Finances Feel Yummy
Posted on February 17, 2006 by Her and tagged debt
Lately we've been posting a lot about our prior mistakes and current hardships, and some readers have commented that our debt seems hopeless. I think this is worth some discussion. Money isn't just a number on a statement; it's also an emotional roller coaster. We're on the right track, we're reducing our debt, but there are times when all this positive action can get overshadowed by negativity, even for us. As with any difficult task I think it's important to keep sight of the big picture and stay positive. When I feel frustrated about our financial situation, it helps to remember the way principal and interest payments work. Every month we pay a little more principal and a little less interest. That means that next month will be better than this month, and on and on until all is right with our financial world. Ever watch Office Space, where Peter moans that every day is the new worst day of his life? Well, for us, every day is the new BEST day of our financial life! This has become something of a mantra for me. That's how we stay positive. How do you stay positive?
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hey - i like that! it is hard to stay positive sometimes. when i start feeling down i go looking for chateaux. i know it sounds silly but the dream of owning one keeps me motivated and gives me something tangible to strive for.
Anyone who thinks your situation is hopeless has a very skewed view of the world. And is probably a trust-fund baby, or still in the fourth grade.
Plenty of people finance every last dime of their education and wind up graduating into the real world in a far worse financial pit than the two of you are currently in--and even their situations are well above hopeless.
In the grand scheme of things, you guys really aren't doing that bad, and in another 5 years, you'll probably be way ahead of the game.
Kim | Feb 28, 2006
(Late commenting, must have missed this one)
Nothing is ever hopeless! It may take longer for you two to get out of debt than others but it's never hopeless. Nothing worthwhile in life is easy, right!
I track our debt on a spreadsheet. Right now it's just the HELOC and 2 credit cards because it's all we can focus on right now. I have a page that is just a nice view of the balances plus 2 other tabs with history and progress charts. It's fun to watch change every week/month when I have made another "good riddance to debt" payment!
Miserly Mistress | Feb 18, 2006
I keep a ticker (ticker factory.com) that counts down to the day when I'm debt free:
It's nice to see an the light at the tunnel.
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