older brothers

My brother pointed me to possibly the most awesome thing I've seen since I've started paying attention to my credit.

Credit Karma!

It's an ad supported website that gives you unlimited access to your TransUnion credit score! I've always been amazed and appalled that any company who wants to cough up a few bucks can get all your credit info but you have to either pay out the nose for it or only check it once a year. It's insane. Thankfully, somebody agreed with me and put together a service for it. Thanks credit karma.

A quick word about savings accounts and CD's and whatnot and interest rates. All of the accounts I posted a couple weeks ago are slipping in interest rate every month. So if you've been thinking of opening a new account, whether it's a money market, savings or CD, it seems prudent to do it sooner rather than later. I can only imagine that as the market continues to tank what banks are willing to give you as return will keep shrinking. And if the rates bounce back in the next year or so, you can always move your money to something better....then again all these shits are variable anyway, so screw it. we're all goin' to hell in a big fat hand basket YEAH! hhahahahha.

just kidding. sorta.

Getting-shit-done-ness

So this is something I've developed in the last few years. I forget sometimes that I used to avoid everything that had to do with money, credit, homework, any kind of work, or being reprimanded. I mean seriously avoid. The year I lived in an apartment alone I didn't check the mail for a whole year so as to not know who was chasing me down for money.

Times have changed.

So I found out recently that around 80% of credit reports have some sort of error. Looking over mine recently, I found one! I had been accidentally double charged for a medical visit which eventually was handed over to collections. A whopping $22. Seriously, who sends $22 to collections?!

So in my recently acquired getting-shit-done-ness I made the calls and successfully got it removed from my credit report! One little step down my road back to a good name.

If you're curious about how to fix errors on your own credit report, check this out.

And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, get yourself educated.

ch-ch-ch-changes!

So maybe you all have noticed, as I have, that our motif for the year is Change. Sweet, sweet change has finally come to the White House, and my house. My little amount of change is in the form of a new dedication to dealing responsibly with my money, and a little bit of extra change in the literal sense. I finally have a few leftover dollars laying around some months and it's time to do something better with them than blow them on beer and eating out. Getting out of debt might be a good start.

Now, this isn't to say I'm basing my new frugal life on any kind of literal frugality. I'm 26 and I don't think I should have to give up eating out and spending time with friends. I also don't think I should have to give up buying supplies for my one creative outlet and hobby, knitting. I'm also one of those people who buys coffee every day and keeps saying "Man, if I got a coffee maker I'd save so much money." I won't give that up, either (though some sort of french press might end up on the shortlist, if only so I don't have to leave my house on Saturday mornings when it's 8 degrees). In short, I will not sacrifice everything I enjoy in my 20's so that I can enjoy my 60's.

What I will do:

1) Start some measurable amount of savings.
2) Monitor my spending to understand my own trends so that I can plan accordingly (not make unreasonable limits).
3) Raise my credit rating significantly over the next 3 years.
4) Be able to make travel plans without ending up a crying heap on my bed.
5) Feel confident that I will enjoy my 60's as much as I'm enjoying my 20's.

So there they are. My initial ambitions. I'm sure this list will grow, shrink, and/or change in any other way that seems prudent, but I think it's a good start.