Women in Red Racers - Northeast Region

[mom2-4monkeys]

This message has been deleted.

[CarolinaKat]

Popping in from the south to congratulate IrishMaude on winning her race!!!!!

[mom2-4monkeys]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Irishmaude

Way to go!







---hijacked from procras108r on the South board. It is so cool i wanted to share it on the North

[mourningcloak]

So it's time for my first update for Race 2. It's been an interesting month. I was able to put a decent amount towards my race, but I expect a backwards step next month. I planned on paying down some this month, then using my tax return to do any work associated with getting my car inspected. However, I can't file my taxes for a couple more days yet and I'm still waiting on two documents. So I'll need to charge everything then pay it off in March or April whenever I get my return. Hopefully it's large enough to cover that work. On top of all that, my boyfriend has moved in. At the moment he's still looking for a job, but he's been contributing to the household by buying groceries and working on some mini condo improvements for now. I'm looking forward to him getting a job so that there's more room in the budget so I can focus more on paying down these bills before my student loans go into repayment the end of this year.

So here's the numbers:
Account - Start - Current - Difference
PenFed Visa Gold $5,824 $4,036 ($1,788)
PenFed Promise $461 $446 ($15)
SunTrust Auto Loan $16,078 $15,873 ($205)
Mortgage $143,050 $142,847 ($203)

mourningcloak: 2/10/11 $163,202 (1/10/11, $165,413 NPT5)

[crisde2bdebtfree]

CONGRATS!!! IrishMaude for winning your race!!!!! You should be sooo Proud!! Enjoy and Good Luck!

[lark1964]

I'M A COPYCAT!!!

Congratulations Irishmaude

And I *LOVE* these birds!!!



---hijacked from procras108r on the South board. It is so cool i wanted to share it on the North

I may have to use them again just CUZ

[Maryland Monroe]

IrishMaude, congratulations on your win!!

[oceanfire31]

Congratulations IrishMaude!!! Good luck on the house hunting!

[lark1964]

I've decided I really like this posting board! Cuz, like - we can put up all kinds of free gifs!



This is just - FUN!

[meltingdebt]

Update melting_debt $18,179.30 (1/1/10 $30,844.93)

DEBT	Original Balance 01/01/10	Current Balance	Change
Cable	$136.84	$0.00	136.84
Cell phone	$367.54	$0.00	367.54
Clothing Store	$512.46	$0.00	512.46
CC #1	$742.37	$0.00	742.37
CC #2	$1,168.00	$0.00	1,168.00
CC #3	$9,499.62	$7,376.11	2,123.51
BCC #1	$4,818.91	$0.00	4,818.91
BCC #2	$13,599.19	$10,803.19	2,796.00
Total	$30,844.93	$18,179.30	12,665.63

Account	Original balance 01/01/10	Current Balance	Change
Savings	$0.00	$160.01	$160.01
Emergency	$0.00	$661.73	$661.73
Vacation	$0.00	$903.78	$903.78
IRA	$0.00	$2,438.97	$2,438.97
Retirement	$0.00	$1,245.80	$1,245.80
Total	$0.00	$5,410.29	$5,410.29

I was feeling very sorry for myself last week. I was laid off from one, of my 3 part-time jobs. Then this morning I sat down, balanced the checkbook and updated my numbers. Seeing how far I have come in one year has changed my outlook on my situation. If I had not become a member of this board, I think my numbers would look much worse than they are. Seeing how much money I have saved in the last year, as also lightened my worrying a little bit. I do not plan on touching any of that money, unless it is absolutely necessary.

So now I am off to walk the dog in the sunshine!

[cushion21]

UPDATE

Cushion21[2] 2/12/11 $3,673.58 (5/30/09 $18,818)

Congratulations Irishmaude. Your journey had a lot of ups and downs but you made it to the other side in one peice and with some great knowledge. Good juju being sent your way for finding the perfect house for you and Mister.

Best to all,
Cushion

[cls328]

Irish-congrats on your race!

Update: This update is actually from 1/21 but I couldn't find my password and therefore could not post.
I haven't quite figured out how to do the tables yet but I will work on it. Here goes:
SL $9970.60
CC1 $0
CC2 $11608.29
CC3 $11320.98
CC4 $0
Total $32,899.87

CLS 328: 2/12/11 $32,899.87 (12/21/08 $42,189.11) NE 397

[meltingdebt]

Congratulations, IrishMaude! That is absolutely amazing!

