Well friends, I am officially poor for a little while. I'm happier than a bug in a rug about it, too. See, I've had a credit card on my shoulders for a long long (looooooooong time), and today is the day. The day I'm paying the balance off.
In all actuality, I should be bound to the MasterCard a little while longer, but yesterday as I checked in to see how much I owed, I noticed the auto pay feature had been turned off. Perhaps I had changed the settings or checked on it and accidentally didn't click the right button, who knows. But I do know every time I logged on to check my auto pay, I had to click through a very inconvenient series of screens to even find the auto pay feature. I was always leery of Bank of America for that. They have a savvy enough web design team to know ease of use.
Anyway, I would've had 2 more weeks of debt, with easy little payments, but since the feature "mysteriously" wasn't set, I noticed my payment was late. My first late payment in 3 years.

My credit is not so hot, but getting better, and this late payment will not be good. I've especially realized this since our house hunt several months ago. NOT GOOD. My interest rate was at the highest end of the spectrum (nearly 30%), causing over 10 years of battle with that little piece of plastic.

Of course, trying to buy a house will wedge your eyes open with toothpicks, making you stare unwillingly at your credit report. We had both been working on improving our credit for a long long time, so adding a $30 late fee was the tipping point. I talked to Mr. C, dissolved any spending temptation in my eyes, and scheduled a payment to pay the beast off.

I will keep it and buy gas once a month and pay it off every month. I will not use it for anything else. I will not give BoA another dollar in interest. Maybe one day I will figure out how much I've simply handed them because I was too sloppy with my money.


But I should be thankful. This is an excuse to talk about debt and talk about some of the steps I'm taking to get financially grounded. Don't worry, there won't be ongoing talk about this, but in the arts/crafts world, financial security just isn't a priority. We're used to being "starving artists", and used to that label entitling us to accrue debt until we "make it."

But just because I'm poor doesn't mean I can't tempt you with some debt-related goodies:

Obsessive Consumption--Kate Bingamen-Burt knows what debt is all about. Her fame supersedes my little ol' blog, so I'm sure you've heard of her and maybe you even have a few zines or pillows. If I weren't so poor, a framed drawing would be my treat to myself.


I'll just sneak a little door prize in here right about now: if you're visiting and working on debt, or simply frugal, share a debt-alleviating tip or a moment that made your realize you had to get out from under the man's giant credit card thumbprint. I've got 4 goodies to giveaway today, and I'm bent on doing it! Think of it as a party favor!

Things to keep me on the path:
Bit by bit I've been removing my name from e-mail lists--especially from shops and blogs that tempted me into buying. Hey, it gave me 10 extra minutes a day to blog or draw or daydream on flickr!
kelly LOVES whales: Recession Chic! One year strong.
Use what you have. Make your own cleaning supplies, don't let food go bad. Less waste is not only eco-sensible, it's frugal.
Grow your food. Save your seeds for next year. Make compost, mulch with stuff that breaks down relatively quickly and use what you've got. Why buy when you can DIY??

Right now, CSAs are out of the budget. Although they're well worth it (investing in a local economy, quality food, knowing your food provider) we haven't been in a place where we could afford signing up for one. What is a health food nut to do? If you have a plant loving friend, offer to take over their yard, you garden, they get to look good, you both get food! No community garden fees. With our limited sun, we are days away from making this offer to a friendly neighbor.

Ride a bike, walk the dogs, go on walks to explore your neighborhood. You don't need a gym membership, I promise. Just incorporate exercise into living; when in the world did we stop doing that anyway?

These homes are modestly decorated (understated maybe a better word than modest) via Emma's Design Blogg. If we could ever get out of the kitchen and get some cleaning done, I bet our house would look like a first cousin to some of these.

Design Freebies

Free Printable Fun

CreditBloggers has some answers.

Parks, libraries, potlucks 'n picnics. Borrowing, bartering, sharing, combining, carpooling, and Craigslist. Freestores and clothing swaps, yard sales are cheaper than thrift stores, too. Retrain your brain and open your eyes to creative potential.