Money... or Lack Thereof

Originally posted on December 20/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


If anyone has been trying to call me lately and has been getting the answering machine, I apologize. Really, I do. But see, I have to screen calls these days. Too many credit cards too far behind means too many phone calls from people looking for their money. Too bad we don't make enough to pay them...

Yes, we've made mistakes. No, we don't spend our income on booze, cigarettes, gambling, or even on clothes. In fact, the only big luxury we spend our money on is the car, and with the bus schedules the way they are, that's a necessity, too. No, our current troubles came from a "series of unfortunate events" (thanks, Mr. Snickett), starting with my Depression. The Great Depression- or one of them, anyway- caused me to have to leave my job less than a year after we got married. Some of our groceries had to go on our first credit card until I got another job; unemployment benefits don't pay what working does, even if you were just barely getting by when you were employed. I was back to work 4 or 5 months later, and we tried to get stuff paid off, but the money just wasn't there. Then came the news we'd been waiting for since the wedding- we were going to be able to move to Newfoundland. AJ was hired as Assistant Manager for the new store in Mount Pearl. Hooray! But oops- the company wasn't going to pay for the move. If we waited, we might never get back, so out came the credit cards once again. It was expensive- a drive half-way across the country in a car and a gas-guzzling U-Haul, with two nights in motels, plus food for three.

Oh, and did I neglect to mention that we found out that I was pregnant just a few weeks before the move? Yep. BIG surprise! Good news... bad timing. What effect did that have on our current situation? Oh, not much... except that I had to go on maternity leave early because of health problems, and I didn't start getting my benefits for almost 2 months after I stopped getting paycheques. Except for the fact that maternity/parental leave benefits don't pay any more than unemployment, so once again, groceries were going to have to go on the credit cards.

And just one other, little thing: A month after we moved, the car got stolen. It was eventually recovered, but it was in quite a state; we got $100 for it at a scrap yard. By then we'd already bought a used Focus, anyway- great car, reliable, safe for the baby... but an extra $250 a month in payments.

I'm back to work now, but only part-time. If I went full-time, I'd actually be bringing less money home every week because daycare is too expensive- and retail pays bugger-all. The credit cards are maxed out, and we can't afford groceries AND the minimum payments.

At least we're happy, if not just the teeniest bit stressed out.

Oh, and in case you're wondering why we don't get a line of credit at the bank in order to consolidate our loans? We tried. Too bad we've been in overdraft for over a year, and for some reason the bank considers us a bad risk. Weird, eh? So we've done the only thing short of declaring bankruptcy that seems like an option at this point: we went in for credit counselling. I know, this can be a good thing or a bad thing, but the company we're dealing with is a reputable non-profit organization. They're talking to all of our creditors, getting interest rates reduced and working out a payment schedule whereby we pay them a certain amount (that we can afford to pay and still eat) each month, which they distribute amongst the creditors. Yeah, our credit rating will be shite for 2 years after we finish paying them off (so about 7 years), but that's the thing: it'll be PAID OFF. The alternative is to not be able to make even the minimum payments and still have a crappy credit report in 7 years, but still be up to our ears in debt. It's not the best situation, but it seemed like the most responsible thing to do. We're paying what we owe, even if it's going to take longer than we wanted it to.

So that's why I'm not answering the phone. Soon the creditors will all be talking to "our guy," and I'll be able to pick up the phone when it rings, not afraid of someone calling from collections. Won't that be nice?

Talk to you soon!