w00000000000000000000000000000000000t!!!

[Corporate Thug]

congrats!

 

[MattCo]

congrats, now the secret is to remember how sucky debt was.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: Double Trouble
Dang, good job dude, that's a lot harder than most people would care to admit. I know everyone on ATOT makes $1 mil per year, lives in the playboy mansion, looks like Brad Pitt and has no debt and all, but that's great amdhunter, congrats.

This. Not sure why you even had any debt in the first place since ATOT is the land of the financially responsible playboys.

Congrats anyway....I guess. 😉

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Damn, I can't believe it! I needed somewhere to gloat. 🙂

Celebrate! Buy yourself a large boat! :thumbsup:

Hahaha, HELL NO. I am just going to make gas purchases to keep the cards from being closed. The problem is, I only fill up maybe once or less a month. For the last few months, I've just been filling my friends tanks to create activity on my cards. They love me...lol

Do0d, filling up is like sex, you don't have to go all the way.

You can stop pumping and pull your hose out at any time. 😛

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: MattCo
congrats, now the secret is to remember how sucky debt was.

Remembering years of depression over the debt will definitely help.

 

[ObiDon]

Originally posted by: amdhunterI had no business spending so much money, and I really wish I had my priorites straighter back then.

money management is one of those things that you almost have to learn the hard way, and some people never learn even then.

at least it sounds like you did 🙂

 

[Kadarin]

Nice work! I know exactly where you're coming from because I did the same thing a few years ago when I had $35K in CC debt. It's like having a sword hanging over you and suddenly it's no longer there...

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Double Trouble
Dang, good job dude, that's a lot harder than most people would care to admit. I know everyone on ATOT makes $1 mil per year, lives in the playboy mansion, looks like Brad Pitt and has no debt and all, but that's great amdhunter, congrats.

The absolute WORST part of all that debt is that I have NOTHING to show for it. None of the clothes I bought, the car I paid for, all the expensive meals -- I have NOTHING. It all seems like it was money down the drain for a quick fix.

I don't have a single thing left of what was bought with that money.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
:thumbsup:

Next thing to do is build up at least 2-3 months living expenses in a high interest savings account like INGDirect. Work is less stressful when you don't need that next paycheck to survive.

Don't worry about making charges every month, at least for the Visa. They won't close it just because you go a month without owing anything.

I would love to do something like this, but I just don't have the smarts. Anywhere I can look? All I have is a checking account at Chase. No savings or nothing. 🙁

www.INGDirect.com

FDIC insured, you link it to your checking accont then move money from checking to savings by going to the INGDirect website.

 

[Molondo]

I really thought he was gonna brag about lifer status or something..

Grats.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Molondo
I really thought he was gonna brag about lifer status or something..

Grats.

I don't think I'll ever get the chance unless I nef on an unprecedented scale, or our vbulletin carries our postcounts over. 🙁

 

[ScottFern]

How did it get to 21k in the first place? Medical bills?

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
...I finally brought my total credit card debt to ZEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Went from ~21k in 2004, to absolutely NOTHING today. FIRST TIME EVER IN MY LIFE, both of my credit cards have a 0 balance. I can't believe it!

Damn I feel good! In that whole time, I've NEVER missed a payment, always paid the most I could over the minimum balance and just tried my best to not let debt overwhelm me.

Damn, I feel super good. 🙂 My credit score should finally jump over the 800 mark! Next stop, I am going to purchase a condo. I am going to educate the hell out of myself before even THINKING about signing anything.

Damn, I can't believe it! I needed somewhere to gloat. 🙂

Congratz!!!

To celebrate, go buy yourself something nice!!!

Oh...wait...

MotionMan

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: ScottFern
How did it get to 21k in the first place? Medical bills?

Bought a car, bought tons of clothes, went to bars, bought computer parts, bought gas, bought other shit I can't remember. Made insurance payments, paid cellphones, paid bills...etc

I used to make a LOT of money back in the day, and spending like this was well within my means. One day, our company was just shut down (we lost our contract with Time Warner Cable) and I went unemployed for 2 years. I had a lot of money in savings, but I used that money to stay alive (rent, car payments, bills...)

It took me all this time to recover, and I don't make 1/4th of the money I used to, but I hope to be comfortable within the first half of this year. 🙂

Never again.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Hah! I just realized I could get fired tomorrow and live off of unemployment easily. Damn, that is a great feeling. lol

My bank acct will be FAT as hell this year. 🙂 Maybe I should start fiddling with some stocks.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

I would only use disposable cash. Maybe like $1000 or so. It'd keep me amused. Plus, if you lose your money, you just lose it...you don't end up owing someone.

If you have disposable cash then you paid off your CC too slowly.

Or are you now calling all the money you use to pay for the CC bill as "disposable"?

MotionMan

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
:thumbsup:

Next thing to do is build up at least 2-3 months living expenses in a high interest savings account like INGDirect. Work is less stressful when you don't need that next paycheck to survive.

Don't worry about making charges every month, at least for the Visa. They won't close it just because you go a month without owing anything.

I would love to do something like this, but I just don't have the smarts. Anywhere I can look? All I have is a checking account at Chase. No savings or nothing. 🙁

INGDirect.com

Set up a savings account. Have an automatic withdrawal set up every month from your checking to your savings account. If you have to manually do it, you won't.

Put aside a small amount at first, like 5% and increase from there if you can.

 

[CPA]

Good job, now cut up all of those stupid ass cards and never get yourself in that position again.

 

[halik]

Woo no go buy something to celebrate ....

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
:thumbsup:

Next thing to do is build up at least 2-3 months living expenses in a high interest savings account like INGDirect. Work is less stressful when you don't need that next paycheck to survive.

Don't worry about making charges every month, at least for the Visa. They won't close it just because you go a month without owing anything.

great advice and the first thing my financial adviser told me.

And yeah I have a card I haven't used in over a year, they won't close it out.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: KK
Were those balances you had with 0% offers? I've been carrying a 10k+ balance just been floating it between offers with 0% and no fees. The current one will expire next Jan or Feb, and I think I'll work on paying it down this year. Either that or let Obama take care of it.

Nope. I had both these accounts open since 1999. I remember getting them just outta college, and they had shitty APR's.

My Visa is stuck at 4.9%, and my discover is changing over to a variable APR later this year, which kinda pisses me off, but I don't ever plan to carry balances anymore so I don't care. 🙂

4.9% is actually a great rate, i wish i could lock my grad school debt at that.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: thepd7

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
:thumbsup:

Next thing to do is build up at least 2-3 months living expenses in a high interest savings account like INGDirect. Work is less stressful when you don't need that next paycheck to survive.

Don't worry about making charges every month, at least for the Visa. They won't close it just because you go a month without owing anything.

great advice and the first thing my financial adviser told me.

And yeah I have a card I haven't used in over a year, they won't close it out.

I have one that I haven't used in nearly 2 years. It is a rewards/dividend card and I had -$0.01 left on it. This past December, those sons of bitches took my pennie as a service charge.

 

[Chaotic42]

Congrats!

 

[jme5343]

Congratulations. I'm working on ours and have it to where there's a light at the end of the tunnel. What a liberating feeling it must be!

 

[T9D]

...

 

[Dr. Detroit]

:beer: