The day has arrived - WE ARE DEBT FREE!!!!!

And I still don't believe it, cant believe it and don't know how to really process it. My whole life I have had DEBT, never in all my working life have I been debt free.

Its taken over 9 years of challenge, dealing with a gambling addiction, closing a business, selling my home and going back to the full-time employment AND here I am, still ok.

If someone had told me it would be possible, I would never have believed them. Now that it is done, I don't know how I did it.

Could it have happened quicker? Absolutely, but I was learning life lessons along the way and re-establishing values.

Could I have done it on my own? Never! So many people have given me encouragement, assistance and courage when times were really tough, celebrated the successes and cheered for the progress.

And now... it feels so strange.

But I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to celebrate this day and that the experience has made me a better person.

So once again, I live my life "one day at a time"....
and think about setting new goals.

Have been watching everyone's progress and just couldn't resist today. Finally I am nearly there - 8 years later!!!

And I love my life now!

Compared to the stress and pressure that I used to be faced with everyday and every night, my journey has had so many lessons (and I am still learning every day).

On the 1 May 2014, I will have been back in full time employment for 5 years, as an ORN. And here's the first lesson:
- It's not what you earn that gets you where you want to be but how you manage what you earn.
My income dropped by 30% but in return I got subsidized retirement contributions, medical insurance, overtime pay, specialization allowance, uniform allowance and a guaranteed 13th cheque every December.

Second lesson:
The simpler you can make you life, the lower your cost of living will be. When I was a sales exec I needed an extensive wardrobe, hairdresser every 6 weeks, larger car for the high mileage, help at home to look after my daughter and so the list goes on...
Now that I wear a uniform and work shifts, I am able to keep my clothing to a minimum, fetch my daughter from school, do my own housework (unusual in S Africa), low car expenses, lower car insurance etc

Third lesson:
Paying off debt is a journey not a project. If you don't change your habits then the debt will come back again because your behavior hasn't changed.

Fourth lesson:
Gratitude gets you through the worst days - there is always someone worse off than you, so being grateful for what you have and where you are gives you the courage to do one more day.

Fifth lesson:
Enjoy today for today and always look for one more thing to do which will save you a $1 - its the singles that make up the hundreds

Better late than never

Am really trying hard to stay focused and making sure that I tell my money where to go!!

Goals for 2013:
Computer Savings: $780 now $76
EMF: $1405 Now $426
Reduce debt by: $4815 paid $0
(extra payments)
College Fees: $525 now $0
College Books: $110 now $0
DD Savings: $835 now $584

Now that I have them up here I am hoping that I will be able to make more regular payments towards each of them and "see my progress".
The extra debt payment is my snowball amount which I want to start applying once the EMF in funded to $1405 - can't be worrying about the Murphy again. (he had his turn with the car tires last week - enough already!)

Take care everyone - sad to hear about and see the results of the Bomb blasts in Boston...

Have had to finish 7 assignments- all due by the end of April but decided that was too close to exams so just got stuck in and got them done and out the way by the 26 Mar. Finished the last one on Tuesday (26 Mar) and then realised that exams start in 5 weeks time and I haven't even finished reviewing my course materials - yikes !!!
Managed to put in 9 hours today on one of my subjects and catchup some of it and tomorrow I will try for another marathon day...
On the money side, we had a really tight March because I settled that outstanding tax bill - but still managed to meet all our commitments.
We got an increase at work – 7.2% . I was ecstatic – in these economic times it was very generous. Already allocated part of the increase to my pension fund, some to debt reduction and some for pleasure i.e. plan to transfer to a gym around the corner so that DD and I can swim/train all year round.
I love my job as well so the increase has made it even better – how cool is that.
We are into the beginning of autumn here and can already see the days are shortening and the evening/morning temperatures are dropping.  I really don’t enjoy winter here – we are just not equipped for the winter but then I guess we must be one of the few countries in the world who can have a -3°C with bright sunny days and a wind chill factor of a further -5°C. But it is really is not so long and spring starts again early September, with a few left over cold spells.
Hope you have a Happy and Blessed Easter tomorrow (if you celebrate Easter) – will pop back again soon
See ya…

$4294 paid in full since April last year – just can’t believe that this outstanding tax is finally paid! It has been outstanding since April 2009 but I was just not able to pay and then finally last year I called them and made the necessary arrangements.

