Well, I'm very late with this post, and it's not hard to see why. The tally is depressing depressing depressing.
It's all about that new A/C unit. And then I had to have the water heater repaired. Only it turns out that merely repairing it ($100) might not have been good enough, and I may well need a new one ($450). Well, this house is 12 years old. I guess it's not surprising that things are falling apart. The dishwasher already doesn't work, but I'm okay with that. I am, however, waiting with bated breath for the refrigerator to go one of these days.
In November, I got $528.15 from PayPal (my eBay sales). And $7 from a Chex check. Lesson: If you find something in a box of food, always mail it to the company. They send back coupons and/or money. I mean “free” item coupons. Also, some amount from Amazon, but I don't recall how much.
On other fronts, I managed to overdraw one of my two bank accounts by $161.24. I'm still not sure what happened. But at one point those stinkers drew $25 off of the credit card attached to the account (overdraft protection)--and charged me $10 for the privilege from the checking account side and ANOTHER $3 from the credit card side! So I complained and got both of them credited back. Two separate phone calls. It never hurts to try! And always ask for the supervisor, because the first person will often say it can't be done.
My other bank account, meanwhile, has been running an excess balance of $470.13 for months now. I also have no earthly idea how this came about. I've been afraid to touch it, but last month I finally did. I acknowledged $400 of the money, then promptly spent it.
When I paid my bills, I decided to keep out around $900 so I might actually have some money to take care of a few things during December (having my house washed: $150 and overdue; and don't get me started on getting my shower recaulked... and my porch repainted), but things came up in rapid succession and within a few days I was down to $74.
Well, Christmas is behind us, as is all the associated spending. Tax refunds are ahead of us. Time to tighten the old belt buckle (I'm down to 132, so that shouldn't be too hard!!), nose to the grindstone, recommit to getting this done.
By the end of 2011, I want my credit card debt to be in the four figures and out of the five figures. That's my goal.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Anti-Hoarding Measures
I am cleaning my room today! The clutter has started to build again, and the word “hoarder” keeps bouncing around in my brain.Especially when I got rid of Men's Health from 2005-2008 (again, keeping only the Gerard Butler issue).
But I also had six back issues of The Week magazine. Reading a six-week-old issue of The Week is like reading a six-week-old newspaper. Why do I let this happen?
Again, I console myself with the thought that it's less hoarding than “can't keep up with my life, not even the magazine part”.
After being listed on eBay many times, my wedding rings sold yesterday for $100. I also sold a 1979 Who's Who in American High School Students (Western States edition) for $7. That one I was really just happy to rehome rather than drop in the round file!
I am trying to get more serious about my eBay listings again. Gotta start somewhere. But Amazon has blocked all my toy sales until after the holidays because I'm not a big enough “merchant”.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
November Tally
I really need to write this part first, to make myself feel better! After sending in that additional $550 check, my tally dropped to $16,779.38.
Sadly, when I finished paying my bills just now, my November tally came in at $16,630.81. So “working ahead” mid-month didn't really do much for me!
But if you add in that new A/C debt, which I am obviously loathe to do because it erases so very much of my progress, then my current tally is $21,741.81.
One step forward, five thousand steps backward.
I am now only $2,541.79 ahead of where I was when I started. I suppose another way to look at that would be to consider that I would have had to incur the A/C debt either way. But, you know, right now that doesn't really help.
As Cathy often says, I feel like the universe is conspiring against me.
Sadly, when I finished paying my bills just now, my November tally came in at $16,630.81. So “working ahead” mid-month didn't really do much for me!
But if you add in that new A/C debt, which I am obviously loathe to do because it erases so very much of my progress, then my current tally is $21,741.81.
One step forward, five thousand steps backward.
I am now only $2,541.79 ahead of where I was when I started. I suppose another way to look at that would be to consider that I would have had to incur the A/C debt either way. But, you know, right now that doesn't really help.
As Cathy often says, I feel like the universe is conspiring against me.
The Depressing Part
Right around the time that my A/C went, I calculated exactly how much I owe on my house.
I bought my house for $231,000, but rolled in closing costs, so I really paid $240,000. I got an 80/15/5 mortgage, which means I paid 5% down ($12,000), put 80% into the first mortgage, and owed the remaining 15% in a second mortgage. So really I guess I started off owing $228,000.
