Lots of work

It was getting a bot stressful when the projects starting rolling in from left and right yesterday. I knew I had a working weekend ahead of me! I started to feel a bit worried how I would be able to finish it all.

But, as always, I seem to work really well under medium-high stress. I sent Sarah to work with Ken so I could get the house to myself. And then it was like my keyboard was on fire! I managed to do two days of work in just 7 hours, but my hands are kind of sore.

I still have a bit to go with another project tomorrow, and more on Monday, but I know that it is all under control now. Nothing to worry about.

Normally I try not to work on the weekends, but I am on a mission to make as much money I can before the loan application is finished. I have a little credit card debt to pay off, and it feels pretty great knowing I am well on my way.

2010 is going to be the year when the only debt I have is the house mortgage(s) and my Swedish student loan... A nice feeling! Finally I will be able to save up a bit more and also travel more to Sweden!

It was tough between 2003 and 2008 since I was sick so much during these years. Hard to work and make money when you are in the hospital or just really sick at home. Plus, I had Sarah to take care off. Now when she is in school it is a lot easier to get stuff done. And I feel great too!

Unfortunately there is no sick pay when you are self employed, plus no money from the government when you are pregnant and have a child. No "barnbidrag"! So I often had to rely on credit card for essential purchases, especially when Sarah was just born.

Plus I never really took a hold on the situation and just paid off the cards. It was just not something I was able to start thinking about until just this year, which has been a fantastic year regarding work and health.

So that is my plan. No more credit card debt! It will hopefully be taken care of during next year, and I sure am going to enjoy the feeling of getting out from under those high interest cards. I actually use a free web site called www.CreditKarma.com. There I can monitor my credit score and my overall financial health. I can also run simulations to see what would happen to my credit score if I missed a credit card payment, paid off so and so much etc.

I also get the once annually free full credit report from www.AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only web site that you can (after a federal mandate) get access to your credit report from all three major credit bureaus in the US. You can log on once annual, and there is NO CHARGE.

If you live in the US, you should definitely do this, it is an important part of your life and it is worth keeping and eye on. Not to mention to watch for red flags that your identity have been used by someone else. But the Credit Karma is a good and free tool that I recommend as well. It makes me feel responsible and kind of excited on working to improve my credit rating, but I was happy to find out I was doing pretty good already!

Here in the US your credit score really make a difference. It can not only be your yes or no to buying that dream house or getting that car you want, it is actually often used to determine if you can rent an apartment or even get employment! So if you have no clue and live in the US, check these sites out. It is well worth it, and such an important part of your future!

At least I feel like I am more in control of my financial well being now...