budgeting and my fear of my bank account

[next2u]

This deserves a hearty LOL:


I have a helpful hint that has saved me hundreds of dollars...  I have been using the same disposal blade on my Schick Titanium for over 6-7 months. How you ask? I dry off the blade completely after each use and put it away in a drawer. If you do this everytime your blade will not wear out as it's the water that ruins a blade. Dont just leave your blade in the shower, dry it and put it away. THis will work on any disposable razor, whether it be the cheap Bics or the expensive stuff. I have saved hudnreds of $$$ this way because it was costing me $20 each time I bought replacement blades and they only lasted about 3 weeks.

Now i just whistle as I pass the blades in the store.

Try it.!

since i shave my head daily i will have to look into this. I'd love to get roommates but you know i have issues. i just wish i wouldn't have caught the last two snooping through my shit. i had some really great roommates before that and want that experience again.

but the pot smoking and hiv thing have made me a bit paranoid (i feel like people will undermine me if they find out, go figure). i dunno, my fucking therapist just retired and i miss him soooo much.

anyhow, renting a room and budgeting seem to be the best ways to go.

best,
d

[next2u]

oh shit, i totally forgot what i was going to post...

so i went to the realtor people and they pulled my credit report. i had on my best poker face and the results can back a little lower than expected. due to my reluctance to pull my head out of my ass and stare at my financials on a regular basis two items had fucked up my credit score.

1 - dept of education. i still have a few years left of deferment but i'd rather start paying now so in 30 years i can be free  . a simple 5 minute call took care of it, why the fuck did i wait so long. i was like 90 days late and shit and the credit score took a hit. they put me back on deferment long enough to get back in school (here's that fucking circle) and they went back and fixed my missed payments. my fico score will be updated in a month or two.

2. medical bills. it was seriously for $200 or so bucks. setup a payment plan and it will be removed in a month. another simple 5 minute call.

the last 13 years will be sparkly once again. 10 minutes. note to self, an ounce of financial prevention is worth a pound of being financially fucked.

i ignored all the phone calls and watched the bills pile up. fuck being apathetic....too bad i can't help it most of the time. it's on my list of things to do. 

best,
d

[next2u]

also, if anyone has any tips for boosting a credit score i'd greatly appreciate it.

best,
d

[denb45]

also, if anyone has any tips for boosting a credit score i'd greatly appreciate it.

best,
d

yeah, pay-off your debts, if your carrying a balance from month to month your wasting your money, on interest, I only use Credit Cards so they do ding me on a usage-score, how's 845, that is what my was 2 months ago, my hubby's is 870 and we don't owe a swinging dick anything 

[next2u]

so my friend talked some sense into me and made me reevaluate a major financial decision i was making. i will take part of his advice. also, today will be the day to implement the budget and the savings account!

i also know i put this out there - does anyone know of any ways to improve a fico score. i came across this article this morning and wanted to share. my fico was fucked because of a medical bill and student loans. both have been taken care of. now my ghetto ass will be hanging all unpaid bills on the front door (40 bucks for labs, 30 bucks for an old bill that i didn't think twice about). one im sure won't get reported but i will pay it. im thinking its more about ethics and reinforcing good habits at this point.

ive been really good about not using credit over the last 2 years (only use it for school stuff and car stuff) and the last year has been a great improvement with fucked up bank charges (overdrafts and whatnot). im paying more towards the credit too. i also am checking my bank account at least once every 2 weeks (the second week is just to confirm nothing is there, lol).


