11.14.2008

Financial Security is for Losers

So only a few more weeks until it is officially December, the biggest sucker-of-cash month of the entire year. It's not that I have anything against December really - ok maybe I do.

This December will become one of the biggest money and self-esteem guzzlers of my life thus far. You see not so long ago (6 months to be exact) I finally graduated college, a feat 10 years in the making. Of course I had loans I had begun taking out for my education dating back to 2000, but I rarely thought much about them. Instead during all of those years that I lolly-gagged my way through school I would take out the maximum allowable for each semester and view that extra $2000 a semester as "money to live on". And by "money to live on" I mean money to blow on useless crap like clothing that is now sitting somewhere in a Goodwill bin, haircolor and cuts that are long gone, sushi dinners out with friends (including the Saki) and of course there was that really dumb move of paying off a credit card for an ex-boyfriend who claimed it "made more sense" to kill his own debt instead of mine.

Stupidity.

Obviously I was in dire need of a degree not in Health Science and Education but in 'How to spot a sketchy character in 2 minutes or less'. (In his defense, I was able to get my money back from that ex-loser boyfriend after months of nagging.)

What am I left with besides a brand spankin' new Bachelor of Science degree that is proudly hung on my bedroom wall? I am left with a student loan debt of around $50,000. Before you lose yourself in a state of shock and awe, I must remind you that there are plenty of folks out there in a much worse off situation than myself. For instance I always make myself feel better about the whole situation by eating a bowl of chocolate peanut butter ice cream and ruminating over the fact that my brother went to a college costing $31,000 per YEAR.

Because chocolate peanut butter makes everything better.

This fabulous chunk of educational debt will begin withdrawing funds from my miniscule bank account on December 7th. As in next month. As in instead of saving up for christmas, I will be saving up to keep Mario and Luigi from Citibank from hacking away at my kneecaps. Oh yeah, and I turn 28 at the end of the month. Hoo-frickin-ray.

I have decided to really take hold of my financial standing while I am able to and before it really gets away from me and rides off into the sunset on a train called Financial Disaster.

I had started listening to Dave Ramsey on AM radio while driving the 3 hours from San Antonio to Del Rio because otherwise all there was to listen to was Mexican talk radio. No choice really, I was a captive audience. But I really like the guy and he really has some sound financial advice. And he is hard hitting, which is what a numbskull like myself needs. A little financial violence never hurt anyone. (Unless you are being taken out Soprano style for failing to pay your gambling debt - then you are just dumb)

So I decided to go ahead and sign on to his Total Money Makeover Plan and set up a budget and a means to pay off my student loan debt ASAP. In all reality I am not that bad off. I don't have to pay rent or utilities, my car is nearly paid for, I only have one credit card to pay off and after earning my degree I got a job earning $10,000 more per year than I had been. But for some reason or another Target would call to me and I would make my way over to buy useless crap that I didn't need. Like these dog costumes for the christmas holiday.


(Oh don't give me that 'aww, poor little innocent doggies' crap. Trust me. They love this stuff. Plus, they got a bone for their modelling efforts.) So hopefully I will be able to report back to you in a month that I have finally reigned in the useless spending and have set myself on the path of financial security. We shall see.

1 comment:

  1. Oh, man. I hear ya sister! I have about $18,000 in student loan debt, which is insane when one considers I didn't even live on campus and attended the cheapest four-year institution in Maryland. Of course, it took me five years to get that so-called four-year degree but I was still surprised when I got that bill a few weeks ago. And those dog costumes are adorable! My dog has a turtleneck that he's not particularly fond of but he looks damn cute in it.

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