all is not lost

I have been in and out of dr. offices since graduation... on the grind so we can move to our new place! Being without internet and trying to apply for job positions in a different state is damn near impossible. Once I get settled in my place everything will be back in gear. Thanks to those who've expressed their concern about my absence. I'll holla.

2 days!

Sorry for the long delay! Just trying close one chapter and open a new one... it still hasn't hit me that I will be graduating this Saturday and getting my degree. I guess because I am still on campus and doing "school" things but I have nothing in my apartment. Fian and I have moved all of our things but I have to graduate and he needs to work to finish out his contract! I still got a lot to do, my family is coming down and I want to make sure that I have time for them but after this whole fiasco is over I will post again.

progress: part deux

I feel like I have been on a roller coaster with this moving situation, first I'm up, then I'm down. Current status: UP. Future hubby and I just got back and we found great potential. Also while we were down in the durty durty (south) we knocked off some items on out "wish"list (see next column): computer desk, massaging pillows, paper shredder and home phone. We are still trying to tackle that desktop computer... it's comin'.

I was out of town this weekend but my BofA secured credit card account that I was struggling with started reporting to 2 out of the 3 credit reporting agencies. That was pleasant to come home to see! Now I'm just waiting on CJ to report and Transunion and Equifax to re-send my info.... then it's time to start slashing and splashing my credit history!

progress

Guess what? I'm still not finished packing....

they'll be here tomorrow around 1pm. My fian and mom keep telling to quit my minimum wage student worker piece of crap job so I can stop stressing and get things accomplished! I graduate in 16 more days (August 4), everything is coming so fast! I need a nap!

Fian and I have been on top of things with our wishlist. Check the list... our next quest is the desktop computer and the home phone!

one step towards mankind

Yesterday my fian and I got our first card together... Sam's Club membership. It is a start! I was so excited too but I took the worst picture! Oh well. I thought a membership to Sam's Club was sooooooo exclusive but they said they can sign us up right then and there. And we got 2 free soccer balls for signing up. I love window shopping at Sam's.. Therefore I put a "wish"list on my blog for the items I want to purchase from there for our place.

I was up till 2am last night packing! I just found out instead of being packed and ready to go by August 4... I have until this Friday to get my s#$%^ together. I am tired and definitely don't want to be at work or go to class. I am half anxious/excited to be moving. At first I was terrified yall but the new and unknown has me excited.

I am still waiting by the mail for BofA to send and report my card. I'm not holding my breath though... they are a little on the slow side, if you know what I mean.

By the way, fian and I have yet to "set a date" after the engagement. I have to get graduated and get a job and we both have to get moved!

job huntin'

I am back on the job hunt again but now for a different state since fian and I are moving together, I feel like Krystal... and thanks to Single Ma for her encouraging words about moving in together while tackling my finances and credit history. Any hoo, I sent out a blanket of resumes and cover letters to business in the area that we are moving. I'm a tad discouraged because I have the notion that companies will frown upon the fact that you are "new" to the state and applying to their job position, and will basically disregard my stuff. But my best friend who is now living in the area where we are moving to... her hubby's sister and mom have their own business and are looking for a graphic artist. So of course, my BFF automatically mentioned my name. I'm going to shoot over my information to her sister-in-law later today... excuse me if I sound a bit desperate right now but I am ready to pursue my career.

8 Random Things About ms.voad

1. If/when I walk home at night I must talk on my phone to some one or else I won't walk. Clowns will eat me!

2. I hate for my food to touch.

3. I go through magazine, pick out misspelled words and email the company. It's no fair that these people are getting PAID to make mistakes and I'm getting student wages! It's the GD (graphic designer) in me!

4. My favorite musician is Bjork and I catch a lot of sh@#$t for it but so what!! you'd like her too if you gave it a chance!

5. I have a itty-bitty tattoo on my right hip. I wanted to see what the needle felt like before I get a tattoo of the big cyprus tree I've been sketching. But I actually want to get the duck from Bjork's image on my other hip for my next tattoo, who know?!

