It's been a little while since I've updated the progress on my endeavor to pay off my current debt. I haven't put anything more toward the credit card balance (I have a mortgage to pay) but I can talk a little about the lifestyle changes I've been trying to make to reach my goal.
1. Getting rid of cable: This is a semi-fail. I wanted to totally give up my cable service so that I could put that money towards my debt. I actually have been without it for this whole week but I decided to turn it back on because 1) I'm really bored at home without it and 2) I couldn't find anywhere to watch my regular shows online. I got the free trial with Netflix but I think I'm going to cancel that. I enjoyed watching the two available seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race earlier this week, but among their huge selection of movies, television programs and independent films, I found myself uninterested in much of their offering. I'm just not much of a movie girl. I like talk shows, court shows and reality TV and Netflix doesn't offer any of that.
So yeah, I just turned my cable back on tonight--but the good news is that I changed my programming package to the least expensive. But you know what's even better? I worried about missing out on the few shows I watch on the higher channels, but I checked and saw that the basic plan DOES include those few channels I watch occasionally. So I think that's so awesome because even though I reduced my plan, I'm not missing out on the channels I watched before as I expected. But it also means that I've been paying to have channels I don't watch for a long time.
2. Grocery Shopping and Eating In: Everyday last week I took my lunch to work. I made three casseroles. Between snacking on them after work and my family partaking when they visited, I had nothing for this past week--the second week. In other words, I ran out of food to cook and I did eat in the cafeteria at work. Yeah I could've gone hard and popped open some canned beets and tuna to take to work, but I guess I didn't wanna. At least I only spent half of what I normally would have in the cafeteria.
But now I know that I need to increase my grocery budget if I want to eat in house between paychecks. And also the more I build up my cupboards, I won't have to repurchase some things like flour or rice.
I have to say that I'm really excited about learning to cook and eating the product of my work. I was so proud of myself this week because my lunch was better than anything available in the cafeteria I'd have been paying $5 to eat. I may have said before that my culinary confidence has been pretty low because everything I cook usually turns out to be inedible, which is why I stopped wasting money on such attempts.
But I am so amped to grocery shop tomorrow and cook up the batch of recipes I have planned for the next two weeks. Hopefully now I am getting a better idea of how much I really need and what will last.
3. Selling on Ebay: I put up my Insanity workout DVD set for sale on Ebay. The auction ends tomorrow and the price is up to $31. I think I'll get around $40 for it. So yay!
4. Hobbies-The Waiting Money Pit: I almost did something totally counterproductive to what I'm trying to accomplish here. In one of my previous posts I mentioned how flighty I can be when it comes to new interests.
So while on Ebay I came across handmade beads. That led me to research how people actually make them. Hmm. If I can learn to do the same thing I can make beads too and sell them and make money to pay off my debts. Good idea, right? So I watched a few lampwork videos and read through some glass art discussion boards over the past couple days. I decided I would read and gather information until my next pay day when I'd go ahead and buy the necessary equipment to do this. Today I decided that I won't dip my toe into this one. Lampwork doesn't require a whole lot, but the essentials are expensive if you want to have quality things that you won't grow out of too soon. I really did want to try my hand at it, but I can see myself being unable to get the hang of this and putting it to the side and wasting money. And then, what if I learn, but don't get good enough to sell? Again, a waste.
This was definitely a near-miss but I'm glad I took the time to research, evaluate things and refocus on my goal before acting impulsively.
Well, till next time. I'll take the little money I get from Ebay and put it on this debt. Every little bit helps.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
My First Week Settling Into My Debt Diet
For the first time I started bringing my own lunch with me to work this week. I like this new habit because of course, I'm not spending my money in the cafeteria or on fast food everyday. And also (surprisingly enough), the dishes I've made have been more satisfying than the selection in the cafeteria anyway. Seriously the cafeteria has noticeably fallen off of their quality game.
Another thing is that I think I'm gaining confidence with my cooking. I never really tried to cook my own stuff to take to work because it just wasn't worth the effort. The food would be jacked up and I'd throw it all out, wasting money. But someone must have sprinkled some fairy dust on me this time around because my casseroles were pretty awesome. My family ate half of it.
So I felt really proud and I think I could possibly become pretty good at cooking as I learn new recipes , and maybe I'll even enjoy it. All the while keeping some money in my pocket.
About the getting rid of cable thing.....Right now my cable is disabled. I've been watching Netflix for the past couple days, but I don't think I can give up my TV totally. If only there were a place to watch regular tv shows on the internet. Yes, I've searched, but those sites are rinkety dinky and they only have a limited selection. I need someplace to watch episodes of shows by the day and I don't think I can find that.
And like I said before, the television is my entertainment unless I want to sit up in this computer chair for hours at a time. I was thinking maybe I could let go of TV and buy an Xbox or Wii, but I thought against that because then I'd be spending $150 a month on games.
As planned, I think I will downgrade to the basic cable package and save about $20.
