New Years Resolutions

This has been a rough couple of days. I'm between payments with clients at the moment, so there is a perpetual worry that I won't get paid what I need for the start of the year. I have to calculate how much I owe to my husband (he does work for my business) and how much I'm anticipating getting paid for the rest of my clients.

I hate worrying about money. If I didn't have to pay that $1,000 for the car, I would be fine. If I didn't lose my saving's everytime something came up, I would be fine! I don't want to gripe, though. It's just one month out of many, and I've always managed somehow.

I've actually used what little down time I had to try and organize what I planned to focus on this New Year. So far, I've got four items, one of which being this little blog. It keeps me focused. Another is my main business - focusing on growing my online presence.

Another, Decluttering and organizing - I feel like I would be more focused that way and finally get rid of or sell items I have been meaning to. It is one of my goals to simplify my life, and possessions would be a good start!

Lastly, there is publishing on Amazon. I have a few books out (8 to be exact), and I still make about $40 a month on them without having published anything new in a while. I'll get into more details on that later, but of all my money making side jobs I want to do, this one has presented the best chance at profit.

Why did I choose four things? Well, as a jack of all trades kind of person, my mind is always flitting to the next thing I could be doing. Then I get nothing done. Focusing on just one thing I can improve would drive me crazy. Plus, with something like decluttering, that has an eventual end point. Then I can move onto the next thing. What that would be, I'm not sure yet. Whatever is the most pressing item at the time.

Anyways, back to the point. I looked up the limit of what a person can manage to keep track of, and came up with "3 to 4 items".

Side note, I remember a David the Gnome episode from when I was a kid about David helping a chicken keep track of her nine chicks. He split them up into three groups of three (since they were all conveniently color coded that way) because the chicken could only count to three. So, we humans are only as good as chickens ;)

This post has gotten a lot longer than intended. I'll cut off here and get on with my day. Until next time! 

And to you, a Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit: Migonmar25

It's been two days since I updated, and I have to say, I've been working so hard, I don't even know what to say at this point.

Well, a few updates. As I mentioned in a post a while back, I was in a car accident in November before Thanksgiving.  Everyone ended up being fine, but my car needed some major repair. Luckily, we have good insurance, but I still have a high deductible - $1,000 to be exact.  Well, my car was finally repaired, and delivered to me on Wednesday!  I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for it, so what I ended up deciding on was to get one of my credit cards that had a high enough limit and just bite the bullet and put it on that card.  The problem, however, was that my card didn't work...

I'm not sure why! I haven't used it in ages, but I'm assuming that even though the expiration date is for next year, they probably sent me a new card. With the holidays making my schedule hectic, I haven't called to check. I should, it would make my life a lot easier if I had some kind of buffer amount available for emergencies.

Anyways, with my card not working, and me needing my car, I had to do something I was trying to avoid in the first place - I had to use the money I was saving up to pay off the business.  $1,000 saved up for the month, and it was gone like it was nothing!

You know what I hate about this situation?  It's that it was my fault the accident happened, AND it was the only time in all my years of driving and miles logged that I've caused an accident. You know what they say: you only have to be wrong once.

Why can't life be simpler?

Anyways, now I'm down to just over $600 for my account that I place my money to pay off the business, and a scant 7 days to make up the difference.  I put a lot of money into the account today.  Not sure when I'll get paid for certain jobs, or how much every single thing will come to.  I try not to keep track as I go along - I'm basically counting chickens at that point.  If I make as well this coming week as I did last week, then I should be able to pay the difference.

Now, don't ask me what I'm going to do about other items that need to be paid...I'm taking it a day at a time.

As for The Millions Game, I've been putting my all into working for hours on end for the last few days, and will be for the rest of the month as well.  I don't foresee doing anything to make more money for myself in the near future, but I do see that my spending for the last few days have been wreaking havoc on my finances.  Did I really need to spend $12 on lunch the other day just because it was a tough day?  Do I really need to make up for the fact that I am out of my allotted cash for the week by using my debit card rather than spending only the cash I had planned for?  It's so easy to get distracted by the holidays...

