(photo: essence.com)

Today we tackle that holy grail we call credit.  Depending on who you talk to, we have to live with it but must learn to do without it.  Until you get to a point in your financial life where you can live on a No Credit Needed basis then you’ll need to pay special attention in this area.  We need credit to buy a home (in most areas), qualify to rent a home, qualify for a good rate on home and car insurance and a host of other life essentials where having a good score serves as the gatekeeper.

What Is Listed On Your Credit Report

• Name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and former addresses, current and former employers
• Credit accounts: date opened, date closed, credit limits and balances, monthly payments, payment history
• Public records: bankruptcy, liens, judgements
• Inquiries-Listing of companies that requested a copy of your report

How Long Information Stays On Your Credit Report

• Positive information — indefinitely
• Inquiries — 6 months to 2 years
• Negative information — 7 years
• Some bankruptcies — 10 years

Let’s Get A Copy Of Your Credit Report!

The following sites offer access to your credit report and scores FREE.  I try to stray away from promoting sites that only offer access to one score as that doesn’t help you in the long run.  You need access to all three scores in order to get a complete picture of what’s going on with our credit.  Credit Score + Credit Report= Complete Picture.

The following sites offer FREE access to your credit report and scores:

When you get a copy of your report, review and let it all soak in!  Don’t panic!  Tomorrow we’ll review how to improve your credit score and clean up the negative information listed on your report.

Consumerist called the Suze Orman Approved Card, “Cream of the Crap” and upon further investigation, that would be a compliment.

I am thrilled that media outlets like Fox Business are calling foul and shining a light on not only Suze’s reaction to the backlash, but to the insane number of fees and the apparent lies being told about the benefits of the card:

Many who have been long time fans of Suze will probably remember that she even warned against using prepaid debit cards in her book, Young Fabulous and Broke:

Yet, she touts her new card as doing the very things she warns against in the book.  Now do you see why there’s been such an outrage?

Since the Suze Orman Prepaid Debit Approved Card: DENIED article went live last week, many of you have asked about whether Suze’s card is a good idea.  In short, it isn’t and here’s why.

Excessive Fee Structure: 20 fees 

$36 in fees per year to start as the card comes with a $3/monthly account maintenance fee.

ABCNews.com does an awesome job of laying it out for us:

“By contrast, the American Express prepaid card doesn’t carry a monthly fee. Other prepaid cards, including the one by industry heavyweight Green Dot, give users ways to avoid the monthly fee, either by setting up direct deposit or making a certain number of transactions each month.

 

The ATM fees are another matter. The Approved card partners with the Allpoint ATM network, which has 35,000 machines nationwide in drug stores such as CVS, Walgreens and other retail locations. But customers using an Allpoint machine are still charged $2 per withdrawal, unless they set up direct deposit or a recurring bank transfer of $20 or more. Each transfer or deposit waives ATM fees for 30 days.

 

If cardholders use an out-of-network ATM, they’re charged $2 per withdrawal plus the ATM operator’s fee. In most cases, that would add up to $4 or $5 per withdrawal.

Then there are the more ancillary fees to consider. For example, cardholders can speak with a customer service representative once a month. But after that, each call costs $2. It’s free to pay bills electronically. Those who need to pay rent or another bill by paper check have to pay $1 per payment. A full list of fees can be found at http://theapprovedcard.com/fees .”

 

Here are the fees you should be aware of:

The card does not not help improve your credit.  Debit card transactions are not reported to the credit bureaus.

TNJ.com reminds us:

“What they are doing is for the next 18 to 24 months you will be paying them to be a guinea pig in their little experiment to see if they can find a way to tie prepaid debit card transactions to your credit. Four words for you Ms. Orman… IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. You know better than I know that prepaid cards are the same as cash purchases and FICO is primarily concerned with how you repay creditors, not how you spend your cash.”

The emergency fund option is pure fluff.  

There are other options that allow you to store your money without paying fees to store the money you need to use in the event of an emergency.   What’s more is that the people who this card is targeting probably have a hard time putting money away for emergencies.   Why encourage them to store it in an account that eats away at their emergency funds on a monthly and even daily basis.

All three reports and credit scores are available once a year via Annualcreditreport.com.

Furthermore, the score you get is a Vantage Score and not Suze’s own FICO scores that she promotes like pays for her teeth whitening sessions.  There’s also an identity theft protection option but if you’re monitoring your account regularly then you should be on top of this.  I personally use IdentityGuard.com and love it.  There’s also CreditKarma.com that allows you to get your credit score upon signup.  Also, remember that it is important to get all 3 credit scores from Equifax, Transunion and Experian, as lending institutions look at all 3, not only 1.

