My goals this month

We are actually nearing the half of 2022. It feels like it was just yesterday when we celebrated Christmas and New Year and here we are almost halfway there. Why do I feel like time is much faster nowadays compared to when I was still a kid? I guess I just have to accept that we are kind of likr in a time-lapse setting even if then and now, a day has 24 hours, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute.

It's already May. Why did I suddenly thought of Justin Timberlake when I said "it's already May"? LOL. Do you know about that joke? It is because of NSYNC's song, It's Gonna Be Me where Justin Timberlake is a member of the band. The way that Justin sang it was like  "It's gonna be May". LOL. I miss those boy and girl bands before.

Enough with that and let's be serious now since iy is already the 5th month of the year. How's it going with your 2022 goals as well as your monthly goals from the past 4 months? Don't bother asking about my goals because I did the opposite. Instead of saving, I went on splurging. I better practice not to use my cards or else I am going to repeat the same mistake again. In case you do not know, I had a huge credit card debt that I paid for 5 years. I know it is not something to brag about but this can be a reminder for everyone especially to people who are going to have their first time card. What is your first impression of a credit card? Credit cards can be our knight in shining armor that will come to our aid when finances get tough but they can also be that scary monster that we are afraid of and we will hide from them. It really depends on a person on how they are going to use their credit cards. For me, my credit card is one of my best friends that I can depend on whenever I needed to buy something then I will just pay it when it is time to pay. I have been using my cards for almost a decade and we sometimes have this love-hate relationship but it was definitely my fault because I overspend when I do not have anything to pay but I still paid it even the minimum amount due and that is when things start to get hurt because paying in minimum amount would only incur interest for your outstanding balance. But I am glad that I have paid mine already although I am again starting my old bad habits.

So if you are going to have a card of your own in the future, always remember to only use your card if you can pay for it. In short, be a responsible credit card user. Pay your credit card debt in full but if it is a little difficult, at least pay more than the minimum amount due. Think of it as Shopee's SPay Later. Who here has tried it? Honestly, I haven't tried it but it sure is tempting since you can pay a particular item in lighter payments for 6 months.

If you missed paying your credit card debt, inform them right away. Never ever hide from any calls, messages or emails from your bank. We do not like it when someone who owes us some money hides from us right? So do not also do that if you have a credit card debt. Reach out to them, tell them that you are on a tight budget and ask if there is a way to make your balance less lighter. For sure that they would be able to help you think of a solution. The reason why I paid for my debt for 5 years was that I have maxed out my cards. So never ever maxed out your card as well. For 3 years, I was only paying the minimum amount and it did not had any changes. Thankfully, they increased my limit and it somehow made a way for me to convert my outstanding balance to be payable in 24 months. I did reached out to my bank during the first few months that I was only paying a minimum amount and they told me that I needed to pay at least 4 or 5 times the minimum amount in order for me to request for a balance conversion as it also had interest but it was only minimal unlike with the monthly interest  rate of the card itself.

If you are in the same situation that I have been and you think that you cannot make it into that pool of debt, I am telling you that you can. Hey, I made it and so will you. If you are planning to ignore your bank and even the third-party collections agency for the rest of your life, I advice you not to. It will be harder for you to apply for another card from other banks and you will also have a problem once you needed to loan from banks in the future. Whether it is for a house loan, car loan, business loan or any other loans, as long as it is a loan from a bank, it will be hard for them to grant you one becauase of your credit card debt. As long as you havenot settled it and you have not yet given a certification, you are still in the database for having a bad credit standing. You would not like that to happen right?

One of my former workmates ignored her credit card obligations and she was not able to get a new card from other banks even some bank loans. I do not know what she did as we have lost contact with each other. Do you know someone who also ignored their credit card debts? Did they settle their debts or they are really planning to ignore it for the rest of their life? I do not have plans of ignoring my credit card issuer but I am just curious if one can really not get a new cars or a loan. There was also an article that my workmate read before wherein it says that she can directly talk to the bank and not to the collections agency to settle the payment even if not the full amount. She was doubtful so she did not tried calling the bank.

It's scary to have a credit card right? But it would not be scary if you would be a responsible credit card holder. Think before you swipe.

As for me, yes I did think before I swiped my cards however, I have that mindset that I can pay for what I spent although not in full amount. Definitely not a wise thinking right? And that is what I should practice. For the past 5 years, I have managed not to use my cards because there was nothing to use in the first place as it was already maxed out. Even if I can see that it was slowly getting back it's limit, I still did not use it. But before I became zero debt, I started to use them. And that is what my goal for this month. To be zero debt? No but yes. LOL. I will be zero debt not this month but before this year ends. Going back to this month's goal, I am going to refrain myself from using my cards and most especially online shopping or even grocery shopping. Ooopps. I just used it when I went to the grocery this afternoon. LOL. It was only for a small amount and I did not want to sell my BCH and you all know the reason why. What is happening to the crypto world? Everyone was so happy last year even I who lost all her wallets because BCH was flying to the moon. But I do have a feeling that it will soar high again after this dip.

Aside from refraining from using my cards, I have to divert my attention here and on noise.cash. I think I have only read less than 5 articles last month and zero last March. So expect me to flood you all this month.

Lastly, getting fit. Well it has been my goal also last month and actually it was my 2022 musts. However, I kept on eating during the first 3 months. At least I was able eat less now that I back home and I have also been moving a lot more especially during the past 2 weeks since we needed to walk Dice and of course we also brought with us our 2 other dogs. Doggo and I need to be physically active as we have gained a lot.

And those are my goals for this month. I think this article is more about credit card management than my goals don't you think? LOL. I realized that I have talked a lot more about it than my goals. Did you set some new goals this month? What are those? Have you achieved your goals these past months? I hope you did but even if you didn't, do not feel stressed or pressured. There maybe a lot of possible reasons as to why you didn't achieve it. Don't worry. Just set them again this month and then on the other month until you achieve it.

By the way, salute to all workers around the world. Happy Labor Day.

May 01, 2022

P.S. lead image is a photo of my planner from month/s ago.