When car drivers in Oklahoma City went to bed on this date in 1935, they probably had no idea how their world, and ours, was going to change come the next morning. On July 16th, America’s first parking meter was operating on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue. While local drivers could avoid that space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest, and as municipalities sought to raise revenues while rotating street parking spots among more drivers. At the same time, pay parking lots and garages began to spring up. Now a major business, there are more than 13,000 commercial parking facilities in the U.S., which take in well over $8 billion a year in parking fees. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, July 14th. Almost every home has at least one. They can be made out of cloth, plastic, or metal. Seamstresses and tailors use them, as do professional craftsmen and weekend do-it-yourselfers. It’s the tape measure, patented on this date in 1868 by Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut. His version had a feature still used today — a spring click lock to hold the tape at any desired point. One notable tape measure was 600 feet long and gold plated. It was presented to New York Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle in 1956 to honor his longest home run. Tape measures are sure to be found at the nation’s 21,700 hardware stores, which sell $20.5 billion worth of goods each year. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, July 13th. A number of special observances are held in July — three of them just naturally go together. It’s not only National Grilling Month, but also National Hot Dog Month and National Ice Cream Month. Whether we call them frankfurters or just plain hot dogs, Americans eat some 7 billion of them during the summer months. While more hot dogs are consumed during the summer, they are popular all year round — part of some $37 billion of processed meats sold in the U.S. each year. And when it comes to ice cream, we especially savor the cold treat during the summer, but spoon it out all year long. Each of us consumes an average of over 24 pounds of frozen dairy products annually. You can find current data on the country’s economy by downloading the new “America’s Economy” mobile application at <www.census.gov/mobile>.
It was only a matter of time before someone would be complaining about late fees on water bills–I understand that times are tough for all of us–but that is why a BUDGET really can help put the monthly bills in order of importance and start to make the effort.
One late fee from any creditor is a shocker , Experience is the best teacher in this case.