[bankergurl]

Here is the $100K updates as of 2/13/11! Amazing updates as usual, total paid off this week was $19,127.20!!!!
- 1 returning member, lizziect from the Midwest!
- Congrats to tkdblkbelt28 from the Midwest for paying off over $25K!
?? Who will be the first graduate from the $100K list in 2011 ??

notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=wir&thread=2929&page=1

[lark1964]

OK. This is being weird. I am allowed to QUOTE, but I am not allowed to add MY comment!

Of course, having said that, I can now post a response to BankerGurl... As I said: I will make my goal of $14,000 paid off in 2011. Nope, won't be a payOFF, but it is an attainable goal!

[IrishMaude]

Thank you all for the Congratulations! I seriously mean it when I say the only way we got to the end of this race was because of you all.

So, DH and I both had nasty strings of the flu/bronchitis. Yay. I'm STILL coughing one week later, but the antibiotics are starting to really kick in. Now my lil guy has it. Poor kiddo has a 102 temp and all that jazz.

We looked at a home yesterday that I was hoping would be close to "it". It is an historical home built in 1861 (Civil War was going on and Lincoln was President!!) with 4 beds, 2 bath and a turret. The only thing DH and I are not 100% about is the fact that although it's in decent shape, it needs a gut job in the kitchen and 1 bath right off the bat. Plus it needs ALL new electrical updates wiring - throughout a 3000sq ft victorian and needs chimney work to re-open and get the 2 fireplaces working again, not to mention some woodwork to the front porch and also new windows all around...yea. This house is magical and whomever buys it and loves it hopefully will make it as spectcular as it can be in all its grandness. If money were no object ...

Thanks again to everyone. Cheers!

[Minnesotagirl7]

Dropping in from the Midwest to congratulate IrishMaude on her win! Way to go!!!

[sunshinegal1981]

UPDATE!!! WHOOOOOO! Graduated off the 100k+ list!!! ;-) YAY me!

sunshinegal1981: 2/14/2011 $98,422 (10/29/2010 $114950 NEU326) Percentage paid off: 14.4%

I hope the official 50-100k list is around here somewhere.... need to keep the momentum going!!!

[ashleyanne16]

Stopping over from the midwest to congratulate IrishMaude!!! Way to go!

[lulu0312]

Another Midwesterner popping in to congratulate IrishMaude! WOO HOO!! GREAT JOB!!

[CaptainDuck]

Just popping over from the Savers to say CONGRATULATIONS to


Irishmaude WAY TO GO!!

[munjoyhill]

Update Munjoyhill 2/15/2011 $144,863.43 ($155,340.30 6/18/09)

Debt	Starting Amt	2/15/2011	Difference
HELOC	$30,340.30	$20,610.25	$9,730.05
Mortgage	$125,000.00	$124,253.18	$746.82
Totals	$155,340.30	$144,863.43	$10,476.87

I'm turtling along.

[kristin11]

I have a question for everyone ... I have been speaking with a few different debt counseling agencies to see if there is any program I can use to give myself a little breathing room each month and I spoke to one just the other day that talked about a program called debt negotiation where it is a low monthly payment however I was told that on my credit report things will show up that my payments are 30, 60, 90 days late because they pay my companies directly. They explained that I would take the hit now and that in 3 or 4 years my credit will be great again. This makes me very uncomfortable because I have a very good credit score right now and I dont want there to be any record of me being late. Has anyone ever done something like this that can give me information on it or has anyone else used another program that worked for them? Thanks!

[redwagon]

redwagon: 2/15/2011 $27407.22 (7/16/2007 $27323.79 N290)

Went back up this month. It was a combination of a bunch of little things, including lots of birthdays I hadn't budgeted for, and blue's SL changing how we paid bills this month a bit. He just started his new job, so that extra income will be great to get us back on track. Luckily we're getting a good refund that will get thrown at debt for the most part, with a small boost to the Emergency Fund as well. In any event, here are my numbers this month:

Account	7/15/2007	12/31/2010	1/19/11	2/15/2011	Paid Off This Month	Paid This Year	Paid Total
CC#1	1451.67	1178.69	815.69	680	135.69	498.69	771.67
CC#2	931.42	0	0	0	0	0	931.42
CC#3	8908.36	12650.97	11304.5	11439.04	-134.540000000001	1211.93	-2,530.68
CC#4	0	0	0	1499	-1499	-1499	-1,499.00
CC#5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
CC#6	0	231.75	282.19	380.46	-98.27	-148.71	-380.46
CC#6	0	231.75	211.75	211.36	0.38999999999999	20.39	-211.36
SL	16032.34	13376.02	13286.83	13197.36	89.4699999999994	178.66	2,834.98
Total	27323.79	27437.43	25900.96	27407.22	-1506.26	261.959999999998	-83.43

