I am trying to find new ways to motivate myself at a job which I find a little bit boring but very much needed. I am trying to find ways to fight through the bullshit and be grateful and also feel rewarded.
Its hard to feel rewarded when you're in lots of debt. When I get a big bonus, I immediately put it towards my credit cards and I don't get to play with any of it. I want a new sofa, a vacation, a bed for my dog, a bed for me (I sleep on a twin mattress on top of another twin mattress) and I want to go camping sometime this year. Oh. And something needs to be done about my car who is older than I am and attains a new noise/problem every week (but still gets me from point A to point B-- most of the time -- thank goodness).
Like most folks who were out of work for a long time or who had to go back to work after being self employed (like I was) due to the economy, I have debt. Oodles of it. As of right now I have just over $40k in credit card debt. Yeah. So stop feeling so dreadful about yourself. I am pretty sure that I trump most people when it comes to debt.
I didn't get this debt buying designer handbags. I paid the rent with it, invested in myself and in my future, invested in my house and took care of the basics. I just had more money going out than coming in for too many years.
I figure that if I am super frugal I can pay it all off in about 3.5 years. If nothing goes wrong. If I am able to keep earning what I am earning. If nobody gets sick, I don't miss any days of work and I never buy anything nice for myself.
Sometimes I think about picking up more work but I really really don't want to sacrifice my health and my sanity. Plus, I already have my acting gigs which are pretty few and far between but that IS extra work and it derails my routine enough as it is.
So. Two questions: how can I spend less and how can I reward myself for smaller things.
There aren't many places where I can cut back. I don't have a car payment (although I do have a car) but I can drive less and save on gas and maybe a bit on insurance. I can try and spend less on food and eat more frugally, quit drinking and never eat out.
So. Here are my new goals, their timeframes and the rewards:
August-March:
Goal: Ride my bike to work 4 out of 5 days a week. This will save me any gym membership fee (I already put mine on hold to save money) and will save me about $70/mo on gas.
Goal: Only eat at home, try and socialize at home as much as possible and no alcohol or sweets. Learn to cook and eat more frugally. This will save me about $100/mo and maybe more.
Goal: Recommit to writing on Singlutionary and to writing in general in the hopes that I can lay the groundwork for another website which actually generates revenue.
Reward: Pay off highest interest credit card. Save enough cash to go to India for my roommate's wedding. Use my vacation pay for the trip. Get fit and skinny in the name of debt reduction.
Motivation: A once in a lifetime experience of attending a friend's Indian wedding and traveling to India (mostly) by myself (except for the wedding part).
April-June:
Goal: Find or create one additional source of income even if its really basic like dog walking or pet sitting or working Sundays someplace (I only have to do it for a few months which makes me feel better about it)
Goal: Save enough money to get my car fixed so I can quit riding my bike!
Reward: Not having to ride to work in 100% plus weather all summer.
Motivation: Feeling like the end (of having sketch transportation and/or other financial trauma is in sight)
July-September:
Goal: Continue paying down debt at the same speed
Goal: Save enough money by trimming the fat in ALL possible places to buy a used faux leather sectional for my living room (way easier to get the dog hair off of and way better looking than a faded black futon and an even more faded loveseat with a torn slipcover). Oh. And buy a new dog bed for the poor dog (her current one is lumpy and has been mended twice).
I LOVE this plan. It feels good and it feels do-able. But then I remember that in June I have a wedding that I have to fly to and in July I have a family reunion that I also will have to fly to.
Maybe by then I'll have a raise. Or maybe I'll sacrifice the awesome dog-hair-repellent sectional for friends and family. Urgh! The sectional might have to wait until Christmas.
But my overall motivation is that once I pay off all this debt, hopefully the economy will have recovered and I can go onto my next adventure!
So India, a repaired car and a leather sofa are my carrots. But the ultimate destination is being debt free!
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