Since we recently got engaged, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the phone with my mom, discussing wedding plans. This conversation has opened the door for my mom to share her memories of being young and married. My parents married at 18, and my mom gave birth to her first child at 19, ... Read more →
My second credit card ever was a Citibank Platinum Mastercard, with a credit limit of $1,800. I was young and seduced by the fact that I was receiving a Platinum card. The card came just in time for Christmas, but more importantly, it came right after I maxed out my first credit card! This card ... Read more →
If you haven’t noticed, we are drowning in a crapload of debt. Between the two of us, we have eight credit cards (down from 20+ a year ago) and about $18K in credit card debt. Because we are also trying to save for a wedding, right now we’re only putting an extra $100/month towards the ... Read more →
January 2006 TOTAL NET WORTH -$98,615.39 Assets Joint Checking $285.49 Joint Savings $2,798.83 Petty Cash $300.00 His SIMPLE IRA $2,945.29 His Roth IRA $6,373.72 His HSA $816.34 Her 401K $5,122.00 Her Roth IRA $1,276.00 Upromise $52.94 Automobile $10,435.00 Household Items $25,000.00 TOTAL ASSETS $55,405.61 Liabilities Credit Cards $18,054.88 Student Loans $135,966.11 TOTAL LIABILITIES $154,020.99 ... Read more →
Today I saw this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about the new face of poverty: the college grad. According to the article, About 40 percent of students now graduate with what lenders consider “unmanageable” debt loads, meaning their payments eat up more of their salaries than is considered financially sound. It may not be financially ... Read more →
Since this is my first post, I’ll start at the beginning. As a freshman in college I got my first credit card, with a limit somewhere around $400. I remember my first purchase: A rocking chair. Yep, I took on debt to look geriatric at 18. It wasn’t the rocking chair that did me in; ... Read more →
We’d like to provide a frame of reference when it comes to writing about our financial troubles, so I’m going to start with how I got into a large financial hole. She will follow up soon. When I was in high school, I got my first job when I was 15, a cashier at the ... Read more →
