How? I've done pretty well staying out of debt, but
Posted By: agree on 2005-12-11
In Reply to: Where are YOU doing your homework? - what you're saying makes no sense
I'd like to get some money set aside for retirement and pay off my home. Any advice you can give?
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
I've done pretty darn well (sm)
with the book smarts!
Don't get so tweaked about a silly label -- having a high IQ just means I process stuff faster, remember more of what I'm exposed to, make more connections faster, and do well at taking tests.
I'm also a really nice person and an incredible parent.
Lots of MTs are smarter than the average bear.
I've pretty much just done the informative part so far.
Download software, fill in personal information, sorting through receipts, printing off from my accounting program. I'm trying to do it a little bit every week instead of staying up all night to get it done.
You will run across some pretty rude people around here as you've seen...(sm)
but not everyone is like the one above. Welcome. I don't have any of my own clients, but the service I work for recently lost the account I worked on pretty much out of the blue. It's a real shock to have the work yanked from you like that, and I agree it was pretty cowardly for the wife not to just come out and admit when you directly asked. I don't know what to tell you but just wanted you to know that you can expect some real nastiness around here at times, but don't let it keep you away.
I've been using it a few years now. It's pretty good. You'll get used to it. -nm
x
I've been letting them stay up pretty late, so they sleep until 10:00.
Still, they get bored in those two hours between getting up and my finishing work at noon. Goofy kids. I do have them in band, but it ends this week. Maybe a day camp for a week or two. I think I'll haul them off to the library for some books. The only Y or rec program in town is in the rougher neighborhood, and they only offer certain scheduled classes. Thanks for the tip!
I think I would refuse too. I've seen some pretty silly names here, including Why Worry Lane and
x
I've found this resource pretty useful for rehab work. Link inside.
Have this as one of my bookmarks - found this handy whilst handling rehab work. Hope this helps!
http://medicaltranscriptionwordhelp.googlepages.com/rehabmedicineterminology
Considering they have just gotten out of debt,
it is very accountable for them NOT to get back into it by donating responsibly.
how far are you in debt?
 Just curious as to where I stand, thought it would be interesting to find out what the average is in a forum like this.
school 3200 (in forebearance at the moment, original loan 6000 in 1994, three deferrmants)
car 6000 (1999 chevy, original 12,000, backwards on loan, brakes going fast).
credit cards 8400 (just paid 2000 to one, first priority to pay off, debt contributed by ex).
hospital 4000 (major operation, no insurance, total bill 10,000 in 2001, lived with parents almost a full year to pay off half).
Well, thats mine. Please share yours.
debt
Approximately 25K. Would love to have a plan that really works to pay off in 5 years. Anyone know of one?
If you are truly serious about getting out of debt....
I would really suggest getting your hands on a copy of "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. It has changed the outlook of our family totally and we are on our way out of debt one "baby" step at a time - we've already paid 3 credit cards off and are going to be debt free (including our vehicles and our mortgage) in less than 5 years - credit card debt (to the tune of about $28,000) will be gone in another 17 months. His method is working for us. We tried debt consolidation by credit card and by "equity line of credit" but this only treated the symptoms and not the actual problem. Hope this helps you if you're TRULY wanting out of debt. It really motivates you as you go along, too ! Nice to write those zero balances off of our refrig !
Thanks for the input. It's not debt, as we
don't have anything besides a mortgage and one loan. It's just tracking the finances. I've been thinking about switching to a cash basis for everything instead of using checks or Quicken. It would speed the process up a lot by not having to balance the checkbook or enter everything into the computer. I already spent an hour this morning trying to balance the checkbook because somebody can't save receipts, write down amounts or use duplicates. I give up...
I also need debt help. Any advice.
because of slow work this winter in MTing, but now with a new job, maybe making more to finally get caught up, our mortgage company is threatening us. I only owe 1700 over but that is a lot when you don't have it. This is not FHA loan. Has anybody else been in this position and what did you do.
When the CC debt is paid down
9 months and counting, then I can relax a bit
True, this is just until I pay off some debt. And 1 job
p
Unfortunately, CS seems to be the easiest debt to skip out on
You'll get into more trouble if you bounce a $25 check. I have used one of those private agencies because my ex had moved out of state and once that happens, if the ex doesn't want to pay and moves around in jobs, you can pretty much forget about getting anything.
The private agency works a lot faster, but the contracts are very complicated and you are pretty much signing up for the life of the CS obligation; otherwise there has be nonpayment of CS for a year before you can end the contract. And yes they take a big chunk of money but at the time I thought it was better than getting nothing at all.