Anyways, I just made the mistake of making the calculations of how much this misstep set me back.  I need to make $1,200 in the next few days to make up for this deficit.  If I could have placed it on my credit card, I would just need an extra $200.

Blah. Not happy.

I have some past payments I still need to collect, so I actually might be able to do it and just keep my head above water for December.  Once this is done, and the New Year has rolled over, I will finally know if it really hurt me to drop rob Peter to pay Paul, or if it was better to not spend the next 3 years paying it off.  The answer will be the second one. It always is. I just have to remember that while I try not to panic...

....Oh, and Merry Christmas? =/

The 11th Hour

Photo Credit: Normalityrelief

I don't mean that title in the creepy eleventh hour, "last moment" kind of way. I just mean that I always seem to do posts or something to help my debt at 11:00.  Mind you, I'm dead tired.  I had an exhausting day, physically and emotionally, and I know I won't get a break for a while, so I feel a little defeated right now.  I really don't think I can work on anything right now, blog wise.  But I will work on getting some invoices and things for my work finished before the holiday comes up.  So much to do, so little time, soooo wanting to sleep.

...and I just wasted 45 minutes thinking of working, wishing I was sleeping, and still not doing anything!!!

Okay, I'm going to send out some paperwork now, and get to sleeping...It only took me an hour and 15 minutes from when I started to finally make myself do it!  Blah. But it's good that I get in the habit of actually doing paperwork when I'm supposed to.  It makes me better at my business and puts up a good face for clients, which will in turn get me more recommendations and earn me more clients! More money!  I just got to remember to think positive.  Anyways, good night everybody!

An off day

What is life?  

Photo Credit: Harald Groven

You ever have one of those days where you feel like you're spinning your wheels?  Where you are trying to get things done, and even though you can manage to get from point A to point B, you don't feel like you really accomplished much? Yeah, kinda having one of those days.

Monetarily speaking, I had to spend quite a bit on Christmas presents. I stayed in my budget (yay!), but it took a lot longer than I had anticipated to buy what I wanted to get.  Then there were problems with Amazon, and I wasted maybe an hour trying to correct something that didn't need to be corrected in the first place. All this while not doing something today to improve my debt.

But I don't want to leave the day unaccomplished, so I will write in my blog that I mentioned in the last post.  I really don't feel like doing it, though.

Here's what I'm going to make myself do.  There are 26 minutes left in my day.  I will spend those 26 minutes working on my blog.  Starting....now!

((26 minutes later))

Well, I got only a little bit of writing done, but I simplified the way the blog looks for now, as I'm still trying to figure out how I want it to look.  It feels a little less cluttered the way it is now and can help me focus on getting articles out! Not what I would like to have as the only thing I have accomplished to try and get my debt down, but it's a start.  Now it's time to get to bed.  Probably the biggest thing that I can do in the next few days is to work as I am supposed to to reap the benefits of busy season and increase my income flow for the month of December.  Still, dedicating just a little bit of time a day to my blog, it will start to come together!

I created a post to follow the work being done on the page - D.A. Website.

D.A. Website

Photo Credit: Descrier.co.uk

This is the website that I started working on at the beginning of this blog.  I've owned the domain name for quite some time, and always had plans for it, but never did anything with it.  My hope is to try and get lots of great content onto the blog, and then monetize it once I get traffic going.

12/20/15

I started to piece together how I want to write articles and connect them in my blog.  May not seem like a big step, but helps me work out my vision for the website and how I want things to look once everything is set up, so that I don't have to spent too much time polishing things that might bother me later.

12/21/15

Only had about 30 minutes to work, but adjusted the theme from something cluttered to something very simplified, so that it won't weigh me down as I build the site. Aesthetics can come later.

