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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Finally back. . .


Sheesh! Being sick just about knocked me flat! And, unfortunately, sapped some of the motivation and joie de vivre from my life. I don't know if it's because I'm coming off of an exhausting cold and am not yet feeling 100% again, or if I need to readjust my work life (and debt repayment plans), but I feel as if my debt payments are just a drop in the bucket.

When will I start to see a real difference in my student loan debt? Granted, it's a huge balance (in my own mind, anyway) and it IS going to take awhile, maybe longer than I originally planned. At the beginning of January, my balance was $59,689. After sending about $1,000 to the U.S. government last month, the balance is now just above $59,000. All that interest is killing me!!

Of course, at least I'm making payments, right? I'm not just ignoring the fact that the interest is accruing and digging me deeper in debt, as I did for the ten years after I graduated. You have to start somewhere, I suppose, but perhaps my 'plan' is a little bit too optimistic, given that I need some time to relax, socialize, sleep, and importantly, exercise.

I am hoping to have my gung-ho motivation back by the end of February, if not sooner. Until then, I'm going to keep plugging away and start thinking about how I can rearrange my work schedule(s) so I'm not overwhelmed. . . .

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there any place you can get a lower rate of interest than what you have? Over 8% seems sooo high.

Anonymous said...

Moderation in all things :)
First, ya gotta take care of you!
Keep plugging away at the debt - at least try to get the interest every month, so it doesn't grow any more... and a little extra, when possible.

A goal is just that - a goal.... it's not set in stone, it is a guideline, and it is not failure if it needs to be adjusted now and again. You cannot see the future, so sometimes, the path to debt freedom has to add an extra step or two...... You are still headed in the right direction! Keep traveling! and Good luck!

marci357

Erin said...

I've been reading you for a long time and, like you, we have a lot of debt we're trying to eliminate. Sometimes I get so discouraged, but I think the pace you're keeping is making you live without any emotional margin. I think you're actually pushing too hard. I always liken debt reduction to dieting...you have to build in rewards and milestones...little ones, because the task can be so huge, otherwise. When eating an elephant, we do it one bite at a time, but we still have to let our stomachs rest. I think you're doing so well, but I think you need to take the time to reward yourself or the discouragement will become overwhelming. So, put down the fork every once awhile and take a deep breath. You're doing so well.

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