But in the end, once payments have been established, the private agency ends up filtering the payment through your local CSEA anyway.
I think your best bet is to use some kind of locator service and if you can get a good address provide that to your local CSEA.
I wish they had an "America's Most Wanted" for deadbeat dads/moms. It's amazing to me that it is seemingly so easy to stop paying, change jobs, and just not be found.
About 50K in debt not counting mortgage. nm
x
I also tried debt settlement and I am now also being sued.
I spoke to a bankrupty lawyer and he said absolutely go for Chapter 7 but I guess I just wanted to here from somebody else who has been there. Thanks.
Try debt counseling first - if that does not work - sm
it will at least look good to the judge when you declare bankruptcy. I do not regret declaring bankruptcy at all - got a lot of pressure off of me when I needed it. I started all over, and now I am so much wiser so I don't get in that circumstance again. It doesn't take long to rebuild, either.
Desperately need debt consolidation help.
Can anyone recommend a reputable debt consolidation service that they have used to help successfully get them out of debt? I just want to break down and cry, but we have to do something as our credit card debt/medical bills are through the roof and unmanagable due to tough times findings jobs, etc. Thank you for any advice you can give. 
I knew someone that did get in debt overnight due
to illness. The bills were higher than any loan would cover and they wanted their money then. In that particular case, BK was the only answer and this person got it in about 1 week before the new law took effect. The individual will be able to purchase a home I believe within 2 years and has already received offers for credit. That was under the old law.
The new law makes you take a course I believe 6 months before you can file. I believe you have to qualify if you want all your bills discharged and they make it harder to get that done, i.e. you have to make a certain income only and anything over that, you have to pay back over time and it is still BK.
With the new law, I would weigh it carefully. Not everyone has emergent medical illness which might necessitate taking this step and it is automatically assumed they mishandled their affairs. This person raised her children alone and just did not have extra money in the bank for bills totaling over $150K. In that case, she was warranted in filing.
caused me to go severely in debt
that 10 years later I am still recovering from - was writing checks on charge accounts to pay mortgage - this was local and when I would go to her house to pick up and drop off tapes I was seeing boxes from QVC yet she said she wasn't getting paid. Still angry.
If you have the time to get down and dirty with some low-life bad debt,
As for me, I live and learn. Ever hear the phrase cut your losses. The more time you spend chasing down a bad debt the more loss you incur.
Because it is hard work to collect and once you know a company is a bad debt,
Got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. She already lost on doing the work. Now she loses doing the collection work.
Bank debt/check card? Same thing?
Is the prepaid visa card the same as a bank debt or check card?
I think I'm pretty bright and pretty good, too, but
I am not a CMT. I am a medical transcriptionist who enjoys her job very much (most days). I have chosen not to pursue certification simply because I cannot afford to do so. I believe the certification is a nice thing to have, but I don't believe it is necessary for employment or for excellence in my job. If you can afford it, go for it. If you can't, don't feel too bad. You can still take pride in and do a very good job without it. 
I did. I never have regretted it. We filed 7, I beileve. All unsecured debt was wiped out. Kept my
xx
Not me. I'm staying. NM
..
Staying with IC definitely. Thanks.
I make 700.00 a week 4 days a week at my IC job. I turned the job down. Thanks again.
STAYING AWAY FROM TRANS.
A. I strongly discouraged anyone I meet who has signed up for any kind of program at the community colleges or elsewhere who wants to learn transcription. It's really distressing to see people pay their hard earned money for training in a field that is virtually in the toilet. I find myself making 1/2 of what I was making 10 years ago as an MT with no benefits and 50% more grief.
In staying with this man for as long as you have,
having his children, and allowing him to verbally and emotionally abuse those children, you're setting the example to your children that this is how a relationship works. Now that your 16 y.o. daughter is reaching the age where she will begin dating, she has learned from home life that men call women names and expect women to clean up after them. She's going to wind up in some lousy dysfunctional relationships herself. Where is her bioDad? I'll bet he wouldn't be happy to hear from her how stepfather dearest treats her. Is he a positive role model in her life? Probably not, or he wouldn't be your ex. Teach her to have respect for herself and never tolerate mistreatment.
Anyway, off the soapbox now. You go, go quickly, and never look back. Get out of there!
I am staying at the Stratosphere
for the first time in May. We had booked the Stardust, but its being torn down to build a new hotel :( Stardust was our favorite. I have also stayed at Fitzgerald's downtown a couple years ago and it was really reasonable and nice, no complaints, but it is downtown.