Started Writing Blog Posts

Photo Credit: housebuyfast.co.uk

So I've had this blog that I've wanted to create for a long time - basically just an assortment of information in the way that I would want it to be sorted were I to stumble upon this website.  It's like my brain, categorized, so that I won't have to go back through the bookmarks that I never go through - rather it's all sorted out just the way I like things sorted out on a platform that could potentially earn me money should I monetize it.

I've owned the domain for a while, but I haven't done anything with it.  I tend to get caught up in the details, and never get anything done, then abandon it.  I've had the website for over a year, and it still had the "Hello, World!" sample post posted on it!  Sure, I always had the greatest PLANS for the website, but I never did anything with it.

Well, today, I started writing up my first post. To get things the way I want them to be, I have to create several different blog posts simultaneously and then post them up together, so I haven't gotten too far - they are works in progress at the moment.  But the important thing is that I started something that I have been promising myself I would start for a long time! Yay!

I always hoped that I could make the site big enough and get enough traffic that once I monetized it, I would get a little income from that. At the very least, I will finally have a place to store all the meandering information that I find myself compelled to collect but never go back to once I hit that little star to bookmark it.

I'm sad that I didn't have time to finish it the way I wanted today, but it's a step in the right direction!  I'm doing something that has the potential to help in my money situation, and that feels really good. I debated between doing that, or writing my first blog post on my business website and having some Amazon Affiliate links on there.  So many things to do, so little time...

I also put some checks in the bank.  I suppose another important thing to do would be to invoice my clients.  I probably should have done that first, buuuuut....I'm really bad at keeping what I have to do straight.  I suppose becoming organized would be another step to get me out of debt sooner.

I'm going to attempt to write myself a schedule of things I need to do tomorrow so that I can get some important things done. My schedule is so hectic, changing from day to day (such is the joy of owning your own business), that I really just need to take it a day at a time...

Anyways, now I have to order some items from Amazon so I can give out some Christmas presents this year.  I really shouldn't, but I have a very limited list and it makes me feel good to get someone something they enjoy.  I also have a cap on how much I will spend per person. I'm pretty good at keeping to it.

By the way, I'm noticing how people get some extra link juice to their sites by providing photos via creative commons.  I wonder if it works. I might have to experiment with this later once I have an idea what I'm doing...

Until tomorrow!

Setting up Automatic Payments

Photo Credit:LendingMemo.com

I have a bad habit of losing track of what I'm doing, only to realize later that I didn't do something I was supposed to.  This has led to countless times I've set myself back by incurring late payment fees.  On multiple cards!  No more.  My game plan for tonight was simple: take a look at my credit cards and get an idea of what I owe, and if possible, set up automatic payments.

So I looked through my four credit cards and got the following information: interest rates on each card, amount of interest I've paid this past month, how much the minimum was this past month as well as the due dates, and how much total I owe both in minimum payments as well as interest rates.

The results were at once expected and shocking.  I think the most shocking was that one of my cards interest rates had shot up to 23.99%. This was a weird deal I made with the credit card company devil that I had forgotten about until now.  They promised me a low interest rate for one year if I signed up for automatic payment, which I agreed to.  The stipulation was that after a year, my interest rate would go up.  I was in the middle of work and sick to my stomach with debt at the time, and all I could think about was lower interest rate.

Actually, now that I think about it, I had called them as a mission to try and lower my interest rates on my cards to try and make a dent in my debt.  This was about a year and a half ago.  I'm pretty sure my debt has gone up since then.  So I'm now being charged three different interest rates depending on what money I've owed at what time of "purchase". I haven't purchased anything on that card since I can remember, so I'm almost positive any interest charged after the fact was interest. It couldn't be late payments because, as we've established, I set up automatic payment!!

So, my mission when Monday rolls around is to try and get that interest issue taken care of. I doubt they will give me a lower rate.  If they don't...well, the only thing I can do is what Mint advises me to do...pay of my highest interest card first.  Then I'll never touch Discover again.

