September’s Update

Choosing to look past the negative and focus on the positive.  

September was a tough, tough month.  Between the costly phone issues with Straight Talk (and then needing to buy a second phone), uber expensive vehicle repairs, balance transfer fees, $195 chimney cleaning/inspection, and finally my 11-month-old Mac crapping out, just keeping our heads above water was a challenge.  So how did we do?

Honestly, I don’t exactly know and nor do I want to know!

Yes, you read that right.  For the first time since embarking on this journey to get out of debt, I truly do not want to know! Why? The reason simply being is that I do not want or need that kind of negativity to get me down.

For the record, I have jotted down the numbers, but have not added them up.  A quick eyeball of the numbers shows that the debt needle didn’t budge much.  There were also debt name changes as balances moved to lower interest rates.  Some went up; some went down.  It was a month of hanging on for dear life!

Am I putting my head in the sand?

I don’t think so.  I just know myself well enough that it is better for me to focus on the positive, rather than seeing a cringe-worthy number.  As you can see under the progress tab, I do realize that not all months will be stellar.  September is just one I don’t want to look back on!

The positives.

• The interest rates on our debts took a major plunge!  We have one left to do, which will happen in the next week or so.  While there have been fees associated with doing some of these transfers, I know this will pay off.
• I’ve been doing more with M-Turks.  While it is far from a get rich quick job, it is something I can do from home until my seasonal job restarts next Spring.  I earned over a $100 doing this VERY part-time in September.  I figure this is money we wouldn’t otherwise have had.
• My Mac thankfully was still under warranty.  Murphy’s Law says that problems like this usually tend to pop up after the warranty expires.
• I still have my same phone number and have a working phone.  I had read on many complaint boards that Straight Talk wasn’t always very willing to release phone numbers.  I am also thankful that doing a no-contract through AT&T did not mean an increase in the cost of having a cell phone.
• Hubby and I enjoyed some much needed, budget-friendly staycation time together.
• Our bills got paid, and our checking account remained in the positive.
• Last but certainly not least, WE SURVIVED a very tough month!

Will I ever do an official tally of our numbers for September?  Perhaps.  For now, though, I want to focus on the positives and look to the month ahead.  I know September was a tough one for many of us battling debt.  I pray that October gives us all a break.

No matter what the month may bring, don’t give up.  I know I won’t!