This whole government shutdown got me thinking. On one hand I feel bad for the folks effected by the decisions of politicians that have led to a standstill. On the other hand, I feel like we are all responsible for the outcome of our own lives. While we can’t always control the things that happen to us, we have the power to chose how we react to them and the outcome of the situation.
I was having a conversation about this topic and was forwarded an article about how most Americans couldn’t cover a $1000 emergency. This totally blew my mind. Unfortunately I believe that many people will use this as justification to continue to live the way they do instead of being the exception.
Less than ten years ago I was living paycheck to paycheck. Actually, I wasn’t really even doing that well because my budget relied on an “extra” paycheck I got twice a month. Even though a budget had been established we didn’t follow it. This resulted in an over drawn checking account on more than one occasion and the feeling of complete hopelessness. I remember crying when the loan officer told me that I couldn’t consolidate my debt in order to lower my monthly payments. I remember thinking on a few occasions that since I was already in thousands of dollars of debt what was an extra couple hundred dollars. I really can’t remember the exact moment I decided I needed to turn my finances (and life) around. I don’t think it even was an earth shattering, clouds parting moment.
I made some major life decisions that helped me move into the direction of financial freedom, but honestly most of them were small consistent things I did every day or month to get ahead. I went without a lot of things like no new clothes or stretching out time in between haircuts. I packed my own lunches and rarely went out for dinner (unless someone else was paying 😊) It took about 2 years, plus or minus a few months, before I really started to see a major change. I was finally able to pay off one of the stupidest debts I had. That came with both a financial sense of freedom and also a mentally freeing moment.
Fast forward a few years and now, even though I complain about the stress of my job, I am essentially debt free. I use the term essentially because my husband has some of his finances tied up in property assets. For the most part there isn’t a mine and his, but he has his property thing and I have my health and fitness thing. We still don’t go on many big vacations, something we are looking to change this year, but we often take day trips and I never have to worry and spending too much on tickets, food, or entertainment.