Those situations different than STAYING in bad
Robbery or scamming are an in and out situation that you have little control over. Staying in a bad job is usually a long term situation that you CAN control. It is hard to change jobs. However, the longer you put off starting the process, the longer you are allowing yourself to stay in a bad situation. It is sad to think you would give someone else such control over your life that you let yourself be abused. And the only one that can change something like that is YOU. The buck stops with you when it comes to who has control of your life.
Staying in MT for the "perks" - sm
Is not a good enough reason to do this job. period, end of story.
The money is out there, but you have to look for it and you really have to want it. You are looking for "everything" and you cannot have it - it's just not possible or reasonable. You have to like the job to make it worth your while or to push yourself to achieve what you are looking for. Chances are, you are probably make good money doing editing at 5cpl, but its your lack of desire that takes you so long to get the job done thus driving down your hourly wage. You're in love with staying home and getting a paycheck and not the job.
If you do not like your job, your performance is going to suffer no matter what field you are in and when your performance suffers, so does your wage especially in a production based job like this.
staying away from message boards
Two years into MT I found message boards. I had some small complaints about my job and was kind of in a love/hate stage of my relationship with MT. Reading the boards with people complaining so much really put me more in that frame of mind to the point where I started hating my company and hating transcription in general. When I left the job I had at the time and started a new one I vowed no more message boards because I felt they had poisoned my attitude, which was easily influenced at that time. I stayed completely off message boards for the next five years and now am back (obviously), but that gave me enough time to get more established with my company and actually know and like my career enough that reading a lot of MT complaints doesn't bother me now.
It'll flame. I'm staying out of it.
staying home w/teenagers
 Can not agree with you more. Where my preteen & teen hated that I was at home all the time, their friends loved it...duh, guess which mom was there to haul them around before they got their drivers lisc. Still think they should be 30 before they can drive
Just ignore this poster! Obviously staying on
subject and reading comprehension must not be a strong point in their skills list! Of course we all care more about children. This poster just doesn't know how to stay on topic and obviously wants a fight.
what are your ideas on staying focused??
When I am on my game I can do 250 to 300 lines per hour, but then after a couple of hours I start dropping to less than 150 lines per hour. How do you stay focused? I have tried working different shifts, split shifts, etc., but I just do not seem to be able to stay focused. I have no small children at home, so that is not a problem. I am in my own office space, but I just seem to start drifting after about an hour and then that is it. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Help staying awake and productive
I have real problems staying awake, focused and productive. I am alone all day, I think I get enough sleep, and I keep the TV on in the other room for another voice, but I get bored and can't keep my concentration and then I start web surfing and my productivity goes in the hopper. Any suggestions on staying awake and focused? 
If the meeting consists of her staying
and listening to dictation, yes, it should be paid and she as an IC should set the amount she should be paid.
I pick-up and deliver, and that's in my line charge. I also do that at my convenience, not theirs. A real office is fine with that and understands the meaning of IC. Lisa is a vendor like any other contractor.
If I had to sit and listen and sort patient lists, etc. and spend more than 5-10 minutes tops at an office, then I would charge for that time spent at that office sorting through their mess.
Let's face it. The office is a mess and Lisa is their scape goat. Since now they know she's bending over backwards, they will take advantage.
Again, Lisa should not spend her time sorting out their mess. Furthermore, if they can't figure out what to give her and "don't have time", then Lisa's response should be that she doesn't have the time either unless she charges them for that time.
It just sounds like a real mess of a deal. I can't wait to hear if they actually pay her at all!
Okay, I'll shut up now! Just the fact that she's posting again is hysterical. I guess I'll keep my mouth shut after saying from the last thread regarding this "I told ya'' so."
You all thought "oh just this one time." Why do you think the other girl quit? Hello? Can you say doormat?
Staying at home with the kids, yeh, right
Your message just said it all. That is why the field is looked down on so much now. Staying at home and go broke, no one really cares anymore. I had heard it all now. You get asked reasonable questions and you say in a little wifey-mamma talk, "can't we all just stay at home with Junior." I guess it will be important when the employer starts charging you just to work, will it still be that important. Get real.
does anyone have a problem staying awake while typing?
even when I dont feel tired, I sit down to type and my eyes start dropping. HELP. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!
Reasons for staying, not as simple as just quitting!
