So go back to spring of 2008. Im making $32k as a manager. Mark is making almost $50k. Life is good. Our credit cards have low balances and what balances they do have Im making $100 payments too each paycheck (I only have about $1k and not all of it is used) and he pays the balances as close to 100% each month.
We have an apartment together with Matt, who is injured hasnt been working. And then, I lose my job. Mark picks up my slack saying he will pay my rent if I continue to pay down my bills. I go from $32k to $10k. Working part-time. Mark urges me to get a fulltime job. Im resentful. Ill get fulltime where I am soon. So I think.
Mark starts putting our rent on his credit card, the one with the 21% interest rate. We move to Texas. And Mark loses his job. After 3 months of looking Mark starts making $9 an hour. Maybe $9k a year? And I finally get fulltime which they claim is $21k a year.
So here were are all credit cards maxed out. His VISA @ 21%, with $6k. His AMEX @ 8% with $2k. My BOA @ 16% with $350. My CO @ 23% with $289. And my BBY @ 0% (if its paid by a certain time) at $187. Plus Mark owes money to his college($300) and for medical bills ($600).
So thats almost $9k. Plus his car loan and we are almost at $20k. Sigh.
Well the good news is, at teh end of the month my bby card will be paid off. We will be making payments of $550 each month (spread out on the cards) towards our debt. If we follow that plan our debt will be paid off in 18 months. But thats not good enough. I dont want another year and a half of penny pinching.
We will have our tax refund in february and add that to our debt, hopefully knocking off $1k. Mark and I are already (though not as actively as we want) looking for better or second jobs).
Our goal is by April of 2011. While I will also be saving up for school (I need $3k to start), buying plane tickets for weddings and visits home ($600 a pair) and other crazy things like life.
Wish us luck.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
I ask Myself this Everyday
Do I stay or do I go?
TX: The Good, the Bad but hopeful and unhappy
-Away from my friends and family.
-Nice huge not expensive houses.
-Yearly car fees. Cost of plane tickets.
-Nice demographic. Cheaper.
-Beautiful. Disgustinly hot.
-No snow. Huge body of water.
-Carol and Matt. No Mom, Dad, Charlie, Candice, Tommy, Dougie, Julia, Aunt Barbi, -Uncle Jay, Grant, Rob, Tab, Hope and Donny, Denise, Christian, Chelsea, Star and Bryan, Kristen and Chris, Nikki and Steve, Noc and Katie, John, Allen, Bob, Zach and Amanda.
-Too many people to list.
-No one comes to visit me (Mom and Hope are visiting soon).
-Nicer shopping centers. Horseback riding.
-Amanda, Brian, Ryan, CJ, Sal, Chaz.
MD: The Bad and The Ugly but home
-"Shitty people, shitty expensive houses" -Mark.
-Yes the people are assholes.
-Yes the houses are either old and expensive or new and expensive.
-There are state taxes.
-The demographic sucks.
-Surrounded by tons of friends.
-Never-ending support, love and closeness of friends and family.
-Having my mom there when I give birth.
-Having my family over for dinner and holidays, dinner at moms.
-Being there if one of my parents goes to the hospital.
-SNOW. Skiing. Ocean city, Virginia Beach, Roundtop.
Results regardless:
I will become a massage therapist/physical therapist assistant. I will either quit or work less hours for best buy. I will get a job paying $40k+ a year that I love and perofrm happily. I will have a baby in the near future (1-2 years). I will buy a house.
If:
I remain in TX, I currently feel I will be eternally depressed and lost without my Mom and Dad. There will always be some part of me that regrets living here. Ill miss the lives all of the friends and family that I spent my entire life knowing and growing with. But I like, possibly love it here. Its fantastic but it doesnt feel like home. The housing is really nice. The living conditions are amazing. The crime is minimal.
I move back to MD, Ill be happy and surrounded by my friends and family. Ill have my Mom to fall back on, who knows me better than anyone in the world. Ill pay more for less house. But Ill be able to raise my baby with the comfort and support of my family. I will have to work harder to make more money to afford to make myself happy.
No Im not pregnant. Seriously, do you think if I were pregnant my title would be what it is? Id go all out. Itd be something like HOLY SHIT or THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME or POSITIVE FOR REAL. Or something else rediculous and outrageous and most likely in capital letters.
Well any opinions or thoughts or ideas? Our lease is up in January. Matt will most likely move in with Carol. And Mark and I will either get an apartment together in TX or move back to MD.
WHAT DO I DO? WHAT WILL MAKE AND KEEP ME HAPPY?
Seriously its been 5 years since Ive had to make a decision this hard. And its tearing me apart.
TX: The Good, the Bad but hopeful and unhappy
-Away from my friends and family.
-Nice huge not expensive houses.
-Yearly car fees. Cost of plane tickets.
-Nice demographic. Cheaper.
-Beautiful. Disgustinly hot.
-No snow. Huge body of water.
-Carol and Matt. No Mom, Dad, Charlie, Candice, Tommy, Dougie, Julia, Aunt Barbi, -Uncle Jay, Grant, Rob, Tab, Hope and Donny, Denise, Christian, Chelsea, Star and Bryan, Kristen and Chris, Nikki and Steve, Noc and Katie, John, Allen, Bob, Zach and Amanda.
-Too many people to list.
-No one comes to visit me (Mom and Hope are visiting soon).
-Nicer shopping centers. Horseback riding.
-Amanda, Brian, Ryan, CJ, Sal, Chaz.
MD: The Bad and The Ugly but home
-"Shitty people, shitty expensive houses" -Mark.
-Yes the people are assholes.
-Yes the houses are either old and expensive or new and expensive.
-There are state taxes.
-The demographic sucks.
-Surrounded by tons of friends.
-Never-ending support, love and closeness of friends and family.
-Having my mom there when I give birth.
-Having my family over for dinner and holidays, dinner at moms.
-Being there if one of my parents goes to the hospital.
-SNOW. Skiing. Ocean city, Virginia Beach, Roundtop.
Results regardless:
I will become a massage therapist/physical therapist assistant. I will either quit or work less hours for best buy. I will get a job paying $40k+ a year that I love and perofrm happily. I will have a baby in the near future (1-2 years). I will buy a house.
If:
I remain in TX, I currently feel I will be eternally depressed and lost without my Mom and Dad. There will always be some part of me that regrets living here. Ill miss the lives all of the friends and family that I spent my entire life knowing and growing with. But I like, possibly love it here. Its fantastic but it doesnt feel like home. The housing is really nice. The living conditions are amazing. The crime is minimal.
I move back to MD, Ill be happy and surrounded by my friends and family. Ill have my Mom to fall back on, who knows me better than anyone in the world. Ill pay more for less house. But Ill be able to raise my baby with the comfort and support of my family. I will have to work harder to make more money to afford to make myself happy.
No Im not pregnant. Seriously, do you think if I were pregnant my title would be what it is? Id go all out. Itd be something like HOLY SHIT or THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME or POSITIVE FOR REAL. Or something else rediculous and outrageous and most likely in capital letters.
Well any opinions or thoughts or ideas? Our lease is up in January. Matt will most likely move in with Carol. And Mark and I will either get an apartment together in TX or move back to MD.
WHAT DO I DO? WHAT WILL MAKE AND KEEP ME HAPPY?
Seriously its been 5 years since Ive had to make a decision this hard. And its tearing me apart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)