Oh the financial titanic as it heads for the visa iceberg...

So I made the mistake of looking at finances over lunch.  New rule.  No looking at finances over lunch.  Nothing is going to change from noon to 5 and quite frankly chances are nothing good will come of it.

Needless to say doing so totally ruined my day.  Why?  Well first off, when I was going through our final joint couple bills I asked for $800 to cover 1) his portion of the Chase Visa bill + 2) joint couple expenses from said Chase Visa bill (which he was nice enough to open in my name with him as an authorized user) + 3) moving expenses that he offered to split.  Needless to say after we filed he decided he didn't owe me $800, he owed me $400.  Regardless of what the numbers might suggest otherwise.  Since we had already filed all the paperwork there really wasn't anything I could do...

So here is the irony.  If I zeroed my checking account to pay the Visa bill and all my other bills for January (this takes into account next paycheck) the balance on Visa would be almost $400 exactly.  Irony right?  Also take this for irony.  Vet bills and other things hit after the statement date, so what will I owe on that card (including the forementioned $400) $800.  Almost exactly what my tires+oil change cost this month.  Oh irony.  Someone out there is laughing their ass off right now...

I've been trying not to let myself freakout but it's pretty hard.  I'm seriously considering looking for a part-time job for a while to recover.  If it stopped with the $800 iceberg that would be one thing, but because we added him as a line on my phone contract when we got married I'm stuck paying that bill and paying to close his line (you'd think he was the one planning to leave the way he kept his name off everything).  So add another few hundred for that... as you can see this is quickly becoming a sinking ship.  I thought about taking a cash advance on my credit line to zero it out and lower the interest a little but we'll see.

I just need to keep remembering that in the long run this is all for the best.  I didn't accrue my debt by myself regardless of what the other individual might think.  It's borderline horrible uncomfortable right now but it would have been far worse to stay in a relationship where being taken advantage was a forever reality.  Once I recover things will be wonderful and I can go on to live a happier, more balanced, life.

Thanks for reading.

<3 Jen

An Introduction

Hey it's Marisa. Welcome to my first post! So a little about myself and how I got here. In 2010 my 4.5 year relationship with my boyfriend ended and I moved out of our house into my very first adult apartment. (with a roommate) Being single for the first time since I was 20 well.....I went a little crazy. Lots of partying, lots of traveling, lots of shopping for NON home things. By the time 2011 came around and I had settled down the enormity of what I'd done to myself financially set in. Well, mostly because I needed some very important car repairs and I realized then that I hadn't any real savings (turns out you can't trade in your Kate Spade handbag or Michael Kors shoes for repairs) and definitely took a blow or two this summer financially. So after that rude awakening, I decided the party was over and it was time to get my biznazz in order.

Ironically enough (and happily enough) I started dating someone new this summer....who is a financial God. No really, his business is money and futures and the stock market and things that I still don't understand. So it's a bit embarrassing to be dating someone who can plan out their finances FIVE YEARS in advance and I can't even plan mine out five days in advance. Motivation anyone?

So join me as I learn at the ripe old age of 27 how to actually manage my money and not stare at it in my shoe rack/closet. 

Cheers

Marisa

Jen's first weekend on the wagon...

So a tiny bit of backstory on me then a quick overview of my first weekend on the wagon.  Recently separated from my husband I just got an apartment on my own and will be living by myself for the first time ever.  Although far from impossible, switching from 2 incomes to 1 will take some adjustment.

Of course with moving comes lots of added costs ($$) then add on needing new tires before the brutal Iowa winter ($$$) and some unexpected vet bills ($) needless to say I'm having a rough December.  Since my finances weren't exactly stellar going into the month there definitely needs to be a change, in the very least to recover and build up a rainy day fund.

Since last weekend I have not gone out to eat.  Not once.  This doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment but there is an awesome burrito place 5 minutes from my apartment and I pass it everyday.  When I first moved in I think I ate there 3-4x a week so not eating there at all is a total accomplishment.  Especially because today I wanted to but I reminded myself that I bought contact solution instead (both ~$6) and that I had a lot of food at home.

Today instead of going to brunch we had a "Poor Girls" brunch with Andre Champagne, Target OJ, and homemade pancakes.  I'm gluten free/vegan so we used the gf Bisquick mix with vanilla almond milk and egg substitute. They turned out really good.  And one accidentally looked like a ghost/snowman.  Ghost of Christmas past anyone?

Spending in general for the weekend was pretty good.  I needed a few things for the apartment but I had some bed, bath and beyond gift cards so I did my best to maximize those.  I made a giant batch of brown rice and got indian food packets to pair with it.  Also I stocked up on a bunch of soup for the week.  The first couple months I need to be more stringent then things can become a little more lax once I recover.

Staying in (so far) isn't so bad.  I've spent a lot of money on fun things that I haven't full enjoyed to date so there's plenty of "free" fun at home.  I'm sure in a couple weeks I'll be singing a different tune but right now, I'm good.

That's all for me this weekend!

<3 Jen

Poor Girls Brunch