Insomnia. I don’t like it, but when I get it, I deal with it.  Sometimes that means watching TV at 2:00 am.  Infomercials. Are you really awake and seeing this or is this some crazy dream?  Maybe I’m still asleep, becasue there’s no way that could exist.  Insanity. The realization that the robotic popcorn hand eating device really does exist and people are actually buying them.

Two specific commercials jumped out at me.  I really have to wonder (a) if people really buy into this stuff and (b) what in the heck they’re thinking if they do.

Space Bags

These aren’t such a bad idea for long term storage of garments, but for everyday use?  So if we tightly shrink wrap all of our stuff, we can make space for more stuff.  So let’s say I want to wear that blue sweater in bag number 9 (because for $19.95, they triple the order of 3 sets if you call right now), that would be a lot of work to decompress the bag, get the sweater out, re compress my other stuff so I can still fit lots more in my closet and then try to make the sweater fluffy again, with no wrinkles.  Seriously?

“And yes!!!  This is a great thing for travel!  Imagine being able to fit all your clothes easily into your suitcase…”  Last time I stayed at a hotel, I’m pretty sure they don’t give you vacuums.  So let’s imagine trying to get it all back in the suitcase without the space bags!  No thanks.  Time to clean out the closet, get rid of what I’m not wearing and stop buying so much.

thinkcash.tv

This is unbelievable.  So unbelievable that I can’t believe that even one person has done this.  Check out the terms of your loan:

The cost of your loan is based on the size of the loan you are approved for. It ranges from $0.90 per day per $100 borrowed (324.1% APR) for small, short-term loans down to $0.28 per day per $100 borrowed (98.7% APR) for larger, longer-term loans for customers with successful payment histories or higher credit scores. While these rates are lower than the rates charged by many other short term lenders, they are higher than some other forms of credit, so we encourage you to pay off your loan as quickly as possible. For a typical transaction, the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for a loan of $1000.00 is 198.5% with 18 bi-weekly payments of $104.00.

There are no hidden charges or fees – you only pay interest for the time you keep the loan. You can reduce the cost of your loan by paying down or paying off your loan early – there are no prepayment penalties. However, if you make a late payment, skip a payment, or your payment is returned, you may incur additional fees.

Hidden fees?  Clearly they’re not hiding anything, except for the amount if you’re late with your payment.  I can’t even imagine how much that might be.  The funny thing about this is the infomercial.  They suggest reasons why you might need cash from them.  To pay your bills, to get you through to the next paycheck, car payment, food or to just buy things.  I would panhandle before I would pay 324.1% on money for food.  I’m pretty sure I would have to be on my death bed and need that money to save my life before I would borrow it… and even then, I would have to really think about it.

The other funny thing about this is the link on their website about a 12-step get out of debt program.  Not once do they say debt is bad, they just suggest you pay your debt payments on time.  And they send you to the government for assistance instead of telling you you’re an idiot for paying this type of percentage rate to borrow money.  The list is funny if you want to look, click here.

I just hope I can sleep tonight, I should be able to knowing I have plenty of storage space and no debt.