unless we change how we interact with money, of course!
The Bad Penny is dedicated to two pursuits: getting out of debt and staying out of debt! It recognizes that frugality and caring for our planet go hand in hand, and that our unsatiated need for stuff is hurting us in so many ways.
Easier said than done!
Disclaimer
I am not a finance professional. I write about the world as I know it, and my advice may not be the best course of action for you! Please seek qualified advice for your particular situation.
Woohoo! This is our first real debt removal victory. Yesterday I put the final $114 towards this credit card with my husband watching. It feels good!
Our December bill listed our balance at $2261.81. We’ve been putting everything we can towards this debt. I am simply amazed that in 4 months worth of payments, we eliminated [...]
Filed under: Progress Posts, Victories! | Tagged: debt, progress, victory! | 1 Comment »
I just finished watching Maxed Out – a documentary about predatory credit card lending. Or, as Jay Antani from stated on the review site I linked to: ” a Dante-esque descent into a distinctly American form of Hell.”
If you haven’t seen it, I’d [...]
Filed under: Attitudes, Reviews, consumerism | Tagged: consumerism, debt, documentaries, needs vs wants | 4 Comments »
Let’s see how we did in January:
Personal Credit Cards:
Citibank: Was: $1787.71
Now: $1212.73
We paid off $615.00 on this card this month – $165 of that was snowflaking, mostly from selling our product on Ebay. We also charged $40.02 on the card – all but $6.99 were interest charges. $6.79 of that were for February’s interest charges, [...]
Filed under: Progress Posts | Tagged: debt, ebay, progress | Leave a Comment »
I admit it. It’s been over a week since I’ve posted.
This past week has been frustrating – and disheartening.
On the positive side – we close on our house in NC on Friday! That’s nearly $180,000 of debt gone!
However…we have to bring $10,677.82 to closing. Ouch. (I did an estimate before and I was way off. [...]
Filed under: Progress Posts, debt | Tagged: debt, refinancing, septic system | 1 Comment »
We received our first offer on our house in NC today, and after much thought and negotiation, we accepted it. I’m happy, and I’m not.
Why not? Well, the initial offer was for $175,000 on an asking price of $199,900. By the time we finished negotiating, the agreed upon price had risen to $185,500.
Because of the [...]
Filed under: Progress Posts, debt | Tagged: debt, real estate | 2 Comments »
If you are wondering where or how to start snowballing your debts, it can be really intimidating to try to figure out which order to pay your cards in. Will you save more money if you pay off the Visa or the Discover first? Highest interest rate or smallest balance? What do [...]
Filed under: debt | Tagged: Blogroll, calculators, debt | 2 Comments »
Okay, I’ve talked the debt over with my husband. He and I both feel like getting this mess down on paper changes the way we feel about the debt – instead of being afraid to know and avoiding the issue, we are much more confident in our ability to pay down the debts. [...]
Filed under: Budgeting, debt | Tagged: , budget, debt, giving, making money, snowballing, snowflaking | 3 Comments »
Now that I’m at this point, I’m a little nervous. Am I doing the right thing, posting this here? Will this really work to motivate me to keep focused on paying off debt, or am I just providing fodder for the snarky internet lurkers out there?
I just have to be honest. I [...]
Filed under: Progress Posts, debt | Tagged: debt, progress | Leave a Comment »
You know, it’s crazy, but I never imagined I’d be in this much debt by the time I was 28. I have student loans, two mortgages in two states, and a TON of credit card debt from starting a fairly successful business without funds (obviously not successful enough.) I’m going to go into [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: consumerism, debt, frugality, nutrition | 1 Comment »
