Monkey OFF My Back = DEBT FREE!!!
WE DID IT! We are credit card debt free! It took ten months and let’s just say it was enough consumer debt that could have afforded us any of the following:
- Go to New Zealand (my dream!!) for our 11th wedding anniversary.
- See the Sistine Chapel in Italy, 4 times.
- Walk along the Great Wall of China, 2 times.
- Take the kids to Hawaii, 3 times.
- Take the family on an Alaskan cruise, 4 times.
- Pay for more than half the cost of a new minivan, to haul the kids around town in luxury.
- Take the kids to Disney World for a week or two, 3 times.
- Buy a couple of extra large flat panel LCD TVs.
- Install travertine floors, new vanities and redo the kitchen cabinetry.
- Pay for 3/4 of the cost of finishing our basement.
- Set aside partial college tuition for my children.
- Buy the diamond ring I promised my mother, when I was 5.
Three months ago I wrote the following:
“As I read this list, I see that I’ve sacrificed my dreams (New Zealand,) and the worst is knowing that there is still debt to pay. It makes me want to vomit. We are paying dearly for the foolish mistakes and impulse buys we made over the last ten years. Yes, hindsight is 20/20 and the shoulda-coulda-woulda monster is not helpful in moving forward. But I mention this experience in the hopes that if my children read this someday, I want to teach them that there is absolutely nothing, NOTHING, worth purchasing on credit. You want some airline mileage, or some rewards incentives? Save your money and buy it with cash. Nothing is free in this world. Even if you’re disciplined enough to actually pay off your credit card (I only know 3 people who are disciplined enough to do it; my mom, my sister, and my friend Michelle,) think of the time you’ve spent budgeting to make sure it all comes out even. My sister and I determined long ago that our time is worth too much to sacrifice.”
As I read this, I sense the anger, frustration and despair in my tone. However, after following Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover plan, we are no longer slaves to credit card bondage. It has taken great courage at times, to stand resolutely in a crowd of neighbors who say, “Looks like it’s time for you to get a minivan; you should get one like ours…blah blah blah.” and I unashamedly respond, “yes, when it’s within my budget.” (Although on the inside I think, that’s really none of your damn business, you jackass who put your van on a home equity loan.) And it has taken a tremendous amount of discipline. Discipline to say no when friends urge me to go out, to not buy when I really want to, to pay off debt instead of spending it on something. But ten months ago we set a goal and we accomplished it. I’m proud of our commitment, discipline, and strength of character.
Now on to the next monkey… that horrible clutter…
