Sunday, April 15, 2007

Giving the Monster a Face

To conquer the beast, I figured it would be best to face it head on. I've found comfort in not knowing the full amount of my debt. I figured that as long as it didn't have a structure, it wouldn't be real. Denial is like an old shoe -- soft and comfortable. I wear it often.

But the time for that is gone. It's time to get real and to kick my debt in its ass. So, here we go:

The Car: $1,160.60
The Little Beast: $2,754.67
The Big Beast: $17,236.87
Grand Total: $21,152.14

It embarrasses me that that last one -- the big beast -- is not a typo. What in the world did I buy? Granted, this amount is the result of years of buying. Still...

The funny thing is that I don't even like shopping. It overwhelms me. But when I'm bored or lonely or sad, I spend. Some people drink. Some people do drugs. Some gamble. I spend.

But it ends here. We're on the fast track to paying off the car. The last payment is supposed to be December of this year, but after a few extra payments, it's been moved up to September. My original goal was to have it paid off by June, but given that June is only a two months away, that won't happen unless I get some unexpected windfall.

After that, we'll face the little beast. And then? Well, I think it's obvious what happens after that.

It can get done. It will get done. Baby steps.

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