Well, kids are expensive. I ended up rolling credit card debt over into my second mortgage. Twice. Each time vowing never to let my credit card debt climb again. Ha ha.
At first, that didn't seem so bad. The value of my house inflated to a whopping $500,000. But then the economy tanked. My realtor told me a few days ago that today I could get around $285,000-$290,000 for it. I've lived here nearly eight years. Once I factor in closing costs on both ends and moving costs, I'm not sure that would leave me with enough money for a down payment on a new place. If I wanted to move. Which I don't. Right now. Well, except to Hawaii.
As of today, I owe $167,398.51 on my first mortgage and $60,000 even on my second mortgage (which always gives me the option to pay “interest only”, so that's what I do) for a total of $227,398.51. That's $601.49 less than I paid for it, if you take the down payment into consideration. It's $3,601.49 less if you use the $231,000 figure and $12,601.49 less if you use the $240,000 figure. But I obsess...
Under almost any calculation, I now owe more on that new A/C unit than I've paid down on my house.
I bought my house for $231,000, but rolled in closing costs, so I really paid $240,000. I got an 80/15/5 mortgage, which means I paid 5% down ($12,000), put 80% into the first mortgage, and owed the remaining 15% in a second mortgage. So really I guess I started off owing $228,000.
Well, kids are expensive. I ended up rolling credit card debt over into my second mortgage. Twice. Each time vowing never to let my credit card debt climb again. Ha ha.
At first, that didn't seem so bad. The value of my house inflated to a whopping $500,000. But then the economy tanked. My realtor told me a few days ago that today I could get around $285,000-$290,000 for it. I've lived here nearly eight years. Once I factor in closing costs on both ends and moving costs, I'm not sure that would leave me with enough money for a down payment on a new place. If I wanted to move. Which I don't. Right now. Well, except to Hawaii.
As of today, I owe $167,398.51 on my first mortgage and $60,000 even on my second mortgage (which always gives me the option to pay “interest only”, so that's what I do) for a total of $227,398.51. That's $601.49 less than I paid for it, if you take the down payment into consideration. It's $3,601.49 less if you use the $231,000 figure and $12,601.49 less if you use the $240,000 figure. But I obsess...
Under almost any calculation, I now owe more on that new A/C unit than I've paid down on my house.
Disaster
My A/C went. I needed to replace my twelve-year-old unit in its entirety. $5,202 (with $795 of that being a ten-year parts and labor warranty, which is absolutely necessary because some expensive coil goes every sixteen months, at around $1,600 a pop).
And here's where I got stupid. I was so tired when the Del-Air rep came over and met with me. He went over everything. I made my decisions. I asked him what I would find out if I contacted his competitors. He said that since they were the largest around, no one could match their prices. And, like a complete idiot, I believed him and didn't do my homework. In my defense, I was tired. And hot. And in a hurry. But still.
Then while Del-Air was here doing the install on a Friday, two different people asked me why I wasn't using Air Temp, a rival company. So on Monday I called Air Temp. When all was said and done, they quoted me a price that would have been $572 lower for exactly the same equipment and install.
So not only am I out $5,202 I can ill afford, but I made a bad deal.
Oh, and of course I contacted Del-Air in an attempt to get that $572 refunded. After three solid days of jerking me around, they gave me... absolutely nothing.
But I did get a lecture about their quality. I guess they forgot about the time one of their technicians set my attic on fire and then sat down on my stairs and cried.
And I also got a lecture about how they'd put together the financing, and that'd “cost” them something. But he stopped talking when I said the word “kickback”. Just like with auto dealerships, I'm sure.
Bottom Line: I am now carrying an additional $5,202 in credit card debt at a “special” rate of 5.9% on a card where all the other rates are 27.99%. And I'm not even sure how long that 5.9% rate is guaranteed. I'm scared to make the call to find out. And entirely too depressed.
After all my progress, that $5,202 is weighing down on my shoulders very, very hard.
We've been putting off braces for Cathy. My car is older than Maryanne, who would like a car of her own. My living room furniture has holes in it. But, hey, Del-Air now has my $5,202.
And here's where I got stupid. I was so tired when the Del-Air rep came over and met with me. He went over everything. I made my decisions. I asked him what I would find out if I contacted his competitors. He said that since they were the largest around, no one could match their prices. And, like a complete idiot, I believed him and didn't do my homework. In my defense, I was tired. And hot. And in a hurry. But still.