For three days in a row, I've kept the heat down to 68 degrees and used my electric blanket. I have it turned on now only because my family was here earlier.
Also, I've worked more overtime than ever the past few weeks so my check should look nicer than usual.
Debt, you're going down!
Another thing is that I think I'm gaining confidence with my cooking. I never really tried to cook my own stuff to take to work because it just wasn't worth the effort. The food would be jacked up and I'd throw it all out, wasting money. But someone must have sprinkled some fairy dust on me this time around because my casseroles were pretty awesome. My family ate half of it.
So I felt really proud and I think I could possibly become pretty good at cooking as I learn new recipes , and maybe I'll even enjoy it. All the while keeping some money in my pocket.
About the getting rid of cable thing.....Right now my cable is disabled. I've been watching Netflix for the past couple days, but I don't think I can give up my TV totally. If only there were a place to watch regular tv shows on the internet. Yes, I've searched, but those sites are rinkety dinky and they only have a limited selection. I need someplace to watch episodes of shows by the day and I don't think I can find that.
And like I said before, the television is my entertainment unless I want to sit up in this computer chair for hours at a time. I was thinking maybe I could let go of TV and buy an Xbox or Wii, but I thought against that because then I'd be spending $150 a month on games.
As planned, I think I will downgrade to the basic cable package and save about $20.
For three days in a row, I've kept the heat down to 68 degrees and used my electric blanket. I have it turned on now only because my family was here earlier.
Also, I've worked more overtime than ever the past few weeks so my check should look nicer than usual.
Debt, you're going down!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
My Electric Blanket Will Cut My Power and Gas Bills
During the spring and summer months my gas bill is very low--just $10. I think that's just a maintenance type fee because the only thing that uses gas in my house is the central heating. When the weather turns cold my gas bill comes to life, increasing along with my electricity bill, too.
My first winter in my house, I used my electric blanket to keep warm most of the time, only turning up the heat when my family came to visit. Otherwise I kept the setting down to about 69 degrees, so it rarely kicked on, but kept the house from getting to freezing temperatures. This really kept my bills low. It's just me up in here, so as long as I had my electric blanket over me, I kept warm. That is, until I had to get up and go to the bathroom. But that's a small price to pay compared to a large power bill.
I'm just reminded of this, so I am going to dig out the plug to my blanket and turn the heat down tonight.
My first winter in my house, I used my electric blanket to keep warm most of the time, only turning up the heat when my family came to visit. Otherwise I kept the setting down to about 69 degrees, so it rarely kicked on, but kept the house from getting to freezing temperatures. This really kept my bills low. It's just me up in here, so as long as I had my electric blanket over me, I kept warm. That is, until I had to get up and go to the bathroom. But that's a small price to pay compared to a large power bill.
I'm just reminded of this, so I am going to dig out the plug to my blanket and turn the heat down tonight.
In a Good Place to Get The Debt Under Control
There's probably not a bad time to try to start tackling debt, but I think the timing is right for me to finally get serious.
First of all I don't have any credit to blow if I wanted, so there's no where to go but down.
And as I take inventory of my lifestyle, I see that I have much of what I need already. Like I was saying in another post, I spend more time on the computer than I do watching television. I used to need the higher cable channels to watch House Hunters and reality shows on VH1 but most those shows don't interest me anymore. My playlist consists of stuff that airs on the basic channels so I'm seriously considering doing away with my cable service.
Then another couple things I used to splurge on is hair products. I've finally found a routine and set of products that work for my hair and I imagine that they can last me a long time. Also, before I even thought about this debt reduction plan, I have been washing my hair once a month instead of weekly. I know some may find this disgusting, but it works for my hair type. It also means that I won't have to spend money on shampoo and conditioner for several months.
For the past 6 months or so, I've been a serious homebody. It's not as if I did anything before, but I'm actually realizing that I don't care to go anywhere or do much. Which would explain why I don't really have any concern about buying clothes and shoes. My current wardrobe is scant and bummy, besides my work clothes. I really do need clothes, but then again, I don't. So it's a good thing that I don't care about going places right now because then I would need to upgrade and fill in my apparel.
These are a few reasons why the timing to focus on my debt is pretty nice. Really, there's not a lot for me to cut out. I don't drink or smoke. I don't have magazine subscriptions or a gym membership to cancel. There's not much for me to fix besides cooking at home and possibly dropping my cable. And avoiding buying things when my credit balance decreases, of course.
First of all I don't have any credit to blow if I wanted, so there's no where to go but down.
And as I take inventory of my lifestyle, I see that I have much of what I need already. Like I was saying in another post, I spend more time on the computer than I do watching television. I used to need the higher cable channels to watch House Hunters and reality shows on VH1 but most those shows don't interest me anymore. My playlist consists of stuff that airs on the basic channels so I'm seriously considering doing away with my cable service.