6. I hate to draw but I love to design.

7. I love date-time tv or court tv. I could sit for a whole day and watch a marathon of Blind-Date, Judge Mathis, etc. But because of school i haven't seen that show in about 4 months.

8. Lastly, through my engagement with my wonderful fian.. I get to move near my best friend who recently moved and is expecting a baby boy this August, and fian and I are the god-parents!

from scratch

Well I had to go toe-to-toe with Bank of America yesterday, the thing is, on June 30 I was strolling around looking at all the things I shouldn't buy when it dawned on me to inquire about getting a secured credit card with one of the local banks. I finally ended up at Bank of America (BofA for short), I told the personal banker what my goals are and he was quick to sign me up and even tried to push the Bank America checking account. So we sat down he entered all my information in the computer ans said YES! I qualify for a secured credit card. So I gave the man my money order and he said I should have a card in the mail in about 10 days, well no less than 7 days later... I get a denied letter stating you were denied for the credit line that you were seeking but you have been PRE-APPROVED for a SECURED CREDIT CARD! I'm thinking to myself, are they smoking crack? I just applied and gave BofA my money and you told me I was denied and yet pre-approved for the same card AND not only that, they pulled my credit report 4 times AND not only that my funds were deposited into a savings account meaning that I have no card with them but they made sure I signed up for their savings account by default!

In my fury, I called the customer service 888 number and the slow woman on the other end said... oh well if you don't want the card just go into a local branch and you will have to cancel the account. I hung up on her. I felt an injustice in my bones. I called the banker that I opened up the account with, got on my soap box and started spitting everything out. He was like hold on, hold on, let me get your name, SSN and phone # and I will call you right back. Well by the end of the day (6pm) he called me and said, ohhh ms.voad don't worry what happens is: (listen to this yall) no matter what card you are applying for with BofA, they input all your information into a general application and whatever you get approved for is what they send you in the mail. He said ms.voad your information was entered as a general application and you were only pre-approved for the secured card...well duh!

So he told me that he will pull the money out of my savings account, write a cashier's check for the card and I should receive the card in 10 days (I won't hold my breath this time but it sounds good). Ok that last part was kinda bad, he did seem very apologetic about how everything happened but was assured that I will have to do nothing except sit by the mail box and wait for my card. Low-and-behold, I checked my BofA account today and it said that a deposit was done from BofA. So I should be all good.

When I tell yall I am starting from scratch I am really starting from scratch... it may not have hit what some may call rock bottom but I'm willing to climb my way to the top. Baby steps yall!

income-ing: well I am extremely excited. I have been receiving little spurts of income, first something that I thought I wanted I put a non-refundable deposit down back in March-ish... I thought all hope was lost until I decided not to pay the remaining balance and write the company an email saying that I didn't want their product, they thanked me for my business and yesterday I got my refund in the mail- $250! I just check my online earnings for this pay period and it seems I am getting two checks deposited into my account for payday, DON'T TELL NO BODY! and I'm getting a refund back from the bank- $49, and one uncleared check from last payperiod- $125 also a refund credited for a train ticket I did not use- $27, all total a fat $905. So some of the money was once mine but all of that is hitting my savings for "fiance and me'z" moving fund.

monkey wrench

I know I have been M.I.A. since my mini- holiday but my BF decided to throw a wrench in every one's plans and proposed to me........I'm engaged yall!!! He was too adorable the way he did it, it was a private moment that him and I both shared.... none of that "basketball-marquee" proposal. So....

We are working on moving together at the beginning of August so I will be preoccupied with planning my future.. but I'm so excited my cheeks hurt from smiling.

Well, paycheck or no paycheck (see post below), I am starting my budget today. It is such a bad weekend but life is full of inconvienient times. I'm going to the city this weekend, I get to spend time with my boyfriend... go to the Taste, and my friend's enegagement party is this weekend, plus mom wants to go wandering around for a wedding dress. These are not budget-friendly activities, but I am abandoning my blog for the weekend and I will update you after Monday.

I'll holla dollas. Enjoy the weeeeekkkkkkkeeeenddddd BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I don't have a !#$@#%@#$ paycheck!

