Back To Zero!

The last time we have been able to experience a moment like we did today was right before our flight to Israel in the summer of 2011 (we were in debt once again before we even boarded the flight back to the states). After a couple of years of budgeting and chipping away at the payments, we got on that plane without the burden of debt. Today, while we still have other debts, we finally cleared the balance on our credit cards. Over four years later, after numerous struggles and setbacks, we have finally brought all those totals down to zero.

I must say this is a damn good feeling knowing that we don’t have to make those payments anymore. Well, at least not to pay down previous balances. We actually have a plan in place to keep these cards active having assigned specific charges, to maximize points, on each card. Order something on Amazon, use one card. Buy gas or groceries, use a different one. Go out to dinner, this third one will work. At the end of the month, we settle all the tabs. Heck, we are spending the same money but we are now getting points for the purchases we are already making.

Of course, as I stated before, we are not completely debt free. There are still a few other commitments that we need to take care of and, at the same time, we are looking to move by the end of the year so that means there is at least thirty years before we have to stop making payments on our debt. So, in reality, this is only one portion of our debt that had gone to zero unlike that short time in 2011 when, for a few months, we had absolutely no debt.

But, for now, we are just going to enjoy the feeling of those high interest pieces of plastic having been paid off. There is something uniquely satisfying about zero. I am also less stressed knowing that if something were to happen and we needed funds immediately, we have the credit to take care of most situations. Not the big stuff (the limits are still pretty low) but the moderate issues that everyone faces in life (i.e. something breaks, gets lost, needs to be replaced, etc.). And it is going to be that much more satisfying being able to focus on taking care of other debts rather than focusing on those high interest cards. It still isn’t going to be quick or easy but we can really start making some progress now!

Bills And Bank Statements

As many of you know, I am one of those people that checks all financial statements on almost a daily basis. I have had credit cards hijacked in the past and I know how much of an issue that can cause. I am also doing everything I can to pay off debt and keep our financials in a healthy position so the little bit of time each day is well worth the effort to ensure that all the numbers are where they should be. And this is just my personal accounts.

While not nearly as regular as my personal habits, I am also continuously cognizant of the financial situation of the lodge. This is just another one of the duties that I agreed to when I took office as Secretary. Just like my personal financial situation, we are not talking about big numbers so I make sure to know where every dollar is coming from and how much is going out. Lately, we have gotten a little behind as all of our summer schedules have hindered us from getting together. We were finally able to get everything squared away this evening… it really puts my mind at ease knowing where everything stands.

Of course, when some of the balances were brought to my attention I expected some inquiries to be made by some of the brothers at the lodge. After all, this is our budget and our accounts and this is why I keep a meticulous record of what has come in and what has gone out. It is required of me to do so and I would expect them to hold me personally responsible if I was unable to provide them with a receipt. And that is what we should all take away from this.

It shouldn’t matter if you are involved in the financials of a business, lodge, charitable organization, or your own personal accounts. Everything has to be accounted for. I know that if I want to be reimbursed for a purchase at work or for the lodge I have to have a receipt. No receipt means no check. While we have provisions in place to ensure transparency, I have heard of too many instances of fraud and downright theft both within lodges and outside of lodges. I am well aware of these instances and I made it known that the books are open to members and that I am happy to answer any questions.

Even when looking at my own debts I can account for all the credit that has been used… this is particularly important regardless of the type of account because you don’t want to wake up one day to the reality of owing 10 or 20 thousand dollars to a bank or credit card company. I know where all of my money is going (especially on the tight budget that we have had in recent years and the process of paying down debt that we are currently undertaking). I shouldn’t expect any less from the lodge and the lodge shouldn’t expect any less from me.

Every Penny Is Part Of A Dollar

Over the past couple of weeks I have been taking advantage of a couple of opportunities that were presented to me in order to save a few dollars. Sometimes the numbers added up pretty fast while other times it was only a little here and there. Either way, they are all providing a little bit of a return and putting a few extra dollars back into our account. Actually, by the end of the week, all those small sums added up and turned into a rather nice return.

