blogging through my debt: the progress bars

i just wanted to point everyone over to the nifty progress bars i've created and put in the right column of my blog.  i've been searching through different blogs lately and have really come to like the idea of having a visual reminder of both my debt (so i don't slip up and go on an impromptu shopping spree) and my hard work in bringing that debt down.  plus, it's yet another way of keeping me accountable since you can all see it and call me on it if those progress bars are stationary for any extended period of time!

things have been okay lately.  there were a few minor set backs when my direct consolidation application didn't go through as quickly as i initially thought it would, and i had to cough up another $800 worth of student loan payments this month, in addition to the new $115 private loan payment that came due this month as well.  unfortunately, what this meant was that the largest of those loans (the $488 one) is not getting paid on time this month.  it really just came down to making a tough decision and, with this, i took dave ramsey's advice: when you have to make these kinds of choices, always cover your basic needs first.  food, housing, living necessities.  when those are covered, then you hit the bills.  if it means that one of those bills is going to be a few days late one month, then that's what it means.

it seems counter-intuitive, but i don't think there really was much i could do about it.  perhaps better planning in the future, perhaps taking money out of the emergency fund to make the payment?  i just didn't know what was smartest, so i made the decision that felt right to me.  i've only been late on any sort of payment once or twice in my life, so believe me, this was a big deal to me, but i think i did the right thing.  i also called to check up on my consolidation application and was told that they should (cross your fingers!) be sending me out the necessary paperwork in the next few weeks, so hopefully i'll be able to avoid this situation in the future.

i also just did my taxes and (get ready for the celebratory dance) once my return is direct deposited into my bank account, i'll be able to hit the minimum $1000 in my emergency savings fund, pay off my vs angels credit card, and put the remainder toward either another credit card payment, or my miscellaneous savings fund for things like the upcoming travel i have to pay for this summer (sister's wedding), or saving for when i go back to school.  or to ensuring that my next student loan payment isn't late.

what's become clear to me over the past month since i started this journey (has it really only been a month?) is that it gets easier over time.  it really, truly is about changing your thinking just as much as it's about changing your lifestyle.  for example, though it seems like such a silly thing to me now, before all of this i think i really did consider my credit card to be my money.  when i wanted to shop and didn't have the cash, it was so easy to tell myself that i could just put it on a credit card and deal with it later.  well, now that's completely changed.  not only do i think about shopping less and less as i go along, but when i do, i never think about my credit cards anymore.  i think about the cash in my checking account, and i think about my budget.  because i've budgeted all of that cash somewhere already, i have no choice but to just accept the fact that i have no money to shop.

now this obviously doesn't mean that i never want to shop, but shopping has turned into something i'm looking forward to, a reward for my hard work in reducing my debt.  i know that when i have an emergency fund saved up, a miscellaneous fund begun, and my credit cards paid down, i'll actually have the money to spend on something nice for myself.  and the beauty of it is that, by that time, i'll have so much more control over my money that i won't overspend anymore.

so simple.  why wasn't i doing this all along?