Jobs Update

Well, my magazine deliveries for March are done. It takes me roughly 5 hours a day for 3 days to complete my route, and that brings me approximately $275 in income after gas expense. I am eager to get that check and DROP more debt!!

I am still working on aquiring another job to replace my tutoring income. I interviewed with a restaurant this week and will return next week for the 2nd interview. I should know by the end of next week whether I got the job. The wait time is tough, but I feel very confident that I can get this job, and I can't wait to start work and start DROPPING more payments on debt towards becoming DEBT FREE!!!

Rolling with Change

Well, my tutoring gig is up, so I'm looking for something else I can do to replace it. I'm thinking about a weekend job waiting tables at a nice restaurant. Tips can be great, and I enjoyed that kind of work in college. Wish me luck. I'm heading out this weekend to find a good place to work.

SAVE 10%, GIVE 10%

I have always known in the back of my mind that the easiest way to save money was to put automatically put 10% in savings each time you're paid. But, for some reason, I've never been consistent with it. Well, since sitting down and WRITING OUT each amount of money I earn, I automatically calculate 10%, and I put it toward savings.

I ALSO donate another 10% to my church. Now, I realize that i could pay off debt that much quicker if I didn't put 10% to my church. But, I also know that once you are in a habit, good or bad, it's hard to break. So, I should get used to those two contributions today, so I don't struggle tomorrow with how to incorporate them into my finances.

It feels SO good to see each week what I am able to give to my church.

120.64 to Credit Card

I put $120.64 to the credit card today!


I have now put 750.64 toward the card so far this month. I just need 249.36 to reach my goal of putting $1,000 toward this debt this month!!!

Live Like No One Else

Dave Ramsey, in his book The Total Money Makeover, says something along the lines of, "If you live like no one else WILL for two years, you can live like no one else CAN for the rest of your life."

Since just the start of this month, I have paid $630.00 toward a credit card debt. My goal is to pay $1,000 each month until it is paid off. Having a clearly defined goal keeps me focused. Knowing that the sooner this debt is paid, the sooner I will be debt-free, keeps me focused. Knowing I have all the power needed to MAKE IT HAPPEN keeps me focused. I have 20 days left to earn the additional $370 needed to reach my goal for the month.

I have two things posted on my refrigerator that remind me daily of my goal and what it will take to achieve it:
1. My goal of paying off the credit card
2. The plan for how to achieve it

God bless!!

The History of Credit

According to the following site, www.didyouknow.cd/creditcards.html, the first official 'credit card' in the USA appeared in the form of the Diners Club card in the 1950s. In the 1970s, when the magnetic stripe was incorporated into cards, their availability and use became more common.

Imagine what your life would be like if you lived your fiscal life today as if it were before 1950, if you only spent the money you earned, and you did not use credit cards. Believe it or not, there was a time when that was the ONLY way to live. Our culture has embraced the notion that we NEED credit. I think this is the biggest success in the history of marketing, embedding in the mind of the masses that credit is somehow a necessity.

$230 Payment

Paid $230 to my credit card today. (Magazine Delivery Payday!)


It feels good to get below 6K.

$400 to Credit Card

I just made a $400 payment to my credit card!

WooHoo!!

EVERY time I earn money, it will go toward this card until it reaches a ZERO balance. Then, I will close the account and move on to the next bill.

CURRENT JOBS

Currently I am working the following to further my cause:

1. Tutoring 3 days a week (approximately $400-500 per month)
2. Magazine deliveries 3 days a month ($280 per month)
3. Mary Kay sales ($100-200 per month)

TOTAL PAID (as of 3/08/07)= $20,700

In the last year, since getting serious about paying off bills and elminating debt, I have managed to do the following:
1. Sell my motorcycle
2. Pay off and close a Department Store Card
3. Pay off both vehicles (we have NO CAR PAYMENTS!!)