I'm so happy to find this community on Twitter of other people (not all Americans!) who are working on this debt-free lifestyle. Everyone wants to feel like part of a crowd or feel like they fit-in but I tend to stay away from 'clicky' crowds. I don't like to feel like I'm excluding people or that I have to meet certain standards in order to be accepted. However, the good thing about the Twitter 'debt-free club' (as I've just coined the phrase), is that everyone can join it and we are all at different stages within it. However, we are a good club to join because we encourage each other & help one another with ideas, suggestions, etc. that doesn't exclude a single person.
I read a great article today that made me feel good because I have many of these 'awkward' moments now, as well as several times in the past. I read an article on @enemyofdebt written by Travis Pizel (@debtchronicles) in which he describes his past Thankgiving and how he had to explain to friends about staying within their budget. [see full article Uncomfortable Conversation] Well, I love the honesty of Brad. It's very hard to stick to your guns, especially when you have friends from out of town or an unexpected party, anniversary or special celebration comes up. I have many friends and family that live across the country or even a couple hours away from me that are always asking for my family to come visit and take a trip. I would love to. The most important thing to me is family and friends. I have some great places to visit when I finally become debt-free - Alaska, Hawaii, Washington State and Italy just to name a few. However, until I get my budget in better condition or have a better plan for saving up for such trips, these friends & family are left to conversations over Skype or phone.
So, thank you to the community of people that are working for the same goals of being debt-free, staying debt-free and helping others to be debt-free. I read messages every day that continue to motivate and inspire me. If it weren't for these 'strangers' who are part of this OPEN 'club' then I would be continuing to hide in silence and keep my thoughts private because I didn't think that other people really cared about feeling the satisfaction of financial freedom.
Thanks for the mention! :D
ReplyDeleteI truly wish I could take credit for such a wonderful article but it was written by a member of Team EOD Travis Pizel. (@debtchronicles)
Right now him and his family are digging their way through over $100,000 of debt and are halfway to debt freedom. He's a great asset to Enemy of Debt and always has wonderful real life stories about his journey! :D
Now to add to your post today. This is something I have written about in the past and frankly causes lots of people major trouble.
ReplyDeleteAs Travis points out it makes us feel embarrassed about our finances even though we should always stick to a budget to ensure we don't run out of money. It shouldn't be an embarrassing moment it should be something to be admired.
We have certainly had to say no to a number of vacations especially when we were paying off our debt. We took NO VACATIONS and constantly looked for ways to entertain ourselves with very little money spent.
I think it's a relevant topic especially during Christmas time. People are made to feel guilty if they do not buy gifts for people in their family and sometimes even friends.
For instance I suggested this year that instead of spending the money on an artificial tree that we instead wait until after Christmas to buy one when they are marked down to 50%.
A family member said "Bah Humbug" about my suggestion but to me Christmas is still Christmas even if we don't put up a tree. We would like to have a tree, and usually have one, but if Christmas is still Christmas then doesn't it make sense to wait and save money as opposed to not waiting and spending $80 to $100 for the tree we wanted?
Luckily I was talking about this with my mom and she said she had an extra one so it all worked out. Sorry for the long example but I thought it would go perfect with what you've written about here today.
Thanks for checking out Enemy of Debt! :D
Thanks for the mention to my article at EOD, and I'm so glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteWhat you're saying about a sense of community is SO true! It's great to be a part of a group of people who are going through a similar situation, and to get support and encouragement. So, don't keep silent, keep writing and reading and we'll all get to where we want to be someday.
Brad & Travis - thanks for visiting my site. I updated my post for accuracy to properly name Travis as the author of the article! Sorry about that. I am just starting out with my blog so I will learn from these little mistakes with time :)
ReplyDeleteBrad - I can totally relate to your story of the Christmas tree and it sounds like something I would do as well. Things always have a funny way of working out when you really make an effort. I don't think it was a coincidence that your mom happened to have an extra tree but you were determined to avoid spending unnecessary money.
Travis - yes, I love the community that writes and shares ideas and tips on their financial experience. I feel it's just as important to share others' ideas as it is to give my own perspective. After all, we all are working towards the same goals and this world is big enough to allow all of us to be successful. Other people do help us to discuss ideas until we flush them out properly. Best of luck to you both!