Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Goodbye Prosper
Today is a good day. I paid off the Prosper loan today. We had it for 15 months, paying it off 21 months early. It took a lot of extra work, but this is a huge mile marker on the road to get out of debt.
Without this loan, we now free up an extra $150 a month to put towards the American Express credit card, which is currently holding a balance of around $4400. That, plus putting anything extra that we can towards it, should mean that we can really start to snowball out of this situation.
I'm incredibly relieved, though I confess it was a bit anticlimactic!
I've been working hard on projects like getting Voiceover work and finding other ways to make extra money. I have a roommate now, and wouldn't have been able to pay off this loan without his financial contribution. Needless to say, the hard work is starting to pay off!
How's your debt journey going?
Starting Debt: 07/02/11 - $21543
Prosper - $0
AmEx - $4494
BoA - $11913
ING - $1133
Total - $17538 (18.5%)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
I Know, I Know
I know it's been a while. I'm sorry. There has been so much and I'm so focused on my food blog that I've totally neglected this one. I'd say No more!! I shall regularly update and prevail! but I really don't want to make a promise that I can't keep.
So, instead, an update.
I've been getting lots of extra work lately doing voiceovers. I just recently landed a contract to record an Audio Book which will help hugely. I have no AC in my car and I simply can't handle it anymore (it's already over 100 degrees in the Valley) and this will give me the last of the money that I need to finally get that handled, plus some extra to pay down my day.
Hey shameless plug! If you need voicework, no matter how big or how small, check out my website here.
So, my Stunt Guy is back in Atlanta, trying to get some work. It's done a little to alleviate the financial strain, but we have a really long way to go. Hopefully he'll get some bigger gigs soon and we can start taking big chunks off our debt. In the meantime, I've got a roommate and gone into hunker down survival mode. This has involved lots of pantry purging and not doing things that cost money. I've also done really well at getting myself in shape, even running a 5K. I'm getting close to my goal weight, and continue to plug away at it.
So, here is the real update. When last I posted, here was the state of the union:
Prosper - $3026
AmEx - $4282
BoA - $11708
ING - $968
Total - $19,984
Now, this is where we stand:
Prosper - $367
AmEx - $4494
BoA - $11913
ING - $1133
Total - $17907
So we've paid over $2000 in the last few months. We've been paying it on our highest interest loan. It's almost paid off and I am so very happy! This loan has been a pain and being done with it will be huge. We'll be able to start snowballing our minimum payments and hopefully the rest will flow nicely. I calculated that if we snowball minimums, we're looking at 32 months worth of debt. I find that to be unacceptable, and am pushing really hard for us to try and get all this paid off in half that time or more.
I'm happy that once we move on to paying off the AmEx, I can throw random dribs and drabs of cash at it whenever I want. With the Prosper loan, we always had to pay at least $150 at a time. I find it better to be able to whittle in down.
I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, though I'm sure it's there. But I'm going to keep trucking.
So, instead, an update.
I've been getting lots of extra work lately doing voiceovers. I just recently landed a contract to record an Audio Book which will help hugely. I have no AC in my car and I simply can't handle it anymore (it's already over 100 degrees in the Valley) and this will give me the last of the money that I need to finally get that handled, plus some extra to pay down my day.
Hey shameless plug! If you need voicework, no matter how big or how small, check out my website here.
So, my Stunt Guy is back in Atlanta, trying to get some work. It's done a little to alleviate the financial strain, but we have a really long way to go. Hopefully he'll get some bigger gigs soon and we can start taking big chunks off our debt. In the meantime, I've got a roommate and gone into hunker down survival mode. This has involved lots of pantry purging and not doing things that cost money. I've also done really well at getting myself in shape, even running a 5K. I'm getting close to my goal weight, and continue to plug away at it.
So, here is the real update. When last I posted, here was the state of the union:
Prosper - $3026
AmEx - $4282
BoA - $11708
ING - $968
Total - $19,984
Now, this is where we stand:
Prosper - $367
AmEx - $4494
BoA - $11913
ING - $1133
Total - $17907
So we've paid over $2000 in the last few months. We've been paying it on our highest interest loan. It's almost paid off and I am so very happy! This loan has been a pain and being done with it will be huge. We'll be able to start snowballing our minimum payments and hopefully the rest will flow nicely. I calculated that if we snowball minimums, we're looking at 32 months worth of debt. I find that to be unacceptable, and am pushing really hard for us to try and get all this paid off in half that time or more.
I'm happy that once we move on to paying off the AmEx, I can throw random dribs and drabs of cash at it whenever I want. With the Prosper loan, we always had to pay at least $150 at a time. I find it better to be able to whittle in down.
I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, though I'm sure it's there. But I'm going to keep trucking.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Life
Life gets crazy sometimes. I'm dealing with an impending cross country move for my guy, who also just had to have his appendix removed (thank everything for insurance, else we'd be declaring bankruptcy after this). I've got a 5K coming up that I'm trying to train for. I haven't updated this blog in ages and I have no good excuse. I'll get to it soon though. Debt totals are down from the previous. We managed to put a lot of extra money on our Prosper loan between my tax return and some extra income that we both made. The good news is that my guy is moving for work, so he'll be able to make some nice contributions to getting our debt paid down. I'm looking for a roommate to help us pay stuff down.
