General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

I'd go with a card from whatever bank you use. If you already have an account there, they'll usually be more likely to give you a credit card.

If you're a student you can also often get special student cards which have nice terms. Discover have one and are known for having pretty god-tier support.

I don't get why credit cards are so big in the us Isn't it much simpler to just use a debit card or a credit card that just withdraws from your bank account directly?

[QUOTE=LennyPenny;52505064]I don't get why credit cards are so big in the us Isn't it much simpler to just use a debit card or a credit card that just withdraws from your bank account directly?[/QUOTE] If you're responsible enough with its usage it's very convenient to be able to spend much more freely, instead of say having to force yourself to wait because you haven't gotten X paycheck. You also might build interest by having money in your bank longer if you have a high-interest checking account, credit cards also often offer benefits like frequent flyer miles, cash back, etc.. They're also usually safer as credit fraud is personally easier to deal with than debit fraud as the money's not gone instantly. And you also build credit which is useful in the future for getting yourself a good deal on a big purchase like a house.

I swapped out how I hunt for jobs and now have had two interviews in two days. What the actual fuck. :v:

[QUOTE=Doom14;52505383]I swapped out how I hunt for jobs and now have had two interviews in two days. What the actual fuck. :v:[/QUOTE] I'm sure lots of people would be interested to hear what you changed.

[QUOTE=FalseLogic;52505792]I'm sure lots of people would be interested to hear what you changed.[/QUOTE] (Perspective of a College Grad with garbage for degree-relevant experience and no internships here.) I stopped using online websites (Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, Linkedin, CollegeGrads, Craigslist - although Craig's is still good in a pinch and it doesn't hurt to have a Linkedin profile) and shifted over to using local staffing agencies and, at the advice of someone from campus, company job websites instead. So the online websites in ()'s are all automated for me. I get an email about new job postings, if it looks like nothing new worth checking out, I don't even bother getting on them and I've been told not to spend any more time with them. As someone else told me, this should be no more than 5-20% of your time, if even, unless it's already really working well for you. Next up was staffing agencies. I built a really fast Excel file just using Google Maps and "Staffing Agency" or "Temp Agency" and started hitting them up as fast as possible. I tried to do in-person when I could, call if I couldn't. One almost lost me after sticking me in a waiting room and forgetting I was there 40 min later, but later emailed me back and apologized profusely. They got me set up the next day. I wouldn't recommend them if you have to pay for any services, but free is free and one just set me up with an interview for tomorrow morning. [t]http://i.imgur.com/nayHabB.png[/t] [sp]Ignore the spelling error.[/sp] Finally from there (and in-progress of my own Excel file to use) I'm hitting up my local and surrounding city/county's Chamber of Commerce websites and building lists of companies I'd like to apply for in my area, address, phone, and most importantly - online career portal if they have one. Checking there is a far better outlet than online global websites where you're fighting some infinitely vast sum of other people. If they don't have a career portal, I pool them together until I have about 5-10 and set a day aside to cold call them and see if they have anything open. The goal is to find the postings/companies other people [I]aren't[/I] applying for, hit it violently, and take nothing personal. Was told to walk out of every interview like you completely lost the job and keep rolling - a thank you letter is fine, but don't even bother following up. Half of long-term job hunting is a mindgame not to fall into a spiral of depression and self-defeat, which is hard when everything and every HR department is a robotized, lobotomized machine that chews you up and spits you back out with brutal efficiency and those stabbing "thanks but no thanks" emails. [QUOTE=FalseLogic;52505890]Interesting, I've had to follow up with every job I've ever had. I've never gotten a job without at least 1-2 phone calls to follow up with the manager or remind them who I am. Still good to know, and I'll keep all of this in mind next time I need to search for a job.[/QUOTE] It's different for everyone, every city, every profession - but I use to send follow-ups until someone broke it down for me. If you have to remind them of who you are - either it's a red flag, or they don't care. If they want you, it was likely decided before you contact them again. You're just wasting your time for being polite and jumping the hoops. Part of me still wants to say it can't hurt, but my experience prior was just getting some easy summer labor jobs where I just had to fog a mirror to get started. A thank-you letter can be spat out in a couple seconds when you get back home from an interview though and probably has more of a punch even if someone just opens it and bins it right away.

