by Hope
This is part 6 of where the house proceeds were spent and accounts for the bulk of the money.
This is the BIG SPEND – my credit card debt! I was pretty close to spot on when I made the plan. Although I didn’t realize that even if you pay off the debt prior to the due date, they do charge you interest the next month even if you spend no money on the credit card. And not all credit cards do that.
Total Paid in Credit Card Debt: $24,582
So yes, more than 1/2 of the house proceeds went to debt. And it feels, so, so good. And I’ve written recently about starting to close credit cards. I’ve not rushed into it. As I do want to see what happens to my credit score as I close them. Right now my credit score is sitting at 718. Closing my Amazon Credit Card only dropped my score by 1 point. I was surprised by that. I thought it would drop more dramatically especially since it was one of my older cards.
NEVER AGAIN!
I do mean it when I say I’m breaking the cycle I’ve been in for far too many years.
In fact, as I visited Beauty and her fiance at the end of June after their 4 wheeler wreck, I did determine that I am going to need to do some work on this side of me. Not sure how. But I do need to do the work.
I recognized as I enjoyed their beautiful home and country lot and then a friend’s apartment in Atlanta, that the temptation to have my own place again can and probably will hit unexpectedly. And knowing me, I would make bad financial decisions getting there. (No, I’m not saying that I am facing that temptation now. Living with my parents and helping them is my #1 priority now.)
But I do recognize that I have a really, really bad track record. And I’ve put things in place to keep me accountable especially on the savings front. But I really feel I do need to eliminate the easy access to credit card more than I had planned. And deal with my decision making issues.
More things to bring up with my counselor, who can only talk to me when I’m physically in the state of Georgia due to insurance regulations. So next appointment is in August. I’ll explain that another time.
Total house proceeds spent explained in this series through part 6: $34,325. More to come…
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
