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Vent!!!!

November 10th, 2006 at 03:29 pm

We need to dip into emergency savings this month. I was really hoping we wouldn't have to this month, but DH won't get nearly enough overtime. As posted in previous entries, we had a lot of unusual expenses in October, and of course the CC bill is due Dec. 1. We'll have to dip into our emergency savings to cover the bill. Fortunatly, December is an extra pay check month for both DH and I (I get paid three times instead of two, DH gets paid 5 times instead of 4) plus I get my year-end bonus, so we can refill our savings right away and still have money for Christmas and our year end charitable donations. But I had hoped to put almost all the extra income towards our CC debt. Instead I've had to pay the minimum the last two months. It's zero percent interest so all of the payment is going towards the balance, but still I had hoped we'd be further along by now in paying it off.

It's just so agravating! DH and I make great money, and we just cannot seem to get ahead. We have little in the way of unnessesary spending, really just cable tv and the occasional dinner out, and every month something just comes up. I won't call them unexpected expenses, cars break and pets get sick, but why do they have to happen in the same week?. We have the money to pay for it, but then nothing extra can go towards the debt. Our food bill is low, our utilites are low, we have a cheap mortgage ($1400 inculding taxes and insurance) our cell phones are at the bare minimum, we only have one car payment. Not many places to cut back, and if we did it wouldn't make much differance. DH and I decided not to exchange Christmas gifts this year to help with the gift budget, and the gifts we will be giving will not be expensive (not that we blow a lot on gifts anyway). Fortunatly we have no kids and a small family, our list is quite short!

sigh....If we can just get through December without any major expenses, we can get back on track. I just want this debt gone ASAP and it's just anoying me to no end that we've made so little progress.

9 Responses to “Vent!!!!”

  1. LuxLiving Says:
    1163173033

    Hi Elgin526 - don't give up - it's a dance and you've got to show the money who leads!!

    Have ya'll done the tracking your every penny spent/cash spending thingywho??? I paid off our CC's just by not stopping for the breakfast sausage roll here, or forgoing a newspaper there, no take out today - I can run home and make a sandwich here, we'll eat beans one night and pasta another there. All those little things added up to enough extra weekly to begin making major strides on our debt.

    You'll do it it just takes some adjusting! Keep dancing!

  2. elgin526 Says:
    1163173885

    Oh, every dime gets tracked in Quicken! So that's not the problem. It's not the $1 cup of coffee every morning but the $500 vet bill that's getting us down! But thanks for the encouragement! Smile

  3. miclason Says:
    1163175876

    ((hugs)) I know what you mean...just when I feel like I'm getting ahead, something breaks down and needs repairs (house, appliances, cars) or someone gets sick, etc....and, yes, it never rains....

    At least you have savings, and do not have to go deeper into debt to cover these!

  4. paigu Says:
    1163179381

    When it rains, it pours =( It does seem that a string of big payments all seem to crop up at once. Just take it one bill at a time, and don't look at the savings as "forbidden" but rather smart advanced planning for these unexpected payments.

  5. PRICEPLUS Says:
    1163179528

    It always seems that you take two steps forward and then one step back. The idea is to keep going forward! Keep to your budget and don't give up! It takes time and it will happen if you persevere! You can and will do it!Smile

  6. elgin526 Says:
    1163180645

    I'm very happy we have the savings, afterall that is the whole point! It's just that before DH's overtime, we should be able to put $600 extra over the minimum due to the debt. So not only did we not have the extra $600 to put towards the debt, not only can none of the OT goes towards the debt, but we have to dip into savings! Grrrrr! But thanks, everyone, for your words of encouragement. I know that "this too shall pass", I'm just really frustrated by everything!

  7. tinapbeana Says:
    1163184142

    i'm just happy to hear that you had an EF that was there when you needed it, which is more than so many other folks can say! as for paying down the debt, new year's is just around the corner, which gives you 2 months to get the holidays taken care of and draw up a strategy for 2007. die debt die!!!

  8. LC Says:
    1163260052

    $500 vet bill seems a lot, have you considered vet insurance?

  9. elgin526 Says:
    1163435305

    Missy is 8 going on 9. This is really her first big vet bill so we're still ahead over what we would have paid over the years in vet insurance premiums. She is so old that I don't know if we'd be able to insure her at this point, or if we did it would cost more than it is worth. We're better off just putting money aside each month incase we have any more problems. Thanks for the suggestion though!

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