Discover Balance Chart

I hate and love the summer season. Summer is the time of year when we spend the most money and as you can see below, this summer we had a little too much fun. I found the chart on my Discover account, notice the balance was always around $1100 and even at $0 for a few months last year but then summer 2010 came...



Time to pay back our debt. Discover might be the next credit card to get cut. I'm hoping to start making $1500 payments every month and hopefully be credit card debt free again in April 2011.

I'm so glad this summer is over!

HS

Why I'm Not Frugal

I'm currently in denial about my debt so this post will be about spending. I'm a very active person and I love sports. I like running, tennis, biking, golf and other outdoor activities. I also need good gear. This week I needed new sunglasses. I know I still need to pay my debts but somehow I still managed to drop $250 dollars on some new Oakley shades:



I'll be the first to admit it, I am not frugal. I don't believe in saving money and buying something of less quality. Quality is more important than price. I can buy a cheap pair of glasses but from past experience they will break or fall apart. The great thing about Oakley is the lenses will never be scratched. You can take out a lense, put it on the flor, stomp on it and it won't even have a scratch:

"Oakley sunglasses comply with the ANSI Z87.1 requirements for impact and high impact protection. They feature Oakley’s High Definition Optics (HDO) which provides clarity whilst also protecting the eye. All Oakley glasses must pass two tests before being produced for sale. The first test consists of firing 1/4 inch steel ball at the eyewear at 102 mph (150 fps), the second test is dropping a 500 gram or 1.1 lb steel spike on the lens from 130 cm or 51 inches. In both cases the lens must not crack, shatter or eject from the frame." (Wikipedia).

Oakley is also made in the USA. They may cost more but hopefully some of that money goes to US workers.

Anyways... I'll start paying down the debts next month, I promise!

HS

Job Search

Last week I made decision to leave my current employer. I polished my resume, created some cover letters and updated my Career Builder account to send me daily job postings. One posting caught my eye and I sent my resume right away:



The job is exactly what I do, commodities trading and risk management. The base pay is 6 figures so that would be nice. It would be almost $25,000 more than I'm making at this sweatshop.

The good news! I got a call from the recruiter and she will be submitting my application to the hiring managers. One of the jobs requires me to relocate up north to the New York area. I love Texas and I don't want to leave. All my friends and family are here and I can't stand the cold weather. The other job would be 100% travel to client sites so I would be up in the air all the time. The nice thing about that is the miles and hotel points!

Well I know this job may not work out but at least I've made the decision to change and find a new career. I can't continue working without a raise for the past 24 months.

Forgot to add, they are lookin for 10 candidates...

Wish me luck!

HS