Didn’t blog at all last week, shame on me :) However, I have some good news. Well, goods news for me, anyway. I am debt free!
Some people were are in serious money trouble, so I guess mine were never that bad. I always could afford food, a place to stay, pay my bills, and had fun money. But five or six years ago, I owe almost ten grand at one point. A couple years of university, an overpriced community college course, and only a low paying security job rolled together to almost max out a line of credit I was living off.
I got a web developer job in 2000, and set a budget for myself. I wasn’t a hardcase about it, I wasn’t a scrooge. Probably could have paid it off long ago if I was a bit more grinchy, but I had a girlfriend and was enjoying myself. As long as I was making headway, I was satisfied.
I got a new job at Visual Lizard at the begining on 2005, and became single again mid-last year. I went out to restaurants less, saved money a bit more, and got a raise at my job. Headway became a run to the finish, and with a good sized income tax return last April, I crossed the finish line! Line of credit is paid off. Visa card is paid off. Other than internet/cellphone bills and paying my rent every month, I owe nothing to no body.
Moral? A budget is a good idea. A goal works wonders, too. For a long time, it was getting to see positive numbers in my bank account. Now, I’m saving to buy a Macbook Pro in January, when Mac OSX Leopard is expected to be released.