I have had some successes and some failures. I still have to pay off the past due amounts on the monthly bills. I have been very bad with not doing that.
I did finally get my child support changed from the credit union I don't like to go to anymore to one that is right down the street from work where I have my checking account and savings account now. I need to go close the other account today. One less thing I have to worry about.
And now that my child support goes directly into my checking account it is going to be much easier to pay bills instead of going shopping for things we "need".
I pay cash for as much as possible. I do use my debit card if I don't have cash on me but I don't like to do that. I prefer to pay in cash. It hurts more to see the cash disappear than it does to swipe that debit card. Even though it come from the same place. I guess that the visual of money going from my hand to theirs is a better motivator than just swiping the card.
I do need to take 12 yr old out shopping for summer type clothes. She only has 2 or 3 pairs of shorts and a few summer type shorts. With the temps being in the 90's the past 3 days it is time to break down and get her some reconditioned summer clothes.
She is also going to summer camp for a week at the end of June. I have to make sure that she has everything she needs beforehand so I don't have to scramble for the last minute things.
rent is due this weekend. Health insurance is due this weekend.
So many bills, so little money.
I need to start rereading the Total Money Makeover to get myself back on track and get Gazelle intense as Dave says.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mothers Day
Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful moms out there.
I spent some time at my mom's with my daughter and grandchildren, my youngest son, and my youngest daughter. My oldest son was hidden away in a bedroom somewhere so I didn't get to see him but he did leave me a message on Facebook.
I spent approximately $33.00 on stuff for my mom. My 12 yr old and I got her a $25.00 gift card to Bed Bath n Beyond *her newest addictive shopping place* and a bunch of gorgeous brightly colored flowers for $7.50.
We had some various greeting cards that we inherited when my ex husbands grandmother died that we used for mom's day cards. I love them. They are truly vintage cards. The pictures and sayings reflect that and you can see the age of the cards. I love things like that. And they were free so that didn't hurt.
The past week has been interesting. I was dealing with a pretty bad sunburn (stupid me forgot the sunscreen when we went to the races last weekend) and money has been very tight.
I found out my 12 yr old has inherited bunions and flat feet and needs $350.00 orthopedics for her feet to help try to either prevent or delay surgery. I don't have the money. I have been fighting with her father to help pay for them. He says he can give me $50.00 every two weeks for 3 weeks. And that is all he is willing to do. While that helps a lot, it isn't quite the 50% he said he would help with for anything over and above the norm. That $350.00 doesn't include the cost of the new special sneakers she needs either. Those will run approximately $60-100.00. Goodie.
Insurance won't cover the cost of the orthopedics. It is excluded. They would rather pay thousands for foot surgery instead of preventative measures. Go figure the logic on that one...
Anyway, the rent was paid and this week is the cell phone bill. And hopefully the cable bill and part of the electrical bill.
I would so love to get to the point where the money just goes into the checking account and sits there for a month so I can then sit down and just pay the bills once or twice a month instead of trying to do it week by week.
It is very frustrating to struggle week to week.
At least my savings is growing. Slowly. Only $20.00 a week at this point but it is growing. I have a long way to go to get to my $1000.00 savings account.
I have a very hard time not going to Panera Bread in the morning. If I took the $10.00 I spend there every morning and put it in my savings account I would reach the $1000.00 quickly. Very quickly.
I did buy an eco friendly cup with screw on cap and very heavy duty plastic straw for $8.00. I plan on making my own Chai Tea Latte's for the morning. That will save about $6.00 right there. Then I just need to replace the bagels with either bagels from home or english muffins. That will replace the other $4.00. Then I could put $50.00 a week into savings on top of the other $20.00 a week that goes into it automatically.
I don't shop a lot for clothes, shoes, etc. I don't shop much at all anymore. It is all food. Quick meals out, breakfasts out when I don't make the time to have breakfast at home, lunches out instead of bringing lunches to work with me (or going home for lunch).
That is something I really need to work on. Badly. I make a pretty good wage. I should have a lot of money to go out and do things. I don't. Between bills and basically being too lazy to just make meals (even if it is late) I am killing myself financially.
I need to work on changing this part of my life.
I spent some time at my mom's with my daughter and grandchildren, my youngest son, and my youngest daughter. My oldest son was hidden away in a bedroom somewhere so I didn't get to see him but he did leave me a message on Facebook.
I spent approximately $33.00 on stuff for my mom. My 12 yr old and I got her a $25.00 gift card to Bed Bath n Beyond *her newest addictive shopping place* and a bunch of gorgeous brightly colored flowers for $7.50.
We had some various greeting cards that we inherited when my ex husbands grandmother died that we used for mom's day cards. I love them. They are truly vintage cards. The pictures and sayings reflect that and you can see the age of the cards. I love things like that. And they were free so that didn't hurt.
The past week has been interesting. I was dealing with a pretty bad sunburn (stupid me forgot the sunscreen when we went to the races last weekend) and money has been very tight.
I found out my 12 yr old has inherited bunions and flat feet and needs $350.00 orthopedics for her feet to help try to either prevent or delay surgery. I don't have the money. I have been fighting with her father to help pay for them. He says he can give me $50.00 every two weeks for 3 weeks. And that is all he is willing to do. While that helps a lot, it isn't quite the 50% he said he would help with for anything over and above the norm. That $350.00 doesn't include the cost of the new special sneakers she needs either. Those will run approximately $60-100.00. Goodie.
Insurance won't cover the cost of the orthopedics. It is excluded. They would rather pay thousands for foot surgery instead of preventative measures. Go figure the logic on that one...
Anyway, the rent was paid and this week is the cell phone bill. And hopefully the cable bill and part of the electrical bill.
