by Hope
Once again, I was paid a month in advance. As soon as the money hit my bank, I sat down and scheduled payments and reviewed my forecast. Man, it feels good to be on my feet again.
This month I had to take care of some things ahead of focusing solely on debt:
- Figure out taxes and get ahead of the game on those.
- Make a double payment on my auto insurance since I requested an extended due date last month. I wasn’t certain of when I would start this job or get paid and I didn’t want to take a chance of being late.
- Get some of the needed maintenance done to my car that they mentioned last fall. I’ve gotten my brakes done, but there are a few other 100K mile services that I have been advised to do as I can.
- Getting my eyes checked – scheduled later this month.
I was able to pay off about half of the Sam’s card, but otherwise, no major movement on debts. I am feeling good about the progress I have made on all fronts. With ease! Hallelujah! (You can see last month’s debt update here.)
| Debt Description | October, 2023 Total | Interest Rate | Minimum Payment | Current Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC – Sams | $1,106 | 29.99% | $40 | $679 |
| CC – Wander | $1,630 | 29.24% | $75 | $1,701 |
| Personal Loan #1 | $2,500 | 0% | $500 (beg April) | $2,500 |
| Personal Loan #2 | $2,500 | 0% | $500 (beg April) | $2,500 |
| CC – USAA | $5,000 | 19.15% | $135 | $4,941 |
| CC – Frontier | $3,857 | 29.99% | $131 | $3,602 |
| CC – Amazon | $1,497 | 29.99% | $53 | $1,457 |
| Dad – New Furnace | $2,600 | 0% | $2,600 | |
| Car Loan | $19,581 | 12.69% | Gymnast Pays | $17,109 |
| Student Loans | $22,121 | 2.875% | In Deferrment | $22,450 |
| CC – Apple** | $500 | Paid off every month | $0 | |
| CC – AMEX | $894 | 29.24% | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $61,186 | $483 | $59,539 |
Updates
I did rearrange my debt table a bit with the goal of putting things in the order I hope to pay them off. And then also moving the paid off item to the bottom so that the beginning balance does reflect progress. (In the past I would remove the item when it was paid off and then I can’t really see the progress as easily.)
And I do plan to continue with bare bones spending through the Spring, well, really as long as I can. I am laser focused on getting back on my feet and getting out of debt!
Gymnast and I are exploring moving him off the insurance. We have scheduled some time together next Monday to file his taxes and get on the phone with some insurance companies to see what our options are. (His options.)
Hope is a digital marketing manager and foster/adoptive single mom to five kids. She has run her own consulting company for over 15 years and took a leap of faith returning to the corporate world in 2021 to a job and team she loves! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally mastered the balance between family first and wise financial decisions.