Back at it

I'm back on my Spending Freeze as of today. I need to keep this going until the debt's gone.

Current stats:

  • $3702.10 left to pay on the car.
  • $5,000.00 left to pay on the medical bill.
  • Total debt: $8,702.10
  • In July I paid off $1K on my medical bill, $2,016 on my car, and about $2K on my credit card (which is now a balance of $0).
August goal: Pay down debt to $6,500

My big obstacle this month is a family trip to Montana, from August 9-19. I have no passive income at the moment, so that's 11 days of no income. Thanks to the generosity of my friends/readers of this blog, I was able to secure the specific packing items that I need for this trip: river sandals (thanks Jen!), croakies and a sun hat (thanks Laurie!). So I won't have to buy anything in preparation for this trip, which is sweet.

Even though my overall goal is to be debt-free by September 29th when I leave for my friend's wedding in Jamaica, I don't feel optimistic about paying off $6,500 in September alone. Not at all. I might have to extend my debt-free goal to Halloween or something... An idea that kinda bums me out, since I've already moved my goal a few times (my 32nd birthday in May, to September 1, to September 29th).

Anywho. This Freeze is SUPER effective, but the stress is kind of breaking my balls, Hans.



But I know it will be worth it when all this extra money every month can go into savings/toward adventures instead of toward shit I already own, and tubes that have already been tied.

In the book Money, A Love Story the author calls debts "BARs" = "Blessings Already Received". Her advice is to pay off these debts with gratitude and appreciation rather than rolled eyes. I like this attitude.

She recommends another technique that I love- you print out your bank/credit card statement for the past month. You look at each item individually, and note whether you feel expansive or contractive about the purchase: Did a dinner date with a special person make you grin? You will feel it in your gut- a kind of openness. Does a clothing purchase make you cringe? Maybe it didn't align with what makes you really happy, and you feel a little squeeze in your belly. This is a really good way, also, to figure out who you like having in your life. I am fond of those in mine.

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