I would so love to get to the point where the money just goes into the checking account and sits there for a month so I can then sit down and just pay the bills once or twice a month instead of trying to do it week by week.
It is very frustrating to struggle week to week.
At least my savings is growing. Slowly. Only $20.00 a week at this point but it is growing. I have a long way to go to get to my $1000.00 savings account.
I have a very hard time not going to Panera Bread in the morning. If I took the $10.00 I spend there every morning and put it in my savings account I would reach the $1000.00 quickly. Very quickly.
I did buy an eco friendly cup with screw on cap and very heavy duty plastic straw for $8.00. I plan on making my own Chai Tea Latte's for the morning. That will save about $6.00 right there. Then I just need to replace the bagels with either bagels from home or english muffins. That will replace the other $4.00. Then I could put $50.00 a week into savings on top of the other $20.00 a week that goes into it automatically.
I don't shop a lot for clothes, shoes, etc. I don't shop much at all anymore. It is all food. Quick meals out, breakfasts out when I don't make the time to have breakfast at home, lunches out instead of bringing lunches to work with me (or going home for lunch).
That is something I really need to work on. Badly. I make a pretty good wage. I should have a lot of money to go out and do things. I don't. Between bills and basically being too lazy to just make meals (even if it is late) I am killing myself financially.
I need to work on changing this part of my life.
Monday, May 3, 2010
busy weekend
Unfortunately the weekend did cost me money. More than I wanted to spend and could really afford to spend. B (someone I date) paid for the majority of the weekend but the girls (my 12yr old and her 12 yr old friend) wanted snacks, drinks, more snacks, more drinks, popsicles - you get the picture.
We went to a stock car race track called Thunder Road in Barre VT, about 2 hours north of where we live. Great place to go, I have fun, and if I go without the kids it doesn't cost me a lot of money to enjoy the day/time with B.
I did get stupid though. I forgot the sunscreen. Never even crossed my mind to bring it. Not once. Until it got too hot to wear my sweater. So I took it off and had on just the tank top I wore under the sweater. I thought about sunscreen when I saw the woman in front of me putting it on. Then I thought - OH SH*T. I am sooo going to burn. I knew I would. And I was right. I did.
Every year, I get a sunburn. A bad one. Usually not until at least June or July but I get one. And I did not fail to follow tradition this year. I just did it really early. I rode home from VT with my top just about to my belly button to keep the fabric off my chest, we stopped at a store and bought lotion with aloe and Bactine. We lotioned me up in the parking lot, got the girls settled with their lunchables and hit the road. That little stop alone cost me $26.00. Totally preventable had I thought to bring sunscreen. sigh
Stupid on my part on more than one level. Still waiting for the DR to let me know if they called in a prescription for Silvadeen that I asked for.
Hopefully this week will be better. I paid rent and will have $7.00 left until next payday. So not much chance to really spend any money. Good thing I don't need to shop for food!
We went to a stock car race track called Thunder Road in Barre VT, about 2 hours north of where we live. Great place to go, I have fun, and if I go without the kids it doesn't cost me a lot of money to enjoy the day/time with B.
I did get stupid though. I forgot the sunscreen. Never even crossed my mind to bring it. Not once. Until it got too hot to wear my sweater. So I took it off and had on just the tank top I wore under the sweater. I thought about sunscreen when I saw the woman in front of me putting it on. Then I thought - OH SH*T. I am sooo going to burn. I knew I would. And I was right. I did.
Every year, I get a sunburn. A bad one. Usually not until at least June or July but I get one. And I did not fail to follow tradition this year. I just did it really early. I rode home from VT with my top just about to my belly button to keep the fabric off my chest, we stopped at a store and bought lotion with aloe and Bactine. We lotioned me up in the parking lot, got the girls settled with their lunchables and hit the road. That little stop alone cost me $26.00. Totally preventable had I thought to bring sunscreen. sigh
Stupid on my part on more than one level. Still waiting for the DR to let me know if they called in a prescription for Silvadeen that I asked for.
Hopefully this week will be better. I paid rent and will have $7.00 left until next payday. So not much chance to really spend any money. Good thing I don't need to shop for food!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Happy May Day. It is the first day of the rest of my life...
The first day of the rest of my life. Funny. Isn't every day the first day of the rest of our lives?
Rent is paid. That feels good. Next week I will put money in my savings and pay on the cell phone bill and budget the following weeks check. My checks are typically around the same amount every week. I need to get my envelopes set up this weekend so I can cash the check and put the required amount into each envelope so I can deposit it into the bank when the bill is due.
I must admit I am not so sure this envelope system will work for me. I am leary about having money just hanging around the house instead of in the bank. Not to mention I will know the cash is there and that it would be so easy to just grab a 10.00 to go do this or that or get this or that. Granted I have my debit card which can be used just as easily but I prefer to spend cash. I hate using credit cards. I have 2 small ones (about 300.00 each for the limit) that I am trying to pay off as quickly as I possibly can.
I had gone credit card free for over a year. If I didn't have the cash - I didn't buy whatever it was I wanted. Unless I was able to get it at work. Buying things through work is a big bad habit for me. I work for a consumer electronics store. I can get all my TV's, Blu-ray's, etc at COST. Needless to say - my house is pretty well decked out with the newest and greatest. I like to get new items so I can take them home and test drive them if you will. Hard to sell these things if you don't have one. Having these things has allowed me to know the features inside and out and be able to tell customers how to access them and utilize them to their advantage. Playing with them in the store is not the same as having them in your house.
Pretty piss poor excuses I know. I admit I like to shop. I am a bit of a compulsive shopper. I will be the first to tell anyone that. It does help me to sell the products better and provide after the sale service help though.
I have 2 last things that I want to buy for my apt. 2 small 5000 btu air conditioners. We live on the third floor of a 6 unit apartment building. It gets HOT in there. Stifling hot. So I see those as a necessity. I tried fans during a rare hot weather spell in early April. Yeah - didn't work so well.
