I Am Getting Closer To Being Debt Free!

I am so happy! I am very close to being debt free. Just four years ago, I had what seemed to be an insurmountable amount of debt, and now I am within 10 months of paying it all off. Or maybe sooner. I had five credit cards, all with pretty high balances, so my monthly payment for all of them was pretty high.

I have paid off one card, and am a couple of months from paying off another one. Then another one a few months later. And then another one a few months after that. The last one will be paid off in 10 months, but I am hoping sooner, as I can apply my extra money I will have to this last one. I will not know what to do with myself with all of that extra money. (Save it and invest in, I hope!)

At this point, I do not need this, but I thought I might need debt help early on. There are firms all around the U.S. and also in Canada that can help with debt settlement. Debt can be such a burden, and so many people, including me, have lived under its toll. I urge everyone who is in debt to make a plan to get debt free as soon as possible.

Celebration Time: I Paid Off A Credit Card!

I paid off a credit cars last week. Pop the champagne! It is truly exciting for me as debt has definitely been a yoke around my shoulders. The balance was $140.00 and I paid it off on online.

The sad part is that is the punt I first paid for the piece of exercise equipment I bought at k- kart a decade ago.

A decade ago. Those are sad words. Since then I have paid a couple of thousand dollars in late fees and interest. Never to get it back and nothing to show for it. To make matters worse, I could never get the equipment assembled correctly and never used it.

Looking back, I can't believe it. Where was my head? Not screwed on right obviously.

But things are looking up. At least it is paid off now. And I will pay off another one in a few months. And the other cards will be paid off within the year. Much better than when I had five years to pay it all off. Never to do again.

Can Friends Get You In Money Trouble?

My answer to that question is a definite yes! The article below talks about the ways that friends can lead to money trouble and how to try to handle that.

I don't mind buying gifts for friends, because I am one of those who thinks that gifts are precious. Just don't overdo it!

I don't have so much trouble from friends about money now, but I did when I was young. I had three friends, all older, who set me off on the wrong financial course, one that I am still dealing with today. OK, I know that it was really my fault that I spent more than I had to keep up with my older, glamorous friends. But I got the feeling that they liked that I was struggling to keep up with them and goaded me into it. See, they ended up not being very good friends--it just took me a while to catch on.

So, the result was I developed really bad money habits right out of college. And when I say I am paying for that years later--decades later--I really am. But my debt level is going down fast, and within a year I will be out of debt, except for my car. And that is where I want to stay.


http://money.msn.com/frugal-living/post.aspx?post=4674a9c0-a983-49b5-8743-9ccb55fa9215

Boomers To Go Bust? Uh Oh

Articles like that linked below scare me to death. I am a boomer, albeit a younger one. But to read that boomers are probably going to go bust in retirement is frightening! I am not as bad off as some mentioned in the article, but I am on par with some others, which is still not good.

I don't mind working hard and forever, but what worries me are the factors out of our control: the economy, medical costs, social security, etc.

We as a group need to get on the stick, but how to collectively do so?

http://money.msn.com/baby-boomers/5-reasons-boomers-will-go-bust-fiscaltimes.aspx

Multiple Income Streams Are Good

This post from Wise Bread points out what I have thought important for a long time: Multiple Income streams are very important. I have had side jobs for a long time, because I have never made enough money at my regular jobs. (And to be honest, I have always been in too much debt, and needed the extra money to make ends meet).

But aside from that, multiple income streams are more important today. With loss of jobs and unpredictability in the job market, who knows when a regular paycheck will go by the wayside? As this article points out, your side income can help you out in tough times and even grow to become your primary job. It is even better when your side job is something fun or easy for you to do.

One thing I was surprised about was the pushback from some of the readers of the Wise Bread article. Side jobs tend to take time away from family. Yeah, like duh. If you don't need side income or a side job, then you are lucky. But you may need it more than you realize.

http://www.wisebread.com/4-reasons-why-everyone-needs-side-income

Student College Debt: The Next Bubble?

We've had the Wall Street meltdown and the mortgage meltdown, among other financial catastrophes. Could college student debt be the next big problem?

There is much evidence to say yes. Student debt is at a trillion dollars, and interest on student debt may increase drastically soon. Students are also taking out more private loans, which are more unforgiving than public loans.

What is the answer? I am all for good education and going to the best school that you want and you can get into. Maybe try somehow to tap into creative ways to get money, such as more diligent scholarship search, or using 529s. Parents may need to be better at saving and college planning too.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/student-loan-interest-rate_n_1372506.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl25%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D146080

Khloe And Lamar

I appreciate the guest post, Vito Rivers

Khloe and Lamar is one of those shows that I told myself I wouldn’t watch. I like all of the Kardashians but I really don’t like the way Khloe acts around Lamar most of the time so I decided that this show would not be on my top ten list. Recently I started watching the show after an episode of E! News. I was surprisingly intrigued by Khloe and Lamar’s relationship. I think they have grown out of the baby talk stage for the most part so that annoyance is gone, thankfully. The thing that I really liked about them is that they are always looking out for each other and they make decisions as a team. The episode that I saw was about Lamar possibly moving to Turkey to play basketball during the lockout that was happening in the NBA here in the states. Khloe’s Armenian family took issue with them living in Turkey for historical reasons but K and L worked it out together. Check outhttp://www.DirectStarTV.com/ to find out if you can get E! at your house.