I actually had another 2 months to pay off the remaining $1000 but decided to just go for it and clear it – so that’s what I did.

My reasoning whilst I was setting my budget for March 2013 was I looked at my situation:
now that I have the new car (yes I got it on Tuesday last week!! ) and it has a 5 year warrantee and maintenance plan and...
I have medical insurance with enough in the savings portion for acute/emergency events and... there is enough money to cover all our regular monthly expenses so...
I decided to use most of our EMF to get rid of this monthly budget item – so there is a grand total of $100 left in the EMF!!!

At the end of March, I will get the EMF back to where it should be and then start snowballing the rest of my debts – roll-on December 2013.

We got paid today, so for the salary period for February we managed a total of 12 NSD – a record for us. It definitely made a huge difference to the way that I had to plan our meals and make sure that we used what we had – it reduced number of errands & saved mileage/gas.

For the month of March we are going to try for 14 NSD and hopefully as we get more organized we will get better at achieving them.

I found February to be especially challenging and am really pleased that it is now nearly over – I don’t know why I felt so pressured most of the time, tired and just somewhat unsettled. Maybe the car story, maybe because we have been so busy at work, DD just starting high school, I’ve just started studying again – who knows?

The past few days have been better, we seem to be working out a routine that works better for DD and myself – things are starting to feel more manageable and DD has been helping more around the house.

Even small daily improvements over time make a big difference - this is what I tell myself

Will update the side panel next time… take care…

So the saga of the car ends today!!

My friends decided that they didn’t want to sell the car I have been using since December, so my search was speeded up and…

My aunt and my cousin found me a car - 2011 model, marked down because the new shape and model was launched last year and they had excess stock; we ended up paying $12995 for a car with 14,000 miles, 5 year warrantee and 5 year service/maintenance plan.

And how did I finance it?

(Blush) I gave my $4000 and my aunt gave me $4000 and the rest was loaned by the family.

So I have incurred more debt and there are no excuses!
So now I add $4995 to my outstanding debt and increase my monthly debt payments by $100 per month.

Although I am conflicted about the debt I feel like it was the right decision for me at this time. To have a car finally that is not going to cost me a fortune like my past 2 cars did, is going to give me more peace than the extra debt.

If things get really tight then I will need to do an extra shift a month and that will cover the payment.
At least I don’t have to worry about breaking down or not being able to get to work because my car is in the workshop or how am I going to pay for repairs etc etc....

Had to have a tooth removed on Friday and this time I went to Maxilla Facial Surgeon instead of letting the dentist do it – what a difference. No pain, no swelling, no nothing – it was well worth the extra cost which I believe is going to be covered by medical insurance anyway.

Had another NSD today – not counting the car!!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!

Need to get back to studying tomorrow and the weekend routine – haven’t been at all organized the past week. So need to:

- Finish the laundry
- Ironing
- Clean the apartment
- Study for at least 5 hours
- Help DD with a school project
- Tidy up
- Menu plan for the week (pay day is only on the 25th so we have eat what we have!)
- NSD

That’s it for today … see you tomorrow…

PS Will do the update of the side panel tomorrow!!!!

I am going to be 51 yrs YOUNG tomorrow It's really funny to think that I am doing stuff now that I should have done when I was 31 - but hey who's counting not me (well not with any meaning!)

Took DD to the store so she could buy my gift and I ended buying Washing Powder that was on special - saved about $3 not much but I'll take it.

And then I bought myself a present for $5 - lotto tickets for the draw tomorrow night - jeez you never know?????

Work was good but didn't feel like studying tonight so I have been reading the entries and catching up on all your news.

You are all so organised and focused - it is amazing and so motivating. Promise to get my numbers and specific goals up this weekend - that way I will focus better and make my entries more interesting and specific.

