A note of thanks

I just wanted to thank everyone here who posts freely and willingly to help others unselfishly. Thanks in part to your tips and encouragement, I have gone from near despair to living again.

Many people post about their credit. It is so important whether you are investing or not. I do not miss those collection calls. With persistence and sacrifice, I have paid off all my debts, saved, bought a home, and re-established myself. In less than 2 1/2 years or so, I have done that and more, and have a long life ahead of me. When I checked my fico recently, I have added almost 200 points to my score.

To those of you just beginning, be crystal clear about your goals, and the price you will pay to get there. I ate many PB&J sandwiches to pay off my bills.

Also remember to learn the lesson the first time. Be responsible, and have cash reserves.

I saved money first, then applied (reluctantly) for credit. I only charged what I had money for, and never went over 20% of my credit limit.

FYI, the cards I found ‘easy’ to get were Home depot, and a department store card. (macy’s/dillards type) etc.

good luck to everyone, and thank you.

AWESOME JOB!!

I remember your first few posts here. You managed to acomplish what VERY FEW people do. Oh, there’s TON’S of folks talking the talk, but very few actually DOING it. You’re in very limited company.

No better feeling in the world huh?? Knowing your future is in YOUR hands and not someone elses!!

Congrats again, Personally, I think your just getting warmed up. Your determination is the key. It would have been VERY easy for you to throw in the towel. I’ve seen people do it. Their lives literally STOP.
The fact that your willing to sacrifice NOW for that return LATER will make you a PILE of money in years to come.

Enjoy…you earned it.

Thank you very much. The irony about your comments is that I have a quote from Muhammad Ali on a post it at my office desk:

“I hated working out… but I told myself, SUFFER NOW, and I can live the rest of my life as a Champion.”

I’m still a 9-5 er, but I just upped the amt going into savings every payday. I don’t have cable, and I read investing books - (stock inv.) contrarian, value, etc. and the basics - for dummies, kiplingers, etc. I did trade some when I was paying off my bills (a few hundred in profit here and there)… and used some of the proceeds to pay off my debts.

Now I want to learn additional techniques and disciplines built around a strategy for my “freedom day” - i.e. when my fate is not controlled by an employer, and for my
children and retirement.

I know this is an REI board, but I keep a toe in the water here, so to speak. In the past year or so, I saw opportuntiies, but I was too afraid to jump on them at the time. (no cash reserves, little knowledge of exit strategies.)

But, I have developed an eye for properties and opportunties, so I don’t consider that time wasted.

As my cash and knowledge grow, I think I will come out on top and be able to give my children the freedom I sacrifice for now.

A thank you???

Gimme $20!

Well done RealNew! :bigok

I myself had over 20k in credit card debt when I was 25. Took me 3 years to pay it off. Learned a lot of life lessons from that!

Learn and improve and always keep moving forward

Hi to all. I am new in this forum and I have made few posts since I signed up. And reading this post made by realnew, made me think, “will I be able to post new thread such as thank you for helping me?” I really wanted to reach my goal with some help form you guys who are veterans in this industry. When I’m on it, I’ll make sure I will post a thread thanking all of you too. :beer

youbethce1018, you better hurry up, with inflation you may have to pay Fadi a couple thousand. :biggrin

Great job. We really like to see people like become successful.

Sco - the 2 1/2 yrs was from zilch and debt to homeowner, including closing cost fees.

Youbetcha - heck yes. Make it happen. How badly do you want it, and are you willing to pay the price to get it.

By the way, I furnished my entire home for less than $350 via thrift stores, free cycle, kind-hearted (and accepted) donations, and elbow grease.

I have a 1984 magnavox “dial knob” tv that I got from the thift store about 2 yrs ago. OK, I had to dust it off… but the picture! It can give some high end Tvs a run for their money. That was $20.

I am going to spend $1.99 for the elec. part that let’s me connect a dvd/vcr to it so I can make a rec/family room in the basement for the kids and me.

My VCR was $8.00 at the thift store. The remote was taped to the top of it, so yeah, I had to use more elbow grease to clean it up.

Plays very nicely and has the inputs for sound, but I don’t watch that much tv/have speakers for it. lol

Yes, it took time, but everything blends, and doesn’t look used. I figure I saved about $3,000 - $5,000 on the bedroom alone. and the same amount on the living room. Probably $2,000 on the dining room.

I am going to retile my kitchen and add radiant heating - both for my family and the resale. The greatest expense is the radiant heating. I’m using the remaining tiles from the bathroom shower to lay the floor.

Thanks, congrats, and efficient spending.