tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55564691098243062612009-07-15T08:43:17.725-05:00HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125OurDebtBloghttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with Pageflakestag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-7194599085919483122009-07-14T11:03:00.003-05:002009-07-14T11:13:01.620-05:00

The wife wants new furniture! she wants to open a credit account with Rooms To Go, we swore to each other we would never do this, but we can't seem to save and wait. We want it now, we are looking to spend $2200 on new bedroom furniture. Furniture on credit is never a good idea but I feel like I can handle the debt and pay it off quickly!I've decided to check with my blog before making any big

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-7565884981823174662009-07-01T11:15:00.004-05:002009-07-01T11:31:18.455-05:00

Discover is paid off again! I need to call this company and close the account. I have to admit that this is one credit card that if we keep around we are going to use. I wish we could keep it open but we don't just charge a few things. Every time we use this card we charge over $2,000. We simply cannot afford to keep this card around.Another reason for closing is their rewards program is not as

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-3030441954824641312009-06-29T09:51:00.003-05:002009-06-29T09:53:31.057-05:00

I am obsessed with the Apple iPhone. I might have some kind of addiction to these tiny electronic devices and now this is starting to cost me money. Just last week the new iPhone 3GS was released and I rushed to get my hands on one. I paid the full unsubsidized price of $599 since I’m a T-mobile customer. The sad part is I can’t even use this device yet since there is no unlock solution for the

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-9023030490099151062009-06-18T11:33:00.008-05:002009-06-18T11:43:03.770-05:00

The new Iphone 3G S will be coming out tomorrow. I will be one of the people waiting on line at the Apple store! I plan on getting a 8gb model and will probably have to pay $599 since I hate AT&T and refuse to pay for their plans. I'm hoping to have the phone unlocked and ready for use on T-mobile!Where is the money coming from? It's actually coming from Apple! I bought some Apple stock back in

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-57118752604382806772009-06-12T03:28:00.010-05:002009-06-12T04:00:31.014-05:00

I'm home! I was on the road for 2 weeks and I'm ready to come back to reality. I spent 6 nights in New York working with one of our software vendors and learning about their products. I visited Long Island and Manhattan, ate great food and did some shopping. I charged all New York expenses to my American Express Corporate Card. The average cost of eating in New York was $40 per day not counting

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-53568453798549967372009-06-05T23:15:00.006-05:002009-06-05T23:26:46.644-05:00

Quick update: I am traveling from New York City to Mexico this weekend. I will be leaving LaGuardia and heading to Houston. From there I will be going to Mexico. I had a great time in NYC working with our client and learning about their business. Next week I will be in Cancun taking a quick vacation. I will post all my balances when I come back around Thursday or Friday... I've charged a few

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-32101564295884008922009-05-29T11:38:00.002-05:002009-05-29T11:42:07.839-05:00

If you carry any type of America Express cards I feel sorry for you. This is a company I used to have a lot of respect for but lately I’m having many doubts. I dumped my Amex Blue card a few months back since they cut back my credit line down to $500. I refuse to do business with any company that lowered my credit line based on where I shop when my credit score is over 700 and never missed any

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-9328859204080690632009-05-21T11:15:00.005-05:002009-07-01T11:34:43.458-05:00

The wife and I have decided to say goodbye to Discover. We are actually going to call customer service and cancel this account. We realized that we cannot behave using Discover so it needs to go. I will miss the rewards and cash back, but we truly do spend more when we use credit cards.Check out the chart below, in less than 2 years we have charged $15,408.77! I probably have cashed in well over

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-125604190546424982009-05-19T13:55:00.005-05:002009-05-19T14:03:14.657-05:00

It happened again, FNBO Direct savings account dropped their rate down to 1.65% APY. We still have most of our savings with them. I did not move the money over to stocks last month on advice from most of my readers. I regret not doing so, If had invested in the stocks I like I would have an extra $1000 now!Time to leave FNBO Direct, anyone have any suggestions? 1.65% is just not worth the hassle

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-41865425530038359702009-05-13T13:26:00.005-05:002009-05-13T13:37:11.610-05:00

Dear Wife,I love you and you deserve the best. Your job can be stressful at times and I know every once in a while you need a break. Usually you book a vacation with your girlfriends, and I'm ok with that BUT on this last trip you spent over $1500 on our credit card!!Not sure how I'm going to explain this one to all my readers...Love,Your husband.

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-24881318361156903942009-05-06T08:52:00.003-05:002009-05-06T08:59:08.911-05:00

If you notice the economy improving, thank us! We been spending a lot of money lately and it needs to stop!! The spouse booked 2 vacations totaling over $2200 this month, all on Discover :( she’s leaving this weekend for her first trip and will also need spending money, probably around $400.My computer at home died so I had to purchase a new one. I spent around $400 on a new tower. I’m looking to

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-79287341287028823342009-04-29T09:11:00.009-05:002009-04-29T09:35:50.405-05:00

I been thinking about moving all our FNBO Direct savings to my account at Scottrade and putting it all in stocks. One of my favorite stocks, Ford is up over 85% this year and the price of Apple stock has also gone up over the last few months. The goal would be to spread the $9,000 over 10 different companies to avoid putting all the eggs in one basket. I have a list of favorite stocks and overall

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-86670087532029200172009-04-19T20:02:00.004-05:002009-04-19T20:30:50.290-05:00

