International Region, Women in Red Racers

[bankergurl]

$100K List updated as of 12/9/12! $10,667.01 paid off this week!
Congrats to Tobinikui from the Northeast for paying off over $25K and over 20%!
www.notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11187&page=4

[shanendoah]

The 25-50k List has been updated.
notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11191&page=4

Over $10,585 was paid off by the ladies on this list in the last 2 weeks.
Seahorse leapt to the top of the list and Zsdebt landed in 3rd. Our top 3 ladies are all less than $1k away from jumping right off the list!.

[redruby]

50-100K Club Update as of 12/16/2012.
- CONGRATS to 3jsmom for moving to the 25-50K Club.
- Lost 2 member due to inactivity. Try to post once a month.
- Got several members getting so close to the 25-50K Club.
notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=redracers&action=display&thread=11190&page=4

[bankergurl]

$100K List updated as of 12/23/12! $1,440.01 paid off in the last 2 weeks, and with Christmas just around the corner, that is fantastic!
www.notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11187&page=4

[Minnesotagirl7]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

[Deleted]

Thank you Minnesota, same to you and everybody else on this thread!

[shanendoah]

The 25-50k List has been updated.
notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11191&page=4

Over $19,240 was paid off by the ladies on this list in the last 2 weeks.
Congratulations to our newest graduate, shanendoah from the West!
shanendoah leapt off the list and aylearia jumped up two places.

[akagrace]

UPDATE 12/31/2012 $37,730 (10/17/2012 $39,706.99, I49)

What a way to end the year! The first two weeks of December saw us in Florida at Disney! We have been saving for this trip for 5 years and it was amazing! We even came back with $35 to spare! Because of the Disney trip Christmas celebrations were simpler (read: cheaper) so there is no Christmas debt to haul in to the New Year either!
I am still tackling my LoC debt to try and get lots of room on it for when my CC 0.99% interest promotion is over in June. It is slowly being chipped away at, while we are now busy saving up for our next major trip - the Galapagos Islands, Macchu Piccu and the Amazon! Hopefully we will be there in the next 3-4 years
Hapy New Year everyone!

[redruby]

50-100K Club Update as of 1/1/2013.
As a Club we owe $854,095.43. Let’s make some awesome progress this year. I will be updating once a month.
notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=redracers&action=display&thread=11190&page=4

[zsdebt]

Happy new year everyone!

akagrace - I am dying to go to all the places you've listed! (In that order!!) Hoping to do some diving in Galapagos... someday!!

[zsdebt]

Update:

ZsDebt: 1/03/2013, $25,486.38 (1/7/2010, $59,198.18, IU16)

Starting debt (1/7/2010)	Current (08/31/2012)
Loan 1: 8,381.28	0
CC 1: 1,935.71	0
CC 2: 3,312.03	0
CC 3: 2,948.52	0
CC 4: 5,926.85	0
LoC: 9,928.32	4,981.81
Student loan 1: 19,852.79	15,008.33
Student loan 2: 6,912.68	5,486.24
Total: $59,198.18	$25,486.38

Total paid: $33,711.80 (57%)

My goal was to be under $25K... I am just $400 short but I am pretty happy with my progress as I know I've had a few setbacks!! Here's to 2013 and hoping to pay down more debt. My goal is to pay off the line of credit completely by March. Then I have to really start saving for the wedding this year. I just have to remind myself of this goal!

[ldawngirl]

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Ours was spent relaxing with family and friends, which was nice. Poor DH had to work throughout the holidays as his workplace never shuts down. More money on his pay cheque from working all the stat holidays is nice though!

Here's my latest update:

ldawngirl: 01/04/2013, $3,128 (07/11/2012, $8,328.57, IU48)
VISA (1.9% balance transfer until April 30, 2013) - $3,128
Mastercard (18.99% interest) - $0

$5,200.57 paid

We had some crazy spending times in December, so I wasn't able to put as much on the Visa as I would have liked. One of our cats was sick, our car had to go in for service and Christmas was expensive of course! But it's going down and that's the important thing. I think the debt payments will be slow going as we have a $15,000 house project that we are saving up for this summer, so most of our focus will be going there.

How's everyone else doing?

[radiationmama]

Hi everyone:

I was missing all of you soooo much! I lost you when the MSN site shut down and originally did a search but could not find a new site. Well today, I am sitting at the computer and I search again and here you all are!!!!!

I have been racing on my own for the last two years... I will post numbers soon.

Right now, I am getting caught up on the new thread (reached Feb 2011). All of my friends are still here, it is amazing...

[Sam_2.0]

radiationmama!!!!! I saw the username and peeked in to see if you had found your way back. Welcome back!!!!

