Debt reduction is going well

I like the idea of providing a monthly update on reducing my debt. It is going extremely well.

July is a good month this year. I get paid three times, so I feel that I can pay off more debt.

I paid off my line of credit last month. It felt good. Luckily, the limit isn't huge. However, it took me a year to pay it off.

I still have two credit cards that are mine. I have one corporate card that sits there.

I use a MasterCard for daily purchases, such as groceries and takeout. I typically do debit, which has been helpful in reducing my debt and credit card usage. The other is an American Express card that I detest using. There is a backstory associated with my disgust for this company. The reason why I still have it is that I've been a customer since 2005 and it helps my credit rating.

As of late, I don't like these automated e-mails from American Express, stating in the subject line, "Future transactions may be declined." I am trying to figure out when this automated message disappears. It feels like Amex is being so kind to approve a transaction when my credit card isn't maxed out or close to its credit limit.

My credit score has increased by 16 points from the last score back in May. I am pleased. It has been hard work improving my credit score. I hope that it gets to a satisfactory level in twelve months. At this rate, I have a decent shot at it.

I am working from home for the rest of the year. I will continue to save more money, thanks to not commuting and fuelling my car with gas as often.

Credit cards - a decade ago versus now

I just placed an online order with a store that I have not shopped with for a decade. My account still works, which is great.

The funny thing? Almost all credit cards on file have not been active for years. To me, it was nice to see. I have worked so hard to reduce the number of credit cards that I had. I'm down to two personal credit cards. One of them is an American Express that stays at home.

It's supposed to feel like summer this weekend. I need to haul out my summer clothes. I'm not ready for a heatwave!

Leafing through magazines and memories

Last night, I found stacks of magazines as far back as 2005. It has been therapeutic throwing them out.

I end up leafing through the magazines before I chuck them out. It's nice to have a snapshot of what things were like years ago.

Some goodies include the following:

• A flyer from Zellers. The final two Zellers stores that remained in Canada closed a couple of months ago.
• A billing statement from Columbia House Canada. Yes, I loved subscribing to that service and getting CDs
• A rather heavy December copy of the Mpls St. Paul Magazine. I also managed to get a paper cut from it.
• A few credit card statements that served as bookmarks. I'm happy to say that all those accounts have been paid off and closed.

Good times on a Friday night. Have a great weekend!

Tax return and financial health

On Sunday, I filed my tax return. It's nice to get it out of the way. I am roughly 1.5 months early filing it.

I am pleased with how things are going with paying off my debt and getting back on track. This year has some exciting changes:

• Number of credit cards paid off: 2
• Number of loans paid off: 1

I will also be focusing more on saving money. It's sad that I have had to abandon this practice for a while to pay off debt. It's important to have a decent reserve for emergencies. These days, it's my retirement savings and I don't want to dip into it.

I'll need to build up my retirement savings, which I am looking forward to. I'm optimistic and excited! It's nice to feel good about how far I have come.

Missing my guy, getting a new phone, and reducing debt

One week from now, I'll be spending the Thanksgiving long weekend with my guy. I miss him tons these days.

We were both pretty busy this week. He gave an online course all week. I continued working with my students on various tasks. I feel less exhausted this week. However, I came home on Friday after work and took a nap. I rarely crash!

I decided to get a new Google Pixel 2 XL phone, which replaces my dead Google Pixel one. I have been debating waiting for the newer 3 XL model. With a contract, I would be forking over quite a ton of money for it. I only had to pay $200 down for this new phone and I get to keep my existing cell phone plan. I hope to get the phone sometime next week. It's being shipped to me for free and it's also free to activate the phone myself.

These days, I am continuing to reduce the number of credit cards that I have. It's not healthy having so many. I am getting around to having two. Baby steps.

Sharing my wooden ruler story and being cute

On Friday, I told my guy about what had happened a week ago in my car. It pertains to my boss finding the wooden ruler that my guy uses to spank me.

As expected, he laughed. What were the odds of my boss saying "corporal punishment" when he saw the wooden ruler in the seat pocket in front of him?

My guy and I hadn't seen each other for a bit until we went out for lunch on Friday. He looked across from the table after we had finished eatin.

"How come you get cuter and cuter?" he asked me.
"You're sweet. Are you sure?" I asked him.
"I call it as I see it. My hard cock is also a good indicator."

I swear that he should write greetings for Hallmark cards.