Once those 2 things are bought (one for each bedroom - I already have a 8000btu for the kitchen and livingroom areas) I will need nothing for my apartment. NOTHING. We have a TV in the livingroom, my bedroom, and a nice small one in my daughters bedroom. I have the Blu-ray players in the livingroom and my bedroom and a basic older dvd/vcr in my daughters room. We have the desktop and laptop computers, the WII video game etc. We do not need anything else. And once the Air Conditioners are purchased there won't be any "home" purchases needed or bought. I don't have any room for anything else.
The a/c's I am getting are on clearance through our distributor for around 67.00 each. I don't have to pay for them all upfront. I get to do payroll deductions (not the best thing probably as I know I wouldn't have 75% of the stuff I have if I wasn't able to do this) for the payment of the products. That helps but kind of reminds me of the rent to own scams. ONLY so many payments of this amount every week (for 54 weeks of course!). I try to do minimum payments of 50.00 per week out of my check so I don't have payment terms like the RTO scams but there are weeks when I have to lower the payment. And there are weeks when I increase.
I will be glad when everything is paid off and I have that extra money in MY hand instead of the companies. I love the place I work at but I deserve that money more right now. I need it I should say.
I am going today to find out the value of the rings I brought to the consignment store. If they can offer me enough for them I will sell them to them outright so I can put the money into my ING savings account. I have just over 100.00 in there now and need 900.00 more to completely fund my emergency savings fund. Then the debt snowball starts. I am very excited for that baby step to happen. I can not wait to say I am DEBT FREE. It will feel so good to know I don't owe anyone any money anymore. There will be the normal monthly expenses (rent, utilities etc) but no more student loan, no more payments for stuff at work, no more medical bills past due, etc.
I live for that day. My goal is to have that done in a year and a half. Sooner if I can swing it. Then when that is done, the savings get kicked into over drive (6 months worth of monthly living expenses if not more) then I can save for a newer car and eventually - another house. I wouldn't mind have a double wide trailer again. I loved the one I had. Never should have sold it but life happens.
This time - I will be prepared for life.
Rent is paid. That feels good. Next week I will put money in my savings and pay on the cell phone bill and budget the following weeks check. My checks are typically around the same amount every week. I need to get my envelopes set up this weekend so I can cash the check and put the required amount into each envelope so I can deposit it into the bank when the bill is due.
I must admit I am not so sure this envelope system will work for me. I am leary about having money just hanging around the house instead of in the bank. Not to mention I will know the cash is there and that it would be so easy to just grab a 10.00 to go do this or that or get this or that. Granted I have my debit card which can be used just as easily but I prefer to spend cash. I hate using credit cards. I have 2 small ones (about 300.00 each for the limit) that I am trying to pay off as quickly as I possibly can.
I had gone credit card free for over a year. If I didn't have the cash - I didn't buy whatever it was I wanted. Unless I was able to get it at work. Buying things through work is a big bad habit for me. I work for a consumer electronics store. I can get all my TV's, Blu-ray's, etc at COST. Needless to say - my house is pretty well decked out with the newest and greatest. I like to get new items so I can take them home and test drive them if you will. Hard to sell these things if you don't have one. Having these things has allowed me to know the features inside and out and be able to tell customers how to access them and utilize them to their advantage. Playing with them in the store is not the same as having them in your house.
Pretty piss poor excuses I know. I admit I like to shop. I am a bit of a compulsive shopper. I will be the first to tell anyone that. It does help me to sell the products better and provide after the sale service help though.
I have 2 last things that I want to buy for my apt. 2 small 5000 btu air conditioners. We live on the third floor of a 6 unit apartment building. It gets HOT in there. Stifling hot. So I see those as a necessity. I tried fans during a rare hot weather spell in early April. Yeah - didn't work so well.
Once those 2 things are bought (one for each bedroom - I already have a 8000btu for the kitchen and livingroom areas) I will need nothing for my apartment. NOTHING. We have a TV in the livingroom, my bedroom, and a nice small one in my daughters bedroom. I have the Blu-ray players in the livingroom and my bedroom and a basic older dvd/vcr in my daughters room. We have the desktop and laptop computers, the WII video game etc. We do not need anything else. And once the Air Conditioners are purchased there won't be any "home" purchases needed or bought. I don't have any room for anything else.
The a/c's I am getting are on clearance through our distributor for around 67.00 each. I don't have to pay for them all upfront. I get to do payroll deductions (not the best thing probably as I know I wouldn't have 75% of the stuff I have if I wasn't able to do this) for the payment of the products. That helps but kind of reminds me of the rent to own scams. ONLY so many payments of this amount every week (for 54 weeks of course!). I try to do minimum payments of 50.00 per week out of my check so I don't have payment terms like the RTO scams but there are weeks when I have to lower the payment. And there are weeks when I increase.
I will be glad when everything is paid off and I have that extra money in MY hand instead of the companies. I love the place I work at but I deserve that money more right now. I need it I should say.
I am going today to find out the value of the rings I brought to the consignment store. If they can offer me enough for them I will sell them to them outright so I can put the money into my ING savings account. I have just over 100.00 in there now and need 900.00 more to completely fund my emergency savings fund. Then the debt snowball starts. I am very excited for that baby step to happen. I can not wait to say I am DEBT FREE. It will feel so good to know I don't owe anyone any money anymore. There will be the normal monthly expenses (rent, utilities etc) but no more student loan, no more payments for stuff at work, no more medical bills past due, etc.
I live for that day. My goal is to have that done in a year and a half. Sooner if I can swing it. Then when that is done, the savings get kicked into over drive (6 months worth of monthly living expenses if not more) then I can save for a newer car and eventually - another house. I wouldn't mind have a double wide trailer again. I loved the one I had. Never should have sold it but life happens.