The being said, I added up how much I pay in interest every month: $343.  That's IF I don't make any more purchases or incur any more fees. So I worked into my Mint "Pay off Credit Cards" goal plan.  It projects I should reach my goal by March 2019.  If I stick to the plan, of course.  My goal is to get that down a lot sooner, but for now, it'll do.

Come to think of it, I should probably just set up the automatic payment for Discover to take out the current minimum AND the $343, then I don't have to worry about missing it.  The problem is I'm afraid I'll overdraft on my account if I forget to put money into it.  Then again, I've always remembered that I needed the money in there by a certain time...decisions, decisions....

All in all, it's been an intense evening looking at my finances.  I have the Mint app...I've been using Mint for years, and it has kept me at least knowing where I stand financially and from overspending.  Now hopefully I can use its features to help me actually control my finances.

I've gone off topic a little too much...

TLDR; I set up automatic payments and set aside enough payments to pay for interest on all cards each month. Not bad, considering how I've been putting off doing that for months!!! I'm proud of myself.

And now, time for sleep. Thanks for reading!

The Rules of the Game

So, this section might be tweaked a bit here and there depending on what works for me.

Basically, the goal is to eventually be a millionaire.  =)  I'm starting at 31, so...it'll happen, don't worry!

The first step is to get out of debt so I can actually start saving money.  I'm going to start with one rule, so I don't wear myself out trying to think of rules.  So here is the number one rule:


1) Make a move every day to try and get out of debt. Whether it be to plan on saving some money by buying something cheaper, paying down a credit card, or doing something to earn money to help pay down debt.


Get it? Got it! Good.

Current Business Debt

Photo Credit: Lendingmemo.com

As I mentioned before, I have my own business. I won't say what it is - only that it involves a lot of driving, and there's nothing more important than the clientele.  Which is what this debt is - I bought a business to add to my own.  We worked out a plan so that I have to pay her back 80% of what I earn from her clients each month.  This worked out well at first.  Now, it's getting a little cumbersome.  The handing off of the business was slow, and while it gave me time to adjust to the new clients, it also meant it is taking longer to pay back to money than I anticipated.  The money is good each month...until I remember I have to pay a majority of it back.

Still, we have a cap of how much I will pay back each month, and this last month was the first time I had ever hit it!  If it continues like this, I will have the debt paid off in a year! Still much longer than I would like, but a year is better than five, right? And once that is paid off, I can put that money towards paying back other debts!  I'm still on the fence about whether this was a good idea or not...

When I started The Millions Game (12/19/15), there was still $27,075 to go! 

Current Credit Card Debt

Photo Credit: stockmonkeys.com

Well, what can I say?  It started off innocently enough. I was in my twenties, thinking that I could get into some credit card debt with the end game that I would get back in my "investment" with a source of income.  I spent money on all types of business ventures, and nothing really took.  The final one I did really didn't require any overhead and I wasn't fooled (finally) into purchasing some kind of program into learning how to do so properly.  But over time, I had built up quite a debt because of it.

Then, I was in it deep.  My living situation had changed and suddenly, I found myself relying on my credit cards to survive. I kept thinking I would get back on my feet soon, it was okay, it would all work out. But nope, I kept having to spend and spend on my cards to be able to make rent every month and still buy food and gas.  I don't really buy alot, so there wasn't too much to cut out.  I just had to make different choices and hope for the best. Finally, things evened out.  I found myself deep in debt, and just being able to scrape by.

So I put an all out moratorium on using my credit cards.  Only if I desperately needed it, would I use it.  The last time I had to use it was to pay the tax man for doing my taxes. I ended up defaulting on my card. By the time I moved (and now saving money on rent), I had to take all the money I had saved for that first rent-less time and spend it on paying back the collections agent. Yes, it went to collections.  Luckily, once my living situation changed, I had that money to pay it off quickly.  Still, not a fun place to be.  I was drowning. Now I'm chocking on water, still in the water, but not drowning.  There is hope...

When I started The Millions Game (12/19/15), my debt was at 31,540.