[QUOTE=Doom14;52505861]a thank you letter is fine, but don't even bother following up[/QUOTE] Interesting, I've had to follow up with every job I've ever had. I've never gotten a job without at least 1-2 phone calls to follow up with the manager or remind them who I am. Still good to know, and I'll keep all of this in mind next time I need to search for a job.

Started new job as operating room nurse at a hospital near me. Here comes 6+ months of training. :v:

Quit my job in finance about 2 months ago. Been figuring out what the fuck I want to do now. It sucks not knowing what you want to do with your life after college and have your parents constantly berate you about finding a job. Ugh.

[QUOTE=LennyPenny;52505064]I don't get why credit cards are so big in the us Isn't it much simpler to just use a debit card or a credit card that just withdraws from your bank account directly?[/QUOTE] they play a vital role in building credit in most cases, which is important for anyone who wants to buy a house without saving up for several years first. also a lot of credit card companies give you perks for using their cards - my main card gives me 2% back on all purchases, and since most places don't charge credit fees anymore it's pretty damn worth it. on top of that some places will give you bonus shit if you use their card for xxx amount of money. I've probably received $1k back in credit card rewards in the past few years.

I need a budget. I'm making more money than I ever have in my life ($15/hr at ~40hrs/week) and my girlfriend and I have been wanting to save up to get a nicer apartment (currently my parents pay 700/mo for the rent at my current place and have agreed to pay the same for a new apartment if we cover the difference). So we're looking at ~$900 - $1,000/mo before utilities for a place. Problem is, by the time I get my next paycheck, I've already spent half of the original paycheck. We don't eat out much, but I think we've been eating out [I]more[/I] since I got this job. Also, we've been going to barnes and noble more and spending money on other stuff that's like "why". The other day I bought a couple games for $15 and paid $15 for a humble book bundle. These things add up and basically I've got $400 out of my original $800 paycheck, and just deposited my next $800 paycheck. I told myself I'd say EVERY penny I got from this job to get a cool new apartment but obviously that hasn't worked out. now the summer is almost over and I have to go back to working part time since I go to school in the fall. I figure I can net ~$2,000 if I work every hour I can (which I'm typically good at doing; I took only one day off last spring semester). This will cover (assuming I have to pay my $600 share of the rent next summer after the lease to my current place expires) basically 3 months of rent. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this job in the summer of that year also, or I can find an even better job (some internships in my city pay ~$30/hr, which would be amazing. So obviously my "don't spend any money" budget isn't working.