This time - I will be prepared for life.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
ok - a basic breakdown
This first part is all monthly items. The last section will be debt which will be a total sum, not the monthly amount paid
Income (including child support - which so far has been consistent but that could change any day)
$3521.00
Payroll taxes
$394.68
Health insurance/disability insurance, etc
$441.26
Rent
$825.00
Renters Insurance
$12.33
Utilities (phone, internet, cable etc)
$400.00
Food (does not include eating out)
$200.00
Eating out (we typically go to Price Chopper for their 10.00 meal deals on Wednesdays)
$40.00
Transportation (gas, registration, etc)
$271.00
Personal (school lunches, gifts, hair care, blow money, etc)
$226.00
Recreation (for fun stuff and saving for vacation)
$80.00
Clothing (I usually just buy as needed - now we are budgeting for it)
$50.00 (for my daughter and I - doesn't mean we will spend that much each month if any at all. Just planning ahead for when the need arises
Savings
$200.00
Charity (here I am breaking Dave's rule of giving 10% of your total gross income. I feel that if I have to do this program to survive that I shouldn't give so much to start with. I should use it to pay down the debt I have then when the debt is gone I can and will increase the amount I donate. Call me cheap if you want but I want these bills gone.)
$20.00
Debt owed (here is my student loan, credit cards, medical, and other misc past due bills I need to get rid of)
$12000.00 (rounded up)
So there it is. That is what I make and what I owe. I am sure that I have missed some bills that belong in the debt category (past due bills etc) so that figure may change a bit as I get more mail in and clean the bookcases out.
Income (including child support - which so far has been consistent but that could change any day)
$3521.00
Payroll taxes
$394.68
Health insurance/disability insurance, etc
$441.26
Rent
$825.00
Renters Insurance
$12.33
Utilities (phone, internet, cable etc)
$400.00
Food (does not include eating out)
$200.00
Eating out (we typically go to Price Chopper for their 10.00 meal deals on Wednesdays)
$40.00
Transportation (gas, registration, etc)
$271.00
Personal (school lunches, gifts, hair care, blow money, etc)
$226.00
Recreation (for fun stuff and saving for vacation)
$80.00
Clothing (I usually just buy as needed - now we are budgeting for it)
$50.00 (for my daughter and I - doesn't mean we will spend that much each month if any at all. Just planning ahead for when the need arises
Savings
$200.00
Charity (here I am breaking Dave's rule of giving 10% of your total gross income. I feel that if I have to do this program to survive that I shouldn't give so much to start with. I should use it to pay down the debt I have then when the debt is gone I can and will increase the amount I donate. Call me cheap if you want but I want these bills gone.)
$20.00
Debt owed (here is my student loan, credit cards, medical, and other misc past due bills I need to get rid of)
$12000.00 (rounded up)
So there it is. That is what I make and what I owe. I am sure that I have missed some bills that belong in the debt category (past due bills etc) so that figure may change a bit as I get more mail in and clean the bookcases out.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I have gotten so much accomplished today
I have all my bills separated and categorized. I have medical bills separated to ones that are in my name and in my ex husbands name. While I listed his on my budget breakdown I do not plan on paying them.
I created a sheet for each bill - even my monthly bills except for rent.
At the top I listed the company I owe the money to along with the address and whether I pay them online or by check. I then added the total balance due (including any past due amounts). If I have made any payments since the beginning of April I took that into account and added that to the paper also.
I managed to toss another couple handfuls of duplicate bills also. I now have a pile about 3" thick if that.
I also filed the bills into an accordian file holder with the debtor account sheet in front of the bills I have for that debtor.
My rent is due this week as is the kids insurance payment. Once I get those covered and paid I can start the envelope system. I have heard it works and Dave Ramsay uses it. It sounds like a good idea to me so I will try it out. I think if I have separate envelopes with the money needed for it for that particular bill in there it will be harder to spend as I know I will have to just put it back in there later and cut myself short on a different bill. Something I want to avoid.
I will be very glad when I am caught up and current with my regular monthly bills. That will make the debt snowball go that much quicker as I won't have to play catch up. I am behind on 3 bills: Cable, Phone/Internet, and Electric. Cable will be caught up in the next 2 weeks as will the phone bill. The electric bill will take a bit longer but will be done by mid-may. YAY
I also need to pay the cellphone bill next week. I hate this playing catchup crap. I really do. I hate knowing I have to pay this RIGHT NOW because I couldn't/didn't pay it when I should have.
I also took the engagement ring from my ex and brought it along with the wedding band and a couple other rings I inherited down to a local consigment shop to have them appraised for what they think I could get for them. If it is reasonable I will consign them with the shop and put whatever money I get towards my emergency fund. That way I won't have to take my regular paycheck money to add to that and I can just focus on the debt snowball. Keeping my fingers crossed it will be a reasonable and fair amount.
I also had some great news today. I had a set of rings stolen by my neighbor about 8 yrs ago. He pawned them and the pawn shop lost the rings!! For 8 YEARS! So the pawn shop called the police today to see about filing charges. I figured the statute of limitations had run out (I was correct) by now. The police office that showed up is a good family friend and when he saw that the pawn shop had had them for 8 YEARS and that they had lost them and dropped the ball he told the owner - just give her her rings back and write it off since you were the reason it has taken so long to get this settled.
SO I GOT MY RINGS BACK!! I wanted to save them for my daughter but I am now thinking it may be a good idea to sell these as well so I can get out of debt. I am not sure yet. I haven't made up my mind on this one. Hard decision.
