Happy Last Month of 2015!

Hello out there. I figured it was time to check-in and provide an update or two on where I am these days J

 

I have a new job. Still corporate America, still a cubical, and still 8-5. BUT I like it a lot better than the previous one that I was at for the past 4 years. Although it was a lateral move, salary wise, there are budget saving aspects about it that will make it feel as if I got a pay increase for jumping ship:

 

-         It is 4 minutes from my house. That shaves off approximately 40 minutes each way every day and saves a ton of gas. Also, no more interstates every single day; thank you, Jesus!

-          They have a parking lot. It is free. No more having to give $65 a month to a crappy downtown parking garage to be able to park while at work. (Side note here, their parking spots are just a few steps away from the door which means no more elevators, escalators, stairs, and having to walk 1/3 of a mile outside just to get to your office. HUGE quality of life improvement!)

-         They do not have any restaurants, grocery stores, and cafes in walking distance like the previous job. So no more breakfast, lunch and snack buying temptations; I eat what I bought to eat from the grocery store that week. Sadly, that means no more Starbucks either, so there’s $25 a month alone.

 

So, where am I at on my loans? I last updated y’all on my balance in mid-June; it was at $36k then. I am happy to report that now, approximately 5 and a half months later, my loan balance is at $26k. So 10 grand down from my last update J

 

I am still aiming to be debt-free by late next near. 

Another Grand Bites the Dust

I put down $1,000 today towards my student loans and it got me thinking that I haven’t updated you fine folks on the numbers in a couple of months. Here is where I am at:

 

As I stated back in March, I was able to get a consolidation (praise!) and my new outstanding loan total that I financed was 43K. As of today, my total balance is around 36K. I have paid off approximately 7K since the beginning of April.

 

 

For those of you following me since my first “holy smokes I am in some deep water and am about to drown” realization back in 2010 (73k in the hole), then to my “okay, I am pissed about this debt and I am about to tackle it” phase in 2013 (79K in the hole):

 

I HAVE PUT DOWN 54 THOUSAND DOLLARS 

IN A MATTER OF 28 MONTHS.

(About 43K being principal, the other 11K being ridiculous interest)

 

I say this not to brag. I say this to motivate you. I say this to say that If I can, you can. Get mad. Get motivated. Get started!

You don’t have to have a consolidation to win with this. You can tackle this on your own without a consolidation; yes, it may cost you a bit more if your interest is high like mine was, but if that is the case, keep trying to consolidate in the background, but move! move! move! at all times on extra payments. Paying down that smallest debt first needs to be your priority.

 

All that motivation aside, allow me to get real with you for a moment. There is great joy found in paying down a debt you owe, but there are also the ever present Smith’s, and their besties, the Jones’ – aka, the modern day wants:

 

My current pain point: I want a new car like bad.

 

I still have a positive outlook overall on my debt management, especially in comparison to where I was a couple of years ago; however, here lately, it has been really hard to keep driving my Honda. And when I say 'I want a new car like bad', I do indeed mean somewhat used. I have had the same Honda since I was 16, so after driving it for 12 years, I am REAL ready for something different. It has relatively low miles (150K) so I know this thing will last me another year or two, but I just want to trade her in like pronto.

 

On the contrary, I read a chapter out of 'Total Money Makeover' the other night and there was a line in there that struck a chord. It said something to the effect of how Dave Ramsey passionately believes he and his wife were able to win with money due to their willingness to drive old beater cars in the beginning of their makeover. I know this is true because I am projecting to be completely debt free in about 18 or 19 months; again, completely debt free!! However, if I cave and get a new car now, I will most definitely be looking at 30+ months before I would be debt free. That’s 10 or more months of having to stay in the same job that I am not super fond of, that’s 10 more months of ‘edge living’ by delaying the start of a fully funded emergency fund, and the list goes on...

 

Help reassure this wordy birdy that I can indeed put on my mature pants and WAIT a while before I go purchasing something I know I cannot afford yet. I need not to finance another thing, even if the payments would be completely doable and relatively low. Amen? Amen! 

 

I Chose A Road

I consolidated! Let me say that again: I CONSOLIDATED! I was actually approved for a private student loan consolidation :) I cannot explain to you the joy and relief the words, “you were approved” brought to my soul; I cried a happy tear or two at my desk then texted my mom and a few close friends about the news. It took 6 years to get this. Although I have a decent stretch of road to travel in front of me, I am hoping that the ride on the latter half of this journey is a bit smoother.

The facts: I decided to go with Charter One/Citizens Bank. The reason being: interest rates. The only other real option in my mind was Wells Fargo; however, Charter One’s interest rates were approximately one point lower on both the fixed and variable options. Also of note, I have been denied consolidation from Wells Fargo on more than one occasion, so I figured I would try Charter One first to take advantage of the lower rates and if denied, try my luck over at Wells Fargo again. Thankfully, Charter One gave me an approval.

The only way I would accept a refinance would be a). approval with no co-signer b). a low interest rate and c). no early re-payment penalty. Based on my debt-to-income ratio (which is finally no longer inverted) I was approved to refinance without a co-signer. Based on my credit score, which they reported was 809 (they source EQUIFAX), I was offered their lowest interest rate. The only thing left for me to decide was the term length as well as a fixed or variable interest rate. This was a tough decision because as I stated in the previous entry, I was torn as to whether or not to embark on this refinance journey if I was only going to be reducing my interest rate by a point or two. Before I tell you which option I picked, allow me to lay out the options I was given to choose from:

Term, Type of Interest Rate, Interest Rate, Monthly Payment, Total Amount to be Paid:

20 Years, Fixed, 5.44%, $299, $71,919.13

15 Years, Fixed, 5.19%, $349, $62,831.51

10 Years, Fixed, 5.04%, $460, $55,314.88

5 Years, Fixed, 4.99%, $813, $48,835.84

20 Years, Variable, 2.82%, $239, $57,438.50

15 Years, Variable, 2.67%, $294, $53,004.60

10 Years, Variable, 2.62%, $411, $49,375.23

5 Years, Variable, 2.57%, $766, $46,019.30

 I went with the 20 year/variable term for merely monthly payment/total amount to be paid reasons. Although the cap is astronomical, there is a cap on the variable interest, but it is so huge (like upwards of 25(ish)%) that should it ever get that high, I am in some deep water. All of my previous Sallie Mae/Navient loans have been variable interest rates, and they never changed. I know many financial experts state to not choose a variable interest rate when a fixed is offered to eliminate any and all risk. However, in my case, I am pretty confident I will stay crazy committed to paying this baby off. I may look back on this paragraph 2 years from now and hate myself for it, but for right now, in this moment, I feel okay about my decision.

What this means for me: To begin, I did indeed get the remaining 6K paid off from the original 14K I talked about in my last entry; this put me right where I imagined, financing approximately 43K through Charter One. This does significantly reduce the amount of interest I will be paying each month, but in no way is this a cop-out in regards to my repayment responsibility. I will still get this debt gone as fast as I possibly can. I have sacrificed my money, time and freedom for far too long and am more than fed up with this burden; I believe my annoyance and sacrifices in combination with the fear of a rising interest rate will continue to fuel my inner crazy to keep putting every extra penny I come across towards this loan.

Although I am out from under the shadows of the MONSTER that is Sallie Mae, I am not going to rest. I am going to look at this consolidation as a ‘job well done so far’ high-five and KEEP RUNNING. I hope you all will continue to follow me on this road to debt freedom and I pray that soon, we will all be able to hang up our running shoes, take a seat, and have a glass of sweet lemonade together. Happy spring, people!