[radiationmama]

Hi Sam!

Yes, I am so happy to be back. It is great to see the "old members" plus all the "new members" as well. The WIRR have shaped me in many ways, not all of them financial! I love the way this forum has always supported each of the members. There are people here that I have really missed, even though I never met them in person. For those who do not know me, I was a member from 2007 to almost the time that the MSN switch happened. Then I lost all of you. It is hard to believe that it has been two years!

I an now up to page 20 in this forum. There is so much to catch up on. I won't respond to anyone in regards to any topics until I get caught up (don't want to put my foot in my mouth...). Talk to you soon!

[Saving4Norway]

Radiationmama!!!!! AAaaaaahhhhh, it's fabulous to see your name here on ProBoards!!!!! TTTT, I feared that your disappearance regretfully had something to do with your username, if you know what I mean. But I couldn't be happier to be wrong!!!!!! I can't exactly recall which boards you and I were on together, maybe WIR Savers and No Spend/Controlled Spend? Either way, I'm so thrilled to see you back with us again!

[radiationmama]

Hi Saving for Norway!!!!

That is too funny! No, I am really glad to say that my screen name did not have to anything with my disappearance, other than the fact that I got so overwhelmed at work that I stopped checking the boards around the time that the switch happened and did not notice the changes until after the MSN site closed. I was devastated that my favorite forum had disappeared and even emailed MSN to find out what had happened to all of you and if you were coming back. Needless to say, they did not reply... I even did a search of several of the screen names who posted frequently....

I have missed you all so much! Right now, I am trying to get caught up on all of the International Planet Debtstroyer timeline but then I will move on to saying hi in all the other threads as well.

How are things going with you? Perversely, I am at this moment glad that it takes a long time to pay down debt... it means that many of the great women on this site are still around. It is quite warped of me I know!

By the way, I lover your ticker tape and your avatar!

[Deleted]

Radiationmama!!! How lovely to see you back!!!

I hope that all is well with you and your family!

I am still on the boards but not on this thread much because I'm not actively "racing" anymore, since all we have is rental debt. We refi-ed one of our rentals last fall to lower our monthly payments and now we are doing OK. I do update my signature every month.

Idawn, Zs and Grace, congrats on your updates!

[Minnesotagirl7]

akagrace- Wonderful update! You're making great progress.
Idawngirl- Woo hoo, way to go!
ZsDebt- You're so close to graduating to the under $25k club! Any day now!
Radiationmama- Its so great to hear from you, welcome back!




Smiley update!!!


=$100, ;D =$500, =$1,000, =$5,000, = $10,000, =$25,000, = $75,000, = $100,000, =$200,000, = Location Needed

akagrace: 12/31/12 $37,730 (10/17/2012 $39,706.99 IPT49) ;D
Idawngirl[2]: 1/4/13 $3,128 (7/11/2012 $8,328.57 IPT47)
ZsDebt: 1/3/13 $25,486.38 (1/7/2010 $59,198.18 IU16) ;D



debtheaven[4]: 2/23/11 $0 (11/25/2009 $11,500 I257) ;D
financiallyfreeinbc: 12/24/10 $0 (1/5/2010 $28,343.05 IU13) ;D
EL1504[2]: 5/26/11 $0 (3/19/2010 $6,751.42 IU62)
Idawngirl: 12/1/11 $0(1/4/2010 $27,993 IU10) ;D
InDebtYogini: 11/14/11 $0 (9/19/2007 $14,490.83 N559)
Writer88: 1/4/11 $0 (12/21/2006 $27,917 IU51) ;D

[radiationmama]

Hi Debthaven (I like the new name!) and Minnesotagirl. Thanks for the welcome back!

I have finally caught up on everything I missed in this thread over the last two years...

OMG!! DH I am so sorry to hear about your husband's accident! Reading all your posts, I am inspired by your courage and strength in the face of this ongoing adversity. How are your personal goals going? Have you managed to quit smoking? Are you able to continue to travel (what is your next planned trip)? How is DD doing in school - it is her second year now? How are the other children? I am really glad that you have stayed on this thread even though you officially won your races.

Minnesotagirl: Thanks for moderating this thread! It is a pretty small group, what can we do to increase exposure?

In my life, overall I am doing well. I have three lovely boys under the age of 12. The youngest has just started full time school. DH has been working shift work around my schedule part time for the last 11 years and taking care of the boys in the days. This year he has picked up a little more work now that the youngest is in school. I am hoping this continues, because I am feeling financially strapped despite a very good income. I have been the main breadwinner for the last 10 years. The biggest problems that we have financially are taxes, our credit cards at the moment (being away from you guys and feeling financial burnt out over the last year has allowed them to get out of hand), and the fact that our mortgages are coming up for renewal in the next 7 months.

