I’m squinting at an Excel spreadsheet right now, deciding how to work a manicure into my life. It’s a lot of fun. See, first I say, “Which do I want more? A manicure or…” and then I fill in the blank with the list of alternative items I have come up with:
Birth control refill
Christmas gifts for those I love
Gas
Groceries
You can see how well I’m doing with this.
In my former life, I would have looked at my fingers and toes, made a pouty face at their state of general hideousness and then crossed First Avenue for a mani/pedi with Elana. I would not have paused to consider the budget because, what’s a budget? I had credit cards. Oh, those magical little pieces of plastic. To which I am HARNESSED for the REST OF MY EXISTENCE. Sometimes I could just karate chop my younger self in the throat for all the times I slid one of those things across the counter without a second thought.
But, you’d be so proud. You really would. I haven’t bought anything I didn’t have cash for in over a year. I haven’t even used a credit card except once, for the movers this summer, and then speedily paid it off. Like my mom said, shilling out more than half my monthly income to debts already incurred – items purchased and worn out, meals eaten and forgotten - has made a real believer out of me. Credit cards are bad news. I had excellent credit, so creditors kept extending it and I, well, I kept spending. And now, I never want to be in debt ever, ever again. I don’t want anything that requires monthly payments – except, of course, for a house one day.
The crazy thing is, even when my inner spendthrift is pouting because she wants her nails done, or a new pair of shoes, the rest of me feels really, really good. And satisfied. A review of my 2009 tells me I’ve successfully eliminated eight thousand dollars of debt and any which way you look at it, that’s huge. It’s excellent, really.
I’ve also gotten very good with cuticle scissors. Reformed spender. Do-it-yourselfer.
GOOD FOR YOU! Nice job! Brava!
That’s fantastic! Keep it up and before you know it, that credit card debt will be a thing of the past!
That needs to be remedied asap. And I still hate getting manis alone. I say we go together – over the phone and I treat us. When’s good for you?
Yay! a gold star for you! Woo-hoo!
I’m trying to reform and pay things off as well. The accomplishment this month? Paying off the pediatrician (finally). Good Feelings! Snowballing on to the next debt! um…good feelings gone?
wow, i think that’s awesome how you paid all of that off in a year.
i’d love to hear how you did it. like, hear what worked for you, how cut corners, etc.
Just adding my voice to the chorus of cheers. Good for you!
Well Christmas is a-coming…add a manicure to the list of things you’d like for Christmas (unless you think that you’re getting a ring…then add some polish and make ‘em look good )
Sarah, that made me laugh! If I get a ring, I will be delighted and really, really surprised. If I got a manicure, though, I’d still be pretty tickled.
Congrats, chica! I hear you! 3 years ago, I was in debt $15k and was in such dire straights that the credit counselor I spoke with wanted me to file for bankruptcy. That was not an option in my mind…and since then I’ve worked hard to pay it all off. I now have $1500 left on my credit card, and will be debt free in 5 months. Hooray! It does feel good, doesn’t it?
From someone who is in debt, (probably slightly more than you were, Fish) I’d really love to hear people’s strategies and how they did it–month to month, day to day.
Please and thank you.
Wow, thank you so much for that post today. I’m 24 and I left a miserable job and went back to school 6 months ago. Since I’m focusing so much on schoolwork, I haven’t been working much other than some tutoring and instead have been living off of savings and the help of my boyfriend and parents. It’s been a little hard this Christmas season in comparison to last, when my first “real” out of college job was in full-swing and I could afford lots of Christmas presents for everyone and ran all over NYC (stupidly) sans much of a budget. This year, things are obviously a little bit more in perspective for me, and I’m so grateful for what and whom I do have.
So, thank you for your post – I could both completely relate and was equally as inspired.
And congrats to you!
You GO girl! Good for you for taking care of that debt. What a relief.