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5658150/five_simple_ways_to_reestablish_your_pg2.html?cat=3


Five Simple Ways to Re-Establish Your Credit
By Jimmy Collins

If you are like many Americans today you may have hit a few snags in the credit department. Perhaps you lost a job or some other unforeseen even took place and prevented you from paying your debts on time. Maybe you just got caught in the credit trap and got overextended. Whatever the case may be, there is a way to dig yourself out of the hole you are in and re-establish your credit.
When I was a stock broker I always had people ask me for fast and easy tips to get their credit re-established. What I would always explain is that while there are many ways in which you can re-establish your credit, there are no shortcuts. The process is one that takes time, but it can be done. Here are five simple ways to make sure your credit score will climb instead of drop:

1. Pay on Time: This is a no brainer, but really it is also a quick and easy tip to re-establish credit. Paying all of your credit cards and other debts on time will keep your credit score from dropping any further and over time will help to bring it up as well.

2. Don't Close Accounts: Unless you are being charged a fee to have credit card accounts open, don't close them after you have paid them off. This will actually hurt your credit score, not help it. The credit bureaus will look at a zero balance on a credit card much more favorably then an account that has been closed as an open account shows that credit is established and a closed account shows nothing.

3. Get a Savings Account: Getting a savings account shows some financial stability on your part and can be used as collateral on certain types of loans.

4. Pay Down Balances Evenly: While you do eventually want to pay down all of your balances to nothing, you should spread the money that you will use evenly over all of your debts. One low balance on debt and four high balances on other debts are not as favorable to creditors as seeing five balances that are right in the middle of what is owed and what the limit is.

5. Don't Apply for too Many Accounts: Every time you apply for a credit card or a loan of some type, your
credit is run. Applying for too many accounts over a short period of time can be disastrous to your credit. Instead of trying to establish new credit, work on what you already have and then go for new accounts when your credit score is higher.

Remember, that it took you some time to get into the financial mess that you may be in and so it makes sense that it will take you some time for you to get out. By applying these five simple tips to help you re-establish your credit, you can get your credit back on track and have your credit score begin to climb before you know it.

[mecch]

Watch Suze Orman.  You can get the entire show as a podcast, so its convenient, and FREE.
I find it inspirational, funny, and sometimes quite scary when it reminds me how irresponsible I am.  But the inspirational part is there are plenty of people in the same boat, and Suze usually says its never hopeless, and also she often shows that sometimes you dont have a choice - there's only one acceptable action to take. 

[next2u]

so i got a call from my last creditor while i was at work. it was a rather unpleasant collection call and i think it is the last one! finally brought all my extremely outstanding shit current and now just to start chipping away at the debt. still have to send in the dept of ed the required forms to put the student loans in check.

suzy orman here i come! thanks for the recommendation!

best,
d

[emeraldize]

Watch Suze Orman.  You can get the entire show as a podcast, so its convenient, and FREE.
I find it inspirational, funny, and sometimes quite scary when it reminds me how irresponsible I am.  But the inspirational part is there are plenty of people in the same boat, and Suze usually says its never hopeless, and also she often shows that sometimes you dont have a choice - there's only one acceptable action to take. 

I didn't know she's got free podcasts. I've seen her shows on TV several times, but I credit reading her book, The Nine Steps to Financial Freedom, with helping me take a look at how I formed my attitudes toward money and make changes. That was in 1998, I think. I don't have 'financial freedom', but I made changes over time that have all added up and will continue.

Spend some, save some, live within your means, chuck the activities that cost money and health: cigs, blow, too much booze, unused gym memberships. Overall, contain unnecessary shopping. Go 'pretend' shopping. Look at the stuff, envision buying it, owning it, wearing or sitting on it and then, envision that money sitting in an account waiting to work for you in an even more fantastic way.

d: you did the right thing by getting on those naggy items that are affecting your credit score. Getting a free annual report helps you to monitor that those items/errors are addressed.

Do you have to have a roommate? Could you budget so that you don't need one OR move somewhere you can afford on your own? I ask because roommates are rarely a good match and the resulting stress can affect your health and the risk they pose can be costly in the wallet .

Here's an idea -- if you don't want to move, is there someone in the building who needs extra storage who would rent the roomie bedroom as  a storage unit giving you added income, and limited human traffic.