There were really two parts to this whole operation this week… price matching and a credit card promotion. While it did take some time this week, in the end it is going to save us hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the next year. It just goes to show that if you take a few minutes and put in a little effort, you can make things a little easier.

It started a couple of weeks ago when there were a few items that I had to purchase for the house. Not the cheapest things but not really high priced either. When I had a couple of minutes free in the middle of the work day, I pulled up the Sportsman’s Guide website to see if they had what I was looking for. It turns out that they did so I put the items in my shopping cart, typed in my coupon, and selected the 4 pay plan to ease the payment pain.

Everything went smoothly but I was curious to see if there were any other websites that were offering a better deal. Sportsman’s Guide offers a price match guarantee for 30 days from the time the order is placed. There were a few sites that had the same price, a few that were selling it for more, and a couple that were a dollar or two cheaper. I wasn’t about to call over a couple dollars. And there is was… a $25 difference. With website and item number in hand I called customer service and had the price matched within minutes. However, this was a onetime opportunity to save some money. My other call this week was more fruitful.

At some point during the day on Tuesday I got an email from a company regarding my credit card. The offer was for free transfers of other accounts (normally 3%) with a 0% APR for 1 year on those balance transfers. This particular card has the lowest interest rate so has always carried the highest balance… hence no room for transfers. So I gave them a call on Wednesday to explain the situation and to see if there was some way that I could take advantage of this offer.

It never fails whenever I call them, they found a way to make it work. Now, instead of paying a nearly 20% APR on a couple other cards, we are now paying 0% for the next year and, if needed, carry a 12% APR afterward. The percentages may not mean much at first glance but, over the course of a 12 month period this could potentially save us hundreds upon hundreds of dollars (it will also lower our monthly payments pretty significantly). I am sure that many of you may think that this is boring but it saves me money so I am very interested.

The essential thing to take away from both of these is that there are opportunities to save money / keep money in your pocket if you just pay attention. I am sure there are a number of opportunities that I have missed in the past but, in this instance, I was fortunate enough to catch them. When all is said and done, all it takes is a few minutes from you day and a willingness to work with the people on the other end of the line. It was a great week for saving money.

Changes, Space, And A New Routine

One of the worst things about moving, besides the actual labor involved in cleaning, moving, and reorganizing all of our stuff, is making sure that every person, place, organization, association, company, magazine, retailer, credit card company, etc. has our new address. Today I finally changed the last item that I could think of by logging on to the DMV website and making the update. I also managed to adjust my signature on my private email account which I seldom use for outgoing correspondences. With that being said, the marathon of phone calls, logins, and returned letters is probably not over as I am certain that there is at least one or two or more things that have slipped my mind.

Now that we have been in the new place for a little while we are also starting to get our routine down especially in the morning. To say that things are easier than they were at the apartment would be an understatement. While we are still trying to get ready at the same time, there is a lot more space so that we can both get ready rather than taking turns and making one another late every morning. The evening is also more relaxing as I can walk in the door and have the space to put everything down without having to maneuver around my wife as I shuffle through a galley kitchen.

Even the commute, which has proven to be shorter and much more reliable even with the ice, snow, and cold lately, is becoming more routine as my muscle memory is not trying to take me onto a highway that would point me in the wrong direction. It has been more relaxing as well with the steady flow of traffic and minimal merging necessary to get to and from the office. Even the drive from the lodge hasn’t been much longer as there are few traffic signals that I need to traverse during this new routine drive.

After all of the change and chaos that has and continues to dominate our lives, it is nice to have things settle down a little bit and give us some regularity to our days. This is what we have been needing for some time and the space (both inside our home and in the general area) has kept at least some of the stress at bay. Hopefully this continues and will continue to keep us level as the due date approaches. I’m just glad that this is the place that he will first call home rather than the cramp confines of our previous dwelling. Until then I am going to continue enjoying the new routine.