Monday, May 21, 2012 --- the day Princess Penelope crossed the stage and accepted her diploma. The day she said goodbye to the life she had always known and began the journey to the next phase of her life.
I thought now might be a good time to reflect on my basic goals of "Getting Us There". Quite frankly, I'm not where I had hoped to be. And a lot of that is my fault. I haven't been as focused as I should be. I've made impulse decisions and spent money where I didn't need to. I've had some unexpected things crop up --- and I just threw money at them.
So... the basic goals:
Home Ownership --- FAIL --- yeah, not happening anytime soon. I'd hoped to be in a position to buy by the time the Princess graduated. NOPE and my savings are definitely depleted. LONG way to go on this one.
Get Out of Debt --- Semi-FAIL. I'm still a good 12 months away -- I'd wanted to be done by August. Nope, that did not happen and won't happen anytime soon.
Princess to College --- this one is happening. Right on Schedule. However, the money isn't where we want it. Student Loans are a definite requirement. I have a little saved, but not even a full year's worth of tuition. This is going to be rough.
So, here we are...... a financial mess and the next four years are going to be difficult, at best. I've spent quite a bit of time the last few days reading nomoreharvarddebt.com --- its about a guy who knocked out $101K of student loan debt in under 10 months. Granted, he makes over $100K/year and is single, and has no kids. But the process I'm reading about is interesting. He's had to have a lot of willpower, and has had some setbacks too --- but its been good (and motiviating!) reading.
So, time to get intense again. I say that a LOT, don't I?
The next 4 years will surely be different, but that doesn't mean they will be difficult. Getting out of debt in the next 12 months is STILL a great accomplishment, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're still getting there. So keep on plowing through during your journey!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Princess!
ReplyDeleteAs for the debt....girl...I am worse off than I was when I started 3 years ago. We all just take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.
My mom told me about this saying once and it basically goes like this-- When we are born each of us is given one glass of very sour wine. Some people are forced to drink it in gulps and others are forced to take tiny but constant sips. In other words, we all get our fair share of shit just in different doses and at different times. There IS a good side to life though and you will accomplish what you truly want to. The hardest part is figuring out what you really want to accomplish and why. So if I were you, I'd go back and rewrite every single one of these goals with the addition of a good, personal and honest reason you want to accomplish them when you do.
ReplyDelete*hugs*