Admittedly, this card is primarily being marketed to the unbanked, those unable to get a checking account due to a history of mismanagement with past checking accounts.  However, there are alternatives:

ChexSystems Alternatives

JoinBankon.org

Bank On is an initiative which lists a coalition of banks that target the unbanked by showcasing banks that carry low or no fee checking accounts.

CreditUnions

Credit unions allow you to establish credit, and get access to debit cards but with no fees.  Check out  www.findacreditunion.com, www.creditunion.coop  or www.ncua.gov  to find a credit union in your area to join.

ChexAccount.com

About 80% of all banks in the US use ChexSystems to verify new bank accounts and for the unbanked that means being banned from most major banking institutions.  Chexaccount lists not only the banks but the states which have banks that do not use Chexsystems.  If this applies to you then take a minute to peruse their site to look into which banks in your area will allow you to open account without using Chexsystems.

Free List of Non ChexSystems Banks

Prepaid Debit Alternatives

If you must use a prepaid debit card then American Express’ debit card seems to be one that that has the least amount of fees.  In fact, they have one fee which is the ATM debit fee which seems reasonable.  Here are the benefits of the AMEX prepaid debit card:

What are your thoughts on the new Approved Card from Suze Orman? Would you use? Why? Why not? I promise you, with all the backlash Suze and her PR team are reading so be sure to sound off and let her know (pros and cons) where you stand.

(featured photo: amodernquest.com†)

Suze Orman has really lost my respect with her latest stunt.  Now she’s come up with a pre-paid debit that seems to do more harm than good.  We’ve all seen the Rush card and maybe you know that the Kardashians came out with their “Kard” which eventually got run out of town.  For heaven’s sake, I even remember Suze telling them to do away with it.

“KIM there is no reason for you to SKIM them kids- shame shame shame.  Come on gals, pul (sic) it off the market and put your name or image on something that is great.”

Hypocritical much Suze?

I would go into my own extended diatribe about this but let’s take a look at what others have said about her new moneymaker:

Suze Orman Defends Prepaid Card As ‘Just Another Financial Tool’

“Orman’s Approved card has a pretty low basic fee structure as long as you regularly deposit money onto the card and use one of the over 35,000 ATMs AllPoint has nationwide,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, the CEO of card comparison website CardHub.com. “However, there’s a fee floor, so to speak, which means this card will always cost you something.” Some cards, including one from GreenDot, are free to use if certain types of payments, like a paycheck, are directly deposited onto it.

 

With the Approved card, fees are assessed when the customer loads the card with money; the minimum amount to place on a card is $20. Electronic transfers and direct deposits are free, but consumers cannot post the amount of a paper check onto the card. Loading cash onto the card costs from $3.50 to $4.95 because customers must rely on MoneyGram or Western Union to transfer the funds.

 

Yet for the millions of Americans who cannot afford or simply don’t use traditional branch banking, the card offers a viable alternative to that other form of plastic — namely a credit card. Approved also comes at a time when credit card companies are ramping up offers to spur consumer spending again.

 

Approved! Suze Orman offers prepaid card

So this card has to be fee-free, right? Wrong. Simply purchasing Orman’s Approved Card costs $3. Then, there’s a monthly fee of $3, but the good news is the first month’s fee is waived. The card is associated with ATMs in the Allpoint network, which has about 37,000 machines nationwide, and costs $2 per transaction, $1 to check a balance and another $1 if the card is declined by the ATM. Customers can avoid these fees, however, by making a direct deposit or bank transfer of at least $20 a month. One more note — loading cash onto the card costs from $3.50 to $4.95 because customers must rely on MoneyGram or Western Union to transfer the funds.

 

Out-of-network ATM withdrawals will always cost $2, plus any extra fees charged by the ATM’s operator, and in order to do a cash-back transaction at a store or retailer, you’ll have to pay $2 each time. Got a question for the bank? You get one free call to a live customer service agent per month, but any call after that will cost $2. And if you still like receiving those traditional paper statements, that’ll cost you another $2 per statement. Replacing your Approved Card will cost $3.

