NO credit card month........

[HippieChickadee]

Originally Posted by njcarita

just a quick update

today was first day of new job

and still no credit cards this month..........

but boy am i tired...........

AWESOME! So you got it! Congrats!!!!

I'm so glad you are still going no credit cards! It's way easier to do it after you've been motivated by not using them to begin with. You almost get to a point where you don't want to buy anything new (unless really necessary) because you're so pumped up NOT to spend!!!

[espana94]

I posted at the beginning of January that I was going to try and join njcarita in her no credit card challenge...I am happy to report that I made it all the way through January without using any of my credit cards!

Some days it was really easy...others it was a lot harder. I really had to stop and think, "Do I really need that? Or, do I just want it?"

One month down...11 more to go!

[sweetdana]

THIS IS AWESOME! .. I am 31 days late to the Jan party.. but right on time for FEB!

GREAT MOVVVVVVVE!!!!!!!

(I am in the mortgage field and watched people swallon/sink/drown in debt and come back 6 months later for a fix until they had no equity left, and were on interest only loans and now negitive equity 100K) I realized about ohh 8-9 yrs ago.. the world lives on debt.. and make a huge decision to not borrow funds.. ( we already had a drop of debt, a car payment and a house payment) .. DH was very supportive.. but mostly cause I do the bills..

Now we pay our credit cards off each month, and use them solely for reward $$s, and easy..

It started small, and with big budgets.. (this is the 2nd biggest part, next to want/need). By budgeting and skimping on everything, we paid our credit cards within 1.5 ish yrs., then our car the next yrish -2, and our 80K second mortgage over the next 4-5 yrs. Took every tax refund/bonus/everything and sent in 8K checks instead of wasting anything. When I sent the last one it.. I WAS nearly in tears. We are down to 1st mortgage and every month with every extra penny we have we ship it off.. we are down to 29K on our 1st.. and I hope to have it paid off some time late 2014 or 2015 ish..

TO US (okay me.. but DH goes along with it) it is soooo important, we don't finance anything.. Instead of a 333 car payment .. we buy used cars, (as a check for 33K for a new car would be impossible, and a car payment is wasted interest..

Learning to make better decisions even on splurges (which you cannot cannot do at 1st) like .. paying cash for a small resale SSR contrac DVC (10K) instead of a fin. 300 point BC direct (20K + interest 25K). making better decisions is HUGE!


KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[momto1]

I just stumbled upon this today - 2/1. Anybody going to be doing this in February? I would like to jump on board. I do use my cc for gas since I am reimbursed at work. I am also going to be making a planned ticket purchase on the new Southwest cc. Other than that, I want to go credit card free.
Anybody else in in Feb?
Lori

[HippieChickadee]

Originally Posted by sweetdana

THIS IS AWESOME! .. I am 31 days late to the Jan party.. but right on time for FEB!

GREAT MOVVVVVVVE!!!!!!!

(I am in the mortgage field and watched people swallon/sink/drown in debt and come back 6 months later for a fix until they had no equity left, and were on interest only loans and now negitive equity 100K) I realized about ohh 8-9 yrs ago.. the world lives on debt.. and make a huge decision to not borrow funds.. ( we already had a drop of debt, a car payment and a house payment) .. DH was very supportive.. but mostly cause I do the bills..

Now we pay our credit cards off each month, and use them solely for reward $$s, and easy..

It started small, and with big budgets.. (this is the 2nd biggest part, next to want/need). By budgeting and skimping on everything, we paid our credit cards within 1.5 ish yrs., then our car the next yrish -2, and our 80K second mortgage over the next 4-5 yrs. Took every tax refund/bonus/everything and sent in 8K checks instead of wasting anything. When I sent the last one it.. I WAS nearly in tears. We are down to 1st mortgage and every month with every extra penny we have we ship it off.. we are down to 29K on our 1st.. and I hope to have it paid off some time late 2014 or 2015 ish..

TO US (okay me.. but DH goes along with it) it is soooo important, we don't finance anything.. Instead of a 333 car payment .. we buy used cars, (as a check for 33K for a new car would be impossible, and a car payment is wasted interest..

Learning to make better decisions even on splurges (which you cannot cannot do at 1st) like .. paying cash for a small resale SSR contrac DVC (10K) instead of a fin. 300 point BC direct (20K + interest 25K). making better decisions is HUGE!


KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by momto1

I just stumbled upon this today - 2/1. Anybody going to be doing this in February? I would like to jump on board. I do use my cc for gas since I am reimbursed at work. I am also going to be making a planned ticket purchase on the new Southwest cc. Other than that, I want to go credit card free.
Anybody else in in Feb?
Lori

I've been CC free for 4 years now!!!!

