NEW HOME!!!!!

No, I didn't buy a house. My blog has moved..... My new page.
I should have some more stuff on it soon.

Todays Challenges

So, today, I have to pay the Cable bill. They billed for a partial month, and then all of next month, so my bill is $180.01. OUCH! I'll set up my bank to transfer the money out tomorrow. I still have to call on my old phone bill. They charged me for the whole month of March, but I changed over to cable phone on 2/17. So they have to issue me a credit of some sorts. The gal I spoke to on the 26th told me they should issue a new bill dated the 27th or so with the credit on it. I'm still waiting.

More later.

Must...Resist....

I got a call last night from my aunt informing me that there was a new shipment of Dooney & Bourke, and Coach handbags that had arrived at TJ Maxx last night. SO, I hopped in the car today to see what was there. There was this REALLY cute woven burlap style Coach bag. It had appliquéd bees, flowers and leaves on it. I wanted it so badly. I actually held it for about 30 minutes before realizing that the $79 price tag would set me back just that much in my quest to pay off my credit cards. SO, I put it back. I had to. Then I left, and bought myself a chili-dog, fries and root beer combo.

What I'm doing now

Last night I went grocery shopping. I go to Super WalMart because it's generally cheaper than Wegmans. The only problem is, it's WalMart. I ended up buying this cheap (read under $20) side table for my living room, and a cheap (read under $15) lamp for the table. I've been meaning to do this for some time, but just haven't really found anything I liked until last night. When I was looking to see what bulb it used I noticed they have these new bulbs that are supposed to be cheaper to use and last longer than regular bulbs. I sure hope so at $4 a pop. Anyways, I figured, any way to pinch a penny, even if it cost more up front.

I have started using Pearbudget. It's an program you can download and use in excel to budget your money. You list out what you buy each day, and what your income is. It basically calculates everything for you, all you have to do is save your receipts.

I've looked into getting a second job again. Bartending or waitressing is looking like a good option. I'm going to a local hotel today to apply for both and see where that gets me. Trouble is, as a PT student, I might not get the best hours available. We'll see, I guess.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, I'm trying to save money in an emergency fund. Currently, I don't have one. I mean, I have a couple of checking accounts, but not enough money in them to qualify them as an emergency fund. All the money I make at this new second job, whatever it ends up being, will go to the fund. I'm already contributing to a 401K, I'm already saving $100/month in my interest bearing ING Electric Orange checking account. Now I just have to start putting money in my Patelco CU account.

Anyways, I need to save money, pay off these credit cards, and start thinking about paying off my student loans.

Blogging my way out of Debt

So, I'm a member of this forum where credit is the main topic. I have decided to keep track of my debt, and chronicle my way out of it.

I currently owe less than $400 on my credit cards, and I'm excited to pay that off. My goal is to have them paid off by June. At that time, I will use the extra money I'm not sending in on my credit cards, to add payments to my car loan. Next post, I will make sure to put in exact amounts.

I'm also going to link some of my favorite sites for Credit Related Research.
FTC Opinion Letters
http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra/index.htm