I've got 2k sitting in a SEP-IRA work started for me. What do? Its through USAA and I think putting as much of it as I can into something like a CD made sense since I do not want to touch that account (except to deposit in it). Would I be able to take the further deposits work makes into my brokerage account and add them to the CD, or is it completely locked away? if a CD isn't a good choice, what is? I'm also probably taking a full-time position this fall at the place I'm part-timing at. I'm trying to save for a house, in fucking Seattle, so it'll probably be a while until I can consider affording one. I won't be making a [I]ton[/I] either: despite doing software dev I'm in the space industry so my salary is probably 20% lower than what I'd get elsewhere. This place is also willing to hire me without a degree, so going elsewhere isn't an option right now. Are there any especially wise ways to take large chunks of my income and stash them for a house? I already take 10% of my monthly income and toss it in savings, so it shouldn't be something thats hard to do (especially given how little i make now). I don't have any college debt either (despite not finishing my degree) and my car is paid off (although I do need a full-time job to get caught up on maintenance). Lastly, what are good things to start using a credit card for? I'm just cosigned onto one with my parents but I'm really trying to (frantically) saw off all ties to them for my own reasons. I don't have a credit card and feel like I need one just to build credit and such. [editline]29th July 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=proboardslol;52520799]I need a budget. I'm making more money than I ever have in my life ($15/hr at ~40hrs/week) and my girlfriend and I have been wanting to save up to get a nicer apartment (currently my parents pay 700/mo for the rent at my current place and have agreed to pay the same for a new apartment if we cover the difference). So we're looking at ~$900 - $1,000/mo before utilities for a place. Problem is, by the time I get my next paycheck, I've already spent half of the original paycheck. We don't eat out much, but I think we've been eating out [I]more[/I] since I got this job. Also, we've been going to barnes and noble more and spending money on other stuff that's like "why". The other day I bought a couple games for $15 and paid $15 for a humble book bundle. These things add up and basically I've got $400 out of my original $800 paycheck, and just deposited my next $800 paycheck. I told myself I'd say EVERY penny I got from this job to get a cool new apartment but obviously that hasn't worked out. now the summer is almost over and I have to go back to working part time since I go to school in the fall. I figure I can net ~$2,000 if I work every hour I can (which I'm typically good at doing; I took only one day off last spring semester). This will cover (assuming I have to pay my $600 share of the rent next summer after the lease to my current place expires) basically 3 months of rent. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this job in the summer of that year also, or I can find an even better job (some internships in my city pay ~$30/hr, which would be amazing. So obviously my "don't spend any money" budget isn't working.[/QUOTE] Have you tried using you need a budget? building the habit of using it is tough but I've found it helps. that or just keeping a spreadsheet. given that i know you're capable of using python too, you might be able to write a script that takes your statements (most banks let you download 'em as CSVs) and sorts them into categories or something if you'd rather not pay for / use YNAB. I've found the habit of taking 10% of my monthly income and putting it in savings helps get me thinking about how I'm spending my money. Learning to cook better at home will help alleviate spending elsewhere, too: I don't have any recipe book recommendations on-hand, but I bet there are tons of reviews to look at. like, learning to cook indian food helped reduce the amount of times I feel the need to spend $30 for a single curry meal. learning to cook my own simple bread helped me save money there. getting better at doing things like frying stopped me from giving into fast food, and getting a reliable + affordable espresso machine has saved me buckets on morning coffee. things like that are upfront expenditures that rapidly pay themselves off: I paid $30 for my espresso machine (technically not enough pressure to be true espresso but i can't tell) and iirc I paid it off in about a month given how much I saved by not always getting lattes at a coffee shop.

[QUOTE=proboardslol;52520799]I need a budget. I'm making more money than I ever have in my life ($15/hr at ~40hrs/week) and my girlfriend and I have been wanting to save up to get a nicer apartment (currently my parents pay 700/mo for the rent at my current place and have agreed to pay the same for a new apartment if we cover the difference). So we're looking at ~$900 - $1,000/mo before utilities for a place. Problem is, by the time I get my next paycheck, I've already spent half of the original paycheck. We don't eat out much, but I think we've been eating out [I]more[/I] since I got this job. Also, we've been going to barnes and noble more and spending money on other stuff that's like "why". The other day I bought a couple games for $15 and paid $15 for a humble book bundle. These things add up and basically I've got $400 out of my original $800 paycheck, and just deposited my next $800 paycheck. I told myself I'd say EVERY penny I got from this job to get a cool new apartment but obviously that hasn't worked out. now the summer is almost over and I have to go back to working part time since I go to school in the fall. I figure I can net ~$2,000 if I work every hour I can (which I'm typically good at doing; I took only one day off last spring semester). This will cover (assuming I have to pay my $600 share of the rent next summer after the lease to my current place expires) basically 3 months of rent. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this job in the summer of that year also, or I can find an even better job (some internships in my city pay ~$30/hr, which would be amazing. So obviously my "don't spend any money" budget isn't working.[/QUOTE] The best thing I've found that helps to make sure a habit sticks is to make it as automated as possible. As long as you have the cash just sitting in the account with easy access, you'll still be tempted to spend it on stuff. The best chance to save it is to move it to a place where extracting it is a little difficult and time consuming, but still safe. Try this - Set up another account. Now, when you put in your paycheck, set up a system whereby a certain amount auto-forwards to this "safeholder" account. Do not keep any cards for this safeholder account on your person and chequebook within easy reach. Once that's done, only utilize the money you've consigned for yourself in your existing account (after determining what should be sufficient for day-to-day living, gas money, insurance premiums, utilities and other bills). [U][B]You can't spend money you can't see in your account, so doing this keeps it safe.[/B][/U] Once the amount has met a specific threshold, don't immediately spend it on the thing you were saving for. Do it in a sequence, for example like below: a) [B]"Shit hits the fan" cash[/B] - 6 months of wages to cover sudden unemployment b) [B]Investment cash[/B] - Just like you set a savings goal, [I]always[/I] set an investment goal. Pledge to invest a certain amount in a balanced portfolio with decent returns like an index fund, balanced to your acceptable risk levels. c) [B]"Flight ticket" cash[/B] - This one is for me, mostly, but could apply to anyone - if you need to get somewhere in a hurry and need to fly the same day (for example, family) use this. If you need to get somewhere quickly, this is the complement to your go bag. If you need to budget for someone else to join you, add that too. Also add additional money for any hotel accommodations for atleast a week. d) Your apartment savings fund The priorities depend on you, but make sure you hit these bases first. Your fancy apartment won't mean squat if you're going to move out in a month because you suddenly lost your job and can't pay the rent anymore.