For the next two weeks I do not plan on doing any major grocery shopping. My daughter and I are going to use up as much as we can from what we have on hand. There will be trips for milk and fresh veggies and the like but no meat buying etc as I have a freezer full of food. That will help with the cost of groceries.
I need to take an inventory of what we have and plan some meals around that so I am not tempted to go out and just buy dinner for lack of planning.
I am hoping that by next Tuesday I will have all bills and income into understandable excel spreadsheets that I can post here.
I created a sheet for each bill - even my monthly bills except for rent.
At the top I listed the company I owe the money to along with the address and whether I pay them online or by check. I then added the total balance due (including any past due amounts). If I have made any payments since the beginning of April I took that into account and added that to the paper also.
I managed to toss another couple handfuls of duplicate bills also. I now have a pile about 3" thick if that.
I also filed the bills into an accordian file holder with the debtor account sheet in front of the bills I have for that debtor.
My rent is due this week as is the kids insurance payment. Once I get those covered and paid I can start the envelope system. I have heard it works and Dave Ramsay uses it. It sounds like a good idea to me so I will try it out. I think if I have separate envelopes with the money needed for it for that particular bill in there it will be harder to spend as I know I will have to just put it back in there later and cut myself short on a different bill. Something I want to avoid.
I will be very glad when I am caught up and current with my regular monthly bills. That will make the debt snowball go that much quicker as I won't have to play catch up. I am behind on 3 bills: Cable, Phone/Internet, and Electric. Cable will be caught up in the next 2 weeks as will the phone bill. The electric bill will take a bit longer but will be done by mid-may. YAY
I also need to pay the cellphone bill next week. I hate this playing catchup crap. I really do. I hate knowing I have to pay this RIGHT NOW because I couldn't/didn't pay it when I should have.
I also took the engagement ring from my ex and brought it along with the wedding band and a couple other rings I inherited down to a local consigment shop to have them appraised for what they think I could get for them. If it is reasonable I will consign them with the shop and put whatever money I get towards my emergency fund. That way I won't have to take my regular paycheck money to add to that and I can just focus on the debt snowball. Keeping my fingers crossed it will be a reasonable and fair amount.
I also had some great news today. I had a set of rings stolen by my neighbor about 8 yrs ago. He pawned them and the pawn shop lost the rings!! For 8 YEARS! So the pawn shop called the police today to see about filing charges. I figured the statute of limitations had run out (I was correct) by now. The police office that showed up is a good family friend and when he saw that the pawn shop had had them for 8 YEARS and that they had lost them and dropped the ball he told the owner - just give her her rings back and write it off since you were the reason it has taken so long to get this settled.
SO I GOT MY RINGS BACK!! I wanted to save them for my daughter but I am now thinking it may be a good idea to sell these as well so I can get out of debt. I am not sure yet. I haven't made up my mind on this one. Hard decision.
For the next two weeks I do not plan on doing any major grocery shopping. My daughter and I are going to use up as much as we can from what we have on hand. There will be trips for milk and fresh veggies and the like but no meat buying etc as I have a freezer full of food. That will help with the cost of groceries.
I need to take an inventory of what we have and plan some meals around that so I am not tempted to go out and just buy dinner for lack of planning.
I am hoping that by next Tuesday I will have all bills and income into understandable excel spreadsheets that I can post here.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Almost there!
I have sorted through a boat load of bills, tossed the ones for the ex husband that are his bills, tossed duplicates, and am very pleased with myself.
Tomorrow I will be categorizing them and entering them into the budget.
I had a pile about 12" thick that I sorted through and have gotten it down to about 4" thick. Some of that is insurance paperwork (health insurance and the new car/renters insurance policies).
I feel very good about what I have accomplished tonight. I feel that being organized is key to being ready to be debt free. If you know what you have and what you owe, when certain bills are due, what is being paid through EFT, what you pay via check, money order etc it is much easier to keep track of exactly how much you need to pay off to become debt free.
I am seriously considering selling the diamond ring my ex gave me to start my emergency fund. It is a very nice ring and I am torn about selling it, saving it for one of my girls *not his*, or taking the diamond and having it made into a new piece of jewelry for me.
I am leaning towards selling it just because I want to get my baby emergency fund going. The ring doesn't really hold any special memories for me or sentimental value so I think selling it would be the best bet. Yes, I think so. The wedding band will also be sold with the diamond. No sense in keeping one but not the other.
This will be a big boost to the emergency fund without having to touch my regular monthly income. Not a bad deal really.
I also have a sapphire/diamond ring that he bought me that I will not be selling. That ring I love. Funny how that ring means more to me than the diamond engagement ring. I often thought that the sapphire/diamond ring should have been my engagement ring instead of the diamond.
I also have some small appliances I have that I have never used or only used once or twice that I know I won't ever use again that I could list on Craigslist or our local buy/sell group online to help get the baby emergency fund started. I have a ton of books also but I know I won't get much for them and I would really like to keep somethings I enjoy. I do plan on trading the books in at the local used book store when I am done reading them. You get so much in store credit for each good used book that you trade in. Then you can turn around and buy other books with that store credit. A good way to "recycle" my old books when I am done reading them and either my daughter or I can get "new" books to read. It could be a never ending cycle.
We do spend a lot of time at the library too but I prefer to know I don't have to return the book in so many days. If I get busy or change my mind about reading it right away I won't get penalized for not returning it when I should etc.
Once that is at the $1000.00 level I can then start the debt snowball. I have 2 credit cards that are still being paid on that I hope to keep until they are paid off then I will cancel them. I know it will hurt my credit to close them but I do that I won't have the temptation to use them, even though I only have a $300.00 limit on both of them.
I also went to http://www.annualfreecreditreport.com/ and printed out a copy of my credit report from all three credit reporting agencies.
