Pay off highest interest rate debt first, then the next, and onto the next. The house can wait. Do
Posted By: Suze says on 2008-07-04
In Reply to: Paying down debt - Overwhelmed.
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- Paying down debt - Overwhelmed.
- Pay off highest interest rate debt first, then the next, and onto the next. The house can wait. Do - Suze says
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Just closed on 4.375 interest rate! nm
Well, the only debt we have is our house...
so I would put it towards the principal on our mortgage.
Love him! We are debt free but the house....
on an income of around $100,000 a year. DH may be getting laid off in the coming months but we just refinanced to a great below 5% rate, all our credit cards are paid off, we have savings built up to see us through tough times and we don't really worry about what may come. Sure, our cars are a few years old but guess what, they drive just like brand new ones. We still eat out several times a week, we take a month long vacation every year and we are happy with the things we have. We buy what we want when we want, but we aren't slaves to the newest TV, cell phone, i-phone, etc.We have no one to impress and really don't care what others have. We have the peace of mind that we can go to bed every night without much worry, the phone doesn't ring nonstop from creditors and we can go to the mailbox and not cringe when the bills come in. The country is in this financial mess because of greed, plain and simple; fat cat greed, greedy consumers in this I have to have it NOW society, and most think the free ride is never going to end. Sad....
Wait! No pigs in the White House, though. Nevermind..that rule has already been broken! nm
bn
If you have any interest in
plants and gardening, I notice that the nursery where I work utilizes volunteers for certain things. You might see if there are any garden nurseries or arboretums in your area that do the same. The fresh air and outside work is fun when you get to work with plants.
No wait, wait... 'mere Mom, me and my friends
can all drink it too. Come on guyz... my Mom won't mind, have a drink and have some fun. Bring the chocolate syrup! Doesn't she have big nipples. "My Dad likes 'em too and my baseball coach! 
interest-only payment
We'll just be paying "interest only" for the house, so that would be around $2700 monthly. Do you think our combined income would be enough for this? If we don't get approved by a finance institution, someone will co-sign for us to get the house.
I know about the no interest loans
I had 2 - one where I moved from previously and still owned and rented that home out and my present home. We got rid of those as soon as humanly possible- those sound good but the interest soon shoots through the roof- this is why all the repossessions going on now. These are only a stepping stone- not for you to keep for years on- you will lose it all. We did not lose but then again we could afford to play around a little- does not sound like you can and you have your hands full.
Of interest to Pet Lovers
Wanted to share a link for an email from my friend in Australia....
You all piqued my interest so I did some research
I had no idea what a french press was, how it's used, or nothin'. I found this site with a picture narrative and even detail on what kind of a grinder to get. Way to much work for me--I can barely operate my Mr. Coffee correctly, never mind one of these bad boys. For you coffee afficionado's though, this looks incredibly fascinating and delicious!
http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot
and why do you read posts you have no interest in?
Perhaps no life? Grow up!
isn't the interest on that pretty high?
:(
I lost interest - read why
I don't know what it was about it. I absolutely loved the show when it first began. Then the next season it got weirder and kept getting more and more weird. One time I was watching it and all of a sudden everyone was old. I couldn't figure out what it was I missed. I understand that Christian is the father of the boy, who married the girl that Christian was having sex with (the sexy model that Christian fixed from some horrible accident she was in). She ended up being a religious wack, they had a baby, were into drugs big time, mother turned lesbian, assistant in OR turned lesbian. Then not Christian but other main character (whose wife turned lesbian) the lesbian wife took off to another state with the daughter and their baby who had a horrible deformity. They had a "small person" caretaker (what he did to add to the story I don't know). The druggee son who had a gay relationship became a doctor? Whoooo-boy, I just got too confused that I lost interest. It reminded me of how I feel when I watch the show "Lost" - lost. I do like all the actors and actresses though. Have seen them in other shows/movies. They are good but I just don't understand the story anymore.
If you are that concerned about a potential love interest
check out abika.com. There are a million ways to find information on someone - for a price. There is no such thing as protected privacy anymore. Remember, though, saavy suitors can find the same information about your mom in the same way. She doesn't have to know you are doing it either. They have one section where all you need is their screen name from one of maybe 3 or 4 of the major dating sites to start a search.
