Monday, November 30, 2009

December 2009 Update

The last update for 2009. Let's get this party started, shall we?

The Savings: $3,545.02
The Debt: $7,286.29

Yeah, I know. The savings went down -- again. But I have a good reason: I had a car repair. And it was better to take the money out of savings than to charge it. I also finally broke down and bought a wireless router. That's just how it works for me now. Still, considering the cost of the auto repair and the router, the decrease isn't all that bad. Certainly not as bad as it could be.

The debt, however, is still enjoying a steady decline. And that was the point of this whole thing, wasn't it? This month it went down over $625. Not too shabby.

This is a loose analogy, but paying off my debt is like playing Sudoku. When you first start the puzzle, it's pretty slow going for a while. You figure out a number here, a number there. You hit a wall occasionally and sometimes you think to yourself that you'll never finish. But eventually you figure out another number. And then, suddenly, as more numbers find their place, it gets easier. Before you know it, everything starts falling into place...

When I first started this journey to pay off my debt, it felt like I would never finish. I owed $21,000 when I started this blog. And that's not even the most I've owed. For a while there, not long after I bought my Honda, I owed almost $30,000.

I have come a long way.

Another noteworthy thing is that my net worth is finally in the black. Of course, you have to factor in my 401(k), but for a long time, even factoring that in, I was in the red because of my debt.

I do have to work on my savings, though. This month finds my savings the lowest it's been since I started this blog. That is not good given what will be on my plate next year.

Still, I am grateful.

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