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Have you ever:
- Changed a personal habit? What was it and how did you accomplish it?
- Lost more than 30 pounds? How did you do it and how did it make you feel?
- Paid off over $10,000 in debt? What steps did you take and how did the process affect your views of borrowing?
- Done something you never thought you could do? What and how?
- Done or said something you regret? What were the circumstances and what did you learn from the process?
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Comments
Tim Ramsey writes:
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Tim Ramsey
Liza Lee Miller writes:
I have lost more than 30 lbs. It took a lot of time — about 3 years — too long really but I’m not complaining. How did I do it? Well, to be honest, I think my metabolism changed when my youngest son was 3 years old and that made it a lot easier. I also started really watching my portions and made tiny changes in what I ate — moving towards healthier choices like switching to non-fat from 1%. At the same time, however, I have not given up anything that I really like — I eat chocolate whenever I want to and I use butter instead of margarine — just less of it. With chocolate, I love really good chocolate so I only eat REALLY good chocolate rather than whatever is handy. I think the biggest thing is not beating myself up if I “slip” and overeat. No worries — I’ll just get back on track. I also don’t expect to lose every week — if I lose, great. If not, I try to stay the same.
My husband and I had way more than 10,000 in credit card debt. THankfully, it is nearly all paid off. It was hard and painful. The only debt we have now is our mortgage and to my mother-in-law. We will never have credit card debt again. It feels fantastic to be in this situation — way better than carrying all that debt did.
As for the the saying or doing something I regret — well, that would take too long to explain as I say or do things I regret regularly! :)
Author Comment
Joel writes:
Thaks for the kind words, Tim!
Wow, Liza! You sure have helped to inspire me and I’m sure countless others. Thanks to both of you for sharing and welcome to the blog!
Jonathan writes:
Finally got back to this one.
By the time I started teaching (after 18 months out of work and one year at a job that did not meet my expenses) I was buried in debt (I think 30k’ish). I was deciding which monthly bills to defer, and paying off one bit of plastic with another.
I scrimped on meals, ate in. Begged a close relative, got turned down. Essentially stopped spending anything, unless necessary. Quit cigarettes. Worked (we call it ‘per session’) extra tutorials, as many as I could get. Walked to work (saved bus fare), and lost some weight in the exchange. Took extra work on weekends, summer school.
Also, completely shut in, I blew off friends a lot. It was a high price… but the debt worked down, fast. Three years later my social network was in tatters, but I was debt-free.
Author Comment
Joel writes:
That’s awesome Jonathan! What kinds of things have you done since then to restore your social network? Do you find that your liberation from the bondages of debt help you now by giving you more freedom?
I find that since I destroyed my credit cards two years ago, I enjoy going out with friends more. When I can’t afford it, I know a payday is coming up in the next month or so (ha), so I’ll reschedule it until then. Now that I have a better control over my money (still not debt free yet), I have no problems telling friends I can’t afford to go out with them or suggesting a less expensive alternative.