Fixing this mess quickly

[Anonymous]

One other suggestion, I use ting for my phone service. It saves me an absurd amount of money over what i was paying with tmobile before that. My phone over the last YEAR has cost me less than 400 bucks. Its a postpaid pay for what you actually use. If you are on wifi for data most places you spend time, I would almost certainly guarantee it will save anybody a significant sum. On the flip side if you use gobs of data maybe not. They have a savings calc on their website. You pay for your own phone (or BYOD) on either tmo or sprint networks. And if you ever actually need to talk to them, they are just as if not more friendly and helpful than the people at discover. not that a few bucks on phones is gonna save a house, but pennies turn into dollars, dollars turn into hundreds. That might be the title of my memoir. Pennies Turn into Dollars, Dollars Turn into Hundreds, memoir of a cheapass by pfarro1.

[Anonymous]

I don't have much to update, unfortunately.  I talked to my cell phone carrier and got the bill lowered considerably.  My husband and I keep knocking around the idea of getting cheaper cell phones, but I don't really see how much that will save us.  I have a Galaxy S4 that is still being paid off through TMobile.  If I trade in for a new phone, I'll still have to pay the new phone off vs. paying off my current phone in 6 months and using it until it dies.  Does that makes sense?

We plan to catch up on the mortgage in June by making 2 payments in a month and really, really having a tight month, only paying for groceries and utilities.  July won't be pretty when we try to catch up on the unpaid June bills, but I guess that's the price we have to pay.

To be honest, it's depressing.  I have no time to pack and clean up my house to get it ready to sell and it's got me down.  I feel stuck with bad credit, a crappy house in a place where I no longer want to live.  It stinks.

[Momof5]

As the old saying goes, "This too shall pass".  I know it's tough.  I lost my job and was out of work for months.  By the time I found a job I was 5 mo late on my mtg and had a spattering of lates on all my CCs and 2 on my car note.  It took a YEAR of no extras.  I didn't get my hair cut (it was at mid back level and now down to my waist...but I like it like that), no makeup, no manicures, no lotions or potions...  I purchased my new work clothes at Goodwill! (They actually have some pretty nice stuff!)  I milked the HAMP program (applied, denied, reapplied, denied, reapplied) until the mortgage was brought current. 

By that point my scores were in the 470s.  That was 12/2013.  As you can see, I have rebounded quite nicely.    During the past year I have focused on getting my util down (99% to 17% so far).  I went on an app spree and obtained an additional $45K in avail credit.  My final car payment occured in the meantime so my spare $ is definitely up!

I wont sugar coat it.  It wasn't easy and it was depressing at times.  But good choices and hard work pays off!  Keep your chin up, you will get there! 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Momof5.  

[Anonymous]

Hi, Screwedupbadly.

I don't know where you live, but there are always places to rent, in good areas, with sub-par credit. Usually, I find that some places are willing to supplement a lacking credit rating with actual money, i.e., they will want to know your income from wages and a LOT of other personal tidbits, but you'll manage. Since you and your husband are working, be prepared to walk into a leasing office with proof of employment and at least 2 or 3 months of check stubs to show your cash flow. Of course, I am basing my assessment on where I live, which is Chicago, but if you're trying to move into an area with a lower cost of living, USUALLY there are those that more likely don't have the means to move to a higher cost of living area and manage, and the landlords know this and tend to stress credit less and immediate cash flow more.

But, all in all, I wish you luck in your apartment hunting and credit rebuilding efforts.

[Anonymous]

I would say the first this you must do is put first things first. You know that you have not been responsible in the past and both of you have messed up your finances and credit. Facing the facts and being honest with yourself is a first step on the road to recovery. You have to know exactly where you are and how you got there so you won't do it again. 

Anyone can make a mistake or be irresponsible. but there comes a day when we all grow up, accept responsibility for past mistakes - follish misdeeds and frivilous behavior. 

If you're ready to start anew and change your future, then you're in the right spot. 

First things first means sitting down as a couple and accepting where you are and knowing that together you two can turn this around. Nothing is hopeless forever.

Get a pencial and paper and write out a monthly budget. What are your expenses (fixed and variable) and income? What can you cut? What is essential? Can you generate new income streams? 

Do this and then come back here and give us some real numbers to work with. Facing your fears is an essential beginning point and it frees you to move to the next step. 

[Anonymous]

Also, read everything you can on here about goodwills and having old baddies removed.  It won't make you current on your mortgage, but if you could get even one or two of your old baddies removed, you could see a bump in your score and that could help in getting a place to rent.  Even removing one late payment from your record can make a huge difference.  You can't really create $$$ you don't have from thin air, but following the advice on this forum and working on your file can be the next best thing.  Hang in there -- you can do this!!