Welcome to my blog.
I'm hoping that this will be an exciting journey for you because for me, it's going to be long, stressful, and well needed. You're going to experience some soul searching and a lot of personal growth and development. I'm going to be giving you some background information on who I am and where I come from and how I got into my current situation. You can choose not to care or you can become engrossed in this. For me, this is going to be a sign of accountability and a way to possibly get some help or suggestions since I know I'm on a path to self discovery but I'm not sure how i got there. So please, sit back, grab a cocktail and enjoy.
A little bit about me....
I'm a small town girl from the Midwest who has a palate for the finer things in life. I'm your typical girl next door type. I'm 23 years old and a senior at a small Midwestern college. I grew up in your typical middle class family and your typical small farming town. However, unlike everyone else, I wasn't related to anyone in school other than my immediate family and my family didn't live on or operate a farm. My parents met in college and got married, had my sister, then my brother, the me, and then my younger brother. We didn't grow up poor and we didn't grow rich. We weren't spoiled but we didn't do without. Our life growing up was comfortable.
I grew up in high school being very active in sports and all of the other activities my school involved. I wasn't required to hold a steady job during the school year. I took on odds and ends babysitting jobs and most of my weekends throughout the school year were spent babysitting for numerous families. I spent my summer months working as either a nanny or tour guide with a brief summer stint as a life guard at the local pool.
When I came to college, I got a job right away. Not because I needed the extra money but because I wanted to. Where does a girl from a small town get a job at when she first comes to school? TARGET! Oh how I love Target!! Target was something special when I was growing up. We had to drive at least an hour to get there and the selection at Target was so much better than Wal-Mart (which was only 30 minutes away..which is why we went there more). So my first day of classes also started my first day of work at Target. They loved me there. I was punctual, willing to pick up extra shifts, and a quick learner. I loved Target too. I made friends with my co-workers AND my employee discount. 10% might not seem like much but to a college freshman who loves clothes and shoes, it added up. Esp. when I started working in the fitting rooms and got to see clearance items BEFORE they hit the floor! Fortunately for me, I was still banking with my small town bank at home and did not have access to a debit or any form of credit card. Therefore, I was unable to apply for the "Red Card" because I had not established any other form of credit.
Freshman year came and went and I was rather successful at school. Socially and academically. I went on leave from Target and traveled the 125 miles home to work at my old summer job. My parents and I decided that it was time I switch banks so when I came back to school for my sophomore year, I went to a larger chain bank which had a few branches where I go to school and another branch in a neighboring town back home. Why did I choose this particular bank? Because when you opened your new college checking account, you got a debit card. I could go to the ATM and take out cash instead of having to write a check for over the amount (such an hassle! and now most places don't even let you do that!). What I did not know was that the bank also gives students a credit card! Now, I'd gotten the applications in the mail and just thrown them away but this new piece of plastic that landed in my life would all too suddenly become my best friend and my worst enemy in one single swipe!
I will NEVER forget the day that I used that credit card for the first time. I was going to fill up my car with gas to drive home for Thanksgiving break. I had gotten the card in September and hadn't even touched it since then. The activation sticker was still stuck to the front. I hadn't even called to activate the damn thing. I remember saying that I was just going to use my card for gas and then pay it off when I get paid the next week. And I did! I got paid and the first thing I did when I got paid was pay off that tank of gas on my credit card. Then, I got my statement. I was shocked to see that my $500.00 credit limit all of a sudden jumped to a $600.00 credit limit! Why were they doing this to me?! All I did was pay them back what I owed them.
I think now might be a good time to mention that my parents RARELY use a credit card. They have always paid cash or written a check. I can only remember my mom using a credit card to maybe order items from the JC Penney's catalog or paying for a hotel room while on vacation. In their eyes, if you couldn't pay for it right away, you didn't need it.
Which I now see to be the way that credit card use should be. You see, my story is not unlike many other college students. Here I am, on the verge of graduation and being thrown in the real world where I will begin to start my life on my own. I will purchase my first home, start a career, buy a car, and some day, start a family. However, before I can do any of those things, I have some mountains that I need to climb first. And by mountains, I mean my mountain of credit card debt that I have let myself accumulate in the last 3 years.
Now, up until recently, I didn't think that my problem was as big as it is. Sure I had a few credit cards but I made sure to pay the minimum, sometimes more, on time. However, when I sat down last week to crunch some actual numbers. I became very alarmed at the situation and really disappointed in myself. I made the decision right then and there that my habits were changing and that I was going to work on getting rid of my problem.
I'll put the numbers later to let you know exactly what I'm up against but my biggest hurdle right now is to stop my current cycle. I cut up all of my credit cards and have got some of the numbers in order to help sort out a plan of attack.