We are due for salary increases at the end of March, and I am dying to see what the % will be - considering the state of the economy both locally and globally. We have been getting about 7% over the past 3 years and if this is maintained I think we will be doing well.

BTW someone asked about our retirement funding in SA - we have 2 options: through our employers or private investment/insurance companies.

Retirement through the employer is a great option because they pay a compulsory 7.5% of your salary value and then we are allowed to contribute up to 12% (I am contributing 10%)on pre-tax salary amount. On top of that we are allowed to contribute to other options outside of the employers offering - one of my goals is to get to 30% contribution but only once we have purchased our new home. (So a while to go still!)

We are also allowed to stagger our retirement payout ages for example, a woman can start retirement payouts from the age of 55 yrs and continue to 65 yrs (complusory payout) - I have 2 maturing in 4 years which I am going to use to settle the mortgage of our "still to be purchased" home.

Then I still have others maturing at 60 and of course, my current employers retirement kicks in a 65 so we should be okay. Plus as we know, nurses never ever stop working

Feedback on 3 Bills I forgot to include in my budget for January:
Swimming training for DD $40 Paid
Balance of College fees for me $175.55 Paid
Utilities $49.33 (high for us) Paid
have had to use the savings to pay them - stupid and careless but at least we had the money to pay them

So the new balance on our EMF is: $4,714

BTW sold my big freezer at the end of December - it was costing too much in electricity to run and I wasn't able to keep it fully stocked anyway. So I am waiting for $75 for that and will put it back into the EMF.

Still looking for other ways to keep my money in my wallet and in the EMF account

Take care....

For the first time since the end of 2009, I have internet access at home again - had to stop it to save myself - had to stop the access to online casinos!!!
Now I have it again but no longer have banking facilities which allow me to transfer money to the casinos AND online gambling is now illegal in South Africa.
Jeez I can't believe I just said all that without hesitation to people I don't even know - oh well it's the truth.
My life has changed so much - going back to nursing was a great challenge but now I love it and have even gone as far as registering to upgrade my qualification to a Degree Status in Nursing Science.
This will take about 4 years and lots of $$$ but worth it in the end (part-time).
On the financial front, have made progress but not as much as I would have liked but I have to remind myself that dealing with an addiction AND getting used to working in a structured environment again is no easy task but I did it.
Really want this year to be the year when I say "I AM DEBT FREE!"
And the only way it is going to happen is by using this blog and your support and encouragement to get there.
We are still in a rented apartment, so as soon as the debt is settled we can start saving for the deposit on a new home.
Unfortunately, we had a challenge at the end of 2012, our 15year old car died on us - was only worth $2,265 but required $2,831 worth of repairs AND it wasn't even economical to run - a real gas guzzler. We managed to sell it for $2,800 even though it was not running to the mechanic who was looking after it - I was relieved to see it go - there were more repairs on the horizon and on a nurses salary, no way was I going to pay more on that car!!!
So now we are borrowing a car from a friend of mine and hoping that they will sell it to us - that will solve another challenge. Here's hoping.
Other than that we are happy and content, life has been good to us the past 4 years and DD and I have settled nicely into a normal life (vs my old life of addictive behaviour).

So what are my goals for 2013:
1. Purchase a car - cash only
2. Pass all the courses/modules I have registered for (6) with 70%
3. Finish paying off debt by the 20 December 2013
AND
4. Be happy and full of gratitude for the journey I have taken in my life even with the ups and downs.

Speak to you tomorrow!!!!!

The only way I get to save now, is by working overtime and I just heard today that I can get 3 extra shifts over the next 2 weekends. Whoopee - it means that I get to save $560 at the end of September. (We get paid overtime worked at the end of the following month).

Now that I am back on a salary, I find that every penny is budgeted for unless there is overtime pay. With the economy the way it is though, we only get overtime when there is someone off sick or on vacation - so I take it whenever I can get it.

Spent today:
Gas $20
Headache meds: $4.40
Chronic Meds: Nil (there was no co-pay)

What I am seeing that is if I am disciplined everyday and avoid the "little incidental expenses" I just don't spend as much money.