Then while Del-Air was here doing the install on a Friday, two different people asked me why I wasn't using Air Temp, a rival company. So on Monday I called Air Temp. When all was said and done, they quoted me a price that would have been $572 lower for exactly the same equipment and install.
So not only am I out $5,202 I can ill afford, but I made a bad deal.
Oh, and of course I contacted Del-Air in an attempt to get that $572 refunded. After three solid days of jerking me around, they gave me... absolutely nothing.
But I did get a lecture about their quality. I guess they forgot about the time one of their technicians set my attic on fire and then sat down on my stairs and cried.
And I also got a lecture about how they'd put together the financing, and that'd “cost” them something. But he stopped talking when I said the word “kickback”. Just like with auto dealerships, I'm sure.
Bottom Line: I am now carrying an additional $5,202 in credit card debt at a “special” rate of 5.9% on a card where all the other rates are 27.99%. And I'm not even sure how long that 5.9% rate is guaranteed. I'm scared to make the call to find out. And entirely too depressed.
After all my progress, that $5,202 is weighing down on my shoulders very, very hard.
We've been putting off braces for Cathy. My car is older than Maryanne, who would like a car of her own. My living room furniture has holes in it. But, hey, Del-Air now has my $5,202.
THIRTY-TWO, THIRTY-THREE, THIRTY-FOUR, THIRTY-FIVE, THIRTY-SIX
It's been one month and one day since my last entry. I've been too discouraged to write. I don't even know where to begin. But if I don't begin, I'll never get back on track.
On October 17th, I pulled $500 out of my Paypal account and then mailed off a check for $550 to a credit card. (That's $500 Paypal bucks + $50 bonus reward money from my Amazon Visa.) So that's THIRTY-TWO, THIRTY-THREE, THIRTY-FOUR, THIRTY-FIVE, and THIRTY-SIX, with $80.68 left towards THIRTY-SEVEN.
Then disaster struck.
On October 17th, I pulled $500 out of my Paypal account and then mailed off a check for $550 to a credit card. (That's $500 Paypal bucks + $50 bonus reward money from my Amazon Visa.) So that's THIRTY-TWO, THIRTY-THREE, THIRTY-FOUR, THIRTY-FIVE, and THIRTY-SIX, with $80.68 left towards THIRTY-SEVEN.
Then disaster struck.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Happy Birthday to Me!!
I am in an amazingly good mood.
I am 49 years old today. My goal for a long time has been to turn 50 in the best shape of my life. (Sadly, that's actually setting the bar rather low!) As part of that goal, I decided to try to get my weight down to 130 by today, then follow that up by actually maintaining the weight loss (for a change) for an entire year, while simultaneously exercising and getting in better shape.
Well, I didn't make my goal. But since July 1st, I have lost 12 pounds (!!!) and I made it all the way to 131.5, which is close enough for me to feel great about it. And I do feel great. I mean, I feel better. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes, not having to drag around those extra pounds of lard.
I got another $50 rewards check from Amazon Visa, which mostly just tells me that I'm still spending too much money at Amazon.com! So that brings me $80.68 towards my next hundred dollars.
They're stinkers. All the credit card companies are. I just got an offer in the mail from Amazon: an extra 2500 bonus points (=$25) if I spend $1600 between October 1st and December 31st on my credit card. They just live to help us rack up the debt, don't they?
And within the last few days, I saw two credit card offers in magazines: (1) Every time you charge a restaurant meal to our card, we'll enter you in our drawing 5 times!! (2) Buy with our card and your purchase may be free! Every few minutes, one of our customers gets their purchase for free. It might be you!
Time to pay it down.
On October 17th, I'm going to log right back onto Paypal and get out my next $500.
I just had a bunch of eBay auctions close. I only sold two small items. But since listing is free until early January, I just turned right back around and relisted everything. It never ceases to amaze me how one week something can generate no interest whatsoever, and the following week it suddenly sells well.
I just finished reading Room. Really good book.
I am 49 years old today. My goal for a long time has been to turn 50 in the best shape of my life. (Sadly, that's actually setting the bar rather low!) As part of that goal, I decided to try to get my weight down to 130 by today, then follow that up by actually maintaining the weight loss (for a change) for an entire year, while simultaneously exercising and getting in better shape.