Tomorrow I will be going through them with a fine tooth comb and seeing what I can dispute if anything and what I need to take care of right away and what can wait for awhile. I do know that I have a few things that will be removed from my reports this year starting in June (they have hit the 7 yr mark and will be removed even though I never paid them). Having those off the credit report should help to raise my score but I don't know by how much and I would like to pay them off but I don't know if that means that they stay on the credit report for another 7 yrs or if they still disappear. I also don't know if I wait till they disappear if they can show up again on it suddenly and if they do will they still show as negative?
These are all things I want to find answers on and have to do some research to find out the answers. I am not saying to not ever pay your bills (even though I am guilty for doing just this right now) and I want to pay these bills I just don't want to end up screwing myself again in the long run.
I will see what answers I can find tomorrow. Right now it is almost 11:30pm and I know if I don't get to bed and sleep soon I won't be any good to anyone tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will be categorizing them and entering them into the budget.
I had a pile about 12" thick that I sorted through and have gotten it down to about 4" thick. Some of that is insurance paperwork (health insurance and the new car/renters insurance policies).
I feel very good about what I have accomplished tonight. I feel that being organized is key to being ready to be debt free. If you know what you have and what you owe, when certain bills are due, what is being paid through EFT, what you pay via check, money order etc it is much easier to keep track of exactly how much you need to pay off to become debt free.
I am seriously considering selling the diamond ring my ex gave me to start my emergency fund. It is a very nice ring and I am torn about selling it, saving it for one of my girls *not his*, or taking the diamond and having it made into a new piece of jewelry for me.
I am leaning towards selling it just because I want to get my baby emergency fund going. The ring doesn't really hold any special memories for me or sentimental value so I think selling it would be the best bet. Yes, I think so. The wedding band will also be sold with the diamond. No sense in keeping one but not the other.
This will be a big boost to the emergency fund without having to touch my regular monthly income. Not a bad deal really.
I also have a sapphire/diamond ring that he bought me that I will not be selling. That ring I love. Funny how that ring means more to me than the diamond engagement ring. I often thought that the sapphire/diamond ring should have been my engagement ring instead of the diamond.
I also have some small appliances I have that I have never used or only used once or twice that I know I won't ever use again that I could list on Craigslist or our local buy/sell group online to help get the baby emergency fund started. I have a ton of books also but I know I won't get much for them and I would really like to keep somethings I enjoy. I do plan on trading the books in at the local used book store when I am done reading them. You get so much in store credit for each good used book that you trade in. Then you can turn around and buy other books with that store credit. A good way to "recycle" my old books when I am done reading them and either my daughter or I can get "new" books to read. It could be a never ending cycle.
We do spend a lot of time at the library too but I prefer to know I don't have to return the book in so many days. If I get busy or change my mind about reading it right away I won't get penalized for not returning it when I should etc.
Once that is at the $1000.00 level I can then start the debt snowball. I have 2 credit cards that are still being paid on that I hope to keep until they are paid off then I will cancel them. I know it will hurt my credit to close them but I do that I won't have the temptation to use them, even though I only have a $300.00 limit on both of them.
I also went to http://www.annualfreecreditreport.com/ and printed out a copy of my credit report from all three credit reporting agencies.
Tomorrow I will be going through them with a fine tooth comb and seeing what I can dispute if anything and what I need to take care of right away and what can wait for awhile. I do know that I have a few things that will be removed from my reports this year starting in June (they have hit the 7 yr mark and will be removed even though I never paid them). Having those off the credit report should help to raise my score but I don't know by how much and I would like to pay them off but I don't know if that means that they stay on the credit report for another 7 yrs or if they still disappear. I also don't know if I wait till they disappear if they can show up again on it suddenly and if they do will they still show as negative?
These are all things I want to find answers on and have to do some research to find out the answers. I am not saying to not ever pay your bills (even though I am guilty for doing just this right now) and I want to pay these bills I just don't want to end up screwing myself again in the long run.
I will see what answers I can find tomorrow. Right now it is almost 11:30pm and I know if I don't get to bed and sleep soon I won't be any good to anyone tomorrow.
I got it started
I finally woke up enough to get the bills together. I still have some work to do regarding sorting them and coming with a total figure.
Past due bills will be around 8,000.00 I think. Then my student loan of just over $8,000.00. Medical bills total around 1000.00.
I feel sick. Literally feel sick to my stomach over this. I feel so overwhelmed right now. I am beginning to doubt myself and doubt that I can accomplish this.
But I also know that I can. It will take some major changes in my lifestyle and a lot of determination (and anger) to get it done but I can and will get it done.
Once I finish the final total of the bills I can then sit down and figure out what bills are priorities (Current monthly bills and the like), get my baby emergency fund started (1000.00), and then start snowballing my debt. I am hoping that within a year and a half to two years I will be completely debt free.
I own my car outright so there are no car payments to worry about, car insurance is relatively inexpensive but I am going to ask about raising my deductible to see if that will lower the cost even more, renters insurance is almost laughably cheap (12.50 a month) but a necessity as one never knows what will happen right?
My 12 yr old is going to scream like a banshee when she finds out I am cutting cable to the bare basics (thank God for Netflix!). I figure with summer coming and her going to camp for 1 week and hopefully spending a lot of time outdoors she won't miss the TV all that much. If that is the case when it turns cold again I won't need to up the package at all.
Food isn't much of a problem now that I am divorced. When I was married I was spending over $200.00 a WEEK on food. My ex ate. A lot. Way too much. But that is then and this is now. We spend maybe $150.00 - $200.00 per month if that. I buy in bulk as much as I can and then don't need to shop for that item for at least 2-3 weeks. The only thing that is really expensive for us is milk. We are both lactose intolerant on different levels. I can only handle soy milk (at almost 3.00 per HALF gallon) while she can tolerate lactose free regular milk (At almost 6.00 per GALLON). We have to buy the lactose free ice cream. coconut milk ice cream for me on the rare occasion I can justify spending over 4.00 for a small pint of it. So that is our biggest expenditure.