I hope that you're able to see where I am coming from and that you take an interest. Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and will genuinely be taken to heart. I know I've dug a hole but now I'm looking for a little help to get out.
until next time...
A little bit about me....
I'm a small town girl from the Midwest who has a palate for the finer things in life. I'm your typical girl next door type. I'm 23 years old and a senior at a small Midwestern college. I grew up in your typical middle class family and your typical small farming town. However, unlike everyone else, I wasn't related to anyone in school other than my immediate family and my family didn't live on or operate a farm. My parents met in college and got married, had my sister, then my brother, the me, and then my younger brother. We didn't grow up poor and we didn't grow rich. We weren't spoiled but we didn't do without. Our life growing up was comfortable.
I grew up in high school being very active in sports and all of the other activities my school involved. I wasn't required to hold a steady job during the school year. I took on odds and ends babysitting jobs and most of my weekends throughout the school year were spent babysitting for numerous families. I spent my summer months working as either a nanny or tour guide with a brief summer stint as a life guard at the local pool.
When I came to college, I got a job right away. Not because I needed the extra money but because I wanted to. Where does a girl from a small town get a job at when she first comes to school? TARGET! Oh how I love Target!! Target was something special when I was growing up. We had to drive at least an hour to get there and the selection at Target was so much better than Wal-Mart (which was only 30 minutes away..which is why we went there more). So my first day of classes also started my first day of work at Target. They loved me there. I was punctual, willing to pick up extra shifts, and a quick learner. I loved Target too. I made friends with my co-workers AND my employee discount. 10% might not seem like much but to a college freshman who loves clothes and shoes, it added up. Esp. when I started working in the fitting rooms and got to see clearance items BEFORE they hit the floor! Fortunately for me, I was still banking with my small town bank at home and did not have access to a debit or any form of credit card. Therefore, I was unable to apply for the "Red Card" because I had not established any other form of credit.
Freshman year came and went and I was rather successful at school. Socially and academically. I went on leave from Target and traveled the 125 miles home to work at my old summer job. My parents and I decided that it was time I switch banks so when I came back to school for my sophomore year, I went to a larger chain bank which had a few branches where I go to school and another branch in a neighboring town back home. Why did I choose this particular bank? Because when you opened your new college checking account, you got a debit card. I could go to the ATM and take out cash instead of having to write a check for over the amount (such an hassle! and now most places don't even let you do that!). What I did not know was that the bank also gives students a credit card! Now, I'd gotten the applications in the mail and just thrown them away but this new piece of plastic that landed in my life would all too suddenly become my best friend and my worst enemy in one single swipe!
I will NEVER forget the day that I used that credit card for the first time. I was going to fill up my car with gas to drive home for Thanksgiving break. I had gotten the card in September and hadn't even touched it since then. The activation sticker was still stuck to the front. I hadn't even called to activate the damn thing. I remember saying that I was just going to use my card for gas and then pay it off when I get paid the next week. And I did! I got paid and the first thing I did when I got paid was pay off that tank of gas on my credit card. Then, I got my statement. I was shocked to see that my $500.00 credit limit all of a sudden jumped to a $600.00 credit limit! Why were they doing this to me?! All I did was pay them back what I owed them.
I think now might be a good time to mention that my parents RARELY use a credit card. They have always paid cash or written a check. I can only remember my mom using a credit card to maybe order items from the JC Penney's catalog or paying for a hotel room while on vacation. In their eyes, if you couldn't pay for it right away, you didn't need it.
Which I now see to be the way that credit card use should be. You see, my story is not unlike many other college students. Here I am, on the verge of graduation and being thrown in the real world where I will begin to start my life on my own. I will purchase my first home, start a career, buy a car, and some day, start a family. However, before I can do any of those things, I have some mountains that I need to climb first. And by mountains, I mean my mountain of credit card debt that I have let myself accumulate in the last 3 years.
Now, up until recently, I didn't think that my problem was as big as it is. Sure I had a few credit cards but I made sure to pay the minimum, sometimes more, on time. However, when I sat down last week to crunch some actual numbers. I became very alarmed at the situation and really disappointed in myself. I made the decision right then and there that my habits were changing and that I was going to work on getting rid of my problem.
I'll put the numbers later to let you know exactly what I'm up against but my biggest hurdle right now is to stop my current cycle. I cut up all of my credit cards and have got some of the numbers in order to help sort out a plan of attack.
I hope that you're able to see where I am coming from and that you take an interest. Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and will genuinely be taken to heart. I know I've dug a hole but now I'm looking for a little help to get out.
until next time...
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