Morning bike rides, money markets, etc.

It was 56 degrees when I woke up this morning, so I decided to enjoy the great weather by going for a bike ride and running some errands at the same time.

I have a wire bicycle basket just for these occasions. My husband was able to push it back into shape after a recent collision involving my bike and his, but that's another story for another day.
I crossed Bartow Road and turned down some side street off of Main Street, where I found some money. I post my findings as they occur on my Found Money Blog.

I love riding in Downtown Lakeland because there are sidewalks and crosswalks everywhere, which makes me feel like less of a target for distracted drivers- like the guy driving the City of Lakeland truck and talking on his cell phone this morning. He was on Main Street and turning onto Lake Parker Avenue. I had the right of way, but also had the sense to realize this guy wasn't paying attention. I let him proceed and I didn't even utter a curse word. Major accomplishment for me.

I peel off to the Lakeland Electric building, which has an awesome hill that makes for a fun bike ride, but also makes you want to check your brakes. I dropped off my Bright House Networks bill. I noticed they have a blue mailbox nearby, a site that is becoming more and more rare, so I dropped in the envelope that I was going to have to ride to the Post Office to mail.

Then it was off to The Lakeland Ledger, (I know Lakeland isn't in the title, but Chuck Welch at Lakeland Local will appreciate my placing it there) where I dropped off my subscription payment and picked up a free copy of the Ledger's newest publication, The Polk County Business Journal, for which I write the occasional article.

I rode up one mother of a hill leaving The Ledger parking lot, down New York to Main Street, and when I got to Lake Mirror, I decided to cruise around the lake to make my route more scenic. I said hello to the dozen or so homeless people occupying the benches, watched the City of Lakeland workers putting up the first of the Christmas decorations, then made my way over to Gary Road.

I rode my bike through the MidFlorida Credit Union drive-thru and I was so pleased to see the teller who doesn't like me to ride my bike through the drive-thru was on duty. And, there was nothing she could do about it, because the inside wasn't open yet. So I dropped off my signature card to the new money market account I opened yesterday.

And that leads me to my tip of the day: If you bank at MidFlorida and maintain a balance of at least $1,000 in your savings account, you might consider switching to this money market account. The savings account earns 1 percent interest, while the money market earns 3 percent. If you have a money market account and the balance drops below $1,000, the interest rate drops to 1 percent until you bring the balance back up again. That means you have nothing to lose! And unlike a CD, your money market account is accessible. You can deposit into it or withdraw from it without any penalty. You can check out Mid Florida's rates here.

Now keep in mind that this information is just what I gathered while opening the account yesterday. Certainly don't take it as gospel, but call and find out for yourself if you're interested.