SparkPoints: (525)
Fitness Minutes: (39)
Posts: 9
3/26/13 4:33 P

Hi!! I am Bridget and I am a 29 year old wife and mother of 2. My husband is in sales and I am currently unemployed. :( Unfortunately!! We are neck high in debt and my waist is too thick!! LOL So here I am!! :)

Pounds lost: 2.0

0 5.25 10.5 15.75

21

SparkPoints: (31,682)
Fitness Minutes: (38,651)
Posts: 4,694
2/15/13 5:38 A

high my name is joanne i am 50ish married over 20 years two teen age kids. I work as an auditor in a large company . my husband is a printer who keeps getting his hrs cut by days . Me and my daughter both have pacemakers hers at age 4 mine at 45 . my son has crohns collitius, and my husband had both hands done with carpal tunnel surgery this year. we can seem to get by . so i am hoping to get ideas here. I am an optimist and believe that hard works gets you places , but i would like t get there sooner lol

current weight: 154.0

160 153.75 147.5 141.25

135

SparkPoints: (3,092)
Fitness Minutes: (1,844)
Posts: 9
12/11/12 2:48 P

Hey everyone, I'm Erin and I'm a 27 year old aspiring circus performer. I'm a classically trained actor and unfortunately the conservatory I went to put me in a lot of debt...and then I was trying to make a living as an actor, and that put me in even more debt. My debt isn't from buying a bunch of stuff I don't need, but rather just trying to support myself and my cats. I have a well paying job now, but not only is the financial damage done, but I'm also spending a lot of money on circus training (which giving up isn't an option). I hate my job and I can't see myself staying there long term because I'm still stuck on the idea that one day I will have a job I like.

Every time I seem to get ahead on the financial front something seems to happen. My special needs cat gets sick again. Something breaks on my car. My job cuts my hours. The most recent straw to break the camels back was my car's transmission going out, forcing me to make the difficult decision of buying a new car. I had to borrow money and spend all my savings for a down payment just to have piece of mind that my car will not die. I live 30 miles from work with no public transportation options.

This happened a month ago and it sent me into a depressed, downhill spiral of little exercise and eating pizza every day. I'm getting the food and exercise under control, but I have no idea how to get back on track with the rest of my life. I was planning on moving across country next year for better circus training and now all I see is debt, clutter, fat, and my dreams slipping away.

I honestly didn't mean for this to be so long, but that's my story and I'm hoping this group can help me get my life back.

current weight: 130.4

133 129.75 126.5 123.25

120

Posts: 24
9/17/12 1:15 P

Hi my name is Mary! I'm a preschool teacher. It was just recently I realized that my issues with money and food go hand in hand right now. I'm trying to tackle them both as I also finish school and work on some other goals. At times it becomes pretty tough but in the last 2 or 3 years I've been able to pay off 2 credit cards hoping to have 2 more paid off in the next 6 months leaving 2 more credit cards to pay off. I want to get rid of all the debt before I get married (I'm not dating yet) but I know that will come in time but debt isn't anything I want to bring to the table.

current weight: 333.2

373 325.75 278.5 231.25

184

Posts: 42
7/17/12 3:16 P

Hello all of new new Debt Haven friends,

I just joined sparkpeople yesterday. When I turned 40 last October - I realized that all the money in was equal to all the money out. So I developed a 5-YEAR PLAN. This plan will enable me to pay off all my debts (well honestly it might be more of a 6 year plan due to my husband's getting hurt at work and my extended family moving out of my basement). But health and happiness are equally important to me. I had joined another forum for frugality. I have posted my progress there. I am making amazing progress. I had a total of 8 debts in october of 2011 and I'm now down to 4.

