get out of debt by the time I'm 25.

I moved, and had trouble getting a new job. After a lot of ups and downs, here’s what the debt looks like now:

Perkins loan: $5,255.48
Stafford loan: $6,766.81
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,978.13
American Express card: $2,964.30
Personal loan, sister: PAID!!!
Personal loan, brother: PAID!!!
Best Buy credit card: PAID!!!
Lenscrafters bill: PAID!!!
Dentist bill: PAID!!!
HSBC card: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $21,380.55

Thankfully, I have a great job now and a steady source of freelance work, so that number should go down rapidly. I hope. At least it’s not worse than it was last time I tuned in.

Whoohoo! All the little stuff is now officially paid off! Which also means I have something like $1,000 worth of unused credit that will increase my credit score. Sweet.

Perkins loan: $5,933.71
Stafford loan: $7,150.80
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,462.86
American Express card: $2,694.89
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Personal loan, brother: PAID!!!
Best Buy credit card: PAID!!!
Lenscrafters bill: PAID!!!
Dentist bill: PAID!!!
HSBC card: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $22,242.26

Perkins loan: $6,006.64
Stafford loan: $7,128.56
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,681.31
American Express card: $2,870.07
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $500.00
Lenscrafters bill: $200.00
HSBC card: 200.00
Personal loan, brother: PAID!!!
Dentist bill: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $23,586.58

10% of total debt DOWN. 90% to go.

Weirdly exciting to discover that my current debt, divided by the number of days in which I need to fulfill it, is now $34.19, which is less than it was when I first calculated it, which leads me to believe I am actually ahead of the curve in paying it back. Even though I’ve been in mad crazy amounts of financial ruin for the last few months. Which leads me to believe, furthermore, that minimum payments on credit cards may actually be a good thing. And now I will wash out my mouth with soap while monkeys commence to fly out of my ass.

Perkins loan: $6,006.64
Stafford loan: $7,128.56
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,884.60
American Express card: $2,612.20
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $558.84
Dentist bill: $360.00
Lenscrafters bill: $257.12
HSBC card: 300.00
Personal loan, brother: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $24,107.96

Lost $120 in overdraft fees but all the cards were paid on time. Goody. I have another check coming in from an invoice I’ll send out tonight, for about $600, and if I get on another copywriting project, I should have another $500 or so. Another thousand toward this goal.

Oh, and another thousand down from my original debt, so hurrah!

This seems like it’s better, but it’s really a fluke. I eliminated a debt I owe my brother because he owes a friend money who owes me money, so that handily eliminates some money I was previously owed. Strangely dissatisfying, though technically it’s a payoff for me. So yay, I guess.

On the extraordinarily down downside, BofA decided to be complete bastards about a day-late credit card payment (curse online payments and their ability to know the exact day you paid), and now I have interest on a previously one-year-with-no-APR card. Which means I have to start paying that off with a vengeance.

I’d like to take a moment to say fuck you, BofA, though I know this is a normal credit card act of sucks-to-be-you. You normally have very nice customer service and I am sorry to be a bastard about it, but seriously, just fuck you. I didn’t need that.

I wound up using the HSBC card again because of finance shortages around Christmas. Had to get everyone a shiny new toy. Really wish I’d just paid off the damn thing and destroyed it. I hereby vow that when I pay it off again, it will remain paid off.

In other news, I’m going to Korea sometime soon, and I’m trying to filter all my payments through my AmEx, because they will give me travel points. Way to go, AmEx.

Perkins loan: $6,006.64
Stafford loan: $7,195.46
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,963.60
American Express card: $2,900.00
Personal loan, brother: PAID!!!
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $558.84
Dentist bill: $360.00
Lenscrafters bill: $297.96
HSBC card: 300.00

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $24,582.50

Threaten to leave and they will give you the freakin’ world. I have an HSBC Platinum Mastercard with a whopping $300 credit limit, and I just called to cancel it, because it’s fully paid. The guy on the phone offered to give me back a late fee that was charged a few months ago, and to extend my credit limit. Not that I’ll be using my new credit limit, but it’s possible I’ll transfer the balance from one of my other cards if their 0% APR period ends before this one does.

So now my total is

Perkins loan: $6,051.54
Stafford loan: $7,168.42
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,900.00
American Express card: $2,900.00
Personal loan, brother: $1,000.00
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $558.84
Dentist bill: $360.00
Lenscrafters bill: $297.96
HSBC card: -35.00

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $25,201.76

How awesome. I must use this power only for good.

I have to recommend this list-keeping method as a way to manage debt. It’s incredibly tempting to use all the available money just to be able to triumphantly wipe out an entire bill – I almost paid my entire LensCrafters bill even though I know I’ll be wanting some of that money for Christmas presents for my family and friends. I will, though, when I get my next paycheck. You watch it, LensCrafters. You are going DOWN.

Also: highly recommend the auto-pay for student loans. Missing those payments will screw with your credit like nothing else in this world. Overdraw your bank account if you have to, but get those things paid on time. It’s worth the overdraft fee.

I have paid $1,000 of debt off! Must have a celebration every time this happens! There will be a CRAZY celebration when we get down past $10,000.

Perkins loan: $6,051.54
Stafford loan: $7,168.42
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,900.00
American Express card: $2,900.00
Personal loan, brother: $1,000.00
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $558.84
Dentist bill: $360.00
Lenscrafters bill: $297.96
HSBC card: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $25,236.76

I have an extra $1,500 or so to spend, but I’m a little afraid to blow all of it with Christmas approaching so fast. I paid off my HSBC credit card (always very satisfying to eliminate one of the debts entirely) and part of my dentist’s bill. I also paid all of my minimum bills for the other cards, but I kept a few hundred in reserve. I get paid again on the 13th, so that’ll be a few hundred more toward this goal . . .

Perkins loan: $6,051.54
Stafford loan: $7,236.20
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,978.64
American Express card: $2929.29
Personal loan, brother: $1,000.00
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Best Buy credit card: $558.84
Lenscrafters bill: $397.96
Dentist bill: $360.00
HSBC card: PAID!!!

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $25,512.47

I have a few suspicions about some of these bills. Some of them have increased without my actually using the account. That’s natural with some – the student loans, of course, accrue interest – but I think that Lenscrafters is messing with me. I shall investigate.

Perkins loan: $6,051.54
Stafford loan: $7,236.20
Personal loan, father: $3,000.00
Bank of America card: $2,978.64
American Express card: $2988.29
Personal loan, brother: $1,000.00
Personal loan, sister: $1,000.00
Dentist bill: $860.00
Best Buy credit card: $677.84
Lenscrafters bill: $497.96
HSBC card: $281.19

GRAND TOTAL OF DEBT: $26,571.66