Stress. Money. Bills. Money. Anxiety. All of this is caused by stressing about things you can't afford or think you can't afford. Sure there are lots of reasons to stress out and panic but take it from someone who in a previous life would call her best friend in tears because of bills I was stressing over. Truthfully I didn't have as much debt as some and I had more than others but I needed to adjust to one income and I needed to realize that even though I owed money the worst they could do was beat me with a paper stick. They could not take away my home(nope never put that at risk), they couldn't take my my family away, all I had to do was keep working, keep trying. So why was I giving them the power to make me miserable.
Guilt was a big part. I owed money...I had to pay it off now...what could I cut to save money. It was at this point that I realized I could only take one step at a time after all owing money on a car, or a loan or a credit card didn't mean I had to give up my life. So I stopped. I stepped back and I prioritized. First thing was an EF and when that was at a comfortable(for now) level then I looked at the bills and I made sure everything was caught up. After that I looked at which ones would get paid off first. Not exactly the Dave Ramsey method BUT all my bills are current, my 403 is looking good, and I have a EF. I am now down to exactly 4 debts that need to be paid off. Not including basics such as food, utilities, car insurance and such. And yes those bills are in the process of being paid off.
But one of the important things I have learned is that owing a company money does not mean I owe them my life. I do not need to live in fear of phone calls or worry that this is the end of the world as I know it. I just keep going on. If they call me for some reason I tell the truth. They are current and I am paying what I am supposed to so please don't call again. If they keep calling while I am current well that's why my phone has that neat block feature and why I don't answer calls from numbers I don't recognize. Again I owe them money but not my life or happiness.
Believe this isn't something I came to overnight. I had to put more value on me then on the money I owe. I am more important than my bank balance or my credit score and I am sticking to that. Maybe if things go as planned I will be debt free by Christmas or maybe something will happen and it will take longer. But it still will not effect my happiness or drive me to the point of panic attacks(extreme ones). Just take your power back. We are more than the sum of our bank accounts.
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