by Hope
This month is pretty much a wash since the bulk of the money I would have paid off debt with is going to Princess’ dental surgery. I am using a CC for the fee. I paid it off at the beginning of the month, but will max it out with the surgery.
So the card won’t get paid off until next month.
| Debt Description | October, 2023 Total | Interest Rate | Minimum Payment | Current Total | Payoff Date (Est) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC - Frontier | $3,857 | 29.99% | $130 | $0 | December, 2024 |
| Dad - New Furnace | $2,600 | 0% | $0 | $2,600 | January, 2025 |
| CC - USAA | $5,000 | 19.15% | $135 | $5,000 | March, 2025 |
| Student Loans | $22,121 | 2.875% | $22,816 | September, 2025? | |
| CC - Apple** | $500 | Paid off every month | $0 | ||
| CC - AMEX | $894 | 29.24% | $0 | $0 | Mar, 2024 - Closed |
| CC - Sams | $1,106 | 29.99% | $0 | $0 | April, 2024 |
| Personal Loan #1 | $2,500 | 0% | $0 | $0 | July, 2024 |
| Personal Loan #2 | $2,500 | 0% | $0 | $0 | August, 2024 |
| CC - Wander | $1,630 | 29.24% | $0 | $0 | August, 2024 - Closed |
| CC - Amazon | $1,497 | 29.99% | $0 | $0 | September, 2024 |
| Total | $44,206 | $265 | $30,416 |
I did make some extra money this month on a side project. (It was supposed to come in last month.) And I’ve put that towards my personal loan. Otherwise, not much to report on the debt journey this month.
Next Goals
After I pay off the Frontier CC for good next month (November), I plan to tackle the personal loan next. I realize that the USAA CC is still high and accruing interest. But it will feel good to pay off my dad and go into the new year with just the one remaining credit card debt.
Quiet Focused Months Ahead
Other than the family trip to Texas at Thanksgiving, I anticipate some very quiet, focused months ahead. As of this posting, none of the boys will come to Georgia for Christmas. And the girls have their own residences now, so it will be pretty low key. I’m working on planning house projects on the weekends in anticipation of putting the house on the market in the new year. I’m thinking that will happen in March right now.
I’m also planning to meet with a few real estate agents over the next month to determine what projects MUST be done and what can be avoided. That will certainly affect the budget over the next couple of months especially once I figure out what I can do myself and what I will need help with.
Any tips from the BAD community for selling a house?

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.