Well, I didn't make my goal. But since July 1st, I have lost 12 pounds (!!!) and I made it all the way to 131.5, which is close enough for me to feel great about it. And I do feel great. I mean, I feel better. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes, not having to drag around those extra pounds of lard.
I got another $50 rewards check from Amazon Visa, which mostly just tells me that I'm still spending too much money at Amazon.com! So that brings me $80.68 towards my next hundred dollars.
They're stinkers. All the credit card companies are. I just got an offer in the mail from Amazon: an extra 2500 bonus points (=$25) if I spend $1600 between October 1st and December 31st on my credit card. They just live to help us rack up the debt, don't they?
And within the last few days, I saw two credit card offers in magazines: (1) Every time you charge a restaurant meal to our card, we'll enter you in our drawing 5 times!! (2) Buy with our card and your purchase may be free! Every few minutes, one of our customers gets their purchase for free. It might be you!
Time to pay it down.
On October 17th, I'm going to log right back onto Paypal and get out my next $500.
I just had a bunch of eBay auctions close. I only sold two small items. But since listing is free until early January, I just turned right back around and relisted everything. It never ceases to amaze me how one week something can generate no interest whatsoever, and the following week it suddenly sells well.
I just finished reading Room. Really good book.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE THIRTY THIRTY-ONE
When last we left my “count”, I had $5.49 towards TWENTY-THREE. Well, I got a refund from Calvert School for the art kit for $187. Then I pulled $500 out of my PayPal account that was money I made on eBay. I sold a couple of things on Amazon and took those payouts. Also, I helped a friend sell something which shall remain nameless, for which she gave me a “commission” of $100. I made $25 cash selling some dresses in town instead of on eBay. And I found $4 in Susan B. Anthony and Sacajawea coins lying around the house.
leftover $5.49
refund $187
eBay $500
Amazon $77.80
Amazon $31.39
commission $100
dresses $25
coins $4
That's a total of $930.68 aka TWENTY-THREE, TWENTY-FOUR, TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY-SIX, TWENTY-SEVEN, TWENTY-EIGHT, TWENTY-NINE, THIRTY, THIRTY-ONE, and $30.68 towards THIRTY-TWO. And it doesn't count the $700+ I have sitting at PayPal!
leftover $5.49
refund $187
eBay $500
Amazon $77.80
Amazon $31.39
commission $100
dresses $25
coins $4
That's a total of $930.68 aka TWENTY-THREE, TWENTY-FOUR, TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY-SIX, TWENTY-SEVEN, TWENTY-EIGHT, TWENTY-NINE, THIRTY, THIRTY-ONE, and $30.68 towards THIRTY-TWO. And it doesn't count the $700+ I have sitting at PayPal!
OCTOBER TALLY $17,329.38
Just caught an embarrassing grammatical “typo” in my last entry. Good thing no one reads this blog, eh?
Well. I feel less than optimal about what I accomplished in the last month. It isn't that I didn't get the debt paid down; I did. But the two cards I actually use came in quite high this month.
My Amazon Visa debt was $512.60. The problem is that the card only shows the individual purchases as “Amazon”. So I don't know if I bought something useful (gluten-free food) or something stupid. And Amazon makes it none too easy to look at a summary of your monthly purchases, for what are probably obvious reasons.
Then my Disney Visa came in at a staggering $819.83. As I looked at what made that total so high (mail-order diabetes supplies, annual AAA payment, etc.), I could see that the individual purchases were actually justified. But, dang, that total was high!
Usually I use the points on my Disney Visa to pay for Mickey's Halloween Party, a very overpriced event that I can feel good about only by feeling like I didn't actually pay for it. But this year I must have really cut down on my credit card expenses, because I don't even have enough points to pay for all three of us to attend the party for “free”. So I'll have to pay out-of-pocket and save my points for annual passes in the spring.
Anyway, I paid both of those cards in full, then stared at my finances for a while longer before paying another $1,016.72 on my actual credit card debt.
Leaving me with a total debt of (drum roll, please) $17,329.38, another nice drop!
I hope I have enough money left over to make it through the month! And I plan to continue selling on eBay, where listing is free until early next year!