[QUOTE=snookypookums;52524313]The best thing I've found that helps to make sure a habit sticks is to make it as automated as possible. As long as you have the cash just sitting in the account with easy access, you'll still be tempted to spend it on stuff. The best chance to save it is to move it to a place where extracting it is a little difficult and time consuming, but still safe. Try this - Set up another account. Now, when you put in your paycheck, set up a system whereby a certain amount auto-forwards to this "safeholder" account. Do not keep any cards for this safeholder account on your person and chequebook within easy reach. Once that's done, only utilize the money you've consigned for yourself in your existing account (after determining what should be sufficient for day-to-day living, gas money, insurance premiums, utilities and other bills). [U][B]You can't spend money you can't see in your account, so doing this keeps it safe.[/B][/U] Once the amount has met a specific threshold, don't immediately spend it on the thing you were saving for. Do it in a sequence, for example like below: a) [B]"Shit hits the fan" cash[/B] - 6 months of wages to cover sudden unemployment b) [B]Investment cash[/B] - Just like you set a savings goal, [I]always[/I] set an investment goal. Pledge to invest a certain amount in a balanced portfolio with decent returns like an index fund, balanced to your acceptable risk levels. c) [B]"Flight ticket" cash[/B] - This one is for me, mostly, but could apply to anyone - if you need to get somewhere in a hurry and need to fly the same day (for example, family) use this. If you need to get somewhere quickly, this is the complement to your go bag. If you need to budget for someone else to join you, add that too. Also add additional money for any hotel accommodations for atleast a week. d) Your apartment savings fund The priorities depend on you, but make sure you hit these bases first. Your fancy apartment won't mean squat if you're going to move out in a month because you suddenly lost your job and can't pay the rent anymore.[/QUOTE] I started doing this 6 months ago and I wish they would teach this in school so I could have done it sooner. One thing though, you should only invest cash in your money machine that you don't need, so I would put that in last. When using index funds you are playing the long game to minimize the risk and to reap the benefits of the interest on interest effect. You shouldn't touch that money in 15 years minimum. I'm sure you understand this, just want to make it extra clear to everyone reading it because I started out living of crumbs and realized it wasn't worth putting too much money into it at once. My personal system looks like this: a) money for rent. b) food, clothes or other necessary expenses. c) shit hits the fan cash. (stop putting money into this when you have enough) d) a little money for fun. (enough for grabbing a few beers a month) e) I now split the remaining money into two and place one part in my savings account and one part into my money machine.