We were going to the laundromat to do our laundry since our apt doesn't have room for a regular sized washer. I was spending upwards of $25.00 per WEEK to do laundry. I bought a small portable washer for $240.00 (my cost at work - I am lucky that way there) and pay $25.00 more per month for rent instead. We do still wash blankets/comforters at the laundromat as the 10lb portable will not fit king sized blankets in it. We try to do this every other week instead of every week now. So we are finding big savings there also. We hang the laundry on racks around the apt to dry them. Saves on money for drying clothes and gets much needed moisture in the apt too.
I also think that when my 1 yr contract is up with Fairpoint I will discontinue my landline and just keep the internet. That will save about 30.00 per month there as well. We have cell phones (if my kid could find hers sigh) so that should be sufficient I think. Not sure though. I am kind of torn on that one.
And Panera Bread. I am going to have to say goodbye to them or at the very least cut back on going there 5-6 days a week. That will save almost 10.00 a day. Quite a bit when you add it up and even more if I bring 12 yr old with me. I will really miss Panera. Love their Chai Tea Latte's with Soy milk and spices.
I must say that I do love that Dave Ramsay's plan builds in "blow" money. I think that is a very important part of the success of the people who follow his plan. Yes it is a harsh plan but when you build in "blow" money it does allow for special things (like PANERA!) so you don't feel totally deprived.
Hopefully tomorrow I will post the rest of my bill amounts etc and get to post a breakdown of the "plan".
Right now - it is time to get back to work. Lunch break is almost over.
Past due bills will be around 8,000.00 I think. Then my student loan of just over $8,000.00. Medical bills total around 1000.00.
I feel sick. Literally feel sick to my stomach over this. I feel so overwhelmed right now. I am beginning to doubt myself and doubt that I can accomplish this.
But I also know that I can. It will take some major changes in my lifestyle and a lot of determination (and anger) to get it done but I can and will get it done.
Once I finish the final total of the bills I can then sit down and figure out what bills are priorities (Current monthly bills and the like), get my baby emergency fund started (1000.00), and then start snowballing my debt. I am hoping that within a year and a half to two years I will be completely debt free.
I own my car outright so there are no car payments to worry about, car insurance is relatively inexpensive but I am going to ask about raising my deductible to see if that will lower the cost even more, renters insurance is almost laughably cheap (12.50 a month) but a necessity as one never knows what will happen right?
My 12 yr old is going to scream like a banshee when she finds out I am cutting cable to the bare basics (thank God for Netflix!). I figure with summer coming and her going to camp for 1 week and hopefully spending a lot of time outdoors she won't miss the TV all that much. If that is the case when it turns cold again I won't need to up the package at all.
Food isn't much of a problem now that I am divorced. When I was married I was spending over $200.00 a WEEK on food. My ex ate. A lot. Way too much. But that is then and this is now. We spend maybe $150.00 - $200.00 per month if that. I buy in bulk as much as I can and then don't need to shop for that item for at least 2-3 weeks. The only thing that is really expensive for us is milk. We are both lactose intolerant on different levels. I can only handle soy milk (at almost 3.00 per HALF gallon) while she can tolerate lactose free regular milk (At almost 6.00 per GALLON). We have to buy the lactose free ice cream. coconut milk ice cream for me on the rare occasion I can justify spending over 4.00 for a small pint of it. So that is our biggest expenditure.
We were going to the laundromat to do our laundry since our apt doesn't have room for a regular sized washer. I was spending upwards of $25.00 per WEEK to do laundry. I bought a small portable washer for $240.00 (my cost at work - I am lucky that way there) and pay $25.00 more per month for rent instead. We do still wash blankets/comforters at the laundromat as the 10lb portable will not fit king sized blankets in it. We try to do this every other week instead of every week now. So we are finding big savings there also. We hang the laundry on racks around the apt to dry them. Saves on money for drying clothes and gets much needed moisture in the apt too.
I also think that when my 1 yr contract is up with Fairpoint I will discontinue my landline and just keep the internet. That will save about 30.00 per month there as well. We have cell phones (if my kid could find hers sigh) so that should be sufficient I think. Not sure though. I am kind of torn on that one.
And Panera Bread. I am going to have to say goodbye to them or at the very least cut back on going there 5-6 days a week. That will save almost 10.00 a day. Quite a bit when you add it up and even more if I bring 12 yr old with me. I will really miss Panera. Love their Chai Tea Latte's with Soy milk and spices.
I must say that I do love that Dave Ramsay's plan builds in "blow" money. I think that is a very important part of the success of the people who follow his plan. Yes it is a harsh plan but when you build in "blow" money it does allow for special things (like PANERA!) so you don't feel totally deprived.
Hopefully tomorrow I will post the rest of my bill amounts etc and get to post a breakdown of the "plan".
Right now - it is time to get back to work. Lunch break is almost over.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Very overwhelmed
I am going through my bills and not liking what I see. I am so angry that I have let things get to where they are.
And I am so overwhelmed I am not quite sure where to start right now. I have a stack of bills to finish sorting through and organizing and all I want to do is lay down and sleep. Mainly so I can avoid doing what I don't really want to do.
I know that once I get started it won't be so bad. It is the getting started part that gets to me.
Does anyone else feel that way about things you don't really want to do but know you have to do?
And I am so overwhelmed I am not quite sure where to start right now. I have a stack of bills to finish sorting through and organizing and all I want to do is lay down and sleep. Mainly so I can avoid doing what I don't really want to do.
I know that once I get started it won't be so bad. It is the getting started part that gets to me.