I have sold so much stuff on eBay that, due to the $500 monthly withdrawal limit, I have funds at PayPal I can't even access until mid-November. I have over $700 sitting there. I hear I can request a debit card and access the money sooner, but then I'd be worried that I'd actually spend some of it, defeating the whole purpose.
Well. I feel less than optimal about what I accomplished in the last month. It isn't that I didn't get the debt paid down; I did. But the two cards I actually use came in quite high this month.
My Amazon Visa debt was $512.60. The problem is that the card only shows the individual purchases as “Amazon”. So I don't know if I bought something useful (gluten-free food) or something stupid. And Amazon makes it none too easy to look at a summary of your monthly purchases, for what are probably obvious reasons.
Then my Disney Visa came in at a staggering $819.83. As I looked at what made that total so high (mail-order diabetes supplies, annual AAA payment, etc.), I could see that the individual purchases were actually justified. But, dang, that total was high!
Usually I use the points on my Disney Visa to pay for Mickey's Halloween Party, a very overpriced event that I can feel good about only by feeling like I didn't actually pay for it. But this year I must have really cut down on my credit card expenses, because I don't even have enough points to pay for all three of us to attend the party for “free”. So I'll have to pay out-of-pocket and save my points for annual passes in the spring.
Anyway, I paid both of those cards in full, then stared at my finances for a while longer before paying another $1,016.72 on my actual credit card debt.
Leaving me with a total debt of (drum roll, please) $17,329.38, another nice drop!
I hope I have enough money left over to make it through the month! And I plan to continue selling on eBay, where listing is free until early next year!
I have sold so much stuff on eBay that, due to the $500 monthly withdrawal limit, I have funds at PayPal I can't even access until mid-November. I have over $700 sitting there. I hear I can request a debit card and access the money sooner, but then I'd be worried that I'd actually spend some of it, defeating the whole purpose.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
iPads and Aspergers
Yesterday I went to the eye doctor. And I had to drag poor Cathy with me.There was a man there in the second waiting room (don't ask) using an iPad. I want an iPad. We got to talking. He mentioned that his daughter, who was born with a terminal condition and has spent her entire life lying in a wheelchair, could use the iPad very well. He went on and on about her. She is 14. She has some sort of neuromuscular disorder.
Of course, I didn't mind hearing about her. And he showed us a very nice photo of her at Disney World with Minnie and Mickey. But Cathy has Aspergers and one of her “things” is not doing well hearing about diseases. She was looking more and more queasy as this conversation went on.
I kept asking her if she was doing okay. She said yes, but indicated that she really wanted a subject change. Several times. The man did not take this well. He scowled over that quite a bit.
It is interesting that a man who has spent over 14 years with a seriously disabled child for whom he must have constantly needed and demanded understanding from others could not grant an iota of understanding to my child. It clearly didn't even cross his mind that she might be different, just that she might be rude.
I guess anyone can be tolerant of differences. As long as they're your own.
Monday, September 13, 2010
eBay sales
Again, all that fuss... and the Statue of Liberty sold for $500. To a woman in Brazil. And the wedding bands sold to a woman in the Philippines. I must have forgotten to check the box that says “no international shipping”. What a pain!
So here is what I sold TODAY:
Statue of Liberty $500
wedding bands $100
diamond ring $148.08
Viewmaster $49.01
Animal Ark books $3
more Animal Ark books $15.50
even more Animal Ark books $30
audiotapes $10
For a grand total of... $855.58!
Did I mention that was just TODAY???
Woo hoo!
So here is what I sold TODAY:
Statue of Liberty $500
wedding bands $100
diamond ring $148.08
Viewmaster $49.01
Animal Ark books $3
more Animal Ark books $15.50
even more Animal Ark books $30
audiotapes $10
For a grand total of... $855.58!
Did I mention that was just TODAY???
Woo hoo!
eBay Countdown
My Statue of Liberty auction closes in 48 minutes, and again there are no bids!
I tried to write eBay about this to ask how this could even happen. You are not supposed to be able to withdraw your bid! But I couldn't send the e-mail without having a specific person to complain about, and since the history now says “no bids”, there is no information about the person who placed and withdrew his bid. On this or any of the auctions where it happened. It's just bizarre!
But my diamond ring is back to having not merely one but two bids. This has been a bit of a roller coaster, this time around. I've never had anyone withdraw a bid before, let alone multiple people on multiple auction items.