But I'd love to be here supporting you both! (and anyone else who wants to try)

Keep in touch here and it makes it easier to do, and as I've said before, once you succeed with baby steps (first a week, then a month, etc.) it's easy and easy not to spend. You will get to a point you don't WANT to buy extra things because you've become addicted to not spending

[BeachLove]

I wish I could do this more often! Usually around August, Sept, Oct are my no credit card months. I think its just because I'm in saving for Christmas and Birthday mode. It just happens that I won't use the card and not even realize it. They all come up in Nov-July (Holidays & Birthdays & Weddings) .

[3happydancers]

Originally Posted by njcarita

Going to attempt to NOT use my credit cards this month... at all.... was debt free and now cause of illness I am NOT anymore........... so really attempting to pay some of these cards off with in the next few years............... so my goal this month is to under NO circumstance do i use the credit card............. so i start today and see if i can make it thru this month....................

Just came across your thread and read your story up until now. Good luck with your goal and if you all don't mind I'd like to jump in. Now, we are not deep in debt but our puppy dog needed surgery back in late October and had to pay by cc. Then a few bills popped up because of "Sandy". So, my goal is to pay down these few debts and not use my cc for anything under any circumstances unless I have cash in hand to turn around and pay it off immediately.

Wishing everyone out there luck with their commitment!

[njcarita]

op here and yes everyone jump in............
i made it thru the month without using my credit cards!!!!!!!!!!!! yay
I am also into the 2nd week of my new part time job.............
i am going to start monday again attempting to NOT use credit cards at all........ i will need to use my card today..............but than will attempt to go the whole next month again cardless............... it really was amazing cause i thought about every darn expense........... i also put together a bag of gold to sell to hopefully help out this month financially a little....................

[momto1]

I made it through the weekend without using the cc other than for gas which is planned since I am reimbursed at work. The little things I would normally put on the card, I used cash for. I sued to be credit card free but got lazy. No excuse so I am going to be cc free again!
Lori

[sweetdana]

I made it through 4.5 days without Amazon/online shopping.. .. then had to buy kiddo medical stuff .. online. .. but I only spent 57$ could have added anything to that cart.. and only bought what doc said I needed to for her.

Now back to not ordering anything not needed at all for month of FEB. I figure I waste thousands online.. I could get around spending.




I admitted to myself recently I am an online addict shopper.. this is helping me. Even if I don't have credit card debt, I will have a bucket of savings and an extra Disney this yr from being smarter.



I am aiming to go a whole week more than once month without seeing the fed ex guy.. he might think I died though..

[njcarita]

just need a pep talk.............. feeling pretty dejected today............. i called again about refinancing since i am now working 2 part time jobs....and was told NOPE part time income needs to be 2 years of history............... so no quick fix for us............. gosh it really is killing me........... if we were able to refinance and roll in debt the whole payment would be less than just what my mortgage payement is now ............omg i could just cry............. i know i can only do what i can do.............but dear heavens if i am making my payments and have never been late how can i not be able to refinance with all this equity in the house.............. but i am not going to complain...... it does NOTHING...........it is just soooooooooo frustrating............to have 70% equity in my house and i cant touch it and get to it when i need it..............

[njcarita]

oh and yes still no credit cards......

[HippieChickadee]

Originally Posted by njcarita

just need a pep talk.............. feeling pretty dejected today............. i called again about refinancing since i am now working 2 part time jobs....and was told NOPE part time income needs to be 2 years of history............... so no quick fix for us............. gosh it really is killing me........... if we were able to refinance and roll in debt the whole payment would be less than just what my mortgage payement is now ............omg i could just cry............. i know i can only do what i can do.............but dear heavens if i am making my payments and have never been late how can i not be able to refinance with all this equity in the house.............. but i am not going to complain...... it does NOTHING...........it is just soooooooooo frustrating............to have 70% equity in my house and i cant touch it and get to it when i need it..............

Darn I'm sorry. That does stink. The radio (tv, news papers, whatever) makes it sound so easy. "Just get a copy of your credit report and pay things and there you go! Debt free and good credit!" It just doesn't work that way.

You want to build up your credit and do right but you can't without---- CREDIT!

Things will work out, even if it's a longer windier road.

AND CONGRATS! NO CREDIT CARDS!

[leelee9878]

Good luck to everyone, I need to get out of credit card debt bad, even though I'm in the middle of the month I'm taking the pledge, I'm going to give it up for lent (along with French fries and cookies now everyone knows my weaknesses lol). It's going to be hard, but baby steps.

[HippieChickadee]

Originally Posted by leelee9878

Good luck to everyone, I need to get out of credit card debt bad, even though I'm in the middle of the month I'm taking the pledge, I'm going to give it up for lent (along with French fries and cookies now everyone knows my weaknesses lol). It's going to be hard, but baby steps.

credit cards AND SWEET THINGS?!?!?!?! Are you mad?!?!?

I would start with the cards