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Home > Paying and Saving - What I Really Want

Paying and Saving - What I Really Want

June 10th, 2007 at 02:06 pm

I know paying down debt makes me feel good. I know b/c when the car was paid off and the CS fee was paid off I felt like doing cartwheels. (I didn't though. Have you ever seen a 330 lb woman do cartwheels??? Not pretty).

But lately, it has just been depressing me. I hate that the extra money I get from selling things or freelance work has to go to debt. It frusterates me that I keep paying, but it never seems to really go anywhere. I want to use the extra money for other things.

But, here's the kicker. I don't want to use the money to buy more things. I have been a packrat my whole life and I have finally hit the point where I said ENOUGH! NO MORE CRAP! I have way too much stuff. I realized I could get rid of half the things I own and would probably be much happier (hence the yard sales and ebay sales lately). Plus, if we want to move, #1 I ain't luggin all this crap to a new place and #2 we won't have room in a new place for all this stuff.

I think the stuff frusterates me even more because I know all this crap came from using my CCs and buying things I didn't need. In my mind, CRAP = DEBT.

So, what do I want to do with this extra moeny I keep getting? Save it. I want a fully funded EF (my goal is $3,000). I want to save for a trip to Vegas to move the rest of The Boys stuff out here (another reason I need to clean out!). I want to save for a house. I want to save for a new wardrobe after my surgery. I want to save for the follow-up cosmetic surgery I'm going to need (health insurance won't pay for that one). I want to save for The Boy to go back to college. I want to save for a vacation overseas.

What do I notice about all these things I want to save for? Most of them are for "experiences" (cosmetic surgery, traveling, school). A few are for material items, but those are big ticket items, and in some ways, a necessary want (new wardrobe, a house). None of them are for crappy items I will forget about and lose interest in after a few months.

Mom always told me one day I would "grow up" and grow out of the stage where I wanted the inconsiquental things. I guess 29 is my "grown up" age. Glad I didn't have to wait til I was 89! Smile

Posted in | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Paying and Saving - What I Really Want”

  1. monkeymama Says:
    June 10th, 2007 at 02:12 pm 1181484737
    1181484737

    You know what the funny thing is we put a lot more value on material things that actually last (value), much more than fleeting experiences. Then again, it is probably less about the type (material or experience) and more about how long the effects will last. Cosmetic Surgery, traveling abroad and school all sound like things that you will most definitely remember or even utilize in a sense, for the rest of your life. But deciding to put your money towards those kinds of things more, and less to crap you'll forget, is certainly a great step. Woohoo.

  2. Tijdzhania Says:
    June 10th, 2007 at 02:23 pm 1181485387
    1181485387

    I must say reading your post touched a few nerves with me....I feel the same, in a certain way. I'm only 25 and have had always been a bit controlling of our money (due to a insecure childhood financially and emotionally), however I still have CC debt and student loans to pay off before I can start saving. I want to start saving for a better future...to have a higher EF, buy a house, start investing.

    Sometimes I have to remind myself to touch base and remind myself where I have come from, instead of looking at where I are going. I cannot go back and change the things that placed me in the situation I am in today, however I can change today and tomorrow. I am just greatful that I made the decision to change sooner rather than later. If I had not, I'de been in an even worse situation today.

    Keep on trucking! :-)

  3. pjmama Says:
    June 10th, 2007 at 03:11 pm 1181488293
    1181488293

    I know what you mean! Even for me, I want to invest, but it seems silly when I have debt piled up accumulating 14.25% (eek!). It'll be a loooong time before I'm able to save up money for that reason, but I'm still set on having an EF. But yay for prioritizing and getting past the crap-loving stage. I wish I could say I'm completely there, but my guilty conscience tells me otherwise. Too much of a book lover, I suppose! Just think, once you're free, you'll have all the possibilities in the world to look forward to, and the more crap you get rid of through yard sales and ebay, the closer to eliminating that debt you are! Sell with a vengeance Smile

  4. Ima saver Says:
    June 10th, 2007 at 03:41 pm 1181490094
    1181490094

    Thank goodness that you realized that you don't need all that stuff and you are young enough to really start saving when you get your debts paid.

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