I don't know the answer about the SS benefits.
Point of interest-use older eggs for hardboiled,
x
Negotiate lower interest rates on your credit cards
It’s worth a shot, and some credit card companies might do it if you’ve been a faithful customer or you threaten to balance transfer to another card.Buy a texting plan for your cell phone. Texting has become unbelievably popular. I have no idea why, because it seems like a pain in the butt, but it’s typically 15 cents for every message you send and receive. This adds up, so better off paying $5 to $10 a month for the add-on plan if you’re addicted to texting.
Pay Rate
Hi. I'm interested in finding some doctors in my area to do work for extra income at home. I have 9 1/2 years of experience and work at home for a big national. I have no idea what the going rate would be or even the basis on which to charge (line, page, ???). I live in a rural area so it would probably be low-average. I appreciate any advice anybody could give me on this subject. Thanks.
I think that is more than most - we used to be about that rate (sm)
til things got really bad in our marriage.
Rate MDs
Hey I had posted awhile back regarding my frustrations finding a decent doctor. I came across an article talking about rating doctors on the Internet and it listed the RateMDs.com website. Of course, the AMA and other doctors are all in a huff about patients, God forbid, rating them online. Anyways, I went to RateMDs.com and found a doctor I had been to had already received a poor rating! Hehe I added to it. But I also used it to help me choose a new PCP who had an excellent rating. The receptionist also told me that they have new patients on Thursday and allot more time so they can go over their medical history and issues! Wow I thought, that's awesome. We'll see how it goes. But if any of you have a doctor you hate, like or need to find a new one, go check it out!
Wow! $700 is a good rate to go up there.
I can drive to NY and would spend more than $700 in a week. First, ask exactly what is included in the fee and ask the teacher to give you a better answer on the fundraising issue. If no fundraisers are being done, maybe you can offer to run a couple.
I think your plan is a good one. I usually come up with about a third of the cost of my kid's activities. (Only have the 16 yo left at home now.) The rest they earn by working or through fundraisers.
She'll have a great time in NYC!
We cant buy groceries on a cpl pay rate, so I'm trying to come up with one too.
Not really.
They are getting an hourly rate - just $2 is what I tip.
Yes, thanks for the info. At that rate,
we would have to clean ours every month. Taking a shower now is like getting rained on by rocks. We go through a hot water tank every 5 years. Doggonit! Guess I have to wait until we can get either a new well or a water softening system first. <sigh>
Hang on, though. The rate could have changed...sm
If any payments were late (or missed), the rate could have gone up astronomically for the OP. They may well have gone up and up. It's probably in the fine print of the card agreement that that will happen automatically with late payments.
And I have heard financial experts say that it's not a good idea to call and cancel a card if you still have a balance on the card, because then you have no way to negotiate with them. Though it doesn't sound like any negotiating was able to happen in this case, you're supposed to keep asking for the person's supervisor (and their supervisor, if necessay), and be persistent, until you get to talk to someone who can help you with lowering the rate and maybe waiving some of the fees.
Then I would apply for another card with a lower rate (and make darn sure you don't make any payments late or miss any payments!) and transfer that WA MU balance over (and ask if they can wave the transfer fee when you apply for the new card).
BTW, I recently applied for a credit card with WA MU because the offer was for 0% interest for 15 months on balance transfers, and the person was definitely in India. Every time I interruped him to ask him a question, it was like he then had to start over reading his "script" but I could understand him.
I asked if he could wave the balance transfer fee, and he said he was unable to do that. I didn't persist or ask to speak to his supervisor, but I should have. According to the experts, the time to negotiate is before they have your business. After they have you as a customer, they aren't so interested!
My property tax rate stays low
because there are so many mansions in my town. There is a house on the market right now for $23 million, plus lots of others in the 5-10 million dollar range. What is really sickening is that these are second or even third homes for some people. But they are paying such high taxes, it really takes the burden off us little guys who live way, way, way on the other side of the tracks.
Would you also want your income taxed at the 40% rate?
At one time England did that. The friends we had in Cananda said they were taxed to death on their income, but they were pretty pleased with their healthcare. There is no easy solution.
I got a fixed-rate mortage through
They kept my note through the life of the loan and didn't parcel it off to some other lender. I also had a decent down payment saved up which helped a lot.
