i hope to join the portuguese credit union

as you know, kate just scored a job with the state of massachusetts. along with her job, she gets to bank with a credit union. it occurred to me that maybe a credit union would be a better place to go than a bank. apparently you can get individually tailored financial management advice, and i really like the community aspect of credit unions. they are not out to make a buck off their customers - all profits are given back to the shareholders (the members), and they are dedicated to improving the financial state of their members. i have a hard time managing my finances: i see a big balance on pay day, and i'm out to dinner, buying drinks, and spending - i hope this can help me be a more conscious saver.

last week i met a realtor at a housewarming, and we were talking about the market. i have always thought you needed $30,000 to put a down payment on a house, but it turns out you can get by with as little as $8,000. she pointed out that at 26, if i start saving a little each month, it is entirely feasible to purchase a house in my early thirties. i had always thought i would have somebody to do this stuff with - like a partner. but watching kate own her own home, and with friends beginning to take charge of projects like home-buying, i think it's something i should start preparing for on my own. this is a goal that i have, and in pursuit of that goal, i need to get my ass into better financial shape. [my ass could also be in better shape in general, but that requires more trips to the gym - haha.]

so, in hopes of a membership at the cambridge portuguese credit union , i thought i would do a little research on the language itself.

turns out that in addition to being spoken in cape verde, brazil and portugal, it is also spoken in east timor, mozambique, angola, and other countries all over the world.

did you know that because brazil has such a large population, portuguese is actually the most spoken language in south america?! i had no idea, and i learned more about geography as well. i'm one of those horrid statistics who has a hard time with identifying other countries.

in honor of portuguese speaking people, and the casa's ties to the flag business, i thought i would post the flags of some of these countries:

i hope that i can join the CPCU. i can't do this $35 balance bullshit anymore; i'm 26 and it's time to start behaving like a semi-adult.

edit: i am still working on this. apparently i need a portuguese speaking friend to sign me in. hmmmm..... are you portuguese? email me!