Tonite during dinner, we were interrupted by one of those bargain clubs with our gasoline credit card company selling the "greatest discounts on travel, theater, fine dining , etc". After repeately telling the woman we were not interested, I explained that we were living self sufficiently with minimum outside income (growing our own food, raising livestock co-operativly with neighbors). She hung up on me before I could hang up on her! I guess homesteading just isn't popular with the general masses. I love it.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 02, 2000

Answers

I also love the calls for a"free"trip if you go to a sales pitch, I simply ask if the seller is willing to watch the farm ,they hang up real quick!

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), November 02, 2000.

We had a call on our machine just yesterday. They said they had our credit report in their files and since we are home owners, they could consolidate all our bills. Well guess what, we don't own a house. How 'bout that?

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), November 02, 2000.

Hee hee. Thanks for the laugh Jay. I needed that tonight. When I was reading your post I could just imagine that womans' face! Think I'll try that next time I get one of those calls.

-- Annie (mistletoe@earthlink.net), November 02, 2000.

The local newspaper calls us twice a week at least to up our Sunday only to daily. One time my husband answered. "You want to send us the paper daily for free?...hmmmn..." I said, "No no NO! -- we'll just have to recycle it all and you ain't done the recycling in 3 months and every container is overflowing and..." The salesman on the other end said, "Gee, man, I didn't mean to get you in trouble...Sorry, bye!"

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), November 03, 2000.

I just tell them (interupting their spiel) that we DO NOT DO credit cards. And hang up. We aren't getting very many of those calls anymore!! ;-)

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 03, 2000.

As soon as I realize that it's a sales pitch,I don't bother saying anything-I just hang up!

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), November 03, 2000.

Those telemarketers used to call here all the time. There is usually a delay before they get to your call OR you can hear all the voices in the boiler room they're calling from. I hang up immediately, before they even start talking. Now, they've gotten smarter and there aren't so many delays. If I have to talk to them I tell them we have no bills to consolidate. (I thank y2k for that.) They really don't know what to say. It's frightening to think how many people are deeply in debt. I wish them all luck getting out, but consolidating isn't the way to do it. Jay, I love your method of getting rid of her. You tried to "sell" her on your way of life. Not surprising that she didn't buy.

-- Peg (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), November 03, 2000.

Jay, just love your answer! We intend using yours (if you don't mind) and also renee's (as long as she doesn't mind). Thought they were both great and I'm now looking forward to that next call!

-- Phyllis (almostafarm@yahoo.com), November 05, 2000.

This is a little off topic I guess but with all those credit card offers in the snail mail about every day----I use the prepaid envlope to send Bible Tracts to'm with. Why not? They've invaded my privacy with their stuff I figger it's my right to send'm something that'll las an ETERNITY and cost absolutely NOTHING! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), November 05, 2000.

I have to laugh (it's better than crying!) at all those *pre- approved* credit card offers that come in the mail!! What can those people be thinking, anyway!?! We get, on average, two or three of those things every week -- they all go straight into the garbage, but can you imagine if we took them up on even a small fraction of those offers?!? We'd be in debt up to our eyebrows! We just, finally, managed to get all three of our credit cards paid off. Two have been cut up, we are holding onto the Sears card for emergencies. And hope and pray we never need it!! Now we just have two car payments to get rid of, and the mortgage on the house, and we hope to wipe those out by selling the house. What a HUGE relief that will be!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 05, 2000.

Hey the local newspaper insisted I neede ther're services, I argued with them and they finally one. So I started receiveing my paper for about 3 days, after which I called to fine out where my paper was? They said the delevery man refused to travel down my road anymore. That I was to far off the main route. They refunded my monies and haven't heard from them since. Hee,hee.

-- Richard V> Miller (richard.miller@1st.net), November 08, 2000.

This seems a good place to get my pet peeves in, too. I usually don't answer the phone due to all the telemarketers, until they leave a message and I know who it is, but when I do and it's someone selling something, few of them can pronounce my last name correctly, so when they ask for Mr. or Mrs. I tell them they are not here and hang up. My hubby had a better one, he would say "Haven't you heard? - he just died". My biggest peeve, however, is selling name lists from charitable contributes. I have enough address labels to last me two lifetimes, and since contributing to a charitible program of a church, recieve solitations from every program they have. When I do make a contribution now, it is only to one that states they don't sell the names, or won't if you check the box, and then I highlite that sentance in red.

-- Duffy (hazelm@tenforward.com), November 09, 2000.