A Story Of Debt

It’s ridiculous that we’re in a recession and I actually have too much work.  Despite that, I’m in a (kind of) recession mindset where I feel guilty saying no to work and everything feels unstable, especially considering my debt.   The reality is that I’m not on the most stable of ground, but the soil is [...]

Lately I have been thinking back over my financial past and finding a lot of empty spaces in the time line.  I remember financial decisions I made my first year of college in extreme detail.  I remember how much I had in my accounts and what I did with that money.  But, thinking about just [...]

Since starting my new job this semester, several people have asked me why I’m still working at the library.  I politely respond with, “Well, that’s how I support myself.  And, they pay me significantly more per hour, provide me with health insurance, and give me paid vacation and sick time.  How could I afford to [...]

My approach to getting out of debt is very simple: make as much money as possible so that I can put as much money possible toward my debt.   None of my accounts were in bad standing, so I didn’t take any consolidation loans.  I haven’t sought out no-interest credit cards to transfer my balances. [...]

I was driving home from the grocery store several days ago, going through the numbers in my head to figure out if I could still make my January goal.  I do this all the time and I get very stressed about whether I can make my goal or not.  The goals are not easy; they [...]

While home for Christmas, I had a conversation with my step-dad where he said that both he and my mom had noticed that something seemed to have changed with me since they saw me in August.
Every time I’m in town, my step-dad and I go out for coffee—just the two of us.  In August, we [...]

The picture says almost everything.  That is my mom’s comb and it is older than I am.
My parents don’t live like paupers, but they do live very conservatively when it comes to money.  They live in houses they can easily afford, drive cars that are paid off, and don’t buy things if they don’t have [...]

I worry it sounds bad to have my after Christmas wrap up be all about the money, but I share my feelings all over the internet (so you know I’m deep) and this is a blog about personal finance.  Plus, I think money and materialism is a part of Christmas, so it would be silly [...]

I am finally able to make my first big payment toward my credit card and I am so excited.  I ended November with an extra $500, but I didn’t feel comfortable making it through the first 10 days of the month with less than a $100 in my checking account, so I waited until now [...]

I had an epiphany this week.  It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve never been this serious.  I am in debt.  A lot of debt.  And while I’m getting by and am not missing payments or anything, I have put myself at great risk.  If anything goes wrong, I’m screwed.  One missed pay check [...]