So... I'm still not calmed down from this, but in a nutshell... the new supervisor at work that does payroll, mistakenly didn't report my hours for the last 2 weeks. So basically I have been slaving at work for free labor! And we brought it to the "payroll" woman and she said since it is the last day of the fiscal year (as luck would have it), they can not cut me a check until after July 5... something about a quick pay check. Are they smoking crack?! Do they know I am trying to get my personal finances together? This was going to be my first check so I can start my budget! I didn't even cry, I only laughed (and tightened my jaw a bit). Isn't that something... when you are trying to better yourself, the devil tries to find ways to stop your progress!! HA! I'm like Puffy, TAKE THAT! TAKE THAT!!!

Ironically, DHL miscalculated when my Hello Kitty checks were coming and I ended up chasing the USPS truck down for about 2 blocks...

I'm off to eat some pizza, read Smart Women Finish Rich and calling it a night!

It-sa Wednesday!

38 days till graduation! Yes I have a countdown set up on my Dashboard and my iGoogle!

hhhmmm my mother just hit me up for money for her wedding! I can't say no! ... if she's happy I'm happy. I'm just glad my budget doesn't start until this Friday!

Girl, Make Your Money Grow

I just finished reading Girl Make Your Money Grow by Glinda Bridgforth and Gail Perry-Mason. I enjoyed the stories that they told and the exercises after each chapter. It reminds me more of a book to motivate you than tell you all the ins and outs of investing. Now I am on to The Wall Street Journal and Smart Women Finish Rich. I can all ready say that David Back's book has too much dialogue in it for me, but seeing as how I am starting out I'll take any thing I can get my hands on.

I'm also looking into some ways I can maximize some extra income. Some do PPP, but my blog isn't over 90 days yet. Another site I have been looking into was Cashduck. I'm sure many of my readers have the answer and you also get some sort of incentive if you refer me.... so leave a comment.

making that first step

Hmmm I have gotten many things accomplished since I have stepped away from updating this blog. First and foremost, I applied for my first "real" job today... It is basically the exact line of work that I do at my internship now but instead of making minimum wage.. I will be starting with a salary that is to die for (for entry-level) and will be applying to several more opportunities by Monday. My fall-back option (clothing retail boutique) phoned me today and said that she has received my resume and will be reviewing it shortly. I think this lady has a crush on my brother who is also into clothing retail, and if so... I'm in there. I don't think I am made to do clothing retail as a career but it would be so cool to work at this boutique though. Besides... she needs a website PROMO The store is no bigger than my closet! Seriously! 2 racks, 1 shelf and a desk, but the girl knows what she is doing and the style of clothes there are hawt. Best case scenario: part time.

I also have verified my info for a new c.c. Yay! time to start building some tradelines. I will be sending off for my secured card as well, no later than next Saturday. My primary bank is not in the area where I go to school, so I went to a local bank today and the customer service said that a money order or cashier's check is about $5. I just turned my happy ass back around and said 'no thank you'! I will wait. They must have been smoking crack!

I'm so happy because this company that I willingly put down $250 down payment for their product has emailed me (back and forth) and said they will be mailing me the refund! Well it is about damn time! It's hard to find good customer service these days!! But I'm doing the band-stand-happy-dance so I can drag and drop that into my savings.

Update: 'nother $100 towards my savings! woo hoo. I'll holla dollas!

today is a good day

Today is a good day... I got an email from American Airlines stating that they are sending my boyfriend and I both $100 voucher for our major inconvience while using their services to go to Miami last month! Damn straight!

And I just opened my (online) bank statement and it says that I have a credit from my university for $500. We have a incentive program, if you graduate in 4 years you can apply and receive a $500 check! Well guess what?! Come this August I am out of here, walking across that stage and finished in 4!

I love my ING savings account and that is why I want to share it with all of you. No hassle savings and checking, and what could be even better than the bank writing and mailing your checks for you. Open an INGDirect Savings account with $250 and earn $25 (this is not a scam), email me at msvoad[at]gmail.com so I can send you the promo email. You'll love this! Stop letting your money sit in a checking account without APY and email me.