Then another couple things I used to splurge on is hair products. I've finally found a routine and set of products that work for my hair and I imagine that they can last me a long time. Also, before I even thought about this debt reduction plan, I have been washing my hair once a month instead of weekly. I know some may find this disgusting, but it works for my hair type. It also means that I won't have to spend money on shampoo and conditioner for several months.
For the past 6 months or so, I've been a serious homebody. It's not as if I did anything before, but I'm actually realizing that I don't care to go anywhere or do much. Which would explain why I don't really have any concern about buying clothes and shoes. My current wardrobe is scant and bummy, besides my work clothes. I really do need clothes, but then again, I don't. So it's a good thing that I don't care about going places right now because then I would need to upgrade and fill in my apparel.
These are a few reasons why the timing to focus on my debt is pretty nice. Really, there's not a lot for me to cut out. I don't drink or smoke. I don't have magazine subscriptions or a gym membership to cancel. There's not much for me to fix besides cooking at home and possibly dropping my cable. And avoiding buying things when my credit balance decreases, of course.
Prank on Debt Collector. Somebody's Got to do it.
When I was 19 years old I applied and interviewed with a collections company. I didn't really have a huge understanding of what collections involved, but I needed a job and I was glad to get a call back. I didn't get the job (I'm a poor interviewee) but looking back I'm so glad I didn't.
At that point I felt like I had blown my chance at college and that I needed to get a job and stick with it. I had no plans to go back to school because I had been there and done that. I feel that if I had landed a job I would probably still be working there and hating it.
And how depressing would it be to work in collections for years? I know I would hate it. Your job is basically to hassle people who don't want to talk to you and ruin their day. And it's kind of sad because these collections agents are just doing their jobs.
But I found this video where this guy turns the tables on a collector that calls him. Not hilarious, but kind of amusing.
He says: "...but they're eating people!"
She says: "...well this debt is going to eat up your credit report if you don't take care of it."
At that point I felt like I had blown my chance at college and that I needed to get a job and stick with it. I had no plans to go back to school because I had been there and done that. I feel that if I had landed a job I would probably still be working there and hating it.
And how depressing would it be to work in collections for years? I know I would hate it. Your job is basically to hassle people who don't want to talk to you and ruin their day. And it's kind of sad because these collections agents are just doing their jobs.
But I found this video where this guy turns the tables on a collector that calls him. Not hilarious, but kind of amusing.
He says: "...but they're eating people!"
She says: "...well this debt is going to eat up your credit report if you don't take care of it."
Compounding Strategy for Paying Minimum Credit Card Payments
Everyone knows that if you pay only the minimum payment every month on a static credit card balance, it could take years to pay off.
The guy in the following video says that if you use a compounding technique to pay the minimum payments, you can pay off a $5000 credit card balance in five years instead of twenty-five years.
His suggestion is to divide the minimum payment in half, and then halve one of the halves to get two quarters. You would then pay each payment weekly for the first three weeks of the month.
He uses an minimum payment balance of $100. Divide $100 by 2. That's $50. Now divide $50 in half--that's $25. So you now have three amounts of $50, $25, $25. He instructs to pay the $50 the first week of the month, $25 the second week, and $25 the third week.
I'd think you'd have to be about a month ahead to do this because when I don't pay the full minimum when it's due they count it as late. Also, I don't think I could do this because I'd likely find other ways to spend the money before time to pay for the next week.
But this may be a good idea to try if you have the discipline and know that all you can afford to squeeze out is a minimum payment.
The guy in the following video says that if you use a compounding technique to pay the minimum payments, you can pay off a $5000 credit card balance in five years instead of twenty-five years.
His suggestion is to divide the minimum payment in half, and then halve one of the halves to get two quarters. You would then pay each payment weekly for the first three weeks of the month.
He uses an minimum payment balance of $100. Divide $100 by 2. That's $50. Now divide $50 in half--that's $25. So you now have three amounts of $50, $25, $25. He instructs to pay the $50 the first week of the month, $25 the second week, and $25 the third week.
I'd think you'd have to be about a month ahead to do this because when I don't pay the full minimum when it's due they count it as late. Also, I don't think I could do this because I'd likely find other ways to spend the money before time to pay for the next week.
But this may be a good idea to try if you have the discipline and know that all you can afford to squeeze out is a minimum payment.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The Ultimate Sacrifice. Giving Up Cable Television.
I've heard Suze Orman suggest many times that people in debt cut the expense of cable TV.
I never thought I would ever do that. I am pretty much a homebody so TV is my entertainment. I 'need' it.
But if I think hard enough about it, I spend more time on the internet than I do watching television. When I come home from work, I hop on the computer, first thing. My DVR clogs up with shows I don't get around to watching. And if I look through my playlist, most of my favorite shows air on the basic channels. My Divorce Court, X-factor, Dr. Phil are available on regular channels.
I would miss Sister Wives on TLC and watching Teen Mom on MTV, but I could compromise and have my mom tape these occasional shows for me at her house.