For the first in ages, I still have some money left in my bank account at the end of the month - $28 - not much I know, but psychologically it is a huge achievement for me AND pay day is Tuesday 25 August. Will move this balance into my savings/EMF fund then.

My savings/EMF has a whole $87.50 in it but again it's a start.

In May after securing my full-time nursing position, I decided (after lots of soul searching) to look at Debt Management because my creditors were bugging me so much and their demands were getting more and more unreasonable.
After the debt assessment, I decided to do it and now I pay $330 per month to the Debt Management attorney and they distribute it to each of my debts.

I no longer get harrassing phone calls AND am not allowed to live on or apply for any credit - which suits me just fine. I am so much more relaxed and every month just pay the money and I can live on the balance.

So all in all a good day - who would have thought that I could get excited about working extra shifts... just goes to show how things have changed

Have a good day...

We got paid on the 25 June and I have just finished paying all bills for the end of June and the debt balances are:

Start Debt:
7/12/06: $236 978
5/29/07: $29 150 + $55 600 = $84750
6/27/07: $26 859 + $32 894 = $59853

Car Loan: $11073 Now $ 6748
CC2: $ 13716 Now $ 6832
CC3: $ 15918 Now 13279
Tax Liability: $55600 Now $32 894

Reduced by $2611 since 5/30/07

I am battling with the Tax Liability - I just don't know how I am going to get enough money together to pay this by the 28 Feb 2008.

Every time I look at what I need to save to pay this, I go straight into "overwhelm" - I think it is a good thing that I only look at the totals once a month and not everyday.

This month I have drawn cash (only $300) to carry us through until next pay day - a real challenge on it's own.

Thank goodness my employer pays for my gas (I commute about 60 miles per day) otherwise it would be even tougher.

I really make a concerted effort to focus on what we have and how Blessed we are - it is the only way to keep things in perspective.

BTW It snowed in Johannesburg last night - the first time in 25 years!!!!! Hmm wonder if this Global warming is starting to really impact us.

The funny side though - South Africans have no clue what to do in the snow - we have never had to clear snow off cars, drive on iced roads and snow tires - what are those????

Even the airplanes are not equipped to deal with de-icing - all our flights were delayed 2 - 3 hours this morning.

Have managed to get my $20 Challenge account up to $338 by adding change and getting paid for sewing. Am so tempted to add this to a debt payment but then I remind myself that I may need a washer soon - so the money is lying in a separate wallet in my drawer.

Well back to work...

Have a good day

to make up for the lack of entries the last couple of days.

Got quite a lot of sewing done this weekend:
Finished my sweatpants: saved $15
Finished DD's sweatpants: saved $7
Altered DD's school slacks: no savings
Total Saved: $22 (to come off sewing machine cost).

Had another 3 no spend days: Total for June = 9 Goal is 20 (Hmmm don't know if I will manage this but will keep going)

Decided to pay something more towards my CC debt - need to feel like I am making progress towards debt reduction:
Car Loan: $11073 Now $ 7103
CC2: $ 13716 5/30/07: $ 8608 Now $7294
CC3: $ 15918 Now 13439
Tax Liability: $55 600 Now $33314 6/15/2007: Paid an extra $420 = $32894
TOTAL DEBT: Start 4/1/2006: $236 978 Now: $60730

This is so exciting, I just know that I am going to be able to achieve my debt free status.

$20 Challenge: Added lose change from wallet and bottle = $17.61
New Total: $301.56
Yeah - reached the $300 dollar mark.
New goal - $400 by 31 July 2007.

Sewing Machine cost: Start: $3425
6/10/2007: $3236.29
6/18/2007: less $22 = $3214.29

Holiday Fund:
DD added her allowance and I got an unexpected refund of 28.57 so our new total is: $185.71

Making progress mid-month is great - I only get paid monthly so this is an extra bonus.

Cooked all the chicken that I bought on special tonight and will use it to make:
Chicken pies
Chicken al la king
Chicken lasagna
and then freeze it in portions so that we have home pre-cooked, convenience meals.

