Archive results for “August 2009f 2009”
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We paid off our credit card last week.
We’re still working on my husband’s truck loan and the student loan but we promised ourselves little rewards for each payoff. It’s a good way to stay motivated when finishing a long stretch before starting yet another long stretch.
Surprisingly, my husband suggested a night out (surprising because I expected him to suggest something more along the lines of a macho flat screen TV or a beefy new grill). We purchased tickets to see Spamalot at the Civic Theater downtown. The tickets were $17 each (we sit in the nosebleed seats) and with dinner, we’ll likely spend a total of $100.
We get a one night break and it’s off to frugality again.
Hi everyone. Tricia here with another update. I cannot believe that summer is almost over and school will be starting soon. Oh my…how time did fly.
Things in our financial arena could be better right now. I was a little more relaxed with tracking our finances (ok, I was lazy and didn’t keep a watchful eye on everything) and we spent more money than we probably should. We still do not have credit card debt, but we are not contributing to our savings account or paying off debt like I had hoped for this month.
This time, I’m not saying, “Hopefully next month things will be better.”
No, this time things will be better. How? We are ditching our debit card and the one credit card we use for cash back and pay off in full multiple times a month. We are going back to good ‘ole cash.
If you followed my story, I’ve mentioned many times that I do not like using cash. In fact, I’m still not crazy about it. But now that our credit card debt has been paid off, I have lost some motivation. Sure, we have other debt to pay off (student loans and mortgage), but I do not have the same passion to pay that off as I did with the credit card debt.
We need a challenge.
I thought about it for a while, and using only cash seemed to be a perfect fit. We’ll have a certain amount to use every week and once the cash is gone – there is no more spending. The cash will need to cover everything that is not normally paid via automatic payment or check. I have a feeling that it will lead us to do some creative things to make it through the end of the week at times. It should help spur our creativity and get our frugal juices flowing again. They were still there, just a little stale. Time to spice things up!
I’m pretty excited about the change in our financial routine. Perhaps it was time to try something a little different. I’ve always said that everyone should make their own recipe for financial success by taking tidbits from here and there. I guess I never thought about modifying that recipe every now and then just to keep things fresh. Perhaps this is just what we need right now in this stage of our lives 
With that, I will conclude by saying that September will be a great month and I have to congratulate Beks – she just paid off her credit card debt. Woohoo!
Here are the current numbers (I’ll work on getting the sidebar updated):
Total Starting Debt: $38,495.86
Total Paid: $16,727.33
Total Remaining: $21,768.53
Breakdown of Remaining Debt –
Truck: $11,934.57
Student Loan: $9,833.96
We’re nearly halfway there. I got an updated payoff date according to our Debt Snowball Calculator on DaveRamsey.com…
December 2010.
We shaved off 4 months so far. Can I get a Woo Hoo?
Shhh. If I say this too loudly, I may jinx it.
OUR CREDIT CARD IS PAID OFF!!!!
We decided to use the rest of our extra paychecks to pay off the remaining balance. The checks didn’t cover all we owed but my husband worked some overtime and we were able to clear the rest.
We set aside some money for the bachelorette party in Vegas and the secretly located bachelor party. I would have probably opted not to go to Vegas but the bride is my soon to be sister in law and well… who can say no to Vegas?
One of our roommates is moving out on September 1st. We set aside money to cover the loss of rent for the month so we’re still on schedule. I was looking forward to having a quiet month with some alone time with my husband but it looks like I’ll be serenaded by the sounds of hammers and saws. We are using this time to tear down an interior wall between our bedroom and the guest bedroom to add insulation and soundproofing before the new roommate moves in at the end of September. If I want alone time with my man, I’ll have to throw on a hard hat, a ratty t-shirt, and an old pair of jeans. You can count me in whenever sledge hammers are involved.
I’m fortunate to be married to a hardworking construction genius who can do the work himself (plus, my husband looks irresistible in safety goggles). We only have to pay for the materials which should run about $100.
Why are we insulating? Our house was built in the 1950’s and no insulation was used on any interior or exterior walls. Our heating and cooling bills are much higher than they need to be. The initial expense of the upgrade will be quickly paid for in lower electric bills plus, it’s better for the environment. And… our new roommates are newlyweds – that’s reason enough in itself.
It always seems like when we have an opportunity to get ahead, the necessities of life burn through the cash. Between tuition costs, new dog vet bills, and the two weddings, we have had to pony up more than $3,000 in the last two months.
These expenses would have buried us in the past, but careful planning and frugal spending have kept our heads above water.
I promised myself I’d never talk about politics. Political topics are a surefire way to create chaos.
But…
All I have been hearing about for the last week on every news station in San Diego is the Cash for Clunkers program and about angry car dealers who have decided to cut off the program early. Dealers have found themselves swimming in paperwork and unable to get timely reimbursement for the Clunkers (most dealers in this area have been reimbursed for less than 25% according to the reports). The Clunkers program was expected to last until November but quickly ran out of money in the first few days. More money was added to the pot, but it was used faster than expected as well.
And of course…
The local news stations have tied this topic to the heated healthcare reform debate. The ‘failure’ of this program has caused people to worry about governmental competence when it comes to their health.
What do you think?
Yesterday we received a call I thought we’d never get. A call from…
A COLLECTIONS AGENCY!
‘This message is for Rebekah’s husband [obviously they stated my husband’s full name], we have an urgent matter to discuss with you. We’re calling from Blankety Blank Collections, please call us immediately!’
I called my husband in a panic. ‘Honey, you’ve got something in COLLECTIONS! Can you call them the second you get home!!??’
I dialed again.
*ring*
‘Hon, don’t give them your Social Security Number!’
*ring*
‘Hon, don’t give them your credit card number!’
*ring*
‘Tell them we want something in writing or an office address!’
To which he finally said, ‘Sweetheart, I can’t call them unless you stop calling me.’
Oh. Oops.
A few minutes later, he called me back and said…
‘Same name, wrong person.’
Hey Collections folks, thanks for making not only people with who can’t pay their bills miserable but also everyone else who shares their name.
I can only hope they won’t be calling back.
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
- Paid: $17,435.80
- Remaining: $21,060.06
- Broken Down
- Auto Loan 1: $0
- Credit Card: $0 Woo Hoo!
- Student Loan: $9,680.19
- Auto Loan 2: $11,379.87
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