debt and budgeting

Get Rich Quick

2008-05-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I was pleasantly surprised when someone e-mailed me to see if I would take a comment on my Blog. I was excited - someone might be able to relate to me or commiserate or have some interesting factoids to send - but no - nothing like that.

It was a computer telemarketer trying to capitalize on my misfortune. It was someone wanting me to do "paid surveys". I tried that gig early on in my brokeness - I got so much spam mail it wasn't funny. I hate spam mail!!!

How that I have voiced my displeasure at someone mucking up my blog - I thought I'd take time to update . . . . .

I've been without the car since last Monday. It's been a adjustment - both emotionally and intellectually. But luckily it's been month end at work and I've been distracted most of the days. I have to say that although my head tells me this was the right thing to do - but my heart is grieving for the first new car that I ever bought. The money saved, however, is going to make a large difference in our ability to get out of debt sooner. Again, I wait on the Lord - he will provide and I am sure that it will be in the way of something that is sustaining - not a scam or fly-by-night computer venture.

Don't get me wrong - I want to be out of debt in the worst way - but spending precious resources on the "hope" of a solution is never a wise move. Seriously, it's just plain stupid. The only ones who get rich on this type of venture are those masterminding the venture. If there is someone out there that feels different than I do - please feel free to try and convince me - I'm not an easy sell.

For those of you who might happen upon my Blog - may you take my words to heart and heed the warning - hang on to what cash you have - it could very well be all there is between you and the soup kitchen.

Last note for today . . . . .

2008-04-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

I finally sold my car. I own (at least for another 18 hours) a 2003 Ford Focus SVT. Vermilion red . . My very first new car - I really liked it - drives great, lots of power and I looked good in it, if I do say so myself. However, getting out of debt requires sacrifices . . . . . an my baby needs to go. (I keep telling myself this as we continue to cut corners.)

I grieve it - stupid I guess - but I do. I hold a lot of memories with that car - looking for it, finding it, spending three hours a day commuting. Making payments - making more payments, getting behind in payments; extending payments; struggling . . . . . . . .

It is time - but it makes me sad - darn it! I like the car. But I have to remember that it's only stuff - and stuff can be bought back again if and when we get out of debt. Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I won't feel such a loss. I just hope that I can keep from crying tomorrow a I sign the final papers that will make my "baby" someone else's. I know that the Lord will provide me with what I need - not necessarily what I "want". It is hard to wait on Him for my needs, but I know that without my faith, I would not have had the strength to make it this far . . . . . . .

2008-04-28T00:16:00.001-07:00

After spending a week virtually on my own - I lost a lot of hair and I don't have much at the best of times. I followed that darn book - it didn't work on many of the processes. I left work several days knowing that I was going to be fired because I couldn't do what I was hired to do. Not only that, but she left in the middle of a closing cycle . . . . . . .

I survived despite the rocky start and they seem to really like me. It's been almost 9 months and I worked hard to have updated processes and to make the job easier for whoever follows me.

We are still struggling with debt - and probably will for some time. It's not a lot better, but we learned to deal with collectors.

We began by sending each one a note that we could only afford $10 each on our trade accounts. Credit card accounts were already on payment plans but we continued to struggle to make the house payments and to cover our current needs.

One of the things that Dave Ramsey talks about in his course is to let the person you owe the debt to know what your circumstances are. Make a plan that you can stick to and stick to it. Don't let the debt collector force you into making payments more than you can afford. AND always remember that you have to eat and get to work - don't set bill payments so high that you are not able to eat as healthy things and you can get to work.

It takes guts - these guys (and gals) are very good with the intimidation factor. I learned how to say "If you don't want what I can pay you - I will give it to the next person. By the way, please put your denial of acceptability of what I can afford to pay you in writing, that way I will have a record of it."

Surprisingly enough, no-one actually refused any payments that I was able to pay. Are things better? Somewhat . . . . . . Are we out of the woods? Not even close . . . . . . . but we are not disparate any more.

Learning time

2008-04-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

I know that a person is never too old to learn new things - and since it had been some time since I worked in the medical field, I needed a refresher. Not that I needed to return to school, doesn't seem that once you learn Medical terminology - it isn't easy to forget - the strange words I think?? At any rate - I can still rattle them off - and spell them!

I've worked in the manufacturing business for many years, and have developed into a pretty good technical writer. So when I took this job, I expected to have a manual that would give me step-by-step instructions on how to run the programs and do the different tasks that were required to be successful. No such luck - the lady doing the training went on vacation for 2 weeks right after I was hired and her final instructions to me were follow the processes written in the "BOOK". "Don't deviate - follow them as written."

Turns out the job they gave me is a special type of account. Only three people knew anything about running them and one quit, one was on vacation and the other was a supervisor that was responsible for 15 people. Things didn't look good for me . . . . . .

A new Job

2008-04-27T23:47:00.001-07:00

I know that some time has passed since I last noted on this blog. Over that time, things have gotten better in that I received two offers for a full-time position making less than half of what I used to make, but it was much better than unemployment - that had already run out several month's ago. Wouldn't you know it - not only did the Lord send me two jobs - but still left it up to me to make the decision . . . . . . . . like my brain was really functioning at the time.

