Reality

I always dread bill-paying day, which is always the 3rd Wednesday of the month, when my disability check is deposted into my account. Last month I set up a spreadsheet and put down all of my bills to create a budget. All of my check goes to bill-paying and groceries. For two people, our grocery bill is crazy even though I use coupons and watch the sales. I try to shop just once a month, which may be the reason I dislike grocery shopping so much.

So this morning, I gathered all the bills, a calculator, pen and pencil and paid my bills, according to the budget I set up last month. My checking account balance is now -6.75. I'll need to transfer some money from my paypal account to cover that and to pay a subscription to Downeast Magazine (which for me is tax-deductible, since I write travel-related articles and a website). I updated my spreadsheet, and tallied the new balances on my accounts. As of today, I have $7,275.00 in debt. Most of it is in two credit cards and my laptop. If I divide that by 12, approximately $610.00 a month will allow me to be debt-free at this time next year. I find that extremely encouraging!

For one year I can forgo Starbucks, lunches out, and even do without buying new clothes. I can do it! I yearn to have this monkey off my back and one year is not a long time--a year zooms by now that I'm older.

I've been thinking about what I can do with an extra $610 a month and I am excited at the prospect. I have always wanted to have my teeth fixed; I can wait a year. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

I write content for websites and the money I make pays for my gas, my trips to the salon to have my hair cut, colored and curled, my traveling expenses when I travel for business and gifts. My health controls how much I can work, so some months it's a nice chunk of change and sometimes it's not a big deal, but it's money I call my own. Once in awhile I sell an article to a magazine--I love seeing those checks come in! Any money I get for articles this year will be put on the credit card with the highest interest rate to get it paid down sooner.

I'm not dreading getting out my checkbook to pay bills now that I have taken a realistic look at my debt and know that it's not impossible to pay it all in one year. If I hadn't spent $30 yesterday for lunch and two blouses, my balance wouldn't be negative right now. Live and learn...