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Archive for October, 2006

Archery Pays

October 12th, 2006 at 04:56 pm

So it seems my archery knowledge beginning to work for me. I just got my 2nd freelance writing gig! And it's more about archery.

This time it is a bunch of 2-page articles about general archery/archery equipment for a website. Payment is $9.00 an article after fees. Not too much $$, but it is great for my writing portfolio and resume! Yay me! Big Grin

In your future I see.....

October 12th, 2006 at 04:45 pm

$15 added into my ING/$20 account! Smile Did a tarot reading last night, earned me $15!

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $283.58
Added: $15.00
New Total: $298.58

More than $0.92 this time!

October 12th, 2006 at 01:17 am

Half.com came through on a DVD for me. Profit: $9.24 to be transfered into my ING/$20 account. Much better than the last transaction! LOL Big Grin

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $274.34
Added: $9.24
New Total: $283.58

$0.92

October 10th, 2006 at 09:40 pm

LOL Big Grin

I sold a book on 1/2.com for $2.00 -$.30 listing fee for a profit of $1.70 Then I was given $2.40 to cover shipping cost. All together this is $4.10 Well, when I went to ship it, I had run out of free mailing envelopes so I had to buy one - for $1.59!! Then it was $1.59 to mail the book. So I spent $3.18 at the post office. All this gave me a net profit of $0.92!!!

LOL Big Grin

Oh well, it's something I guess!

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $273.42
Added: $0.92
New Total: $274.34

Medical CC Payment

October 10th, 2006 at 07:33 pm

Made the first payment on my Medical CC today. Shouldn't be too hard to get rid of the whole beginning balance. And then it will be just the monthly charge/payoff. *sigh* It never ends, does it?

(For the whole story, see my PP) Wink

Balance: $412.41
Payment 10/10/06: $220.00
New Balance: $192.41


Debt Tally

$6,844.08 to Mom
$4,369.74 to credit cards
$1,388.39 LB CC
$192.41 Medical CC

Total: $12,794.62

New Debt =(

October 10th, 2006 at 07:29 pm

I have an FSA at work where a certain amount of my paycheck (before taxes) goes into an account that can then be used to pay for anything medical (prescriptions, doctor visit co-pays, pharmacy items, etc). Only I have to submit reciepts and then get reimbursed for it.

Well, I was having problems b/c I get prescriptions every month and I didn'ty walsy ahve the cash before hand to get them, even though I knew it would be getting reimbursed to me later. So, I have a CC for it. *sigh* More CC debt, but at least this will be manageable. I figure, whatever I put on the "medical CC" will then be paid off with the reimbursement I get for those items. This way the balance will be paid off in full each month.

Only I got a little ahead of myself and now I have a small balance. More to add to the Grand Debt Tally. Frown


Debt Tally

$6,844.08 to Mom
$4,369.74 to credit cards
$1,388.39 LB CC
$412.41 Medical CC

Total: $13,014.62

To Do

October 10th, 2006 at 05:23 pm

Notes to me:

Ship book
Ship DVD
Deposit check
Transfer check money
Transfer 1/2.com payment money
Transfer 1/2.com refund money
Balance checkbook
Pay cable
Pay phone

Pay LB
Pay AT&T
Return Book B&N
Buy 1/2.com book

How I am paying off my CC debt....

October 8th, 2006 at 08:25 pm

I've had a couple of people ask me about my cc debt and how I am paying it off, so here's a breakdown.

I am on a payment plan with a credit solutions company. This is how it works: They settle my cc debt for me so I have a specific amount I have to pay off to each CC (I have 3 under the plan). When a credit card company agrees to settle my debt, it is for a specific amount. I have to give them that amount up front, all at once. Based on my debt when I enter then plan, I will have to pay about $7,200 in debt. I am on a plan where I am required to put $200 a month into my savings so at the end of 36 months (3 years) I have the $7,200 I need to pay off the debt and be out of cc debt. However, the quicker I save that $7,200 the quicker I get out of debt.

Right now I have one CC I have already settled. It's total is around $2,400. I am making 4 payments of about $700 each for 4 months and then that will be paid off and I only have 2 more cc's to settle. The extra $100 you see me paying in my debt tally each month to come to that $800 is the $100 monthly fee I am paying the credit solutions company who is doing the legal work for me.

It sounds confusing, but it works out to after 3 years, and about $7,200 all my cc debt plus the fee the company charges will be paid off, versus about $12,000 in credit card debt that I pay on my own with late fees, finance charges, and wicked high monthly payments. Yup, you read that right. As part of the plan I am in, I have no finance charges. Plus I have legally signed power of attorney concerning these accounts over to the company so I do not have to deal with credit card companies and collection agencies calling/writing me. Anytime something like that comes to me or someone calls me I let the company know and their lawyers talk to the creditors on my behalf.

It's a great plan. I feel so much less stress knowing I am paying off my cc debt but at the same time not having to deal with $500 monthly payments and finance cahrges. Plus I don't have to stress witht he creditors calling me becasue legally, they can't talk about this with me; they have to go through the credit solutions company.

I know there are some things that could go wrong, but from where I was befiore, this is such a better option. Plus, although my credit rating will show that I settled my debt, it actually rates better than bankrupcy or failure to pay at all. So within about 3 years, my cc debt will be gone, and in about another 2-5 years after that, my credit will be really good again.

So, to answer a question that started this long ramble, ( Are you saving up the whole amount or paying off in intervals like monthly?) I have a minimum savings of $200 a month, but anything extra I get I try to put into that cc/savings account so I can pay it off quicker.

On the Hunt for CC Debt...