I remember putting the phone in it's cradle and thinking what is the right choice? Offers were virtually the same. Both were in fields that I had worked in before. My choice had to be the best one - what to do? what to do? WHAT TO DO!

After much soul searching and prayer, I accepted work in the local hospital business office as an billing analyst - at less than half what I made when I became unemployed. However, since I had run out of unemployment and was digging a bigger hole every day - I had no choice. I thought time had come to look for a sustainable career - the big buck ones didn't stay - come to think of it, the lesser paying ones didn't stay either - go figure . . . . . .

Just when . . . . . .

2007-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought things were going really good - i.e. I was able to pay everyone of our creditors a little bit of money this month - I looked at my bank account on-line. OUCH!!!!!! I could not believe it - an automatic payment that I forgot about went through and sucked up much of the money I had written checks on. Because I have a $700 overdraft limit - the bank paid them to the tune of $15 each. Suddenly, I am over $700 in the hole. Then I get the mail. In it is a certified letter notifying me that I am late payments on my credit card and they have frozen the account. Dah! I haven't used that credit card for months because I know I couldn't pay it. It's not like we owe that much on credit cards, less than 10 grand - a drop compared to others. Now we know that credit cards are bad as is other credit. It is much better to pay cash than to borrow in any way. This month we will try again to stay within the income afforded us. I ask God for blessings and ask that I get a job to help pay the bills. Sometimes I feel so frustrated - I just want to shout - "WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS?". There I have it out of my system and I don't need to shout anymore. I will continue to depend on the Lord to provide and we will be faithful in our efforts to get out of debt. As Scarlet O'Hara always said "tomorrow's another day."

Time Passes

2007-05-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

I must tell you that, although we have been in debt for quite some time, this is the first time that I have included "God" in my debt reduction plan. I've been a Christian for many years and now depend on God for daily guidance. Somehow, during all the "fun" time of getting in debt - I left him out. I think it would have been much better if I had included him in my plans - I know that he would have burdened my heart much earlier. Although, in truth, I probably wouldn't have listened.

However, time marches on and waits for no-one, including those in debt (especially those of us in debt!) I can't sit here and play "woe is me", I need to get on with the debt free plan. This is the 9th week in a 13 week course from Dave Ramsey about getting out of debt. We are concentrating on dumping debt. Do do that, we must first find cars that we can pay cash for. These last two weeks we not only found a car for ourselves, but we also found one to replace the one our daughter was using to get to and from school. The best thing - THEY ARE PAID FOR!"

Today I am listing my car again on Craig's List (a free advertising website) hoping to get a bite. My ultimate plan (read hope) is to get it sold for at least what we owe on it. I am becoming adept at writing "for sale" ads. I have found that if one is creative, he/she can find a way to post the same add several times without repeating too much - giving a better exposure and chance of being seen. I need to spend the rest of this afternoon cleaning the car. It's a nice one - Ford Focus SVT (#1600 out of 2100 built) and I need it to look as good on the inside as it does on the outside.

I am still unemployed, but had a encouraging interview yesterday. God is guiding my steps and I have faith that he will put be in a job that will be great for my family and meet our financial needs.

Although trying - life continues to be good

Reflections of a debtor

2007-04-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, I knew I was in debt from the first day that I refused to balance my checkbook. In my frazzled state, I figured that if I didn't know I was overdrawn, it didn't exist. Talk about avoidance. I should hold a PHD in the field. The practice of ignoring my checkbook went on for two years. I had many excuses - "I worked too many hours and didn't have time"; "I want to do something else"; "What I don't see doesn't exist".
The statements above would lead one to believe that I am not intelligent - Whoa Nellie! I actually hold a MBA. I know how to do balance sheets, I know how do do spreadsheets, I know how to budget and I know how to balance my checkbook. Reality was, I did work too many hours, but hat neither of us realized for many months is that I was totally "burned" out. Burned out at the job, burned out with the commute, burned out with responsibility of any kind. . . . . . . .

One day I realized that the health issues that I had were caused by stress. I needed to find a job closer to home. I took a temporary position that gave me no responsibilities and it was 10 minutes from home and paid the wage I was making in Corporate America. Instead of the job lasting 6-12 months as advertised it ended in 3 months and I became "non-essential."

Over the last 12 months, I've worked 6. Not good for the pocketbook. Talk about avalanche of the checkbook - dismal is a positive term compared to what was going on. The realization that we are broke was no shocker to either my husband or me. We just weren't aware of how broke we are. I am still not working, but the good thing about this hiatus is that I have mostly recovered from the stress and can now look at our debts in all their sordid cloaks. With the grace of God, we will get out of this. Do I think we will go unscathed? Nope - but we will get there.

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle our rise from the ashes of debt. Today is a new day full of promise. We have creditors hounding our feet - each day is a they just nip our heals. Today I know where our checkbook is - and yes there is not enough money to cover the debt, but we are trying to pay some each month to our creditors. Each day I pray the armor of God around my family to help us cope. With grace, we will survive this.