I need to control the credit cards and our line of credit in this timeline in order to be ensured a good mortgage rate for the coming 5 year term. If I can't get a good mortgage rate, I might renew for a shorter term and then reapply once that ends. We still have a second home in our old town. It was leased out for approx. 4 years to a very good tenant. Now however it has sat on the rental market empty for almost 6 months. Some work was required on it (hence the credit card fiasco). We still think of moving back to our home town so are reluctant to sell.
That mortgage also comes due at the same time.

I have had a job crisis in the last two years. I accepted a very stressful administrative position about 4.5 years ago. After three years, I realized that I could not continue in this role any longer and gave intent to resign once they found someone else to take it. Despite a very intensive search, they were unable to find someone else until very recently (1.5 years after giving intent to resign). The last two years have been professional torture. I finally had to give final notice despite them not finding someone leading to the hiring of a very juniour individual to take my role. Now there has been some creative solutioning to the problem which is leading to a more experienced temporary individual coming. This whole process has allowed me to learn my limits with great personal cost. I am just starting to heal from this experience. I really want to leave my organization but the job situation for my limited profession at this time is very tight. I also do not want to move my family again at this time... Dropping the administration has dropped my income by 25%. We have not yet adjusted to this appropriately, also leading to our financial situation. I remain with the organization in a nonadministrative role for the time being.

That is us in a nut shell. I will post an update soon. Finding you ladies is making me feel accountable and very guilty; DH and I are going to have a "business meeting" today to discuss how to get out of this financial hole! Talk to you all soon!

[bankergurl]

$100K List updated as of 1/6/13! Lots of great updates in the last 2 weeks! $22,003.84 paid off in the last 2 weeks! WOWWW!
- Welcome to backincontrol from the West!
- One Leapfrog, Munjoyhill from the Northeast hopped 2 spots!
- Congrats to megaptera from the West for paying off over $5K!
- Congrats to Munjoyhill from the Northeast for paying off over $35K and over 20%!
- Congrats to Banker Gurl from the Midwest for paying off over $55K!
www.notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11187&page=4

[Deleted]

RM

Thank you for your kind thoughts and your update! Last year was awful and the accident was life-changing, but things could have been SO much worse! Happily now DH's hand is doing better, so we are very pleased. He was actually slated for another op (to improve his thumb and wrist) but I think we are both having second thoughts about that (I sure am). His next appt with the surgeon is on 7 Feb. Ultimately only he can make that decision.

I was so happy to read see you back here and read your update! No, I have not managed to quit smoking. DD is indeed in her second year of college and it is still an ongoing battle, but at least it's still ongoing LOL. I calculated that her halfway point (it's a three-year Bachelors program) is 14 Feb. She has exams over the next two weeks, so fingers crossed. The good news with her is that her BF's family moved to a bigger apt closer to Paris (they used to live in our suburb) so now she spends some time there, so we get a break LOL. Thank Gd the other kids are all good but DS1 (the humanitarian aid worker) may be going to Syria next so I am VERY concerned about that. He should know in about 10 days. Sadly, at 26, you can't just tell them what to do LOL.

I'm SO sorry about your hard time at work. Not every job is a good fit, and that doesn't mean that we are incapable, or anything of the sort! There are many, many things that factor into our work environments, and sometimes things just don't gel. I am glad you are finally healing, that is the most important thing.

As for finances, I know you will handle that too. There are periods in life where everything changes very quickly, and then we have to spend some time playing "catch up". I think that definitely happened to us when I went overboard on the rentals, and it took us a few years (and a few missed payments in September) and the refi. I think perhaps that happened to you when you moved for your job, bought a new house and did the extension, all with three very little boys.

I hope that posting here again will do you good, and make you feel better and more in control. I know you can do whatever you decide to accomplish. And I know there are a LOT of us that are really happy to see you back here!

[Deleted]

PS We can still travel for now, but we can't afford to travel often, as you know. We don't know where we will go next. DD left for four months last summer for her end-of-year internship to an island off the south of France. Since we were going to the US, we didn't have the time or money to even visit her. It's something I still feel badly about, but the break did us both good and improved the relationship. DS1 and his GF went to visit her, and so did her best friend, and her BF, so it's not like she spent four months there without seeing anybody who matters.

So we are waiting to see where she goes for her next internship, it's six months next time. All we know is it will be an English-speaking country. If we can, we would like to go there, or near there, so we can spend her days off with her for at least a couple of weeks. But, for now, we have NO idea where that could be, so we really don't know if it's remotely affordable.

