There are two forces at work here: first, the economy is sagging, so many retailers need to "move" their merchandise to bring in the new stuff they have already ordered. You cannot sell sofas covered in spring fabrics if they are still packed in plastic in the warehouse. Second, they count on you missing that payment date in 2011, because if you do, even by a single day, they end up with some outrageous annual APY (like, say 25%). And even if you remember and pay off before the due date, someone else will likely forget, so they may lose money on you as an individual customer, but they make money on the total promotion. If you can remember to pay, it is a fantastic way to borrow money for free.

bizabet, my cat's acne came and went throughout his lifetime. Generally when we'd get it cleared up, it would stay cleared up for extended periods of time without being cleaned or treated- for us it was breaking that cycle and getting it cleared up that was the tricky part. The last time that cat had acne, he ended up losing all the whiskers on one side of his face as a result. I had him in an e-collar for a while, and also ended up putting soft-paws on his hind claws to keep him from scratching and mutilating himself. That reminds me that I also made a point of cleaning his feet/claws regularly to avoid extra contamination. I had heard, and strongly believe, what harebell said about lower immunity. This particular cat was also prone to having ringworm and similar outbreaks. That is generally associated with a lowered immune system. That's not to say that there was something fundamentally wrong with him, immune systems can wax and wane, but anything you can do to strengthen his immune system might help.

My previous cat had a similar problem. It is possible your cat may be sick so you should take her to the vet just to be safe. However, it could be an issue that your cat is eating her food too quickly and it's too much at once so they throw it up. My previous cat suffered from this for a long time. There are several ways to tackle this problem. First, you could give the cat only a little bit of food at a time. Give a little. Wait 10 minutes. Give a little more, repeat process until all the food given. This is a simple method, but I also realize some people are busy and don't have 30 minutes to feed / wait / feed wait. Second, (and this may sound a little weird and it ONLY for dry food, not wet) but put large SMOOTH stones in the food bowl. The purpose of doing this is that it takes the cat longer to pick out the food bits around the stones / crevices. It basically forces the cat to eat more slowly. Third, you could give your cat only wet food. This method worked very well for a friend of mine who also had a cat who threw up all the time because he ate too quickly. In general cats take longer to eat wet food. Anyhow, I understand the frustrations of cats throwing up all the time. It gets a little annoying cleaning it up constantly. Good luck!

Hi krycek, You may be very well correct for people who don't save, typically overspend, and aren't very concerned or serious about their money. These are the folks who *NEED* to listen to the beginners messages by the likes of Suze Ormond & Dave Ramsey. Paying the more expensive premium for a 30 FRM is a good thing for the "minimum payment, set it & forget it" crowd. I always advise folks that; The SAFEST and FINANCIALLY SUREST strategy is to accumulate a Mortgage Freedom Account (safe, liquid, compounding growth funds) that you can CHOOSE to use to wipe out the entire mortgage balance all at once when you are ready. Earning a safe compounding return that outperforms the tax-deductible costs of mortgage leverage is not difficult *IF* you match timeframes (i.e. don't try to match the costs of 30 year leverage with 6 month or 12 month deposit commitments. Long term matches long term, etc.) Of course, once you have reached this point, you also have the power & discretion to safely "let the mortgage balance ride" with absolutely no risk (since you can stroke a check to wipe it out at will) while you continue to earn more in compounding growth than you pay in tax-deductible interest (not to mention the insurance premium savings you get when you have plenty of cash & can take larger deductibles.) A 5 yr ARM is going for 2.75% currently (no buydown points.) A 30 FRM is going for 3.875% currently (no buydown points.) That's a 40% cost PREMIUM for anyone taking a 30 FRM. If you did nothing but took the savings and applied it to principal (the least effective strategy... but still,) *AND the interest rate market went "limit up" (meaning it adjusted as high as legally allowed each year after the fixed period,) you would STILL pay less with the 5 yr ARM than the 30 FRM for at least 7-8 years. If the interest rate markets do *ANYTHING* milder than the absolute catastrophic worst... you save with the 5 yr ARM deeper, and longer... allowing you to apply that savings to debt elimination and safe, liquid savings the entire time. For *MOST* of my clients, I can design a plan that will allow them to retire all their debt (consumer *AND* mortgage) in 9-10 years, even if they are paying the premium on a 30 FRM. If we go with the 5 yr ARM savings instead, we can often retire all debts in 5-7 years. (OH... and that is WITHOUT reducing their lifestyle budgets... no distasteful "belt cinching" required, assuming responsible folks in the first place.) IMPORTANT NOTE: FannieMae bond data (in their SEC reports) whow that 19 out of every 20 mortgages are paid off due to refi or re-sale by just UNDER the 7th year. Since the 5 yr ARM (in a WORST CASE situation) is better for 7-8 years, THAT MEANS that 95% of the people who pay a premium for the 30 FRM are flushing that extra money down the toilet... all because of emotional fear, or lack of understanding. DISCLAIMER: although I do provide this for my clients... I also teach the principles in various posts & responses here for everyone, for free. Those who "get it" either apply it for themselves, or they contact me... and I love it just as much when folks tell me of their successes from reading my works as I do when they hire our firm. The better you understand the realities of money, interest rates, protective periods, protective caps, and the realities of the bonds markets (which tell us indisputably how frequently loans turn over,) the better you can get out of debt, and into financial freedom. Cheers, Dave Donhoff Leverage Planner