I get a bit of real-estate sticker shock too when I see what friends and family have paid for their homes in other parts of the country.
I purchased my home for $86,000. The original asking price was substantially higher, but it sat on the market for quite a while and they had lowered the asking a few times. I think they were just glad to finally get it sold. I have 1600 sq. ft, 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, dining room, living room, and partial basement. It was built in the mid 70s, so the rooms are not too small like some of the older homes. But it is not as spacious as the open floor designs that are popular today.
Are they adults? No. R-rate means under 17 not allowed. sm
Easy answer.
I know they told me 50 and I collect now at the same rate I collected
after his death when the children were little. However, I was 49 when the youngest turned 16, so I had to wait 1 year to re-collect. The laws may have changed since her situation, but I know this is true for me and I have no other extenuating (?) circumstances.
Check out HGTV.com Rate My Space (sm)
Regular people redoing their homes upload pics and others comment on them. It's very fun to see all the rooms, and you can get some very good ideas for designing and decorating your own space.
Flate Rate Priority Mail
Yes, thanks for posting this! I did not realize that domestic rates apply (8.95) when shipping to FPO and APO. Awesome!
Need help with ideas for remodeling house and decorating. We bought a house
in fair condition about 10 years ago, got into some medical problems, and have just now paid off the mortgage. Hubby and I agreed we would do nothing to the house for remodeling because we wanted to pay it off first, then the medical bills. I need to know of some websites/magazines/books to start researching for how to go about this. These will be major repairs - roof, septic, basement, windows, pretty much everything except wiring. Where do we start? Maybe hire a general contractor just to do an evaluation and give us recommendations? Hubby is a handyman but cant seem to get a handle on where to begin. We would like to do as much of the work ourselves as possible - labor of love and all that...
Thanks for any and all kind suggestions!
I suppose I related to the rate of capital punishments
xx
Might do that one day, but have some debt to get rid of first - sm
So putting out $6500 for a TT will have to wait; in a year I may be able to think about it, then save up the $$$ for it. I have done some research into this and know I first have to lose the weight and be stable at my goal weight for a while before I can have that done if I want to do this right. Guess I will just have to wait and see just how bad it looks after I shed the 70+ pounds. Feeling good right now, just went outside did some yardwork that I usually never have time to do (really didn't now either but work can wait), felt good to be active for a change, though I must now sit on my big butt and work for the next 4-6 hour! My thing is that I have to get more physically active, sit way too much!
Out of debt
Congratulations!!! Isn't it a wonderful feeling?
debt
I agree with transferring to 0% when the offers come. I have been doing that for years. Now, I just got an offer for 6.99% for the life of balance up to 12,000 dollars. Going to take that offer, (we are going to remodel our main but small bathroom) and pay off 2 1/2 cc; then what is left over, oh, and going to give my hubby 1000 to get out bike out of shop, so, what ever is left over, which should be 6 to 7000, will redo bathroom, payments won't be bad, like 190 a month and don't use your cards for a good while, just steadily pay. Hope this helps, and life is too short to stress over bills. Keep them in mind but at the same time, think of what you have. 
How many hershey's kisses fit into a priority flat rate mail box? sm
Apparently, there is a contest going on about this. what would you say? Just curious. I have a guess, but I'm going to keep mine secret! shhhh hahahah
and the crime rate dropped 20 years after abortion was legalized
x
I am totally out of debt -
house, cars, motorcyles, credit cards. Everything!
It feels great!
Paying down debt
It is getting harder to make ends meet because of all the straws in our bank account. I have 17k in CC dept alone. It is with 4 different CC companies. One CC has $200, #2 has about 4K, #3 has about 2K, #4 has 10k. The 10K one has a 15 % APR, the others I believe range from 24% to 29% APR. My biggest monthly payment is my house and I owe only $4700 on it and it has 6.3% APR. I sold some things and am getting $5K and that will be enough to pay off my house. I would love to finally, officialy own this house and get rid of that $350 monthly pmt, but I wonder if I should not pay down on the CC because of the high interest rates. Any opinions. TIA.