I signed up for the free trial at Netflix. It costs $7.95 a month so if I like I may see if I can watch the things I miss there, or substitute it for TV altogether. It sure would beat $118 a month for cable and that's money I could be putting toward paying my credit cards and such. If I give it up totally for a year, that's over $1200.
My biggest concern is that if I give up my cable, I also give up my DVR and I won't be able to record shows when I'm not home. Can I make that sacrifice?
I think I'll ultimately just reduce my cable package to the basic channels and find alternate ways to watch things I may want to watch on the higher channels.
I never thought I would ever do that. I am pretty much a homebody so TV is my entertainment. I 'need' it.
But if I think hard enough about it, I spend more time on the internet than I do watching television. When I come home from work, I hop on the computer, first thing. My DVR clogs up with shows I don't get around to watching. And if I look through my playlist, most of my favorite shows air on the basic channels. My Divorce Court, X-factor, Dr. Phil are available on regular channels.
I would miss Sister Wives on TLC and watching Teen Mom on MTV, but I could compromise and have my mom tape these occasional shows for me at her house.
I signed up for the free trial at Netflix. It costs $7.95 a month so if I like I may see if I can watch the things I miss there, or substitute it for TV altogether. It sure would beat $118 a month for cable and that's money I could be putting toward paying my credit cards and such. If I give it up totally for a year, that's over $1200.
My biggest concern is that if I give up my cable, I also give up my DVR and I won't be able to record shows when I'm not home. Can I make that sacrifice?
I think I'll ultimately just reduce my cable package to the basic channels and find alternate ways to watch things I may want to watch on the higher channels.
How I Got Into Unnecessary Debt (this time)
The first step toward change is admitting that you have a problem, but to be honest I don't have a huge spending problem. Here's what happens: I'll clear out some credit on a card and then I'll buy things because I know I have the room available to do it. At first, I do plan to pay it off soon but the more I buy, the more I'm like "Screw it."
So yes, sometimes I can be impulsive and once I give myself permission to buy one thing or two, it's easier to give in and take it further.
At the beginning of this year, I had very minimal credit card debt. But late last year I acquired a website that I've had to spend lots of money on to have designed and configured. The most expensive project cost $1400 and the other little tweaks cost hundreds that added up tremendously through this year. Then on top of that I've used the cards for things like gas and fast food whenever there was space on them. It just felt like, the balances are already more than I can pay right now---what's $20 more here or $5 there?
But that ends now.
So yes, sometimes I can be impulsive and once I give myself permission to buy one thing or two, it's easier to give in and take it further.
At the beginning of this year, I had very minimal credit card debt. But late last year I acquired a website that I've had to spend lots of money on to have designed and configured. The most expensive project cost $1400 and the other little tweaks cost hundreds that added up tremendously through this year. Then on top of that I've used the cards for things like gas and fast food whenever there was space on them. It just felt like, the balances are already more than I can pay right now---what's $20 more here or $5 there?
But that ends now.
Saving Money at the Grocery Store. Debt, Your Days are Numbered!
I just returned from my first trip to the grocery store since resolving to get my debt under control. I think I did a decent job.
Like I said in a previous post, one of the things I'm trying to do to save money to apply toward my credit card debt is cooking at home for the week and taking my own lunch to work. I use the word 'cooking' loosely.
After all my bills I had about $100 left to buy food, so my goal was to spend no more than $75. Something came up at work and I had to shell out $40, causing my available grocery funds to be reduced to $60.
I was very careful and my sum total came up to about $56. Right under the nose!
The first key for me is PLANNING. I found a couple recipes online and wrote out the ingredients as my shopping list. One thing that helps is that the recipes have similar ingredients. For example, both of the recipes use chicken breasts and cheese. So I bought a large package of both. I may be able to make one of the recipes twice.
Think about what you already have in your cabinets. I had to stop and catch myself when I thought about buying things I already have. I have about 5 cans of tomato soup in my kitchen. I like tomato soup, but I don't like these that much because when I bought them I didn't realize that they were the low-fat kind. So on my way to the store, I was thinking about buying some regular tomato soup but then stopped like "Wait a minute." I should just eat the ones I already have and save some money.
I can use the canned veggies I never open to complete a meal.
Then there's that avoiding impulse shopping thing. For the most part I did very well, but I'd have some points deducted if I were being graded. I know I said I was just going to drink free tap water--- and I will primarily....but I came across 2-liter sodas for $1.00 each and bought 3 of them. That's not that bad, is it? My second slip-up was my go-to weakness--a pint of Haagen-Dazs Strawberry ice cream! It costs nearly $4 but I had to get it. I also bought a casserole dish I could've done without, but I wanted to make sure I had the right baking dish.
So all in all, I think I did well. I hope I can actually cook something that turns out to be edible enough to eat for the week. This is kind of exciting. I feel like I'm beating the machine or something.
P.S. I just finished eating a portion of the chicken casserole I just made. It's a keeper. It was pretty easy and something I am sure I can make again.