.... no this is not sponsored!

Update: 04:02pm And to take my mind off of the fact that I nexted my cable and internet and I am living with 4 channels... yes.... 4 channels. .. I did pass my all essay exam on marketing channels (zzZZzzzz) with an 89%. God is the best, because I definitely did some praying before I walked in with my #2 pencil. AND to reward myself, I should place an order for those checks mentioned in the post below.... *runs to go read Krystal's and NIU's comments*

new budget

Update: 05:15pm send off permanent opt-out forms

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I am practicing restraint! I am 2 checks away from finishing my book... I saw these personal Hello Kitty checks...

and the only thing that is holding me back is my plan to practice a budget beginning June 29 and the fact that I can use my bank's online bill pay instead of writing a check. I want to get the bonus buy single set that cost $36. But $36 for checks plus you have to mail them out with the new $.41 stamps. I will be spending more than I am saving. If I look at it like that then I can avoid debiting the $36 but the checks are just too cute. What do you all think? Leave a comment.

This brings up my disappointment today, applied for a Visa with a comapany last week... was denied. I called and they told me over the phone. I expected that and am not saddened by it because it motivates me to keep on my path so later I will be like, "I told you (company) that you would give me this card sooner rather than later." I thanked the representative for her time but told her that it is no big deal.

I can't wait to start budgeting... I know that budgeting for some people is a buzz killer. But with my newly acquired, high tech Excel spreadsheet, there won't be a penny unaccounted for. I will be using the monies from my paychecks for income, I have money set aside for debt. And the more debt I pay down (as well as budget), the more it will free up money to save.

budgeting the expenses

I'm sitting around like a bum on this lazy & hot Sunday afternoon. I basically haven't left the house in 2 days. And no I am not agoraphobic... I'm just soakin' up some of this AC. I am in summer school and it feels wonderful to not take about 4 classes a day, not to work like a beast... it feels wonderful not going to bed until 4am because of exams and waking up to a peaceful day. I'm am basking in life's "little things" because I'm ignoring the fact I have a sink full of dishes and last semester's work all over my apartment.

... I told you it is a lazy Sunday. Anyhoo...

So just the other day I received not 1 but 2 invites to my friend's big events. One is having an engagement party and my other friend is having a baby shower. I am so happy for the both of them but they couldn't have waited to this LAST year when I wasn't caring about my spending habits... but now comes the challenge. How creative can I get on a budget? I never had to do it before... I would always get my friends the best gifts. I'm going to search around and see what I find.

I am a graphic designer so I know I can save about $6 if I design the greeting cards myself. No big thang!

Last night to save on an $119 expense, I decided not to renew and close my domain accounts. I had two websites that I designed last year. I got a great discount: register for 2 domains was free and I only had to pay for the hosting. This month was my time to renew but I "ext-nayed" it, got a blogger and found other sites to host my art work.

My lazy Sunday won't continue after 4pm. I'm gonna go tackle those dishes and do yoga.

how did i get here?

This is the first moment since "starting" my debt that I stood up to face it head on. In the past talking about my debt would bring me to tears. Don't get me wrong, my situation could be worse (and I thank God that it isn't) but it's time to stop running.
Before I went to college, I started with 2 credit lines. I followed the instructions that I heard from television. Charge things pay it off... I did just that and my limits rose. Well, I go to college and initially couldn't find a job and once I found a job, I was making minimum wage... which at the time was $5.75. Needless to say managing rent, utilities, credit cards and ALL other school related expenses was impossible. I ignored the mail, I screened my calls...
I woke up! That brings me to today. Some day soon, I want to buy a home and I knew that my credit report had to come out the closet soon.

Since then I have been researching, reading, intrepreting, asking questions... everything in my power to right my wrongs.

My first goal is to pay down my credit cards and personal debt. Feel free to read, comment, post related links.

I have realized (just days into my credit freedom journey) that a) this won't happen over-night and b) I am not going through this alone.

I am keeping track of my debt and blogging my way out of it.
Thanks.