My Biggest Money Mistake

There was a time before I became a personal finance advice giving guru and enjoyed my debt free life where I made BIG money mistakes.  But the biggest was debt... so today I'm going to share my biggest money mistake with you so you see that I'm human just like you and that if I overcame my finance issues, you can too!

When I was 21 I moved out of my parents' house and into my own apartment.  I had a couple grand in credit card debt but I figured that was normal.  But once I was out on my own life got hard. I got depressed and anxious and I ended up spending money I didn't have on stuff I didn't need.  I was addicted to spending. I got a thrill from shopping, swiping my card, bringing home bags, and unloading new things into my apartment. 

It was to the point where I couldn't even go to a convenience store without buying absolute ridiculous stuff I'd see on an end cap.  If I was upset, I'd shop. If I was sad, I'd shop. And if I was feeling really happy I still shopped.  I ended up accruing thousands and thousands of dollars in credit card debt and all I had to show for it was a bunch of clothing that I didn't really wear and that was actually pretty crappy quality.  I'd go spend money at the bar and I'd charge that too. 

Then I went through even tougher times when I could barely afford my rent after my roommate moved out and I ended up moving in with someone else and it was kind of a toxic situation.  This made me shop even more. I began to lose hope.  There was no way possible I could fix my situation.  I just kept digging myself into a deeper and deeper pit of credit card debt.  

Then I finally realized I had to change the script for my life.  So I read blog posts, books from experts, and watched lots of online videos from gurus.  I started to put a plan into place.  I realized I had to stop spending emotionally and start putting all my focus into paying off my debt.  Along the way I still messed up many times.  I'd be doing so good then screw it all up again.  I realized my only option was to move back home with my parents.  While there for 2 years I still paid a small amount of rent and I paid for my own groceries.  But doing this allowed me to really save money that I put towards my debt and after 2 years of that I was finally debt free and bought a house with my boyfriend who is now my husband. 

I am telling you all of this because I had some really crazy experiences and crappy circumstances but I still stuck with my ultimate goal of being debt free.  The day I paid off my last chunk of credit card debt was completely and utterly liberating.  There's no way to really describe it except to tell you that when you experience it, it's like nothing you have ever experienced before.  Since then, I did fall into a little debt here and there but for the last few years I've been debt free and kept it up and will continue to do so. 

I don't need to charge money in an emergency because I have an emergency fund.  I have 3-6 months of living expenses saved up too!  

DO NOT GIVE UP! If I can do it, so can you!

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