Notes from Croft
Plain-English notes on paychecks, bills, credit-card timing and paying off debt.
Safe to pay
Croft's position: cash advance apps keep people short, and we want people off them for good. How the cost adds up, why the payback cycle repeats, and, if you use one, a step-down plan to $0.
6 min read
Safe to pay
Most kid costs aren't random. Sports seasons, camps, school costs and child care come on dates you can see coming. Here's how to spread them across your paychecks, a $900 example, what the same $900 costs on a 22% card, and what to do when a season doesn't fit.
8 min read
Safe to pay
Your bank balance isn't what you can spend. Here's the simple math for what's actually safe before your next paycheck, a worked example, and why the low point before payday matters most.
3 min read
Safe to pay
Pay in 4 can be a fair deal, or it can land in rent week and set off a bank fee. Here's when buy now, pay later helps, when it hurts, a quick checklist before you click, and how to plan each payment into your paychecks.
10 min read
Safe to pay
Not wanting to look at your bank balance is common, and it makes sense. Not looking doesn't make the worry go away, though. Here's why looking feels so hard, a simple 7-day plan for a first look, and kind words to say to yourself along the way.
10 min read
Bank safety
Usually yes, if you choose the app with care. Here's how a bank link works, what an app can and can't do with it, the rules that protect you, red flags to watch for, and how to see and turn off access any time.
10 min read
Debt payoff
A payday loan or cash-advance app gets you to the next paycheck, then takes a big bite out of it, so you borrow again. Here's the math on a $400 loan and a $100 app advance, why it's hard to stop, and the steps that get you out, one loan at a time.
10 min read
Irregular income
Paid by the hour, in tips, by the job or on commission? Plan on your lowest normal month, not your average. Fill a one-month cushion first, then send a share of every good month to your highest-rate debt. Here's the method, with a worked example on a $6,000 card.
11 min read
Debt payoff
A personal loan can replace expensive, open-ended card debt with a cheaper, fixed payoff. It only works if the payment fits your budget and you don't run the cards back up. Here's how to tell, with the math worked out on a $12,000 example and the alternatives worth checking first.
10 min read
Safe to pay
Take what's in checking, subtract every bill due before your next paycheck and a small cushion. What's left is the most you can safely pay. Then let a card absorb everyday spending and pay the most you can each payday.
7 min read
Debt payoff
If your current car can last and you carry card debt, save first: clear the 24% card, then buy with cash or a big down payment. If you need a car now for work, a short, low-APR loan with money down is fine, as long as the payment fits your paycheck.
6 min read
Debt payoff
A balance transfer helps when the fee is less than the interest you'd pay, you can clear the balance before the 0% rate ends, and you stop adding charges. Here's the math, with a $6,000 example and a $200-a-month case.
7 min read
Card timing
Yes, if you carry a balance. Most cards charge interest on your average daily balance, so paying the same amount right after payday instead of on the due date means less interest. Here's the math.
4 min read
Quick calculators that run in your browser. No sign-up.
Your balance, minus the bills due before payday, everyday spending and a cushion, checked day by day.
What a cash advance app adds up to over a few months: what you received and what you paid back.