[radiationmama]

Hi DH!

Thanks for your kind welcome. When I was going through all of the posts in this thread, I read your shout out to me in March of 2011. It is really nice to know that you were thinking of me when I was also thinking of you. Wouldn't it be fabulous if DD could come to Canada for her internship? You know so many people here from these boards! I am glad that her second year of college continues to go well.

I am sure that DS will do his best to be safe in Syria if he ends up there. What an interesting learning experience it will be for him. As a mother, I would also worry...

You are absolutely right, we may have bitten off more than we could chew in our move and my new job placement. Oh well, live and learn. We just have to move forward and make the best decisions we can now and for the future.

I have gotten DH to agree to making a decision on our old house (sell or keep) by summer of 2013. It depends on a number of different factors but at least he has articulated a timeline. If we sell the house, our financial worries will be over. We will still have a mortgage on our new house but our other debts would be completely gone including the expense of the addition. I am certainly at the point where I can consider this without any emotional sentiment to our old lifestyle. If we are not going to move back then I am ready to sell. I just need him to agree to a decision. This would guarantee us a decrease in our debt to income ratio for the mortgage reassessment as well.

DH has picked up more shifts and this will be very helpful in the long run. Plus if he creates an ongoing opportunity for himself that allows giving up the nighttime hours (i.e. daytime regular work only), then it would really improve things a lot - for his health and our finances. I know that this will take some time to happen (he does not like change), but the fact that he is working more is a really good sign that he is committed to helping out more financially.

Overall, I refuse to complain. As you say, life could be a whole lot worse. I am glad that your DH is doing okay. He (and you) have been through a lot. My thoughts are with you.

[shanendoah]

The 25-50k List has been updated.
notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=redracers&thread=11191&page=4

Over $7,580 was paid off by the ladies on this list in the last 2 weeks.
We welcomed ezlivindreamer from the Midwest and BRAND NEW Racer swimmingstrong from the South.
Zsdebt hopped to the top of the list and momofelliot, Gidget13 and dimplesnlj also moved up.

[alicesfreedom]

Hi everyone. Been trolling since all drama from September. I've been really clamping down on my oldest and it seems to be working. Passing her classes and getting all the homework done and handed in , the finals are coming up in 2 wks so we'll see then.
My youngest seems to be having some issues too. She just gets constipated a lot, so been going to the doctor for that. She is also having a hard time concentrating in school, loses focus, won't stay in her seat, wiggly too. So taking her to a pediatrican on Friday and getting her tested for ADHD and allergies.
Had to take hubbies truck in for repair. Had a guy give us a quote and to our horror/surprise it was lower by about 150.00 dollars when we paid. It was still $588.00, but need the big truck for the 4x4 for the winter driving.
We sold the older Ford truck for $1000.00 plus hubby got a $800.00 dollar bonus from work so on to the credit card that went. I had some lotto tickets and won $26.00, had 7.00 in wallet, that paid for the ski trip for my youngest. I also took in all my recycleable cans and that money paid for my youngest hot lunch for the next 3 months. She had so much money left from last year DID NOT HAVE TO PAY until this week.It's only twice a month about $5.75 a lunch. The ladies never said anything, so twice a month I sent $10.00 to school.
We also noticed that hubby is missing 10 hours off last check and plus 8 hours over time this week for a course, so this pay cheque is going to be large. I figure that anything over his regular check amount will go to credit card debt.
So now for my update:

Credit Card 4961.17
CIBC Plc 5123.77
Credit Union Plc 4900.00
Total 14,984.94

01/16/2013 $14,984.94(09/02/2009 $24,275.73 I226,IPT)

[alicesfreedom]

Can anyone send a link to that excel spreadsheet that you use?. I tried to use it last year but it didn't work well. I'm not a good computer nerd. Decided I'll give another try.
Thank you.

[zsdebt]

That's great news! Hope to hop off this list soon!
Thanks for updating shanendoah

[shanendoah]

The 25-50K List has been updated

• In the last two weeks, this list has paid off over $780 in debt
  
• CLS 328 jumped to the top of the list, and Seahorse hopped into the number 6 slot
  

[bankergurl]

$100K List updated as of 1/26/13! $5,951.22 paid off in the last 3 weeks! Some great paydowns right after the holidays!
- Welcome back to ambellamy from the West!
- Congrats to dschmidt1007 from the Northeast for paying off over $5K!
- Congrats to DebtFreeRedux from the South for paying off over $40K!
- Congrats to nidena from the Northeast for paying off over $55K!

www.notmsnmoney.proboards.com/thread/11187/page/4/100k-club#scrollTo=1482123