Quarter 3 Credit Card Update
Hello Hungry Artists! I am back with a credit card update! I used to do these monthly, but as the numbers fluctuated month to month, sharing the numbers often felt stressful and, frankly, not that interesting. But I'm still chunking away at this debt and plan to share these updates quarterly, so there's more to reflect on.
It's hard to believe it's almost the end of summer. The last few months have absolutely flown by. The credit cards I'm paying off are at 0% interest, but only for the next few months.
I knew in my brain this 0% period was ending and that I should focus on paying this shit off. Balance transfers have allowed me to continue this cycle. Because there have been no real consequences to this debt other than hurting my other goals. I've been just floating along, doing okay but have yet to make notable progress.
Again, in being gentle with myself, I think it's because this is the first time I've had a consistent paycheck for the long term, and I wanted to spend some time being comfortable after years of inconsistency. This is totally fine. But now that those 0% periods are ending, I had to seriously reflect.
Do I really want to move this debt AGAIN?
The answer is hell no! Number one, the student loan pause is ending. Number two, I am done taking away from current and future Kristen to pay for the past. Here are the numbers for Q1, Q2, & Q3. JAN 1: $5,376
APR 1: $2,830 JULY 1: $2,777 Q2 + Q3 Progress: -$53
Yearly progress: -$2,599 The progress from Q2 to Q3 is a tad underwhelming, so I wanted to add the yearly progress. When you're on a long journey, it's easy to get discouraged and feel like this debt will never be paid off. I know I feel that way sometimes.
It's important to pause and look at the bigger picture of where you are now when working towards a big goal. Overall, I've paid off a lot of debt this year and know I can finally wipe it out. Looking at the yearly progress was a great reminder.
The first part of making a significant change is deciding to do so. The big goal is to be consumer debt free by the end of 2023. I have been carrying credit card debt my entire adult life. I'm not ashamed of that fact, but it's time for a change. I emailed my Financial Trainer, Kadri, and told him I do not want to move this debt. I want to pay this off by the end of 2023, and we have a meeting soon to discuss the details.
If my math is correct, I'll need between $475-$500 to pay everything off by the end of 2023. I took a long look at my budget and expenses for the last three months to see if I could close the gap and find that extra $500. It will be a lot of hard work through the end of the year, but totally possible! The numbers, for better or worse, don't lie.
How are you doing on your financial 2023 financial goals? Share with me in the comments or send an email to thehungryartistny@gmail.com