October 6th, 2006 at 10:19 pm

My paycheck is DD (Direct Deposit) so on paydays I just check my account to make sure it was deposited for the right amount. As I mentioned before, I often get extra money that is travel reimbursement. Well, this week I didn't have any extra in my pay, and I didn't even think about it. Then today I open the mail and I have a check for $248.60 from work! Milage reimbursement! YAY! Smile

Since I hadn't had any plans for this extra $$ because I had totally forgotten about it, I am going to deposit this whole check into my CC account/savings. If I need to use a bit for bills, it's there for me. If not, it just helps me get down the CC debt all the more quicker. And if I put it right into the savings, I won't be tempted to spend it on other things, like I would if it was just sitting in my checking account (which my ATM/debit card is attached to).

Watch out CC Debt! I'm coming for you! Wink

Old Savings (CC Debt) Total: $720.84
Added $248.60 milage reimbursement
New Savings (CC Debt) Total: $969.44

Big Grin

New Target!!!!

October 6th, 2006 at 10:12 pm

Our new Target finally opened! I luvre Target, and this one is better than I could imagine: it's HUGE! It even has the food aisles! The one I went to before (1/2 hr away near Mums and Dad's house) didn't have the food and so I could never use my Target coupons. Now I can! Yay! Smile

Ebay $

October 6th, 2006 at 10:09 pm

So, I had an invoice for $2.13 foe e-bay fees, but I also had a refund from an item I never recieved from a seller at $7.98. I was refunded the $7.98, but still had to pay the $2.13 so I came out $5.85 ahead. I'm going to transfer this to my $20 savings/ING account.

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $267.57
Added: $5.85 e-bay refund
New Total: $273.42

Notes for the long weekend...

October 6th, 2006 at 03:45 pm

It's Friday and I have the day out of work, plus Monday out for Columbus Day. A 4 Day Weekend! YAY!!!! Big Grin

Here's what I'd like to get done this weekend:

Laundry
Clean laundry away
Clean bathroom
Clean kitchen
Clean out for yard sale
Move boxes to storage unit

Tomorrow I am helping my sis move, but other than that no big plans. I'm going to try to stick to my budget of $100 this long weekend. I think I can do it, but it will be hard since I tend to pass long weekends shopping! I'll keep you posted!

And thanks for all the feel better wishes! You guys rock! Smile

Sick and Saving

October 5th, 2006 at 06:27 pm

So, I've been sick these last few days, and yesterday I stayed home from work. No, I'm on salary, so I didn't lose any $ from my paycheck for missing a day. And, it turns out, being sick helped me save.

How so?

1. No coffee in the A.M. since I slept in and didn't have to "wake up" for work.

2. Didn't leave the house, so I used no gas in the car.

3. Didn't go anywhere/do anything so it was a NO SPEND DAY! Smile

4. Sick to my tummy, so I ate very little: a can of soup, some crackers, and some oatmeal. All stuff I had in the cupboards, therefor I spent no $ on food.

5. Spent a lot of the day sleeping, so I used less electricity than if I had watched tv or read with the lights on.

6. Kept getting hot then cold flashes so I kept putting on/taking off layers instead of using the heat/ac/fans.

Never knew being sick had so many financial benefits! Of course, I was lucky: I was sick in the way that I didn't need a Dr. visit or meds. But still, trying to find the financial bright side! Big Grin

Tally Update

October 5th, 2006 at 06:18 pm

CC
$5,172.43 old total
- $802.69 (10/01 payment)
---------
$4,369.74 new total


Debt Tally

$6,844.08 to Mom
$4,369.74 to credit cards
$1,388.39 LB CC

Total: $12,602.21

Where I save

October 5th, 2006 at 02:45 pm

So, I decided to add the $90 payment from my freelance writing gig to my CC savings account. And I have $.31 interest added to my $20 account.

New totals:

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $267.26
Added: $.31 interest
New Total: $267.57

Old Savings (CC Debt) Total: $622.31
+ $.10 interest
- $3.00 service charge
- $98.57 payment
+ $90.00 freelance payment
---------------------------
New Savings (CC Debt) Total: $610.84
+ DD from paycheck tomorrow $110.00
---------------------------
New total as of Friday, Oct 6th: 720.84

Freelance Writing Payment

October 3rd, 2006 at 08:56 pm

So, I accepted a freelance writing job a few weeks ago. It's $400 - $100 for a first draft, $100 for a 2nd draft, $100 for a 3rd draft, and $100 for the completed project. A total of $400! I got my 1st payment this week. Smile

Payment: $100
FEES: -10% (fees) = - $10
Total payment: $90

When the transfer goes through, I'll be adding this to my savings account (CC account).

Suitcase Fund

October 3rd, 2006 at 08:36 pm

OK all, here's the Suitcase Fund saga!

The suitcase is this: A Diane Von Furstenburg City Bag. It's dark blue and black paisley, hot pink inside. Holds tons of stuff and has wheels to make it easy to carry.

Suggested Retail Price: $250
My price: $73.49 (tax included!)

I had $.61 left over from the weekend and I added a dollar bill to give it a good solid kickoff.

Suitcase Fund Total: $1.61
Suitcase $$ To Replace: $71.88

Spare change and a rebate

October 3rd, 2006 at 08:28 pm

Rolled up what I could of my spare change jar last night. (What I do is this: whatever can be compiled into a full roll is what gets deposited. If I don't have enough for a full roll, it gets recounted and rolled next month). That's another $27 to add to my ING/$20 account! Plus I got my Pepsi Labor Day rebate check in the mail today! Yay! Smile


ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $230.26
Added: $10 rebate check
$27 rolled change
New Total: $267.26


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