Hit 10 months without a single late payment after dropping out

I left school halfway through my sophomore year because I just couldn't afford it anymore (and honestly I was partying way too much). For the first few years I kept falling behind on everything, credit cards, my car loan, even my phone bill. Last January I finally sat down and looked at my bank statements from 2018 through 2020 and saw I paid like $600 in late fees alone. That was the moment I realized I was treating money like it would just fix itself, so I set up auto pay on everything and started rounding up every purchase to the nearest ten in my head. Ten months later I haven't missed a single due date and my credit score jumped from 540 to 680. Has anyone else had that gut punch moment where you see the exact number you wasted and it finally clicks?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmasmith7d ago

Did you see that study that came out recently about how seeing your own financial data laid out in front of you is way more effective than just getting advice? Sounds like you basically did that experiment on yourself. Auto pay really is a lifesaver though, I swear it's the only reason my bills get paid half the time.

janaw116d ago

Right? It's wild how seeing it in cold hard numbers just smacks you in the face different than someone telling you to save more. I started doing that thing where you log every purchase for a month and it was honestly humbling, I had no idea how much I was spending on random snacks and coffee. Auto pay takes that whole mental load off too, once it's set you don't have to think about it which is half the battle for me. Plus it helps with my credit score since nothing slips through the cracks anymore. The real trick is just removing the chance to mess it up yourself, because willpower only gets you so far.