Monday, April 27, 2009

More Computer Woes

I'm whining just a little. My "a" key is broken, so to type an "a", I have to copy and paste. What a pain!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

CC Interest Rates Going Down?

The interest rate on my last credit card has been slowly declining over the past year. It started at over 7%, and now it is just over 5%. Has anyone else experienced this? I think the CC company is trying to lure me into charging more!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Debt Reduction Doldrums

It seems like I have been five months away from being debtfree for the past 6 months! Every time I recalculate how long it will take to pay off my last credit card, the pay off remains 5-6 months away. Buying a new house, moving expenses and an unplanned income drop have all contributed to my inaccurate estimates. Now, I'm just tired of the struggle to keep paying to debt reduction each month. I want to spend on house projects, new clothes and things for my kids, not credit card payments!
Objectively, I know that I have made tremendous progress in reducing my debt. I owed over $13,000 in July 2007, and I now owe $3500, reducing my debt by $10,000. On the other hand, I've been working on this for almost two years, so this journey is getting a little old. Another worry at the back of my mind, is that my income will probably be reduced by $600/month after September. That means that I really must get my credit card paid off by September. After that, I'll only have about $200/month over planned expenses in my budget, so my savings rate will be very slow.
Okay, enough whining! What can I do now?
1. Stop worrying about what will happen six months from now. Concentrate on what I can do this month--follow my budget.
2. Look at the positives--I have a little (almost $1000) emergency fund, as well as growing sinking funds for irregular expenses.
3. I have $60 in the house project fund. Decide what to spend it on. Landscaping? Wooden blinds for the dining room? Slipcovers for the living room?
4. Make a list of nonfinancial things I would like to do--distract myself with other things until these doldrums pass!