Wampum

Fairly frequently, we're questioned by fellow travelers as to how we came to live the vagabonding life we now lead. I think at this point, I can recite my schtick in my sleep; how, from my experience as an armchair econoblogger, I realized the housing market was about to pop, and, having foolishly opted for an ARM due to our subprime FICO scores, knew that we needed to cash out at peak, and before reset, so as to not lose the extensive sweat equity we'd built up in our 1913 American Foursquare. How some homes similar to our which went on the market the week after ours sold (after only ten days and three offers) are still for sale, three years later. Even Eric, who kindly refrains from critiquing my inability to balance our checkbook, now agrees that my instincts were well founded. He even asks my advice on investment possibilities.

So I wasn't surprised that two of my favorite econoblogger sites, Calculated Risk and the Big Picture, have been talking up the jingle mail theme for months now, and have both pointed out the creation of YouWalkAway.com, a website that promises, for $995, to help underwater homeowners to walk away from their mortgages. This morning, over a month after blog readers were introduced to YouWalkAway.com, the New York Times discovered it.

My prediction is that left econoblog readers will come out of the pending recession/depression well ahead of their counterparts who depend upon the Times/WSJ/WP/[insert favorite MSM outlet.]