From one do-it-yourselfer to another – olive oil and dishsoap. For an instant manicure, it’s super easy to soak your hands briefly in dishsoap and warm water and then push your cuticles back with a q-tip. Then, put a bit of olive oil on each of your cuticles and apply whatever body/face/hand cream you have laying around and slap on some cotton gloves and socks. Sit for 20 minutes and then apply polish – it’s quick, easy, cheap and gets the job done and the nails looking great. Also, a tip from a friend of mine – best body scrub in the world (and I love experimenting with the expensive ones so I’ve tried a lot of them) is brown sugar and olive oil mixed together. Mix, apply, scrub and done!
Yay for you! Sounds like you’ve been able to enjoy lots of things this year, too, even whilst having a budget! Keep it up – it’s worth it!
Congrats! It’s hard to do…I hate saying no to things. I’m still learning.
Holy crap. I am the previous you. And just now realizing that I soooo did not need all the things I bought when I had a well-paying job three months ago. Like Pottery Barn furniture. And new handbags. And new coats. And the whole Loft fall collection. I am now a temp. And HATE it. And HATE all the debt. But totally envious of your self-control — I will get there — thanks for the inspiration!
Yaayyy! $8,000 is a huge chunk of debt! Well done. You are doing great!
C.O.N.G.R.A.T.S! That’s a huge thing to be proud of!
As a tip, whenever I have random one dollar bills in my car or purse, i stick them in my officer drawer…in about an average of 2-3 weeks, I have enough for a pedicure. Booyah.
Dude. KEEP IT UP! I am in the same boat. Haven’t colored my hair in more than a year and OH MY GOD it’s gray! Some of it is anyway. But hell. I figure I used to spend as much as two thousand bucks a year on being blonde. Now? Happily brown… with a touch of gray. And down to the last $800 on my only credit card.
Ahem!
xoxo
Congrats! I’m in the same boat after years of living on credit in NYC (I swear, Manhattan creditors are either brilliantly optimistic in us or just brilliantly greedy). Add to that that I meticulously budgeted to work overseas and save on rent, and then dealt with an exchange rate that collapsed along with the economy. Too bad I can’t cover my chipped nails with a recent statement for a card I paid off completely, you know, just for a public explanation.
My debt is mostly student loans, but let’s just say those got a little out of hand (to the tune of over $100k- ahem). I don’t know when I’ll ever be debt-free, but I’m working on it. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are doing awesome! We are in the same boat and just started so you give me hope. We have approx 4 years of scrimping ahead of us but it will be so worth it. Nothing can describe not going in to debt for Christmas, the holiday seems much much brighter. Thanks for the inspiration.
I don’t even KNOW you and I am PROUD of you! $8,000 is amazing!
@ Meg – I know you didn’t ask me but Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University is great! I have never had credit card debit (I paid off every month) or even a bank loan before I bought my house (which ensued a major panic attack! I’m in DEBT!). I saved and paid cash for cars and always lived on a budget. I thought I was very responsible financially. But I learned a lot from that course!!! Some of my friends have paid up to $20,000 off of their debt in one year!
Wow!!!! That means that there’s hope for me yet!!!!!! Good for you
Heather,
wow! as usual, you are a beacon of hope to so many who follow you. This is why I proudly wear your tank top to my favorite parties and tell everyone who asks,(and some who don’t) why I wear it.
You are so real, so brave, and so determined, that you make it easier for many of us to keep up whatever fight we are waging.
we love you
Merry Christmas!
Teresa
Congrats to you! $8k in a year is a HUGE accomplishment. This is my first month going without a CC and it’s tough. Especially with holiday deals the temptation to spend is overwhelming. I did have some money come across my way recently due to a death in the family and I thought hard for months about what to do with the money. Finally I decided to pay off all of my debt (except for my car) and use whatever is left to invest for savings/retirement. I felt so guilty for using this money to pay off my debt instead of something better – like investing it. This month I feel a huge relief since I’m not already down to the last few $$ of my paycheck 3 days after pay day. Plus I’m going to school for massage therapy in a few months and now I’ll have the money to pay for it instead of taking out a loan. Am I proud of all the things I bought with my CCs? No way. I’m happy though that I get to start over with a clean slate. We all learn from our mistakes.