Like I said in a previous post, one of the things I'm trying to do to save money to apply toward my credit card debt is cooking at home for the week and taking my own lunch to work. I use the word 'cooking' loosely.
After all my bills I had about $100 left to buy food, so my goal was to spend no more than $75. Something came up at work and I had to shell out $40, causing my available grocery funds to be reduced to $60.
I was very careful and my sum total came up to about $56. Right under the nose!
The first key for me is PLANNING. I found a couple recipes online and wrote out the ingredients as my shopping list. One thing that helps is that the recipes have similar ingredients. For example, both of the recipes use chicken breasts and cheese. So I bought a large package of both. I may be able to make one of the recipes twice.
Think about what you already have in your cabinets. I had to stop and catch myself when I thought about buying things I already have. I have about 5 cans of tomato soup in my kitchen. I like tomato soup, but I don't like these that much because when I bought them I didn't realize that they were the low-fat kind. So on my way to the store, I was thinking about buying some regular tomato soup but then stopped like "Wait a minute." I should just eat the ones I already have and save some money.
I can use the canned veggies I never open to complete a meal.
Then there's that avoiding impulse shopping thing. For the most part I did very well, but I'd have some points deducted if I were being graded. I know I said I was just going to drink free tap water--- and I will primarily....but I came across 2-liter sodas for $1.00 each and bought 3 of them. That's not that bad, is it? My second slip-up was my go-to weakness--a pint of Haagen-Dazs Strawberry ice cream! It costs nearly $4 but I had to get it. I also bought a casserole dish I could've done without, but I wanted to make sure I had the right baking dish.
So all in all, I think I did well. I hope I can actually cook something that turns out to be edible enough to eat for the week. This is kind of exciting. I feel like I'm beating the machine or something.
P.S. I just finished eating a portion of the chicken casserole I just made. It's a keeper. It was pretty easy and something I am sure I can make again.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Paying Off Credit and Fighting Impulses
Today is Friday (payday!) and I just finished making my bill paying rounds online.
My strategy for this paycheck was to go ahead and pay the whopping minimum payment on one of my credit accounts and throw crumbs elsewhere. So I just paid $540 on the card with the $2812 balance, bringing the amount owed down to $2272. Of course that's before they add on the finance charges and interest for next month.
But my new credit grand total is (drumroll!!!!) : $9790.78
Ugh. That's still a large amount, but it's progress, right? The bad things about paying so much on this particular credit card are that (1.) the account is closed and (2.) even if it were accessible the balance is still over the credit line, even after my payment is applied. This means that if I need gas or something before I get paid again, I won't be able to use the card---in other words, that money is just gone.
I have about $75 to grocery shop and hopefully my plan to cook for the week (or try to) will work out. I will have to eat in the cafeteria at work one last time, but after today, no more.
Last night I almost fell into the trap. I tend to be overcome with random interests and I'll buy a bunch of stuff and then put it to the side a couple weeks later (wasting money). My latest kick is makeup. I've been watching tons of makeup tutorials trying to learn this or that. I've actually been practicing but the finished product never looks like it should. I think most of it is my technique but 'they' say that the more expensive brands like MAC and Urban Decay are more pigmented and blend better than the cheap stuff.
So anyway, I sat on my computer at the MAC cosmetics website actually contemplating buying 15 eyeshadows for $196.00. Or I could get 4 for $57. I was seriously considering it.
But then I thought about the goal at hand. First of all MAC is way overpriced (it costs $15 for just one eyeshadow color!) and if I had caved, I probably would find myself still unable to create the look I want. So I decided that I should continue to practice with the inexpensive low-end 88 color palette I have. As I improve my skills, I can move on to better quality products when I know what I'm doing.
And probably most importantly, I likely wouldn't wear the makeup out of the house anyway! I just like the art of transformation and I just want to know how to do it if I wanted. Maybe I could then do some Youtube videos or create makeup tutorials or something.
In other words, it's a fledgling hobby and I don't really need to spend all that money on it right now.
I have the palette from Coastal Scents. I paid about $12 for it a couple years ago.
In the end, I did order an eyeshadow base and a blush from another makeup site for less than $20.
I'm kind of proud of myself.
My strategy for this paycheck was to go ahead and pay the whopping minimum payment on one of my credit accounts and throw crumbs elsewhere. So I just paid $540 on the card with the $2812 balance, bringing the amount owed down to $2272. Of course that's before they add on the finance charges and interest for next month.
But my new credit grand total is (drumroll!!!!) : $9790.78
Ugh. That's still a large amount, but it's progress, right? The bad things about paying so much on this particular credit card are that (1.) the account is closed and (2.) even if it were accessible the balance is still over the credit line, even after my payment is applied. This means that if I need gas or something before I get paid again, I won't be able to use the card---in other words, that money is just gone.
I have about $75 to grocery shop and hopefully my plan to cook for the week (or try to) will work out. I will have to eat in the cafeteria at work one last time, but after today, no more.
