Comments on: Visiting My Credit Card Past

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:42:10 +0000

I’ve done similar things in the past to find that my memory was more than a little fuzzy as well. Regardless of how the debt got there its there and it takes a long time to get rid of.

By: NVMojo

NVMojo — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:11:16 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. What a good idea!

By: CanadianKate

CanadianKate — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:39:39 +0000

Jay: you can improve the reports from Quicken by expanding your categories. Instead of misc, make it Home improvements with subcategories for repairs (screws, wall board, etc), redecorating (paint, wall paper, decorations), landscaping (garden plants, ponds, lawn ornaments), furniture, yard care (lawn service, fertilizer, grass seed, lawn mower gas).

You can also write what each chit was in the memo field if you don’t want extremely detailed categories. Then, when you are reviewing your expenses you can see if you need to add a category for regular spending.

Tricia: as usual, I love your credit card posts. Keep them coming!

By: Wes

Wes — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:49:37 +0000

We keep our cc statements, in a file drawer, kinda organized. A good thing too. With the class action settlement on finance charges for foreign transactions we are looking at a nice little return for our organization. We sent them a nice little detailed accounting for what we spent overseas while working. We haven’t seen the check yet and are curious what it will be.

By: jay

jay — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:31:39 +0000

One of the interesting things I do once a year (should be more often) is go into my Quicken records and look where we spent money, by Payee, Category, and Date. It doesn’t list individual items purchased, but has been quite a shocker as to the number of visits to Orchard or Home Depot for “misc” home improvement items, our personal black hole!!
I am trying to hang on to receipts now, so that I can actually track WHAT those “misc” items are. ‘Course luckily we have no receipts yet–YEAH!

By: Colleen in MA

Colleen in MA — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:51:45 +0000

I can relate! I too have saved old credit card statements and it is a great reality check to look at them from time to time. I have my very first statement from my first semester away at college and it’s full of “stuff” – sweaters, earrings, etc and … gas. That gas wouldn’t have been on that if I hasn’t bought so much junk! My Mom ended up seeing the statement and she said “have fun – we all go thru this.” NO, NO, NO I wish hadn’t gotten that message back in my twenties.

By: Debt General

Debt General — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:44:52 +0000

Good luck!

By: Tricia

Tricia — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:43:36 +0000

DebtKid – Yeah, it’s pretty bad that I didn’t remember. Maybe I was blocking it from my mind.

Beth – Good point. We are paying for those purchases now…and some (finance charges)!

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:39:50 +0000

The irony with #2 is that you didn’t really “spend money” after you purchased your house. You bought things, but the things you put on credit you didn’t actually “spend money” on. NOW is when you are spending the REAL money to pay those things off from your credit card debt. The mindset that is very easy to get into with credit cards (and very dangerous) is that you/we’re “buying” things and “spending money” when you/we’re not.

By: DebtKid

DebtKid — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:09:35 +0000

Wow…you bought a laptop and didn’t remember? Tricia! Bad, bad, bad! Well, we live and learn, right?