This is a guest post by PaidTwice whose blog is over at I Paid For This Twice Already. His motivated for starting the blog was to help motivate him to get out of debt, motivation we all need at times!
I don’t know if you’ve seen the commercial for a credit counseling service in which someone says “You’re not just in debt, debt is all around you”, but that statement still has a profound effect on me. Those simple words hit home for me in so many ways. When you’re in serious debt, it is an emotional as well as a financial burden. When you are in debt, it isn’t something you can compartmentalize into a facet of your life, it touches everything you do and every decision you make. Truly, debt *is* all around you. It may feel easier to ignore your debt and wish for it to go away, and stay ignorant about the true magnitude of the issue, but debt is still all around you. And it has subtle and not so subtle impacts that eventually can no longer be ignored.
Just about everyone thinks about money, and considers money in the decisions they make every day. But when you’re in debt you don’t have a choice, you must consider the impact everything and anything you do has on your finances. From where you go (can I afford the gas to drive the car today?) to what you do (how much does this activity cost?), everything in your life is touched by your debt. For example, you get up out of bed after a restless night’s sleep where dreams of creditors haunted you, and brush your teeth. The tube of toothpaste is almost empty, so you start thinking about if you can afford to buy more this week or need to start using less until you get another paycheck. You go into the kitchen, freak out because a light was left on overnight and start calculating the money spent in wasted electricity. That leads to worrying about if you can pay the electric bill on time. Is there anything in the refrigerator for breakfast or did you not grocery shop because you had to pay your credit card bill? You get the picture. Everything you do and think about is touched by your debt and the weight it bears down on you. Debt is all around you, and it may take getting to this point to start looking for a way out.
It may feel like there is no escape from that weight of debt. Indeed, debt *is* all around you. I have been there and in some ways, I still am. But with patience and a plan and a lot of perseverance, things can start to get better and debt will no longer be the prime ruling factor in your life. It takes commitment and sacrifice and a LOT of internal stamina. The good news is, once you turn that corner and start taking control of your debt, little by little, the debt no longer rules your life. Debt may still be all around you, but the impact of that debt feels just a little less burdensome day by day. If you feel like debt is all around you, take a deep breath, and start the journey out. It all starts with the realization that you can make a change in your life. And when you make the decision to get out of debt, sometimes it can feel worse before it feels better, but it does get better. Bit by bit the debt will shrink and the burden gets a little lighter. Take control. Make that change. Start dealing with your debt head on. It all begins with the single step of making your debt elimination a priority.
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Man, I always find something very useful when I cruise over here. Thanks bud
Debt consumes everything in your life. It’s so true. I have actually lost a lot of my friends in the past due to their waning interest in many activities. Even low cost activities can be a hinder to you if you are in debt and under that much stress.