Am really tired at the moment, think it is the short winter days and wanting to hibernate in the cold.

Well I am off to bed now after a long hot bath

Speak to you tomorrow...

is the only way I am going to get on top of this latest challenge.

Have had some time now to think about my plan of action and my thoughts so far are:

The funds in EMF - I am going to allocate $8000 to the tax liability.

I got a final payment on the sale of my house the other day from the bank of $ 14 286

So already I have $22 286 towards the $55 600

There are other amounts outstanding still from my house sale:
The closing attorneys still owe me $5714
The utilities company owe me a refund of $1158
Total outstanding $6872

Company expenses refund $347

NOW if I add $22286 plus $7219 = $29505 I would have been debt free without this additional tax liability - HOW DISAPPOINTING!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, as I said one day at a time.

I needed to go to the store today and only had $15.70 in my wallet (remember I took the ATM cards out and don't have CC)
Bought laundry detergent, bread, tuna, gum = $12.84 (bought large sizes and bread for the week to freeze).

Ha got that spot on and I still have a couple of dollars in my purse.

Okay so not a No Spend Day but great economy.

BTW I have managed 7 out 10 No Spend Days and will get tomorrow down as a no spend day too. 8/10 not too bad.

I have a huge headache today (not really surprised) and fortunately have finished my client calls for the day so I am going to have a nap before I fetch my DD and start supper.

Need to get into my sewing room tonight - when I am feeling so stressed and pressured (one of my triggers to gamble) I have to be especially careful. Sewing and getting busy making something out of nothing, helps me to reduce my stress and makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

Also, this weekend I need to rework our monthly budget and look for ways to cut our expenses again so that I can increase the savings amount to the Tax Fund. Don't really know how much more I can cut but will try anyway OR time to start taking in mending, sewing etc again to boost the income.

Wow another long long entry - but it helps so

Enjoy your day and see ya tomorrow

except with tears of frustration and embarrassment.

I went to the auditors today, to drop off those documents to complete the audit for my company and found out that I have an outstanding amount due to our Tax Dept (equivalent to your IRS) of approximately $55 600 .

The reason - I was so busy feeding my gambling addiction that I neglected the real things in life like paying taxes in 2005.

Some of you at this point are wondering how on earth a person gets to this stage in the first place and secondly, how can a person even admit it publicly?

Well, as with any addiction, the first step you take is that you admit that you are powerless over the activity - so when I was in the height my compulsive gambling, money had no true meaning and value other than how long I could gamble for.

The public part - well, I found this journal extremely therapeutic and supportive in my journey to recover that not mentioning this update would only be lying to ME. Again, part of the recovery process, is complete and utter honesty at all times because when you are in the throes of the addiction, dishonesty, lying and deceitfulness are all part of the behaviour i.e. where you have been, what the money was used for, why you need to borrow more etc. etc. etc.

So here I am with another debt but this too shall be tackled and it too shall be dealt with one day at a time.

Grace and Blessings got me this far so they will keep me going.

I have a grace period before I have to start paying off the taxes which fortunately will give the time I need to earn commission.

I am so Blessed that I have a Sales Position that enables me to earn the kind of money I am going to need. I have to get it together by May 2008. I can't pay it off in small amounts - I have to save it and then make the full payment by the 31 May 2008.

So there will be a new category in my Control Panel called: Tax Liability which will in effect be a savings account to settle the $55 600. (OMG I am so overwhelmed at this stage and fighting to keep the tears at bay - what the hell was I thinking or rather NOT thinking).

I think I will now sleep on this and then tomorrow I'll get busy putting together a plan and strategy to get the money together.

Have just finished paying all bills for the end of May and the debt balances are:

Start Debt: 7/12/06 Today: 5/26/2007
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 PAID
Timeshare Levy: $730 PAID AND SOLD
Bank Overdraft: $929 PAID
Loan from Dad: $857 PAID
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429 PAID
Private School Fees for 2007: $3000 PAID IN FULL
Car Loan: $11073 Now $ 7103 (Miscalculated last time)
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000 PAID
CC2: $ 13716 Now $ 8603
CC3: $ 15918 Now 13439
HEL & Mortgage: $171 429 PAID AND SOLD

TOTAL DEBT: $236 978 Now: $29150

Paid $207 828

Geez at this rate of $1109 per month reduction in debt I still have another 26 months to go.