Last night I almost fell into the trap. I tend to be overcome with random interests and I'll buy a bunch of stuff and then put it to the side a couple weeks later (wasting money). My latest kick is makeup. I've been watching tons of makeup tutorials trying to learn this or that. I've actually been practicing but the finished product never looks like it should. I think most of it is my technique but 'they' say that the more expensive brands like MAC and Urban Decay are more pigmented and blend better than the cheap stuff.
So anyway, I sat on my computer at the MAC cosmetics website actually contemplating buying 15 eyeshadows for $196.00. Or I could get 4 for $57. I was seriously considering it.
But then I thought about the goal at hand. First of all MAC is way overpriced (it costs $15 for just one eyeshadow color!) and if I had caved, I probably would find myself still unable to create the look I want. So I decided that I should continue to practice with the inexpensive low-end 88 color palette I have. As I improve my skills, I can move on to better quality products when I know what I'm doing.
And probably most importantly, I likely wouldn't wear the makeup out of the house anyway! I just like the art of transformation and I just want to know how to do it if I wanted. Maybe I could then do some Youtube videos or create makeup tutorials or something.
In other words, it's a fledgling hobby and I don't really need to spend all that money on it right now.
I have the palette from Coastal Scents. I paid about $12 for it a couple years ago.
In the end, I did order an eyeshadow base and a blush from another makeup site for less than $20.
I'm kind of proud of myself.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Three Things I Can Try to Sell For Debt Reduction
I really don't have that much that's worth buying, but when I think about it there are a few things that could go on Ebay today. My only issue with selling stuff is packaging and shipping it---but if I'm serious about paying my debts, this is no issue, right?
So here are a few things I have around the house that I may put up for sale in the coming weeks.
1. Hair Steamer
I bought this hair steamer a couple years ago, but I've used it less than 10 times. It's supposed to hydrate the hair with steam, but it's more of a pain than any help to me. I paid about $119 for it. Maybe I could get about $40 for it.
2. Sewing Machine
I tend to get bright ideas for hobbies that soon fall to the wayside. I thought I was going to be like the designers on Project Runway and learn to sew my own clothes so I bought a cheap sewing machine from Walmart. I think it was about $80. I don't think I ever took it out of the box.
3. Insanity Videos
I would hate to permanently part with this DVD set, but I can find alternate ways to exercise. I paid about $140 for it if Im not mistaken. Maybe someone will value that it's a complete set and not just individual DVDs.
So among these three items, I could probably get about $100 to pay one of my credit cards. Not much, but every little bit helps, right?
We'll see.
So here are a few things I have around the house that I may put up for sale in the coming weeks.
1. Hair Steamer
I bought this hair steamer a couple years ago, but I've used it less than 10 times. It's supposed to hydrate the hair with steam, but it's more of a pain than any help to me. I paid about $119 for it. Maybe I could get about $40 for it.
2. Sewing Machine
I tend to get bright ideas for hobbies that soon fall to the wayside. I thought I was going to be like the designers on Project Runway and learn to sew my own clothes so I bought a cheap sewing machine from Walmart. I think it was about $80. I don't think I ever took it out of the box.
3. Insanity Videos
I would hate to permanently part with this DVD set, but I can find alternate ways to exercise. I paid about $140 for it if Im not mistaken. Maybe someone will value that it's a complete set and not just individual DVDs.
So among these three items, I could probably get about $100 to pay one of my credit cards. Not much, but every little bit helps, right?
We'll see.
One Way to Cut Debt: Drink Water and Take Lunch to Work
One of the simplest things I plan to do to spend less is to pay more attention to the food I eat.
I don't cook so I never take my own lunch to work. Therefore, I spend $4-$8 DAILY in the cafeteria at my job. Every paycheck, I see that I have spent around $50 in the cafeteria on my meals. Every year my cafeteria total is about $400. Isn't that kind of ridiculous?
The only thing I know how to make that's edible is a broccoli casserole. All the ingredients cost no more than $10 total. I could bake one and reserve it only for work. That would last about a week and I would have an extra $50 on my paycheck. Of course I need to learn other recipes and include some canned veggies to make a meal. I also must remember to take my food with me to work!
Also, for the past week I've only been drinking water from tap. It's free and I won't be spending any money on sodas and juices.
I'll share how this goes. I'm excited about saving some money to put toward my debt. This is going to be fun! Come Friday (payday), it's on!
In case anyone's interested, here's how I make the broccoli casserole. It's straight forward and easy.
Broccoli Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
2. In a bowl mix together the eggs, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
3. Place the cooked broccoli on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Pour your egg-soup-cheese mixture over the broccoli. No need to stir, but you can if you want.
4. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
5. Crumble some of the Cheez-its on top.
6. Bake 350 until cheese is golden-brown (about 30 minutes).
Subsequent batches of this type casserole wouldn't even cost $10 because you'll already have the eggs and cheese crackers on hand. If I remember correctly, I can get about 8 servings out of this which means that it calculates out to about $1.25 per serving the first time you make it. That beats $4 a day!
