bobosensei
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Post by bobosensei on May 29, 2011 5:23:49 GMT -5
indebt- you sound like you are going to be a great husband for a lucky woman Just make sure to find yourself a sweet girl who has similar financial goals. If you find the right person being married can help save you lots of money.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 29, 2011 6:57:12 GMT -5
ABSOLUTELY make sure you get with a partner that is on the same page as yourself. Read what happens to those that do not right here. I have always felt that "Do not be unequally yoked" does not just apply to religious issues.
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RoadToRiches
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Formerly "indebt"
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 11:08:00 GMT -5
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Post by RoadToRiches on May 29, 2011 8:57:46 GMT -5
lol oh believe me.. I know.. that's why I am 35 years old and never been married, when most of my friends are going through divorces now. No thank you. What I saw they went through, I don't wish it on anyone.
I will settle for lady friends for now, if you catch my drift... ;D I am not "looking". I don't believe you can just LOOK for that special someone. If it's meant to happen, then it will happen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2011 16:04:56 GMT -5
I will say in some other posters' defense that is actually EASIER to be better with money in middle-age than it is when you are young.
You don't have children, who are an expensive "hobby," trust me. You usually don't have student loan debt. You are often past the "gotta be fashionable" stage. You are in the "gotta be comfy stage, which is much cheaper. Your house payment may be lower because you bought it way back when. You like the furniture and don't feel the need to change it (see fashionable/comfy comment above). You've got most of the gadgets you care about and don't care about the latest cell phone, etc.
All of these are generalizations, but I've found it much easier to be frugal now than when I was young, married, and with small children. Even something as simple as Mother's Day Out can seem expensive when you are a SAHM who needs a few hours of sanity. I actually worked one day a month to get that for half-price.
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createmyown
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Post by createmyown on May 31, 2011 10:34:17 GMT -5
indebt: I do not mean to be condescending, but I can't tell you how proud I am regarding what you are doing for yourself and your financial future. People just do not realize how much money they are pissing away. It's not to say that you didn't have some really good times with that money, but in the end it is so much nicer to live within your means/below your means and have fun according to what you make, not what you can borrow. I totally understand what you are going through, except in the reverse. When we were starting out and establishing a firm financial footing, I used to have all sorts of spread sheets (no computers in those days) that tracked our savings. If one or both of us worked overtime, I could tell you to the penny how much more we'd see in our paychecks and how much more I was going to be able to put away when we got them. It was exciting to see us go to the next level (say from having $5K saved to $10K) and so on and so forth until one day we had over $50K saved (enough for 20% down on a home and enough left to have a hefty EF). Hang in there and you can all you want here about the progress that you are making. I LOVE hearing about it and watching the ----- through the various credit cards as you pay them off. ;D I love your post for the kindness - you weren't condescending a t all, to me anyway. And I love it because I like seeing indebt's ccs being struck off too! Karma for you (in more ways than one, probably! )
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dancinmama
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LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
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Post by dancinmama on May 31, 2011 11:23:10 GMT -5
I don't mean to rain on anyones parade but I just don't understand how people let themselves get in debt like that. Once many many years ago I let my charge card get up to $5k, I couldn't believe I did that. When I got the bill I was in shock. I took money out of the bank with hubbies blessing, paid it off and never did it again. That was scarey enough for me. I said it many times...in my case it was combination of things: 1. Stupidity 2. Living beyond my means 3. Keeping up with my friends, who of course, live on credit 4. Lack of money management skills. 5. Not thinking about the future, living in a moment. I WANT IT NOW mentality. ...and then I woke up. Lesson learned. People make stupid mistakes and hopefully learn from them. indebt: The good news is that that something clicked for you and got you to wake up. Think how many more years you could have continued spending like that?
