Sweet music from the HARP

It is not often that something actually goes down in cost. My paycheck has been going down for several years now. Every time the Florida Lege has to balance the budget, I take a cut in pay. I can't really complain, as I chose to be a Social Worker, and I knew I wouldn't get rich doing it.

It was a pledge I made after retiring from the Air Force. I spent 23 years helping to break things, and swore I would spend an equal amount of time trying to fix things. I spent 11 years in Child Protective Services, mostly in Texas, and have spent the last nine years working with the developmentally disabled. Not a path to riches, but I am collecting some good karma.

Some of that karma came back last month when the bank that holds my mortgage called and asked if I wanted my payment to go down $112 a month. Well, duh, I think that might be a good thing. They chopped two years off my mortgage, and lowered the interest rate so I could save some money. The good thing is that the refinancing didn't cost me a nickle. I am sure they are getting reimbursed by the government under HARP. I kept up my mortgage payments even though my house dropped 50% in value and went underwater. I like my house, and figured it would get right someday. Now, I am being rewarded for making payments on time. Yeah!

It is a good thing I never had enough money to buy gold. It has dropped 17% since 2011. As the economy improves, it will probably drop even more. Just like tulips and beanie babies, gold falls as fast as it rises. Better to put you money into something really valuable, like bacon.