43 minutes. 257 views. 14 watchers. Now let's just hope somebody out there does something more than watch!
I tried to write eBay about this to ask how this could even happen. You are not supposed to be able to withdraw your bid! But I couldn't send the e-mail without having a specific person to complain about, and since the history now says “no bids”, there is no information about the person who placed and withdrew his bid. On this or any of the auctions where it happened. It's just bizarre!
But my diamond ring is back to having not merely one but two bids. This has been a bit of a roller coaster, this time around. I've never had anyone withdraw a bid before, let alone multiple people on multiple auction items.
43 minutes. 257 views. 14 watchers. Now let's just hope somebody out there does something more than watch!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Anxiously Awaiting eBay results
Statue of Liberty auction closes in exactly 24 hours. Still just the one bid, but 207 views and 12 watchers.The bidder on the diamond ring must have withdrawn his bid, because this morning there is none. I didn't even know you could do that.
But on the plus side, all three of my sets of Animal Ark books now have bids. So that's an additional $45.50. If no one withdraws their bids!
I have a number of lucrative auctions closing tomorrow, so this should be interesting!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Upcoming ebay gains
I've already had another bid on the Lego Statue of Liberty. I am at $500, but with 171 views and 12 watchers the price is bound to go higher. Two days left.I have never had such a high-interest item.
I have a number of auctions closing in the next three days. Here are my current bids:
Statue of Liberty $500
wedding bands $100
diamond ring $100
Smurf stuff $22.50
Viewmaster crap $30
audiotapes the kids have outgrown $10
4 little Animal Ark books $3
So that's at least $765.50 I'll be getting in a few days for stuff that was just lying around the house unused and unwanted.
The Viewmaster lot in particular surprised me. (Can you tell?) The main part of it sells for only $12.25 new on Amazon, and the disks are for the most part pretty boring. (Israel! Historic England! Lewis & Clark!)
Stay tuned!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lego Statue of Liberty -- Again
Oh, well. The one bid I had on the Statue of Liberty asked me to cancel his bid because he found one locally and purchased it on the spot. Locally. In Holland! I don't want to ship internationally, anyway.I canceled the bid.
I'm still very optimistic, though. I've had 116 views and have 11 watchers. One of them will bid the minimum. I just know they will. They have to!!! Aaargh...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
On a roll!!!
That Statue of Liberty is proving more interesting to buyers than the silver! 99 views and 11 watchers. Days left in the auction! I tell you, there isn't much in my house that I wouldn't part with for $500!Last night, I sold a Playmobil Viking Ship that I'd had posted on Amazon for months. I sold it for $80 and will make around $70. Knowing me, I doubt I paid more than $30 for it! I am on a roll... especially since someone sold the identical used ship for $15 on ebay!
That got me to thinking. Cathy has some Lego castle set gathering dust in the garage. Without going and looking at exactly which one it was, I was still able to see on ebay that she's looking at between $150 and $200 for this castle she doesn't care about anymore!
Of course, that will be her money. Most everything I get is getting thrown at the credit card debt, but an occasional item so clearly belongs to one kid or the other that they really need to keep the money. No matter. She's putting it straight into the “cruise fund”. Apparently, we are saving for a seven-night Disney cruise. And we are about one-third of the way there. More if I can convince Maryanne to go get a part-time job at Disney World and make use of all the benefits!!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Lego Statue of Liberty
I just sold my Statue of Liberty!!Okay, so it's not the $1,500 I was asking for it on Amazon. I put it on eBay for $500 plus $50 shipping, and I already got a bid! 76 views and 8 watchers. Who knew???
Monday, September 6, 2010
SEPTEMBER TALLY $18,457.51
I paid off my Amazon Visa in full. I paid off my primary-use card in full (again!). I wrote a check for $125 to my USAA card that's charging 0% interest. And I had $950 left over towards the other card on which I'm carrying a balance.
After all was said and done, I ended up with a new total of $18,457.51.
Let's take a moment here.
I have one sheet of paper on which I've been tracking monthly totals since January of 2009. That's one of the reasons I started this blog; that paper was so darned depressing.
In January of 2009, my total was in the $28K range. Following my tax refund, my total spent the rest of the year in the $26K range, but then bounced back up to the $28K range (annual Disney passes, no doubt) shortly before tax refund time in February of 2010.
