http://www.mydebtblog.com A PF blog of a twenty-something married couple just trying to get out of debt paying off credit cards and student loans Wed, 14 May 2008 20:24:15 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the past few months we had the rare opportunity of actually having some money in hand to get things done. Normally we could only pay a bit extra on our debt, partly due to my wife not working. When I got my bonus in March, and then our tax ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/14/money-and-fun/ No not us, we've played that game and now we use our money. A story on CNN Money, Barely surviving by using their credit cards has really got my head hurting. This story is so biased and at no point blames consumers for their actions. Then I read this: Government and ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/09/survival-off-of-credit-cards/ Finally after months of waiting, weeks of speculation, and days of checking our account, the 2008 Economic Stimulus check finally showed up in our account this morning. I know other PF bloggers out there have been waiting on theirs too, so if you haven't got it yet hold tight. We received ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/09/our-stimulus-check-arrived/ I've seem some crazy news stories about fraud before, but nothing like this. A friend sent me a story on a convicted felon who spent $3.2 million in 3 months. So how did he do it? When we buy things like cars or property, we need to prove our identity to ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/08/id-theft-spent-32m-in-3-months/ The mainstream news media never ceases to amaze me. Recently the New York Times published an interactive chart on their website, All of Inflation’s Little Parts which is a visual representation of consumer spending and inflation. Below is the breakdown of what the average consumer will spend their income on annually. ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/06/media-skewing-inflation/ This is a few days behind, but better late than never. If you haven't noticed already, I did a reset on my Debt-O-Meter to show start balances from March on credit card, student loan, and house debts and the change in April. Payoff priority is obviously in that order for ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/05/plastic-pinch-for-april/ Well after having the issue with my car, I cannot stress how important it is to have an EF. I'm not sure if I ever commented on the EF before, but I'll explain my views on it. Characteristics of an Emergency Fund: Baby EF If you're just starting out, like getting out ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/04/importance-of-an-emergency-fund/ Last night I wanted to run an errand, and my car wouldn't start. At first it was confusing which quickly turned into frustration then anger. I could hear the ignition switch kick in the starter, and the starter was turning over normal but the engine wasn't firing at all. Not ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/05/02/my-car-wont-start/ If you filed your 2007 income tax return and it was processed by April 15 and you elected direct deposit, expect to see a direct deposit this week. There has been new information released last Friday that people could expect to see this payment as early as Monday, April 28 ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/04/28/this-week-economic-stimulus-payment-direct-deposit-april-28-may-2/ For most people reading the PF blogs out there, they either have debt or are interested in getting out of debt to create wealth. The most basic advice is living on less than you make, and using the excess to make larger payments on the debt. Most if not all ... http://www.mydebtblog.com/2008/04/24/order-of-debt-repayment/