No way - this is way too slow. I have to find other ways to increase my debt payments.

I miscalculated the outstanding amount on my car so that is higher than the last report.

Also called to check all the interest rates on my outstanding loans and here it is:
Car Loan 12.8%
CC2: 19%
CC3: 20%

So I changed my priorities and paid extra into CC3 - no way are they going to get more money. I know this is not Dave Ramsey's way but when I saw just how much the interest was I was horrified.

$20 Challenge Account:
Added $16.86 to it = $171.85. I got this extra from a return today and emptied the change into my challenge wallet. I think I am going to need a new Washing Machine soon so this will go towards that.

DD and I have started a savings account for our holiday in October 2007. I just checked to see how we were doing: $146 and we need: $985. We have saved this in the past 6 weeks by putting her allowance in there and everytime we DON'T do take out/fast food we contribute. Oh and if I can make a gift we add another $7 instead of buying a gift.

One step at a time and no short cuts. I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't get into this mess overnight and I am not going to get out of it overnight.

I have to earn commission ++++++

Will check in again tomorrow.

Oh BTW - didn't manage a no spend day today - spent $40 on a new electric blanket for DD, a hot water bottle, hair gel, sodas.

Why does time go so fast - it seems just the other day that I unretired my blog and now it is already a week later.

Okay here are my debt balances:
Start Debt: 7/12/06 Today: 5/16/2007
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 PAID
Timeshare Levy: $730 PAID AND SOLD
Bank Overdraft: $929 PAID
Loan from Dad: $857 PAID
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429 PAID
Private School Fees for 2007: $3000 PAID IN FULL
Car Loan: $11073 Now $ 6997
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000 PAID
CC2: $ 13716 Now $ 9203
CC3: $ 15918 Now 14 059
HEL & Mortgage: $171 429 PAID AND SOLD

TOTAL DEBT: $236 978 Now: $30 259

Paid $206 719

Hahahahaha - Can you believe it :0

I can't!!!!

But here is the downside - I no longer own a property so don't have a property which is appreciating in value.

I have decided ala Dave Ramsey that I am going to finish paying off my debt and then save like crazy so that I can either pay cash for a new home (don't want a big house again, an apartment is fine by me) or put 50% down and get a mortgage for the balance.

My EMF is established - I kept some of the money from the house and have $9425 saved.

Also, bought a new sewing machine - just decided that we have made so many sacrifices to get this far that I could treat myself. (I know a good excuse )
Spent $ 3425 for a new machine and embroidery unit.

When I buy a sewing machine, I keep a log of everything that I make and the savings and make sure that the machine pays for itself. My old machine paid for itself 3.2 times.

Have already saved $68 by making curtains, altering clothes for DD and making a new bathroom set.

Will keep a log here and show how it works.

BTW my banking accounts actually have a credit balance for the first time since I don't know when - $142 in Acc 1 and $214 in Acc 2.

Am really enjoying my life again - it is so nice not to have worry about maintaining a huge property, pay an enormous mortgage and all the taxes that go with it.

Have also managed to buy DD new school uniforms, replace school bags and new sports uniforms.

The way I figure it now, is that we can now get back to being really frugal and get rid of the last debt and then go crazy with our savings account.

The $20 Challenge - will make this a real account now and save leftover amounts from our monthly budget and any refunds etc.

Working full time now and back in corporate life has its own challenges and has demanded more adjustments. At least I earn a regular salary now and have a high earning potential through commission. My business expenses are covered which is also great incl cell phone, internet connection, gas for car and a contribution for car servicing.

I am a happy happy camper - I love my life and am really pleased that we made all the changes.

Will end off now - have really had a long ramble...

Wow I can't believe it is so long since my last entry but so much has happened and there have been many many changes.