Paying Down Debt
I feel you, believe me. First, Bravo to you for facing this. That's the hardest part. I think if you are so close to paying off your house, you wouldn't want to take out yet another loan against it. Additionally, the interest rates aren't that great. What is the total of payments you are making on your credit cards? If you can slap that 5000.00 on your debt first on all of the higher interest ones perhaps paying some of them off. That will free up extra money to put on the rest of your credit cards. Then once the credit cards are paid off, you can then work on the mortgage (I WISH I had your mortgage..). Also we work in an industry where it is easy to pick up extra work---have you thought of that just to get extra money to pay off the debt? That's what I'm trying to do. Things are just so bad right now. Good luck, hope this helps...
credit debt
Wow thanks for all the good tips.
As this got off the subject and onto other things, I just wanted to say I have heard Al-Anon is excellent for people dealing with alcoholism in a spouse or other loved one. It might be a great place for support for you and your kids. Just a thought.
Did you go into debt over the holidays?
C'mon, fess up!
Did you use credit to buy things for the holidays, or did you pay in cash?
I'm happy to report that for the 13th year, we paid in cash.
credit card debt
Not sure what will happen, but I do wish you luck. Credit card debt is an unsecured type of debt. I don't know what more they can do to you other than a judgement. Not sure you can put that under a bankruptcy either once the judgement has been placed. I know a lawyer that handles a lot of bankruptcies -- did some work for him. He always asked his clients if late payments had gone to judgements. If they had not gone that far he was pleased about it. I guess it made things easier legally. Not really sure.
Completely out of debt today!
I have paid all of my big bills off and now only have the monthly ones. Need to pop a cork!
debt consolidation/relief
I'm seriously considering going with one of those debt relief companies to get myself out from under a mound of credit card debt. I feel like I'm drowning. Has anybody had any experience with these companies, good or bad?
Strive to become debt free...
yes, that means living on a budget, telling the kids (and yourself and your spouse) no to impulse buying and splurges. You really can live below your wage if you WANT to and it is better to do it before you HAVE to due to job loss, etc. We are debt free but our home, no car payments, all credit cards paid off, only have the utilities and food each month. It feels great not to write checks to anyone. My DH just finished his obligation of 700 a month child support (Yay!!) which means more towards the mortgage to pay it off sooner. We are content with what we have...too many Americans want it all and want it now, no matter what the price, just charge it or take out a loan for it...crazy!
Oops, should have been paying off a debt
/
Do your homework on debt collection (sm)
laws also - you just may have yourself a $1000 piece of paper in your hand.
Have you requested validation of this debt? If not, I would do that right away. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Depending on the age of the debt, I would be very careful about sending the canned "do not contact me letter." If the debt is not that old, that can sometimes trigger them to sue. I bet if you send the "please provide me with full validation (not verification that you have my name, address and soc. sec#) of this alleged debt. Short and sweet.
Before considering the CCCS or debt relief (sm)
places, first call the companies. If you haven't been charged off yet, most will work with you and have hardship programs. The accounts will likely be closed, but after 3-4 ontime payments they will "re-age" to show as current, will lower the interest rate so payments are lower and you will pay off over a 4-5 year period (in most cases, you can't use the cards as acct will be closed to further charges in exchange for drastic reduction in interest rate). Going with CCCS or similar, has the same effect as a BK, even worse, on your credit rating. The accounts will report as "closed, paying under debt management plan." While bankruptcy is an option I suppose, if you're a homeowner or have any assets, you'd have to file Chapt. 13 which will allow for some payback. I'd call the companies first and lay out your situation and see what they suggest. The credit industry is in a mess right now so they are willing to work with you if you're upfront and showing good faith.
Anyone ever use a debt settlement company - sm
like DebtAmerica or something like that, one that eliminates 30% or more of your balance owed, consolidates it and gets each cc to settle on an agreed amount, etc. I am thinking of going that route instead of CCCS company which is just a DMP (consolidates it but you still pay back every penny and interest). Either way you have a big black mark on your credit. I owe a substantial amount and this way I can probably be debt-free in 3-4 years instead of 8 years. I know they charge a fee, and you have to pay taxes on the settled amount but it will be a lot cheaper for me in the long run and I can afford it a lot better. So if anyone has gone this route, please give me your input and who you used and if you were happy with their service, etc. TIA! 
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