at the end of the money! It may be a country song, but once every millennia even country can hit its mark. Slowly but surely, I'm getting my (our) finances under control, making good decisions, figuring things out. If there's one thing I've determined for sure, it's that I don't want to pay any credit-card interest ever again. I figure that for every dime you spend you should get something back, whether it's a roof over your head, health insurance, a latte. Even taxes buy you necessities like roads, schools, those sexy firefighters that come to your house when it's burning down. What the hell does credit-card interest buy you? A little time between when you get something and when you have to pay. Mortgage interest I would pay, because for me to have a house before I could pay for it outright would be worthwhile. But most of the things charged to credit cards are little extravagances--clothes, meals out. That time bought is not worth 20% more money to me; I'll just wait until I can pay cash, thanks. I mean, if I can't afford something in February, what makes me think I'd be able to afford it later and with the interest added? By the time the bill comes, does anyone really remember what they bought? So screw all that, I'm going cold-turkey for 2006! So far, so good. Yesterday I renegotiated my interest-rate with Discover and they lowered it by about 4% just because I asked. Sweet. Not that I plan to incur interest, but just in case of emergencies. My other plan-- to build up my savings so that I could use that in an emergency instead of credit, is going ok. It would go better if I could earn a little more money, but there you have it. Looking at my budget, I realize that each month so far I've spent about 100 extra on big things I didn't anticipate-- car inspection/oil, renter's insurance. Should I assume that every month there's going to be something like that, or are these months anomalies? I guess it will take a few more months of tracking to know.
I haven't heard anything different about my Grandma. She is in my mind all the time right now, I wish I could communicate with her somehow. Let her know that I'm with her in spirit. I'm going to mail the card even though she can't read it right now, just in case she can later.
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2 comments:
Glad to hear about your 4% interest rate. And, yes, credit cards are evil.
I hope your grandma is okay.
No no, they lowered it BY 4%. From 20.99 to 16.something. Not TO 4%. I don't even think that's possible since the prime rate is around 5% right now.
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