What We Need from Suze Orman Instead of Another Celebrity-Endorsed Useless Prepaid Debit Card

By definition, debit and prepaid spending should not be on your credit report. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in la la land. But does that stop Suze from using the credit project thing as a selling point? Nope. In her interview with Huffington Post, she says,

“Middle-class Americans…don’t want a credit card in their wallet because don’t want ability to get themselves into trouble again,” she said. “The problem with that is if you spend money on debit or cash, it doesn’t report to the credit bureaus so it doesn’t give you a FICO score.” “I wanted to create (a scenario) where people who pay with debit and cash are rewarded…”

This card will not help your credit score or report. Don’t take my word for it. In this interview with Fox Business, Jon Ulzheimer points out that the fine print from the Approved Card site:

“The information we share with TransUnion concerning your Approved Card account will not appear in your credit report.”

Suze Orman’s Pre-Paid Debit Card Labeled “Cream Of The Crap”

“At the end of the day, it’s still $36 a year to have access to your own money,” added Ulzheimer. “I can go to a credit union tomorrow, stick five dollars in an account, open an account, get a debit card and it’s going to cost me the grand total of nothing.”

 

As you can see, I’m not the only one puzzled by Suze’s latest move.  Suze has totally lost my respect and while I wish her well, I do hope that she reconsiders this latest offering.  This is likely to be a PR nightmare for her brand should her audience and the media push for the product to change as they did with Verizon, GoDaddy, Netflix and Bank of America.

Oh, and Suze’s reaction to the blowback? Less than graceful, in fact it was the nightmare I predicted and she only stirred the ire of the same bloggers she has at one time or another recruited to push her products and brand.

20andEngaged has the full blow by blow with screenshots from all sides engaged in tonight’s virtual scuffle so go take a look and see for yourself!

If you disagree with Suze’s new pre-paid debit card, why don’t you do her a favor and tweet your disgust to @suzeormanshow?  She seems to think that smart people agree with her and we beg to differ.

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Wells Fargo.

—————-

Wells Fargo mailed out notices in December to their customers informing them of the intent to remove the right to become a party to any class-action lawsuit or even sue the bank themselves should they continue as a customer after February 15, 2012. Any and all disputes would be mediated through a binding arbitration process after February 15, 2012. This is possibly due to Wells Fargo facing multibillion dollar class action lawsuits by customers as a result of deceptive and fraudulent banking practices: http://www.examiner.com/libertarian-in-long-island/wells-fargo-faces-multibillion-dollar-class-action-lawsuit.

This move by Wells Fargo to utilize arbitration favors the business over the individual as arbitration is a business and if they rule in favor of the corporation, then that corporation will more than likely bring more business to the arbitrator.

Consumerism Commentary notes the following when flushing out the expenses, fees and potential rewards for the bank and customer:

“A consumer initiating arbitration through the American Arbitration Association, the administer Wells Fargo identifies in its new terms, would be subject to fees, such as:

$250 for telephone consultation if the claim is less than $75,000, higher otherwise
$750 for in-person consultation of the claim is less than $75,000, higher otherwise
Up to $125 in additional fees if the claim is less than $10,000, up to $375 if the claim is less than $75,000, higher otherwise

The business would be subject to fees higher than those listed above for the consumer, but the total expense for a corporation could still be considerably less than dealing with a lawsuit. Not every arbitration organization follows the same pattern for fees, though. In some cases, the consumer could spend more money initiating arbitration than filing his or her own suit.”

The American people deserve to bank with an institution that keeps their rights top of mind while operating in a manner which demands integrity and transparency. After all, the American people did bail Wells Fargo out during a time of economic uncertainty. Removing the customer’s ability to have their cases heard in a court of law is a slap in the face to the American people.

We are petitioning Wells Fargo to do the right thing and give their current and new customers a fair chance in a court of law should a conflict arise. If Wells Fargo does not change this impending policy by February 15th, then we are urging all current Wells Fargo customers to move their money to a bank which respects their right to have the option to take their issues to a court of law where they will have the case heard by a judge or jury of their peers.

Sign The Petition Today

If you’re like many consumers, you’re mad as hell about the big banks charging monthly fees for the privilege of using your debit card!  Due to a new law which cuts the fee that banks charge merchants from 44 to 21 cents, this results in a loss of around 16-19 billion in revenue.  So who do you think the banks are looking to in order to help recoup some of those losses?  You. Me.  Anyone who uses a debit card.

Bank of America leads the way with a $5 monthly fee during any month that consumers use their debit cards to make a purchase.  Note that this fee is in addition to any other account maintenance fees.  For example, with a certain basic BOA account, if one does not maintain a $1500 balance (average) then the fee is $12.

Your bank may not charge you fees now, you can pretty much expect them to fall in line with this new practice.

