We have been at this thing called "Getting out of debt" for 14 1/2 months. We started out at a whopping $59,063.20 and, as of last week our current balance 10/15/09: $27,643.19.
It is hard to believe we have paid of $31,420.01 in what seems like a pretty short period of time looking back..but - boy- hasn't always been easy! And, quite frankly- it seems like a long way to go! But, month by month, a thousand at a time, we continue to see progress. We continue to be inspired to press on..and we continue to watch our money.
I think the hard part, right now, is that we feel like we have been doing this forever and we have a long way to go...and then when we get the debt paid off, that extra money goes to fund retirement accounts, college, and then start paying on the house..so you never really get this "windfall" of cash that you get to start throwing your money around...and I guess that is the lesson in all this. Being fiscally responsible, or as I like to call it "Being a Fiscal Grown-Up" is a committment you make for the rest of your life...not just to get out of debt...for the rest of our lives we will be budgeting, saving, making trade-off's. But, oh how sweet when we hit retirement age, have a couple million in the bank and can really LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE! Now- I'm motivated!
Go get 'em!!
I agree -- I wanna have my cake and eat it, too! But it will be worth it. What is the alternative, anyway? It's not like it was ever my money... Plus, somehow when you start to do the right thing with money, money seems to come your way...! ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, you'll be better off than us. There's no way we'll have a couple million in the bank by retirement age. However, we will have some money because we sure don't want to count on social security!
ReplyDeleteI love that "fiscal grownup" name. I have some friends and when we go shopping they buy clothes and stuff and I don't (usually) but it's o.k. I also don't have to pay their bills, lol!