I've been thinking and talking and writing a ton about money lately.
Saving, spending, debt, shopping. I'm reading books about it, too. It's
actually pretty crass, and I am getting sick enough of hearing myself
talk about it, so I definitely owe a debt (shit! another one!) of
gratitude to the folks who have been listening to me work throught it
and giving advice about it, particularly a certain Princess. I really
appreciate the willingness to give advice without judgement.
But the bottom line, of course, is that annoying everyone around me
with a subject most people would rather not talk about isn't going to
fix anything. I have to make my decisions myself and get myself through
this one. Reading and talking to other people has its place, but it's
no good trying to put the impetus on someone else, which is part of
what I do when I ask advice on questions that I really already know the
answers to.
One good thing the books I've been reading and
people I've been chatting with has given me is perspective. While I
think it's true that I spend too much, shop too much, save too little,
etc., I don't have credit card debt, a car loan, etc. My only debt is
student loans, which are huge, but I've never missed a payment on them
(aside from when they are deferred). I am also paying the interest on
the non-subsidized portion while I'm in school. This isn't to say that
I don't have a problem, just that it hasn't reached epic proportions
yet, so if I can get a handle on it now, I'll be much happier.
I am still deciding exactly what form that handle should take. I know
that I don't feel like depriving myself, and that stopping shopping
completely isn't a goal. I also know that it's going to feel great to
make large loan payments during this year of pulling in an income, and
that I have several savings goals to reach. So I'll figure it out. It's
trial and error, I suppose.
In the meantime, I'm going to try to shut up about it.