Monday, April 30, 2012
Another payday!
As I mentioned before, every Friday is a payday from one of my two jobs. So this past Friday, I made a small payment to my credit card. It's also the paycheck that rent and most of my student loans have to come from, so it was just a small payment. Also, tomorrow being a new month, I'll update my running tallies on the side. Always going down, down, down!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Woo hoo! Payday!
With my full-time job and my part-time job, every Friday is payday! That means every Friday, I'm making a payment to my debt. At this point, it's Credit Card #1. Today I sent a payment of $153.59.
It could have been more, but I held back $20 for gas and $20 for a work lunch that is coming up.
This is on top of my normal $80 for discretionary spending I allow myself every two weeks, but I had an extra doctor's copay, and some swim equipment and a swim pass I needed to train for my sprint triathlon. Those triathlon expenses were going to come out of my part-time paychecks anyway, so it will all even out in the end.
I love Fridays. :)
It could have been more, but I held back $20 for gas and $20 for a work lunch that is coming up.
This is on top of my normal $80 for discretionary spending I allow myself every two weeks, but I had an extra doctor's copay, and some swim equipment and a swim pass I needed to train for my sprint triathlon. Those triathlon expenses were going to come out of my part-time paychecks anyway, so it will all even out in the end.
I love Fridays. :)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Busy, busy, busy...
Besides my full-time job as an underpaid/overworked state employee, I also have a part-time job that I work at 3-4 days a week and another contract job that is either feast or famine with clients. I volunteer once a week with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I'm training for a sprint triathalon. Oh, plus, eating, sleeping, walking my dog, cleaning the house every one in a while...
I like that my finances are organized enough that it doesn't take too much thought - but I also LIKE putting a lot of thought into them. I look at my accounts every day, I look at my budget every day, I read PF blog posts every day (first thing in the morning actually!), so that part of my life is fun to me. I like paying bills and organizing my financial life. I know, I know...it seems crazy that my debt got so far out of control but my organization is such that I've never had a late payment, or a missed bill. And that's at least ONE good thing about my personal finance life!
I like that my finances are organized enough that it doesn't take too much thought - but I also LIKE putting a lot of thought into them. I look at my accounts every day, I look at my budget every day, I read PF blog posts every day (first thing in the morning actually!), so that part of my life is fun to me. I like paying bills and organizing my financial life. I know, I know...it seems crazy that my debt got so far out of control but my organization is such that I've never had a late payment, or a missed bill. And that's at least ONE good thing about my personal finance life!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Long time, no see...
It's been a very long time since I've posted...mostly because I couldn't decide if blogging was something I really wanted to do with my personal finance journey. It felt a little exposed, I guess.
But anyway, even if no one reads my blog, I need to do this for myself.
I noticed that even though I had decided I wanted to pay off debt, I was still using my credit cards, and my balances were going up - and up and up. So...since January 1st, I've been working Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps.
I had a few speed-bumps. We had a wedding out of town in February that I had already committed to, and various other events (like family coming to stay with us for another wedding) that we had also already committed to, but other than that - I've kept a fairly low profile.
I also took a part-time job that has brought in much needed extra money to aggressively pay down debt. This helps me make extra money while also keeping me from spending extra money! Bonus!
Since it's been so long since I've posted last, I'll give you my total debt numbers for each month, starting in January, and then how each credit card sits today. (I've been keeping track!)
January 1st Debt Total: $23,771.04 (higher than my original starting number...sigh)
February 1st Debt Total: $22,747.60
March 1st Debt Total: $22,359.14
April 1st Debt Total: $21,130.54
Now, since I'm working Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps, my credit cards are being paid smallest balance first, and therefore the labels I've used for my credit cards are a bit out of order. Here are the current balances for each card:
Credit Card #1: $2,664.83
Credit Card #2: $3,915.16
Credit Card #3: $0 (woo hoo!)
Credit Card #4: $13,806.16
I'm not going to say I've been perfect since January, I've used my credit cards occasionally (ok, maybe more than occasionally) but I've been much more deliberate in my planning ahead for purchases, and I've cut back on my discretionary spending. And frankly, my bottom line has gone down - never up - and that's what matters.
But anyway, even if no one reads my blog, I need to do this for myself.
I noticed that even though I had decided I wanted to pay off debt, I was still using my credit cards, and my balances were going up - and up and up. So...since January 1st, I've been working Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps.
I had a few speed-bumps. We had a wedding out of town in February that I had already committed to, and various other events (like family coming to stay with us for another wedding) that we had also already committed to, but other than that - I've kept a fairly low profile.
I also took a part-time job that has brought in much needed extra money to aggressively pay down debt. This helps me make extra money while also keeping me from spending extra money! Bonus!
Since it's been so long since I've posted last, I'll give you my total debt numbers for each month, starting in January, and then how each credit card sits today. (I've been keeping track!)
January 1st Debt Total: $23,771.04 (higher than my original starting number...sigh)
February 1st Debt Total: $22,747.60
March 1st Debt Total: $22,359.14
April 1st Debt Total: $21,130.54
Now, since I'm working Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps, my credit cards are being paid smallest balance first, and therefore the labels I've used for my credit cards are a bit out of order. Here are the current balances for each card:
Credit Card #1: $2,664.83
Credit Card #2: $3,915.16
Credit Card #3: $0 (woo hoo!)
Credit Card #4: $13,806.16
I'm not going to say I've been perfect since January, I've used my credit cards occasionally (ok, maybe more than occasionally) but I've been much more deliberate in my planning ahead for purchases, and I've cut back on my discretionary spending. And frankly, my bottom line has gone down - never up - and that's what matters.
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