, all the others have been simply scathing about our political establishment.

Why just sms, online message boards, television talking heads, the man on the street ? all are unanimous that Mumbai, and India, is sorely let down by its political class.

There was outrage when the train blasts happened in Mumbai on July 26, 2006. Now there is just rage.

Not the kind of rage that will beat up the next person; not the kind of rage that will pick on innocents. Not the kind of rage that wants war.

It’s the kind of rage that that will find expression through the ballot, as and when. The politicians are on notice, and they don’t seem to either know it, or care.

As a helpless Mumbai-ite and Indian I too feel enraged at the callousness of our political class. Seemingly decent and competent men and women holding high office turn to jelly when confronted with the biggest problem facing India, terrorism, and they evince neither the will nor desire to tackle the problem head-on.

But, I had told myself, I will not articulate my rage, for nothing much has changed since I cried out Enough is Enough! two years ago. My blog has strangely been silent through the traumatic week, as has my Facebook account. What do you say that hasn’t been said before, what do you say when everyone feels the same way?

Having lived through both of Mumbai’s worst encounters with terrorism, in 1993 and 2008, I can say categorically that nothing has changed. The ones capable of making a difference, have indeed made a difference — to their careers and, presumably, bank balances. Sharad Pawar [Images] was chief minister in 1993; he is now a central minister. But his city remains the same sitting duck it was. Today his party holds the home portfolio in Maharashtra — can there be a more cruel joke on us!

Then too the deadly explosives were smuggled in through the sea, through the Raigad coast. This time, too, the perpetrators have taken the sea-route, in both instances corruption down the line clearing the trawler’s path. After 1993 there was talk of strengthening our coastal security. What has been strengthened is the politician’s bank balance.

But, I had told myself, I won’t point fingers. The ruling class doesn’t give a damn anyway, so busy is it feathering its nest for an uncertain future.

And the ones who do the actual work, the bureaucracy, is no different. Crises such as the one Mumbai has emerged from are the result of omissions and commissions by them. Yet, they have recently given themselves a huge pay hike, relegating to the doghouse the ones who got us out of the terrorist attack by wagering their lives, the men in uniform. Even by the standards of an unfair world, this is criminal.

What worries me is whether the political class, even now, grasps the damage its inaction has wrought, not merely on the nation’s morale, not merely on the men in uniform who form India’s backbone, not merely on its polity, but among its people. For too long have we patted ourselves on the back for not succumbing to the terrorist’s provocation to civil war. Yes, riots have not broken out on the streets, and will hopefully never happen, but civil war can also happen in hearts and minds.

And the more I hear voices, not the dolled up oh-so-liberal sound bytes masked for TV studios and newsprint but candid voices around me, I worry that complete partition of minds is not too far away. Once the mind has seceded, geography becomes irrelevant even if maps don’t depict the reality.

But, I had told myself, I won’t be a pessimist, I won’t be a Sad Sack, I won’t paint a Doomsday scenario. God knows there are many already doing that.

Instead, I had resolved, I will be forward-looking, positive, and suggest a way out, as befits one with limited intellect but infinite passion for India.

The need of the hour is not to point fingers — everyone knows who is responsible for Mumbai’s trauma.

The need of the hour is not to bemoan what was not done ? the stark denouement is before us on Marine Drive [Images] and Apollo Bunder [Images].

Rather, the need of the hour is someone who can heal, who can soothe, who can restore the citizen’s confidence in the system, who will bridge the chasm that is slowly growing between Indian and Indian.

A politician, we know from our long and painful experience with that abominable set, does not do any of the above. The good ones among them are the ones who don’t do the opposite.

The tragedy of India is that neither the ones in power, nor the ones who believe they will be elected tomorrow, do any of the above. The prime minister does and says nothing. The man who hopes to replace him does and says the wrong things.

Perhaps it is just as well. Given the groundswell among the public against politicians in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, neither of them can be the messiah the nation so desperately needs.

Is there such a one among us?

Someone who is politic yet not a politician.

Someone who can inspire us, give our faith back, restore to us our tryst with destiny that lies tattered.

Someone who can unleash the immense potential of our largest wealth, our youth, who are lurking in that shadowland between yesterday and tomorrow.

Someone who can assuage the Muslim angst that they have been underserved by the system in democratic India; someone who can assure the Hindu that his hoary, glorious heritage is not under threat in secular India.

Is there such a one among us? If yes, will the messiah ? such a one can be nothing else ? please stand up and be counted?

There is one, yes, but he is not going to step forward. For he is not seeking any office. In fact, in the last office he occupied, he moved in with just a suitcase; and moved out five years later with little else. Such is the man’s simplicity and earthiness.

At times he reminds me of the humble Hanuman [Images] who doesn’t realise his prowess before leaping to Lanka. Other times he reminds me of Arjuna in the battlefield unaware of his dharma.

His popularity is the envy of any politician. In fact, I daresay he was denied a second stint at his last office because the politicians felt he was outshining them.

Not since Rajiv Gandhi [Images] in 1984 has anyone mesmerised the youth of India as he has.

Not since Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 has anyone articulated a vision for developed India as he has. Yet, his vision of India as a superpower in 2020 may not be realised because of the politicians’ folly.

Today, such a man is out of the system, nurturing his pet project, Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas, PURA, away from the spotlight, sharing his experience and knowledge with the youth in various academic environs, continuing to inspire them about an India that we may never see.

