I'm back......

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2004
I'm back......
4
Tue, 06-28-2005 - 1:30pm

Haven't been here in a while...been lurking occasionally, since I've paid off my CC's. I've been doing okay I guess. I still use my CC's but I've only charged about 200$, since I paid everything off. I pay them off as soon as I get the bill. So I don't have any CC debt, but I do have 40K in student loans and my lease payment on my car(so far over miles I'll have to pay 5K just in mileage, or buy the stupid thing for 8K in 2006 ....and I just sent a check for $1993.97 to Geico for my 6 month renweal on my car insurance....ouch...

I cut back my hours at my weekend job, so now I have at least one day off a week (and $500 less a month), which is nice because I live by the beach...and I have time to actually go this year...I still haven't bought a bathing suit, because I still have on from a few years ago that fits. Still don't have a beach bag, cuz all I really need is a towel anyway. Now that I have some time off I want to do things. I want to go out with my friends, I want to go shopping...but I still feel like I can't spend money. I'm afraid that if I start buying things again I'll go into debt again.

I was in Express yesterday, and saw tons of cute stuff that I wanted so badly...and everything I wanted came in my size, which is very rare. I have a 3500$ limit at Express and even though I cut up the card, I know the account number by heart. I didn't get anything. I didn't have the cash, and couldn't rationalize spending that much on clothes. So I just walked out. I hate this feeling. There are so many stupid things that I want/need. I recently lost weight (not intentional) and need new bras, because all of mine are too big. Bras are expensive, so I'm just trying to gain weight so I won't have to buy new ones. I want new gym shoes, because mine are getting uncomforable...I want to spend more than 20$ a week on food....My BF wants to go on vacation....This stupid list won't stop growing.....I think I was happier when I didn't know what I was missing out on...This is making me sick....Thanks for letting me vent

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-07-2003
Tue, 06-28-2005 - 11:21pm

No advice here...but HUGS....

I know how hard it is...I love to travel, have always traveled a lot, and in fact used to for my job...now I dont travel for work, and cant justify traveling expenses....and its tough..

BUT...You just have to remind yourself, (over and over and over), that you're making small sacrifices now for a long term payoff.

It feels Sooo much better not to have the debt, as you obviously know...and think how good it will feel if you snowball a lil "express" account...until you have the cash to buy what you actually want there!!

And I'll keep reminding myself that by NOT traveling this year on a tiny lil budget, I can get things in order to travel in style in the future. ;)

~ Teresa

Teresa
http://www.affordingpickles.blogspot.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 06-29-2005 - 11:11am

Hi sweettrip,

Sounds like you're feeling discouraged. Can you build some spending money into your budget so you don't feel so deprived? Now that your ccs are paid off, maybe you can afford to let yourself live a little on the money that you're not spending on cc bills.

I'm thinking perhaps dividing the "extra" income that's not going to ccs into thirds: one third to go toward building wealth (whether that means paying off student loans, funding a retirement plan, or building investments), one third for a long-term savings account for enjoyable big purchases like home improvements etc., and one third just to have fun with.

Good luck, and congratulations! I'm so proud of you for getting and staying out of debt.

:)

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2004
Wed, 06-29-2005 - 12:18pm

Thanks, but the cC debt what just the beginning....I didn't actually save that much money per month by paying off my CC's, probably only a few hundred. I did manage to pay off almost $7,000 in CC debt though (my minimum payments were very low compared to the balances). Up until last month I was working seven days a week. I had been doing that for the past three years (since I got out of college). I decided that it wasn't quite normal to never have a day off, so I gave myself one day off a week. By not working that one day a week, I sacrifice over 500$ a month, so money is still kinda tight for me. I still have rent, utilitites, ect. I hadn't bought my self anything for about 18 months. When I paid off my CC's back in May, I went shopping. I wasn't used to how expensive everything seemed and I ended up bringing most of it back, just because I felt like I should be saving my money instead.

The extra money is supposed to go to my car....I'm worried because my lease on my car will expire in December of 2006, which seems like a long time from now, but it's only 18 months. I will owe thousands in extra mileage (I have 80K miles on my car and I was only allowed 48K, and I still have 18 months to go). I have to buy the car when my lease is up. The pay off will be 8500$, and I want to pay that in cash. I really don't want a car payment for another few years after I'd been leasing for the past three. I also think I should be saving for a down payment on a house, and making a dent in my student loans. I just can't ratioalize spending money on clothes or shoes or going out and having fun when I have so many other more important financial obligations......but lately I actually have time to relax, and ocasionally window shop, and I start getting all these stupid ideas about stuff I want.....I'm so close to just using my CC's again (even though they're all cut up there are ways of still using them)....

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 06-29-2005 - 1:58pm

Hang in there! It sounds like you're doing great!

BUT, I'm a big advocate of making sure you take care of yourself, too. You've got a great plan in place, and it sounds like you're really working hard.

Maybe you could take $20 a week, and use it to pamper yourself. If you love to shop, my big advice is to go yard saling. $20 goes a LOOOONG way at yard sales, and you can find some really great stuff. Then, you'll have had an opportunity to get your bug out, and not feel like you need to go spend money elsewhere.

My big worry is, and maybe you're not like this, but I know I am--that when I've worked really hard and been really "good" for a long time, and start to feel deprived, eventually I break down and end up spending way too much on something because I just got overloaded and burned out.

But if I take care of myself a bit at a time, it becomes manageable, I'm happier, and my finances are still well cared for.

After all, you are not your debt. :) (Whoever said that first should get an award and credit every time we quote it on this board, which is a lot--anyone know who that was?)

Blessings,

Heather