I don't cook so I never take my own lunch to work. Therefore, I spend $4-$8 DAILY in the cafeteria at my job. Every paycheck, I see that I have spent around $50 in the cafeteria on my meals. Every year my cafeteria total is about $400. Isn't that kind of ridiculous?
The only thing I know how to make that's edible is a broccoli casserole. All the ingredients cost no more than $10 total. I could bake one and reserve it only for work. That would last about a week and I would have an extra $50 on my paycheck. Of course I need to learn other recipes and include some canned veggies to make a meal. I also must remember to take my food with me to work!
Also, for the past week I've only been drinking water from tap. It's free and I won't be spending any money on sodas and juices.
I'll share how this goes. I'm excited about saving some money to put toward my debt. This is going to be fun! Come Friday (payday), it's on!
In case anyone's interested, here's how I make the broccoli casserole. It's straight forward and easy.
Broccoli Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 bags frozen broccoli florets
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 box of Cheez-Its or Cheese Nips crackers
- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
- 2 eggs
2. In a bowl mix together the eggs, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
3. Place the cooked broccoli on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Pour your egg-soup-cheese mixture over the broccoli. No need to stir, but you can if you want.
4. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
5. Crumble some of the Cheez-its on top.
6. Bake 350 until cheese is golden-brown (about 30 minutes).
Subsequent batches of this type casserole wouldn't even cost $10 because you'll already have the eggs and cheese crackers on hand. If I remember correctly, I can get about 8 servings out of this which means that it calculates out to about $1.25 per serving the first time you make it. That beats $4 a day!
Reasons Why I Need to Get Out of Debt
My quest to pay off my debt begins today and I am actually very excited. I hate looking at my credit card accounts and seeing pretty much the same balance owed every month!
Besides having some extra money to spend, there are some other reasons why I need to improve my financial status as soon as possible.
In the next few years I plan to move forward with having a child. I would prefer to have children with a husband, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen for me. I can't wait around forever, so if I'm not married soon I'm going to start looking at sperm donors (seriously) and raise a baby on my own. I realize that parenting is a huge financial strain, whether raising a child with help or alone. Therefore I need to free up my resources so that I can save some money to help support myself and a kid(s).
And if I do happen to meet someone to marry within the next couple years, I'd prefer to enter a marriage without bringing a bunch of debt into it. Likewise, I'd prefer if my (hypothetical) husband had his finances in decent condition. I don't want to help take on someone else's thousands in student loans and credit card debt. Marriage is stressful enough (i hear) without the burden of unnecessary financial obligations from the beginning.
When I was in college, I took out a couple student loans to pay for my educational expenses. Of course I didn't have any credit when I was that young and my parents cosigned the loans for me so that I could go to school.
Fast forward to today. Like most college graduates, I'm still paying on those loans from 12 years ago. When I'm late on a payment, my parents get a notice. They are not rich and have financial struggles, themselves. When they get warning notices like this, it stresses them out because they know that if I drop the ball and decide not to pay, they are screwed.
I want to finally pay this off so that my parents can have some peace in knowing that they are not on the hook for several thousands that they can't afford.
One thing that scares me about my current financial condition is that I am just "out there" if anything goes wrong. If my roof suddenly springs a leak, if the radiator in my car dies again, even if I needed to buy a few outfits for an event I wouldn't have any available credit or savings to take care of any of those things.
I do have some money in a savings account that I do not touch under any circumstances! But it's not safe to be helpless if something unexpected were to come up. It really does scare me because I don't have a credit card to fall back on.
I know this sounds pretty trivial and counterproductive but I really want a new car. I've had my car for 10 years and it is still in good shape. However, it started having some problems a couple years ago and I resent having to put hundreds of dollars into random repairs. Every time I go to have the oil changed, it seems I get a new list of issues to be dealt with.
This time around, I don't want to finance a car. I don't want a car payment at all. I want to save the total amount, pay the dealer and move on with my life.
But before I can do any of these things, I need to slash my credit card debt.
Besides having some extra money to spend, there are some other reasons why I need to improve my financial status as soon as possible.
1. Children and/or Marriage
In the next few years I plan to move forward with having a child. I would prefer to have children with a husband, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen for me. I can't wait around forever, so if I'm not married soon I'm going to start looking at sperm donors (seriously) and raise a baby on my own. I realize that parenting is a huge financial strain, whether raising a child with help or alone. Therefore I need to free up my resources so that I can save some money to help support myself and a kid(s).
And if I do happen to meet someone to marry within the next couple years, I'd prefer to enter a marriage without bringing a bunch of debt into it. Likewise, I'd prefer if my (hypothetical) husband had his finances in decent condition. I don't want to help take on someone else's thousands in student loans and credit card debt. Marriage is stressful enough (i hear) without the burden of unnecessary financial obligations from the beginning.
