Career & Finance: Debt Management

Why do you want to do this?

I want to stay out of debt because it was an unhealthy and miserable way to live. After somewhat getting over the initial guilt of having our debt discharged through chapter 7 bankruptcy I began to feel more free and less depressed all of the time. I feel my life slowly coming back and now I want to be responsible by living more simply and by less than my means and saving for the future to create a safety net. I really FEEL the need for a safety net! This in turn will help me to maintain my physical and mental health.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

I need to create a budget that really works. Something realistic and not something that just looks good on paper.

I need to open a savings account and make a plan that works so that it is realistic to be able to stick to it.

If my budget does not add up to enough income to cover everything, then I need to apply for a part time job. Just enough to get me through because I need time for my schooling. I had 2 1/2 jobs while going to school full time and I almost killed myself. So all in all I need school and work to balance to allow for a low stress budget.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

The biggest barrier that I have at this time is the amount of time it takes to be successful in school gets in the way of my ability to make enough money to pay my bills. If I try to pile on more then my physical and mental health suffer and the painful cycle begins.