I suppose I should use my first blog post as an introduction.
Let's just get the basics out of the way. I'm 22 years old, I live in Atlanta and I'm a writer. My FT job that pays the bills is in public relations, and on the side I'm working on a novel and beginning a freelance career.
My salary is quite comfortable for a single girl living on her own (well, on her own plus a schnauzer), and I pay all of my bills on time. So why am I here? Well, I graduated college with zero debt ... and in one year accumulated $9,044.07 in credit card debt with nothing in savings.
Shouldn't it be the other way around? I'm so ashamed. And what's even more embarrassing is that I can't even really tell you what I was wasting plastic on. I pay all of my bills on time out of my checking account. And I look around at my life and think "Hey, I've got it pretty good" ... but really, no I don't. As long as I have credit card debt, I'm only fooling myself. And I'm sick of allowing poor choices dictate my life. I'm ready to take control.
In the interest of full disclosure, I've been mildly depressed for the past year. My mom has been very, very ill. In the interest of her privacy, I don't wish to disclose her illness, other than to say that she's doing much better now but probably will never fully recover. Life will always be a struggle. I'm really not mentioning this for compassion or even understanding, but rather just to let any readers know where I'm coming from in life. When my mom got sick, I became really ... terribly sad. My friends, one by one, became fed up with me, and eventually stopped coming 'round. I don't blame them - I really was a mess at the time. But that even made me more depressed. With help from the few people that stuck around and some medical professionals, a year later I'm finally stepping out of the cloud. It's a slow process, but I'm here. And I think conquering this debt will truly help me get even further along ... not just financially but personally. Emotionally.
So ... this led me here! I'm utilizing this blog to chronicle my journey. If anyone offers advice or if I make any friends ... or if I'm even able to help anyone by sharing my stories ... then this will be worth it. Thanks for having me!
Why am I here?
July 19th, 2008 at 09:51 pm
July 19th, 2008 at 10:02 pm 1216504938
July 19th, 2008 at 10:45 pm 1216507524
Welcome. I think that understanding what might have been motivating your behavior (accumulating debt) will help prevent it in the future. I hope that this is your beginning for "turning things around". Looking forward to reading as you blog about your journey.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:47 pm 1216507621
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July 20th, 2008 at 12:46 am 1216514763
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July 20th, 2008 at 03:29 am 1216524565
Thank you for opening yourself to us like that. Takes a lot of courage.
Your post reminds yet again that much of personal finance isn't really numerical, but rather, emotional.
Anyway, please take care and hope your mother gets better soon!
July 20th, 2008 at 04:26 am 1216528008
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July 20th, 2008 at 01:52 pm 1216561963
PS There is a handy delete link under each persons message for when anonymous people post rude questions...we've had some lurkers doing that lately.
July 20th, 2008 at 04:58 pm 1216573130
July 20th, 2008 at 05:34 pm 1216575248
I hope your mom continues her recovery.
July 20th, 2008 at 09:43 pm 1216590239
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