Wednesday, August 22, 2012

My Rant on Debt...

I went to the mall this morning. Probably not my best choice given my history as a shopaholic but I really enjoy going. It's relaxing to me. What I wasn't expecting was to see a lot of beautiful clothes. I tried on a few nice suits and dresses (in anticipation of a new job that I hope to wear them to) and loved how they felt and fit. Sadly, I had to put them on the rack and walk away. And then I got frustrated. No, not frustrated. Down right mad.

So my trip to the mall didn't turn out as relaxing as I thought it would be. I walked away frustrated because I couldn't buy the gorgeous clothes I saw... the ones that actually fit me. (Side note -- I'm petite. It's not often when I find clothes that fit me really well. When I do and they are beautiful, that's when I want to buy them.) Our budget is built to not include new clothing purchases. Why? Our budget is built to pay off our debt. It's a great thing that we are taking steps to get out of debt and I'm honestly happy that we built our budget that way. But if it wasn't for the debt mess we have, I could have purchased those beautiful clothes today.

The debt mess irritates me and it saddens me to think of the foolish decisions we made that got us into the mess. Being in debt reduces the opportunities to allow yourself a gift. Actually, being in debt reduces the opportunities for God to give you a gift. Honestly, I felt God's sadness when I drove away from the mall today. The sadness in how we became entangled and are slaves to our lenders. Being in debt keeps us from going on fantastic dates, giving more extravagantly to our church and other charities, going on vacation, and causes our budget to be relatively tight. If you are in debt I'm sure you feel this way, too. Can you imagine the life you could live if you didn't have that debt on your financial books? I know I can. It wouldn't be a lavish life; it would be one of solid freedom.

Do you have a plan to pay off your debt? If so, when will you be debt free?

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