Now admittedly my tax refund helped some, but I have actually knocked this debt down from around $28K to around $18K in seven months. THAT'S $10,000! Even since the start of the blog, while I have “found” only $2,900, I have knocked the total down around $6,000. Amazing what a little tight-fisted focus can do!
After all was said and done, I ended up with a new total of $18,457.51.
Let's take a moment here.
I have one sheet of paper on which I've been tracking monthly totals since January of 2009. That's one of the reasons I started this blog; that paper was so darned depressing.
In January of 2009, my total was in the $28K range. Following my tax refund, my total spent the rest of the year in the $26K range, but then bounced back up to the $28K range (annual Disney passes, no doubt) shortly before tax refund time in February of 2010.
Now admittedly my tax refund helped some, but I have actually knocked this debt down from around $28K to around $18K in seven months. THAT'S $10,000! Even since the start of the blog, while I have “found” only $2,900, I have knocked the total down around $6,000. Amazing what a little tight-fisted focus can do!
TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE
And now, time for the monthly reckoning!!
I received a refund check from The Teaching Company for $149.95 for DVDs I returned. I can't even remember what they were about. Must have been important!
I got another $21.57 from selling something or other on Amazon.
And I took $500 out of Paypal from all of my ebay sales. In fact, I have been selling so much stuff on ebay, that I have around $300 sitting in my Paypal account, but I can only withdraw $500 per month. So that's a good start on next month!
That's a total of $671.52 PLUS the $33.97 I have left over from last month, for a grand total of $705.49. So that's...
(drum roll, please)...
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
with $5.49 left over towards THIRTY.
That plumbing business may well be a setback, but on the other hand, it turns out that Cathy didn't need new glasses this year. One way or another, it'll all work out. The plumbing/ceiling repair would have happened either way...
I received a refund check from The Teaching Company for $149.95 for DVDs I returned. I can't even remember what they were about. Must have been important!
I got another $21.57 from selling something or other on Amazon.
And I took $500 out of Paypal from all of my ebay sales. In fact, I have been selling so much stuff on ebay, that I have around $300 sitting in my Paypal account, but I can only withdraw $500 per month. So that's a good start on next month!
That's a total of $671.52 PLUS the $33.97 I have left over from last month, for a grand total of $705.49. So that's...
(drum roll, please)...
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
with $5.49 left over towards THIRTY.
That plumbing business may well be a setback, but on the other hand, it turns out that Cathy didn't need new glasses this year. One way or another, it'll all work out. The plumbing/ceiling repair would have happened either way...
Hole-y Terror
I have been frantically ebaying all day long. Tomorrow is the last day to list items for free, but tomorrow Cathy will need the computer back for schoolwork.
Two nights ago (Saturday), I took a bath. Later that night, Maryanne and I were watching TV in the living room when I happened to look up and completely freaked out. There was my bathwater, discoloring the living room ceiling.
Even though it was 9:00 at night, I called my plumber, who kindly called me back. I was completely freaking out. He did his best to calm me down, and by the time he showed up the next day, I was in fact much calmer. As we walked towards the living room, he assured me that the sheetrock would probably dry and all would be well.
And then he saw my living room ceiling. He said, “Ohhhhh,” and I knew I was completely hosed. So for the next month or so, my life will be dominated by the upcoming HOLE in my living room ceiling. Very sad. And don't even get me started on the expense.
I know things like this happen in life, and we just have to deal with them. But they always seem so big right when they're happening to you. Or, rather, me...
Two nights ago (Saturday), I took a bath. Later that night, Maryanne and I were watching TV in the living room when I happened to look up and completely freaked out. There was my bathwater, discoloring the living room ceiling.
Even though it was 9:00 at night, I called my plumber, who kindly called me back. I was completely freaking out. He did his best to calm me down, and by the time he showed up the next day, I was in fact much calmer. As we walked towards the living room, he assured me that the sheetrock would probably dry and all would be well.
And then he saw my living room ceiling. He said, “Ohhhhh,” and I knew I was completely hosed. So for the next month or so, my life will be dominated by the upcoming HOLE in my living room ceiling. Very sad. And don't even get me started on the expense.
I know things like this happen in life, and we just have to deal with them. But they always seem so big right when they're happening to you. Or, rather, me...
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