One week ago I realized that I needed to take the same strength that I was applying to my 5-YEAR PLAN and also work towards OPTIMAL HEALTH. This is what brought me to sparkpeople, and image my surprise that there is a fiscal fitness area. So I wanted to introduce myself and say hey.

current weight: 227.5

227.5 203.125 178.75 154.375

130

Posts: 786
7/15/12 12:10 P

Hello! My name is Christina. I'm a 5th grade teacher, which in itself, doesn't pay much, while my husband was not renewed as a para for the upcoming year. Money has always been an issue for the both of us, but in the past few years we've been trying to take steps in reducing our bills. Although we've done this, it's the past that has us picking up the pieces & trying to catch up. We weren't always good with money. It's to the point where we cannot pay all of our bills, some months. My husband has narcolepsy & this impacts his working, but is difficult to apply for disability. Luckily we don't have any kids that rely on us for now, but hoping to get pregnant within the next year or 2. Hoping this will help a little.

current weight: 220.2

223 209.75 196.5 183.25

170

SparkPoints: (50,023)
Fitness Minutes: (27,567)
Posts: 1,145
6/19/12 10:31 A

hello, i'm jessica. i have been on this never ending cycle of paying of my credit card, then racking up charges again, then paying off, etc. my husband doesn't have a permanent full time job yet (laid off march 2011), so i really don't need to be spending $. i see all these good deals, know my # by heart and realize after i made the purchase that i didn't need to. i am the only one working a permanent job right now, and i am the only one contributing to our house fund every month for our mortgage. so, i am stressed that we will be kicked outta our house (even though we would really LOVE to move now into a smaller place). i know that there are many things i don't have any control over, but i would LOVE to feel more financially stable and be able to keep my credit card paid off permanently. and no, getting rid of it isn't an option. LOL

May SparkPoints: 1,366

0 193.75 387.5 581.25

775

Posts: 5
6/6/12 10:40 P

Hi guys! I am Mae. I am kind of new here.....I registered a year or so ago, and have just now found my way back. Not only do I have pounds to lose but also debt. My hubby and I have been through some major life changes recently. I was a stay at home mom for 9 years, but recently I had to go to work due to my dh losing half his pay every week. With everything we owed, we had to file bankruptcy. We are now trying to learn from our mistakes, and stick to a budget.

SparkPoints: (3,703)
Fitness Minutes: (468)
Posts: 5
5/16/12 8:15 A

New to this team! I 'm a 40 year old mother of 3 putting my retired military husband thru college. I'm the only one working and seem to carry the debt we are in everywhere with me. I want to pay off everything so as to not feel trapped in my current occupation. I'm setting a goal of paying off everything to make it possible to have options. My initial goals are to get rid of anything in my house that has the potential to be yard saled and buy no new clothing for myself at least till December. (I work in an office environment so suits are part of my wardrobe everyday) , I take lunch everyday and no longer go to Starbucks a couple days a week. Happy to Joing this team and looking forward to seeing a light at the end of this tunnel!

Pounds lost: 4.2

0 12.5 25 37.5

50

Posts: 332
4/9/12 11:33 A

HI my name is Ruth. I joined Sparkpeople a few years back and still have been struggling with weight loss. I am also in debt and have put myself on a budget to try and get my bills under control. Hopefully by following my plans I should be where I want to be weight wise by October and moneywise in 28 months.

Posts: 30
3/14/12 1:16 A

Hi my name is Carrie and I would like to join this group. I am in Debt he!! right now. It can be very stressful and I react by eating. I know eating will not fix my main sewer line to my home, nor will eating fix my delapated garage. Eating will not stop anything, it just makes me get further away from my goals. I am working on setting some goals in saving. I am glad I found this team.

Posts: 1,664
1/5/12 5:10 P

Posts: 9,751
1/5/12 4:43 P

Message from TONING4LIFE:

My name is Debbie and just joined the group today. 2012 is going to be a great year!! When I found this SparkTeam page, I knew that it would be important for me to join. I realized last year that my being overweight relates to my being in debt. I tend to hang on to the things I really don't need or can't wear anymore (clothes that I might fit back into when I lose weight...) and then buy new things when I feel bad about my self image causing me to spend too much money. I've noticed a vicious cycle and neither my excess weight nor my indebtedness is going away. So I decided that this year I would do things differently. I decided to live each day to it's fullest meaning that I'm not going to look back at the past what I did or didn't accomplish. I seem to stay stuck in the same way of thinking and that hasn't done me any good. And I am not going to look too far into the future. I know there are good things to planning, but when that consumes my day and that's all I ever do, then that is not beneficial either. So, I'm living in the day and aiming for a healthy balance in every area of my day! I worked out a monthly and weekly budget for my finances and I'm using SparkPeople to help me with my nutrition and fitness goals. So, here goes to a great beginning of 2012!!!

(had been placed in the wrong folder)

Pounds lost: 37.8

0 27.5 55 82.5

110