What Can I do About It?

Beat The Banks At Their Own Game: Use a Credit Card

This sounds counterintuitive and perhaps even risky, but, if used carefully you can use the banks money for FREE without paying a red cent in interest or fees.  Take a credit card with a zero balance and a high enough limit and place all of your monthly purchases on it.  This can be bills and/or routine daily purchases.

During this time, you have to make certain that you are putting aside the funds needed to pay the bill at the end of the month! This is a must and if you aren’t disciplined enough to do this, stop reading and move to the next alternative.  A few days before the billing period comes to an end, pay the bill!  All of it!  This way you don’t carry a balance and aren’t charged interest and fees on your credit or debit card.

Join A Credit Union

Credit Unions typically have specialized membership criteria so check to see if you qualify.  Their overall rates are often better and you feel less like a number so the service is often personalized and tailored to your needs.  Check out http://www.findacreditunion.com/ to find one near you!

Move Your Money To A New Bank

Move Your Money Project is a nonprofit campaign that encourages individuals and institutions to divest from the nation’s largest Wall Street banks and move to local financial institutions…. Use their bank-finding tools to find a new local bank or credit union that will give you personalized service, lower rates and fees and on average, contributes more to your local economy.

Cash Is King

Some of us joke that we need to go back to putting our cash under the mattress, well maybe a safe deposit, fire proofed box but you get my drift!  At least you won’t be paying to store or use your own money.

Bank Recommendations 

• ING Direct
• USAA
• Ally Bank
• Capitol One
• Schwab Bank- Schwab also offers zero-fee checking accounts, and reimburses all ATM fees

Check out other Internet banks if you aren’t tied to needing to go into a brick and mortar bank on a regular basis.

As of this writing on October 3, 2011, the following chart from MyBankTracker.com details the fee status of some major banks:

Debit Card Fee Status of Largest U.S. Banks

Do you know if your bank will begin charging new debit card fees? What are you planning to do about it?

I have had it with TD Bank after only signing up 3 months ago I am closing out my account and keeping my money else where.

Never have I dealt with a bank that has been so incredibly rude, deceptive and fraudulent in my dealings in my years on this earth.

I just happened to call in to check my account over the weekend and realized that i was charged $175 in fees!!

I call up to TD Bank only to realize that they enrolled me in some debit advance feature which fronts the money but charges you $35 for each transaction over the limit regardless of the amount!  Knowing about this practice, I initially asked the representative when signing up not to enroll me and to opt me out of this program because if the money isn’t in the account I don’t want the card to go through, it should just be declined.

She stated that she would do so.  We completed the sign up process and I went on my way.

Over the course of the month I would call in to make sure that I had the available funds in the account to make purchases.  Once confirmed I went ahead and now all of a sudden, the money was never in the account??  Other issues like depositing cash and not having it post until the next day causing even more fees to be assessed!

Fast forward to today when I realize that my account is over the limit and I call in to realize that she never opted me out of this program.  One representative agreed to remove $105 but I then asked her to let me speak with her supervisor who then told me he would only remove $70.  He was rude and condescending to me on the phone stating that he had no proof that I was never given the deposit agreement and that he felt that $70 was fair. o_O

So I did what any pissed off customer would do: I  joined People Against TD Bank, I Hate TD Bank to find others in my situation and filed a complaint with Bank-Overdraft.com and  HelpWith MyBank.Gov I was also told to call the branch manager to rectify the situation further and have yet to hear back from them.

What I do know is that I am pulling my money from TD Bank because they are not worth the hassle.  Sure, their store employees have been generally pleasant to deal with but I can’t deal with their sketchy practices which are documented all over the People Against TD Bank and I Hate TD Bank! Facebook page:

I have been charged overdraft fees so many times because of how TD re-orders your ATM card transactions before they post. After going to the bank today to find that my account was negative $240 with fees, I have finally had enough and closed my account. This is so wrong and seemingly illegal. I can’t believe this has been happening to so many people and is still going on. Amd here I thought I was the only one

Everyone make sure you opt out of the Debit Card Advance!!!! This will prevent 95% of all overdraft fees which they call a ‘courtesy’. Such scam artists…

fees and they hide so they can charge you $35 then they try to act like it your fault…….big time crooks!!!

Good Job to who ever created this page. I AM CLOSING MY ACCOUNT WITH TD BANK TODAY!!! Their customer service used to be great. I loved everyone who answered the phone and who I came in contact with at the branches but lately, I am always on verge of going postal at every branch I enter. How the hell is something “pending” and no longer available to me but I still get charged fees for transactions that is already pending?!! To add insult to injury, these animals act like they are doing you a favor??!! If I had the money available, how the hell did you pay on the same pending transaction? BullSh*t!!

