END MY SLAVERY TO DEBT

I’ve moved some of my debt around as of late, which will help in the long run, but the bottom line is that I just don’t have enough money right now. Quitting my job to work half-time to gain experience and have my Master’s classes paid for has really crimped things… but, I will just keep trying.

I NEED TO BUDGEEEETTTTT!!!!

Suze Orman’s 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. Why not? I was trying to just do it from a mathematical standpoint before, and I am horrible with math.

So, we shall see. I may try and combine it with the budget plan before. I also found a book: Budget is not a four letter word.

It can’t hurt to try different approaches.

I am still a complete slave to my debt, which has only increased as I took a new job as a Graduate Assistant, leaving my well-paid, full-time job.

I need to re-examine that budget plan I was given a year ago and see if I can make it work right now.

Gosh, I am trying to be a more disciplined person overall, but budgeting and financial discipline is oh so difficult for me.

But, I won’t give up. I just have to keep trying, again, and again. Until one day, it will finally work.

met with a financial planner and I finally have a budget set up now! I think I will be able to stick with it and I am very excited. I was able to go to the planner via my local credit union so it was free.

AWESOME!!!! I WILL NO LONGER BE A SLAVE TO MY DEBT!!!!!!!!

I have reexamined my debt and I have all of it on a dry erase board with how much I owe and it is ordered by highest percentage rate. I am also trying to get my checking accounts in order, which will happen soon. I dont want to give up my ING, but I’m not sure how that will fit in with my change over to a credit union. But, I did kind of figure out my budget for this paycheck, even though I was a little behind. I paid a lot out on debt, and then left myself 50 bucks for the next week, which is more than I should allow myself, but I’m trying to get the hang of this.

Yesterday I only spent money on lunch and snacks. I haven’t spent any money today. I will get there, I know it. I just have to keep reconsolidating debt. And maybe I look into a debt consolidation loan. And it would be worth it to call each of my credit cards at this time and see if they will lower my interest rate. My loans are what they are, I can’t get better than that, so pretty much its all of my credit card debt dragging me down. Yikes.

to the top. And the reason is because I have zero money for a full week now. And I got a large raise. So something is not right. Part of it may be that I need to move my bill payments around so that they don’t all come out of one check. But more than anything, I spend too much money on eating out. I think that is my number one thing that I spend money on. And, since the next goal is losing weight, this will work well together.

I am proud that I have not jumped right for the credit card to help during this time, which got me into part of the large debt problem to begin with.

So… between now and next payday, I need to figure out how to split my bills between the two checks first of all, and then I need to decide how much I am allowed for each thing. And then I have to be accountable. Which, just like with weightloss, I am not very good at will power and self-discipline for these things. At work, I am very much disciplined and determined, but when it comes to money and health, not so much. Yikes.

I’m not completely back on my budget yet, BUT, I did consolidate a couple of my high-interest rate credit cards to lower rates. Which is great. In the long run, it will cut down my time in debt.

I suck at this. I need to resurrect the good budget that I had set up. The rest of the money that I will have needs to go to debt and savings, though Im not sure if I want to do that 50/50, 75/25 or whatever. But, it’s necessary. To move forward and all of that.

my budget to include a car payment and car insurance. There is not much money left over now, but I need to get serious about this. I would like to find a cheap financial advisor to talk to that can be trusted and will not break my bank… how do I find someone that I know won’t screw me over? Someone that can give good advice for my age, won’t cost too much, and is truly knowledgeable?

How much do you set aside biweekly for entertainment/food?