Satisfying Progress!!

  Taking this picture might have been one of the most fun, most satisfying things we have done for our finances since we started this challenge last summer!

We paid this credit card down as low as we could get it, then moved the small remaining balance to a much lower interest rate( from the credit card’s 20%   5%)
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Consolidating helps us save and makes it easier to pay.

When I phoned to close out this account, I was told that I had outstanding reward points to cash out first.  I thought they added up to nothing, but it turns out, they added up to $100 in gift cards from one of the participating retailers.  I opted to have cards from a local hardware/home improvement store.  Now, for no extra cost to me, we’ll be able to use that towards some of the things we’d like to do around our house.  I was pretty excited!

But the day was going to get better yet!!  I was flipping channels when I saw a clip from that show “’til debt do us part”. Gail, the host was talking to  a couple ,asking how talking to their credit card company went.  She says that all anyone has to do is phone and ask for a lower rate.  Everyone can save money this easily! She’d said.  Well, I was sceptical, but figured I had 10 minutes to lose, so why not call?   I simply told the person on the phone that our family was trying to pay down our debts and would like a lower interest rate so we could make more headway.  And you know what? They cut my interest in half!!!!  We plan to continue making the payments we’ve been making anyway, and look forward to seeing more progress month by month!!!