[QUOTE=maeZtro;52524948]I started doing this 6 months ago and I wish they would teach this in school so I could have done it sooner. One thing though, you should only invest cash in your money machine that you don't need, so I would put that in last. When using index funds you are playing the long game to minimize the risk and to reap the benefits of the interest on interest effect. You shouldn't touch that money in 15 years minimum. I'm sure you understand this, just want to make it extra clear to everyone reading it because I started out living of crumbs and realized it wasn't worth putting too much money into it at once. My personal system looks like this: a) money for rent. b) food, clothes or other necessary expenses. c) shit hits the fan cash. (stop putting money into this when you have enough) d) a little money for fun. (enough for grabbing a few beers a month) e) I now split the remaining money into two and place one part in my savings account and one part into my money machine.[/QUOTE] I agree, man - my dad gave me the basics, but I still think, looking at how it's going, the banks are going to have the current generation by the balls with debt at the rate they're spending and not having financial literacy. I have grown ass colleagues who [I]still[/I] live paycheck to paycheck and I've had to literally be their piggybank and hold money to keep them from spending it on useless shit. Then, when they see what a drastic effect a small thing like not having fancy Starbucks coffee in the morning for a month can do to their disposable income, it blows their fucking minds. The reason I put money into the "money machine" (as you put it :) ) first is primarily because we don't really have much by way of an assured pension from the government as such, so once you've reached retirement age, that's it - no more monies for you. Since inflation is a bitch and because you can actually invest more when you're younger (on account of not having kids and major financial committments). Yes, by comparison you'll be earning a lot lower compared to what you would when you're older, but you can willingly part with more of your earnings earlier with minimal impact to your lifestyle. After paying off my bills, typically I put a segmented half into the money machine and the remaining half is for myself. I typically take about 6 month average for my expenses (eat out, incidentals, transport, food) and use that to base the amount I keep for myself. I've already got my "shit hits the fan" money sorted, put into a Fixed deposit fund that accrues about 8% p.a. in interest, so that's nice. The Flight ticket and expenses money technically gets used up during the winter, every year, as a reward to myself, in the form of a vacation. So in a way, it's a sort of contingency plan/vacation savings fun. :v: But yeah, if there's any form of money instrument your bank can provide that is: a) better interest rate than the savings account, and b) immediately liquidable and doesn't have a lock in period with a penalty for breaking ...go for it. But that's still a second option to investing it, however - depending on where you're from and what sort of tax system the country has in place, there are even specific forms of tiny government bonds that have benefits, tax-wise.

I see, then it makes more sense to do it your way. Here a large part of our pension comes from government grants and if you manage to work and save a lot of money for your pension, you aren't eligible for the grants anymore. I'm sure it helps a lot of people so it's a necessary thing, but it's not really fair to the ones who put effort into saving. I even get a smaller housing grant based on how much money I think I'll make from my investments, although I'm a pretty poor student. A social security net is a good thing but it shouldn't be too big IMO.

Don't you guys had some kind of 'trust fund' for investment, that you can sell part of it back anytime to get money back? That way you can store almost all the savings into your investment, and only small amount of liquid money in your saving account, to maximize dividens [editline]2nd August 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=maeZtro;52528299]I see, then it makes more sense to do it your way. Here a large part of our pension comes from government grants and if you manage to work and save a lot of money for your pension, you aren't eligible for the grants anymore. I'm sure it helps a lot of people so it's a necessary thing, but it's not really fair to the ones who put effort into saving. I even get a smaller housing grant based on how much money I think I'll make from my investments, although I'm a pretty poor student. A social security net is a good thing but it shouldn't be too big IMO.[/QUOTE] Cant you buy a lot of gold, bury it somewhere, and by the time of retirement you'll have 0 money but you get the pension grant, and buried golds?

[QUOTE=hakimhakim;52530898]Don't you guys had some kind of 'trust fund' for investment, that you can sell part of it back anytime to get money back? That way you can store almost all the savings into your investment, and only small amount of liquid money in your saving account, to maximize dividens[/QUOTE] Typically an investment will have a maturation date, and an attempt to withdraw funds before that maturation date will result in heavy fees. Keep in mind that for a lot of investment strategies, the more liquid it is, the lower the returns. [QUOTE=hakimhakim;52530898]Cant you buy a lot of gold, bury it somewhere, and by the time of retirement you'll have 0 money but you get the pension grant, and buried golds?[/QUOTE] If you are doing this you are [B]betting[/B] that the price of gold will rise, and that it will rise more than something like an index fund or even CDs or bonds. I would not recommend this.

