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Things are getting crazy

June 18th, 2018 at 04:08 pm

It's the end of the school year here and that brings a lot of expenses with it.

Signed my son up for basketball camp - $110. It's the only camp he does over the summer and we are trying to keep him from playing video games 24/7, plus the exercise is good for him and he really enjoys it. I know I am rationalizing why I am spending the money on camp but I am not ready to start depriving my kids.

Starting gathering ideas for my daughter's high school graduation party. I lot of things I will be able to do myself but some will require outside help and therefore, money. We are keeping it simple but even simple has a price.

Getting my haircut today - first time in 4 months and believe me when I say I need it! I did budget for it so that's a step in the right direction Smile

Extended family went to a burger joint for Father's Day dinner yesterday. Mu husband has 2 sisters, both of which have their own families. Can you believe neither sibling offered to pay for their father's dinner? I couldn't believe it. I, of course, wasn't going to let them pay, it was Father's Day after all. $58 on dinner. I was half tempted to text the girls after and tell them they owe me half of what their parents had.

Getting burned out on mystery shopping. I did just get another $43.32 but it's so time consuming. I am still going to do it but I think I have to cut back a little until I get through grad party planning.

Still looking for a personal loan to consolidate my debt. Changed garbage companies last week which will save me $100/year. I also reviewed option for gas and electricity supply charges and am confident I am getting the best rate. Next up, ditching the land line and looking into options for decreasing our cable bill.

Reimbursement

June 12th, 2018 at 05:02 pm

Got my cell phone reimbursement from work today. They don't reimburse much but it's something. Adding $38 to my Discover Loan.

Also got another mystery shopping payment. Another $20 to Discover.

I am busy trying to find a reasonable personal loan to pay off my credit cards. I haven't found anything lower than what Discover is offering so I might just go with them. And then cut up everything plastic!

I am getting antsy because it takes so long for these small amounts of extra cash to come in - I feel like I am fighting against the interest on my credit cards and every measly bit isn't helping much. Plus it's so hard when things always seem to come up at the last minute. I need to do some better planning.

My goals for this week are:
1) contact another garbage company to see if I can get a lower rate
2) contact the gas and electric company to get a lower supply charge
3) cancel my land line

Father's Day, the last day of school, my daughter's high school graduation, and my anniversary are all coming up in the next 2 weeks - it's a busy time and I am afraid it will be an expensive time.

Ugh, maybe updating my sidebar will make me feel better.

Interest Rate Update

May 29th, 2018 at 02:39 pm

Updated my sidebar with current interest rates...ugh. Hopefully that will help motivate me Smile

It was an awesomely relaxing weekend and guess what? I didn't spend any money!! Stayed home most of the weekend to get caught up on laundry and cleaning the house. Took several long walks with my husband and puppy. Son had a friend over and went to my in laws for a cookout yesterday. My husband and I went to the movies on Sunday but I had a free movie ticket that was given to me at work for completing a project and a gift card left over from Christmas. 2 movie tickets and a package of Twizzlers...free! Time spent with my husband...priceless.

I get paid in 2 days and can not wait! I have had about $30 sitting in my checking account for the past week and it makes me very nervous to have so little. My family is waiting for me to go grocery shopping as we are running out of stuff. When I get home tonight I am going to sit down with the ads and do some menu planning and make my list. I am excited to see how little I can spend!

In scary news, my husband got a letter from the bank he has his car loan from saying someone put a lien on his car. Like I said before he pays his credit card in full each month and doesn't owe anyone anything. He has been confused with someone else in the past due to having a fairly common name and that is what we are thinking this time but it's still annoying that he has to try to prove that he isn't who they are looking for. Last time this happened he had to go to court with a lawyer to prove he wasn't the person they were looking for.

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

The Ugly Truth

May 25th, 2018 at 02:28 am

Posted the ugly truth over on my sidebar. Ugh, it hurts to see the actual numbers. I have a long road ahead of me but I am determined. I am going to use the Snowball method and get my Discover Personal Loan out of the way quickly. It should be gone by July. It will be good to see one less thing over there on the left Smile

I conducted an audit for Field Agent tonight which will bring in $3.00. I also scored free hot dog rolls using coupons.com. Perfect for the coming weekend. Earned .27 completing a survey. A drop in the ocean.

Newbie :)

May 23rd, 2018 at 08:44 pm

Hi All,

I might be new here but debt is something I have struggled with all my life.

A little about me: Mom of 2 - daughter is 17 and son is 13. I work full time and graduated from college with a BS in, of all things, Finance! I am very independent, hard working and, when it comes to most things, responsible.

I have close to 20K in debt - mainly credit cards. I need to find a way out of this hole I have created for myself before...my husband finds out. Yes, you read that right. My husband doesn't know I have this debt. And I want to keep it that way. Actually I want to pay it all off before he finds out. You might be asking, how does he not know?? We have been married 13 years and from the start we have kept our finances separate. He pays for the mortgage and taxes. I pay for the utilities and food. He pays for our son's karate and I pay for all the kids clothes, school lunches, just about anything else that they need. He pays for his car and his car insurance. I pay for mine. It's a system that has suited us well except for the fact that most months I don't have enough cash on hand that I end up charging whatever the kids need.

With all that said, I am super determined to make this happen. I am going to scrimp and save and throw every dollar I can find towards my debts. I am not bringing this into our retirement with me. I have about 18 years until I retire - more than enough time to dig myself out but I want it gone sooner rather than later so I can save myself from the increasing anxiety I feel when I check the mail or the phone rings or my husband talks about money.

I will post my budget and debt amounts soon. I hope you all will hold me accountable and help me find some ways to save.