2. Relief for Cosigners
When I was in college, I took out a couple student loans to pay for my educational expenses. Of course I didn't have any credit when I was that young and my parents cosigned the loans for me so that I could go to school.
Fast forward to today. Like most college graduates, I'm still paying on those loans from 12 years ago. When I'm late on a payment, my parents get a notice. They are not rich and have financial struggles, themselves. When they get warning notices like this, it stresses them out because they know that if I drop the ball and decide not to pay, they are screwed.
I want to finally pay this off so that my parents can have some peace in knowing that they are not on the hook for several thousands that they can't afford.
3. Sense of Security
One thing that scares me about my current financial condition is that I am just "out there" if anything goes wrong. If my roof suddenly springs a leak, if the radiator in my car dies again, even if I needed to buy a few outfits for an event I wouldn't have any available credit or savings to take care of any of those things.
I do have some money in a savings account that I do not touch under any circumstances! But it's not safe to be helpless if something unexpected were to come up. It really does scare me because I don't have a credit card to fall back on.
4. I Need a New Car!
I know this sounds pretty trivial and counterproductive but I really want a new car. I've had my car for 10 years and it is still in good shape. However, it started having some problems a couple years ago and I resent having to put hundreds of dollars into random repairs. Every time I go to have the oil changed, it seems I get a new list of issues to be dealt with.
This time around, I don't want to finance a car. I don't want a car payment at all. I want to save the total amount, pay the dealer and move on with my life.
But before I can do any of these things, I need to slash my credit card debt.
Introduction to Debt Breaths. One Year to No Debt!
Okay, maybe it will take more than a year.
It's not January yet, but my major (early) New Year's Resolution for 2013 is to get out of debt. Enough is enough and I need to get serious and do the necessary to obliterate my debt once and for all.
I title this site "Debt Breaths" because carrying debt is suffocating. It feels like a monkey on your back that won't go away and like you are working just to pay Visa or Mastercard with every paycheck. I hate it.
With this blog I plan to share my plans to save money, track my progress and hopefully one day in the not-so-far future I'll be able to make a victory post when my pressing debts are finally paid off in full!
About me? Well I am a 30 year old homeowner. I am unmarried with no children. I went to college and have the student loans to show for it. I make a decent living doing a job that I do enjoy for the most part.
I don't have as much debt as some people I know, but it's enough to overwhelm and bother me. I have credit card debts and student loans. I will tackle the credit cards first before I try to drop-kick the student loans. I also have a mortgage, but I'm not too worried about paying that off---I'm sure I'll sell before 30 years is up.
Since the credit cards are the first on the hit list, here are the stats. I have 4 credit cards. Three of them are maxed out right now and two of them have been closed due to delinquent payments. I only use one of them occasionally (when I pay it, I tend to spend on it again).
My current balances:
Credit Card 1: $2704.25
Credit Card 2: $2812.71
Credit Card 3: $ 907.84
Credit Card 4: $3905.98
Grand Credit Card Total: $10,330.78
OMG! I could buy a new car with that or renovate my bathroom. That total is staggering to me and I must get rid of it.
So the purpose of this blog is to hold myself accountable and remind myself to constantly take the necessary measures to destroy this debt. Over the next several months this nasty balance is going to decrease and I hope you will follow along my journey and maybe even embark on your own debt fasts (or diets).
It's not January yet, but my major (early) New Year's Resolution for 2013 is to get out of debt. Enough is enough and I need to get serious and do the necessary to obliterate my debt once and for all.
I title this site "Debt Breaths" because carrying debt is suffocating. It feels like a monkey on your back that won't go away and like you are working just to pay Visa or Mastercard with every paycheck. I hate it.
With this blog I plan to share my plans to save money, track my progress and hopefully one day in the not-so-far future I'll be able to make a victory post when my pressing debts are finally paid off in full!
About me? Well I am a 30 year old homeowner. I am unmarried with no children. I went to college and have the student loans to show for it. I make a decent living doing a job that I do enjoy for the most part.
I don't have as much debt as some people I know, but it's enough to overwhelm and bother me. I have credit card debts and student loans. I will tackle the credit cards first before I try to drop-kick the student loans. I also have a mortgage, but I'm not too worried about paying that off---I'm sure I'll sell before 30 years is up.
Since the credit cards are the first on the hit list, here are the stats. I have 4 credit cards. Three of them are maxed out right now and two of them have been closed due to delinquent payments. I only use one of them occasionally (when I pay it, I tend to spend on it again).
My current balances:
Credit Card 1: $2704.25
Credit Card 2: $2812.71
Credit Card 3: $ 907.84
Credit Card 4: $3905.98
Grand Credit Card Total: $10,330.78
OMG! I could buy a new car with that or renovate my bathroom. That total is staggering to me and I must get rid of it.
So the purpose of this blog is to hold myself accountable and remind myself to constantly take the necessary measures to destroy this debt. Over the next several months this nasty balance is going to decrease and I hope you will follow along my journey and maybe even embark on your own debt fasts (or diets).
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