Debt

Some of my debt is listed on the sidebar over on the right.  This is not complete - it is only the debt for which I currently have a total and starting amount.  I've paid off approximately $10,000/year since I started work in August, 2010 because my paycheck is garnished each by roughly $800 - 900 total per month.

I'll update these amounts as I receive my quarterly notices of where I'm at on each debt.  My most recent update is the $15,100 debt is now at $11,815 as of mid-December, 2012.  Yay!  Every bit paid off moves me closer to my goal of zero debt and repayment of all debt I incurred when my business failed and I lost my house.

I didn't declare bankruptcy at the time because I believe if I caused on the debt, I need to pay it back.  I'm definitely not anti-bankruptcy, though.  I know there are cases where people are overwhelmed with medical bills, or they took out a risky home loan.  But for anyone who just "wanted it all" and bought big screen tv's and snowmobiles on credit (like my cousin and his wife...more on them later) then you need to take responsibility for that debt.  I have a decent income and I have the capacity to pay back what I owe, so I will.

This is not the first time I've paid off a large amount of debt.  When I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 1991 I paid back nearly $20,000 in student loans, and several credit cards - including my Amoco credit card which was over $8,000 - in about a year and a half.  I buckled down, worked multiple jobs, sold tons of stuff on ebay and paid off the debt.  And I can do it again.

And as long as I'm getting my finances back on track, I may as well get in shape and get healthy at the same time!  2013  is going to be all about ME.  I look back on 2001-2003 as one of the very best times of my life, and that's just a shame.  I need to look forward to a time when I'm out of debt and able to pay cash for a house, and with some willpower and hard work...the best is ahead of me, I just know it!