[QUOTE=zerf;52531056]Typically an investment will have a maturation date, and an attempt to withdraw funds before that maturation date will result in heavy fees. Keep in mind that for a lot of investment strategies, the more liquid it is, the lower the returns. If you are doing this you are [B]betting[/B] that the price of gold will rise, and that it will rise more than something like an index fund or even CDs or bonds. I would not recommend this.[/QUOTE] Are CDs a smart choice for dumping my sep-ira/brokerage funds into then? They looked solid and like they had good interest rates. I really want to get my nest egg started now, and that seemed like a great way to do so

[QUOTE=hakimhakim;52530898]Don't you guys had some kind of 'trust fund' for investment, that you can sell part of it back anytime to get money back? That way you can store almost all the savings into your investment, and only small amount of liquid money in your saving account, to maximize dividens [editline]2nd August 2017[/editline] Cant you buy a lot of gold, bury it somewhere, and by the time of retirement you'll have 0 money but you get the pension grant, and buried golds?[/QUOTE] It's the first time I hear of this but I'm going to check it out. Would be easier to just get an offshore account and not register the money I have in it. Pretty sure I'm on some kind of watch list now for saying that :v:

I love living with sociopath parents. "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" *gets into guns* "No, you cannot buy a pistol because you don't have a real job" *saves up the money to buy said pistol from temp job* "No, you cannot spend the money and if you do we will kick you out" *debates moving out anyway* "No, you cannot move out because we don't want you wasting your savings on rent" *looks into job opportunities* "No, you can't do that job because you dont know anything about it and we know you won't be good at it" *forced into taking temp job at Dad's office* "No, you will never earn more than you make now because we don't want you to work here" *goes home everyday after work and plays games because I don't know what the fuck i want to do with my life at this point* "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" If I could disable the GPS on my car I would be half way across the country restarting my life.

[QUOTE=Squad1993;52537693]I love living with sociopath parents. "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" *gets into guns* "No, you cannot buy a pistol because you don't have a real job" *saves up the money to buy said pistol from temp job* "No, you cannot spend the money and if you do we will kick you out" *debates moving out anyway* "No, you cannot move out because we don't want you wasting your savings on rent" *looks into job opportunities* "No, you can't do that job because you dont know anything about it and we know you won't be good at it" *forced into taking temp job at Dad's office* "No, you will never earn more than you make now because we don't want you to work here" *goes home everyday after work and plays games because I don't know what the fuck i want to do with my life at this point* "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" If I could disable the GPS on my car I would be half way across the country restarting my life.[/QUOTE] How old are you? Cause if you are an adult you can just say I can do what I want and get that job and get your own apartment. Problem solved. [editline]4th August 2017[/editline] It's your life and they should accept that you don't want to work at your dads place. Stand up for yourself!

[QUOTE=Squad1993;52537693]I love living with sociopath parents. "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" *gets into guns* "No, you cannot buy a pistol because you don't have a real job" *saves up the money to buy said pistol from temp job* "No, you cannot spend the money and if you do we will kick you out" *debates moving out anyway* "No, you cannot move out because we don't want you wasting your savings on rent" *looks into job opportunities* "No, you can't do that job because you dont know anything about it and we know you won't be good at it" *forced into taking temp job at Dad's office* "No, you will never earn more than you make now because we don't want you to work here" *goes home everyday after work and plays games because I don't know what the fuck i want to do with my life at this point* "You're addicted to video games, go find another hobby" If I could disable the GPS on my car I would be half way across the country restarting my life.[/QUOTE] how the fuck is there a GPS on your car? That's fucking helicopter status if I ever heard it jesus kid. Also I have this weird situation where I'm sitting on $2500 of credit card debt and just not paying it off even though I have literally about half of it in my bank right now because most of it's on that nifty promotional no interest that a lot of places offer when you sign up for a new card. It's kinda scary having that much in debt but I'd be more worried about having $1000 in CC debt with no savings to buffer payments if I lost my job or something than $2500 in debt but having many months of minimum payments saved up. Anyone else feel that way about their debt or am I just being weird about my debt management?

[QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;52539294]how the fuck is there a GPS on your car? That's fucking helicopter status if I ever heard it jesus kid. Also I have this weird situation where I'm sitting on $2500 of credit card debt and just not paying it off even though I have literally about half of it in my bank right now because most of it's on that nifty promotional no interest that a lot of places offer when you sign up for a new card. It's kinda scary having that much in debt but I'd be more worried about having $1000 in CC debt with no savings to buffer payments if I lost my job or something than $2500 in debt but having many months of minimum payments saved up. Anyone else feel that way about their debt or am I just being weird about my debt management?[/QUOTE] If it's actually at zero interest, then make the minimum payments and build up your emergency reserves. Just make sure that, at the end of the zero interest period, you aren't going to be a hit with a huge interest rate on the remaining balance. I've seen some pretty ridiculous shit on those lines. Like, "zero percent interest for six months!* (36% interest on remaining balance due at end of period). [editline]4th August 2017[/editline] On the subject of debt, I've finally done enough business in realty to pay off all of ours. It's a very happy day.

[QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;52539294]Also I have this weird situation where I'm sitting on $2500 of credit card debt and just not paying it off even though I have literally about half of it in my bank right now because most of it's on that nifty promotional no interest that a lot of places offer when you sign up for a new card. It's kinda scary having that much in debt but I'd be more worried about having $1000 in CC debt with no savings to buffer payments if I lost my job or something than $2500 in debt but having many months of minimum payments saved up. Anyone else feel that way about their debt or am I just being weird about my debt management?[/QUOTE] Like BDA said just make sure you know when the period is over and pay it off by then. Otherwise there's no problem with putting it on autopay with minimum payments for a few months. P.S. Even if you think you're on top of it put your cards on autopay, I was a day late on my Discover card payment and they called my parents and my fiance (but somehow not me) asking me to pay up. And then my credit score dropped 10 points next month. All because I was a day late on one payment. I did chew them out for managing to not call me when all of the phone numbers on my account are my personal cell number.

I just had my first real job interview ever at a startup and it was great. Meeting again soon so I can spend a whole day with them to get to know how they do things and to discuss what our future might look like

I have like $500 in debt for my credit card and around $20k in student loans. It's a little daunting. Kind of hoping the internship I do this fall will lead to a job once I graduate in December. I'd love to be able to make all my payments and still have enough to move out eventually.

[QUOTE=Protocol7;52539345]Like BDA said just make sure you know when the period is over and pay it off by then. Otherwise there's no problem with putting it on autopay with minimum payments for a few months. P.S. Even if you think you're on top of it put your cards on autopay, I was a day late on my Discover card payment and they called my parents and my fiance (but somehow not me) asking me to pay up. And then my credit score dropped 10 points next month. All because I was a day late on one payment. I did chew them out for managing to not call me when all of the phone numbers on my account are my personal cell number.[/QUOTE] Psh, my credit score dropped 50 points once because I opened a new credit account and tripled my free credit only to shoot up again 70 points the month after. I went from a 705 to a 655, and then shot to like 720 or so. I don't pay attention to my credit score anymore really because my 100% on time payment history pretty much speaks enough to creditors I think. I check it as part of my fraud/identity theft awareness habits but not much else. And yeah It's always that bullshit "interest happens when the promotional period ends" bullshit ones I see anyway, I've read every retail card contract cover to back and walked away from all but two because they're all garbage with mega high interest and hidden bullshit. I plan to pay them off on minimums until I feel like paying them off since my minimums are equal to almost paying it off in full anyway.

[QUOTE=LennyPenny;52539357]I just had my first real job interview ever at a startup and it was great. Meeting again soon so I can spend a whole day with them to get to know how they do things and to discuss what our future might look like[/QUOTE] That's great! Just a heads up about startups - they can be very turbulent. I got hired at one and it went from the best job I ever had to dreading coming to work and overeating out of anxiety from it. Obviously this is just my experience with one specific startup, and not representative of startups as a whole, but things can change fast in that type of environment.