I finally decided to:

1. Sell my house
2. Close my business and get a full time position
3. Let my housekeeper go and put my DD into aftercare at school
4. Find a rental in the area so that we can become debt free and save save
5. Set a goal to live on $1720 per month

So far I have managed to:
1. Sell my house - just waiting for the final closing
2. Business: handed in the final books & documents for audit
- started a full time position since the 15 January
(so now I have a regular income - whoopee)
3. Found my housekeeper new employment and moved her to her new employer
- DD into aftercare and thank goodness she is loving it. She says that at least she has playmates everyday after school
4. Found the rental and move on the 17 March - rental only $585 versus the $1715 mortgage payment I have had to make
5. The monthly budget - this will really kick in when I get paid out for my house and I can settle debts but in the meantime, I have reduced my monthly costs considerably.

Look forward to hearing from everyone.

It is great to be back

I said I would update my debt balances today so here goes:

Start Debt 7/12/06: Now 9/4/06
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 : Now $692
Timeshare Levy: $730; PAID
Bank Overdraft: $929; $920
Loan from Dad: $857: Now $541
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429; Now $1429
Private School Fees: $1219; Now $680
Car Loan: $11073; Now $10 190
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000; Now $6786
CC2: $13716; Now $13007
CC3: $15918; Now $15 497
HEL & Mortgage: $171 429 Now: $170 143

TOTAL DEBT: $225 360; Now $219 885

Paid: $5 475 since the 12 July 2006

A small reduction since the 4 Sept BUT I am still waiting for business expenses to be reimbursed - which is $940 and which will be used to reduce CC1 again. I had to use it to pay for groceries because I have been out of pocket for my expenses.

ACHIEVED ANOTHER MILESTONE:
Went to the theatre last night (it was my treat) but had forgotten that the theatre was at the Casino Complex I used to frequent.

Said many prayers before I left home BUT still went although I was quite nervous. At the end of the performance I just kept walking with my friends to my car and didn't even look into the casino area. I was so tempted for a minutes BUT somehow I DID IT!!!!!!

This is the first time in about 6 years that I have been there and haven't gambled - I am so excited and grateful - this is a huge milestone for me BUT I also know that I can't let my guard down.

$20 Challenge: DD had another Birthday party to go to today - so I got her to do a picture for the Greeting Card and printed off a homemade card as well = $1.50 saved.

Spent today:
1. DD Friend birthday present $8.50
2. Battery for step counter $2.84
3. Store: $3.86
4. DD got tuck money today $2 plus Cake & Candy sale $1
5. DD Allowance $3

WEIGHTLOSS PROGRESS:
Weighed in yesterday morning - lost 3lbs whoopee - think it is all the water - I feel like everytime I look it is time for another glass of water.
Think DD has also lost a couple of lbs - she is about 8lbs over for her height and I have just made her eat what I am eating without making an issue of it. Told DD that for the next 8 weeks we and going to be SUPER healthy and she thinks it is great.

DB 2:
Was admitted to hospital 2 days ago for treatment...
He has been sedated to halt the manic phase he has been in for the past 4 weeks and sounds very drugged BUT at least he is off the streets and getting medical care.

TO DO LIST FOR SEPTEMBER:
1. Making progress here but am still busy trying to finish those 15 chefs jackets.
2. Have planted seeds for the vegie garden and they have starting shooting so soon we will be able to transplant them.
3. 9 No Spend Days - goal 15
4. Library Books returned but still paid $3 fine for being late *sigh* - why can't I get this right.
5. Weightloss -lost 3lbs Goal - 10 lbs
6. Spending log updated everyday

BTW - achieved 221 days of No Gambling today

See you tomorrow

Still waiting for my business expenses to be reimbursed but in the meantime I needed to see where I am with my debt balances:


Start Debt 7/12/06: Now 9/4/06
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 : Now $564
Timeshare Levy: $730; PAID
Bank Overdraft: $929; $789
Loan from Dad: $857: Now $643
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429; Now $1429
Private School Fees: $1219; Now $899
Car Loan: $11073; Now $10 190
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000; Now $6786
CC2: $13716; Now $13100
CC3: $15918; Now $15 497
HEL & Mortgage: $171 429 Now: $170 143

TOTAL DEBT: $225 360; Now $220 040

Paid: $5 320 since the 12 July 2006

Hmmm... patience is NOT my middle name but I give Thanks that progress has been made.