Time to update the About Us page:I am a consultant working for a Fortune 500 company in Downtown Houston. I work in the energy industry in downstream oil and gas operations and commodities trading. I provide IT solutions and support to clients, my experience is mainly SAP Sales and Distribution and Oracle databases. I work full time and my yearly salary is around $75,000 per year.The spouse is a

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-2208094151916096602009-04-13T21:31:00.004-05:002009-04-13T21:42:42.909-05:00

I'm still addicted to credit cards, mainly for the rewards! Last month I cashed in a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart from Thank You network. Those points came from using our Citi Professional card last year:Discover cash back is even better! Our Discover spending spree back in February gave us a lot of cash back. We currently have $38.67, we need to spend $150 or so more to cash in $40.00! Last year we

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-62896301752301209912009-04-04T13:48:00.006-05:002009-04-04T14:26:12.932-05:00

We're Debt Free! from credit cards. The balance on our Citi PremierPass card last week was $0! The current balance today is $11.81 (interest) so I went ahead and sent them a final payment:I took money out of our FNBO savings and paid off the $518 we owed. I also kept some of the money to buy a new HDTV as a treat :) That left $9,000 at FNBO. I should have the Bank of America account at $1000 this

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-78468595075828793032009-03-30T21:40:00.006-05:002009-03-30T21:47:58.463-05:00

HSBC dropped again this morning to 1.65%. I'm currently in the process of moving all our savings to FNBO Direct, their current rate is 2.15% as of 3/30/2009:Our Bank of America savings account is now $853.13. This is what I consider our emergency fund and it has never been that high. The goal now is to make it $1000 and continue to build on, the ultimate goal is to have $5,000 for

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-83067582447755908722009-03-23T22:40:00.004-05:002009-03-23T22:44:02.619-05:00

Today I decided to take a look at our year end summary for Discover. I was amazed at the numbers, as you can see we spent close to 9,300 dollars from March 2008 to February 2009. We paid it all back but we don’t make a lot of money so this makes no sense. Keep in mind we spent the last 12 months paying down 2 Citi cards, Best Buy and furniture.As we become credit card debt free we been talking

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-88783331525281447152009-03-21T19:48:00.003-05:002009-03-21T19:55:30.999-05:00

The current balance on our CITI PremierPass card is $518:There’s 714 dollars sitting in our Bank of America savings account. Part of me wants to pay this off and be done with credit card debt. The other part of me knows the whole point of an emergency fund is to have money available for life’s misfortunes.Tricia over at Blogging Away Debt finds herself in a similar situation:Credit Card Debt

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-37857371550916390802009-03-16T10:45:00.005-05:002009-03-16T13:00:02.989-05:00

I’ve been tempted to open the new Citi Forward credit card. This new card claims to lower apr (starts around 12%) every month by .25% for using credit wisely. They also give 100 Thank You points for paying on time and not going over the credit limit. What we like the most is they also offer 5 Thank you points for every dollar spent on food and dining purchases. If you read my Twitter updates,

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-73060089965664049392009-03-11T12:55:00.003-05:002009-03-11T13:02:56.725-05:00

You can now track all our daily spending with Twitter. I been posting all the stuff I buy on a daily basis and send updates throughout the day. Anything bought with cash or a check card will be posted on there. I still need to load the Twitter application to my IPhone, as soon as that's ready I plan to update right after purchasing an item. Here is the link:http://twitter.com/Our_Debt_BlogI will

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-25052817881716640722009-03-06T09:03:00.002-06:002009-03-06T09:06:23.972-06:00

HSBC Direct dropped their savings account rate again this month, their new rate is 1.85% effective March 6, 2009:After we get paid the interest for this month from HSBC, we are going to move our money to FNBO Direct. FNBO seems to always have better rates and they have 4 star rating in bankrate.com Star Rating program compared to HSBC’s 2 stars.I find it funny that credit card apr’s continue to

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-15354327241617505032009-03-02T12:43:00.004-06:002009-03-02T12:48:18.158-06:00

The current balance on our Citi PremierPass card is $1,461.80 . We received our tax return and thanks to Uncle Sam the balance was reduced by $2,200:This is our last credit card debt! Click on the label below to see the balance a year ago and the monthly progress up until today.The goal is to reduce this amount by $1,000 in March and pay it off the first week of April. The wife and I have decided

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-31999111467934604862009-02-24T22:33:00.001-06:002009-02-24T22:37:08.685-06:00

Our Discover card balance is back to $0.00! We met our goal to have this paid off in February. Hopefully we don't have to use the card again, I am ready to be credit card debt free.HS

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-53926080137926639172009-02-21T19:53:00.003-06:002009-02-21T19:59:05.047-06:00

Sharon from Musings of a Midlife Mom asked:Hi HS,I was just wondering. You have a large amount in savings that can pay off all of your debt. Why haven't you done that? Just curious.Sharon,We had an insurance settlement for $10,500 due to damage from Hurricane Ike. I did not think we had any damage but our agent insisted so I took the money and put it in the savings account. The wife and I don’t

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5556469109824306261.post-86208691741629899102009-02-18T21:10:00.000-06:002009-02-18T21:12:58.050-06:00

I was forced to close American Express card last week and lately I've been thinking about closing all our retail store credit cards, we currently have:Fry's Electronics - Got this card 4 years ago and I bought one item since then, a 22 inch Samsung LCD monitor. Card still active, credit line is $3,000, this one needs to go...Best Buy - I can't part with this card!! I keep thinking I might need

HS @ Our Debt Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16131857251377260758noreply@blogger.com7