MIA for 6 Months

My poor blog. I've neglected you for the last 6 months. Major life event (got married) and everything that came along with it (party planning, dress fittings, workouts, travel, bridal showers, etc.) consumed all my time. Money-wise, the year leading up it pretty much consisted of minimum payments to creditors and super-tight budgets. Everything else had to go wedding and honeymoon expenses. Now that it's done, as a husband-and-wife unit with our combined incomes and expenses, we can focus on eradicating our debt. The money that was going into wedding, now goes into debt payments. We worked out a micro-detailed budget, so that we knew how each and every dollar from our paychecks was going to be spent. We're following Dave Ramsey's approach: pay off smallest balances first. With our systematic schedule, our credit card bills will be paid off at the end of this year - which is HUGE!

Credit Cards: The Back Story

Below is a list of my credit cards and the back-story behind each one.

Discover
This one is the oldest out of the 6 credit cards listed here. I'm embarrassed to say that one of the reasons that compelled me to get it was the option to get a Shih Tzu photo on the face of the card. (I had a pet Shih Tzu at the time.) In addition, these were during psycho ex-boyfriend days, who had equally poor spending habits, and the two of us put together was not a pretty picture. The account has since been closed. I make the minimum payment of $27 per month, with only $10 going to the principal.
Current balance = $1,331.70
APR = 14.49%

PayPal Connect
If I had to take a guess, I would say I opened this one as I was perusing eBay and wanted nonessential items which I didn't have money to pay for. I think I was approved for $900 at first, and that increased to $1900 later on. This gets monthly minimum payments as well. 
Current balance = $1,044.09
APR = 26.99%

Visa Credit Card
I have checking and savings accounts through a credit union. Not sure why but this credit union's payday advance is essentially a credit card account. I was desperately broke before payday so I applied for an account and was approved for up to $500. The account balance stays pretty steady at $500. I make the minimum monthly payments and the finance charge is only about $5, but it certainly doesn't help when I always use it for small purchases, like work lunches and gum and Starbucks. 
Current Balance = $500
APR = 17.15%

Macy's
I opened this while visiting my best friend who was working at the makeup counter at the time. She asked me to sign up since she gets commission for it. Being the supportive friend that I am, I went for it. At first, I managed it very well -- purchasing items and paying the entire balance off each month. Macy's credit cards have this rewards program where depending on the total amount of purchases per year, you can climb up the rewards level, each with corresponding perks. I think I made it to the silver. I was able to buy a mattress and bed frame with the card. Before that, all we had was a second-hand mattress we found through Craigslist (major upgrade!). Eventually, I fell behind with the balance pay-offs and started just doing the minimum payments. In March 2011, I received a work bonus and used a portion of that to pay off the entire balance. I was so proud and relieved to be rid of one card and thought I was on my way to debt-free. But I used it again when I needed makeup and clothes. Shame on me. 
Current balance = $699.15
APR = 24.50%

Barclay
This is the newest card, solely opened to purchase an iPad. I had a very specific fail-proof plan. The card was offering one year of no interest. I would buy the iPad then make 12 equal monthly payments (without interest, of course), and then it would be paid off! Brilliant, I thought. And then it all crumbled. Barclay increased my credit line, and I was distracted by the extra money being waved at my face, taunting me to use it. I used it and I abused it. Well, those 12 interest-free months have come and gone, more purchases have come on, and the card was maxed out.
Current balance = $1,909.58
APR = 22.99%

Skeletons are out of the closet. All that said, this exercise was beneficial because I got the opportunity to really see the irrational thinking that went behind the process of acquiring these cards.

This whole "broke" thing... yeah, I'm over it.

My very first job was at Burger King. I remember when my manager handed me my first check, a whopping $124! I was a little choked-up, but managed to say, "This is all mine?"

Oh, the innocence.

It's a very different picture today. The days leading up to payday are a painful crawl, and once the funds reach my bank account, practically each cent is already spoken for. And then the painful crawl begins again to next payday.

I'd be first to admit that I have an unhealthy relationship with money. We haven't been the greatest of friends. A decade of money mis-management has led up to almost $8K in debt (and that's not even counting student loans). And with a number of upcoming major life changes ahead (getting married, entering my 30s), and their associated expenses, it's time I do something about this.

This blog will serve two main purposes:
Number 1: to document this journey of eliminating my debt to $0;
Number 2: to allow me to go back and re-read the experience so it will scare me from not racking any more debt ever again.

Here are the figures as they stand on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 (upcoming posts will go over these numbers in further detail):
Credit Card Debt: $5484.52
Personal Loan: $2311.00
TOTAL $7795.52 

So here begins the journey from BROKE to FINANCIALLY STABLE, documented for self-accountability and mere entertainment. Here we go!