Well, for me, I stay because of reasons already mentioned on this board - fear of unknown, dread of getting stuck with an even worse company (it could happen), but also very realistic reasons - my research into other MTSOs, taking tests, and gathering info has yielded no good news - I would be taking at minimum a 2 cents/line pay cut from my current pay at MQ but yet if I stay with MQ, my pay is likely to go down anyway (yet some part of me keeps hoping, probably naively, that I will not experience this). Not a single company I contacted would offer me my current pay or even talk about that I could hope to reach it at some point in the future. So, you tell me, with my 20 years of experience, does anyone really think it's that easy to just go to another company and purposefully take a pay cut - yet knowing the one you have been with for 8 yrs is likely gonna give you one anyway - can you see the dilemma of trying to figure it out???? Add in that I know of MTs who got fed up with MQ long ago, moved on to other large MT services, "better" ones, only to have it bought out by MQ!!
Have you read these boards and found any company that sounds ideal, one that would make you feel secure enough to know it will be better, one that you would jump ship for? At another time, this may have been possible, but our industry is changing and fast, and pay across the board is going down. A friend of mine keeps saying "the writing is on the wall."
So, for those of you question why we stay - first, be glad you are okay with your job, with MQ or not - and also remember for most of us, life isn't black or white. It just ain't that simple! I.e, Job/Company Sucks does not always equal Quit and Find A Better Job! If you are tired of hearing the complaints and frustration and your experience with MQ is just great, count your blessings. Remember, there are lots of other postings on this board to read unrelated to MQ complaints, so why waste your time telling those of us who are trying to figure out what to do that we should hurry up and do it. If we sound like broken records while we commiserate, are validated by one another, and are all trying to figure it out, well, geez, quit listening to the record. I'm sure it gets old for you all if your MQ experience is a good one.
Sorry for the rambling thoughts, but thanks for listening.
Atlanta sure enough is. Folks need places to go. A lot are staying
x
Why does not driving equate to staying home? (nm)
Staying on board a sinking ship
I worked at a different company in an unrelated field where all the employees were required (not requested) to take a 15% pay cut and receive stock options in return. I left. Others chose to stay with the company and told me I was crazy to leave; I would "never" earn as much money elsewhere. I thought they were crazy to stay and said so. The older employees said they had to stay or lose their pension. Well, the company went under anyway, the stock was (of course) worthless, and the pension fund had long since been looted by the major shareholders. Staying on board a sinking ship of a job may be more comfortable but not in your overall best economic interests.
Staying on board a sinking ship..maybe
I forgot to add that if you are making top pay at that company and the 1 cent per line pay cut is still better than you would earn elsewhere, it may well be in your best interests to stay on board that ship patching and bailing (grin) but still being mindful that the ship may go under suddenly.
Staying Focused -Energy Drinks
I am having a huge problem. I cannot seem to find the energy to work all day. This sounds so bad because I sit all day! Seriously though, it feels like I get so bored sitting here at the computer. When I drink some of a Nos energy drink, however, work is so fun, I have tons of energy, and I make a lot of money sitting here. I love this work, but what's the deal? I don't even like consuming caffeine. I got an energy drink the other night to stay up all night and finish some STATs, and now I feel like I can't work without it. It was hard to focus even before I started the caffeine. What is going on here?  Why can't I just get my work done like a normal person?
I am glad you cleared up the reason for staying in bed
I was thinking gosh she sure is lazy but then you said RA. I got out of bed this morning so stiff and took 1/2 of a pain pill just so I could start to function and not feel so bad. I am bothered with fibromyalgia but once I get up and get started I don't think I could start to type any other way than what I have done for years.
I see posting all the time about transcription, why are you staying, really?
First of all let me tell you about myself. I am way past the time when I have to "make" a living, do not have children to raise, can work if I want and not if I want, have just reached that point of not having to put up with much of anything anymore. My question is to you- yes you- the one who is posting here complaining and complaining about how this work has gone downhill and it has. If you are younger and really need the money and need to work and make a decent salary, why are you hanging on to something that does not look like it will change? I see the letters supposedly being written to the president, 60 minutes and the like. What do you think that will do, if anything? I am really surprised that the trend in this job is sinking even further in the money department, no raises ever and if you want more money, then work long, long hours and 7 days a week. Instead of fussing and being irritated about the lack of work, the lack of money, etc., why in the world do you not try to find another "real" profession before you get to an age to where you would really be stuck, that is not ever being able to pull out from this hole ever. I could not raise a family on what I make now but that is the difference in me and most I read on here. Ladies (with an occasional gent thrown in here or there) what are you thinking about? Why not make a change while you are young and can? There are loads of jobs for the medical field, if this is what interests you. Staying at home with the kids was perhaps ok at 1 time but not anymore. Why not get out while the getting is good and you still have a chance to really enjoy your job while at the same time being able to survive? Think about it.
|