Does anyone else feel that way about things you don't really want to do but know you have to do?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I AM STARTING A WAR AGAINST DEBT TODAY!
Today I got angry. Why? Because I had to do a payment arrangement with my electric company to avoid having my service shut off by the end of the month.
First a little background. I am a divorced mom of 4. I have 2 grandchildren and 2 more on the way. My three oldest kids are on their own. I have my 12 yr old at home with me. When I left my husband (it isn't important why I left - I just did) we sold the house. I got nothing out of it which was OK with me. I just wanted my sanity and my freedom.
My 12 yr old and I moved into an apt with electric heat. The rent (800.00 a month) was reasonable for our area (Southwestern NH), and I liked the central location of the building. We have a 2 bedroom apt with a livingroom, kitchen and bathroom. Nice and small and compact. Hardwood floors, carpet in the livingroom, tile looking linoleum in the kitchen, linoleum in the bathroom. On the south facing side of the building (I love that - afternoon warmth!). 3rd floor. Figured it would be warmer in the winter, ok in the summer with A/C's.
Now back to why I am angry.
My highest electric bill was $232.00 for one month this winter and I had similar but smaller bills for January and Febuary. Steadily dropping with the warmer weather but I haven't been able to get caught up so I did the payment arrangement.
I am angry because 1. it is so high to begin with but 2. mainly because I didn't/couldn't pay it the way I wanted to.
I have a lot of bills. Student loans, old credit cards in collections (1st ex was supposed to pay those in the divorce but never did and I got stuck with them on my credit report), miscellaneous stupid bills I never should have run up to begin with but did, and medical bills.
The bills are, quite frankly, pissing me off. I want them gone. I don't want to have to struggle to pay my electric bill anymore or my cable bill (just paid that to avoid shut off also), or any bill.
I have been reading a book from Dave Ramsay which I am going to put into effect. I am tired of struggling and not making ends meet every month. I do get child support (1st ex owes me over $20,000 in back support and I get it for my 12 yr old) and I work full time and make pretty good money.
I know that a lot of my problem with money is WANT. I want something and I want it right then and there. I don't like to wait. Patience is not one of my better virtues. I don't think it really ever has been. Hence, the problems with the older credit cards from my 1st marriage. We were both WANT people. Not a good combination.
But I digress. That past is the past and I know what I need to do to change it to make my future better and brighter and to hopefully teach my children to not do the things I have done regarding money.
So tonight I will go home, gather all my bills, separate and organize them (should only take about 3-4 hours - ugh) and set up a budget. The dreaded B word.
I will be posting a full accounting of what I owe, amounts owed, and dates I hope to have them paid off by.
I am going to start using my ING account again. My goal? $1000.00 for a safety net (Dave recommends that amount be saved before you start the snowball debt payoff process).
My ultimate goal is to be able to have 6 months of living expenses saved, bills paid off, and to buy a house again within the next 6-7 years.
I am determined, angry, and willing to change my life to make it happen.
As the saying goes ..... If you want to live like no one else you have to live like no one else.
First a little background. I am a divorced mom of 4. I have 2 grandchildren and 2 more on the way. My three oldest kids are on their own. I have my 12 yr old at home with me. When I left my husband (it isn't important why I left - I just did) we sold the house. I got nothing out of it which was OK with me. I just wanted my sanity and my freedom.
My 12 yr old and I moved into an apt with electric heat. The rent (800.00 a month) was reasonable for our area (Southwestern NH), and I liked the central location of the building. We have a 2 bedroom apt with a livingroom, kitchen and bathroom. Nice and small and compact. Hardwood floors, carpet in the livingroom, tile looking linoleum in the kitchen, linoleum in the bathroom. On the south facing side of the building (I love that - afternoon warmth!). 3rd floor. Figured it would be warmer in the winter, ok in the summer with A/C's.
Now back to why I am angry.
My highest electric bill was $232.00 for one month this winter and I had similar but smaller bills for January and Febuary. Steadily dropping with the warmer weather but I haven't been able to get caught up so I did the payment arrangement.
I am angry because 1. it is so high to begin with but 2. mainly because I didn't/couldn't pay it the way I wanted to.
I have a lot of bills. Student loans, old credit cards in collections (1st ex was supposed to pay those in the divorce but never did and I got stuck with them on my credit report), miscellaneous stupid bills I never should have run up to begin with but did, and medical bills.
The bills are, quite frankly, pissing me off. I want them gone. I don't want to have to struggle to pay my electric bill anymore or my cable bill (just paid that to avoid shut off also), or any bill.
I have been reading a book from Dave Ramsay which I am going to put into effect. I am tired of struggling and not making ends meet every month. I do get child support (1st ex owes me over $20,000 in back support and I get it for my 12 yr old) and I work full time and make pretty good money.
I know that a lot of my problem with money is WANT. I want something and I want it right then and there. I don't like to wait. Patience is not one of my better virtues. I don't think it really ever has been. Hence, the problems with the older credit cards from my 1st marriage. We were both WANT people. Not a good combination.
But I digress. That past is the past and I know what I need to do to change it to make my future better and brighter and to hopefully teach my children to not do the things I have done regarding money.
So tonight I will go home, gather all my bills, separate and organize them (should only take about 3-4 hours - ugh) and set up a budget. The dreaded B word.
I will be posting a full accounting of what I owe, amounts owed, and dates I hope to have them paid off by.
I am going to start using my ING account again. My goal? $1000.00 for a safety net (Dave recommends that amount be saved before you start the snowball debt payoff process).
My ultimate goal is to be able to have 6 months of living expenses saved, bills paid off, and to buy a house again within the next 6-7 years.
I am determined, angry, and willing to change my life to make it happen.
As the saying goes ..... If you want to live like no one else you have to live like no one else.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