Yes, Bharat Ratna Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam [Images] is the man I am talking about. If anyone can restore India to Indians, heal the rift among Indians, and lead us forward in our oft-interrupted march, it is him. Will he please step forward?

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/01mumterror-will-the-messiah-of-the-hour-please-stand-up.htm

11/12/2008

Last Friday, I happened to check my bank balance and to my surprise (or shock), I had only 98 dollars in my bank. I’m not exaggerating or making this up. I had exactly $98.05 in my bank. Yes, I’m officially poor now. The financial tsunami that has swept the world has affected me too. Having said that, I must accept that part of the reason is me and my inability to keep track of my financial life. Laziness is the word that comes to my mind instantly. Right from utility bills to car payments, I have had trouble keeping a tab on my expenses. So beginning last Friday, I decided that I’m gonna take matters into my own hands (who else?) and start this mini-experiment. Let’s see if it works. If it works for me, then you could try it out as well. If it doesn’t then I will just accept that I suck and nothing can be done about it. The experiment will go on until the end of the year. On Jan 1st, we shall crunch our numbers and see where we stand However, it might take longer than just a couple of months for me to catch up with my Debt-Meter (check out home page). Let’s see!

Let’s see here. Basically, I’m gonna try and keep track of every expense that I make and before every transaction, I’m gonna say my little mantra. The mantra I have come up with is ‘Are you sure?’. I’m gonna use that mantra every time I swipe my credit card, my debit card or in fact take my wallet out. ‘Are you sure you want that $200 bike that you’re never going to ride?’ ‘Are you sure you want to buy the latest and greatest Blu-ray disc that you’re gonna probably watch just once?’ I have never asked that question to myself before making any purchases till this date. I know, I know sounds too fake. I have, but the answer that has come back has always been ‘Yes’ or ‘Aah big deal, just this one.’ In fact, I used to live the mantra, ‘Is it gonna bankrupt me? C’mon it’s ok!’. I have realized that that doesn’t work!

Anyways getting back to the experiment, the second task in the experiment would be to eliminate pricey and unnecessary expenses. I think this has been my biggest problem

A) paying way more than its worth
B) buying way more than what I need.

A few examples of A. Last week I bought a USB cable for my iPhone (this is the third one) from BestBuy for 18 bucks. Yes just a USB cable from BB cost me 18 dollars. I looked up the price for it on eBay and you would not believe how much it was selling for. $2. SO I paid what? 9 times more!

I have already given you my bike story as an example for B. But just to emphasize a little more, here is another one. A while ago I had purchased a free credit report from www.freecreditreport.com, just to get an idea as to where my FICO score stands. I enrolled in their 30-day ‘credit protection plan’ and never bothered to cancel it. I’m being charged $15 month after month after month for the past 2 years now. That is $360 for the last two years. There are numerous such examples. In this experiment, I’m going to track every A. and B. category item and make sure that I cut back on it as much as I can. Let us start then!

Oh, wait. I forgot to mention the third and most critical task of this experiment. Like most Americans (even though I’m not one ), I have managed to accumulate debt (I call it The Monster) over a period of time. The Monster has been getting bigger and bigger over the past several years and harder to manage. The third task would entail getting rid of this Monster pronto.

OK what I’m gonna do is categorize A, B and C items and see what can be done about them. Your help and feedback is greatly appreciated by the way.

Category A – Paying More

1. Gas – Hunt for the cheapest priced gas in the neighborhood. www.gasbuddy.com is the site I’m gonna use. (Current : $140 per month)
2. Electricity and Water – This might in fact help me with my Go Green Project! ($80 + $35)
– Will replace all non-fluorescent bulbs with high efficiency CFLs. Costco would be the best place to get them in bulk.
– All electronics run only when being used. So no more using the plasma as a room heater.
– Save water. Will have to cut back on the number of times the washer is used every week. Dishwasher as well.
3. Needless to say, find the best deal before pulling the trigger on any purchase.

Category B – Buying More

1. Magazine subscriptions. I never ever read them. Not to mention the amount of trash that gets piled every month. ($70/yr).
2. Credit report memberships. ($15)
3. Clear out the attic. Even though we don’t have one in our apartment, I can assure you that there’s stuff in our home to fill many an attics. (Will update after every sale.)

Category C – Paying Off

1. As of today, I have $9339 in credit card debt. I made a few balance transfers at 0% to pay off my car loan. I also have a housing loan which I need to pay off by Mar 2009 (for an amount of $14000). For the past couple of years, a huge chunk of my income has been going into paying off for my apartment in Bangalore. Nonetheless, we’re very excited about owning the place come March of next year. 14k in 4 months would mean 4 payments of $3500 each. I’m not sure how much would that leave me with to take care of the CC balance. Let me breakdown the $9339 based on APRs and the time horizon on each balance.

$3000 – 32 months 0% – $93.75 per month
Rest until 08/09 @ 0% – $600 per month

P.S: I shall not be using any of my existing savings or money out of the emergency fund towards payment of the aforementioned balances. I don’t think, however, I will be able to save anything over the next year or so. I shall be blogging about the experiment almost on a daily basis giving you an up-to-date report on my current financial status. Please bookmark this page for the most recent post. I have also created a category titled ‘My Money Experiment‘. Wish me luck

Image courtesy: http://hullstudent.com/files/money_tree5.jpg