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kiskis
Initiate Member
Joined: May 18, 2011 13:26:36 GMT -5
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Post by kiskis on May 31, 2011 12:32:33 GMT -5
Oh my god, I do this, too. I have monthly budgets and a financial planning excel workbook with "long-range planning," "loans," "annual tracking" (of income & expenses), and "earnings history" (which documents our changes in salary). I keep it on a flash drive and look at it at work, look it at home, crunch numbers for fun, and make minor tweaks on an almost daily basis. It's a sickness. Better than surfing facebook, I guess.
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wodehouse
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Post by wodehouse on Jun 1, 2011 7:34:59 GMT -5
"My name is Wode. I am a spreadsheet addict".
Except that after having done this for 18+ years (since Excel 4.0, just prior to release of Excel 5.0) I'm thinking now of moving over to a database program. I think the database program will simplify reporting the relationships between the complex interactions in my spreadsheet and provide simpler reporting abilities. Or maybe I will just sit out on the lanai and enjoy the fresh air until that thought passes.
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Deleted
Joined: Jul 6, 2024 17:37:49 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2011 8:53:12 GMT -5
I'm in serious withdrawal. It's the first of the month and I forgot my budget spreadsheet on a USB drive at home! I wonder if this warrants sick time to go home.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Jun 1, 2011 12:02:18 GMT -5
Sounds like a good excuse for a "sick day" to meeee!
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dancinmama
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LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
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Post by dancinmama on Jun 1, 2011 12:07:48 GMT -5
"My name is Wode. I am a spreadsheet addict". Except that after having done this for 18+ years (since Excel 4.0, just prior to release of Excel 5.0) I'm thinking now of moving over to a database program. I think the database program will simplify reporting the relationships between the complex interactions in my spreadsheet and provide simpler reporting abilities. Or maybe I will just sit out on the lanai and enjoy the fresh air until that thought passes.That's what I'd do.
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RoadToRiches
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Formerly "indebt"
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Post by RoadToRiches on Jun 1, 2011 12:47:59 GMT -5
14 more days until some movement in my spreadsheet! ;D oohhh yeeaaahhh boooooiiiii!!!!
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Post by debtheaven on Jun 1, 2011 17:06:35 GMT -5
LOL! I'm impatiently awaiting June 10 when I can retire my current signature! We are all rooting for you, we can't wait to see that update! By the way, I think crossing out the first three characters of "Amex Blue" (ie one-third) is a great idea! With the space in the middle that gives you nine characters, so you can cross off three every month for the three months it takes you to pay off that loan.
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RoadToRiches
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Formerly "indebt"
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Post by RoadToRiches on Jun 2, 2011 11:47:09 GMT -5
LOL wow.. 1 month left on your sig lol...gotta love it.
13 more days left. This is going to be a big one. But the good thing is, it will be paid off in 3 months instead of 27 years if I pay minimum lol So really, the way I look at it to keep me motivated is, summer will not be over yet and big Amex will be paid off!
After that, it will be EASY. Patelco has like 1500 on it, BMW Visa only 800, DB Visa another 800, and Citi and Chase are both at 0%. Both on payment plan which is nice.
Piece of cake!
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Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 2, 2011 14:25:08 GMT -5
LOL wow.. 1 month left on your sig lol...gotta love it. 13 more days left. This is going to be a big one. But the good thing is, it will be paid off in 3 months instead of 27 years if I pay minimum lol So really, the way I look at it to keep me motivated is, summer will not be over yet and big Amex will be paid off! After that, it will be EASY. Patelco has like 1500 on it, BMW Visa only 800, DB Visa another 800, and Citi and Chase are both at 0%. Both on payment plan which is nice. Piece of cake! Can I talk you into editing your signature to include a comma in the amount left to pay off - "Current Balance: $11794.43"? I keep misreading and thinking you have 6 figures to pay off!
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RoadToRiches
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Post by RoadToRiches on Jun 2, 2011 14:39:07 GMT -5
fixed...
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Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 2, 2011 14:40:46 GMT -5
Thank you!
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Post by debtheaven on Jun 2, 2011 18:41:07 GMT -5
Thanks Beth and Indebt, that was driving me crazy too!
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