While making up my Goals for September & paging back through my diary I found debt balances from the 1 April 2006.

Check this out:
DEBT BALANCES ON 1 APRIL 2006 VERSUS 23 AUGUST 2006:

Home Remodeling: $345 / PAID
CC1: $715 / $ 714
Timeshare Levy: $746 / PAID
Bank Overdraft: $943 / $754
Loan from Dad: $1714 / $643
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429 / $1429
Private School Fees: $1900 / $899
Car Loan: $12080 / $10478
Bank Overdraft 2: $11689 / $6857
CC2: $15652 / $13100
CC3: $18336 / $15714
HEL: $57143/ $56643
First Mortgage: $114286/$113714
TOTAL DEBT: $236 978 / $220 945

Paid: $16 033 since the 1 April 2006

*disbelief*
I would never have thought that this was possible and looking back I really don’t know how it was done???????

Wait – Prayer & Blessings have a lot to do with this outcome

Whoopee the money from the timeshare came through - I can't believe it so I have paid some more towards my debt:


Starting Debt on the 12 July 2006:
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 : Now $714
Timeshare Levy: $730; PAID
Bank Overdraft: $929; $754
Loan from Dad: $857: Now $643
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429; Now $1429
Private School Fees: $1219; Now $899
Car Loan: $11073; Now $10 478
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000; Now $6857
CC2: $13716; Now $13100
CC3: $15918; Now $15714
HEL: $57143; $56 643
First Mortgage: $114286; Now $113714

TOTAL DEBT: $225360; Now $220 945

Paid: $4 415 since the 12 July 2006

Decided to track the total amount I have paid off - think it will be more motivating that way but I am going keep a running tally under my bio.

Jeez this is going to take ages

But every step of progress needs to be celebrated I guess.

I am really feeling depressed at the moment don't know if I am going to make sales target so I had to keep some of the timeshare proceeds back for month end expenses.

I so badly wanted to make a huge dent in my debt ...

Spoke to the buyer of my timeshare today and I should be getting paid for it tomorrow

First thing to do:
1. Get current with CC2
2. Save my mini EMF
3. Renegotiate a lower rate with CC2

Then I think I will let it sink in that I have some extra money to put against debt and see if I make bonus at the end of the month. If I don't I will need to use some of the money towards daily expenses.

Either way, what a relief

Met with the CEO of my client today and he wanted to see if I would be interested in negotiating towards the end of August. Told him it would depend on whether the Managing Director had left or not - that was the most important issue. Then of course, secondly what they were offering.

In the meantime, I have to stay focused on working towards my sales target - don't want to get sidetracked on something that may never happen.

Feeling better today - just the leftover headache from my migraine. Think an early night should sort that out.

Roll on tomorrow...

I decided that I would update my debt balances twice a month so here goes:

Type of Debt: Starting Debt: Now 14 August 2006

Starting Debt on the 12 July 2006:
Home Remodeling: $345 PAID
CC1: $715 : Now $642
Timeshare Levy: $730; Now $244
Bank Overdraft: $929; $874
Loan from Dad: $857: Now $643
Swimming Pool Renovation: $1429; Now $1429
Private School Fees: $1219; Now $899
Car Loan: $11073; Now $10 478
Bank Overdraft 2: $7000; Now $6857
CC2: $13716; Now $13624
CC3: $15918; Now $15714
HEL: $57143; $56 643
First Mortgage: $114286; Now $113714

TOTAL DEBT: $225360; Now $ 221 761

Paid: $3 869

Oh wow, I can't believe it - just goes to show how careful daily spending and frugality does make a difference.

I can't wait for the end of the month (I get paid monthly) when I pay off some more.

Now just to get my timeshare sale finalised ie waiting for payment and earn my bonus.

Hmmm - feeling like I have made some progress