I was in debt twice in my life, once right out of university and I managed to pay it off, then again later on in life after having moved back to New York. It’s so easy to fall back into bad habits in New York because money goes so quickly there. I was so angry with myself for getting back into debt the second time after I already knew the guilt and stress debt created in my life. Thankfully I am now and will remain debt free and will never spend money I don’t have again. Congratulations, you deserve to be proud of yourself — its not easy or quick to free yourself from debt but you feel like a new person when you do. Now go on and treat yourself to a 99 cent bottle of nail polish.
I was in debt twice in my life, once right out of university and I managed to pay it off, then again later on in life after having moved back to New York. It’s so easy to fall back into bad habits in New York because money goes so quickly there. I was so angry with myself for getting back into debt the second time after I already knew the guilt and stress debt created in my life. Thankfully I am now and will remain debt free and will never spend money I don’t have again. Congratulations, you deserve to be proud of yourself — its not easy or quick to free yourself from debt but you feel like a new person when you do. Now go on and treat yourself to a 99 cent bottle of nail polish.
I was in debt twice in my life, once right out of university and I managed to pay it off, then again later on in life after having moved back to New York. It’s so easy to fall back into bad habits in New York because money goes so quickly there. I was so angry with myself for getting back into debt the second time after I already knew the guilt and stress debt created in my life. Thankfully I am now and will remain debt free and will never spend money I don’t have again. Congratulations, you deserve to be proud of yourself — its not easy or quick to free yourself from debt but you feel like a new person when you do. Now go on and treat yourself to a 99 cent bottle of nail polish.
High fives! The toughest part is getting used to it… then it’s just your life…
Go you! My credit cards were compromised this week so I have canceled them and am now going through major withdrawal! But I am definitely spending less by using cash. I was going to get a manicure tomorrow but wasn’t sure about spending $20 on it and now I’m not going to
Thanks Fish!
Thank you so much for your candor on this and all of your other posts. You are an inspiration for buckling down and paying off such a huge amount! I too have been in debt, the credit card debt now is almost paid off (this after damaging my credit and now the credit score is finally coming back up) but now I am struggling with payday loans, getting out from under those.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Ah, woman after my own heart. I ditched my credit cards this year. And I’m thinking of keeping my debit card as “emergency only”. It’s just too easy to overspend when you don’t see the money physically leaving your fingers.
Good on ya, Fish!
I’m jumping in with a second recommendation for Dave Ramsey. His Financial University totally changed my life. I’m 29 and have been debt free for two years – after paying off $35,000 in about three years.
Being debt free and cash wise is life changing.
Check it out and happy holidays!
Oh Fish, I totally understand! I’m on a pretty tight budget right now, and sometimes I just want to throw it all out the window (like this morning, while I was paying bills and I didn’t want to make that credit card payment) and shop. Thanks for that reality check
Good luck, and merry Christmas!
I think I was 24 when I first started reading your blog. An odd fascination at the time was that you were then a tech writer, a profession I’d never heard of until I became one myself, and your name was Heather H, also same as mine, and I think we’re about a year apart in age.
Random omg-me-toos aside, I’ve tagged along because I love your writing style and the way you share your life, be it parallel or perpendicular. So kudos for all the awesome new developments you’ve had this year! I’m just now starting to wrestle down my debt, and it’s encouraging to see someone else succeeding, even if the thread of connection is ever so small.
I married my own DL a year ago January, so a house is on our want list as well. So best of luck, and hopefully the forseeable future will see us both debt-free in shiny (affordable) new houses! Merry Christmas
Nicely done! And I am right there with you. (Except substitute haircut + highlights for manicure.) I’m actually sort of addicted to thriftiness now because I get such a thrill from watching the numbers go down (slowly, but still) on Mint. Also, I think New York has a way of exacerbating youthful foolish spending. I was really not smart about the credit cards during those first few years here. Anyway, keep up the good work! And know you’re not the only one.
It is so refreshing to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel (In regards to being debt free). With a move in July, and needing furniture etc, I have accumulated more debt than I ever imagined! Any helpful tips on what to cut back on? And how to not have “IMPULSE” spending?!
Keep up the great work!
I love your blog!!