I'm nervous. Today is the day where I have to admit to all of you (and myself) just how bad it's gotten. My fingers are shaking as I type. But, before we get to that, I have some good news! I have $20 for my starving savings account.
The hubs and I had a planned dinner with one of his former neighbor's from home last night. She was in Atlantic City for a conference and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see her (& play some Slingo). We picked a moderately priced tapas style restaurant and I set a budget of $60 for dinner, drinks, slots, and parking. Miss T, being a wonderful & generous person, grabbed & paid the bill before the hubs & I even had a chance to open our wallets. I agreed to leave the tip and my hubs paid for the t-shirts we had ordered from her brother (he brews his own beer - gotta support your friends!). Pre-Lent, I would've put both $20 bills in the slot machine, but this time I chose to just give $20 away to the Slingo slot gods (I didn't win). Then, as if to reward me for my restraint, the frugality god(s) left a Diamond card on a nearby slot machine. I know, I should have turned it in. But I didn't. Now I have free parking at four casinos until March of 2013. And $20 to put in my savings account. I'll take it.
Now onto the not so awesome part of the post. Before I get into the details about my personal finances I ask, nay demand, you refrain from posting negative comments about "how irresponsible I am" or "how could you let it get that high", etc etc. I know this is my fault. I know it was/is irresponsible of me. I do not and will not attempt to place the blame on anyone else. This blog is about being honest with myself and whoever chooses to read it. I won't sugarcoat it, but I also won't be shamed. At this juncture, I need support, not insults. Thank you in advance for that.
My heart is pounding.
I have $9,076.88 in credit card debt.
Wow.
I have four cards. #4 was opened last year when the company was offering 0% on balance transfers. Technically, I have five cards, but one (a store card) has no balance (we just paid it off two months ago). Here's the breakdown:
Card 1: $2,719.51
Card 2: $1,942.97
Card 3: $534.79
Card 4: $3,879.61
I'll save the breakdown of what I spent money on for a later post (I think that's going to take some investigative work). I might need the weekend to process the above number- at least we're not doing anything that involves spending money.
Day Three Total Spent:
$25.00 EZ Pass
------------------------
Day Three Total Saved: $5.00
(Rebate from bakeware purchased three months ago)
I know this sounds weird..but u HAVE to put something on that card with no balance..that will drop ur credit score..I did it for years not knowing it was effecting my score..ppl think its good to have a card for emergency purposes ..but it actually hurts ur credit rating :(
ReplyDeleteI agree. Buy something and pay it right back. Even if it's a $10 little something you may need. Don't worry! You have my support! I stand behind you! (Literally)
ReplyDeleteWell the card with zero balance we just paid off within the past three months, so that is not affecting me negatively right now. From pulling my credit report/score, it's defintely those other four cards (and their balances) that are dragging me down. I know long-term the card will need to be dusted off once in awhile; However, it's a furniture store card and we know there's no "small" purchases there so that's something that will need planning before swiping.
ReplyDeleteAs hard as this may have been to do, you have started the process to paying it off. Between weddings/baby showers/dogs its hard to keep track of what i actually buy and where all my money goes. The real eye opener is this year when we did our taxes. We did it as a married couple and Lord i cant believe how much money we have made and thrown away.
ReplyDeleteI will give you one suggestion which has helped me over the years... I have a secret savings account which money is automatically withdrawn from my check and deposited right into it. I have used it only on three occasions since graduating almost 8 yrs ago, to buy my car, house, and for our wedding. At one point i actually lost the account number and log in so i had no idea what was in there. If you can get yourself into that mindset, hopefully it will help. Good Luck Saving!!!!
I wouldn't worry too much about the card without a balance right now. As I understand it, not using it shouldn't hurt you too much. If anything, having an open card with no balance with help your debt-to-credit ratio. It would be worse to close the account, or let it sit so long that it goes inactive. I'd say just focus on paying down the existing debt, since I'm thinking small purchases aren't an option on a furniture store card. ;-)
ReplyDelete