[lark1964]

Feb 15, 2011 9:50:49 GMT -5 kristin11 said:

I have a question for everyone ... I have been speaking with a few different debt counseling agencies to see if there is any program I can use to give myself a little breathing room each month and I spoke to one just the other day that talked about a program called debt negotiation where it is a low monthly payment however I was told that on my credit report things will show up that my payments are 30, 60, 90 days late because they pay my companies directly. They explained that I would take the hit now and that in 3 or 4 years my credit will be great again. This makes me very uncomfortable because I have a very good credit score right now and I dont want there to be any record of me being late. Has anyone ever done something like this that can give me information on it or has anyone else used another program that worked for them? Thanks!

Kristin, we've all looked at this at different times, and the truth is if you need the help, bankruptcy is a better option!

Debt reduction organizations don't really do anything you can't do yourself, they just make it sound like they're offering you reduced debt, but what they're really doing is just making the creditors frustrated with non-payment of debt and they start "settlling" for less, and then the debt buyers - and that's really what they are - make their profit that way.

So, say you owe $100.

You pay $5 a month, and with interest you're going to wind up paying $185 before it's all done.

You go to a debt reduction company who offers you 50% less to pay off the bill.

But what they do is make the creditor wait... and wait... and wait... and then when the bill gets to be about $150 with interest and late fees (and your credit is trashed), then they start offering to just get the bad debt off the books, but the trick here is - the creditor says they'll take $30.

And the debt reduction company says, "You can pay it off for $50." So what they get is a $20 commission.

The other trick is - a lot of larger bank cards won't work with these bozos anymore, so what you wind up with is paying a commission to them for doing nothing.

I got taken by one of these once upon a time, you see on my debt that big note from BofA and then there's one from American Express, which goes down a LOT every month? A debt reduction agent once upon a time offered me "30-60% reduction of debt", and so I thought, ok, this might work, and they promised they'd reduce my $60K in debt to BofA and Amex to maybe $25K total. What happened in the long run was they started adding fees and while I was unemployed (and this is who they prey on, too), they took more money than I had, and bottom line I think I lost about $2-3K, and my debt was still $60K.

But then Amex came back to me and said, "Hey, we'll let you pay $10K if you pay it off in 24 months." So that killed $20K of my debt off the top.

BofA sends me offers from time to time, they're unrealistic still (pay us $10K in a lump and we'll ignore the rest - yeah... right... pocket change!), but I think part of their beef is that they actually own my mortgage right now (and aren't about to let it go, cuz - I pay it on time!), but I expect they'll get to a point where it's either accept my reduced payments or never get paid.

If your credit is already suffering, you don't want to make it worse by letting someone else "manage" your debt for you - by not actually paying your debt! If you really want to talk with someone, go to Consumer Credit Counseling, it's an actual non-profit agency who helps. And if you're in good standing with your creditors, they really will help get your interest rates reduced, it won't hurt your credit, and it's a flat rate, something like $50 a card - or a debt.

Also - don't doubt that your creditors won't work with you. If you can't make payments to them - or can't make the minimum - they may be willing to reduce your minimum payment. If you tell them in advance, believe me, they'll work with you!

A couple of years ago, Discover actually called ME, they asked if there was anything they could do to help? They offered me a lower interest rate and a lower payment when THEY saw on my report I had "slow" payments to BofA and Amex - the only rule was, I couldn't use the card: it didn't hurt my credit, didn't hurt my score, didn't hurt my account, just - cut my payments and my interest for a year! I paid them on time every month, like clockwork, and after that year, the card is available, my interest rate is pretty good (10.49%), and I'm making the normal payments again.

So - make a couple of phone calls. Tell them you're having problems, they'll look at your credit history, yes, you're going to talk with rude "customer service" reps (ah, the embodiment of the DMV for creditors!), but if you simply state you're looking to work with them, and can they pass you to the finance group, they really will help!

Try, it can't hurt!

