I’m sure that when I’m finally out of credit card debt, there will be a short time when I won’t know what to do with myself. But, it won’t be for lack of thinking about it. Post debt life occupies a lot of space in my brain.
Sometimes I fixate on the things I will buy. I make lists and then delete them when the fever passes.
More often lately, I’ve been thinking about my quality of life after debt. That’s code for, will I continue to work like a crazy person?
The thing is that I don’t want to just be a broke person with no credit card debt. I want to get myself into a position where I am financially stable, where I don’t have to stress about every unexpected expense, and where I can afford to do things like visit blog friends all over North America. I’m never going to be rich, but this experience has taught me that if I’m smart and responsible with my money, I don’t have to be poor either.
I have a lot of dreams and it’s frustrating and hard to pursue them when I am at work all the time. I really couldn’t ask for better jobs, but they take all of my time and energy, so that there isn’t much left to divide among my other interests. I often think of how nice it would be just to work full time and not have another job, let alone school, on top of that.
It’s been my plan to spend 2011 working hard and saving as much as I can, so that I can cut back on work after that, but sometimes I wonder if I’m willing to hold out that long. I think it’s going to take me a long time to figure out this money-life balance, but I don’t regret my current crazy pace.
{ 1 comment }
I think you can hold out that long. Put it in perspective. What’s a few years of really hard work (while you’re young) if it means that you get to spend the rest of your life wiser and [unwanted]debt-free? Think of this time as a penance you are paying, a major effort that will stand out in your memories as a warning not to slip into your old habits again. You spent all of your life up until now building these bad habits. Don’t you think you are going to need a lot of time and work to build the good habits you want? Take it day by day, and know that you are doing this because you love yourself and want to be a better person.
Good luck!
Comments on this entry are closed.