Hello,
Would anyone like to (or CAN we even) launch a complaint with the Federal Government AGAINST TD Bank? This “bank” is the most despicable, usurious group imaginable!! Since the “NA” (National Association) comes after their name, they are Federally Chartered, so we can go after them on a national (not just state) level. If there is ALREADY a COMPLAINT FILED, how do I join it?
Thank You

TD Debit Card Advance is different from other forms of overdraft coverage in that it does not transfer funds from an approved line of credit, savings account, or home equity line of credit. Transactions will not be processed in the order in which they occurred. The order in which they are processed may affect the total amount of overdraft fees incurred.

I submitted my case to join the TD BANK national class action lawsuit and if you’ve had similar experiences them you should too.

Watch:

photo credit: Mariano Kamp

Borrowers may seem like the victims in the recent financial crisis, but low interest rates and higher FDIC premiums mean savers are paying for it.

Based on all the news of mortgage foreclosures and credit card defaults, you might think this is an especially tough time to be a borrower. Indeed, lending standards have gotten tougher, and many people have seen their credit card rates skyrocket. Still, the people I feel sorry for are not the borrowers, but the savers.

Let’s say you are one of the millions of Americans who do the right things with their money. You pay your bills and you’ve set aside some money in a savings or investment account. What do you get for your reward? CD rates that have never been lower.

This is no accident. Interest rates tend to fall during a recession, and of course, we have got more than your standard recession going here. Beyond that, though, the government has taken extraordinary steps to drive interest rates down. This is both to stimulate the economy and to bail out borrowers who are in over their heads.

To add insult to injury, higher FDIC deposit premiums are going to have to come from somewhere–you don’t think the banks are just going to eat them, do you? So that will be another quiet little chip out of your deposit interest rates. Never mind that no bank ever went broke because somebody deposited money into it!

Somehow, borrowers have gotten painted as the victims in all this, but when you think about it, the real victims are the savers. They didn’t contribute to the financial mess, but they paying to clean it up.

Now, if you are a saver–and I’m one of you as well–I can offer a couple pieces of good news before you start grinding your teeth too hard.

First of all, in order to get capital flowing again, banks need depositors, and some are offering interest rates well above the national averages in order to attract them. You just have to be a smart shopper and find the most competitive rates.

Second, the spate of deflation we’ve seen lately is good for savers. Falling prices mean that every dollar has more purchasing power. It also means those low interest rates are worth more than they seem. Better to have a 2% interest rate with prices declining by 1% a year, than a 5% interest rate when inflation is 4%. Now, history shows us that deflation is a very rare state of affairs, but enjoy it while it lasts–it means you may be wealthier than you think.

Richard Barrington is a freelance writer and novelist who previously spent over twenty years as an investment industry executive. He is the primary spokesperson for MoneyRates.com. He has written for over 50 financial Web sites, such as Investopedia, Yahoo, MSN, Allbusiness, and Encarta. Richard has been quoted by numerous media publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, SmartMoney.com and US News and World Report.

Yesterday I received an email stating that I’d just transferred $1649.00 to Lenovo.com.  I didn’t and immediately got off the phone with a client to call Paypal and then my bank.  Both stated they wouldn’t be able to help me until the pending authorization cleared or was terminated. It turns out the bank had been calling me all afternoon because the security team flagged the transaction.  I thought it had to do with my new debit card coming in the mail.  I was wrong.

I use a small credit union and 80% of the time I get the same person, Chris, when I call there.  When he picked up I felt like a huge sense of relief!  He offered me the option to block any charges from Paypal which would cost me $20 OR I could shut down the account and open a new one.  I was reluctant to do this because I have several ACH transactions coming out each week and it would’ve been a hassle to close the account and reset all of my bill pay accounts.  I would have been open to closing the account if really came down to it but my mom is still on this account.  I have had this account since college and she’s been on it ever since, I just never bothered to take her off.  Don’t worry she isn’t calling into the bank and snooping on our money LOL but I just never bothered to have her sign the papers and take her off.  And, if I wanted to close the account to thwart the thieves then I’d need to go to NY, have her sign it, get it notarized, do the same for my husband and I and then get the account closed.  So, that wasn’t going to happen, not with time passing and the authorization about to clear.

Talk about PISSED.

