For years I have been proud of my work ethic. I had my first job at 14 and haven’t stopped working since, even through college where I worked at least two jobs at any given time (dog kennel, university TV studio, local TV station).
Despite all this work, I never seem to have money. My jobs in college never paid for school or loans, they funded my need for stuff. Clothes, make-up, shoes, haircuts, just stuff that I didn’t really need but I thought would make me feel better or give me confidence.
From college to the real world, I haven’t stopped adding to my stuff collection. Fancy pillows, kitchen gadgets, Etsy prints, my collection is growing. And it’s not only stuff ripping through my pay check, but activities are getting more expensive and frequent, too. Charity and alumni events, theater and comedy shows, dinners…these activities make me feel like a successful twenty-something.
However, the amount of debt I have does not make me feel very successful. With student loans, a car payment, and credit cards I have finally realized it’s time to make a change.
The Ginger and I have started a spending fast, inspired by the blog And Then We Saved. It’s eye-opening to add up all that we spend in a month and then add up our debt. We’ve decided on a five year plan to be debt free. Debt free means we have the opportunity to spend on things we actually want to spend on, vacations, a house, etc. rather than on student loans.
We’re making big cuts. We have a list of our actual needs versus our wants. We’ll be sticking to only the needs. I’ll be updating on our progress.
(And is it coincidence that this post comes after a three week trip to Italy? Eesh.)
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