Current Tax Debt

Photo Credit: 401kcalculator.org

Well, I have the joy of owning my own business.  This, unfortunately means that I have to pay quarterly taxes.  Here's the sucky part - between paying rent (at the time, $1,750 a month for a studio apartment - because I live and built my business in a very expensive area) and paying back debt and having money to, you know, survive, I didn't have enough money to pay my quarterly taxes. I'm sure if I was diligent enough I probably could have figured out a way to do that.  But I didn't.  I still haven't figured out how to sparse it out correctly so I won't get screwed over again!

My husband is currently working on a project he believes should make enough to pay it back, but it's very slow going and not his only project.  I also don't count his money in this blog, because he doesn't make that much, anyways.  This is the most important debt, in my mind, to pay back as quick as possible before I get in trouble with the IRS. No one wants to mess with the IRS..

Current Car Loan

Photo Credit: Moyan Brenn

I admit it - I splurged on a nice car.  Why?  I practically live in my car, I drive so much.  And as such, I wanted to make sure that I got a good car that would last me as much as I put it through.  I've never not paid my car loan - I have it automatically deducting from my account every month so that I never face the possibility of repossession.  Plus, it keeps me remembering to put money in that account for when things get automatically paid!  It's a good car.  I actually don't regret getting it.  It's what I needed for my business and I didn't get it new.  I'm sad to say that I think it will only last for as long as I have to pay it off - 5 years - since I really put it through it's paces.  But aside from needing to replace all my tires, there hasn't been a problem with my car that I didn't cause myself. =/

Why the cryptic last sentence?  Well, I nearly totaled it a few weeks ago.  It is, however, fixable!  I just have to pay $1,000 now to get it back.  How? I have no idea... Read more about it here.

At the start of The Millions Game, the car loan was at $13,730

The Car Accident

I'm okay. My hubs is okay. Everyone involved was okay.  My car? Not so much.  I was sure I had totaled it when the accident happened.  I was pretty devastated.  I love that car. I practically live in that car!  But there was no changing what happened, and I had to live with it.

Anywho, the good news from the body shop is that it was repairable. I just don't know if how I'm going to pay for it once it's done.  Too many debts hanging over my head - how could I pay for one more?  I'm thinking I will have to use one of my credit cards - that ones I said I would not touch ever again - to pay it off. But how much can I really complain?  I'm getting my car back soon, and hopefully it will still work as well as it did before! Here's hoping...

Welcome to the Millions Game

Photo Credit: TaxRebate.org.uk

Like many people of our generation, I'm swamped in debt and getting a little tired of trying to claw my way out.  That's why I'm creating this blog. I want to have a written testament for the hard work I'm putting into trying to get my debt down.

I don't want to give away too much about myself as I am going to be putting a lot of information up here on what I'm doing to try and lift myself from having nothing to having millions! I'm going to put up honest amounts of debt that I owe, and things I hope to accomplish on my journey, no matter how long it may be.

I think a big problem with me is I have trouble focusing on one thing.  I'm a jack of all trades kind of person. I have so many ideas, but little follow through as the next "ooh, shiney!" idea comes to light. Unfortunately, that's just how I am and it's a little hard to get things going so that I can make something of my ideas. I figure if I set up a blog just right, I can accumulate all my ideas together into one place, so that it will help me focus on things, and if I get so mind-numbingly bored with them, I can look back on my progress and it will encourage me to finish what I started.  Kind of like my own personal "achievement unlocked" window in the video game of my life.

A little about me:  I'm currently 31 years old Latina, living in the good ol' U S of A. I'm married, no kids (or plans to have some any time soon), and a crazy life.  I own my own business, but with my amount of debt, all my extra money just goes into paying it off.

So, how did I get into all this debt?  Ugh.  Well, that's a whole other story that I will link with the amounts when I put them up. Each set of debt has it's own story, and needs to be vanquished.

So, here I go.  Wish me luck!