I've been working a lot on my other blog project too. Check it out.
Thanks so much for still being here.
I've been working a lot on my other blog project too. Check it out.
Thanks so much for still being here.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Under 20,000
Today is a great milestone for me. I just made a couple of debt payments, and we've finally got our debt under $20,000. This is a great motivational boost. The 20,000 number has always felt huge, nearly insurmountable. It really makes me feel good to see it shrinking. It's taking a lot of time, but it'll be worth it when it's all done. I'm hoping that my tax return will be the next big boost that we need.
It's hard, especially around this time of year, to put extra money onto debt. We've been traveling, and we have Christmas Gifts to pick up, but a little can go a long way in the end. Even though we're only putting a little extra onto debt at a time, it's going to make a big difference. Right now, we're overpaying on all of our minimum payments. Not, by a lot, sometimes, but it's these little dents that help. When I have a bigger chunk, it goes on our Prosper loan. Thats the big goal right now, getting that one paid off.
But that number having a 19 in front of it instead of a 20 is an awesome sight.
It's hard, especially around this time of year, to put extra money onto debt. We've been traveling, and we have Christmas Gifts to pick up, but a little can go a long way in the end. Even though we're only putting a little extra onto debt at a time, it's going to make a big difference. Right now, we're overpaying on all of our minimum payments. Not, by a lot, sometimes, but it's these little dents that help. When I have a bigger chunk, it goes on our Prosper loan. Thats the big goal right now, getting that one paid off.
But that number having a 19 in front of it instead of a 20 is an awesome sight.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Christmas with the Frugals: Guest Post from Melanie at Think Money
Rather than blowing your bank balance this Christmas, why not have a frugal festive season? Although this doesn't actually sound possible - it is! Christmas can cost you a fraction of the price, and you can do just as much as you normally do - parties, celebrations, etc!
And here's how…
Shopping list
Ever go to the store not knowing what you're going to buy (or just having a rough idea), and end up coming back with loads of things you didn't need?
The chances are, the answer is yes. So to stop this from happening again, and to stop you from wasting your money, you should create a shopping list.
To create a shopping list, you should search through your cupboards and fridge before you go shopping and note down what you really need to buy.
By creating a list of the things you actually need, you can avoid walking out of the store with things you don't need!
Discount vouchers
If you haven't already discovered the pleasures of using discount vouchers, I suggest you start now!
Discount vouchers are readily available online and can often offer you money off at your favourite retailers. New vouchers are constantly being uploaded to voucher websites - you just need to search for 'discount vouchers' on a search engine and take a look at the results.
If you can't find a voucher for the store you are shopping at, don't worry - your local paper may have some in.
Party guests can contribute
If you are holding a Christmas party this year, and are having a few guests over - why not ask them to contribute to the festive celebration?
So, instead of you having to go to the store and buy everything in, you could ask them to bring along some cakes, drinks and other snacks to save you money!
Guest article by Melanie Taylor from financial solutions company Think Money. For guides, help and information on money saving, debt management and financial tools click here now.
And here's how…
Shopping list
Ever go to the store not knowing what you're going to buy (or just having a rough idea), and end up coming back with loads of things you didn't need?
The chances are, the answer is yes. So to stop this from happening again, and to stop you from wasting your money, you should create a shopping list.
To create a shopping list, you should search through your cupboards and fridge before you go shopping and note down what you really need to buy.
By creating a list of the things you actually need, you can avoid walking out of the store with things you don't need!
Discount vouchers
If you haven't already discovered the pleasures of using discount vouchers, I suggest you start now!
Discount vouchers are readily available online and can often offer you money off at your favourite retailers. New vouchers are constantly being uploaded to voucher websites - you just need to search for 'discount vouchers' on a search engine and take a look at the results.
If you can't find a voucher for the store you are shopping at, don't worry - your local paper may have some in.
Party guests can contribute
If you are holding a Christmas party this year, and are having a few guests over - why not ask them to contribute to the festive celebration?
So, instead of you having to go to the store and buy everything in, you could ask them to bring along some cakes, drinks and other snacks to save you money!
Guest article by Melanie Taylor from financial solutions company Think Money. For guides, help and information on money saving, debt management and financial tools click here now.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Total Love
I love re-doing my totals for debt right after I've made all of my payments. It goes up from there, but for a few days I feel like I've made progress.
It's slow going. I'm not making progress as quickly as I would like, but we're owed about $800 in extra income that will all go to debt if it ever gets here.
I hate how long it takes for freelance checks to show up. You'd think I'd be used to this by now.
The one thing I do have to look forward to, though, is that I should get a tax return this year. I hope I do, because I want to get rid of my Prosper loan so badly I almost itch.
Here's hoping.
It's slow going. I'm not making progress as quickly as I would like, but we're owed about $800 in extra income that will all go to debt if it ever gets here.
I hate how long it takes for freelance checks to show up. You'd think I'd be used to this by now.
The one thing I do have to look forward to, though, is that I should get a tax return this year. I hope I do, because I want to get rid of my Prosper loan so badly I almost itch.
Here's hoping.
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