Paypal can’t stop the authorization before it clears and my bank at best could do some sort of ACH block to stop the payment from being taken from my account.  But they didn’t even see the authorization as pending on my account which made the situation even more frustrating.

I called Lenovo.com directly thinking this is my last resort because I was steaming hot pissy mad at this point.  After a few calls I got their customer service/billing department on the phone and reported what had happened.  The rep who handled the situation was really kind and understanding so I appreciate her empathizing because I was HOT!  She pulled up the order and said person ordered a SERVER and planned to have it shipped to TEXAS but using my contact and billing information.  She gave me the order info and customer number then transferred me to the department authorized to cancel the transaction.

The rep who ended up canceling the transaction had all these questions for me as if it was so damn impossible for someone’s Paypal account to get hacked.  Im like, dude STFU and cancel the transaction or I will have your company up on fraud charges once I sign this affidavidt.  Don’t play with my money.  I quoted and read from the several search results about Lenovo’s history of charging people for items they never ordered.  Save that $hit for someone who gives a f8ck and research it yourself.  Cancel the order, terminate the authorization and I will be on my merry way.

He did.

I called back late last night to confirm with another rep and said transaction had been canceled with the authorization terminated.

Still, I will be checking my account through Friday to make sure no random authorizations are placed and checking all transactions.  Since using Rudder I’ve been rather anal in checking my account daily to assign bills that have bee paid but I am lucky because my clients canceled yesterday and had they not I wouldn’t have noticed the email from Paypal until late last night.

Next steps?  Since I feel so open and vulnerable there’s no telling what other financial information these folks have on me since they logged into my Paypal account from Georgia per Paypal’s security team.  I’m thinking that I need to add the MyFico Credit alerts to my account and continue to check my bank account.  I also plan to call my bank and Paypal to see about fraud charges against the person in Texas and the person who logged into my account from Georgia.  The last thing anyone should do is mess with my money.  I am not the one.

What would your next steps be at this point?

Losing my debit card usually means a frantic call to my bank to have it replaced and then a planned trip to the branch to re-pin the code so that I don’t forget the one they send me.  Not this time around.

About three weeks ago the man went to the ATM to get cash to pay the housekeeper.  He came back, put the money on the night stand while I was asleep, but uhmm no debit card.  Long story but there are two cards for the same account, but he can’t use the ATM because he forgot the pin they sent him.  So he uses mine for cash withdrawals until he can get to the branch to re-pin his code.

Ok, so we realize that he left the card in the Wachovia branch ATM about 2 days later, go into the branch and the branch manager tells us that it’s there but she can’t give it back.  Fine, I knew this would be the case since this isnt the first time I’ve had an ATM machine eat my debit card.  But it’s actually not that bad.  This has been a blessing in disguise for the following reasons:

1.  I’m not able to make random cash withdrawals from the ATM.  We have only made trips to deposit money/checks.

2.  No haphazard trips to the grocery store and no eating out unless it’s with the cash we already have on hand.  I see my clients in different locations so I’ve been forced to bring lunch or run home in between appointments.  Without a debit card I’m not going to Starbucks, stopping at my gym’s cafe, health food store/Whole Foods to browse and any other random nonsense I used to do when bored until my next client appointment.

3.  No online shopping with the exception of sites that have Paypal.  That’s still the debil but I’ve been good.  No shopping.  It feels so good to say that!

4.  If I really really need something, I’ve had to and can call hubby to get it done over the phone or swing by his job to get the card from him.  And since that’s a pain in the arse, not having a card has really made me focus on my financial priorities rather than unscheduled issues that may come up.

Not having the debit card IN MY HAND has worked out wonderfully.

Ahh but yes one is on it’s way to my house because I don’t want to be without one for much longer LOL.  Still, this warrants a few changes which may help with increased financial awareness on my part.  You see, even though I write about personal finance here, I still struggle with certain aspects of it in my own life.  Im not here to pretend like it’s all rosey, it aint.  I still like to shop but the last three weeks have been an eye opener.  Ive been forced to really really determine what are priorities vs what can wait.  When looking over my purchases and category spending, random ATM withdrawals, eating out and online shopping tend to be our budget’s downfall.

So I’m toying with not carrying a debit card and only using cash for things like groceries and eating out.  We are in the final stretch of paying off close to $30k in consumer debt (post about that coming up) and we’ve really reigned in our spending.  Especially since finding Rudder but again, that’s another post.

What about you?  Have you had something that was seemingly a disaster turn out to be a blessing in disguise?