[ravenhaired]

Ravenhaired: 2/15/11 $59,698.65 (12/23/09 $72,190.66)
Pittsburgh, PA NE U4


EXPENSES

Bills	Dec 2009	Dec 2010	Jan 2011	Feb 15, 2011
Mortgage	52,585.13	48,777.29	48,506.06	48,506.06
LOC	11,280.70	9,825.83	9,015.83	8,515.83
SL	5,481.90	0.00	0.00	0.00
CC1	2,232.93	0.00	0.00	0.00
CC2	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Fridge	610.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Surgery-bill 1	0.00	0.00	0.00	395.29
Surgery-bill 2	0.00	0.00	0.00	801.01
Yoga Course	0.00	0.00	0.00	1,250.00
Washer	0.00	0.00	0.00	230.46
Totals	72,190.66	58,603.12	57,524.19	59,698.65
Decreased by:		(13,587.54)	(1,078.93)	2,174.46

********

SAVINGS

Savings	Dec 2009	Dec 2010	Jan 2011	Feb 15, 2011
EF	0.00	1,985.02	1,763.82	2,013.82
Liquid Savings	190.20	0.00	0.00	0.00
Totals	190.20	1985.02	1763.82	2013.82
Increased by:		1,794.82	221.20	250.00

Well, this is certainly turning out to be an expensive year!
But it is manageable.



2011 Financial Goals
BS#1 – Establish 1K EF – Complete (2K)
BS#2 – Pay off LOC (In progress – Target completion August)
BS#3 – Establish 10K EF/Re-adjust retirement contribution to 10%
BS#4 –Re-adjust retirement contribution to 20%
BS#5 -- Complete
BS#6 – Pay off mortgage (approx 2018)
BS#7 – Build wealth & give
RETIRE from corporate America!

[mom2-4monkeys]

Kristin
I agree with what Lark said. I too got sucker into a debt negotiation. I paid them money i could have been sending my creditors. My credit is now crap! They did make good on SOME of their promises. I listed 5 out of my 7 card with them. They would even take to (Sears, i.e. Citi Bank, and Target). Just like LARK said, they don't actually pay your creditors. One of the cards (Discover) took me to court, but because I was in the middle of moving I never got the court paperwork, and now have a judement against me. In Massachusetts, they CAN garnish your wages, put a lein on your house or do nothing but wait. I "settled" my Target card on my own. I had almost 6k with them and settled for $2300 in payments. LARK is right, talk to them your self, you'll be suprised what they will do for you!

[mom2-4monkeys]

UPDATE>>>

Mom2-4Monkeys $50,056.06 2/15/2011 ( $50835.43 1/3/2011 )

Debt	Original 1/3/11	1/21/2011	2/15/2011	Paid
Capital 1	$3,022.42	$3,022.42	$3,022.42	$-
Raymour	$463.61	$445.05	$426.29	$37.32
BOA	$7,917.17	$7,917.17	$7,917.17	$-
Cambridge	$3,055.00	$3,000.00	$3,000.00	$55.00
Truck	$7,821.24	$7,415.54	$7,134.19	$687.05
Discover	$15,981.92	$15,981.92	$15,981.92	$-
Sears	$12,574.07	$12,574.07	$12,574.07	$-
Totals	$50,835.43	$50,356.17	$50,056.06	$779.37
Savings	$-	$487.86	1400.07

[chiver78]

ok, so it's trickled out to some media outlets that the announcement for the sale of my company will be made tomorrow. anyone else been through this process before? what should I expect?

fwiw, my company hasn't told the employees anything along the way. what little I do know is coming from a google search of the two companies involved, each morning before I head in to work. seems to me that the office environment would have been a little less stressful lately had the powers that be let us peons in on the details, seeing as it was OK to leak it to reuters, et. al....

[lark1964]

Feb 15, 2011 12:51:46 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

ok, so it's trickled out to some media outlets that the announcement for the sale of my company will be made tomorrow. anyone else been through this process before? what should I expect?

fwiw, my company hasn't told the employees anything along the way. what little I do know is coming from a google search of the two companies involved, each morning before I head in to work. seems to me that the office environment would have been a little less stressful lately had the powers that be let us peons in on the details, seeing as it was OK to leak it to reuters, et. al....

y-u-u-u-u-u-ck!

In this economy, I don't know what to tell you. In the past, when things like this happen publicly before they do internally, it's been a good thing for employees, at least in my experience, because the employees "go along with the deal", they're just changing logos.

In *this* economy? Eek. Them not telling me would make my skin crawl.

But what has been the atmosphere for the last few months? Has HR been in closed door meetings and have the execs been walking around grumbling? Has the finance group been showing losses? Does your company have a good profit these days, or a new product which has been selling well? It could be ok.

I've been through several buyouts over the years, and in a couple of companies which folded. So as I said, it's about 50/50, but if you really haven't had signs there's trouble, this buyout will probably turn out to be a good thing.

Never hurts to have your resume updated, though. Even if things are going well, and you're not being laid off or even threatened, having your resume prepared when the new regime takes over gives THEM a reference for your skills - and maybe you can show your accomplishments off and get a better position or payraise out of it! Good luck!